//------------------------------// // Chapter V: Departure // Story: The Fable of the Zealot // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter V Departure Crimson sat in the guild waiting for Spike to sow up. Ivy and the blue haired flyer had already left on their mission. It was to clear out a troll nest just outside of Trottingham. Lucky jerks. The man thought with a sigh. The front door opened to show Spike and Twilight. The scholar had brought a large bag that looked more like one of Rarity’s large suitcases. “Um Twilight.” He said as he eyed the suitcase. “Yeah?” She asked in a happy tone. “What is that?” He pointed to the large bag. “These are Spike’s supplies.” Crimson looked down at Spike who discretely moved his index finger in a circular formation next to his head. “Twi, that is way too much stuff.” “I told you.” Spike said with a sigh. Crimson pulled out a single strap backpack. The strap went across his chest and connected in a diagonal fashion. “This much stuff is all that’s needed. We’ll only be gone three to four days.” The scholar looked at him in surprise. “It’s one thing to be prepared but being over prepared can be counter productive. He should be fine with just a backpack’s worth of supplies and I can help him along the way.” Crimson said as he crossed his arms. Twilight sighed and Spike pulled out a small backpack of his own. “I figured that this would happen so I planned ahead.” Spike said with a shrug. Twilight felt defeated. “I’ve go the essentials.” Crimson looked at his watch. “Okay, out client should be here within the hour. That should give us some time for you to get a weapon and some practice.” Spike set his bag down and followed the man towards the back of the guild. Crimson stopped in front of a black door and gripped the knob. When he opened the door, the two visitors’ jaws dropped. Rows and rows of guns, swords, axes and any other type of weapon you could think of were neatly organized and on display. “Since you’re a dragon, I’m guessing you use fire magic.” “I only use it to send letters to the Princess.” He said with a shrug. Crimson shrugged and grabbed a sword and looked at him and then at Spike. He set it back and continued to rifle through the weapons. He pulled out a small sword that was about the length of the boy’s arm. “You right handed or left?” “Right handed.” He walked over and handed him the blade. “Move it around a bit.” Spike gripped the blade and waved it in a horizontal and vertical fashion. “Too heavy? Too light?” “No, feels okay.” He said as he looked at the blade. Spike looked closer and saw that there were carvings in the metal. “What’s up with these symbols?” “That sword has an enchantment.” Crimson said as he looked at the sword. “It magnifies the user’s magical element and adapts to it.” Spike looked at him in confusion. “Run your magic through it and the blade will be on fire.” Spike’s eyes widened. The group then heard a knock on the door and looked back to see Sunny. “Um Crimson. The client is here.” She said in her usual timid tone. Crimson gave a nod. Crimson grabbed something else and put it on the bench. It was a long sleeve shirt covered in chain mail. There was pants made of the same materiel. Spike held it up and found that it was surprisingly light as silk. “What is this stuff?” “It’s called Plume Armor. Light as a feather but stronger then tempered steel. Its also enchanted to deflect low level magic blasts and can stand up to some sword play. Mind you it won’t stop a point blank stab or a close range bullet, but it should protect you against claws, fangs and some blades.” Twilight gulped. “Put that on under your clothes and meet me outside.” The man and scholar then left for the teenager to get dressed. “You will protect him right?” Twilight asked. “I’ll do my best. It should be easy, but nothing always goes according to plan.” Twilight gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Crimson hid his blush as the two rounded the corner. The red haired man then saw a man standing at about 5’1” with a brown beard and mustache. He looked like he was in his mid fifties and was donning a brown button down shirt that matched his pants and boots. Crimson walked up to the man and crossed his arms. “You the guy escorting me?” He asked in a husky tone. “Yup, names Crimson.” He said as he shook the man’s hand. “Call me Fetch. Is it just you?” “No, one other person is coming.” “That won’t cost me extra will it?” Fetch asked as he raised an eyebrow. “No. Mind if I ask what you’re hauling?” Fetch reached into his coat and pulled out a manifest. Crimson gave it a read and handed it back to the man. Crimson looked over his own shoulder and saw Spike with the mail on and his purple hoodie over his head. The sword was clipped to his belt and his backpack was secured on his back. “Heres our number two now.” Fetch looked at Spike and back at Crimson. “A kid? Is this some kind of joke?” Spike frowned at the man. “Spike here is our probie. He may seem young, but he has some fight in him.” Crimson said. “Probie?” Spike asked. “Probationary member.” Fetch looked between the two and sighed. “Fine I’ll buy it. Beggars can’t be choosers.” The trader said as he walked outside. “Right, now about our payment.” Crimson said as the two followed the man. “There’s a halfway point. You’ll get the first half there and the other when we get to the end.” Spike and Crimson saw the man’s carriage. It was about twenty feet long and ten feet wide. The wagon was being held up by four wooden wheels with a few spokes missing. The man put his fingers to his lips and gave a hard whistle. The wagon seemed to move on it’s own accord towards the man. Spike and Twilight were awestruck. The magical cart looked like it was moving on it’s own to the untrained eye. Crimson however saw differently as did the trader. The cart was being pulled by two horses who’s skin was jet black and clinging to their bones like a wet shirt to the owner’s body. Each horse had a set of wings that were webbed and were the same shade. The spot where their eyes should have been were only vacant holes and gave them an even more ghostly appearance. Crimson looked at the trader who nodded. “We’d best get a move on.” The trader said. “Right.” The man then turned towards Spike. “Better say your goodbyes now. We gotta get moving.” Twilight came up to Spike and crouched so they were eye level. “Spike, listen to everything Crimson says and be careful.” The scholar said as she hugged the teenager. “I know.” The boy said as he returned the hug. “Don’t forget to get plenty of rest.” She said as she tightened her hug. “I know.” Spike said getting a bit annoyed. “And don’t forget-” “Twilight, I’m gonna be fine.” He said as he broke the hug. The scholar sighed and wiped a tear from her eye. “I know, but you’re my little brother and its my job to worry about you.” She said with a sigh. Spike nodded and gave her one last hug. Twilight walked over to Crimson and gave him a kiss for good luck. Twilight watched as the two men got into the cart and went off into the distance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many years ago. A thirteen year old boy with jet black hair and emerald green eyes was laying back in the branch of an old oak tree. In his hand was an alchemy book with several different spell circles on the cover. He adjusted his rectangular glasses and sighed as he turned the page. The man felt a vibration through the tree and looked down to see the headmaster. His name was too tricky to pronounce so everyone just called him Teach. The man was in his mid fifties and had fading brown hair that matched his robes. “Figured you’d be here Crow.” The old man said. “Need something Teach?” He asked not taking his eyes off his book. “Figured I’d introduce you to one of your new squad mates.” Crow rolled his eyes. He had been transferred from squad to squad and it always ends the same way. The others were completely incompetent, leaving him to pick up the slack. “Why can’t you just let be on my own?” He groaned. “Because you need to learn the essentials of teamwork.” “Tell that to the last few squads that didn’t listen to me.” He scoffed. Crow had developed a reputation for being the only one to get out of bad situations while the rest of his squad caught most of the damage. “How many more morons are you guys gonna throw at me until-” Was all he got out as a bolt of magic hit him in the side and knocked him out of the tree. The teenager caught several branches on the way down before landing on his stomach. The boy groaned and bit his lip. “What the hell was that for?” “For calling me a moron.” Crow’s eyes shrank when he heard a girl’s voice. Crow looked up to see a girl with long wavy red hair that went down to the middle of her back. The girl was donning a pair of black pants and a brown vest that matched her boots that clung to her legs and had a slight heel to them. On her left arm was silver gauntlet with a rose engraved in the metal. “Crow, this is our new student. Rosario Vermillion.” The older man said as Crow got to his feet. “Rose, this is Crow Blackbird. Crow show her the ropes.” The boy sighed. “Play nice.” He said before vanishing in a flash of light. Crow sighed and looked at the girl, she looked about three years older than him. “Sorry about shooting you out of the tree.” She said as she crossed her arms. “Look, I don’t want any help okay.” Crow said as he cracked his neck. “Bad enough that I have to be on a team, but with a rookie?” Rose frowned at the boy. “Lets just find the other two, do a mission so I can get transferred.” “Jackass.” Rose said as she followed the boy back into the building. The two teenagers kept silent as they walked through the halls of the castle. “The fire spitter started it!” A gruff voice yelled from a doorway. “Oh great, them.” Crow sighed as he face palmed. “Yeah right.” Another voice said. The door in front of them opened to show a boy with jet black hair and deep red eyes. Another had silver colored hair and brown eyes. “Both of you can it!” The voice of the headmaster bellowed as he walked out of his office. “You two have been butting heads since you both entered here.” The headmaster notice Crow and Rose. “Perfect timing. Rose meet Orion Comet and Silver Streak, your other two squad mates.” “Hey.” She said with a smile. The two boys then saw Crow and looked at one another before looking at the headmaster. “I this some joke?” Streak yelled. “You’re pairing us with him?” Orion complained. Crow rolled his eyes at the two. He always got caught in the crossfire of their feuds, most of the times without injury. The same can’t be said for other bystanders. “Yes, and that’s the end of it.” The two grumbled. “One more complaint and I’ll kick both of your behinds out of this place faster than you can say ouch.” That shut both of the rivals up. “I still don’t see why we have to deal with the rookie and Creepy Crow.” Orion said under his breath. “For once we agree on something.” Crow said as he walked up to the other two. “You two are the last people I wanna be paired with, not to mention the rookie here.” He said as he pointed over his shoulder. Rose cracked her neck and tapped the young boys on their shoulders. “Hey guys.” The three turned to look at her only to be met with a swift punch that knocked all three of them off their feet and onto the floor. The three looked up to see the girl cracking her knuckles and dark red aura coming from her body. “Call me a rookie again and I’ll put you all in an early grave. Got it?” “Yes.” The three boys said out of fear. “Yes what?” She asked as she glared at them. “Yes, ma’am.” The three blurted out. “Good.” She said as she helped Orion and Streak up. She offered Crow her hand but the raven haired man pushed it away and got up on his own. Teach looked at the girl and grinned. She had just single handedly dropped the three most troublesome boys in the school with only one fist. “Ms. Vermillion,” The group turned their attention to the older man. “congratulations. You are now the Captain of Team Castle.” Rose’s jaw dropped. “Let’s see if you can tame the untamable and don’t be afraid to get rough with them.” “Believe me sir, there won’t be any problems.” The girl then turned her attention back towards the boys. “Will there?” “Nope.” Orion gulped “I’m good.” Streak said as he straightened his posture. Rose looked at Crow who just rolled his eyes. “I’m out of here.” The man’s body glowed a dark green and his body turned into a flock of crows that flew down the hall and rounded the corner. “What is with that guy?” Orion asked. “Got me.” Streak stated as they started to show Rose around the school. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Present Crimson was sitting next to the trader at the front of the cart. It had been over two hours since the three had left the small town. Fetch looked back at Spike who was fiddling with his hands and staring down at the floor boards. “He your son or something?” Fetch said breaking the silence. Crimson gave a chuckle. “No, he’s my girlfriend’s brother.” “The purple haired girl?” Crimson nodded. “So you’re stuck babysitting.” “Bonding.” Crimson corrected. The red haired man looked ahead and saw a few police men with a road block in front. The cart pulled to a halt and Crimson dismounted. “What’s going on here?” “Rockslide.” One of the officers said. “The way up ahead is completely blocked by rocks. Damn near took out everything on the side of the mountain.” “When will it be cleared?” “Three weeks at the earliest.” The red haired man sighed and walked back over to the cart where Spike and Fetch were waiting. “We’ve got a snag.” Crimson sighed. “Rockslide took out the road ahead and the road won’t be clear for at least three weeks.” “Three weeks?” Fetch yelled. “My boss will kill me if I’m that late.” “Calm down.” Crimson said as he pulled out a map from his bag. “I’m sure that there’s another way.” He set the map down on the cart’s seat and the three boys looked it over. “I doubt those things can fly with this thing right?” Crimson said as he looked at the Thestrals. “Nope.” “What things?” Spike asked. “I’ll explain later.” Crimson said as he turned his attention back to the map. All the other main roads that lead to their destination would take weeks to get to. All the main roads seem to go around a massive forest. Spike looked at the map closely and noticed a small trail running through the forest. “What about this?” The boy said as he pointed to the small trail. Crimson shivered and his face went pale. “The Smog? Forget it!” Crimson stated. “The Smog?” Fetch asked. “A small trail that cuts through the Smog forest. The trail ends just before the town where this midway point of yours is.” Crimson said as he tapped on the map. “How long will it take us?” “We’d get there by tomorrow.” Crimson stated. “But I’m warning you, its nearly impossible to navigate.” “How bad could it be?” Spike asked. “One does no simply walk through the Smog. The water goes from boiling hot to sub zero in a matter of seconds. The air coming from the bogs will choke the life out of you.” Crimson sighed. “It makes the Everfree look like an arboretum.” Spike gulped at the words. “Well, then you know where I’m going.” Fetch stated as he climbed aboard his cart. “Are you insane? There’s no way you’ll be able to make it through.” “Sounds like you’ve been there before.” The trader said as he scratched his chin. “Yeah and I, along with my team, barely got out of there alive!” Crimson said as he looked at the cart. “There are worse things than manticores and wolves in those woods!” Crimson yelled. “Well, that’s where we come in right?” Spike said. “If Ivy or one of the other’s were with us then maybe and if we do this then you are going home.” Crimson said as he looked at Spike. “What?” Spike yelled. “The Smog is no place for a child.” Spike gritted his teeth. “I promised Twilight that I’d look after and protect you. Sending you home is the best course of action.” The hybrid was fuming as he was being talked down to by the man. An idea came to him. He quickly pulled out a quill and started writing something down on a piece of paper. “What are you doing?” The hybrid finished writing and handed the man the message. Dear Twilight, Guess what your boyfriend did? He sent me home on my own while he decided to go an alternate route with the trader. Sure there are bandits, manticores and wolves out there that are just looking for an easy target such as myself, but I’ll be fine. Your little brother, Spike. P.S. If I don’t make it back, tell Rarity I love her. P.P.S. Line my casket with gems so I have something to snack on in the afterlife. Crimson gulped at the thought of Twilight, the rest of the elements and three Princesses converging on him. The man quickly ripped the letter up. Spike whistled and held up a perfect copy of the torn letter. “I can write a hundred words a minute thanks to Twilight’s yammering.” He grinned. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if Twilight got this?” The boy took in a deep breath of air and Crimson saw the green flames building in his mouth. “Okay fine! You can come.” Crimson grumbled. “Ha! Nice one kid.” Fetch said with a laugh. Spike pocketed the letter and hopped in the back of the cart. Crimson sighed and started to lead the two back towards the entrance to the forest. The man had a gut wrenching feeling in his stomach and prayed that he wouldn’t run into them.