In Which Trouble is a Constant Companion
Rainbow Dash’s gaze traveled across the group of Neighshe guards surrounding Spike, Twilight Sparkle, and herself. Already, the odds were four to one with potentially more guards further down the tunnels. She set herself into a defensive stance, her hoof drifting to one of her knives and hesitated. The tight confines of the cave made fighting their way out a losing option. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she withdrew her hoof and said, “Can we help you? We’re already running behind, and arriving late will not help convince our client that it’s in Fillygaro’s best interest to open a trade route with the ponies and dragons of Neighshe. You see, I’m, um, escorting the… dragon ambassador here.”
The lead pony didn’t relax his posture, though he didn’t make any move to attack. Taking the opportunity, Spike strode forward, arms crossed and chin held high. “Now, if you would hurry up and put your weapons away so that we can speak normally, we can get finished here and move along. I don’t have all day you know, and I doubt you’re wandering these tunnels for your health.”
The lead pony narrowed his eyes, looking over the dragon half his size for several seconds. “We’ll hear you out, but make it good,” he said, returning his sword loosely in its sheath. “I’m the Marshal. We were searching the tunnels when we heard a scream, and thought it might have been a victim of the escaped witch tha—”
“Witch?! Wait, you mean that she’s really here?!” the dragon exclaimed, his eyes going wide. He turned to Rainbow Dash, thrusting a claw into her muzzle. “I will not go through these caves while some magic psycho could be lurking around any corner!”
Rainbow Dash put on a show of whipping her head in one direction to another and twirling her body around. “Oh come on! The witch is loose?! I so don’t get paid enough for this!” She halted her frantic movements, facing Twilight. “Oi! Newbie! Get on your hooves already! And uh... sorry for not believing you earlier.”
“Wha?” Twilight Sparkle said, blinking. She scrambled to her hooves, her eyes darting from side to side.
The Marshal grunted, gaining everypony’s attention. He opened his mouth, but Rainbow Dash beat him to the punch. “See, she was only just hired, and was going on about this witch who was bustin’ up guards all over the place. We thought she was crazy, but I guess it was true? Anyway, she’s been jumpy the whole time. Heck, you guys heard her! She nearly got her horn stuck in the ceiling she jumped so high. And from a little bat, can you believe it?!”
“So that’s what that scream was...” the Marshal said, his gaze falling on Twilight. His eyes narrowed as he walked towards her slowly. “So, she saw the ‘witch’, did she? So she can tell us what the witch looks like then?"
Rainbow Dash and Spike both paled, breath catching in their chests. They glanced to each other, preparing for the worst, when Twilight spoke up softly. “Sh-she, she’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said, falling back down to her rump, her forelegs shaking. “Sh-she, her face… her eyes were dead. It was like she had no soul, and she killed all the ponies that got in her way. She’s… a monster.”
She let out a shuddering breath as her eyes filled with tears. “She... sh-she poisoned the guards, used lightning on the dogs... She... She...” Clutching her head in her forelegs, she shook even worse. “S-stop it... Make it stop! I... Not again... not again!”
Twilight collapsed to the floor in a sobbing mess. Spike and Rainbow Dash pushed past the Marshal to stand next to her, though hesitated on what to do next. Finally, after pacing in place for several moments, Rainbow Dash firmed up her features. "I'm so sorry." She knelt down next to Twilight and said in as quiet a voice as she could, “Act dead. Trust me.”
Rainbow Dash brought a hoof down to the back of Twilight’s head. The mare seized up, her eyes bulging out and then rolling back. Twilight's body went limp, her mouth letting out a sigh of air. Tiny breaths from her nose where the only signs that she was alive. With the sobbing gone, the caverns were silent once again.
"Was that really necessary?" The Marshal said.
"It’s all I could think of to calm her down."
The Marshal sighed as Rainbow Dash tried to make Twilight comfortable, saying gently, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think she’d be so worked up over seeing the witch. Forgive me for being suspicious, but we need all the information that we can get.”
“It’s all my fault,” Rainbow Dash said softly, adjusting Twilight’s cape to hide the mark on her flank.
“How is it your fault?” the Marshal asked.
“I’m the one that convinced her to come here in the first place...” Rainbow Dash lied, her voice low. “She’s from the southern continent, a scholar. She doesn’t like fighting but got drafted into Blueblood’s army anyway. She didn’t know what to do. So I convinced her to run away with me so that we could go adventuring all over the world. She’d get to read a bunch of books and learn, just like she always wanted to.”
The Marshal shook his head, letting out a scoff. “What made you think that some skinny little slip of a pony like that would be cut out to be an adventurer?"
“Just because she’s peaceful doesn’t mean that she can’t protect herself!” Rainbow Dash protested, rising up and facing the Marshal. “I taught her enough that she could at least hold her own! How was I supposed to know that she’d nearly get fried by some crazy sorceress, huh?!” By now she was nose to nose with him, forcing the Marshal to back up.
One of the guards coughed in his hoof, gaining everyone’s attention. “Marshal, I uh, hate to interrupt, but we need to keep searching...”
“You’re right, but,” the Marshal said, looking to Rainbow Dash, struggling to heft the supposedly unconscious mare onto her back. “With the ambassador’s party left in such a state, I feel like we should offer to escort them to the city exit, as they are currently unable to defend themselves.”
“Uh... I don’t have any gems to pay you, Marshal,” Spike said, crossing his arms.
“That doesn’t matter, dragon,” the Marshal said firmly, his face setting. “It is a guard’s duty to guard, and I will not have you wandering these tunnels unguarded..”
The guard from before raised a hoof. “But sir, we’re supposed to be searching for the witch! And they’re not even citizens of—”
The Marshal held up a hoof, stopping further comments. “So you’re saying we shouldn’t do our duty? Consider your next words carefully, Private.”
The private quivered under the Marshal, visibly wilting under his glare. “N-no sir!” the private replied, saluting, and then remained silent.
“Wise choice,” the Marshal snarled, before turning back to Rainbow Dash. “Please allow us to escort you outside of Neighshe. If you would allow us to also carry your companion for you, we w—”
“No!” the pegasus snapped, backing away from the Marshal. When the Marshal raised an eyebrow, she continued more softly, “I mean uh... no, thank you, but... I have to do this... It’s my fault that... that this happened to her, and the last thing I want for her is to wake up on the back of some strange stallion, you know?”
“... Ah,” the Marshal said. “Umm... Well then, shall we get moving?”
“Right then,” Spike said, shifting his posture as he took a deep breath. “I was hoping not to have to do this, but it seems I’m left with no choice.”
The guards watched with wide eyes as umber flames erupted from the dragon’s maw, coalescing into a short lance that shimmered even in the dim cave as Spike grabbed the paw-grip of the spear. Spike fell to his knees for a moment, panting heavily, and shaking his head. “I forgot how much I hate that …”
The Marshal, jaw hanging open and blinking rapidly, asked, “But... you can... Wait a second! You can fight?”
As Spike regained his breath, Rainbow Dash quickly said, “Are you kidding? Look at that guy! He’s like, a third your size. I really doubt he’s gonna put up much of a fight. Plus, as I’ve been reminded countless times already, dragon nobles don’t like to get their scales dirty. It’s all for show.”
The Marshal rolled his eyes and put a hoof to his mouth and blew, creating a short, sharp whistle. The remaining guards turned to attention, saluting before they split up into two groups, placing Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle between them. Before the Marshal could walk away, Spike nimbly jumped up onto the stallion’s back, balancing himself expertly with his lance. The Marshal swiveled his head around and scowled at the dragon.
“Ambassador, remember?” Spike asked.
“But you’re not paying me!” the Marshal protested, and tensed up as if to prepare to buck Spike off, before finally settling down. “Fine,” he relented. After giving in to his diminutive mount, the Marshal led the way.
.o.O.o.
The journey to the tunnel exit was nerve-wracking for both parties. One feared an evil witch could be lurking around any corner, the other that the “Witch” herself would say something to give away their ruse. Both feared what lurked in the caves—whether monsters or betrayal. The random encounters with common cave vermin did nothing to ease the tension for either of the two groups, though some of the guards were enjoying the odd bits of gil and tiny gems they came across in the dim tunnels.
Eventually, the group reached a dead end, and the guards all visibly relaxed. A few turned around to watch the back while the others pushed forward a little more. As this forced Rainbow Dash against a wall, her wings flared. Spike slowly shifted his stance, ready to fight as Rainbow Dash spat, “What’s going on?! I thought you were helping us! I should have known we couldn’t trust you stallions.” Narrowing her eyes, she carefully laid Twilight down behind herself. She drew a dagger from underneath her wing, holding it in her mouth as she took an aggressive stance, the edge gleaming in the faint torchlight. “This is one mare you won’t be taking lightly!”
The Marshal blinked, saying slowly, “What are you talking about? I’d never harm a lady, even one such as yourself. We are helping you.”
Rainbow Dash froze for just a second, before she growled, “Oh yeah? How?”
Remembering that he had an armed and dangerous dragon on his back, the Marshal slowly pointed at the wall next to the pegasus, saying in a calm voice, “Secret exit. Just pull on that torch right there, down towards yourself.”
Rainbow Dash kept her guard up as she slowly moved over to the torch, her eyes never leaving the guards surrounding her. After a moment of hesitation, she deftly pulled the torch. It moved so fluidly that the pegasus nearly lost her balance, though she barely had time to recover before a hollow thud echoed through the tunnel.
“What was that?!” she exclaimed, her wings shooting out reflexively once more.
A couple of the guards chortled, before they were quickly silenced by their Marshal’s glare. “That was the counterweights keeping that stone wall closed. Even I’m not sure how they did it, but pulling and pushing those torches will move the bars inside the stone door, allowing it to open or stay closed. They’re almost never open now, especially with the Empire being more active nowadays.”
Before Rainbow Dash could speak, she was interrupted by a gust of wind that sent shivers through her body. As she fluffed her wing feathers out to better trap in the heat, she dared to turn around and saw that the wall had indeed moved far enough for them to pass through with ease. Looking outside for the first time in over a day, she blinked against the light and waited for her eyes to adjust. She saw that they were just to the south of town, outside the main city gates. She glanced back to the Marshal, who was still standing in the same spot, a patient look on his face.
Rainbow Dash blushed, blustering, “W-well, I mean, it’s not like—”
The Marshal chuckled slightly, interrupting, “It’s fine. In hindsight, I should have mentioned that we would be using a secret exit, so that you wouldn’t be surprised, I’ll take some small fault there. Just hurry, alright? It’s already mid-afternoon, and you’ll want plenty of time to get away from here if that sorceress is still around.”
“R-right. Umm... thanks,” the pegasus said, rubbing one foreleg with another. “You know, for the escort and all.”
“Don’t worry about it,” the Marshal replied, waving a hoof. “We just want you all to be safe. We need travelers like you to come back and buy our goods.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Good point.”
Spike jumped from his perch on the Marshal’s back as he saw Twilight twitch . Rainbow Dash also bolted for the unicorn, leaning down to check on her. "Act tired, okay?" she whispered. Louder, she said, “Yo, you alright there? Come on, we need to get going!”
Twilight Sparkle moaned, blinking her eyes open. The Marshal walked forward a couple steps before setting down a small blue bottle. “Here, drink this. It’s just a little potion, but it should help wake you up and get moving. It’s not much, but consider it an apology for freaking you out like that.”
Rainbow Dash almost couldn’t believe her group’s luck, looking back and forth from the potion to the Marshal. “Thanks, I owe ya one.” With Rainbow Dash's help, Twilight took the potion and drank it down greedily.
“Just be safe out there,” the Marshal said. “Good luck opening that trade route. We need every advantage we can get before the Empire comes calling again.”
“We’ll be careful,” Rainbow Dash replied.
Twilight staggered to her hooves, looking around in a daze.
“Let’s go,” Rainbow Dash said. She led the way as the trio passed through the secret exit and began walking away from the town of Neighshe. She kept up the pace until they were a fair distance from the town and the guards were out of sight.
“I hope that poor Marshal doesn’t spend too much more time on that Witch hunt,” she said at last, turning to Spike.
He shrugged. “Eh, I’ll make it up to him if I see him again. Let’s worry about ourselves first.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and addressed Twilight next. "Good job in there. I wasn’t sure you’d keep it together long enough for us to get out."
Twilight’s only response was a tiny nod.
With Neighshe behind them, Rainbow Dash lead Spike and Twilight through the cold hills.
.o.O.o.
Twilight Sparkle shivered and ducked her head against the howling winds and bitter cold of the frozen tundra; it was all so much more hostile outside of the protection of magitek armor. Very little vegetation grew anywhere, and what plants did survive in the wasteland were pale brown and too tough to eat. The few small hills scattered across the arctic plains restricted their line of sight. As another gust of wind blasted the small party, Twilight was grateful for the cape, as it blocked enough of the chill to keep her warm, allowing her to keep plodding along. It was still very cold out, but she didn’t feel like she was going to freeze to death.
They encountered several parties of monsters, but the beasts of the frozen wastes stood little chance against Rainbow Dash, Master of the Sky. She scouted ahead, checking for ambushes. However, as the evening wore on, when monsters were less likely to attack, she started practicing aerial tricks, more of her attention on warming up than on the land around them.
Raw speed was the only thing that saved Rainbow Dash’s life. A crossbow bolt missed hitting the pegasus by a feather. Berating herself, she corkscrewed skyward and out of range, all the while making herself a rapidly moving target. Rainbow Dash didn’t fly too high, as the bandits would abandon their attempts to bring her down and focus instead on Spike and Twilight. She had to keep their attention on her.
She banked, twisting herself into a barrel roll and angling her flight towards three earth ponies carrying crossbows. Rainbow Dash spotted three more running towards Spike and Twilight. All of them wore patched clothing over unkempt coats and manes. At each of their sides hung a scabbard.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the three assailants firing at her. She had to make this quick.
“Up here, boys!” Rainbow Dash called, diving towards the bandits and rolling to avoid another volley of bolts. She flared her wings just as she reached the ground and turned her steep dive into one of her favorite tricks. Instead of pulling up, she pantomimed trotting across the ground even though her wings were doing all the work, propelling her past the slack-jawed bandits. They apparently didn’t care for the show, because Rainbow Dash had to loop up and around in a tight spiral to avoid the next pair of shots. Still, her plan came together, keeping the bandits’ attention on her and away from Twilight and Spike.
.o.O.o.
Across the field, wielding his long pike and hissing in warning, Spike faced down a pair of burly earth ponies barreling headlong towards him and Twilight Sparkle. He jumped from his resting place on Twilight’s back, landing a short distance from the duo charging for them. The motley pair slowed to a halt, grinning mercilessly at their diminutive foe. “Stay back!” Spike yelled. “Unless you want some of this.” He spun his spear, twirling it in a complex pattern that ended with him in a ready stance.
One of the bandits, a brown mare, smirked at the display and said, “Oi, little lizzy-boy there, just give us your shiny stuff and we might take a shine to lettin’ you walk away, yeah?”
Spike laughed, a savage grin on his face. “You want our gems? Don’t you know? Dragons eat gems! We got nothing that you’d want, so don’t waste your time.”
“Wha?! Ya don’t even look like a dragon, lizzy-boy. We’re thinkin’ that you’re just a wee little liar. Yes lying, ain’t ya?” Even through her heavy accent, her voice slurred and her cheeks were a rosy pink. She swayed on her hooves, coming close to toppling over.
“I think somepony needs to lay off the hard cider,” Spike said.
“Eh, what if he ain’t lying?” the dirty grey stallion standing next to her asked. “Dragons be eating gems, truth, if me pappy recollected, right?”
“Yer old pony tales is for idjits and wee tykes. Just stories!” the mare retorted, turning away from Spike to yell at her compatriot.
That was all the opening Spike needed. Seizing the initiative, he took a step back and launched himself high into the air, using his lance as a pole to help him gain more height. By the time he hit the apex of his jump, the two bandits had turned back to look for him, but too late. Spike felt little resistance as the sharp point of his lance drove through the brown mare’s throat and out the other side. Crimson torrents of blood followed as Spike pulled his weapon free and jumped back into a ready stance. The mare fell, clutching feebly at her throat for a few seconds, and then went still.
“She’s lucky I got in a clean hit.” Spike said flatly. “I might not get so lucky with you.”
“Bastard! Monster! I’ll kill ya! I’ll gut ya! I’ll wear your skin for that!” the stallion roared, charging the small dragon.
Spike twisted his spear around, wielding it like a quarterstaff to fend off the stallion’s wild attacks, waiting for the right moment to strike back.
.o.O.o.
Twilight watched wide-eyed, rooted in place, as Spike and Rainbow Dash fought against the bandits. She had trouble breathing, her mind racing as she struggled with a single question. Why? Why are they fighting? Why are they forced to fight? Why are they doing this? Why—
“Ya look like a reasonable mare, doncha? Give me yer goods, and ya won’t get hurt!” a voice growled behind her.
Twilight yelped and jumped a foot in the air. Once back on her hooves, she spun around, shaking. “Wh-why?” Twilight stuttered.
The bandit raised an eyebrow before he snarled, “`Cuz I told you so, ya daffy mare! C’mon, yeah? Hoof `em over, before I be losin’ my temper!”
“B-but who’s forcing you to do this?! Why do you have to attack others? Who’s controlling you?” Twilight pleaded, leaning towards the stallion with an earnest expression. “We could help you! Just tell me who’s making you do this!”
The bandit laughed, his eyes glinting with malicious intent in the setting sun. “Makin’ me? Pshaw! `Tis daft, innit? I does it `cuz I wants ta, ain’t no other reason, mare. Now, hoof over your cape sharpish-like, or you’ll be meeting the pointy end of my blade.”
Twilight just stood there for a long moment with her jaw hanging loose. But... he’s not being forced? He... he’s choosing to…
“Right, time’s up, innit? Ya gets to die, mare. No hard feelings.” The stallion gave a mad shout and charged forward to strike Twilight down.
Breathing coming in short bursts, Twilight closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come. She felt a tingle traverse through her body from tail to horn. Seconds passed, but the expected death blow didn’t come. Slowly, Twilight peeked open her eyes and gasped. The bandit hovered in front of her, covered in a shimmering magenta aura.
“Lemme down, witch! Demon spawn of all what is rotten! Lemme kills ya so’s I can do the world a favor!” The bandit screamed, his mouth the only thing capable of movement. “Lemme down, now! Lemme—”
Twilight screeched as a knife suddenly appeared through the bandit’s throat, turning the stallion’s rant into a gurgling, wet death rattle. She quickly backed away, unconsciously dropping the dying pony to the ground where he swiftly expired.
“There, you’re down,” Rainbow Dash said to the corpse as she landed and used her mouth to pluck the knife free. As she wiped her blade clean on the dead bandit’s clothing, Twilight jerked to the side and heaved up what little she had managed to put in her stomach.
“Hey, you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” Rainbow Dash asked, moving over to the sick unicorn.
“Y-you... He...” Twilight struggled to get out, finally settling on a quivering nod. The acid taste of her bile made her want to throw up again.
Rainbow Dash offered her companion a swig of water from her canteen, which the unicorn used to wash her mouth out before drinking a second gulp. “Okay,” Rainbow Dash started. “Come on then, we should get going. We’ll need to set up camp soon. The sun’s already setting, and it’s going to get very cold, very quickly. We’ll get you some food when we stop.”
Twilight nodded again, her movement still shaky, and followed the pegasus away from the battle-scene. Twilight kept her head down, trying to avoid looking at the dead thieves as best as she could, but her eyes kept wandering back to their corpses, lingering on their unmoving forms.
Spike emerged from around a small hill, his lance now free of blood and gore. “You’re safe? Well, that’s something, at least. None of them had anything worth taking on them. Most of their weapons are dull or ready to fall apart. Still, at least something came out of this.”
“There was?” Twilight asked softly. “Wh-what’s the other good news?”
“Simple,” Spike replied, jumping up onto her back, sitting down to relax. “We were attacked by bandits that had nothing on them except weapons. What does that tell us?”
“They had a base of operations not far from here that they used to store all of their food, supplies, and valuables,” Rainbow Dash answered. “It means there may be something worth getting there. Even if there’s nothing useful, at least we’ll have shelter for the night. I just need to look for it. I’ll be back as soon as I find it!”
With a cocky grin, the pegasus took to the sky, a rainbow contrail the only sign that she had been standing next to Twilight. Twilight fidgeted in place, before looking behind her. While the bodies lay out of sight, in her mind’s eye she could still see the stallion that had attacked her, his laughter taunting her as though she was just a foal.
Quietly, she asked the dragon lazing on her back, “Um, Spike? Not that I thought you weren’t telling the truth before, but... after what just happened, I think I understand what you were trying to tell me. It doesn’t really matter to others if I want to fight or not, does it? They’re going to kill me either way.”
Twilight kept her head down as the pressure on her back shifted. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but yeah, for the most part,” Spike said with a sigh. “It could actually be worse. You see, if you don’t fight, you’re showing that you don’t think for yourself, that you’re not willing to defend yourself. You know what they’d do to you then?”
Twilight shook her head in silence, eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out where the dragon was going with his train of thought.
“They do whatever they want to do,” Spike answered softly, a hint of sorrow seeping into his voice. “I don’t want to scare you, but there are some things worse than death. You could be beaten, you could get… well… taken advantage of. Worse, if you aren’t killed, the Empire would find you for sure and force you to do all of the things you’re trying to get away from.”
The mare felt a chill run down her spine as she envisioned the crown being forced back onto her forehead, the chill of the metal around her horn as it sent instructions to her brain, forcing her to do its bidding.
“No! I refuse to let that happen again!” she suddenly shouted, her expression growing cold and firm.
“Wh-whoa,” Spike exclaimed, lurching dangerously on Twilight’s back as she shook. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you remember all that stuff. I just want you to learn that there’s no shame in defending yourself.”
“I’m just,” Twilight began to reply faintly, her breathing becoming shallow. “I’m just scared; scared out of my wits! I don’t know how to fight! What if I mess up? What if I die? What if I cause one of you to die?! What if—”
One resounding smack later, Twilight fell silent. A purple hoof raised up to her head, messaging a new lump courtesy of the pommel of Spike’s spear. He smirked down at her and said, “What if you actually calmed down so that you could talk rationally?” he teased. “Just think of what we could actually get accomplished!”
Spike weathered the baleful gaze the unicorn shot his way, the daggers from her eyes missing him by miles. “You see? No more panicking! You can concentrate rather well, if you just try.”
Rainbow Dash alighted on the ground next to Twilight, a light blush adorning her face. “Found the camp,” she said, panting lightly. “Just over the ridge. Would have been back sooner, but the wind wasn’t exactly being cooperative."
As the small group headed out for their new destination, Spike leaned down next to Twilight's ear, catching her attention. “Twilight? After we set up camp, I’d like to train you. How about it? Are you ready for your first lesson?”
“I, um, guess?”
“Great! Don’t expect me to go easy on you, my new student,” the dragon said with a malicious smile, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Twilight felt a shiver go down her spine.
.o.O.o.
Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground with a thud, the rug beneath her quickly becoming saturated with sweat, her breathing limited to the shallow, rapid gasps of a stranded fish. She wasn’t sure if she was going to make it or not; every single cell in her body screamed at her, demanding relief from the heavy abuse that had been inflicted on her. “W-water...” she croaked, fighting the blackness that threatened the edges of her vision.
“You’re kidding... You’re kidding, right?” Rainbow Dash asked flatly, looking from Spike to Twilight and back. “I’ve seen foals with better endurance than that! You didn’t even last five minutes! I mean, come on! Show some backbone! Can’t you even fight more than twice? I mean, you’re not gonna last long if you can’t even do it twice, let alone five or ten times! Come on! Swing that sword again!”
“I can’t,” whimpered the drained unicorn. “It hurts just to talk.”
Rainbow Dash sighed, sitting down and crossing her forelegs. “Fine, but you’re gonna train twice as hard tomorrow night, got it?”
A relieved sigh was the only answer she received, as Twilight maneuvered to rest her head on her front legs, shifting slightly in hopes of getting a better position that would put less pressure on her aching muscles.
Twilight gazed at the fire pit, ignoring the surroundings of the outlaw hideout that they were occupying. She watched the flames dance merrily, allowing the optical illusions from them to start to lull her to sleep, when a single question popped into her head. “How did you make the fire?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well, I mean,” the unicorn replied, her eyes squinting at the fire a little harder. “Dragons can breathe fire, but you started the fire before we got here.” She sat up abruptly, her eyes widening. “Wait a moment. Can you use magic as well?”
“Magic?” Rainbow Dash said, stifling a laugh. “Do you even know me? I’m too awesome for magic! Nah, I just did it the old fashioned way.”
Twilight blinked, staring at the pegasus as though just seeing her for the first time. “Well then, what’s the old fashioned way?”
“Well,” Spike answered, stretching a bit before resting against Twilight’s warm body. “To put it simply, she rubbed two sticks together. Friction causes heat, so when the sticks get hot enough, they start a fire. Simple, right?”
Twilight frowned. “But why does friction cause heat? If heat is the only thing that’s needed to make fire, then why aren’t volcanoes on fire? Why don’t deserts melt? Wouldn’t the cold here prevent the fire from ever starting? What keeps the fire burning? What ma—”
“Stop, stop, slow down!” Spike said, his eyes threatening to bug out as he tried to stop the flow of questions, finally clamping his claws over his spines to block her out.
When Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, pleading with gleaming eyes that the pegasus would know the answers, her ears flattened against her skull as Rainbow Dash sputtered out, “I-I don’t know! Does it really matter to know how it works? Can’t you just be happy that we have a fire that keeps us warm? Who cares how it works so long as it does? You’re thinking about this too much! Just relax, okay? We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and we aren’t going to get far if you’re going to stay up all night asking stupid questions! Just... relax, okay? You probably won’t care in a day or two anyways.”
As Rainbow Dash wound down from her spiel and made herself comfortable near the fire, Twilight was left to her thoughts, frowning slightly as she curled up around the dragon resting against her stomach. She used her tail to cover herself and Spike, glad that her cape covered the rest of her body, preventing heat from escaping it.
She yawned, pondering idly, I wonder where I can find the answers to all of these questions... I don’t want to be stupid anymore! I hate how they keep treating me like a foal, just because I don’t remember anything.
It’s not fair! I’ll show them they can count on me! I have to pay them back for all they’ve done somehow...
Twilight sighed softly, yawned again, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Stats
Page generated in 0.162 seconds
Total duration
1,105 users online
1,650,917 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Beautiful chapter, definitely worth the wait. Can't wait for more
Oh, sweet, this updated? Wicked good!
Nappa: Vegeta, what does the scanner say about his power level?
Vegeta: It's-... 1006.
Nappa: Really, Vegeta?
Vegeta: Yes Nappa, go kick his ass.
*an ass beating from goku later...
Vegeta: Nappa!
Nappa: WHAT!!! *is in pain
Vegeta: I had the scanner upside down, is over 9000
Well done.
You have me curious as to who's going to be the Edgar and Sabin of the group
Was gonna think it was Blueblood until I noticed he was the Gestahl
198879 Thanks for catching the ref! XD
Anyhoof, again, sorry everypony! College, work, and sickness seems to rear its ugly head VERY often, but we're trying! About one chapter a month right now, it seems... I wanna do better than that, but expect it to be about a month. If it comes sooner, then you can be pleasantly surprised! XD
Kind of ironic that Spike is now Twilight's mentor...
So let's see...
Twilight = Terra: Okay
Dashie = Locke: Works
Gilda = Kefka: Well, I don't agree with it, but I'll wait
Spike = Edgar: Pretty good though I would have assumed Spike would be Mog.
My guess is that Celes is going to be either Fluttershy because of their shy personalities or Rarity since she's a unicorn. (Wouldn't be surprised it it's Trixie)
My guess is that Discord is going to be Ultima Weapon
Pinkie's probably gonna be Gau
Can't wait to read more.
214949 Well, actually... Spike IS Mog. If you can't tell already, we're trying to re-write the story completely, while still following the original enough that you'll have an idea of what happens next. After all, who wants to read a story that they already know, but with pony characters? Yeah, it'll be enjoyable, but we wanted to make it... You know, more unique. We felt that a lot of sub-plot for the more minor characters were rather... lacking in areas, so we're going to have a LOT of fun exploring options.
As for Gilda, thanks for being wlling to give her a chance! I KNOW that it SEEMS a bit WTF atm, but we DO have BIG plans, and when you realize what happens latter, we hope to make your jaw drop.
As for Celes... Well, I won't spoil, but you'll find out who she is once our new cover art is done! I... can spoil enough that ONE of your guesses is correct, but that's ALL I'm saying!
And thanks! Nothing keeps us more motivated to keep writing than knowing that there's actually people out there waiting! Speaking of which, I should get back to said typing! We've got a LOT of time to it in, and VERY little to do!
Wait a second... Strike that, reverse it, thank you, MOVING ON! ~ALLONS-Y!~
~ Moonstone, Minstrel of Equestria
215102
Well, I love the Final Fantasy series and 6 is my favorite. I was planning on doing my own crossover between FF6 and FiM
215125 Well, I wish you good luck then! There's certainly a lot of directions you could go with it! Just take your time, and make a COMPLETE, WELL-THOUGHT OUT plot/whatever for the ENTIRE story, okay? That's the key. We took a couple MONTHS to finalize more of our decisions, and that will hopefully be reflected the further on we go.
Woohoo! Glad to see this is well underway. Jotting down some comments hither and thither.
- Loving Twilight in this. Like you said in an earlier comment, it's really serving to flesh out Terra's emotions and depth compared to the "canon" script. I was really feeling some heartstring tugs at parts like "I-I won’t do it! Y-you can’t make me!” (CH2, between Twi and RD). Feels totally in-character for both Terra and Twilight to me. Plus some signs of (what I presume to be) her original personality poking through the amnesia. And there's plenty of story arc for her to grow in. Rock on.
- Dash is also working surprisingly well. The casting decision looked pretty good on paper, but in story it's finding a groove much better than I'd have imagined. Hopping between egotism and impatience and protectiveness and even bits of tenderness just totally works for both Rainbow and Locke. Extra-happy this one works well, since Locke is my fav character of the FF series.
- Ah yes, another Gilda as Kefka comment, haha. Actually, I'm totally willing to give this a shot and see what you two have in store. The CH2 appearance was a tough sell though. It felt like 100% Kefka, 0% Gilda, which didn't really help sway any initial opinions of "why Gilda". Granted, it was a very short and mandatory cameo (don't you love when the game's plot railroads your story like that?
), so that's a tough situation to be in. If nothing else, Gilda's next big appearance should give you ample opportunity to show her off and help allay some fears.
- I actually had a bigger issue with Spike than Gilda. Props for turning him into a bit of a badass (that fight scene in CH3 definitely caught me by surprise lol), but... Maybe it was just me setting expectations too early, but with Spike playing the role of Mog, I guess I was expecting the result to be snarky, irreverent, and aloof? Whereas in the story, he struck me as more battle-hardened, super-serious, and mature. I can definitely understand taking a character in a different direction as the story dictates; it was just a bit surprising at first.
- "Evil enchantress"... yeah, I lost it for about a minute here. Well played.
- Rainbow Dash's description of Twilight's cutie mark felt very foreign. Almost as if she'd never seen a cutie mark before? IIInteresting...
- Speaking of cutie marks:
RD: I'm looking for a mare... not like that!
*One minute later, prodding the flank of an unconscious mare*
Suuure, Rainbow Dash, sure...
- Ah yes, bats -- Twilight's mortal enemy! With all that flailing about, I hope the poor girl got some exp...
- Wow, talk about street smarts. RD and Spike sure were spinning quite a yarn for those guards. No details spared.
- Loving all the bits of foreshadowing! Fun to add them as a writer, fun to find them all as a reader.
- Also enjoying the deviations that you're taking from the "canon" plotline, even in the first chapter. Definitely keeps the FF6 fans on their toes.
- I got caught up on a few continuity hiccups in scenes. Nothing major, just stuff like:
- CH2, RD is looking for a secret entrance to Spike's lair, and comments "I wonder if it's like the other one..." But then when the guards show her the secret entrance to Neighshe in CH3, she's surprised such a thing exists.
- RD hands Twi a scroll to read, but it's not clear where the scroll appeared from (RD's bags?)
- A bunch of "lavendar unicorn" and "cyan pegasus". Personally I don't mind those in moderation, but I've become aware that the EqD prereaders mostly hate those. So FYI on that, since you mentioned you were looking to submit there (which you totally shooould)
Overall, definitely loving it.
Best of luck with finding time to squeeze in some writing (I know that feel).
219299 OHHHH yeah, we have plans for Gilda! Thanks for recognizing that we didn't have much choice for what happened in that scene though! XD I think that's what tripped up quite a few people, really, so we'll have to see what we can tweak to make it better. Still, Gilda will be showing up here relatively soon, and we plan to really start to dig into her character at that time, as it's her first major scene until... You know, that one scene. (Since there's at least ONE reader who hasn't played, no spoils! XD)
As far as Cutie marks, as stupid as it sounds, all I'll say is that we have a plan for them, so... Just gotta wait and see!
XD Sadly, no, she got no exp, since the bat lived and flew off, though her training helped her a little. Don't worry, she'll be getting her levels in here shortly!
Thanks! We certainly try! It's hard to find the right balance of foreshadowing, and hitting somepony over the head though, so we're trying our best!
Ch -2: Dang, that's right... I'll have to figure something out, because, honestly, how they escaped from the tunnels was a sudden change we made to the story because we wanted to add some tension, and we liked what we did. However, I am VERY poor at remembering stuff like that, so thank you VERY much for pointing that out! It's stuff like that we're trying to catch, as we DO want this to be EqD-worthy someday. And yeah, the bags need to be descried along with her clothes when she's introduced. Notice how we talked about how she's prepared, but never described them? ~_~ Yeah. Again, my bad.
... Dangit. I couldn't remember which way they went about that, so I'll go back and tone it down. Again, thanks a lot!
(And I know you know! XD Should have time to work on you-know-what after my tests tomorrow. Wish me luck! Looking forward to it!)
I just wanted to drop in a comment here and say I've been enjoying the direction you've taken things. The setting is nicely fleshed out, along with the characters, giving me plenty to go on to imagine each scene.
I like that the story isn't going to be chained to the FFVI story, as you've pointed out, anyone who's played that already knows what to expect. Here, I'm not so sure so I'm looking forward to see more.
Keep at it!
Yay for rebalanced parties!
and I can totally see Gilda as Kefka... but then the party will need some secondary characters to completely fill up. Mabe Cadence or some other people way later...
I can't wait to read more of this. This is awesome.
Have not read, but I feel it's necessary to show you all this.
Pony Fantasy 6
A fully complete hack of FF6 exists, so I thought I'd share.
>> Didn't click the link, but I'm guessing you mean the mod? Yeah, I got it the night it came out, though I'm TRYING to not play it. Just like the guy told me in an e-mail that he wasn't reading this in case it influenced the mod, I'm trying not to play it so that it won't be able to influence the fic. (Which IS coming along. Just very, very slowly. Spending more time than I want to looking for a job. ~_~ )
666616
I'm glad you're still working on Filly Fantasy even if it's taking a while. I know how from personal experience how tough it can be to find a job
A nice development, showing that RD & Spike are quick thinkers and pretty good actors.
And then further talk of what it means to fight, as well as RD & Spike's fighting ability.
whoa... this IS the story I started out helping with a long time ago... wow. I had thought you guys abandoned this completely seeing how no one would show up for weeks. Glad to see it picked up. 15 Chapters? Grats and grats on the feature btw. I wouldn't have even discovered this was still a thing without spotting ya there. I guess I can finally continue past this and enjoy the rest of the story I missed out on
Interesting name change. Much more interesting. I approve.
Moments like this are where spike is at his best! Being snarky while also reeling Twilight in from her.... moments.
Oh my God it's so violent this is way different how I remember Final Fantasy six although I did remember watching the trailer of Final Fantasy 16 and they're going for rated M now dang
Boy that is like the definition of twilighting right now asking so much question and panicking a lot poor girl
This is a pretty different approach how I remember the game so it looks like rainbow and the others trick the guards to letting them through the caves even the Marshall was pretty nice sort of but once they got out of the cave they on the way to the castle but not before all the bandits monsters giving them a hard time especially Twilight which she has no fighting skills at all and she really don't want to hurt anybody but she needs to defend herself from anybody who will threaten her it's a mixed feelings about the situation but the only way to survive is to defend yourself even though you have to kill ask flowey from undertale say it's kill or be killed but Twilight will do anything to Payback for Rainbow dash and Spike helping her