My Little Warcraft - New Friends

by Shin Guyviroth

Chapter 10 - Elven Slumber Party

Darkened upon starry skies as a canvas of indigo stretched upon the world, the sun had finally set in the distance as night time dawned upon Ponyville. Far off upon the blackened horizon a object that looked like a chariot passed from east to west, pulled by several pegasi as they heaved the object across the yonder. Silence was all that remained of the pony folk who returned to their homes, with only the sounds of the night owls and the chirps of crickets in the flora within the outskirts of the village.

However, all lights were out except within the Golden Oak Library. Within the hollowed out old tree were Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Spike and Gai'vahros. Twilight was stood over the tree trunk table in the middle of the room, making sure all of her equipment were cleaned from the alchemy earlier while Applejack and Spike were cleaning up the books that Twilight was looking over after they had returned from their trip. Gai'vahros and Rainbow Dash sat over at a table near the left side of the doorway, with the blood elf sharing one of his many stories.

"Then, suddenly, me and the rogue sprinted through the Dead Scar, avoiding all of the undead as they swung their sickly, bony arms and swinging their blackened, corroded swords," Gai'vahros was trying to tell this story like an action adventure, but Rainbow Dash was hearing it like a horror story, what with the mention of undead. "while this huge, decrepit, rotting abomination ran at us; a hatched in one of its rotting hands, a chained hook in the other, and a sickle in its third hand attached to its shoulder, yelling "LUZRAN CRUSH YOU!" Then, as we got into the open, I turned and pounded him into the ground while the rogue was dancing around behind it, stabbing until he dropped into a huge pile of meat!"

"U-uh… t-that's cool, Gai," Rainbow Dash was almost on the edge of her seat. A bead of sweat dropped from her forehead down her cheek. "S-so is that, y'know, the end of it?" she was getting nervous at Gai'vahros' flailing arms and twisted facial expression as he re-enacted the scenes enforced only the horror atmosphere of his tale.

"Oh, of course not; we've still got the other two acts to go through, yet." Gai'vahros gave a smile, oblivious to the fact that Rainbow Dash was getting uncomfortable hearing about risen creatures, skeletons, zombies and such, although the pegasus was far to prideful to admit it. She let out a soft, barely audible, squeak as she realised that she had to sit through another half hour of Gai'vahros' grim storytelling.

"C'mon now, Gai, don't be spoilin' plots without the rest of us," Applejack intervened, suggesting that the elf should tell his stories when everyone is gathered. With her pausing Gai'vahros, Rainbow Dash sighed in relief with her friend getting him to hold his tongue. "why don'tchya wait 'til tomorrow an' we can go camping or somethin'?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Twilight joined in with encouraging words while she began lifting her alchemy equipment and other tools with her magic, storing them into a nearby cupboard that sat under a book shelf. "tomorrow we can go meet Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, then you guys can all go camping."

""You guys"?" Gai'vahros repeated, turning to Twilight who was now examining two gems on a desk near the right side of the door, opposite from Rainbow Dash and the elf. "You aren't coming with us, my Lady Twilight?"

"Well someone has to look after the library," Twilight replied, her eyes fixated upon the gems. "and I don't really want to keep Spike here on his own overnight."

"Oh, you worry too much, Twilight," Rainbow Dash spoke up, "you're always workin' and keeping your head in your books. You and Spike can come with us, and stop worrying about looking after the place."

"Sure 'nuff, sugar cube. You barely ever get any time to yaself," Applejack responded in kind towards Twilight's excuses, finally finishing helping Spike with re-shelving the books. "the fresh air will do the both of ya a world of good."

"Come on, Twilight," Spike pleaded, pressing his hands together and giving her the puppy dog eyes. "we rarely ever get to hang out all together! And I wanna hear more of Gai's awesome butt-kicking stories!"

"Oh, okay, okay," it seemed that with everyone's approval, and Spike's cute little face, Twilight caved in with their requests, giving a soft sigh mixed with a small giggle before turning back to the two stones that sat upon her table. "but I really want to study these two stones first. I just can't believe that nothing in any of my spell books have anything in relation to space travel, besides the teleportation spell. I've just… never seen anything like this before."

"It's not something that can easily be explained, my Lady Twilight," Gai'vahros stood, making his way over to the table. Both of the stones were, in fact, Gai's possessions; the pet stone and mount stone, which Rainbow Dash had gotten from her house before leaving Cloudsdale. The pet stone was made of a glistening amber, round cut, swirling with oranges and purples like the dawning sun as its arcane magics danced and dazzled inside. The mount stone was of a more intricate oval cut, dark cobalt blue in colour that shined a more royal hue as light reflected off it, with indigos and violets swirling and spinning inside. "the magi who dabble in these arcane arts are capable of great feats like this, and then more. Perhaps this is something that cannot be replicated by your world?"

"No, I refuse to believe that," Twilight retorted, not able to conceive that there is magic that cannot be replicated, not able to imagine that Equestria's magic does, indeed, have a limit. "I'm willing to bet that somewhere in Canterlot library's Star Swirl the Bearded wing there's something that can replicate this magic, or something close to it."

"Careful, my Lady Twilight," Gai'vahros warned the unicorn, putting a silk hand upon her shoulder. "magic is not something you should pursue without control over it. Even if you did find something that can replicate this, or similar, then what? Will you blindly practice such power without prior knowledge of its nature or if you can control it? Remember; to seek power is a goal, but to abuse it is an end. Don't allow temptation to create risks."

"How do you know so much about magic, Gai'vahros," Twilight turned her head to the elf, who was still looking at the stones. "have you experienced such a disaster with the use of abused magic?"

"No, not a disaster. A full-blown war," Gai'vahros responded with a more serious expression on his face as well as in his voice. Twilight, on the other hand, looked more shocked than interested. "we called it the "Nexus War". Maybe we'll talk about it tomorrow around the campfire, if you're interested?" Gai'vahros gave a lighter smile as he offered her his tale, giving her a light shove as he gave her more incentive to join them on their camping trip.

"Yeah, but there's just one small problem," Rainbow Dash strained as she rolled her eyes. "how the heck are we gonna get Fluttershy, of all ponies, to come on a camping trip with us? You know what she's like; as soon as she hears a rustle in the trees she'll duck under the covers."

"I take it this "Fluttershy" friend of yours doesn't do too well in the dark?" Gai'vahros was rather intrigued by this friend of theirs.

"Dark, light, and every shade in between," Rainbow Dash joked as she gave a little smirk. "for lack of a better phrase she's a big scaredy-cat."

"Now, Rainbow Dash, you know that ain't a nice thing to say 'bout Fluttershy," Applejack reprimanded Rainbow Dash for her rather harsh tongue. "Fluttershy is… well, like her name says, shy. But she can also be pretty timid at times."

"Yeah, times between midnight and midnight."

"Hah, she sounds like a peach," Gai'vahros chuckled as he took a seat near the window, sitting next to Twilight on the opposite side of the room from Rainbow Dash. "I just hope that she isn't intimidated by my presence like most others around here."

"I… probably wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you, Gai," Twilight hesitated for a moment but even she couldn't deny that Fluttershy is easily intimidated by strangers, at least ones who weren't other ponies. "but I think if you allow me to introduce you first she'll be a lot more comfortable around you."

"Hm, that makes sense," the blood elf nodded in agreement, making a mental note of sticking behind Twilight and waiting to be introduced, all the while smiling to present himself more friendly to the shy pony. "I guess it's a good thing that I've not got back the entirety of my equipment just yet; nothing is more intimidating than a guy with a weapon at his side, right?"

"Heh, you could say that again." Twilight found some sort of satirical humour in Fluttershy being face to face with a sword-wielding elf in full armor, although she didn't entertain the thought long enough to get any ideas from it. "I guess I can continue studying these stones after we've finished our camping trip. Thanks for letting me take a look at these, Gai'vahros."

"Not at all, my Lady Twilight," replied Gai'vahros, placing his hand over the two stones, both of which were only half of his hand in size, gaining a light grip into them before pulling them to himself, pocketing them. "I'm sorry that you weren't able to delve into their secrets. Perhaps, after our camping trip, we can visit this library you were talking about?"

"It's not really that simple, Gai'vahros," Twilight shook her head. "the wing is heavily guarded both day and night. It took a lot of effort for me to get into it the first time round."

"Well, that's only because you were a bit coo-coo trying to get in in the first place, Twilight," Spike intervened, showing that it was because of Twilight's approach that made entrance difficult. "but the guards let you in when they recognized ya. You're the princess' student, after all."

"Well, now that you mention it, you're right," Twilight agreed after almost forgetting about how she managed to gain access without need of all the espionage, much to her chagrin. "but I can't guarantee that Gai'vahros will be able to come in with me. I don't even know if he'll be able to set foot on castle grounds."

"You've no need to worry about me, my Lady Twilight," Gai'vahros reassured her, giving a comforting smile. "If I'm not allowed within the library then that's okay; I can always wait for you outside of the library, right? And, you never told me you were the student of royalty. That's quite an accomplishment."

"Heh, well, I didn't want to come off as bragging," Twilight blushed a little as the elf complimented her. "and I don't want to leave you outside while I take your gems with me. Also, they won't let me take any of the scrolls or parchments outside of the archives."

"I trust you, my Lady Twilight. You've done a lot to aid me in the short time I've spent here thus far that I have no reason to deny you of such a trivial request. Besides, I could always take a walk around Canterlot and do a bit of sightseeing."

"Well, if you're perfectly sure about it…"

"Sure I'm sure. Maybe I can meet this "princess" of yours, too. It would be dishonourable of me to visit Her Majesty's city without introducing myself."

"Hehe, I'm sure Princess Celestia will be most appreciative of that, Gai'vahros."

"Ah, well I think it's time we all catch some Z's," Rainbow Dash interrupted with a rather loud yawn, stretching her forelegs to the sides and arching her back backwards. "and I don't really fancy flying all the way back to Cloudsdale. Mind if I crash here, Twilight?"

"Sure thing, Rainbow Dash." Twilight responded in agreement although she began to think about sleeping arrangements and how she was going to fit everyone in.

"What about you, Applejack? You gonna crash with us, too?"

"Naw, I can't do that," Applejack refused politely while heading to the door. "I don't wanna leave everyone at home hangin', wonderin' where I've been all day. I'm gonna head home and make sure Apple Bloom isn't past her bed time. G'night, y'all." Apple Jack gave her goodbyes as he made herself out, closing the door behind her.

"Uh, Twilight? What're we gonna do about beds and stuff?" Spike was on the ball when he questioned about sleeping arrangements, seeing as there was only one bed for Twilight and a small one for himself.

"I know it's not an awful lot, but there are a couple of spare mattresses in the basement," Twilight responded although she was embarrassed that it wasn't much for the two guests. "but I don't have any sheets or covers to go with them. Spike, could you go grab them for me?" Spike nodded as he dashed down the stairwell to the basement floor.

"Nah, that's okay, Twi," Rainbow Dash assured her friend that it wasn't a downer for the pegasus. "we'll just sleep down here. And who needs covers, anyway?"

"Well, okay, if you're sure about that." Twilight reluctantly agreed to cater to Rainbow Dash' wishes before noticing Spike struggling with the two rather large mattresses on his back before giving him a helping hand with her magic. "Ah, thanks Spike. We should be off to bed anyway. Good night, guys."

"Yeah, good night, guys." Spike repeated as both he and Twilight made their way up to the first floor.

"Goodnight." both Rainbow Dash and Gai'vahros responded, with the blood elf giving a little wave of his hand. Twilight had left both of the mattresses side by side, to which Rainbow Dash quickly pounced upon as she sunk into the soft springs.

"Eh, this doesn't feel right," Rainbow Dash complained as she kept shuffling on top of it but, after a moment, just got off entirely. "it's too soft. I can feel the floor press against my back." Gai'vahros gave a little chuckle before picking up the mattress next to him, tossing it onto the pegasi's. "Gai, what're you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Gai'vahros said sarcastically as he took a seat at one of the tables, reclining against it. "I'm giving you my mattress. You shouldn't have to worry about being uncomfortable now."

"But what about you?" Rainbow Dash felt bad taking his mattress, wondering how he was going to sleep tonight.

"I'll just sleep on the chair. Don't worry, I'm used to this. And besides, the mattress is too small for me."

"Oh… well, thanks, Gai." Rainbow Dash was grateful for Gai'vahros making sure she had a good night sleep, laying back down on the stacked mattresses. It felt a lot better for the her, reminding her of what laying on a cloud felt like, although more dense. However, as a few moments passed, Gai'vahros noticed that Rainbow Dash began to shiver. Although he couldn't see it in her body, her wings quivered in the cold. The blood knight got up slowly and, placing a hand on one shoulder, unclipped the cape from his left shoulder pad, and then the right. Walking over to Rainbow Dash, Gai'vahros gently draped his cape over the pegasus like a blanket, which caused Rainbow Dash to turn around as he made his way back to his seat. "H-hey, I told you I don't need any covers."

"Like hell you don't," Gai'vahros said with a smirk, sitting back down. "the shaking in your wings tell me otherwise."

"Oh. Right… thanks, Gai. G'night." Rainbow Dash said softly as she tucked herself under the cape to keep herself warm, with only her head sticking out. Her eyes closed as she began to drift to sleep. "Oh, and Gai? I think your hair and shoulder pads look awesome..."

"Heh. Thanks. Goodnight…"

Comments

[Shin Guyviroth]

2220571 Ah, thank you for pointing that out! I don't have a great attention span so I find it difficult to proof-read these things. I'm glad you were able to pick that up. Again, thanks for the positivism ^^

[Shin Guyviroth]

2220823 Oh it's perfectly fine, I'm glad that someone is kinda proofreading my stuff and leaving feedback. The pacing is off, but it was essentially a shitck in showing praise by association, in this case with Rarity. But as the rest of the paragraph explains, they're more or less seeing his clothes and not him, a subtle message that some people - or ponies - only see you for your looks and not for who you are. It's very abrupt but I was having a hard time trying to word it in a better way.

[Good_name_here]

2221023 I know how hard it is phrasing things sometimes. I can see where you're coming from, and I see now what I missed then. I'm happy to help, even if I don't always get less obvious elements.

[Shin Guyviroth]

2221064 Ah it's okay, any help is good help

[sirraf]

heh half expected him to use repentance on her to help her sleep.

[Zepher2]

the interaction between characters is wat keeps me reading YAY

[A Wild Magikarp]

Don't worry Dash, Gai'vahros will be out in about 20 seconds. Unless Twilight counts as an inkeep?...