//------------------------------//
// March Of The Pilgrims 
// Story: Diprosopus 
// by WritingSpirit 
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	"You just had to pack everything you have, right?"

"I beg your pardon, Spike?"
Rarity wore a dubious smirk at the dragon's comment on the weight of their luggage, watching him straining to lift up the giant bundle of suitcases pressuring his back. There wasn't much she would complain about if she had possessed Spike's stature: she could imagine him carrying five giant boulders on his shoulders, and she had seen him do that a few times before. Then again, this was Spike she was talking about.
"I understand it is rather cumbersome, but it isn't necessary for you to keep yapping about it."

"Well, you're not the one carrying it."

"Nor am I the one who insisted to," she shot back, grinning once Spike was left without any reply, his words snatched from the very tip of his snake-like tongue from her devious comeback. She giggled a little as the dragon voiced out a small grumble of displeasure, trudging forward with his claws grasping onto the weight on his back.
Rarity just dabbed a handkerchief on his forehead with each step of the journey, helping him wipe off any beads of sweat crawling underneath the crevices of his scales. "Just bear with it," she whispered.
"After all, ignorance is bliss."

"You're expecting me to ignore ten-tonnes of luggage on my back?" he questioned with a small laugh.
The fashion designer rolled her eyes, before her horn started to glow its pale blue; in response, a small pair of handbags floated from the top of the mountain of suitcases, her hooves slotting into the woven straw handles with ease. Spike started to smile at the lessened weight, stealing a quick kiss from her cheek as he said:
"At least there's somepony here who cares about this dragon's well being."

"Stop it!" Rarity hissed, pushing his face away before he could peck her on her cheek again.
"We're in a public place, Spike!"

"Can you two hurry up~!" Sweetie Belle whined ahead of them, stopping them in whatever mutual altercation they were fussing about. Her elder sister daintily skipped to her side with a teasing wink back at the dragon, leaving Spike to catch up haughtily despite the weight on his back.
Twilight just shook her head at the couple following closely behind her, leading the way across the stone platform towards the departing train in the distance, visible through the crowd only from the billowing plume of steam in the distance and the conductor hollering their intended destination:

"Next stop: Canterlot!!"

"The rest must be here somewhere," she mused to the group following behind, though they were too busy talking to each other to listen to a word she said. The bookish mare peered through the crowd, wanting to spot the remainder of her friends that have decided to follow her.
It was yesterday, during her so-called 'interrogation' from her friends that she had decided to allow them to come along. After all, it's only fair that they would be present if there were any breakthrough news about Pinkie Pie, and the Princesses would surely understand her choice. Hopefully.

"There they are!"
The high-pitched, heavy-accented voice of Apple Bloom rang into Twilight's ears, the violet mare turning towards the direction of the voice to see the yellow filly waving them over, her long red mane mirroring her sister's blowing in the breeze with her signature red ribbon swaying freely in the wind.
As expected, the three members of the Apple family: Applejack, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom herself, were present and ready for their journey. Fluttershy was there as well, showing her daughter a picture book about butterflies, along with Rainbow Dash and Soarin' watching her from the side, probably to learn the butter-colored pegasus's ways on motherhood.

Of course, everyone stopped in their actions (save Fluttershy, who wouldn't want Amber Rose to cry out suddenly) to welcome them aboard. Twilight beamed at the whole group following along; she felt fortunate with friends such as these.
"Would Sweet Apple Acres be fine?" she asked Applejack, to which the orange mare replied:

"Suredy-do, pardner. Cousin Braeburn's got it all covered!"

That's one thing down on her list, she told herself. Ever since Granny Smith had passed away last year, along with her older brother having a foal with Fluttershy, the responsibilities of the farm had been handed down to Applejack. It would be a rare sight to not see her work around the farm, Twilight figured.
As she trotted towards the train, her horn guiding the luggage in a neat row across the platform and into the hold, she spotted something that seemed out of place among her friends' suitcases. Beneath what seemed to be layers of paper wrapping, Twilight could make out a distinct shape of... a motorcycle?

"Applejack?" she called her friend again.
"Is this yours?"

"Oh... that..."
The orange mare cautiously beckoned to the side, showing her friend the last pony of the group; one she hadn't noticed and was utterly surprised at the inclusion.
There, sulking on the platform and punching holes into the air, her purple mane fluttering in the wind around her orange coat, was none other than Scootaloo herself. She smiled only when Sweetie Belle came to greet her, the two, along with Apple Bloom, quickly striking up a jubilant conversation.
"Decided to bring her along," Applejack explained.
"Don't want her to cause anymore trouble without us around."

"No kidding," Twilight muttered. Even Rainbow Dash wasn't in the convenient state or mood to help her out. Something must've happened during her deep research of Janus is Canterlot, which was halted when there were threats of bombings circulating around the city lately. The violet mare couldn't figure out which was worse: a bomb threat or a rebellious teenager.
To understand what Scootaloo had gone through... it's like playing tag with your hooves chained to the floor. Rainbow mentioned last time that she had lost her mother in some sort of public freak accident that left Ponyville stunned and confused about the possibilities of it happening, and that was it. None of them wanted to venture into the details. Her father was believed to have passed on earlier, leaving her in the custody of the orphanage until she was adopted by her new foster parents.

"All aboard!!"

"That's our cue!" Soarin' piped in, helping her wife onto the train, followed by the trio of chattering fillies, Fluttershy and Big Mac. Applejack secured the last of Rarity's luggage (fortunately for the dragon that carried them all the way here) into the bunk, before the orange mare herself boarded the train.
Twilight just let out a refuting sigh, slowly trotting up the stairs. Would she regret bringing her friends to Canterlot? At a dire time such as this? Should she stop and boot them out at the last minute?

"Whatever's the matter, darling?"
Rarity's voice wedged into her train of thought, halting it immediately as the violet mare turned to her friend, releasing an uncertain smile. Her ears drooping a little, she gave out a small reply, steeling herself with no regrets at her decision:

"Nothing, Rarity. Nothing at all."




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"Onward we march~! Onward down the valley~!"

Ollivander's a little restless again, Pinkie sighed to herself, the group marching up a hill of fallen rocks. There would never be a day where the gryphon would blurt out random phrases or, in this case, songs, in the midst of their walking. Sure, it could be worse: it might be Ganger doing it.
Whether it was the gryphon or their cook (and sometimes even both of them together), Dapple was still visibly annoyed by it. The aquamarine mare never did had the heart to enjoy their antics, and probably never will, Pinkie speculated. Phoenix would be second place for that, though at least he didn't have the short temper to-

"Can't you just stop yapping for once?"

And... she lost it! She sighed, letting her thoughts continue from the mere interruption: Phoenix wouldn't have the short temper that Dapple has possessed to interrupt his friend.
"Just lighten up a bit, lass!" he squawked merrily despite her grudging tone and grimacing frown. He seemed to be the happiest member of the band every day, always seeing the optimistic side of life and leaving any negative thoughts out. It's no wonder Selena (whom Pinkie knew was troubled by her obscured past; Phoenix never mentioned anything about the details whatsoever) would fall for him. He was the light of her life, not to mention the only one, after all.
"What's with ponies and business these days? Why can't you lads and lassies just kick back your talo-- er... hooves and giddy up some wine?"

"I would die for a nice glass of wine right now," Velvet poked in, flashing his friend a sarcastic smile.
"But it seems we're in the midst of a journey here, and the last thing Phoenix would want is any of us getting liquored up and talking about bubbles and stars and such. You know better now, Ollie."

"Aw, come on! Even Brutus would have a tipsy side beneath that frown, eh?"

The minotaur just grunted at the comment and the small nudge that came along with it, his fists clenched to prove his point. Despite that, Ollivander just rolled his eyes, soaring up into the sky with a beatific grin while the rest looked onward as he drifted ahead to do what he does best: scouting.
"Looks like the jester's heading forward again!" Ganger piped in, marching up the slope.

"Brilliant," his twin sister remarked, crossing her hooves with a small humph of displeasure, stopping short only when she noticed his cheeky grin sprout from his lips.
"That doesn't mean you have to replace him!"

The group laughed (with the exception of Ollivander, who was probably too high up in the clouds to hear that, and Phoenix, of course) at the mare's reaction, only making her pout with cold malice at Ganger, to which he responded with a mock whistle of ignorance.
Pinkie just sighed, shaking her head. Instead of admiring the wondrous green pastures and slopes, with one or two dainty pine trees or the numerous boulders standing around with moss creeping at its sides dotting the field, their attention was situated among each other, and she could not help but be part of their antics.

Oh well. Just another average day with the caravan.

"Velvet!" their proclaimed leader called suddenly, already reaching the top of the hill.
"Come quick! You've got to see this!"

In no time at all, the whole bunch of them raced up the hills, with, ironically, Velvet being the last to reach the top. Neither could ever believe what they were seeing now, and Pinkie could agree on the one thing racing through her head right now:

She's taking it back; this isn't going to be just another average day with the caravan.

In the far distance, where the sky and land meet, there was a trail of black slithering across the steppe, snaking and twisting around the big rocks that were scattered like polka dots around the wide expanse of green, the sheer, monument-like size casting shadows on the ground. It was only when Pinkie squinted her sapphire eyes inquisitively that she realized, in all her utter disbelief, what the 'snake' was.
They were ponies! Ponies of different sizes, from infants in the hooves of their mothers to the seniors dozing off on the back of wooden wagons hauled by the fittest, hunkiest stallions. Except for the children (who were having fun sailing an array of colorful paper kites in the wind, among other things), all the ponies seemed to be possessing one thing in common: a few, reddish intricate, rune-like markings covering at least a hoof or a cheek, with the most exaggerated being half-body or even full-body tattoos. The children however, like their parents, adorned white robes with a golden leaf brooch clipped in the center. While the adults used it for comfort, the children used it in whatever their imagination suits them, maybe the cape of a superhero fluttering as they ran across the plains, or even using it in one of their kites.

"By golly," Ollivander said, sailing down from the sky and, no doubt, being the first to spot the queer pilgrimage.
"I've never seen anything like it!"

"These are the pilgrims of Terra," Phoenix explained, much to the surprise of everyone else, even his two friends.
"I've heard them in sagas back in Violetshine Inn. The rest of you were too busy getting drunk to even listen to what the old coots had to say."

Pinkie could see the rest laughing sheepishly, averting the turquoise stallion's stern gaze. She wouldn't know about that back in Violetshine; she was too reluctant to even talk to them then and hid herself in the upstairs bedroom of the inn, and had sometimes regretted so.
"They're on a journey to... the Duilliúr Shrine, if I can recall correctly," the stallion continued.
"It's a lifetime oath for the pilgrims. To pledge that they can never settle in one place and spread peace and harmony as they toil through the lands. They only stop in the night by putting up tents, before moving again in the morning."

"That would mean it's a rare sight to see these ponies, seeing how they can never be in the same place at once," Velvet surmised, earning a nod from Phoenix.
"And it seems they're travelling in the direction we're about to go."

"So what," Ganger piped in.
"You're suggesting that we should join them?"

"The Duilliúr Shrine is actually one of the places we have to pass by in order to reach the Shetland Isles."
Phoenix smiled with a chuckle once he saw the anticipation of everyone in the group, eager to meet these peculiar wanderers. He turned back to the pilgrims marching ahead across the green, still unwary of the presence of their excited viewers up in the steep cliffs.

This was it, he told himself. This was one of the reasons why he established his adventure with Velvet and Ollivander. His fascination with the oddities of the world started to bubble once again in the cauldron of his gut, and it seems the others were afflicted by its contagious nature as well, judging from every clenching jaw around him.
"So then," he began, turning back to the restless members he called his friends.

"Who wants to be the first to introduce themselves?"




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The drooling sounds of draining water into the pipelines, that is, if this locomotive possesses pipelines, filled the nightmarishly-claustrophobic room as Rarity daubed the remaining, untouched corners of her mouth with a lace handkerchief, her horn delicately collecting a few lingering drops from the tap like gossamer would for dewdrops in the crack of dawn and sprinkling them across her face.
Her gaze flitted back to the sink once she was done with her spontaneous duty, her white snout wrinkling at the sight of the water swirling downwards like a whirlpool before she stepped out of the door, navigating herself down the embellished walls of the sleeping car. The rumbling vehicle jerked once in a while, reminding her of the last time she sat in a train such as this.

She could picture herself in the same situation, where she stepped out of the bathroom, but instead of heading back to her cabin, she just... fell. Sprawled onto the floor without warning and waking up only to find herself confused and unsure of what happened with everypony else watching her... an experience she dare not remember. The white unicorn shuddered at her recollection, sliding the door open before smiling at the sight awaiting her.
Spike was already asleep on the bed, leaving Rarity to sigh and settle down onto the couch, pouring a small glass of water from the round table next to her. The room, despite being inadequately downsized in her opinion, was tolerable enough for living space. It was only one night in the train, after all.

Placing her drink to the side, Rarity's horn glowed, the shimmering cloud of magic enveloping a purse from underneath her bed. She flicked the clasp open, reaching to grab the item that she longed to understand.
Her reflection on the glittering glass pendant in her hooves stared back at her, letting only a few brief echoes of the past through her head. She couldn't bother to count how many times she wondered about its contents, and would only make assumptions to what could possibly even fit in its tight niche. If there's anything inside whatsoever.

"How long was I asleep?"

The mare looked up in surprise at the dragon's voice, smiling when she saw Spike sitting up from the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Placing her pendant into the purse, she took a sip from the glass, before answering:
"An hour or two, I guess. I've completely lost track of time."

"Well, it's still bright outside," he said, looking out the window, the sunlight shining in illuminating the left side of his face proving his words.
"Means we have a long way to go to Canterlot."

Rarity gave a small, lackluster nod. Her mind was busy browsing through the many questions she had for him, waiting to just be unshackled from her chains of hesitance. She knew Spike would never be willing to answer any of them, but she really wanted to know the answer.

She was his marefriend. Whatever his troubles were are hers as well.

"Spike," she began stuttering, poking at the dragon's interest.
"Remember the day after Twilight came back... we were heading home after visiting her in the library?"

"Yeah~?"

"And.... a-and..."
She wanted to scream at herself. She was so close to letting the question out. SO CLOSE!! Get your confidence up, you silly little filly, she whined softly in her head. He will understand that you're trying to help him out of his troubles. All the while she was ranting in her head, Spike was blinking and cocking his head to the side, expecting the white mare to finish her sentence.

"And..." she finally gasped out.
"You looked so... so furious that day and... I just... wanted to know why, but you asked me to forget it and that only made me a lot more curious and-"

The dragon turned away once the words sifted into his ears above the train's clattering wheels, his warm smile starting to contort into the blackest grimace that Rarity had ever seen that he could muster. She could hear a hiss, though she wasn't sure if it was from his snakelike tongue or the train's bronze pipes.
"I have to tell you some time, don't I?" he said gloomily. His dejected tone only made what seemed like a triumphant victory a demeaning loss, and as rueful as the white mare judged of her actions, she forced herself to listen.

"It was just another walk in town," he began.
"Twilight had some stuff to do for me - and yes, it was about packing up for Canterlot - so I figured I help her out. After all, it's been a year already since I helped out, save the renovation that we had done for the library when she came back, of course."

"There were tourists. Ponies from Manehatten or Fillydelphia," he began, his voice turning sour.
"I'm not really sure. They just... well... saw me heading down to the library and they called for me to ask some questions. I thought they wanted to ask around about Ponyville, so I let them. And you know what they asked? They asked..."

Rarity gently grasped his claws just as his voice started to tremble. He stopped with a sigh, unable to finish what he had started, though the white mare hushed him immediately when he opened his mouth to speak, placing a hoof on his lips as she edged herself closer to him.
Suddenly, he was slammed back onto the mattress, his surprise escalated when the mare planted her lips onto his own. The induction of their electric contact zipped into his beating heart, and soon he found himself in the sensation of pure bliss, closing his eyes with a purr of delight.

Rarity broke it off immediately, smiling once he saw his doltish grin, his cheeks blazing red. The mare twirled her hoof in a circle around his scaly chest, fluttering her eyes and asking:
"Do you like it?"

"I-I guess..." he replied, to which he met the mare's pouting frown.
"All right, all right. It was great..."

"Just keep those ponies and their ludicrous babbling to themselves."
The fashion designer smiled at her lover, her hooves hugging him tightly around the waist as she buried her cheek into his scales, lying on him like it was her soft velvet pillows back at home. Spike's lips writhed into a grin, placing his own claws around her soft body, nuzzling his snout into her mane.

"Sooner or later," she began to whisper, though she shook her head before she continued, leaving the dragon hanging at the edge of his curiosity.
"Do you mind if I sleep here?"

Spike just glanced the white mare on top of his chest, her azure eyes glistening and melting his heart. He couldn't blame her that she wanted to: there was only one bed in the small room. The only two deluxe rooms were already taken by Fluttershy and Rainbow, though he wouldn't complain about it.
"Do I mind?" he said. He wasn't sure if Rarity would mind lying on his chest, but he sure wouldn't. Who wouldn't want to have a mare of pure beauty in your arms? With that, he brought her closer to his snout once more, the two sharing a small, light kiss, wearing tender smiles as they closed their eyes. "Of all the things you would say in the world..." the dragon continued quietly, making the unicorn giggle with a hint of red across her snow-like cheeks.

"It is the best. Possible. Thing."




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"So we just head up to them and say 'hello'? That easy?"

Phoenix would've slammed the gryphon's face on a table, if there was any. He appreciated his sense of humor and his quirky penchant for making friends, but it doesn't seem like the best approach to make acquaintances with ponies such as them. They were deeply religious pilgrims heading towards a shrine, and the last thing they would want to see is the group being hysterical around them
"The last thing they would one in their journey is an interruption," he said, peering out from behind the rocks to see the white-robed ponies marching across the plains. The group had crept down the cliffs and onto the steppe itself, wanting to get a better view of them and after that, to gain their trust, yet after what seemed to be hours of watching them migrate, neither had dared to make the first move.

"Then how can we make friends with them...?" Pinkie asked, crouching right beside him. His answer was a shrug; he wasn't exactly sure on how to acquaint with these kind of ponies.

Despite being dangerously close to them, none of the pilgrims noticed their observers and Phoenix figured that they wouldn't want to bother with whatever that lurks in the darkness. He was beginning to wonder if they had ever prepared anything for protection, before his eyes widened at the sight of a wagon rolling past him.
On it wooden hold, he could make out the distinguishable glint of arrowheads and their corresponding feathered ends, the thin, long sticks of javelins and a variety of claw traps poking out from sacks. He wouldn't be surprised if they were carrying bows underneath those robes, though his eyes soon caught something scurrying to the side of some of the ponies, piquing his interest immediately.

Wolves. A large pack of them, maybe? Or gathered by their masters? Whatever the case, they seemed to be the pilgrims' trusty pets, and that enough added another probable defense onto their list.
"Okay..." he began whispering, touching up the final pieces of his plan as he turned to the rest of his comrades.
"Here's how we're going to do this. We'll approach them cautiously, without any weapons on our hooves, which means Velvet, you have to deal with your blades."

The sound of his friend's daggers sliding into its sheath soon followed, prompting Phoenix to continue as he glance around at the band huddling around him, awaiting to hear his plan:
"Once they asked us questions on what we're doing, we'll try to get them to trust us by saying we're heading past the shrine, and ask them if we can join them in their span of their journey. If they accept, that means we can hitch a ride with- where's Pinkie?"

The rest immediately looked around once he realized who was missing. The turquoise stallion's crimson eyes hastily darted around the area, before peering out from behind the rock.
His face paled with sheer horror once he saw the pink mare happily bouncing towards the pilgrims, who still hadn't noticed her, surprisingly. The rest of them rapidly hissed out a bunch of 'no's as she got closer out of dread, before Phoenix himself only started to make his move:

"Pinkie, don't-"

"HI!!!"

There came the shouting and screaming, all out of surprise when Pinkie hopped into their view, her smile widening up to the sides of her cheeks. Even the wolves hid underneath the robes of their masters along with the children, utterly frightened by this new mare in their presence.
"I'm Pinkie Pie!" she squealed; in response, a dozen of bows were suddenly raised up to her still-smiling face, their arrows ever ready to strike. Despite that, she giggled jovially, which only hardened the fearful looks on every robed pony. Phoenix's hoof met his forehead, unable to bear himself to watch what was about to happen.

"Stand down! All of you, stand down!"

The booming voice swept across the manes every pilgrim, and with that they lowered their bows, the pink mare that they were facing still happily smiling before them. She and the rest of the caravan, still behind the rocks, turned to the source of the voice, seeing an aged pony march up to them.
He was in his seventies, if Pinkie were to estimate, judging from the few wrinkles outlining his face. Beneath his white robes, his pale-green hooves finding support from a short cane, he approached the pink mare cautiously, though not as intimidating as the rest of the pilgrims. His topaz eyes squinted inquisitively at the pink stranger, before he started speaking:
"I apologize for the behavior of my brothers and sisters. They aren't accustomed to strangers."

"Oh, that's alright!" Pinkie replied cheerfully, with the jaws of her hiding friends dropping in an instant.
"I think I scared them a little. It's always nice to make new friends, right?"

The old pony chuckled at her answer, giving a short nod. "I've never seen a mare like you far from home," he remarked.
"Have you embarked on a journey alone, if I may ask, my child?"

"Oh, of course not! I have my friends with me! Over there!"
The rest of the caravan flinched once Pinkie mentioned 'friends'. With a sigh, all of them marched down sheepishly, one by one, from behind the giant rock and into the full view of the pilgrims. The sight of so many strangers surprised them, with some of them already muttering and gossiping about them.

The old pony merely laughed once he saw the bunch glancing about in embarrassment, his hooves gently swaying apart in a welcoming gesture, accompanied by a bow.
"The name's Parish Plow. Priest of Our Holy Mother of Earth, Terra. I am the shepherd, the guide, the leader of this pilgrimage, and all pilgrimages of that preceding and that coming, unless age wears me or death takes me, in the name of our Holy Mother, and we humbly welcome you and your friends in our presence."

"Th-thanks," Phoenix stuttered, unsure of how to reply the elaborate introduction. He turned to Pinkie, who was still smiling happily beside him. He couldn't believe what just happened: she just hopped up and was trusted by this priest. Just like that! He chuckled underneath his breath, shaking his head at the pink mare.
"Pinkie, Pinkie..." he muttered. Still full of surprises, this silly filly...

"I presume you all are here on behalf of good intentions?"

"We're to visit the Shetland Isles, and have to pass the Shrine of Duilliúr."
Phoenix raised an eyebrow as the aged colt nodded understandingly, his eyes staring into space as if in deep thought. He hoped they wouldn't question of their actions, or maybe even impede them in their journey. The Shetlands were still a far distance away, and he wouldn't want anything slowing them down.
"I was hoping if we could join your pilgrimage for this short period. Not officially, if it's alright."

"Of course, of course!" was Parish's reply, earning a sigh of relief from them.
"I'm obliged to welcome those in need of any assistance, even from those who request for a brief companionship in compliance to Mother Terra's rules. As Our Holy Mother Terra's shepherd, guide and leader, from one band to another..."

"We welcome all of you on our journey."