//------------------------------// // The Quest (Officially) Begins! // Story: Canterlot Crashers // by Orkus //------------------------------// By the time the dust the four warriors kicked up had settled, Red was standing atop the three-body pile of his bruised and injured friends. With an overly proud swagger in his strut, he marched off of of their puling bodies, and walked passed the onlooking five ponies and dragon from before, and up to the still-confused Princess Luna. Bending down on one knee, his entire, nuttier-than-a-squirrel-pie look somehow changed into a normal, possibly even civil expression; utterly devoid of anything immature. "Most elegant Princess of the land, I, a simple, humble knight of thine realm, only ask thou to bequeath in a kiss of thanks upon mine lips," he spoke, motioning to his mouth. Luna only gave him a look that begat chagrin in reply. Red, seeing that she apparently disagreed with his proposition, was about to stand up again and leave when Luna suddenly closed her eyes, leaned in, and kissed him passionately on the lips; much to his surprise. To his friends, Red appeared to be in ecstasy, as seen by his floating body and rapidly flailing limbs. When their lips parted a second later, Red took a moment to drift back down to the ground, as Luna's expression quickly returned to the stern visage it was before, as if having already forgotten the moment. Red, on the other hand, turned about and walked back to his friends in a manner akin to a drunkard. "Whatta... woman..." he said in a dreamy voice, before collapsing at his friend's feet. "Easy there, lover-boy," Green spoke, as he and the other two picked him up and dusted him off. As they did this, Pinkie Pie stepped toward their leaded with a questioning look. "Now that that's over, what happens next?" she inquired. "Yeah, what happens next?" Orange concurred. "Well, I must go and make sure the other towns and cities along the countryside are alright," Luna started. "I must also make sure the sun and moon are raised and lowered accordingly." "What should we do?" Rainbow Dash asked. "There's always the chance that those monsters will return, but if we stay here then we can't go anywhere else." "That is most troublesome..." Luna stated. "Send us!" Blue suddenly spoke. "We got summoned here for a reason, after all. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say we're expendable." "YA HEAR THAT? WE'RE EXPENDABLE!" Red suddenly cried out to the heavens, dropping his mace and shield so he could raise his fists to the sky. His expression quickly became muddled as he snapped out of his mania. "Wait, we're expendable? Nobody tells me anything anymore." "Then you shall be the ones responsible for rescuing the other princesses," Luna agreed, with a grin of confidence. "Before we can march onto Canterlot and rescue my sister, we must first save Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight Sparkle however. As far as my previous captor bragged, they are not as well-guarded, and we need all they can give." "Who do we rescue first?" Green asked, as he flicked some dirt from his sword. "Princess Cadence is the one," she replied. "I do not know where Twilight Sparkle is, but she may know. Her husband and herself are trapped in the Crystal Empire by one that goes by the name of "the Black Knight." I fear what he may be attempting to do..." "Uh... quick question..." Red began, scratching his head. "Where is this place? I might not be the sharpest fork in the crayon bin, but I think my comrades have as much of an idea of this land as me." "That's right..." Rarity said. "You'll need somepony to lead you. But who?" "I'll go," a voice spoke up. Every character there turned to the approaching gray form they each recognized as Derpy Hooves. "Derpy? You want to do it?" Fluttershy said in shocked tone. "I... I want to go too," the mare said again, her golden, crossed eyes shifting positions. "These guys will get lost if somepony doesn't lead them, after all. And I deliver mail, so I know how to get everywhere." "Are you sure about this, sugarcube?" Applejack said. "Yes," she replied, nodding. "My daughter can stay here where it's safe, but I want to go make sure that monster that started all this gets what's coming to him." Luna let out a sigh. "Very well, Miss Hooves. You shall be the one to help these strangers reach the Crystal Empire." "Very good! We leave immediately!" Red shouted, lifting his mace up and instantly running toward the nearby dirt road roaring like a bear. "What about lunch?" Blue spoke up from where he stood. "All that fighting made me hungry." Red ran back to his friends, still boisterously shouting, before stopping and putting his weapon down. "We leave after lunch!" he shouted again. Sablewing stood by the balcony of Canterlot's castle, sipping from a clear chalice in his claw that was filled with red wine as he admired the view. He couldn't help but feel as though something was off, but he shook the feeling away. The sound of claws pattering on the ground behind prompted him to turn, and there, running up to him, was a smaller shape. It was a kobold bearing blue scales, and a tired expression. It was clear he had been running for some time, judging from his panting. "Who are you, my friend?" the dragon asked, once the being stopped. "Dross the messenger," the small reptile responded, bowing his head to his leader. "I have... I have bad news, my lord." "Bad news?" he inquired. "Go ahead and tell me." "Eh... Killer, your chief Diamond Dog... he has been slain, my lord." Sablewing's expression shifted to one of surprise on his black-scaled face, before mollifying to what it was before. "By whom?" he asked, his tone still soothingly normal. "Four short warriors unlike anyone I've seen before," Dross responded. "They then freed the princess, Luna, and I personally fear that they will attempt the same thing with the other three. I... I also think they may be from another universe." Sablewing hummed, looking into his chalice and the red liquid in it. The kobold saw he was thinking about his next move. "Send for... the Warboss. Tell him we have a job for him," he finally said. The kobold blinked in surprise. "The Warboss? A-are you sure?" he asked. "That goblin's a menace. He doesn't listen, tried to kill us the moment we brought him and his clan here from his universe, and ran off to pursue his own agenda... it was a miracle we paid that bastard enough to stop raiding our outposts..." Sablewing chuckled as he walked closer to his minion. "He's a treacherous fiend, and he's as brutal as a rabid dire wolf, that much is true. But you must remember, he has the mind of a child. A hyperactive, violent, cruel child with an attention span as fickle as an autumn wind, mind you. Which is why we're going to tell him that he'll have an "enemy worth fighting" in the form of our little... problem." "You think it'll work?" the kobold inquired again. "My dear minion, of course I do," he replied confidently, turning to walk down the balcony's aisle a short ways, the smaller reptile following obediently. "Though we may have lost a princess, and a good warrior for that matter, all shall turn out in our favor I assure you. Now, fetch me a carrier pigeon, if you may." "Of course, sir," the kobold bowed, before going forward and leaving as fast as he came in. As he went away, Sablewing turned about to the balcony, and once more sauntered to its edge. "So... Killer, the mighty diamond dog, has been slain by four short characters from another world, has he?" he spoke to himself, swishing the wine in his chalice as he mulled about his current situation. "If there's anything I knew since I was a whelp, it's how to fight fire with fire..." He took a sip, admiring the flavor of the vintage, fermented beverage before swallowing. "...And as any should know, it's that my fire is much hotter than most else's..."