Tales of Old Equestria: 1st Saga

by Pending Storm

Chapter 7: Beneath the Mask

“Can we please stop for a moment?!” Pending called out, panting.

Hard Counter, Roswell Rivet, and the Shadow Ninja ground to a halt. They turned around to see Pending Storm struggling to keep up. It took a few moments before she finally caught up to them.

“Can you not shout?” Hardy scolded. “Or do you wish to alert their scouts?”

“What’s the problem?” the Shadow Ninja asked with a hint of urgency as she turned around.

Storm panted with her head hung low. “I need…to catch... my breath... We’ve… been running... for, like... ever... “

“Our journey only began a few minutes ago. Surely, you aren’t serious?”

The pegasus collapsed to her stomach with a slight thump. “Pleeeease...?” she moaned, staring up at the ninja.

The Shadow Ninja closed her eyes and sighed. “Fine, but only for a moment; we cannot afford to dawdle long.”

Roswell Rivet glanced down at her. “Come on, Pending, no lollygagging. We have a lovely princess to save!”

She laid her face against the grass. “Can’t save her... if I die... from exhaustion...”

Perhaps it was a mistake bringing her with us, thought the Shadow Ninja. But then, where else would she go? We can’t just leave her… she’d likely be captured. Or worse.

“How are you that out of shape?” Hard Counter asked with a scowl.

Pending frowned slightly. “I don’t run a lot... prefer to fly... or lie...” After resting for a few more seconds, she reluctantly got to her hooves, one at a time.

Roswell walked over next to her. “Then fly, silly!” he said before lightly smacking her on the wing.

She cringed in pain. “OW!” Storm shouted, backing away from him.

Roswell frowned, perplexed. “I didn’t hit yah that hard…”

Pending rubbed her wing. “I can’t fly, Roswell. My wing was broken during the invasion.”

“Huh, explains why you didn’t fly away from those soldiers earlier.”

“You’re just now wondering that? What did you think was her reason?” Hardy asked.

Roswell Rivet shrugged. “Her usual laziness, maybe? Though to be completely honest with you, I was a bit preoccupied with trying not to spring a leak in my steam works…”

Hardy started forward again, followed quickly by the rest of the group.

“How did you break your wing, Pending?” the Shadow Ninja inquired.

“How I broke it? Well, it all started when I woke up yesterday - or was it today? - after having this crazy dream where I was in a volcano, hiding from flying cows while I ate a lot of macaroni. Oh, and I was Princess Celestia for some reason. Anyway, once I got out of bed I realized I was out of food, so I went to Roswell and bought some hay, and for a really good deal, too! Though I gotta say, Roswell, some of the hay was a little on the green side. Then I went for a walk and saw a bird that-”

Hard Counter sighed. “Pending, please…”

“Oh, right, my wing. Well after my dad told me to turn a big cloud into a storm cloud, cause that’s my job, and I did just that, except it wasn’t just an ordinary cloud, it was filled with evil ponies! The cloud exploded open and I was sent flying back to Cloudsdale and landed on a stupid pillar, which is dumb; why would somepony put a pillar there? That’s how I broke my wing. Then the stupid pillar was about to fall on a defenseless foal, but I managed to heroically save him. Then the Sky Tribe attacked and before I could get home, one of the soldiers rudely grabbed me. Then a commander lady was talking for awhile, I spaced out on some of it, then she broke Roswell Rations and tried to hurt my dad, so I shot LIGHTNING at her and she exploded!”

The Shadow Ninja blinked. “...Exploded?”

“Yeah but she got better. Then I ran away as fast as I could, since I couldn’t fly, and some soldiers tried stopping me so I blasted them with more LIGHTNING, but before I could escape, the commander lady kicked me over the edge and I fell to Groundsdale, where Crash Landing saved me with a big net! And then I met Hard Counter, and we became friends instantly. Some other stuff happened, too, like when you saved us from those soldiers! Thanks for that, by the way. But yeah, I think that’s everything before you showed up.”

The ninja blinked, staring blankly at Pending. "I see...fascinating... assuming most of that is true, and I hesitate to make that assumption, it's clear you've been through quite a lot today," she said before turning her gaze forward. "To survive an encounter with the commander of the Sky Tribe no less... surely luck was on your side. However, the part about 'lightning powers'... sounds a bit dubious, at best."

“But it’s true!” Pending exclaimed.

“Not so loud!” the Ninja scolded.

“Didn’t you hear the soldiers earlier?” Pending continued, quieter. “They were scared!”

“Yeah, until you failed to actually use these ‘powers’,” said Hard Counter scornfully. “After that, you’re still pretending to be some sort of supernatural pony?”

“Yes! I mean, no! I mean, I’m not pretending, but yes, I am a supernatural pony!”

Roswell slowed down to trot alongside Pending. “I hate to say it, Pendo, but I’m not exactly convinced either. I mean, you’re fantastic at making storms… but lightning powers? That’s a bit of a claim… And assuming you did, why is this the first time I’ve heard of it? Having lightning powers would be wondrously amazing, and you wouldn’t keep something wondrously amazing from me, would you? I think not! Sorry buddy, but the math just isn’t adding up, and I’m an engineer, so I think I know a thing or two about math…”

Pending pouted. “The reason you don’t know is because it’s a secret to everypony! My parents said not to tell anyone about it, ever. Seriously, guys, I can make lightning, really! I don’t know why it wasn’t working before…”

The garbed unicorn shook her head. “It’s simply not possible. You’re a pegasus, and only clouds can produce lightning.”

“Are you a cloud, Pending?” Hard Counter inquired sarcastically.

“No... but when I was a filly, I had a habit of eating clouds. Could that be it?”

The Shadow Ninja stared at her, baffled. “W-what? No, not a chance.”

“Well, you are what you eat...” Roswell proposed.

“That doesn’t really apply to this.”

Roswell shrugged. “Admittedly, I’m not a biologist.”

“Clearly.”

Hard Counter raised a hoof. “Wait a second, why were you eating clouds?”

“Dunno, I was kinda weird back then.”

Hardy raised an eyebrow. “Just back then?”

“Hey!” exclaimed Storm before nearly tripping over a root. “I’m not weird! Right, guys?”

“Oh, on the contrary, my friend, you are quite weird, not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Roswell stated with a friendly smile. “In fact, it's part of your charm.”

“Right, like any of you should talk,” Hard Counter commented, rolling his eyes. “I’m the only one here who’s even close to being normal.”

“What’s wrong with being unusual? You should applaud the odd!” Roswell retorted.

“Whatever,” Hardy snarked before trotting ahead of the group.

Roswell looked at Pending with a troubled expression, then looked back at Hard Counter. “Is something wrong, Hardy?”

Hard Counter stopped in his tracks and spun around, his eyes livid. “No, and don’t call me Hardy! We’re not friends!”

He turned away from them, and resumed in a calmer tone. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that if it weren’t for you two, I never would’ve had to leave her alone... Crash Landing would still be by my side.” Hardy shot them a sidelong glance. “Next time I give you an order to run, you had better run.”

The Shadow Ninja teleported in front of Hard Counter as he tried to start forward again.

“Are you going to continue with this attitude?”

He glared at her. “Excuse me? Given the circumstances, my ‘attitude’ is more than justified.”

The ninja sighed, her crimson eyes drifting away from his gaze. “Listen... I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save Crash Landing,” she said sorrowfully. “My heart filled with remorse when they took her, for I knew I could’ve stopped them.” She turned to Pending Storm and Roswell Rivet. “It’s not their fault I couldn’t stop the Sky Tribe.” She returned Hardy’s glare with her own. “That said, I suggest, for now, we focus on the task at hoof. Our journey may not be an easy one, and group morale is crucial if we are to succeed.”

The grey pony chuckled derisively. “You want to talk to me about morale? I lost my marefriend to those barbarians and I have no idea what they plan to do with her! And you’re worried about their morale?”

“Are you always this selfish?” the Shadow Ninja snapped.

Hard Counter stomped his hoof. “Watch it! I was in the EUP Guard defending Equestria against evil while you were just a filly. I’ve lost enough for this kingdom, and I have a right to be upset.”

“You think you’re the only one who’s had to make sacrifices?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize being a part-time vigilante in Groundsdale came with such a price. I’m sure you’ve lost countless friends to those small-time pickpockets!”

Before the ninja could respond, Roswell stepped between them, using his hooves to separate them. “Hey, come on, really, guys? While a gaggle of evil pegasi attempt to take over Equestria as we speak, you choose to fight each other? Where’s the sense in that?”

He turned to Hard Counter. “Nopony is blaming you for being upset, and we’re all sorry for what happened, but haven’t you realized it yet? You lost Crash Landing, but the rest of us... we lost our entire villages to those guys, and none of us have any idea what’s going to happen to them! You’re not alone, Hardy, far from it! We’re all on the same side, and we should be supporting each other!”

The swordspony began to protest the use of his nickname, but reconsidered. “I…” he started. He gave a heavy sigh, and hung his head low. Hard Counter pulled his rapier from its sheath. He knelt, resting his sword point-first in the earth. “My most sincere apologies. I allowed my heart to be consumed by anguish, and in doing so, displayed a conduct most... unbecoming of an Equestrian knight,” he said in a calm but dignified tone. “Forgive me.”

The other three stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, at the sudden change in attitude. The Shadow Ninja was quick to regain her composure, followed by Roswell, then Pending.

Odd, his speech was much less formal before now, the ninja thought to herself. It seems my impression of him as an insolent lout was premature. Perhaps I, too, have something to learn from this.

Hard Counter felt a hoof upon his shoulder; he looked up to see Roswell, with Pending Storm beside him, both smiling.

“Of course we forgive you, Hardy,” Roswell said affably before giving him an abrupt hug. Hard Counter stood there awkwardly, occasionally attempting to nudge Roswell off of him, but to no avail.

Pending Storm soon joined in, wrapping a foreleg around each of them. “We’re all in this together,” she said, pressing her face against the side of Hard Counter’s head, much to his discomfort. ”You are not alone.”

While they held him captive, Hard Counter turned to the Shadow Ninja for her response, prompting her to rub the back of her head uneasily. “U-um, I also forgive you…”

He nodded his head to her, then looked at the two ponies still hugging him, and began nudging them more assertively. Roswell released his grip, but the small pegasus refused to budge. Hardy placed his hoof on her shoulder and began pushing away.

“I thank... you all... for your-” Hardy grunted before finally managing to free himself of the green mare’s embrace. “...understanding.” He narrowed his eyes at her as she grinned sheepishly.

He brushed himself off and walked a few steps from the group. “If I am to save Crash Landing from the clutches of the Sky Tribe, I must first cast aside my doubts…” he said, then turned toward the group. “...and place my faith in you three... even if it isn’t easy...”

The Shadow Ninja’s eyes lit up. “Great, then it’s settled!”

“That’s right! We have a mission! For the princess!” Pending exclaimed. “I’m so motivated, I feel like I could run the whole way to Canterlot!”

Roswell patted her on the back, taking care not to touch her broken wing. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves now.”

A hint of a smile crossed Hard Counter’s face, before he quickly replaced it with a stern expression. “Quite. But before we head off, there is something I must ask…” His eyes met with the Shadow Ninja’s. “Who are you?”

The garbed unicorn blinked and she tried to find the words. “Who... am I?” she asked.

“Yeah, your name, what is it?” he asked in a decidedly serious tone.

“I fail to see why that matters.”

“If I am to put my trust in you, then I would expect you to do the same. It is difficult to trust somepony if you do not know their name.”

The Shadow Ninja frowned slightly. “I understand that, but I wish to keep my identity private for reasons I cannot get into. I ask that you respect that.”

Roswell stepped forward. “Come on, we won’t tell a soul! You do trust us, right?”

“I…”

Pending jumped in front of The Shadow Ninja. “Please! You gotta tell us! We’ve been dying to find out!” .

They aren’t going to let up on this, are they? The unicorn thought to herself. Perhaps I could give them a false name... no, I shouldn’t. It must be the truth, or they may never trust me again. It may be risky, but if I am to expect them to trust me... perhaps it is only fair I trust them as well.

The Shadow Ninja shook her head and sighed. “Okay... I will tell you, not because I feel I have to, but because... I trust you. All I ask is that this kept between us... do I have your word?” The rest of the group nodded their heads in response. “Alright…”

“My name is Sheila. Sheila Shadowmane.”

To be continued...

Author's Note:

Credit to Yoichi Hayabusa for the cover art. Check out his page on DeviantArt.
Credit to Drazex and M1 A4 Abrams for editing and revisions.
Credit to Yoichi Hayabusa for creating the following OCs: Sheila Shadowmane, Hard Counter, Crash Landing, and Pending Storm.
Credit to Tesseradical17 for his OC, Roswell Rivet.