//------------------------------// // The Troll Woman // Story: Chaotic Neutral // by C-Puff //------------------------------// Chapter 21 The group and the troll stared each other down. Discord's eyes narrowed as he stood rooted to the spot. Fluttershy whimpered something as she took a few steps backwards and hid between his legs. The other ponies remained where they were, legs and wings tensing as they waited to see who would make the first move. Twilight's gaze stayed locked on the large creature as it looked over the ponies in front of it. Its gaze resting a little longer on Discord before it turned its full attention on Twilight. Her stance widened slightly, but she didn't budge. “You are asking for help?” The troll asked. Its voice was layered with a thick, guttural accent. A few of the ponies exchanged uncertain glances with each other. Twilight straightened a little but kept her guard up, a light frown on her face. “We thought there might be ponies living here who could help us.” She said diplomatically. As her initial shock wore off, Twilight looked the troll up and down once again. By the shape of its chest, style of clothing, and the length and condition of its wooly hair, Twilight guessed it to be female. She didn't seem to have any weapons either in her hands or among the small pouches, amulets and dried herbs on her belt. The troll gave her head a slow shake. “No ponies in the area. Too far from town. You go to Dartmoorton you find the nearest ones. If you walk for a day over there.” She pointed in the direction they'd been heading. “There's nopony before that at all?!” Pinkie whined with disappointment. Twilight gave a small sigh, but nodded. “Thank you.” She turned, ready to lead the others away from the small cottage when the troll spoke up again, not having moved. “Perhaps is not a good idea for you to be travelling in the dark,” She said. It wasn't a question. “You say you are needing help. I can give to you,” She turned her gaze to Discord, pointing a twig-like finger at him. “Your friend is hurt, I can see. I can give help to you if you want. It'd be better than walking further until Dartmoorton.” Twilight's frown deepened at this. She stared at the troll woman with suspicion before she turned to the rest of her friends, a meaningful look on her face. The others answered the silent question with worried, nervous expressions, except for Pinkie who was nodding eagerly with a large grin on her face. Twilight turned back to the troll and was about to decline when Discord spoke up. “I don't suppose you have any tea, do you, my good woman?” Twilight spun to give him a wide-eyed stare but he ignored her, regarding the troll woman instead. He was no longer glaring at her and had apparently relaxed into his usual, nonchalant mood that he reserve for strangers. The troll woman gave a deep nod at this, turning and beckoning them inside. “Nettle. Is very good for health.” “Better than nothing.” Discord said, standing up again and strolling over. Fluttershy gave a squeak and trotted after him, trying to hide from the world in general under his tail. “Discord, do you know what you're doing?” Twilight hissed with a sharp frown as he walked past her. “No need to get worked up, Princess.” Discord said with a lowered voice, giving her a condescending pat on the head. “She won't eat us or she would have tried to grab us by now.” “And what if she tries to eat us later?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow at him. “She won't,” Discord shrugged. “Trolls are funny things. At least as far as the ladies go. Now if it had been a gentleman who greeted us, I would have advised we turn tail and run. But a lady will always decide whether she's in the mood to help somepony, or roast them for their fat, and then keep to that decision. Lucky for us we've gotten her in a good mood.” “Otherwise... she woulda eaten us?” Applejack asked nervously. “Oh, without a moment's hesitation, yes,” Discord nodded. “No question about it.” “Great.” Rainbow grumbled. “I really don't think I like this.” Rarity said, shifting from hoof to hoof nervously. “It'll be fine, I assure you,” Discord said with certainty, turning and heading back for the cottage. “Trust me.” Twilight pursed her lips, turning to give Fluttershy a questioning glance. Fluttershy was shaking, but gave a weak smile. “If... If Discord says it's alright... I... ..I guess we'll be ok... maybe.... I hope...” “Plumb fool idea, if ya ask me.” Applejack muttered, adjusting her hat. “But she said she could help!” Pinkie bounced in place enthusiastically. “And she has a really neat house, and it smells kinda funny and she said she'd give us nettle tea! And Discord thinks it's ok!” And, apparently satisfied that this would settle the argument, Pinkie bounced forward and entered the cottage. Discord gave a nod and followed after her, his head poking out the door again to see if they'd follow him. Twilight gave a deep sigh, thought it over for a moment, and then headed in after them. “We won't spend the night but... maybe we can see if she can help us get some supplies at least.” She mumbled, turning to the others. “Alright, but if that thing tries anything funny, I'm gonna whack it so hard!” Rainbow promised, landing. “I don't know if I like Discord's opinions on who we should and should not trust, but I'll do what ever you feel is best, dear.” Rarity said to Twilight nervously. “Plumb fool idea.” Applejack grumbled, but she followed all the same, rolling her shoulders as she adjusted her saddlebags. Twilight gave them a grateful smile as she stepped inside the small house, hoping Discord was thinking this through beyond just the promise of tea. The inside of the cottage was cluttered, to say the least. One of the walls was completely hidden behind a large set of shelves piled high with green glass bottles, as well as leaves that'd been tied together, dried out honeycombs, various claws and teeth, and the occasional skull from a small animal. Against another wall, several household items were stacked up. A moldy looking broom, woven baskets similar to the one outside, dented bowls and pans made of rough steel and a random assortment of wooden utensils. Every rafter seemed to be used for storage of some kind, as bundles of herbs, antlers, animal jaw bones, and clusters of feathers dangled down. There was a fire-pit in the middle of the room, over which a cast iron pot was suspended from a spit. Its steaming contents smelled of wild plants and roots. Discord circled the room a few times, looking over all the strange things and ingredients before he headed for what seemed to be the troll woman's sleeping area. It was less a bed and more a nest of straw, animal hides, sheets of fabric, and mottled feathers. Discord flopped down onto it and made himself comfortable, giving a drawn out sigh. Fluttershy made some nervous noises as she trotted over to him, but the strange surroundings unnerved her and she struggled to say anything coherent. The other ponies gathered awkwardly around the room as the troll woman headed for the set of shelves. She started scratching around, pulling out handfuls of leaves and twigs. Eventually, she turned and headed for the spit. She put the gathered items down before collecting a well-used mortar and pestle from her disorganised pile of dishes. With a verbal noise of discomfort, she sat down on the floor and went about grinding her ingredients together. “Strange time for you to be travelling.” She said as she turned to watch the group. Rarity had moved to sit down on the wooden floor a few feet away from the fire. Rainbow Dash was giving the dangling items dirty looks, while Applejack seemed to be inspecting the assortment of herbs on the shelves with honest interest. Pinkie was sticking her nose quite literally into every nook and cranny of the cottage, smiling widely to herself as she explored. Twilight had been looking over the room at large, but turned to focus on the troll when she spoke. “You mean with magic not working?” She asked, sitting down as well. The troll woman nodded slowly. “Things are not so good, I think,” She turned to look at Discord who was busy trying to coax Fluttershy into joining him in the nest with apparently little success. “Things are not so good for you too, I see.” Discord turned to her when he realised he was being spoken about. “What, you mean this?” He extended his bat wing. “Oh, it feels worse than it looks, I assure you.” “It'll feel better if you stop stretching it!” Rainbow snapped as she came and lay down beside Twilight, shooting Discord a frown. He stuck his tongue out at her but curled it away again. “Is more than that,” The troll woman said. She put down the mortar and reached for a ladle in the boiling pot, stirring it and then scooping out a small amount of water to add to her grinding. “This area is not good for travelling. You look like you come from somewhere else. I think you might want to leave this place and go back home.” “Why? Magic isn't working anywhere. Or is there something else we should know about that's around here?” Twilight answered. She tried to avoid telling the troll that, in reality, they had no choice but to keep travelling through the area, regardless of whether it was dangerous or not. Even if trolls were not the most social creatures she'd read about, Twilight didn't want to risk any other travellers along the road finding out why they were there. In answer to her question, the troll woman made the tired, weary noise that seemed to be reserved for old women. “There is bad things happening here. Is why I move away. I stay here a little while then go on to the mountains, higher up.” “Bad things? Like what?” Rainbow asked, scrunching her muzzle. The troll woman put down the pestle and, with considerable effort, stood up again. She carried her mortar towards Discord and Fluttershy. Fluttershy seemed to have given in to Discord's tugging on her wing, and had sat down on the edge of the nest. When the troll came closer though, she hopped to her hooves and skittishly moved out of the way. At the movement, Discord raised his head from where he had been dozing off to see what was wrong. Noticing the troll woman's approach he relaxed again. “There is a strange pony in Kerry Shire,” The troll woman started. As she spoke, she lowered herself to sit on the ground once again. She reached out for Discord and took hold of his wing, to which he responded by stretching it open for her. She went about unwrapping Rarity's scarf and undoing the gauze. “I knew him when he was young. But he is not good now.” “Ya mean Blue Jay?” Applejack guessed. “We've been hearin' about him. Sounds kinda like he's got a few screws loose or somethin'.” The troll made a drawn out noise at this. “He was clever when he was young. Not so many unicorns this far from your country. Blue Jay was not only unicorn, but very good at magic. I lived close to Kerry Shire then. Sometimes came to buy food or tools. Blue Jay always showing off and acting smart. He said to me one time he was greatest at magic. Nothing too strange for a young pony to say. Did not think much of it. He seem really serious though. I think he was sure he could do anything with magic. But Kerry Shire was burned by fire ants. Blue Jay not able to do anything and became upset.” She stopped, turning to look at the ponies again. “Is long story. Blue Jay came back to Kerry Shire now. Is better you don't be around here.” “But he's exactly the pony we gotta go see!” Pinkie blurted out. “He's the meanie-head we have to tell to stop messing around with magic!” “Darn it Pinkie,” Applejack sighed, giving her a frown. “What? It is what we're here for, right?” Pinkie blinked back at her. There was a pause in the room as the ponies looked back and forth between each other. Twilight bit her lip, turning to see what the troll's reaction to this was. The troll, however, didn't seem as outwardly shocked as Twilight expected. She was busy dipping her thin fingers into the ground up paste before methodically layering it over the small puncture wound on Discord's wing. Discord was watching her out of the corner of his eyes as she worked, but his paw and claw were busy playing idly with the tip of Fluttershy's tail. Twilight gave a long sigh. “Yeah. We're here to try and at least talk to Blue Jay,” She confessed. She adjusted herself, lying down on the floor and putting one foreleg over the other as she turned to watch the troll woman with renewed intensity. “We know he's the one who is responsible for magic no longer working, both here and in Equestria. We've come to see if there's any way for us to stop him. He stole something from a group of ponies to the south which we were told can cancel out magic around it. We don't know how he's done it, but it looks like he's found a way to amplify its power.” The troll woman gave a meaningless noise at this, putting down her mortar and getting up, heading back to her shelves. “I spoke to him when he was coming back this way. Still close to Kerry Shire at that time. I say he must stop, but he is saying he needs to be finished.” “Finish what, exactly?” Rarity asked. “I think,” Twilight said thoughtfully, “that you may need to tell us what happened after Kerry Shire burned down.” Returning to her seat with a rolled stretch of fabric, the troll woman was silent for a few moments. Then, after sucking in a breath through he teeth, she continued; “Kerry Shire was burned down by fire ants. Very sad. Many ponies and others in the town die. Blue Jay hurt but did not die. He became very angry. He always saying too many creatures know too much magic. He say that ponies should not let creatures like that do like this. But Kerry Shire was too broken. Ponies which was left went to Dartmoorton or back to your country. Blue Jay want to go find fire ants but he could not go alone. No-one else want to go. Blue Jay stayed in burnt Kerry Shire for a while. Always trying to get stronger with magic. I tell him once it's dangerous, but he not listen and practice more wild magic. I could see the light from my home. One night there was big noise and I go outside to see. I could see glow from spell in broken village. I went to see what is happen and I find Blue Jay. He is hurt and I care for him for a while. He says to me he knows now what to do. He can take magic away from such creatures. He can make it so no-one has magic to burn villages. He says he learns how to take it away so nothing is left. I tell him is bad idea, but he no listen. He is still thinking he is one of the strongest magic ponies. Not many other unicorns outside your country. Not many unicorns for him to know. He says to me, in his spell he spoke to the land. He says the land tell him to save her from ponies with too much power. I tell him this is not true. The land does not speak to us in such ways. She uses her own language, and it is too old for a pony to understand with words. But Blue Jay no listen. He say he must take away magic, from ponies with power and creatures who are hurting others. So he leave. I thought he was on a futile mission. But then he came back, and he has a stone. The stone keeps away magic, but he say he learned how to use it. He say he study for a long time and speak to many other ponies to learn how. That night, I see the light again, but this time it is white, and keeps going. In the morning, I see the animals of magic suffer. I decide to go. I leave, heading for the mountains, but I see magic fading everywhere. I come to this house. No-one live here so I make it my home for now. I was hoping something would change if I wait. Nothing yet so far.” At the end of this, she raised her eyes to Twilight again. “But you say you are here to see him now.” Twilight gave a silent nod. She was a little dumbfounded by the story. Not because it was unbelievable, or any stranger than anything she'd ever had to face before, but because all of what had happened to them, Equestria, and the princesses, was because a single pony had had something bad happen to him and was lashing out. Part of her felt bad for a pony who had their home and family destroyed by wild animals, but no matter how she tried thinking about it, she found she couldn't stir up enough sympathy to see his actions as being justified. 'Oh, so self-righteous, Princess Twilight.' The little voice in the back of her head purred. She pulled a face to herself. “We need ta stop him from all this craziness!” Applejack said sharply. “Ya can't go hurtin' other folks just 'cause somethin' bad happened ta yours.” The last sentence was said with her usual strong conviction, but after she got it out a pained expression crossed her face and she dropped her gaze. “I agree!” Rainbow Dash all but interrupted, getting to her hooves again. “And hey, at least a crazy pony is something we can deal with! We've had to face enough of them on this trip already! What's one more?” “I might actually be relieved,” Rarity said with a breath. “I was imagining the worst kinds of monsters we might have to face at the end of all of this.” “This'll be easy!” Pinkie added, clapping her front hooves together. “Let's not get ahead of ourselves, everypony,” Twilight spoke up, trying to quell the rising excitement. “Just because this is the work of a pony doesn't mean it won't be dangerous. After all, Sombra was 'just a pony' too. Technically.” “Aw, why you gotta be a buzzkill, Twilight?” Dash whined, her wings slumping. “She's right though,” Applejack agreed, her composure regained. “I don't want us getting' ourselves inta trouble we coulda avoided 'cause we weren't bein' careful.” “Right,” Twilight gave a serious nod, standing up again. “We'll get to Dartmoorton, find a doctor, refill our supplies, and then we'll go and see exactly what kind of pony this Blue Jay is.” “You still going to Dartmoorton first?” The troll woman asked. She'd moved back to her spit as the ponies talked and was busying herself with a small, cast iron kettle and a handful of dried nettles. Twilight, almost having forgotten they were not alone, nodded. “I don't want to chance anypony being hurt or hungry if we have to face against Blue Jay. I'm certain what you've done for us will help, but I want to be absolutely sure we're at our best when we go to see him.” The troll woman hummed again thoughtfully as she made the tea. “Is not such a good idea, I think.” “Is something wrong with Dartmoorton?” Rainbow Dash frowned at this. “Is not Dartmoorton,” The troll shook her head slowly. “But it is time. Magic dies away slowly each day. You see you can not use magic, and I know you see animals on your way who can not use magic. For you this is bad, but is not so bad. But even with no spells and no powers for animals, magic is still here with us. In the air, in the ground, in the rock. You ponies still fly, you can still make potion with little power, and spirits still live. But magic, it dies slowly. You go to Dartmoorton you have more time that magic fades away. And then no ponies fly, no potions work, and spirits around us die.” She stirred the brew in the small pot slowly, blowing on it softly. “Is better your friend does not die, I think.” There was silence in the cottage as the ponies all stared open mouthed at her. The only movement came from her swirling spoon as she watched the nettles slowly turn the water green. “What...?” Twilight asked in a strangled noise. The troll woman looked up, blinking at her slowly. “Your friend is spirit, is he not? Not feeling so good already. I thought you see this thing. You take too long, his magic will all go, and he dies. Spirits no live without magic.” Nopony answered. One by one, they turned to stare at Discord with various degrees of shock and alarm on their faces. Discord was picking his fangs with a lion claw, looking bored. He cocked an eyebrow when he realised he was being stared at. He turned to look back at them. “Oh. Did I forget to mention that?” He pushed himself off the troll woman's nest, stretching his arms over his head with a drawn out yawn before he got up and walked past the group of ponies. “Must have slipped my mind.” He gave a small shrug, opening the door and leaving the room.