Chapter 13
Cakes, Music, and Battle
After I left the library, I made my way to Sugarcube Corner to get the cake. I still wasn't sure why I needed to get his cake in the first place, but it probably wouldn't be good for my health to go against a goddess' orders.
On my way their, I took a few moments to take in the scenery. Ponyville really was a beautiful place to live. I've lived in both the city and the country, and while there is a lot of fun to be had in big cities, there's nothing quite like the quiet peace you get in a place like Ponyville. Not counting all the weird magical events that surrounded the Mane Six, Ponyville seemed like a pretty peaceful place.
When I made it to Sugarcube Corner, I couldn't shake a sneaking suspicion that something was about to happen. Sure enough, as soon as I stepped through the door, a mountain of confetti exploded around me and loud party music began to play. And who was in the center of it all? You guessed it. The pinkie party pony herself Pinkie Pie.
She hopped up and down and yelled “SURPRISE!”
After my ears stopped ringing I said “Yes, surprise indeed.”
“Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's resident party expert, and can you guess who this party is for?” she asked with a smile.
I looked around and saw that the streamers and confetti were all black and white.
“Well, judging by fact that the decorations match my color scheme,I'd say it's for me. Am I correct?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
She smiled and giggled “Yuparoo. Do you like the streamers I thought black and white would be fun since you're a zebra. Although I would've liked to go with pink streamers, but this is fun too. So were you surprised, wereyawereyawereya?” She said barely quickly and then took a breath.
I cleared my throat and said “Yes, quite.”
She smiled and went behind the counter “So, welcome to Sugarcube Corner, what can I get for you?” she asked.
“What would you suggest for someone going to an important meeting?” I asked.
Pinkie's eyes lit up “Oh, we have a bunch of yummy tasty treats for that sort of thing,” she said and pulled out a menu full of delicious looking cakes and pastries. I looked over the list and found two cakes that were just what I needed. A chocolate cake with white, yellow and orange icing and a vanilla cake with dark blue icing.
“I'll take these two please.” I said
“Ok, and what's the name on the order?” asked Pinkie Pie
“Shadow,” I said.
“Okie dokey lokey, that'll be twenty bits and it should be ready in a couple hours,” she said. I placed the bits on the counter.
“Sounds good. Well, goodbye Miss Pinkie,” I said as I prepared to leave.
“You're not gonna stick around?” she asked.
“Sorry, I have some other matters to attend to. But thank you for the party, it was very nice,” I said.
Pinkie smiled at my compliment and said “You're welcome, see you when the cakes are ready.”
“Till then, farewell Miss Pinkie,” I said and left.
With some time to kill, I decided to look around and see what all Ponyville had to offer. I already knew about a few place, but I wanted to see what else was in this town.
After walking a bit, I found a place that piqued my interest, a music store. I have always loved music, so naturally I decided to check it out. When I walked in, the shopkeeper, a white earth pony stallion with a music note for a cutie mark, gave me an odd look but nevertheless greeted my with civility.
“Welcome to Ponyville Music, how may I help you,” he asked
“Just browsing,” I said. I would've liked to get something, but after buying the cakes, I was running low on cash. The Alchemy book had a section about making gold, but I didn't really want to try it. I'd feel like a crook paying for things with gold I had made.
The store had an amazing assortment of instruments. Mandolins, regular guitars, drum sets, and various others. What really caught my eye was the piano in the center of the store. It was beautiful. A shiny black finish, gold coverings on the legs, and polished white ivory keys.
The shopkeeper saw me staring and said “Nice ain't it, it's from Canterlot.”
I ran my hoof along the top of it and stared at the keys, polished to the point that my reflection showed in them.
“You wanna play it?” the shopkeeper asked.
“Can I?”
“Sure, just be careful with it okay,” he said.
I sat down on the bench and tried to think of what to play. Before anyone asks, I learned that the instruments that would normally require fingers to play were enchanted so that ponies could play them. I decided to play the first thing that came to my head.
I placed my hooves on the keys and began to play. I loved playing music. When I played, it seemed like everything else melted away and I was transported to a world of peace. Without realizing it, I began to sing.
Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,
Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,
Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,
Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,
Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Umikaze kimakase namimakase
Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu
Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta
Sayonara minato, Tsumugi no sato yo
DON to icchou utao, funade no uta
Kinpa-ginpa mo shibuki ni kaete
Oretacha yuku zo, umi no kagiri
Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Warera kaizoku, umi watteku
Nami wo makura ni, negura wa fune yo
Ho ni hata ni ketateru wa dokuro
Arashi ga kita zo, senri no sora ni
Nami ga odoru yo, DORAMU narase
Okubyoukaze ni fukarerya saigo
Asu no asahi ga nai ja nashi
As I played, ponies began coming into the shop to hear me play, even the shopkeeper stopping his work to listen.
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Kyou ka asu ka to yoi no yume
Te wo furu kage ni, mou aenai yo
Nani wo kuyokuyo, asu mo tsukuyo
Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
DON to icchou utao, unaba no uta
Douse dare demo itsuka wa hone yo
Hatenashi, atenashi, waraibanashi
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho.
When I was done, Everyone clapped and cheered.
“Wow, was I really that good?” I asked a little embarrassed.
“That was amazing. What was that song?” one of them asked.
“A song of friendship, of sadness, and remembrance,” I said and hopped off the bench.
“Thank you for allowing me to play, it's a beautiful piano,” I said to the shopkeeper.
“No, thank you for that wonderful music,” he said. I shook hooves with him and left.
After the music store, I looked at a nearby clock and saw that it was almost time to meet my friends at the fountain.
When I got there, I found that everyone was already there. Scarlet and Nebula had a bow and flower in their manes respectfully while Nova looked a little worse for wear. They saw me and waved.
I walked up to them “So, everyone have fun?” I asked.
Scarlet shrugged and said “Eh, wasn't that bad.”
“I had a lot of fun, the ponies here are really nice,” said Nebula.
“Well, sounds like you two had fun,” I turned to Nova “You on the other hoof look like you got dragged through a field,” I said.
“I just don't get it. I'm having a polite conversation with this nice mare. Next thing I know, I'm getting kicked in the head and tossed through the air. I'm surprised I'm still alive,” he said.
“Damn, who'd you talk to?” I asked.
“A mare named Fluttershy. She was so nice. Kinda shy though. I tried to talk to her, but then some pegasus named Rainbow Dash accuses me of harassing her. So I try and explain myself, and then she kicks me in the head, which sent me flying into a tree,” he said exasperated. I thought about Nova's statement. While it seemed believable, something sounded off.
“Is that really all that happened?” I asked, suspicious of the young stallion.
Nova picked at the ground “Well, I may have gotten mad and called her some names, but that's it,” he said.
“What did you call her?” I asked, my tone becoming annoyed.
“Well...” he started, but was interrupted by someone screaming.
I turned to the source to find Jade running towards us, two blades grasped in her paws. She collapsed in front of us, panting heavily.
“Jade, what's wrong?” I asked. Jade's breathing was heavy and she was bleeding in a couple places. She tried to speak, but she was too out of breath. Unfortunately, she didn't have to tell us. We saw them coming. A whole forests worth of Timber Wolves. Ponies were screaming and running all over the place. Some ran into their homes while others simply ran around helpless.
“Damn, this isn't good. Their all running around like chickens with their heads cut off. If they don't hide they'll get themselves killed,” I said.
“Shadow, what should we do?” asked Scarlet, pulling her bow out of saddle bags.
“First things first is get the civilians to safety,” I turned to Nova and Nebula “Nova, Nebula, you guys lead the civilians to safety. Take Jade with you, she's too worn out to fight right now. Me and Scarlet will take out the Timber Wolves,” I said drawing my sword.
“Gotcha,” they both said. Nova flew away with Jade in tow while Nebula rallied the citizens to safety.
“Scarlet, find a safe spot to fire from, if they swarm you it's over,” I said.
“We're outnumbered here Shadow, we're gonna need some help,” she said as she fired an arrow at an approaching timber wolf.
“Don't worry, help will come. For now, just keep firing as many arrows as you can and I'll tear 'em to bits,” I said.
“Be careful,” she said as she went to find a safe firing position.
I looked at the oncoming Timber Wolves and my preflex kicked in. The second they were on me, I was ready. I started hacking and slashing my way through them as fast as they came at me. A couple almost got me, but they were met with arrows through their eyes. I used my alchemy to make various pitfalls and trenches. The second they fell in, I closed the holes up. I had to give these things credit though, they were tough. The worst thing about them though was their smell. Their breath smelled like rotting leaves and carcasses. I tried to ignore the smell, but it was difficult.
Me and Scarlet were making progress, but there was still a bunch of them to go through and I was getting tired. No doubt Scarlet was running low on arrows, and I didn't know how much longer we could keep these things back A few had slipped past me and were heading towards the town. Thankfully, Scarlet took care of them with a few arrows.
I needed to find a way to end this fast. If I didn't, these wolves would overtake the town. As I tried to think of a plan, I saw a purple flash of light. I turned to see that Twilight and her friends were helping to fight off the wolves. Twilight and Rarity were blasting them with magic. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were kicking them into twigs. Fluttershy was giving them The Stare, and Pinkie was throwing cakes at them and blasting her party cannon. I smiled and continued the fight.
After another few minutes, the wolves were all defeated. I leaned on my sword and fell to my knees. Fighting a horde of Timber Wolves will take a lot out of you. Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six along with Scarlet and my friends came up to me.
“Shadow, are you all right?” asked Twilight.
I breathed heavily and said “Yeah, I'm fine, just tired. Not used to fighting so many at once.”
“Well, you certainly beat them,” she said.
“Yeah, with some help,” I said.
“No kidding,” said Rainbow Dash “Did you see me out there? I was beating Timber Wolves left and right. But what can you expect from the the most awesomest pony in Equestria,” she boasted.
“Yes yes Rainbow, we know,” said Rarity.
“It was a lot of fun. But what a waste of good cake,” said Pinkie Pie
“Ah'm just glad everypony's all right. Those Timber Wolves coulda done a lot of damage if they got into town,” said Applejack.
“Hey, we helped too, who do you think got the civilians to safety,” said Nova. Nova looked at the Mane Six, and he and Rainbow Dash locked eyes.
“It's you!” they said in unison.
“You're that crazy mare who kicked me into a tree!”
“You're the one that started it by harassing poor Fluttershy, and not to mention calling me a fillyfooler,” she yelled.
“I did not liar,” he said.
“You so did you little pervert,” she said.
“ENOUGH!” I yelled, sick of their little squabbling. This shocked the two of them out of their argument.
“But Shadow,” Nova protested.
“I don't wanna hear it Nova. Now apologize to Rainbow Dash,” I commanded.
Nova hesitated, but a piercing look from me shut him up “I'm sorry for calling you a fillyfooler,” he said halfheartedly.
“You better be punk,” she said.
“Well, now that that's all settled let's....” suddenly I heard a rumbling sound. I turned to see that the remains of the timber wolves were glowing bright green and forming into one big mass of twigs, even the ones I had buried. They started configuring themselves into a giant Timber Wolf. When it was done, it let out a massive roar, it's breath making us all gag.
I grabbed my sword “Everybody, clear out NOW!” I said.
“No need to tell us twice,” Nova said and they all ran the other direction except for Scarlet.
“Scarlet I said go.”
“I'm not leaving you,” she said.
“I'll be fine now GO!”
“Not a chance,” she said and fired an arrow at it's eye. That got it's attention. It roared and swatted Scarlet away with it's giant paw, sending her flying into a building.
“SCARLET!” I screamed as I ran to her side. Her head was bleeding and her bow was snapped in half. I checked her pulse and she was still breathing.
“Shadow,” I turned and saw twilight standing there.
“Twilight, take Scarlet and get out of here. I'll take care of that beast,” I said.
“Alone!? That thing will kill you!” she protested.
“Now is not the time to argue, now GO!”
Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but then she encased Scarlet in her magic and took of running. I turned to the Timberwolf, my sword clenched in my hooves.
“Shadow, I know you've have faced stronger enemies, but these creatures can reform. Even if you manage to kill it it'll just come back,” protested Silver Thorn.
“Well then I guess I'll just have to keep killing it until it stays dead,” I said.
“You'll die before that happens,” he said.
“To die would be a great adventure,” I said and pointed my sword at the Timberwolf, which was chewing up a house.
“HEY, UGLY!” I yelled, which got it's attention.
“You call yourself fearsome, I've seen shrubs scarier than you.” This made it angry and it charged at me. “You shall not pass,” I said raising my sword. Suddenly, I felt something welling up inside me. It felt primal, and angry. Just what I needed.
“YOU,” I readied my stance.
“SHALL NOT,” I raised my sword and concentrated on the primal feeling growing in my chest.
“PASS!” That's when it happened. I felt that primal feeling enter my throat and escape as a mighty roar. The timberwolf stopped in it's tracks, my roar pushing it back a fair distance. I leapt at it and swung my sword right down the middle. When I landed, the timberwolf split down the middle and fell into a pile of twigs and leaves. I waited for it to reform, but it didn't. Just for good measure I used my alchemy to turn the remains into mulch. Satisfied that it was dead, I walked back into town.
Everyone was hold up in Town Hall, Mayor Mare trying to calm everyone down. When I opened the doors, everyone turned and stared. They made a path for me as I made my way to where Twilight and everyone else was. Scarlet was in a makeshift hospital bed with Nurse Redheart and a doctor beside her. Twilight ran up to me.
“Shadow are you okay? Where's the timberwolf?” she asked.
“It died,” I said and walked over to Scarlet's bed. She had a bandage around her head and an IV drip attached to her foreleg.
“Is she okay?” I asked Nurse Redheart.
“She'll be fine, just took a nasty bump to the head,” she said.
I let out a sigh of relief “Good, I'm just glad she's all right,” I said. Nova, Nebula, and Jade walked up to me.
“Shadow, how in Tartarus did you beat that thing?” Nova asked excitedly.
I was about to answer his question when my eyes began to get foggy. I staggered a bit, my head starting to throb.
“Shadow, are you all right?” asked Nebula.
“Yeah I'm fine, just dizzy. I better..” I never got to finish. My vision got fuzzy and I fell over. The last thing I heard being my friends voices and the shuffle of hooves as everything went black.