Chapter 6 - The Assault
[Saddle Arabia - Deep In The Sa’marea Desert - Two Hours Later]
The sun hung brightly in the sky above a vast and sandy desert. The heat poured off of the sand with wave upon wave, warping the surrounding area and making it appear, if anyone was watching, as if the sand itself were boiling. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolate sand. The sky was clear and blue, and there was no wind.
The only sign of any changes in the landscape was an ancient broken tower made of black and deeply polished stone. It was half buried in the sand. Whatever had once laid inside it was long gone, burned to ash or rotted away with the ravages of time.
Suddenly, the sand rumbled. A shockwave, barely perceptible, passed over. It briefly disturbed the sand but nothing more. It passed as quickly as a flash of lightning. There was silence for a good few minutes. Finally, there was an answering rumbling noise. The sand around the tower began to shift as a small, but oddly icy cold wind began to pick up. It began circling the tower itself, Slowly, a whirlwind picked up, the meeting of cold and hot air creating a massive vortex that scattered sand everywhere as it gained strength. The more time passed, the stronger it grew. Bolts of lightning flashed outward from it, striking the nearby sand more and more frequently. Dark clouds began forming above the tower, lowering the temperature considerably.
In an instant, the sand exploded and the tower disintegrated as a massive windigo burst forth from the sandy depths. The whirlwind immediately doubled in strength and size and the creature that had emerged took a step forward. It froze the once blazing sand around it as two more windigos emerged from behind the first, both raising their snouts into the air and sniffing.
The first one raised its head, took a deep breath, and let out a massive roar. Its companions lifted their heads and joined in the roar, adding theirs to the first.
With that, the three equine forms leaped into the air and headed east, leaving nothing behind but a vaporized and ice-covered tower and the desert in their wake. A tower that would eventually be buried by sand, never to be seen again.
[Helping Hooves Shelter - That Same Time]
Gregory’d had a quiet dinner with an equally quiet Twilight in his room later that evening. He’d wanted to ask her a few questions, but after seeing her face, decided to initially just hold off on them. However, halfway through the meal, Twilight roused herself and said that if he had any questions, she’d answer them. Caught off guard by this, Gregory’s first impulse was to ask if she knew anything about what had happened to Starlight Glimmer. She’d been one of his favorite ponies and he’d even bought a few kites for her, along with a few fantasy books I thought she might like.
Twilight's ears had flattened at the mention of her former student, and she’d looked down at her meal with a guilt-ridden expression. She explained that Starlight had left Ponyville with Trixie Lulamoon and had gone to the Crystal Empire. She’d then heard that the powerful unicorn and her two friends had begun construction on a massive project in the Unclaimed Lands between the Crystal Empire and Equestria. She was constructing a school for every creature around the known world and would be more of a cultural exchange type of school. Then again, she admitted she didn’t know much more, so her information could be wrong.
Gregory decided not to ask anything more that night. After the meal, Twilight had given him a weak ‘Goodnight’ before she slunk out. Gregory got ready for bed. He took a brief shower, changed his clothes, and crawled into bed despite the sun not having set yet.
However, despite his tiredness, his mind wasn’t tired now. Chiefly on his mind was the conversation he’d had with Jason. He went over it in his mind repeatedly, wondering if he’d said the right things. Now that he had time to think, he couldn’t help but feel that there was more merit to Jason’s words. He knew the man had gone through so much thanks to what he’d seen in his dream the night before, and a part of him wondered if he’d have been any better. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Not at Jason, but at the other ponies. Especially the Elements of Harmony he’d seen before returning to the castle. Again, he had yet to speak to them, but from what little he’d seen, it had appeared as if Rarity and Rainbow hadn’t learned a damned thing. He wasn’t as sure about Fluttershy or Applejack, however.
As for the rest of Ponyville, it seemed as if many, if not all of them, hadn’t learned a thing. He began wondering then if it was even a good idea to stay in Ponyville at all. Thinking back to Princess Luna’s offer to move him and his belongings to Canterlot, it sounded more and more tempting. He resolved that if he did have to go into Ponyville, he wouldn’t go unarmed. He was completely magicless and unprotected. He hated the thought of walking around armed, but with how the town had glared at him and Jason, he felt like there wasn’t any better option. Sure, he had his guards, but they were only two. What if a mob attacked him? They’d be overwhelmed for sure.
His mind continued to wander. He wondered about what was happening in the rest of the world. He knew that all had seen this trial and that trade to Equestria from these nations had been cut off. He had said certain things about other nations, but a year was long. Perhaps things had begun to look up for those places. Maybe he would be better off in a place like Griffonstone or even the Dragon Lands. Perhaps even the place where the zebras lived, whatever it was called in this world. Sure, the constant rhyming would take some getting used to, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for him.
Would it be wrong of him to leave? Were the affairs of the ponies and their plight any of his business? Would he be in the wrong to walk away from this? He was just one human, after all. It wasn’t like he could do much of anything, and the ponies might be more than glad to see him go.
With that sudden realization, his train of thought halted. He sat up, staring out at the room. The sun hadn’t yet set, and light shone in from the outside. He slowly removed the sleep mask on his forehead and set it aside. He got out of bed, walked over to his camping chair, and sat down in it, staring out at the scenery before him. The wind gently blew across the lake, creating small waves that lapped along the shores, and tree boughs slowly bent in the wind. A few clouds moved past in the sky. “They would be glad to see me go,” he said softly.
He began thinking hard. Was he wrong to want to stay and try and help? Were ponies so stubborn and reluctant to change that anything he did would go in one ear and out the other? He felt his heart sinking at the prospect. Still, a slightly growing part of him reasoned with and fed his growing doubts. Yes, the ponies he once idolized were nothing like how he’d imagined. He had accepted that. But he also knew that not all ponies were like that. They might be a minority, but they still were out there. Maybe it would be better to start with them instead?
He was jolted out of his thoughts by a soft knock at his door. He jumped up, heart racing. Before he could say anything, though, he heard a young-sounding voice from behind the door calling out, “Hello? Mr. Gregory? Are you in there?”
The voice sounded familiar to him, but at the moment, he couldn’t place it. Slowly, he approached the door. “Yes, I’m here,” he said a bit hesitantly. After the attack on his car, he’d locked his door and window for better protection.
Another voice, also somewhat familiar, answered and said, “Are you okay in there?”
Gregory was surprised by the genuine concern in the young-sounding voice. He nodded, then replied, “Yeah, I’m alright.”
“Can we come in?” a third voice, this one unfamiliar, asked with a bit of a hopeful tone.
“Come on; he won’t let us in,” a fourth voice said. This one he knew immediately since it sounded like Button Mash from the canceled YouTube series called Button Mash’s Adventures. “Can you blame him?”
“Hold on, give me a moment,” Gregory said as he quickly threw a pair of pants over his boxers and a t-shirt. He walked over to the door, unlocked it, and slowly opened it just a crack to get a peek out at whoever was there. He was surprised to see about nine foals around his door, looking up expectantly. He saw the familiar forms of Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Button Mash, Rumble, and a filly resembling Dinky Doo among them. However, his focus was more on Diamond and Silver. They looked concerned, while the other foals had varying degrees of surprise, curiosity, and concern on their faces. Even Button Mash was giving Gregory his full attention.
Diamond stepped back and raised a hoof, waving it at him in greeting. “Hi, Mr. Gregory,” she said politely, “My name’s Diamond Tiara. This is my friend Silver Spoon, and these are a few other fillies and colts.” She introduced Button Mash, Dinky Doo, Rumble, Snips and Snails, Toola Roola, and Coconut Cream. They all waved at him in greeting when being introduced.
Slowly, Gregory opened the door more, looking up and down the halls as if expecting something to jump out and get him. When he saw nothing, he looked down at the foals. “Well, it’s nice to meet you,” he said politely, “but isn’t it a bit late for you all wandering around? Where are the adults who are supposed to look after you?” He almost had said parents, but he went for a more generic phrase as he didn’t know some of their family situations.
Diamond’s face turned into a scowl. “They’re all having a pity party,” she said, “and they told us tonight we could have a sleepover anywhere.”
Gregory’s eyes widened slightly. “A pity party, huh?” He didn’t say anything, but he figured this had something to do with Jason’s taking of half the bits earned in Ponyville that year. Even so, he grew angry on the foals’ behalf. Who lets a group of foals loose? Today was bad for the adults in town, but these were just foals. Then again, he had no idea what childhood was like for foals. They could be teenagers for all he knew. He knew from his dream about Ponyville that Granny Smith was well over a hundred years old, so that they might have aged more slowly here. Even so, that was information to be gathered another day. Slowly, he knelt and faced the foals eye to eye. They didn’t flinch back as he asked, “Why did you want to see me?” He didn’t make it sound like some accusation because he was genuinely curious.
“We had nowhere else to go,” Rumble explained.
“We wanted actually to meet you, too,” Dinky added.
Gregory couldn’t tell why it happened, but what Dinky had said and how she’d said them warmed his heart. Slowly, he sat on the ground and faced them all. “Well, it’s nice to meet you all,” he said politely, raising his hand at them in greeting.
To his surprise, Button Mash trotted up and looked closely at his upraised hand in wonder. “Whoa…if I had these, I could play games much better,” he said.
“You and your games,” Rumble said as the young pegasus rolled his eyes.
Gregory couldn’t help himself. He chuckled as he replied, “Hands can do much more than just play games.” He snapped his fingers, drummed them on the crystalline walls, and made his middle and forefinger appear as legs on the ground as he made them walk before pulling them back. “And that’s just the beginning.” He stood slowly. “Do you all want to come in for a little bit?”
Diamond’s face lit up, as did the faces of the other foals. “Can we?” she asked.
Gregory nodded. “Sure, but there are a few rules. Rule one: please don’t touch anything of mine, for one. I won’t be able to get any replacements in this world, so I’d appreciate it if you respected that.” Diamond and the others nodded in agreement to this. “Rule two: don’t be too loud in here. I have two guards nearby who are probably already asleep, and I don’t want to wake them up. They’ve had a long day. And rule three…” he paused and considered. “Well, actually, I can’t think of anything else. So just don’t touch my things and don’t be too loud. Got it?” They nodded in agreement. Gregory stepped aside and opened the door wider. “Then come on in.”
The excitement on their faces shook his doubts about staying or going. They didn’t go away, but merely altered. Stepping aside, he pushed the door wide open and watched as all nine foals stepped inside, looking around. Most of them honed in on some of his belongings. He felt his worries melting away for the moment as he answered all of their questions about some of the things he’d brought. He started a fire as it was starting to grow a bit cool in the room. Soon, there was a roaring blaze and the firelight illuminated the room far better than the ever setting sun. His window looked eastwards, so he didn’t have the light of the setting sun in his window.
After a little while, one of the fillies, little Toola Roola, saw something on the still somewhat barren bookshelf. She turned to Gregory and pointed. “What are these?” she asked, pointing to a few books that Gregory had set there earlier.
He looked at the books she’d pointed to, and smiled. “Ah, these,” he said, reaching down and lifting the hardcover paper books up. “This is a book series written by one of the most famous human authors of my old world, J. R. R. Tolkien. There’s adventure, good versus evil, long journeys, and more. They’re good books.”
“A story? Mama used to read stories to me before The Trial,” Coconut said, “Can we read this story?”
Gregory noted that their eyes widened at that. Even Button Mash, who was looking at a portable gaming system he’d brought from Earth, looked intrigued by the notion. A sudden impulse came over him, and he pulled out the first book in the series. Setting the rest back down on the shelf, he headed back to bed, climbed into it and sat up against the back. Soon, he was inundated by the other foals as they climbed up onto the large bed, easing down into the cutest little ponyloaf form he’d ever seen. They all sat next to him, staring at him intently. Diamond was on his left and Silver on his right and the other surrounded him. Diamond and Silver were both looking at the book intently. Chuckling, he reached over, flipped on the lamp on the table, and opened the book. “Okay, is everybody ready?” he asked. When they all nodded eagerly, he cleared his throat. “The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Chapter One: An Unexpected Party. In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…”
[Manehattan Express - The Next Morning]
Spike sat against one of the windows of the train as the scenery moved past him. His expression was focused outwards, taking in the landscape before him. He hardly paid any attention to the attendants that tried to get his attention. The thought of another human in Ponyville filled him with too much dread. What if this Gregory was hurt? There was already an attack of some kind, although the details left the young drake heavily confused. Still, attacking someone’s property was not okay in the slightest. Especially if it was speciesist motivated.
‘Why didn’t Twilight notify anyone sooner?’ Spike thought. Spike then heard a small clanking hit the table in front of him as he looked down and spotted a single bit in front of him. “Huh?” He looked up and saw Cozy looking at him with concern on her face.
“Hey there, serious dragon. Bit for your thoughts?” she asked.
He sank back into the chair and looked out of the window again. “Oh, hey Cozy,” he replied somberly, “you don’t have to give me a bit to know my thoughts.”
“Well, how else am I going to get your attention?” she asked. “You missed lunch because you were being all pouty. Are you worried about meeting the new human? We should be in Ponyville in the next hour.”
“I wish this train would go faster, is all,” Spike replied, turning back to face Cozy. “Every second we waste getting there could mean another Jason incident!”
“You shouldn’t worry too much, Spike.” Gabby said as she popped up behind him. “I mean, I’m sure the princess is on top of things.”
“Twilight isn’t a princess anymore!” Spike reminded her.
“But Princess Luna and Prince Blueblood are the acting rulers now,” Feather Duster said. “Do you mean to say that those two aren’t on top of things?”
“It’s not that,” Spike said with a shake of his head, “but do you think they have time to do anything for this other human with the state of affairs in Equestria right now?”
“Yes, there are some hardships,” Feather said, “but I believe our work outshines the negatives.”
“Yeah! We’ve been doing a great job,” Gabby said optimistically, “and while Twilight might not be a princess anymore, I’m sure she sent similar letters to everyone she knows.”
“I think you’re more worried about meeting with Twilight on top of everything else,” Cozy said.
“...Yeah, it’s been a year since I’ve last seen her or been in Ponyville,” he admitted. “I know from the letter and the shelter that she’s at least trying to be better, but I can’t help but think that she believes I abandoned her…”
“Golly, that is a lot to consider,” Cozy said thoughtfully, “but that just means you have to tackle this with the same attitude you have for helping the CFE. Remember our motto!”
“We have feelings just like you. We feel pain, you can too. Why bring hurt and pain when smiles and friendship have more to gain,” everyone said in unison.
“That’s right,” Cozy said with a smile, “now, we’re going to turn these frowns upside down and make a new human friend!”
“You remind me of Pinkie Pie,” Spike said, “I hope she’s doing better at least.”
[Helping Hooves Shelter - That Same Time]
Gregory walked down the halls, Moonlight and Swift both at either side of him as they headed towards the doors to the guard house where his car was now stored. Gregory wasn’t planning on going into town that day, but instead was planning on checking on his car before exploring the castle more in depth with his two guards by his side. He’d had breakfast earlier with Twilight before she had to go and deal with a few other issues, which gave him and his guards the time he needed.
“Sir, I have to ask, what exactly is a car?” Moonlight asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice as they turned a corner.
“It’s a vehicle humans invented that can go over long distances in a short amount of time,” he explained as they came up on the large guardroom doors. “I just want to make sure that it’s alright and that nobody’s touched it.”
“Didn’t Miss Sparkle say earlier that she ordered the castle guards not to let anypony else touch it?” Swift asked.
“She did say that,” Gregory said, “but right now I want to make sure. Especially after she lied to me.”
“I understand, sir,” Swift replied somberly as they reached the doors. She opened the doors with her wing. “Here we are,” she said.
Gregory took in the guardroom. It appeared just as he remembered it, only not that he was coming in from the other door, he saw a bit more. There were a number of ponyquins lined up against the walls, some with guard armor placed on them and there were places where weapons would have been placed as well, but those places were empty. Right in the corner, looking untouched, was his vehicle. He headed towards the car and unlocked it, opening it and looking inside. The car’s interior lights illuminated everything still inside. He was glad that this room seemed to have some form of air conditioning since he spotted some of the drinks he’d brought with him were still there on the floor in front of the backseats. “Seems like it’s all still here,” he said.
“You thought somepony would try and steal your belongings?” Swift asked.
“They already tried to destroy this car,” Gregory replied, “and you saw how the ponies out there reacted to me and Jason. I’m not a complete idiot. I’m the kind of person who prepares for the worst but hopes for the best.”
As I was looking around, I spotted something I thought I’d grabbed. There were two small black ninja swords that he’d bought a few years before to hang on his apartment wall for decoration. They were extremely sharp and very sturdy. He pulled them out and looked at them carefully. The two guards joined him. “What are those?” Moonlight asked. “Are those some small swords?”
“They’re called ninja swords,” Gregory said as he drew one halfway out, displaying it for the two to see, “and before you ask, I bought them a couple years ago to decorate the walls of my old place.”
“I see,” she replied as Gregory sheathed the sword. “I don’t think I need to remind you about Princess Luna’s orders about you keeping weapons on you when you’re in town.”
“No, you really don’t,” Gregory replied as he leaned both curved blades against the car and headed back inside to check the rest of his things.
“You really packed a lot, didn’t you?” Swift asked.
“As much as I wanted to bring with me,” he said as he climbed back out of the car. He closed it, grabbed both of the small weapons and slung them over his shoulder. “Alright, looks like everything’s where I left it.”
“Are you not gonna unpack everything?” Swift asked as they headed back towards the door.
“Not yet,” Gregory said, “not until I know for certain that I’ll be staying here for a long time.”
“Understandable, sir,” Moonlight said.
As they walked down the halls, Gregory let his mind wander. He thought back to the night before. The foals had really seemed to enjoy the story he’d been reading. They’d asked plenty of questions about the story after he finished the first chapter and Gregory had happily answered them. They begged to come by again, and he’d relented after they gave him the cutest pleading faces he’d ever seen.
It dawned on him then that there was so much resentment on either side because there was so little known about each other besides the trial. The idea began forming in his mind. Sure, it might have been a naive idea, but it was still one worth trying. He wondered what would happen if the ponies were to see another side of humanity. The creative and adventurous mind that gave birth to tales like Harry Potter and Tolkien’s masterpieces. If the ponies could experience that same wonder that many children of Earth had with those books, then perhaps there could be some actual change and there could be some understanding between both races. Of course, he still had his questions, but asking questions was hardly taking action. Who knows? Perhaps Jason would even come around when he saw what he saw in the foals during the reading session. He held out hope for that but wasn’t sure if it would even happen.
Breaking out of his reverie, he cleared his throat and looked down at his guards. “Hey, do you think Twilight’s too busy now? I want to give her a proposal of sorts.”
“What kind of proposal?” Swift asked, sounding curious.
“Well, last night I read a human fiction book to a bunch of foals in my room,” he explained, “and they absolutely loved it.”
Moonlight frowned. “That wasn’t a wise thing to do, sir,” she said, “especially with tensions being so high.”
“Yeah, that was a stupid thing to do in hindsight,” he replied, “but it gave me an idea. I have a lot of human books and other stories that I brought with me to read and show. I think that if I showed ponies these things, then perhaps the animosity might drop.”
“The Princess should be free at the moment,” Moonlight replied, “and I believe she will like this proposal of yours as she has been struggling to find activities for the occupants.”
“Ex-princess,” Swift Sprint reminded her companion.
“Right, I know,” Moonlight replied, “but I find it easier to still refer to her as such. Force of habit.”
“I suppose what she’s doing now could be considered princess-like,” Swift Sprint replied, “although I wouldn’t call her a princess in her presence. I’m pretty sure she’s still a bit sore about the topic.”
“Hold,” a new gruff voice said. Gregory and his guards turned towards the voice and saw a small number of guards approaching them. There were six ponies there, all stallions. Each were wearing the armor of the Royal Guard. Gregory saw two unicorns, two earth ponies and two pegasi. One of the unicorns, clearly the leader, walked up to Gregory and his guards, looking up at him. “Are you the human known as Gregory?” he asked in a professional sounding tone.
“Yes, that’s me,” Gregory replied.
The stallion nodded in confirmation. “The rulers felt it prudent to add additional guard detail after the human Jason Wright’s arrival,” he said.
“May we see some credentials?” Moonlight asked.
The stallion pulled out a scroll with a seal on it, one that Gregory now recognized as belonging to Prince Blueblood. “You’ll find everything in order,” the unicorn said. He then turned to Moonlight and Swift. “I was also told to ask you two to come with me for a short debriefing to catch us up to speed. I will leave three of my guards with the human.” The lead stallion gestured to the aforementioned three ponies, which consisted of two earth ponies and one pegasus.
Gregory didn’t react, but every instinct in him was screaming at him that something was off. He tightened on the straps of the two blades that were slung against him. “Hurry back, you two,” he said, giving them a friendly smile.
As his guards left, one of the stallions, the pegasus, addressed Gregory now. “Sir, do you know of all the passageways to safety?”
“You mean emergency exits and such?” Gregory asked for confirmation.
“Yes sir,” the pegasus said, “I believe you should familiarize yourself with them in case something does happen like a fire or such. Having an extra hoof guiding others to safety is never a bad thing.”
Gregory nodded. It was a good idea, he knew, but he hesitated. “Not a bad idea, but I think I’d like to wait until Swift and Moonlight come back,” he said. He knew that those two at least were handpicked, or hoofpicked in this case, by Luna, but with things that had happened recently, he wasn’t too sure he could immediately trust these new guards. “Hopefully their debriefing won’t take too long.”
“The captain will inform your guards and will be there at the first passage once we get there,” the pegasus replied, “so it will be better for time constraints if we move there now.” With a slight shift in his eyes, the two earth ponies subtly move to surround Gregory.
‘Press X to doubt,’ Gregory thought to himself as he kept his peripherals on the earth ponies while keeping his focus on the pegasus. These guards didn’t look as friendly as his own. “I see,” he said. “Well, before we go, I’d like to go back and use the bathroom in my room really quickly. If we’re going to be wandering, I’d like to not have to stop for anything, especially if time is a constraint.”
The three ponies all shared a look before seemingly coming to a decision. The pegasus turned and gave Gregory a hate filled glare. “Tch, you humans are always making things difficult,” he snarled. “Fine, we’ll do this here. Seize him.”
The two earth ponies took a few steps before leaping for Gregory’s legs. The pegasus drew a knife of his own and took to the air, charging at him. Gregory grunted as he dove out of the path of the pegasus, only to find himself right in bucking range of the earth pony. “Ah, shit…” was all he could say before the earth pony reared up and slammed into his chest, sending him flying against the crystal wall. He gasped as he slid down, coughing up a bit of blood and winded. He’d managed to move a bit so that he hadn’t caught the full brunt of the buck, but he knew he was at least bruised there. He was now out of the circle that they’d formed around him, at the very least. He turned and saw the three ponies slowly advancing on him. Having no other options, he stood as quickly as he could, drew the two blades he had, urned, and ran down the hall.
However, it wasn’t long before the three caught up to him. The pegasus flew in front of Gregory, bringing his knife up for a downwards slash that was clearly aimed for his head. Gregory barely managed to move his head out of the way before attempting to counter with a swipe of his own. The pegasus, however, was ready and easily parried the blow. He went for a stab at Gregory’s chest, but the human ducked and elbowed the guard’s exposed stomach. The blow managed to send the pegasus stumbling back as the two earth ponies took his place. Gregory faced them, his two weapons held up in a defensive position. He spat out blood and sweat poured down his face. “The hell did I ever do to you?!” he shouted, now angry.
“You’re not wanted here, you furless freak!” one of the earth ponies spat.
“Yeah, one stinking monkey is bad enough,” the other earth pony added.
“You think after putting my family out in the streets that we were going to be pals?” the pegasus finished, still brandishing his own blade. “Not a chance in Tartarus!”
Gregory took a deep breath. His chest hurt, but it didn’t feel like his bones were broken at least. He held his weapons up once more. “Pals? I don’t even know you! And besides, I didn’t have anything to do with what happened between you and Jason!”
The attackers didn’t reply, but instead moved to attack Gregory again. One of the earth ponies tried to buck at his leg, but Gregory sidestepped him and kicked out his foreleg, sending the pony sprawling. However, the other earth pony managed to tackle the human to the ground. Gregory used his taller stature to roll the two of them and tried to choke the pony out. He grabbed the stallion around the neck and applied pressure, not wanting to kill him but to just knock him out. The stallion struggled for air against Gregory’s grip before the latter caught a glint in the distance. Suddenly, Gregory felt a seering white hot pain on his left arm, forcing him to break the hold and drop the knives that were still in his hands. Gregory looked around and saw a bloody knife embedded in the wall while a new gash bled on his forearm. The pegasus quickly flew to his position with malicious intent in his eyes.
He dove out of the way, grabbing both knives again, but his pony attackers weren't finished. Soon, the pegasus lunged at him again, slashing this time at his face. Gregory reared his head back but he felt a fresh pain on his face which was right above and below his eye. He screamed, dropping the knives again and holding his hand up to his eye. He screamed as blood poured from the wound, making him temporarily blind in his left eye. Even then, he didn’t have time to rest. He tried to grope for his blades, found one of them, and opened his right eye. The pegasus was there, looking smugly at him while the other two earth ponies were advancing on him. He backed away as best as he could.
The pegasus was a little more confident now and lunged at Gregory again, looking to plant his hooves against the human’s throat. In desperation, Gregory screamed and swung his blade just as the pegasus flew by him. The blade connected with something and sliced through it cleanly. There was a splash of blood as the pegasus screamed in utter agony, tumbles down from the air and slamming against the wall. Gregory heard a sickening crunch before the pegasus slid down the wall onto the ground. His two companions lost their smug grins as the pegasus writhed in pain. One of his wings hung limply against his back in an awkward angle, but the other was clearly missing. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that Gregory’s blade had managed to sever the other wing clean off through most of its tendons, leaving said wing lying on the floor surrounded by blood.
It was a gruesome sight that made the remaining ponies sick. Seeing that they were distracted, Gregory charged at the two ponies and plunged his knife into the guard’s shoulder without hesitation. He quickly pulled it out, spun, and used the handle to bash the side of the earth pony’s head. There was a loud crunch and the pony collapsed, completely out cold. However, the other guard was on Gregory’s blindside and landed a strong buck against Gregory's chest once again. Gregory felt the wind leave his body as he flew a short distance and hit the wall again. The earth pony wasted no time lunging at the human and putting one hoof against his neck. Gregory tried to breathe, but couldn’t as the earth pony had cut off his airflow. He looked around desperately for one of his blades, but found that it was out of reach. He saw black spots beginning to form on the edge of his vision, and he briefly wondered if this was how he was going to die.
The earth pony reared up in order to smash Gregory’s face in with his free hoof. Suddenly, a blur slammed into the pony, knocking him away. Wheezing and taking in great gulps of air, Gregory tilted his head up to see Swift Sprint on top of the earth pony. She was giving him the same treatment he had just gone through. Moonlight was holding the second and still unconscious earth pony in her magic, glaring at him. Twilight was also there, looking horrified at the amount of blood on the ground along with tthe severed wing. Slowly, Gregory leaned onto his right elbow, pushed himself up with his good arm, then grabbed the nearer one of his blades, gripping it tightly as he glared with righteous anger at the three attackers.
“Gregory, s-stop! Y-you need medical a-attention!” Twilight stammered out, the sight of blood clearly making her queasy.
He whirled on her and she flinched in terror as his eyes locked onto her. He was breathing heavily and was extremely pissed. However, he quickly looked around. Swift was still pummeling the first earth pony, Moonlight held the second in her magic, and the pegasus was trying to crawl to his wing, whimpering and moaning. He suddenly felt the adrenaline rush begin to wear off and he dropped his blade, sending it clattering onto the floor below
The last sound Gregory heard before darkness overwhelmed him was Twilight shrieking, “GREGORY!!!”
[Klugetown - Later That Evening]
Klugetown didn’t belong to any one nation, as it was considered no-creatures land. The sun was already starting to set, and the Klugetown marketplaces were starting to shut down. Most stall owners tended to wait until the burning sun overhead was gone and for the air to cool down considerably before they began taking their stalls down for the night.
Among the crowd, two Abyssinian mollies were walking down the stalls, looking for some late night meal before heading home. The older molly was named Mimi who was heading down the street with her only daughter Ginger. Ginger was about thirteen and had lived in town her whole life. Her mother had moved to the town after being chased out of Abyssinia for having Ginger. Mimi loved her daughter very much and worked hard to teach Ginger about their culture and to keep her safe. In a town like this, lawless and unforgiving, young children were especially vulnerable to being kidnapped.
“Mama, can we get some sausages?” Ginger asked hopefully.
Mimi looked into her coin purse. There weren’t many in the pouch, but Ginger had been behaving very well lately. She smiled down at her daughter. “We can get one. Only one, though.”
Ginger nodded. “Yay!”
“If it’s sausages you two seek, then over here why not take a peak?” a deep male voice called out from nearby.
Mimi turned and saw a familiar face. Mpishi, their neighbor and one of the best cooks she knew, was waving them to his own stall. As they approached, Mimi could smell the tantalizing scent of meat roasting over a grill. “I have to tell you, that smells delicious,” she said, her mouth watering. “What kind of meat is that?”
“What other kind is there indeed? A fishy sausage, if you have need,” Mpishi replied.
Mimi chuckled and asked, “How much?”
“While normally I ask for ten, I think for you I can go down again, For five coins, two can be yours. I hope that makes your hearts soar,” Mpishi said.
“Can we get four at that price?” Mimi asked, unable to believe her good luck.
Mpishi simply nodded and put four fish sausages in a paper bag. Mimi handed him the aforementioned five bits, and gave two sausages to her daughter. The little Abyssinian kitten began eagerly eating heartily. As they did so, Ginger looked up and noticed a small piece of metal hanging from his stall in the shape of a horse. She raised her eyebrow and, with food in her mouth, she pointed and asked, “What ish dat?”
Mpishi looked up at the folded paper, smiled, then turned back to Ginger. “It is a talisman, young one, for it protects us from what we can’t outrun.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?” Ginger asked after she’d swallowed.
Mpishi looked at her, then back up at Mimi. “Perhaps, to celebrate our sale, we could engage in a rousing tale?”
Mimi almost sighed. Mpishi was known to have many stories from his homeland of Zebrica. Her daughter always ate them up and would go out and pretend she was on adventures afterwards. Still, her daughter had been behaving, and even she had to admit hearing about old stories from him was enjoyable. “Yeah, we have a bit of time.”
“Something new this time!” Ginger begged.
Mpishi chuckled and gave them both a stool to sit on. After they did so, the zebra leaned closer, grinning. “A new tale you wish me to tell? Well then, let all your fears be quelled. A tale of windigos I bring, for of their bitter presence we sing.” He lowered his voice as he settled into his storytelling mode. “In far off lands, in times of old, this tale of windigos is told. For zebras, twas a time of strife. Wars were too common, and disease was rife. Our tribes were scattered every which way, but more of that time, I cannot say. Our hatred was of a fiery sort, our anger hot, our temper’s short, until one day when the sun was high, a cold white windigo did fly among the warring zebrafolk and our anger it did evoke. The zebra wars did escalate, our minds consumed with endless hate until one day, tired and worn, one sounded the Gjallarhorn. Our ancient leaders came together and spent one month to confer the terms of peace that stand today. With that the windigos flew away. Since then, Zebrica has been at peace, and all hostility has ceased.”
“Whoa…windigos? I thought that happened only to ponies!” Ginger said in awe. Mimi nodded in agreement. She knew of the tales of the windigos attacking the so-called harmonious ponies before their nation was founded. Many knew it.
Mpishi shook his head. “Wherever hatred tends to brew, the windigos may attack anew. For on our loathing do they feed, so hark, for it only takes one seed.”
“He’s right, sweetie,” Mimi said. “Hatred can bring windigos, so don’t hate anyone.”
“Hah! You three believe that still?” a new voice came out from nearby. When the three turned, they saw a group of five assorted creatures standing nearby, grinning at them. Their leader, a large turtle-like bipedal creature, stepped forward. “Windigo’s are just some old story meant to scare children into behaving. Hatred brings them out? Please! There’s nothing about that story that rings true anywhere!”
“I would not be so quick to dismiss, for the world is vast and not full of bliss,” Mpishi replied, giving the young group a slight frown.
“Butt out, you old goat,” one of the group, ironically a bipedal goat-like creature, snapped as he tore off the talisman and threw it on the ground, shattering it.
Mpishi’s frown deepened. “You shouldn’t have done that, my friend, for now things here may come to an end.”
“Hah! Listen to this old bastard talking about old fairy tales,” another one said as he shoved on Mpishi’s stall, sending a bit of it falling. “Your precious statue couldn’t protect you from that, eh old stallion?”
Before anyone else could say anything, however, the ground rumbled slightly, like a wave had passed underneath them. Startled, Mimi grabbed her daughter and held her close. The five youths stood still and looked around, confused. Others in the area who were still working or who were putting their stalls away stopped and looked around. The streets were quiet as everyone listened. Half a minute passed with nothing happening.
Just as everyone began going back to what they were doing, there was a loud roar that came from the south. Another rumbling was felt and a shockwave of some sort flew through the streets, sending dust flying. Mimi held onto her daughter as a second roar, closer than the first but identical to it, was heard.
At that, the temperature around them began to plummet drastically. In only a clawful of seconds, Mimi could see her breath, something she hadn’t seen in years. Nearby, Mpishi snorted and rushed out of his stall up to Mimi and Ginger. “Take heed, my friends, and run with me! Some shelter over there I see!”
Mimi stood and began running after Mpishi. By now, the roars and rumblings were getting louder and others were beginning to panic. Buildings were shaking more and more and things were beginning to fall. Mpishi ran through the falling debris until they reached a large pair of basement doors, which he flung open.
However, before they could enter, the five youths from before shoved Mpishi, Ginger and Mimi out of the way, climbing inside before swiftly closing it. Mimi heard, to her dismay, the sound of a lock being thrown. Mimi rushed over and slammed on the door, the temperature now definitely below zero. “Let us in! Hurry!”
“This is our hiding place,” one of them shouted, “and there’s no more room!”
“My daughter’s out here! Let us in please!” she begged, tears streaming down her face. The wind had picked up and the screams of other creatures could be heard behind. Many were screaming in pain and for help while others were shouting out many various names.
“Come along, Mimi, they won’t be kind. They think nothing of leaving us behind,” Mpishi said, putting a hoof around her and pulling her away. “Another place of hiding we should seek before Faust’s face herself we’ll peek.”
Mimi was reluctant to leave, but one look at her now terrified daughter told her that she shouldn’t just be idle. She stood and began running again. By now she was joined by throngs of other creatures, running or flying for their lives. The latter, though, were having more and more trouble as an icy wind blew harder and harder with each passing second.
Mpishi turned down an abandoned alley, leading the two abyssinians through the crumbling buildings until he reached a small door. Turning, he bucked at it a couple times until it broke open. The three entered and Mpishi quickly began stacking crates up against the door. In the dark, Mimi’s nighttime vision picked up that they were in some kind of small storage room. She held Ginger close as she searched frantically for either something to burn or something to wrap her and her daughter in. It took a couple of minutes but she found a few dirty and ragged cloaks. “Mpishi! Over here!”
The zebra joined them about a minute later, following the sound of Mimi’s voice. Soon all three were huddled underneath the cloaks, trying to block out the cries of people outside and the roars of whatever was attacking the city. Poor Ginger was freaking out so badly. Mpishi began singing some old lullaby in the native Zebrican language, and that helped revive their spirits.
As the sounds of the screams lessened and the roars increased, the temperature dropped incredibly fast. Mimi was terrified that she and her daughter would die from the cold. Not wanting any of her daughter’s potential last memories to be of her panicking, she rocked her young kitten in her arms, humming along to Mpishi’s song. Strangely, she felt a bit of warmth coming from above them, and it revived her a bit.
Hours must have passed. Mpishi and Mimi took turns singing and telling stories to young Ginger to keep her and themselves from panicking. The warmth slowly increased. Finally, the roaring from outside stopped altogether. The three waited a bit, still telling stories and singing. An hour later, they removed the cloaks from where they were, only to realize that whatever warmth they had felt came from a nearby purple flame that had somehow caught a nearby crate on fire.
After warming themselves considerably by the fire, the three made their way back to the door. What they found was utter destruction. The entire city had been buried in ice and snow. The sky was full of clouds and snow was still falling, but gently now. The three wandered the streets, heading back the way they’d come. When they reached the first basement where they’d tried to hide, they found the doors wide open. Mpishi looked inside, and the look on his face told Mimi all she needed to know.
“What…what do we do now?” Ginger asked.
Mimi reached down and stroked her daughter’s head gently. “Everything’s going to be alright, sweetie,” she said. “It just means that we’re gonna be moving, is all.”
“Moving where?” Ginger asked.
“A land far south could be our salvation,” Mpishi replied, “For the hippogriffs have a peaceful nation.”
Mimi nodded. She didn’t want to stay here anymore, but hadn’t had the funds to move. Now, with the entire town destroyed, she had more than enough motivation. “Alright, sweetie. We’re going to move south.”
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I have a feeling the attack was part of the nobles' plan, stage an attack by the Royal Guards to prove that Gregory is not safe there and no pony can be trusted to protect him, all the more reason to put him in a "gilded cage."
But why do it
It troo
Where does this fit in to the story it supposedly branches from?
Wonder what place the Wendigos will strike next?
Wow, so they're so far up their own asses that that attack someone who had nothing to do with their current situation and that was a fault of their own actions. Really makes you thick if their species is worth saving at this point.
11628588
From how AJ looked ashamed when she met Gregory, she's probably accepted she was in the wrong.
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Alternate Universe of A New Ending
if Gregory does decide to move to Canterlot, he'll have to give Luna a request to ensure that nopony tries anymore similar stunts with him, especially Blueblood and the other bigots.
It is unfortunate that the Horn can't protect Gregory like it can protect the other species.. Though considering what happened with the dreams, it makes me wonder if the Gjallarhorn has to take a moment to warm up for Gregory, since he is from the human world and not magic yet.
I called it that the nobels were trying to do something nasty to Gregory. If it weren't Gregory's instinct, the outcome would be worse. And oh crap, the windegos are spreading like The End of Tomorrow.
11631266
It would be a poor attempt, sending 3 guards to distract the original 2 and have the other 3 try to kill him, and one claimed his family was put out on the streets because of Jason, implying all of them were from Ponyville. Now consider the order was given by Blueblood, perhaps the guards specifically chosen by him even, while the other 2 were sent to town by Luna. Given that the town until word spreads still believe the Horn protects Gregory, this would call into question his own competence and there would've been reason to believe he told them Gregory was vulnerable. Now there are 3-6 guards, one of which dismembered, being charged with attempted murder, and what did they get in return for what was likely an order or expected result and throwing their lives away? Luna was adamant on him being protected and harsh punishments, but he was attacked and almost killed by guards chosen by Blueblood, likely without her knowledge.
The smarter option would've been to just bribe a few ponies to distract the guards and attack him, probably Filthy's guards or whoever. If he does get put in any gilded cage, it's going to be monitored by Luna at all times.
Almost as a side note, I wouldn't be surprised if either Luna rescinds her no weapons order or Gregory ignores it and keeps at least one on his person at all times after this stunt.
11631435
She would have to rescind it. He wouldn't have needed his weapons if his guards were around, and even without weapons or magic, the amount of damage a pony can do with just their hooves can be grounds for attempted murder. Whether it's because they're just that strong, the fact non-ponies typically have no magic which could mean less durability, or hooves just being that much harder, those are like hammers. They didn't just attack first, they used weapons, aiming for vitals or otherwise important areas. It's because he used weapons that he even survived, though considering how human weapons, or at least bullets, are basically made out of magic nullifying materials, his swords alone would be an equalizer in close quarters. She can't rightly punish him or deny his best options for self defense when something like this happened because of her guards, and by extension, her failure.
I called it, but it happened sooner than I thought it would. I was expecting at least a little more “false hope” before his dreams of fixing things were shattered… Kinda clumsy on Bluebloods part though, if he wanted to use false guards to attack Gregory he should have made sure any sign of his involvement was non-existent. This hints two things to me…. One is that he’s simply incompetent… alternatively…. He might be purposefully setting up the nobles to destroy themselves making Equestria a better place in the long run… if only at the cost of creating a martyr… and a lot of dead horse meat… including himself.
Think about it, even knowing how corrupt the nobles are, Celestia did little to hone them in… she actually enabled them, excusing it as depression. Luna might be biding her time, but she might also just be unwilling to clean house… as any punishment would also affect the nobility’s extended family who might be innocent, thus, making her hesitant to do something to actually deal with the problem once an for all. Blueblood might be playing a game of “needs of the many vs the few” in his mind, which doesn’t make him a “good guy” obviously, more like an anti-hero I suppose?
Gregory dies at the hooves of ponies…. Cozy Glows group is incensed…. Cities and towns burn as they turn to violence, seeing their peaceful protests as ineffective. Countries outside of Equestria begin to take notice and soon learn of what has happened… Luna is backed into a corner, where she has for respond quickly and harshly… to add to her lack of choice… she might “mysteriously” find some detailed recordings and documents in Bluebloods possession leaving little room for doubt of the nobility’s guilt… all according to plan…
Remember… the horn didn’t react negatively to Blueblood… I feel that might be important later…
11631848
Which is what I'm half expecting, but it's possible there was a loophole:
He was acting to improve Equestria's image, he didn't answer the question, and while he didn't say anything to trigger the Horn, he only stated it was his duty as a prince, meaning either he was required by law to see justice done, or he was spewing the right nonsense to not trigger it and force others to rush him so he couldn't.
He's a hard person to predict.
The moral of this chapter: walking around without a firearm in a place where almost everyone wants to kill you is a really stupid way to die. Stay strapped or get clapped, Luna's orders be damned.
I personally wouldn't have followed Luna's no-weapons order in the first place, but that's just me.
11631330
At this rate, if he has any brains he’s going to earnestly question how safe even Canterlot could be for him once he wakes up again. (For just one thing, it’s basically Royal Guard Central, and how likely he is to trust any more of those guys beyond his original two anytime soon after this incident, well...) Moving out of Equestria altogether could well be the safest option at least in the short term. Hmmm, wasn’t there something about somepony recently opening a school to bring all sorts of cultures into better contact with each other? Maybe that place could use a genuine ‘alien’ and his perspective...
11634186
Besides, "eye for an eye", originally, was the upper limit, basically saying that if the bad guy took one of your eyes, you can only take one of his eyes as retribution (not both eyes, not kill him). Basically, a fair punishment according to the crime (to do him what he did to you).
Of course, modern sensibilities say that violence is bad, so we do not like corporal punishment etc, instead we basically have two options - monetary fines, which could be painful for the poor, but not so for the rich or prison.
Well, what the ponies did to Jason definitely would deserve prison time - but would it help? At least the main 6 would probably be treated well there (both by guards and by other prisoners since what they did seemed quite normal for a lot of ponies). Yes, it is a punishment and most people do not want to go to prison, still, I doubt that putting Twilight and most of Ponyville in prison for varying number of years would make them reconsider their actions.
11632027
It makes sense because if he Gregory kills a pony, even if justified, it politically puts her in a no win situation. She's also unaware Blueblood and Co are behind it (who else would be able to give legit credentials?). At this point, Luna needs to clean house completely and Gregory needs to be armed at all times.
Jason probably will be like, "I told you so. Didn't even make it 24 hours after I warned you."
This is really bad, and hopefully, Gregory won't give up and go where his chances at friendship at, with the foals of the next generation.
11631868
He knows the game very well. This is classic lawyer speak and it's not for good....
11634662
She may be unaware now, but the seal on the message was Blue's seal, meaning it came from him or it came from a pony going behind his back to create this situation, most likely the former. And yeah, it's definitely a problem when people can be so specific in their choice of words that they can't rightly be called out on their bullshit. It also wouldn't be hard to have the guards and their families investigated, at least one set is on the streets or living with Twilight right now, and while ponies are known to act before thinking, they still would've needed good incentive to throw their freedom, even their lives away after explicit warning from Luna.
Blueblood's seal is incriminating enough, especially given the choice of guards being grounds to question his competence or accuse him of intent, and if the guards and their families are suddenly wealthier with money Jason can't collect because it doesn't count as income, but bribery, that's about as obvious as taking out a fresh insurance policy from a murdered spouse.
Gregory isn't safe in Ponyville, even less because the town won't care the guards tried to kill him, but that he defended himself at all, and Canterlot leaves him more vulnerable to manipulation from the nobles. It won't help in the slightest that Rainbow and Rarity hate him because of Jason, and the town may try to act on that.
Nice story so far
I just had a thought and it won the arguement so I have to tell it.
What if Jason had showed them Gen V telling them it was the future where all the three pony tribes had been separated again.
(Now what I'm about to say might not be official canon on what happened, I dont know I haven't watched the rest)
I mean what would that say to them, that even though in a different reality where Jason didn't come to equestria and even after the school of friendship came to fruition. Under twilights rule, no matter what, equestria came to ruin.
Why did it happen? (Don't know did watch the next chapter) because of the civil Rights issues that have been plaguing equestria since its founding.
Even though Jason wasnt there to reveal Equestria's ugly side, the horrific deeds of equestria still would be revealed. If not by Jason then who?
Maybe a donkey factory worker who got sick and tired of making less then a pony, while the equestrian crown continues to spout all that "Harmony" garble.
Maybe a griffon father who it disgusted by the fact that he has to go through so many hoops just to put his little girl to a public school.
Even if twilight opened up the school of friendship doesnt mean every single pony is alright with that fact. Maybe some ponies arent really happy with the idea of a bunch of "inferior," "treacherous," "good-for-nothing," Savages be in there back yard.
Then a civil war happens... though alot happens before that. Guess I should...
So twilight after the truth finally does reach her she is horrified obviously and tries to make reforms as quickly as possible. But the nobles not to keep losing their borderline slave labor start to."make a complaint" also known as, Create an entire anti-non-pony group, by exploting the fears and predjucdes of low income ponies who are looking for something or someone to blame for their lack luster living conditions
This all takes a few years of course.... then civil war happens...
...yeah I'm just making shit up as i go at this point...
mall bought swords 'strong and sturdy' snerk.