//------------------------------// // Chapter I - The Mysterious Rendezvous // Story: Tamed II: As Time Went On // by PiercingZen //------------------------------// Act 1 - Disharmony Chapter 1 – Mysterious Rendezvous Edited by Vertorm ***** On a solemn night, the air was frigid and the wind screeched past the cold rocks of Smokey Mountain. A solitary pony, a pegasus, trekked carefully along the treacherous path. His eyes were narrowed and his wings tucked tightly. He could barely see where he was going as only the light of a full moon cared to guide his way. He constantly stepped on loose rocks, letting out hisses of pain and disapproval. However, he carried on. He knew he had to reach the top. It wasn’t that he was a daredevil or absolutely insane; it was simply imperative that he continued... Eventually, his eyes caught the hint of a small breakaway in the path. He was now stuck with two options and was unfortunately clueless about the layout of the mountain. “Luna guide me…Which way is it?” His voice was completely drowned out by the wind. He couldn’t hear himself much less reach the ears of anypony else. The pegasus decided to ignore the breakaway and continued along the main path. In retaliation, a large gale pushed him back to the fork. He was so close to losing his footing, but with a quick decision, he lunged towards the path he rejected. Without warning, the wind died out. So fast in fact that the pegasus’s ears began to ring from the dead silence. However, he was relieved to have finally been rid of that annoying adversary. The path in front of him was lit up in the moonlight. It was very narrow and it seemed to go on forever. He was walled in on both sides by giant cliffs of rock. The moon, oddly enough, was positioned straight ahead. It loomed over where the path seemed to end. “Did you hear me?” he whispered to himself. As he progressed, the only sounds he could hear was the light stamping of his hooves on the hard rock and his own labored breathing. Suddenly he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned his head to the left and stared down another pathway, one which he was sure hadn’t been there before. He noticed something else and turned his head back; the pathway he was traversing was gone... Or was it? Confused, he looked around. He was indeed still on the straight and narrow path with the moon looming in the distance in one direction and complete darkness in the other. “Where are you taking me?” he whispered as he continued up the path. There are moments in my life when nothing seems to make sense. As if…walking forward only brings me backward. When I look up…all I see is the ground below. I feel as if I don’t belong…as if the way I see the world is…different. I can see the light before me, but how far off is it? Will I ever be able to reach it? He blinked. He was now facing a wall. Again he was disoriented, but the moon guided him once more. It begged for him… I always fear the choices I make…when something seems so obviously right…and it turns out to be the worst decision you’ve ever made. “Hey!” The pegasus’s ears perked. He heard a voice that was not his own. Instantly, he turned to the right…down the path of darkness. A pony was standing there…illuminated by the moon. It was a filly…small and adorable. She had a violet mane the same shade as her eyes, as well as a horn and a cute smile. There was a stripe in her mane… “Follow me! I want to show you something.” Her voice interrupted his thoughts. He blinked and rubbed his eyes with a hoof. It…wasn’t an illusion. “Shouldn’t we…do as we’re told?” The words left his mouth unwillingly. He put a hoof up to his lips. “Fyre…you’re no fun. I want to see the world! I hate being cooped up at home all the time.” The pegasus, Fyreburst, just stared at the filly for the longest time. His eyes began to well up. He took a step toward her. When his hoof touched the ground, he suddenly yanked it back with a yelp. It felt as if something sharp had impaled it. “I-I can’t go!” he cried out. “Just come back…come back to me!” He reached out to her. “I don’t…want to see you go…” He blinked again. The filly was gone. In a panic, he looked around. The narrow path was all that was left. She wasn’t there…she was gone…and he was left with no choice but to continue up the pathway. Panic…The feeling that always tears you up. You feel hopeless…estranged. A part of you is pinned down…to one spot in the past. The more you try to deny it ever happened…the more it hurts you…keeps you awake at night…searching desperately for a way to pull the pin and correct it, but all you discover is that there’s nothing you can do. “Moving on… Easier said than done.” He muttered. He wiped his eyes and then took off in a gallop towards the moonlight. He could hear whispering all around him, incomprehensible but familiar. Only now and then could he make out the words. “In every scar comes power, knowledge, and experience, but also a pain you can never forget.” The voice was clearer than the rest. The moon was becoming brighter and brighter with every second. “Never forget,” he repeated. “Going beyond the boundaries, new pains and new paths emerge. It’s a difficult choice to make because…can you ever go back?” The voice spoke to him again. “No…you can’t change the past. All you can do is deny it,” he answered. As soon as he was done speaking, the light became blinding. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, but once he reopened them, he found himself standing in front of a giant mouth to a very large cave. He had reached the top. Shocked, he looked behind him and could see the fork he had encountered earlier. “That was…strange.” He shook his head and rubbed it with a hoof. “I must be getting tired. Let’s just find out what this is all about.” He walked toward the cave and entered into its gloomy depths. Dark was an understatement; he couldn’t see his own hoof in front of his face. He didn’t bring with him any sort of lighting and was simply stuck like this, unable to see. “Hello?!” he hollered into the darkness. He waited for an answer, but there was none. Fyre sighed as he remembered something he was told to say, “A long decade come and gone...” He rolled his eyes. “Stare into the blazing dawn…” He inhaled to say the rest… “Rest upon that smoky spire…leave the land bathed in fire,” a sly, quiet voice finished for him. “So you’ve come…just like she said.” “Like who said? Who are you?” Fyre looked around, but nothing could be seen in the darkness. “Fyreburst…that’s your name, right?” The voice cracked…it seemed young and coltish. “I’m not saying anything until you answer my question.” He stamped his hoof. “Such defiance will get you killed, Fyre. You come not here by your own will…but by fate…I also know what you seek.” “Then we can make this short. Tell me what I want to know!” He stepped backwards a little. He was ready to bolt out of there as soon as he could. “First there’s something you need to tell me.” The voice became slightly louder. Out of the darkness, Fyre could see the glint of two eyes. Not enough to make out their color, but enough to know where the voice was coming from. “Oh? Something you want to know, huh?” he scoffed. “Look, I was told you would be cooperative.” “What do you know…about Twilight Sparkle?” “Twilight Sparkle?” He curved his lips into a small grin. “Actually, I do know something about that pony.” He could sense the figure he was speaking to become restless once it heard this. The eyes drew closer…close enough to make out their color…purple. “Tell me! Tell me where she is!” “Ah ah…I just got done climbing this awful, terrible mountain. Give me a break. I want my information first. Then I’ll gladly tell you.” “And if you don’t…I’ll kill you! You got that?!” “Fine by me.” He could feel a bead of sweat trickle down his face. His legs tightened and he swallowed the persistent lump in his throat. “Now tell me.” The voice took a moment to respond, “Go to Ponyville…” “Ponyville? That…country town? She’s…there?” “Enough questions…tell me about Twilight!” The figure was getting excited. “Twilight, huh? Well…I hate to disappoint you…but I’ve never heard of her.” With that, Fyre swung himself around and dashed towards the exit. He unfurled his amber wings and took to the air. “You!!” the voice screamed. The anger in it was like nothing he had ever heard. It was all the more reason to fly as fast as he could. He was sure he got a good lead on whatever it was. He hoped it couldn’t fly… “Gahh!!” Fyre yelped as he was tackled out of the sky. He hit the hard rock with a deafening thud. The pegasus rolled to a stop and he quickly tried to recover himself, but before he could even stand he was knocked onto his side. The pain of both falls was tearing into him. He kicked violently at his attacker. “I told you this would happen! Why would you lie to me?! I can’t trust…anypony!” he heard the voice yell at him. He was forced onto his back. His vision was blurry as he glanced helplessly upward. The figure was silhouetted by the moonlight. Two purple eyes and a purple-hued mane were all he could make out. “Lights out, Fyre!” was the last thing he heard. ***** The world flickered in. Candlelight illuminated the small crevice below a door. Fyre couldn’t open his eyes completely. “Am I…dead?” he pondered while he slowly rose onto his legs. In front of him was a candle painted onto a red door. Fyre felt like he was forgetting to breathe… He wasn’t sure where he was or how he had gotten there. His only reaction was to knock on the door. “Hello? I…I need help.” The pegasus felt his legs collapse as he fell against the door. It gave away and he tumbled inside. Disoriented, he could feel a growing heat coming from inside the room. He attempted to right himself and look around, but his body refused. He could see a little clearer…fire. There was fire everywhere. He tasted something metallic in his mouth as his body began to burn. Choking and coughing, he didn’t know what was happening. Nothing would respond as his mind panicked and struggled to fight off the paralysis. “Where…are…you?” he managed to whimper out. “Mother…” “Hey! Wake up!” He heard something calling him. He also felt something cool splash onto his face. It was mildly refreshing… He could feel his legs again too. ***** “What is this kid doing…? You know sleeping there could be dangerous! There are a million better places to take a nap, Red.” Fyre groaned. The voice speaking to him was piercing his ears. “Could you…keep it down? You’re really loud.” Not only was the voice painful, but his whole body ached. It felt like he was hit by a boulder. The voice scoffed. “Loud?! Ha! You haven’t heard loud yet, Red.” The pegasus just turned away from whatever was talking and folded his ears. He felt like he could finally open his eyes. In front of him was a raging river that wasn’t too quiet either. “Where am I?” “I think the better question is why. You know you can sleep on clouds. Why a riverbank?” “Well, it wasn’t exactly my choice.” “Are you saying somepony made you sleep there?” “What does it matter to you? Can’t you just leave me alone?” The voice sighed. “Whatever…no feathers off my wings.” Fyre could hear it walking away until it had left him alone. “Finally.” He pushed himself up to his hooves. His entire body screamed at him. “Oh dear, Luna! That thing must have hit me hard…didn’t kill me though.” “Surprise!!!” a voice yelled right into his ears. Fyre leapt into the air. “Waahh!” he howled. He hovered in the air and turned to face his tormentor. “Hahaha!” A pegasus, cyan with a rainbow-colored mane, was holding her sides laughing. “What’s the big idea?! You can’t do that!” “Oh, but I just did! You’re jumpy for a stallion, Red.” “And why do you keep calling me Red? I’m…” Fyre cut himself off. He recognized the pony. The mare smiled at him. “…wait…you…aren’t you…Rainbow Dash?!” “The…one and only!” She looked at her right hoof with a grin. “Wow! I mean…The day I get woken up by a Wonderbolt...” “Hey!” she cut him off. “Former…Wonderbolt. I don’t like being called that anymore. The name’s Dash.” “Right, I know about the whole fiasco. You really stuck it to them, but…” “But nothing, Red! Now are you gonna tell me why you’re here?” Dash crossed her forelegs. Fyre hesitated for a moment. It really wasn’t any of her business. “I’m…looking for somepony… I got tired and…took a nap at the riverbed. Again, why do you care?” “Looking for somepony, huh? A runaway?” Rainbow seemed strangely interested. “N…No. It’s not that simple. Look, I appreciate your concern, but it really isn’t your problem. I’m glad you came along and all, but I’d rather keep this to myself.” Fyre was becoming more defensive by the second. “Oh, all right. Well then…good luck finding anypony in this storm then.” Dash turned to leave him. “Storm?” Fyre chuckled. “What st…” A few water droplets hit his face. “Oh, you’re kidding me…” “It’s Tuesday. It rains here every Tuesday during the summertime. I hope you got an umbrella with you.” The amber stallion rolled his eyes and went after her. “Of course it does. Do you know a cave or something around here I can stay?” His words seemed to shock the mare as she flipped around and gave him a confused look. “What is with you, Red? Why a cave? You’re a pegasus! You can just stay atop the clouds or find higher ground. You know…use your wings!” Fyre groaned. “I know that. I’m not stupid and please stop calling me that. The name’s Fyreburst. Call me Fyre…or whatever, just not Red.” “Fyre, huh?” She looks him over. The stallion sported a crimson mane and an amber coat. His eyes, however, were a sea blue. “Sounds about right. You’re not a pyro, are you?” “N-No and I’d rather not talk out in the rain.” The pegasus twitched with each raindrop that hit him. “Why’s that? It’s not gonna put you out is it?” She covered her mouth as she chuckled. “Haha, Dash. Haven’t heard that one before.” The rain became stronger with each second they wasted talking. “Forget it. I’m looking on my own,” Fyre said irritably and turned to take off. “Woah, cool your jets, hotshot!” She intercepted him, placing a hoof against his nose. “I get it…you don’t like heights. Besides...You haven’t told me where you got all those bruises.” “What bruises?” Fyre scoffed. “You know…all these years I thought I would be star struck meeting you…but you’re just like everypony else.” The mare rolled her eyes with a dismissive sneer. “Save it. You can say whatever you want, but I’m not letting a pony who’s been hurt go alone into a thunderstorm.” “And what gives you the right to shelter me from anything?” The stallion turned his head, keeping an eye on her. “That has to be the dumbest…come on!” Dash lunged at him and nabbed his mane with her teeth, pulling him. “Hey! What the…?!” He protested. He tried to push her away with his forehooves. “Let go!” “What bruises?!” her voice muffled in his mane. “What about this?!” The mare poked him in the side with a hoof. A searing pain blasted his senses and he yelped. “Or that one?!” She jabbed the back of his neck, sending another wave of undeserved pain. “Ow! Ow! Stop! Okay! Mother of…” He gave in…Dash let go of his mane. The places she prodded were now throbbing. He didn’t even notice them hurting before. “Now would you stop being so stubborn. Man…he’s just like her,” she mumbled. Fyre’s ears perked. “Just like who?” The rain was getting more and more intense. Even Dash was beginning to protest. “Nothing. Can we go now? Getting soaked in the rain isn’t exactly my idea of a great time either.” Fyre sighed. “Fine. Lead on, Former Wonderbolt.” He waved a hoof, crossing them afterwards. The mare shook her head. “Try to keep up,” she said calmly before zipping away. Right…keep up with a Wonderbolt. I don’t know about this…what is she doing all the way out here anyway? he pondered before following the colorful pony. The rain made it slightly difficult to keep an eye on her, but she wasn’t flying as quickly as he had thought she might. She looks so much different than what I had expected. Her mane…it looks like she hasn’t cut it in months. Same thing with her tail…Much older looking too… It’s not surprising since she hasn’t shown her face in anything for over five years. Fyre shook his head. Why am I thinking about this? I need to concentrate on what’s important… This is a little excursion, but I need to get to…Ponyville as soon as I can. That pony or creature that attacked me… It said it would kill me… Maybe it failed? Was I spared? Will I be seeing it again? I guess I’ll need to keep my guard up. He couldn’t see much, but he seemed to be in a large meadow. He could barely make out a forest in the distance. Fyre had no clue where he was, but he was sure to find out from his nosy companion. It wasn’t too long before Rainbow led him to a remote cottage. It wasn’t exactly the smallest of homes. Is this where she lives? Not in a town or city…but in a random place out in the wilderness? “Come on. Get inside.” She flew up to the door and pushed it open for him. He was still doubtful about the whole situation, but it couldn’t be much worse than getting soaked. Perhaps she really was trying to be hospitable. Fyre only hesitated for a moment before making his way inside. As soon as he had landed, soothing warmth immediately enveloped him. He sighed contently; getting out of that rain was the most comforting feeling he had experienced today. Before Fyre could take another step further inside, Rainbow stopped him with a hoof. “Stay right there. I’ll get a towel.” She quickly trotted away and disappeared into another room. He took the chance to look around. It wasn’t at all what he expected. The main room seemed to take a majority of the space in the house. Nearly every wall was shelved with books from top to bottom. A break in one wall yielded a large fireplace. A variety of different furniture was scattered around the area; lounge chairs, giant floor pillows, and two different couches. It seemed she needed a place to lie down in every corner of the house. Two low coffee tables and various other stands were littered here and there. In one corner he could see a staircase leading to the second floor and three different doorways into other rooms. “What is this… a furniture show room? What’s her deal?” Having seen everything there was to see from that one spot, he glanced down on the welcome mat he was standing on. Between his soaked amber hooves he spotted the word ‘Brave’. He lifted his hooves to see another that read ‘Infallible’. “Okay she has some oddities…not unlike any other celebrity.” Fyre whispered to himself. Around that moment, Rainbow returned with a towel around herself and another in her muzzle. With a quick motion, she flung it right onto his head, blinding him. “There you go, Red. Dry up and have a seat next to the fireplace…I’ll get a fire going.” She began walking in that direction. “Ever had Déjà vu before, Red?” “Fyre…” He pulled the towel off and clumsily wrapped himself with it. “…and sure I suppose. What an odd question… Are you getting it now?” Dash threw some logs into the fireplace and neatly stacked them. “You could say that,” She replied simply. “Are you implying you frequently lure ponies into your home with these…coincidental storms?” Her focus turned to him. She glared and sighed through her nostrils. “Look, I told you it happens every Tuesday.” He could hear the frustration in her voice; she wasn’t lying, but she was getting annoyed by this point. “Since there aren’t many ponies out here, the weather is pretty much on a strict pattern annually.” Fyre fell silent for a few moments until Rainbow continued working on the fire. By then, he had almost completely dried himself, and he painfully walked over to the mare. “Sorry, that was rude. So…What’s a famous pony like you doing all the way out here?” “Ever hear of something called a summerhouse? I don’t really live here. I just come here to lay low.” She held a stick in her mouth and turned to him. “Hey, can you light this by any chance?” Fyre blinked, staring at the stick. “I told you. I’m not a pyro…or a unicorn for that matter. How do you expect me to light it?” “Eh…with those matches, genius.” Dash nodded her head towards the base of the fireplace where a lonely box of matches sat. “Oh…” Fyre cleared his throat. “Right. Lemme just…” He snagged the box and within a couple seconds he had a lit match in his teeth. “Got it.” Rainbow Dash just stood there with the stick still in her muzzle. After a few moments, she again sighed and moved forward to light the end. “Gotta do everything myself.” A few seconds later the stick was halfway on fire. She tossed it into the fireplace. Fyre was feeling more like a jackass with every minute. He carefully tossed the match in with it. Abruptly, Rainbow started pushing Fyre towards one of the floor pillows. “Okay, now lay down.” She shoved him onto the pillow and threw herself onto a couch next to it. “You’re gonna tell me what really happened at that river.” “Hey! I wasn’t lying! I’m looking for somepony.” Fyre sank into the cushion he was forced onto; comfortable was an understatement. “Uh huh…and the bruises? You two didn’t get into a fight did you?” She crossed her forelegs in front of her and rested her chin atop them. “Why do you care so much anyway? You don’t even know me and to top it off you’re a celebrity. Why even bother talking to me?” Dash wasn’t too pleased with his answer. “Come on…I’ll just keep asking. Okay, how about this…what’s her name?” “Why do you assume it’s a mare I’m looking for?” She rolled her eyes. “Okay then. What’s his name?” “Her name is…” He paused. A familiar voice rang through his head, “What do you know…about Twilight Sparkle?” “Her name is Twilight Sparkle.” He smiled. Dash, however, wasn’t smiling. In fact, her head was now raised and listening intently. “She’s my sister…I lost her when I was young. She always wanted to go on adventures, but I always wanted to stay at home and read. One day, she finally decided to go out without me…and I never saw her again. I’ve been kicking myself ever since.” He sighed in relief. “Actually does help to tell somepony else.” A grin slowly crept up on Dash’s face; though to him it seemed slightly menacing. “Twilight…Sparkle, huh? That’s an interesting name. What does she look like?” He couldn’t forget that. “Purple coat, purple eyes, and a purple mane and tail with two different colored stripes in it.” Her grin faded a little. Fyre was realizing quickly that these questions weren’t out of curiosity; they were a test. “…A-and her cutie mark?” “Her…cutie mark? She never had one. I mean she never got it…at least for as long as I knew her. I’ve always wondered what it could have been.” “Unicorn?” “Yep.” “All right…” He could see her thinking. “…What were her hobbies?” “Hobbies? Well, she didn’t read like I did. Like I said earlier, she loved the outdoors. We had a ball that she liked to kick around.” That grin on her face crept right back up. “Sounds like an athlete in the making to me. You should have played with her.” “I-I did! I was just no good at it. I always wondered why she wasn’t more interested in magic. She used to do all sorts of crazy things when she was younger.” Once again, her grin was gone. “Crazy with magic, huh? So…where did you two live?” “In Canterlot…”