Chapter Three: Burdened
20th Entry:
At long last, I've finally returned to some semblance of civilization. I sort of left this journal behind in my haste, so it has been a while since the last entry. As far as what has happened in the meantime, I can safely say that I hope to never have to act as mediator between Diamond Dogs and ponies ever again. A story for another time perhaps, but aside from that, I've managed to pick up a little bit of Conjuration magic as well as a new recipe:
----------------
----------------
Anyway, upon my return to the city, I received a letter from Frigid. It seems that Squall Squadron is gearing up for something big and they have specifically requested my involvement. His letter fails to mention what it is that the group is aiming to do, but it looks like we won't be the only ones involved. That can only mean that whatever it is that's going on, It must be big. Very Big.
Penny won't be happy to see me leave so soon, but I suppose it can't be helped. Nothing official has been requested of me, otherwise they wouldn't have used Frigid to contact me. If that is the case, then I may just attempt to sneak away before Penny realizes my absence.
21st Entry:
My estimate of just how important this project is has got to be the understatement of the year. As it turns out, they've finally found a use for my Flame Ward. Squall Squadron is teaming up with at least one of the other freelancer groups in order to hunt down a dragon. While normally an attempt is made to chase a dragon away from civilization, this particular dragon has developed a taste for ponies and it doesn't look like it's going to change its venue anytime soon.
The plan is, according to Frigid, to enchant the soldiers' armor with the flame resist. They think that once the flames are dealt with they can deal with the dragons other dangerous bits. I'm hesitant to tell them just how difficult it is for a lone unicorn to cover as many ponies with wards as they hope. Last time I found the ward difficult to keep on just myself. Luckily for them I some ideas I plan to implement towards that end.
I've found that no two materials seem hold the enchantment spells for similar lengths of time. Alternatively, depending on which type of enchantment is used, the same material can have different lengths for which it will hold the said enchantment. If I can find something that has the attributes needed to hold Flame Ward to itself for a reasonable amount of time, then we should be good to go. At least as good to go as we could be when attempting to take on one of the most dangerous creatures known to pony kind.
22nd Entry:
Testing for a suitable material continues. Cloth and other flexible material aren't fit to hold the spell for any substantial length of time, so it looks like I'll need to use some sort of ore or possibly a gem. An ore would be the best, especially if the metal was already being used in pegasi armor. The gems would be prohibitive based on the price alone, but seeing as I already know a little bit about their composition from my time spent with the Stone family, they could prove to be the most useful in holding a ward.
Some more information on our intended target, the dragon's den is located in the mountains of a rural region to the north. The closest town is an Earth Pony settlement called Derby, which used to be a prominent mining town before their mines dried up. Makes me wonder just how much treasure the dragon has managed to wrangle away from the inhabitants for its hoard.
The other portion of the shared command by Squall Squad goes to the infamous Thunder Troops. Their sole reason for joining us, I suspect, is so that they can nab the dragon's stash. It wouldn't be the first time that treasure has been their sole motivation for fighting.
23rd Entry:
I've finally discovered the best substance to use for the enchantment. A gem, appropriately called Fire Opal, seems to be able to hold the ward most effectively, followed closely by Rubies. While these aren't exactly cheap, I think the command is hedging on being able to recover any losses through acquisition of the hoard. Provided we're able to divvy it up between us and the Thunder mercenaries.
I'm now headed back to Fort Gale, which Frigid says has been moved near enough to Derby so as to not arouse suspicion of the dragon, but close enough to the town to act as an operating base. At least this time I won't have to walk. Once we procure some more items for the enchanting demonstration, Frigid says that I can hop in the back of his cart. I'm actually looking forward to my first long distance flight.
Frigid has said that my added weight won't be too much hassle for him to handle. Indeed, he's gained some muscle since I last saw him near Prance. He's also been quite helpful in acquiring the items I've needed for the experiments. I'll need to figure out how I can repay him for his assistance at some point in time.
24th Entry:
I've taken residence in one of the, now many, abandoned buildings within Derby while I work on the enchantments. Those few ponies that have chosen to wait out the 'storm' here seem almost devoid of hope. Nopony leaves their homes at night, and much the surrounding countryside is disturbingly quiet. The low hanging smog, as Frigid calls it, does nothing to lift the mood. I keep having to remind myself that the best way to help them is to perfect each of the enchantments so that nopony gets burned when we attack.
Frigid has been ferrying supplies and information to me from the fort while I reside here. I don't think I really needed to, but I've warned him to avoid traveling the area at night, just as the locals do. He spends as little time as possible here when on a delivery and he agreed, readily, to restrict his travel times.
At least we have a plan of attack now. Troops from a mix of both groups will be split into teams. The first team only consists of a few pegasi whose goal is to lure the dragon out of its den. Once outside, the main force is to use their superior numbers and close range agility to repeatedly strike the dragon from all sides, eventually subduing the beast. I'll be tagging along to update the Flame Ward enchantments should they wear off during the fight.
25th Entry:
I'll begin my ascent to the dragon's lair days ahead of the main attack force. Command would like me to take a pegasi-pulled cart to the fight, but I convinced them that it would be best to let anypony not involved with the main force to stay away from the actual fight, including support pegasi. That way everypony will be in top shape for the ambush. When I reach top I should be able to rendezvous with the scouting party with plenty of time to rest up before the attack.
Frigid has been 'volunteered' to be my escort up the mountain. I'm sure that he would have come with me anyway, provided that he wouldn't be ground-bound throughout the trip. The smog has only gotten thicker in recent days. The possibility of us losing sight of each other is just one of the downsides to this unnatural weather. Plant life in the valley grows weak from the lack of sun, and the ground is cold. I'll be sure to pack myself plenty of food for the trip.
Its also a good thing that I've had a little time in between experimentation sessions to make myself a new cloak, I have a feeling I'll need it up on the mountain.
26th Entry:
Met up with the scouting party today. They seem to think that we will be able to wrap up this whole dragon business with no problem. The two pegasi from Thunder Troop are quite rambunctious for spies and I'm honestly quite surprised that they haven't already alerted the dragon to our presence. Their only saving grace is the fact that they smuggled something of the alcoholic variety into camp. The stuff they brought is actually pretty good, too bad I'll need to keep a clear head before the assault. I've got a good amount of enchanting to do early tomorrow.
The stuff they brought is a candied cider. I've managed to snag instructions on how it's made before the trooper passed out:
----------------
----------------
Anyway, the big event starts in the morning, and I've got to prepare for the main attraction.
27th Entry:
I-It's been a few days since I've written anything. I just don't know what to do anymore. Everything went to Tartarus before the main assault force could finish readying the ambush outside the cave entrance. I'll always remember the horror of the day we attacked the dragon.
Everything started to go wrong when the Thunder Troop portion of the decoy team decided to sneak some of the dragon's treasure out early. This, predictably, caused the dragon to start his morning rampage before we were ready.
The decoy team never made it out of the cave.
Soon after, the main assault force decided to go and attempt to rescue the decoy team. Things then went from bad to worse, the entire plan for the ambush was now out the window.
The group that Frigid and I were a part of, was one of the last to enter the cave. The instant we entered the dragon's home he made sure that we knew it. With each group trying its best to damage the dragon in tight quarters, unable to break away when they needed, the dragon brutally and rapidly countered almost every attack. Our team barely made it into the main chamber before the dragon swept the entire group back outside with a simple flick of his tail.
I skidded towards the edge of the cliff in front of the cave, Frigid immediately behind me. I managed to hook my foreleg over some scrub bush before tumbling over the edge. Frigid managed to grab a hold of me as he too fell over the side, his right wing hanging uselessly by his side, damaged in the attack. I tried to pull us both up, but the long-dead plant threatened to pull free with every shift of our combined weight.
The small support team, which were ordered to stay out of the fight at my insistence, was still too far away to help, and my grip had started to loosen. Frigid said that it wasn't any use for both of us to fall, and that he'd rather try to glide to some low lying cloud so that I might be able to climb up. He let go. I yelled for him to stop, but by then he had already vanished from sight, swallowed up in the thick haze.
I managed to pull myself up the ledge, only to spin around to see if I can manage to spot my friend once more. I hoped he was alright, that he would manage to glide to safety, even though I knew in the back of my mind that he's the one who took the brunt of the blow which knocked us out here. He wouldn't be able to glide anywhere. I still couldn't see him.
The dragon can still clearly be heard giving the remaining pegasi a new fear of the mythical. I manage to pull myself together for a final charge. By then, I've had enough of this.
I charge up as much power into a single Flame Ward as I could and I charged into the cave screaming at the top of my lungs. By the time I reach the main chamber, most of the troops are out of commission. The dragon simply rears up and lets loose its flaming breath, looking to quickly end my insolence. I spot my opening and beat back the dragon's direct attack with my ward, yelling insults and shouting some pretty crazy things. Something along the lines of how I'm a child of the stars and that no flames could ever hurt me.
Amused, or annoyed, I'm not sure which, the dragon inhaled deeply for a more powerful attack to meet my challenge. It was all I could do to keep the ward going while readying my next spell. The breath was so powerful that the ground around me had even started to glow a deep cherry red. Before long, a loud crack could be heard through the din of fire. The dragon's attack was abruptly halted by the stalactite that plummeted to the floor, the real goal of my attack, which pierced through the beast's slender neck and pinned it to the floor, dead.
My work complete, I started to collapse to the now-molten floor, no doubt due to my recent drain of magic power combined with the onset of heat exhaustion. It was only then that one of the quicker pegasus from the support group arrived, tackling me away from molten puddle, and keeping me from burning alive in the process. I somehow managed to keep awake, and at some point, I even ordered the responding support teams to care for the wounded and search for Frigid. After that, I let unconsciousness take me.
I woke up only this morning, and apparently I'm now in charge. None of the commanding officers involved in the attack survived, and with my unusual rank, adding to the fact that I just slew the dragon with a single attack, I'm now the one giving orders. Not something which I prefer outright, having others depend on me like that, but since then the wounded have been tended to. Most of them, anyway. There were thirty-seven injured in total, myself included. Fourteen are dead, and three are still unaccounted for.
Frigid is still among the missing.
Most of the Thunder Troops fled. I'm sure they would have demanded their portion of the treasure, but for fear of repercussions, either from the rest of the squadrons or for fear of me and mine, I'm uncertain. I've noticed that the other pegasi fear me now too. They do everything I say, regardless of what the task may be, and they seem to be avoiding my presence more so than usual. I don't quite know how I feel about that, but in the meantime I've set them to work. Those who've succumbed to their injuries must be given the proper respects. The dead dragon's hoard still needs to be inventoried before it can be distributed, and the dragon's body needs to be disposed of as well. Anypony too injured to care for themselves must be moved back to the Fort and the pegasi still missing need to be searched for.
I'd search for Frigid myself, but in my current state I'm forced to delegate the task to somepony else. The haze near the base of the mountain is still thick from the dragon's smoke. I just hope that we can find my friend before it's too late.
28th Entry:
There's still no sign of Frigid. One of the other lost pegasi has been found, dead, and while the outlook is not good, I remain hopeful. Those who have died in the attack have been returned home, and I've been able to reassign more pegasi to help with the search efforts.
A few interesting items have been found within the hoard. It turns out that this dragon was female. Had she survived, this lair would soon be supporting several younger dragons. Five dragon eggs have been located. I'm told that the legends say that the eggs can only be hatched through a dragon's flame. With their mother gone these eggs might never hatch, should we be so lucky. While their value to collectors might be incredible, I believe that they might benefit my studies more. Even if I never learn how to mimic the hatching process in order to study the dragons themselves, their makeup alone is worth the study. I'll add them to my personal portion of the treasure once we're able to divvy it out.
The other ponies might object to this, but from what I've seen on how they act around me, they probably won't try anything to stop me. What could they do to somepony who's killed a dragon by himself anyway?
29th Entry:
I haven't slept in what seems like days. Since the treasure has been accounted for, I've assigned all able-bodied pegasi to search for Frigid. The second missing pony was found alive, but is in bad shape. She apparently collided with several branches from a dead tree on her way down, breaking more than just her fall. They say she'll be lucky if she survives the night.
The pain caused by the relatively minor burns to my hooves is nothing compared to what Frigid must be going through. When they find him and patch him up, he might never be able to fly again. I don't know how I'd cope without being able to use my magic, let alone If I was unable to do what I was born to, all while being stranded all alone at the bottom of a mountain. Just thinking about it gives me nightmares.
30th Entry:
I just don't know what to do anymore. The rest of the squadron is getting restless. I've managed to keep them busy with the search but they still haven't found my friend. The hoard is just waiting to be split up, but I need to find Frigid before I'll let anypony deal with that. He's still out there, and I won't rest until we find him. If only I could go look myself, I'm sure I'd be able to spot him right away, obscuring fog or not.
31st Entry:
I don't know what had come over me these last few days. When Penny herself showed up to the cave, I thought that I had truly gone insane. She had heard about the losses here and was worried for my safety. After getting almost no response other than the fact that the dragon was dead, she became worried and snuck out here to see if I was alright. Even though my injuries had mostly healed, it turns out that I was far from being okay.
I was a mess. I wasn't getting any sleep, and worse, I was pushing the pegasi too hard in order to find Frigid. Through Penny's consolation, I've been able to realize what I had been keeping from myself. Frigid was gone. I tried my hardest to not let my feelings get the better of me, but accepting the loss of my friend had suddenly become too much to handle. I broke down completely, everything coming together at once. All the deaths involved with this mission. My best friend falling to his death, seemingly never to be found.
Penny, however, widened my view of the situation. Once she knew the facts, she told me that, had Frigid not sacrificed himself, I would have fallen to my death as well. Then who would have stopped the dragon's wrath? Nopony. Frigid and the others died so that many more might live. It was his duty, and it was mine as well. She reminded me that I was never to forget that.
After I had calmed down and ordered the search to be called off. Penny started questioning me about my physical state when she noticed my bell lying next to my cot. During the fight it was the only part of my cloak to survive, again. Only this time, it narrowly escaped destruction itself, nearly melting from the heat. It didn't even make the same melodic sound anymore, only a dull, sorrowful song could be heard from it now. Penny thought it was amusingly poetic that the bell had matured along with its owner. I didn't find it quite as humorous, and questioned the point she was attempting to make.
She said that when I left home for the first time, I was a brash colt, courageous to a fault. Now I was something else. I cared what others thought of me, and while my goals of mastering all forms of magic was still a little self serving, I still used it for the good of others. Penny also mentioned that even the stubble that had been growing from my snout these past few weeks was a 'maturing' look for me.
32nd Entry:
Penny left early the next morning. It felt like that was first time I had slept in weeks. I've been pretty busy since then. The dragon's hoard has been distributed throughout the squadron. I've also officially stepped down as the temporary commander of the Squall Squadron. The title now belongs to the pegasus who saved my life after the fight. He's still little young for such a job, but I have a feeling he's going to do just fine.
I've got the dragon's eggs in my possession, and am heading to Central to find a place to store them. Whichever place I choose will hopefully be the new base of operations for my research. I might even accept an apprentice or two. But before I start planning away any future studies, there is still something I must do. Frigid mentioned that he had a sister whom he genuinely cared for. I owe it to him to help her in anyway possible, including giving her Frigid's share of the hoard. I just have no idea how to find her, other than the fact that she goes by the name Surprise.
33rd Entry:
I think that I've found the ideal location with which to continue my studies now that I'm no longer a part of the Squall Squadron. After I stowed the dragon eggs away, I went into town for some supplies. I still need a replacement for the garments that were destroyed in the fight. I'll hopefully have time to put everything together tomorrow.
In all of my errand running I managed to let Penny know that I had made it back, and that I had a new place to stay. Oddly though, her disposition seemed distant. The only response, at all, that I received from her concerned the fact that a couple of ponies had shown interest in my work. She wouldn't even say who they were, only that they would be directed to my new residence for a later meeting.
While I was returning to Central, I let my mind wander towards what I want to do as far as my research goes. There is still an awful lot I don't understand about how the world works. I'm sure that there are still increasingly powerful spells that I have yet to get my hooves on. Before long, I'd even imagined that, if I had acquired any of these spells, that I might have been able to save Frigid. It's not a train of thought that I wish to dwell on, but I seem to be unable to help myself in this regard.
I just can't stop thinking of all of the things that I could or couldn't have possibly done. If I could have conjured a physical shield for the troops, instead of just enchanting them with Flame Ward, would the outcome have been any different? What if I had learned to manipulate the very forces which continue to pull me towards the earth? Could I have saved my friend. The possibilities must be nearly endless. I don't think I'll ever be able to answer any of these questions, but I don't think I'll ever be able to stop thinking about them either. Those thoughts are almost always at the forefront of my mind as of late, and the answers may very well haunt me for the rest of my life.
34th Entry:
I spent a lot of time looking for them yesterday, but my new cloak wouldn't have been complete without them. Eighteen bells, including my original, now adorn the periphery of the fabric. One bell for every pegasus lost that day on the mountain, and one to represent myself. Others will surely comment on just how ridiculous I must look, but I doubt that I could bring myself to care about what others only think they know at this point. I'll carry their memories with me everywhere, even if I never knew them personally, so that I can remind myself that my work is never done.
I was just admiring my hoofiwork when my mystery visitors arrived. To my surprise, I was greeted by a creature that I'd previously thought of as a myth or a legend. At first, I assumed she was just a regal-looking white unicorn with a light pink mane. But after she turned to introduce her sister, who was hiding behind her, I noticed that she had wings as well as a horn. After an awkward few moments, I noticed that her smaller sister, who had a dark blue coat and a light blue mane, was also in possession of both wings and horn. The white one introduced herself as Celestia and her sister, Luna. They were, in fact, classified as alicorns, but insisted that I think of them as regular ponies. I took her suggestion to heart and did as they wished.
As for what they were interested in exactly, they wanted to know what it was that brought about my change, from what was considered 'normal' for a pony in my former position within the Sun Clan, to what I'd been working on as of late. I told them that I had always known that I had great talent for using magic. It was only when I decided to repair a small broken bowl that I was discovered to have learned magic outside my station. Tainted with lesser magics, they claimed, I was banished. The older sister, I now realize, showed immense interest in my story. The younger, however seemed far more easily distracted and shy, her eyes wandering everywhere but towards myself.
I was told that they wished to support my efforts to bring forth the spread of magic. They believed that It was one of the many ways which might move Ponykind towards the future. I agreed with their sentiment, but only If they would assist me in finding Frigid's sister. They promised to do what they could, and left on amiable terms. As they were leaving, Luna turned to me and made a comment about how "I wasn't like the others." Just what she was referring to, I have no idea. Regardless, the meeting with those two made for an interesting day.
Probably the first time I've run into a mythical creature and survived with my cloak intact at any rate. That's a good sign.
----------------
Twilight put down her quill. Spike had just entered the room carrying a recently received message addressed to her from Princess Luna. Twilight had asked for her help in discovering if the dates on the sheet that Pinkie had found had any significance in history. The letter only seemed to raise more questions, however.
Dearest Twilight,
Concerning the list you supplied, We can only say that we do not know of any events of interest that may have occurred on those days. Against your wishes, I have also asked my sister what her thoughts were on the subject, and she agrees with my assessment. Not to worry, I have ensured that she does not know that this query originated from you.
Upon closer examination, we do not believe these to be dates that Starswirl might have found of interest during his time, as several of those listed would have taken place well after his disappearance. We have confirmed this with the Royal Archives. There is nothing ordinary about this document, Twilight Sparkle, and we believe that whatever significance it held may very well be as lost as Starswirl himself.
Pleasant nights,
Princess Luna
Twilight was unsure what to do next. The mystery of the list was constantly nagging at her mind. Why was the parchment hidden within the bindings of Starswirl's journal. especially if it was just a random list of dates that Starswirl himself wouldn't have even been around for? She pulled her copy of the list from the the drawer of her writing table and looked upon it once more. She had done this at least once a day since it was discovered, as if to divine its secrets by simply staring at it.
Nothing new ever seemed to be forthcoming.
3/16/17, 1/6/3, 2/15/14
4/19/5, 1/14/10, 4/14/19, 1/18/3, 4/17/8
4/12/1, 1/2/1
1/16/7, 3/1/3, 4/15/12, 1/14/12, 2/13/1
1/7/1, 4/15/13, 4/8/4, 1/16/10, 1/17/2
3/1/1, 3/17/4, 2/15/14, 3/1/3
1/11/1, 3/1/3, 4/15/12, 2/9/7, 4/19/8, 2/14/12, 3/18/18, 2/14/9, 1/9/6, 4/15/9, 1/11/3
1/11/1, 2/15/14, 3/1/3, 3/12/4, 2/16/17, 3/16/15, 4/18/7, 3/18/18
4/15/2, 4/14/8, 2/15/14, 2/12/5, 3/16/17, 2/12/9, 1/14/10, 2/10/11, 3/16/3, 4/17/8
"If they aren't dates then what are they?" Twilight asked nopony in particular. She was just about to put the sheet away when she noticed a new pattern emerge on the page. Several of the dates repeated, that much she already knew, but now Twilight noticed that a few of the sets repeated their order as well. That could only mean that each of the sets must represent something in particular, a pattern of sorts, and if she could find out what each of the sets represented then, she hoped, the sets would form something with more meaning. A message.
Now she just needed to find out where Starswirl could have hidden the meaning of the sets, and why he felt the need to hide a message within his own private journal.
Stats
Page generated in 0.109 seconds
Total duration
983 users online
5,962 hits today, 2,244,100 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.®
GRR.... I know it has something to do with the recipies....
It's driving me nuts; totally losing sleep over this.
Sounds interesting, I hope there's a least a couple more chapters in this. I think the writing could use a little touchup. Some of my my thoughts on that:
I feel like this is phrased oddly, it seems like it might not fit together well. I gather you mean to convey that he thinks they don't really exist.
I also feel like maybe this:
ought to be more "I was just admiring my hoofwork when my mysterious visitors arrived." Mystery feels like it ought to be singular somehow, as in 'a mystery visitor'. When you say just do mean in the sense of only now admiring it, or that that was all he was doing?
Do you mean more than just noisy, because that word feels a tad out of place, granted that they sound like pretty terrible spies.
2086308 Thanks for the tips! I'll look into revisiting this portion of the series after I finish writing Observations in it's entirety.
2086340
As unnecessary as dates might be, if you can think of dates for some of those entries, I think it would help alleviate some of the monotony of "31st entry", "32nd entry"... and so on. You might try working in comments from Twilight on not finding a date or something or only having a few dated entries, if you wanted to go that route.
Okay.
2086520 Maybe.
Coming up with arbitrary dates for specific entries is quite a pain. They aren't even really useful unless you have something to compare them to as a frame of reference. Using Twilight as a way to bring about some exact dates is an interesting prospect though...
You were practically going down Twi's S1 spell-list. Where's the
?
ah.
I still find this appellation for the hornèd, wingèd ones dumb, when it refers to the material of a unicorn horn.
So is the cypher decoded in another story, or is it a reader puzzle? Reading on will tell me, I suppose. edit: well… it's very obviously the subject of the next story.
soldiers'
skidded
its
pegasus
…lacks a mention of how long it's been.
himself, since we're not at all unsure of Starswirl's gender.
consolation,
pegasus
pegasus
hoofiwork [cf. handiwork]
a horn.
7696416 True, but the use of alicorn as a means to describe a horned pegasus(or winged unicorn) has already been around here often enough to be considered a secondary definition.
I possess the solved cipher in google docs. Sadly, due to various formatting issues involved, I was never able to integrate it into the story properly.
7696372
7696237
As for the constant lack of dates, they don't exist because I'm terrible at relatively short periods of time. I think this shows up in my work from time to time, it's just more noticeable here due to the distinct lack of an actual date where a reader would expect to find one.
Give me an era or two to work with any day.
7696524
Did you miss the notice that imgur blacklisted fimfiction, so you can't hotlink them from here?
7730932 Ah, I didn't know that. Guess I have to find another host.
Edit: now the images are hosted on my deviantart. I've double-checked them using another browser this time, so everyone should be able to see them now.
These are upper case and shouldn't be.
Twilight is lower case and shouldn't be.
And a bonus stray upper case letter from the author's notes.
8226492
Thanks! I'm still constantly trying to keep myself from capitalizing anything.
I like the purpose you gave to Starswirl's bells.
8919924
I've always doubted that the greatest magician of his age would just have some arbitrary adornments. Granted, the reason isn't exactly an easy memory for him, but they aren't just a silly comical gag either. 
Thanks!