//------------------------------// // Ch 2 - Even More Surprises (Un-Edited) // Story: The Swordsman // by lady Phoenix //------------------------------// "....................." There was that sound again. It was barely audible, even to Alex, or should I say Mihawk's ears. Slightly changing his course, Alex ran to the source of the sound. Jumping over fallen debris from the surrounding trees, he carried on. The said trees blocking some of the light and sound. "Have to get there faster!!!" Alex screamed in his thoughts. Putting on a burst of speed, he was now blazing along, getting closer to his inquiry. Up ahead there was a beam of light. "A opening maybe?" Alex thought. As he got closer the light got bigger and brighter. Putting even more energy into his legs, he practically rocketed himself forwards and into the light. However. Alex's feet where suddenly met with nothing but open air. Much like in a cartoon, Alex's feet continued to search for some ground. Looking down, he saw a small lake beneath him. About 9 stories beneath him, it took a few seconds but his brain finally got up to speed. With his eyes bulging out comically, he started to fall. "OHHHHHHH SSSSSSHHHHHIIIIIITTTTTTTT!!!!!!" Alex's arms frantically moved about, trying to find something for his hand to grab onto. But alas it was not meant to be, and he plummeted to the lake. Alex hit the water like a train, creating a splash as high as 25 feet. Also doing one of the most famous and extremely painful water entry known to man, simply know as the belly flop. Lucky for Alex he has a stronger body now, otherwise..... You probably wouldn't want to know, what would have happened to a normal human. But even with Mihawk's body, it still stung like hell. Winded, disorientated and in some pain, it took a while for Alex to get to shore, by dragging himself across the floor. Catching his breath, Alex looks at the sky. It would be a nice day, if it weren't for........ Well everything that has happened. He would lay there longer, but then he remember why he jumped out a cliff, be it accidental, but still basically jumped off. Slowly getting up, he tested his movements. The pain gradually fading away, to Alex's relief. It would be embarrassing to injury Mihawk in such an idiotic way, this would be more of a Luffy thing, than a Mihawk thing. Looking around, he couldn't see the cause of the sound yet. Dusting himself off, he listened for the sound. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! SOMEPONY!!!! ANYPONY!!!!!!! PLEASE HELP ME-E-H-E-H-E!!!!!" Came the pleading voice of a young, loud voice. Who just happened to be virtually next to Alex. Just a few feet away in the trees, but the young being wasn't alone. He was currently being chased by a Kludde. Whats a Kludde you ask? Well, the best way to describe it is, a large wolf with wings. How large you ask? Well its about as big as Alexz is now, which just happens to be 6 foot exactly, its eye level with the swordsman. You scared? You should be. It shares many skills, attributes and etc with its cousin the wolf. Like its canine companions, it also has the pack mentally, has a very good sense of smell, any many other things. But unlike it's cousins, it has the eye sight as good as an eagle. But with it being larger, it needs more food and with that, it has bigger and sharper teeth. It also has two tails, and its wings are bat like. But thankfully for the young colt, it was alone. And the said being was just behind the young one. But that isn't what Alex is most shocked about, apparently. It's not the Kludde, but the small horse like creature that just spoke. The small horse or pony would be a better description, was running for its life, all the while crying. But thats understandable, giving its current situation. The small pony, in this case colt, was so scared and concentrated on getting away, he didn't see the small root, that was above ground. And just like in every comic, cartoon and so on, he tripped over it. The Kludde sensing it was over, slowed down, no point in wasting energy. It walked at a steady pace over to its meal, looming over it. It hasn't had a pony in years, even so, this young colt would only last him for a day or two. Lowering its body to the ground slightly, it got ready to pounce on the poor colt. "COME ON ALEX, HELP IT! MOVE YOUR DAMN LEGS YOU IDIOT! YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT THE TALKING HORSE LATER!" Alex screamed to himself, in his head. Slowly but surely his body started to react to his brain signals telling it to move it. The Kludde was just about to pounce when it heard movement from behind it. Quickly spinning around, it got ready to defends its meal, from a potential predator or other. But what it wasn't expecting, was Alex. A strange bipedal creature, dressed up like he was going to a costume party, with a big sword on its back. Once the Kludde saw Alex, its nervousness gave way to greed. It could finish off the colt any time, but this new creature would last it a lot longer, and it jumped to pounce on Alex. Big mistake. Mihawk's instincts took over, and Alex quickly grabbed Yoru and pulled it of his back. And before the Kludde could even blink, the strange creature was gone in a flash. It landed where it once stood. Sniffing, it tried to locate it's new potential meal........ It was behind it! Spinning around, it got into a low position ready to fight. But the strange creature wasn't walking away from it, with its back turned. It was slowly putting ti sword back onto its back, and walking towards the colt. Now the Kludde was angry, it not only has its back turned, but ignoring the furious predator. "Don't bother, I've already cut you" Said Alex to the wolf. There was no way this creature had cut it, it didn't even feel anything, never mind see anything. Ingoring its remark simply as trying to prolong the inevitable. The wolf jumped to pounce once more. "They just never learn, do they........ DEMON HUNTER!" Alex shouted while putting Yoru away, timing it to perfection. The Wolf yelped in pain, landing on the ground with a thud. Its head smashing to the ground as well, as it fell unconscious. "Hey, you okay?" Alex asked the now petrified colt beneath him. It was now visibly shaking, and turning pale. Now that he wasn't thinking about the wolf beast, he could take a proper look at the colt. It was a Pegasus with a dark grey coat, with a black mane. It wasn't really styled, at least what Alex could tell. It also had navy blue eyes. Soon as Alex talked to it, its eye's grew bigger and wider.....................Thud and it fainted. Sigh" Great a fainter......... Like I'm one to talk but still. Now this guy is obviously sapient, and young. So where is........ it is a he right, is sounded like a he. But then again...." Alex stopped and looked under the colt's belly "Colt, defiantly a colt. But where are the colt's parents? Did that winged wolf eat them? Great more fricking questions. Well, I can't just leave him here. Need to a find town or something and drop him off, just hope the locals don't freak out." Bending down, Alex picked up the limp colt and put him over his shoulder. "Up you go...... Now, he came from that direction. So that the most likely to be where he came from. Unless he ran in circles..... But its better than just wondering aimlessly I suppose." And so Alex set of with the pony on his shoulder. Taking a look over his shoulder, the winged wolf was still on the floor. But he could see its chest raise up and down. So he didn't kill it, which was sort of a relief. After all, it couldn't help its nature or what its spieces food source is. But still, he couldn't kill a child even if it was sapient or not, not even if he was on the verge of starvation. At least he hopes he wouldn't, he's never been in that situation. Alex was about to walk off, but he suddenly got a thought. "What about other predators?" And with that, he couldn't leave it in such a vulnerable position. Even if some people would think it deserved it. Sighing out loud, Alex walked over to it, still carrying the colt. He could see the wound he dealt it. He couldn't help but feel guilty, but he was protecting the colt. He's no doctor, nor does Alex have the supplies to heal or even wash the wound. So that left only 3 choices that are obvious. 1) kill it, before the wound got infected, and seeing as its on its chest, save it the pain and suffering. 2) Leave it be, and maybe it would be fine, but more than likely it would die some time soon. Either by the infection it was bound to get or by other predators eating it, while its down. 3) It was a option he didn't really like, but it was the best of the 3, or at least for the wolf. ---------------------------------------------- CHANGE POV ---------------------------------------------- Back in Ponyville in a certain library, two beings are checking things over. "Quill." Said Twilight "Check." Said Spike ticking off the item on the list. "Parchment." "Check." "Extra ink." "Check." "Extra extra ink." "Check." "Is that everything on the checklist?" Asked Twilight, while looking at Spike. "Yep." Said the drake with a smile Twilight beamed "Great. Now that we've completed the checklist of things we need to create a checklist, we can make my checklist of the things I have to get done by the end of the day. Ready?" "Ready!" Spike said with gusto "Item 1: Create checklist of the things I have to accomplish by the end of the day." She said with her head held high, all the while smiling away. Spike moans and fall to the floor. ---------------------------------------------- TIME SKIP ---------------------------------------------- "How are we doing, Spike?" Asked Twilight. The said drake being on her back, checking on another list he has in his claws. "Let's see... We've already dropped off your cape at the cleaners, returned the blackboard you borrowed from Cheerilee, ordered new parchment and quills from the stationery shop..." Twilight gave a thoughtful Hmm, and pounded on the information she was just given. "Hmm... Seems like we just placed an order for those a few days ago." "Can't imagine why we go through so many of them." Spike said sarcastically, while looking behind him at the trail of the long list. But the pony who it was aimed at, was totally oblivious. "Sounds like we're ahead of schedule. What's next?" Spike looked at the list and beamed, "Cupcakes!" Spike said with excitement. Entering the bakery, locally known as Sugar Cube Corner. They were meet with the view of a very busy looking Mr & Mrs Cake, going to and fro. And a box fully of pink cupcakes, waiting for them on the till. "Whoa....." Said Spike drooling over them. Twilight checked the box to see if everything was in order. But was concerned it wasn't, but wanted to clear it out with Mrs Cake. "Uh, I only ordered twelve." Mr Cake come out of the kitchen with some cakes on a tray on her head. "Oh, I know, dear, but I had an extra. So I thought I'd make it a baker's dozen." She said going back to the kitchen, with a couple of boxes on her head. "Uhhh!" Spike was now properly drooling over the sugar coated treats. Twilight levitated Spike out of the way and got closer to the cakes. And inspected them on a quick glance "Oh, that was very thoughtful of you. It's just some of the icing from the extra cupcake is getting all over the one next to it. See?" she said pointing with her hoof to the ones she picked out. Mrs Cake wasn't sure how to respond, so went with the basic "Ohh... sure..." "It's just that I'm planning on sharing these at a picnic later and I don't want anypony to feel like somepony else is getting more icing." "Oh, no... of course not." Twilight levitated over a small kitchen knife, over to the cakes "Not to worry, I'll just move some of this one to... hmm... I think I may have scooped too much... oops! Now those two have more. Let's just try this again... Hmm, no, that won't do. Let me just... hmm... put some here, and... no, that's not right. A little more on this one, a little bit... and wait... I'll just... ooh, a little bit here, and here, and... perfect!" She said whilst practically removing all the icing. Mrs Cake looked at the result, and was slightly disappointed, in her work being ruined, in her eyes. "Hmm, oh yes... much better..." She said trying to be professional. Twilight levitated the lid over the box, and sealed it. And turned to walk away with Spike, only to see him literally covered head to claw in icing "Okay, time to tackle the next item on our-- oops! Looks like we're going to have to add 'give a baby dragon a bath' to our list." Spike's tongue shot out, and rapt around his whole body. With a yank, Spike body spun like small tornado. Something you would expect in a cartoon, like in "The Mask" or "Tasmanian Devil". With a loud slurp, Spike managed to get all the icing, off his body. Twilight was impressed, but also a little grossed out. "Very efficient! And a little bit gross." She said while walking out of the bakery, with Spike jumping on her back, whilst she levitated the box of treats in front of her. Spike shrugged "Eh." ---------------------------------------------- TIME SKIP ---------------------------------------------- The duo came up the stairs, to the upper library, whilst Spike jumped of Twilight. Looking at the list one more time, Spike didn't see anything that needed seeing to "Looks like that's everything!" "Almost everything." Twilight said while going to put down the box of cakes down "Triple-check checklist to make sure we didn't miss anything when we double checked the checklist!" Uh... check! Ugh... I've been holding that quill so long, I've got a claw cramp! Well, good thing we don't have anything to report to Princess Celestia this week... I don't think I could write another word!" Spike said with slight pain in his claw, which was now swollen and red. Twilight stopped what she was doing, in doing so, losing her concentration on a levitation spell. And dropped one because of it. "We haven't sent a letter to Princess Celestia this week?!" She said with panic. "Why? Is that bad?" Spike said whilst finishing off bandaging his claw in a cast. Twilight rushed over to Spike and look shim straight in the eyes, at a very close distance "Bad? BAD? Of course it's bad! I'm supposed to send Princess Celestia a letter every week, telling her about a lesson I've learned about friendship! Not every other week, not every ten days, every... single... week!" She exclaimed getting more and more panicked with each second. "Huh?" Twilight rushed over the the desk, levitating everything out of the way. "Ohh... Where's my calendar, where's my calendar?!" She asked out loud, frantically looking around for the said item. "Where it.. always is?" Spike says pulling it out of a draw. Twilight quickly levitating over the calendar bring poor Spike with it. To which he zoomed over to her, and his momentum was stopped by a combination of a small podium and his face. She opened the calander and looked in side "When did we send the last one?" Spike rolled onto his front and looked up at the purple mare, still recovering for the impact "Last... Tuesday?" "And today is..." Asked Twilight. "Tuesday?......" said Spike Twilight was in panic mode now, she sped up to her room on the top floor. Looking out the window, she could see the sun getting close to setting in the horizon. "Argh! Nononononononono! If I don't send her a letter by sundown, I'll be... tardy!" she said gasping for air. "What's that now?" Said Spike whilst pushing away a mood inspired artwork board from behind Twilight, to put away for storage later. Twilight collapsed onto her bed "Tar-dy, Spike! Late, I'll be late! Oh, how could I let this happen? I'm usually so organized. I've never been late with an assignment." She said kicking out her legs, in a tantrum sort of way. Then covering herself in the bed cover. "Oh, please! You're the most studious student ever! I'm sure the Princess will forgive you if you miss one little deadline." Spike said whilst taking off the cover of Twilight. Spike then jumped down to the lower level Twilight looked at Spike and shook her head "I'm afraid to take that chance, Spike. This is the ruler of all of Equestria we're talking about. The pony who holds my fate in her hooves! What if she doesn't forgive me?" "Yeah... I don't think she--" He didn't get to finish as Twilight teleported near him, scaring him in the process. "What if instead she starts thinking I'm not taking my studies on friendship seriously?" "Why would she.." Once again he was interrupted, and he was slightly annoyed now. Twilight started to pace around the room "What if she makes me come back to Canterlot and puts me back in school and makes me prove I've been taking them seriously? By giving me a test?! What if I don't pass?!" She asked herself and Spike. "Well, why wouldn't you pass..." "She's my teacher. Do you know what teachers do to students who don't pass? They send them back a grade! But she won't just send me back a grade. She'll send me back to... magic kindergarten." She said whilst having a vision of maybe whats to come. She was in a room with small fillies. She was sitting on a stool, whilst the young ones pointed at her and laughing. "Twilight? Twilight!" Spike said pulling a string down, the vision of the event disappearing away. Spike then looked at Twilight. Who was on her haunches shaking like a leaf. Spike walker over to her and slightly pushed her. "Huh?" Coming out of her day dreaming. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! You're not going to be sent back to magic kindergarten." Spike said, almost telling her off, like a parent does to a child. "You're right. I have no reason to worry. Because I'm going to solve a friend's problem and get that letter to Princess Celestia before sundown!" Spike sighs dropping down to his knees. "So... got any problems, troubles, conundrums, or any other sort of issues, major or minor, that I as a good friend could help you solve?" she asked the drake Spike stood there and thought for a few seconds "Huh. Hmm. Huunh. Huh... I got nothin'." Twilight sighs "Then it looks like I'm going to have to find somepony who does." She said trotting off to find somepony who needs help. Spike sighs "This won't end well." ---------------------------------------------- CHANGE POV ---------------------------------------------- Alex is currently walking through the Forrest, with the still unconscious colt, over his shoulder. He is still looking for a town. "Jeez, how far did this colt run from that thing? Did he even roughly run in a straight path? By the looks of it, he didn't. Oh, well we're bound to found some kind of populace at some point. Huh, it's getting dark, maybe I should set up a camp for the night." Alex thought to himself. Looking around for a few minutes, it didn't take long to find an open cave. "Well, that the shelter down. I remember seeing a stream a few minutes back, so thats where I can get some water, if we need some. I'm obviously not sort for fire wood, being in a forest and all. All we need now is food............." Alex's stomach groaned loudly at the mention of food "Ugggghhh note to self, don't mention the F word, while hungry. And that remind me, what should I do with this..........." He thought to himself Alex was of course talking about the Kludde he was carrying on his other shoulder. It was surprisingly very light "It would have to be, if it wanted to fly with the size of its body". Alex decided what he was going to do. Carefully he placed his passenger down in the cave, careful not to wake them or worse. "I'll be right back, now don't go anywhere okay......" And with that, Alex ran as fast as he could to the water stream he saw before. It only took a few minutes to find it. Luckily he still has his bottle of soda in his pocket. How it was still there after all that has happened and not fallen out, he had no clue. But he was glad to have it. Emptying its contents, he filled it with the water from the stream. It looked clean enough (the water....... smart ass). With the bottle now full, he proceeded to run back. Once he got there, he was sweating a bit. Even Mihawk has his limit of energy. Getting some leaves off the trees and some tree sap or what ever its called. He walked back over to the wolf. Looking at the cut, he got his bottle, and started to rinse it out. Being careful not cause anymore damage. Taking the ingredients he gathered before, he very gently placed and very slightly rubbed it in. The wolf itself whimpered in its sleep, shifting its body to try stop the pain. Once that was done, Alex used what water was left in the bottle, to clean the leaves he got. These leaves were bigger than normal ones, but nowhere near big enough, but they would do for now. He gently place the now washed leaves on the wound. Then taking his boots off, he ripped his socks. And managed to just about to tie the ripped socks around its body. Keeping the leaves in their place. He gave a slight nod in satisfaction. It was only then, did he notice, he has a witness or what he did. And it wasn't the colt. The winged wolf tried to get up, but it was in to much pain. "Nooo please, don't try to move just yet." The wolf flinched back and Alex held his hands forward. "I'm not going to hurt you anymore okay?" The wolf seemed to take Alex words into consideration. After a few seconds it nodded, and laid back down on the floor and closed its eyes. "It seems to be some what intelligent. Well, I shouldn't be surprised. What with the talking pegasus pony over there, and then the actual wolf it self, with its wings and etc. Its like something right out of greek mythology or a nightmare. But one things is for certain, I can't sleep right now. Don't trust it to not try anything to me or the colt. *sigh* Its going to be a long night ahead of me" And with Alex went to get some fire wood from the nearest tree. Using Yoru, it didn't take much effort of force. It only took one strike, and the wood was chopped up into pieces of wood roughly the same size, and in a neatly ordered pile. Which confused Alex, but he wasn't going to question it. Carrying the wood back to the camp site, he not too long after got a fire going. "At least we've got a heat source now. And it should keep the predators away. And even if it doesn't, I still got Yoru with me." And with that, Alex moved the colt closer to him and the fire. Just to be sure he is safe. And settled down for the night. ---------------------------------------------- CHANGE POV ---------------------------------------------- Back in Ponyville and more specifically the Golden Oaks Library. In the main area, are 7 ponies and a dragon. 6 of the ponies being the elements of harmony and the other Princess Celestia herself. Applejack clears her throat "Dear Princess Celestia, We're writ in' to you because today we all learned a little something' about friendship." Fluttershy carried on where Applejack left of "We learned that you should take your friends' worries seriously" Rainbow Dash was next "Even if you don't think that she has anything to worry about." Rarity had her say "And that you shouldn't let your worries turn a small problem..." Pinkie Pie said with a smile "...into an enormously huge entire-town-in-total-chaos Princess-has-to-come-and-save-the-day problem." To which see only got stares from her friends "What?" Applejack just carried on "Signed, your loyal subjects." And Spike had to have his say "P.S. Obviously Spike did not have to learn a lesson, because he is the best, most awesome friend a pony could ask for. Unlike everypony else, he took things seriously, and- Eheh... uh... yeah... I'll just, um..." And with that, everypony and everydragon laughed and snorted. So everything was back to normal in Ponyville................. at least for now.