//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: A Tale Woven in Silk // Story: Primordial Conflict // by Jumping Jack //------------------------------// A Tale Woven of Silk   We found ourselves sitting inside a coffee shop. The cute barista mare behind the counter greeted us with a friendly smile before arching a brow at Ouroboros. "Err... pardon me. But your coat is kind of... peeling?" she said. Ouroboros blinked and looked at himself. Indeed, he was peeling a little. He then picked at it, making me cringe in disgust.  "Interesting. I wonder if the winter air has anything to do with this." He looked at the menu and frowned. "You don't happen to have cappuccino coated in lava or maybe brimstone ice?" The mare looked at him, a look I would have expected from such a request. I quickly shoved aside the being before giving her my best laugh. "Eheheh. Don't mind my friend here... he err, recently moved in from the Badlands." "O-oh..." the mare said. I put a few bits on the counter. "Just two black coffees with sugar and cream." The mare quickly nodded and trotted over to the coffee machine. I pulled Ouroboros aside and whispered to him. "You can't just ask for something like that here!" I hissed. Ouroboros arched a brow. "I don't see what the problem is." He held up a hoof and as if some sort of distortion in space, the very thing he asked for appeared. He sipped from the straw. He saw my look and held out his drink. "Want some?" I shook my head and gently pushed it back to him. "Look, Ouroboros. I just... don't know what to think about all this. An eldritch being? I thought that was mythology created by an author?" Ouroboros slurped his straw before speaking. "Mythology is more than just philosophy and creatures. Wouldn't living in a world where colorful equines that can fly, use magic or have increased strength talk and act like humans in a different dimension?" I cocked my head slightly. "Humans?" I asked. Ouroboros slurped and shrugged. "That's for something most ponies need to find out. I mean, there was a time about a couple years ago when a portal was used to enter that dimension. Then a few months later, the same thing happened. And then another few months later, it was used again." He frowned. "Now that I found it, I'm thinking about destroying it so it will stop making me itch." I balked. "You want to destroy a portal to another world because it makes you itch?" I said more out of shock than a question. I've read about possible portals and dimensional travel back in CSGU. I was interested in that topic at the time and read up on a lot of ways that it can go. One book that happened to be a replica to Starswirl's Journal stated that he had found many portals leading to one dimension to another. But to access them is entirely dangerous and if they are found, must be avoided entirely. The possible threat of never coming back or releasing something into this world is... surprisingly high. The next page had a list of ways to combat a portal should it get out of control. It involved a lot of preparations before even thinking about opening a portal. Realizing that the chances of going to another dimension were utterly discouraged, I went on to reading more about zebra culture. I found a booth and sat in it with Ouroboros sat across, his lips curling into a snake like smile again. "So then. How has your day been going?" he asked as he stirred the straw in his lava drink. I grimaced. "Having that question come from an eldritch being of balance is... unnerving." I replied. Ouroboros shrugged. "I try not to make it an unpleasant meeting. Here, let me help you ease a little." He waved his hoof and I was suddenly surrounded by... very enticing mares. At least four of them moved on me and giggled. I felt my face grow hotter as their hooves began massaging my back, shoulders, sides and forelegs. I was speechless. The feeling was... bliss. I found myself shivering at the moving hooves on my body, eliciting an itch. Ouroboros slurped his straw, ignoring the looks he had caught from the startled ponies around us. Realizing that my personal bliss was getting sidetracked into something else, I mustered enough will and shook off the mares. They looked sad, making me have a small twinge of guilt at their chance of feeling me up. Which, in all honesty I didn't mind behind closed doors. But I had to focus on the matter at hoof. "I-I don't need personal tastes to ease me, I just want answers!" I said, feeling myself blush more as I tried to ignore the tender brush of a hoof under my chin. "Just what are you planning here, Ouroboros? What makes an eldritch being interested in a place like Equestria?" Ouroboros's eyes glinted sharply, putting my bliss into a fearful dread. "I believe you have experienced it first hand. Or is it "hoof"? It's sometimes hard to catch onto dimensional speak." One of the mares giggled and laid their perfectly brushed mane on my chest. The smell of perfume and her soft silken coat against my hoodie being distracting as well as difficult to handle. But I let her do so as I kept my focus on the being. "What are you talking about?" He waved his hoof and a newspaper appeared. He then placed it on the table and I used my magic to hold it up to read. The mares leaned in to read with me, making me groan in embarrassed frustration. But the title was clear as day. Starswirl has returned! Confirmation on pg. 4 I balked. “Starswirl is... alive!?" I stated a little too loudly. I hadn't realize how much attention we have caught. Almost everypony was staring at us. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the pleasant smell of the mares around me as a bonus, before exhaling and sucking up my already destroyed dignity. "How can that be?" Ouroboros smirked. "The old buck certainly is alive and well. Has been for centuries. I'm surprised everyone hasn't known it." I looked at him and squinted my eyes. Wait a minute... this is the eldritch being of balance. If I had to make assumptions, I would assume he knows exactly what is going on, but wants to hold it off for "entertainment". Almost like the mythology on Asgard and Loki. I frowned. "Cut the bull and tell me." Ouroboros suckled his straw. "Tell you what?" I waved a hoof in dismissal, only to have it be caught by one of the mares and have it tenderly massaged. I gave up in trying to fight this. Besides, a free massage is still a massage. And I've been dying to get my stiff muscles and bones loosened after the many counts of fighting in the tournaments. "Anything that isn't bull." I said. Ouroboros shrugged. "Then I really can't tell you anything." I opened my mouth to say something, only to realize how badly he had caught me. I bowed my head, leaving my shoulders to be messaged by one of the mares and sighed. "Then tell me one thing. Why are you even here talking to me? I'm sure an eldritch being has much better things to do than talk to a pony like me." Ouroboros leaned forward, propping his scale hooves under his chin. "Hm... I can't really say as to keep the meddling to a minimal." I gave him a stern sarcastic look. "But if I were to simplify it. Things are going to be changing here in the next few months." He tapped his hoof now at the paper. "Starswirl has returned and the Summer Solstice is the deadline. If you really want to know more, then head to Canterlot Castle. I will be waiting there with the princesses to discuss this matter into more detail. But until then, I must thank you for the coffee. And please." He motioned to the mares. "Enjoy the gift. I'm sure they will tend to your every needs." I found my face becoming hot again and watched as the eldritch being disguised as a pony trot casually out of the coffee joint. A few things came to mind. One was the pleasant presences of the mares who were batting their eyelashes at me. The second was that the mare that we had ordered from was staring at me in utter shock. The last thing was how much I just realized that Ouroboros didn't have anypony look at him as he walked out. I was caught in a very compromising position. ~~~****~~~ The mares trotted behind me casually, giggling to themselves as if they were discussing everyday ordeals. In fact, one of them mentioned that her horoscope stated that she will finally find that somepony who she can serve and how right it was. I trotted with my hood covering my bright red face as the mares followed me home, catching strange looks from both genders. When I finally arrived home, the mares began to start organizing things and cleaning up the mess me and Thi had made from yesterday. I sat in my couch and turned the holo-gem TV over to the news. "Good afternoon, everypony. This is Grahm Cracker with Arcaneo News. This just in, confirmed reports of Starswirl being alive after so many years of scholars stating he had vanished into the next deminsion. The once idolized researcher and god father of magic and all things astral has returned to Canterlot Castle. The princesses were once students of his back in their inheritance to the throne. He had depicted many outcomes of events. The return of Nightmare Moon is one that many are familiar with. However, he is also the one that predicted the return of Tirek, the tyrannical tyrant that had stolen everypony's magic about a few years ago that was defeated by the now renowned Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. "The return has been a surprising amount of mixed feedback. Scholars in Canterlot were protesting the return, stating that it was just a false positive. No pony has really seen if it is Starswirl. But a leak in the castle has come through and confirmed the reports. We go live to Fedora Press who is on scene at the protest." The image flipped over to the same stallion. One of the mares offered me a gwynette and I took it, popping the cap off on the coffee table. I took a pull and looked at her and then to the bottle. I smiled and held it up for her. She blinked in confusion before smiling and taking a pull. The reaction from her was priceless. The mares seemed to have taken a break from re-organizing and sat around me. "Thank you, Grahm. I'm here today in front of the protesters that have displayed many opinions about the current situation. The crowd behind waved signs and shouted, making the news pony raise his voice over them. "Confirmation on the return of Starswirl have been mixed. We have one scholar who has come all the way from the Crystal Empire to join in on the protest." They brought into a view a very timid looking stallion. His small beard in a tuft as well as his disheveled glasses loosely hanging on the bridge of his muzzle. "W-what? Oh no, I just arrived here and-. "Sir, can you tell us what exactly protesters are stating?" the pony adjusted his glasses. "W-w-well I'm not inclined to say. I haven't seen first hoof yet. But I'm on my way to the castle to see now." Fedora Press chuckled. "And I bet the Crystal Empire is also aware of the return. So tell the viewers, what do the royals at the Empire state in this sudden turn of events?" The pony levitated a book over to him and opened to a page. "Again, we haven't quite got an opinon. You see, I'm the court wizard for Princess Miamore Cadenza and I really need to be going and-." "Don't worry about the camera, Mister..." "S-Sunburst. But I-" "Sunny Bee! So, what does the princess of the Empire think? I'm sure being a scholar there you must report to the headmaster in order to relay the message." Sunburst frowned. "I am the headmaster. I'm the only court wizard. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to be in attendance and I am already behind." Sunburst trotted past them and nodded to the guards who let him through before the camera turned back to Fedora. "And there you have it viewers. Scholars are still shocked about the news and still assume that Starswirl has vanished into the plane of the multi-verse. Back to you." The door to my house opened and in walked Thi Billet, who instantly balked. "Whoa! So this is where you snuck off too!" she then cocked her head and studied the mares around me that were snuggled a little too comfy on me. In fact, that's the reason why I couldn't react in time to my friend appearing. But taking the time to notice them, one was a unicorn, one was an earth pony and two of them were pegasi. Each one bore a strikingly similar face and expression. But each one was unique in pallets. The unicorn, vanilla and neatly primed curl mane and hazel eyes. The earth pony, a slick back long purple mane and lightly grey coat had the similar hazel eyes. The two pegasi, resembling twins. One had a bit of a bed ridden messy blond mane, but it looked stunning on her cream silken coat. The look-a-like had a similar pallet, but her mane was brushed and trimmed. Again, I was in a compromising position. Thi smirked. "Wow. Went from a hospital to picking up four mares. You sure you moved on?" she asked. I waved my hooves in a panic, flushing a bit. "N-no! They just... well I... err..." Dammit, how can I explain this to her?! I just bowed my head and sighed. The unicorn mare nuzzled my cheek tenderly in reassurance. Thi looked like on the verge of laughing. But she exhaled to calm herself before speaking. "Look, Fie. If you wanted to just leave the hospital, all you had to do was get me in on it and we would have gotten out of there." She frowned. "The nurse there was livid about your disappearance. Stated that that was the fourteenth time?" She then squinted her eyes at me. "So... when were you going to tell me that you partake in martial art tournaments?" I felt my heart sink heavily in my chest. Crap... did Nurse Redheart accidentally state that in her rant? I rubbed the back of my mane and gave her my best smile I could manage. "Err... do you want a free massage?" I asked as I motioned to one of the pegasus twins. She smiled and hovered over to Thi and tenderly rolled her shoulders with her hooves. Thi felt a little pleased by this, but quickly shook her off. "I'm fine, thanks. What I would like to know exactly what my best friend has been leaving out." I glanced between her and the pegasus. The mare shrugged in return and I sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll come clean. But only if you keep it to yourself." I then glanced at the others. "And... the others." Thi arched a brow while the pegasus next to her nodded happily with her sisters. ~~~****~~~ Thi decided to go with the massage after all. The pegasus with the bed ridden mane was contempt as she rolled my friend's shoulders. The other three decided break was over and continued to clean my house. Even though I clean the house every so often, it seems they wanted to ensure no speck or grime was missed. Thi sat across the coffee table and propped herself with her hooves and closing her eyes with a contempt smile. I had just finished up my tale of how I entered the martial arts scene. "So, you just wanted more bits?" I nodded. "Hey, that means you kick a lot of flank now. I was shocked that you even held out on your own against those ponies back in CSGU." I smirked and took a pull of my gwynette. "You wouldn't shut up about it to me for a few days." Thi sighed happily before speaking. "I like a good brawl. But I just wanted to avoid this one entirely. It was just over a dumb misunderstanding." I arched a brow and frowned. "You think being caught cheating with another stallion is a misunderstanding?" I asked. Thi shook her head. "That's the misunderstanding. He cheated with me on his own mare-friend." She snorted. "Both got what was coming to them.." I sighed. "In any case, you still really haven't told me how you got... that thing." I pointed at the eye bat laying in the corner. The unicorn mare waved a duster on it, making its eye squint in annoyance at her. Thi shrugged. "Like I said. Ran a few relic hunts with Daring Doo. She let me keep it." I shook my head. "Are you certain you didn't cause some ancient curse or released some ancient being..." I thought a moment about this. It probably made sense. Thi shows up out of the blue. She shows off the bat. And the next thing I know, everything starts being all weird around me. Ouroboros may be an eldritch being, but I honestly thought that he only took interest because something caused it. And it might have been just that. I suddenly stood up and used my magic to carry the bat next to me before striding out of the house. "Fie? What are you doing? Hey, stop that! Give it back!" Thi shouted as she shrugged off the mare and cantered over to me. I rounded the corner of my house and jabbed the bat in the trash can, smiling in triumph. Thi pushed me aside and brought the bat back out and glared at me. "The hell is wrong with you? You can't just throw away my stuff!" I returned her glare. "Please, don't start acting like the victim. None of this weird stuff wouldn't be happening if you hadn't brought that here!" Thi brushed the bat off. "What weird stuff? Last I check, I wasn't the one that caused you to attempt murder on two ponies with fire. I am more concerned that my friend had even attempted it." She pointed the bat at me. "So explain to me why almost killing two ponies isn't weird in itself?" "I wasn't trying to murder them! I wanted to-" I stopped and darted my eyes. "I..." Thi leaned in, arching a brow at me. "Go on." she said. I sat down and tapped my head with both my hooves. Why couldn't I find an answer? Why did I do that? I shook my head. "That's besides the point anyway! The bat probably caused me to do all that!" Thi waved the bat, the eye making a small glowing trail. "This thing is practically harmless! Sure it causes headaches, but with the right treatment, it is no more than a bunyip!" I couldn't believe my friend was defending something that had bad written all over it! I snatched the bat in my magic. "It's going in the trash! End of story." I said. Thi overlapped her magic on mine and pulled back. "It's staying with me! I practically almost got killed for this thing!" she retorted. I tugged back. "You're an idiot for trying to risk your life over something that may be the bane of pony kind!" This pulled back. "The bat contains the essence of a tyrannical warlord that was sealed away eons ago!" she grunted as she tugged back. The bat shivered in the air as our magic tried to wrestle it. "That doesn't help your case!" I growled. "It doesn't help yours that your eyes are like a dragons when you look at fire!" I arched a brow and let go, making Thi stumble and fall flat on her haunches. She rubbed her rear and stood up. "Say again?" I asked. Thi dusted herself off. "You didn't know? I thought it was obvious when you were trying to burn that mare or you had set that booth on fire." I put a hoof to my eye. I don't know why it sounded like the truth. Thi wasn't really one to dance around it. But then again, after everything that has been going on, I felt even more questions popping into my head. Thi huffed and glared at me. "Ya' done bitching about the bat?" I returned her glare. "That bat is a problem. But fine, see if I care that you doom the entire world and come crying to me saying I didn't warn you." Thi smirked. "But you will care anyway." I growled. "Don't remind me..." I then darted my eyes in thought. Something wasn't quite right at all about... well the whole thing. An eldritch being calling itself Ouroboros. My sudden fondness to fire and the strange themes and random news ponies calling me out. Come to the castle. We will discuss it there... I sighed in defeat. "Alright... then I guess I really have no choice then." I trotted back over to my front door. "Fie? What are you doing?" Thi asked. I opened the door with my magic, startling one of the mares that was scrubbing my wall of a stain I didn't think was there. "I'm going to Canterlot." I said. "If anything that has been going is tied to what's going on over there, I'll find out by visiting the princesses." Thi balked and cantered around me to stop my advance to my room. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You think you can just walk into Canterlot Castle and demand to see the princesses!?! Fie, they will just toss you out on your flank! If not, imprison you for possible assassination attempt!" I shook my head. "I'm sure they will make an exception. Besides, it's not like I want to doom Equestria like somepony I know." I said as I trotted past her. Thi spluttered. "The bat is harmless! How many times do I have to say that?!" I went up the stairs and over to my room, grumbling to myself. "You still haven't proven your point." I said to myself before opening the door and looking around my barren small room. Not much has been decorated to it. Been sleeping on the couch more often than in a bed. It almost made me feel a small moment of reprieve. Was I really going to just be walking into Canterlot and demand answers? No pony got anything done just by sitting around doing nothing. Hell, even dad goes through Tartarus and back, making him the hero cop he is. And mom is the Captain of the Royal Guard. I then balked. No wonder... I felt my heart rate increase. The nervousness turning into fear. Mom... I was going to have to probably be dealing with her once I get there. You think you can just walk into Canterlot and demand to see the princesses!?! I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth at the struggling thoughts. I just wish for once I wasn't so haunted by them. The falling out with my family. The horrible humiliation of being flunked from CSGU. No chance at a better life. Ponyville being the only thing to a quiet life I could ever have. And I'm planning on throwing it all away just to be spurred on by a creature that is urban mythical legend. I could hear a faint maniacal laugh in the back of my mind. Just what has my life come too? I was going to find out sooner or later. ~~~****~~~ "All aboard! Next stop, Canterlot!" The conductor shouted. The train station was surprisingly packed. I found it hard to wedge myself in the crowd. It didn't help that Thi decided to come along, despite her constant begging for us not to go back there. "Just shut up and face it, Thi! You are just as responsible by carrying that bat around and everypony needs to know the threat!" Thi grumbled as a pony shoved her closer to me and was ready to swing her hoof. But I put a hoof on her shoulder and shook my head. "I really think we should just skip out on this whole thing." She said. We entered into the train and took a seat at the back of the back cart. Wasn't the best seat in the train and it had some sort of mysterious dried spot. I frankly wasn't too comfortable about it and when Thi sat across from me, she made a disgusted face and tossed a rotten apple core out of the window with her magic. I sighed. "If we want to know why I am so messed up, we have to go to Canterlot Castle." I said. Thi kicked back in her seat. "Or, you can just go home and bed one of those mares." I blushed and shot a glare at her. "The hell is wrong with you!?" I stated. She chuckled and waved a hoof. "Only teasing you. Besides... they aren't really ponies, are they?" I was about to open my mouth to retort to another snide remark. But realizing she didn't say something snide and instead something astute, I narrowed my eyes at her. "Yeah... how did you know that?" I asked. Thi shrugged. "Lucky guess." She looked out the window, casually ignoring my suspicious glare at her. I tossed on my hood and laid back, closing my eyes. It was going to be a long trip to Canterlot. The train started moving and we were soon on our way towards Canterlot. Moving around mountains and plains, the sights of Equestria was indeed one to behold. Many acres of untouched lands and possible places that have yet to be explored. Bright vagrant colors were blended spectacularly with the snow. I caught my somewhat visible reflection looking back at me. I stared into my bright gold eyes, seeing if what Thi had said was true. No slants or green eyes. I felt relieved at this. But the uneasiness of everything that has happened lately made me think otherwise. 'What is going on? Is something far worse than the rise of Tirek going to be striking us very soon?' I slowly drifted off to sleep, my reflection vanishing and replaced with something else entirely. Glowing green eyes stared back at me. I did a double take and yelped, falling off of the seat. Thi, who had also fallen asleep, jolted awake and looked around. "W-wha? What's going on?" She asked in a slur. She then blinked and widened her eyes at the green eyes out the window. "Fie, get down!" The next instant, Thi jumped on top of me just as the window was shattered. The cold wind blowing into the train, practically turning my seat into snow. Or that what was I thought at first. Whatever creeped into the window froze everything it moved over. I was suddenly pulled up by Thi and dragged along in a gallop. As we raced down the middle, every window seemed to shatter as we passed them. "What's going on!!?" I shouted over the howling wind. Thi opened the door and we moved onto the next one. Thankfully, we were the only ones in the back of the train cart. However, when we entered into the next one, it was densely populated. Some of the ponies screamed in surprise as the cart behind suddenly screeched and was derailed. Me and Thi looked back to see a wave of frost and snow chasing the train. "Everypony move to the next cart! Go!" Thi shouted. A mare screamed as the window next to her shattered. Ponies screamed and herded over to the next cart, piling into the next one. I could see something slithering over to the stunned mare. Thi then took the bat and swung it. I was baffled when the bat spat a green fireball out of its' eye and whatever it hit, screeched and slithered back out. I pulled the mare away and pushed her to the other cart. More windows shattered. Whatever was chasing us was hell bent on whatever its' rage was directed at. And seeing as how Thi conveniently had something that could combat it, I put two and two together. "And this is why I wanted to get rid of the bat!" I shouted over the howling wind. Thi swung again, pelting another slither of frost and snow with the green fire. "The bat has nothing to do with this!" She looked up and beamed. "C'mon! If my hunch is right, it's after you!" I balked. "Me!? What did I do!?" "No time!" "Thi waaaaaaAAAAIT!!!" Thi's magical ability was something I always thought was unique to her. It seemed like a lot of fun but dangerous at the same time. She told me all she had to do was coordinate where she was going and the aura platform sprung her in any directions she wanted to go. Useful for traversing gaps or reaching higher places in a stylish bound. Thi grabbed ahold of me by my hoof with hers and we sprang up into an open ceiling hatch. And just in time too. The cart beneath us froze over completely. As if Thi's assumptions were on the mark, a loud screech pierced our ears, forcing us to cover them. With the wind at our back and the creature quickly gaining, we had no choice but to hop over to the next cart. I was relieved it didn't derail the cart like the last one, but now it had more of an advantage to reach us. Thi and I bounded over the gaps, ducking as a train post whipped over head. Once we scrambled to our hooves, we booked it to the next cart. Only to stop and see a slither of frost and snow disperse from the creature and form into crystalline golems in the form of ponies. Thi grit her teeth. "Great... just what we needed!" She then smirked and glanced at me. "Ready to kick some flank?" she asked. This was all too surreal. This has to be a dream. There is no way we are being attacked by a... a... I don't even know what that is!! I got my answer when one of the golems held up a hoof and a spear-cicle formed before it threw it at us, grazing my cheek with a cold sting. Thi swung her bat and the fire ball shot out, pelting one of the golems and melting it. I took a stance on two hooves and dodged as one of the golems rushed us. I stopped it from swinging before jabbing its' chin, forcing it to stumble. I then spun on my hooves and bucked the creature off of the cart. The other one that threw a spear at us formed another. Without warning, it threw it and my instincts kicked in. I sidestepped it and caught the spear, spinning it around my hooves and neck before throwing it back. It struck true as the creature shattered at the head and fell off the side of the cart. Another loud screech and the creature dispersed more of the golems. Thi was grinning. "That's my girl! Thi and Fie, back in action!” she cheered when she rushed forward, waving the bat and bludgeoning the ice golem. I conjured my look alike to back her up as another tried to rush her, only to get a hoof full of flak to the side, sending it spiraling off the train. My clone stood up and winked at Thi with a smile before facing two more golems. She looked over to me just as I was being tackled by a golem. I felt the cold creep up on me as I rolled with the creature before bucking it off of me and swiping under another that advanced. Tripping the golem, I hooked it by a foreleg and twisted, causing it to shatter and break. Taking the broken cyrstaline hoof in my magic, I then proceeded to bludgeon the next golem that advanced on me, cracking both my improvised weapon and the creature. I couldn't help but grin to myself. A sense of pure satisfaction from fighting. An unhealthy habit I developed in my years at participating in the martial art tournaments. I have to thank Namaste for telling me that fighting isn't just about discipline. That it's about having fun beating up the ponies attacking you. I slumped a little in my stance. Now that I think about it, I think that's a little concerning for both of us. I widened my eyes in surprise and ducked, making a golem whiff its' strike before I dashed to the side, jabbing it twice. It recoiled by turning and striking again. I rolled with the motion, grabbing the extended hoof, pulling it in and rolling its' hoof before I forced it to stand up. Kicking its' two hooves out from under it, I then bent down and struck hard, causing its' neck to break and the creature ceased to move. I looked over and saw Thi and my look alike falling the golems with ease. I was impressed Thi was using a mix of her bat and her hooves. Once she had a breather, she smiled at me. "Remind me never to piss you off again!" She said as she ducked a swing and brought the bat under the creature's stomach before bringing it around and batting off the head. My clone, however, suffered a terrible fate as an icicle javelin struck her in her chest, pinning her to cart. She gurgled, making me grimace as she coughed up blood and then wisped into thin air. Even Thi looked mortified by it. She then growled and swung her bat around. I saw three fireballs arc towards the creature and striking true. It melted and we heard a screech behind us. The creature was looming over us, tailing the cart. The faint screams of ponies from underneath reached us. Thi and I backed away as the glowing green eyes suddenly glinted at us. I stared in horror when it suddenly glared at me. Sister... I couldn't move. The fear kept me in place. Thi shook me. "Fie, we need to go, now!" She shouted over the wind. Sister... die... I felt my eye twitched. Thi shook me harder. "Fie!" she exclaimed. She then balked and backed away a bit. I was no longer cold. I felt the warmth surround me. I could see something rising around me in a ring. It was fire. I lurched, feeling my heart bang against me. I grunted and groaned before screaming in pain. Falling to my knees and clutching my stomach, I screamed more, feeling my insides burn. Oh goddesses, what is happening to me!!? I felt sick. My insides were flaring as if somepony poured me a nice hot mug of volcanic magma down me. The creature roared now. Thi looked at me, her mind racing with ways to help. But with a loud boom, the fire suddenly formed into a sphere at my horn and my head moved with the motion by itself. A thin beam sheened into the massive cloud of frost and snow. The creature screeched loudly. I could hear the sound of windows being shattered and the screams of the ponies below us. And before we knew it, the creature took off into the sky and vanished. Thi stared at me, baffled by what she had witnessed. Me? I felt everything hit me all at once and I went down, face forward. Thi gripped the back of my hoodie to prevent me from sliding forward over the slippery sides. I was aware of what was going on. But my vision was faint and I was having trouble hearing. Even my body was too paralyzed to move. I could see a faint image of Thi calling to me. But all I heard was more pounding at my ears. Eventually, the darkness creeped up and I felt the warmth leave me. ~~~****~~~ I fell on my back after being bucked hard against the wall. I groaned and coughed as I felt what probably was my ribs breaking. I looked up and saw a mare. Her charcoal coat matching mine and brightly gold eyes looking sternly at me. She rolled her shoulder and neck before trotting back over to a mat. Just the one simple mat. Everything else was cold and hard cement. The old abandoned construction building was a perfect place to go all out. And if the building ever crumbles, we were left to fend for our own. Or that was what mom had lectured me before agreeing to this place. And here I was hoping for a nice little mother and daughter moment. But seeing as how I was badly beaten, bloodied and with a few broken bones, hindsight was 20/20. ”Hmph. I believe we are done for today.” She said as she started to unfurl her wrapped hooves. My blood stained on them from the many blows she landed on me. I looked at mine and saw how tattered they were, but hardly any damage to them. She stood over the mat, unscathed and very pretty with her short gold mane. Some ponies will say I looked a lot like her and that I probably take after her in looks. This may be true. But I had a laid back personality to go with it. She, on the other hoof, had a different perspective. And when it came to training something or somepony, her mind was a totally different set. She took a deep breath and then smiled. ”Oh my, I seemed to have done a number on you.” I winced as I tried sitting up, only to hug the wall with my back and groan at the course of pain that I felt regularly in these sessions. If dad hadn’t tired me out with that two kilometer gallop, I probably would have enough strength to at least walk away with bruises. “I apologize for the last one. But you made it too easy to read.” I winced and growled at her. ”That was because I was dazed and you told me to strike!” I retorted. I spat blood to the side and groaned more as I tried using the wall as support to stand up. I lost the strength in my legs and sat back down. My mother trotted over to her saddle bag and withdrew a gourd. I eyed it and rasped. “What is that?” She popped the cork and poured it into a thermos cap before using her wing to balance the liquid over to me and placed it. ”I got this from a wise zebra that once visited Canterlot. Said this remedy will ease wounds great and small. If none at all.” I arched a pained brow. ”Rhyming? Really?” I coughed, feeling the pain course through me again. I felt a small brush of a hoof under my chin and the liquid pouring into my throat. I expected to regurgitate the remedy. But realizing it had a honey after taste, I smacked my lips and eyed it. My mother poured me another before sitting down and studying me. ”Well, I’ll admit, you have gotten a lot better at closing your openings. And not only that, you were able to stand on your hooves for a good five minutes.” She grinned. “That clone trick you did was brilliant.” I felt a little conflicted by this. Here I was, getting my ass handed too by my mother and she compliments me on standing and tactics?! I took the last of the liquid down and placed it down, wincing as I felt a tingling sensation in my chest. In a brief moment, the pain was no longer present and I felt all my aching bones feel like I had slept a good long while. I stood up and rolled my forehoof before looking over to my mom. ”So... are we done with the session? I want to get back to playing more of Ogres and Oubliettes with my friends.” She stood up and cracked her neck. ”You can go. Tomorrow we will be working on trying to land a hit on me.” She said. I sighed and walked over to the stairs leading down to the construction area. “Quiet?” I stopped and looked back. She bit her lip before speaking. “I... is everything... alright?” I snorted. ”Oh yeah, everything’s fine, mom. Broken bones and bruises. No biggie. I’ll get over it.” I said. I eyed her when she seemed to wince and slump a little. What is going on with her right now? I mean, I know mom and dad were busy. And my siblings were always out of the house. But I always thought everypony in my household was too busy to bother with anything other than trying to set an example to their glorious land Equestria. ”Oh... okay then.” She said. She turned and picked up the thermos cap before adjusting her wings around the saddle bag. I felt a nip in the back of my head. ”Alright, mom. What do you want exactly?” I said. She rubbed her foreleg. ”It’s fine, dear. I’ll see you back at home. Go have fun with your friends.” She said. She took off from the ground and took to the air. I watched her figure grow smaller and smaller. ”Okay, weird.” I trotted back out of the construction yard and down the road, heading towards the direction to my household. The sun was setting and I definitely didn’t want to be out after curfew. Too many unsavory characters. I picked up my pace, beaming when I saw my house in the distance. Tonight was going to be another session of finally defeating the Dungeon Master. Two Bit was dying to finally get his hooves on the destined sword of might. Tabletop and Pocket Protector were planning on a raid and I was hoping to get in on the action. Being a level thirty five assassin had its’ perks. And with universal luck on my side, there was no way I would fail in defeating the DM. Arriving at my house, I noticed the saddlebags of my friends lying next to mine. I headed into my room. The perfect place to concentrate on our raid. And since I did a thorough clean to make sure none of the guys poked through my stuff, we were all set. I opened the door and smiled as two scrawny looking adolescent stallions and a slightly chubby and bucktoothed pegasus were busy looking over a grid paper. Tabeltop, a scrawny cyan unicorn adolescent who wore glasses that slid off his muzzle, waved at me. His neatly groomed black mane showing that his mom probably cut it for him this morning. Pocket Protector was another scrawny unicorn. His green coat and brown mane blended a little too grossly with his severe pimple break out. And then Two Bit, the slightly chubby pegasi with a curly blonde mane and white coat frowned as he adjusted the grid paper. He then looked up and beamed. ”Ahh, the fair maiden of the shadows Slit Throat arrives.” He said. “We can finally begin the session!” I sat down next to Tabletop, who grinned widely. ”Finally, that sword will be mine!” he said. Pocket huffed. ”Please, my level fourty three barbarian needs it for his collection.” I smirked. ”And I plan to sell it. I’ll make good bank with it, for sure.” I said. He smiled. ”Never in your life, cutthroat.” He said. Tabletop then looked me over and winced. ”Wow, your mother did a number on you.” I rubbed the back of my mane and shrugged. ”Meh, wanted to finish it early so we can get this raid going. Now then, Bit. Lay it on us.” The chubby pegasus leaned forward, glancing between us. ”Alright. You are walking through the Forest of Insight. Melbourne’s Spell of Mysticality keeping all of you sane through the journey. When suddenly, you find yourself being stopped by a tree.” Pocket arched a brow. ”A tree? Does it really have to be a tree?” Two Bit frowned. ”Yes, it’s a tree. You are in a forest! One that practically makes adventurers go insane without the proper warding.” Tabletop rubbed his chin. ”I kind of have to agree with Pocket here. Can’t it be like uhh... I don’t know, a griffon?” Two Bit balked. ”A griffon! Those creatures aren’t at least the wise ones! No, we are going with a tree.” I pat my hoof as if I came to a brilliant idea. ”How about a tree that isn’t really a tree, but a wood nymph trying to lure us out of our ward?” The three ponies looked at each other before nodding in agreement. ”Alright, so Slit Throat’s Eye of Exposure sees through the nymph’s disguise, exposing her. Enraged at being spotted, she summons a group of ents and they advance. How will you react?” I pointed at Pocket. ”Can’t you use your arcane fire to ward them off?” Two Bit shook his head. ”Melbourne’s spell has to be active, leaving him defenseless. He must rely on you two to fend them off.” Pocket shrugged. ”Sorry, hooves full.” I rubbed my chin and smirked. ”Alright, what if I used my fire bombs? I have like....” I looked over a sheet. “Three left. Wow, I’ve been going through them like nothing.” Two Bit held up the die. ”Alright, Slit Throat uses her fire bombs to damage the ents. Roll for crit and effectiveness.” I took the die in my hooves and tossed them on the grid paper. Tabletop cheered. ”She got a crit!” Pocket frowned. ”But she also has a miss.” I winced. Two Bit smirked evily. ”You hear the evil laugh of the DM. Goading you to lower the ward and insulting you for your fail burn effect. However, Slit Throat succeeds in damaging them for fourty hit points. One suffering a crit of one hundred and causing it to fall in battle.” I heard a knock on my door and we stopped to look up. ”Quiet?” I groaned. ”Sorry guys, I’ll be right back.” I said. I opened the door and peeked out, seeing my mom looking at me. Her normal stoic look an all too familiar sight to see. I arched a brow at her. ”Uhh... yes mom?” I noticed her shifting a little. Was she fidgeting? Okay, something wasn’t right here. ”Umm... do you have a moment to talk? Or are you busy?” I looked back to the guys before meeting her gaze. ”Kinda? I mean we just started the game.” She lowered her head slightly. ”O-oh...” I sighed and exited my room, closing my door and looking at her. ”Alright, mom, what do you really want? I mean, you’ve been acting weird ever since you got home. And after getting my flank handed too, you suddenly seemed more contemplative.” She rubbed the back of her mane. ”Oh I... well it’s nothing really...” I gave her a skeptical look. ”Mom, you are a stone cold captain of the royal guard and you rarely check up on me. So what’s the... is that... dinner?” I looked behind her and saw she was balancing a tray of rice and beans mixed together. One of my personal favorite dishes. She sighed and with her wing, moved the tray off of her and over to me. I took it in my magic. ”Quiet... I just... well...” I had a feeling this was going to get really awkward. I sat down and waited for her to finish with her struggle. “Have I’ve... done anything to hurt you? I mean... in your life and not... training?” Yup, totally awkward. ”Uhm... I don’t think so? I just figured you and dad were just busy.” I looked down at myself. “I mean, you both were right that I feel amazing with my current physique. And I haven’t been failing any grades as of late.” She smiled at me. ”Oh, that’s great! I mean, I’m glad you are feeling happy about yourself!” I squinted my eyes at her. She was still avoiding something. ”Mom? Have you and dad been seeing other ponies?” I asked suddenly. She blinked once. ”What? Why would I do that? Why would your father do that? We already have three kids to deal with. I doubt we want to deal with anymore.” I was mortified by the thought. ”Okay, didn’t need to hear that. But still, if something is going on between you two, I just want to know who I’m going with.” My mom shook her head. ”N-no, Quiet. That isn’t the case. Your dad and I still love each other. But I... I leaned in. ”Buuuut?” She then sat down and rubbed her foreleg. ”Quiet... this isn’t easy for me. Your brother and sister are okay with us just being difficult to talk too at times. But you... you seemed like a different case. And that worried me.” I nodded. ”Yeah? You both made it clear. So?” She grimaced. ”S-so... I was just... wondering if you needed... anything?” I rubbed my chin and then perked up in understanding. ”Oooh. You are trying to cope with being an actual mother!” I said. I saw the pain stricken look on her face. “Too harsh? But I thought you were used to that kind of treatment back at guard camp.” My mom looked sternly at me. ”Quiet, don’t speak to me like that. I am your mother.” I nodded my head quickly with as much sarcasm as I could. ”Yeah, I know. I came out of you. So what?” she stood up now and stomped her hoof. ”Quiet, enough! I am trying to reason with you.” I stomped my hoof back, keeping my ground. ”Reason? What reason is there for being a mother? I thought it was an instinctive thing, but clearly that isn’t the case here!” I saw her lip quiver. “Are we planning on having this another sparring session? Because lately that is all it seems to be. But before you start kicking my flank all over the house. I just want you to know one thing.” I held up my hoof and glared at her. “Keep your guard up!” She was confused by this. But I had quickly conjured my look alike behind her and she dashed beside her, bucking as hard as she could. ”My mom grunted at the sudden attack and sailed down the stairs, crashing into the wall and knocking over a vase and a few family portraits. She shook away her daze and looked up at me. A look I didn’t think she was capable of. Was it pity? Was it remorse? Or was it guilt. Either way, I’m done playing around with her. I snorted and looked back to see my friends peeking out from my room, stunned by the sudden conflict. ”Uhh... we just got done with the Forest of Insight.” Tabletop said with a shiver. I sighed and looked over to see my mom lower her head. She then looked over to a portrait and picked it up in her hoof. She studied it. I could have sworn I saw the guilt increasing behind the pretty exterior. ”You had this coming, mom. I’ll see you at the sparring session tomorrow after dad’s work out. But until then, thanks for dinner and stay out.” I levitated my tray of rice and mixed beans before opening my door and slamming it shut. I sighed and looked over to my dumbfounded friends. “Umm... sorry you all had to see that. Instincts were kicking in much more quickly than I had thought.” Pocket grinned stupidly. ”Are you kidding!? You can totally take on Butch and his gang no problem!” Two Bit beamed at the idea. ”Aha! Retribution! Those simpletons deserve every broken bone you can give them!” he said. Tabletop, however, looked at me worriedly. While the two bantered with each other, Tabletop trotted over to me. ”Quiet? Are you okay?” he asked. I snorted and took a small bite of my rice and beans. ”I’ll be fine. And my mom will be fine too. Not sure how dad is going to react to his favorite vase breaking. But I’ll manage that tomorrow.” Tabletop again looked worriedly at me. ”O-okay. If you say so.” He then pointed at the grid paper. “Then I guess we are back on with the session.” I nodded to him and smirked. ”I take it you got the nymph to confess with your charms?” I teased. He rubbed the back of his mane with a small blush. ”Well, what can I say? I am a pretty charming fellow.” The tension broken with a simple laugh, we sat back down and enjoyed the game. And while we explored the dungeon on our way to smite the evil DM for luring us into trap after trap, I took another bite of my food, hiding the fact that my mom had went out of her busy schedule just to make dinner. I can’t remember the last time I had food this good. But it quickly turned unappetizing when I thought back to the guilty look she displayed over the portrait. And I knew specifically what portrait she was looking at too. I saw it all the time before I headed off to school. ”It was my dad, mom and the three of us with me being a filly, smiling happily at a camera. A moment that I had thought would never be a thing here again. And I was right to a point. I grew up in a house with ponies dedicated to the cause of ensuring Equestria was handled for the greater good. And if I am to live by this, then they had better stop doing this weird parenting thing that they have lately been trying to do. I’m not a filly anymore. And I am sure as hell never going to give them the chance they missed out on years ago.