//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Constanze // by Patience //------------------------------// I stood on the edge of the small backwater town as a herd of ponies headed my way. Princess Celestia pointed at the small settlement called 'Ponyville' from her balcony and told me that her 'lead researcher' will be expecting me. With that I took off, prepared to espionage the buck out of the project. Of course Celestia was probably having a nice chuckle at my expense. She must have thought me some poor sap. The herd converged on me, eyes wide and all smiley. One, particularly annoying, pink stuck one her face into mine. "What's your name!? What's your name!?" "Con-" I began to tell her. "Wait, wait! Let me guess!" She cut me off, I did my best to not scowl. "Twilight already said his name." Only I seemed to hear the yellow pegasus in the back. "Pinkie! I've already told you! His name is Con-" Yet again she cut someone off, this time a purple mare, one who seemed familiar. "Stop! Sushhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She hushed the purple mare. "Uh! Uh!" She pranced around me. "Are you Charles!" "But Twilight already told us." Charles? Really. "I am most definitly not named Char-" "Ooh! Ooh! I'm gonna call you Charlie!" No. No she is not! "Charlie is nice." No it isn't! "Pinkie dear, judging by his expression; I don't believe he is named 'Charles' and he doesn't like 'Charlie'." A white, sensible, mare informed her friend. "If I had to guess, I'd say his name is Alexander!" Not better. "No way! He's gotta be an Indiana!" A rainbow manned pegasus mare in the sky called out. Really a zebra name? "I liked Charlie better." Well I don't! I ground my beak in irritation. "My name is Con-" "Constanze! Girls his name is Constanze." I felt my eye twitch as I was cut off once more, this time the offender was the purple one. "Ooh! I remember now! Your name is Constanze!" I was not the only one who face palmed, or hoofed, whichever it is that ponies do. The purple mare stepped forward a broad smile across her face. "Princess Celestia told me of your arrival, but she didn't exactly say why you were coming. Could you fill us in?" "Well I was assigned to work for Celestia, As a gesture of goodwill from the Gryphon nation. In turn she tasked me with helping you with your research." Her eyes lit up like it was Hearth Warming's eve. "You're here to help study the Magic of Friendship!?" Did she. She. What. "Yes." I was on autopilot. That damn Prey Princess must know what I am here for. "But how exactly is f-friendship, uhh, magical?" It was like I called Celestia ugly. They all just gave me blank stares and frowns. It was an improvement for sure, but it was getting awkward. "Well pardner!" I almost visibly cringed at the cowpony's accent. "Friendship is magic because the bonds that we have together can help us overcome any adversary!" Heh heh. My eye twitched. Bonds of friendship are not going to win a war. Well this about sums up my espionage; Celestia is a damn fool who's main concern is the 'Magic of Friendship'. "Of course it's nice that it also lets us use the Elements of Harmony." "The what?" "Physical representation of the six fundamental elements of harmony that, when used by their bearers, is capable of vanquishing anything disharmonious." That might win a war; woohoo espionage back on. "And you six are the bearers?" "Yes we are. I'm Twilight." She indicated to herself. The cowpony then stepped forward. "Ahm Applejack." My eyes lit up in surprise. "Not the Applejack? As in the drink." I said, perhaps too eagerly. "Ah right, I forgot that the Gryphons are our major alcohol consumer." She said, with a pensive look on her face. Then she smiled and nodded. "You make alcohol, Applejack?" Twilight turned to her friend. "Some where around 20% of the harvest goes to the Gryphons as Applejack. Ponies around these parts don't tend to be at all good at holding their liquor, so the market is mostly to the Gryphons." "Hah, 'ponies can't hold their liquor'. Truth if I've ever heard it." "I reckon I could drink you under the table, Gryphon." Applejack said with a sneer. "Hah! Your on!" I replied with my own sneer. "But! Not right now!" Twilight cut us off. I'm tired of getting cut off. "Anyways, you've already met Pinkie." She looked around to point out the bubbly pink mare who seemed to be missing from the group, but appeared last second and Twilight gestured at her wildly, while rolling her eyes. Pinkie just bore a humongous smile and was eerily quiet. Suddenly my vision was occluded by a rainbow mane and blue coat. The pegasus hovered above me. Her powerful wings cut through the air, were she a Gryphon that would definitely be a feature I could appreciate. I raised an eye brow at the blue mare who was now staring at my wings intently. "You know, wing staring is as much taboo to Grypons as it is to ponies." I made a point of it by staring at her wings. She just glared at me. "I'm Rainbow Dash," She struck a pose. "Future Wonderbolt and flying extraordinaire." I'd roll my eyes if I didn't think she'd sock me for doing so. "You're barking up the wrong tree. I couldn't tell a 'Wonderbolt' from a hole in the ground." He jaw went slack. "You're kidding, right? Th-the Wonderbolts are only the most awesome and spectacular flying group in allll of Equestria." "And you think you're good enough to join their ranks? Ha! I bet you can't even beat me in a game of risk." That was definitely the wrong thing to say. I saw the wary glances all of her friends exchanged, and suddenly I was on the end of Rainbow's utterly undivided attention. "A time and place and it is on!" She said 'on' with too much enthusiasm and was practically frothing at the mouth. She was getting way to excited, and I was beginning to wonder just what I had agreed to. "Heh, here, now." The collective gasp was audible. It seemed to me that I was dragging everyone into a long affair no one wanted to be a part of. A few of them walked off to find a comfortable place to sit and watch. Twilight approached me. "I guess I'm judging. What exactly is this game you two are playing?" "Risk, uh, I don't think it's ever had any official name, perhaps 'chicken' works as well." Twilight gave me a questioning look, but Rainbow seemed to know what I was talking about. "Twilight, were gonna fly up really high, and then dive straight at the ground. The first to pull up, or the one who smacks into the ground loses." Rainbow informed her friend, she had her game face on and was staring me down. "No! That's too dangerous! I won't let you!" Twilight exclaimed. Me and Rainbow made eye contact and a mutual understanding was met. With one flap I was off the ground and too far away to be influenced by the unicorn's magic. Rainbow kept pace with me, but she wasn't being modest at all. She flew loop de loops around me and did spins and barrel rolls. I found myself rolling my eyes for the umpteenth time. We spiraled up and eventually decided on a good distance. Rainbow was mentally preparing herself while I was content with waiting on a cloud will she was ready. She landed on the cloud next to me. She smiled at me. "You ready." Looked down. My enhanced vision could see the concerned face of Twilight peering up at me. I was sure she was preparing a fail safe in case me or Rainbow ate dirt, but it wasn't going to be me. I knew my limit, and I knew Rainbow wouldn't know hers. My eyes would be the secret to my success. My enhanced vision was used by my predecessors for spotting prey on the ground and swooping in for the kill. I could even pluck a fish out of water. My eyes and brain worked together and helped me gauge my distance and speed better than any pegasus, and my instincts would tell me to pull up at just the right time. So I turned to the spunky, and hotheaded, pegasus, nodded and kicked out the cloud below us. We plummeted towards the earth at break neck speed. I spiraled a bit, and took a 360 degree view trying to find the best possible direction to move in. Rainbow was too focused to notice what I was doing. If I pulled up on a decline I wouldn't have to pull off as hard and therefore could get closer to the ground. I spotted a point where the land moved down and locked my body in. We were literally moments away from the ground, but the adrenaline made time flow slow. I sensed the pegasus was still plummeting. I would bet a bottle of Applejack she was watching me, she was going to use me as a gauge. I started to hope that Twilight had indeed set up a fail safe. Impact was seconds away, my instincts told me the point of no return was approaching. Alarms rang in my head but I held out. The sense of impending doom was so intense, and when I could bear it no more I pulled up. I felt the stalks and flowers of the longer plants graze my underside. I rocketed past Twilight, sending her mane askew, as I flew over the declining hill. I turned sharply and flared my wings out and came up behind a thoroughly shocked Twilight. I saw Rainbow out of the corner of my eye, still alive, floating over with a smug look. "Chickened out I see, I was sure you were gonna eat dirt." I grinned at her. "No way! You chickened out! I was totally came out on top." She stuck her tongue out at me. I narrowed my eyes and we turned to the judge. Twilight was still too numb to say anything. "Uhh. Hey judge, what's the score." I asked her with a raised eye brow. "Stupid." She mumbled, I barely caught it. "What?" Rainbow floated in closer to her friend. "That was so reckless and! And stupid!" Twilight leapt at her friend and dragged her out of the air in what was, probably, a bone crushing hug. "Jeez Twilight, it no big deal! I totally had that right!?" Twilight let her friend go. "Actually..." There was a long pause. Rainbow had already adopted a shocked face. "You two pulled up at exactly the same time." "Yeah budd- what?" I was already part way into my victory strut, I stopped and turned to Twilight, but a bubbly Pinkie Pie popped out of nowhere to give her input. "Wowee! Charlie!" I grimaced and Twilight moaned and facehoofed. "That was quite the show! You two were like 'zoom' and" Pinkie demonstrated with her hoof how fast we were going. "And it looked like you were gonna crash! 'Ker-blam'. But last second you both pulled away!" Pinkie fell onto her back and moved her two forehooves away from each other in further, unnecessary, demonstration. She giggled and rolled around, and then hopped to her feet and got all serious as she walked over to Rainbow. "But! Don't ever do that again! I swear I'll never make another cupcake again if you plow into the ground playing that game." Suddenly the rest of her friends were around her, nodding in agreement and sharing hugs. I shuffled on the spot. I actually felt guilty for making her friends worry. Their bonds were strong. "Hey, uhh," I scratched the back of my head as suddenly all eyes were on me. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought she couldn't pull it off." Rainbow broke away from the group and walked up to me. She held out her hoof. I didn't know exactly what she wanted but I ventured a guess. I made a fist and we bumped. No more words were spoken between us. "I'm glad everyone's ok." A very slight whisper came from the group. I only knew it was the yellow pegasus because I assumed only she would talk that quietly. We made eye contact and she backpedaled, merging with the group and effectively disappearing. She seemed quite odd. The white unicorn then approached me. "Well, that was quite the show, indeed! I don't believe I have properly introduced myself." She seemed stuffy, but more sensible than the rest of these mares. "I am Rarity," She said eloquently. "I am a fashion designer, and I operate a boutique here in Ponyville." "It is a pleasure to meet you, miss." I resorted to my training becoming stiff and formal. "Oh and a gentle- ermm." "Man, my kind calls males 'men' and females 'women'." "Well then. my apologies." I assumed we were done with introductions but Twilight called out the yellow pegasus. "Fluttershy, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" She peered at Fluttershy who was trying to slink off. She stopped as if she were caught red handed and turned around slowly. She walked up to me, her eyes on the ground. "My name is Fluttershy, it was nice to meet you." She mumbled quickly and with that she was gone. Twilight gave a chuckle. "Don't mind her, it'll take a bit before she warms up to you." I just shrugged. "So? Uhh where am I staying while I'm here?" "With me and Spike. She smiled at me." Spike? A boyfriend? Oh no no no. Not dealing with some overprotective douche. "I'd rather not intrude on you and yours. Is there somewhere else I could stay?" "Me and mine? Spike" The group grew silent and then suddenly they all burst out laughing. "Hah! He thinks Spike is your c-colt friend!" Rainbow exclaimed, almost falling out of the air in laughter. I was flustered. "Well Spike is quite the darling, but he much too young for that." said Rarity. A kid? This bookish mare has a kid? "Oh, I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions, but still I wouldn't want to intrude on you and your child." "Wrong again bucko!" Applejack chirped. I was starting to grow frustrated. "Who is Spike!?" I demanded to the giggling group "Did somepony say my name?" I swiveled on the spot and came face to face with- "Dragon!" I jumped into the air and took off. Leaving a bewildered group of ponies in my wake. I had enough sense to know he wasn't malicious, but I still didn't want to be near him. I turned back around and came to a hover several yards above the group. "I'm not living with a dragon!" I called down to them. "What wrong with dragons?" I heard the little guy ask me. "N-nothing! I- I just..." I began to realize how silly I was sounding. He was just a fledgling, and he was living with the kindest, if not the most naive ponies I have ever met. I touched down to the disapproving glare of Spike and his friends. They all locked onto me with a questioning glare. I looked down and drew a talon through the dirt. "Dragons and Gryphons have... History." I said simply. "But, uhh, Spike seems... nice?" I looked up and met their eyes. They were confused and irritated with how I treated Spike, but they probed no further. "Well it was nice meeting you all, but, if you don't mind," I turned to Twilight, "I had a long train ride here and I'd like to get some rest." "Of course! Goodbye girls!" She waved to her friends and they all returned their own goodbyes to the both of us. We walked along for a bit, well me and Twilight; Spike was hitching a ride on her back. We arrived at the tree house that was the library and Twilight ushered me in. She showed me about and fetched me a bed spread. I made my bed and wandered out to the main room. "Thanks for your hospitality." I said, for the first time feeling out of character. I was, perhaps, trying too hard, but I didn't want to distance the ponies. Twilight mumbled something to Spike who jumped off the couch he was lounging on. "Sure thing Twilight!" He informed her as she scampered up the stairs into her room. Twilight made her way over to me, her eyes low. She got unusually close and then brought her eye up to mine. Her eyes were red and narrowed, she glared daggers at me, the look on her face caught me off guard and I back away from her. "You. You may have fooled Celestia." She kept coming closer. "And my friends. But I'm not fooled. I remember you from the train. You were mean and coarse. That Gryphon wouldn't thank anypony for anything. I have my eyes on you." Her door squeaked open and she dropped the cold demeanor for a chipper and happy one. "Twilight I can't find that book!" Spike called down. "Oh never mind!" She called up to him as she glared at me.