Equellas: Legendary Tales

by Bigwig6666

The Elder's Message

"Ponies have poor vision, they only judge by outward signs. Not until your worth is spelled out in great acts of heroism will you earn their respect."

- Chrysanthius of Haylos.

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Twilight groaned as the sun hit her face. She turned over on her bed, breathing in the rich scent of hay and softly smiling to herself. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up in a fright, realising what sunlight meant. "Oh my gosh I overslept!" she cried and fumbled with the blanket, throwing it off and stumbling to her hooves.

After a few moments of confusion, the events of the previous night washed over her, and excitement began to through her veins as she faced her first day in a brand new world. She performed a quick happy dance, and set about doing her daily routine as best as possible, starting with smoothing down her ruffled coat and giving her wings a quick preen. She gazed out the window at the sun as she stretched her legs and trot on the spot.

"I hope Equestria's doing alright without me," she murmured. As a contingency for any sudden absence she might have had, and in case of emergencies, she had taught Starlight Glimmer the spell to raise and lower the sun and the moon, so at least there was that covered.

Finished with stretching and feeling her muscles sufficiently relaxed, her thoughts turned to how Broncoles's own muscles flexed and popped when he began to undress last night. If Twilight didn't know any better, she'd think he was showing off for her.

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as girlish thoughts trickled through her mind, and a small giggle escaped her. Sure stallions had shown her an interest before--that Flash Sentry was kinda cute--but she'd never had a coltfriend before, or been seriously romantically involved with anypony. Her ears turned down as she thought about Broncoles. He seemed interested in her, but maybe that was just being respectful? She had a lot to learn about Equellenistic customs yet. Celestia would have probably encourage her to flirt, calling it a 'learning experience', like when she set her student up on a date a few years ago with a distant nephew of hers. Twilight rubbed in between her eyes as she remembered he disastrous evening, even going so far as to swear Spike and the princess both to secrecy.

She ran a hoof through her mane, tutting as she felt the mess and made an attempt to smooth it down, then knocked on the bedroom door, wondering if the stallion who found her was awake yet. "Mr Broncoles?"

Silence answered her. She bit her lip and knocked again. She pressed one ear to the door and listened for a moment. Further silence.

Tentatively, she pushed the door open and looked around. The room remained largely the same as last night, save for the amassed pillows slumped against wall with the imprint of a large stallion, and she winced at the large crack in the far wall. She couldn't help but feel guilty for taking the bed and breaking his wall, and resolved if she stayed there again she would insist she sleep amongst the pillows.

The equipment lining the walls caught her eye, making her turn and look. Nets and hooks, as well as wooden contraptions lined the walls, and what looked like a small collection of gardening tools poked out of a chest in the corner. The room itself was quite plain, as she remembered it last night, save for one thing she had missed. A small statuette of a mare expertly carved out of wood was situated on a shelf, and a small plate with flowers lay next to it. She examined it, careful not to damage it in anyway, and noted how the wood was carved to give the impression of the mare's flowing mane.

"She must be somepony important to him," she mused.

She gave the flowers a look over as well, and noticed they were freshly picked, ranging from daisies and posies to the sweetest smelling lavenders and daffodils.

"Broncoles mustn't have gone far, then. I wonder where he is?"

Twilight left the figure alone and glanced around the room, not seeing anything else of interest. She gave some of the pillows a quick rearrange, just for the sake of being polite if nothing else, and cast a quick reparation spell on the wall she had broken, then looked at the only other large wooden door. Her knees knocked in anticipation. This was it. Waking up was just the first step, now was when she really got to see this new world.

With a trembling hoof, she pushed the door open and stepped into the sunlight. The cool sea air waved over her, causing her mane to flutter in the wind. The grass under her hooves crunched lightly, and she breathed in the bracing sea air as she raised a hoof to her eyes.

"The sunrise is nice here," she muttered begrudgingly, the light reflecting off of the crystal clear blue water. The sun seemed yellower than Equestria's, not to mention the other colours she saw seemed more vibrant, like an artist had gone to town on the world with various paints. The grass beyond the house was a luscious green, dotted with flowers of all colours, and the trees were a bright orange signifying fall, not to mention the ocean was as blue as the sky and just as clear, so much so that you couldn't even tell last night was a furious storm of howling winds and lashing rain. She shivered, remembering the panic and confusion she felt as she gazed up at some seagulls squawking high in the sky.

With how picturesque the world was, she really felt like she had been transported into one of the very storybooks she read as a young filly.

Letting loose a contented sigh, she looked down and spotted a few hoofprints in the sand nearby. Deducing that they must belong to Broncoles, she resolved to follow them.

***

The hoofprints went down to the water's edge, a few meters away from the house, and Twilight noticed a plain white tunic bundled up into a ball, along with some sandals. As she approached, she spotted something big in the water moving towards her, and took a step back in alarm.

Her eyes widened as a large stallion breached the water, throwing his mane back as his body glistened with droplets of water. Broncoles strode forwards onto the beach in all his glory, clutching at some green thing in his mouth and gave her a grin and a small wave. Twilight couldn't help but watch as his coat shone in the light of the sun as water clung to his coat, and had to avert her eyes as she felt those girlish thoughts creep into her mind again.

Broncoles grinned as he looked at her. "She's cute when she was embarrassed," he thought, giving his body a shake in an attempt to dry off. His tail swished some droplets of water back into the ocean, and he grabbed his tunic. After a polite cough, he let her know he was dressed, although her cheeks remained a touch pink.

Twilight thought the greenery in his mouth looked almost like leaves, now he was closer. He retrieved them and held them in one of his hooves and smiled at her. "You're finally awake. I was just getting us some breakfast."

He waved the leaves with a light chuckle.

"Fresh kelp! Delicious!" he cried and bit off a leaf.

Twilight felt her stomach knot as she looked at their 'breakfast', still dripping . She'd never personally eaten kelp, but heard it can be quite nice if cooked properly--although it certainly didn't look that appealing. As he continued to chew she recoiled and puffed her cheeks out.

"You're just going to eat it raw?" she asked. The head chef of Canterlot Castle, Ramsme, would have had some choice words to say about that. "But it's covered in salt water!"

"Ah but Poseidon has blessed this water." Broncoles grinned as he chewed. "Means it's harmless. Eat! It's not as bad as it looks. Trust me."

Her stomach rumbled as he shook what was left of the kelp in front of her. Her magenta glow surrounded it and tore a small piece off, bringing it to her nose for a sniff. It smelt salty, like the sea. What did he mean blessed by Poseidon? And what sort of guest would she be if she refused him? First impressions are everything when you're royalty, Celestia had told her. With a deep breath, she murmured and smiled, "Well... here goes..." And placed it into her mouth.

The intense saltiness hit her like a brick. She chewed it as fast as she could and swallowed. Despite her churning stomach and the feeling like she had just taken a mouthful of the ocean itelf, it was surprisingly filling. "Slimy... yet satisfying," she murmured with a small smile and forced herself to swallow some more bites.

"I told you, blessed by the sea god himself!" The stallion chuckled softly and began to ring his mane out. His tunic was quickly drenched, and clung to his muscles. Twilight couldn't help but find her eyes wandering over his sturdy looking forelegs.

"I have some questions," Twilight blurted out, before she started blushing again. She nibbled some more of her own kelp, forcing herself to satiate her grumbling stomach and scooted forwards an inch. "About this place. Eq-uell-en-es? Am I saying that right?"

Broncoles sat his haunches down and continued to much on his breakfast. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You are. I'm afraid I'm not much of a historian, but I do know of some stories my parents told me, that their parents told them."

Twilight's face lit up as he spoke and prepared herself, her mind was so teeming with questions she didn't even know where to begin.

"What about customs? Do ponies here have any traditions I should know about? How do you make friends? Are there any celebrations or rituals when a pony gets their cutie mark? What's schooling like? What money system do you use?" She ratted off the questions, thinking of anything and everything that came to her.

The stallion laughed and answered each one of her questions, no matter how inane, boring or downright strange they seemed.

As they reached the subjects of deities, Twilight inched closer, hanging on his every word.

According to Broncoles, the ponies of Equellas worshipped a whole range of gods, and he explained to her that there was a hierarchy of deities, with Zeus, the king of the gods, having a level of control over all the others, although he was not 'almighty' like some would believe. Some deities had dominion over certain aspects of nature, similar to how Celestia controlled the sun and Luna the moon, but with some differences. For instance, Zeus was the sky-god, sending thunder and lightning, Poseidon ruled over the sea, Hades ruled over the realms of death and the Underworld, and Apollo controlled the sun, and his sister, Artemis, the moon.

What he told her of Apollo and Artemis reminded her of Celestia and Luna, how they each raised the sun and moon and bickered over which was superior, but here they were equally worshipped, and there were no feelings of resentment or animosity.

Finishing up with a brief rundown of the Equellenistic pantheon, he asked her if there was anything else she wanted to know. She smiled coyly at him as her thoughts focused themsevles. "I was kinda... hoping you could tell me about yourself?"

He scrunched up his face and blinked. "Myself?"

She nodded eagerly. She gazed up at him in awe and wonder, and the inner filly inside of her screamed at her to gush over the countless stories she had read about him.

Twilight thought he was remarkably calm and receptive with learning he was a fictional hero in Equestria, as she explained herself to him, and couldn't help but wonder if some of the authors of those books had actually travelled to Equellas before, in some weird twist of fate.

he began to smile, and happily discussed what some of the stories said.

The subject reached his childhood, and he leaned back and rubbed one of his ears. "Not very eventful, I'm afraid."

"So you didn't lift houses before you could walk? Or didn't fight a two headed snake?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "Ah. Well. It's possible that's true, but who am I to say?" He grinned at her and winked upon seeing her befuddlement.

"A whole house?"

"So they say."

Twilight gaped. She'd heard the Cutie Mark Crusaders talk about when Big Mac dragged a house through Ponyville when he was under a love spell, but he was a fully grown stallion, and definitely the strongest pony of their town. Broncoles must have just been playing with her. She gave him a playful push and asked about the statuette in his home.

"Who is she?" she asked, remembering the design of the mare, and how her mane flowed. "The intricacy of the design is fascinating, it must have taken a long time to carve."

"My mother. She passed away two summers ago." He spoke bluntly, and matter-of-factly, with a hint of sorrow in his voice. The jovial pitch of his voice dropped for a moment.

She balked and stammered, lost for words. "Oh... oh, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No fear, Twilight. You didn't know." He smiled at her, and his expression softened. Despite the heavy feeling in his heart, he roused himself for her sake, and thought his mother would have loved to meet her.

The princess placed a hoof on his leg. "I'm so sorry, Broncoles," she murmured quietly.

He waved a dismissive hoof. "She's in Hades' care now. And life goes on as usual."

"What about your father? Is he..."

With a curt nod, he answered. "My mother told me he was a warrior of Dirta, and died before I was born. I never met him."

Twilight felt so bad for him she simply extended a hoof out and placed it on his chest. She wasn't expecting him to say that, and words had completely failed her, so she just stared into his golden eyes and offered her silent condolences.

He felt something inside of him as he gazed back into her eyes. Something deep and primordial awakened within him as they gazed at one another. She retracted her hoof as both their cheeks turned pink and shared an awkward silence.

Broncoles thought to himself that she resembled a vision of Aphrodite herself. He had been with mares before, yes, so what was it about this one that made him feel... different? Was it her innocence and pursuit of knowledge? The exoticism of an alicorn? Raw physical attraction? Something stronger, perhaps? He didn't know, but felt something inside him telling him he had to help her. Maybe the Goddess of Love was playing with some of her magic.

As Twilight looked at him, she found her thoughts turning to home, and her stomach knotted with worry. "So, uh," she began, trying not to blush under his gaze. "You said last night that you'd help me get to the unicorn kingdom?"

The stallion set his jaw and took a deep breath, having to wrench his eyes away from her.

"I did. The Unicorn Queen has a library the size of a city, they say. It's possible she might have some knowledge of magic that can help you get home. If she's willing to share." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But the road is dangerous. And we would need to pass through Dirta." He grimaced and pawed at some of the sand, turning a small pebble over in one of his hooves. "And Dirtans themselves aren't the friendliest lot either these days... Especially not to unicorns."

Twilight furrowed her brow. "I'm not a unicorn though. I'm an alicorn."

He nodded in response. "I am aware." His eyes graced over her side, where her wings rustled underneath her robe. "And that may be more harmful than good." The princess shuffled uncomfortably and squirmed under his gaze.

"Do you really think hiding what I am is necessary?"

"Maybe not, but I wouldn't want to see you get hurt regardless."

"I'm capable of defending myself you know."

"I have no doubt about that, princess," he chuckled in response.

Twilight continued to glare at him as he stood up and cracked his neck.

"We should start moving out, unless you'd prefer to stay on this beach forever?" He chuckled as she scrambled to her hooves. "We'd need to pick up some supplies in the village. You are more than welcome to come, perhaps you can observe how we exchange goods and purchases."

Twilight nodded eagerly. "I'd love to--ahh!" She felt a sudden pinch, and looked down to see a crab clasping a piece of her skin in it's pincer. She shrieked and gave it a shake. In her surprise, she stumbled in the sand and fell forwards into the stallion's chest. The scent of fresh hay filled her nostrils once again, giving her a comforting feeling. Was it just the memories of a soft, warm bed? Or was it the stallion himself? It was his soft warm bed, after all...

Broncoles looked down at her and closed his eyes as he inhaled the rich, earthy scent of her mane through his nose and was filled with a sense of serenity. "Lavender," he breathed. A smile crept onto his face and he opened his eyes.

After a few seconds she realised she still had her muzzle pressed against him and quickly retracted, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Her hoof stung lightly, and she silently admitted she might have overreacted--just a smidge--to a simple crab.

"Did you say something?" she asked. She rubbed her ear and gave it a shake, feeling a touch itchy from the sand in her hooves and the crippling embarrassment she felt. Her friends, as well as Celestia, she suspected, would mercilessly tease her for weeks about that if they only knew.

His ears splayed down and he pawed at the ground, turning his head as his cheeks reddened. "Oh, uh... Your mane smells like lavender... It's... nice."

The heckles on the back of her neck stand up, and her ears splayed down as far as his to the back of her skull. Her tail shot out at a full ninety degree angle, and she turned as pink as Pie. She always felt embarrassed when somepony complimented her, and never knew how to usually react. So when a handsome pony like Broncoles, who she might have the tiniest crush, on said something like she had a nice smelling mane, her mind went into overdrive.

The stallion scratched his nose and shuffled awkwardly. "By Zeus you have a way with words don't you, Broncoles?" he muttered to himself when he caught her looking at him. "I didn't mean to, uh, that is..."

He forced a grin at her, and felt his own cheeks flush.

Twilight felt her heart slow in it's palpitations and she began to smile back, thankful he was at least as awkward as she was. she opened her mouth to speak, and at the same time her stomach let out an audible groan. She looked down at the half eaten kelp and winced when she saw it was now covered in sand and beginning to smell. "Oh, um..." She offered an apologetic smile to the stallion and rubbed one of her legs awkwardly.

Spike regularly chastised her for forgetting to eat when she was working, a habit she had always kept from when she first started at the school for gifted unicorns all those years ago.

Broncoles looked down at the kelp and formed a plan in his head. He wordlessly turned and darted back towards the treeline. Twilight watched him go sadly, thinking she had offended him somehow. She tilted her head in confusion as he rummaged around on the grass for a moment before crying out in triumph and trotted back to her with a mouth full of flowers.

"Lavenders," she murmured with a smile. He took them in one of his hooves and offered them to her.

"I know kelp can be an acquired taste," he chuckled. "Here."

Her magic surrounded them and lifted them up. She took a big

Upon finishing, Twilight burped and excused herself, but felt sufficiently full and her stomach finally began to settle down. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They set off towards the village, walking next to each other in silence. The water lapped at their hooves, and birds high above call to one another. Listening to the sounds of the ocean, Broncoles realised he knew nothing of where she came from, and despite her questions he hadn't asked any of his own. He wondered how different their worlds were and his mind began to fill with questions. "Twilight? May I ask you about your homeland?"

Caught off guard by his sudden interest, Twilight beamed at him. "Of course you can! What would you like to know?"

He paused. What did he want to know? He was intrigued by a lot of what she had said. A slight grin appeared on his face, and an idea came to him. "You."

"Me?" Twilight was surprised. Even so, she straightened up and held her head high. She had to represent Equestria in this new world, as it's princess and as a visitor. "What about me?"

"Well... Your father must be a powerful king to sire an alicorn princess."

Her ears splayed down. "Oh, um, well-" she stammered with a wave of her hooves. "My dad's definitely not a king." She imagined her dad in their little lamp shop wearing a crown and couldn't help but giggle. Both of her parents had chosen to remain largely out of the public eye when she became princess, and save for being asked for the occasional autograph by some fans they remained undisturbed, for which she was quite thankful. She felt a pang of guilt as she realised she hadn't visited them in a while.

His eyes widened. "Oh I see. Your mother the queen was seduced by somepony else then?"

Twilight flinched and felt the veins in her neck pop out in frustration. "My mom was not 'seduced' by anypony. She met my dad when they were young and fell in love."

"Hmmm." Broncoles scratched his chin. "Are you sure? Many stories of the world we share in Equellas are thanks to Zeus's--ahem--exploits."

"My mom didn't sleep around!" She defensively cried and stamped a hoof. This line of questioning made her exceedingly uncomfortable, and she felt like she was going to curl up into a ball and die of embarrassment at any moment. "And she's not a queen."

He leant forwards and frowned. "Were you adopted?"

"No I was not adopted!" she cried defensively and glared at him. "Celestia chose me to be the next princess, and eventually her successor."

"Celestia? Is this your queen?"

"Princess."

The stallion twisted his face in confusion. "By the gods, this Equestria of yours sounds complicated. How many princesses do you have? Where are the kings and the queens? What power flows through your blood?"

Twilight rubbed her nose and closed her eyes. "Inhale, count to four," she told herself as she took a deep breath. "Exhale, count to four." She released the breath and opened her eyes, feeling calmer already.

Her brother Shining Armour had taught her that trick. He himself used it when he needed to calm down.

"Okay. So there are Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and myself…"

She began to explain to him in as much detail as possible the history of Equestria. He listened, interjecting at some points and earning glares from her before quickly falling silent.

Their hoofprints behind them in the sand were washed over by the water, and eventually mixed into one before fading into the wet sand.

***

The village of Haylos was quiet. Simple. Peaceful, even. Located on the very edge of the known world, most who lived there often joked that the world would soon forget about them and move on.

One particular inhabitant of the village yawned and stretched his hooves as he swung his door open. His mane was a mess of fuzzy black hair, the faint traces of stubble graced his chin, and his tail was matted and unkempt. His clothes were, although clean, ragged and full of holes and exposed his muddy brown coat underneath. From the outside, he would resemble a vagabond, a simple vagrant you wouldn't think twice to look at. The villagers of Haylos, however, saw him as the donkey Braylas.

Braylas found comfort in the simplicity of life in this small village. He greeted the world with a cheery smile, inhaling the bracing sea air and giving a wave to his neighbours.

Despite their initial suspicion and hostility towards him, he had made a name for himself as Haylos's handypony, taking any and all odd jobs. Donkeys, unlike ponies, didn't have cutie marks, so while he had no particular 'special talent', he had some level of skill in almost everything. The jack-of-all-trades they fondly called him.

He craned his head upwards and yawned again. Some seagulls hung in mid-air, caught in the wind, trying to dart down to reach some fish in the nearby ocean. His thoughts traced back to the storm last night, and the figure he'd seen amidst the lightning, and another figure on the beach swimming out into the rough waves.

"I wonder..." he murmured softly. His voice was softer than most suspected, without the usual gravel donkey's typically had. "I could have sworn I saw Bronco himself swimming out." He tapped his chin and stretched his back legs. "I'll ask him."

'Bronco' was his best friend and often coworker. Broncoles and his mother, Hades rest her soul, were some of the only ponies who didn't try to run him out of the village when he first arrived. They had quickly formed a fast friendship, and the enormous pony often assisted him with his odd jobs.

Braylas held no grudge against his neighbours for their unneighbourly treatment of him in the early days of his life there. The world was dangerous, and to invite a stranger in these uncertain times was to invite disaster, so they say. He gave them a chance, and they gave him one and he quickly proved to them he was worth something.

He closed the door to his humble home and trotted off through the village. Several ponies had already begun to set up their stalls, shouting over one another to proclaim their goods were superior. Braylas chuckled to himself as he passed them, giving everypony who met his eyes a polite nod and a smile. Manners played a large part in his acceptance in this place, and his indomitable spirit played another.

He spotted a young mare called Harmone arguing with her father, as usual. He slowed and cocked an ear out to listen to the usual argument. She wanted to go to Dirta to support the soldiers in their fight, and he in turn told her no repeatedly. Many earth ponies, even those in quiet Haylos, practically worshipped the Dirtans like gods, claiming their king was a descendant of Ares himself.

Braylas didn't understand it. Why would a young, healthy mare like Harmone wish to go out into the blood soaked world and support ponies who killed and fought each other? Earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi all looked the same to him, and the point of war didn't make much sense in his eyes.

As a gaggle of pretty young mares approached calling out for her to come look at Broncoles, for his muscles did ripple and pop and many a young mare enjoyed simply looking at him, Harmone stomped off, leaving her father tutting and shaking his head. He gave the donkey a sad smile when he noticed him.

"The youth of today, eh Braylas?" he muttered.

Braylas shrugged and smiled back. "It is what it is," he replied with an old donkey saying, passed down through generations of storytelling. What it meant exactly, Braylas had no idea, but it seemed to bring comfort to those he said it to.

"Indeed," Harmone's father replied with a sigh before turning back to his cart. "Well, I should get back to my work, Braylas. Give my regards to Broncoles would you?"

The donkey nodded and continued on his way. They all knew Broncoles just as well as they knew him, for who else in Equellas had the strength of a god? Yet he never felt like he was living in the shadow of his large friend. As he reached the beach, the sand felt cool on his hooves. He took a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air through his nose and smiled. Life was truly peaceful here, and he looked forward to seeing his friend. He turned, and spotted the aforementioned pony striding forwards. Braylas opened his mouth to shout a hello and began to wave, then spotted the mare beside him.

He frowned. The mare was tall, not as tall as Broncoles but still tall, and she had an air about her. Braylas squinted and crouched behind some bushes, taking care not to be spotted straight away. She had a horn. She was a unicorn.

"What's a unicorn doing in Haylos?" he mumbled to himself quietly. He shook his head. Broncoles seemed to be okay, not under any sort of spell, not that Braylas knew what a pony under a spell would look like, he just ehard his friend's voice laughing out loud cheerily, and thought everything was normal. Save for the unicorn.

With a breath, he stepped out from behind the bushes and waved at them. His friend waved back and trotted happily over, while the mare lingered behind for a moment.

"Ah, Braylas! Just the donkey I wanted to see. I need a favour from you, my friend." Broncoles smiled as they clasped hooves and gave each other a small embrace, as was the custom.

The donkey glanced around his friend and nodded to the mysterious mare, who stood silently and watched them still from a distance. "About her?" he murmured.

Broncoles nodded. "It's... difficult to explain. I need to borrow your saddlebags. I'll pay for them, if need be."

Braylas started back and scrunched his face up. "Pay for--Bronco you're my friend, what sort of friend would I be if I charged you for borrowing my things? Planning a trip are you?"

"I know, I know. I might be a while, it's hard to say. She-" The stallion pointed back to the unicorn. "Is special. I'm taking her to the unicorn kingdom. I can't really explain more right now."

The donkey tapped his chin and grumbled. "I think Harmone's looking for you, you know. You'd best not let her see you with a unicorn, of all mares. You know how she is."

Broncoles shrugged. "I'll deal with her if need be."

Braylas peered around him again and looked at the mare. She had sat down now, and was gazing out over the ocean as the wind blew around her, making her mane flow around her almost ethereally. He whistled and looked back at his friend. "She's pretty. Are you two... you know?"

"No."

"Oh. Would you mind if I-"

"Yes."

"Tch. You always get the pretty ones."

"She has wings."

"She has... what?" Braylas was stunned. "Wings? Did I hear that right?"

"Yes." Broncoles sighed and tapped his hoof impatiently. "I need your saddlebags to cover her wings. The robe I gave her won't be enough. If you look carefully you can see them right now, folded by her sides."

Braylas squinted at the 'unicorn'. "You're right," he murmured upon seeing the outline of wings under his borrowed robe. "She does have wings. That means she's..."

"Yes."

"By the gods, Broncoles... do you think..."

"Maybe. I'm not sure yet." Broncoles glanced back at her and sighed wistfully. "I don't know. Something's telling me to take her to the unicorn kingdom, and she's... not exactly from around here..." He kicked the ground and hummed to himself. He felt hot and bothered, if he was a pegasus his wings would be rustled. A bead of sweat rolled down his side, and disappeared into his tunic.

Braylas looked at his friend curiously. He'd seen Broncoles with mares before, even the hot tempered Harmone, but hadn't seen him get as flustered before. She must be something special, he thought, and relented. "Alright. I'll be as discreet as possible, wait here for now, I won't be too long." The two friends clasped hooves again and Broncoles smiled.

"I promise I'll tell you everything when I can, my friend."

"You'd better. I want to hear this," Braylas replied with a grin. "Hermes grant me speed."

"Hermes grant you speed," Broncoles repeated. As the donkey made to leave and hurried back towards the village, the stallion turned back to his companion and trotted over to her. "Braylas is going to get the bags we need for your wings. He won't tell anypony else, I trust him."

Twilight glared up at him. "You could have introduced me, you know. I haven't met any other ponies in this pace, I didn't know there were donkeys in this wold too."

"There are very few. Braylas is the only one I know. And besides," he chuckled, "You haven't met Harmone yet. You'd wish you didn't."

"Who's that?" the princess asked. She made a mental note of the donkey's name, and thought she'd have to thank him later for being helpful. What sort of princess would she be if she didn't use manners?

"She has what you might call romantic feelings for me." Broncoles scratched one of his ears. "Truthfully, she scares me at times. Her temper is known throughout Haylos--despite her name she's not very harmonious."

Twilight giggled. They had strange names in Equellas, she thought. Strange but somewhat pretty names. He'd told her of a few in the village: Harmone, her sister Melode, little Ariel, the Olive family, which reminded her strongly of the Apple family, and a smattering of others including Chrysanthius the old poet and playwright--she thought about how much she'd love to see a play here. She looked forward to seeing what the rest of the world had, despite Broncoles's warnings and protectiveness.

Her ear flicked and she heard a noise, somepony--or donkey--approaching quickly and turned to see. Indeed it was Braylas, he rounded the corner with two large looking saddlebags draped over his sides. He smiled as he approached, and gave Twilight a small bow and extended one of his hooves.

"Hello, miss. My name is Braylas. Any friend of Bronco's is a friend of mine." He seemed cheery enough, and Twilight extended her own hoof in greeting.

"Hi Braylas. I'm Twilight Sparkle." She took the advice 'Bronco' gave her and left out the princess part, thinking he was right and it was probably for the best. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Broncoles has been so nice to me so far, I'm glad

Braylas smiled and gave her hoof a kiss. She gave him a slight curtsy in response. He turned to Broncoles and grinned as the stallion simply glared at him, like a big grumpy rock. "I hope these will do. Careful, they're not meant for pony backs. Even you my large friend."

The stallion waved a hoof, gazing off towards the village and grimacing. He saw the tell-tale fiery red hair of Harmone amongst the trees and the village, and prepared himself for what would surely be a painful experience soon enough. "Thanks, Braylas. For a donkey you moved as fast as a pegasus."

"I'll take that as a compliment, you oversized salt licker," Braylas muttered back and gave Twilight a wink, sidling up to Broncoles with a smirk and tapped his barrelled chest. "He always gets grumpy when he's trying to show off."

"I'm not trying to--come here!" Broncoles grumbled and grabbed the donkey in a headlock.

Twilight thought it was strange, the friendship they had. They bickered and argued, even called each other names and fought, yet were still clearly good friends, even as they play-fought now. Perhaps that was just the way friendship was in Equellas, like tough love, not mean spirited but in a teasing, brotherly sort of way. Braylas wrenched himself free and muttered a curse under his breath, then stepped towards Twilight and swung the bags off of his sides and onto the ground, where they landed with a heavy thunk.

Twilight noticed a metal object poking out of one of them, and curiously used her magic to lift it up to get a better look. It was a strange disc shaped... thing, like a plate, she had never seen before.

Braylas's eyes gleamed in the light. He grinned at Broncoles and gave him a gentle nudge. The stallion rolled his own eyes and grumbled. "We don't have time for this, Braylas," he warned and tapped his hoof impatiently.

"I'm not in any particular rush, you know." Twilight replied, examining one of the discs, genuinely curious about such strange objects. In truth, she had hoped to get home to Equestria as soon as possible, and prayed that they weren't struggling too much without her, or worrying about her all the same. However, she just couldn't help herself when it came to new opportunities for learning. "What are these?" she asked.

Braylas cleared his throat and held a hoof out. "May I?"

She gave it to him, releasing her magical grasp as he took a told of it. "They're called discus. We use them for games sometimes. Bronco here is the best discus thrower in Haylos."

"Oh?" Twilight was intrigued. Her host hadn't mentioned any of the games they played in Equellas, and was curious to how this 'discus' worked.

Broncoles sighed and stepped forwards, plucking up the other discus with his teeth. He nodded his head towards the ocean, and stepped closer to the water's edge. Braylas gestured for Twilight to follow and the pair trotted after him.

"See that rock?" Braylas asked as the stallion held the strange disc in his hooves. Twilight spotted a large rock, far out at sea, quite a few meters away.

"Yeah?"

"Bronco here is the only pony to ever hit it."

"You came close one time," Broncoles murmured as he stretched his legs, preparing himself.

"Close, but not close enough." Braylas flashed a smile at Twilight and offered her the discus.

She eagerly took it in her hoof and examined it closely. It sort of resembled a frisbee from Equestria, but heavier, and appeared to be made out of some type of metal. The image of a skipping stone came to her for a moment, and she had an idea.

Broncoles coughed and gestured towards the rock. "Care to try, Twilight?"

"Oh no, after you 'Bronco', I've never thrown a discus before." She gave him a coy grin. "I'd like to see how it's done."

The stallion shrugged and took another step forwards. The cool sand underneath his hooves felt nice, and the sun on his face felt warm and comforting. He inhaled a deep breath and angled his leg backwards, preparing himself to throw the discus as far as he had thrown it. He wasn't going to show himself up in front of his guest, after all.

Releasing his breath, he--HURLED--the discus out across the water, where it soared through the air like a strange, wingless bird, and clattered against the rock. Braylas stamped his hooves in a small applause, and Twilight's eyes widened with awe.

"Impressive..." she murmured. And she meant it, for she'd never seen a pony throw something so far. She didn't think even Big Mac was strong enough to do that.

Braylas tapped her on the shoulder and lowered his voice to a whisper. "That's why Broncoles is the best discus thrower in Haylos," he chuckled.

Twilight furrowed her brow and stepped forwards, discus held in her hoof. She glanced at Broncoles, who smiled at her and condescendingly told her, "It's alright if you don't make it. It is your first time, after all."

Giving him a glare, she gritted her teeth and flexed her leg. The disc was heavy. She'd need to angle this right if her plan was to work. She gave her leg a quick pull towards her, then flicked her hoof outwards and let go of the disc, sending it across the water.

Braylas watched with bated breath as the discus skipped along he water a few times, then crashed into the rock with a solid clang. With no small amount of pride, Twilight beamed and turned back to them. "Hey, looks like I hit it."

The donkey stomped his hooves in the sand and whooped and cheered as he fell about laughing. "Aha! Oh I like this one, Bronco!" he cried as he rested on his friend.

Broncoles stared at Twilight in silence. She turned towards him and held her head up high, and stuck her tongue out at him smugly. He began to chortle, which turned into a chuckle, which in turn changed into a roaring laughter.

Braylas wiped a tear from his eye, promptly cursing something about sand, and left them for a moment to retrieve his bags. He liked Twilight. She was smart. Friendly. She didn't appear to think less of him for the fact he was a donkey, and yet he felt something off about her. Was it the fact she had wings as well as a horn? Possibly? He didn't know. And he definitely saw the way she looked at Broncoles, as most mares did.

He chuckled to himself and hoisted the bags up onto his back, and made his way back to the stallion and the mare. They looked like an odd couple, and he wondered exactly where she came form again. "A long story, eh?" he murmured to himself as he looked at Twilight.

She waved at him and trotted over, still beaming with pride. "So what now?" she asked the stallion.

Broncoles sighed and gestured to the bags. "Well first, you have to wear these. The villagers might get a bit... tense, when they see you, and we don't need any more questions."

The mare nodded glumly and looked at Braylas. "He's right," the donkey said and tapped his chin. "If anything happens, let Bronco do the talking, Twilight Sparkle." He smiled and offered to help her with the bags.

Twilight shook her head and used her magic to lift them up, and placed them onto her own back. They covered her wings sufficiently enough, and didn't make her feel like she was being crushed at all. Satisfied they were on comfortably, and after tightening the strap around her waist, she smoothed down the robe and brushed some of her mane out of her eyes.

Broncoles sauntered onwards and cleared his throat, gesturing towards the donkey's hoof prints in the sand. "Shall we then?"

Both Braylas and Twilight followed him towards the village. Twilight was strangely quiet for a change, the stallion thought. He was sure she wanted to ask the donkey some questions. Upon seeing her face sick with worry, he paused and turned to her.

"If you'd prefer, Twilight, Braylas can take you to the village's edge and wait for me there." He shot the donkey a look as he opened his mouth to retort.

The princess shook her head. "No, it's alright." She smiled bravely. "I can do this."

"If you're sure."

Braylas's eyes flicked back and forth between them. He had never seen the stallion be so tender before. This mare must really mean something to him, which surprised him more than the fact she had wings. Bronco mustn't have known for her... less than a day at least, yet they shared a fondness for each other that would have made Opalpheus himself proud.

He hung back a moment as the pair of them walked together, laughing and joking as they approached the village. Braylas swallowed. Hopefully this went as smooth as possible for Twilight.

***

The bustling crowd of ponies stared in silence. Twilight felt their accusatory stares, and heard their whispers about her. She held her head up high, trying not to show how afraid she was. "Maybe it would have been better if I went with Braylas," she thought.

Broncoles and Braylas flanked her on either side, the enormous pony shielded her from most hateful looks, and the donkey did his best to give everypony an encouraging smile. Two very different stances.

A mare stepped forwards, eliciting a quiet groan from them both, and Twilight looked at her curiously. With her mint green mane, her light coat and the lyre on her side, as well as her scowl and visible disapproval, the princess thought this must be Harmone. Broncoles was right, she didn't look very harmonious.

"Who's she?" she demanded, jabbing a hoof towards Twilight.

The crowd silently watched, thinking this would surely not end well.

Broncoles stepped forwards and held his head high. "We're just passing through, Harmone."

"We?" She looked Twilight up and down with a disgusted look. "She's a unicorn. You know what we thi-"

"And Hades take you I don't care!" Broncoles shouted back, making the crowd take a collective step back, including Harmone. He scraped at the ground and flared his nostrils and glared at them all. They'd never seen him angry before. He'd heard their hateful words and speeches, and seen the young colts and fillies wanting to go off and fight for Dirta, and he was sick of it.

Braylas motioned for Twilight to take a step back and held a hoof to his lips, shaking his head. "She's just passing through," Broncoles spoke slowly, trying to keep his temper. "I'm helping her get home. We're only getting some supplies and then-"

"And then what? You'll betray us all to the unicorns?" another villager sneered. The rest of them began to murmur amongst themselves, giving filthy looks at the trio.

"Broncoles you were a good pony, don't befall yourself to this..." One pony muttered gesturing at Twilight with mud caked hooves. "This... horned one."

"Are earth ponies too good for you now?"

"I bet you like it when she jams her horn up your-"

Twilight felt like she had to say something as they continued to jeer at Broncoles. Braylas held a hoof out and stopped her, giving her a sad look. She pushed his leg down and strode up to the side of the stallion without words. She puffed her chest out and cleared her throat.

"Everypony, please listen to me."

The crowd fell silent and stared daggers at her. Broncoles himself stared at her with wide eyes and silently pleaded with her not to get involved.

"I'm not here to hurt any of you," Twilight continued, either ignorant of his pleading or choosing to ignore it. He had been so nice to her, he wasn't going to let these ponies badmouth him just for helping her. "Please, Broncoles has helped me, I just want to go home."

"Yeah I bet," muttered Harmone. "You want the other unicorns to come and slaughter us all I expect?"

"That's enough, Harmone."

A voice wrought with age came from the back of the crowd before Twilight could respond. The ponies parted silently, looking down at the ground as the village elder strode forwards, assisted by a young filly. Broncoles visibly tensed as the ancient looking pony frowned at him, and Braylas smoothed his long ears down, also pawing at the ground and trying not to be seen.

The old mare regarded the stranger in their midst curiously, and looked her up and down. "What is your name, young one?" she asked. Her bright blue eyes pierced into Twilight as her face creased into a smile. Whether it was forced or not, Twilight didn't mind, thankful at least one pony wasn't scowling at her or muttering under their breath.

The crowd continued to watch, their eyes shifting between the stranger and the elder like they were watching a tennis match.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight felt her knees buckle as this old pony looked at her. She appeared to be just an ordinary earth pony, but clearly very respected and honoured by the villagers of Haylos. She also exuded some unseen power Twilight hadn't felt before, not even from Celestia herself.

"Curious." The old pony's body heaved as a wracking cough sounded from her throat, and she stumbled as the filyl caught her and gave her assistance.

The wrinkles in her face signified she was very old indeed, and her mane was long and grey, with hints of what was once yellow a long time ago. Her mottled silver coat struck Twilight as peculiar, as most ponies she knew were one solid colour. "And are you planning anything against the earth ponies, Twilight Sparkle?" she asked.

Twilight blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected question. "Of course I'm not! I really just want to find my way home. I promise." She sat down briefly and performed the sacred Pinkie Promise, despite how strange it must have looked to these Equellenes. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

The crowd looked at each other worriedly. What sort of promise was that? Where was the swearing to Apollo?

Broncoles licked his lips and glanced at Braylas, or rather, where Braylas used to be. The donkey had long since slipped away, and the stallion cursed him under his breath for leaving him high and dry, but didn't blame him at all. The ponies gathered murmured amongst themselves in confusion. Was this some strange unicorn tradition they had never heard of?

Harmone snorted and turned her head. "Come on, Daisimedes, you don't believe this horn do you?" she spat and glared at Twilight, but eyed the elder cautiously.

Daisimedes chuckled dryly. "Harmone you could learn a thing or two from your sister here." She smacked her toothless lips together and patted the filly next to her. "What do you think, Melode? Can we trust her?"

The small filly looked at Twilight fearfully, yet curiously. The princess noticed now she was like a miniature version of Harmone, but with kinder eyes. She lowered her head and smiled at the young pony as she stepped forwards.

"Hi," she said, offering an encouraging smile, doing her best 'princess' impression, as most young fillies liked her to do in Equestria.

Harmone practically growled in warning as Melode approached, earning a cuff on the back of her head from the elder and quickly fell silent once more. After a few moments of silent examination, the filly turned to Daisimedes and nodded.

"Well that settles it." The elder's eyes grew wide and she marched forwards, and enveloped Twilight in a firm hug, surprising and startling her somewhat. "Welcome, Twilight Sparkle. My name is Daisimedes, the village elder, as you may have gathered." She released the alicorn and gestured to the ponies around her, scowling at each them, making them all look towards the ground, the sky, or anywhere besides the old pony. "Ignore these bigots. They have no idea they stand in the midst of a princess!"

Twilight froze. Broncoles froze. The crowd gasped collectively, and Harmone even stepped backwards in shock and looked around at her neighbours bewildered faces.

"How did-" the princess shakily began.

With a wave of her hoof, the elder interrupted her and signalled to another pony. "Bring them some fresh apples, food, and whatever supplies they need. This one has a long journey before her." The pony snapped to attention and dashed away.

Broncoles tapped the ground nervously, earning him the attention of Daisimedes. The old pony's eyes looked him up and down, twinkling with age. "Elder, may I-"

"You shall go with her, of course. Even beyond the unicorn kingdom." The elder looked at him gravely, her smile faltering for a moment, and her eyes pierced into him. "Your destiny is intertwined with hers, it would seem."

The stallion felt the colour drain from his face and he swallowed hard. "Destiny..." he murmured quietly. He didn't know what 'destiny' had in store for him, but couldn't imagine it would be anything good.

He nodded respectfully and looked at Twilight, who smiled at him bravely, and felt some small relief. She knew he was taking her to the unicorn kingdom, but what could beyond mean? "Looks like you'll get your own adventure, after all, Twilight," she thought to herself.

The pony the elder had commanded away rushed back to them; a sack laden with food, blankets, what looked like camping equipment and an assortment of other things slung over his back. The elder hobbled over to Twilight's side and began to place each item in the bags.

"I hope this isn't too heavy on your wings, princess," the elder whispered to Twilight, just audibly enough for the latter to hear.

Twilight's head whipped around and she looked at the elder with wide eyes. "How-"

"Smart one that Bronco, to hide your wings until the right time. You might say some ponies have inherent knowledge of the world they inhabit, princess. You should know this," the elder said with a wink and tapped her nose.

Her face creased into a smile once more as she finished placing the last of the items in the pack. Melode dashed forwards and helped her hobble back. "Thank you, my dear," she said to the young filly. "You two. Follow me."

Broncoles silently obeyed and marched forwards, following the elder. The crowd also began to shift, leaving Twilight with a pack full of equipment, and one angry mare glowering at her. Only Harmone remained behind, and despite the smile Twilight gave her, and the elder's own approval, she remained in a foul mood. She huffed and flounced away, in search of some quiet place to brood and pout.

The princess sighed and trotted after Broncoles and the elder, towards the edge of the village.

***

Daisimedes tapped the ground wordlessly, and raised her eyebrows at Broncoles.

The giant of a pony sunk to his knees and held his head low. The elder scooped up some mud and smeared a few small strips of it on his neck. "May Hermes grant you speed. May Hades be kind to you, and may Zeus watch over you, my boy," she said, as Twilight observed some sort of ceremony taking place. Even crouched, he dwarfed the old mare.

"Thank you, elder," Broncoles whispered back. He rose to his hooves and looked back at Twilight, nodding for her to approach. He tapped the ground where he had kneeled, and she obeyed. The mud dripped down his neck, quickly blending in with his brown coat.

The elder once again scooped up a small bit of mud and smiled at Twilight. "You are not one of us, Twilight Sparkle, yet I will bless you as one of us all the same. I fear your path is long, and wrought with danger." Her blue eyes watched Twilight with interest as the mare began to tremble.

"Danger?" Twilight gulped. Sweat dotted her brow. Her chest felt tight and heavy, and her mind raced with questions. "What-"

The elder simply smiled and shushed her. "Indeed. May Hermes grant you speed, child. May Hades be kind to you, and may Zeus guide you." She leaned forwards with another wink. "And... give my regards to Celestia when you get back, would you?"

Twilight's eyes widened. Who. In. Equestria was this old pony? "Th-thank you, elder," she stammered, as words almost failed her for the second time that day.

With that, the village elder, her young assistant, and a few polite ponies waved them farewell as the pair of them set off along a dirt trail, leading up into and through a forest.

Broncoles released a breath he didn't know he was holding and felt his knees tremble. "By the gods, it's a good thing she likes you," he murmured. His face was as white as a ghost, and a stunned smile danced across his face. He glanced at Twilight, who's own face was wrought with worry and unease, and gave her a gentle nudge. "Are you okay, Twilight?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she was too focused on her immediate surroundings, thinking on the elder's words. The trees were a bright orange, again reminding her of pictures in the old storybooks she read. High above the sun shone down on them, surely a good sign of things to come, despite the warning of danger.

She glanced up at him and forced a smile onto her face. "I think so, Broncoles... I think so..."