Prolonged Prologue: Stuff I wish I could forget.
The meal was quite delicious, mom could really cook even when she was using slap dash equipment. The two ponies were eating quietly and I noticed that Tempest was trying not to look at any of us, especially not Sekhet who brought her to us.
“So… since you obviously have nothing against us anymore, there’s something I wanted to know about.” Yep, ancient history was something of an interest to me given I didn’t know much of this world, excepting for the fact that myths and legends were more real here. Well, aside from specific already possibly ruined events because of my interference.
The large sphinx swallowed her mouthful and looked at me in a lazy manner.
“If you are looking for permission, then you have it.” Sekhet dove her face back into the food, she was a one hungry lady and she looked pleased with the food, and that mom thought ahead with her larger portions.
“I just want to confirm something really. A little more than a thousand years ago the temple you were guarding as the last remaining member of a fallen kingdom was attacked by ponies. Ponies of whom you were bullying into giving you food in the hopes of achieving a specific outcome.” I paused to make sure everyone knew how old the being eating with us was. “Following that attack and your defeat of a massive army, without any reported casualties mind you, you captured the prince and held him captive in the temple. I heard that you didn’t even harm him even after you roughed up his people. So getting to the point and what I want to know is, did you set all of that up to happen the way it did so someone would eventually come and free you from your job?”
“…. you are well informed. Yes, that did happen. I may be a warrior and I may have a ceaseless rage at times, but that doesn’t mean I lose my mind when I’m angry. An intelligent and thinking being can do so much worse than a mindless animal controlled by their anger.” Sekhet’s tail flicked back and forth as her claw stabbed into a grilled piece of fish which was soon flipped into her large maw. She closed her eyes and smiled brightly as the taste slapped against her tongue. “The army wasn’t worthy of death, in fact they were all quite pathetic really. As you say, I roughed them up without doing anything permanent. Their arrows and spears fell upon me and broke or slid from my body and my flesh healed anew, they were quite powerless against me. I could not issue any of them a challenge that would set me free of my duty, so I put a plan into motion by taking Prince Hisan. I hoped someone would brave my possible wrath and offer me a proper challenge that would allow them to make me vacate my duty. They were the ones that settled near the temple, so I am not to blame for all the ponies lacking foresight. I did nothing wrong in ordering tithes from them to prevent my wrath.”
“You still tried to starve them out though, you were performing your duty in protecting the surrounding lands by forcing the ponies to pay you to use them.” It was telling when I saw that she wasn’t about to defend herself or her actions. Sekhet had been bound to protect the lands around that temple and taxing the ponies was one of the methods to getting rid of them without a fight. “So after taking the prince, that’s when you met Somnambula I take it?”
“Yes… but there is one thing you are missing here, the reason why I was taking so much from the ponies was because I couldn’t go very far from the temple and I was thankful that they didn’t know that. The lack of food was really quite harsh on me and though I am immortal, not being able to eat would still weaken me even if it will not kill me.” I watched as she happily shoving some vegetable into her maw and she chewed quietly, she washed it down with some soup. After she was done swallowing and humming in appreciation at my mother’s cooking, Sekhet returned her focus on me. “I'd like to see you try going hundreds of years without a decent meal.”
“So what was Somnambula like Ms. Sphinx?” My mother was eating slowly and watching everyone else make appreciative noises.
“For not being a warrior, she was a very brave individual." Sekhet spoke of Somnambula as if she were a close friend and I could certainly understand why. "I do not know what became of her, but she was one of the few who actually faced me successfully.”
“She freed you from your duty of guarding the temple. You gave her an easy riddle and then you made her challenge you on purpose.” I looked to Tempest and then back to Sekhet. “You gave her the same riddle I take it?”
“Hope shines brightest in the darkness and I had hope that I would escape my situation. As you can see… I did.” I watched Sekhet motion to her chest with her left paw and then she gave me another toothy smile. “It was thanks to her that I could do whatever I will and as I have been for the last nine hundred plus years ever since her disappearance. I could have gone back at any time to decimate them, I’m actually quite merciful to those who deserve it. So I followed the spirit of Somnambula’s orders and stayed away, even though my kingdom ceased existing with me gone allowing me the freedom to go wherever I please. They may tell tales of me being evil, but what they don’t know won’t hurt their view of the world and its cruelties. This one here knows what I am talking about.”
Sekhet pointed a claw at Tempest who just stared at the goddess and didn’t say anything, she just continued eating quietly and she wasn’t very willing to open up to any of us. Even the ridiculously dangerous goddess that brought her here didn’t push her to talk or do anything. Fluttershy looked like she wanted to say something kind to Tempest, but my mother kept her from doing so.
Eventually we finished our meal and I rewrapped Fizzle’s wounds, we all settled down near the camp fire with blankets and pillows. I looked up at Sekhet with wonder.
“As a goddess of healing… how long has it been since you’ve healed others instead of just yourself?” The goddess laying on her belly just gave me a softened look, but she didn’t say anything as she rested her head upon her paws and then closed her eyes.
I curled up in my blanket next to the fire, we would decide where we were all going form here in the morning. Fluttershy was tucked in by mom, Tempest took care of herself though mom still went over to her to make sure she was okay and my eyes started to slowly drift shut.
-
The sunlight slid through the trees and into our campsite, the fire was still going when I woke up. If you can’t guess by now, my ability involves the campfire and why it never needed any more wood once it was started. My ability was quite magical like that.
I sat up and stretched out my back popping a joint or two, the protections of my ability kept the bugs and other nasty monster out of the campsite. I grabbed my tail and unkinked it and flicked it about a bit to loosen it up, then I took in the campsite. At any time Fizzle or Sekhet could have left and yet they were still here, Fizzle was awake and sitting against a tree and… she was staring at me. There was Sekhet who was gazing upon the airship with curiosity. My mom was already cooking breakfast and Fluttershy was still sleeping.
It was time for me to do my one task as a priest, well a rogue priest anyway. I stood up and performed the act of a sun salutation, first part the mountain position with my hand clapped together in prayer.
It was some time during when I was praising the sun that Sekhet started looking my way. She was giving me an intrigued look and she wasn’t the only one, Fizzle the broken unicorn seemed thoughtful.
“Well that completes my morning ritual.” I said out loud as I moved over to sit near mom, I decided to address their stares. “What…? It’s basically the circle of life, a wheel of fortune if you will.”
“What kind of fortune and for who?” Asked Sekhet wryly and with a sudden movement we both watched as Fizzle got up from the tree and came over to me.
She closed her eyes inhaled through her nose and then opened to give me a steely gaze, then she finally said something to me.
“Thank you, both of you.” It was at that point that I noticed something quite off about her side as she was thanking me and my mother. Fizzle turned to Sekhet. “I… I guess I should be thanking you as well.”
Sekhet looked entirely aloof and just motioned with her paw that she didn’t particularly seem to care about being thanked.
Fizzle’s side was stitched up and I seriously don’t think mom did that concerning how nice the stitches looked. Fluttershy would be training to be a vet for the next five years, she didn’t exactly have the talent for medical stuff yet. That left… I leveled my gaze at Sekhet who looked right back at me without a hint of emotion on her face. Slowly that look turned into a faint smile… or was that a smirk? Hard to tell with the pony faced giant lioness with wings.
“You’re welcome.” All three of us said that at the same time and in unison, Sekhet being louder because she was the biggest of us.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think we introduced ourselves last night.” I realized that Fizzelpop Berrytwist didn’t know our names yet, she just ended up at a campsite randomly by way of goddess and then got a good meal in her. She even looked a bit healthier then she previously did.
“To be fair, I wasn’t about to ask for any or tell my own. You can call me… Tempest.” Oh don’t you dare do the dark and broody thing Tempest!
“I’m Jade La Perm… well technically my name is Jaded La Perm, I just prefer Jade.” My favorite color was green, my hair was naturally green and I was wearing a green shirt that I slept in. I couldn’t wait to get back to civilization and a warm bath, but my name was truly ‘Jaded’ and that’s how mom felt when whatever partner she had left her pregnant with someone like me.
“I’m Kurilian La Perm, Jade’s mother and she’s my little tom cat.” I don’t think my mother would ever stop calling me a tom cat, she wasn’t wrong about my tendencies to not care for being feminine. “As you can tell I’m quite the cook, wouldn’t you agree Ms. Sphinx?”
“Sekhet Sphinx, last night was a feast fit for any god.” That was all Sekhet had to say about it and she was right, mom’s cooking tended to get a bit divine when she was in a good mood.
“And… her?” Here Tempest pointed at the dozing yellow furred filly with the awkward long legs that the pink haired pony hadn’t grown into yet.
“Her name is Fluttershy, she's the filly I fell on from last night’s story.” It was only now that I was noticing the similarities in colors between Sekhet and Tempest, which made me stare at the Tempest’s beautiful blue-green eyes. I didn’t like Tempest’s mane style personally, but the color was quite fetching on her and I was perfectly okay with her tail. Oh great, puberty just hit me, I’m ogling the broken unicorn that I intend to befriend.
“So Tempest, I have to ask…” I was cut off when Tempest held up her hoof.
“If it’s about my horn...” She started before I moved closer to her and ran my fingers through her mane making her stop to glare at me, she didn't shove my hand away so that's progress.
“No, no, no, it isn’t that beautiful… I mean Tempest! I was wanting to ask, what you were doing out here before you ran into Sekhet?” I rubbed behind her ears trying to calm her down, I mentally added the thought that Sekhet can possibly change size and she sewed Tempest up without waking her. Darn it, Tempest was a beautiful mare and that scar really adds character. I’m just guessing that Sekhet took last night's comment about her healing others seriously and decided to help with healing Tempest’s physical wounds, maybe even her spiritual and mental ones as well.
“Oh…” Tempest sounded horribly surprised that I wasn’t asking her about her horn, many ponies must have asked her about it as a conversation starter and made her relive that moment time and again. I would think that to be quite an upsetting trend for the burgeoning mare. Her gaze turned towards the ground. “I was just looking for… something I guess.”
Reading between the lines, Tempest was just wandering around aimlessly. She got into trouble and then Sekhet came upon her to wreck an aggressive giant star bear. Thus the goddess saved her from having to run from it after acquiring a nasty injury to her barrel. Knowing what I do, she'd have lived through it.
There was an awkward silence and I decided to break it.
“Well you can stick with us for a while if you want. Mom and I are going to go report our airship crashing in Canterlot, we’ll stop at a town on the way to find a Pegasus that can help Fluttershy get home safely.” I stood up to go wake Fluttershy.
“The question that my daughter is avoiding is, what are you going to do now Ms. Sphinx?” Mom asked the goddess as I was busy rousing a comfortable looking Fluttershy.
“I could just go about my business…” Sekhet paused and I could almost feel her sending a leer my direction as Fluttershy started to rub at her eyes. “What I am going to do is suggest that you and… Tempest… should stay here, while Priest Jade goes to report the airship crash and get the filly back to her parents. I will provide for you and will make sure the airship doesn’t go anywhere. All that I ask in return is that Kuril cooks several more meals for me.”
The quickest way to please a goddess like Sekhet was through her stomach apparently. Unfortunately for us, she probably won't leave us alone because we fed her.
“That might save me a lot of walking, besides we don’t really have a place to stay aside from the airship. I really don’t want to pay for an inn in Canterlot, it would be too expensive for us for even one night.” Mom rubs her chin and gives Sekhet a thoughtful look before nodding to herself. “It looks like you’re going on an adventure Jade!"
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For self sustain: Gains a healing factor which can heal minor wounds instantly and speeds up recovery from moderate wounds.
(Idea due to it being a weaker version of Excalibur's sheath.)
Wasn't that so in egyptian mythos too? They attribute beer invention to a successful attempt in becalming said diety.
Yes! YES! YES!!! YES!!!!!
I just saw that this story is 430k words, definitely an upvote, fav, and tracking.
A little lacking on the modesty side eh?
Mom and I, not I and mo; sorry, I am a stickler about grammar when I'm reading, it can through me out of the story if not written correctly.
How does Cat-anova woo girls?
He just whiskers away.
I mean, she IS a cat...