//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Wyrms and Words // Story: Chaos Lands: The Quest For Harmony // by Zoodude255 //------------------------------// Starlight and Crabapple looked at each other. THIS was kindness? Starlight hoped not. Sure enough, however, the small greenish pony jumped down, landing on two feet, with a bow in her front hooves. She had on a small dark green leather jerkin, and a pointed green hat. The arrows were feathered with green as well. Her eyes were also green, but her mane was a russet brown, like autumn. Her cutie mark was an arrow, but around her neck, hanging from a simple leather strip was… “Kindness!” Starlight said, disappointed. It was clearly not going to be as easy to get the Element as Crabapple had been. The green pony look sharply at the alicorn, then lowered her bow. She signaled to the rest of her band to also drop them. They did so, and the pony walked over to the ponies. “Who…are…you?” She asked suspiciously. “I’m Starlight, and this Crabapple…what’s your name?” said Starlight. “Fletcher. What are you doing in here? Nopony comes this far in to Everfree, not unless they are looking for trouble, or to join the Gang.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Are you?” “Lookin’ fer trouble? No ma’am.” Said Crabapple. “And isn’t Fletcher a boy’s name? What’s a slight thang like ya’ll…” Crabapple did not get to finish her sentence as an arrow flew past her ear. “Never mind that. Since you refuse to tell the truth, I must assume your trouble.” Fletcher raised her hand, ready to give the signal to charge, when a roar came out of the brush to the left. The group of Everfree ponies dove for cover, but Starlight, Crabapple and Scales were caught in the open. They looked in the direction of the sound, and from out of the undergrowth came a large snake. It was no ordinary snake however; it was a Wyrm, or young dragon. It’s purple scales were pointed and the spikes on its back were tipped with a green poison. Its yellow bedy eyes showed none of the intelligence of Scales, but all of the malice. It hissed at the trio, forked tongue whipping up and down. Crabapple slowly picked up her axe from the floor, while Starlight readied her magic. Before either pony could react however, a notched arrow flew from the cover of the Everfree Gang, and struck the Wyrm directly in the eye. It roared in pain as a blue-green fluid gushed from the wound. It turned toward the source of the pain, and Fletcher came charging out of the trees, welding a small dagger, wickedly sharp and with a serrated edge on one side. The rest of the Gang rushed out with a resounding battle cry. “EVERFREEEEE!” The ponies swarmed the Wyrm, while Crabapple and Starlight joined in the fray, Crabapple with her axe, and Starligth with her magical bolts. Scales, meanwhile, had wandered off to scavenge for mice or any other unlucky rodents; he had no wish to see his kind slaughtered. The Wyrm hissed in both amusment and frustration at the ponies attacking it. It whipped its head into the air , and bought it crashing inot the ground. While it did throw many of the ponies from its back, it also misjudged the force of the impact, and stunned itself. The Wyrm had no time to recover before Crabapple leaped into the air and bought the massive axe down on the Wyrms neck. The beasts’ head rolled over and over, blood pouring from the area, and creating a sickly sweet smell in the air. “DecapitationnNNNNNNNNN!” yelled Crabapple. “YEAH!” She slammed her hoof into the ground. “How’d ya like THEM apples!” she mocked the severed head, kicking it into a ditch. Fletcher and the Everfree ponies looked at the newcomers with newfound respect. Flecther walked over to the two, and bowed her head. “You have rid this area of a great threat. That wyrm has been plaguing us for the last few weeks, and we were unable to rid ourselves of it. Now, follow me; I must see to the welfare of my tribe.” The new friends followed the tribe into a large clearing, and what they saw there took their breath away. “Sweet apples…what is this place?” Asked Crabapple. “We call it Freedome. It’s the only location that Discord hasn’t been able to track; there are magic’s even older than Discord here. His power cannot find us. “ one of the Everfree gang remarked. Starlight and Crabapple looked in awe at the sprawling, if somewhat primitive and ruinous, city/village. It seemed like a combination of ancient ruins and half constructed cottages. Wooden planks encompassed destroyed towers, to make some form of roof and walls. Wicker furniture was alongside faded tapestries showing scenes of before Discords’ rule; what they showed, no pony could say. The windows of many houses were either smashed or covered, and there were many more ponies than Starlight had figured on seeing. Every kind of pony was there; Unicorns, Earth Ponies, and Pegisii. They all seemed to get along fine, but each was poor as the other. “When you have nothing left to lose, you become a better person; these ponies have lost everything. Not only will they give their lives to save the future of Chaotica, but they share what little they do have with the refugees we bring back, or those who come to join us. Everyone is equal in poverty, and none are poorer than those who have given up everything.” Starlight and Crabapple did not immediately realize that it was Fletcher who was speaking. However, once Starlight heard her speech, she knew that there was no pony better to be kindness than a pony that cared for an entire town of the worst possible ponies. She looked at Crabapple, who nodded. Starlight turned to Fletcher. “We have…some rather urgent business to discuss with you. Would you mind if we went somewhere more private?” She asked. Fletcher looked suspicious, but nodded. She dismissed her party, and led the two ponies over a house just like any other. However, inside was a much larger room than had been expected. Inside was a large table, with several hastily constructed or repaired chairs. Fletcher sat at one end, while Starlight and Crabapple sat to either side. Starlight then proceeded to tell Fletcher all the things that had happened between her realization and the Wyrm fight. She told how she had read Twilight’s letter, and the warning about the Armor of Chaos. Fletcher listened, the whole time playing with her dagger, with the point stuck in the table, twirling it, like a ballerina of death. Finally, she removed it from the table and pondered Starlight’s words. “So, you say these elements are the only thing, combined with the Armor of Chaos that can stop Discord? I don’t know…seems like an old pony’s tale to me. Anyway, I cannot simply abandon my post as leader. I would have to elect a new one, and that could take time.” She sighed. “I shall call a council, see what the other ponies think.” She pulled a small rope, and a bell dinged somewhere. After a second or two, a small gray pony with bubbles as her cutie mark tripped over the threshold. Her golden eyes were crossed, and she worse a big goofy grin. She saluted clumsily, knocking off her frying pan helmet. “ “Derpy, please go and call a meeting. There are some important things to be done.” Derpy, if there as such a name, bowed, picked up her helm, and trotted outside, once again falling over the door frame. “Oops. My bad!”