Pathfinder Ponies

by terrycloth

Dark of Night

As the sun set, Twilight Sparkle looked around the area they’d cleared in a small, subtle valley between two of the region’s gentle hills. “So, let’s go over the checklist. Rarity, you’re on cooking duty tonight.”

“Of course, dear,” Rarity said.

Twilight nodded, and checked the item off her list. “Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie found this campsite for us, and are concealing it from wandering monsters.” The two nodded as they fluttered around the campsite preparing things, and Twilight checked that off as well.

Which only left one thing. “Applejack and Rainbow Dash are too lazy to do anything, check.”

Rainbow Dash yawned and rolled her eyes. “I’m keeping watch.”

“Not until third watch, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said, twisting the list in midair to show her the watch schedule. “You’re on third watch with Fluttershy. First watch is Rarity and Pinkie Pie.”

“That’s great and all,” the rainbow-feathered griffon said, “But who’s on watch now?”

“We’re still awake,” Twilight said. “So we don’t need a watch. If someone tries to sneak up on us, we’ll all have a chance of spotting them. Essentially, we’re all on watch until it’s time for us to go to sleep.”

“So I’m on watch. Like I said.” She rolled over onto her back, and batted at her own tail.

Most of the night passed uneventfully. The party hadn’t thought to bring any serious camping gear, but the ground was dry and firm and the weather was warm, so sleeping under the stars was reasonably comfortable. Rarity and Pinkie Pie spent most of their watch talking in low, hushed tones that kept the other party members from sleeping well, and as a result Twilight Sparkle fell asleep several times during the second watch.

“Don’t worry, sugarcube,” Applejack said, after waking her up for the third time. “Your secret’s safe with me.” Her grin was not reassuring.

Her slight dereliction of duty turned out not to matter, since nothing happened during the second watch either. It was during the third watch, where a well-rested Rainbow Dash was patrolling impatiently, and a determined Fluttershy kept careful watch over the most likely line of approach from her post concealed inside a large bush, that something happened.

There was a cry – a quiet whimper, from just over the hill. As one, the two fey on watch turned and flew away from their sleeping friends, chasing the enigmatic sound.

“Hey guys!” Rainbow Dash shouted over her shoulder, as she took to the air. “I hear something over thataway. Be right back!”

Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie awoke from Rainbow’s shout, but by the time they cleared their eyes and looked around, there was no sign of either of the ponies on watch.

“Well, that’s not good,” Applejack said. “Rares, wake up sleepy-horn. Pinkie, you’re with me.” There was no time to put on her armor, but she grabbed her magic dagger, and headed off in the direction she thought she’d heard Rainbow Dash shouting from. Pinkie Pie snagged her pouch of alchemy equipment, and followed after.

Pinkie Pie caught up to Applejack at the top of the hill, as the purrsian scanned the darkness for any sign of her friends. “There!” Pinkie hissed, pointing with a hoof at a half-badger, half-wolf, half-deer creature with a tail like a rat’s. “Ohmygosh! They’re following a leucrotta!”

“A what now?” Applejack asked, as she flew off in the direction indicated, Pinkie beside her.

“They must be hypnotized!” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “They can’t do anything but follow it until they get where it’s taking them! And then… it eats them!”

“Well, that ain’t gonna happen,” Applejack hissed.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were faster fliers than Applejack and Pinkie Pie, but were following the voices at a leisurely pace, while the two would-be rescuers were going all out. It didn’t take long for them to close the distance… and for Applejack, who still hadn’t spotted the leucrotta, to fall under the same spell. Pinkie Pie, able to see the hideous monstrosity’s mouth move as it sang its siren song, was not affected.

It was all up to her, so she made sure to prepare. The first potion mutated her into a sleek, lithe version of herself, every feather gleaming despite the lack of light. The second potion was one she’d started to prepare after the incident where she’d inadvertently set Rarity on fire, and – somehow – made the explosions of her bombs smaller and more intense. Then she flew as close as she could manage, and nailed the monster right in the middle of its back.

Back on the hill, Rarity and Twilight saw the flash of light, and started running towards the battle. Unfortunately, it would be half a minute before they would catch up, and by then…

“So, one of you has a strong enough will to resist,” the leucrotta taunted the pegasus, shaking its shoulders to flick off the rivulets of fire. “You should not have interfered.” As Rainbow Dash approached, it leapt up and tore into her, tearing out a chunk of the griffon’s flesh and then kicking her in the face. She fell to the ground, unmoving. It smirked at the hovering Pegasus. “Leave now, and the rest of your friends will live.”

The other two slowly started to come to their senses, as they reached the source of the voice. “Wha – what’s going on – Rainbow!” Fluttershy screamed, her eyes going wide as she saw the griffon bleeding out into the dry grass.

“You’ll pay for that,” Applejack scowled.

The leucrotta laughed, leaping aside as Pinkie Pie tried to nail it with another bomb, which flashed and fizzled into the dirt, then it ran behind some scrubby bushes and vanished again into the darkness.

Fluttershy took out her wand and touched it to Rainbow Dash’s wounds, which healed over, and the griffon gasped and leapt to her feet. The four stared off into the darkness in all directions, but couldn’t catch sight of their attacker.

“Raaaaainbow…” came a voice from the bushes, that sounded like the seductive call of a male griffon. “All of you, follow me… I have so much to show you…”

Applejack felt her eyes going fuzzy, but bit into her tongue and managed to break loose of the control. “Not this time, monster!” she hissed, slinking after it silently.

Fluttershy whimpered, as she watched the still-badly-wounded Rainbow Dash take off after the monster again, Pinkie Pie falling for its tricks now as well. But talking had given away its approximate position, and taking to the air, she was able to spot it. “Stop right there!” she screamed. The leucrotta turned to look, and was locked motionless by her gaze. Rainbow and Pinkie were able to catch up to it, ending its spell, and Applejack leapt from the darkness, slashing with her dagger and drawing blood.

Fluttershy held the monster’s gaze steadily. “You will NOT hurt my friends!” The leucrotta whimpered, but couldn’t bring itself to move as Applejack and Rainbow Dash took up flanking positions and tore into it, the griffon pummeling it about the head while Applejack stabbed it in the flank, then tore out its belly with her claws.

“But… but you’re just prey…” it whimpered, blood leaking from its mouth as it’s paws clutched at its spilled intestines.

“I am,” Fluttershy said gently, setting a hoof lightly on the monster’s cheek as its eyes lost focus in death. “But Rainbow Dash is strong, and she does not deserve this fate.”

By the time Twilight Sparkle and Rarity reached the scene of the battle, Fluttershy was done fussing over Rainbow Dash’s wounds, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack had thoroughly searched the monster for any valuables. It wasn't carrying any money or magical equipment, but in a hidden pouch inside its shaggy mane was some ink and a quill, and a piece of parchment with a paw-drawn map of the region on it.

A squiggly line seemed to represent the gorge, and a fortress set on the edge was described in great detail, with guard rotations and troop counts and a sketch of the anti-air ballista set on the roof of its tower. Most of the rest of the map was fairly uninteresting, with only small bits of forest here and there and of course the main road, which the party was following, with a notation that the leucrotta had found a patrol of six warriors.

“It was a spy!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“For who?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “The diamond gnolls are nowhere near here. Nopony is anywhere near here, other than that fortress apparently, which should be under Empire control. We’re not exactly on the frontier.”

“It has to be spying for the diamond gnolls,” Pinkie Pie replied. “They work with leucrotta all the time. They must be spread out all through the whole gorge, not just the mine!”

“It’s an invasion!” Rainbow said, leaping into the air. “We’d better get to the fortress and warn them, before it’s too late!”

“I think you’re jumping to conclusions,” Twilight said uncertainly, then shook her head. “But it’s worth losing a little sleep on the off chance that you’re right. Let’s go back to the camp and get our things, and then head to the fortress without delay.”

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Huh. Targeted bomb admixture? That's a fairly obscure one. I guess Twilight got all the extra sourcebooks.

In any case, I'm loving this story so far, especially Pinkie's continued use of the Throw Anything feat. Heck, it makes me want to make a unicorn-exclusive "telekinetic fighter" class archetype. Eagerly looking forward to more.