Chapter 15: Dodge
Chapter 15
Dodge
The sun’s light coyly made its way into Twilight’s bedroom, brightening up the room through the small pair of windows. She groaned from the visual irritation, bringing up a hoof to cover her eyes.
As soon as all of her senses came to her, she quickly remembered the reason why she had such a troublesome sleep last night. She trotted downstairs, heading straight to Spike’s room. The round bed inside the dark room was empty and the window curtains were closed.
He wasn’t at the train station when Blink left the other day and he usually wasn’t late either. Growing worried, she drew open the curtains, flooding the room in the morning’s light. The small chamber had nothing special to it and no furniture save for the round bed and a couple of nightstands. Twilight then noticed something was missing: it was Spike’s picture of the two of them and the gem from Rarity he kept since the diamond dogs incident. Instead of those two precious belongings, a letter was resting on the edge of the nightstand.
She hastily grabbed the parchment and started reading it, her eyes darting back and forth over the words written by her very own assistant and best friend. As those words sunk in deeper and deeper into her mind, and the realization of the painful truth settled in, her whole world felt like it had collapsed around her. She barely heard the knock on the library’s door and she didn’t even notice the unicorn that has made her way in the tree house and was standing in the door.
Twilight turned to Rarity, her eyes teared up. The sight of her friend sparked an internal battle of emotions, not knowing how to react in that situation. Judging by the look in Twilight’s eyes, the dragon’s empty room and the letter floating next to the librarian, Rarity instantly realised what happened. She turned her eyes away from the hurting unicorn, desperately searching for words that would defuse the situation.
“Twilight, I-”
“He left,” she said, tears running down her face, her eyes focused on the fashionista, “he left because of you!”
*** *** ***
Celestia was going through the documents that demanded her attention, sealing off one last official letter. With a faint glow of her horn the letter disappeared, and with it her duties for the day. She stepped off from her office chair, making a mental note to dedicate some time one day to pick a new chair. After a few decades of sitting in that one in particular, the need to have something new in her life, even that small, surpassed the strength of her conservative nature.
Celestia then made her way through the castle’s halls, taking her time to admire the beautiful garden that could be seen through the huge windows of the interior court. Without needing to be in any place particular, she decided it would be a good time to take a walk through Canterlot, spend some time with her subjects or just visit some shops and get the feel of what was popular those days. She didn’t do that very often, to her regret. After all, what was the point of watching over that nation if she could not live among the normal ponies every now and then?
All of a sudden a chilling breeze nipped at her mane, making Celestia stop in her path.
Celestia . . .
The Princess turned her head, trying to figure out who had just called her name in a whisper like that.
“Luna, Is that you?” Her voice echoed against the walls of the long, empty corridor.
There was no response. Celestia felt a strange presence, but soon realised it wasn’t one of Luna’s pranks. It was a far darker presence and it was coming from outside. She fleetly made her way out of the castle, taking vigilant steps into the huge courtyard. The gardeners had probably finished their work, as there was nopony in sight. The cold and dark feeling kept giving Celestia chills down her spine as she walked deeper into the garden. After passing a fountain surrounded by a tall living green wall, she looked down the path in front of her and found the unmistakable source of her nervousness.
Celestia took a deep breath, donning her regal mask before approaching the lone pony. He was a dark, one might say black earth stallion, standing quietly in the middle of an open area of the garden, his eyes glancing over the beautiful display of pastels the royal garden had to offer. The Princess approached him with a mixture a confidence and curiosity, suspecting the reason he had to visit her. She ignored the small area of dead flowers and grass around the dark stallion, stopping a couple of feet behind him, her royal poise leaking with nervousness.
“Did you call for me?” she asked.
The dark stallion turned towards the monarch, studying her discretely. “Yes, yes I have,” he simply responded.
“Are you here because of my decision regarding Blink’s fate?” the alicorn continued, her curiosity rivaling with her nervousness. “I know that it’s uncommon for you to . . . visit, especially me instead of Luna.”
“Indeed it is, but this is an uncommon situation after all,” he serenely stated, returning his attention to the garden in front of him.
Celestia grew impatient, but there were only a very few instances in which she could not be her authoritarian self, and this was one of them. It was an extremely rare occurrence, but whatever the reason for this visit was, she knew it was important.
“I just wanted to ask you, was the decision you mentioned made with consideration to your subjects’ well-being and their well-being alone?” the stallion simply asked.
“No, not entirely,” Celestia immediately responded. There was no reason to lie about it, there was no way she could have anyway. “It was also the only way I thought I could protect my student, I hope you understand.”
The dark pony turned his head towards the Princess again, apparently showing interest at the mention of Celestia’s student. He gave that idea a thought, remembering the very important detail that had previously skipped his mind.
“Ahh, the Lifebringer . . . I must say, I’ve forgotten to apologize for the rather delicate situation I’ve put you in, it rarely happens, save for you and your sister, of course.”
“Having two Touched ones in the same-”
“Exactly. But even under the current circumstances, I will have to remind you that a Watcher’s duties do not include meddling in their lives. Luckily, there seems to be no issues with your decision, it’s like Blink’s unexpected journey is just what the doctor ordered, if I may use one of your species' sayings,” the stallion said with a light chuckle.
“In that case, why did you trouble yourself to visit?” Celestia asked, further betraying her curiosity.
“I just wanted to make sure you understand that things will get a little . . . unpredictable in the future. You probably remember the times when you were a Lifebringer and your sister, a Deathbearer, don’t you?”
“That was a different Cycle, we don’t bare those titles anymore! We are more than that now,” Celestia protested half-heartedly.
“Yes, but your decisions and actions were unaffected by the personal desires of your Watcher then, and that is how I want things to be this Cycle as well, have I made myself understood?” Death asked, slightly raising his voice.
Celestia kept her pose, but her internal core was shaken by the deep voice. It was so unlikely for her to be talked into submission, but this time she couldn’t protest or complain at all, considering who was standing in front of her.
“I . . . I understand.”
“Good. I really do not want you or your sister to disappoint us, my brother has a lot of faith in you and I do as well. You have been very good Watchers so far, given your public exposure to the creatures of this planet. I will make my leave now, please tell your sister I said hi and good luck with your duties, both as a princess and as a Watcher.”
The dark stallion did not wait for the alicorn’s response, and he stood up and began walking straight ahead of him. As he went on, the grass around his hooves and the flowers near him dried up and died but soon his body started to slowly fade away into oblivion.
Celestia remained in her spot, staring to where Death had been moments before. She let out a sigh, trying to recollect her thoughts. It’s been so long since she received a visit like that but there was something else troubling her. His words were stuck in her head in an endless loop that wouldn’t give her peace at all.
Things will get unpredictable in the future.
She tried to ignore them, but no matter how much she wanted to shelter herself from it, that was the truth. There hasn’t been a more volatile period of her reign like the present and living while knowing, or in fact, not knowing what was to come made her feel permanently on edge. As Watchers, she and her sister could take comfort in feeling how the future might unfold. They were not seeing events destined to happen but they always felt deep inside their core if things were to go good or bad at some point ahead of time. It was the same feeling she had a millennia ago, right before Luna’s descent into darkness. It scared her greatly, and not even Blink’s departure managed to wave that feeling away.
At that point, one thing was certain for the Princess of the sun: the future was dark, clouded by a veil of uncertainties that even she couldn’t lift.
*** *** ***
The Ponyville train station had been particularly quiet for the last couple of hours. Silver Wisp surveyed the platform, noticing the same stallion that had been waiting on a bench for the last minutes. He then looked up at the large clock and figured the next train would be arriving soon, and then he’ll be alone with the other two guards again. The night was slowly settling in, the chilly air of the autumn’s end pulling at his mane.
“Kyle . . . hey Kyle!” he called for the other guard.
Kyle, a large unicorn stallion, appeared from around the station’s corner with an annoyed look plastered on his face.
“What is it this time?” he asked grumpily. The guard stepped onto the platform, his perfectly polished armor denoting his starkness and dedication to his job. “You’re next on perimeter patrol, by the way.”
“Wha-at? No way man, I’m not doing patrol duty on a nearly empty train station. Those ponies are never going to show up anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter. We have our orders from high up; none of the Elements’ bearers are to leave Ponyville for another two days,” Kyle cut him off.
“And what are you going to do if they decide to do that anyway? That Twilight gal is Celestia’s student, she beat Discord twice!” Silver uttered in a rather praiseful tone.
“I heard it was that strange guy who actually got rid of Discord,” a third voice came from above, “the one that got banished. What was his name? Blank or something like that?”
The two guards on the platform looked up through a gap in the rain cover, where the other guard stood, having just landed from his air patrol.
“He’s not our concern. How’s the area?” Kyle asked the pegasus.
“Seemed clear, captain. Can we call it a night already? Wife’s waiting for me back home and-”
“We’ll break camp after the last train leaves. So you’d better . . . ohh you have got to be kidding me!”
The other two guards turned towards where Kyle was looking and noticed a purple glow approaching fast. The unicorn guard grabbed a parchment from his satchel and magically sent it away in a puff of smoke.
“Damn featherbrain, you said the area was clear,” Kyle chided the pegasus after sending the message.
“Well, it was. Is that the mare on our list? Seems she has a few friends with her as well.”
The unicorn brought a pair of goggles to his eyes, pointing them towards Ponyville. Casting a night vision spell on the military-grade lenses, he could clearly tell apart five ponies approaching the station at a fast pace and a multicolored one hovering above them. They appeared to be having an argument, all five of them following the purple mare.
“Yeah, that’s her, Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements of Harmony. Damn it, why couldn’t they stay home? Remember, they are not allowed to board the train. Help will arrive soon.”
“Help? I don’t know about that, captain . . . she seems pretty determined,” Silver said in a slightly scared voice while taking his place alongside the unicorn guard, trying to look as guard-like as possible.
Twilight soon reached the station, stepping onto the platform, all while continuing what seemed to be a heated discussion with the rest of her friends.
“I don’t care! I have to!” was all that Kyle could pick up from the argument before he spoke firmly, taking a step and blocking the mare’s path.
“Halt right there! You are not allowed to leave Ponyville on any southbound transportation for the next two days! I’m going to ask you to return to your home.”
“What?” the startled mare asked, finding her way blocked by the large unicorn guard. “You don’t understand, I have to get Spike back, he’s my assistant and a very young dragon. He ran away from Ponyville and he’s heading towards a very dangerous place!”
“I’m sorry Miss Sparkle, but my orders are not to allow any of you to leave with the next train.”
“I am not going after Blink, I need to get my assistant back before something bad happens to him! Now please move away.”
The guard backed away a bit, spreading his hooves in a defensive stance. His horn glowed a faint yellow, and the sword from his waist unsheathed, gently hovering near the side of his body.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, miss. Orders are from the Princess herself, and I can’t disobey them.”
Before he could manage another word, a purple aura engulfed the sword, canceling the guard’s magic. Twilight was staring down the surprised guard, taking slow steps towards him. The weapon shook a little in midair under her magic before slowly tearing apart into several pieces, then falling on the ground. Kyle however kept his pose, even if his heart was racing, torn between his loyalty to the Princess and the prospect of being seriously injured by a female pony younger than him.
“Twilight,” came a whimper from a yellow pegasus behind her. Fluttershy was shaking, scared by the display of power from her friend. The rest of her friends weren’t that brave either, all of them staring at the mare that had just disarmed a royal guard. Even Rainbow Dash had landed and was gaping at her friend.
Twilight broke eye contact with the guard for a second, glancing to her side. Seeing the expressions on her friend’s faces made her realise what she had just done. The mare then looked back at the guard, who was still locked in his defensive stance, although on rather shaky hooves.
“I’m . . . I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“Twilight Sparkle!” a loud voice echoed through the platform, the Royal Canterlot volume causing everyone to jolt in surprise.
From the dark sky above came a series of fast moving smoke trails that smashed against the station’s platform behind the guards, expelling even more black smolder everywhere around. After the air cleared, everyone recognized the tall shape of Princess Luna, stepping towards them with determination.
“Dismissed, you can return to Canterlot,” she said while passing by the guards, her eyes focused on her sister’s student.
The guards saluted then silently headed in the opposite direction. Luna stopped when she stepped on a shard and then noticed the broken sword at her hooves. She levitated the pieces in front of her, briefly studying them.
Hmm, quite impressive. These are the new issued carbide steel blades my sister’s been talking about, almost as hard as diamonds . . .
“Princess,” Twilight uttered in a shaky tone, taking a bow. “I’m so sorry-”
“It’s all right, Twilight,” Luna interrupted her, throwing the broken sword pieces away. “I’m sure my sister won’t be mad at you for 'bullying' her guards,” she added in a rather playful tone. “Anyway, I hoped you knew better than to go over my sister’s request of not following Blink.”
“I’m not! I’m trying to find Spike, he left yesterday and I think he went after Blink,” Twilight explained yet again.
“And pray tell, why did Spike leave in the first place?” Luna asked, intrigued by that news.
Far back in the group of friends, Rarity’s eyes betrayed her guilt and sorrow. Her usually perfectly styled mane and tail were in disarray, and the white of her coat seemed dull in the station’s lights. Having not slept all night definitely took its toll on her. She didn’t know at that time that Spike had left, but nevertheless, the events of that day played out in her mind over and over again. The dragon’s pained look was imprinted on Rarity’s mind, and even when she tried to sleep, the memory was there to haunt her peace. After a night of squirming and tossing in her bed, a night in which sleep was the last thing on her mind, she decided to go and speak with Spike and clarify things. On that fateful morning though, she found out that Spike was gone, the full weight of her actions came crashing down on her.
She felt directly responsible for everything and it took a great deal of patience and apologizing to calm Twilight. In the end, the librarian accepted the fact that she couldn’t pin the fault on one of her best friends, but she had to act. One by one, her friends found out about what happened and tried to support her as much as they could. Twilight had planned to grab the next train to Dodge Junction, which was that day at midnight, and follow in Spike and Blink’s steps. She was well aware of what Celestia had told her in one of the letters but she couldn’t let her dearest friend go like that on a dangerous journey and technically, she would not follow Blink at all, despite the fact that she was already missing him. What she didn’t expect was the intervention from one of the Princesses.
“I believe it was because of me,” the white mare stepped out from the group. “I uhm, said something to him that . . . should have been said in the different manner.”
Luna raised an eyebrow at her, but she soon realised what Rarity was actually talking about. She knew very well about Spike’s childish infatuation for Ponyville’s fashionista, the Element of Generosity herself, but she did not expect him to keep all those feelings intact throughout his adolescent years.
“Princess, I really need to get him back,” Twilight said with a pleading look targeted at the dark alicorn.
“I’m afraid I’m can’t allow you that, Twilight, this is for your own safety.”
“But, I can’t- he’s so young and-” the unicorn’s voice began to crack, her eyes now teared up. Fluttershy wrapped a hoof around her neck and held her friend gently.
“However,” Luna’s started, stopping Twilight’s imminent sob, “I understand that he means a lot to you. He is my friend as well, and because of that I shall go and look for him.”
Twilight’s face suddenly lit up, hope sparkling in her moist eyes.
“Although if I recall correctly, the day after tomorrow will be his birthday,” the Princess continued.
The purple unicorn looked at the dark alicorn slightly confused, but then realised what she meant. “He’ll be of legal age, according to Equestrian laws,” she said with a shaking tone.
“Thou probably understand what that means.”
Twilight shook her head silently.
“I shall do my best, Twilight. Now excuse me, I have a train to catch. Remain here in Ponyville for now. I trust that you will honor my passed judgment and my sister’s request and will not further attempt to head south.”
With that, the Princess of the Night flapped her wings once and instantly turned into several trails of smoke, hurling towards the night’s sky. The six young mares remained on the platform for a while more, comforting their friend with reassurances and their loving embrace.
*** *** ***
I woke up to the train’s gentle shaking, several strands of sunlight having found their way between the sleeping compartment’s blinds. I yawned, slowly recalling the events of the previous day. That’s when I recalled I had left on a dangerous journey to the Griffins Lands, where I was expected to partake in my own undeserved trial and face Celestia-knows what punishment.
As I parted the curtains of my cabin, I was reminded of another small detail. Well, actually not that small: Spike was sitting on the edge of his compartment, which was vis-à-vis from mine, his gaze lost in the depths of his mind. He noticed me and gave me a pathetic smile, his pettiness and sorrow visible from a mile away.
“Come on Spike, let’s get breakfast. Food will probably take your mind off things and make you look less like a bag of pure sad.”
He smiled at that and I felt a little better about my weak attempt to make him happier. We left the sleeping compartment, heading towards what was supposed to be the restaurant section of the train, right near the locomotive. Passing by a window, I noticed it was midday and the sun had already started its descent into the horizon. Raven and Peewee were sitting on their respective owner’s shoulder, probably as hungry as we were. They had fallen asleep on a coatrack well into the night, watching me talk with Spike about pretty much everything we could think of. It was a long night and I even managed to cheer him up and make him forget about the whole incident with Rarity. However, it seemed that the realm of dreams was quick to remind him of that.
The long-haul train was huge, having counted at least ten compartments between our normal seats and the dining cabin. Passengers were ponies of all kinds, and I even noticed several zebras which were conspicuously secluded, as if they were trying very hard to not get noticed.
“Twilight once told me that zebras are normally very shy in Equestria and choose to keep a distance from ponies,” said Spike, noticing that I was gawking at every zebra we would encounter as we neared the restaurant.
“How are Equestria’s relations with the Zebra Lands?” I asked, slightly concerned.
“We’re allies, although apparently we don’t do much except trading. Very few ponies live in their lands and the same can be said about zebras around here. You probably know Zecora, right?”
“Yeah, I met her a few days ago, before this whole gryphon fiasco started. She’s nice,” I said, recalling her helpful advice and even her generous but foul-smelling potions she gave me before I left.
We finally reached the dining compartment and found ourselves a free table. A waiter came soon enough to take our orders. Spike asked for a double-sized portion of hay fries and I just went with a couple of daisy sandwiches with ketchup on the side. While waiting for the food, I decided to use the time to find out more about Spike’s general state, as I wasn’t that sure anymore if it would be a good idea to have him tag along with me.
“Spike, I kind of understand why you are now here with me, but I just need to ask you: is this really what you want?”
“Come on, you said you would be all right with me coming along,” he swiftly answered, perhaps too swiftly.
“I know I said that. I know. But I just want you to know that I would be much happier if you returned to Ponyville when we reach Dodge Junction,” I calmly said to him.
“I can’t go back. I just can’t.”
“I know how you feel Spike, trust me, but you know this is dangerous and I really don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. What would I tell Twilight?” I looked into his eyes, and seeing the little shake in them made me realise that was after all, a difficult decision for the young dragon. It wasn’t easy for me either, but I had to man up and accept that I would have to face my journey all alone.
“Look, we’ll talk about this more when we reach Dodge. It shouldn’t be much longer anyway.”
His face brightened up a bit and after a few silent minutes, our orders were served. The waiter was kind enough to notify us that we would arrive to our destination in just under an hour. We hastily finished the late breakfast and returned to our seats. The sun was already setting and I really didn’t want to have to spend the night in Dodge. The long part of the journey was still ahead of me and I would have to somehow deal with Spike as well before moving on.
*** *** ***
“Twilight, are you sure you don’t want us to come with ya?” Applejack asked as her eyes watched the nervous mare wander around Ponyville’s library.
Twilight darted her eyes from one part of the room to another, trying to find one last book that she needed. All of her friends were there in the library, having arrived one by one during the day that followed the train station incident. The last week was quite eventful ever since the Gilda incident. To top it all off, it also occurred right after they had found out about Blink’s true origins.
It was enough to take in that Twilight was somehow destined for more than just an average life and finding out that the Princess had called her a Lifebringer was quite big news on its own; but things, as fate proved over time, were never simple in Ponyville.
“Yes, I am sure.”
“And do you really think the Princess will help you?” asked Rarity.
“I don’t know, girls, I really don’t. But there are things I need to discuss with her. Something is going on and I have a feeling that she isn’t telling me everything.”
“And what if she doesn’t want to talk to you?”
“She’s my mentor, she will; I hope so. Just stay here, and if Luna returns tell her where I am.”
“And how do ya reckon you’re gonna catch a ride to Canterlot? I don’t know of any trains leaving at this time o’ day,” added Applejack, gazing outside a window at the settling night.
“I won’t go by train but I know some ponies that will hopefully lend me a hoof,” she responded in a rather shameful tone.
*** *** ***
“This is not going to look well in our report, captain,” muffled the earth stallion between his teeth as he pulled tightly on the reins of the small army chariot, getting them into place.
“Can it, Silver. We’ll just say that the Princess arrived in time and she ordered us to return to Canterlot,” rebuked Kyle.
“And what about the sword, sir?” asked the pegasus member of the group.
“I don’t know, I’ll think of something, you just get that harness on you so we can get out of here, you lazy bunch of foals.”
Silver stepped up his efforts, and helped the pegasus stallion with the harness. He then connected it to the chariot and they were soon ready to head away. Their captain however heard something from behind them and as they were on the outskirts of Ponyville during midnight, he did what any soldier would do.
“Draw weapons!” he barked the order, turning around.
Silver immediately jumped out of the chariot, drawing his weapon mid-air. He landed on his hind legs, one of his front hoofs tightly grasping the wide grip of the sword. His captain’s horn shined brightly, flooding the area around them in a pure, white light. The pegasus bound to their vehicle pulled a switch from his chest harness with his teeth, releasing him from the straps and pulls. He spread his wings wide and with a powerful flap, he jumped into the chariot, from where he retrieved a bow. With his left hoof steadying the ranged weapon he skillfully used the right wing to nock an arrow and then draw the bow back.
Right in front of them stepped a young mare, holding a hoof to her eyes to protect them from the captain’s powerful light.
“Uhh, hello? It’s just me, Twilight Sparkle.”
“For Celestia’s sake,” muttered Kyle under his breath. “Stand down.”
The two other guards placed their weapons back and Silver quietly started re-harnessing the pegasus to the carriage, throwing occasional glances at the intruding mare.
“What do you want now?” the captain harshly requested, making her wince slightly.
“I wanted to tell you that I am sorry for what happened today, I should have not used magic against you like that. Is there a way I can repay you for the damage on your sword?”
At the sight of the apologetic young mare, Kyle instantly regretted the way he spoke to her previously. He was not that kind of stallion, he’d been disciplined and respectful to other ponies his whole life; plus, the personal student of Celestia, the one that saved Equestria so many times and brought the Princess of the Night back, was right there in front of him, apologizing.
“It’s all right Miss, don’t worry about it. Guess those new swords are not as indestructible as my lieutenant boasted. So, what brings you here at this time of night?”
“Well uhm, I needed to see the Princess urgently and there are no trains to Canterlot at this time so-”
Captain Kyle raised a hoof, silencing her. “Say no more, Miss. It would be our honor to have you travel with us back to Canterlot. Hop right in, we’ll take off in a moment,” he said, gesturing towards the small carriage.
Twilight got in, followed by Kyle and Silver. The flimsy-looking gold painted vehicle squeaked loudly under the added weight, but managed to hold together.
“No worries, this baby is built for moving heavy cargo,” remarked Silver Wisp, drawing a look of indignation from the mare next to him.
Realizing what he had just implied, he turned his head in front of him, urging the pegasus to go, all while trying to hide his blush. His comrade flared his wings and began pulling the carriage, the large wheels continuing to screech from the weight. After a few seconds he was already galloping, flapping his rather large wings faster and faster. They took off moment later, heading into the black night.
*** *** ***
The train came to a slow stop, steam from the locomotive flooding Dodge Junction’s station. I stepped out onto the platform, followed closely by Spike. To my surprise, not a lot of other ponies got down with us and after a short while, the train’s wheels started moving again, pushing the huge locomotive on its tracks.
When the smoke dissipated, I looked around and noticed nothing but empty wilderness under the clear moonlight. Raven and Peewee took off from our shoulders, stretching their wings after almost two days of being trapped in that train.
“Uhh, Spike? Where’s the town?” I inquired, looking around after any signs of life.
I then saw a pony trotting along the platform away from us.
“Uhh, excuse me, miss?” I called for the hooded pony but she didn’t respond, and kept walking until disappearing around the corner of the station.
“Ponies here sure do seem helpful . . .” I muttered to myself.
“Dude, come here,” I heard Spike’s voice calling me.
I went to him on the other side of the station and then realised how dumb I was. All that time I assumed the station would be facing the town but it was the other way around.
“Well, I expected it to be . . . smaller.”
The border town was huge, old-style western houses stretching along the large, dusty main road. We made our way in it, all while gawking at the scenery in front of us. Lights were coming out of houses, taverns and shops, and several ponies were walking by the side of the main road, with chariots slicing through every now and then from the neighboring roads. It seemed like a pretty busy town compared to Ponyville at that time of the night but we weren’t there to stay.
“Spike, how about we go to that tavern over there, and check on the map?” I suggested, pointing a hoof at a two story saloon that seemed a little bit quieter than the rest.
He nodded and we went towards it, curiosity following in my steps. I had never been to a bar in Equestria and I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially from a town like that. Everything seemed so different from Ponyville, the lack of trees and vegetation being a prime example. All the ponies I saw on the wooden walkway at the edge of the road seemed to be in a hurry, but most of them threw curious glances at Spike as we passed by them.
I entered the tavern, which had a plate outside that named it “Morgan’s corner”, and looked around. All sort of stallions were sitting around small tables, every one of them looking more unlawful than the one next to him. What struck me was that a lot of them had pieces of clothing on them, either leather Stetson hats or belts, cowboy boots or other similar outfits. Most of them were engaged in rather heated discussions and the smell of alcohol and tobacco made my eyes water a bit as they adjusted to the pungent smoke that hung heavy in the air.
As soon as Spike came in after me however, a lot of them just stopped their chatting and stared at us.
Aww fuck, I really didn’t need this attention . . .
Unfortunately for us the only free table I noticed was on the other side of the salon, but since we were inside anyway, I thought it would be even weirder if we just turned around and left. So we walked, rather nervously to said table. Slowly, ponies resumed their discussion, but I was well aware of the fact that they were probably talking about us.
We reached the small wooden table and sat down, trying not to gather any more attention on us. I got out my notebook, where I had the map of the journey.
“Where did our pets go to?” I asked, suddenly remembering that detail.
“Before we came in I saw them flying around above us. They probably needed to stretch their wings. I don’t think they would enjoy the air inside here that much, anyways.”
“Okay then, that still leaves us with one more thing: what are you going to do from here on?”
Spike shifted in his seat at that question, and let out a sigh. His eyes lowered, staring intensely at the uninteresting wood surface.
“Spike, I understand how you feel, but you will need to face the truth at some point. Remember, she doesn’t hate you and she probably misses you as much as Twilight and the rest do. Look at this,” I said to him, tracing the line of my journey over the map, “this is going to be a hell of a ride, do you really want to do this instead of returning to Ponyville?”
He looked for a few seconds at the map on the table, considering his options. It wasn’t like he didn’t like an adventure but he was gone for almost two days and he already missed his large comfortable bed.
“I’d like to come with you but, if you really want me to go back, I will,” he said, giving in.
“Then it’s settled,” I concluded, finally relieved of not having to worry about his wellbeing as well as mine.
I threw my eyes back at the map and noticed the line marking the border area of Equestria. “Well apparently I’ll need to head southeast towards the Zebra Lands from here on. Hopefully all zebras are as nice as Zecora, right?”
The slightest smile touched his otherwise frowning expression as he tried to not look as disappointed as he actually was. He was failing badly at it.
“Okay, mister Sad Dragon, let’s get out of here and find you a place to stay for the night. I hope there’ll be a train to Ponyville tomorrow,” I told him, packing the map and putting it back in my satchel.
“Wait, you’re not spending the night here as well?”
“No can do. Had a good rest in the train and I need to keep to my schedule. Also, Luna told me to try and travel as much as possible during the night. And after the training session I had with her, I kinda get why.”
“Okay then, I’ll go find Peewee and Raven, they’ll probably want to say goodbye to each other . . .”
“You head out, I need to go to the bathroom first, meet ya outside.”
We stood up from the table and Spike headed toward the exit while I went through the bathroom door right next to the bar.
I headed towards the exit, this time not drawing as much attention as when I came in. As I squeezed through a couple of stands however, a light blue aura formed into a bat right next to me, smacking a rather large stallion right in the back of his head, throwing away his cowboy hat. The stallion froze for a moment, and the whole salon went quiet. He stood up from his chair, turning his face towards me. He was a bulky brown earth stallion, scars riddling his face and parts of his fur coat.
“Dude, I did not do that, I swear,” I blurted out in my defense.
His face cracked a wide grin and then he spat his cigar at my chest. The wave of alcohol smell from his mouth also hit me, and I realized I was basically fucked.
“I can-” was the last thing that left my mouth as his hoof collided with my face, sending me crashing onto the table behind me. The racket of smashing wood and shattering of glasses filled my ears as my vision went dark for a while.
I tried to get up, but stumbled and fell back onto the floor. Pain flooded my thoughts as I realised I had cut myself on some broken glass, that at that point was littering the floor around me. My blood was boiling out fumes of pure anger so after my second attempt to get up succeeded, I looked at my attacker and flew half of a broken table into his face. This only made him wince slightly, after which he immediately charged at me.
The best thing I could come up was to summon a shield between me and him. He came crashing into it face-on, and I felt the impact resonating through my horn as I focused to gather my magic strength. It all seemed like the gryphon incident happening all over again, but that time I would not do the same mistake.
Or so I thought. As he got up from the floor, the drunken stallion reared towards me a little and then bucked me in the chest, sending me flying through the air. That time I was more conscious so I was able to damper the impact by shielding my back. Looking around the bar, the reaction of the other ponies was just as I would expect: all of them stood around watching, some cheering, encouraging my adversary to carry on.
“Son, are you mad? Stay the fuck down!” a stallion hissed at me from behind as I got up.
Indeed, getting up only made the brown guy even angrier. As he approached me however, I grabbed him in a magic grip, lifting him off the ground. Then, I swung my head to the side, making him fly through the salon and crash into the bar, breaking half the bottles on display. The cheering and yelling stopped all of a sudden and as moments passed, the brown stallion rose from behind the counter but quickly flopped back down, too drunk and dazed to keep himself up anymore.
“I'll teach you to mess with my brother, fucker!” came a voice from behind several ponies near me.
A gray unicorn stumbled out, pushing the other away. His horn was glowing and his eyes radiated pure anger, but I was not expecting what came next. Time slowed to a crawl as I realised there was something else engulfed by his magical aura, something coming from a satchel near his belt. My heart stopped as I recognized the object and I didn’t had time to react at all, my eyes terrifyingly recording every second of what was happening in great detail.
The small silver hammer drew back, and the cylinder began spinning, aligning the projectile with the barrel. The hammer clicked and snapped against the cap of the bullet, causing a small explosion that lit the inside of the barrel and spat the projectile out. Fine smoke trails from the floating magnum rose towards the ceiling, mixing with the cigarettes’ smog that filled the tavern. I witnessed that terrifying scene not being able to do anything and soon I felt a warm liquid running down my neck and chest.
The whole scene began fading and I collapsed to my side, the world around me slipping into a quiet racket. Images that were slower and slower imprinted on the back of my eyes spotted a large purple form coming into view. Animating around, the sound of its screams were only hums to my ears. A powerful and bright green light made my eyelids squint a little, and then closed.
When I re-opened them, I found myself standing on all fours, in the middle of a field. The tall grass waved under the soft breeze of the wind, its lively green shining under the sunlight. Far out into the distance I could spot the capital Canterlot, standing at the base of a large chain of mountains.
“It’s you again . . .”
I turned and immediately recognized the black shadowy figure. Death was staring at me yet again. I took a look around me one more time, confused by the setting.
“Why am I here? Is this the real place?” I asked, not interested in any other detail other than that.
Before I could get an answer, a large pony materialized all of a sudden at Death’s side. It was Luna.
“You have saved him,” the shadowy figure spoke.
The Princess however ignored that and turned her attention to the place we were in, seemingly confused as I was. She then gazed at the capital city in the distance for a while, before facing Death.
“Is this what’s to come?” she simply questioned Him.
The ground trembled slightly, a mighty horn blowing in the distance.
“Yes,” came the cold response.
Luna then turned and slowly approached me.
“It’s time to wake up, Midnight Blink,” I read on her lips, the world fading already.
As my eyelids closed yet again, the last thing I noticed was a golden barrier surrounding the city in the distance; and then darkness.
*** *** ***
My senses eventually came to me and I found myself in a large room, resting on a bed. A candle was flickering on a nightstand near me, casting dancing shadows on the white walls around.
I sensed tightness around my neck and when I brought a hoof up under my chin I felt the silky fabric of bandages wrapped around the wound.
“Greetings, Midnight Blink.”
From the shadows of the room came the Princess of the Night herself, pacing slowly towards my bed. The dressings around my neck slowly unwrapped under the Princess’s magic.
“I’m not as good as my sister at this, but I think I did pretty well, thou not agree?”
I looked down and could still see the dried out blood in my fur coat, but there was no wound anymore. I checked my neck and couldn’t feel any pain or discomfort either.
“It was indeed in the neck. A few inches and you would have had a longer discussion with Him and I back there.”
“Was that really you?” I muttered between my dried lips.
A glass of water levitated towards me. Being thirsty as hell, I grabbed it and drank it all in one go.
“We don’t have time to discuss that now. We have to talk with Spike,” she said, putting the glass away.
“Where am I, anyway?”
Before I could even properly finish the question, I was surrounded by black smoke. I choked and coughed, leaning my head down to avoid the thick curtain of blackness. When it all faded away, we found ourselves on a long hallway with prison cells on one side of it.
“P-p-princess Luna!”
I turned and saw this stallion bowing down, dressed a lot like a sheriff would be.
“We demand the release of the dragon prisoner, under my personal pardon,” demanded Luna, looking down on him.
“Right away, Princess.”
He got up from his deep bow and grabbed a ring of keys from his leather belt. He trotted towards the first cell from the row and we followed in his path. After fumbling with the lock, he opened the cell door and stood aside, taking another bow for the Princess.
“Dismissed.”
“Blink?”
“Spike!” I almost shouted, seeing the young dragon inside the cell.
He ran out and almost strangled me in a big hug. His eyes then spotted the Princess and he immediately showed his respects for her.
“Stand up Spike, there is no need for that.”
“Princess, how did you know?” he quickly asked, surprised as much as I was by Luna’s presence in Dodge Junction.
“I didn’t, but I came here because of a dear common friend of ours,” she calmly said.
“Twilight?”
“Yes. She is very worried for you, so I came here to talk to you about what you are doing.”
“There’s no need for that, Princess. He agreed to return home just before that fight took place. Spike, I can’t thank you enough for helping. That’s why I assume you are here, right?”
“Yeah, when I heard the racket from the tavern we went in, I came as fast as possible. When I arrived, you were lying on the floor with blood coming from your neck. That bastard was going to shoot you again so I just- I don’t know, I just spat fire at him. And then the sheriff came and arrested me.”
“So how did I get to the hospital?” I asked, darting my eyes from Spike to Luna.
“A pair or more good-willed stallions pulled you out and took you to the local clinic. I came from Ponyville and found out what happened, so I hurried to the hospital and removed the bullet myself,” said the royal figure, a little bit of self-pride in her tone.
“Uhh- thanks, to both of you. Is the guy that did this okay?”
“I healed his wounds as well. It was even more difficult than yours, since they were made by magic fire, but he is fine now. He and his brother won’t be out drinking for a while, that I assure you,” she added with a smirk.
“I just don’t know what the hell went on in there. Some unicorn smacked him in the back of his head and he thought I did it. Good way to start a trip like this one.”
“You must be wary, Midnight Blink, danger will lurk everywhere where you are going. And regarding you Spike, Twilight will be very happy to know you will return.”
“Actually . . .” he started, taking a deep breath, fumbling his claws, "I changed my mind; I want to go with Blink."
“Ohh, come on!”
“You need me, dude. If I would’ve been there with you in the first place, that wouldn’t have happened. You will need my help, and you said I could come along if I want to. But I guess,” he then turned toward Luna, “Twilight told you to bring me home . . .” he said in disappointment.
“As a matter of fact,” Luna intervened, taking a look at the moon outside through the cell’s window, “I cannot do that anymore. Happy birthday Spike, you are now a free dragon.”
*** *** ***
The carriage landed on a secluded street of Canterlot with a rather soft thud. Kyle got out first, making way for Twilight.
“Thanks a lot for the ride, guys; and I’m sorry again for all the trouble,” she said, turning towards them.
“It’s all right, miss; glad we could help. Sorry if we seemed like we were standing in the way of you getting your dragon friend back. I hope everything works out in the end.”
“Thank you, and don’t worry; your duty towards the Princess is your priority, I understand. Have a good night, sirs!”
“Good night, Miss Sparkle,” said the guards in unison.
The captain got back into the carriage and they took off, making their way to the castle. She turned her attention to the house nearby and approached it, her heart fluttering from the memories that place held for her. Twilight knocked on the door a couple of times and waited. Lights turned on inside and she instantly felt bad for waking them up.
The door opened slightly, revealing a mare with purple and white mane, her eyes slightly puffy from being awoken from her sleep. As soon as she recognized who was at the door, she immediately opened the door wide and grabbed Twilight, squeezing her tightly.
“Ohh Twily, I can’t believe you’re here, dear! What brings you here?”
“Mom, you’re squishing me!” Twilight was barely able to articulate due to her mother’s grip.
“I’m just so glad you finally decided to visit! We haven’t seen you in months; your dad will be so excited. Come in!”
Twilight Velvet finally let go of her daughter, and welcomed her inside the warm house.
“I won’t be able to stay long, though. I need to speak with the Princess in the morning about something. I hope I didn’t wake you up.”
They walked into the living room, where Twilight sat on the comfortable sofa she always enjoyed reading on when she was younger. Her mom sat next to her, measuring up her daughter like she hadn’t seen her in years. A blue stallion walked inside, rubbing a hoof at his eyes.
“What’s with all the noise, Velve?” he asked, letting out a healthy yawn.
He then spotted the second mare in the room and his face immediately lit up with happiness. He ran to her and wrapped an arm around her neck, nuzzling her like any proud father would do.
“Come on Orion, you’ll suffocate her,” complained Velvet, scowling her husband with her look.
Both Sparkle and Orion gave her a deadpan look, after which her dad took a seat in his couch.
“So, how’s it been going lately?” her mom started the usual barrage of question she asked whenever Twilight would visit, “found any nice colt to be your special somepony yet?”
Twilight frowned, but then her face lit up, red coloring her cheeks. It was the same question her mom would ask her every time they met ever since she left for Ponyville over four years ago. And every time she would go through that embarrassing situation of answering with the same no every time. Not today.
“Actually, I did,” she timidly answered.
“What?!”
*** *** ***
“W- what? What do you mean free?” Spike blurted out the question.
“Twilight is no longer your legal guardian; you are free to do as you wish,” said the Princess. “She will be saddened by the news, however I understand your reasons. You can send her letters and once I return to Ponyville, I will teach her the spell needed to send you letters as well. Promise me thou shall keep in touch with her, and with my sister and me as well.”
“I will, Princess, I promise,” he said honestly.
“Happy birthday man, you should have told me it was today,” I wished him, thinking of what I could give him as a present.
“I will leave now; honor thy promise Spike, and good luck in your journey, both of you. I won’t be there next time another weapon will be pointed at you, Midnight Blink, so make sure you won’t be in that situation in the first place.”
“I will. Thank you for all the help. Please tell Twilight that . . . that I miss her.”
“Same from me,” added Spike, “but not in that way!”
Luna smiled and nodded once, before exploding into trails of dark smoke then hurtled through the cell’s window.
“I got to hand it to her: she does make good exits,” I said, looking at the shadowy smoke that headed out into the night. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
We left the town’s small prison without anyone even asking a question and we made our way on the dusty main road. Raven and Peewee showed up, and I was actually happy for once to see my mysterious pet. Peewee’s flame was bright and seemed rather hot even from a distance, but Spike didn’t seem to mind it at all, as she snuggled her master’s neck. It was a good thing he was heat resistant.
“Silly bird, I’ve missed you too,” he lovingly said to her, scratching her neck with a claw.
After a few more minutes of walking, the houses on our sided were less and less frequent, until we reached a sign post that read “This way to Zebras”. The road had pretty much ended a while ago, and there was only that sign and a few bushes ahead of us. The sandy terrain was lit by the bright moon of the night, and the landscape in front seemed void of any life. Peewee had calmed down after reuniting with her owned and gradually turned her flame off, as to not make herself as well as us to visible in the dark. I threw my cloak on, and it soon enough turned pale beige, matching the ground beneath me.
I took a couple of steps before realizing Spike was not following me. I turned my head around and noticed him staring into the distance, then looking behind him, and then at the sign.
“What is it, Spike?”
He gulped.
“If I take one more step, I'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been,” he simply said, looking at me.
What he said hit me as I realised the implication and what that journey had become for me and him. But then I remembered something.
“Spike, every step I’ve taken since I arrived in Equestria has lead me further and further away from my old home, and I will never be able to go back. But now I have a new home, and I promise I will do everything that’s in my powers to come back to that home. And I sure ain’t going back without you, Spike. That, I promise.”
He continued to look at me with his wide dragon eyes, Peewee standing at his side reassuringly. He clutched his backpack’s strap a little tighter and eventually, his scared expression turned into a smile.
And then he took the step.
End of chapter 15
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Huge thanks to Cosmic Afro, Sparklight, and I brained my damage for the help with the editing!
This will be the last chapter of 2012 and I hope you will all have a happy holiday and a magnificent new year! 2012 was the year in which our fandom grew even more, yet again surpassing the expectations of the world around us! 2013 will without any doubt be as amazing and awesome as this!
See you guys in the next one!
Nice work
I waited a long time to its arrival
HAPPY DOOMSDAY - oh wait it's 01:30 dammit now I can't say that D:<
This chapter was a doozy. I've saved you all from a Molestia-esque error, a one-winged luna, and inappropriate bathroom scene. You're welcome.
Cheers
~Cosmic
1837021
Good thing you didn't notice the morning wood scene in chapter 12 :)))
PS: they liked it . . .
Was that a fellowship of the ring reference?
1837044 Yeap, that specific line has been stuck in my mind for a while now, and I remembered where it was from a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't pass the opportunity, sorry
and a Tolkien reference very commendable but i was hoping some recognition about it from blink would have been funny
Spike's last line, perfectly presented
Tsk. Should have used your Unprotected Teleport on the shooter. At that point, it's self-defense to take him out.
Sniff.
That reference. The nostalgia. I can't take it!
Just want to mention how much I really appreciate this story. Amongst the masses of 'Read Laters' and Favourites I have, this is one of the few stories that motivates me to read them. Keeps me interested, and makes spamming refresh for updates ultimately worth it. Whatever form of literary wizardry you're performing, keep that shit up!
Woah.
Thanks for the update, I recall facepalming when you had the trip occur right after the poor fellow had destroyed Discord. Celestia and fate just won't let him catch a break!
I saw some potential foreshadowing of some !Corn in the future, as apparently Luna and Celestia at one point had those same titles. Dunno how far I should be reading into it, but it sounds like the potential is indeed there, and also shows that the titles themselves are not permanent things. It also sounds like there will be some upheaval in the future for Twi and Blink to have to tackle, and I truly hope that whatever it is they come through it all okay and mostly unscathed.
Also, Celestia really does have it out for Blink. Took Death himself to basically say 'quit your fucking meddling with the mortals' to get her to back off, and hopefully she does not try to come between Twilight and Blink in the future, as it sounds like Death will take some offense to it of she does. The comments of her and Luna being Watchers makes it somewhat interesting, that coupled with the above mentioning of them having held the titles that Twilight and Blink now hold really is some heavy [potential] foreshadowing of their future. Plus, I have a weak spot for Alicorn Twilight, I won't lie.
I am really liking this story, and am really hoping Gilda gets the everliving shit beat out of her once Blink finally gets there. Overall, everything is still going well, and am looking forward to the next chapter when it comes out sometime in 2013.
Thanks again!
What exactly happened to the guy that shot Blink? The given explanation is way too vague for me seeing as I think he should have all his legs cut off and be left alone to bleed out.....is he at least in jail?
Besides the lack of an eye for an eye this was a nice chapter.
An email notification popped up on my phone today, All I needed to see were the words "update" and "Stairway to..." before I immediately reacted with "Sweet! Update!
"
I'm loving this story and I can't wait for the next chapter.
“If I take one more step, I'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been,” he simply said, looking at me.
BWAHAHAHA! I dont know if that quote/reference was intentional or not, but that Was just like from lord of the rings!
GOD DAMN
MOAR 
I have a very sudden urge to watch Lord of the rings...
I found this story on fimfiction when it just started i was hooked at the first chapter, it was also in the time that i was a brony just for a few weeks.
I now refound this story back on fimfiction and everytime i think about this fic i think about the joy i felt when i just started exploring mlp and the brony fandom.
Plus its an amazing fic, keep up the good work and happy writing, my respects.
I read this while listening to "O, Death" on YouTube :P
SPIKE HAS BIRTHDAY, SPIKE IS FREE DRAGON
MASTER HAS GIVEN SPIKE A BIRTHDAY!!!! SPIKE IS NOW A FREE DRAGON!!!!
Smooooothhhh...
Because herbivorous ponies that live with sentient cows kill the cows just to skin them and turn their hides into hats and belts....
PUUNNSSS!!!!!
Why didn't blink reply with "It's a dangerous business, Spike, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."? And did spike promise Luna 'don't you lose him, spikewise gamgee?
1837389
The woes of being a Programmer in Java: I read !Corn as NOT Corn, and now have no idea what you actually meant.
I would like to reiterate the statement 'Luna is best pony'
It took me up to this point to realize why you mentioned Trixie in the first place,I didn't realize it was her with the magic bat, though I don't exactly see why she would be doing that stuff.
Excellent reference!
3903592 YAY REFERENCES
I got to here, then I started thinking off what just happened, and went "Fuck this, I am done, I am so fucking done with this utter bullshit." NOW let's NOT THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE'S AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL MAGIC POWERHOUSE WITH A TITLE STARTING WITH THE WORD DEATH.
Let's just overlook that, there was Luna's shadow spell, there was several wards, and if he could cast a teleportation spell right after dying with him and Discord, I highly doubt the pain of getting charged into a table would be so painful that he couldn't cast a ward spell.
Now we're overlooking it, oh we're also overlooking the ludicrously good timing for this to happen *Cough* 0,00002% *Cough*
Overlooking all of that, I don't know if you've ever been threatened on gun point when you know that the highest risk is that the person will shoot, you don't stand around and wait for a taffing invitation to tee from him! The same second you see the gun you should really just 1. Throw yourself to the left/right. 2. Mend with the others around the bar, or 3. If you're close enough, you can grab his gun and force it in a awkward angle so it can't shoot you, now this guy is a Unicorn, a very powerful one at that, so unless you're implying that our main-character is practically braindead, I think you leave a lot to be desired.
Tell me, should I just skip this entire act?
You bastard!
Why would you do that?! I lost my voice today and laughing that hard nearly killed me!
Not to mention the coughing fit that followed...
I think you mean bear, seeing as how the former typically refers to the absence of something (e.g. a bare floor which has no rug).
4208492 Has anyone ever pointed a gun at you? People have slow reaction times.
So swords and spears are still standard gear for royal guards, but random civilians have guns? That's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.
Guns and swords don't exist side by side. That's not how weapons and warfare work. Pick a goddamn period and stick with it.
At this point in the story it's an even tossup between trying to ignore all the things that are wrong with the story and really hoping that the author starts making up for it...
5845523
There should be a "You are a Pirate" remix with spike's birthday, because you know...
Do what you want because a pirate is free, you are a pirate...
Yeah, REALLY late breakfast.
That exit reminds me of Harry Potter stuff
-Spikewise Gamgee