//------------------------------// // Encounters and Confrontations // Story: The Princess of Themyscira // by iowaforever //------------------------------// Encounters and Confrontations Once they had moved out of sight of Manehattan, Soarin’ and Diana were able to fly again without being spotted. It was still odd, to see an Earth Pony fly, but Soarin’ realized that he was getting used to strange things such as this. Compared to some of the stuff that had happened to him, seeing an Earth Pony fly did not seem like that big of an issue. “So,” Diana said as they landed outside the Everfree Forest. “What can you tell me about this town?” “... It’s got good pie?” Soarin’ said weakly, causing Diana raised an eyebrow as if asking him to elaborate. “Well, other than an incident involving a dragon two years ago, I haven’t really spent a lot of time here. Cloudsdale’s nearby, but there’s a difference between being near a town and knowing all about it.” “I suppose you’re right.” Diana said as she began walking, Soarin’ following close behind. “Well, I do know one thing. This town, Ponyville, is... well, weird stuff happens here.” Soarin said, and Diana stopped and looked at him. “What do you mean?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Well,” Soarin’ began. “There was the dragon, an Ursa Minor went berserk during a magic show, and then an Ursa Major attacked it a few days before the last Summer Sun Celebration, it got eaten by a big swarm of bugs-” “I think I understand.” Diana said as she resumed walking. “But I am sure I should be able to handle any weirdness.” Soarin’ said nothing, but gave a small shrug and followed Diana. In contrast to her urgency back in Manehattan, Diana did not seem to be in any kind of rush as they walked down the road; her head swiveled around, taking in the sights and sounds of the field they were moving through. “I must admit,” she said after a pause. “This is an improvement over that city.” “Well, it is pretty peaceful.” Soarin replied. “Among other things,” Diana answered. “When my task is complete, I would like to spend some time here before returning to Themyscira.” Soarin’ frowned. He was not sure what exactly about that last sentence rubbed him the wrong way, but the idea of Diana leaving Equestria seemed... off. Soarin’ was never the type to get philosophical about such subject, so he passed it off as whoever it was that had been messing around in his mind putting new ideas into his brain... again. As they crested a hill, the two got their first glimpses of the next town. Most of the buildings were small with thatch roofs, spaced out evenly for a pleasant atmosphere over practicality. A market dominated the main square, and they could see small groups of ponies walking to and fro from the booths. On the outskirts of town, groups of fillies and colts went about playing games of some sort, their apparent happiness and carefree attitude bringing a smile to Diana’s face. “So many children...” she whispered. Soarin’ looked over to her as she lowered her head. “The gods forbade any Amazon from having children; it was only by Athena’s pity and my mother dying while with child that I was even made in the first place. Most of the younger ones you saw had died rather recently and been brought to Themyscira to continue on with their lives. Seeing so many...” she stood in silence for a moment, taking in the scene before her with barely restrained wonder. “But... Didn’t you say you were born, sort of?” Soarin’ asked. Diana’s mood shifted back to her normal, serious mode as she turned to face Soarin’. “My mother crafted me from the soil of Themyscira, and the gods granted her wish for a child and breathed life into me.” Soarin’ blinked a few times. “So... you’re made of dirt?” “If I wanted you to respond to that, I would have asked!” Diana snapped, loud enough that Soarin’ flinched slightly. Upon seeing this, Diana immediately began backtracking. “I-I’m sorry, Soarin’; I did not mean to shout like that.” “Don't worry, I’ve had a long line of mares shouting at me for various reasons over the past few years. I think I can survive with one more.” Soarin' answered. "And I wasn't exactly tactful when discussion your... creation." Diana gave a small chuckle, followed by a fairly long pause. “We should get going, maybe find somewhere to resupply before moving on to find Ares.” she said and Soarin’ was about to respond when a small wagon went careening past. The wagon spun around once and stopped, and Soarin’ could see three young fillies, two riding in the wagon while a third pulled them on a small scooter. The fillies came to a stop and regarded the two newcomers, the unicorn and earth pony in the group exchanging a few looks. “Hey, are you two lost or something?” asked one of the fillies, an orange and purple Pegasus. “Not at the moment,” Diana staid, stepping towards the fillies. “My name is Diana, and I am traveling to Canterlot with my companion here.” she nodded towards Soarin’. “Would you three know of somewhere we can spend the night in order to rest?” “My sister Rarity could help,” the unicorn filly said, eagerly raising her hoof in the air. “She knows a lot of ponies around here.” “Hey, ya could talk ta mah sister Applejack!” the earth pony filly chirped. “Ah don’t think she’d mind havin’ a few visitors.” “Well, we wouldn’t really want to impose-” Soarin’ began. And I know a few of those ponies... no need for me to get mobbed again. “I thank you for your assistance, young fillies.” Diana interrupted. “Now, I’ll leave you to... what exactly were you doing?” “Crusadin’ fer our cutie marks!” the earth pony replied. “If we try enough things, eventually one ‘a us has ta earn her cutie mark.” “We were going to try forgery spotters,” the orange Pegasus said. “But we’re going to try our hooves at manticore catching first.” Soarin’ blinked in surprise. He knew that this town was a bit odd, but letting their fillies go out and try to catch manticores? It was insane. Diana, however, had a different impression. “A noble task, young fillies.” she said. “It just so happens that I know a thing or two about capturing manticores myself.” “You do?” all three fillies asked, their eyes wide with surprise. “Oh yes.” Diana sat down on the grass, the three fillies congregating around her. “The key to capturing a manticore is surprise; if it knows you are coming, it will either fight you  before you can get into a good position, or it will run away somewhere where you won’t be able to find it.” “How do we find it?” the orange filly asked. “Search for clearings; manticores like to sun themselves around this time of day, and that is when they are most vulnerable.” Diana got serious. “Although I would suggest bringing some adults with you; manticores are still dangerous animals, and you do not want to mess up on your first attempt. A few hoplites or other trained warriors should be more than adequate in keeping the manticore busy while you three move in to capture it.” “Can you come with us?” “No, I have other duties that I must attend to.” Diana rose from her position. “But I wish you good luck on your hunt, and may Luna guide your steps and keep you shielded from the eyes of your quarry. Just remember my instructions, and I’m sure everything will work out properly.” the fillies did not say anything at first, instead grinning at each other before screaming. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MANTICORE CATCHERS YAY!!!” with that, the fillies hopped into their wagon and sped off, leaving a cloud of dust to envelop Diana and Soarin’. “... You shouldn’t have encouraged them like that.” Soarin’ said after a pause. “They seemed like responsible fillies, if a bit energetic.” Diana said, turning back towards the town. “I’m sure they will find somepony to accompany them on their trip. Besides, I left out the fact that manticores are nocturnal; they sleep in caves most of the day before going out to hunt.” “That still doesn’t mean you should have encouraged them.” “You know, that’s the problem with you Equestrians; you’re so wrapped up in your sense of security that you never take any risks. Do you know where your nation would be if you went beyond your normal state of living?” Soarin’s ears flattened against his head and he stopped walking. “Look, Diana. I know that you’re still adjusting and all, but this isn’t Themyscira; we can’t all be a bunch of superpowered warrior mares who fight monsters and angry gods.” He answered. Diana turned to face Soarin’, frustration clearly showing on her face. “I wasn’t implying that you should be, just...” Diana frowned, trying to look for the right words. Eventually she gave up and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Come, we’re wasting time discussing this.” Soarin’ nodded and moved to catch up with her, but neither one said anything as they approached the town. At least, until they met the next pony. She was a mint green unicorn, her hair a mix of green and white. She did not notice Diana and Soarin’ at first, instead focusing on a few small instruments and a notepad. After a brief moment of fussing, she looked up and saw the two watching her. “Hey there!” she chirped, setting aside her supplies and approaching. “Are you new here?” “My name is Diana, and this is my companion Soarin’.” Soarin’ gave a friendly nod, which the unicorn returned in earnest. “Nice to meet you. My name’s Lyra, in case you were wondering.” she perked up again. “Hey, do you guys need a place to stay? My sister and I have an extra room back at our house, and I’m sure I could talk her into letting you stay a night or two; Bon-Bon loves meeting new ponies.” Something seemed a bit off about that last statement; while Soarin’ was certain that Lyra was not some evil kidnapper, he guessed that she might not have the best grasp on the situation. Diana, however, did not seem cued in on that. “You are a very hospitable pony, Lyra. I’d be more than happy to accept your offer, should the need arise.” “Great!” Lyra beamed before turning back to her supplies. “I’ll meet up with you guys later, probably after Pinkie throws you a party. In the meantime, I’ve got some work to do.” “May I ask what?” Diana asked, taking a step forward. “Well, I’m doing a bit of a science experiment, and there’s a big storm scheduled in a few weeks." Lyra flipped through her notebook as she spoke. "You see, storms usually come with lots of lightning and other energies, and those will be perfect for powering my machine.” “... I’m sorry, your what?” Diana asked. “My trans-dimensional ansible!" Lyra chirped. "It’s supposed to let me talk with beings from other dimensions, which means humans, and with the storm coming in I’ll finally have enough power to make it work so I can prove humans exist!” Diana blinked a few times before looking to Soarin’. He gave an uneasy shrug, his mind unsure of what to make of the crazy mare standing in front of them. “Well...” Diana said after a long pause, shuffling around slightly. “Best of luck, I guess.” “Sure thing." Lyra paused before an idea apparently came to her. "Hey, are you going to be in town in time for the storm? I’ll let you use the machine.” “No, that’s... I have other things that need to be attended to. Elsewhere. Involving... things.” Diana replied. Lyra frowned in disappointment, but gave a small shrug and turned back to her work. “If you say so. Nice meeting you two.” Diana and Soarin’ turned and continued walking towards the town, Soarin’ noting that Diana had put considerably more speed in her step. “Remember how I said I would be able to handle the weirdness of this town?” she said once they had gotten out of earshot. “Yeah?” “I take it back. We’re not stopping here, less I have to spend any more time around ponies who are that obsessed with mythological creatures.” Soarin’ stopped walking for a moment. “You sure? I mean, yeah, some of the ponies here might be a bit crazy, but you are supposed to be protecting them.” “I realize that.” Diana stopped and turned towards him. “But I still have a mission to complete, and if I stopped at every single little town then I would lose too much time.” “So, knowing nothing about who you’re defending is a good thing?” “How can you say something like that?” Diana stomped in frustration. “I would love the chance to learn about your culture, but what good would any knowledge of your world do if Ares destroys it?” “And how do you know that you won’t just alienate everypony you meet because you don’t know anything about them?” Soarin asked. “That has nothing to do with anything.” Diana replied tersely. “I think it has more to do with everything than you realize; a lot of ponies tend to get scared by things they aren’t familiar with, and I doubt that they would be able to handle somepony like you.” Diana glared and took a step forward. “Are you saying that I should forsake my heritage and conform to the ways of your society?” “No, I just think that you should spend a little less time as Diana the Warrior and more time as Diana the Ambassador.” “Well you thought wrong. I remember you saying you had military experience, so obviously you know the process of triage." Diana turned away. "That’s what I’m doing now. I will defeat Ares, and once that task is complete I will have a chance to connect with you Equestrians.” “So... was the whole reason you wanted to come here just so you could defeat Ares?” Diana’s features softened a little. “I-I don’t understand-” “Why are you here, Diana?” Soarin asked, although he was not sure if it was his words that he was speaking. Diana looked at him for a moment before shaking her head and moving on. “... I think we’ve wasted enough time with this.” ............... Ares’ horn glowed as he slipped through the forest. The site of the final battle between the Sun and Moon was still filled with magical energies, but Ares was a god himself; he would not be deterred by the remains of Athena’s heirs’ little spat. There was also a second source of magic, one completely alien to Ares, but as it seemed focused in a different direction he ignored it for now. The amulet was close, he could feel it. It had taken a few days for him to pinpoint the amulet’s location, but after detecting the old feeling of its magic here he wasted no time in scouring the area. Passing beneath ancient trees, he used the power of the Amulet as a beacon, his horn pulsing slightly as he neared the source. He casually splintered a log that was barring his path, and he saw it. It was a jar buried beneath the river bank. Some animal had dug it up, expecting to find a meal, but had been frustrated by pottery instead of meat. Smiling, Ares dismissed his tracking spell and used his telekinesis to pull the jar from the river bank, mud and water dissolving into nothing as his magic touched them. With another smirk he increased the output of his magic, shattering the jar and revealing the black and crimson amulet beneath. “At last.” he said, summoning his armor before placing the amulet around his neck. He could feel the power of the Amulet coursing through his body, a sensation that he enjoyed immensely. Now, I believe it’s time I caught up with a certain Amazon... ............... Diana and Soarin’ had set up camp at the base of the Canterlot Mountains. It was not much, just a fire for warmth and some softer grass to sleep on, but it was better than nothing. Soarin’ was currently trying to get some sleep, while Diana lay on her back looking up at the stars. She closed her eyes and imagined that she was back in Themyscira, lying on the beach and looking up on these very same stars. She imagined her mother coming to find her after her duties as Queen were complete, the two of them sitting back and talking quietly as Luna’s night spread across the sky. I miss those nights... She thought before looking over to Soarin’, frowning slightly. She wanted to convince herself that she was right, that her mission took precedence over everything but... she could not. The image of those foals playing outside came to mind, their happy cries and antics drilling themselves deeper into her mind. She turned away, looking back up at the stars but finding little solace in them. Her mind was drawn back to the final trial on Themyscira, when her mother placed her heart on display and asked what she wanted. She had said trust, and she had meant it, but now she was unsure if she was relapsing into old habits and allowing the prejudices of her mother and sisters cloud her judgement. Furrowing her brow a little, she sat up and looked over to Soarin’. “Soarin’? Are you asleep?” she whispered. “No.” he mumbled. “Is something wrong?” “I... I wanted to apologize.” Soarin’ rolled over, confusion written on his face. “For what?” “For that disagreement we had earlier today.” Diana looked towards the ground. “What I said, about wishing to defeat Ares quickly and then sort everything out later... I can’t remember if it was just because I had been freaked out by that mare, or because the stresses of your world were finally building up.” she looked him in the eye. “You ponies are, quite frankly, insane.” “Diana, if you really want to start this again-” Soarin’ began, but Diana raised a hoof to silence him. “No, hear me out." she lowered her hoof and continued. "Yes, you Equestrians are insane; you’ve grown rather comfortable in your sense of security, most colts still think with their loins rather than their brains, and you’ve allowed your sense of security to get to your heads... but then I see ponies like you, and I know that there’s more than that. You’ve helped me greatly since we met, never once trying to deceive or suppress me, and I can tell that you care greatly for your home. I admire that about you, Soarin’; you are one of the more selfless ponies I have met in my life, even more so than a few of my sisters on Themyscira.” Soarin’ blinked a few times before giving a small smile. “Thanks, Diana.” he said. “You’re welcome.” She gave a smile of her own and stood up. “I also realized that you were right about me approaching this as a Warrior. I thought back to my trial, and I realized that I had advocated trust without actively reaching for it.” “And...?” “I want to go back to that town." Diana said, standing. "I want to show these Equestrians that I am here, and I want to help them in any way I can. My mission is no good if I cannot gain the trust of you all, and I would hate to imagine the consequences if I cannot build any connection between us.” “Oh, I can think of a few ideas.” a third voice said. Diana and Soarin’ looked as an alicorn clad in heavy armor and some kind of amulet stepped into the light, his eyes glowing like smoldering embers. “Ares.” Diana hissed, turning to face the god of war. “It is truly a pleasure to meet you face to face, daughter of Hippolyta.” Ares said, giving Diana a mock bow. “I would ask you how your mother is, but we both know that the two of us never saw eye to eye.” “You have tried to destroy Themyscira countless times; did you expect her to fawn at your hooves and lick ambrosia off your stomach?” Ares did not respond to that remark, although Diana could see a glimmer of anger in his eyes. “Pleasantries aside, I am here to deliver a warning, child." Ares said, his glare intensifying. "Stay out of my plans, and I shall make sure to spare you once my task is complete.” Diana scoffed at this, taking a step towards Ares. “Since when have you ever been trustworthy?” She would have continued if Soarin’ had not interrupted. “Diana, do you think it’s a smart idea to piss off a war god?” he asked. “Stay out of this, mortal scum!” Ares barked. “If you had shown more discourse and not been such a bleeding heart, we would not be having this conversation in the first place.” “Soarin’,” Diana said, not taking her eyes off Ares. “I know you want to help, but you might make this situation worse.” Soarin’ opened his mouth to reply, but he saw what Diana was trying to say and backed down. This drew a chuckle from Ares. “I see you’re taming your pet Equestrian?” “Soarin’ is my friend, Ares." Diana countered. "I would never seek to ‘tame’ him.” “Such idealism. Yet you fail to realize where exactly they stand: beneath us.” Ares smiled, a thin grin that made even Diana falter slightly. “You Amazons are all alike, so focused on your past grudges that you fail to realize just how fleeting those are. They are called ‘mortals’ for a reason; your friend here and all the other ponies you have encountered will pass on in less time than it takes to blink, while you and I will remain unchanged for quite some time. Why do you waste so much time ‘protecting’ them when the next few generations won’t even remember what you were trying to accomplish?” “Because unlike you, I have begun to see that there is more to them than just worshippers and slaves.” “Then you Amazons have clearly lost sight of what it really means to be a warrior. Allow me to reeducate you.” Ares’ horn glowed with power before he fired a spell at Diana and Soarin’. Soarin’ dove out of the way, while Diana braced herself and raised her bracelets up in defense. The spell exploded around Diana, the force causing her to slide back several feet. She barely had time to stabilize herself before Ares attacked again, another bolt of energy slamming into the ground at her hooves and knocking her into the air. As she fell, she adjusted her hooves and managed to level out, unhooking her lasso as she did so. “Impressive,” Ares said, readying for another strike. “If I had known you possessed other powers, I would have fought your kind here instead of on Themyscira.” “You’ll never get that chance again.” Diana dove, throwing her lasso and managing to seize Ares’ neck, causing the god to miss with his next spell. She landed behind him and pulled with all her might, trying to force Ares to the ground. Ares, however, grinned before twisting his next around, flinging Diana into a nearby tree. Once she recovered, she leapt forward and slammed her hoof into Ares’ face, knocking him back. Before she could follow up her strike, Ares hit her in the face with another spell before grabbing her by the tail and smacking her on the ground like a child playing with a rag doll. When she broke free of his grasp, she jumped out of the way of the next magic strike before vaulting over Ares and bucking him in the side. Ares turned to try and face her, but Diana darted out of the way and bucked again, her hooves managing to collide with the side of his face. Now, Ares took flight in an attempt to put distance between himself and Diana. Diana took off after him, ducking and weaving to stay out of Ares’ arc of fire. As the two circled, Diana darted in for a few quick strikes, probing for weaknesses in Ares’ defenses. However, she misjudged the angle on one of her attacks, causing her to overshoot and give Ares a clear line of attack. The first strike drove the air from her lungs, while the second sent her spiraling through the air. Diana recovered again, after snapping the tops off a few trees, and dove under Ares as he attacked again. She stopped for a brief instant and flew straight up, her forehooves colliding with Ares’ stomach at high speed. She backed up a little and tossed her lasso once more, snaring one of Ares’ wings and giving her something to hold on to as she jumped onto his back. As Ares tried to throw her off, Diana pulled him into a headlock while reaching down for the amulet around his neck. “I would have assumed that your mother would have told you what that amulet is.” Ares said, twisting his neck to break Diana’s headlock but not dislodge the mare from his back. “It’s giving you power, isn’t it?” she said, struggling to regain her original position. “And only I can remove it, which makes your little attempts at getting rid of it more annoying than anything.” With that, Ares pitched his body forward, flinging Diana from his back before firing a spell point blank at the Amazon. Diana tried to block with her bracelets, but the spell came in too fast and struck her in the face, pain coursing through every fiber in her body. She lost her balance and fell, plummeting towards the ground and right into an oncoming strike from Ares. As her vision began to go fuzzy Ares knocked her down and pinned her with one hoof, using a second to drive her into the ground and cause her to lose her grip on the lasso. “Where is Athena to save you now, child?!” Ares bellowed as Diana struggled to free herself. “Your kind does not deserve to live in the world I am about to create! You should take pride in being the first of them to die!” Ares brought his hoof down on Diana’s face once more. Try as she might, Diana could not free herself from being pinned, suffering attack after attack from the war god. The final attack never connected, for Diana was yanked away from Ares. She looked up and saw Soarin’, the colt holding her between his forelegs and flying as fast as he could. She looked back as Ares fired several spells after them, but Soarin’ used his agility to dodge them and put quite a bit of distance between them and the mad god. “You will not escape your death, daughter of Themyscira!” Ares called, firing off a few last spells before Soarin’ and Diana disappeared from sight. “I have the power of Tartarus behind me! I shall find you again, and I shall take great pride in throwing you into the Underworld with my own hooves!” Diana was too far away to respond, and the pain from her fight was finally beginning to encroach on her mind. “Diana?” She looked up at Soarin’, seeing the worry in his eyes. “Are you okay?” “... No.” her eyes fluttered for a moment before she blacked out, her mind becoming lost in a flurry of images.