An Unexpected Beginning
-------CHAPTER THREE: AN UNEXPECTED BEGINNING--------
Twilight coughs a few more times before taking another drink, smiling. “Thank you Fluttershy... my throat feels much better now... it's hard to recreate voices through magic.” She says, nodding her thanks to the shy Pegasus, who blushes and smiles warmly in return, rubbing the back of her head.
“O-oh, it was... no big deal.” She murmurs happily, glad that her friend was ok and the compliment was nice too.
“All righty then, back to th' story there Twi!” Applejack says happily, looking much more invested in the story now.
Twilight nods as she gathers herself and returns the tale.
-------
Clover groaned, slowly swaying her head from side to side as she awoke, slowly opening her eyes to the concerned and worried face of the stallions and mares she had met moments ago, and Starswirl, who smiled kindly at her.
“Ah, she awakes. See? More resiliant then you give her credit, Armorglance.” Starswirl muses with a light chuckle. “Your thief was most likely caught off guard by her secret being shown so soon. She is a humble thief after all, and one whom only takes what isn't earned.”
Foreign huffs, obviously unamused by Starswirl's words or their new thief. “Very well, if it is how you say Starswirl.” He says, standing. “Thank you, Clover the Clever, for being a gracious host. Do you accept our offer? We must be going and going soon, for what little information and plans that we have must be fulfilled and fast.”
Clover blinks as she glances around, noticing the hopeful looks upon the faces gathered about her, minus a wise one on Starswirl's face. Even Yamagoat, who's face was most impassive, had that look of possible hope for the young unicorn mare before the group.
“I...” She coughs, and rights herself, moving to her hooves. “I would request a moment, Foreign Armorglance, for I wish to speak to Starswirl.” She says, moving to a different room, the stairway to her library and motions for the wizard to follow her with a wave of her hoof, every ounce of willpower in the little pony's hooves urging her onwards and to not collapse in a panic in front of the worried ponies who seemed to be holding out so hard for her help...
A few moments pass as Clover's hooves clip and clop on the spiraling stone stairs to her library, and soon step on a thick, fuzzy rug. It had been a gift from Fleetfoot the Odd, as strange of a pony as he was, so unusual for her family... he still was her favorite uncle, always telling a glamorous story or another of his adventures.
But she couldn't go on an adventure! There was so much to be done here, how could she just leave now? But the answers to that question were stepping up behind her, coming off of her staircase and unto Fleetfoot's final gift to his favorite niece.
“... Why me, Starswirl?” Clover asks, looking to the tall, bearded and grayed pony. “Why not somepony else? Somepony with more talent?”
“Because I trust in you, I believe in you, and I think there is more to you then you even realize.” Starswirl says with a grin and a wink. “Besides, how else am I supposed to train my student? Not through letters, that would take too long and there will be no time, nor enough parchment, where we shall tread.”
Clover recoils. “Student?!”
Starswirl smiles and pulls out a scroll from his saddlebags, hidden under his starry cloak, his horn glowing against his hat as it unfurls before him. “You see, Clover? You are my student, to be trained as the next archmage of the Princesses's court.” Starswirl muses.
“Unless... of course... you wish to turn down the offer?” Starswirl says, raising his head a little, those bright, intelligent eyes glimmering even in the slight dark of the underground library.
Clover quivered lightly, her thoughts tumbling like a twig in a river, biting her lower lip before speaking, ever so softly. “T-then... I will go with you... s-should I write a letter to the Princesses?”
Starswirl smiles softly. “I'm sure you will have quite the letter to write should you return.”
“Can you promise I will return?” Clover challenges.
“... No.” Starswirl says, his voice grave, a grand contrast to his normally cheery tone. “And should you return, you shaln't be the same.”
Clover gulps softly. “... I... S-stand by my word.” She says, a little louder, a little more confident. “I will go.”
-------
The news was announced quickly and preparation was swiftly underway, Clover dashing about her house as a pony possesed as she collected her traveling cloak, her saddle bags, and whatever gear she might have needed, and even had the foresight to write a quick note and tack it to her door, citing that should she not return in two years time, that she was lost and for her library to be turned over her next-of-kin, whomever that might be, though, in her rush, she completely forgot her hoofkerchief.
At exactly three past sun-high, the band of ponies left Clover's home, a small wind picking up around their hooves to urge them onwards, making the young mare's cloak flutter lightly as she attempts to turn her head, only to be turned aside by a grimacing Starswirl. “Don't look back, dear Clover. For it will only make you wish to return.” Starswirl says quietly, nudging her onwards, making her stumble for a step before she looks at him, and he nods her towards the rest of the herd of ponies, and she lets out a quiet breath before trotting after them, keeping pace as the ponies press on.
As she goes, she looks all over The Shire, looking for signs of anypony she knew, anypony whom might want to talk with the librarian, but the hills were quiet, and most ponies were with family in the fields, enjoying a light snack and watching the foals play amongst themselves quietly.
The green hills of The Shire fade from sight swiftly, and yet slowly, for Clover the Clever, smart pony that she was, was always thinking for a way to glance back to her home, her place, her comfort... and yet, she was declined this opportunity as the herd suddenly picks up the pace, galloping forwards, even Starswirl dashing past her, making her stumble before murmuring to the princesses to protect her and following.
“Wait!” Clover's voice echoed as she started galloping to try to race after the rest of the herd, her cloak whipping out behind her as her saddlebags shifted on her flank.
She could tell already, it was going to be a long journey.
The unicorn lands passed quickly by, wild yet tame lands lived in by respectable folk who bid the herd a cheery hello was they went along their way, but those vivid lands of color and harmony quickly made way to the Lone-lands, a dreary place of quiet and where nopony lived, for the ground was not fit for growth. Abandoned homes riddled the road, of where ponies once lived when there was gems and rocks of worth around to be freed from their earthen homes, but were no longer.
It had been May's finest days for the start of their travels, days passed quickly as the Princesses went about their sacred duties, eternally on time, but as May started to turn to June, the weather started to take a turn for the worst.
-------
“Wow, their weather pegasi must be really bad if the weather turned like that. We've got scheduled storms and the like, but that's only when we have to play catch-up.” Rainbow says, tilting her head.
Twilight shook her head. “Like Clover stated, this was in the Lone-lands, a bad-lands that is on the other side of the Everfree Forest, where the Shire is. Nopony lives out there, for there really is nothing there of worth. Not even a strategic point for an army.”
“Well shoot Twi, ah' bet if 'nough Earth Ponies lived thar, they'd bring that land to life real quick!” Applejack says, giving Twilight a bright smile.
Twilight smiled back and shook her head softly. “If it was possible, it would have been done already. The issue with the lone-lands is that the soil there is not exactly toxic, but not fit for growing anything in.”
“What happens next? Do go on Darling! It must have been so GHASTLY to be in such... ugh, unfortunate weather.” Rarity says, shuddering at the thought of the mud and ick caused by such a storm.
“Well, let me skip ahead a bit, the next few paragraphs are Clover ranting about the weather...”
-------
As they made their way into the hills on the other side of the lone lands, the weather worstened as they entered a more forested area, with large trees that spread wildly over the herd as they steadily climbed on.
“Stratton, you're a weather pony, can't you do something about this incessant rain?” Armorglance grumbles at the pegasi as they trudged through the trees, their saddlebags not soaked, but certainly much wetter then they should have been.
“Forgive me Sir Armorglance, but this storm is too much for one pegasi-”
-------
“I could handle it!”
“Sssssh, Twilight's reading Dashie!”
“And? I still could handle it!”
-------
“-and I fear that even the six of us are not quite enough to tame these winds. The clouds would return as quickly as we dispersed them.” Stratton says apologeticly, the tan furred and brown maned pegasi hanging her head in apology.
Clover sighed to herself, “Drat and double drat that Starswirl. Where has he gotten off to? He would know a spell to keep us dry!”
“Indeed, where has he gotten to?” Sky Eye says in wonder, looking about. Gigeroat coughs, drawing everypony's attention, and gestures towards some trees nearby.
“Well, ah' reckon that we might as well stop 'ere abouts. Under these trees should be drah'er then anywh'er else 'round here.” The earth pony says with a nod, tilting his stetson.
“Eeyup.” Yamaoat chimes in, followed quickly with a second group of agreements from Shim and Sham.
Foreign Armorglance growled lowly, looking determined to continue on, but relents as he hangs his head, tired of the wet as much as anypony else, though quite unamused at having to stop. “Very well, we shall stay till the weather clears, or till dawn, whichever comes first. Besides, Luna is about to grace the sky.” He says.
The herd quickly set about camp, and soon were attempting to light a fire, Shim and Sham arguing over the fint as both unsuccessfully tried to light the wet tinder.
“Oh bother being a thief. I wish I where back in my Library, warm and cozy, reading the Shape of the Sky and picking out Luna's stars.” Clover muttered quietly to herself, thoroughly unamused and displeased with this adventure business so far.
As the ponies settled in, a watch was set, and their best lookout, Sky Eye, quickly took up first watch, trotting about a perimeter to keep an eye out for timberwolves. A hour passed quietly, and without success for Shim and Sham, nor anypony else, for lighting a fire, as the rain slowed to a drizzle.
Sky Eye was the first to spot the light glowing off in the distance. “Ho! There's a light over there!” The earth pony called, drawing the attention of the herd.
“A traveler?” “No, nopony treads these dreary lands but us.” “Well, there are -fourteen- of us.” “Where has that magician gone off to?” “Send the Thief to find out!” “Yes, the Theif!”
The chatter of the ponies drew Clover's attention from where she had curled to attempt sleep, making her raise her head as Armorglance trotted up to her side and nudged her to her hooves. “Clover the Clever, we are sending you out. You must find out all about that light! Scuttle off, quickly, and come back on swift and quiet hooves! If you can come back at all! If you can't, hoot twice like a barn owl, and once like a screech owl, and we shall come to assist you.”
With those... encouraging, words, Clover was shoved ahead of the other ponies a*nd towards the light, and she took off at a light trot, pulling her hood up over her head, frowning. “Oh dear... I can't hoot like an owl ONCE, much less hoot like two different species! I don't think I could differentiate between the two either, for I haven't an owl to test such a thing...”
-------
Twilight sighs and shakes her head. “Having lived with an Owl for a while now, I can honestly say that it's very difficult to hoot like one.”
“Who?” The aforementioned owl asks, looking up from his task of high dusting the shelves of the library.
“You, silly!” Pinkie giggles as Twilight turns her head back to the book and flips a few pages.
-------
Clover crept closer and closer to the light, keeping low and breathing lightly, only for her ears to fold back and her eyes to widen in shock, barely resisting the urge to turn tail and flee as she saw the source of the light.
“T-trolls...”
-------
“Trolls? What are they?” Rainbow Dash asks, tilting her head.
-------
Trolls, for those who are unaware, are nasty, beastly things, barely intelligent and a meat eating sort with a perchance for killing unwary travelers and turning them into stew. The common troll was at least six ponies tall and four wide, walking upon two legs and with big jaws and sharp teeth. These three were perfect examples of their species... if twice as stupid.
-------
“Oh. Cool.” Dash says, leaning forwards as she idly accepts a bowl of popcorn from Pinkie Pie.
-Chapter End-
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Onomonopia · 72k words · 755 22 · 12k views
- posponer · 64k words · 60 8 · 3.1k views
- That Drunk Pony · 42k words · 331 18 · 19k views
- Wolfram Alpha · 62k words · 323 21 · 5.6k views
- Onomonopia · 98k words · 797 71 · 14k views
- Garuda IV · 811k words · 838 79 · 16k views
- JeckParadox · 54k words · 41 3 · 2k views
- Chivalry · 3.3k words · 73 4 · 2.9k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.178 seconds
Total duration
981 users online
2,607,246 hits today, 2,139,894 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
WOW
! I have to say that was one of the best told versions of the Hobbit I've read/seen! The only version I can say is better is Pro. Tolkein's version, but thats only because hes the original author (can't diss an author now can I?).
HOLY SHIT, YOU UPDATED!! 361 days.
DAMN.
3405996
What?!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I wanted to make it a even 365! (insert sarcasm here)
I know, I know, it's been -FOREVER- since I updated, but this was due to real life (IE Military Life, IE I'mmonnaboat) deciding to take my flank on a scenic, no internet tour.
3405477
Oh stoppit you~
... Oh who am I kiddin? Keep singing the praises sugar~! But seriously, I don't think I'm quite that good, but I'm glad you're enjoying it. I promise to put out more soon.
3406135
AAAAAAAAAAAND...
I'm rereading everything because I forgot it all.
Please update soon!
for those who don't know trolls are evil creature spawned from the depths of the internet
This story has been officially reviewed by the Blunt Reviews Group.
i123.photobucket.com/albums/o282/Abramus5250/badge_zpseaf496af.gif
You know with this being based on the hobbit I'm guessing that something like the ring will show. It would be really great if you ended the chapter with twilight stopping for a bit and walking out so that she can see the item and show us that it's a family heirloom. It would show that there may be a darker history to twilights family legacy. But that's where I'd go with it what you do is up to you... You know if you ever update this story.
I plan on updating soon. (I know I've said this before, but I -just- got off of deployment)
5311121 yea and it's been 80 weeks
And NOTHING!
Trailer of your history:
Anyway, how going the next chapter?