//------------------------------// // The Party // Story: Trail Blazer // by MagicS //------------------------------// With the foundations for the trek across Equestria and making of the first grand map laid the three ponies now walked through the streets of future Manehattan to the home of Bright Diamond and the rest of his family. As was befitting the nicer part of the town the streets here were cobbled and not just muddy ground. Most ponies who saw them walking down the street wore variations of confusion and surprise on their faces. Why were the unicorn and earth pony representatives walking around together on the day the House of Government was closed and who was this mare following behind them that looked like she was about to climb a mountain? It should also be noted that despite it being a full generation after unification most ponies still stayed in the company of those similar to them. On the streets and in town now earth ponies stuck together as did unicorns. Pegasi there were only a few of that actually lived in town, most were currently still up in the clouds or doing some other kind of business. The three tribes may not have been at each others throats anymore but there was still much work to be done to truly bring them together. Most ponies just weren’t familiar yet. How much did earth ponies really know about unicorns and vice versa? The ever perceptive Bright Diamond saw all of this as he led the way to his home. Now it’s also important to mention that while the three tribes and all the ponies in them were very happy to be rid of the windigos and the eternal winter not all of the ponies were quite as happy with the unification that followed. Most. Not all. Some of the ponies who lived before unification couldn’t forget their grudges so easily. But for now we return to three ponies walking down the street. Trail Blazer had begun to stumble and sway as the moonshine traveled through her veins. And yet she kept taking sip after sip of it from her flask as if it was water. Bright Diamond noticed her meandering movements and frowned at her, he did his best to ignore her behavior before he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Must you drink so much this early?” Her unrefined nature was almost an insult to his sensibilities. Trail Blazer briefly stopped and got a hold of herself. She blinked away the small amount of euphoria the moonshine filled her with before turning her head to look at him. “Well yeah, that’s the whole point. If I don’t drink this much right now how can I get drunk before noon?” She smirked at him, knowing it would annoy the prudent and temperate unicorn. Bright Diamond groaned. “You’re impossible...” The two representatives had already filled her in on what they were doing and what the plan was now with them going to pick up Lustrous as well. Trail Blazer just shrugged through their whole explanation, not having near as much care or investment in what they wanted the map for or what this could mean for pony unification. Either way with the three of them already in the nicer part of town it wasn’t much longer before they finally arrived at their destination. At this point in the history of Equestria most buildings were still relatively primitive and would be considered quite ancient, and even the manse of Bright Diamond’s family was no exception. It was a building that covered a lot of ground area but was only a rather squat two-stories. Made of large blocks of stone with hardly a bit of reinforcement or cement to bind the stones. The roof was also a simple mix of wooden logs on bottom with boards of wood tightly nailed together on top to keep any drops of rain from getting in. “Unicorns still like showing off more than earth ponies huh?” Cheese laughed as the three of them walked through the front door of the mansion. It was probably the nicest house Trail Blazer had been inside she thought, although she was still mostly apathetic, simply glancing around at the interior before taking another drink from her flask. Bright Diamond snidely thought that if she couldn’t drink something she didn’t care about it. A mint-green unicorn mare in a maid’s uniform noticed their arrival and walked up to them, bowing lightly to Bright Diamond. “Hello, sir. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” “Actually I’ve come back here on official government business. Is Lustrous currently in his room?” Bright asked her. “Yes.” She nodded in simplicity, likely she had been asked that question many times in the past and more often than not the answer was yes. “Is he awake?” “Yes, and already eaten breakfast.” The maid answered again. “Good.” Bright Diamond said and walked past her, heading up a mahogany stairway to the short second floor. “You two come along as well.” He said back to Cheese and Trail Blazer. “I’ll introduce you all together.” Bright Diamond being a taller than average pony he nearly had to duck when they made it to the second floor, his horn almost scraping against the roof. Luckily the hallways were at least wide enough to accommodate the stout Cheese Souffle and the burdened Trail Blazer. Trail Blazer could see a number of unlit torches on the walls, not in use at the moment due to the plenty of windows that allowed sunlight inside the manse during the day. The three of them stopped at a door at the halfway point of the second floor. Bright didn’t bother knocking, he merely scowled and his horn lit up with magic and he pulled the door open, inviting himself inside. Cheese had the courtesy to not enter just yet but Trail Blazer had no such reservations and trotted in right after the unicorn. A unicorn who was just recently slouched over his desk lurched up with a start at the intruders. He had a slightly darker blue coat than his cousin but his body wasn’t as tall or as thin. The ponies build was an average one that only leaned towards being slim without having the willowy proportions of Bright Diamond. And completely unlike his cousin he had a jet black mane and tail, the mane cut short and perfectly parted down the center of his head. On his flank was stamped a pretty Cutie Mark of a glittering amethyst. He wore a pair of reading glasses that had fallen down his nose when he was startled from his reading. Trail Blazer could see a large collection of books on his desk although she couldn’t see what their contents were. Now upon seeing just who it was that entered his room, Lustrous glared at his cousin and raised a questioning eyebrow, pushing his glasses back up. “Excuse me?” He said in a voice not nearly as refined or polite sounding as his cousin’s. “Don’t be rude. You have guests.” Bright frowned at him. “Rude? You just barged your way into my room without permission or notice.” Lustrous hopped down from his chair and walked over to his cousin, scowling. “Your room. The family’s mansion. I’m sorry but if you want me to give you a bit more respect you could get an actual job or do some sort of work?” Bright admonished his cousin. Lustrous was about to angrily say something to him again but a single raised hoof from Bright cut him off. “However today you’re in luck, Lustrous.” Bright Diamond smiled at him. “For I’ve come here to tell you of a job that’s not only perfect for you but one that’s very important and noble.” He gestured towards the now drunk Trail Blazer, who looked at Lustrous through tired, half-lidded, eyes. “You will be escorting Miss Trailer Blazer here on a journey across our new land of Equestria while she draws the first grand and complete map of the country.” The younger cousin looked at him as if he grew a second head. “I refuse. And is she drunk?” “A little. Not much.” Trail Blazer belched loudly. “Oof, scuse me.” Bright Diamond rolled his eyes at her crass behavior. “Forget about her for now. You don’t have a choice anyways. This is official government business, I am ordering you on this mission. And if you refuse I’ll just finally kick you out of here anyways.” “You can’t!” Lustrous cried in shock. “Watch me.” Cheese Souffle regarded his comrade with a questioning glance. “You said he was the perfect pony for the job but why am I getting the feeling that you’re half using this as an excuse to get rid of him?” “My family got rid of me, no big deal.” Trail Blazer nonchalantly mentioned and took a big swig of moonshine. She shook the flask lightly after swallowing. “Tch, almost empty already...” Lustrous and Bright Diamond continued to stare each other down before Lustrous finally gave up, his shoulders slumping in defeat and his head despondently lowering towards the floor. “Fine, you win.” “Oh don’t act like it’s the end of the world. This is a great opportunity for you.” Bright Diamond walked over to his desk and flipped through the pages of one of his books. “You love studying don’t you? Here’s the chance to do it out in the real world while making a difference for ponies instead of just staying shut in here.” “What am I even supposed to do?” Lustrous looked between the three ponies gathered in his room. “If she’s the actual expert here and the one who’s going to make the map in the first place why do I even need to go with her?” “Isn’t that obvious from just looking at her?” Bright Diamond sighed and even Cheese uncomfortably rubbed the back of his head while averting his eyes from the map mare. “You’re a serious stallion who doesn’t play around, your true job is to keep her on track and make sure she actually does her job.” “You three have no problem insulting me to my face, huh?” Trail Blazer said, her eyes blinking out of sync with each other. “Eh. You aint wrong though, I’d probably just wander off for a while without anyone forcing me to keep on schedule.” “I see...” Lustrous grimaced at the prospect of making sure Trail Blazer did what she was supposed to in a timely fashion. “But this is a huge undertaking. A map of all of Equestria? It might take us months.” “That’s why you’re getting started today.” Cheese said, grinning. “Today?!” Lustrous screeched. “But, but-” He sputtered. “No time to waste.” Bright Diamond also grinned. “You had best gather your things together.” “I can make a list of what essentials to bring. And depending on what he has or doesn’t have we may need to stop at a shop somewhere before leaving.” Trail Blazer said before downing the rest of the contents of her flask. “I got everything I need but you and whoever else we’re getting can carry their own stuff, and whatever extras we might want to bring.” She pointed to her backpack. “I’ve got a tent that can fit four in here but only a mat and blanket for myself.” “Whoever else?” Lustrous asked. “Is there another pony coming with us?” This time Cheese Souffle stepped forward to answer. “That’s right. The other point of this endeavor is to show off three young ponies, one from each tribe, working together towards a common goal that aids every pony in Equestria!” “After this the four of us are going to go speak to the pegasus representative and find a suitable pegasus to complete your trio.” Bright said. “So you’re using us as propaganda?” Lustrous raised an unamused eyebrow at the two officials. “Inspiration sounds better. Let’s say we’re using you as that.” Bright mockingly smiled at his young cousin. “Inspiration for the new generation of ponies. The first ones born in Equestria!” Cheese shouted. Lustrous was hardly impressed but it seemed he had no choice here. He glanced to his side to see Trail Blazer holding her flask over her open mouth and trying to shake out any last drops of whatever was in there. The asocial unicorn couldn’t help but cringe. Bright could already tell what he was thinking. “Look, believe me, she’s qualified. You just haven’t seen her work yet, I can vouch for her.” But still, as he said that a worrying thought passed through him and Bright Diamond nervously licked his lips as he looked at the two ponies they were about to send away. Quickly he glanced at Cheese Souffle and motioned for him to follow him back out the door into the hallway. “You two get to know each other, Cheese and I have something to discuss.” The unicorn representative shut the door and left the other two to their own devices while he quietly spoke to Cheese. “Another concern has popped up for me.” “And what is it?” Cheese raised an eyebrow. “These two… while I believe they’ll perform their duties well, er, mostly that is, I’m still worried for them. We don’t know what sort of dangers might still be out in the country, not to mention thieves and outlaws. I’m worried that they may be in danger and I know for a fact that my cousin can’t defend himself and Trail Blazer doesn’t seem the most capable in that regard either.” Bright said. “So what I’m suggesting is that the final pony we find should be a… protector of sorts for them.” Cheese nodded. “You think we should ask Thunderstorm if he has any young pegasi who are especially able fighters?” “Precisely. The map maker, the one keeping her focused, and the guardian for the both of them. Now let’s collect those two and head over to find Thunderstorm before Trail Blazer throws up on Lustrous’s floor.” Thunderstorm was a modest pegasus. He always put the needs of the group ahead of his own needs and was thought of by many as a pony lacking in personal pride and ambition. For that reason he was personally picked by Commander Hurricane to lead things in this new age. However he didn’t have as much interest in the same sort of work that Bright Diamond and Cheese Souffle did. Laws and legislation was not his area of expertise. Instead Thunderstorm poured his focus into creating a single, united, dedicated weather team for Equestria. But that wasn’t all. He also felt that despite the three tribes putting their differences aside and reaching peace that didn’t mean there wasn’t a need for defense or an army. The rest of the world may not be entirely friendly to the new nation of Equestria, who knows? So he also continued the martial training that many pegasi underwent and looked towards creating a standing defense force for the country. The last project of his that he was working on was a simple aerial postal service. A simple but very important service that would benefit Equestria greatly. So while he may not have the stomach for the office work and debate and the other sort of work his contemporaries did that wasn’t to say that he didn’t give his all in his own way for the betterment of Equestria. Far from it. Also of note is that Thunderstorm was big. Really big. Most pegasi have a much lighter frame and don’t get to the size that some earth ponies or even unicorns can. But Thunderstorm towered over even the tall Bright Diamond and looked to weigh nearly as much as a yak. In previous years he had been more muscular and thus a little slimmer looking even, but as he spent most of his time directing and leading others now instead of exercising or training, his muscles had started to be replaced with fat and his large gut was noticeable even through the traditional pegasus armor he still often wore. As opposed to Bright and Cheese who were almost always in town Thunderstorm was occasionally away or out flying with other pegasi to help coordinate or set up one of his three projects. But when he was in town he could usually be found at the northeast corner of the island. For here it was that Thunderstorm had built (contracted earth ponies to) a wooden arena where he trained ponies for his future defense force. In the past the pegasi had their coliseums up in the clouds but now Thunderstorm had his training ground open to any pony. Almost all that came and were interested in his defense force were pegasi but he still wanted to make sure things were open and inviting to the rare earth pony or unicorn that was also interested. Bright Diamond and Cheese Souffle led Lustrous and Trail Blazer right to the arena. It was made up like a circular fort out of tall wooden boards with only the one opening facing the rest of the town and the outer walls placed right up against the water’s edge. Inside was a beehive of activity. Ponies ran sprints around the perimeter of the building, pegasi were doing wing push-ups in the mud, and others seemed to be fighting or wrestling together, the rest were doing things like lifting stones or some other sort of exercise and weight-training. Meanwhile the very large Thunderstorm stood on a slightly raised platform in the center of it all. His coat was a stark white and his mane and tail were a wild purple, bits of mud and dirt clung all over him. Trail Blazer had been looking around at the other ponies here and she nudged Bright Diamond in the side, teasingly smiling up at him. “Hey, hey. How many of the ponies here do you think I’ve slept with? Wanna guess?” “Absolutely not.” Bright Diamond pushed that thought out of his head and walked towards Thunderstorm with the other three following him. As they approached, Thunderstorm saw them and while a look of confusion briefly passed over his face he quickly smiled at the two other representatives. “Cheese! Bright! What do I owe this pleasure to?” He hopped off from his platform and looked at the other two ponies with them. His smile fell and a slightly embarrassed blush crept up his cheeks. “Oh. And hello, Trail Blazer.” “Hey big guy, didn’t know this was your job.” She cheekily grinned at him before glancing to Bright and wiggled her eyebrows. “You can not be serious...” Bright Diamond looked between her and the blushing Thunderstorm while Cheese started laughing. “E-Enough of that, why are the two of you here… and with Trail Blazer and-” Thunderstorm regarded Lustrous. “Whoever this is?” “This is my cousin, Lustrous.” Bright said, as eager to get off that topic as Thunderstorm was. “And I think you’ll be very interested in the reason we’re here.” Bright Diamond and Cheese Souffle walked Thunderstorm back to his little platform, leaving Trail Blazer and Lustrous behind. Again they had to explain their whole idea and how wonderful it was to another pony. While those three did their thing Trail Blazer absentmindedly patted her flask before looking down at the empty silver case. “We should’ve stopped at a tavern on the way here.” She grumbled. She had started to sway back and forth a bit even just standing there thanks to how quickly she had drank all that alcohol but this was normal for her, she could handle her liquor. For the most part. A loud sneeze brought her attention to the unicorn standing next to her. Lustrous looked thoroughly uncomfortable, he kept shuffling his hooves around like he hated to be standing in mud and the sun was causing him to squint and even sweat a little bit despite it hardly being a particularly hot day. “You don’t get out much do you?” Trail Blazer asked him. “No, I don’t” He sourly replied. “I can’t believe I’ve been roped into this.” “You and me both pal.” He looked at her with a questioning gaze. “You don’t want to do this? Why’d you accept the job then?” Trail Blazer shrugged. “Free food, free board, free booze. Why wouldn’t I say yes? I may prefer making maps on my own time, it’s my hobby and talent, and I don’t like being made to do something or having some schedule hanging over my head but whatever. I wasn’t doing anything else.” “Well at least you have an actual job to do on our trip...” He scowled. “Hey, your job is gonna keep you busy. Most days I’m not gonna want to do anything but sleep around and drink. So good luck kicking my butt into gear.” She chuckled at his expense. “Lovely.” Lustrous glared at her. “Hey you two! Get over here!” Cheese Souffle suddenly yelled out to the both of them. It seems their conversation was done. Trail Blazer and Lustrous followed the command and joined the three representatives on the platform (Thunderstorm doing his best to not look in Trail Blazer’s direction) before Lustrous’s curiosity got the better of him. “And so who’s the unlucky pegasus that gets to join us on our quest?” The cynical unicorn asked. Thunderstorm grinned and turned towards one of the pegasi who was carrying stones on his back. “Steel Wing! Drop those rocks and assemble!” The pegasus did as commanded, instantly dropping the rocks off his back and running to stand front and center in front of the platform. He was an average sized pegasus with a rust red coat and a carrot orange mane and tail. The Cutie Mark emblazoned on his flank was a pair of crossed wings. His mane was short and, if it was possible, was somehow even messier than Trail Blazer’s unkempt locks. But his eyes were steady and piercing, he stood at attention with an unreadable look on his face, waiting for his next orders. “This is Steel Wing.” Thunderstorm said. “He’s perfect for what you were talking about. Young, strong, dutiful. Just what you need to protect these two on the road.” “Not that I’m doubting you but there could be a number of dangers out there. Will he truly be capable of protecting them all on his own or will we perhaps need other escorts? I don’t want to sacrifice our message of “One pony from each tribe working together” unless absolutely necessary but I don’t want any of them to get hurt either.” Bright Diamond said. “Is he capable?” Thunderstorm’s grin got even wider and he looked over to some of the pegasi doing wing push-ups. Meanwhile Steel Wing continued to stand at attention patiently, not moving an inch. “Raincloud, fall in!” The pegasus representative yelled. Immediately the head of a black pegasus with a water blue mane and tail shot up. He stopped his exercising and ran over as quickly as he could, giving a salute to Thunderstorm when he came to a stop. “Sir!” Raincloud said. “Raincloud, I have a very special task for you.” Thunderstorm said to the pony before pointing a wing at Steel Wing. “Fight Steel Wing.” Raincloud blanched. The color left his face and his eyes widened in horror. “F-Fight him?! Why me?” “Because I said so, that’s why. Now get on with it!” Thunderstorm stated simply and ordered. The black pegasus was shaking as he turned to face the impassive Steel Wing. With a nod, Thunderstorm also told Steel Wing to get ready. It was not a very pretty thing to watch. Raincloud attempted to make the first move but Steel Wing’s reaction was so quick it would make most observers think he had been the one to move first. The moment the red pegasus got in range his hoof struck out across Raincloud’s chin to discombobulate him and then he ducked low, bringing his wing forward and slamming it into the throat of his opponent. Not finished yet (although to be fair Raincloud would be down and out after these first two strikes) he reached down to grasp one of Raincloud’s front hooves and pulled, upending the purple pegasus and spinning him upside down before slamming him back hard into the muddy ground. Raincloud groaned weakly. If he could move he was wisely deciding not to. Bright, Cheese and Lustrous looked on in silent awe at how fast and easily Steel Wing had dispatched his opponent, who to their knowledge must’ve been a capable enough warrior to also be here in the first place. “I’m kind of turned on.” Trail Blazer broke the silence. At that Steel Wing actually reacted, turning a confused and somewhat weirded out face to the unfamiliar earth pony. “Yes, well...” Bright Diamond started. “I suppose I must agree with you about his capability then, Thunderstorm.” “That’s right.” Thunderstorm proudly beamed and then hopped off the platform, trotting up to Steel Wing. “You’ve been selected for a special mission, lad.” The other ponies left the platform too to formally greet Steel Wing. The pegasus looked surprised but took it all in stride as the others collected around him. “Mission?” He asked. His voice as calm and even as anyone would’ve expected from his appearance. “Are we going to explain the whole thing again or can we give him the gist?” Cheese Souffle suggested. A short few minutes passed and the three representatives were again chatting with one another, likely ironing out the details of how they would portray this “great endeavor” and how the map would be promoted and distributed once things were taken care of. That left Steel Wing to get to know Trail Blazer and Lustrous before they all left the arena to get any last supplies they needed and set out on the beginning of their journey. “So you’re Steel Wing?” Lustrous tried to initiate the conversation. While Steel Wing seemed polite enough he was also rather reticent. “Yes.” Was the unambiguous response. “And so you’ll be escorting us and protecting us from danger?” Lustrous kept trying to kick-off a dialogue. “Yes.” Perhaps he should stop asking yes or no questions. Trail Blazer was thoroughly disinterested in talking, in fact she seemed to be grumbling in irritation at something or another and Lustrous was not the best at talking with others in the first place. He just didn’t like awkward silences like this. However he was in luck though as for whatever reason Steel Wing decided to speak up again. “I don’t believe I’ve learned your names yet.” He looked between the two of them. “Oh, I’m Lustrous.” Lustrous said. “Bright Diamond over there is actually my cousin, he’s why I’m doing this.” He couldn’t help but let a little annoyance seep into his voice when he said that. “I see. And you, miss?” Steel Wing turned to the slightly swaying map mare. “Trail Blazer.” She swung out her hoof for him to shake, which he gingerly did… and kept doing as she didn’t pull her hoof away. Instead her face contorted in a grimace as she stared at the ground “Is something wrong?” Steel Wing asked, Lustrous also stepped to his side to see what was wrong with her. “I apologize in advance. But I’m about to throw up all over your hooves.” Trail Blazer thankfully managed to keep the (mostly alcoholic) contents of her stomach down and the six ponies then went on to leave the arena and headed to a local general store. Evening was upon them now. At the store everything the two stallions going on the journey needed was acquired and Trail Blazer stocked up on more moonshine. As Lustrous double and triple-checked everything in his backpack Steel Wing made sure he had his things in order, the pegasus was carrying a lighter load than the other two. His backpack wasn’t even half the size of Trail Blazer’s. He had gentlemanly offered to carry her things but she brushed him off. As an earth pony she was plenty strong to begin with and had years of experience carrying all of this. Not to mention that he needed to be unencumbered in case anything happened. “I suppose you’re all ready to go now?” Bright Diamond asked the three of them but didn’t wait for a response. “Good! We’ll head out to the bridge immediately and you can begin your journey!” “Aye, it will be a fine adventure. Make us that map and help bring Equestria even closer together!” Cheese Souffle cheered. “No.” All eyes turned to Trail Blazer. “Excuse me?” Bright asked her, aghast. “Not today.” Trail Blazer said. “It’s gotten too late in the day. We should rest and start tomorrow morning. It’ll be better that way.” She unscrewed her flask and took a quick sip. Bright shared a look with Cheese and Thunderstorm, who helplessly shrugged, before frowning a bit and turning back to Trail Blazer. “Er, alright, you’re the expert on travel after all. But first thing tomorrow morning, we don’t want any delaying on this!” “Mm.” Trail Blazer gave a noncommittal grunt. The conversation went on for a bit after that but it was nothing too important to note. Bright Diamond upon retiring to bed later that night realized that he had somehow become even more enthusiastic about the map than Cheese Souffle. Trail Blazer, Lustrous and Steel Wing spent one last night in their homes before they would set out tomorrow morning and undertake the greatest adventure of their lives. Three ponies from different tribes that before today were complete strangers. Coming together for a good cause, they had decided that the first light of dawn would signal the start of their journey.