Committed!

by Canvas_Shade

Aut Viam Faciam! (a.k.a. I Will Make a Way!)

Wild thunderstorms rumbled over the distant Macintosh Hills and the southern border of the Hayseed Swamp. At their altitude, the strong tailwinds helped alleviate the need for frequent wing movement, which was quite a relief for Nyvena. The urgency she and her travel partner felt as they fled their assailants’ domain long since faded away for Nyvena, thanks to the soothing warm air current that flowed past her limbs and front scales. Unfortunately, Canvas Shade could not enjoy the same calming wind that his draconic counterpart did. He lay on his back with a glazed stare at the cloudy afternoon sky. Nyvena could feel his trembling while the near-death experience played over and over in his mind. The shock of the situation did not seem to hit Canvas right away—he was so happy to be alive, after all. But once they took to the air, it looked as if the unicorn’s very soul had been stolen.

Nyvena glided upon the warm currents and listened to the distant outbursts of thunder, letting her mind to drift back to her adolescence. She and a fellow dragon named Balfour would determine who had the upper claw in their childhood rivalry by winning a race through a wild storm. Both had their share of being struck by lightning as they flew. But rather than pose a potentially fatal danger to the mighty reptiles, it only served as embarrassment for the slightest carelessness. Toward the end of the race, however, it would turn into only a competition of which dragon could cheat better. Nyvena’s size usually put her at a disadvantage, but the reckless flier often had too much fun to care.

The constant tapping of nervous hooves from behind suddenly halted the dragon’s reminiscing and caused her wings to lose their rhythm for a second. Both dragon and pony lurched downward, but fortunately Nyvena’s feathers caught enough warm air to restore their balance without losing much altitude. Also to her annoyance, Nyvena felt Canvas abruptly rise to a sitting position every few minutes. He could not help but constantly ask ‘have you seen them?’ in a vain grasp at reassurance. For the first time Nyvena tried to empathize and put herself in his horseshoes. But alas, a lifetime of being a hunter made it impossible for her to comprehend just how terrifying nearly being eaten could be. She tried to ignore the constant shifting and repetitive questions of her rider, but it quickly proved to be an impossible task as well.

“SO…”

The rather loud conversation starter snapped Canvas out of the fearful stupor, “Y-yes, Miss K.?”

“Do you have a map on you, by chance? I am not very familiar with this part of Equestria, and I need to make sure that we are in the right direction.”

Anything that could distract Canvas from recent happenings was a relief. “I do, but it’ll take a little while to set up.” He magically lifted a visor-like device from his saddlebag. The gadget components had a smooth minimalist design and uniformly colored in a glossy dark gray. It was a solid circular band worn around the head and a tiny cylindrical module with a forward-facing lens. Above the module was the ring that collects and harnesses the horn’s energy.

Nyvena glanced behind her and wondered why there was no parchment flapping obnoxiously in the wind. “And what is that supposed to be?”

“It’s called a HUD, or ‘holographic unicorn display.’ It uses the magic from my horn to project a map made of light that we both can see. It’s very rare, but very useful for our situation!” Canvas was not a very articulate pony in casual conversations. But explaining technologies was where his oratory skills could really shine. Tech jargon was one of the few subjects that could return his mind to a calmer state, if needed.

The bemused dragoness raised an eye ridge and refocused on the airway ahead. “I suppose I could make such a judgment when I see that it works.”

“Fair enough,” replied Canvas as he carefully donned the gadget. The ring around his horn blinked with a faint golden light, followed by the illumination of a linear pattern on the headband itself. A small electric shock makes the colt sit upright before a quiet whirr indicated that the HUD was powering on. A small row of golden words blinked mid-air in front of Canvas’ eyes. He whispered as the words appeared, “Analyzing magical signature, setting default language… display size: maximum… projection distance: hmm… four feet. And—”

“By the stars!!” Nyvena recoiled, severely throwing off her flight rhythm once more. Her draconic eyes could not make sense of the huge window full of blurred information made of disorienting yellow-gold light. The HUD’s gyroscope function set the window in place, even when Canvas moved his head. Arching her tail to the side allowed the two to rebalance before losing a lot of altitude. “How can I focus on flying?” she exclaimed amidst heavy breathing.

“So sorry about that. I’ll move it to the side…” Canvas hurriedly scrolled through the settings and figured out how to move the window about 45 degrees to the right. The device also had tandem display capabilities, where the unicorn could have a second smaller display for himself while the larger window reconfigured for Nyvena’s eyesight. “Don’t worry Miss K., I’ll figure it all out in due time.”

“See to it that you do,” she replied admonishingly. According to dragons, ponies were a bit too resourceful for their liking, and there was no telling what they would come up with next. It brought about a deep-seated distrust of the equines for millennia. Besides, as relatives would half-jokingly remark, ponies made for ‘better food than company.’

‘But… this one is different, though. He chose to help me, despite how I treat him. Is it just because he is fascinated with my being a dragon, or—no. Does not matter. I must use whatever help he can provide, even if it means putting up with his… pony-ness. I must toss aside a lot of what I was taught, but until I know what has become of— “What is it, THIS time,” snapped Nyvena in response to the hoof nudging her repeatedly. Canvas let out a short ‘eep’ and withdrew his leg. Realizing her reflexive brashness, the dragoness sighed apologetically and in frustration toward herself.

I definitely must have better control of my responses…

Much to Nyvena’s surprise, Canvas’ response was more confident, albeit a bit cautious. “Where are we headed this time?”

“It is the place you ponies call ‘Dodge City.’ It is the closest location where you can get some information for me.”

In the process of finding their destination, he whispered to himself before letting out an aggravated scoff. “From the look of it, we were in the Hayseed Swamps, but we had to pass over this place to get to Macintosh Hills. But now we’re traveling over the Swamps a second time!” the unicorn whined as his upper body slumped between Nyvena’s wings.

“I like the swamps. I have slept there plenty of times and it was just old habit that brought me there this time,” the dragoness answered defensively.

“Well, as long as I don’t have to ever be there again.” The mere thought of returning to the Swamps for any reason sent shivers down his spine. “Anyway, we happen to be going in the right direction, thank goodness, and Dodge City’s about 20 miles away. We should be there in a few minutes if we remain at this speed.”

“Actually, no.”

Canvas tilted his head with a slightly offended frown. The art pony made the occasional mathematical error in his time, but there was no denying what showed on the map itself. “Please elaborate…”

Nyvena huffed, “I cannot exactly swoop down into the town square, now can I?”

He groaned and placed a hoof upon his forehead in self-reproach for not remembering the obvious. Perhaps the colt was becoming a little too comfortable with having a dragon around. Canvas’ eye then twitched as he imagined what might happen if anypony caught a dragon snooping around the populated areas. He noted that he tended to be more concerned about Nyvena’s well being than his own if things were to fall apart. Then it then dawned on the unicorn how fragile it all was. All somepony had to do was look up, panic, and then call the authorities. What if the Princesses became involved? How would Canvas ever explain away what could be considered willingly endangering his fellow ponies?

“Unicorn, are you listening?”

Canvas hurriedly put his thoughts aside to address the impatient dragoness. “Sorry about that. What were you saying?”

“I will land about one mile away from town, and you will have to walk the rest of the way. Will that be alright for you?”

“A mile? Shouldn’t be a problem, Miss K.,” the art pony shrugged.

“Good. Here we go!” Nyvena arched her body downward, reaching speeds that rivaled that of a diving falcon. The wind furiously rushed past both dragon and rider as a rush of excitement coursed through her body. It had been years since she experienced such exhilaration, and even if she could slow down, she would most likely not want to.

In the meantime, Canvas did not share Nyvena’s exhilaration. His breathing and heart rate hastened in accord to their frightening acceleration. “SLOW DOWN! I CAN BARELY HOLD ON!” he shouted over the gale-force winds. The art pony had to grasp the saddlebag straps with his teeth and held onto Nyvena’s neck with his forelegs as tightly as he could just to not be swept away by the tremendous airstream.

“I wish I could, but…” she trailed off with an almost playful grin. Fortunately, it was over quickly. Expertly use of her tail and wing feathers made for a much smoother landing than Canvas expected. The petrified colt slid from her back and onto the hard, scorching ground with a loud ‘crunch.’ The dragon suppressed a chuckle when glancing toward the splayed pony.

“Unicorn? Will you… be alright?”

Canvas’ breathing had yet to stabilize. “Just need… my stomach to… catch up.”

“Very well, no more dives without telling you first. However, I really must prepare you for handling evasive maneuvers. If my powers of forethought are still adequate, ponies and dragons alike will be after us before too long.”

“Whatever you say,” replied the colt while standing upright and stretching his limbs. Several joints popped softly, relieving the inflexibility from the hours-long trip. “I’ll have to get used to being ready for anything.”

“I am glad that you are finally willing to acclimate.” She stretched her limbs one by one as well, and significantly louder pops resonated from her joints.

The stagnant, desiccating air began to sap Canvas’ energy as sweat poured down his body and his tongue draped from his mouth in an almost canine manner. He quickly lifted the saddlebag over himself as rudimentary awning. “WOW…! So… this is what the Greater Dodge City area feels like? Books and movies on this place don’t do justice to this kind of heat!” He gasped in shock and envy to see that Nyvena not only tolerated the searing weather—she basked in it!

“It feels rather nice. A ‘day at the beach,’ as I have heard it said before. Anyway, we are still about two miles away. I saw some ponies far past the outskirts, hence the sudden landing.”

Canvas let out a gasp of astonishment, “You could see that far?! I—never mind. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you cover me with your wings until we get within a mile?”

“I suppose I could risk it. But once we can see the structures, you are on your own,” Nyvena said sternly as she spread her left wing over the pony. The top of her bladelike feathers reflected the sunlight as if they were made of pure steel.

“Understood.” He sighed in relief; the unicorn returned his saddlebacks to their proper place once shielded from the brutal sun. The unicorn silently remarked how her scales shone in a way that he had not noticed before. If it were not for the heat and the urgency of their mission, he would admire the glistening hide and try to capture its radiance on paper. However, Canvas’ ears splayed back when he considered that the reflectiveness of her wings might catch somepony’s attention.

“If I may ask, what’ll you do while I’m in town?”

Nyvena pondered for a moment, then gave a nonchalant shrug, “I am not sure. I am quite hungry, though, and hopefully there are some cattle or pigs around. I will try to be finished by time you return.”

“I appreciate it. And I’ll do my best to not take too long when I get there.”

As they walked side by side the silence became very uncomfortable. Canvas rifled through his mind for a good topic to discuss, but whatever he thought of would only slip away due to some sudden distraction. A certain question did arise, but the unicorn debated whether to approach it directly or not. “So, how many eggs are we looking for?”

The dragoness lowered her head with furrowed eye ridges. “There were four…”

“What do they look like?”

Nyvena slightly contorted her mouth in thought. “They are not very large, but they are quite distinct. Three are green with stripes that are the same color as my scales, and the other is mostly grey with green blotch-like markings.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for when I ask around. Don’t worry, we’ll get the answers we need.” reassured Canvas in a solemn tone.

She takes a deep breath to calm herself. “Thank you for the encouragement. I would not receive such from fellow dragon,” she scoffed with a hint of disgust.

“Sounds like they can be rather selfish. I understand why you would not want to raise your children around them.”

Nyvena growled, “Have you ever been around more than one of us?”

“W-well, no—”

“Then you cannot truly understand, can you?”

“I suppose not,” conceded the unicorn.

“And for your sake, I hope you never do.” She paused abruptly, glaring at the distant silhouette of Dodge City through the rippling atmosphere. “Here is where we must part. I will see you within a few hours, yes?”

“Precisely.” Canvas opened his left saddlebag and pulled out a lacquered wood case. Cushioned inside were a new pair of very unusual sunglasses. The dusky lenses had a vague parallelogram shape with rounded edges, fitted below a thin frame composed of a lustrous, state-of-the-art material as the HUD—also developed by the Royal Institute of Science and Engineering. At the ends of the resting hooks was a lanyard made of special linen designed for rough travel conditions. He smiled pridefully when replacing the newfangled eyewear with the map projection device. Nyvena shook her head slowly with a roll of the eyes. The dragoness may have been unimpressed, but for the first time she realized just how much a pony’s disposition could change with something as simple as a pair of dark-spectacles.

***

Nyvena and Canvas separated when they both could see the distant silhouette of their destination. He was unwilling to leave the safety of her wing, but she folded her feathered canopy and firmly nudged the unicorn forward with her muzzle. The wilting pony trudged into the vast beyond with the saddlebags once again serving as a source of shade. A canteen held in one of the carriers had been depleted 15 minutes before, and this fact was prevalent in his mind. Every step on the sunbaked ground numbed his hooves, and soon he lost feeling in them altogether. Canvas quickened his pace, hoping that his hooves would not crack or melt as he trotted through the oppressive desert. After about half an hour of walking, the exhausted pony doubted if the still distant town was even real, and not the result of heat-induced delirium.

Canvas tried to grasp at the positives of the circumstances. For one, it was his first chance to be useful to Nyvena. Second: at least his eyes were not assaulted by the sunlight—he shuddered at the thought of being stuck without the precious eyewear in such conditions. But shades or not, his energy was severely low, most of it stolen by the oppressive heat. Willpower no longer mattered when it became a physical impossibility to move his muscles any further. Canvas was so close—the Dodge City Junction was not far off. The unicorn began to cough uncontrollably due to the dust carried by the wind, and he was on the verge of collapse. Aside from the depleted water canteen, the painful notion of failing Nyvena and her children was unrelenting. Self-motivating whispers grew into raspy, desperate shouts, but his limbs simply would not respond. “Come on, just a quarter mile or so! Let’s do this! Come… on…” His legs gave out one by one, but his mind was too fatigued to even realize it. “Nyvena, I won’t… fail…!” The last of Canvas’ strength, both physical and magical, gave out after several vain but gallant efforts. The golden aura around his saddlebags disappeared, letting the satchels fall upon the exhausted unicorn’s head. His vision slowly began to fade as he lay on his front.

On the verge of blacking out, Canvas soon heard muffled sounds, including the distant trot of an approaching pony. Four legs belonging to a pony with a deep red coat entered his blurred vision, but the unicorn still could not see his or her face. Was the stranger merely a figment manifested within Canvas’ heat-stricken mind? He wanted to simply ask so very badly, but even his jaw was no longer capable of movement. Lifting his head to get a better view was out of the question altogether. However, the willpower to keep going at least delayed the inevitable, even if it could not coerce his limbs to budge.

“Ah, look at him. And I thought he would make it. What a shame,” remarked the enigmatic stallion to himself. “I suppose he could use a nudge in the right direction.”

A refreshing sensation like cool water embraced Canvas as he levitated within a gentle magical aura, and through his slipping consciousness he could tell that he was moving along the route he originally traveled. The unicorn thanked Celestia for the pony who rescued him. However, the magical energy surrounding him brought on a distant and unexplainable feeling of looming danger. However, the bustle of Dodge City’s denizens finally reached the colt’s ears, and he mustered a feeble smile before slumbering at last.

***

Canvas Shade opened his eyes after what felt like several seconds. The clouds above had an odd green tint to them, and the sky above was a darker shade of green with no sun or moon in sight. Canvas felt quite uneasy about the place where he found himself. Instead of the brilliant red that shone from the clay of the mountain range, the earth was a glowing white. He turned to see Nyvena standing not far off, and her back was turned to him. Trying to step forward, the pony found that his movements were much slower than normal, but this did not register as he walked forward anyway. Canvas’ mind could not quite comprehend the glaring oddities of the world he was in. After all, his awareness was just as cloudy as when he clung to consciousness in the desert. The unicorn’s focus remained upon Nyvena as he followed her at a frustratingly slow pace.

“Miss K.? Nyvena? Why’re we back in Macintosh Hills? Weren’t we just outside Dodge City?” Canvas’ voice resonated with an odd echo.

No response.

“Miss K.! Can you hear me?”

No matter what, she refused to answer or even look his way. Canvas became quickly agitated. With a deep inhale and closed eyes, he shouted as loud as possible, “KENANSHAR NYVENA!!” When he opened his eyes, the dragoness was no longer there. “What in Luna’s name is happening here? She was right in front of me just now!” he whispered aloud in bafflement.

“OH, HI!” Nyvena reappeared behind Canvas as suddenly as she left. The sudden touch of her snout upon his back made the pony jump three feet into the air, and his entire mane stood on end.

“Ah, there you a—” Canvas paused when seeing a small reptilian head peek over the mother dragon’s shoulder. The hatchling had her mother’s features with the exception of green scales on the top of her muzzle. She looked at him curiously and warbled cutely. “So, that must be…”

“Ah, yes, I found her ALLLL on my own!” Nyvena replied in a jovial but saccharine tone. The dragoness smiled way too much for his comfort, and her statement did not sit well with the colt at all.

“Are you… okay?” he asked hesitantly.

“Oh, I feel WONDERFUL, but alas, this is where we must part ways. I do not really need you anymore. Good luck returning to Baltimare!” She spread her wings and crouched before taking flight with her daughter in tow.

“What are you SAYING? This makes no sense! What about the other children?”

“Do not worry, I can handle it from here.”

Rage overtook Canvas as he tried in vain to catch up with the two-timing dragoness. “Hey, you can’t just leave me here! You gave me your word when I agreed to this! Get back here! NYVENAAAAA!!” As soon as his hoof landed upon the phosphorescent earth, it began to crack and rumble. Canvas turned his head and was horrified to see that the land behind him was progressively crumbling. Before long, the frightened unicorn saw that the distance between an abysmal nothingness and himself became rapidly shorter. He tried to escape, but knew that the pace of collapse was much too fast to outrun. Canvas could not bear to watch the precipice catch up to him. All he could think to do was shut his eyes and clench his teeth. An overwhelming torrent of rage, despair, and fright overtook the colt as he fell through the unending darkness. Horrifying, clamoring voices steadily amplified until stopping all at once—then there was nothing but emptiness.

***

In the realm of the conscious, the bedridden unicorn wiped his slowly opening eyes with a lengthy groan. He then bolted upright when an awkwardly close pair of light brown irises came into focus. The red pony at his bedside moved his head back, barely avoiding collision with the art pony’s head.

“Sweet crispy Tartarus, where do I even begin to say how scary that was?! I’m sorry, but… who ARE you?”

“Ahaha, it’s quite alright,” replied the red earth pony with an amiable laugh. “I’m Absinthe, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Absinthe.” Canvas nodded to himself when recognizing the deep red color of his host’s fur. The lack of a horn on the stallion’s head was very perplexing and rather disconcerting. But he concluded that a unicorn accompanied the earth pony at the time. Besides, it was easier to put it out of mind, considering the severe headache Canvas had.

“I’m a visitor here, just as you are. Welcome to my humble hotel room.”

The room was humble indeed. It reminded Canvas of his own apartment without the shelves stuffed with books and papers. The only pieces of furniture were the nightstand beside a single twin bed, and a large wardrobe near the door. A circular clock that no longer worked hung on the bare wooden wall; its rounded glass covering reflected the light shining through the single window opposite of the door. There was no sign of anything belonging to either pony. The unicorn colt assumed that his rescuer arrived in Dodge City shortly before he did, and was a very light traveler.

Absinthe himself appeared to be slightly older than Canvas. He sported a long, straight platinum blonde mane, and across the stallion’s face was a black triangular tattoo that covered most of the left side with its point facing downward. The other tattoo consisted of two parallel stripes ran down his neck that tapered into two points at the small of his back. Canvas subtly leaned over for a better look at Absinthe’s unusual cutie mark: an aggressive, partially coiled green cobra. Absinthe’s expression made Canvas quite uncomfortable—the earth pony seemed almost hypnotized, and his mouth formed an unyielding smile of forced cordiality.

“So, with a name like yours, are you a bartender or something?” Atop the nightstand between the bed and the wall, there was an antique lamp with a glass of clear liquid inside. Canvas picked it up with both hooves and sniffed at the contents, just in case, before thirstily overturning it into his mouth.

“Heh, not at all. But I have many other facets—none of which happen to include baggage handling, so I hope you don’t mind that I left your personal effects with the owner.” Absinthe turned his sight to the single window, outside of which was a vista of the formidable open desert. “By the way, who is ‘Nyvena?’”

The art pony’s upper body lurched forward ever so slightly; he pressed a hoof to his mouth to prevent a major spit take. “Oh… that’s just the name of a pet bird I used to have… as a pet… when I was a foal. I was dreaming about when she flew away from home. Quite a devastating moment in my life, actually.” Canvas did not have to lie often, though in lesser situations he managed to pull it off well. But this time the gravity of the circumstances, and the off-putting air about his host worked against him.

“Understandable. Same thing happened with a pet anaconda I had years back. Of course, it was my only friend. I was never quite… the same afterward. So what kind of bird was it?”

The soft yet self-assured tone in which Absinthe spoke made Canvas feel as if he was being politely backed against a wall. Nevertheless, the unicorn knew that he could not afford to leave any questions unanswered. “Falcon. She was a young falcon.”

“Fascinating,” the earth pony answered with a slight nod.

Canvas reclined onto the pillow and looked around the room once more. “I really appreciate that you’d let me rest in it. It’d be hard to find this kind of hospitality in Baltimare.”

Absinthe perked up, his tone becoming a little more animated, “You’re from Baltimare? So am I! Grew up there for most of my foalhood.”

“Wow, what are the chances?” Canvas smirked nervously.

“I traveled a lot after that, but nowadays I call Vanhoover home. How long are you staying for?”

‘Ugh, why did I have to be rescued by such an intrusive pony?!’ rang through Canvas’ mind while he compiled a believable answer. “This is just a stopover. I’m headed to, um… Ponyville.”

Absinthe raised an eyebrow. “Really? But there’s a rail line that can get you straight there through Canterlot,” his smile was replaced with a puzzled frown.

“Hehe, yeah. Accidentally took the wrong train. Uhh, so… what time is it, anyway?” Canvas rubbed the back of his mane as he struggled to maintain eye contact with his host.

“It’s been four hours since we arrived—”

“Four hours!!” the art pony shouted as he scrambled out of bed. However, he could not take two steps before a sharp pain stunned his forelegs, sending his face colliding with the floorboards. Absinthe rushed to his side to ascertain that his guest was not injured. He found it difficult to stifle a laugh.

“You didn’t think that you’d have full use of your muscles so soon, did you?”

Without a word, the art pony grimaced and strained to lift himself from the floorboards, growling with unbreakable resolve.

“Are you really that desperate to get to Ponyville? This is what made you collapse in the first place! You need more rest.”

Canvas clenched his eyes shut. Rage and sorrow from the dream about Nyvena’s desertion plagued his memory. The debilitated pony snorted angrily, something that he did not do often. He turned his head and snapped, “This can’t WAIT any longer! I’m bucking sick of everypony underestimating me!”

Absinthe flinched at the outburst and backed away slowly with a yielding sigh. “Fine. I won’t tell you how to handle your affairs.” The earth pony jumped onto the newly vacant spot on the cramped bed. “Last chance to come to your senses before I yawn,” he continued casually, as if he knew the art pony for years.

A look of guilt grew upon Canvas’ face despite Absinthe’s nonchalance. He turned and headed for the entrance, but even slow, cautious steps sent shockwaves of pain through his body. “I sincerely—ow—appreciate the hospitality, but—ow—I really have to move on.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll check with you later to make sure things are alright.” Absinthe stretched and yawned deeply, turning onto his side as Canvas gently shut the door.

***

After reclaiming his possessions and equipping his eyes with sunglasses once more, Canvas limped down the main road in search of information. The town itself was a very different place than what he imagined. Along the road were rows of small mom-and-pop businesses tailored to the residents and the occasional visitor. Some were storefronts with crop fields out back, stretching as far as the eye could see. Further down the road farmhouses and fields were scattered across the rolling hills, all very well kept despite their pastoral designs.

The old western films depicted the place as being rife with crossbow-toting roughnecks and mares dressed in ball gown-type attire. Certainly there were those who stuck to the typical western apparel, but the rest seemed to prefer being unclothed, as was the trend. Most of the denizens who passed Canvas by went about their business, trying to get to their destinations as quickly as possible and escape the record high temperatures. Some others lounged within the shade of their covered porches while loudly socializing. There were no bank robberies, crossbow duels in the town square, nor anything of the sort that would make an interesting movie. The town actually was quite pleasant—if it were not for the heat and a waiting dragoness out in the desert, the art pony would not have minded staying to draw a few of the buildings and landscapes.

“Wah hello there, Newcomer!”

Canvas jumped slightly when an enthusiastic female voice called out to him from behind. He turned around to see an off-white earth pony with perhaps the reddest mane he had ever seen. Canvas could not help but stare at her elaborate coiffure that refused to be dulled by the constantly blowing dust. The hair band that accentuated her noticeable mane was adorned with pairs of cherries, just like her cutie mark, and the pink bow around the mare’s neck matched her eyeshadow in a very charming way. She stepped down from the porch and approached Canvas with a friendly gait.

Ignoring his full-body soreness, the art pony put on a friendly smile, “Nice to meet you, Miss…”

“Aw, none of that ‘Miss’ nonsense. Jus’ call me Cherry Jubilee!” she said with a proud Southern twang.

“Wait, you’re the Cherry Jubilee?!” the unicorn fervently shook her hoof with a star-struck grin, “It’s an honor! I love… well, all your products!”

The orchard pony giggled amusedly, “Not everypony shows such appreciation t’wards what we do here at Jubilee Groves! We’ve been a part of Dodge City for as long as anypony can remember.”

“If you were in my hometown, I certainly wouldn’t take you for granted! So, to what do I owe the honor?”

The two slowly proceeded to walk side by side toward Jubilee’s establishment as they conversed. “There’s a pony whose father Ah was close with—his name’s Absinthe, and he’s just sweeter than a bushel of cherries! He mentioned you’re his friend and requested that Ah set aside some treats for yer travels!”

“That’s rather nice of him! I’ll definitely thank him before I leave.” There was a hint of apprehension in his reply.

Why did Absinthe doing all this without even knowing me…?

“Come right inside. With all this heat, Ah’m sure you could use some coolin’ off.” Jubilee turned to the building she came from, and the unicorn eagerly followed. When the two entered, Canvas inhaled the refreshing aroma of cherry desserts being baked to perfection. The two passed by a conveyor belt connected to what looked like a pony-sized hamster wheel. Jubilee’s smile grew when noticing how impressed Canvas was by the ingenious arrangement—after all, she helped her father design it when she was just a young mare. Beyond the sorting room was the kitchen. Inside was a sophisticated array of ten large ovens on the left and right walls. A vast marble countertop island in the center was covered with bushels of cherries and dozens of kitchen tools. However, Canvas thought he would see more bustling ponies rushing throughout the sorting room, kitchen, and orchards.

“Is everypony on break, Miss—I mean, Cherry Jubilee?”

“Yessir, this is lunch time, which is wah Ah was glad to have caught ya when Ah did.”

“Hehe, if I worked here, I probably wouldn’t want to stop!” the art pony chuckled as he admired the rustic log cabin-style décor of the dining room and storefront. On a corner table was an assortment of small cherry pies, several bottles of Jubilee Groves cherry juice and water, and even some Pinkie Pie-inspired Cherry-chongas! It took all of Canvas’ self control to not heavily salivate at the delightful provisions.

“Ah hope this will be enough.”

He turned around with a grateful twinkle in his eyes. “This is more than I could ever ask for! How much do I owe you?”

“Owe me? Aw, that’s won’t be necessary, M’dear. Absinthe covered it, so there’s nothin’ ta worry about there.”

“I don’t even know what to say at this point! This is all so wonderful.” The elated colt shook her hoof once more. “There is one more thing I must ask, though…” his disposition turned somber as he lowered his tone to a whisper. “Have you heard of or seen any ponies passing through here with unusual behavior or strange cargo?”

Cherry Jubilee’s eyes widened and her smile disappeared. The mare leaned closer as she also whispered, “Wah, there’ve been things of that nature goin’ on all throughout Dodge City these past few days. Ah’ve also been hearin’ of somethin’ called ‘The Triumphant’—”

“Trium… oh! You must mean ‘Triumvirate’!” Canvas gasped quietly and nodded. “I heard of it too, but I don’t know what it is, exactly. Is there anypony who might be able to tell me more?”

The red-maned mare backed away slowly. Her green eyes became filled with trepidation, and her tone went rigid, “All Ah know is that they’re a group of ponies messin’ in some very dangerous stuff. Nopony seems to know anythin’ beyond that, except for Ingot. But he never talks to nopony.”

Canvas’ ears lowered, “But surely the police could tell me something…”

“From what I know, they simply don’ have the resources to even determine who’s a member. Apparently they’ve done quite the job of stayin’ hidden. Ah’m sorry, Ah wish Ah could tell ya more. All Ah can say is that if yer lookin’ for somethin’ that’s out of the ordinary around here, it’s most likely connected to them.”

A quill and piece of parchment levitated from his saddlebags on which to jot down the fragments of information. Once finished, he gingerly gathered the sweets into his satchels alongside the writing supplies. “It’s alright. You’ve been very helpful already, Cherry Jubilee.” The unicorn maintained a polite smile, but hung his head as he exited.

“Celestia be with ya,” whispered the concerned mare as Canvas left.

***

Canvas trudged on with a sigh. He looked left and right for anypony that might be willing to talk, but they were either busy or speaking to somepony else. The introverted colt was never one to interrupt anypony if they were doing something in particular. He cringed slightly when passing by some of the more untrusting ponies eyeing him up with suspicion. He could have sworn that he heard one of them say, ‘Darn Canterlot passerbys.’ A twinge of anger went through his heart—he never wanted to be associated with the upper-class types. The art pony gritted his teeth and tried to think of something else other than stepping up to an ornery stallion who could most likely take him down without much effort. Canvas took a deep breath to calm his mind, but nearly choked when bumping into a very steadfast pony standing in front of him. The middle-aged slate gray unicorn scowled at Canvas threateningly. Even if it weren’t for the intimidating stare, he had a hard-edged countenance with numerous scars all over his body. The wide brimmed hat covering his brown mane and slightly tattered coat of the same dark gray color made the words ‘superhero undertaker’ arise in Canvas’ mind. Protruding through the hat was a broken horn, something the colt had never seen in real life before.

What in Equestria did he go through to where THAT happened to him?!

“Can I help you?” Canvas asked while quickly averting his eyes from the pair staring at him.

“No, but I can help you,” replied the other unicorn with a stern, rumbling voice. Without warning, a blinding white light filled Canvas’ vision, and a loud high-pitched tone assaulted his ears.

The light and noise finally cleared after a minute or so. He could tell that the other pony was still standing in front of him, but this time inside a dimly lit house rather than the dusty main road. “Flawless double teleportation WITH a broken horn? What ARE you?” the breathless colt exclaimed with awe as he removed his shades. The place that Canvas found himself in was almost completely dark. Light trickled through three windows with thin curtains, which at least allowed the colt to see the figure standing before him. An old radio could be heard droning eerily from another room.

The inscrutable unicorn turned around to move near the opposite wall before replying coolly, “Just a pony with a lot to say. Name’s Ingot.” He magically removed his coat and hat, placing them on brass hooks mounted on the wall. Removing the coat revealed the three spheres of gold arranged in a triangular shape that comprised Ingot’s cutie mark.

Never before had Canvas been so unsure of himself. After that uncanny magical technique, there would be no telling what the fellow unicorn would do next. “Nice to meet you, I suppose—?” He shook his head, finding it difficult to complete a thought. “Look, I’m not gonna lie to you, my mind’s stuck on how you pulled off that teleport without killing us!”

“I’m as impressed as you are. With this broken thing on my head, there was a 70 percent chance of us being stuck in between dimensions… or killed. But that’s beside the point.” Ingot leaned forward and spoke with a deep whisper of utmost seriousness. “Between you and me, I’m glad to come across somepony in this town of geldings who has the stones to ask about The Triumvirate. Go figure that it’d be a passerby. They want to be ignorant so they don’t have to face the fact that there’re many who’ve been affected by The Triumvirate’s actions, ponies and otherwise.”

Ingot’s emphasis on the word ‘otherwise’ made Canvas flinch. “So I guess you know, then?”

“You guessed right.” The gray unicorn grinned smugly.

Canvas stamped his hoof, unintentionally taking on a protective tone, “I don’t know how or when you saw us, but I’m not saying anything further unless I get some answers!” With so many unknowns, the colt still could not be sure of Ingot’s intentions.

The hardened unicorn cackled, “You think I’d bring ya into the security of my own house to, what, play cards, or somethin’? You need answers, and I’ve got a lot to say.”

“Then say it. Dragons are kind of impatient, so I’ve discovered.”

Ingot leaned against the wall. His horn glowed with the occasional sputter of magical energy, and the middle curtain glowed as well, narrowly opening. It shed a ray of light upon a giant, aged map of Dodge City, Apple-loosa, and the Macintosh Hills tacked to the wall. It was torn in many places near the edges and covered with dozens of photos and copious writing. With his hoof Ingot pointed to two photos pinned to the symbol depicting the Junction at the end of the road. The pictures were only of silhouettes of rather formidable stallions. “Three names you need to know: Splash Damage and Danger Close, who’re probably two of the sickest buckers you’ll ever come across. Both’re unnaturally talented in all sorts of combat magic, and they’ll wreck you without a second thought, or even a reason. I’ve seen it. But those two are novices compared to their third associate, known as ‘Flying Razor.’ Not even I could get much on him, but I at least know that it’s not his real name.”

Canvas perked up instantly. Albeit not all the way complete, this was the best information he could ask for. “I’m listening…”

“Good, you better be! Razor is usually the one who does the deed. The other ones leave the victims trapped in painful binding magic, not even knowing what hit ‘em until much later. It’s said that Razor’s so quick nopony sees much but shadows when he makes his move, and that’s why it’s hard to get any leads on him. One thing I do know is that he uses what looks like a Meridian-class flying guillotine for a weapon.”

The colt nodded with realization as his mind processed what he was told, “Hence the name ‘Flying Razor!’ I’ve seen those in museums before—they’re illegal to own in Equestria… but I suppose somepony like that wouldn’t be likely to follow any rules but their own.”

“Exactly. As of late they’ve been responsible for the boldest dragon and griffon egg heists in all of Celestia’s reign. The interesting part though… is that all three are earth ponies.”

The art pony’s blood ran cold. “Earth ponies? As in not unicorn earth ponies?! How in Equestria can they use magic like that without a horn?”

“That I still don’t know. I’ve kept my eye on ‘em since my days in the Triumvirate, but I couldn’t get any info.”

Canvas’ jaw dropped in astonishment. “You were in The Triumvirate?! Finally, some answers from the inside! What are they, exactly?” Canvas walked closer, eyes wide with journalistic interest. His quill, parchment, and ink levitated beside him, and the griffon feather flitted nearly as fast as hummingbird wings as he wrote.

Ingot stared into space solemnly. Never before had he actually told somepony of his time with the syndicate. It was something he regretted more than anything, and decided that it was best kept to himself. But that was before. The time finally came when he could shed some light on The Triumvirate to somepony that would actually listen. “All I can say… is that they’re a nasty bunch with a ranking system solid as the foundation of Canterlot Castle. They’re an ‘earth pony supremacy’ group who’s been operating in the darkest shadows for over 200 years. These days their main operations seem to include collecting the eggs of dangerous creatures, and mining a rare crystal called white quartz. I was never let in on what their purpose for it was, but who knows? That white quartz could be a link to how those earth ponies are shamelessly imitating our magic. Years back, another one of their rackets was kidnapping unicorns who showed promise and forcing them to find the quartz. Due to a very misfortunate turn of events, I was one of the first.” Ingot closed his eyes with regret and slowly shook his head.

Canvas’ rapid writing finally slowed to a stop, the quill tapping the parchment for the final period. The ink was resealed and utensil put away as the unicorn reviewed the notes. “This is exactly what I needed, and then some. Thanks so much for your… time…” As he skimmed the writing, his ears slowly drooped in mounting terror, and he could only stare vacantly with his lower jaw agape. No longer caught up in the moment, he slowly realized that this was tremendously bigger than anything he could have imagined. “I promised that dragoness that I would get to the bottom of who stole her eggs, but I couldn’t have ever guessed that it would be this deep. Underground organizations, weird earth pony magic… I must be honest; I wasn’t ready for this. I’m intrigued, but still… very scared,” he admitted. “I’m so sorry. You should have told these things to a worthier pony.” Canvas could not bear to even look at the braver unicorn, but then Ingot placed a hoof on his shoulder in a way that reminded the colt of his last talk with Mr. Hue.

“Son, some ponies were born to do great things. However, from what I gather, this was something you chose. It’s easier to tap into potential you’re born with than to take the opportunity to make that potential possible for yourself. If you don’t squander it—or get yourself killed—you will come out of this so much greater than you ever thought you could be. I’m sure you’ll be able to find out more about those scumbags than I could at my age. Plus it helps to not be The Triumvirate’s most wanted,” Ingot chuckled.

Canvas lifted his head with an unsure smile. “I’ll remember that when things get really tough.”

“And really tough they will get, my friend, considering your objective. But I’m pulling for you, uh…”

“I’m Canvas Shade.” The two unicorns shook hooves, and the colt looked to Ingot with newfound respect. “By the way, how on earth did you escape them? Couldn’t have been easy at all, considering what they’re capable of.”

“You’ve seen the scars, right?”

“Yeah,” Canvas cringed empathetically as thoughts of the wounds the scars used to be flashed in his thoughts.

“That’s the handiwork of Razor himself. And the broken horn courtesy of Danger Close. Apparently trying to take out deserters made for a good training exercise, according to the higher-ups. A word of advice: don’t let any of them get within 30 or so feet of ya.”

The apprehensive colt gulped, “I’ll keep that in mind. So, where’s the last place you spotted Splash and Danger?”

Ingot walked to the map and traced his hoof along the rail line. “They took the train heading to Ponyville, and they had an unmarked crate with ‘em. If you head there also, my wager is that you’ll be able to get the Elements of Harmony to help out.”

“You really think so? Those two would be giving me an advantage, then!” Canvas surmised with a small boost of confidence.

“That’s the spirit! I’ll transport you to the Junction, but that’s as far as it gets. Don’t wanna keep the dragon waiting, haha!” the stallion said in an suggestive tone.

Canvas laughed and shook his head, “Aw, don’t say it like that, Ingot!” He looked at himself as he suddenly became engulfed in Ingot’s aura once again. “Hold on…! 70 percent chance, remem—?”

Before he could finish the sentence, Canvas disappeared within a bright burst of energy. “Actually, it was a 90 percent chance. You’ll pull through, though.”

***

Dodge City Junction:

Another flash accompanied by a resounding noise similar to metal-on-metal screeching filled the train platform, turning heads across nearly half of Dodge City. Canvas emerged from the resulting pillar of smoke dazed and coughing violently. Faint wisps of smoke arose from his body, and his muscles ached even more. The increased pain wore off, but the vertigo remained.

Two Pegasus sisters that were nearest to the wavering unicorn colt approached cautiously. But the one with an olive green coat zoomed forward to keep him from falling off of the platform. Before she could reach him, Canvas slipped and plummeted onto the tracks. Her sky blue sister yelped slightly when she heard an echoing ‘pang,’ and the green one grimaced empathetically when she peeked over the platform’s edge. The other ponies simply rolled their eyes and continued about their business, assuming that it was another traveler drunk on hard cider.

The green Pegasus glided down to where Canvas lay motionless, soon to be joined by her more hesitant sister.

The green mare held her hoof out, “Stella, be careful…!”

“Calm down, Blueshift. He’s bleeding badly!” Stella seated herself at the colt’s side and cautiously propped up his limp upper body with a foreleg.

Indeed, he was. The impact of Canvas’ head with the metal rail was quite severe. The blood that flowed from his wound was enough to drip onto the ground.

“I-is he dead…?” Blueshift whimpered, on the verge of tears. But to their amazement, Canvas was able to open his eyes and groan faintly. Both Pegasi exhaled in relief that they did not witness somepony’s untimely demise.

“It’s a wonder how he’s still conscious!” Stella nudged his shoulder with a hoof. She was careful to not have any blood stain her recently groomed coat. “Can you hear me?”

Everything was blurry for a few seconds as Canvas opened his eyes a bit wider. He blushed when the rather cute mare that held him came into focus. Her light purple mane was in contrast to the deeper purples of the evening sky, and her brown eyes matched his. There was a slight blush upon her fair features as well as she smiled with relief. Unable to take the awkward silence any longer, the disconcerted unicorn rushed to his feet. He grimaced from the sharp pain in his skull and the headache induced by getting up too quickly.

“Are you sure you’re okay? That’s quite lot of blood!”

“Oh, is it?” He touched a knee to his left cheek and chuckled when he saw that it was indeed stained with red. “Ehh, I’ve been through worse. I’ll be fine.” Canvas was quite causal about his injury, which irked the sisters. They held each other with their forelegs, unsure of what to do. With a grateful bow he placed the shades over his eyes again and turn to proceed into the vast, empty desert. Blueshift and Stella looked at each other with concern before flying back onto the platform.

“But aren’t you gonna at least clean up that wound?” Blueshift called after Canvas.

“Got more pressing matters, I’m afraid…” he trailed off as he walked into the open desert, staggering slightly.

“Those city ponies are so strange!” Stella remarked, slowly shaking her head at the departing unicorn. Her sister nodded in agreement, but looked at him with a fascinated grin.

Comments

[airbournesquid]

8000 word chapter in seven days? damn, you're proficient.

[Canvas_Shade]

1213272 Thanks! I like to push myself to new heights when it comes to writing

[humble]

I'll be watching this with interest - seems like it could turn out to be quite the wild ride. Not that it's been tame or anything up to this point.

[Twilight at Dusk]

You sir... Write some awesome stuffs. I look forward to seeing how this goes. Oh, and The Triumvirate? Awesome idea.

[CamoBadger]

I likey this story. Keep up the good work!

[Canvas_Shade]

1242385 *salutes* Aye, aye Reader!

[Steel Accord]

All right THIS sounds like a good story! There's a certain kind of fanfiction that doesn't take any unnecessary departures from the canon. Stories that could very well be told in an episode (with SOME liberties taken) and they wouldn't feel out of place. The stories that do aren't always bad, but they make these stories ironically unique! I shall save this tale for later.