//------------------------------// // Sweetie's Little Steps of a Secret Life: Part 4 // Story: Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time // by Tythen //------------------------------// "Thanks, you two. For helping me clean the rooms." Cleo thanked, "It takes almost forever just cleaning each room one at a time." "No problem!!!" Flash winked, "Eeyup," Big Mac nodded, though with a puzzled look. "Judging by your expression, I assume you must imagine how many allies had been residing in the Halidom. Well, about more than a hundred, including the envoys from Hinomoto, Taiwu, and North Grastaea who would stay here temporarily now and then." Cleo estimated, Big Mac and Flash's jaw dropped. "I had help. Well, HAD. Everyone had timetables, duties and responsibilities in the Halidom; cleaning it is one of them." Cleo rolled her eyes, "And frankly, the 'maid' of the Halidom causes more messes rather than clean!" "You mean Melody?" Flash asked, "Exactly!" Cleo sighed, "Even if she has become an inseparable ally, I still question her status, or rather her entire self, as a maid to this day!" Cleo paused and turned around. "How did you know I was talking about her? I've never introduced her to you, nor do we have her essence!" "I uhhhhh... read some of the adventurer bios of the rooms I cleaned! Melody was one of them!" Flash responded, "You really are smitten with the people of New Alberia, aren't you?" Cleo smirked, "I was partly named after a war hero." Flash blushed, "At first, I sort of disliked it because people kept on comparing me to him. Then I hated it even more that such a hero was involved in something as gruesome as war. But over time, I realised that the things he had did when no one else would. The many burdens he took on when he was originally just a down-to-earth person... it was wrong for me to despise him. He was a hero. Now I to read through every story of heroes, like the ones here in New Alberia. Very kind people; others can relate to some of them too." "I see. You hold people in high regard." Cleo complimented, "Smooth save," Philia scoffed, "Spare me the sarcasm. Whenever I'm engrossed in conversations, a slip of the tongue is frequent for me." Flash scoffed back, "But now that I think about it, why keep me a secret? Nothing is threatening your life or reputation if you tell others about me." "I uh..." Flash pondered, "A secret backup plan to stay ahead of any situation. That way all of us can suffer less if we make any error or mistake." "You sound like Alain, except you prepare to advance instead of retreat." "Thanks," Flash chuckled, "Now you'd better hurry with the cleaning. Didn't Sweetie say to get ready to film in ten minutes?" "A reminder and a self-esteem booster! Given your bio, have you ever considered what you would do if you somehow got married?" Flash laughed, "Oy..." Philia gave a stern growl, "What's with the 'somehow'?" "Nothing whatsoever." Flash gulped, "Goooooooooooood Afternoon everyone!!!" Sweetie announced, "My name's Sweetie Belle, and welcome to this short episode of Little Steps of a Secret Life! I'm afraid we don't have a big crowd like the last episode, and that we don't have enough content to make a regular video. Many of you may be asking 'then why are you making one anyway'?" She pulled a raspberry and stood proud, "Because such an excuse is pathetic! The greatest of content creators are defined by making what little they have, and opening it up into something marvellous for all to see!" She heroically declared, "That's the spirit!" Hinata yelled offscreen, "The Halidom has so much more secrets! From the ordinary to the extraordinary! Even though the Kingdom of New Alberia is refined and gallant, it's surely ahead of its time in the case of style: They have such an adorable mascot!" "Wait... what?" Ms M questioned offscreen, "Cut!" Sweetie gestured. "We have a mascot?" Ms M responded, Notte: New Alberia's Mascot!!! "This is Notte. And she's not just a cute faerie or emergency food! She was a lifelong companion of Prince Euden and the Auspex Zethia ever since she existed. Before Euden split apart and raised his own nation, the three of them were inseparable! Of course, this energetic faerie has been a fountain of support and confidence to all people of the Halidom, whether rain or shine!" Sweetie Belle introduced in the Wyrmprint gallery. "Also, it might sound ridiculous at first," Ms M started, "But faeries had interaction with dragons way before humans and other kinds have. What's more, they are also distant kin of Dragons!" "No way," Sweetie dropped her jaw, "Seriously!?" "I'm serious," Ms M firmly nodded, "Their odour stemming from their mana is similar to a Dragon, though tiny and minuscule. What's more, a Faerie's nature and beliefs align with the dragons, so they have a mutual understanding compared to that of humans. That being said, some dragons wouldn't treat faeries with the same respect." "Yikes!!!" Sweetie winced, "Oh, I'm afraid discrimination exists within the Grastaean era. Heck, we had one nemesis whose core strength and beliefs were that the strong cull the weak, which is only achieved through the destruction of entire races until one is ultimately left standing. Evolution and 'survival of the fittest' he claims." "That's too extreme!" "And that was why he was known as the Agito. People with beliefs and methods so radical that they would not hesitate to rip the world a new one if it means achieving their desires. But back to the topic, here are some art pieces of Notte. Would you take a look at how adorable she is?" Ms M offered, She gestured to the wyrmprints that featured the pint-sized, pink-haired faerie. "This is her making flower crowns with the Prince and the Auspex in 'Happier Times' before everything went down." Ms M described, "Then this is her with Maribelle and Karina celebrating Halloween, the Grastean equivalent to Nightmare Night, as the most dastardly Trick or Treat team: 'The Plunder Pals'! Oh! And then there's her all gussied up to spread roses and happiness for Valentine's Day, also the Grastaean equivalent to Hearts and Hooves Day, as 'The Petal Queen'!" "She definitely seems like a small bag bursting with fun!" Sweetie laughed, "If she were here, I think she and I would get along nicely! Are faeries immortal?" "Sadly, no..." Ms M shook her head, "They too have a lifespan like all the other kinds." "Aww..." Sweetie drooped, "That's heartbreaking!" "Now that I think about it, I did remember saying you were similar to her..." An idea popped into Ms M's mind, "How about..." "Are you ready, Sweetie?" Ms M chuckled, bringing the girl and herself to a hill with a mysterious signboard with ten small pictures of different items in the middle. "Remember how it goes!" "O-Okay then." Sweetie nervously chuckled as she dusted off her dress and cleared her throat. "Ready... now!" Ms M signalled, hitting the record button. "Check out today's bonus!!!" Sweetie chirped, making hand gestures around the first picture on the top-left. It was like she was presenting a prize in TV game shows. After silently counting to five, she playfully spun around once and struck a pose with her finger pointing towards the top right corner of the signboard, separated from the ten. "Have some skip tickets too!" She continued. After another five seconds, she spun back to her original place and gestured to the big board once again, this time focusing on the picture adjacent to the first one. "And coming tomorrow..." She gestured around it. Then after five seconds... "... The adventure continues!" Sweetie galloped forward towards the camera then veered to the left. "Wonderful!" Ms M laughed while she stopped the filming, "You definitely fill Notte's shoes to a T! But I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't go with 'Tee hee!'" "Yeah, no." Sweetie rolled her eyes, "I'll end up being like someone in one of Scoots and Flash's Neighponese Animes! Why do you want me to do this in the first place?" "When Notte was still alive, she would come to this place daily and say those exact things with poses of her own." "And why exactly?" "Never really asked. It was some routine of hers that I found funny. It's as if she was a part of a welcoming committee who's obligated to give things whenever people come to the Halidom." "Free stuff?" Sweetie raised an eyebrow, "That would be a wonderful incentive for tourism!" "It would!" Ms M agreed, "Now let's go back. Decided which dragon you want to study today? Hinata's knowledgeable about other fellow dragon friends. She would gladly take over for me!" "I'll tell you once we get back!" Sweetie cheerfully responded, "But man, I just wish I was alive at the time so I can get daily free stuff. Some of those pictures on the board are wyrmite and summon tickets. I would LOVE that!" Little did they know that all the way back in the Halidom, ten clusters of golden crystals magically materialised in the Halidom's storage room, right in front of a cleaner. "Huh..." Big Mac picked one up, "New Alberia's jus' a gold mine of mysteries... wonder if Ms Cleo knows this thing." Dragon showcase: Agni Sweetie, Hinata and Rarity stood on the Halidom balcony with Flash filming them. Behind him, Big McIntosh was studying a map in silence. "Behold," Sweetie presented a picture, "The Rapacious Firelord, Agni. As you can tell, he is a dragon that always stands on his two hind legs, has a black underbelly with a brilliant red all over, but man! Just look at the aesthetic of his horns! And see how part of his chest protrudes? It looks like he's wearing a chest armour that's as hot as fire!!!" "Is it me, or do the colour of dragons also represent the element they are attuned to? Like the adventurers?" Rarity asked, "Some of them," Human Hinata responded, "And some dragons are also capable of learning and using different elements like the adventurers. For example, Jeanne D'Arc is a light dragon by origin. But with her Dragonyule or Hearth's Warming outfit, she uses water attacks and magic instead. One of her special skills is that she can fire an ice beam that can freeze enemies!" "Oh, that sounds so sick!" Sweetie gasped, "And if she's water-attuned in that outfit, does that mean I can make a shapeshift into her if we had dragonblood?" "Don't forget the pact! That's one of the most important things between Dragon and Human! Both of us draw power from it!" Hinata reminded, "But yes, you can!" "How many dragons do you know can be adaptable with their mana?" Rarity asked, "How about... every dragon?" Hinata smirked, "If humans and sylvans can take in new forms of mana and elements, then dragons can too! Only if they feel like enjoying the festivities, that is." "Fair enough," Rarity shrugged, "Speaking about that, dragons have also different beliefs and temperaments. Some detest the presence of 'man, while others cherish them. Agni was mostly the former. He would scorch anything and everything in the world if he feels so, even if a lesser being gets in his way. But treat him like a deity and give him offerings, and he'll agree not to cause harm to an entire kind if even one of them offers him food. He'll even fight for you too!" "Yep, definitely sounds like a God that wants appeasement... or just a gangster demanding protection money," Sweetie grumbled, "Speaking of which, there's more than one Agni," Hinata added, "Multiple Agnis? Oh, Goddess..." Rarity shuddered, feeling a surge of goose pimples. "There are just as many of the same dragons. But out of the light fafnirs, there's only one named Hinata; me!" Hinata winked then realised what she just said, "Oh stools! Shouldn't have said that!" "No worries Hinata," Sweetie laughed, "We've got all we need anyway. Flash? Stop the recording." Special summoning interruption!!! "Wow, everyone!!!" Sweetie gasped, holding four summon vouchers at the camera, "Wouldn't you believe this? I know I said that we may not have enough. But lovely Hinata here graciously granted us four summon tickets! These things allow us to summon an adventurer instead of using our low cache of wyrmite! How did you get these things?" "Some fiends may drop them. But it's pretty rare for it to happen." Hinata responded, "I collected these four tickets within a month before I stopped fighting fiends and helped out with the people in Canterlot. Of course, I never really relied on the power of former allies since I was a dragon, but now that you need them, it's the least I can do!" "Thanks aplenty! Ms Cleo and I will be heading up to the summoning area. Stay tuned!!!" "And we're back!" Sweetie laughed, "Four tickets yielded four essences and no pactstones! And since we didn't collect any eldwater either... they're all new adventurers we haven't seen! Oh, and we'll throw in another adventurer that we acquired outside filming!" "Here you go," Cleo held out a cushion with three blue orbs and one gold orb. "Our new adventurers." "So Flash! Can you use your sensory powers and show us the spirits we've received?" Flash whisked his hand around the orbs and nodded. "Easy as! Now, let's start with the blue ones!" "First we have Xiao Lei, the Boundless Arithmetician. She was raised in the culture of Taiwu, and finds joy in solving problems with numbers and calculations. That being said, her life and childhood revolved around exactly that, which is a good thing that maths keeps her happy. As in service to fighting, she uses magic drawn from light-attuned mana, and channelled through the wand." "A math geek eh?" Sweetie looked around the orientally-decorated room with unique and distinct measuring instruments. "Then again, the things she keeps in her room doesn't surprise me! Say, you think she would help with my maths homework now and then?" "Not only would she solve academic tasks, but almost everything that maths deals with. Finances, architecture, distance, anything!" Cleo explained, "Check it out!" Sweetie grabbed a long magic wand with an upside-down pentagon frame construct with two horns and tassels sticking out from it as its head. Within the pentagon were columns of almost flat beads. They clicked and clacked together as Sweetie moved them with her fingers. "Is this another measuring instrument?" "Hang on..." Rarity paused, "I think I've seen this before... wasn't this some early form of a calculator used in Haysia?" "Indeed," Flash supported, "It is called an 'abacus', and it was used in Taiwu as an important part of life. Most definitely was it used to calculate total prices alongside pen and paper before calculators and cashier machines existed." "If such an item already exists here, just how it exists as a relic today..." Rarity pieced together, "It's very possible that the era of Grastaea could really have been from our history." Flash finished, "Yet for some reason, this era was not recorded." "Geez, you guys are really becoming theorists," Sweetie gave a puzzled look as she put the abacus wand down, "Shall we continue?" "Door number two, Rodrigo!" Flash introduced, "According to his bio, this guy wields the sword and the element of Shadow. If his dark armour that covers all but his mouth was a dead giveaway. No one has ever seen his eyes or entire face." "Yikes!" Sweetie shivered at his image in his bio, "He looks fearsome and cunning with that smirk!" "But here's the plot twist. Despite his Dark Knight appearance and experience growing and surviving as a mercenary, he is one who always expresses his sincere positive feelings through giving gifts. You can see the many types of gift boxes and non-perishable gifts that girls would like. Tragically, he's very misguided on his main choice of gifts though. what would you think if you received fiendmeat as a gift?" "Pardon?" Big Mac spoke with a voice crack. "Fiendmeat! You know... beef from cows, pork from pigs... meat from fiends! Fiendmeat!" Flash repeated, Rarity's hands shot up to her mouth. Sweetie felt queasy in the stomach. Cleo just rolled her eyes. "You're kidding me... people EAT fiends!?!?" Rarity shrieked, "I can explain." Cleo interjected, "Rodrigo is a Mercenary, and so he had grown on surviving in the rough. It's how he found out that fiendmeat is nutritious despite the looks, and the pelt it yields are good for warmth. It took a long camping journey with a Hinomotoan Chef and a Peckish Princess to try it for myself... and admittedly it was quite delicious if made the right way. Course, I wouldn't have known about the knowledge if not for him. He's a maladroit soul, but a kind one. Alas, he really couldn't think of anything other than fiend-related trinkets to give me... in fact, his room is full of accessories and figures carved from the remains of fiends. It looks atrocious, but I would not dispose of it in memory of him." "Wait. He gave gifts to you?" Flash's pupils shrank in realisation. "He gives it to everyone, but mostly me." Cleo sighed, "Big Mac?" Flash whispered, "I think... Rodrigo had a soft spot for Ms Cleo..." "Eeyup..." Big Mac nodded, "Poor guy..." Flash gave a small salute, "I know exactly how you feel, buddy. Even today, guys are STILL conflicted on what gift to give to our special someone! To you, our dear brother. We don't know what we do!" "Amen..." Big Mac lowered his head. "I'm right here." Cleo glared, "His experience as a mercenary does not excuse for his poor choice of gifts or to express his feelings. But don't you dare assume I feel nothing after his passing!" "Awkward..." Rarity and Sweetie Belle nervously spoke in unison. "Our last blue essence belongs to the Quiet Mercenary, Jakob." Flash introduced, "Wielder of the lance, and the power of water." "Oh come on..." Cleo groaned, "Both of them were summoned on the same day?" "And there you have it! It seems Ms Cleo has a second misunderstood person crushing on her!" Flash announced, "One more out-of-line word from you, and I will force you to clean the rest of the Halidom rooms on your own." Cleo declared with a glare furious than normal. Flash quickly avoided her gaze. "So back to Jakob," Flash he turned back to the camera, "As his title suggests, he is a mercenary who is a man of few words. Kinda like you, Big Mac." "Not exactly," Cleo calmly interjected, "Unlike Big Mac, Jakob has troubles finding the right words to express what he feels. Though he prefers communications with his actions, he still tries his best to talk to others. Yet for some reason, he always follows me around like a ghost in the night. Whenever I try to confront him, he just flees." "Ohh... Ah get it." Big Mac spoke, "Jus' another shy guy who worked as a merc." "I met him by chance before he came to join us at the Halidom. He was the only one barely clinging on to life after his entire mercenary company perished. I did what I did, and it motivated him to join us later. I learned about his history from the Prince and Ranzal. He was forced to become a mercenary after he was raised by one when his real parents perished. While it may sound kind-hearted, the forcefulness discouraged him from speaking or giving his opinion, being ordered to do what he was told. Course, like Rodrigo, I never knew that he had feelings for me... until it was too late." "Bless your heart, Ms Cleo." Rarity comforted, "In fact, the people residing in the Halidom really look out for each other; knights or mercenaries, or even different folks. So many different people coming together, just like us." "Aww... a little dark but reminiscing moment..." Sweetie smiled, "Now for our Gold orb we pulled... it's this guy, Luther! Water and dagger." Flash guided the group to another bedroom. "Huh... not many accessories here." Rarity looked around, "Well, except for the large mirror and... wooden platform? Is Luther a dancer?" "Indeed he is," Cleo answered, "Also known as the Passionate Dancer, his dedication and his encouragement for everyone to join in is something unique. Though it makes them look like idiots in my honest opinion. However, I cannot deny that it does lift the spirits and convictions of everyone by a lot, and he is great distractor for Ranzal at the time, which helps a LOT." "What dances can he do?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm afraid I don't know the specifics of dancing. If anything, he just dances whenever music is heard - flawlessly in harmony to the music's style! He'd sometimes pair up with Orsem, a sylvan who's just as into dancing, though dancing on ice mostly." "Hmm..." Flash scratched his chin as he examined the essence, "You have a very interesting style Luther... one that I'd like to know, as a music man myself." "As for the adventurer we obtained outside the show... we have Pia!!!" Sweetie introduced this time. "She's a young Budding Vocalist who not only is a hardworking singer of the Harmonia Choir, but she's also clever with a lance and the power of the wind!" "Which reminds me," Flash pulled out a book, "We never talked about what the Harmonia Choir is. The Harmonia choir is a choir that sings a multitude of carols, songs, and other things. They are very popular for their angelic voices, and they have been touring around Grastaea. Now, the owner of the choir is, believe it or not, a dragon by the name of Maritimus. A fuzzy and kind one! Just hugging and rubbing against his fur will keep you warm! That is if he'll let you..." "Anything about this young girl aside from singing?" Rarity asked, "Oh! She has plenty of mice as friends!" Sweetie remembered, "Unlike Luther's ducks, the descendants of Pia's mice still exist today!" "Mice?" Rarity raised an eyebrow, "Low blow to the Luth, Sweetie." Flash stated as a tear ran down his eye. "She's called them many names: Mr Mouse, Clam Chowder... Ham Hock... is it me? Or am I getting hungry?" Sweetie giggled, her mouth drooling a little. "Sweetie, you're drooling." Rarity pointed out, "And don't think about bringing the mice home for their own sake. Opal will not hesitate to eat them." "Okay okay, I got it..." Sweetie rolled her eyes, "Cut, Adagio." "Done..." Adagio hit a few buttons, "Is this episode over?" "Yep!" Sweetie gave a thumbs up, "Good, I'm tired..." "Don't forget to turn off the light as you go out!" Cleo reminded, "Eeyup." Big Mac nodded. Making sure he was the last to go, turned off the lights, and sent the entire room to darkness. Then, he left the room and closed the door. He found it interesting that after a month, he and the rest of the Equestrians associated 'turning the lights on or off' in the Halidom as simply lighting or extinguishing a candle that could impressively light up an entire room. "Thanks a whole lot for doing the entire filming, Adagio!" Sweetie thanked, "I'm not in the mood to be a part of your stupid show for today, but I know you won't take no for an answer." Adagio spoke grouchily. "You know me quite well now!" Sweetie smirked, irritating Adagio. "You know, I think we should keep a list of all the adventurers we have so far. I mean, the names given within the Grastaean era are far different to ours, well... except for some, like Berserker. Even so, I can't remember them all. Also, we should probably record Francesca and Estelle's bio and history too!" Flash suggested, "You seem to be a lot more interested in taking part of Sweetie's New Alberia hobby now..." Rarity pointed out, "Who couldn't resist the temptation of an unexplored era? There are so many things that we can discover and find about our past, which can also bridge to what we are capable of today!" Flash explained, "Yeah! That's what I feel too!" Sweetie laughed and bumped fists with Flash. "Glad you're having fun!" Ms M strode over, "Now that your hobby is over, you'd better join Applebloom and Scootaloo with their meditation near the elemental altars." "Oh..." Sweetie lowered her head, "Okay..." "I'm sorry. What did she get punished for?" Rarity asked, "Using her own water mana to knock Diamond Tiara's hairpin out of her hair and messing it up." Ms M summarized, "Sweetie..." Rarity frowned, "But I assume Diamond Tiara did something to warrant such behaviour... right?" "Yes." Ms M nodded, "Berating Ditzy Doo, I believe. Or perhaps her friends called her 'Derpy Hooves'?" "She deserved it," Rarity and Flash responded in unison. "Eeyup," Big Mac agreed, "She's still a freshman. As she grows older, she'll change. You might be surprised!" Ms M assured, "We'll be the judge of that," Sweetie scoffed, "But before you go..." Ms M stopped, "There is something important that you need to know." "And that is?" Adagio asked, "Your next Greatwyrm challenge." Cleo answered, "The Lightwyrm Jupiter had messaged us not so long ago that his challenge is ready for you, conditions and all." The five Equestrians groaned, "Hoo boy... here we go again!" Sweetie nervously smiled, "What does it entail?" Rarity asked, "Two parts." Ms M briefed, "The first test is to reach the summit of the highest mountain in Mount Dornith. I believe we attempted to do that a month ago." "And the time where I fell off it..." Flash added, "Oh dear..." "In that case, we must stay far away from any edges if possible," Ms M guided, "Anyway, once the five of you get up there, the instructions for the second half of the challenge will be given by Jupiter himself. He also says that no prior training or preparation will be needed. Just your own selves." "Hmm..." Flash narrowed his eyes, "That is really suspicious..." "I share that same notion," Ms M frowned, "But I'm afraid he won't reveal it. Anyway, there are two important conditions that he set. He says that there is no deadline to the challenge, but he will leave the path for fiends to continuously spawn there starting tomorrow. This is a consequence should you 'lay off' the challenge." "Just like how teachers would take away a percentage of your total score for every day you handed it in late! That's scary!" Rarity jumped, "Second," Ms M continued, "The only information he's given us about the second half of the challenge is that only two of you are chosen by him to run it. They are..." She turned to the senior student farmer, "... Big McIntosh..." Then to the blue-haired teen. "... And Flash Sentry. The boys of the group." "Uh-oh..." The boys worryingly turned their heads to each other. Sweetie's Little Steps of Life The End...? Next up: The Lightwyrm's Provocation Flash's record of acquired adventurers: Silver essences: Francesca, Estelle, Zardin, Alain, Vida, Nicolas, Philia, Xiao Lei (NEW!), Rodrigo (NEW!), Jakob (NEW!) Gold essences: Aeleen, Vixel, Patia, Pia, Luther (NEW!) Rainbow essences: Louise