Accidental Marriage: Year one

by Triple B Studios

CH.4 - The Cloaked Stallion

The room was dark, save for two torches burning on either end of the wall opposite where the yak leaders had been sitting. The entire room smelled faintly like hay and dirt, with just a hint of cinnamon mixed within. A giant mat stretched out over the dirt floor, resting on the thick pile of hay beneath it, and blankets neatly folded against the wall. The room had also been decorated with paintings, tapestries, and wooden sculptures hanging proudly on both sides of the stone walls, providing light to the entire hut.

Kecleon and Riven sat themselves down upon the mat, motioning for Cadance and Shining Armor to sit next to them. Shining Armor and Cadance complied, sitting themselves down on the rug on either side of their new hosts.

The yak chief spoke first. “Alloweth me to introduceth myself. My nameth is Dukai, Chief of the Gekyaaku tribe,” the yak said. “Mind telling me what hath brought thee to my village?”

Cadance smiled kindly. “Well, we came here because we wish to discuss an urgent matter with you. One that resolves the issue between you and the Bayaki tribe.” Cadance paused briefly. “In order for peace to be reestablished between both your tribes, it would please us greatly if the treaty between your tribe and the Bayaki can be signed soon. If possible, we would like to meet with you immediately, so we can present you with a treaty,” she explained patiently.

Dukai’s eyes narrowed. “The Bayaki…” Dukai spoke. “Those embarrassment of yaks. Why shouldst i maketh peace with those impudent mongrels. Those gents has't no honn'r nor wisdom.”

“And,” Cadance added, “it would be most beneficial if they did not attack your village which could potentially lead to war. At least not until you and yours have met and signed such a treaty.”

Dukai glared hard at her for a moment. Then, his gaze softened a bit.

Shining Armor cleared his throat before speaking. “You seem troubled. May I ask what exactly lead you and the Bayaki tribe to have such a grudge against each other?” Shining questioned.

“The truth of thine question maketh my heart heavy… but since it hath to do with you, then I'll tell ye. We and the bayaki tribe w'ren’t at each moment trivial with each oth'r. But then one day, we learn'd that those gents did want to maketh m're room f'r themselves, to stretcheth their t'rrit'ry across the landeth, taking our home with it and maketh it their owneth. That angered us,” Dukai growled, clenching his jaws tightly together and baring his teeth angrily.

“It is unfortunate that we happened to run afoul of these yaks,” Kecleon added. “But perhaps now we may come to terms with their presence. We don’t want to lose our land but we don’t want to go to war either; we just wish to live in peace with both tribes just as we are with the Yakyakistans.”

“Aye. And it appears, that is exactly where these jerks are planning to invade," Riven interjected. "They've got plans to invade, but they can't get 'round the mountain range that lies west of this place." He explained.

Cadance stared thoughtfully into the distance. Her expression shifted momentarily into worry, but quickly vanished once more.

Dukai sighed. His eyes closed and his nostrils flared. “What shall be done about it?" He demanded.

Cadance smiled serenely once more. “There won’t be any fighting if you and the Bayakis agree to the conditions laid out,” she responded calmly, her tone even. “First, there needs to be peace with both tribes before it goes any further. You as well as the other tribe must be willing to make that peace, however difficult it will be to accomplish. Second, all disputes between the tribes need to be resolved peacefully by the representatives appointed by the yaks. Finally, the representatives must discuss the problems between the two tribes fully without prejudice towards each other. These are all conditions we can offer to both tribes.” She looked around the group. “We all agree?” She asked. When she received nods from all three of the yaks, she nodded back. “Then it seems we’ve found ourselves an agreement,” she concluded.

“Princess?” Riven questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“What if they don’t agree? What if it doesn’t work?”

Cadance smiled. “We’ll find out when it happens. All we can do is have hope.”

---

Each step of Sunset’s hoof was muffled by the deep snow that covered the land. The cold wind howling through her ears gave her a sense of comfort, while her eyes gazed up at the clear blue sky. Snow clung to her hooves, making it almost impossible to see where she was putting her hoof. The trail continued to follow a long winding path, leading toward a dense forest filled with pine trees. It took her a little longer than usual to reach the bottom of the slope.

As Sunset emerged from under the canopy of trees, she caught sight of a clearing ahead. She began slowly moving forward until she reached a small open area. In the middle of this clearing stood a single tree surrounded by large boulders. The rock formations formed a circle surrounding the tree, forming a perfect ring. Ancient markings adorned each of the rocks, symbols that Sunset couldn’t decipher.

She scanned the clearing, looking for movement, and noticed something strange among the trees. As she moved closer to investigate, she realized that some of the trees appeared hollow, while others were missing branches. There were numerous marks scattered throughout the clearing – some clearly visible, and others hidden underneath a thick layer of snow. They were obviously recent.

Sunset studied the markings carefully. Some of them resembled the symbol found on the map that led from the Saddle Arabia to the village, and she wondered what they represented. She had learned that the symbol used on that map was an ancient tribal sign. However, as far as she knew, it hadn’t been used in a-thousand years. She wasn’t sure whether it would translate to these markings or not.

Suddenly, a branch snapped somewhere behind her.

Instinctually she spun around, searching for the culprit. She didn’t have to search long. A figure broke through the undergrowth, stepping into the clearing. They wore a dark cloak with matching fur boots, which made their footsteps sound louder than they probably should have. As they stepped through the clearing, the figure stopped next to the tree. Their cloak swished along the ground behind them, revealing what appeared to be a leather armor covering their torso and legs.

Sunset hid behind a nearby tree. She peered cautiously over the trunk, watching them approaching the center of the ring of boulders and began walking towards the tree, pausing after every ten steps. Sunset observed them drawn nearer to the tree, their steps seemingly never faltering.

Once they finally reached the very center of the circle, the figure pulled off its hood, allowing Sunset to catch a glimpse of who it was.

A balding white coated earth pony stallion stood in the circle, staring silently at the tree. Weird markings covered his face. Some were geometric patterns and symbols she had never seen before. The markings themselves seemed to flow along his coat, disappearing behind his cloak. His eyes glowed a pale green as he stared at the tree. He didn’t move. Sunset was unsure what he was waiting for. It was only moments later that the stallion spoke.

“Master… Can you hear me?” He spoke in a deep yet soothing voice. His eyes remained fixed upon the tree.

Sunset was puzzled. She watched him intently; trying to understand what was going on. Is he talking to the tree?

“Master, I have accomplished my mission,” the stallion continued, “I have brought you what you have asked of me. It was rather difficult I may say but I managed to retrieve the orb you requested. It should help the situation greatly…”

The tree let out a sudden groan that echoed through the clearing. A gust of wind suddenly blew, making it feel colder than usual. The temperature dropped slightly too rapidly as it started to freeze the air. The stallion nodded to himself, still gazing upon the tree.

“Yes, yes, I know Master… I know,” the stallion paused. “But please don’t be angry with me. I did what you asked me to do. But things got out of hoof with the last one. Forgive me. I beg of you. Let me try again. Please.”

The tree swayed slowly, shaking slightly. The stallion flinched a little, though he stood tall. He didn’t look away from the tree.

“I… I won’t fail you again. But if you’ll hear it, I have news that you’ll find quite intriguing. After some studying, I have discovered an interesting thing that I believe would prove extremely beneficial to your cause. If we were to proceed as per plan, I believe it would allow our enemies to fall to ruin and you could easily rise to prominence,” the stallion spoke confidently.

The tree didn’t reply, merely rocking slightly from side to side.

“I found a way to release Nightmare Moon early from her prison.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes a bit. “Nightmare Moon…” She echoed, her gaze turning sharp. She recognized the name immediately. She recalled her time spent in her room when she read the story of the two sisters. One of the sisters was called Luna.

“Yes Master! But in order for this to work I need more time to find the fifth orb. It has become necessary that I travel to the Everfeee forest in order to recover the first orb. This is imperative.”

Still the tree said nothing, only swaying gently.

“Master please don’t be angry, I am so sorry. I will return as soon as possible. Do not concern yourself with my failure. You know I will succeed in retrieving the orb and returning to you. I must go now so I bid you farewell. May our meeting be pleasant.”

He bowed his head briefly before reaching the hood of his cloak and pulling it over his head. Once he was completely covered, he turned, passing the ring of boulders, walked over to the edge of the clearing and started forward, disappearing behind the trees. Leaving Sunset alone to ponder what she just heard.

Comments

[Star Shimmering]

“I found a way to release Nightmare Moon early from her prison.”

Oh dear…

[tsaukpaetra]

Not the orbs!