//------------------------------// // VI- Free Time 2, Part 1: TalonFeather and Torrent // Story: Foal Games // by DuskShadowBrony //------------------------------// Chapter VI- Free Time 2: TalonFeather and Torrent After a short conversation with Flash regarding my current situation, I headed back to my room. The room was now foalish, with a smaller desk, bed, and lower-level books. The sun and moon were painted on the ceiling, and now, a toy box sat against one of the walls, where the mirror used to be. “I don’t even know how they managed to do this so quickly…” I muttered as I poked through the colorful books. I looked around the room again. Deciding that there was nothing that I could do in here, I headed back out, and bumped into the Griffon, TalonFeather. Considering that he was significantly larger than me now, I was knocked over. “Sorry.” I muttered quickly. “There’s no need to apologize.” He helped me back to my hooves. “You’re DustStorm, right? I’m headed down to the kitchen to get something to eat. Why don’t you join me?” I felt nervous again. “I- I don’t know.” I had not felt this kind of shyness for quite some time. “I promise I won’t do anything bad to you. I made a promise to Miss Corona about that.” I looked back at him. “Okay then.” *** “The food here isn’t as good as the Griffon Kingdom’s.” Talon chuckled as we dined on vegetables with rice. “Still beats the food we get as Royal Guards.” I responded. “I suppose it does. How is your job as a Royal Guard?” he asked me. “Well, it’s quite boring most of the time. Our day involve patrolling around Canterlot and Ponyville, keeping a lookout for suspicious activity. It’s almost always overly quiet.” I set down my utensils. “Now that you’ve asked me a question, may I ask you one?” He nodded, and I continued. “How did you meet Corona?” “Oh, that’s an interesting story.” He cleaned his beak with a napkin and leaned back in the chair. “I was working as a mail carrier. I transported mail across long distances, such as from Ponyville to the Griffon Empire. Once, I was sent to deliver mail to Miss Corona. It was a rather large set of packages, I nearly broke my back carrying them. I rang the doorbell, but nopony answered. But I heard movements inside. I decided that she was busy, and waited. But she took so long, I got impatient. What would a rich pony like her need so much packages for? And plus, why did she order the cheapest service we offer? There were many expensive, yet magical and instant deliveries that a wealthy pony like her could easily afford. I was so impatient at that time, and so curious, I decided to take a look inside. Every single package had arcane items. What would a Pegasus need so many arcane items for? Of course, this is when she decided to open the door. Imagine how I looked, poking through her personal mail. But she didn’t seem angry at all. I decided to ask her about it.” “Just like that?” I raised an eyebrow. “And how did she react to such a direct question?” “Well… She told me what she said to you guys. She just wants ponies to be young and innocent again. And she also said that she needed help. That she couldn’t do it alone. She offered me a job, and well, it certainly beat my old, boring job. So I accepted, and well, here I am.” “You talk a lot.” Torrent walked up to our table. “Is it really okay to be telling him that much?” Talon folded his arms. “Nothing wrong with it. Corona said that it was okay. She trusts the ponies here. Besides, what harm will it do, telling them about us? I mean, they can’t use it against us in any way.” “I suppose so.” Torrent took a seat next to Talon, across from me. “So, I am predicting that you want to know about my story?” “If you wouldn’t mind telling me.” I looked away again as his eyes met mine. Torrent took a deep breath. “I was born and raised in Canterlot. It was always my dream to become a Royal Guard. Every day, I would go running. Lift weights. Practice my magic. Eventually, when I was of age, I went to the recruitment office and applied. I was so nervous throughout the entire exam, and at the end, nothing more was on my mind but the results. Finally, a week later, I got a letter in the mail from the recruitment office. I had made it. After a few days, I was called in with another few guards to investigate a domestic disturbance. When we got there…” he shook his head. “Those parents… no… they don’t deserve to be called that… they had beaten their son so badly, his wing broke. We arrested those two adults on the spot, and brought the poor little Pegasus to Canterlot General Hospital. The doctors did their best, but they said he would never be able to fly again. From that day forth, I made a vow to protect others from any kind of suffering. I joined as many violence prevention programs as I could. That attracted quite some attention, and it seemed to get Corona’s attention, too. She approached me one time when I was headed home, and told me all about herself, and what she wanted to do. And I saw her point. Foals who grow up with love don’t have to suffer. But once they grow up, there’s the real, cruel world out there. Nopony should have to go through that. So I joined her, and a pony of her wealth and stature… well, she was able to pull a few strings and get me honorably discharged. I’ve been working for her ever since.” “That’s nice and all, but can I have a moment of privacy with my partner?” I gave a start as I heard Flash’s voice. He was standing at the cafeteria entrance. How long had he been there? “Let’s let them talk.” Talon stood up and left the table, Torrent following suit. FlashRain took the now empty seat across from me. “You’re getting awfully friendly with the enemies.” FlashRain said. “Why?” “The closer I get to them, the more I can know about them, this place, and possible ways to escape. If I get close enough, maybe they’ll even let us go.” FlashRain looked thoughtful for a while. “I see. That makes sense. Sorry for doubting you. You’re my partner.” He settled back. “How are you dealing with… well, you know.” “It’s a bit odd, but I feel like I have more energy than before.” I nodded. “It’s not a bad feeling, overall, to be honest.” I stopped talking as something started forming in my head again. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the image assembling itself. It was Corona. Why? I opened my eyes again. “You had a flash of your Intuition Insight just now, right? What did you see?” FlashRain asked eagerly. “A way out? Some way to turn the game around?” “No…” I considered telling him what I saw, but I knew that it would make me look bad. He already had given me a hard time just for being friendly with the guards. “Sorry… I lost my concentration. The image broke before it was able to fully form.” “Oh.” He seemed disappointed, and got up from the table. “Try not to get another strike. From what I heard, the ponies with two strikes had to have several… changes today, and they really are acting their age. Playing with foalish toys, crying a lot, not being able to read or understand certain words…” He sighed. “Just be careful, okay?” “You too, Flash.” We did a quick hoof bump, and he left for his room. I confirmed that he would stay in his room, then headed to find Corona.