On the road again part 1 (20)
‘This is nice.’ I thought as I slowly swung myself in my hammock, ‘Built a kick ass ship, got two new crew members, and smooth sailing from here to Ruby Hollow.’ I kept swinging. ‘Yup, this is really nice.’ I gazed around at my cabin. A large work table in the corner with the organized chaos I called my projects. Some wall hooks near the door, one holding up my ragged satchel. Below it was a pile of Dog skins I saved for repairing the bag later. A small nightstand sat near my hammock with an old, spotted mirror above it. The Wanted poster of Griffin tacked up on the wall next to the mirror. A few charged gems emitting a soft light were embedded into the ceiling to make up for the lack of windows, simple to activate on command. The only thing left was me and my hammock in the corner opposite my work desk. Beds were nice but hammocks were cooler and they moved as well, plus it keeps all of me in when I sleep in my Base form.
After a few more swings, I came to a conclusion, ‘Bored now, need something to do.’ I got up and looked around my new cabin for something to occupy my time. The answer came to me in the form of my work table and the projects on top of them.
“Meh, might as well get something done.” I muttered. I jumped out of my hammock with another swing and went over to the table, looking at the organized mess I left. A pile of stacked schematics occupied one corner, all of it alphabetized with the top one being half drawn upon for a weapon I planned to build when I had the resources. I smirked, knowing that not only did I have the resources now but the means to build it as well, though I still needed the design. I frowned as I saw what currently occupied the center of the table.
The prototype lightsabers I had built from some charged gems and an improvised cylindrical metal frame. Once they were part of my pride but now they lay broken and unusable. I grabbed one and peered in from the top to get a glimpse of the inner workings, but I couldn't see anything. Snorting, I pried open the tube to reveal its contents. I whistled in amazement. The gem inside was intact but the inside was fractured beyond all reason. Even the fractures had fractures. Out of curiosity, I tried to charge it with a dab of energy, only to have the gem explode in my face like a frag grenade. Luckily, most of the pieces went through my body and thus leaving me unharmed.
“Well, there goes that idea.” I said, tossing the destroyed piece and its twin off the table. I pulled out the schematics and wrote “On Hiatus until further notice” up in the corner. As an engineer, I didn't like to throw away anything that could be improved upon unless it was completely worthless. I placed the schematics back in its proper place and pulled out a blank piece of paper, tapping it with my piece of charcoal as I began to think.
‘I need a new melee weapon. I can’t use the light sabers unless I can find some better material to work with and the only way I can do that is to learn more about this world. But how?’ I began to ponder this problem until a memory came to mind. ‘Wait, Checkmark said he worked with the scribes back in his home. Scribes means archives. If I can get him to let me tap into those archives, I could find out a lot more about this world, its people and its monsters. I‘ll have to ask him about it later.’ I started to form plans on how to infiltrate the archives should I be denied access, but set them aside for later.
I idly began to sketch a weapon, letting my mind wander. 'Claymores, war hammers and battle axes are out of the question. Too big and slow for me to use, despite the massive damage. Regular axes and maces are fun but only for that one time. Staff weapons were awesome, but horrible at close combat. I need something with an edge, but easily usable.' I stared at my sketch, only to find a childish scribble. Grunting in frustration, I scratched it out and turned it over.
For a while, I sat there at my desk, pondering at designs. Not just weapons, but anything I could build, anything to keep boredom away. I pulled out some of the schematics I had for the ship that I had planned to add during the construction. I wanted to build them, but after seeing what happened to the prototype lightsaber, I was a bit leery about it.
Why are you afraid? Don’t you want to build it?The Voice said, appearing in my mind’s eye.
‘Yeah, but I don’t want to destroy my new ship. I just built the damn thing.’ I replied.
And? You can build it again, and again. It’s what you were trained to do.
‘No, I’m trained to build things efficiently and effectively, cutting out the useless and unnecessary.’
The Voice smiled,Then why don’t you get rid of the weak crew members?
I mentally turned to him, ‘Alright, listen up because I’m only going to say it once. You live in my head, so you have to abide by my rules. You can suggest all you want about killing others but I will not go through with any of it unless I give consent. Also, anything you suggest will not harm the crew, directly or indirectly. Got it?’
The Voice was silent for a moment before giving a reply, Yes, I suppose I can work with that.I had expected him to put up more of a protest but as long as he understood, I didn’t care.
‘Good. Now shut up and let me work in peace.’ I thought before snatching up my schematics and going to the storage rooms to get some supplies.
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Astrid’s POV
I sat curled up in my fortress of stone, waiting for those pesky pony heroes to come and attack me. They’ll soon find that I’m not that easy to beat. I heard the sounds of clopping hooves and peeked out. They had arrived. A group of four ponies stood outside my fortress walls, awaiting entrance that I’m not giving.
One stepped forward and spoke up, “Ahem, Empress Astrid! Your days of fortress hogging are over! Give us the treasure!” Tails, the dark brown unicorn druidess said, pointing with her staff, “Oh, I mean, give it to us please!” She had gone all out on her appearance, braiding her blueish grey mane and tail, carrying a small staff and bag.
“Yeah,” said Stepper, the unicorn warrior, “We want some!” He'll will be easy to defeat, even if he had that helmet on with his green mane sticking out. I could see his dark blue legs shaking from here.
“Never!” I said, “The fortress of Astridonia will never fall!”
“I thought we named it Emerald city?” said Red Rover, my faithful maroon minion. He sat beside me, poking his snout out of the fort window he made.
I glared at him, “I’m the leader, so I can name it whatever I want and I say it’s Astridonia.”
“I wanna name it Sanctum city.” said Sanctum, the violet archer filly. Well, as close to archer as you can get with a slingshot.
“It’s Astridonia.” I huffed, “Can we just get back to playing?” Seriously, this was getting annoying.
“Fine,” Tails said. She brought herself up to her full height, which wasn’t much. “We ponies of Canterlot hereby ev- uh, evi-, er…kick you out!”
“Believe it!” Airsoft, the neon orange pegasus said. He was the ninja of their group, to sneak behind enemy lines. He tried to look the part by wrapping some cloth around his muzzle but only succeeded in getting it tangled in his blonde mane.
“Only if you can defeat me!” I yelled defiantly. I turned to my other minion, “Sic em!”
“But I don’t want to hurt them.” Pearl whined.
“I’ll give you some of the treasure.”
She perked up and jumped out of the fort, “I’m a dragon, so like, rawr and stuff.” She puffed out a tiny flame before charging the ponies, “OMNOMNOMNOMNOM!” Seeing the attack, the ponies tried to dodge, but Sanctum stumbled and was caught by the dreaded pink blur.
“NOOOO!! Stop! Th-that tic-kles!” She shouted in between gasps of air. That was one down
I looked at Rover, “You too, fur ball.” I picked him up and threw him at the two ponies on the ground as they were recovering. His loud yelp alerted them to his incoming presence but it was too late and Stepper was taken out like a bowling pin, leaving only the unicorn.
“Drat.” I cursed. Now I had to deal with that Tails and- where’s Airsoft? I heard a rattle behind me and spun around to see Airsoft reaching for the treasure chest. He hung upside down in the air, with his wings flapping rapidly to keep him from falling. I pulled out my sword, not my actual one since that was against the rules, and threw it at him, hitting him in the wing.
He hit the ground with a thunk, “OW!” he cried as he hit his head. Tears began to spring up in his eyes as he rubbed his head and wing, “That hurt!”
“It’s supposed to.” I said, “Now get out!” I chucked him out of the fort by the tail. I smirked at my victory, only to have it wiped off by the feeling of a staff hitting me in the side. I looked to see Tails levitating her staff in a blue glow.
“You will pay for that, you bully.” Tails swung her staff at me and I blocked it. I then jumped and picked her up, flapping my wings. She yelled in fright as I took her back to my fortress.
“Haha, now I shall finish you once and for all.” I dropped her onto a pile of blankets and she disappeared in the crinkled mass. “Victory is mine!” I cackled.
A knock sounded on the door and it opened to show another griffin. It was my sister, Silvia. “Is everything alright in here?” she asked as she looked at us. I took a good look too, seeing almost every one of us in a tangle of limbs or laying on the floor. I glided over to her.
“We’re fine, sis. We’re just playing around.” I said.
“She won’t share the treasure!” I heard Tails shout behind me. Tattle tale.
“I’m not supposed to!” I shouted at her, “You have to get it from me.”
“Astrid, share with your friends.” the griffoness said in an admonishing tone.
“But, Silvia!” I complained.
“Am I going to have to take the treasure away?” she asked.
I huffed, “Fine, I’ll share.” I turned back and jumped over to my fort.
“Now play nice and don’t forget to go to bed soon.” my sister said before shutting the door.
I stuck my tongue out at the door and pulled out the treasure chest. The chest itself was more of a clay jar than an actual chest. I opened the lid and took out a piece of the ‘treasure’ within. It was a pile of cookies that we borrowed from the kitchens. We totally didn’t steal them. I inspected the cookie in my claws to see if it had any defects like not big enough or not enough chocolate chips, things like that. As I inspected it, I was mobbed by everyone else in the room, who scrambled to get a piece. I barely made it out with my feathers.
Once everyone got a piece, we sat in a circle, eating our prizes. It was really quiet but we’re not supposed to talk with our mouths full.
I finished my cookie first, “Why am I always the bad guy?” I asked the others.
“Because you’re bigger than us?” Stepper said.
“I thought it was because she drew the short stick?” Sanctum wondered aloud.
I thought about it for a bit. “Well, since I won, I say that Tails is the bad guy next time.” I said before grabbing another cookie.
“How about a girls versus boys battle?” Tails suggested. I reached in for another cookie only to find we ate them all.
“Not until we get more cookies.” I said, “Let’s go get some more from the kitchens.” The others agreed and we all snuck off to the kitchens to stea- I mean, borrow more of the tasty treats.
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Flamel's POV
I opened the door to my new room and shut it behind me, locking it for safe measure. I didn't want anyone to intrude upon my time alone, though I doubt that a simple lock would stop Gunhaver. My ears twitched at the memory of those loud sounds when the door to the captive's hold was blown open by that strange weapon of his.
I sat down at a small writing desk I had acquired for my work. On it was a tall candle with a small, singed wick. Though light shined through the window, I needed more light for my work. I started to rub two of my scars on my left arm, each with a different claw. I pressed firm enough to take off skin, but not enough to puncture the flesh. After a dozen rubs or so, I had what I wanted. With practiced precision, I carefully wiped the two claws onto the wick and into the shallow depression in the wax, mixing the powders.
The two substances sat mixed together and after a few seconds, a brilliant green flame appeared on the wick. Satisfied, I reached into my mouth and yanked out one of the wisdom teeth set in the far back. It didn't hurt as much as it used to but it still felt strange after all these years. Holding the fake tooth in my palm, I unfolded it. Once, twice, and on until it became a small journal wrapped in enchanted oilcloth. I took out the leather bound book and flipped to the last page where I had recently taken notes on a certain creature of shadows.
Once again I found myself staring at the page, reading all the notes I had taken. None of it made sense to me, but it might make sense to someone else. I placed the parchment on the table and flicked out a claw. Setting the two together, I began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I realize it has been a while since my last letter to you. This was due to my capture by a Diamond Dog ambush. Do not fret as their intent was to use me to dig in their caves and feed their pack leader or the dragon that they deal with. They did not realize what they had truly captured and they never will. However, as much as I would love for this to just be another conversational letter, I must discuss with you how I escaped.
I was going to wait until the ship was stopped above Gem Fido or Equestria to cut the chains and escape but apparently fate had other plans. I, along with the other slaves in the cargo hold, were suddenly freed by this strange…creature. It He apparently wasn't expecting to see us, but he offered us a chance of freedom so long as we worked the slave ship we were on.
As we all were enjoying our freedom, I discovered that the creature was protecting the zebra village. I asked a few of the villagers who he was and received mixed results. Most said he was a monster, some said he was a savior, and many of the foals said he was a friend. In my own observations of him, I say he’s…odd. He acts very different from what you would expect from a “being of darkness” as he put it. He keeps himself aloof from the crew but protects us all on a promise to see us home. He works hard to see his promise fulfilled when he could easily abandon it at any time. What confuses me is how intelligent he is in science and engineering. Apparently he follows it with a passion and keeps himself working on a project every day.
However, that’s where things get concerning. I’ve seen what he’s made and what he can do. He uses a form of Alchemy similar to my own, yet so very different. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that his methods could possibly produce…you know. But it still worries me every moment what he would do with it if he had it.
This creature, Gunhaver, could possibly be our greatest ally or our most dangerous foe. I will have to keep close to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless with his power.
Your faithful student, scholar, and servant,
Nikolai Flamel
I signed the paper and rolled it up. Once sealed, I set it alight with the candle flame and watched the ashes fly out the window. Now there was only one thing left to do.
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Cool story bro keep going cause im watching you
i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag83/TrollestiaSubject/Awe/Spying/mlfw2279-100287_-_animated_rainbow_.gif
Wow. Espionage much? Pretty cool, eagerly awaiting the next chapter. And still working on my chessverse fic. Just pm me when you've found a good spot for the meet-up if possible.
Hint: my character will "spawn" in Gem Fido unless I find another chessverse fic where it's taken.
1835770
ill read your fic jus to let you know!
‘Couldn’t possibly produce… you know’
-Nikolai Flamel-
I see what you did there.
... Philosopher's stone.
Actually, at this point of the Game I guess every time Celestia hears about a "mysterious creature with strange abilities, general badassery and different behaviour of what should be expected from a member of its race (like heroic deeds, for example)", her first thought must be "Ah, another human...."
elsewhere (a writing exercise)
A humanoid alien squatted on a cloud, scanning the area for space-time rifts. A plume of ashes went through his head, causing him to fall off the cloud and hit his head on a rock, splattering the floor with goop. He slowly reformed, shaking his fist at the damn flame mail.
ooohhhh..... fascinating, I say! :o
hmmm nikolai flamel that sounds SOOOO familiar
1837566.......
you know, I'm not even sure if you're being serious right now.
1837566 faith in human intelligence....going....going....GONE! Right outta the ballpark, everybrony.
NIKOLAI FLAMEL?! I FAHKING KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP WHEN HE SAID HE WAS AN ALCHEMIST!
Well, whadaya know. Seems like Gunhaver has a secret agent aboard. And that little play session with the kids was D'aaaw inducing
Nicolai is a spy! A TRAITOR!
HE MUST DIE...
I find it interesting that you refer to young Gryphons as "chicks", I also find it interesting that just one word can bring such adorable images to mind
Why don't they you know, ask gunhaver to help out instead of spying? Also those better not be the full metal alchemest philosopher stones... Bad things will happen.
1838447 Yeah just realized that myself.
1838447 also that name spelt similarly to the one who made the philosopher's stone in Harry Potter.
This Flamel name sounds familiar and like Harry Potter as mentioned above, but I have no recollection of who that is other than a professor at Hogwarts.
What does it all mean?
Why do I laugh everytime I see "Gunhaver"?
2409332 I believe the diamond dog, Flamel, is based off of Nikolas Flamel from ther BOok series The immortal Nikolas Flamel or something along those lines, I'm very interested to see where he goes with him in future
Oh My God ive read the entire series but i cant place the name
is it really Nicolai?..... or someone else or is it magnus?
I fucking knew it, I knew you'd pull the Nicolas Flamel on us.
Ever read the Alchemyst series? Really good one, that.
>>ttallonn The Alchemyst: book 1 in The Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.
God damnit, Naruto. You are the worst anime ever.
Airsoft...
Called it.
Nikolai sounds russian it's always the russians who are good at secretive stuff man
2493381 Not sure if you knew this or not, just a fun fact I thought to share.
Nicholas Flammel was not created for the Harry Potter series, but a REAL alchemist from Ye Olden Dayes. Not in the form of alchemy we think of with magic, but more science-y, and with molecular exchanges on a very small level(i.e. - turning copper coins into brass so it could be passed off as gold)
He was most known for the Philosopher's Stone, but the real reason he lived longer was because back then-if you didn't have a deadly disease(almost never)-your life span could reach well into the 2-300s. Sadly, scientists still can't explain that.
Suck on that science.
I just love thi's story so far
and it was just epic when i found out that flamel has almost the same name as me! Nicolai! 