A Lampent's Lament in Equestria

by Iridescence T Wind

Boast Burners

“None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear.”
― Ferdinand Foch

---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---

It had been two weeks since Applebucking season had ended, Soul had spent a majority of the first week explaining everything he knew about his universe to the scholarly Twilight Sparkle, only to be yanked away by the second from the overly eager Timber wolf Night Lily who wanted him to hunt with her. While he refused to kill anything he did send off more souls of the various creatures Lily would catch. Some of these creatures she caught were outright dangerous to even look in the eye or meet, Like a cockatrice Lily had ripped apart outright without looking at it or the venomous cobras that she had taken a liking to eating after one failed to ambush and bite through Souls' frame. An attempt that costed the snake its life as Soul fried it with a well-placed flamethrower; Lily coincidently had also learnt about freshly cooked food that night. Needless to say he had finally calmed down from the events of his first few days and settled back into his normal demeanor he used to be in before being sent here.

Two weeks in, and now as he had promised Twilight on the day of his departure into the forest he was heading back to town. There was not very much difference in Ponyville when he arrived. The place seemed a bit neater and greener since the plants had a chance to sprout again after being eaten by a stampede of baby bunnies but that was about it. Though as he traveled through the town he noticed the lack of ponies in the streets or lights in the windows. Something was happening, he decided. So he turned off and headed toward the town square. As he had guessed a majority of the town was at the hall but something new was in front of it. On the stage was a Unicorn with a cold blue coat and a purple star covered cloak and hat was on the stage performing various magical tricks though the audience looked mostly disgruntled in the back and happy in the front. Some of the audience was already leaving with various looks of contempt on their faces. Others, mainly the younger ones, had looks of awe or astonishment at the number of magical tricks she performed. He scanned the crowd and sure enough at the front row he spotted the cowboy hat adorned by only one pony he knew.

He phased into the ground and arose out of it next to Applejack spotting the rest of the group around her he stated quite calmly unimpressed with the fireworks and minor tricks the unicorn on stage was performing, "Hello."

Their conversation barely disrupted as they returned the greetings he had given and they went back into disgruntled comments while Twilight kept stopping Spike from commenting with slowly increasing severity from a hoof to flat out zipping his mouth shut with magic. Soul commented when one of them paused in their conversation, "To be precise, I'm guessing that you’re all unimpressed with this Unicorn showing off parlor tricks and small scale magic and boasting about it?"

"That about sums it up." Applejack stated raising a hoof to fix her hat back straight rather than angled slightly upward. Rainbow dash had her own reply in mind, "Ya, Ponyville already have one show-off and that’s me." At the look of her friends Rainbow looked awkwardly away, "Uh ya, magic smagic... Boo."

The stage mare looked upon her audience, "Well it seems we have some Neigh-Sayers in the audience, who has the audacity to challenge the great and powerful Trixie?" She flourished a hoof earning a roll of the eyes from Soul Light, "Do they not know that they are in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of equestria?"

Soul resisted the urge to shout out a challenge, he didn't want to show off as to speak and he noticed that Twilight had a hoof over spikes mouth again. He had learnt enough about Unicorns to know that Twilight was one of the stronger Unicorns he had met, her cutie-mark being magic or astrology if the few dozen books he had read on the subject during his stay was correct. Rainbow Dash unsurprisingly dashed into the air and stopped a few feet from Trixie, she asked with extreme sarcasm while giving her a stink eye, "So 'great and powerful' Trixie. What makes you think you’re so awesome anyway?"

Trixie gestured to herself, "Why only the great and powerful Trixie would be powerful enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!"

As fireworks went off Soul ignored it his mind processing, Ursa Major? Is that a relative of Teddy Ursa or something? He looked up seeing an animated firework of a badly drawn Trixie defeating what looked like a fat bear with a star on its forehead barely three times taller than her. He was unamused by this, he would be more impressed if she had fought off an onix bare hoofed. Even the wand in the fireworks hoof was incorrect since it was sticking straight out and hovering away from the characters hoof that was 'wielding' it. He noticed ponies all around him were gasping in shock and awe except for Twilight and her friends and his eyes perked into an inquisitive stare. He asked spike, the only one who looked neutral on the subject and wasn't paying attention, "What’s the deal with an Ursa major?"

Spike shrugged, "Supposedly they are a living star constellation bear that lives in a large cave in the Everfree forest, it is said to be taller than houses or something. That and even the princesses wouldn't take one on in combat without a full regiment of Unicorn and Pegasus guards with them. Though most of the time," spike sighed as if envious, "They sleep."

"So a Snorlax bear." Soul spoke aloud to himself deep in thought, before noticing spike was giving him a strange stare, "oh sorry, a Snorlax is a pokemon where I come from that sleeps a majority of his or her life waking up only to eat two to three hundred pounds of food. I heard an island somewhere nearly starved to death once from a Snorlax that lived there. Luckily for them some trainer, I think his name was Soot, or Chimney, or something captured it before it could eat everybody who lived there out of house and home. Literally."

"Whoa," Spike stated, "That’s kinda freaky."

"Yes." Soul agreed, "Yes it is."

Soul's interest was reacquired on the show pony as she stated loudly, "I challenge you ponies of Ponyville to challenge. Anything you can do, I can do. Better."

Spike complained to Twilight after unzipping his mouth again, "Please! She’s unbearable!"

Twilight whispered to spike barely audible to Soul's keen hearing, “I can't use my magic now Spike, especially sinc-"

Trixie walked towards the edge of the balcony staring at them, "how about you?" pointing down at them.

Twilight looked like she was going to have a panic attack before Trixie continued, "Well how about it little hayseed?"

Applejack ran up onto the stage grumbling to herself pulling a lasso out of seemingly nowhere, "Let’s see you do this!" she proceeded to perform tricks with her Lasso much similar to what Soul had witnessed back in his world by traveling cowboys. Jumping through her own loop three times before adding a trick he had yet to see, she sent her lasso into a tree pulling out an apple and launching it without the lasso into her mouth where she proceeded to eat and swallow it core and all, "Let’s see you top that."

Trixie smirked and made her rope dance like a snake on one end distracting applejack while the other end went and grabbed an apple and then it rapidly tied Applejack up sticking an apple in her mouth to silence any complaints. She sent Applejack off the stage with a magic push and Rainbow dashed forward, "You may be flashy but there’s only room for one awesome pony in Ponyville!"

Soul ducked for cover as Rainbow Dash proceeded to perform fancy aerial tricks making a windmill spin and plowing through several clouds before racing back through them drawing water out and landing back on the stage, the water splashing off her back creating a small rainbow above her. Soul stood back up after Rainbow had landed. Too many collisions with the rainbow mane Pegasus had made him learn to duck whenever Rainbow was airborne. Trixie simply smiled and her horn glowed again, the rainbow that was over Rainbow Dash surrounded her instead of being over her and spun her out of control into the ground off stage, the audience laughed as Rainbow was deposited in a very uncomfortable dazed position as Trixie continued again, "Is there anypony else that wishes to challenge the great and powerful Trixie?"

"What we need," Applejack began giving Twilight a smug look, "Is a powerful Unicorn to show this stage mare what real magic is."

"Ya," Rainbow began catching on to what Applejack was intending and giving Twilight a similar look, "Someone who knows way more magic than this show-mare."

They both leaned closer in towards Twilight before Rarity pushed through the three of them, "I can take a hint."

Rarity began her lecture trotting onto the stage and pulling down one of Trixie’s curtains with magic, "You’re not a unicorn unless you have both Elegance," The curtain covered her, "and grace!" the curtain seemed to vanish as now rarity wore an rather well made saddle dress. Rarity smirked smug that nothing could possibly beat that. Trixie simply casted a rather demented look her way and her horn again, a cloud of smoke poofed around rarity’s' head and when it faded everyone in the crowd, Soul included, Winced and moved unconsciously a step back. "What did she do to my hair? I know she did something to my hair!" Rarity shouted with worry.

"It looks fine." Applejack said failing to disguise a look of distaste on her face.

"It looks cool..." Rainbow dash also failing to disguise her similar look.

"It's...Green." Spike stated getting a glare from Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack.

"And has a twig in it..." Soul stated tactlessly feeling the urge to wink out of sight as the glare trio transferred to him, "What it's true."

"GREEN HAIR? of all the worst possible things? Green?! I look ugly!" rarity cried as she bolted through the audience past a earth pony known as Carrot Top who also had green hair of a similar shade, "Why I never." she stated before trotting away insulted.

Soul sighed, "Twilight, would yo-" Soul turned noticing Twilight and spike were gone. "Huh?"

Trixie resumed her show without any more challenges, so Soul went off to search for Twilight and Spike.

---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---

It was properly nighttime by the time he had found spike heading off for a walk through a path near the Everfree, he floated by and nudged the baby dragon after he got no response. Spike looked up a slight expression of surprise on his face, "Oh hey Soul Light. What brings you here?"

Soul looked at him like he was asking a redundant question, "I was looking for you and Twilight, wanted to ask her why she did not beat that show off. I was under the impression that her cutie-mark and element were magic."

"She didn't want to 'boast'." Spike stated with a tone full of sarcasm, "I tried telling her it wasn't the same thing if she beat Trixie but she wouldn't listen. So now I’m out here thinking of a way to convince her."

Soul nodded, bobbing up and down through the air in the process his ghostly light sending shadows into the trees dancing, "Nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas. I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day anyway."

Spike nodded, "I think the same way too. Though your light certainly puts things into brighter contrast and makes shadows look funny dancing like that when you move. Though I still can't figure out how to get Twilight to show up that show-pony."

Well, Soul began, "If Twilight doesn’t want to show her up. Then I suggest finding a way to discredit Trixie."

Spike thought for a few seconds a claw under his chin before replying gesturing towards Soul, "But that would require an Ursa Major. It's not like one is just going to appear out of nowhere and walk up the street to Trixie."

They both stopped and looked into the path ahead, they heard hoof steps rapidly coming closer and louder, Snips and Snails were Galloping franticly towards them, "Run! Problem, Big Problem!" Snips shouted as he bolted past them Snails followed behind with a look of glee on his face, "Ursa Major incoming!"

Both spike and Soul looked at each other and then at the path. There was a giant bear just as spike had described, a sweat mark appeared on the back of Soul's head as he stared at the giant bear. Spike’s jaw was dropped. It wasn't until the bear decided to raise a claw to crush them that they ran away, Soul dragging Spike into the air as he carried the small dragon faster than Spike could run towards the library, both shouting the same name a few octaves higher than normal, "TWWWWWIIILLLLIGGGGHHHTTTTTT!!!"

---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---

They made it into the library while the Ursa chased snips and snails to Trixie’s stage. Soul slowed down to catch his breath as Spike ran up the stairs "Twilight come quick!" they both shouted at the same time, "For the last time spike," Twilight stated not looking away from her book, "I am not going to show up Trixie."

"It's not like that!" Spike began but his statement was finished for him by a loud roar.

Twilight raised her head from her book and turned to face them, "What was that?"

Soul came in still gasping for air from the three mile sprint he had pulled off while carrying someone nearly as big as he was, "Ursa... Heading towards... Town..."

Twilight teleported them outside towards the town hall, seeing the trail of destruction that the Ursa had left in its path on Trixie’s cottage and the large mound of blue fur heading off west still chasing snips and snails as well as Trixie. They began to run towards the Ursa. It roared again and they passed by frantic citizens, the Pegasus, Unicorn, and earth ponies’ alike running away screaming from the credible threat instead of something silly for once. Oddly soul noted that the pegasai were running instead of flying. He would have thought they would be airborne in this instance but he ignored it for now, "Twilight do you know anything that could help against this?"

"Maybe, I don't know if it will work but..."

"Do it!" Spike shouted, accidently drawing the attention of the Ursa Major to them.

Twilights horn started to glow as the Ursa raised a paw to smash them, The cattails in the nearby river started to creek and emit music but it seemed too late as the claw started to come down on her; only to be deflected by Soul as he got in the way and a bubble formed around him blocking the attack, "Protect." He stated quite calmly, his nerve had snapped making his fear completely gone. Twilight had started to solve the problem, and to him that meant he had to simply defend her until she was done.

The music went in one of the Ursa's ears and out the other and he could see it visibly calm and look sleepy. The same result as if a Jiggly puff had used sing. It slowly closed its eyes and swayed, it was about to crush Trixie in its falling path when an Aura enveloped the bear lifting it into the air as a large what seemed like a water barrel meant for storing massive amounts of water came out of a barn of surprised mooing and went into the bear’s mouth. It almost looked like a baby as she floated it back into a cave into the Everfree Forest.

"Wow That was amazing!" Spike stated amazed.

Soul waved as the rest of their friends, except for Fluttershy who wasn't there but dead asleep in her cottage, came running after the Ursa was gone. Applejack was the first to speak with a slightly awed tone, "Heavens to Betsy! We knew you had ability, but not that much!"

Twilight looked ashamed and stated with a miserable tone, "I'm sorry. Please, please don't hate me."

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity all bore surprised looks on their faces as well as Spike and Soul. The Three other mares of the group responded, First was Rainbow, "Hate you?

Rarity stated next as if part of the statement adding to it, "Why, whatever do you mean, darling?"

Twilight shifted nervously drawing small circles in the ground with the tip of her hoof replying nervously, "Well, I know how much you all hated Trixie's showing off with her magic tricks, and I just thought--"

Rainbow interrupted her stating with a slightly mad look, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Magic's got nothing to do with it. Trixie's just a loudmouth."

"Most unpleasant." Rarity agreed fixing her back to normal purple hair.

Applejack stated quite plainly, "All hat and no cattle." To which Soul couldn't help but add, "And no barn too."

They all laughed and it was a good half of a minute before Twilight could ask, "So, you don't mind my magic tricks?" a rather hopeful look growing on her face.

Applejack smiled and hugged Twilight reassuringly, "Your magic is a part of who you are, sugarcube, and we like who you are. We're proud to have such a powerful, talented unicorn as our friend." Rainbow Dash continued the statement not giving a second of space after Applejack, "And after whuppin' that ursa's hind quarters, we're even prouder."

Twilight beamed at them a smile in size reminding Soul of a child trainer who had received a rare candy as a present from a delibird crossing his mind, "You are?"

Rainbow Dash nodded, "Uh-huh."

"I can't help but wonder," Soul began interrupting the sentiment that was going on and on it seemed in a loop, "How did you know what to do to beat that Ursa Major?"

"That’s what I was doing when you found me," Twilight began a proud and scholarly look crossing her face, "Trixie's boasting about beating an Ursa Major got me curious. Also that wasn't an Ursa major it was a baby, or should I say... Ursa Minor."

"WHAT?! That was an Ursa Minor?!" Trixie shouted in disbelief all but forgotten on the sidelines.

"Yes, and it was not rampaging through the streets, it was grumpy because some pony. Woke it up."

Snips and snails shrunk down looking guilty as a bunch of ponies stared at them singling them out.

"Whoa." Spike and soul stated before spike continued on, "If that’s an Ursa Minor, then what’s an Ursa Major."

"Trust me," Twilight stated quite cool and collected, "You don't want to know."

"I am in agreement there." Soul added.

Soon punishment was given to snips and snails in the form of cleaning up the wreck that was left of Trixie’s stage and Spike as well as soul were given the punishment of Mustaches as well. Spike commented that Soul looked quite 'Swag' with his muttonchops. Trixie had escaped but it wasn't her fault for the Ursa anyway, Twilight had hoped that she would have learned her lesson for this entire ordeal. Soul was more calmly Pessimistic, "She'll be back." Soul had warned, "No stage m-...Pony... Likes to be upstaged. in such a dramatic fashion that ruins their reputation."

Twilight shrugged and said, "Well I hope she comes back to be friends after she thinks over it and figures out that her fake boasts were the reason Snip and Snails did this. Now excuse me I have a letter to write."

---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---Dear Princess Celestia,

I have learned a very valuable lesson about friendship: I was so afraid of being thought of as a showoff that I was hiding a part of who I am. My friends helped me realize that it's okay to be proud of your talents, and there are times when it's appropriate to show them off... Especially when you're standing up for your friends
I also learned that friends are sometimes stronger than they appeared. I thought for sure when an Ursa major was bearing down its claw on me that I was done for, but Soul Light, the Lampent in case you forgot, blocked it without taking a single scratch! Also he seems to be adjusting well to living in the Everfree forest though I have offered to let him stay in the library. He has that Timberwolf for a friend in the forest so I guess he will be alright for a while.

Though I might have to force him to take shelter when winter comes in a few weeks; If not the storm that is due in a few days.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Comments

[Shirohige]

So far, it's interesting, but I'm wondering where it's going to go from here.

[Iridescence T Wind]

2187356 working up to a few breaks between certain episodes to really focus on crew and holiday events, after the events of season 1 I'll probably do anywhere from 3-10 chapters before the start of season 2 Ie: Discord and then work through that keeping a realistic timeline among these events. Not like Lesson zero was for not having a friendship report everyday of the week, made the Timeline a more realistic 2 weeks instead of 1 week. Friendship trouble every week? thats kinda bad. one every two weeks sounds more realistic in my opinion.

[AggroViking]

good story, this goes well with the time line as well unlike some stories. It's always the smaller interventions that make a bigger impact. Such as when Applejack thought Lily was another tree. And where he defended Twilight. This is a good story, I hope you can keep this up.

[Iridescence T Wind]

2194222 Thanks for the compliment I tend to dislike stories that Vary so wildly off the beaten track that it qualifys as an extreme alternate universe. only the far past and distant future can allow that really If I were to describe the timeline its like a rope thats clamped a few meters from the center in each direction thats slowly expanding outwards. Until Faust creates a Episode explaining the past and distant future there won't be any problems with those stories either. Which means Awesome stories like Fallout Equestria or Memories in Stone could of really happened in that universe until then.

[Karsap]

if she had fought off an onyx bare hoofed

It's Onix not onyx.

[ThePatcher]

love the "protect" move!

[Noble SIX]

The quote on chapter 8 is irrelevant you know why, cause I know fear, but have never felt it.

[Texus]

I wonder why they not thank Soul for the Protect Move, well it is allready done, but i hope to read more how Soul actually do something and not only stand on the side. I still like it.