//------------------------------// // Flawed Fate // Story: Bardic Lore: Into the Wild // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// I couldn’t help but giggle as the air rushed over me. I was holding my forelegs straight out to either side to allow Golden a better grip on me as we glided over the fields and hills of the countryside. “Isn’t this a sight, sprout?” I heard her say into my ear. I couldn’t help but agree. From the height we were at, Foalksmill looked like a giant patch of green with a blue crack in it. From up here, it was peaceful, idyllic even. You couldn’t see the dirt from up here. Golden banked and began dropping for a landing, gently releasing me before landing a little further ahead. I rushed up and hugged her. “I love these, Goldie,” I said. “It always seems to remind me of how small problems are.” “Well,” Golden said, stretching a bit. “Your problems may be small, but you certainly aren’t. I miss that wee filly that could fit between my wings sometimes. Might not be able to do these much longer iffen you don’t grow wings.” I felt a small stab of sorrow at that. Over the last few months, I had grown a few inches and my horn finally decided to be useful. That didn’t stop the older ponies from trying to pick fights, but it did mean that I was winning more than I lost. That bend in the river stopped being the place to clean myself up and more a place to reflect. I must have looked down as I thought because she stretched out a wing and poked me in the nose, making me stare at her. “Don’t be down in the muzzle, sprout,” she said, walking over to drape the wing over my shoulders. “Pretty soon, you’ll be getting a cutie mark and be going off on adventures of your own, and you’ll be telling me the stories! You can already recite quite a few from memory, though I can’t say I care f’the places you learned ‘em from.” I felt a blush build and cringed a little. “Well, where else am I going to hear something interesting?” I asked. “All the other fillies at the school and orphanage only talk about their cutie marks or colts or their families. All I’ve got is you, it feels.” She pulled me in tight. “Don’t be so sure about that, sprout. There’s more you got beyond me.” “Like what?” “Like what?” she parroted. “What a thing to ask.” She spread her wing, pointing at the slowly setting sun. “Ya got the sun ta warm your bones, and the moon to light the night. Stars to wish on and an open road to wherever you want to go.” She came around and sat before me, using her wings to tilt my head to face her. “Your ticket in life will be whatever you write, Azure,” she said, more serious than I had heard her before. “But you’ve got to pick up the quill. That’s the most important part. Everything else is just details. As long as your penmanship is legible, you can go anywhere.” We sat there and watched the sun slowly set, the night slowly spreading around us. As the moon rose, I tilted my head as I looked at the strange sight of a mare’s head on it’s luminous surface. “Goldie?” I asked. “Could I hear the one about the Mare in the Moon again?” I saw her look at me from the corner of my eye, a small smile on her face. “Sure, sprout,” she said, rising. “First, though, what do you say to some dinner?” “Are you cooking?” I asked, following her as we walked down the hill to the town. “Celestia, no!” she laughed. “I’ll not poison you with something like that!” I shared the laugh. “Then yes, I’ll join you for dinner.” We neared the small inn on the edge of the village and I could smell the wonderful aroma of cooking vegetables. My mouth began to water as we sat down. The waitress had taken our order and left when Golden looked at me for a second. “I’ve got a wee bit of bad news, Azure.” “What is it?” “Well, they extended my tour by another three weeks,” she said, hooves toying with the tablecloth. “I leave the day after tomorrow.” My heart sank, and I’m sure my face showed it as well, because she reached out and ruffled my mane. It was getting shaggy again, in need of a good cutting. “Theres a silver lining yet,” she said. “In return for this wee bit, I’ll get a nice little severance package that I can use to build a nice little house, one big enough for a pair of ponies to have nice quiet nights. I’d have to move, though.” “Where?” I whispered. “There’s this wee little place called Ponyville not too far from Canterlot. Nice place,” she smiled at me. “I think you’d like it, m’self. They’ve got a proper library and a short train ride can have you in Canterlot to catch shows in the theatre.” I blinked, confuesd. “Wait, what?” She grinned and shook her head. “Oh, sprout, you are a wonder.” She leaned forward. “When I get back, I’m taking governance over you from the orphanage. I figure it’ll be time for you to have something a little more structured than this rough and tumble life you seem determined to give yourself into. Give you a real sense of family.” “I’ve done pretty well so far,” I huffed. “And I don’t need a family to make do.” She reached out with a wing and poked me in the side where I had a fairly tender bruised rib still. “I can see how well you do,” she smirked at me as I hissed with pain. “I promise you, sprout, you won’t regret this. Just hold on three more weeks.” I looked at her for a long while, and after our food had been deposited and the waitress out of ear shot, I smiled. “I suppose I can afford to wait three weeks,” I said. “I’ll have to write up a ticket though.” She winked at me. “Make sure it’s legible, sprout,” she grinned. “Otherwise you might get sidetracked.” I saw her off to the train depot two nights later. I had always liked how she looked with the long black coat and her rapier in it’s battered scabbard. She looked fierce, she looked adventurous. I couldn’t wait to hear all her tales. Imagine, a house, and somepony that cared for me. Not just a tent or a rented room, but an actual home! I couldn’t wait for the three weeks to be done with already. Which was why, I suppose, destiny decided to make that the last time I would speak with Golden Rings.