War Pony

by CreeperZone

A Twisting Path

“And in the end, we never actually found out what that thing living in Missus Gable's back yard was, but it didn't really bother us cause it was just funner to mess with little colts and make them believe she was raising a baby manticore. Freaked the ever living shit out of the Bales’ kid when we showed him some kind of fabric and said it was part of the manticore's skin that it shed,” Hopeful recollected as he marched, happily reciting his story to a cheery and attentive Aurora.

“Earth Ponies will never fail to amaze me with their stupidity.” She laughed. She sounded happy. She even looked the part as her and Hopeful trotted through a large and winding valley, her belly beginning to show an outward curve as her pregnancy continued with relative health. They'd been taking their time over the past few months, making sure they prioritized being warm and fed above lowering travel time.

The Shadow Service seemed to have also lost them. Assuming they were not anticipating Aurora traveling back into the Unicorn nation, as she had been running away from it for so long, they were probably just terrorizing towns of Earth Ponies down south, which was a relief to Hopeful and Auri, giving them the necessary comfort of slower travel.

Funnily enough, even now Hopeful had not ran out of stories to tell. He wasn't even done with his pre-adolescent stories. He managed to make the most bland of scenarios memorable and fascinating. It was practically magic. “Stupidity? We had every colt and filly within a mile believing us in a week. I'm proud of such efficiency. We even got to see as the Foresters’ boy charge in there like a fucking war pony, thinking he was gonna slay the monster or something, followed by two minutes of pure silence before he came running out screaming and hollering, now missing the branch he was using as a makeshift sword.”

“Didn't you say he was the one that wanted to be the wizard?” she tried to confirm, having already too much to process.

“Nah nah nah, that was the Trotters’ kid. Hilly Trotter was his name, I'm pretty sure. He was the one that wanted to grow up to be a unicorn, and I don't think his parents ever told him that's not how it works. He used to dress up with a kitchen towel and say it's his wizard robe at school, and I know it sounds shitty, but it was sooo fun to bully him.”

“Aw...” Aurora over-dramatically pouted.

“What? It's not like we stole his lunch or anything; worst thing we did was call him 'jizzard', which was comedy gold to a twelve year old, by the way,” Hopeful defended his standpoint.

“It's not that. It's just that I never got to bully anypony at school.” She giggled at his misunderstanding.

“Weren't you in a private school?”

“Yes, I was. That's why I never got to make fun of anypony. The only other ponies I even regularly got to see were my mother, my father, and the three or four colts and a filly that attended Starswirl's classes as well. And I was told ever since I was just a foal that I'm going to marry one of those colts, which I wasn't very happy about, but still had no choice in the matter. They weren't even strong or attractive. I mean, I'm fairly certain they would rather have sex with a novel than a real pony, they were such nerds, and the only other filly was called Clover the Clever, and she was my best friend, so it's not like I could have made fun of her...” She realized that her head had wandered off into the sky, bouncing her eyes back down to meet Hopeful's wide smile. “Our youths were vastly different; that's just how it is, I guess. But do continue. You were in the middle of telling me about a pretend manticore?”

He laughed. “Well, you're right about it being a pretend manticore, but what if I told you it wasn't pretend for long?”

“What?” She jolted her head back.

“It started when Missus Sunnyside's cat went missing, but the thing is she was blind, so she didn't find that out for a good while...”

Their journey, while it could drive any pair of ponies insane with its length, seemed to have brought them together, making the moment they realized it would soon be coming to a close ever more so solemn. It was perhaps a day of being surrounded by the mountainous valley walls that they trotted, the two of them silently knowing that they would reach the unicorn border was within the day’s walk, almost denying it as it came closer. Time was the last thing they had to share, and soon even it would turn its heel on them.

“Is that a town up ahead?” Hopeful asked a few hours later, seeing a large collage of rotting wooden buildings torn to the ground peeking over the bumpy horizon.

“Yes... It looks like it...” Aurora became quite aware at that moment, looking at the shapes molding the mountains. It was something quite odd, a memory sparking. “I think I know where we are.”

“You do? Is this Unicorn territory?” Hopeful asked with a certain amount of disdain.

“Not exactly... This was the first Earth Pony town I passed... I need to go see someone.” She quickened her pace, forcing Hopeful to lag behind for a short moment as they dashed forward. The two of them came into the town feeling instantly depressed, seeing the town lined with Earth Pony Bodies, the buildings bashed and damaged from an attack. The Shadow Service had done their dirty work.

“Oh...” Aurora stopped in her tracks, dropping her shoulders in a bitter disappointment. “I warned her...”

“Warned who?” Hopeful blurted out after catching up, taking a breath immediately after.

“A girl. She was a Unicorn. She lived here. She believed she was an Earth Pony...” Her voice trailed off to a whisper, regretful.

“Oh, I'm sorry. What happened?” Hopeful tread carefully. He could feel her tense up; something painful was on her mind.

“I think we should find out,” she stated with a soft determination, and an inkling of hope that the Unicorn had chosen to live as such.

“Lead the way.” Hopeful nodded to her, giving her the prompt to find her way up the town until she could see the farm that she slowly came to remember. Sadly, the farm had died and rotted long ago, not a single strand of wheat in sight.

“I met her here on the farm... Perhaps she's hiding in one of the homes?” Scanning the area, she saw the farmhouse, moving toward it as her first logical assumption.

She nudged the door and it creaked open it's entire length, the doorframe being only having a very loose hold on it against the wind's daily barrage.

Aurora drew a sharp gasp, her heart spiking to the top of her chest as something gravely sickening struck her sight. A heartbeat passed before she trotted through the doorway, hoof frimley covering her muzzle, now allowing Hopeful to enter and also witness the rotting dark-blue coated mare body on the floor, most of her flesh beginning to shrivel up, the only thing keeping it on being the blistering cold. They lay in an unnatural position, as if somepony had stripped the body of clothing, most likely after they died of a stab wound in the head and neck. Although, the most striking feature was definitely the long horn jutting right out of her head.

Aurora collapsed in front of the body, placing a remorseful hoof on its shoulder. “I'm so sorry...” she whispered to the deceased mare. Hopeful stood behind her like a guardian, sympathetic with Aurora's pain.

“She was a lovely girl... Her name was Lunar. She was a powerful sorcerer...” Aurora recollected, sighing she rose up to her hooves, swaying a head to Hopeful. “I... I tried to warn her... That she shouldn't fight back, that she should embrace her heritage...” She gave one last pitiful look to the dead unicorn. “I guess she didn't listen.”

For a few moments, she stood there in sorrow and contemplation. She really hoped that Lunar would live...

Hopeful eventually broke the silence to give his regards. “That really sucks... Do you want a minute alone?”

“No, I'm ok. I just... I dunno.” She sighed once more, feeling greatly responsible for this. Aurora then spoke her final words to Lunar under her breath, turning slowly to face the door and Hopeful, who soon escorted her out into the open air. Hopeful made sure to firmly shut the door behind them.

“Are you alright? If you want a break, that's fi-” Hopeful was in the middle of politely offering a break from walking before he realized she wasn't listening, engrossed in some thought, which she then brought to words.

“Why would they kill her? She was a Unicorn... Why would they kill one of their own? Even if she was protecting some Earth Ponies...”

“I dunno. She might have fought back,” Hopeful offered, the explanation not satisfying Aurora.

“So? She was just a child, Hopeful. What kind of cruel monster would kill a child?”

Hopeful averted his eyes, that sentence felt like a blade to him. “I dunno,” he muttered.

“Hopeful... Why am I going back?”

The question seemed odd and out of context to Hopeful. “What do you mean?” His eyes darted up.

“Why am I going back to Germaney? Why would I want to be part of the Unicorns again?” She asked him very directly, actually wanting an answer.

“You have to raise a child Aurora. That's the safest place for you and them,” he said with prominence. This had been the plan for months. It wouldn't be changing now.

“Hopeful, I don't want to grow up to be a fucking princess,” she bluntly laid out, shaking her head gently with her disapproval, her eyes somewhat watery.

Hopeful was stunned, he never heard her speak so directly to him, let alone with such language. “I... uh...”

“Can't we both go north, Hopeful? I could raise my foal there, far from the snow and blizzards and war... And you can be like a godfather to them. Wouldn't that be nicer?” She put out her hoof to hold him, her plea coming from a sincere place in her heart.

It did sound nicer. “Yeah... Sure... We could do that.” Hopeful held her back, soon feeling her lightly pull on him, leading him into a warm hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling away after some time and placing her motherly hoof onto her underbelly. “And hey, you know how I've been trying to think of a name if it's a girl?”

“Yeah?”

Aurora twisted her head to the homestead behind them. “If it's a filly, I want to name her Luna... I feel like she deserves a second chance.”

He gave a resigned grin and a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Everypony does.”

“Shush, you,” she smiled. He was being sweet again.

“So... I guess if we're both going north, then we should get started. It's another month, you know?”

“Yes, I know. That just gives us more time to talk. More time to hear your stories.” She giggled, begging to retrace her steps. Hopeful hopped after her until he could match her pace.

“Well, that sure is true. Don't know how much more I have in me, though.” He chuckled, a slight genuine worry hidden behind it.

“Don't worry. If you run out, I'll tell you one of mine.”

---

Weaved between the bumpy hills bridging the Unicorn and Pegasian factions’ land was a hidden path made of burning flowers. Lines of sun roses marked each tear dropped by the Zeberian maidens as they were forced out of their homes, returning to their native land of Moonstone with grief as child after child died due the harsh journey, given no help from the Pony tribes that drove them out, deciding that the land was theirs and they would not share it with Zebras.

The only marker they left were these small flowers that grew from their tears, setting themselves on fire once they had come to full bloom, burning for as long as they stood. And since nopony had trotten this path ever, they had been there for years.

Hopeful and Aurora found them delightful as well as helpful, the best route already mapped out for them, and it included free heat for their troubles. For them, it was a blessed gift.

It had been another month. Everything from the weather to the war seemed to work in their favour. They hadn't even heard evidence of a distant battle in weeks, and with every step, they got further away from the meaningless fighting.

Aurora's pregnancy had continually grown, feeling pains nearly every day. With this pace, they would be lucky if they had a few weeks of resting in the north before the baby came. As the Moonstone forest was pretty large in itself, crossing it would be the final hurdle, a hurdle that they would be coming up to shortly. As they passed through creek and hill, the snow became shorter as the clouds grew thinner, seemingly justifying their theory of a winter-less wonderland beyond.

Another interesting detail they noticed was that the trees grew in life, their shade becoming a deep dark green as their bark darkened as well. The trees were far more resistant to the weather it seemed, slightly magical, Aurora remarked after a quick inspection.

And possibly one of the coolest things Aurora and Hopeful ever got to see, Moonstone itself. The humongous mountain stabbed into the sky like an upturned dagger. It had tall and awe-inspiring cliffs that would challenge even a Pegasus to climb. Aurora told Hopeful everything she was taught about it in magic school. Apparently, it was a shard of the moon that had fallen onto their world, giving birth to the first Zebras, Griffons, and Dragons. The forest grew around it instantly. She told him how you could actually climb to the very top of it and speak with the moon herself, but only on a full moon when it was at its highest peak.

The mountain still looked like it stood hundreds of miles away, the trees beneath it looking like strands of grass compared to its size. They set up camp atop of a hill that evening just so they could look at the view all throughout night. To their amazement, every aspect of the forest and mountain glowed a pale blue of shimmering moonlight, like a festival of lights that partied every night. Or perhaps the blood running through the connected set of roots that pumped energy and created this unscalable beast.

And it wasn't long after the sun rose that day that they saw an inhabitant of this forest as they stumbled upon a Zebra wanderer, wrapped in thick cloaks. Hopeful and Aurora announced their presence, finding a delight in that Zebra's youthful face as he spotted them.

“Fair ho, travelers! What brings ponies to these lands of ours?” He lowered hid hood, showing his ecstatic smile.

“Hello, Zebra! We are looking to pass through Moonstone in search of refuge!” Hopeful shouted over as they closed the distance. Hopeful was amazed, this being the first time he had ever seen a Zebra. Their stripe-colours, tribal clothing and large staff gave quite an impression.

“Why, if it is through Moonstone, I can lead your way. But we do not get much of your kind. Why the north, I ask, if I may?” He offered his hoof in exchange for some shakes, greeting them with joy.

“We need a safe place for my friend; she is close to giving birth.” Hopeful motioned toward Aurora.

“Why, you are blessed with child? What a magnificent day this turns to be! I was here looking for a silver fox who stole my sling of potions, but for you fine creatures, I shall postpone my hunt for ye. Follow my flank, friends and tell me your tales of travel. I have never met ponies, and if you would be so kind to share, I would be gratefully thankful.”

“So it's true that zebras always speak in rhyme?” Aurora smirked, all giddy as she felt enchanted by this new experience. They both quickly skipped after him.

“It is considered high-class and polite to, yes. And I don't know. I am trying my best.” He smiled widely, equally amazed. “What are your names? And since I know you will ask so I shall tell you the same. I am known as Zeal. I am a young disciple here in Moonstone. Now, you may go.”

“I'm Hopeful and this is Aurora,” Hopeful told him, looking at how strangely this Zebra walked, with confidence of a king and gentle care for his step like a mighty elk.

“That is brilliant, Aurora and Hopeful. I welcome you to Moonstone, the land of all things magic and wonderful.” He reached a stripped leg out from beneath his long cloak and threw it into the air, brushing against a tree as he came to it, the bark beginning to glow a bright, soft-shaded blue, sparkling with a magical dust as he brushed at it. The magic reverberated in the air for a moment before fading away. Aurora and Hopeful laughed with childish glee.

“Wow this is... This place... It's amazing!” Aurora exclaimed, breathing in the damp air. It was thick and refreshing. It had a life to it. The trees grew in proximity as they were led forward, the forest beginning to surround them with its large, swamp-like giants of trees. The sun actually shone down on them, the sky a clear blue showering over the evergreen canopy.

And the grass... Holy heavens, the grass! They hadn't felt the soft tickle of these beautiful green strands in what felt like decades. It was their carpet after trotting on coals burning with ice. It was their warm fur drying in the sun after swimming through a thousand frozen lakes. It felt fucking gorgeous.

“We made it, Auri... We finally made it.” He put a hoof around her and brushed up against her in a celebratory trotting hug.

“Do either of you need food or water? Or perhaps something other?” Zeal waited patiently for their quite hasteful response.

“Yes, please. A sip from a canteen would be amazing.” Aurora gladly accepted, expecting him to take out some form of bottle, surprised when he just diverted his path, trotting off to the left, having Hopeful and Aurora curiously follow.

“Have as much as you want.” He stopped, stepping aside a gateway of trees to show the two eager ponies a river.

“Hopeful... Is that...” They both stopped. This was the most unbelievably simple thing that they never realized they missed so much.

“Running water,” he finished her sentence, The two of them jumped to the bank of this mystical, glowing river cutting through the soft dirt, tasting like melted sugar as they lapped at it, looking like wild dogs. Washing their faces and hair, it was the warmest shower they'd had in their lives. It smelled like nectar to a bee, a rejuvenating mixture of love and life.

“Haha, you two are very weary, I see. Take a moment and drink from the moon's milk, take as much as you need.” They seemed to be making this Zebra as happy as this water made them.

Zeal watched them energetically take sustenance from this river with an endless supply, eventually collapsing into a rest.

“Thank you so much!” Hopeful gasped, realizing his heartbeat was racing and his breath hiding from him. His eyes filled with life as did Aurora's as they cried beneath the coating of fresh water she had covered herself with.

“The grove provides. Moonstone gets everything we have from it and it allows us to live our lives.” He reached out his staff, the bottom of it curving like a root to provide a grip that allowed Hopeful to be picked up by it, and then with both Zeal's and Hopeful's help, Aurora was brought to her hooves.

“This place is amazing!” She cried, laughing like a filly.

“Thank you, it is my opinion too.” He trotted to the side, angling his staff out toward their path, allowing the two of them to step past him first, continuing their final stretch to freedom.

Zeal led them down an invisible path that he seemed to know as well as his own stripes. He turned at every corner, knowing where to step to avoid each root, leaving them all undisturbed, unlike Auri and Hopeful, who nearly tripped with every second placement of their hooves, their eyes too stolen by the luscious environment's beauty to be able to concentrate on walking.

And then, to their wonderful surprise, they discovered a physical path beneath them. Lots of large, round stones cobbled between grassy veins formed a twisty path driving through the forest, dodging every tree and scaling every earthen hump. Zeal told them that the gates of Moonstone were not far off, just before he got into the historical detail of the place. He told them how this path was laid two thousand years ago by the first Zebras to walk into their home. He told them about the age of the trees and the miracles that could be performed by their healing magic.

They witnessed the wildlife frolic; rabbits and hummingbirds birds danced throughout the woods, each of them curious at the two odd creatures walking into their land, greeting them with nods, squeaks, and caws. Like a carnival of delights, everything shone with brilliance.

“Once we reach the gates, I will ask of my chieftain to permit you passage, and I will let you rest in my home before the morning when you will continue your lands voyage.”

“That would be great! Thank you so much for everything, Zeal.” Aurora insisted on a hug. The Zebra accepted it after a small amount of befuddlement.

Within the hour they had approached the immense wooden barrier. It was made of the trees, the wall looking like a tangling of roots several meters high. A gate with a matching size cut across the path.

Zeal stopped a fair distance away. Hopeful and Aurora following tomorrow. his motion and holding their ground. They turned to him, finding that his cheerful, perky eyes carried a dire gloom, the listened carefully as he muttered. “Let us hope Yazurask’s mood this evening is good...” Before announcing himself to whomever it concerned. “It is me, Zeal. I have returned from my search in the Moonstone wood!” He still looked worried.

“Zeal?” Hopeful called out, not receiving anything in return. So he tried again, being more direct with his question.

“Zeal, is something wrong?”

Comments

[Nano]

yay new chapter :)

[Mr cold ghost]

That’s odd I thought there was a new chapter up called burning steel.

[CreeperZone]

9189176
Okay, look, the publish button is RIGHT BESIDE the edit button, and I may have accidentally pressed it. (New chapter coming this Tuesdayish.) Sorry for that.

[Mr cold ghost]

9189227
Oh. I look forward to this Tuesday then!