Time to Shine

by Easysnuggler

11. A Walk in the Sunshine

“Now one should note that the celestial alicorns say diamond dogs are not the masters of old. The fossil bones of the diamond dogs are similar if not as diverse as modern diamond dogs. There is no love lost there either. Reportedly the room grew dark, and the moon princess’s hooves cracked the floor whenever diamond dogs were mentioned, and ponies had to back away from the solar princess for fear of their coats bursting into flames. No other fossils of creatures with large craniums have been found. So, it seems the celestial alicorns are not telling the whole truth.”

—Pena “On the Origins of Ponies*_{(*and Others)} and Magic”

11. A Walk in the Sunshine.

A week later Rizi and Scorcher stood at the blue barrier on the road to the sea and Canterlot beyond. The lightning crackled and popped in the shield from the dragon's proximity. A gathering of kobolds and dragons stood nearby, Doriz and the all-watcher Tarnish among them. Rain and Wind sat by the dragon hatchlings.

Rizi looked ridiculous, Scorcher thought. She wore a heavy breastplate, chain pony leggings, a helmet with a face shield, heavy griffon gauntlets, an axe on one side, a length long sword strapped to her other side, a pack over her back, a sack, saddlebags, a canteen, various bags, a tail-pack, and a shield. She was straining just standing there.

“Rizi?”

“Yes, yes, what, what, Dragon Lord Scorcher?”

“Did the other kobolds bring all this stuff here and dress you like that?”

Rizi tilted her head, shrugged, and then shook her head.

“The dragons too?”

She nodded.

“Can you even walk?”

Rizi took a step and tried to take another.

She shook her head.

Sighing and chuckling, Scorcher helped her strip out of the gathered gear. In the end the kobolds and dragons dressed her in a light but sturdy steel peytral for her chest upon which they painted a rampant red dragon, a canteen, a tail bag full of food, a small bag of gems and gold bits, and a vest with small pockets containing flint, three vials of postal dragon fire courtesy of Scorch, a map, and compass with a tiny sextant. Atop her head sat a little brown cap hat which had dark red smoked goggles she could use to keep the sun out of her eyes. Slung to her side was a light scabbard that held a small rapier appropriate for her short stature. A pretty dark brown cloak with a green lining and a tiny bed roll completed her gear. She stood lightly with her pointed walking stick.

“You’re sure it is not too heavy?”

She shook her head negatively and walked around showing she could move easily. “Good, good, much lighter for Rizi now.”

“Ok Rizi. Do you know what the most important part of all this is?”

She shrugged and held out the dragon fire vial, bag of bits, her sword and her compass and tilted her head.

“No Rizi”, he said, leaning down and rubbing her bright green head softly, stroking from her scaled brow to her horns. “This is the most important part. You. I don't care about any of this stuff. I just want you to come back safe, ok?”

Rizi smiled up at him. “Understand, Rizi be careful Dragon Lord, yes.”

“Rizi, please just call me Scorch. You are a brave kobold and a good friend. I trust you. So please do, be careful I mean.

“Just stay straight on this road. It's four to six days to the sea, weather permitting. I walked the road several times before my first molt. Then you will have to cross the sea. Hopefully there will be a boat or ferry. Cross the sea to the northwest. You want to aim for Horseshoe Bay or farther north. There are many pony cities beyond the sea. Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Manehatten. All of them have roads straight to Canterlot. You should pass some farms and villages on the way. Tell them you are an envoy of the Dragon Lord, and they should give you any assistance you need. They might even give you an escort. There also might be a train you could take to Canterlot from one of the cities.

“Will try Dragon Lord, back soon.”

The little green kobold in the brown cape and cap turned and walked toward the shield. Scorcher held his breath. She stepped forward and it parted around her like water.

Rizi walked through the gigantic bubble, soon emerging on the far side. She looked back. Rain, Wind, Dust, and the others cheered, but sounded oddly muted. Dragon Lord Scorcher looked on. Searcher with Taillie on his back waved. Rizi waved back and began to walk the road over and through the mountain ridges.

Soon she reached a bend in the road and the others were lost amongst the trees and rocks. Rizi shifted her unfamiliar pack and continued. Her equipment rubbed strangely. She hoped she would get used to it soon. Wind and Rain, her clutch mates and friends had looked so lonely. She knew she would miss them, but she was already on the way. “Well begun is halfway done having fun.” she said. She marched on all morning and soon had reached the downward slope. She stopped beside a small mountain stream and watched the butterflies’ flap by. She ate an egg and a pear, and a butterfly that wandered too close. She stretched her legs and then continued.

Not used to such long exercise her legs soon began to ache and the pack weighed heavily upon her. The bird song and insect buzz made her tired and she stopped again for a snack. There were rocks and stones, plants, and trees, but apart from a rabbit and hawk she saw no one. She rested in the shade and ate a cactus after picking the spines off. A sip from her canteen and a few small beetles snatched from a rock and a grasshopper rounded out her lunch. She was soon on her way again. After another hour and some brief rests in the shade and a dip in a mountain stream she began to become concerned. It was quiet. The only sounds were her steps and her walking stick. It was quieter than it had been all day. She was presently walking through a defilade between two rock walls. Brush covered the tops of both walls more than twice her height above. She suddenly realized she was boxed into a narrow chokepoint. Kobolds were good with traps, and this felt like a trap.

The birdsong had vanished. She stopped walking, suddenly very still. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears. The brush behind and to her right rustled. A large insect emerged. It had mandibles and was striped, black along its green body. Its six legs moved at a walking pace along the rocks lining the path above and behind her. Its flat body was wide and shaped like a long spearhead, with its legs closer to its front. Its black eyes regarded her. It was smaller than she was. But not much smaller, and probably just as long. It might weigh more. Probably not. Probably. She took a step back.

It took a step forward.

She took another step back.

It stepped forward again. It clicked its chitinous fangs. The soft bodied insect began to move again.

Rizi aimed her walking stick at its face and reached for her blade with her free claw. She had strapped it on her back rather than wearing it on her side as the belt had chaffed and the scabbard dragged. Now it had shifted on her back, and it was stuck somehow. She struggled to free it without looking.

The insect took a few more steps, as she paced slowly backwards from it trying to maintain her distance. It looked quite fast. She was very tired and hot. Too hot, she wouldn’t be able to run far.

How far would it chase her if she ran?

The handle of the sword was tangled in her backpack. She glanced back.

As soon as she glanced away the creature lunged. It flung itself at her from the rock. Startled, Rizi tripped over her own tail and landed heavily on her backpack, losing her stick as the end of the tangled scabbard jabbed painfully into her side. The bug overshot her by inches.

The insect scuttled around and again jumped surprisingly quickly at her as she struggled, landing heavily on her pelvis and chest, and striking at her face. She grabbed at its long body as it drove it fangs down into her chest biting hard at her peytral. She pushed and kicked with her rear legs, throwing the thing away from her.

“Rizi is not a food nasty bug!” She shouted, scrambling to her feet. The insect soon sorted itself out and turned to face her again.

But now Rizi had struggled free of her backpack and held the scabbard and hilt in front of her, drawing the blade edge free just as the creature scuttled forth again.

She poked at it. It swung its fangs at her. The sword and fangs made clicking sounds as they slid off each other. It was like smacking a bush. The creature moved slightly when struck but continued its advance while she slowly gave way. “Enough bug, Rizi is not giving up!” The path here was slightly wider. She smacked it again and it began to try and circle her.

The bug was not able to follow her turn as fast as she could make it. Soon she had the advantage, and with two swift swipes the battle ended. The bug had been cut nearly in half, and Rizi breathed through her open mouth panting heavily.

She dragged the bug behind her by its tail. As she left the tiny box canyon, she hummed a cheerful tune.

She made camp a little farther on, setting her bed roll down on a high rock with a good view. She walked around a bit with her naked sword and after having checked that there were no tracks or other worrying things proceeded to have a snack.

The bug was disappointingly bland and rubbery. She made a small fire, and after roasting several chunks decided it was not too bad charred after all and finished her meal with cool spring water from her canteen.

Victorious from her battle and stuffed with the spoils she soon fell asleep on her high rock and slept dreamlessly well into the next morning.

A blackbird soon discovered that stealing a Kobolds leftover food was a good way to end up as breakfast yourself.

Rizi was a good hunter. Patient and fast her claws snatched the bird and broke its neck before it could even turn.

The bird, unlike the bug, was delicious raw and Rizi abandoned what was left of the bug. She ate as she packed, pausing only to meditate briefly trying to find the dragon within.

Today the dragon was silent and at last she gave up and made her way to the road and she continued her way in the bright sunlight.

A wildfire had burned much of the underbrush where she stopped for lunch. She smiled. The burned smell reminded her of home. Some berries gathered on the trail and dried meat from her tail pack made for a nice lunch. She straightened out her sword and scabbard that afternoon, changing the belt to a shoulder belt and tying the end to her tail. She practiced drawing with both wither claw. When she took the road, she was satisfied. She had her sword at least well sorted.

That night she found a small shallow cave on a ridge and made a fire in the entrance. Two eggs and some nuts were for dinner.

Besides the hoot of owls and the calls of insects the night was quiet. The stars shone brightly as they moved slowly overhead. Later that night moonbeams lit the cave in a cool light.

Rizi began to dream. At first, she dreamed of meditating, to find the dragon within. It was a strange dream, and the sounds of play distracted her.

At last, she looked up and watched as a magical orange and white creature with a magenta mane, a pony she guessed, with twinkling eyes, glowing translucent wings, and a transparent horn played alongside four other pony friends who each had only one of those things.

She became aware of a presence silently watching behind her. “They are all, really, still just kids and she is so happy to be there with them.”

Rizi looked at a blue Dragonette beside her. She held the Bloodstone Scepter in her claws. Hardly larger than the biggest kobold, hardly larger than Rizi they exchanged looks with one another. “Hi!” the blue Dragon Lord smiled.