"You called a girl what? I thought I told you not to get into trouble!"
"I didn't! Nopony came after me at all!" Tuff pleaded.
"Yet. What do you think her daddy's going to think about your little smart ass comment or her brother? She's bound to tell somepony what you said and they sure as hell not gonna like it!" Pea fumed.
"She's just some rich brat, Auntie! Rich ponies don't fight!"
"Doesn't matter. Rich or poor you should treat your kind with respect!" Pea finished. She let go of Tuff's ear and the colt promptly began rubbing it.
Part of the open barn doorway's light was blocked by the shadow of a large red stallion. Pea and Tuff looked up to see him, both assuming he was Big Mac due to his size. He leaned on the door frame with a piece of straw in his squared off mouth.
"Ya sure know how to talk to kids," he chuckled, "Mah names Big Macintosh. But most just call me Big Mac. So Ah hear that yall are...new in town?"
"Yes sir," Pea said. She brushed her mane to the side.
"Ah really didn't have much to say, just wanted to get acquainted. Somepony else wanted y'all's attention," He said and the Crusaders slid into view. Sweetie Bell was holding something aloft with her magic.
"Howdy!" Apple Bloom said,"Me an' mah friends brought a little something for ya!" the yellow filly motioned the little unicorn over.
"We baked you a pie!" Scootaloo declared,"I...er...we hope you two will like it!"
Big Mac chuckled to himself as he walked out of view with his heavy set hooves. The pie floated over to Pea and Tuff while the three fillies trotted toward the two guests. They sat in a semicircle in front of the grey mare and the red colt while the pie landed in between. Pea eyed the pie suspiciously while her nephew eyed it hungrily. Pea brushed a hand on her vest before taking a slice. She bit it cautiously while the young ponies watched her intently. She chewed then swallowed the morsel.
"Very good! Did you three make this yourself?" Pea asked. Tuff took no time to stick his face in the pie pan.
"We had a little help from Granny Smith," Sweetie Belle admitted. The other two squinted at Tuff with puzzled squints.
"So Miss Gravel," Scootaloo looked up at the grey mare with bright eyes,"Where did you and Tuff come from? He said something about being across the ocean...but that's just not possible."
"Why not," Pea asked,"I've seen a lot of impossible things."
"Well...it's just not," Sweetie rubbed the back of her neck,"There isn't any land out there...at least nopony ever told us there was."
"That's silly!" Pea laughed,"Yous didn't think Equestria was the whole world...did you?" Her smile faded when she saw the almost hurt looks from the fillies.
"It's not our fault," Apple Bloom said,"Nopony ever told us there was," she pursed her lips,"Could you?"
"Do what?" Tuff asked from the pie pan.
"Tell us where you're from, your home town?" Scootaloo asked excitedly.
Pea rested her chin on her steel knuckles. She looked at different things in the barn as she thought. She then pulled her legs under her torso on the straw,"My home town? Well, to be honest...I lived out in the middle of nowhere with my parents. We all lived in a mud brick house in a scrub desert. We loved that house," Her eyes began to water, "Oh, I'm sorry girls. It's just been such a long time since I thought about that..."
"Then why did you leave?" Applejack's voice could be heard from outside the barn,"If it was so nice, why are you here?"
Pea sighed,"Oh...we were run out of it. A big dragon drove us out and wrecked it."
"You have dragon problems out there?" Applejack asked with angst," Why don't you just yell at em’? It works here."
Tuff happened to look up from the pie pan when this was going on. He shrunk down when he saw the dark look in his aunt's eyes. She lifted herself up and her metal feet thudded against the ground as she walked outside the barn. The young ponies thought it was best to leave the mares to themselves.
Applejack was leaning on the barn wall with a less than impressed look as Pea moved into the open. The orange mare flinched slightly when she saw the same look that Tuff saw.
"What's the matter? Did Ah strike a cord that Ah shouldn't?"
"Look lady. I'm appreciative that you let me and my nephew stay in your barn but if you want to fight me just ask."
"Beg your pardon?"
"You and these...Equestrians. You all live so sheltered. 'Yell at a dragon"? Are you trying to piss me off? Where I come from, dragons would rip you apart as much as look at you," Pea snarled. Applejack's once stone like face now had hints of fear on it.
"Me sheltered?" Applejack stood straight up. She looked Pea straight in the eyes,"Ah'll have you know, Ah've had my share of hardships. Ah've helped reform Discord, defeat Nightmare Moon, and dethrone King Sombra to name a few," Applejack smiled confidently.
"Heh, that's sweet,"Pea made a predatory grin,"Helping the kingdom, eh? Well Applejack, have you ever heard another pony scream in agony? Do you even know what the word 'famine' is?"
The orange mare's face went pale. Pea stamped a metal hoof into the dirt,"I doubt you ever had to watch another of your kind get eaten alive before you eyes. Has a 'farmer' like you had to kill another equine for food?" Applejack shrunk back from the stranger's words.
"Get out!" Applejack cried frantically,"Get out of my farm!"
Applejack stood breathing heavily after shouting at Pea. The stranger stared back at Applejack with eyes that made the hair on the back of Applejack's neck stand on edge.
Pea drew her chin up and snorted,"Tuff, come on. We're leaving," The colt walked slowly out with their saddlebags in tow. They strapped their bags on and walked away from the barn. The three fillies looked out from it with shocked looks.
Before leaving earshot Pea turned her head back,"Thanks for the pie, girls!" And then she and Tuff were gone.
Apple Bloom was the first to look at her sister who was slumped against the wall shaking. The stranger's words still burned painfully in her mind. The yellow filly rushed over and untied the bow in her mane. She wiped the sweat from her sister's face and called for Big Mac. In moments the burly red stallion rushed over from the orchard.
"What's wrong?" Big Mac panted,"Where did those two go?"
Applejack threw her weight on her brother's forearm. She looked up Mac with wide eyes,"That...that mare...she scares me!"
Mac huffed,"Her? Scare you? Ah know she's got freaky legs but that ain't no reason to be scared of-"
"Those eyes! She looked at me with the same green eyes as a...a timber wolf!" Applejack cried.
Mac sat down and hugged his trembling sister,"There, there. She didn't hurt you did she?"
"No..."the orange mare sniffled,"What she said though… it can't be true can it? Ponies… killing each other… over food?"
Big Mac smiled comfortingly as Applejack rested her troubled head on his shoulder,"And...and dealing with famine! She must've thought we were some sort of rich family...she said herself that she mistook it for a plantation. She thought I was a slave for Celestia's sake!"
"Shhh....she was probably just trying to scare ya. You just need to calm yerself down," Big Mac said as he helped her to her hooves.
"T-thank ya, Mac. Ah need you to stay here, Ah'm gonna go tell Twilight about this Pea Gravel...she'll know what to do!"
Before Big Mac could even say good luck his sister was already racing down the road to Ponyville. He stood up slowly and watched his sister run off, praying that the things the stranger spoke of were just lies.
Applejack ran through the streets of Ponyville in the light of a sunset. Only a few ponies were out in the warm evening air and watched the orange mare run like a freight train. Applejack panted as her hooves pounded the ground on her way to Twilight's castle. Her head swam as she tried to keep her spirit up until she reached the door. Eventually she made it to the crystal structure and skid to a stop at the doorway. She stood out of breath and her knees shaking.
Twilight opened the ornate door and gasped when she saw the cowpony," Applejack!? Come inside, tell me what happened."
Twilight led her tired friend inside to the parlor and to the cowpony's surprise, Zecora and A.K Yearling were inside too. The two mares sat at a table in the princess' parlor and had a mug of coffee between them. Twilight had Applejack sit down with the others while the princess sat at the head of the table.
"So tell me," Twilight said with concern,"What is the matter?"
Applejack shook her head and smiled meekly,"Ah...Ah don't really know. Apple Bloom met some colt today and asked if he and his aunt could stay at the barn. I wasn't too keen on the idea...then I saw her, she had...metal legs. Ah've never seen anything like it..."
"Neither have I," Yearling said,"Yet I saw her today, like you did. She's frightening if you provoke her, isn't she?"
"From what I've heard, dangerous would be a better word," Zecora said as she sipped calmly on her coffee.
Twilight looked over to Applejack with a comforting smile,"Come on Applejack, I'll talk to this...Pea Gravel alright. I'm the princess of friendship after all, aren't I? I'll see what's going on and sort it all out by tomorrow okay? Now, before I go looking for her, make sure you three don't tell anypony about her alright? I don't want the situation to get out of hoof."
The three mares nodded and the alicorn smiled weakly. She bid good night and made her way to the doorway. The mares were leaving the castle as Twilight lifted herself into the evening sky in search of the stranger. She circled the town several times until she found two ponies she didn't recognize in the town park. They were laying next to a tree well out of view from anypony on the ground but not from Twilight. She descended to the ground with little sound from her wings, and landed a few feet from the strangers silently. The colt was leaning against the mare in question, both dozing off in the coming night.
"You… the pony with the metal legs,"Twilight said in a half-commanding voice. Pea's eyes snapped open and gawked at the lavender alicorn, "Where are you from? I’ve never seen you before."
The mare lowered her face to the ground, "Your grace… I am but a humble earth pony looking for a place to keep my nephew safe. Is this task not in your liking?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow, "From what I heard, you didn't speak like that to the other ponies you met today. You scared my friend Applejack half to death!"
Being the mare she was, Pea tied to keep the 'humble subject' act going as long as possible. She had talked her way out of trouble many times and planned on it again. She didn't expect to hear that a farmer was friends with an alicorn, she sat up and looked with wonder.
"You're friends with a farmer? Isn't that… uncouth?"
"Not here it isn't," Twilight said with a smile,"Now, are you and your nephew going to sleep out here in the cold?"
Pea wasn't sure if she was being scolded or invited to something,"Is that alright with you?" she asked.
"Absolutely not," Twilight said promptly. Pea sunk down a bit,"You and your nephew can stay with me."
"Y-you mean it? Even after I scared your friend?" Pea asked in awe.
"She's a tough mare,"Twilight reached out a hoof to Pea,"Now, pick up your bags. We're going to my castle."
"Are you sure...I can't repay you in money," Pea said meekly,"I can work. Do you need any labor?"
Twilight sighed,"Perhaps, but you know what I'd rather be paid in?"
Pea kept her eyes on the princess as she put a sleeping Tuff and her saddle bags on her back. The grey mare made sure Tuff wouldn't fall off her back before she followed Twilight,"What would you rather be paid in...if I'm so bold as to ask."
Twilight began walking to the edge of the park,"You can tell me of your adventures from the outside world. No matter how happy or tragic, a mare like yourself is bound to have done some interesting things," Twilight said as Pea followed her.
"I suppose...but doesn't somepony like you know the events of the outside world?" Pea pried.
"Me? No, I don't. Discord or Celestia maybe, but not me," Twilight smiled sheepishly,"Oh, Pea? Have you ever teleported before?"
Pea grinned,"By my own will, no. I haven't had much experience with that kind of magic."
Twilight stopped her while her horn began to glow,"You can trust me. Besides, it doesn't hurt."
Before the grey mare knew it, she was in a glossy throne room with the lavender princess. A chandelier was overhead in the high ceiling and six chairs were set in a circle with a table at the center. Twilight began walking down a nearby hallway and Pea took a moment to follow her.
"Some place you got here,"Pea gawked at the gem-like walls,"You live here alone?"
"Yes, my friends come to visit a lot though. Now, I have a few guest rooms down this hall, you can take your pick."
Pea was bewildered that a princess invited her to a castle and was giving her a room. She followed the princess to a group of doors and opened the first to the left. Inside she found a dresser and a soft single bed. To the right was a door leading to a small bathroom. A window was at the far end with the moon's light showing through. She turned to thank the Princess but she was already half way down the hall.
"Once your done setting up, I'll be waiting in my room. It's in the hall past the throne room," Her voice echoed off the reflecting walls,"We have much to discuss."
Pea felt like she was in a dream as she entered the simple room. She was used to sleeping under the stars or under bridges, not under sheets. She lay Tuff on the bed and placed the blanket around him gently. She smiled as he subconsciously snuggled deeper in the covers. Pea placed their bags next to the dresser and went to the small bathroom.
She looked into the mirror and saw her face was a bit grubbier than it should in the company of royalty. She fiddled with the faucet trying to figure out which knob was hot or cold but eventually just splashed water in her face. She saw the clear liquid fall back into the sink brown and looked over to the shower. She closed the door and opened the shower curtain. She fiddled with the shower knobs like the sink's, mostly due to the fact that she was more accustomed to bathing in rivers, not bathrooms.
After learning the mystic ways of modern plumbing, she took off her vest and lay it on the sink. She stepped in the shower on her hind legs and the hard rubber tips of her back legs kept her from slipping. Pea turned the water on and flinched as the warm water hit her bare torso. If anyone was with her in the room they would see the array of scars on the mare's back, and one that looked more like a brand of a compass rose on her chest.
She found a soap bar and washed her mane in the relaxing shower of warm water. She looked to her feet and saw how brown the water was and smirked,"I was talking to all those ponies with this much dirt on me? No wonder none of those encounters ended well..."
Pea didn't realize how long she was in the artificial rain until it began to run cold. She squealed and threw the curtain open to escape the now icy water. She reached her metallic arm behind the curtain and shut the water off. One of the few times she was glad her arms couldn't feel anything. She shook her body like a dog out of a storm to dry off, she laughed sheepishly when she saw a towel hung on the door. She dried what was still wet on her body and slipped her vest back on, not bothering to button it. She checked on Tuff before heading off to Twilight.
She entered the throne room and found another hallway she didn't notice before. She went down it and found a door with a crack of light shining out beneath it. She pushed it open gently and found Twilight sitting in one of three cushy chairs next to a fire place with her muzzle in a big book, a sizable bed was at the other end of the room and the walls were covered in stuffed bookshelves. Pea expected that this was Twilight's private library and the fireplace was a magic one that didn't require a chimney. Twilight looked up from her book and giggled.
"So that's what took you so long, you washed up. You know, your mane is quite lovely when it isn't dirty."
"Thank you princess-"
"Please, call me Twilight," the alicorn interrupted. She gestured to another cushioned chair,"Come and sit. I want to talk to you."
Pea moved to the chair furthest from Twilight and sat up with her hands in her lap. She looked at Twilight's friendly smile,"So...what do you want to talk about?"
"You said you wanted your nephew to be safe, correct?' Pea nodded. "Well, I'll let him stay here and educate him if you like. From what Applejack told me, you two have it pretty rough out there. ‘Famine and ponies killing ponies’ you said?"
Pea was taken aback at the generosity of the princess. She leaned into the chair,"I can't thank you enough...what can I do to repay the offer?"
Twilight's smile faded. Her gaze went to Pea's torso,"Tell me what happened that made you lose your legs."
Pea sat quiet for a moment,"I can't say anything but the truth to you, Twilight. I owe you too much for a lie," Pea looked into the fire,"His...no...it's name is Volm."
"Volm? I've never heard of him,"Twilight said cautiously.
"No one did, he just swung in out of the blue. Tirek's Crusade stopped short and Belial just-"
Twilight stopped the mare,"Wait, wait...Tirek? My friends and I put him back into Tartarus! There's no way he can be fighting."
"He's not, in fact when news of his short time on the surface reached the rest of the centaurs like him, The Torrent as they call themselves, the prophet Belial rallied an army and searched for the gates of Tartarus-"
"Wait, wait...there's more like him? Do they all consume magic like he does?"
"Not really, but Tirek is worshiped like a god by them. Somehow he obtained a higher level of power then the rest did, and Belial is looking for it-"
"How did you get mixed up in a holy war, Pea?" Twilight asked bewildered.
"Well...that 'higher level of power' is what I was looking for. If I found it, I could keep it from the grip of evil like Belial or others. It's not just him though, there's a dragon named Borox who's in league with him."
"And how does this...Volm fit in?" Twilight asked timidly.
"It found the power before everyone else. That thing...took everything from me," Pea said with a pale face.
"You still have your nephew, don't you?" Twilight said comfortingly.
"Yes...but the worst thing is...Volm separated me from my friends," Pea wiped a tear from her face,"I'm not sure if they are still alive or not."
"So what brings you here, is the 'Higher Power' you mentioned in Equestria?" Twilight was now sitting on the edge of her seat.
"A part of it maybe...but I really came here to speak with the Sun Goddess, or Celestia as you call her."
"Why?" Twilight asked wide eyed.
"Our kind is cannon fodder out there, food or slaves and what is she doing?" Pea gritted her teeth,"Sitting here playing princess."
"Pea, calm down. I'm sure she's doing something about the war-"
"No, I've only seen the sun out there,” Pea Gravel said with an edge,”Never her. If she wanted to protect her kind like she does here, why not everywhere else?"
"I'm not sure....but this story is getting confusing," Twilight groaned,"How did you learn about the 'Higher Power'?"
Pea's face softened up,"Oh, I was still back in a place known as Peron. My crew and I went to a harbor to get a boat after escaping a bunch of dragons and we got mixed up in a situation with pirates...that's where I met Rochi," Her face warmed up when she said his name.
"I take it you liked him?" Twilight giggled. She was glad the mood became brighter then talk of war and monsters.
"Like him? I love Rochi...he was a slave for the pirate captain Gumbo then, but when we came around his thirst for adventure came back and he left them. Turns out they were after 'The most beautiful' thing in the world', which is what Rochi went to sea to find."
Twilight rubbed her eyes sleepily. Her horn glowed and a stack of paper and pen poofed next to Pea. The grey mare blinked in surprise but Twilight yawned. She placed the paper and pen onto Pea's lap.
"That's some story, but I need to know the whole thing. You should just write it all down while you stay here."
Pea smiled sheepishly,"I'd love to, Twilight. But I'm...I can't write."
Twilight looked at her for a moment,"You see," Pea continued,"A nomad like me doesn't have space in her pack for books, I just keep the stories in my head."
Twilight got off her chair and headed for the bed,"I'm tired. I suppose I can teach you to write tomorrow and Tuff if he needs it. I'm off to bed, Pea Gravel. Goodnight!"
"Goodnight, princess,"Pea said quietly as she got off the chair and headed for the door.
Twilight slipped into her bed and Pea walked over to the guest rooms. Her heart was fluttering, I'm safe and so is Tuff, she thought,but what about them? I need to find them...
Pea tread over to the room Tuff was in and moved to the center of the moonlit room. She lowered to the floor and sprawled comfortingly on the it. She felt tired mentally and physically, she welcomed sleep but was prepared for the big day tomorrow.