//------------------------------// // Chapter 07: Hearts of Iron (pt.1) // Story: Falling Stars // by Ar0k //------------------------------// *** AUTHORS NOTE: This chapter has been long delayed. I originally intended for this to be a longer chapter (around 8,000 words). But quite frankly it was taking too long with real life happening at every turn. Go figure right? So I had to cut it down. This chapter went through three different drafts, trying to find the best way to tell the story, but in all honesty it was taking too long. So enjoy the chapter for what it is, and expect shorter chapters but quicker updates. Enjoy! Princess Luna gazed up at the night sky with a blank expression on her face, mulling the attack on Appaloosa over and over again in her mind's eye. It was clear that those blue plated monsters that Trot called "Hunters," did not stumble into the frontier town by accident. They were selective in their attacks, only targeting those ponies who were attached to this expedition. There was no question that this expedition was going to be dangerous, but now Luna was beginning to wonder if it was too dangerous. Whoever sent these Hunters, had to be the same pony responsible for those terrible dreams a few nights back, but who could hold the power to accomplish such things? Who could hold the power to command such powerful minions? Luna tore herself away from these worrisome thoughts and focused her attention on an important task. Something she had never thought to do until now. Her eyes glowed, and she focused her attention on the North Star. After a dreary sigh she began to count. Gene limped his way up the sandy hill. yThe poor guard’s injuries made walking, difficult and even painful at times but duty to his princess drove him forward. There was no way he would let the princess be alone, not after the recent attack. "Princess?" Gene called out in vain. Luna wasn't able to hear him because of the immense focus required to perform her task. Her loyal guard Gene set himself down behind her, standing vigil even with his extensive injuries. Minutes went by, then an hour and the Alicorn and the Pegasus spent the entire time in silence. One oblivious of the protection of the other, and the other thankful to still be able to stand and fulfill his duty. Luna's task lasted until Celestia's sun broke the horizon. It was tiresome, but Luna was able to accomplish it, and now she was one step closer to unraveling the mystery of the falling star. She turned to return to the others, and nearly screamed when she saw Gene standing behind her. "Gene! What are you doing here?" She exclaimed in surprise, but quickly stopped herself from continuing by placing a hoof to her mouth. Gene was on his feet, but sound asleep. The Royal Guard was snoring silently and Luna had to prevent herself from laughing. Luna couldn't help but feel Impressed and Annoyed at the same time. If she had it her way, she would have tied him down, or placed him underneath a sleeping spell , anything to stop this stubborn Royal Guard from making her worry about his injuries. She smiled, and levitated his sleeping body next to her as she walked back to camp. --- "Earth pony to moon princess! Come INNNNNN moon princess!" Pinkie Pie was beside Princess Luna, trying anything she could to get her attention. She tugged on her hair, poked her in the ribs, and even started playing several musical instruments in rapid succession. Pinkie had Princess Luna's attention at the blast of an annoying Tuba, but the hyperactive Pinkie Pie didn't notice. To Luna's relief Twilight came to her rescue and tackled the party pony to the floor. "Pinkie Pie! Don't do that! It's rude!" She reprimanded, keeping Pinkie pinned to the floor. "What? I was just going to ask her what she'd like for breakfast? Apple Pie, or Cherry Chunga?" "Twilight, it's alright, I just didn't get enough sleep last night." She paused before adding…"And I'll give that Cherry Chunga a try…I've never even heard of it." Twilight couldn't understand how her friend could be in her arms one second, and then standing beside her the next, but Pinkie Pie always had a certain knack for defying physics. Even the Law of magic was not a boundary to the party pony. "Okie Dokie Lokie!" She replied happily before trotting off to the supply wagon to fetch some supplies. With Pinkie Pie gone, The Princess was left alone with Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Trixie. The rest were either still asleep, like Gene, or had left earlier in the morning to take care of some last minute tasks before the expedition officially began. Trixie sat the furthest away from all of them, but for the most part she was at least approachable and open to conversation however slight. Applejack was busy tending to the fire, laughing quietly to herself at Pinkie's antics. Rarity however was doing nothing but observing Luna. Rarity couldn't help but noticed how she looked like she was daydreaming, or constantly looking over her shoulder at the wagon where a certain royal guard was catching up on his sleep. Rarity smiled knowingly, and excited energy flowed through her like that of a little filly. Applejack noticed Rarity's strange behavior and with a feeling of dread, decided to comment. "Uh, Rarity…ur scarin' me with that look on your face. What are ya up to?" Rarity flipped her hair and glanced at Applejack innocently. "Whatever do you mean Applejack? I only just realized that this expedition could open up some amazing opportunities…" Applejack was curious but was afraid to ask. Twilight however jumped at the chance to discuss the expedition. "I know what you mean! I know that we may be facing many dangers…but think about what we are going to see! The land of Twisted Metal is something so obscure in pony history! It's so exciting that we'll be the first ones to study it…" Rarity cut her off by waving a hoof. "Oh Twilight, I'm not talking about that kind of opportunity…" Confused Twilight took a seat next to Trixie. "What kind of opportunity then?" Rarity cleared her throat and batted her eyelashes. "Why romance of course." Applejack face hoofed, Trixie snorted, and Twilight's confused expression didn't change at all. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times before she could string together a proper response. "Rarity, what are you talking about? We're on a dangerous quest of to save Equestria. Yesterday we were attacked by two giant blue monsters, and the day before that we've had some sort of attack on our minds. How can you possibly think that this is the time to pursue one of your fantasies..." Once again, Rarity waved her hoof, batting away Twilight's retort away like it was a fly. "Why, I don't need to pursue anything darling. Things just so happen to be playing out in a way that I couldn't help but notice." Applejack resumed stoking the fire, praying to Celestia that the subject would pass quickly, and thought she would help end the conversation. "Aren't we supposed to be waiting for the others to get back? Why don't we start talking about something useful while we're eatin' breakfast." Rarity ignored her attempt at changing the subjects and continued what she considered playful teasing. "It isn't the first time we've gone on an adventure to save Equestria. However, It IS the first time I have ever seen Rainbow so enthused about waking up early. Especially, since it involves accompanying a certain Royal Guard, to meet the Buffalo. "Pfft! So what?" Applejack declared giving up on the fire and reclining on a sack of grain. "In case ya forgot, she's good friends with little Strongheart. Why wouldn't she go with 'im?" Rarity giggled to herself, delighted at how uncomfortable the conversation was making Applejack. She grinned as she decided to probe her suspicions. Rarity positioned herself by the fire and for a moment it looked like she had completely dropped the subject... until... "Trot isn't so hard on the eyes either Applejack." Applejack froze. A second went by before she tilted her hat upwards, making eye contact with Rarity.The stinkeye she gave her was all she needed to know, Rarity hit her mark. "Hey!" Twilight exclaimed, tapping her hoof on the soil and doing her best to be restrained. "What's that supposed to mean?" The outburst surprised Rarity. Did she detect a hint of jealousy in her bookworm of a friend? This was only too good for Rarity to pass up. She feigned a look of shock, placing her hoof on her chest. "Oh my, how could I have forgotten! My apologies Twilight, how could I have forgotten that he was your long lost friend, separated by some tragic event until the mystery of the falling star brought you together." The drama in her voice was abundant, but it's effects were clear, a slight shade of pink appeared on Twilight's cheek. "That's not what I…What? I don't even…" "Now don't go putting any ideas into her head Rarity." Applejack finally stood on her feet getting on her feet and moving in between Twilight and Rarity as if shielding Twilight from the attacks of a Manticore. "That stallion there is dangerous. You can't trust him." "Applejack! Don't be so harsh on the 'stallion.' He saved our lives after all…" Rarity exclaimed in the same dramatic tone, feigning sincerity while she prepared to move in for the kill. "Although if I didn't know any better…I'd say you were afraid of the Trail Blazer." "What did you say to me?" "I for one, think the Trail Blazer is worthy of pursuing." Everypony in the campfire turned their heads to the one pony who has been silent this entire time. Trixie cleared her throat. "Any stallion brave enough to face off against the great and powerful Trixie, deserves some admiration." She smirked, looking at the reaction on everypony's faces. She caught Rarity’s eye and for a brief moment the two shared a feeling of comradeship, as they playfully teased on. Acting on Trixie’s sentence, Rarity turned to make a point. "As you can see, things are already progressing quicker than I could have hoped for…" She paused for dramatic effect, but Pinkie pie appeared out of nowhere before she could continue. "Ooo!Ooo! Don't forget that last night Luna left to watch the stars and Gene followed to make sure she was alright and safe! Then she came back the next morning carrying him on her back, I wonder what happened between them, that’s called romance right? I also heard…" Nopony knew how much marshmallow Pinkie's mouth could hold, but combine that number with the amount Luna tried to shove inside the pink ponies mouth and the Pinky Pie was finally silenced. "Ahahahaha!" Luna laughed awkwardly, earning her odd looks from her companions. "I am reminded of a sleepover Celestia once had, where all she talked about was her IDEAL stallion. It was great fun but not very practical. Time to move on to serious business." In one motion Pinkie Pie gulped down all the marshmallow in her mouth. "but you and Gene were…” "I said serious business.” Luna looked so serious that even Pinkie shrank back in fear. Seeing that she had everypony's attention, she continued in a very Royal Tone. "Let's not forget that were on a dangerous mission here. We were lucky last time that no pony got seriously hurt, but we wont be as lucky next time if we keep dawdling on about crushes and forget our mission. When Trot and the others get back, we are going to have a long talk everything." A few seconds of silence passed, the playful mood completely dissipating. "Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie suddenly declared and acted as if not skipping a beat, before hopping away to serve the cherry chungas. --- The door to Appaloosa’s general goods store swung lazily open, as an equally lazy pony stepped out into the morning sun. Trot allowed the suns rays to melt away the last chills of the desert night. Usually, a simple pleasure like feeling the first rays of a sunrise did a lot for his mood. But with the task that lay before him, it felt less like a comfort and more like a long sorrowful goodbye. “Um…Excuse me. If I could just get through…” sounded a timid voice from behind him. Trot turned his head to watch as his butter yellow companion tried her best to squeeze past a line of ponies paying for their groceries. “Sir...Uhm....could you...” “Hey! No cutting in Line miss.” The cashier yelled. “MEEP!” Was Fluttershy's response as she flattened herself against a store shelf, desperately wanting to faze through the wall and disappear to the other side. Trot heaved a heavy sigh, and walked back into the store to fetch her. “Excuse me, she just needs to get through.” He declared politely while at the same time expressing his annoyance. The Cashier raised an eyebrow, confused, then looked at the Pegasus moping on the floor. “Oh! Trot! I didn't know she was with you!” He exclaimed while ringing up another patron."Go ahead lil missy! Sorry for the misunderstandin'.” Fluttershy tiptoed out of the store, keeping her head low and trying to hide her face with as much of her hair as possible. Trot felt something awful grip his heart. Out of everypony in the expeditionary force, there was no doubt she would be the most vulnerable. It made him sick, thinking about the horrors he’d seen and what they could do to the innocence that walked next to him. Fluttershy squeaked a quiet thank you, and Trot welcomed it with an awkward smile. “It's a good thing we got these extra supplies. Did we get everything we need Fluttershy?” He asked in an attempt to lift her spirits. “Oh! I’m sorry! let me check.” Fluttershy replied as she took a look into Trot's saddlebags. She carefully counted all the ointments, herbal remedies, bandages and other first aid supplies they had come to get this morning. She nodded and, to Trot's relief, looked like she had gotten past the incident at the grocery store. “Uhm...Thank you for carrying it all.” squeaked Fluttershy as she tilted her head, trying to hide her face. Trot shrugged. “It’s my pleasure. I usually carry more than this when I go adventuring anyway. Now on to the final stop of the day. The blacksmith.” Trot led the way down a busy Appaloosa street. Everypony recognized their hero, and almost everypony greeted the Trailblazer as he passed. Trot was used to the attention, but all it did was make Fluttershy even more self conscious. By the time they were half-way down the road, Fluttershy's face was almost completely covered by her hair. Trot sighed in resignation, and set his eyes on the blacksmith shack in the distance. He wanted this errand trip to be over quickly for her sake. Then, without warning Fluttershy spoke: “Are you angry at us?” Trot froze in his tracks. Not really knowing if his ears were functioning properly. He turned around to Fluttershy who immediately shrank away. “Oh, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean....I'm just...well...It must have been awful..." Fluttershy tapped the sand with her hoof nervously. Trot understood that they didn't have all day, Yesterday, the princess was adamant about not delaying the expedition any longer than necessary, but this was Fluttershy, the most bashful mare in all of Equestria, If he stopped her now who knows when she would speak up next. “What must have been?” He asked shifting his stance. It took Fluttershy two tries before she could finally respond. “Being um... buried alive?” Trot raised an eyebrow and nervously started rubbing his short mane. "No I'm not angry. I can't be angry. After all, you didn't do it on purpose." At this, Fluttershy brightened up considerably, even going so far as to look Trot in the eyes when they spoke. “Oh Thank Goodness. I was so worried that you wouldn’t like us very much after what we did.” Trot smiled and resumed walking, confident that they could now carry a normal conversation. “No…I was the one who overreacted. I never wanted to go back to that place. EVER. But it didn’t justify me hurting your friends.” Fluttershy nodded. “Apology accepted. But you changed your mind about helping us, why?” Fluttershy asked. Her confidence had increased considerably since she and Trot left the store. Trot gestured with his head for Fluttershy to take a look behind them. Fluttershy turned around and after a moment recognized the destroyed inn Twilight was in during the attack. Sheriff Silverstar was sitting in a wheel chair on the front porch of the inn and was busy talking to the owner who was also bound to a wheel chair. “That’s why.” He said quietly, choosing not to reveal that a disembodied voice told him about the Hunters when he was buried alive. “The evil’s of the Land of Twisted Metal are leaking out into Equestria…I thought everypony would be safe and secure, but I know now that security is an illusion. No pony is secure. Not ever. That’s why I have to go back, even if it kills me.” Trot said. They reached the entrance to the blacksmith and Trot was about to enter the blacksmith lounge but Fluttershy lagged behind. “I wish I was as brave as you.” Trot looked around and saw how Fluttershy's eyes were glued to the half destroyed inn. Trot sighed and walked up next to her. "I mean...when those monsters attacked...I didn't know what to do. All I could do was sit back and watch as my friends were almost...almost..." Fluttershy said softly. Her soft and gentle face was filled with worry and sorrow. Trot didn't look at the mare so Fluttershy didn't have to turn her head away. He could almost feel the anxiety and doubt emanating from her very being. Was this the reason she volunteered to come with him? Was this her way of trying to make up for not being able to fight? Trot cleared his throat before speaking “Fluttershy, let me share with you something that I learned a long time ago." Trot heard a sniffle and assumed that meant it was OK to continue. "Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the conquering of it." The statement caught Fluttershy's attention, even though she still hid her face behind her mane. Trot continued: “If you weren't afraid of something, how much bravery would you need to confront it? How much would you have to steel yourself to confront something" Fluttershy thought for a moment, forgetting her sadness. She shuffled her hooves and turned her head "I'm no Philosopony.... But I will tell you this..." Trot caught Fluttershy's eye's before "I believe you have the opportunity to be the bravest pony alive. It doesn't matter how much you're afraid of something. It only means that you have much more fears to overcome. And your friends, including myself will be there to help you conquer each and every single one of them. Understand?" "Fluttershy allowed herself to smile, letting Trot's words of encouragement soak through her." "Atta girl!" Trot exclaimed placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Now let's go see the blacksmith, I've got a surprise for everypony." Fluttershy tilted her head curiously. "What's the surprise?" Trot laughed a little to himself "Can't tell ya. If I did it wouldn't be a surprise!" Fluttershy giggled, brushing away the last tear on her cheek before batting her eyelashes and saying. "Pretty Pleeeaaase?" Trot froze. The over-all adorableness of the pony was too much. Trot instead just ran from Fluttershy and into the Blacksmith lounge, not knowing how to say no to her request. "Confound these mares..."