//------------------------------// // A Whole New World // Story: A Raven’s Greatest Flight // by Chemtest //------------------------------// “10 die in Orc raid!” “Sixty percent of travelers attacked on roads, study says!” “Humans and Dwarfs on the edge of war!” “Ponies and Elven ambassadors announce war!” I smile, and point around at ponies passing by on the street, “Hopeful’s Weapons! For the long times ahead, you need a quality weapon!” A pony takes attention and walks over towards me, “And why should I buy your weapons?” I smile, and drag out an Elven spear, “The most quality weapons in town, for almost criminally low prices. This Elven spear is the same quality as they would equip their army, and I’m selling it for only one hundred gold.” The pony tilts their head, “One hundred? Why not just get a sword for fifty?” I tilt my head over to a armor stand, “Because this is real quality. As seen on this stand is standard issue Elven armor.” I stab the spear into it, “And this beauty goes through it like a hot knife through butter!” They nod, then notice my other weapons, “What about that scythe?” I look behind me to see him pointing at my scythe, “Sorry friend, that’s not for sale. I need a weapon myself, and I’ve had that scythe since birth.” They shrug, “I’ll take the spear.” He hands me a bag of gold, more than enough, and I hand him the spear, “Here you are.” He smiles as he admires it, “Keep those extra fifty gold, this beauty is worth more than that.” I smile at him, and throw the bag into my saddlebag, “Be safe on the roads, friend, we all know how dangerous they are.” He tosses the spear up, and catches it, “With this quality, I won’t need luck.” I nod, “It is a good weapon, keep it good quality.” They walk off, and I reach into the bag they left me. I take out the extra fifty, and go over to one of the news shouters, “Here, make the headlines sound worse.” They take the gold gladly, and hoof it to some of the others, “Don’t worry, Sight, we can make it worse.” I nod, “Good, Ink, remember that the more people who buy weapons, the more money for you.” He smiles happily, “Thank you, Sight, we might be able to feast tonight if you sell more.” I pat Ink on the shoulder, “As long as you keep the door open for me.” “Of course.” I nod at him one more time, and return to my wagon, “Hopeful’s Weapons, top quality, bottom dollar!” Ink starts to shout out some exaggerated news, “Caravans completely destroyed on the roads! Humans rumored to be hiring Orc’s to raid ponies, truth or fiction? Don’t take chances, make sure your safe on the roads!” I see a pony approaching again. A white mare, barely older than me, with a weird almost rainbow type hair color, but on,y four colors. A cutie mark of the sun, and purpleish colored eyes. As she approaches, I smile at her, “Haven’t seen you around before. Wanna buy some weapons?” She smiles as soon as she reaches me, “Paying the newspony to make more buy? That’s clever, and very smart.” I shrug, “What can I say? They’re my friends, I need customers, and they need more money to support themselves. Almost every child in town is a newspony, I imagine you are different if you aren’t thanking me.” She nods, “I happen to be considered a noble. Only one in town and I’m not even out of foalhood.” I grimace, “A noble, eh? Great, now this town is ruined as well. Guess i should start packing up.” She loses her smile, “Whats wrong with nobles in the towns? I mean, I don’t like the other nobility, but moving away? What did they do to you?” I look at her in confusion, “You mean you aren’t about to chase me out of town because I have an actual job? I mean, every other noble has chased me out because I have the audacity to be a foal weapons dealer.” She recoils a little bit, “Really? I only admire you for doing this. This entire town’s foal population are either newponies, or me. And then there is you, still maintaining a business whenever your younger than me. Perish the thought that I would chase yourself you out! I only wish to be like a regular foal, but nofoal else has spoken kindly to me.” I start to smile a bit, “Well then, allow me to introduce myself! I am Hopeful Sight, weapon dealer.” She smiles back, “And I am Open Skies, owner of this town now. I guess your name choice is... well, ironic now.” I shake my head, “Nah, it’s perfect. Even though my eyes are gone, I still can see.” She looks me over, “And what about your cloak, anything special about that?” I smile, “Ah, the cloak, you like? It’s enchanted specially so it will never tear, rip, or grow to small or big. It’s perfect for me. Covers the majority of me, but leaves my head out so I don’t seem shady.” She nods, “I do have to say, it does fit you. What about your mark, I’m afraid I cannot see it?” I brush my cloak out of the way, “I don’t know exactly what it means. A playing card with skulls on it, I take it to mean I’m a dealer of death.” She looks at it closer, “It seems it’s specially a raven skull on it.” Raven, Lord Raven’s Breath, True I shake my head, “Huh, seems like you mentioning that triggered something. Maybe I had an old friend named Raven?” She shrugs, “It does seem like something’s missing from the look. Some weapon.” I pick up my scythe, and the green fire followed it, “That would be this beauty right here. The Reaper, had it long as I can remember.” She looks at m even closer, “Hmm, no, not that. Maybe a necklace of sorts?” I look down at my bare neck, “Well, I did have a necklace. It was golden, with a scythe on it. I think it fell off when I was attacked by an Orcish raiding party on the road.” She looks off into the distance, “Hmm... how much for that halberd back there?” I look back to find my bright, gold coated halberd. No one can afford it, so I just kind forgot about it. Wait, “You aren’t going to try and find my necklace, right?” She smiles nervously, “No, no, of course not. How much?” Eh... I’ll trust her, “Five hundred for the one next to it. For the golden one, one thousand gold.” She pops in at least ten bags full of gold, “One thousand one hundred in there. Don’t worry about the extra, consider it a gift.” My mouth hangs open as I stare at the fortune I was just given, and hand her the halberd, “Here, thanks for business.” She smiles, “Thank you for the weapon.” And then she starts to walk away. My friends all surround me, their eyes wide. I look around at them, “Friends, we’re eating well tonight. Maybe we can actually get a real house to fit all of us!” They all start to cheer, and Ink approaches me, “Well, looks like that extra fifty has done a lot.” I nod, “Yeah, it really has.”