4. At Neighagra Falls Sanctuary
The old mare pushed the door of her cottage open, the hinges creaking almost as much as her joints. She could barely get four paces inside the house before she bumped into the tail of one of her guests. Squinting in the low light, she saw that the six ponies had not even passed the threshold, and were all huddled together in the porch.
“Go on, you lot! Go on in and make yerselves at home,” she said, gently nudging Fluttershy with her head. Hesitantly they made their way through the tiny hallway and into the dining room, where they found a small round table surrounded by seven small stools. “Sit yerselves down, girls. I’ll get started on the tea.”
The old pony eased her way through the crowded room and rounded a corner into what was presumably the kitchen. As the group of ponies sat down, each of them noticed for the first time how dry they were. When they had re-materialised after Twilight’s teleport spell, they had been drenched from the rain outside. Even their cloaks had proven powerless against the downpour, and had been heavy with water. But as soon as they rested their flanks on their respective stool, each pony found themselves suddenly warm and dry, and their cloaks felt as if they had just come off the clothesline after a hot summer’s day. But before they could put their heads together in discussion about how this could be, the old pony’s voice rang out from the kitchen.
“How do you like your tea then?”
But the six mares remained silent, still shaking from their encounter less than ten minutes ago. When the old pony received no reply, she added, “I’ll just bring out the cream and the sugar bowl and let you help yerselves, shall I?”
“Uh… yeah, that would be best…” Twilight was the first to find her voice. “Excuse me, are you Rowanoak?”
“Yep. I’m Rowanoak, and Rowanoak is me. How’d you know me name?” asked Rowanoak as she returned, balancing a tray on her head, laden with a sugar bowl and a small ceramic jug of cream, along with a small plate of biscuits, which Pinkie Pie eagerly dug into.
“Well, we were sheltering from the rain at a little inn not far from here,” Rarity replied. “Unfortunately they didn’t have any accommodation, but they said that there was a mare up this way named Rowanoak, and she’d offer us shelter.”
“Oh, ye mean old Butterbeer?” Rowanoak’s face creased as she smiled. “Well, that’s mighty kind of him to not just turf ye out at closing time with no place to go.”
“So, you’ll let us stay then?”
She nodded. “Of course! Can’t have a bunch of pretty fillies like yerselves outside in this weather!”
Pinkie Pie giggled through her mouthful of custard creams. “Butterbeer said the exact same thing!”
“Sure sounds like ‘im. But yes, ye can stay as long as ye want, though I imagine that won’t be that long, judging by those bags of yours.” Rowanoak’s ear perked up as she heard the whistle of the kettle in the kitchen.
“Bags…bags….” Rainbow Dash suddenly jumped up, pointing an accusing hoof in the old mare’s direction. “Hey, our bags! You said you were bringing in our bags!”
“No dear, I never said that.”
The pegasus faltered. “Huh? Whaddaya mean? Didn’t you say you’d…”
Rowanoak returned, the kettle clenched in her teeth and a teapot looped around her tail. “I always mean what I say, young ‘un. I never said I’d be bringin’ in yer bags, I said they’d be brought in. Passive verb, y’see.”
All six ponies jumped as there was a sudden knock at the door. But Rowanoak simply set down the kettle and teapot and went to answer. “That’ll be them now.”
“Here, I’ll help you,” Twilight called as she got up and followed her to the porch. But when Rowanoak pulled the door open, there was nopony there. The only thing on the doorstep was the pile of saddlebags. Twilight poked her head out the door and peeked left and right, but saw nopony in sight. “But…who brought them…?”
“C’mon missy, less chatter, more action! Let’s get them bags in here and dried out.” Rowanoak nudged her aside and began dragging the sodden saddlebags into the porch. Twilight simply shrugged and did the same, pulling each heavy bag into the porch and setting them down in a line. But just as she brought in the first bag, she gasped as, once the bag had passed the threshold of the house, it suddenly became dry right before her wide eyes.
“Did… you see…?” Twilight stuttered in shock, as Rowanoak dragged another bag inside. Once again, the bag seemed to suddenly dry out in an instant when it passed through the doorway. There was no steam, no fading of the dark patches, no dripping; it just wasn’t wet anymore. “How is that possible?”
“Hmm, you say something’?”
“How does it do that? Those bags, they just suddenly…dried out, when we brought them inside!”
“Oh that!” Rowanoak waved a hoof dismissively. “That happens all the time. ‘S just funny that way.”
“So… you didn’t enchant it or something?” Twilight asked, before clapping a hoof to her mouth as she realised how silly that question was.
“Do I look like a unicorn?” the old mare asked, bowing her head to show that, indeed, there was no horn amongst her grey mane.
Twilight scratched her head sheepishly. “Heh, yeah, stupid question…” Eager to change the subject, she cast an eye over the saddlebags, lined up along the wall of the porch and miraculously dry. It was then that she noticed something off. “Hey… there are only five bags here.”
Rowanoak looked at her quizzically. “You mean ye had more?”
“Yeah, we had six, one for each of us,” the unicorn replied.
“Really? There were only five when ye got here.”
“Tea’s ready!” called Applejack from the dining room. Twilight and Rowanoak returned and took their seats at the table, Twilight perching on her stool and Rowanoak curling up in a large moth-eaten armchair.
“So, our saddlebags are safe and sound then?” asked Applejack as Rarity poured her a cup of steaming tea.
Twilight sighed, taking a sip from her own cup. “All except one. I only counted five bags, and Rowanoak says that we only had five when we arrived here.”
“How could ye not notice? It was you who didn’t have any saddlebag!”
The unicorn spluttered and coughed as she narrowly avoided a spit-take. “M-me?! Then that means… Oh Celestia, I must dropped my bags when we got ambushed!” She dejectedly slumped forward until her head rested upon the tabletop.
“Ambushed? By what, Twilight?”
Her ears perked up as Twilight heard Rowanoak say her name. “Wait…how do you know my name?”
“Hah, how could she not know us?” Rainbow said with a smirk. “The six of us are practically celebrities! She’s probably read about us in the papers.”
But the old mare shook her head “Nah, I don’t get any papers out here.”
Rainbow Dash was slightly taken aback. “Erm…or maybe, she heard about us on the…radio?”
“Never had one.”
The pegasus threw her forelegs up in frustration. “Well then how do ya know us?!”
“Don’t rightly know,” replied Rowanoak. “It’s like the whole deal with the threshold. ‘S just funny that way… But anywho, you say you were ambushed? By whom?”
Twilight took another sip of tea and put down her cup. “I’m not sure. I didn’t get much of a look at them. We were walking across the plains, just after we left Butterbeer’s inn. Rarity spotted them in the distance coming after us, so we picked up the pace. But before we knew it, we were surrounded!”
“But don’t think we didn’t give ‘em a good fight or anything!” Rainbow interrupted. “We sure didn’t go easy on them!”
Twilight shot the pegasus a quick disapproving glance before continuing, “Well yes, we did try to defend ourselves for a while. But pretty soon we were getting overwhelmed, so I teleported us out of there.”
Rowanoak chuckled. “And lucky for you, ye landed right on my doorstep.”
“But, um, why did those… things attack us in the first place?” Fluttershy at last broke her silence. “What were they after?”
Applejack shrugged “Maybe they were bandits? I mean, bunch o’ mares in the middle of the night in the pourin’ rain, maybe they just reckoned we’d be an easy target.”
“Maybe,” Twilight muttered. “What I’m more bothered about is exactly what those things were. At first I thought they were just ponies, but I’m not so sure.”
“They were most certainly not ponies, Twilight,” responded Rarity. “That whole ordeal is a bit hazy in my memory, but I distinctly remember at least one of those brutes had claws.”
“Besides, did any of y’all ever see ponies with eyes like that before? All black and yellow with no whites?”
Applejack had a point. The six ponies all clearly remembered the eyes of those things. Devoid of whiteness; pure black, broken only by a ring of bright yellow. Twilight leaned forwards to rest her chin on the table again. “Well, whatever they were, they’ve probably got my bag now… and all my notes and maps on where to go.”
“Can’t you remember any of it?” Pinkie asked. Twilight shook her head.
“No, I wrote it down so I wouldn’t have to remember it!”
An awkward silence hung in the room. The only sound was the crackling of the fireplace in the next room, and the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof outside. Each pony dwelled on their thoughts about the events of the day, trying to make sense of the mysterious attack. Finally, it was Rowaoak who broke the silence.
“Well, this ain’t the time for dwelling on such things. High time you girls were in bed, resting. Finish yer tea, now.” She proceeded to gather up the tableware and load it back on the tray. The ponies drank down the last dregs of tea and got up, ready for a good night’s sleep. It was only when they reached the hallway when they realised that they had no idea where to go.
“Oh, of course! Sorry, I forgot to say… There’s no guest rooms in this cottage. You’ll be better off in the guesthouse.”
Rainbow Dash groaned, “Aww come on! You mean we gotta go out in the rain again?!”
Rowanoak, however, smiled sagely. “Oh, don’t fret none. It might be rainin’ outside, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get wet.”
“But that doesn’t make… Oh, nevermind. So where is this gatehouse?” Twilight asked, now becoming impatient for a chance to sleep.
The old mare opened the door and pointed out to the left of the house, towards the falls. “Just over that way. The lights are on, so you’ll see it in the dark, and yer bags will be there waitin’ for ye.”
A low yawn escaped Applejack’s throat, “Ooh, well, I dunno about y’all, but I’m more than ready to hit the hay myself.”
“Lead the way, Applejack.” Rarity added as the ponies one again donned their makeshift cloaks and headed out the door. But before closing the door, Twilight paused.
“Wait, what do you mean, our bags will be waiting for us there? They’re all here in this cottage!”
“I mean just what I say, Twilight Sparkle.” Rowanoak’s eye twinkled as she smiled. “When you reach the guesthouse, all these bags will be there.”
“Hmph, except mine of course,” the unicorn harrumphed, her ears drooping glumly.
“Now, don’t you fret too much. I have a feeling it’ll turn up sooner than later. Sweet dreams to ye and yer friends.” Without another word, she closed the door, leaving a rather confused Twilight on the doorstep.
“… Turn up sooner or later? Does she think somepony will just turn up on the doorstep and say ‘Excuse me, I think you dropped this’ and hand me my bag?” the unicorn muttered to herself, with half a mind to demand some sort of explanation from the old mare. But she withdrew her forehoof just before she could knock on the door and hurried after her friends to the guesthouse. Forget it, she thought. I need some sleep. I’ve had quite enough strangeness for one day!
Unfortunately for her, fate had other ideas.
The gibbous moon hung high in the sky over Neighagra Falls, casting small pools of silvery white light through the windows of the guesthouse, with its six sleeping occupants. Or rather, five sleeping and one wide awake.
No matter what she did, Twilight Sparkle could not find the peace of sleep. All through the night she tossed and turned, her bedspread becoming as entangled and chaotic as her thoughts. Enviously listening to the gentle snores of her friends in their own beds, she lay staring straight up at the pale ceiling. As chaotic as when a small contingent of bees is trapped beneath a bucket or in a jar, and their buzzing reverberates all through the container, so were the thoughts milling about in her mind.
Not since her first discovery of the Pinkie Sense had so many questions been presented to her at once. Ever since she and her friends had left the Warm Welcome, it seemed sense and logic had taken a holiday.
She rolled over and could see Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity fast asleep in their small, but extremely soft and comfortable beds. The first mystery was the sudden appearance of those strange creatures out on the plains. Who were they? Indeed, what were they? Black and yellow eyes, snarling, cruel voices, and now claws! Even thinking back to all the books she had skimmed through about mythical monsters and supernatural creatures yielded no results. Not even the monsters and ghouls of legends and trashy horror stories did not match them. Vamponies? No, no legends about vamponies ever mentioned claws, and their eyes were always red (Some stories mention vamponies changing eye colour… but then again, they also mention their skin shining like diamonds in the sunlight, so their credibility is debatable). Zombies? Nah, they were too fast, and they could speak too. Zombies can’t speak, right?
Applejack stirred and snuffled in her sleep as Twilight smacked herself gently in the forehead, her hoof making a resounding clack against her skull. She froze, holding her breath until she was sure that Applejack had not been woken up. She frowned. Really? Trying to apply logic to ghost stories? Is this really what I’ve fallen to now?
The unicorn rolled over again and found herself facing the window. Outside she could see the moon hanging high in the blackness outside, its white glow illuminating the occasional raindrop that passed the window, looking like tiny white gemstones falling from the sky. Their mysterious assailants aside, Twilight dwelt also on the very place she and her friends were calling home for the night. It all started at the moment she and her friends arrived in front of those two white pillars, and they were greeted by old Rowanoak, who somehow was expecting them. Since then nothing had made sense. Who brought our bags to the doorstep? How was it that they suddenly became dry when they were brought indoors? And what did Rowanoak mean, ‘turn up sooner or later’?!
Even the weather made little sense. True to the old mare’s words, they had walked through the rain from her cottage to the guesthouse and stayed completely dry! She had barely even felt the rain upon her, and once they reached the guesthouse, neither she nor any of her friends was even so much as damp.
And then there was Rowanoak herself. How did she know we were coming, Twilight asked herself. How was she so unfazed by our arrival?
And how did she know my name?
Twlight paused in her thoughts as she heard something outside: the gentle padding of hooves on grass. Raising her head, she could just see over the top of the windowsill. Beyond the fence of the garden that surrounded the guesthouse, Twilight saw a figure, hunched and cloaked, walk slowly past and out of sight.
The unicorn glanced over her left shoulder. Each of her friends was fast asleep in their own bed. No sense in waking them up for the sake of my own curiosity. Sliding the covers down, Twilight slipped over the side of the bed until her hooves touched the floor. Without a sound, she tip-hoofed past her snoring friends and twisted the doorknob.
“…Twi?”
Twilight froze, the door half-open. Applejack, the nearest to the door, had stirred in her sleep, and gazed up at the unicorn with half-open eyes. “Wha…What’re ya doin’? Ya can’t…go out now, the…seaponies are…dancin’… Shooo..bee, doobee...”
Desperately trying not to giggle, Twilight patted her friend on the head. “I’ll keep that in mind, Applejack. Go back to sleep now.”
Applejack nodded and closed her eyes once more. Within seconds she was snoring again. Satisfied that all her friends were fast asleep, Twilight Gently eased the door closed, grabbed her cloak from where she and her friends had heaped them by the door, and headed out.
The rain had let up considerably, reduced now to nothing more than a drizzle. As before, Twilight could see the rain falling on and around her, but felt nothing. She peered ahead through the mist and saw the figure up ahead, walking through the colonnade. Twilight picked up the pace and hurried after her, running as silently as she could.
She followed the figure like this for a good few minutes, trotting along the outside of the colonnade, until she was right alongside the figure. By their bent-double stance and ponderous gait, she guessed it to be Rowanoak. But why would she be outside?
As she silently padded after her, Twilight heard on the night air, a low rumbling sound. As she and Rowanoak continued up the colonnade, the rumble grew louder and more distinct, until Twilight finally placed it. ”The falls…”
And indeed it was. The colonnade stretched up a gentle slope, until it came to an end on a ledge that overhung a small lake. A small stream branched off from one end of the lake, no doubt growing into the river that she and her friends had followed. At the other end was the falls.
It was almost as wide as the lake itself, sending torrents of foam and water over the ridge, where its source lay in the mountainside somewhere. Huge clouds of mist and spray were sent up at the bottom of the waterfall, the likes of which would no doubt cast small rainbows in the sunlight. And yet for all its size and intensity, Neighagra Falls were unearthly quiet. Not silent, not by a longshot. But not nearly as loud as a waterfall of this scale should be. Instead of the hissing roar of water, even right next to them, there was little more than a low rumble, as if listening to a waterfall from far away, and from within a dense forest. She was sure there was something else to it, but Twilight could not quite put her hoof on it.
From her hiding place behind a bush, Twilight saw old Rowanoak reach the top of the ledge, where some craftsman had built a small stone structure. It as a relatively simple affair, a dome set atop a ring of pillars, all carved from white marble. As she edged closer and closer, Twilight made out a small bench inside the marble gazebo, similarly carved from white stone, where Rowanoak seated herself.
“Come on up here, Twilight. The view is lovely!”
Her ears perked up as she jumped with a small squeak, making the bushes rustle. Trying to fight back the awkward blush on her cheeks, Twilight raised her head and, hesitantly, stepped out from behind the bush and climbed up the slope. As she entered the gazebo, Rowanoak smiled up at her and slid over slightly, leaving her a space on the bench.
“Oh, er… thanks. Um, sorry for following you like this…”
“It’s alright.” Rowanoak replied as she gazed out over the lake “Actually, it’s nice to have somepony up here with me for once. Somepony to share the view with.”
Twilight nodded. “Hmm, it is a lovely view from here.” From their point on the ledge, she could see right across the lake, past the falls, and into the darkness on the other side. Something clicked in her mind as she came to a starting realisation. That’s what was so weird about the lake!
“There’s no ripples!”
“Eh?” Rowaoak raised a brow.
Twilight pointed a hoof at the water. “I was trying to figure out what was so off about the lake. It’s that there aren’t any ripples! A huge waterfall like this should have waves all over the lake, but there’s nothing! The whole thing is totally still!”
The old mare nodded. “Aye, that it is. Very relaxing just to sit up here and look out at it, don’t ye think?”
“Yeah, it is kinda…” Twilight agreed. “But it’s just one more thing here that makes no sense! The waterfall, the lake, the rain, the bags… even you!”
“Me? What about it? Somethin’ wrong with me?”
“Sorry…” The unicorn’s ears drooped. “That did sound kinda harsh, didn’t it? What I meant was, you’re just as much of a mystery as this whole place. How did you know me and my friends were coming here? How did you know my name?”
Rowanoak shrugged. “Couldn’t tell ye, missy. There’s just some things I know, even if I don’t know why I know them! Places, faces, happenin’s, sounds, smells, all sorts of stuff goin’ in and out of my old skull. I never really understood it meself, ‘s just funny that way. I’ve just learnt to go with it and let it happen.”
Twilight sat up with rapt attention. She had seen this sort of thing before. “That sounds a lot like something Pinkie Pie has. Sometimes she’ll get a strange twitch, and she’s learnt to interpret them and figure out what each one means. She calls it her ‘Pinkie Sense‘”
“Huh, interestin’.” Rowanoak sighed as she gazed out at the lake again. “But like I said, I just let it happen. Tryin’ to figure out how it works will just drive ye crazy.”
“That’s for sure.” Twilight replied with a chuckle. “I nearly drove myself mad trying to analyse her Pinkie Sense… So, do you live up here all on your own then?”
The old mare nodded. “Aye. Family’s long gone, either moved away or passed on to greener pastures. But I like it here, so I stay. It’s my home and my sanctuary. It’s always been funny like this too… I’m guessin’ you can feel it? That funny sort of pressure everywhere?”
The unicorn looked around. “Yeah, I’ve felt it. Usually if I’m in a place with magical energy of any kind, I can feel it right away, but here… it seemed so much more subtle. It’s like there’s some kind of thin, invisible sheet draped over me. It’s not heavy or unpleasant, but it’s…there.”
“That sounds about right.” Rowanoak nodded again. “This place has always been magical, for as long as I can remember.”
Twilight sighed, resting her chin on her hooves. “I just wish I could stay here a bit longer. I’d give anything to research this place!”
“Y’know, young Twilight, a wise young unicorn a long time ago, once said something that I really take to heart when it comes to places like this. I dunno what he was referring to at the time, but it basically sums up this whole place.”
“Really? What was it?” Twilight asked, her ears perking up. Rowanoak leaned close to her, cupping a hoof round her mouth.
The unicorn leaned eagerly in too, desperate for some sort of explanation.
“He said, ’It’s magic, I don’t have to explain anything!’”
The old mare wheezed with laughter as she leaned back again, slapping her hooves against the marble seat below her in her mirth. Twilight, however, frowned at Rowanoak.
“But Rowanoak, if we never look for explanations in things, how will ponies ever learn about anything? How could we ever make progress?”
“Well, that’s true,” replied Rowanoak when she calmed down and stopped laughing. “But if’n ye spend all yer time analysin’ and researchin’ everything, you’ll miss what’s right in front of ye. There’s a time for study and science, and it does take ponies to new frontiers, but sometimes ye just need to sit back and just see the beauty of what’s in front of you. Stop lookin’ at the world fer a moment, and see it instead.”
Twilight tried to make a rebuttal, but as her glance was caught by the lake again, she found that she had none. Rowanoak was right. For the first time, she was not looking at the area from a critical or technical point of view. Not analysing, not studying. Just seeing.
She had never felt such peace. It seemed like they were seated by each-other for hours on end, as he night drew on and on.
However, both were pulled out of their trances, when a strange light flared up above the waterfall. Twilight looked up and saw a small structure, like a tower or a beacon, set upon one of the cliffs at the top of the falls. From the tip a bright light twinkled and shone, like the flicker of a candle-flame. Curious, Twilight looked to the old mare, who smiled.
“Ah, look at that. Looks like we have another visitor. C’mon.”
Both mares got up and made their way through the colonnade. Yet as they approached the twin pillars that marked the boundaries of the strange sanctuary, their shared curiosity and intrigue began to turn to wariness and anxiety. The closer they got, the more they felt uneasy, as if there was some subtle change in the air. Something foreign, something… unclean.
As they rounded the bend, they could see to the end where the pillars stood, and between them stood a figure. At first glance, it appeared to be little more than another pony, with a black cloak draped over his withers. But as Twilight looked more, something about him seemed off. Something in how he carried himself. Or something odd about his face. But what?
He looked normal enough: an earth-pony stallion, probably around twenty-five or thirty, with a pale blue-grey coat and thin, ragged white mane. His mouth was curled into a scowl beneath his hood, which concealed his eyes in shadow.
“Hello there, sir,” Rowanoak said politely, smiling at the newcomer. “How can we help?”
For a moment the stallion was silent. Turning to look at Twilight, he said, “You’re Twilight Sparkle, correct?”
Rowanoak turned her eyes upon the young unicorn. Twilight took a step back, her unease about this stranger rising with every second. But she steeled herself and answered, “Erm…yes, that’s me. Why do you ask?”
“Because,” The stallion lifted the side of his cloak slightly and rummaged inside. “I have a little something for you.”
Twilight stepped back again, ready to dodge or fight back, should he try to attack. It had not escaped her eyes that the cloak he was wearing bore more than a passing resemblance to the cloaks of their unknown assailants in the night.
With a single swift motion, the stallion pulled something large and white, swinging it before him. Twilight flinched slightly, her eyes clenched shut. But she felt no impact of any sort of weapon. Cracking an eyelid open, she saw a familiar white saddlebag dangling before her, decorated with a familiar purple starbust clasp.
“You dropped this,” The stallion said, speaking around the strap of the saddlebag that he held before him.
The unicorn was stunned for a moment. When the feeling finally returned to her legs, she cautiously stepped forward a few paces, before enveloping the bag in a purple aura and lifting it through the air and depositing it on her back.
“Oh! Well, uh… thanks, I guess,” Twilight muttered. “Where did you find it?”
“It was out on the plains. You must’ve dropped it at some point,” replied the stallion, motioning to the stretches of land behind him.
The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, something like that…”
“Well, I won’t bother you further, Miss Sparkle. Good night.” With that, the stallion turned on his back hoof and walked back towards the plains. But before he could vanish from sight completely, Twilight trotted to his side.
“Wait! Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, exactly who are you?”
He looked down at the young mare and smiled. It was a strange smile, as if his mouth was somehow blurry or out of focus. Similar were his eyes, which Twilight could see for the first time. Looking at them was like looking through an unfocused camera, or a sheet of gauze. “Just a traveller passing through.”
Without another word, he continued on his way, watched by Twilight and Rowanoak until he passed over a ridge and was out of sight.
“Ah, Maugoth, you’re back!”
Maugoth lowered his hood and grinned to his comrades, who sat huddled at the foot of the ridge. One of the cloaked creatures stood up and approached the returning pony, a sickly yellow glow emitting from the twisted horn that curled from his forehead. A similar aura sprung up around Maugoth’s eyes and mouth, causing the air to see to shimmer and ripple, and then begin to fade as the illusion spell was banished. Soon, his jagged, sharp teeth and yellow eyes were visible once more.
“So, how’d the illusion hold up?” Asked the horned one.
Maugoth clapped him on the back with a foreleg. “The unicorn was a bit uneasy, but she took the bag, no questions asked. Nice work with that disguise spell, Laga.”
Laga tossed back his hood to reveal the face of an old stallion, except for the abnormally curled horn and a single tusk that jutted out from the left side of his mouth. Like Maugoth and his companions, he bore the same eyes. “Heh, glad to be of service.”
“Glad to hear you two are so proud of yerselves!”
A grating, raspy voice called out from among the other figures. Parting the small crowd, a larger, bulkier creature stomped towards Maugoth and Laga. His hood fell back a little, showing off an equine snout covered in grey-green scales and small spines. He snarled at the smaller ones, black smoke billowing from his maw with every breath. “So, Maugoth, care to let us all in on yer genius plan anytime soon? Or was ‘give the map that leads to a valuable weapon, back to the little-food we took it from’, all there was to it?!”
In response, Maugoth stamped his forehooves and snarled at the larger soldier, similar tendrils of smoke wisping from this nostrils. “Mind your attitude, Shataz! You might be my cousin, but I’m still your superior!”
Shataz said nothing in response and dutifully backed down, but not before staring daggers at his officer.
“Actually, sir… what is the plan from here on in?”
Maugoth rounded upon the speaker, which was the skinny little one, Gadhup. Backing from his master, Gadhup raised his claws as if in supplication. “N-not that I doubt you or anything! I’m just curious, y’know!”
Their leader suddenly smiled, putting a foreleg around Gadhup’s withers. “Glad you asked! Y’see, as the leader of this unit, it’s my job to not only make sure we fulfil our mission of infecting the populous here, but also to take care of my troops. And I think I’ve done that pretty well thus far, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Well…”
“Don’t answer that. But anywho, the moment I found that little-food’s saddlebag and saw where she and her little friends were heading, I contacted command back at Burzkala. O’ course, they were very interested, and they tell me to get these Tears things, and bring ‘em back.”
Gadhup, and everypony listening, nodded (Begrudgingly, in Shataz’s case).
“Well, since I’m also supposed to take care of my troops, then there’s no sense in sendin’ them in blind to fetch these Tears. Somethin’ that powerful, there’s bound to be some kind of protection on it: Guards, traps, that kinda stuff.”
The little one nodded. “I think I see where yer goin’ with this.”
Maugoth nodded back. “Yeah, probably. So, I’m thinkin’, why send my own troops in to fetch it, when those ponies are already goin’ there anyways? Why not let them do the hard work for me?”
“And then when they gets it, we takes it from ‘em!” Laga added as the plan dawned on him.
Gadhup gave an admiring smile to his commander. “I swear, sir, with a brain like that you should be up there in high command!”
Shataz, however, was less than impressed. “Pff, sounds like the strategy of a Nar Thos to me.”
The twenty collected creatures gasped. Even those who could not speak knew the biting insult of those words. Every yellow and black eye fixed upon Maugoth, awaiting his response. The pony simple glanced over his shoulder at his cousin, and shot him a wry grin. “You’d be the expert, I guess.”
Raucous laughter greeted this sharp response, as Shataz simply snarled and stomped away to the other side of the ridge. Maugoth, meanwhile, clambered to the top of the ridge, and rested his head on the top, peeking over at Neighagra Falls. Before long, he was joined by Laga and Gadhup, who lay down on their fronts on either side ofhim.
“So, now we just wait. And when they leave, we follow.”
This time it was not Fluttershy, but Rarity who was awoken by the divine smell of cooked breakfast. As her eyelids fluttered open, she swept her curls out of her face and groggily glanced around. All five of her friends were in similar states of semi-consciousness. “Hmm… Rowanoak must be cooking us breakfast… what a wonderful way to start the day.”
Slipping daintily out of bed, Rarity tip-hoofed her way through the door and downstairs to the kitchen. Sure enough, there was the old mare, clad once again in her navy-blue nightie, carrying a plate of fresh toast to the table.
“Ah, mornin’ Rarity. I hope you and yer friends slept well.”
“Indeed we did, thank you.” Rarity inhaled the smell of the toast with a husky sigh. “A marked improvement over last night’s sleeping arrangements. No matter how comfortable a mat and a blanket are, they can never outdo a proper bed.”
Rowanoak chuckled “I see yer a proper lady, eh?”
The white unicorn nodded. “I try to be. Goodness knows it can be hard with friends like mine. But I wouldn’t trade them for all the high-society ponies in Canterlot!”
“Good to hear! And just so ye know, those ladylike manners of yers will be comin’ in handy on this trip of yours, if things go that way.” Rowanoak replied with a wink. Before Rarity could enquire further, the clatter of hooves on the wooden staircase heralded the arrival of the others.
For the next hour, the six ponies dined well on toast, honey, jam, oats, nuts and all manner of fresh fruit, all washed down by a bracing cup of morning tea. Rowanoak curled up in a puffy red chair on the side, joining in the conversation when she was not dozing gently.
Before long, breakfast was all eaten, leaving behind six well-fed and very ready ponies. While the others began clearing up their plates and bowls, Rowanoak called Twilight to the side again. “I took the liberty of puttin’ together some directions for you and yer friends to follow. They’ll get you safe to yer destination.”
She passed a small sheet of folded parchment to Twilight, who held it on her hoof. “Oh, thank you! But how did you know the way? I mean, to be honest, once we reach the Crystal Mountains, I don’t really know where to go next!”
Rowanoak pointed to the parchment. “Well, those there directions will get you wherever yer goin’, mark my words. It just came to me when I sat down and thought about it for a while, so I wrote it all down. Heh, don’t ask me how I know…”
“It’s just funny that way?"
The old mare wheezed with laughter, joined soon by Twilights laughter. “Yer a good mare, Twilight Sparkle. You and yer friends take good care of yerselves.”
“We will, and thanks again,” replied Twilight. But before she could join her friends in clearing things up and preparing to leave, she felt Rowanoak’s foreleg on her shoulder. Twilight turned around and was surprised at her expression. Gone was Rowanoak’s usual cheerful wrinkled grin, replaced instead by a stern and serious face.
“But, once you’ve found that you seek, you and yer friends best head straight back where ye came from. Nothing but hardship and strife awaits if’n ye stray from the path,” said Rowanoak in a solemn voice.
Soon after, the six young ponies stood by the twin pillars once again, saddlebags strapped on, food supplies replenished, and ready to go. Rowanoak gave each pony a gentle hug in turn. “It’ll be sad to see ye go. It’s been nice havin’ company again after so long.”
“We’ll be sure to visit ya on the way back!” replied Pinkie Pie, winking to the old mare.
“Oh, absolutely. This place is just lovely,” Fluttershy added.
Applejack tipped her hat to Rowanoak as they broke the hug. “Y’all take good care of yerself, miss Rowanoak.”
“I will, missy. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll end up in Ponyville and pay all of ye a visit,” replied Rowanoak.
Finally, when all the goodbyes had been said, the ponies crossed the threshold of Neighagra Falls Sanctuary and began the long hike to the Crystal Mountains, with Twilight in the lead, and Pinkie keeping pace with another cheery performance of ‘Ever, ever on’. Rowanoak watched with a serene smile as they marched off into the distance, until they were little more than specks on the horizon.
But even then, the old mare’s day was not quiet and eventless. Come mid-afternoon, she was informed of the arrival of a new pony. Sure enough, there, pacing back and forth between the white pillars, was a strange new pony.
“Good afternoon sir,” Rowanoak called as she approached the stallion. “How can I help ye? In need of a place to stay for the night?”
The stallion stopped his pacing, letting Rowanoak get a good look at him. A horn protruded from his brow, just above his grey-brown eyebrows, the colour of which clashed nicely with his pale yellow coat. A long beard stretched from his chin to his knees, and a plain blue cloak was draped over his withers, matching the pointed hat that lay on the ground beside him. “Ah, no, not tonight, thank you. I’m rather in a hurry… Now, I’m here on matters of great urgency. Tell me, can I find a young unicorn here by the name of Twilight Sparkle?”
Rowanoak raised her brows in surprise. How famous was this mare? “Oh, so sorry, you just missed her. She and her friends headed out for the Crystal Mountains early this morning.”
“WHAT?!”
The old mare flinched, flattening her ears against the noise. “Steady on! I may be old, but I’m hardly deaf!”
But the old unicorn did not seem to notice, as he swiftly turned about and trotted off in the same direction that Twilight and her friends had taken mere hours ago. Rowanoak watched him go, blinking in slight bemusement at her sudden, and rather odd, visitor. But she shrugged, passing back between the pillars and making her way home. But not before she paused briefly to turn back again and look at you:
“Don’t look to me for explanations, dear reader. Ye best get after those ponies, see what happens… They got plenty of troubles ahead… If’n only they knew.”
With that, she shrugged again and returned to her cottage for her mid-afternoon nap.
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Well. Talk about breaking the 4th wall. Honestly wasn't expecting you to take it that far. Worked quite well though.
Um...Hi Rowanoak <waves nervously> you wouldn't happen to be related to Pinkie Pie by any chance would you?
Small error found:
"Satisfied that all her friends were fast asleep, Twilight Gently eased the door closed, grabbed her cloak from where she and her friends had heaped them by the door, and headed out."
Hey, I bumped into you on Hamstead Heath and you told me about this story, and I've finally got around to reading it (sorries!) and... wow, this is really good!
After trying and failing to get into dozens of other 5 star stories this one has gripped me in it's first three chapters. Great stuff!
Good job mate, applause are in order.
*Alondro has spied evil creatures to exterminate* I may not know what they are yet, but there's one sure and fast rule about dealing with monsters. Hit em hard. If they're still moving, hit em harder. If that don't work, go SSJ4 and slap em with a Spirit Bomb.
Long journey with lots and lots of walking? Check.
Seemingly all-powerful artifact with ancient legends awaiting the heroes at the end of their journey? Check.
Disturbing, deformed villians that are trying to outwit the heroes from behind the scenes and get the artifact first? Check.
Mildly creepy old seer who, by all appearances, knows too much for her own good? Check.
Lone guy sent in for backup who happens to know more about the reward than the people he's sent to back up? Check.
You sir, seem to have all of the makings of a wonderful oldschool style'd adventure. Time to continue reading!
"Applejack nodded and closed her eyes once more. Within seconds she was snoring again. Satisfied that all her friends were fast asleep, Twilight Gently eased the door closed, grabbed her cloak from where she and her friends had heaped them by the door, and headed out."
Twilight has a new last name?
/sarcasm
“Can’t you remember any of it?” Pinkie asked. Twilight shook her head.
:
“No, I wrote it down so I wouldn’t have to remember it!”
haha that reminds me of indiana jones and the last crusade XD
Another old school MLP reference. The seaponies and their terrible song.
That's who I think it is right. Star Swirl the Bearded. I'm going to imagine him voiced by Peter Cullen because that's it's a dream of mine to see Peter Cullen on MLP as Star Swirl the Bearded.
That was quite an interesting Fourth wall break there at the end. This Rowanoak is just a barrel of mysteries.
Y'know, Rowanoak has been reminding me of a character from a book for quite some time, but I could never remember precisely who. I think I got it now, though. Is she by any chance inspired in part by Polleekin, from Martin The Warrior?
no, it can't be.. granny Pie?
For a chapter that is all about peace, we sure do have some intersting things happening. For instance, the bad guys are getting some more devlopment to their motives, aspirations, and what is going on in their group. Time will tell if they are going to be well developed or generic mustache twirlers. Twilight gets a nice call back here to her "Somethings you have to have faith in" and gets a lesson in listening and waiting. While the rest of theam hasnt had a chance to trutt their stuff yet, this is only chapter four and by this time in Fallout: Equestria, Little Pip ha JUST met Calamity. So I am going to give ti time to see what you will do with the rest of the marvelous mares.
SHE CAN BREAK THE 4TH WALL TOO!?!
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