//------------------------------// // L80 // Story: A little loopy. // by FaelaArts //------------------------------// “So how long is this going to take exactly?” Garble looked toward Sweetie as she glided beside him, his own wings flapping occasionally to keep him in the air. Smiling, Sweetie looked at the landscape below them, looking for anything interesting. At the moment they were going over the plains part of Equestria, where there was not much to see beyond the occasional pool of water, and the large lake going south-west. “A couple days. I want to spend time seeing everything in Equestria while we’re on our way back.” Giving a warm smile, Sweetie saw the annoyance on Garble’s face, and she pulled out another gem. Tossing it to him, he stopped grumping and lapsed into miffed silence. Looking back at the land as they flew, Sweetie smiled, seeing a large crevice. “Oooh!” Gliding down, they flew into it and looked around the inside. There was a strong downdraft, but Sweetie blocked it with a makeshift spell, bursting with pride when it worked. Looking around, she saw all the many caves in the sides, and noticed Garble gravitating to one. Following his lead, Sweetie soon saw why. “Woah,” she said in awe, watching as the cave opened up to a dark pool, lit by the thousands of glowworms on the ceiling. Flipping onto her back, Sweetie marveled at how it was almost like a personal double sky. Garble looked at this for a moment, and then crouched near a wall, digging at it. Soon enough, he unearthed a large gem, and smiled. “Ready to continue?” Smiling, Sweetie waited as Garble once more rose, and they flew out of the crevice. Loving their quiet little find, Sweetie wondered if she could ever take one of her friends here if she ever got out. Shaking her head, Sweetie quickly focused on other things, looking for anything else that was interesting. “Geronimo!” Diving into the water, Sweetie giggled as she was tossed around by the raging waterfall. With the spell on to shield her from being hurt, it was actually quite fun. Garble hovered above, watching this. Poking her head back above the water, Sweetie approached land, and shook herself dry, sighing in bliss. “Alright, we can go.” Flaring her wings, Sweetie took to the air and hovered next to Garble as she pulled out the map. Tracing their path east, she found the waterfall, and then traced a path south. Nodding, she folded up the map, and they flew off. Garble glanced back toward the waterfall for a moment, and then followed Sweetie. “Uh, do ponies normally come with bat-wings?” Garble landed beside Sweetie as they entered a town with a tree canopy so thick, it was like night inside. Looking around, Sweetie dimmed her horn so they could just see, giving a smile in apology to the Bat-Ponies who lived here. Shaking her head, she turned to Garble. “No, Batponies are very rare. This is the only town I know of where they live actually.” Looking around, Sweetie noticed how normal it seemed despite their appearance, and was reminded what Cheerilee had told her about Bat-Ponies. ‘They are ponies, just like us. Their difference is only skin deep.’ “Huh,” was all Garble said in response, looking around curiously. Eventually, Sweetie felt her wings twitch once more, knowing it was time to continue on. Opening up her map, Sweetie traced a path past Canterlot, toward the next place of interest. Smiling, she flared her wings, watching Garble do the same, and they took into the air. “I gotta say, Pegasi have great food.” Munching down the wonderful food of Cloudsdale, she looked to Garble, and returned her eyes to the map in her magic. Looking to their next destination, Sweetie wondered if she’d be able to find a woodworker in Cloudsdale. Garble munched on his gems, noticing that his bags were now empty. “Don’t worry Garble, I packed gems for you.” Smiling, Sweetie levitated out two handfuls of gems, holding them out to Garble. Muttering a quick thanks, he placed them in his saddlebags. Finishing her meal, Sweetie and Garble took to the sky, continuing on their path. Both ignored the stares they got, having quickly gotten used to it in The Crystal Empire. “I don’t know if this is safe…” Garble looked down the gorge, biting his lip as the cliff stretched before them. Cantering broke him out of this, and he watched Sweetie do a backflip off the top of the cliff, and pull out her wooden board. As she angled herself with her wings, the cliffside rapidly approached, curving downward. “Well, here goes nothing.” Garble jumped off, holding his own board with an iron grip. As the cliff hit the wood, he smacked his nose against the wood, and watched one of his teeth be knocked out by the force. Focus quickly diverted to the next hit coming, he leaned back, and rode the hit as they bounced down the cliff. “Whooo! Oh jeez, are you ok Garble?” Immediately noticing his mouth was bleeding, Sweetie was waved away by Garble. Opening his mouth, he showed off where the tooth had come out, and Sweetie’s ears flopped down. Garble picked up the board, and glanced to the top of the cliff. “I’ll race you?” Looking back at Sweetie, Garble flinched as two arms wrapped around him, before a white blue dove to the top of the cliff. Looking up, he sighed, rubbing his mouth where it was sore. Flaring his wings, he joined Sweetie at the top of the cliff. “Alright, one race, but then we’ve gotta head past the Unicorn Range to Tall Tale.” “How exactly did ponies make these?” Looking at the huge buildings, Garble couldn’t believe his eyes. Ponies were moving around in them, doing their daily lives as if this was normal. Giggling, Sweetie directed his eyes to a construction half-built. Looking at it, Garble saw that every pony down there was a Unicorn. “Unicorn magic helps reinforce it so it’s really strong.” Pointing at it, Sweetie smiled, watching them work from their perch on top of one of the higher buildings. Sure, she couldn’t pick out details from this distance, but if she ever thought of it, she’d like to come back and explore this town. “So why aren’t we going to that town?” Looking down, Garble pointed toward a cloud city that had a mountain with the word ‘Applewood’ on it. Flipping onto her back, Sweetie opened her mouth to explain. “I’m not here to explore pony cities, I can save them for a different loop. I’m here to see everything in Equestria. That’s why we’re heading straight for the desert.” Giving a smile, Sweetie flipped back right-side up, and they continued on. Garble felt a cramp starting in his wings, and bit his lip. “There, an oasis!” Gliding down to land, they both dived into the water as steam rose off it. Surprisingly, it was cool despite the blistering heat around them. Creating an air bubble underneath the water’s surface, they looked around, and broke out laughing. “Alright, I’ll admit, we should have brought some water,” commented Sweetie, and Garble raised an eyebrow in response, before folding his arms and snorting. “Leave it to a pony to forget something needed to live.” They both shared a glare, and then broke out laughing once more. “Alright, we’ll wait for nightfall, and head back to the bowl then.” Thorak looked toward the horizon as two forms appeared from the west. The sun behind him, he soon recognised them, and roared in greeting. The Dragons quickly joined in, continuing until the two landed. Both were obviously exhausted, but full of energy at the same time. Garble quickly said goodbye, and went to brag to the other Dragons. “Some things never change,” she commented, watching Garble quickly resume his place on top. Thorak rumbled in amusement, and they sat in silence for a moment. “Why did you ask me to take him with me?” Looking to Thorak, Sweetie watched as his large mouth opened. “Perspective is important for a leader.” Thorak pointed toward Garble, and Sweetie flicked her ear, turning into the conversation. “-I bet it sucked being stuck with a whimpy little pony, right Garble?” A stout Dragon smirked, poking Garble in the ribs. Turning to the dragon, Garble growled, voice growing low as he spoke. “Now listen here, just because something is small, doesn’t mean it is weak. Ponies might be namby as all pamby, but I have never seen the pony behind me be anything but steel.” Looking the Dragon evenly in the eyes, Garble straightened up, towering over the Dragon. They all shared a glance, and then mumbled quick apologies. Glancing to Sweetie, Garble and her shared a glance. “...I wonder if turning myself into a swamp monster would earn their respect,” she muttered quietly. Musing on this, Sweetie shrugged it off. “Nah, Garble’s got this.” Smiling, Sweetie gave him a wave, and watched him turn back to the other Dragon’s. As he spoke, he spoke of his experiences, skipping the part where he has burned a sheep. Chuckling, Sweetie was silently glad of that. After all, it was hard to maintain her status as a strong, but small, race when most ponies had run at the sight of Garble burning a sheep slightly. “Have you found a place of residence?” Looking down to Sweetie, Thorak waited as she formed a response. “I’m thinking of Canterlot. There’s this inn I stayed at. I think I’ve got it down pat enough that I should be able to stay there without any problems. Plus, with the train it makes transporting your egg easier.” Smiling, Sweetie looked to Thorak, who bowed his head in gratitude. With the plans sorted of where Sweetie would be staying, she gave a yawn, settling in for a calm rest after a long and arduous Loop.