Shale's Nightly "Adventure"
With its companions preforming their biological need of sleep during the night on the strange new world, Shale was left with nothing to do. The golem became much more bored than it usually was, especially since it couldn't go back to its old pastime of simply watching them sleep, watching the subtle changes their bodies make to pass the time that seemed to slow to a crawl whenever night fell.
Walking through the corridors of the castle, Shale's discerning gaze noticed the many differences the royal home had when compared to the one Alistair ruled in. A far cry in comparison, making the old Ferelden keep look more suitable for a king of beggars. Thinking on the pristine walls of the Canterlot castle, Shale's mind drifted toward the denizens who walked the very halls.
Such strange creatures to the golem, having many handicaps when compared to the bipedal, taller, handed creatures that it was used to dealing with. It became clear to the golem that the ones of the magical variety had a few advantages compared to the others, drawing a parallel to the magic users of its own world.
With the late hour, there were very few who still remained within the waking world. Only the occasional guard who stood as stoically as a statue that couldn't move, or a servant whose work was just coming to and end. Every one of them eyed the golem with strange glances. Many of them were hesitant, fearful and suspicious, though they didn't dare show it, Shale could see it in their eyes, the enormous size of them making it all the easier. But Shale cared little for the approval of the talking animals, only caring that the winged ones kept their distance, lest they learn what it was like to incur a golem's wrath.
It was something else on Shale's mind, how it had lost control over the supposed rulers of the land. A fleeting sensation of embarrassment could almost be felt by the construct, not being used to losing control like a common flesh creature. It considered the general size and demeanor the princesses had as being the main cause. The golem had never encountered any sort of bird that size, though having read about such creatures in books before. The thought of such beasts was almost enough to send a shiver down its nonexistent spine.
At the far end of the hallway it was walking down, Shale could see a flickering light through an open doorway. The small glimpse of life in the otherwise dead castle held a miniscule amount of interest to the construct's flat-lining curiosity. Approaching the room, a faint sound of hooves clopping against the hard floor could be heard, growing only slightly louder as it came closer.
Stepping into the room, Shale could see an aged stallion trotting back and forth busily across the chamber. Wrinkles were beginning to form on his face, while several hairs in his dark-red mane and tail were discoloring, losing the luster that youth once held. Small eyeglasses clung to the tip of his nose, seemingly defying gravity as there was nothing else supporting them on his face.
“Yes, yes, here you go,” the stallion said cheerfully, taking a small sack to the end of the room and dropping it on the ground. The golem noticed a door-less entryway being put into the wall, leading outside where it could see the beginnings of a garden and the vast night sky. Through the doorway, a group of rabbits came hopping in. They approached the sack and opened it, finding small pellets of food inside which they were quick to begin devouring. “Bit of a late night snack, eh?”
The stallion turned around and jumped in a startled fit as he noticed the construct standing in the room, looking more like a flinching tremor due to the pony's age. His frightened expression slowly shifted to one of curious detailing. It looked as though his eyes were closed, the large orbs merely stuck in a permanently deep squint as he scoped the golem out from head to metaphorical-toe.
“Oh, hello,” the stallion murmured, adjusting his glasses with his hoof. “You must be one of those strange newcomers I've heard mentioned.” He nodded his head slightly, taking his thought as fact right away without needing any outside input. “Yup, there's been plenty of rumors circulating about you all. Though, I'm not one to judge a creature by their appearance.”
The stallion paused for several moments, as though waiting for Shale to speak. When not a word was uttered from the disinterested construct, the stallion smiled even larger. “Not much of a talker, huh?” he asked. “That's fine.” He bowed his head slightly in a gesture of respect. “I'm the caretaker of the royal animals. Usually they can just fend for themselves out in the gardens, but I do often see them looking for help with a small injury or...” his gaze turned toward the rabbits that were finishing off the last of the food that was in the sack, “a simple treat. Can't say I get many visitors. Though, this lovely pegasus stops by every now and then. Very young, sweet and full of potential.” A light chuckle left him as he eyed the golem more. “She's just about as talkative as yourself too. But look at me going off on things I'm sure you don't want to hear. I'm actually preparing to retire to my quarters myself, much like everypony else has evidently done. I'm just waiting for the return of-” The stallion was cut off as the elegant call of a bird sounded loudly.
Through one of the windows at the top of the room, a large, brightly colored bird swooped down and hovered near them. Its feathers were vibrant shades of red and orange, with a beak that blended in with the colors of its body.
The caretaker beamed gleefully as he held out his hoof for the bird, which wasted no time in perching on it and standing there with a posture of elegance and pride.. “Ah, there you are, Philomena,” he said with cheer. “Did you enjoy your nighttime flight?”
The bird referred to as Philomena chirped happily in response, her heading bobbing up and down in a simple nod. The animal's gaze soon drifted away from the pony and landed on the golem company. Shale matched the stare that the bird directed toward it, having one filled with contempt while the creature's was one of curiosity.
Noticing the interest that they both had with one another, the caretaker chuckled with mirth. “She catch your eye, eh?” he asked, giving another, much softer chuckle. “That's Philomena, Princess Celestia's prized pet phoenix. Quite a beautiful little bird, isn't she?” Shale didn't answer, never taking its glowing eyes away from the phoenix, half-expecting it to lunge forward at any moment.
Philomena left the stallion's hoof and slowly flew about the room. Eventually, she hovered toward Shale, looking to perch atop the golem's broad shoulders. As the tips of her talons touched the rocky surface, the construct's large hand struck out. The mighty palm nearly caught the phoenix, but Philomena was very quick, flying out of the way just in time and squawking indignantly. The action looked more like Shale was attempting to shoo the bird away, rather than strike it out of the air.
The caretaker simply smiled at what he thought was just a playful excursion by them both, turning his back to them and looking toward the rabbits who sat before an emptied food bag. “I've actually helped to care for her since she was hatched years ago,” he went on, trotting toward the bag to pick it up. “It's not often a pony can obtain one, needing to get one as an egg and wait for it to hatch. Even then, the parents aren't ones to just let their eggs go.”
As the stallion bent down to grab the bag, the rabbits each shared devious looks toward one another. Just as his teeth were about grasp it, the rabbits snatched the sack and took off into the garden, leaving the caretaker to frown at them impatiently. “Little mischief makers,” he murmured, beginning to take off. He was already outside as his voice echoed into the room toward shale, shouting, “Don't worry, I'll be back in a moment!”
Neither Shale nor Philomena had payed attention to the event, barley even noticing that the caretaker had left. Their eyes were still focused on one another as the phoenix landed on a table beside the golem. She tilted her head to the side, still holding an inquisitive look, though mixed with an understandable sense of caution and dislike. Shale could only scowl as it took an immediate step back, remembering its promise to the commander to remain on its best behavior, and finding it difficult while in the presence of the detestable avian creature.
Noticing the negativity it was receiving, the phoenix's eyes narrowed and held a mischievous glint within them. Within that moment, Shale was taken aback as the phoenix's bright orange, triangular tongue stuck out through her beak, waggling back and forth before being retracted back. A loud, rumbling growl echoed within the golem's mouth in response, one that could make even the bloodthirsty of wildlife tremble with a sense of fear. But the phoenix seemed unaffected by it, and was far from done. Philomena teased the newcomer further as she turned around and lifted her tail feathers up at it, shaking her rear in a childishly mocking manner, all the while chirping words of a bird language that could only be assumed as playful insults.
Feeling its very limited patience having run its course, Shale reacted in the most sensible way it knew how. In one swift motion, the construct lifted its bulbous fist up and brought it down hard on top of the table with a trembling force.
A loud thud shuddered through the room, coupled with cracking wood, crunching bone, and a sudden squawk of surprise that was cut off halfway. All that could be seen on the table was the large cracks in the wood, as well as the brightly colored plumage of the phoenix's tail and wings sticking out from beneath the construct's clenched fist.
Removing its hand, Shale held the greatest look of satisfaction its stone face could muster as it looked down at the corpse of the phoenix. Philomena's body had been crushed, her chest nearly flattened while her small legs and wide wings were crooked in unnatural angles. There was only a momentary twitch in the feet before the bird's movement stopped entirely, a small pool of blood expanding around her broken form.
Shale continued to admire its work, deeming it a victory against birds everywhere, the future and its consequences for itself and companions never coming across the golem's mind. With its attention focused solely on Philomena's corpse, the construct was mildly surprised as, without warning, her body burst into flames. The fire danced wildly across the lifeless bird, consuming it entirely as her feathers and flesh singed and burned away. Within a matter of seconds, the phoenix was gone, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ash. Even the blood had been vaporized, leaving the table clean if not for the ashes.
Not a word could be uttered about the event. Shale's own thoughts remained curious, having never seen the corpse of a bird react in such a way. Though, it surmised that it could simply be what happens to birds in the strange world of magic and talking ponies, making the prospect of hunting the flying pests down all the more intriguing. But the golem's idea was soon shattered, its eyes widening as it witnessed the ashes beginning to glow.
A mystical hum twinkled in the air. Bright lines of magic encircled the air around it, appearing to be coming from with the pile itself. Before a question could be raised about the events, the ashes flew into the air. Then, in one majestic flash of a blinding light, the ashes formed into a bird's visage and transformed into a phoenix that held the exact appearance of the slain Philomena.
Shale could only gape in horror as the phoenix soared into the air with a renewed vitality. Philomena perched herself on a decorated rod that jutted out from the stone wall, looking as though it was made specifically for the purpose. Her beady eyes glared down at the construct as her tongue stuck out once again. Too stunned to realize it, Shale was caught off guard as the caretaker returned to the room, the emptied sack of food in his mouth.
Setting the bag aside, the stallion became the perch of the phoenix once again, her leering gaze never leaving the construct. The caretaker, having no idea of what had transpired, simply beamed at the bird. “Such remarkable creatures,” he said, his tone filled with admiration. “The only ones that are able to actually revive themselves after serious injury or the end of the natural life. They burst into flames and are reborn from the leftover ashes. You must admit, that such a feat is truly extraord-” The caretaker's continued rambling was stopped as his gaze left Philomena to regard the golem visitor. He was surprised as he saw that Shale was no longer with them in the room.
The construct had departed long ago, making certain to keep as much distance between it and the seemingly demonic bird it had encountered. Deciding to spend the rest of the night standing idle in any of its companions rooms, Shale's mind began to swim with troubling thoughts of immortal birds. It nearly shuddered at the idea of such beasts in its own world. Now, the golem wanted nothing more then to leave the horrific land of colorful talking horses forever.
Stats
Page generated in 0.019 seconds
Total duration
998 users online
2,092,882 hits today, 2,205,040 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.®
I usually wait for a fair amount of the story to be written and read before I give it a thumbs up/down. This chapter has made my decision of thumbs up a-go.
Shale just got trolled by a bird, and he seems to not be too happy about it
1789748
SHALE IS A SHE! CHECK THE WIKI!
1789865 Sorry if I have never been able to tell with a statue
1789887
shale is both man and female, I've pursued relationships with shale with all the races, what a whore statue
had payed attention
1. Paid.
And now... the endless battle for centuries between Shale and the phoenixes will begin
1789748 Actually Shale is a she. Playing Dragon Age extensively made me feel obligated to point that out.
You have to remember that Shale is a woman, or at least she used to be.
I'd actually prefer her being referred to as a woman, as that's what she actually is.
1791064 Shale used to be a woman. After you find it out, Shale specifically says that although it used to be one, it is now genderless and should be taken into accounnt . Then you can make a crack about Shale's ass... but that's beside the point. The only one I think to ever actually refer to Shale's gender again is Wynne at the very end of the game.
Though, I know Shale appears in one of the Dragon Age books, I've never read it and I'm not sure how they write the golem in. Whether or not they refer to Shale as an it or a her.
1790256 *Raises pointing hand and opens mouth to speak*
...
*lowers and closes*
...
*Repeats*
...
*Repeats*
...
*Repeats*
...I don't know how to feel about you even trying to get into a relationship with a statue...
it's simple reeeeeally.
also where the fuck is the reply buttons on this shit new version of comment boxes?!
1803309 Kefka is one of my favorite villains because he's a clown and court jester with a passion for killing and hating the world. the reason he lost was because he thought the heroes were a joke he could deal with easily.
and you gotta admit villains are pretty stupid so that is why i'm going to make my villains actually inteligent and my heroes even moreso.
cheers
Hee hee, it's like the Uncrushable Pigeon from the DLC!
shale WAS a she, but even in the game shale still refers to ITSELF as a IT.
ITS PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH NOT HAVING A DICK OR VAGINA GUYS, SHALE TECHNICALLY HAS NO GENDER. AND OVER TIME SHALE HAS LEARNED THIS BECAUSE SHALE HAS LIVED FOR FUCK LODE OF TIME. AND SHALE LIKES TO POINT OUT ALL THE LITTLE SHIT, EVEN IN THE GAME/DLC.