• Published 2nd Dec 2014
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Gleaner Chronicles - sevenofeleven



Emotion starved changelings unwittingly set in motion events that will cause an ancient evil to ravage Earth and Equestria.

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Chapter Eighteen: Tracks and Jerome

Canterlot Airfield
Early morning.

When Margot finally trotted up to the airfield, the sky was still dark. Applejack was arguing with Far.

“Ahm sorry, but the carriage pony guild are scared of the region. They don’t want to be so sad they crash into the ground taking the carriage with them,” Applejack said with an apologetic look on her face.

“Maybe they can get us close enough or something? I don’t want to travel all of that distance by hoof. It’s not safe,” Far said.

“How close is safe? The carriage pegasi could get too close and drop out of the sky. We don’t know how far the spell goes,” Skybreeze said.

“Nopony knows any spells that could help?” Far asked while looking at the assembled ponies. All eyes locked on Margot. She looked away.

Margot looked back at Far. “I’m sorry but I don’t know how to deal with Enchantment magic. If it was a ring of fire, I could handle that,” Margot said then she looked at the SHC.

Far faced the SHC. “Can you bless the pegasi or something?” Applebloom looked at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. A few minutes passed before Scootaloo shrugged. “I guess so.”

Apple Bloom gaped at her friend in surprise. “Why are you so glum? Oonté picked us to do her will.”

“I know but I’m getting tired of being knocked out when doing a major blessing. I want to fight too!”

Far looked at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Girls, sorry, ladies. We don’t have time for this now. Can you bless the carriage ponies? Yes or No?”

Apple Bloom looked up with a smile and said yes. Scootaloo wouldn’t meet Far’s questioning gaze. “No.”

Sweetie Belle looked down and murmured maybe. Margot wondered what had changed the SHC’s minds.

Princess Chr'Aya walked up. “I agree with Applejack, it will be better if we are on the ground. I know some emotion based magic. I might be able to protect us from the Melancholy Marsh’s magic.” Nga'Devro walked up behind the princess.

“Well, git your supplies so you can head out before the sun comes up. You have a lot of ground to cover,” Applejack said while pointing to the supplies. The team lined up and loaded up. While Margot had supplies placed in her saddlebags, a thought crossed her mind. She really had a lot of doubt that anypony here could handle the sadness she felt when she had the vision about Pinkie.

After everypony got their supplies. Applejack looked at them. “Ah wish y’all luck. Bring Pinkie home!”

“With Oonté’s help we will!” Apple Bloom said with a smile. She looked back at her team. They weren’t smiling, but they seemed determined.

Far pulled out a map from his bulging saddlebags. “This is how we are going to do the trip. If we took the most direct route we’d pass close to Canterlot. Empress Razorhoof and too many gleaners live there. We’ll have to go south almost to the northern part of Ponyville then head east. Does anypony have any questions?” Far said and looked around. Margot noticed when Far mentioned Ponyville, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s ears drooped.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Far headed toward the eastern gate and the ponies followed them.

Applejack watched them go with a sigh.


The sun was going down and the sky was getting dark when they decided to rest. The party was in a meadow covered with yellow grass that spread out for miles. Margot wished that the meadow was full of healthy green grass, but it was better than no grass and just dead grey dirt.

Princess Chr'Aya gasped and panted next to Margot. “Well, I guess I need more exercise. Nga'Devro, how are you able to do all of this and not be uncomfortable?”

“Nga'Devro keeps himself fit by running and flying several miles a day,” Nga'Devro said.

Skybreeze muttered under her breath, “Show off.” Margot was glad they had stopped cantering now or she would end up panting like Chr'Aya.

Far looked around. “Guys, I gotta say this. You won’t like it. We’ll have to sleep without fire and have cold food. An open flame out in the middle of nowhere would attract enemies.”

“Dang it Far! No smores tonight!” Apple Bloom said with a smile.

“Oh no! No popcorn!” Scootaloo said while a smile covered her face.

Chr'Aya wrinkled her nose in puzzlement. “What is a smore?”

“It’s a tasty sweet that will put extra pounds on a pony’s rump,” Skybreeze said.

“When we get back with Pinkie, I will show you, Princess Chr'Aya. And other ponies can save their rumps by not having any,” Far said then winked at Skybreeze.

“Oh I’m so going to have some! Screw my rump!” Skybreeze said with a wave of a forehoof.

Princess Chr'Aya gasped with surprise. Margot noticed that Nga'Devro placed his left forehoof over his mouth as though he was hiding a laugh.

At that moment, a sound tore at their ears. It was like the noise a train makes when braking mixed in with ponies screaming. Everypony looked around while their ears swiveled to try to find the location of the maker of the noise. The noise got louder like it was approaching.

Far stood with his wings unfurled. “Stay calm and just wait until we know where it is.” Margot scanned the area. Nothing was found. She extended the range and still found nothing. Margot tried again. This time she got a quick flash of something. It felt like warm metal, pony flesh and malice then it was gone. The braking screaming noise seemed to fade into the distance.

“Far? Was that the Train?” Skybreeze said. Far nodded.

Princess Chr'Aya faced Far. “Where did such a monstrosity come from?”

“Several caravan leaders think it was made by a Gleaner Lord called Foulshaper,” Far said.

Sweetie Belle walked up to Far. “After that, I don’t want to go to sleep in the dark. A fire lets us see what’s out there.”

Skybreeze looked at Sweetie. “I have an idea, we could conjure up a magical fire that will light up this area but can’t be seen from outside the spell.” Sweetie smiled.

“That is a great idea. I can help with that,” Princess Chr'Aya said.

Margot faced Skybreeze. “Maybe we could put the spell in an artifact so we don’t have to cast this spell all the time?”

Skybreeze nodded. “Sounds wonderful.”

Far pointed at Nga'Devro. “We will watch your backs while the spell is being cast.” Princess Chr'Aya started by creating a spell that would block light, but still let viewers see the area around the ponies. The spell would just show an empty area. Skybreeze added the light part, and the area was lit by a soft white light. Margot grabbed the finished spell then conjured up a small square block of gray granite to hold the spell. There was a large switch on it so users can turn the spell on or off. A few minutes later, they had an artifact to take the place of a fire but that wouldn’t attract attention.

Skybreeze looked at the artifact while it was suspended in her telekinesis field. “Nice work Margot, its simple but elegant. All I have to do is to feed it power and hit the on switch?”

“Yes.”

Far looked at the device. “What do we call it?”

“How about NightLight Device?” Scootaloo said then she looked at Sweetie.

“Sounds good Scootaloo.”

Far’s stomach growled. “How about we call it Nightlight for now and let’s get ready to eat!” Margot opened her saddlebags and looked inside. There were several paper wrapped bundles along with water bottles. She grabbed a package and some water, then Margot walked over to Far. He was busy tearing into his dinner.

Unlike the last time they camped out, the atmosphere felt different. Nopony thought this was just an outing. The Train sucked all of the fun out of the evening. Ponies just ate their food in silence. Margot took the first watch. For a few hours, she watched the stars and the grass wave in the slight winds. When her watch was done, Nga'Devro took over. Margot closed her eyes hoping she would just sleep and not get any terrible dreams.

Morning came and Margot got part of her wish granted. She didn’t rest well, but at least there was nothing to remember. After eating breakfast, the area was cleaned up then they started cantering.


Ponyville Outskirts

The yellow grass started to get sparse. Now the ground was covered with grey brown dirt. Beyond that there was something that looked like train tracks. Instead of shiny metal it looked like the rails were a combination of burned flesh and melted steel. An aura of Gleaner magic covered the tracks. Margot followed the tracks with her eyes and saw it led to Ponyville. To the east, there was a forest. It didn’t look as bad as the Neverfree, at least the trees were spaced out so sunlight could reach the ground.

Skybreeze looked at the tracks and wrinkled her nose. “I do say, this doesn’t smell good. The dark magic here doesn’t help either. If somepony walked over the tracks, who knows what would happen?” Margot looked at the tortured flesh and metal of the tracks. It was hard to see where one ended and the other began. To her, it seemed like flesh and metal were melded together.

Scootaloo looked at the tracks with a grimace of distaste. “What do we do now?”

“Well, we need to cross these tracks. We don’t have the time to go to Ponyville. Maybe after we get Pinkie we can stay awhile. We should jump or fly over the tracks. Margot and Skybreeze can either jump or use magic to cross over. Flying ponies can carry the SHC over the tracks,” Far said and flapped his wings.

“We could use telekinesis and carry the SHC,” Skybreeze said.

Margot shook her head. “I think we should save our power for saving Pinkie.”

Skybreeze looked up for a second. “Really Margot, we are going to be that stingy with our power?” She looked at Margot.

“We don’t have an infinite amount of power. Who knows what we have to fight?”

Nga'Devro nodded. “Nga'Devro believes that Margot has a good point. There is another solution that costs little magic. All the flying ponies can carry a SHC member across. Nga'Devro will carry two members across. This way the Princess doesn’t have to do this task.”

Princess Chr'Aya frowned. “Even though I am a Changeling Princess, I wish to help out.”

“We are burning daylight! Please decide soon. I don’t want to fuss with whatever is in the Melancholy Marsh at night,” Far said. Apple Bloom walked up to Far. He knelt and Apple Bloom climbed on his back. “Hold on tight!” Far took off and flew over the tracks.

“Nga'Devro suggests that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walk up to me,” Nga'Devro said and pointed at them. Sweetie walked up to Nga'Devro but Scootaloo just stood there looking around.

Princess Chr'Aya waved at Scootaloo. “I can carry you across.” Far landed next to Scootaloo while Apple Bloom kept watch from the other side. Sweetie Belle climbed on Nga'Devro while Scootaloo climbed on Far. They flew over the tracks then landed next to Apple Bloom. With a sigh, Princess Chr'Aya flew over the tracks.

Margot thought about using a levitation spell but she just had a feeling that she’d need that power later. She ran at the tracks as fast as she could. When she got close, her hind legs propelled her over the tracks.

She felt the clammy touch of gleaner magic on her hooves for a second then she landed with an ooof. Margot figured she was not going to get a perfect score from the judges. Skybreeze jumped over without incident. The SHC had climbed off of their flying mounts and were waiting to move on. Far looked over his party and then they headed east.

As Margot cantered toward the forest, her mind slowly filled up with doubt and worry. At first she was able dismiss the thoughts and continue on, but they continued to gather like hungry dark birds. It was getting harder and harder to push the negative thoughts away. The weight of the thoughts were weighing her down like somepony added bars of lead to her saddlebags.

Even though the forest ahead of her was lit by golden rays of sunlight, to Margot, the sun was weak and pale. Her eyes burned as the weight of all of the things she’d screwed up or should have done better threatened to break her back. Margot’s vision blurred as tears flowed freely down her face. It felt like she was carrying a mountain on her back. Even breathing was too much work now. Margot slumped to the ground and fought for her next breath. It felt like it was almost not worth the effort. Darkness closed in on her.

Somepony nudged her then they pushed harder. “Come on! Wake up! Freakin WAKE UP!” Margot opened her eyes just in time to see a light brown unicorn stallion with slick brown hair and brown eyes punch her in the nose.

“What the hell!” Margot said as she prepared an offensive spell. A red glow covered her horn.

“Wait, don’t do that! My name is Jerome Siklis and you will regret that!” Jerome said while backing away. A red fireball appeared in front of Margot.

“Great! Anger is good, it keeps the sadness spell from messing with your head,” Jerome said while trying to put up a defense. He sensed that the fireball was more powerful than any defense he could throw together. Invokers with their energy manipulation abilities were dangerous enemies.

“Who are you? And why did you hit me?”

“Okay, maybe I went a bit overboard with that, but you weren’t waking up. Please don’t throw that fireball at me. I kinda like my coat’s color,” Jerome said. He tried his best imitation of puppy eyes to sooth Margot’s wrath. The fireball’s color shifted to orange before shrinking and fading away into nothing.

“Who are you again?” Margot said.

Jerome sighed. “Really? Fine. My name is Jerome Siklis. D-core sent me when you disappeared from the mall.”

“It’s not my fault, something grabbed me and I ended up in Equestria. Did Mark make it out alive?”

Jerome glanced at the other ponies in the group then back at Margot. “Mark is fine. I’ll explain everything later. I need some power from you though.”

Margot grimaced. She’d heard stories about Enchanters. They never seemed to have enough power. Feeding Jerome power would mean less power for her to use if things got rough. “Do I have pink fur and bang a drum?”

Jerome smiled.

Margot looked at her leg. “Okay, you got half of that. I need that power for later.”

“I know, but without my help, you won’t get close enough to save Pinkie,” Jerome said.

Margot focused and sent over some power to Jerome.

“Really now, I know you’re being stingy. Come on Dura-, um, Margot,” Jerome said while looking around. Margot focused and sent Jerome even more power. “Finally, a decent amount of power I can work with!” The feeling of crushing sadness withdrew. It was still there but it was manageable. Margot followed Jerome as he trotted over to Far.

Far was on his knees whispering apologies to dead ponies in his past. Jerome tapped him with his left fore hoof. “It’s in the past, you need to move on.” Before Far could reply, Jerome was standing next to Skybreeze.

She was standing, but tears rolled down her face. “I loved a changeling, and I let my cowardice rule me! I should have said something!”

“It’s ancient history now. We need to focus on Pinkie,” Jerome said before walking toward the SHC. Margot noticed that Nga'Devro and Princess Chr'Aya were watching Skybreeze with great interest.

Princess Chr'Aya walked up to Jerome. “Who or whatever is doing this emotional magic is quite skilled at it. Changelings don’t spend time using emotions this way.”

“Nga'Devro thinks it’s like playing with one’s food,” Nga'Devro said.

“Ya know my ma was no fan of me playing with my food and she was an expert of manipulating emotions. She could wield guilt like a baseball bat or like a scalpel,” Jerome said while watching the SHC. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were up, but Sweetie Belle was still lying on the ground.

“Nga'Devro wishes to know what a Baseball Bat is. Does it fly at night?” Nga'Devro said.

“What is a scalpel?” Princess Chr'Aya said.

“Wait wha?” Jerome said. He looked over to Margot for help. She was tempted to let him fumble around, but then they really didn’t have the time for it.

“A baseball bat is a club used for a popular game at home and a scalpel is a small sharp knife used by doctors,” Margot said while looking at Jerome. Jerome walked over to the SHC.

“Hey foals, what’s up!” Jerome said. Apple Bloom looked away from Sweetie to glare at Jerome.

Scootaloo’s ears went back on her head. “We’re older than foals, we’re fillies. Is there something wrong with you?”

Before the situation could get worse Margot walked up to Sweetie. “Is she okay?” Scootaloo just looked at Sweetie Belle as she lay in the grass murmuring about losing Rarity.

Apple Bloom leaned down and put her hooves around Sweetie’s face. “Come on Sweetie! We are going to find Rarity.”

Scootaloo put her left fore hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “Yeah, and she’ll be fine.” For a few seconds, it seemed like Sweetie was going to stay on the ground then she got up with a sniffle.

Jerome scanned Sweetie Belle’s mind, it was still fixated on finding Rarity. He looked away from Sweetie, there was something he could do, but it would probably bite him in the plot later. There was not enough time to wait for Sweetie to recover. With a sigh, he adjusted Sweetie’s mind so she felt like Rarity would be waiting for her back home. No more worry until the mission was over.

Sweetie Belle looked around and then looked at Jerome. “Guys, who is that?”

Jerome took that as a cue to introduce himself. “Guys and gals, my name is Jerome Siklis. I was sent here by the Messenger of Oonté to help rescue Pinkie.”

Scootaloo walked up to Jerome with suspicion in her eyes. “How do we know you were really sent by the Messenger? You might be working for the Gleaners.”

Apple Bloom looked at her friend with surprise. “Scootaloo!”

Jerome smiled. “Come over here Scoots and I will whisper it to you.”

Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you call me Scoots!” She walked up to Jerome. He whispered something in her ear. Margot wondered what he said that made Scootaloo’s ears droop for a second.

Sweetie Belle bounced on the ground. “Come on, let’s save Pinkie! I want to be back with Rarity before dark.” Scootaloo exchanged a glance with Apple Bloom. Margot didn’t have to share a glance with Jerome. She knew what Enchanters can do. Jerome is going to fix this one on his own, Margot resolved.

Far looked at Jerome. “Are you going to take point?”

“Heck no! Put me behind Margot,” Jerome said. Once he was behind Margot. Far got the other ponies to move up and they headed toward the forest.

Jerome started singing. “We’re off to save Pinkie from a situation that is hinky...” Margot wasn’t the only pony who rolled her eyes. Far saw something up ahead that looked like four piles of rocks, but when he stepped closer, he knew those were not rocks. They had found the four lost pegasus scouts. Their weather-whitened bones looked like the ponies just laid down on the ground, and died. For a few moments, everypony looked at the bones. They had come so close to dying like that.

Sweetie Belle just glanced at the bones. “Come on Far! Let’s move it!”

Apple Bloom looked back at Sweetie. “Sweetie Belle, you know we have to give Oonté’s Grace to these bones.”

“Yes but we can do it later! They aren’t going anywhere!”

Far trotted to the SHC. “Gals, can we deal with this later? We may need Oonté’s help freeing Pinkie.”

Apple Bloom looked away from Sweetie Belle. “Yes.” Sweetie Belle just looked into the forest. Far trotted back to the front then the ponies continued. Margot wondered if they had enough power to deal with what was inside. They would find out sooner or later.