//------------------------------// // The Ponies You Meet On The Road // Story: Friendship's Gate: Tales of the Pony Coast // by BrightIdea //------------------------------// FG:TPC- The Ponies You Meet On The Road by King of Malta “Twilight! Wake up! Wake up! Please, please wake up!” “I don’t know about this one. She looks like she is in Dead-town to me. I say we check her pockets for anything useful.” “Nonsense. Her breathing is just fine, see? Now, Spike be a dear and prop her mouth open just a tad. Ah there we go, this will make everything all better.” If Twilight’s mind had not been so numb she would have thought to herself how interesting it was as her senses one by one came back to life from the void of nothing she had been before. Such a internal monologue would have followed as thus: ‘Spike? Is that you? I can’t see or feel or do anything! I don’t know what’s going on. Wait, she thinks I’m dead? Granted I’ve never been in a state of mind…or lack of…like this before I’m ninety-percent certain I’m alive just…not well. Besides it would be quite impossible to take any of my things, their all enchanted to-Oh My! That feels great! I mean it feels like magical energy flowing through every cell of my body. I wonder if she used Charmluck’s spell of Cure Wounds or possibly Swifthoove’s spell of Up-and-At-Them? Well, given the time it would take to cast both AND that she would need a channeling device for-oh wait. I can feel again! I can smell and…someone needs a bath.’ Though in this case, Twilight for the first time in her life thoughtlessly opened her eyes and sat up. As her vision returned she opened her mouth to speak-only for Spike to slam her into the ground again with a surprisingly powerful hug. “T-t-wilight I-I thought you were dead! I…I followed you and…I followed you and saw what happened.” The baby dragon’s words and his hug grew tighter, Twilight could feel as his gaze looked off guiltily “I saw…you hurt and Gorion…Gorion…” “Dead, Spike. Gorion’s dead, Spike. I know.” Twilight’s body froze, the memories of last night flooding into her mind, but the warmth of Spike quickly melted her body and soul. Returning the hug a single tear slipped out and down her snout…soon followed by another and another. The damn had burst inside of her and she couldn’t…no, she didn’t want to stop as her grief poured into the world. She pushed away the pain deep inside of herself, relieving the baby dragon of his instead. For as long as she had been alive it was Gorion that lead her. He had always been there when she needed help with a bully or got in way over her head with a her studies. As she grew, so did he, his body getting older, and Twilight had easily pushed away any thought that Gorion would one day no longer be in her life. He had told her often enough that it would look strange for a mare of her age to be accompanied by a old stallion like himself. He always pushed her to make friends, joking as he asked her what she would do on a road with no friendly company. She had always told herself that Gorion would be there for her, he was too powerful and too big of a person in her life to fall down. Yet here she was. Alone…except for… “Rarity, a pleasure to meet you Twilight Sparkle though I do wish it was under more desirable circumstances,” the other Unicorn says as she flicks back her purple mane and offers a pleasant smile which turns to a dark frown as she continues “I mean a green dress! I would under more desirable circumstances never be caught dead in this old thing but, the lovely violet silk ensemble l wore just the other day was ruined. My…dear, dear, dear, and dear…acquaintance here was a tad brutish in dispatching some bandits and one of them spilt all his blood over my dress! It was…the worst…possible thing! I mean-“ “Yea, yea, yea. You’re lucky you didn’t end up dead in that dress,” Rarity’s rainbow manned partner interrupted, flexing her wings from underneath studded leather armor. Turning to Twilight she winks “Your lucky too that ole Rainbow Dash found you lying by the road. Your dragon friend here passed riiiight by you. He seemed distracted.” Rainbow Dash tilts and nods her head in Spike’s direction, and from the corner of her eye she can see him staring intently toward Rarity with a dopeish grin on his face. For her part Rarity doesn’t seem to notice Spike’s gaze, only staring daggers at Rainbow Dash and preparing to say something else but, Twilight interrupts her as she weakly attempts to stand on all her hooves. “Now darling, you shouldn’t do that so soon. Here take this” Rarity says with concern on her face her horn glowing with magic, she lifts a blue potion bottle from saddle bags neatly laid out on the ground behind her. “A healing potion? N-no I’m fine. The one I believe you gave me earlier was enough.” Twilight replies with a shake of her head. “Now, now. Take it. I have plenty and you’re in more need then either I or Rainbow.” “Hey! It will take us forever to get to Amania if you keep on giving away our healing potions to every single egghead in trouble” Rainbow Dash snorts, flapping her wings and hovering off the ground several feet. The twin short swords in her belt are easily noticeable. “Wait. You two are going to Amania?” Twilight asks tilting her head as she looks between the two, her eyes narrowing as several thoughts spring into her head. “Yeah were going to Amania. Someone has to figure out this whole iron and gem shortage before the whole Pony Coast goes to Nightmare’s Moon.” Rainbow Dash shouts waving her arms out. “Yes. You see our employers…a respectable guild of concerned merchants…are concerned as to the root of this iron and gem shortage.” Rarity interrupts Rainbow Dash before she can continue ranting on. “Wait, gems are in shortage too?” Twilight asks flexing her legs and finding most of her strength has returned to her. She might need it if these two turn out to be bandits or worse… “Yea, ponies just say its iron but, the bandits have also been hitting magical gem caravans heading to Friendship’s Gate all of a sudden. No magical gems and a war between Friendship’s Gate and Amania means our bosses can’t sell them at high prices to Saddledeep, they can’t create new magical spells or weapons, and can’t feed their precious dragons to-“ “So you see Twilght,” Rarity says throwing a serious glance at Rainbow Dash that means ‘Shut Up’ in three living and four dead languages “We should part ways soon if we are to solve this crisis in good time but, I have an…iiiideeeaa! Why don’t you come with us to Amania?” “Wha-“Rainbow Dash begins to say before Twilight cuts her off. “What? Why me? A stranger you just met on the road?” “Ah yes a stranger that we met and SAVED on the road. Who should owe us a debt of gratitude? After all, if we don’t stop Friendship’s Gate and Amania going to war its likely you and everyone elsse on the Pony Coast will be affected in the most terrible ways. What else do you have on your schedule that could be more important than that?” “I can think of one thing…” Twilight says looking off into the forest from where she had run from last night. - “Wha-what are they doing to Gorion’s c-corpse?” “Eating him. I hate, hate, and hate gibberlings.” Rainbow Dash answers Spike’s question before flying off into the sky overhead, both her short swords draw in her hooves. Twilight Sparkle is stunned by the sight before her. Hoping to bury her mentor’s body so that his soul may find peace in the afterlife she is instead met by a writhing and howling horde of fur and flesh. Stepping into the clearing she had just been to hours ago was hard enough for Twilight as Gorion’s last moments from last night played over and over endlessly in her mind. To see a dozen filthy, gibbering, howling, monstrous, blue and black furred beasts tearing at the flesh of Gorion and the two dead Ogres broke something precious within Twilight. Even Spike on her back cringes and hides behind her mane, never thinking that his first sights of the world outside Bridlekeep would be anything like this. “TWILIGHT! SPIKE! Please darlings, SNAP OUT OF IT. They’ve noticed that they are entertaining company NOW.” Rarity shouts to both of them while waving a floating dagger surrounding by her own magical energy before pointing back at the gibberlings. Half of their numbers have turned their beady, red, and hungry eyes toward the two ponies and baby dragon. They break off from the feast, stepping over each other as they howl out in a primal hunger. Most of them don’t have any weapons to speak of just their blood encrusted claws but, three do have small daggers and one swings the torn off leg of Gorion as they charge. “Spike,” Twilight whispers as the sight of Gorion’s leg jolts her out of her near fatal paralyzation. With an almost unnerving sense of calm her mind begins to concentrate on a certain spell while her mouth moves on “Roast them.” Twilight releases her spell at the gibberlings a ball of energy forms at the tip of her horn and shoots outward turning from pure energy into a ball of black and brownish liquid which explodes at the feet of the charging gibberlings. Immediately their charge disintegrates as they slip and slide in the grease, practically wallowing in the grease as they try to use one another to get out of the area affected by the spell. Before they can though Spike inhales and then exhales, a spout of green flame leaping several yard to ignite the entire pile of gibberlings into an inferno of roasting flesh. Unknown to Twilight the screams of the gibberlings’s agony brings feelings of relief also, carnal emotions of excitement and thrilled pleasure she knows is sick and depraved. ‘It is almost like sweet music’ she thinks to herself as her eyes begin to tunnel vision fixed on the gibberling’s deaths. She is suddenly shaken out of her trance when she hears Spike call out to her, his voice somehow sounding like it is far away instead of right behind her. “Twilight! Snap out of it! There are more of those things!” Spike says urgently, shaking Twilight’s mane in his claws. Twilight comes back to the world like a suffocating fog has been lifted from her mind; she shakes her head for clarity surprised to find tears rolling down her cheek. She ponders what were the tears for, tears of joy or sadness at what she had done? “Don’t worry dear, Rainbow and I have them.” Rarity calls trotting around the finally silent patch of green fire with her horn blazing with built up magic. As the fires die down Twilight can finally see that Rainbow Dash hadn’t been lazy all this time. Of the remaining gibberlings three dead from multiple stab wounds from which Rainbow Dash had delivered as she hovers above and zipping around the gibberlings. “Nyah, nyah. Got no wings. Can’t catch me” Rainbow Dash taunts them as she literally flies circles around their heads. “No need to be such a showboat. Let us end this little party.” Rarity says as she releases her magic, the light blue of her magical energy becoming a sickly green as she releases three of the same spells in quick succession toward the remaining three gibberlings. The magic strikes each one directly and the effects are immediate as they stagger and croak weakly as if drained of life. Twilight can even see patches of their dirty black fur become white before they topple over dead as a dead gibberling. “Where is the fun in killing them instantly with magic? That has no style or coolness.” Rainbow Dash says to Rarity as she drops back to the ground, rolling her eyes as she begins to push around the remaining gibberling corpses. “Oh yes, you certainly are the one to be giving types in style with that ugly, leather pigskin while looting those hideous things.” Rarity retorts, rolling her eyes and turning away from her companion. “Twilight do you see what I have to put up with? I deserve more elegant company then this…Twilight?” “She’s with Gorion.” Spike answers her, walking to Rarity’s side as he points to Twilight. Kneeling beside her mentor Twilight takes in fully the gashes and chunks of missing meat from his corpse. She thought it would have been impossible but, the gibberlings had yet to touch Gorion’s face which despite the damage to his body makes Gorion looks as if he was simply sleeping. Her gorge rises in her throat not from the sight of Gorion but, remembering the feelings of pleasure and excitement at killing the gibberlings. ‘Gorion would be ashamed of me if he knew what I was feeling and thinking’. “Spike…Rarity…Rainbow Dash,” Twilight finally says after several minutes of silent vigilance. All three turn to Twilight, even Rainbow Dash holding her tongue as she sees the sadness in Twilight as the Unicorn turns to them. “I think…I know… Gorion wanted to stop this. To stop war from breaking out between Friendship’s Gate and Amania. I’ll go with you to Amania on two conditions: we go to the Friendly Hoof Inn to meet Gorion’s friends he was to meet with after we bring Spike back to Bridlekeep.” “What!? Twilight no I’m not leaving you.” Spike cries out running over to Twilight and hugging her tightly. “I’m serious Spike. Your too young and the world outside Bridlekeep is too dangerous for you.” “I’m serious about staying too. Twilight, if this war happens Bridlekeep will be caught in the middle and if I don’t help and you all fail I’ll spend a thousand years feeling guilty I couldn’t stop it from happening.” “He is right,” Rarity chimes in pointing in the direction of Bridlekeep “The war would be terrible and I do believe Bridlekeep has a policy of not letting anyone entry unless they have a priceless book and a policy of death to anyone who steals from their library” “Ah. Heh. You saw those in my bags.” Spike says blushing red. “Spiiiike! You didn’t steal books did you? Why?” Twilight says shocked that Spike would break such a rule. “Well, they weren’t anything big or important just…spell books for you…so you could continue to study your magic…” Spike says to his feet as he looks down away from Twilight’s accusing gaze. “Spike…” Twilight softens immediately, giving Spike n affectionate nuzzle. “Alright. Fine you want to come to our possible doom? Okay. Just…stay behind me when we fight and stay away from any tavern bars.” “Really? Thanks Twilight!” Spike latches onto Twilight again. She sighs and turns toward Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “Do you agree to my other condition? We head to the Friendly Arm Inn first?” “Well, it would give me a chance to get new clothes and clean my dirty ones.” “Your part of the party now. I’ll watch your back and keep my hooves off your purse the entire time!” Confident that they will stick to their word and not try to kill her or Spike she turns back to Gorion using her magic to gently lift his body to prepare a grave. As Gorion’s corpse moves a pouch trapped underneath his corpse and untouched by the gibberlings falls off to the ground. Twilight curiously picks up the pouch with her magic and opens its contents to reveal a simple piece of paper. “From the prophecies of Starswirl the Bearded?”