Essence: Past, Present, Future

by IceQB

Chapter 6: First Impressions

"... think this is... Huffy! What if she... can't risk it... folks here... own safety!"

"... okay, Cain... after her... promise she won't cause... the worse she can..."

"I still don't... she might be... a mutation from somewhere else... evil..."

"... it's fine! ... some rest... wake her up!"

"I trust you... good idea still..."

"I'll handle... take your leave."

And my surroundings were quiet once again. The murmurs in the background had woken me up earlier, but my body didn't have the slightest ounce of energy left to neither open my eyes, nor sit up. I laid still, the musky air around me smelled like bread, and the soft flickering of fire danced at the ceiling, the shadow of a pony slowly distancing away. My eyelids fluttered and my breath was hollow. Should I get up, or should I just lie here? My mind raced around the track, unable to make a sound decision. My eyes didn't want to open either; realisation of actuality struck me uncertain, with neither friend nor foe assured in my new environment.

The soft, yet distinct sound of blades sharpening in the corner forced my right eye to open, curiosity overpowering restrain. An orange unicorn with cerulean mane stood by a grindstone, sharpening and tinkering on what seemed like a spear.

"Hmm... that should do it," said the orange stallion, as he brandished his weapon in the air, the torches in the room now reflecting onto the spear that shimmered lightly.

"Huff! Come here quick! We need your help! It's not going to hold for long!" A voice shouted from afar, with mild hysterics of 'ah' and 'oohs' alternating with intense cries of 'oofs' and 'urfs'.

"Not again," said Huff with an unbelieving tone. I could hear the spear being put down, and the sound of hoof steps slowly getting further and further away. I laid there motionless, deciphering the image I had in front of me when I finally opened both my eyes and looked around. The walls and ceilings were made of straw and bamboo, and torches were mounted in every corner of the room. A desk filled with stacks and stacks of paper, as well as the spear he just ground, laid on the fair right of the room. The door in the center arched over, the width of it spanning nearly half the length of the wall. On the left, as well as in front of me, laid a couple of ornaments, potions, vials, as well as different kinds of herbs and spices that were labelled in a jar. All of which stood perfectly arranged in alphabetic order, from left to right. Basil, Catnip, Oregano, Parsley, Tarragon, red vial, another red vial, green vial. Books laid perfectly in order on the row above too, with the book proudly labelled '1' on the far left of the stack, and ending with a '13' on the far right.

On my left laid a bed, as well as a small drawer with a picture pinned and mounted behind it. I squinted at it, only to deduce two crudely drawn ponies, with the parchment covered in dirt, grime and dust. Something told me that picture had not been contacted with lately, the parchment slowly gaining spots of yellow all over it. Curiosity grabbed me by the neck like cats and ball of yarn, and before I realised, my hooves landed on the soft, warm touch of the grass underneath, different from the rock hard bed I had been lying on. I made my way towards the picture, and noticed two names enclosed in a heart, with a third one outside of it.

Cain Tellot and Lucky Jade. May I wish you all the best in your future endeavours together. - Huff Hollows

Heh, that's such a cute picture, I thought. They had their fore hooves placed around each other, as warm, sincere smiles lay across both of their faces. Huff Hollows--the artist I presume--had captured what I felt was real. What I felt love was all about. The closeness of the pair depicted in the picture had struck a beautiful chord in my body, making me feel warm and tingly inside. Oh how I wish I could experience it just once. Love. What a beautiful thing.

I managed to pull away from the adorable photo, and focused on the spear on the other side of the room. Temptation drew close, and so did my body as it made its way towards the spear. I then stopped by the spear, itching to wield it once again. The only thing that delayed it though, was my admiration of the craft. The handle had been carved quite meticulously, with what seemed to be a timeline of events skilfully crafted as my eyes gazed from the handle to the tip of the spear. The top laid a piece crimson pink fabric, that caressed the joint between the tip and the handle, holding it firmly,yet delicately. The tip itself had been sharpened so sharply that staring at it could probably just get my eyes poked out.

My right fore hoof reached out towards the spear. Slowly, it crept and made its way closer and closer to it. It would have been a shame to damage this piece of art,I thought as I approached it cautiously. My hoof was now centimeters away from the handle; I could almost feel the elegant touch of the spear as my hoof levitated above the handle. All I had to do was reach down, and grab it.

"What do you think you're doing?" stemmed a low growl from behind me.

Buck. Busted.

My survival instincts kicked in. I grabbed the spear on the table and swung backwards, merely missing the face by inches. Oh man, this spear isn't that light like the one I have back home. The foe suddenly pulled a sword from behind him and thrust an uppercut, only to be deflected by the swift movements of my spear. I backed off slightly, bumping into the table and knocking a couple of files off it, before regaining balance, leaping into the air and taking aim at his chest. He was quick too, for he parried my blow and in retaliation, kicked me in the chest, sending me back towards the table and knocking more stuff over. I got up quickly enough to see him charging straight for me; I twisted my hooves sharply, flicking the spear and slamming him right across the room once more.

My foe was definitely well-trained; without missing a beat, he bounced off the walls, did a somersault in mid-air and thrust his sword towards me, only to be deflected once again by my swift actions. He was well-versed with a sword, but so was I; with every slash he threw at me, I steered clear, only stopping to parry a couple of his quicker stabs. We danced around the room, the sound of metal clashing one another had consistently rung and bounced off the walls, with no mercy spared for either one of us.

I took every opportunity I had to inflict possible harm on him, but with each strike I pounced, he returned it with twice the stabs, which I narrowly avoid each time. Blaming it on the weight of the weapon, which was too heavy for my likings, I struck him hard, which gave me a little distance between him and I, and proceeded to conjure my own weapon from the magic of my horn. With my own weapon that finally surfaced, I threw the other spear across the room, narrowly missing him, but landing onto the picture on the wall.

Oops.

"Why you little-"

My thoughts distracted me momentarily as he made a move forward, leaped slightly in mid air, and lunged towards me, his fiery eyes locked onto my delicate neck. I managed to avert the attack barely, something I couldn't have down if I had held onto the other spear. Still, I had a trick up my sleeve; he didn't know what was in store for him; the spear I wielded possessed power large enough for me to take down colossus beasts and mystical dragons, let alone some other pony. I smiled slyly at him, as I chucked a flurry of attack, with each movement impeccable at speed and strength. He weaved and turned and avoided most of my attacks, and managed to stop some with his sword, but my attacks came relentless. It was as if something possessed me to take him down at all cost.

I swung a hard one, which he tried to block, and sent him stumbling over the bed I once laid upon. Chancing upon his moment of vulnerability, I took the opportunity to knock his sword off his hooves, and perform a roundhouse kick on his chest, swooping him off his feet and sending him straight into the tiny bedside drawer. It fell over and the contents all got flung out.

I stood there, towering above him as he struggled to pull himself up. The temptation was too strong; I wanted to buck him up, just to show that no pony can mess with me, Mi Amore Diane. My pride overshadowed my mind as I tightened the grip on the spear, ready to show the world what I was capable of.

Buck all of you. No one shall ever mess with me again!

With one last impulsive surge, I propelled forward and aimed straight for his heart.

What are you doing? Stop!

It felt like the gears in my head had shifted up one level, my brain finally catching up with reality. I stopped in mid-thrust, nearly piercing him as I held my spear just directly above where his heart was. Something stopped me from killing him, and I knew exactly what, or rather, who it was. Inside of me, I knew, that there were no reasons to kill him, other than the fact that he crept up on me. But there was no reason for me to poke around other people's personal things either, with his privacy as something I should have respected.

"Kill me! Now! What are you waiting for?! Kill me, before I kill you!" The blue stallion yelled at my face, challenging me to an ultimatum. Anger had flooded his face, with signs of defeat imminent on his face, however hard he tried to mask it with his bravado. "Kill me, you worthless piece of Alicorn scum." He spat in my face, which I didn't take lightly at all. Rashly, I swung the butt of my spear a couple of times, smacking his face in the process. Streaks of red formed on his face as I continue bashing, silently cursing him with each strike.

After about Celly-knows-how-many strokes, I pulled back, and continued threatening his existence, pointing the spear back onto his vulnerable heart. Time flew by slowly. We stared at each other grudgingly, with both of us panting heavily, trying to catch our breath from the exchange that just happened. If fate's idea of a joke was to prank me with an emotional gimp, it worked. Before I realised, I was staring intently into his forest green eyes, which seemed to glimmer and shine in the low-light environment, its radiance encasing my eyes. Unknowingly, behind all the commotion and destruction we left behind, a pair of beautiful eyes stood steadfast, it being the reason for the warm tickle on my cheeks. All the sweat on his face, and the long scar that streaked down the side of his left cheek, mattered little with eyes that beautified his face, its oval pupils taking the spotlight.

I regretted my next actions immediately; I had loosened my grip over my spear to my own accord, which he picked up simultaneously as I kept staring at his eyes. Taking the opportunity to be free, he pushed me backwards, slammed me onto the floor, wrestled the spear out of my hand and aimed my spear straight at my eyes, only barely stopping before it. Any sudden movements from me and my eye would had been taken out. I couldn't die, but I could lose a body part or two, I think. Yet, even with the imminent threat hovering above my eyes, I couldn't help but stare more into those green eyes of his. My heart started racing faster and my cheeks started getting hotter. My mind was in a whirl so strong, even the roots of my brain could have been flung out. I was feeling something familiar. Something that once happened to me in a dream.

Love.

Those... beautiful... pupils... if this meant love, then threaten me all you want. Just leave my eyes intact so my heart can never falter for you.

"What are you doing Cain? This is not how you treat a guest!" A familiar voice appeared, breaking my swooning trance.

"Well, Huffy, this guest of yours almost stole your spear!" He shouted at him, then turned towards me and growled, "You worthless excuse for a living soul!" Cain snarled at my face and spat again, but I managed to dodge it, with the spit landing on the grass beside me instead. My admiration for him had suddenly disappeared, as if he took away something important to me. My heart raced even faster and my head spun even fiercer, all in search for that lost feeling, but it was long gone, all in one sentence which shattered my heart.

"Cain, I saw it all from the beginning." Huff spoke calmly to him, before turning his attention towards me. "Now tell me, young Alicorn, did you touch that spear before Cain crept behind you?"

"I did not creep behind her!" shouted Cain, disbelieving the side that Huffy had taken.

"Oh yeah? Why were you near this tent when that tent out there was about to fall? We could have used one more pair of hooves, Cain."

"I saw her wanting to steal your beloved spear, so I rushed back and tried to stop her!" argued Cain.

"At the cost of what? The tent that sheltered Bucksworth and his family?" Huffy volume increased twofold, nearly yelling over the room at Cain.

"We can always rebuild the tent, but we can never replace your spear! You told me yourself, that if the spear broke or went missing, you'll be devastated!"

"Well, Bucksworth and his family ARE devastated over the loss of their home. How are you going to explain to his two little foals, Holly and Foxtrot, that they are to sleep under the stars for the next few days?" Anger stemmed underneath that cool composure he had tried to put on.

"I...I... uh, I didn't know it would... uh," stammered Cain.

"Didn't know! Cain, you should know better by now! How old are you again?"

"Twenty-five? But I don't see why--"

"Twenty-five! Twenty-five years living in this village. Living side by side all your neighbors, your relatives, your friends. Yet you've forgotten even the simplest of things." Huffy made his way slowly towards Cain, who still, had his spear aimed at me. "When somepony needs help, all of us help that one pony, no matter what it is! Have you forgotten that? Or need I remind you of--"

"No! Huffy, don't you ever mention about her again! She's dead! Gone!" Cain had diverted his anger, as well as the spear, towards Huffy. The air tensed, with neither party willing to speak for the next few seconds. Silence erupted, but the sound of fire flickering continued buzzing around the room. The two of them, with their identities as foe or friend unclear at this point, poised glares, with neither party advancing. Eventually, it was Cain who broke off. He flung the spear towards the ground in front of Huffy, stormed past him, and bolted out of the room, his face steaming clearly with the lashes that I had left earlier camouflaging with his anger. Huffy finally relaxed, sighed and walked towards me, offering a hoof to pick me up, which I gladly accepted.

"You know, he's not so bad once you get to know him. Don't let this side of his scare you," comforted Huffy, but it was too late; Cain had already left an emotional scar in my heart.

Comments

[gmoneywalker]

Now, I'll tell ya right now, Alicorn OCs are usually downvoted or ignored by default. But it looks like you put a lot of effort into this. So... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. I'll be sure to give this a read.

[IceQB]

2486360 Yeah I've recieved all of that before... didn't plan to have an Alicorn PRINCESS OC at the start, but seemed like it worked so far... Only trouble is to keep remembering that she has both, but I don't wanna use either. It's more of a status thing rather than a biological thing for me.

[MidnightInk97]

Looks intriguing :) I am looking forward to reading it.