Chapter 18
“The city of Bridge is a giant wooden bridge that is also a city. It is considered a wonder, a curiousity, and a deathtrap. The massive wooden structure started off as a bridge crossing a vast ravine, but over time, ponies built structures upon the top of it. Over more time, ponies made homes and dwellings in the support structures beneath it. Mostly pegasi who can fly. There are a large of community of pegasi there, a few earth ponies, and a group of unicorns who use their magic to keep the bridge from collapsing,” Princess Luna explained as she pointed to a diagram using her horn.
“I learned about those unicorns, they’re called woodkeepers, kind of like other unicorns are known as firekeepers. They work in shifts, tirelessly making little adjustments in their magic to keep the bridge safe. When the wind starts blowing, they panic,” Sunrise Surprise stated, bringing her book smarts into play.
“You will never meet a more nervous group of ponies,” Princess Luna agreed.
“So what do we know about this rogue unicorn?” Garlic asked as he stared at the crude drawing of the city of Bridge.
“Not much. We know that they have a knack for mind control spells and a love of gemstones. The rogue unicorn in question has seized control of a small army of goblins and diamond dogs. They roam the countryside, snatching up miners from the iron mines and stealing them away to be used as labour in the gem mines. The diamond dogs are poachers and they hide behind trees,” Princess Luna replied.
“So… we go to Bridge… we search the surrounding countryside, try not to get ambushed and captured, find the place where this unicorn is hiding, we go in, subdue or kill the unicorn, free the captured slaves, and come out as heros. This doesn’t seem hard at all,” Fogwalker summarised as she made a gesture with her hoof.
“There is four of us going against what is sure to be an army,” Chert said, giving voice to his concern. “I understand that Garlic is a powerful fighter, but he no longer has armor. He’s going to be vulnerable this trip.”
“So we keep him safe,” Fogwalker said as she looked at the pony that was now her mate and the one thing in the world that she loved more than anything else. “We do this my way. Stealthy. We pick off groups as we find them. Chert, you put arrows in their eyes and I’ll set them on fire.”
Stroking his chin with his hand, Chert nodded. “I can do that, but I can only carry so many arrows. I’ll have to make more in between fights if I can’t scavenge the ones I loose into enemies. Arrows break. Heads become lodged inside of a body and don’t always want to come out.”
“So we do this slowly and we take our time,” Sunrise Surprise stated as she pushed her glasses up on her nasal ridge. “We play it smart. The three of us hole up someplace where we are safe and we allow Fogwalker to do what she does best, which is perform as a scout. She flies overhead where the goblins and diamond dogs can’t reach her and when she spots activity, we move in and engage the enemy. We keep out of reach of the enemy and only engage them when it is advantageous for us to do so.”
Turning to look at Sunrise Surprise, Garlic nodded. “I think when you got those wings you also got a new sense of combat tactics,” he remarked as a faint smile spread across his face.
Blushing, Sunrise Surprise fluttered her wings and bashfully turned away from Garlic. “I’ve been listening to the lectures that Princess Luna has been giving to Chert. I take notes.”
“Well this is good news,” Princess Luna quipped as her face split into an enormous grin.
Nervously pacing, Princess Celestia moved around the room, her head alternating between being held high and held low, her wings fluttering at her sides as her agitation got the better of her. The other occupants in the room watched as she paced, some of them fidgeting nervously themselves.
Reclining upon a chaise lounge, Trixie’s eyes followed Celestia as she moved back and forth, to and fro, the big white alicorn was wearing a bald patch into the carpet with all of the pacing that Princess Celestia had been doing lately. “Majesty… if it eases your mind at all, Rampart Rusher is pleased to be earning her pay protecting Garlic’s family upon the farm. She told me that she feels honourable again after her part in all that took place.”
Princess Celestia did not reply but did give a nod in Trixie’s direction as she continued.
“Your loyal subjects are no longer so loyal. They are fearful about the changes taking place in our society. They want some kind of meaningful answer about useful breeding arrangements and fear what marriage will do to society as a whole,” Flim reported as he stirred his tea. He shot an apologetic glance at Chrysalis and offered the changeling queen a sheepish smile.
“Clan Fetlock continues to set themselves against you. It seems the clan itself is divided. Some of them realise the folly of trying to move against you and know it is a fight they cannot win so almost half of the clan is pressuring the other half to just pack up and leave the territory,” Flam said in a low voice. “They speak treason openly now and make no effort to hide it. An arrest was made of one prominent member of Clan Fetlock after he arranged for payment to those who would bring him Garlic Van der Grease alive or dead… and threats have been made against Fogwalker Fetlocks and Sunrise Surprise as well. The arrests that have been made only continue to make the situation worse,” Flam continued, speaking in a subdued voice as he eyed the tea cakes sitting on the stand.
Sputtering with rage, Celestia turned on Flim and Flam. After a few moments of spitting angrily, the big white alicorn regained her composure enough to be able to speak again. “I want a public statement issued… if one hair or feather on Sunrise Surprise’s body is harmed, if Garlic is hurt, if Fogwalker or Chert are made to suffer in any way, then I will incinerate the entirety of Clan Fetlock into cinders and my sister will wipe them from memory so none shall mourn their passing… I am sick of being nice about this!”
“I concur… the application of force has become necessary,” Derpy agreed as she closed her book. “We do not wish for you to be seen as an evil tyrant, but neither do we wish for you to be seen as spineless. Clan Fetlock forgets their place and it is time that the public is reminded that you are in charge. I suggest that all of them be stripped of rank and be given walking papers. End their service-”
“We cannot lose that many defenders!” Trixie interrupted in a fearful voice.
“We have already lost them,” Derpy retorted, offering Trixie a polite snort of indifference to punctuate her words when she was done speaking.
“She’s right you know,” Flam stated as he gave a worried look to Derpy.
“If a threat came right now they might ignore it completely in order to further undermine your authority,” Flim said, picking up on his brother’s thoughts.
“We should force their hoof. Since they want to leave, I say we make them leave,” Flam suggested, nodding his head vigorously as he spoke.
With a pained expression, Princess Celestia raised her hoof and made pointed it at Flim and then Flam. “Begin stripping them of everything at once. Their lands, their titles, their funding, all of their feudal holdings. I was content to let them grumble but threats against Sunrise Surprise and her companions are going to far. This ends.”
“This is going to weaken us,” Trixie mumbled.
Blinking at Trixie through her glasses, Derpy’s muzzle crinkled. “We have already been weakened. Now we are cutting away the weak flesh so that we might heal the body and be strong once more.”
“Things are going to get rough until this body gets better,” Trixie grumbled sulkily.
“Love will sustain us,” Chrysalis said in a reassuring voice that brought no reassurance.
Surrounded by guards, the companions marched for the edge of the county. Sunrise Surprise felt fearful, the guards could only escort them so far and then they would be on their own. Chert felt concerned, but also confident in his abilities to keep his friends safe. Fogwalker felt angry and protective, her pegasus sensibilities had been thoroughly offended. Pegasi were suppose to be loyal, and Clan Fetlock were now being called treasonous cowards. Guilt and shame made her cheeks burn with inner fire and she hated even having the clan name Fetlock. Garlic simply focused upon placing one hoof in front of the other and marching.
“I don’t know what is going to happen with me,” Fogwalker said to Garlic as she marched. “If my clan is banished, what becomes of me? My armor? My own stake in the clan wealth?”
“I don’t know,” Garlic replied in a voice that was as steady as his gait. “But you are mine now. I didn’t marry you for your wealth or your holdings. Welcome to poverty.”
“Poverty isn’t so bad if you are with the ones you love,” Fogwalker remarked, sounding as though she was trying to convince herself of this as she spoke.
“I get a royal stipend… both of you will be looked after, I promise,” Sunrise Surprise said to both of her friends. “I don’t get much, but we can share. I’m looking after Chert too… I haven’t actually bought anything for myself yet now that I think about it.”
Ahead, on the sides of the road, a crowd of earth ponies and a few pegasi had gathered. The guards, already nervous, tightened ranks around the four companions and nervous commands were already being given. On one side of the road, the crowd parted, and a small dark green earth pony filly stepped out into to the road with a small white flower held in her mouth. She looked up hopefully at the marching soldiers and waved.
“We mean no harm,” an older looking earth pony stallion said.
“We just wanted to thank Garlic for agreeing to be our champion,” a mare stated.
“We’re all stuck down here in drudgery, working day in and day out, and we birth our foals into the same misery that we ourselves were born into. It gets bleak down here at the bottom… But Garlic has broke free… maybe our foals can one day do the same,” an old wrinkled mare said as she moved beside the small dark green filly holding the white flower.
The guards ceased marching and came to a halt. Garlic immediately began to shove his way forward through them, trying to reach the group of well wishers. He emerged from the shelter of the guards, who eyed him nervously, and he stood looking down at the filly who was busy looking up at him.
“Chert, please, could you help me take off my helmet?” Garlic asked.
Coming forward, the centaur came to where Garlic was standing, reached up, and helpfully removed Garlic’s helmet. He held it in his arms as Garlic stepped away towards the filly.
Lowering his head and kneeling down his front legs, Garlic allowed the tiny filly to slide the flower behind his ear. He stood snoot to snoot with her, the filly foal was only about the size of Garlic’s head.
“Good luck,” the filly said in a tiny squeaky voice.
“Thank you,” Garlic replied.
“Will you keep our new princess safe?” the filly asked.
Garlic gave a little nod. “I’ll do my best.”
Pushing her way out of the phalanx of guards, Sunrise Surprise came forward with Fogwalker just behind her. Nearly tripping over her own front hooves, Sunrise let out a startled cry and then regained her footing. She blinked at the crowd and offered a sheepish grin.
“I’m clumsy too,” an earth pony announced from the back of the crowd.
“It was very kind of you to come out and greet us,” Sunrise Surprise said in a strong nasal lisp, her nervousness nearly overcoming her ability to speak. “It is nice to see we have supporters and well wishers.”
“You’re big,” the filly stated in a voice filled with awe.
“I know,” Garlic responded as he slowly lifted his head and straightened out his legs.
“One day you’re going to be the Virtue of Steadfastness,” a mare announced.
Garlic shrugged. “Maybe. But I’ll still be me.”
“Good luck doing whatever it is that you are doing… come home safely,” the old mare by the filly said in a raspy dry voice. “Please keep our new princess safe.”
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Nice chapter.
This is good.
I really agree with the decision they are making, a noble house who doesn't support the crown is nothing but a reliability and must be purged. All I fear now are insurrections but that would be not only petty but also completely work against what they are sworn to do, protect ponies. Then again... They have already shown that they value that oath less than their pride.
Dark times for the ponies.
Good chapter.
Agreed, a wonderful chapter. Nice to see that the public loves Garlic and supports Sunrise.
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Clan Fetlock, House Avarice... Every universe has its own.
5434620 constants and variables booker. Constants and variables.
5474377
Not too important.
5475168
Start running
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What do you mean, Start running?
Also, this was a really heartwarming chapter.
Cute.
--Spade