//------------------------------// // Serio's Story // Story: Purple Skies // by Leafed Timberwolf //------------------------------// On a warm summer evening in the Southron city of Nova Cresta, Mexihock, - a charming little town with colonial buildings that gained a coppery color at sunset - bell tolls signaled the eighth hour, and the end of practice in the ‘Universal Ocelote’ dojo. The plaza, as the dojo was in the center of town, was soon covered with the usual crowd of ponies wanting to arrive home before sundown. Meanwhile, doves parted as an older stallion made his way to the Universal, but he did so - so slowly and with such an aura of amusement around him, onlookers who did not recognize him wondered what he found so new, though wiser youths found they appreciated the stallion’s pleased look of fulfillment. He tipped his hat, as the orange sun was at the end of the road and sending its last rays directly at him. However, not everyone felt the need to behave calmly. In the Dojo, not everyone had left. The dojo was a two-story building, in the corner intersection of two perpendicular streets, wide with a curved front wall. Beyond the heavy, wooden front door was the reception area, with some chairs, then the training area, with a padded floor and a mirror-covered wall, and, at the end of the back wall were stairs leading up and a door that led to a kitchen, with another door that led to a large garden. The garden’s grass was as green as could be, and the walls - ten meters long - were covered with green vines with red flowers, and there were plenty of citrus fruit trees. Four foals remained in, but one could not wait to see his teacher out of sight. He leaped of the roof, landed on a windowsill and busted out of the room. “He’s gone! Maestro Fernando’s gone! Come out!” Three others emerged out of various rooms. One was a short, husky, blue colt earth pony of a kinder nature, one was a green filly earth pony with odd habits, and the other was also a filly, but a light yellow unicorn of a colder nature. And of course, there was also the red pegasus who had made the whole plan of staying behind hidden in the unused second-story of the building. None of the others had wanted to stay, for a variety of reasons, the girls were going to have their own sleepover, but the red pegasus, Salvador, had convinced each one individually that he or she was the only one who did not want to stay, and had thus pressured them all into staying. “This is a terrible idea!” cried Benito, the blue earth colt. “I have no idea why I agreed to this, you don’t even have any food. This isn’t even close to the sleepovers I know!” The four of them headed down the stairs. “Benito,” began the pegasus. “calm yourself… there’s plenty food in the kitchen, I'm sure. Besides, this place is better than my house.” “I for one agree,” said Montserrat, the yellow unicorn, with a measure disdain. “your house is a dump. And I hope I'm not wasting my time here.” “I think it’s very cute how you’re trying to make it sound like you’re not happy to be here with us.” Salvador responded. “On the contrary!” Montserrat suddenly gripped Magally, the green earth pony, in a tight hug. “I'm more than happy to have some girl time with Magpie! Isn’t right Magally?” “Um, yes yes.” Magally said, trying to regain her balance. “But let’s not argue guys, were a team, and the competition is Sunday.” “No one is arguing, Magally.” said Salvador softly. “Right, Montserrat?” “Absolutely not.” She let go of Magally and shot him a glare. “However, if you try anything out of line today, I’ll make sure this little scheme of yours blows up so hard in your face that you will be looking for your snout in Lleguascalientes! Now,” she took everyone in with a look. “Let’s do something rather fun for a change. Show me the old photo album you said you found.” They reached the end of the stairs. “Oh with pleasure. But first let me find something else. Why don’t you two head to the garden?” he said, referring to Montserrat and Magally, when he noticed they weren’t around him, only Benito. Looking up, he noticed Montserrat had stopped to look at herself in the mirror that was halfway-down the stairs. “Do I look quite pretty, Magpie?” she asked while taking a hoof through the top of her orange mane. “Like right now?” “Precisely right now.” “Does it matter if you look pretty?” Magally asked with a raised brow. “Oh you should learn a bit from me. It matters because I AM pretty.” “Hurry down already!” yelled Salvador. Magally discretely pointed at him with her green eyes. “Maybe you should ask someone else if you look pretty...” brow raise, brow raise. “Ugh Magally!” Montserrat spat, as her cheeks slightly changed to a warmer color. “I swear by the Pure Lady I have zero idea what you mean!” she turned away from the mirror and thundered down the stairs. “It’s not like there isn’t a wall covered in mirror down here.” Benito added. “They were too far Beni.” She muttered under her breath as she passed him. “Come Benito!” roared Salvador as he gave him a hard slap on his withers. “Let me show you the food you oh-so clamored for.” They headed to the kitchen as the girls went outside. “You just looked at yourself in a mirror.” Magally’s voice was heard. “Ah! But only my head! Come! Don’t shy away from the mirror, you are very, and naturally, pretty too.” “Aww thank yo-” * “Ugh! Girl talk, am I right?” Salvador said as he shut the door to the kitchen. “They are very strange.” agreed Benito. “Remember in first grade when they hated each other?” Salvador kept looking through the small rectangular window in the door. Beni looked through as well, but only saw Montserrat. “Salvador?” “Yea.” “Salvador!” “What!?” he spat. “The food, dude!” “Oh, correcto. Light up a candle.” He headed over to the kitchen pantry. “Ta-da!” Benito looked on. In dismay. “Are you kidding me!?” Salvador, who hadn’t really looked, looked. “Oh.” “There's like only potatoes here!” “Potatoes?” “Potatoes!” “Maybe they’re sweet potatoes. Hey look, there are some... eight bananas.” “Wha-none of these are sleepover foods! See?!" he held out a potato. "What did I tell you?!” “Calm down,” Salvador said with a smile. “we can eat this. It's just as good. And healthier.” “Smart hind, do you want to eat raw potatoes?” Benito said with skepticism. “Oh you say it like it’s a big deal, we’ll just cook all of these.” “The bananas too?” Benito said, not so much incredulous as he was unwilling. “Yes them too.” “You’ll burn them.” He said defiantly. “Remember what Maestro Fernando said about having an open mind? You can cook bananas. After you cook them they are called fried bananas. It’s like hard bananaey caramel.” Salvador said, matter-o-factly. "Oh, you're the one to speak of open minds but," Benito began to warm up to the idea. “won’t the peels give us indigestion?” “You don’t eat the peel!” He hoof-palmed his forehead. “Look, just-just take these outside, I need to look for the small grill and the fire starter rocks.” “What?! Are you insane?” “What?! Benito, what?!” “You can’t play with fire, especially not in this place!” “Did you take your anxiety powder this morning?” “That’s not funny.” “Just-just go outside!” Salvador said as he pushed him out the door to the garden. “Jeez, do girls call these ‘guy talk’? Blast.” He closed the door behind Benito. * “Hi Lili, I'm sorry I hadn’t talked to you today, I was really busy.” Magally told Lili, the lemon tree, or Citrus Limon. “But I’ll be here until morning.” Lili the lemon tree rustled. Magally was puzzled, she tilted her head. “What do you mean?” Lili the lemon tree rustled. Magally’s eyes widened. “Guys!” “Magpie, are you talking to plants again?” Montserrat asked. “Guys, we should go.” Magally fidgeted. “Lili says someone’s gona show up.” “Come sit, Magpie. Lili probably needs more sugar and what not.” “I-I… but she says Maestro Seri-” The night had fallen and Salvador appeared on the garden with a small grill full of charcoals, and the old photo album. “Ok now, time for scary stories of ooooold, uuuuuu.” A large fire erupted to life with a spark, which became smaller almost instantly since the charcoals hadn’t turned into a firebed yet. Montserrat, who was leaning on a lawn chair, magically yanked the old album from his hooves and opened it. Magally, sitting next to her leaned in, as did Benito. “Uuu, let’s see what this is about.” The first page had old pictures of a familiar young stallion in an outlandish and feathery costume. “Is that…?” Benito wondered. “Why, yes it is!” Montserrat nodded. The next had pictures of the city. The pictures of the vibrant city changed into those of ruins, when the city was occupied by the dark creatures of the netherrealms, long long ago. In fact, few pictures of that time existed, and those had to be the most any of them had ever seen in one place. After some fourteen pictures, a new set came. One of the same young stallion, but with the golden armor of the Equestrian Royal Guard, and surrounded by some smiling guards as well. Salvador’s expression broke and fell. “Mictlan! What the hey is he doing with those idiot Equestrians? I always thought he was a proud Southron.” Salvador spat. “Ugh, here we go again.” Montserrat rolled her eyes. “Salvador!” Magally shoved him. “You’d do good if you stopped having such prejudices. You have never even met an Equestrain!” “I don’t need to meet one. They are so immoral I'm surprised you’d defend them! You’re a Southron. Don’t take the side that’s against us, especially when we are about to beat some this weekend!” “Salvador, calm down.” Said Beni. “You always get so riled up when Equestria comes up, besides, we are not beating anyone. We are having a tournament, were we might go against a team that is from Equestria, with whom we might have a good competition against, and Pure Lady willing, win against.” The fire began burning steadily. “Well I am beating any Equestrain that they put me up against. And I say beat as in ‘beat down’. Look at them,” he pointed at the picture, as everyone got increasingly irritated with another of his outbursts of anger. “do you think whatever Equestrian that manages to win against us won’t gloat his head off? That’s how those equines are.” “You’re not making us sound any better.” Magally pressed. “Enough you two.” shouted Beni. “I thought we were all here to have a good time before the competition. Not to argue about regions and nationalities!” “I was just trying to say, Benito.” Salvador said, trying to recover his composure. “That there is no sense in having such respect for the adversary.” “Ah! I hate when you get like this!” Argued Magally. “What about having some appreciation and love for your fellow horse and showing understanding for a different culture? And respect! Although I don’t know if I should be surprised to hear this from someone who failed Civics class, oh by her Pureness you’d also fail Catechism if they gave grades!” “Don’t be a hippie Ma-” “Guys, let’s not let a picture make us descend into insults! This is so trivial!” Montserrat said. “As Magpie said earlier, we are a team.” “Well Montserrat,” continued Salvador, who stood tall as if indignated. “I was only saying what I was thinking-” “That’s the problem with you!” said a new voice. “You kids hear ‘you’ll understand when you’re older’ but that has always been such cow crap, what we should say is ‘you’ll understand because you’ll be older’,” said the stallion who we saw earlier walking towards the dojo. He threw his hat aside, having had its hatfull of sunshine already, and with a beat of his wings got in front of the smaller Salvador. “You say what you think because you’re neither smart enough to say ‘I say what I know’ nor wise enough to know why you shouldn’t say ‘what you think’. You act like a complete idiot and dishonor your predecessors who gave their lives to evacuate the city during the Dark Times. A true stallion knows when to talk and knows what he is talking about, and you know neither!” he yelled. “Maestro Serio! I swear I didn’t know - I thought, I-” Everypony was shocked to see him, that is everypony except Magally who had learned Maestro Serio sometimes came to the garden at night from Lili, the lemon tree. “I don’t know why I am more disappointed.” His chest rose. His orange wings looked massive in comparison to the shrinking colt, and he bore his big green eyes into him. “Because you thought it was a good idea to start a fire in my garden, or because of what you’ve been saying! You do realize Equestrains helped free the very city you take for granted? I never take these streets I walk for granted, a lot was done to rescue this city!” “The fire is com-” Maestro Serio took the hose and sprayed a patch of grass, and dragged the small grill to the patch. “You should all be resting for Sunday.” “But it’s Friday.” Said Benito. “I didn’t ask you what day it was.” “Well, Magpie was gona have a sleepover with me, but we came here because Salvador said he had found old treasures and that he had marshmallows.” Said Montserrat. “Which he didn’t.” said Benito. “That’s right, throw me under the carriage.” Muttered Salvador. “What are these treasures you’re talking about?” Asked Maestro Serio. “This.” Montserrat floated the album to him. “Where’s your Maestro, Maestro Fernando? Where is he?” he asked with a hint of irritation, Fernando was after all, his prodige, and Fernando’s was, disappointingly, Salvador. “Um… he left.” Serio placed a hoof on his heart. “And you all hid here!?” “Yes.” “Oh!” Serio exclaimed once he opened the album. “I haven’t seen this in some years! These were taken more than thirty years ago, when I was on my twenties. So many things have happened since…” his ears perked up. “Is this what you were yelling about?!” he spat, Salvador shrunk even more. “You were pissing on my memories is that what you were doing!? Then by the Pure Lady, I don’t think you deserve to go to the tournament, if you think for a second you are even worthy of putting your presence with theirs’ in the same sentence!” “Not theirs!” he took a pose of indignation once more. “But Equestrians, I mean, Southrons have a rich history of having an abundance of every noble quality that comes with conflict.” “Oh, have you held a spear, a sword, or a bow?” “I can figh-” “Have you ever been in an army, have you ever been shot by a magic bolt? Have you fired a harquebus? Have you ever seen the horrors you think you know so well? Not only that, have you ever understood your opponent?” “No…” Maestro Serio raised his front hooves. “Then you’re wrong on this opinion you seem to still ty to defend! Simple as that.” He leaned closer to him. “Learn.” He turned to Benito. “Benito, bring the potatoes and peel the bananas, the rest of you bring the chairs over here, take a seat, and I’ll tell you the story of these pictures, would you all like that?” “Yes!” Magally nodded. “Yes.” Benito answered. “Yes…” Muttered Salvador. “Outstanding! Come hear, my friends. My story begins many years ago, but it doesn’t begin in Equestria, or with me. Or with Equines for that matter.