//------------------------------// // 1.5: The Soothsayer // Story: Eventide // by AleneShazam //------------------------------// The tavern was in uproar, drinks dished out left and right, ponies flooding the line, and all of the seats filled with eager patrons. It was the cusp of midnight, when the real festivities began and the true tavern spirit emerged. The Silvershine Tavern, renowned in Stalliongrad as the most lively and homely establishment to drink and be rowdy in. Like its namesake, its door was a beautiful silver sheen, polished to mirror-like perfection every day. And past those doors… Was heaven. Pure, unadulterated, alcoholic heaven. The tables and chairs shifted from day to day as patrons decided to join tables, or to split, or to abandon tables entirely for a hearty drunken jig in the center of the tavern, but when they were sat on, they were good tough wood, but soft to a degree and quite spongy. Very comfy. The wooden floor was worn by years and years of hooves, paws, and claws walking too and fro across it, but was still a delicious ebony hue. But the most wonderful was the lights. The Silvershine needed no lamp or lantern, its owner was a delightful unicorn lady who dabbled in all sorts of minor studies in pursuit of better brews and cooking. Home Brew, her name was. But anyway, Home Brew considered herself something of a Do-it-Yourself alchemist and tried her hoof at making sparkling mead, a drink pioneered by mad drinkers of past who thought that booze that would make the drinker glow a bright dazzling glow. Maybe for drunkards who didn’t want to be run over by carriages when they passed out on the way home. So Home Brew went and tried to make some of that sparkling mead, but added too much eye of newt and not enough toadwort essence which made it way too thick to drink - and glow prematurely for long durations. So it would be this thick gummy stuff that glowed in your mouth if you were stupid enough to put it in there, and goes right through you with all the other stuff along for the ride, making for a right terrible mess when it comes out. Seeing this, Home Brew called it Quicksilver. It’s silver and gets around quickly. The enterprising mare that she is, she put a dollop of the stuff in a crystal orb and it glowed whatever color the orb was since quicksilver glowed white light itself. So she could have red orbs with quicksilver that glowed red, blue orbs that glowed blue, so on so forth. She then rigged up a mirror sphere that would reflect and scatter light, and placed red, green, and blue orbs into the sphere, thus making some sort of strobe light that would flash different colors all over the place. It was so strange, so chaotic, so discordantly, that she called it a disco. And in this disco place, was where the night life of Stalliongrad was at. Parties, music, recitals, meetings, beautiful vixen barmaids, all of it could be found in the largest tavern in Stalliongrad, and likely all of Equestria. But that is neither here nor there, because it was only the background for the exciting characters of Stalliongrad’s night streets. Faceless Jack, the shameless swindler; Carbine, the dart throwing queen; Elvis Parsley, the king. Or, and perhaps the most infamous, The Soothsayer. Oh yes, the Pink Menace, The Pink Prankster, She Who Must (And Can) Not Be Named, The Pretty Pony Princess (She was really drunk that night)… No matter the name used, the being invoked was still the same pink bubbly pony whose trade was people. No not slavery, that’s barbaric and wrong. She went into pony’s heads, delving their secrets, discovering sides of them that themselves did not know existed. She was the master of minds, scion of psychology, heroine of hypnosis- Perhaps that’s enough of the alliteration. The door to the Silvershine opened, and all patrons paused in their merrymaking to stare at the newcomer. There was a moment of silence where nopony, nogriffin, no nothing moved. “Hi everypony!” A cheerful voice broke the awkward moment. “PINKIE!” The bar erupted into cheer. Pinkie Pie grinned, and sauntered over to the barkeep. “Heya Home Brew, gimme your best shot.” “My best shot, eh?” Home Brew appreciated a challenge. Smirking at the pink pony, she nodded, and ducked behind the counter. A moment later she came back up, a pitch black bottle in her grasp. “New addition. About as old as it can be without the flavour going off. Baltimare import.” “Ooooo, Baltimare, you say?” Pinkie literally bounced in her seat. “Let me at ‘em!” Smiling knowingly, Home Brew poured a cupful of the drink and passed it over. “They call it Dragonbrand. You’ll figure out why in a moment.” Pinkie drank and figured it out. “Wooooaaaaaaahhh.” Her eyes dilated. “Oh woooooooooow. This,” she hiccuped. “Is the bestest, spiciest drink EVER.” “Figured.” Home Brew said smugly, readying for the inevitable- “Another!” The patrons clinked their glasses at Pinkie’s heroics. “Ahem!” Pinkie said, glass in hoof, her face slightly red from the strong drink. “My fellow drunkards, ponies, griffons, or otherwise - A song and homage to our favorite thing: Booze! "With a chug and a drink and a sip of ale, my day lights up without fail, And a swill and a quaff and guzzle of gin is when the good times begin! All together in the Silvershine Tavern I dunk more booze into this bottomless cavern Cause I never get enough of this wondrous stuff The wondrous stuff that is BOOZE!” Enthusiastic cheering and whistling filled the tavern as Pinkie bowed and bowed again, reveling in the merry atmosphere of the establishment. Home Brew cracked a smile as several more glasses left the counter, and more bits went into the till. “Well Pinkie, what’s the deal this time?” “What, can’t I just be here and enjoy a good night of drink with such good friends?” Pinkie smiled, settling into her seat and taking a small sip. “The last time you said that half of my patrons had their wallets cut.” Home Brew deadpanned. “The time before that you started a bar fight. And the time before the time before you said that you swindled Doris for every bit that she had.” “Uh…” Pinkie smiled again, this time slightly forced. “Coincidence?” “You’re The Soothsayer, Pinkie. Nothing is ever a coincidence with you.” A cloaked mare sat down next to the pink pony. “The plan is in motion, Pinks.” Home Brew raised an eyebrow. “Eheheheh… you caught me there, Brew.” Pinkie chuckled awkwardly. “…Yeah we’re trying to pull something here. Not harmful to your business, of course. Just a convenient venue. So don’t worry your pretty little head about it.” The barkeep snorted disbelievingly, but kept on cleaning mugs. Their conversation was broken off by an interruption up at the stage. A mint unicorn sat gracefully on a chair, a lyre grasped in a golden aura. Next to her, a grey earth pony with a tidy black mane, a large stringed instrument at her side. And finally, behind both of them, a snowy white unicorn with a tangle of electric blue hair and purple goggles that obscured her eyes. “My band - Lyra’s the mint one, Octavia’s the earth pony, and Vinyl’s the white one.” Pinkie grinned. “Your band?” Home Brew asked. “So, the wild pink typhoon is finally settling down for a musician’s life?” “Not musician.” The pink mare said, bouncing over to the four ponies. “Magician.” She stepped onto the stage, and the band began playing a merry tune. It was lighthearted and chipper, fitting for a rowdy tavern as the Silvershine. Vinyl pulled out a tuning crystal, and focused her magic into it. Immediately, it hummed almost imperceptibly. Unseen by the patrons, Pinkie covered her muzzle and muttered under her breath. “Dance.” Almost immediately, one of the drunkards jerked upwards like a puppet, and began dancing mechanically on a table. It was a horribly butchered Russian jig, the drunk flailing his limbs about wildly in an attempt to maintain balance. Pinkie glared at Lyra, who shrugged innocently. “Come on, Lyra, give it your best shot!” She whispered, and the mint unicorn sighed and nodded. She strummed at her lyre in a slow calming rhythm, and the drunk suddenly began smoothly waltzing with a mare he just grabbed out of the crowd. Suddenly, Lyra attacked the strings of her lyre with an excited vigor, turning out what one might confuse for a powerful riff from an enhanced lute. Twist, turn, pivot - the poor fool switched into a fervent tango, spinning on the spot and flourishing as the confused mare leaned into his forelegs. At this point Home Brew had caught on to their little dance act and gave them a deadpan stare. Pinkie grinned apologetically, and muttered “Stop.” The drunk dropped like a rock, flattening himself against the floor, and the mare hastily fled the circle that had formed around the dancing pair. “Now, after that refreshing performance - good show, Stone Hammer - our resident bard Pinkie will sing us an old, sad song from a long time ago.” There was polite cheering as the crowd slowly settled back into their regular drunken stupor. “I sat at midnight in my lonely world, My eyes fixed on my little nightingale. And here I stay, trapped in my hidden vale of tears, as my broken emotions whirled. Watching as my nightingale’s wings unfurled in a silenced melody, in its jail of forced silence, above this forlorn dale. I lay saddened as these lonely smokes curled." The door creaked open and a strange figure stepped into the tavern. It was a bipedal creature, but not a diamond dog or even the rare dragon whelp. Its feet, or rather, hooves, clopped loudly against the wooden floor. A rough and patchy cloak covered its body, swept aside to occasionally reveal shaggy hindquarters, covered in rough coarse white fur. The fur only reached up to its hip - above that was a strange ape-like torso, with a lean but well-muscled figure and coppery tanned skin. However, it was completely bare, no fur beyond its legs, displaying its smooth skin. Its face was like an ape’s but with a more pronounced nose, sharper features, and ram horns that curved back over its rounded ears. It paused at the doors, before sitting down at the counters and continuing the song. “Sing, my dear nightingale, please sing for me, They may mute you, but your voice is still sweet; Fly, my dear nightingale, fly away free, They may cage you, but your wings remain fleet; My little nightingale, soaring with glee, Away from this prison, from these chained feet.” The creature, decidedly male from the sound of his voice, smiled toothily. “The song of the nightingale. A classic, if I do say so myself. Written more than a thousand years ago, it spoke of the frustration and anger that the Children of the Night felt when they were oppressed and dismissed.” He snapped his fingers, a behavior very rarely seen in pony society - mostly due to the lack of fingers - and called for Home Brew’s attention. “Barkeep. Brandy, if you have any. Whiskey will do, too.” Home Brew nodded and poured him a glass of fine whiskey. “My thanks, fair lady.” He tossed her a small pouch filled with bits. “Keep the glass filled.” Pinkie sat down next to him. “So - you know about the old song?” “It was quite common in my time. I learned it from my parents during the long nights.” The creature said, sipping delicately from the glass. “Not nearly as popular nowadays.” He sighed in disappointment. “Hey, you’re new in town, aren’t you?” Pinkie grinned. “I know everypony in Stalliongrad, but I’ve never seen you before!” “Yes, I’m a… traveler, of sorts.” The creature said, taking another drink. “I have been to many places, cities more extravagant than Canterlot, and wildernesses more untamable than the Everfree. Oh, the stories I could tell!” “Oh, oh! What’s your name?” Pinkie asked, excitedly. “And can you tell me one of your stories? Please?” “Sure, sure. It is not a problem.” The creature said, leisurely. “You can call me Aries, the satyr. Now, what do you want to learn about? Maybe when the Badlands were still lush and full of life? Or the legendary dragon conquest?” “Could you tell something about yourself, Aries?” “Well, I suppose I could.” Aries said, kicking back his hooves. “This is a funny story from my adventures. This was a long time ago, when I was still a young strapping buck of a satyr…” Aries trudged up a mountain. This was the fifth mountain this week, and he was getting rather sick of the rugged terrain. Half goat he may be, limitless immortal he was not. As he danced nimbly from one outcropping to the next, he looked back to his companions, who were dragging themselves after him. Cygnus, an unusually large griffon with a fearsome attitude to match her fearsome build, tiredly flapped her wings to propel her leap to another rock. Leo, a sinewy zebra, seemed much less bothered than the griffon, and deftly scaled a cliff face to sit next to Aries. “You stupid…” Cygnus gasped. “Spider horse…” “Jealous, big bird?” Leo grinned, hanging upside down to leer at her. “Zebras are naturally hardy and tough - not my fault griffons aren’t.” “We’re tough!” Cygnus growled, scrabbling up a steep slope up to where the two were resting. “Just… not as tough as you guys, I guess. Give me a blizzard anytime, but please just not another-“ She peered over the rock she was leaning on, and saw mountain after mountain after mountain. “Oh, pluck.” Pinkie sniggered, desperately trying to hold in a laugh. “Oh, hehehe… Cygnus sounds like a great griffon! Will you bring them over sometime?” Aries’ face darkened. “No. If I did… let’s just say that you wouldn’t like her much.” “Why? I wanna be everypony’s friend!” Pinkie said, oblivious to Aries’ change in attitude, “Probably not Cygnus.” Aries said, taking a long draught from the glass. “Refill, please.” Home Brew obliged, and he drained the cup, his eyes suddenly brooding. “What about Leo? He sounds like a funny pony to be friends with.” Aries balled up his fists, his knuckles turning white with force. “Leo… even less so. Trust me in this, Soothsayer. My friends… are not as friendly as you expect. Neither am I as good as you might think.” "Well, we're all friends here, so even if you're not so good, we'll gladly accept you!" “You have my thanks, Pinkie. It is rare to see such kindness in these dark times." He took a calming sip of his drink. "By the way, your little friend there,” He gestured at Vinyl, “Might want to leave soon. There are some folks out there hunting her kind, and they’re coming this way.” “Oh, I know. We’re moving out in a few hours.” “No, you have an hour, tops.” Aries said, swirling his glass around. “Tick tock, Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie grabbed her band. “Girls, we’re leaving town!” “Good choice.” Aries nodded. “Now, go. I don’t want to see good folk like you get hurt because of the idiocy of others.” “Oh, oh! What about you? Do you want to come with? It can be like a camp out! We’ll sing songs, have barbecues, it’ll be fun!” Aries tilted his head slightly. “Perhaps. It has been a long time since I indulged myself in such behavior. I suppose I could. Anyway, I have not seen action in a while, and I could safeguard you from threats of the wild. Wolves are particularly dire these days.” “Yay!” Pinkie beamed. “Hear that, folks? The Pinkie Band is going out on a trip for a while!” The tavern groaned in disappointment. “It’s just gonna be a bit - Aunty Pinkie and co will be back in a jiffy!” Home Brew nodded a goodbye, passing along a bottle of liquor as a parting gift. “Stay safe, eh?” “I’ll keep them safe, lady.” Aries rumbled, standing up. It was at this point that Pinkie saw that he was almost twice as tall as Pinkie was when on all fours, so he towered above her. “Let’s go.” Pinkie followed suit. For some reason, she trusted this strange creature who just appeared in the tavern. He was a kindred spirit of sorts. “Why are we moving, Pinks?” Lyra asked, as they loaded their supplies into a caravan. “And why is that tall dark and mysterious there helping us pack?” She gestured at Aries, who was singlehandedly lifting a crate full of preserved food into the cart. “I enjoy the company.” Aries said, sliding the crate into place. “And the wilderness is hardly a place where three mares should be roaming. You could be accosted by brigands! Or worse, devilish creatures such as kobolds, or goblins. Foul knaves of the forgotten lands. It is my duty to protect fair ladies like you.” “Flatterer, you.” Octavia said, smiling to herself. “Nonsense.” Aries chuckled. “I speak but the honest truth.” He hefted another heavy crate. “We need to hire more guys like you.” Vinyl said, nodding appreciatively. “The height advantage makes lifting a lot easier.” “But of course, strength is not an issue for you.” Aries said, offhandedly. Vinyl froze in her tracks, before slowly turning to face him. “What with your gift and whatnot.” “I… uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” She laughed, in a glaringly obvious lie. “You cover up your gift?” Aries raised an eyebrow. “You spurn what the night has graciously blessed upon you?” He sounded rather incredulous, and there was even a hint of outrage in his voice. “Eh… I don’t…” “But surely your companions know?” Aries pressed, his eyes concerned. “Since Pinkie does?” “I’ve got my Pinkie Sense.” Pinkie said, bouncing over. “The others don’t know about her yet.” Vinyl shrunk back. “I’ll tell them when… when it’s necessary.” The satyr snorted. “Then you will have to soon.” He said, ominously. “A tragic fate, but appropriate for a denizen of the night.” He loaded the last box onto the carriage. “So, who will pull the cart?” “No one.” Lyra said, her horn glowing. The wheels flashed a soft gold, and began slowly pushing forwards. “Magic.” The ponies began trotting after the moving caravan. Aries simply nodded and walked alongside the ponies in silence. “So where’re you from?” Pinkie asked, bouncing closely to Aries. “…Do you know geography beyond Equestria?” “Not really, no!” “Then only imagine a vast mountain range, with uneven terrain for hundreds of miles on end.” Aries said. “Think Equestria, but all mountain.” “Ooooo. Okay, next question.” Pinkie said, and Aries smiled in amusement. The curiosity of the mare was refreshing, compared to the silent caution other ponies subject him to. “Why is your name like that?” “Aries…” He said hesitantly. “Aries is - was - a constellation, a collection of stars that form an image of something. The first of a list of constellations called the Zodiac. Aries was the image of a ram.” “Oh, I see. It’s because of your horns, right?” Aries nodded. “So - third question! Why haven’t I seen more people like you?” Aries' hoof hit the ground. Hard. The packed dirt cracked and shattered into loose earth. “Woah, chill, big guy.” Vinyl quipped from the back of the line. “My people… are an ancient race. They were proud and strong… perhaps too proud.” Aries stared solemnly ahead, gazing at some undefined point in the distance. A home lost. A people gone. “It proved to be their undoing.” Pinkie’s eyes widened. “I am the last satyr, child.” Aries said sadly, with a hint of… resentment? “But it is a thing of the past. I live as I wish, without boundaries and limitations. I am free to frolic under the night sky, and enjoy the stars as they are meant to be.” “You like the night, then?” Pinkie said, bouncing along. “Are you a astronomonomoner?” “An astronomer?” Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Nothing of the sort, I’m afraid.” Aries chuckled. “Just a traveler who thinks the subtle grace of the moon is preferable to the harsh truth of the sun.” “Cool! It’s hard to find anypony who likes the night more than the day.” Lyra said. “Except Vinyl here. She lives for the night life.” “Indeed.” Aries hid a knowing smile, and Vinyl glowered at him. He looked up unexpectedly, suddenly wary. “Pinkie, would I be correct in saying that we should expect company?” Pinkie bounced along thoughtfully, and her body went through a series of spasms and shivers. Her tail, her ears, her hooves - then she nodded. “Yupperoni! Lyra, Tavi, Vinyl, in the cart, please!” Aries raised an eyebrow in surprise. “And you?” “Oh, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves.” Pinkie smiled slyly. “Oh wait, I don’t have sleeves. Um, hooves? Mane?” As she rambled away, the other ponies piled themselves into the carriage, trusting Pinkie’s instincts. “Miss Scratch, whatever you do, don’t come out.” Aries said. “Yeah, we got this!” Pinkie seemed happier than she should be in the circumstances they were in. “Incoming, in three…” Aries said, suddenly perking up. “Two…” Pinkie continued, cheerily. “One!” They said together, as cloaked figures burst out of the woods and onto the path, surrounding the carriage and its two defenders. They formed into a circle of about six. Aries snorted dismissively. “Only six? I can take you singlehandedly.” “Leave me some, Ary!” Pinkie grinned, extending her forehooves. It was then Aries noticed the crystals embedded in bracelets around her hooves. “It’s been a while.” The figures shifted, and one of them pulled off their hood. It was a stallion, with a stony grey coat and a wicked scar down one side of his muzzle. A pony with tales to tell, no doubt. “Hand it over.” “What?” Pinkie responded innocently. Her bracelets hummed faintly. “I have no idea what they are talking about, Pinkie Pie.” Aries said. “Do you?” “Drop the act - I know you are harbouring one of them. Surrender it to us, and we will spare you.” The pony under the cloak said. Aries noted that he had lost the cocky edge he had just a moment ago. “Hey, what about this - you back off, and we don’t beat the cake out of you?” Pinkie smiled, sweetly. The cloaked ponies unsheathed a host of different weapons - daggers, swords, maces, even spears. “You leave us no choice.” Aries sighed as one of the ponies leapt at him. “Are you so eager to cause harm that you would give up your life?” He grabbed the pony’s neck, and began squeezing. Within moments there was a snapping sound and he let go, the corpse collapsing like a broken doll. Pinkie, on the other hand, took the offensive road, jumping up and pinwheeled midair. Her bracelets flashed, and a loud burst of music shook the forest. Music unlike anything ever heard, loud and scratchy, painful to the ear yet invigorating to the mind. It was deep, powerful, and violent, a wild burst of sounds strung together like the thundering birdsong of a legendary roc. “Anypony up for an encore?” She grinned, and her bracelet flashed yet again. The effect was immediate - the ponies scattered as a wave of sound as loud and powerful as thunder smashed into them, clutching at their heads in agony. For Aries, however, it was an opening. The satyr came charging in, the lifeless forms of two ponies in each hand. Tossing them aside like they were no more than mere trash, he lashed out with his cloven leg, the sharp edge of the hoof connecting with one of the downed pony’s head. It snapped sideways, before hanging limply by nothing but the skin of the pony’s neck, the muscles and bone completely torn. From out of nowhere, the uncloaked pony launched himself at Aries, two wicked daggers outstretched. Caught offguard, he could only wince as the daggers plunged into his flesh. “Got you now, freak!” Aries groaned in disappointment. “You wished for death, so death you shall receive.” He grabbed the midsection of the stallion with one hand, and muzzle with another. “Rest in peace.” Aries tensed, and tore the pony in half. Discarding the pieces of pony, he brushed off his hands in the dirt. Even Pinkie was surprised, her eyes dilated at the sight of the torn pony. “I… um… wasn’t expecting that.” “Indeed.” Aries said, looking away from her. “It would seem that I have overstayed my welcome. I should leave.” He grasped the daggers with his hands, and yanked them out of his body. The deep puncture wounds healed in a matter of moments. “No, wait!” Pinkie said, shuddering slightly as she stepped in a patch of innards. “Aries, you don’t have to go…” “I don’t have to - but I wish to.” Aries pointed at the torn corpse on the ground. “I do not belong here, Pinkie Pie. I do not belong in this plane. I am the dying embers of a once raging fire, the last remnant of a race lost in time.” His eyes flashed pure gold, and the corpses suddenly dissolved into ash. "Even death itself despises me, child. You still have a part to play in the world’s tale. But my part has long since been done.” Pinkie sighed in defeat. “Alright… I guess… But I’ll see you again, right?” “Yes.” A breath of relief escaped her. “Where? I… I can’t tell.” Aries rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It would violate a few physical laws to predict that, Soothsayer. However, I suggest you head to Ponyville. There, you will begin a journey like none other.” He turned away, and stepped into the dark woods. “See you soon?” Pinkie asked weakly. Aries hesitated. “Soon. I promise.”