Nopony knows him, nopony cares about him, and that's just the way he likes things.
The life and times of a lonely colt who lives in the Everfree Forest. Nopony knows his name. The only thing known about him is he sells recipes, beats up criminals with his own two hooves, and he likes to buy the strangest ingredients, and even the ponies who know this trivial information are few in number. He once loved to go treasure hunting with friends, until one day it took a turn for the worst. Now he is retired, and will do anything to keep everyone out of harms way. Whenever anypony gets too fond, he packs up and leaves, for fear of causing another disaster like the night from so long ago.
My first fanfic. It am experimenting with writing types to see what i can pull off. I will keep it up unless I get too many people telling me to stop. (gore is for bloody noses and awfully descriptive bashed up faces) Cover Art by my kind older sister.
It has been three years since the Incident, and I have found a refreshing new town called ponyville. Everypony here is so lively and happy. The reason I am keeping this journal is because I overheard these two market ponies talking about how a journal will help the world remember you. The first and only person to notice me and the Cabin come into town was some psycho pink mare with three balloons for a cutie mark who was insisting on a party for me, which I would inevitably never go to. Not after what I have been through. The only way I got rid of her was to say I would come and that I would be her friend. Other than that, I was pretty much invisible. I swear, all those years of diving put a curse on me, not that I'm complaining. Oh and by the way, my kind of diving isn't underwater.
Some of you geeks out there know what I mean when I say mine involve ancient treasures and old mazelike structures. I'm no Daring Do, but I have seen my fair share of ancient ruins, and the dangers inside. I'm retired now, but sometimes I still go out to look for little myths and rumors. I even saw Slendermane and lived, though I wish I hadn't. How I survived all these years was thanks to my friends, and unbelievable amounts of luck. Except the one time me and my team pushed our luck too far.
Ever since the incident, I have tried to stay unimportant to ponies. I move my home from town to town to avoid attention. This brings me to the Cabin. The thing looks like a wood house on wheels, but it is more than that. It has a spike I call the water needle that I can drive into the ground with little effort. The spike could then be used to find underground water reservoirs, and tap into them. It also has a collapsable windmill for power to light the cabin and work the water needle. This three room, one floor house was a birthday gift by an old friend by the name Pied Piper. She was a great inventor, mechanic, and a bucking good musician if you ask me.
After cutting across town, I set up the Cabin in an old, reliable diving spot: the Everfree Forest. Or at least on the inside edge of it. How this town will react to having a living ghost like me, I don't know. All I know is I have a distinct feeling this place will change me forever. And while we are on the topic of me, the name is Food Fighter. I am a 22 year old colt with a grey mane and a light brown hide. My cutie mark is a literal knuckle sandwich: a fist in between two slices of bread with lettuce and a tomato.
Some may be asking what kind of a name is that, and honestly, you are right. It is weird, but it fits the description. The three things I d best are dive, cook, and fight, and the diving part I already explained. When I get bored, I like to experiment with foods and recipes, and then I test drive the final product. If it seems good, I will then sell it to the local confectionery that matches the recipe type. The fighting part is because I had to deal with nasties in the dungeons, or guys who try to steal money from me or my clients, for both food or artifacts. Now, I'm an earth pony, you see, so you'd think that I buck, or something, but I don't. Instead, I go up on my hind legs and start swingin' with my front hooves. It is really strenuous on my hind legs, so I tend to just do quick pokes or try to sweep out legs.
Anyway, I'll tell more about today. After I found a good spot for the Cabin, I went back into town to see how the ponies acted like. I have been to Ponyville before, but I just went straight to the old castle with my team. Anyway, I ran into this weird little pegasus filly. She seemed to be staring into the sky like something amazing was going to happen, but honestly, I had seen It all before. At least that's what I had thought until a streak of colors swooped down in front of me, slammed into the turf with an groundbreaking thud, then took of again. Clearly, this was what had entertained the young pegasus. I looked up again to see who this living blur was, but all I saw was a small rainbow streak of a pegasus that was moving at speeds most ponies aren't built for.
Then, another pegasus dropped into my view, but much slower than the first. She was a mailmare, as her outfit pointed out. She called me over to her. Turns out she had a party invitation for me, which was odd, considering I just got here. Turns out it was from the pink mare from earlier, who goes by the name "Pinkie". Unfortunately, I know about her supposedly life changing parties, and how she will hunt the guest of honor down so to make them go. Still, I won't go, spazzy pony or not.
When I asked a passerby where the local food place was, he pointed me to the center of town. Town square apparently has a building called Sugarcube Corner, or something like that. On the way there, I saw two fillies in a wagon being pulled by the pegasus filly from earlier. As they whizzed past me, I heard something about going fast enough to time travel, which is ridiculously impossible, unless a unicorn casts an old spell. When I got to Sugarcube Corner, I saw a building that looked like a giant pink cake. when I got inside, I almost collapsed from the amazing smell coming from the back. Surely, the owner would be an amazing candidate for being a recipe client, but that would come later. I strolled up to the counter, which had a teal hided, pink maned mare behind it. I asked her what they had, and she replied that all they had right then was hayburgers. So I bought two, found a table, and ate while I listened into some conversations.
A pair of ponies next to me were having a conversation about a DJ on tour coming into town, gonna remember that one. Another pair of hoity toity ponies across the room were talking about a local fashionista going to some big town to showcase a new line. Three ponies were waiting in line, talking about a new action movie I've already seen. There were a group of fillies fangirling over some anime series. I was listening in on a riveting conversation about a big fight and which of the two contenders would destroy the other, when a sharp pain shot through my right hoof. I Turned right to find the culprit, but all I saw was my hoof in my mouth. I had been so distracted by the conversation that I had not realized I had eaten all my food. I got up, tossed the trash, and gave the counter mare a three bit tip. When I did this, she got an excited look before regaining composure and giving me the standard farewell. Apparently, tips are rare in this town.
Anyway, gonna call it a day. Had to stay up all night last night so I could get here today. Probably gonna need some rest if I'm gonna hide from that Pinkie character. I will try to keep this journal updated. After all, it is a new town, and definitely new adventures
It's Tuesday morning, and all is well in my little cabin. The water needle found a huge underground deposit of water and is ready to pump away. I was snoring happily, dreaming about my first dive, when a rapid pounding sounds on my door. I snap awake as cold adrenalin rushes through my veins. Who is it? How did they find me so quickly? When someone knocks on your door the day after you move into the ninth scariest place in Equestria, it usually means something bad is about to happen. My fears were confirmed as I looked through the peep hole in my front door. A pink mare mumbling ecstatically to herself: Pinkie.
Why would she come to my door so early in the morning, I mean it's only 12:04pm, oh wait. Thump Thump Thump! Blast that mare. Can't a colt have some peace and quiet. That is the point of solitude, isn't it? BANG BANG BANG!!! Alright, this mare is officially trying to break down my door now. Guess I have no choice. I'm gonna have to start my apocalypse: I will have to open the door.
Creak. As soon as the door is open, I am swept off my feet and slammed into the wall. Pain surges through my back, my head feels numb, and stars dance in and out of my vision, or is that confetti?
"Shoot, to much pressure built up. OMYGOSH, are you ok?" Pinkie says from the doorway.
"I'm fine, it was only a 250 psi compressed air blast!" I say, slowly making my way off the ground
"Actually, it was a 230 psi air blast, silly filly" Pinkie Says with confidence, like everypony knows this.
"Who cares? What do you want?" I say, annoyed that she didn't even have the courtesy to help her victims up.
"It's your welcome to ponyville party of course, and I wanted to take you on a tour of ponyville" She said, ready to explode with happiness.
"Fine, but I doubt you can keep track of me." I say, ready to run at the next moment she drops her guard.
All of a sudden, her smile changes to evil smirk and she loosens up, as if she were ready to fight. "Try me" she says, so full of confidence that I almost don't run. Almost.
There are perks to diving in old ruins, and my favorite are Phase Crystals. When my group went hunting for the diamond dog treasure hoard, we stumbled upon a cavern of easily breakable,milky white crystals. Upon studying them, we found that if a non-magical creature ate one, it would turn them invisible to the naked eye. If a magical creature, like a unicorn, ate one, it would force a spell that would create a small field of distorted light, and everypony inside would become incapable of seeing each other. The best part was that you can regrow them, but they grow very slowly, a cluster would only grow to full size after three weeks time.
"Ok, let's get started then." I say as I pop one into my mouth.
I bite down, and an overly sweet taste fills my mouth. Pinky stares at me, or should I say through me, in disbelief. I back away as she tries to touch me to see if I am still there. Then her demeanor changes once again, this time to a scowl that scare a dragon. "BUCK, BUCK, BUCKING LITTLE BUCKER!!! WHY THE BUCK CAN HE TELEPORT?! THIS RUINS EVERYTHING!! GAH! THE NEXT TIME I SEE HIM, IM GONNA GLUE HIM TO A BUCKING ROCK!!!" She screams with over exaggerated leg flails.
I almost start laughing at this ponies hidden side. This day just got a bit more interesting.
I am heading to town square as fast as I can, when a bitter taste fills my mouth. Oh well, I had hoped that I would be inside when it wore off. As I pop back into visibility, a nearby mare, who had just happened to look my direction, saw me fade back into reality and screamed. Great, now there will be ghost stories about me. As I shoot around a corner, I run into a light orange hided, blond maned mare. "Watch where ya run'" She yells at me, even though I'm already up and running again.
Apparently, she really wanted to give me a piece of her mind, because she started following me. Too bad I couldn't afford someone chasing me. It could attract too much attention, then Pinkie would come running, and I would be in serious trouble. I kept running, desperately trying and failing to find a good place to hide, until I finally got to town square, and saw that Sugarcube Corner was having a special. Making good use of the distance I had on that orange mare, I ducked inside and made my way towards a crowded table, partly for hiding, partly to see what was going on. Turns out, a pony by the name of Quick Hold was in a serious game of cards, and had won fifty bits off the other competitors. So I got in the crowd and started cheering for Quick Hold, just in time for the orange pony to burst through the door.
Luckily, she didn't see me, and decided to get some food. When I turned my attention to the card game, one of the competitors, a unicorn yelled in anger. He had just lost another thirty bits to Quick Hold. While Quick Hold was celebrating, the unicorn reached into his coat and pulled out a huge bag of bits. He then announced that Quick Hold was cheating, and said that if he wasn't, then half the bag of bits would be given to Quick Hold, and the rest would be given to everyone in the building. He also said that if Quick Hold was cheating, he would have to give all his winnings to the unicorn and leave the game. The unicorn then reached under the table and pulled a deck of cards from some hidden compartment, and yelled that he saw Quick Hold put his hoof under the table multiple times during the game. It made sense to me, except for one thing. "If it's his, why is it on your side of the table?"
At this comment, the crowd yelled in outrage. Next thing I know, the unicorn is being dragged and thrown outside, and the bag of bits is being passed around, for everyone to share. Quick Hold pulls me over and thanks me by buying me a drink. After that they competitors decide they have played long enough, and leave the building. Things quiet down for a while, but then the orange mare from earlier sees me and drags me outside. When we get outside, she let go of me and ranted for five minutes about how impolite I was, then she switched gears, and commended me on how I sussed out the unicorn. Then she says that she had never seen my face, and that she want's to take me to see the rest of her friends. I am really tired and am looking for another place to hide, so I say yes. After all, what could go wrong?
As I am following this orange mare, something occurs to me: what is her name? I really am tired. "Hey, what is your name anyway? It's not nice to tell a complete stranger to follow you without telling them your name, unless you're trying to kill me."
"Heh, I guess you're right, I'm Applejack. And you are?" she asks.
"Food Fighter, but that's not something you should care about. Who are these friends you're taking me to?" I say, head feeling clearer with every step. Man, I should take more walks.
" Well, there's Twilight, and Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Not sure if Fluttershy is gonna be there. As you can guess from the name, she's shy. Oh, then there's Pinkie"
I stop dead in my tracks, and my blood runs cold. Pinkie? This could be a problem. I decide to ask her something stupid. "Is there anyway we can, I don't know, skip Pinkie?"
This stops her. She turns her head slowly, an unsure look on her face. " Why would you want to skip Pinkie? I mean she is really nice, and likes to throw parties, especially for new ponies like you..."
Judging by her expression, something just dawned on her. She spins full circle, with the face of a foal who had found a secret stash of candy, and puts her head right in front of mine. " You have a thing for Pinkie, don't you?"
This sudden awkward accusation turns my face completely red. I'm not sure if it's from embarrassment or anger. "What in Celestia's name makes you think that?! I just don't want to be the center of attention, which is exactly where Pinkie's Party will put me! What's wrong with that?" As I end my sudden outburst, I realize I have reared up on my back legs, and am angry enough to hit somepony, which I probably would've if I hadn't caught myself. I get back down on all fours, close my eyes, and force myself to calm down. When I open them, I see Applejack has backed up and looks a bit worried. I feel really stupid after that, and I start heading off in the other direction, deciding that I should go home. Until a comforting hoof stops me.
" It's okay. I know ya didn't mean nothin' by it. Probably how I woulda acted if I were in your place. Come on, I'm sure we can explain this to Pinkie. Maybe she'll throw you a private party. Would ya like that?" she says in a voice that makes me feel like I'm a little filly being cheered up by his mom.
"Well, I would rather have no parties, but I guess that's okay. Where are we going anyway?" I say feeling much less guilty.
"Well, Twi is studying in the Library. Rainbow is probably bored, and is at the library bugging Twi. Fluttershy has been having trouble with Angel, who has been picky lately, so she is probably looking for fancy recipies. Who knows, maybe the whole gang is at the library. I guess that makes it our first stop."
"Hmm, if it's at the library, I could make use of the time it takes to explain to Pinkie to look up local legends. Who knows what this town holds in it's deepest, darkest recesses." I say, thinking out loud by accident.
"Well, why would ya wanna look into somethin like that?" she asks, voice showing suspicion.
"No reason" I say nervously."Lead on, to the library"
As we walk through the door of a large, hollowed out tree, a high pitched scream pierces the air, and next thing I know, I'm on the floor, expertly pinned face down to the ground by some unseen pony.
"You're not getting away this time! I'm not letting you out of my sight! I believe I owe you a batch of cupcakes for bringing him here, Applejack." I hear Pinkie say.
The pressure on my back increases, and I start having a hard time breathing.
"Darn it Pinkie Pie, what did you go and do that for? Let him go. You and I have to talk on his behalf for awhile." Applejack says, and the pressure vanishes.
I get up in time to see Pinkie being dragged away by Applejack, making the "I'm watching you" hoof signal. I stretch and pop my back, while the living blur from yesterday floats in front of me, so I can get a good look at it. Apparently, she's a cyan hided, rainbow maned pegasus. She then drops to the floor in front of me and says in a voice that is almost annoyingly arrogant "So, you're the new pony in town, huh? That's cool. Where ya from?"
"All over really, but most recently from Manehatten." I say, still stretching to get the kinks Pinkie so graciously left me with, out. That mare is way heavier than she looks.
"Manehatten, huh? You some kinda big shot? Who are you anyway?" she says flapping back into the air again.She seems a little bit anxious.
"No, I'm not some rich businessman. I'm retired from my last job. Well, It wasn't really a job as more of a well paying hobby. Oh, I'm Food Fighter." I say before I realize I said it. I am really losing my touch. Next time I'm just gonna say something like "Why do you care?" or "Why does it matter?"
"Well if must have been high paying if it got you a house in Manehatten." she says, lazily doing backflips in the air.
Oh good, one I'm ok with answering. ' No, I have a mobile house. No it's not an RV. It's a really nice log cabin."
"Huh? Ok then. Well, I think since everypony got a chance to talk to you, except for those two..." she says, gesturing to a yellow pegasus and a purple unicorn on the other side of the room." I'll leave you alone." She then flies off to where Applejack took Pinkie Pie.
As I approach, the yellow one see's me, and backs up a bit. So the yellow one is Fluttershy then. The rainbow maned one must be Rainbow Dash, so this purple unicorn must be "Twi". Well, she seems busy, and little miss Shy is not gonna talk to me, so I'll bide the time by looking in the lore section. I look through the book titles, until I see on labeled "Ancient Curses and Old Treasures."
A voice behind me says "You're not going to find anything interesting in there. Just tellin you now. It's full of nothing but old mares tales. Don't waste your time. Try something in the nonfiction section. The real treasures are in there. It's on the..."
"Already found a treasure, and what a beauty this book is." I say, cutting her off. I turn around to see her staring inquisitively at my book of choice.
"That's not a non fiction silly.." she says before I cut her off again.
"It is, or was, in my old line of work. Who knows how many ancient treasures could be discovered because of this book! I might even take a break from retirement for this!" I say eagerly. Maybe too eagerly. "You know what, I will. Excuse me, but where is the librarian?"
"That would be me, but WHAT is so interesting about this book. What does it matter to you?" she says, almost angrily
Well, considering that she would be my new information supplier for the next... next... who knows how long I will be here looking for myths. I motion for her to come close. When she does, I whisper to her "I'm a treasure hunter, or a myth hunter, or whatever it's called now. I look for things that shouldn't exist. I make haunted, dangerous places safe. Everfree forest, Freezing curse, dealt with half a year ago by eliminating the frozen hearted ghost with a hearthfire gem. Dust town in the Mild West, Deathly Ghost Mine, purged deadly curse from ore with an astonishing amount or salt bricks and gunpowder, ore left untouched, but gold stockpile removed. I have combated more legends and myths than you have owned books. The only reason I quit was because..." Ah, good,caught myself in time. Don't want to have to go through that again.
"Well... What made you quit?" she says, as if this was storytime, and she was a little filly again.
"I... don't want to talk about that. The important thing is that I want this book, and I will be back to read the rest of these little pearls." I say, getting ready for the usual bombardment of questions, but surprisingly, they don't come, or, not until she had gotten up, stands in front of me, and takes a deep breath.
"How much treasure did you get from one go? How many people have thanked you? Did you ever donate to museums?" she asks. The torrent of questions goes on for another five minutes before Applejack and a slightly grumpy Pinkie come back from the other room. "Well mister Fighter, I finally got to Pinkie. She says that she will need a couple of hours to rearrange your party schedule. So for now I guess we will just have to keep you here until she is done."
"Alright..." I say feeling relieved," until she gets back, I could show you some of my stuff. This inquisitor..." i say, gesturing to Twilight, "could probably use some information on how I got away, and what I can do with my special, magic gear. But I need to get my stuff from my house."
" I could walk you there" Applejack offers. I accept and as we head out the door I hear Twilight ask "Wait, you use magic stuff?" Then the door closes
When me and Applejack get back to the Library it's getting dark, and we find that the lights are turned off. This is either a depressing attempt at a surprise party, or something is wrong. "Be ready. Something doesn't feel right. No half-decent party planner would turn off the lights in a room with windows, especially if the guest knows that they are waiting there." I say, tensing up, and reaching into my saddle bag.
"Oh, I'm sure it's fine. Pinkie probably just wants to make it a really basic party, so you won't be stressed." she says, putting a hoof on my shoulder.
"Well, if that's the case, then I should go in first. Even if it isn't a party, I should go in first. If my instincts are correct, then I can go in and see what's wrong." I say pulling a pair of lensless goggles out of my bag, and putting them on.
"Naw, I'll come with ya. I ain't squeamish, so if something is wrong I aint afraid to fight." she says, taking off her hat, and pulling a bundle of rope out, and then placing her hat back on her head.
"Alright, I won't stop ya, but are you sure you can handle yourself?" I say, taking off my saddlebag and hiding it under a rock.
"I'm fine. come on, lets go." She says.
As we walk in the door, we are met with a few clatters and thumps as somepony tries to hide. I walk over to the lights, and turn them on. Another clatter sounds out behind me, and resounding thud follows. I turn around to see that a ski-masked pony is splayed out on the floor by the wall, and Applejack has one back leg out. "Well, I reckon you're right. What should we do?" She says.
"Hmm, you know this place better than me, so why don't you go find the girls. They must be holding them somewhere. I'm gonna check the rest out." I say, inspecting the apparently unconscious pony. Note to self: don't tick off Applejack.
As Applejack heads downstairs, I turn and head upstairs. While I am heading upstairs, my right hoof flicks up to the right side of the goggles, and everything turns bright again. Good, my spectra goggles still have some charge. These will prove extremely useful, considering that the always shifting lenses of pure spectra changes to counter the environment. This makes me be able to always see, in bright light, at night, and even underwater and in smoke. Even magically camouflaged ponies become highly visible outlines. All this, and I can still see every color. Well every color but plaid, and I don't know why. Maybe the fact that so many colors are crossing over each other makes the spectra lenses confused.
I walk into a bedroom and immediately see another ski masked pony in the corner. This one is holding a knife. I pretend to not notice while I make my way over to the lightswitch. Once I get there, I see a noteboard on the desk. Grabbing it, I flick on the lights, turn around and throw it at him before he even gets a chance to jump at me. It hits him in the shoulder, and he drops his knife. Taking the opportunity, I dash at full speed and headbutt him. The shocked look in his eyes tells me he didn't think I would be able to take him. I hit him and he slams into the wall because the speed of the hit. Though out of breath he gets back up. He tries to to headbutt me, but at the last second I drop down and dive forward, tripping him. He goes sailing over me and smashes into the bed. Unfortunately, that's where the knife was. Grabbing it, he charges at me again, this time with the knife in front of him, moving faster than I thought he could. I think I dodge him, but a hot flash of searing pain in my back left hoof tells me otherwise. I wince, and he takes the opportunity and charges at me once more, but this time I am ready. Rearing up, I smack the knife from his hand and swing my other hoof into his face, clothslining him. Before he can get up, I put a hoof down on his chest, and hit him in the jaw. After two more hits to the head, he finally passes out. For a pony, he sure was resilient.To make sure he that when he wakes up he can't run away, I use the bed lining to tihe him to the banister of the stairs. I then grab the knife, and hide it in the desk, so if he does escape, he won't have a weapon.
As I make my way down the stairs to check on Applejack, I hear a high pitched squeal from the cellar. Taking it as a signal of where the girls are is, I run down the stairs, and see the worst thing possible. Applejack is on the floor, scratched up and bruised. What I saw next was even more blood chilling: a Diamond Dog Fighter! A thousand questions exploded in my head. The one that bugged me the most was how rich are these guys anyway? To be able to hire a Diamond Dog mercenary! Whatever their goal is, they definitely want it done right.
Taking the advantage of surprise, I leap at the diamond dog, but he smells me coming, and backclaws me before I can get to him. Rolling from the hit, I struggle to keep track of the ground. Before I can get up, he grabs me and slams me back to the ground. The metalic taste of blood fills my mouth. "Wow! My first broken bone in more than a year!" I say, more to cheer myself up than to taunt him.
"Why are you helping them?" he says in a voice that sounds too dry and grainy to belong to a living anything."You don't even know them."
"Because I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone else be hurt if I can help." I say, trying to get up, but failing.
"Well then, I guess I'll have to make it so you can never help anypony again." He says, stretching his claws to full length. Then he just starts laughing
Darn it, I have no choice but to use my emergency plan. Reaching into my mane, I pull out a small blue gem. I smash it on the floor, and a blue smoke fills the room. Holding my breath and plugging my ears, I crawl to where the diamond dog is now enjoying a happy illusion. I grab his leg, pull him down, and slam his head into the ground, once, twice, thrice, and he finally slumps unconscious. I grab his headband, and tear a bit off. Using that bit to cover my mouth, I pull a red gem out of my mane, and smash that. Now a red smoke fills the room. A surge of fear overcomes me for a brief second, before the two smokes mix, then vanish. "They are all gone now. Where are you?" I call out, darkness creeping to the edge of my vision.
"Tied up in the closet on the left!" Twilight's voice calls out.
Pulling a sharp scrap of metal from the diamond dog's belt, I crawl to the cabinet in question. Feeling like i'm going to collapse, I open the door and drop the knife to the blur of colors, that hopefully is the girls, before passing out. The next few minutes are a blur. First, there was a short scream. Then followed by some dulled grunts that sounded like someone talking through a sheet of glass. Then movement. Now I'm being carried. Why is there a table under me? I thought I was in a tree. Theres a tickling sensation in my back hooves and my chest, wait, why does it hurt so much. Uh, wait, why am I on a bed? I don't remember walking here. Am I a unicorn? Was that how I got here? Did I teleport? Now I'm in a different bed. This one is yellow. Who is the kind looking white and pink blur? What is that little glass sharp thing? Why is the world spinning? Are my legs made of led, because I can't move them. Oh, hi darkness, what are you doing here?
Twilight had never seen somepony so badly injured as she had seen Food fighter: a broken rib, a gash in the leg, and a broken hoof. How he didn't pass out before he got to them, I don't know. Something else was interesting. How could he have gotten rare artifacts like Spectra goggles, or Red and Blue hallucinator mist gems. I knew he went after old ruins, but I never would've guessed that he found things like this. She would have to ask him when he wakes up. Poor thing, risking his life to help them. When he opened the closet, it took a bit for her eyes to adjust, but when she could see, he was there on the floor, blood leaking from his mouth and his hoof. He had a sharp shard of metal to cut us free, but he passed out from his injuries. When Fluttershy saw, she thought he was dead and screamed. He had dropped the shard, but I couldn't grab it with my magic the bullies who did this put a magic dampener on my horn. Luckily, it slid towards Rainbow Dash, and she got it with her wing. She then cut us all free. I wanted to examine his injuries before reviving him, in case if it would cause him pain.
Unfortunately, I was correct. When we found out what his injuries were, I tried a healing spell, and it sealed the cuts, but the rib remained broken. Judging where it broke, we had enough time to call a professional healer. I also sealed all of Applejack's cuts and scrapes. Applejack led me outside to where he had left his equipment. I was shocked to see all these old and still useable magical gadgets. How many places has he actually been? I feel terrible that he had to go through that pain. And what about the giant dog? Why did it attack us, and how did it beat Applejack so quickly? I've seen Applejack take down Big Mac time after time. Just who was in charge of this, and what were they trying to do? I sent a letter to the Princess, asking if she knew what happened. Hopefully she will respond soon, because we are getting worried. She might send some guards, in case if somepony is going against the Princesses, and are planning to use me as a hostage. Oh well, I should probably write a list for being prepared for any more attacks. I had hoped I would never have to learn attack spells, but I might need to. We might not be lucky enough to have Food Fighter coming back for things like Pinkie's party. Poor Pinkie, she'll have to move her plans to tomorrow. I have so many questions to ask him, but Nurse Redheart said she needed him to stay asleep so he doesn't freak out because of the pain, until the professional healer could get here. Nurse Redheart also said that the healer would come tomorrow at noon, if there were no delays. I just hope she gets here in time. No use waiting in a patients room. I should probably go tell Rarity what she missed. Wonder How she will react.
There they were, the greatest and bravest friends I've ever had: Piper, Pal, Quicken, and Wallen. Wait, but how were they here? This can't be real, can it? Well, if it isn't real, as long as I get to be with my friends, I don't care. "How are you guys? I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Not much has happened, just been hangin out with these three." Wall said in his usual happy go lucky style. "Although Quicken has been whining about how he misses his tea."
"Not my fault I'm a true griff!" my griffin friend cries from his table in the house that we had just appeared in. So this is a dream then.
"It is your fault that you drank it all in the first week!" says my cousin, Pallet Kicker.
"Well, considering that we are in a house now, you might find some in the cupboards" says Pied Piper, from her worktable.
"What are you building Piper? Musical, magical, or practical?" I say, eying the tiny parts she is fiddling with.
"Musical and magical. I'm making a little music box that I will enchant, so it will cast a calming spell when playing. Celestia knows you need it. Stop being introverted. You didn't cause the problem. We all knew the risks, and we took them. Don't be so hard on yourself. None of us would have known that would happen." Even in my head, she always wants the best for all of us. The troop mother I guess.
"Well, it was nice catching up, but we gotta go. Just don't forget us, ok?" Pal tells me.
"Here..." Piper says as she gives me a small metal cube that is playing a light tinkling melody. "Use this when you feel alone, and only then."
"Wait, what?" I say, vision starting to fade.
"You are being woken up. Don't freak out, just deal with it. Things are going to happen soon that will change you for the better." Piper says, stepping away from me.
"Well, I'll see you soon, I think?" I say
"Exactly." Pal says
"Wha.." but that's all I get out before I find myself awake in a hospital room.
There is a white hided pink maned nurse looking over a clipboard in front of me. There is also a tired but proud looking colt with an orange hide and a red short cut mane to the left of me.
"He will need to stay in bed a while so the rib can reconnect itself completely. Other than nulling the pain, I've done all I can. He's gonna be fine." the colt says. He looks to me and says "Hey there. Sorry to wake you, but your rib is fixed."
"Thanks. What are your names?" I say, feeling something metal in my pillow bump against my head.
"Well, I am Nurse Redheart, and he..." the white mare says , now pointing to the orang colt "is Patch the Healer. I know him as Patch Up though. We were friends at medical school. I studied medication and he studied magic healing."
"Why are you telling me this?" I say, reaching in my pillow for what feels like a container.
"Oh, sorry! Was I talking out loud?" she says, acting a bit worried.
"It's fine." Says Patch. "We should go. We did our jobs. Now he just needs some time to rest. He just went through a life threatening ordeal after all."
"Right. I could use a break anyway." Says Nurse Redheart as she heads towards the door. "The button on the table next to you is for if you need anything. You have been hooked up to an I.V unit while unconscious, so you shouldn't be getting hungry, but if you do, just press that button."
"Youre friends will be coming later, so just stay in bed and rest. You're gonna need it according to Twilight. That is her name, right?" Patch asks.
"Yes, it is. I guess I'll stay in bed until they get here." I say finally getting a hold of the metal thing in my pillow. So Twi and the others are coming. I guess I do ow them an apology for them having to see me so weak. Wait, did patch say "friends"? No. No no nonono, NO! This wasn't supposed to happen. I don't want them to be my freinds. Too much has happened already. Now I'm the Princess's apprentice's friend? This wasn't supposed to happen. The Princess will probably want to thank me, and then everyone will know my name! Then I won't be able to keep people safe. People might follow me around, then they will get caught up in my problems and get killed! NO!
I need to get out of here. I can't let anypony see me. If anything happens to anypony, I will never forgive myself. Wait calm down. Think, if the Princess wants to thank me, then she will just find me. No matter how many layers of secrecy I have guarding me, she can just remove them with a flick of her horn, or by just showing herself. The only way I can escape this is by asking Twi to not thank me. Ugh! How did I get myself into this mess? What is wrong with me? Throwing my hooves down in frustration, I forgot the metal box in my hoof. When they hit the bed, I lose my grip, and the box flies and hits my head. Coming to a rest on my chest, the box springs open, and I almost fall off the bed in shock. The tune is the exact same as the music box in my dream. I quickly shut it, remembering Piper's advice. If I needed it, I would use it. I decided to make the best of my time and try to figure out how to get Twilight to not make a big deal about me helping her. This day was gonna be a long one.
I was about to lose my mind of boredom when Twilight and co. came in. Pinkie immediately put a party hat on my head and stepped away, with the biggest grin on her face and the widest eyes I've ever seen. She backed towards the door and tried to seem like she wasn't about to explode. Twilight stepped forward and said with a smile on her face "Thanks for saving us. We will have to take you on a train to Canterlot. The Princess wants to see you. I have been placed under watch by royal guards on her orders. She thinks somepony might be conspiracizing against her and her sister. I am so sorry for getting you stuck in all this. I just..." She then started breaking down into tears and sat down on the floor. "I just don't feel safe anymore."
I start to feel bad, but remember what I was trying to do. "Don't worry. I'm about as good of a fighter that a guard is, and you will have plenty of them watching over you. It will be like having lots of me around to defend you." I swallow hard and continue. "Twi, I don't want to have to go to Canterlot."
"Why not? " she said, looking up. She looked a bit cheerier.
"Princess Celestia wouldn't know what she'd do with herself if something happened to you, right? Something almost did happen, but I stopped it. Imagine how much she would do to thank me." I say, tucking the music box into my saddlebag next to the bed.
"She might make you a national hero. But why would that be bad?" she says getting up.
"I would be the center of attention. Foals would follow me around. They might follow me into a dangerous place, get caught up in the danger and die. How could I forgive myself for letting innocent ponies and foals die? I wouldn't. Don't have some big celebration for me. A cake or something small would do. No public events or announcments." I say, getting of the bed and walking to the door.
"Alright. We won't have a big celebration, but the Princess will still want to see you. Not sure Pinkie can say the same." Twilight says, flicking a hoof. At this, Pinkie squeals and trows a handful of confetti at me and yells "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!"
Pinkie throws me in a cart and starts pulling it faster than possible for an earth pony. She pulls me all the way to Sugarcube Corner, stops the cart, and comes back out with a cake the size of a wagon wheel and ten times thicker. She puts it in the cart and runs me to the library, where a proper party is set up. Not sure how, but the others got there before us, and have already started partying. Pinkie then throws me into a decorated chair and sings some kind of welcome song so fast, it ends before I even hit the seat. The way she set it up, you'd think she thought it was my birthday. Well, if I was supposed to party, I might as well enjoy it. The first thing I do is take a huge slice of cake and eat it in two bites. Pinkie comes over and one-ups me by taking a quarter of the cake, and downing it in one piece. I turn to see a unicorn who I can only guess is Rarity drinking tea in the opposite side of the room, shaking her head disapprovingly at our messy faces. Applejack gives us both some cider to down the cake with. Fluttershy walks over and holds a rabbit to me. She says his name is Angel. When I try to pet him, he jumps out of the way and taps his foot grumpily, but Fluttershy smiles at this and takes Angel to get some cake. Rainbow Dash grabs me in a headlock while flying. I grab her hooves and lean forward, forcing her lower. At a certain point she moves and holds my front hooves behind my back. I then push forward, throwing her in belly up front of me, and hold her to the ground with one hoof. She taps the ground twice, and I let her go. She nods her approval and flies off. I guess I forgot how good having friends really felt. I actually miss this feeling. I guess I'm done being alone. Who knows what adventures these ponies will take me on.
Last night was fun, I think. After the fifth piece of cake, everything is blurry. I woke up in a corner in the library at eight A.M. Everypony seemed a bit worried about me, but when I asked what was wrong, they all hid frowns behind smiles and said that it was nothing. Two hours later, and we were on a train heading for Canterlot. The car we were in had two royal guards in front of each door, and we were the only ones inside. Needless to say, it was an awkward ride. We found a carriage waiting for us when we got to Canterlot station. On the way to the castle, Twilight had a look on her face that said she felt bad for me. When she noticed me looking at her, she once again hid it behind a smile, and turned to look through the window. When we arrived at the palace, a huge squad of guards converged around us and escorted us to the Grand Hall. The Princess then pulled aside Twilight for questioning. We are currently waiting for them. Rainbow Dash was trying to make a conversation with the guards. Rarity was braiding Fluttershy's mane while Fluttershy was brushing Angel. Applejack was happily dozing against the wall. Pinkie had decided to play with her alligator. I think she calls him Gummy. They actually act like little like foals. So careless about everything. How I envy them. They have it so nice: kind friends, an easy, enjoyable job. A whole town who knows them and cares about them. I miss such things. Wait, Rainbow Dash just looked at me and slowed down. She looks depressed. I hope I didn't do anything wrong last night. They should stay happy, and enjoy life. I smile to Rainbow Dash, and she notices and smiles back. That's better. I don't anypony feeling bad about things I've done. Darn it Twilight, what's taking so long?
Twilight had been thoroughly questioned about the events that occurred two nights ago. She wasn't able to provide information on what had happened, but she knew what certain things ment, so she gave the best guesses she could.
"Well, this gentle colt knows his magic, but why does he care about it? He is an earth pony after all." Celestia asked from her chair
"He said he is a former treasure hunter, but he goes after things from old stories that don't feel like they are real. So, he's more like a myth hunter. He says he finds old artifacts, and makes dangerous places safe again. He quit though. Now he just goes around looking for small things. He said that whenever he is too well known, he leaves town and moves to another. He doesn't want to be important to anypony" Twilight answered in the calmest tone possible. Surely, the Princess would bring up something about how he had done the Princessdom a great service soon.
"He must have many artifacts that he could contribute to the Museums. Why would he have quit if he was capable of finding things like Spectra goggles? No matter. I believe a thank you is in order" The Princess said, getting up and heading to the door.
"Princess, wait." Twilight said, and Celestia stopped, and turned around. "He talked to me about this. He doesn't want anything big, like him being a national hero. No big thank you celebrations. He doesn't want to be well known. It may seem like introversion, but it isn't. He said that foals might try to be like him, and get themselves killed. He said that he wouldn't forgive himself if that happened.I think this is why he doesn't want friends."
" We may know another reason that he doesn't want to have friends. Last night, during Pinkies welcome to Ponyville party, he had a sugar high on Pinkies cake. He didn't last long before he crashed and fell asleep. He started mumbling in his sleep, saying things about how we were his friends. At first I was happy that he thought of us as friends. But then he said something about how he wished his old friends were here in his sleep, and I was curious."
" Using a spell that makes relaxed minds more trusting and less seclusive about information, I asked him what happened to his old friends. He just started crying, and he said that he would never see his friends again. I asked him what he meant by that, and through tears, he said that his friends didn't make it out. I started worrying. I asked him what that meant, and he said he is the only one left. Frustrated at his vague answers I tried for one more question, but before I could ask him anything else, he started saying that he was sorry, and that he would never talk about it again. He then got up and slept walked to a corner , pulled a music box out of his bag, and resumed sleeping. We decided to call it a night and I let him sleep there. As the girls and I were finishing up, it dawned on me that his friends were taken from him. When I thought of this, the girls noticed, and asked me what was wrong. I told them, and we all felt like we had bricks on our shoulders. Pinkie made a joke that I can't remember, and we all snapped out of our misery. She told us that we shouldn't be moping and that there was no depression at her parties."
"I'm sure we can get the full story from him when I talk to him. Thank you for letting my know this Twilight" Celestia said. Was she sure she could get him to talk? Twilight never knew about anything that could force somepony to tell something. Was he really just going to tell us? She could threaten him with something like banishment, but then he would be alone like he wants. Nothing would be accomplished. How would she do it? Before the Princess walked out the door, she spoke so low that Twilight could barely hear it: "I have my suspicions about this pony."
The door on the side of the room opens. Finally! The Princess is looking at me a bit strangely. She's walking over to us. The girls are gathering with me on the steps to the throne. as Princess and Twilight make their way over, Twi mouths "I told her." I nod my approval, and pull a small rectangular gem out of a container in my bag. I put it in my mouth and bite down. When I do, an instant sense of relief replaces the sense of dread that had been building up for awhile. Celestia walked up to me. Her horn glowed a calm yellow, then she tapped my forehead with it. Every moment of my life exploded into a vivid collection of memories that almost knocked me off my feet. Celestia then said four words: "Show me what happened."
So that was what she was getting at. The next thing that happened shocked everypony in the room: My eyes glowed and a memory was projected from them like a movie. I knew this, because apparently the spell the Princess casted allowed me to see what was happening through an out of body experience. The memory she was prying for I already was watching, and my blood chilled at the thought. No pony should ever experience that, especially not twice.
"Come on Fighter! This will the best adventure yet!"
"Come on Fighter! This will be the best adventure yet!"
Today was a great day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and me and my pals are planning a dive in the Cabin. We all have a glass full of soda, and Quicken was making sandwiches. Piper was working on a special set of screws. She was obsessing over some blueprints and designs for armor and equipment we found in an old unicorn barracks. She was using a spell that gathers natural energy and jams it into a container of your choosing. She was using a few assorted screws and bolts. Wallen was trying to get me to go with him and the others on a trip to an old ruin called the Temple of Banished Souls. Pal was quietly making sandwiches on a decent sized cutting board.
Apparently, there was an artifact there that could be used to to tap into your subconscious mind, increasing your capability to think tenfold just by holding it. It could also be used as a powerful stabilizer for spells. I thought the name of the place was bad enough, but the place has a nasty history. Apparently, there was a village near the temple had a crazy powerful witch in it. She would control ponies and bring them to the temple, where she would sacrifice them for blood to summon a demon. She then would trap the souls of those poor ponies as a tribute to win the demons favor. She kept them in a small pearl, that was black as night. When she was nearing the amount she needed, an elite group of Celestia's guard discovered her, and stopped her. Before they killed her and ended the chance of a demon getting free, she did one last sacrifice: she cast a curse causing every guard to be trapped in an eternal void. She rushed and messed up, and so she was pulled into the void with them. The pearl was so full of souls at the time that the slightest bump could release them all. When the witch cast the void spell, it freed them, but they were trapped in the void as well. It was a very cliche ending, but it still was a bit worrying.
After that ordeal was settled, some of the ponies from the village decided to check out the temple. There were old traps everywhere, placed by the same ancient pony civilization who made the temple in the first place, and the witch put up a few harder to spot ones. When they got to the main chamber, there was a spirit of some giant beast. It was a fail safe guard of the witch. When she died, it summoned a beast of immeasurable strength. Lots of ponies died that day. It wasn't pretty. When the souls left the pearl, it left a magical residue that turned it into a powerful magic foci. Come to think of it, the pearl was probably the artifact they were talking about.
Wallen had decided to let me think about it, but he said that he would go, even if I said no. Seeing as the guy couldn't go ten steps without finding a problem that he wanted to solve with explosives. His full name is Wall Breaker, and his cutie mark is a broken wall and a huge explosion. You can guess what his gift to the world is. I just wish he wasn't so enthusiastic about it. He just wants to blow things up. He is a good guy, but he can be unstable at times.
We start packing up. I grab some of my best artifacts and gear. Quicken packed food and some medicinal substances. Piper handed out some homemade spectra goggles. Wallen grabbed a couple of his signature assorted bombs. Pal mapped out the rout and grabbed some marking chalk. We were ready before the sun was in the middle of the sky. While we were walking, Quicken found some special mushrooms that, when eaten, boosts your immune system immeasurably for a short while. The rest of the trip was really uneventful, if you could call Wallen blowing up every large object he saw uneventful. I need to take away his gunpowder reserve.
As we arrived at the temple steps, we stop and stash the extra gear and grab the things that will be of immediate use, like phase crystals and our Spectra goggles. Pied piper had set up her charge relay to keep magical items topped off. Pal was clicking his bracers to his hind legs. Wallen was checking the timers on his "Knockers" (called so because he had taken to telling bad knock knock jokes while he armed them.) Quicken and I were checking the area for entrances and for signs of any other divers, me on the ground and Quicken in the skies. We came back, satisfied that nopony else had been here before. With four separate points of entry, one on each the four sides, we had to be careful which one we chose. We decided to go through the entrance to the east, since the sun rises in the east, and we're partially superstitious about that sort of thing.
As we make our way through the door, a sudden chill fills the air. We walk a few steps in, and a crunch sounds from below our hooves. I look down and am shocked. I knew a few ponies had died here, but not this many! What happened here? No matter. These ponies had died within the temple and needed to be properly buried, but that would have to wait until the area was safe. As we made our way deeper the air suddenly became chilly, and I swear I could hear faint voices saying "Turn back." Typical, but nonetheless unnerving. A corner and another corridor takes us to a small chamber, where I think the creators of this place slept. There was a smell in the air. Something old and musty, but also somewhat rancid. Wonder what's making that smell. We stop and look for any supplies, but all we find are a few robes, one bow and half a dagger. Who broke the dagger in the first place, and why put it back in a drawer? I'm sure we'll find out later, but for now, we must keep going.
We keep heading in towards the center of the temple and we start to see a glow. It's a subtle light, but it is still visible. Following what seemed like the source, we see... what is that, some kind of... thing. Not sure what to make of it, but take a can made of copper, grind it to dust, and have a filly try glue it back together, kick it but freeze-frame it when your leg is fully extended through it. Now stick that into the top of a stone cube and twist the whole thing upward like putty. Stick a light in the metal-can-thing and that is what I am looking at. The metal slag/shards orbit slowly around the light. The shadows it casts are very pretty. Almost like you're lying on your back and staring into space. I could have stared at that light for hours if it weren't for the fact that we were looking for something.
We keep going, but the rancid smell becomes more and more potent every step. What is making that smell? Knowing ruins of sacrificial temples or any other kind of haunted place, probably some rotting corpses or a rotting something that isn't a corpse yet. Great. I tell the others to be ready to fight in case if something happens. After all, dead things mean something killed them, and that something could be a baddie. We keep marching onward, echoes of our hoofsteps almost deafening. in the cold stone corridor. Finally, a light in the distance tells us that we are almost there. Ten feet from the end of the hallway, an earsplitting roar fills the air. Not the best sign, and yet we march on.
Five feet from the end of the hallway, I see a figure rise from what seems like a crouched position. It's a big figure. Like Hydra big. I zoom in with my Spectra Goggles to try and see what it is, but it's just a fuzzy outline. I don't mean fuzzy like hair, I mean it like a blurred image behind a foggy window. It turns toward us with a low growl. Crap, it's gonna charge. "Duck to the walls!" I shout, and everyone jumps to the side. The growl gets louder, then stops. Talons scrape stone, then a whoosh.It lands right in front of me, turns towards me, and raises it's claw, and I finally get a good look at this thing. A Shadebeast! Friggin' Great, this won't be painful AT ALL!
Fighting a Shade Beast in a small corridor in the dark alone is equivalent to dying by stampede and being revived ten times in a row, in mental and physical stress, and guess what I was doing. Thankfully, I wasn't alone.
The beast turns to me and snarls, but all I hear is a quiet hiss, although the effect is the same as the roar of a dragon: blood chilling. The beast rushes towards Wallen, talons quietly clacking on the smooth stone. He responds with a quick flick of the hoof to knock a grenade from his front right "Ready Belt" into the beasts path. A loud crack and a flash of light stops the beast, but renders us all blinded by the sudden light, except for me. I had my Spectra Goggles, letting me see in the extreme light and dark. While the beast was stunned I rushed close and wailed on him. Three hits each to both shins, a back left to the ribs, and a buck to the back left leg, and he wouldn't be pouncing on us anytime soon. I would have done more, but the beast flailed, trying to slash the thing hurting it, so I had to back off.
It was hurt, but not bad, just enough to be crippled. Pal rolls under it's stomach, kicking it multiple times. Finally recovering Piper was the next one to make a move. A cannon popped out of the side of her bag, and a bolas came flying at the beast. It caught the front right leg, but before it's lightning infused gem could discharge, the beast ripped it off. Cursing under her breath, she retracted the cannon and instead threw small spikes at the beasts feet. Backing up, the beast dodged all five of them. It marched toward her, probably thinking to take out the weakest one and take our waken our number advantage. What he didn't notice was the evenly spaced spikes around him. A thundering "BOOM" sounded as five lightning bolts struck the beast simultaneously, forming a terrifying net of pain. One.. Two... Three seconds of rest passed before the low voltage thunder spikes ran out of power. Three seconds was enough for Quicken to be in the air and to dive to towards the beast.
Landing on it's back claws out, Quicken lets himself be taken over by his families blood lust, and starts clawing and ripping small, almost opaque bits of fur and flesh. Quicken comes from a family of mighty griffin warriors whose blood lust could power them through entire armies, at the cost of losing all control until their target is reached, or they die. Quicken acts very civilized to disguise this frightening trait.
Quiet screams of rage seep from the beasts mouth, but it can't do anything to get him off, so it hops around, trying to shake him free. It's dancing slows as more and more chunks of shadowy meat fall from it's back and Quicken finishes the brutal onslaught of beak and claws.The beast then finally collapses, leaking dark grey fluid from its newly shredded back. Quicken lands next to me, as covered in the dark liquid as the beast is. He merely shakes it off flecking everyone too close to him with the blood of a mystical creature. We beat it. Now to see what it was guarding.
We step into the room beyond the corridor, and the first thing we see is a pile of half rotted animal and pony corpses at the side of the room. Victims of a hunting shadow beast. In the center is an altar and a brazier. On the right side of the room are some containers with strange markings on the side. A few look like organs... yeah, not opening them. Big disc calendar thing on the wall, scattered metal bits, a scroll, and an assembly of knives of varying shapes and sizes. Upon inspection, the altar seemed to have two sets grooves. One set was along the edges, like some kind of blood channel. The other was shaped like a pony laying on it's side. Creepy. There are a couple of random spike balls in the left hoof corner, a needle bed in the right, and your average torture tool set in the far back.
Wallen stepped in, took one look at the pile of bodies, turned the other way around and sat down. Wallen has a deep respect for the dead, so to see those mangled corpses, not able to properly bury them with their name, must have been heartbreaking. Piper just tried to ignore the bodies and focused on the engraved symbols all around the stone room. Quicken took a break at the side of the room, worn out from his bloodwrath attack. Pal was doing stretches. I just stood there, examining the room. Where was the Pearl? It had to be here somewhere.
Shhhhhk.... BOOM
The door shuts behind us. The wind force from the doors shutting blows out all the wall mounted torch, though it doesn't get dark. Instead, the shadows coalesce into a swirling ball of the abyss. Quiet, ghostly voices filled the air, saying things like "Leave, before it's too late!" and "You're all doomed." Let's see: Self closing doors + Shadow orb + Ghost voices; not a great sign.
ONLY ONE OF YOU WILL LEAVE THIS PLACE a voice boomed.
Just then, the orb burst, shrouding the room in darkness. A burst of adrenaline shoots through me like a crack of lightning through the sky. Another feeling floods my senses, one of pure strength. The shadows lift, and I'm in a different room, this one more extravagantly colored, but the same size and shape. Four shadowy figures stand around me, looking almost as if they wanted to fight. Thinking of a way to fight them all, a strange thought crossed my mind: "I'll stand up on my hind legs and fight that way." It was weird because I've never fought that way before, or even thought of fighting that way. So I reared up on my hind legs, expecting to fall over, but I kept my balance. The shadows beings seemed to be testing themselves, almost as if they were checking their own skills, one of them was examining itself, like to see if it was real or not. We all then sprang at each other.
A taller one that looked fuzzier than the rest was the one to attack me. It had blades on what I guessed were it's hooves. On my hind hooves I could us my front hooves even more freely, meaning better hits and stronger combos. One that looks like it has claws at the end of it's hooves heads strait for me. We stop a hoof apart, getting ready. Taking a closer look, this one has some kind of long fur, layered over each other. It decides to take the first move, a low sweep, probably trying to end the fight fast.I block it by kicking it's leg back at it, but the claws still nick me on the way back. Using the momentum from my kick, it spins around, balancing on it's hind legs to sweep at my with both of it's bladed hooves. I jump back as the attack sweeps past, and I quickly spring forward bringing both hooves down in a heavy hit to the back of it's head. The shadow stumbles away by the force of the blow, then turns to face me, but it's movements are slowed and more distracted. I guess I hit it a bit harder than we both thought, because it's knees buckle, and it starts to slide to the ground. Seizing the chance, I tense up for a knockout blow, but I a surge of anger makes me end it's life with a spinning kick to the side of it's neck. With a sickening SNAP, it sprawls across the floor, dead.
I look to the other three shadows, but the larger one of the three is on it's side , with a smoldering hole in it's side, wounds probably seared shut by the heat of whatever it was hit by. The other two were throwing magic at each other, one using only explosive orange orbs, the other using assorted projectiles ranging from green lightning bolts to blue waves of energy to fireballs. Upon seeing that I had finished my foe, the explosive one turned and lobbed an orb my way. I ducked under it and, tensing up while crouching, sprang at the explosive shadow. The other shadow , seeing that I wasn't going to fight it apparently, slowed it's barrage and started waiting for openings. Between the two of us, an uppercut here followed by a bolt to catch the other in the air there, the bomb shadow wen't down fast. The magic shadow finished it off with a supercharged lightning bolt that kept his corpse up for three full seconds after being hit.
I turn to face the magic shadow, and it nods it's head in respect. I return the gesture, then we both take up a fighting stance about ten feet apart from each other. It starts of the fight with a bolt aimed at my legs, probably to slow me down. I jump over it, but it grazes my hoof, sending a jolt of pain through my body. Eight feet. I stumble as I land, and it shoots a fireball my way. Instead of jumping out of the way I duck to the ground, fireball nearly singeing my mane, and bounced off the ground getting even closer. Five feet. As I approached, it panicked and used a wall of sharp icicles to stop me. I duck my head and turn it to avoid any fatal head injuries, but it doesn't stop the the icy projectiles from cutting through my bare skin. Pushing through the searing pain, I shake to dislodge any icicles stuck to me, and step closer to my enemy. One foot. Seeing me so close, it simply stopped and braced itself for the incoming hit. I feel sad for it. It's almost like it has feelings or something. I stop, and I take a second to see what it looks like.
Standing on my back legs, I use my front to lift it's face up, hooves on either sides of it's head. Up close, it's got a kind of outline of a face, not just a shadow. Huh it looks just like Piper. I kind of wanted to leave it alone. A voice sounds the room "You will finish this whether you want to or not!. A sudden thought fills my mind, and before I know it, I had snapped it's neck. It's head now backwards, it's body fell to the floor. Well it's fine, right? I mean, it couldn't actually be Piper, right? Thinking back to how it had an outline of it's face, I look at the first one I killed, and a chill runs down my spine. It has a beak, and it has feathers: it's Quicken. I check the others. Pal... Wallen... they're both there, and they're both dead. We killed each other! Oh no. Oh please no. Why? Why did this happen? You see what you've done? You killed them. They were you're friends, and you killed them. How does that make you feel? the voice echos, but I don't care. Why should I care? The four closest people in my life are dead, at my hooves. Buck this. Buck all this hay. Why did we start all this buck in the first place?
The lights, the designs, and the extra bits all fade into dust and disappear, leaving me with my friends bodies. You have proved yourself strong. Now, take your prize and your friends, and begone. With this, the torches relit themselves, revealing a bit-sized gem on the alter. The pearl of souls. Not that It's worth it, but I'll take it anyway. Something to remember them by. Oh Celestia, why?!
One Hour Later
I can't believe that the last time that I would see their names was on the four makeshift headstones in front of me. I should probably say something. Here goes. "Well, goodbye old friends. We had some good times, bad times, and worse times, but we always pulled through. I guess we didn't manage this time. I'll keep you guys in my heart, but I have no guarantees about keeping you in my thoughts. You guys have a good rest, because you earned it. Well, I'll see you on the other side, I hope. Bye." That felt completely awkward. Wallen would have said something stupid, but he's gone now. They all are. It's still just so hard to believe. I better leave before I start crying because I had done enough of that. It was time to retire, and do something better. And with that thought, I quietly trudge away.
When the memory ended nopony spoke for a little while. It was kind of amusing to see their reactions while the memory was playing. Rarity had seem smitten by Quicken, until he tore open the shadow beasts back. Fluttershy hid her eyes the whole time. Twilight had acted antsy, probably wanted to write some notes or something. Applejack acted tough the whole way through, but at the end, she looked on the verge of tears. Rainbow was hovering lazily in the air up until the fighting started going on, then she kept cheering us on in her head, swinging her hooves like she herself were fighting, up until the memories thoughts started talking about my friends dying. She then just looked away, and didn't look back until the end. Celestia's expression was unreadable throughout the whole thing. When it ended, her expression changed into one that suggested thoughtfulness. Finally Applejack broke the silence.
"Well I'm sorry. I just... I'm not sure how ta' react when somepony's lost a friend." Applejack said.
"I'm sure she means to say ' I'm sorry for your loss.' and so do I." Twilight says. "I'm not sure what I'd do if all my friends went... um..."
"It's okay. You don't have to say it." I say "I know what you mean. I'm sorry that you all had to see that. I.."
"I'm not." the Princess cuts me off. "Don't get me wrong. I know that was hard for you, but you need to learn that sometimes, friends can't stay forever, so enjoy you're friendship." She turns to me. "Twilight will study you to see how losing a friend affects a pony, and seeing that you have opened up your walls to these six, you will also be studied on how a broken heart can be healed by the power of friendship."
"But..." I start, before she interrupts me again.
"Seeing as how someone is trying to attack my kingdom covertly, my apprentice will need a bodyguard, in case if someone tries to harm her again. I am recruiting you for this task. Understood?"
"Yes, but I try not to live in one place."
"Well from now on, Ponyville is your new permanent home." she says, putting emphasis on the word permanent.
"But I always have business all over Equestria."
"Well, if you have to leave," she says, and an old leather bound book with stacked arrows pointing opposite each other. " If you must leave, than Twilight will give you this. You will write in it, and the text you write will end up in an exact copy that is already at Twilight's library. If you become more than 25 meters away from it, it will teleport you to it, as long as the spot is safe to be brought to, like if it was in the air,, then it wouldn't teleport you until it hit the ground. If Twilight has checked it out to you, and you don't write in it for more than two days, it will teleport you back to Twilight's library, along with the book. It is also indestructible, despite it's appearance, so don't even try."
Rainbow Dash let out a low whistle. "You really thought of everything Princess. This colts gonna be stuck with us forever, and we aren't gonna let him off easy."
"Thank you, and yes. He will stay with you until I deem your studies complete Twilight." the princess said.
" Well you and us are going to get well acquainted," says Twilight, "because I have a lot to learn about friendship."
"Great..." I say, not meaning it one bit.
Back on the train, the girls were all talking excitedly, and glancing at me every now and then. From what I could hear they were planning something for me. At one point Pinkie said she was pulling out all the stops. Wanting to not be part of the conversation, I turned my attention to the journal. I'm not one to question the power of magical items, but it still seemed like it was impossible how all those enchantments could be on one item. It must have a had a very magical history.
My thoughts turned to something Celestia said: " If you become more than 25 meters away from it, it will teleport you to it." If this was true, then I could use it as a way to get around. All I had to do was throw it hard enough, and it would teleport me to where it landed. I would have to test that when I got back. Jeez, all that emotion was exhausting. I never felt as sad as that. Ugh, can't keep my eyes open. I'll just rest until we get back. Yeah, that'll be nice...
"Poor fella," says Applejack "Been through a hay more than we know. I wish we could make it up to him."
"I know, right? I mean, the guy walks into town, and all we do is throw a party for him that ends up to be an attempted kidnapping. That's not really much of a party to be honest." states Rainbow Dash, ever so casual.
"Well, what can we do for him?" Rarity says." It's not as if we can know exactly what he wants. We hardly know him, the poor colt."
"I could ask my animal friends to see what he does, but that might take awhile." whispers Fluttershy.
"I'm not sure what we can do girls. I would plan something, but that takes us back to the problem of we don't know what he likes. It's a good thing he has to write in that journal, huh?" I say. What I turn my head to see if he was paying any attention to us, but all he was doing was examining the journal. "You're good at cheering ponies up Pinkie. What do you think?"
Pinkie, usually happy and bouncy, turned so serious that it kind of scared me. "It will take every ounce of my party planning expertise, but I have an idea. I'm pulling all the stops on this one. Twilight, I need you to make a list for food, drinks, and materials for a 100 pony party. Oh, and can you deal with him, because if he hears us, then he might try to stop us before he knows what we are doing."
"Okay?" I say, pulling out a pen and paper from my bag.
"Rarity, I want decorations for a large party. The theme is "Secrets." If he doesn't want to be known, then we can make that into a game."
"Oh!" Rarity exclaims with apparent excitement. "Like how masquerade party hosts would play a guessing game to see who knew the most people well enough to name them."
"I can set up some rules," I say, already halfway through food supplies for the party."Anything specific you want me to do to deal with Fighter?"
"I don't know, whatever gets him to not listen in is okay."
Alright then Pinkie. I think. I guess he could use some rest. Sleep spell? Sure, lets go with that. I start calling up the spell in my head while the others continued.
"Rarity, since you know how these kinda parties went, you can design those costumes and masks."
"For 100 ponies?! I'll need to get started right away! I may even have to ask for some friends to come in and to help!"
"Do what you can, at your own pace. This party can wait. It just has to be perfect. He did save us after all. I want to thank him properly in the only way I know."
"Alright, well, I think it might take a week if nothing goes wrong, and if nothing bothers my little fashion team."
"Good to know. Applejack, you ask for a copy of Twilight's list when she's done, then you gather the stuff on the list for the party."
"Alrighty then. I'll make sure I get everythin' on the list." Applejack says. Fluttershy looks excited for a second, but after a bit she looks a bit disappointed.
"What can I do Pinkie?" she asks in a whisper as always.
"Oh! Well..." Pinkie says, losing her look of concentration. " umm...... Ooh, I know! You and your animal friends can make more fun decorations!" This made Fluttershy get an excited grin. "We'll get started tomorrow, and everypony try to stay away from Fighter. If your all as excited as I am, then you all might tell him. I want you to Pinkie Promise me you will."
"I seriously doubt we would te-" I start.
"PINKIE PROMISE ME NOW!!!!!" she screams, and Fluttershy cowers under her seat.
"Alright, alright!" I say. "Altogether now..."
In unison we recite "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Yay!!! Now, I must be left alone to plan everything. I will ignore all outside input until I have a perfect plan for this kind of party, so I bid you all goodnight." And with this she slumped into her chair, eyes distant, emotion unreadable. The rest of the trip continued in silence. I had put Fighter to sleep, so we had to lug him back into his house, though Applejack did the most of the carrying.
I said goodbye, and headed home. The list needed work, but between two 4 hour train rides and a long traumatic tale of our new friend, I just couldn't focus. I walked through the door, and immediately tripped over something. I look back and see a bowl lying on the floor. I'll guess I'll have to clean that in the morning. I head into bed and turn off the light. I am really tired because I thought I saw a snake thing fly past the window. Oh well, I'm probably just tired. It's not... like... *yawn* there's... anyone there... to tired... sleeping is happening noww...
