In a Far Away Land

by TheReaderAndWriter

The Journey

It had been far too long since Twilight had seen Spike, and his warm tight embrace made that very clear.

"I've missed you so much! Are you okay? When did you get back?" asked Spike, releasing his grip to get a better look at the princess. Her mane was longer than he remembered it.

"Just now, you're the first I've met today. I'm great, Spike, thank you. How have you been?" asked Twilight.

"I'm great now," said Spike. "Oh, just wait until Rarity and Rainbow Dash hears about this!"

"I'm sure they will be very happy to see me, and I've missed them a great deal too." Spike just sort of looked at Twilight, seemingly unable to contain his joy, so he just hugged her again. "Wow, easy there, big guy. Anyway, I have big news. For once, I finally found something useful!"

Spike let go of Twilight. "What is it?" he asked. Twilight noticed a hopeful tone in his voice, and she was sure he would like to hear the news.

***

"You found the remaining ponies!?" Rainbow Dash, her jaw dropping to the floor. Twilight just nodded as she munched on a loaf of bread. They had gathered in Rarity's shop. All of Twilight's friends were there.

"Yes and no. I know for a fact that there are others out there, but which ones or how many I just can't say," said Twilight. "And that's just the start. I've found something else. Because of a lack of information I can't be sure, but I believe that they might be, well, natives of this world."

"Natives?" asked Big Mac. "Friends?"

"Most certainly. They were quite amicable, and peaceful. They were quite strange, but I'm sure they could be of help," said Twilight.

"When you say natives, are they like the other animals, dumb, or more like us?" asked Swift Digger, sitting over in the corner on his own.

"They are just like us, without a doubt. Though, we weren't able to hold a dialog," said Twilight. "I mostly communicated with them with trying out the words I've learned from Swift's books. We wrote and exchanged books, I wasn't able to understand that much, but one thing they did tell me was that they had seen others like me not too far from their own home."

"And where is that, exactly?" asked Swift Digger.

"About 55,000 blocks away if my calculations are correct. To get there without knowing exactly where, you just go 13,000 to the east, then just keep going north until you find their village. The ponies they saw are roughly another 8,000 blocks north from there," said Twilight.

"Why didn't you go and contact them yourself, Twilight? Why did you return to Haven?" asked Time Turner.

"Because, well, the villagers had described these ponies as... hostile. Not actively aggressive, mind you, but more than willing to fight if the strange villagers approached. They were a bit scared of me when they first saw me coming to their village, but they quickly realized I was different."

"Hostile? That doesn't sound like ponies from Ponyville," said Spike.

"Anyway, the reason for me returning here is that I would like to have some more ponies follow me, to make sure we are better protected, because there is a possibility here: that the ponies are indeed not from Ponyville. I thought it over carefully, and I decided it would be best if everyone in Haven knew, and that I brought some help," said Twilight.

"Seems like a wise decision," said Time Turner.

"I think I would have just gone straight to them, save some time," said Rainbow Dash.

"How did you find the natives' village, Twilight?" asked Applebloom.

"I've been traveling in a pattern so that I know as much as possible about what is around Haven, expanding bit by bit as I travel. While I have found some interesting things, like large caves and even a few old tomes, this was the first major find outside of the ordinary," said Twilight, finishing her bread.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Spike.

"I'm thinking about asking the council if I can borrow a few guards. A dozen should be more than enough, hopefully," said Twilight.

"In the middle of winter? Are you nuts? They will never agree to that!" said Soarin.

"Well said, friend" said Time Turner. "The zombies have started to increase in numbers lately, Haven needs protection and the council are well aware of that fact."

"It can't hurt to ask, right? This is important too, it's not like I want us to open the doors for monsters to get in, I just want us to find our friends," said Twilight.

"I know, and I agree with you, Princess, but the council will most likely not allow you to bring more than one or two at the most," said Time Turner.

Spike shook his head at that statement. "No way. The council might have done that if it was 5,000 or 8,000 blocks or a trip to the Temple of Return, but they won't allow even a single one to follow Twilight as far as 50,000. They probably consider it a huge risk. Remember how much they didn't want you to leave in the first place, Twilight?" asked Spike.

"Yeah, I sure do. Still, they don't have any rights over civilians."

"They do what they think is best for us, but sometimes they can rely too much on the protocols that you wrote for them," said Spike. "That's why I quit, it could get too predictable."

"Still, I'm going to try. First thing tomorrow I will ask the council to gather and have a vote on this matter," said Twilight.

"It is like you said, Princess. It cannot hurt to ask," said Time Turner.

***

"I told you it wouldn't work," said Spike to Twilight as they walked down the stairs in front of the town hall. The morning had turned out to be fruitless.Twilight had indeed been rejected, albeit politely, but she would not stop trying to help make up for past mistakes.

"Then I suppose I will have to go with plan B," said Twilight as they walked over the town square. There was not a lot of ponies up at this hour, especially not during the winter.

"Volunteers, right?" asked Spike.

"Yes, you remember," said Twilight. "Who do you think we should ask?"

"Actually, Twilight, since I knew this wouldn't work, I went around town asking some of our friends to help out," said Spike. Twilight turned to him, surprised.

"Quite the initiative, Spike. Who, erm, who did you get?" asked Twilight as they turned a corner.

"Us, of course," said Rarity. Twilight suddenly stopped as to not walk right into her. Every pony Twilight knew well in Haven were standing right in front of Twilight and Spike. There was Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh and Time Turner standing in a tight group in front of them. To the side several other were standing. Miss Cheerilee, Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Swift Digger, Derpy Hooves, Soarin and Spitfire.

"Wait, you're all coming with us?" asked Twilight.

"No, just us four," said Rarity, pointing to herself, Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh and Time Turner. It was at that moment Twilight actually took notice of the armor the four of them were wearing. They seemed fully equipped, the rest were just wearing the same old winter clothes.

"The rest of us are just here to say goodbye and wish you good luck," said Swift Digger. "You're going far. Dangerous, you know."

"You're not coming with us?" asked Spike.

"I'm not going so far out ever again. I'm staying in Haven. You know, to keep an eye on things, and stuff," said Swift Digger.

"I'm going to take care of the children while Rarity is with you. Don't you worry about us," said Cheerilee.

"And I would like to say the same thing," said Rarity. "Sweetie Belle, don't worry about me, alright? I'm with the strongest ponies there are."

"I know. Be careful, alright?" asked Sweetie Belle. Rarity gave her a big hug.

"Are you ready to go just like that?" asked Twilight. Spike started to put on some heavy and warm armor.

"Sure are. We've packed food and weapons and everything we could need," said Spike.

"Quite," said Time Turner. "We are ready to go when you are, Princess."

Twilight did indeed want to go as quickly as possible, and it didn't take long for her to think about their offer. "Alright, then we'll be off within the hour. Just, just promise me that you'll be careful, alright?"

"We always are, Darling," said Rarity.

***

"By the way, Swift, I figured out how to use the table yesterday! Bye!" shouted Spike as they walked into the white forest just beyond one of Haven's exits.

"What?! Tell me how!"

"Sorry, can't hear you!" said Spike as they lost sight of the outer wall. Twilight could see the wide grin on his face.

"That was mean," said Twilight.

"And also hilarious," said Spike, unable to keep himself from laughing. Twilight had to agree, reluctantly.

"Do we have enough milk?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"No doubt, Rainbow Dash. If you get bitten, just ask me, Big Macintosh or Spike," said Rarity. "We have plenty of everything needed."

"Yeah, don't ask Time Turner for anything though," said Spike. Twilight turned to look at Spike, glancing at Time Turner not willing to face them. "I was just kidding, Time Turner."

"Yes, I'm aware," said Time Turner.

"What's this about?" asked Twilight.

Spike seemed surprised at her question. "Oh, that's right. You weren't here. Remember how Time Turner had a hard time storing things with his Intent? Well, turns out he never learned how to hold more than five things at once. Everypony found out about a month ago."

"It was humiliating. I was a laughing-stock until ponies finally stopped caring," said Time Turner.

"You can't hold more than five items?" asked Twilight in disbelief.

"I'm... not able to focus on so many things at once."

"I'm holding at least seventeen, and I'm not even trying," said Twilight.

Spike chuckled a bit. "You would think he would adapt just like everypony else."

Time Turner huffed, picking up the pace. "Could we just get a move on and not talk about this again?"

They were about to catch up to Time Turner when they suddenly heard someone shout. The group turned around to see Soarin running in their direction. Once reaching them, he stopped to take a few deep breaths before looking up at Twilight.

"I've changed my mind, I want to go with you guys. Is that alright?" asked Soarin with a hopeful tone in his voice.

"Well, sure, but why did you change your mind?" asked Twilight.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," said Time Turner. "Soarin, are you properly prepared for the journey? That's the proper question for this matter."

"Totally. I have armor, food, water, everything I would need," said Soarin.

"Well then, I suggest we do not let anything keep us. This will be a long journey after all," said Time Turner.

They continued. As they walked over the cold soft snow, Rainbow Dash turned to Soarin. "So what did Spitfire say about this?"

"She encouraged me," said Soarin. Twilight noticed a subtle smile on his face.

***

Most of the day was essentially just the group spending their time walking, at times idly chatting while they kept a careful watch over whatever new area they entered. The best thing about the winter was how most threats became incredibly easy to spot against the white landscape. One could spot a monster at least a hundred blocks away without much difficulty as long as it wasn't snowing.

However, the perks of the winter didn't quite feel like they outweighed the negative aspects; walking through the snow was every bit as tiring and cold as in the real world. After a few hours every step started to feel exhausting. The only one in the group not bothered by the cold was Spike.

As the sun settled, the group was happy to finally bring out their tools, digging out a small cave in the side of a tiny hill. Following Spike's advice, they made it stretch into the middle of the hill where they made it go up through the top, essentially giving them a lookout. It was crowded, but the wooden fences blocking the entrance and covering the opening above them made it feel very safe. Before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, they placed plenty of torches as well as bringing out blankets. It didn't take too long before it started to feel warm.

"Here's some coco," said Spike, handing Rarity a drink.

"You know what this reminds me off?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"What?" asked Time Turner.

"The first night we spent in this world. Do you remember? We hid in a little cave. It was pouring and Spike's fire helped us against spiders," said Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, yeah. That... was a long time ago," said Spike.

"Time flies, does it not?" asked Time Turner, drinking from a bucket of water.

It was silent for a while. Twilight noticed most seemed to just blankly stare somewhere in front of them. "I miss Princess Celestia," said Twilight.

"Missing royalty is something we have in common," muttered Time Turner.

"What?"

"I- I just mean I miss her too. I miss the safety of Equestria."

"Yeah... but did anyone ever notice how often we were not safe?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight couldn't help but to chuckle. "And how it was always up to us to fix it?" she asked.

"I sort of wish I could have been there as I am right now. I could have really helped," said Spike.

"No doubt," said Rarity.

"I wonder if Fluttershy..."

And just like that Rainbow Dash had managed to make their reminiscing go from melancholy to something much more directly depressing. As Rainbow's voice just sort of wandered off, several ponies started to stare at the ground.

"I miss her too," said Twilight, eventually looking at her friend again.

"Come on... let's get some sleep. This is going to take a while," said Spike.

"Don't worry. It will be over before you know it," said Twilight.

***

Twilight actually enjoyed walking with others. It was a nice change of pace compared to her last trips. If she felt lonely she just took a moment to talk with anyone. Hearing something other than her own thoughts and the constant muffled sound of the snow she walked on was pleasant. She hadn't realized just how much the isolation could hurt. Still, she felt like it was her duty to have endured the pain. She was going to get them home. Some ponies might have given up, but not her.

Days passed, landscapes eventually just blurred together. Twilight and her friends only had a direction to go on as there were no familiar landmarks this far away from Haven. Whenever they saw a desert, the one place unaffected by the coldness of winter, they often veered to walk upon the hot sand, just to veer back as they reached the end its borders. It snowed almost a dozen times, one time lasting an entire day. They didn't dare to travel when it snowed, as creatures could easily remain unseen in that thick snowfall. The group spent those hours in yet another little cave of similar design to their first one.

While they were forced to confront monsters on more than one occasion, the most terrifying being Enderponies, nothing posed much of a threat to the well-prepared group. Twilight was outright impressed by Spike's speed and precision with his iron blade. With him, Big Macintosh and Rainbow Dash, whatever danger would threaten them wouldn't last for long.

"The problem is that most of these are so predictable. Enderponies have gotten a bit creative lately, but other than that, fight one kind and you've fought them all," said Spike, not long after another skirmish, a rather short one. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Enderponies? What do you mean 'more creative'?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"The first thing I noticed is that they've started to pick up blocks and moving them. About a year ago they've started to be more active. Basically blocking doors, putting out lights, making holes in the outer wall. Since everypony knows never to look directly at an Enderpony, they were pretty harmless for a while, but they've become a bit more dangerous now," said Spike.

"Are you sure, Spike?" asked Time Turner.

"Almost definitely."

"Well, stop thinking about that. Because guess what?" asked Twilight.

"What?" asked Spike.

"We're almost there! It's in that desert straight ahead! We'll see it when we get over that dune, just another 500 blocks!"

***

"You are going to love them, they look so funny, and are so great, really nice bunch, all of them! Before we go find the other ponies we should spend some time with these guys. Establish our good intentions, maybe even suggest a trade route or something," said Twilight.

"I really want to see how they've built their village. I wouldn't mind seeing some houses that look different from Haven's," said Soarin.

"Eeyup."

"I hope they have food," said Rainbow Dash. "I wouldn't mind an apple right about now."

"You are about to experience it all just... right... oh no," said Twilight, her eyes widening.

The group stood in shock on top of the dune. Fire was basically everywhere. Simple but sturdy houses of sandstone and wood where set aflame. Like rivers, entire streams of lava ran down the sides of the dozens of buildings. Crops were destroyed, entire walls completely obliterated. A large building, a simple temple, had been desecrated beyond Twilight's recognition.

Twilight just stood there in total shock. The terrifying silence made one thing very clear: there were no survivors.

"No! No!" yelled Twilight, running down the dune towards the destroyed village. "What happened?! Why!?"

"Twilight, be careful! It could be dangerous!" said Spike. Just as he stopped yelling, an entire building was destroyed in a sudden explosion. There had been no Creeper's hiss to warn of the danger. Twilight had almost been caught in the blast. She immediately backed away.

"What was that?!" yelled Twilight.

"It wasn't a Creeper, that's for sure," said Spike, standing by her side. Twilight couldn't managed to do much except look at the horrifying destruction. She had begun to cry.

"I just can't... understand why anyone would do this," said Twilight.

"Twilight, are you alright?" asked Rarity, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

"I... I'll have to be. I'll endure. We... we have to find out who did this," said Twilight. Big Macintosh gave Spike a certain look, and Spike nodded in return.

"Could it have been the ponies?" asked Spike.

"I... I don't want to think like that. How could anyone from Ponyville do this? Why? What was there to gain?" asked Twilight.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer. For all we know, somepony hostile could be watching us. Let us, very cautiously, go in the direction of the ponies," said Time Turner.

"Maybe we should go back home to Haven, and come back with more ponies. I mean, now when we know something here could be a threat, then perhaps the council will listen a bit more?" asked Rarity.

"No, Time's right. We should check this out. It's best," said Soarin.

"Why, exactly? We know nothing about these ponies, or whoever did this. They could outnumber us ten to one!" said Rarity.

"Yeah, but if those ponies did this, we should try to learn why, right? See if they could become a threat to Haven in the future, so the council will learn real facts. And what if the ponies didn't do this? Then that means someone else did, and the ponies might be the next target," said Soarin. "We should help them if that's the case."

"Well said, friend," said Time Turner.

"Sometimes I forgot you were part of the Wonderbolts, Soarin. I think you're right," said Spike.

"And so do I. Come on. We'll go and find out what's-"

"INCOMING!" shouted Rainbow Dash, pointing beyond the village and above.

Twilight only had to look up, and her sharp mind instantly recognized the danger. She leaped towards Spike, pushing them both out of harms way. Spike got up on his feet just a tad quicker than Twilight did. Where they had just been there were several sticks pointing out of the ground. They were arrows, having just pierced the sand. Twilight looked the the rest of the group. They had all reacted quickly enough, though Rainbow Dash was just gawking at the source of the threat.

"No, way," she said, hardly able to believe her eyes.

"Take cover!" yelled Soarin.

"No! Dig a tunnel!" said Rarity, barely able to keep her voice down and hold her composure.

"Good plan!" said Spike, taking out an iron shovel, beginning to dig at the ground with impressive speed.

Twilight looked up towards the sky. It was indeed a good plan, for where else would they be able to continue dodging arrows, from above, in a desert? Arrows fired from the wooden bows of regular large, hostile, imposing, flying pegasi?

Comments

[ComatoseVEVO]

3403684 at the right side of the comment writting there are a bunch of pony faces if you are on phone you have to tipe them manually
:ajbemused : without spaces
:applecry : the same
:flutterrage :and so on

[ComatoseVEVO]

Oh Celestia this wont end well also i hope they find Fluttershy and the others quick

[WaihekeHalo]

OH NO! ITS THE OPERATORS THEY TURNED ON FLY!

[ninjabobmatrix]

>>WaihekeHalo oh god xD

[Skyfall360]

Hero. Or Entity.