War of the Wise and Ripped Fabric
The First Rip
Chapter 1
There was a great deal of banging and commotion in the Great Halls now. Screams of the servants and the clashing of blades from the dead and the Royal Guard's creating a sick, never ending chorus of horror. The Great Castle was falling and bringing with it the power of the princesses. The land was in total chaos now and there was nothing stopping it.
"Aye, Star! Hurry it up! They're going to come through here any minute now unless we make haste!" Starswirl's personal guard said while constantly checking the door and the windows. His brown mane was covered in dust and blood and he was on the edge of sanity. He jumped as the screams of a nearby nurse pierced the air. They were close.
"Time is all we have, my friend. Don't you worry about that." Star said with more fear than certainty. He had to admit that he was getting uneasy around here and he needed to make another leap through time as soon as he could but not before gathering a few things. He finished his letter, signed it and stuffed it in his old satchel.
"Alright, let's be done with this place!" He shouted over the sounds of nearby magic discharges and rushing air.
"Are you absolutely sure you have everything you need? Once we leave, there's no way we're coming back. Well alive at least." His guard said while constantly shifting gazes between Starswirl and the door. He wasn't trying to stick around.
"Relax, take a deep breath and focus for a minute, will you? I can't work if we have no stone or portal and there's no telling myself in the past what's to come if I'm dead!" Star said loudly. A loud rumble went through the castle and the floor shook violently, sending Star into his desk and his Royal guard on his face. The guard quickly jumped back up and unsheathed his blade. "I swear I've had enough of this damned conflict!" He said under his breath while brushing dust off of his face.
Star recollected himself and checked his satchel to make sure nothing was damaged. "We have to move now!" Star said while urging his guard forward. They took a few quick breathes and stepped out into the hall. On looks alone traversing the grand hallways would have been impossible with the size of the castle and all the twists and turns. Everything looked the same with very minor differences but he's lived here for years now. They quickly covered distance, avoiding halls that seemed suspicious and staying away from the many half eaten corpses. He's seen the castles birth and destruction many times. Too many times.
They quickly rounded another corner and saw the great red double doors of the Royal Chambers "There! We have to move!" His guard stated as they rushed down the wide corridor. They both stopped when they heard noises of to their side.
To their left down one of the hallways, another guard was in a battle between two dead ponies. One was so bloody and mangled it was beyond recognition. The other he could see was a young servant pony. Easily 16 or so. The guard didn't hold back as he unsheathed his short sword and cut the servant down with a quick slash of the blade. The mangled one came from his side and tackled him, sending them both tumbling over. The creature ended up on top and the guard struggled on his back to get the creature off but he left his neck exposed. The creature let out a terrible screech of anger and quickly began stabbing violently at his neck with a piece of broken glass. There was a small spray of blood and the struggle was over in an instant as the guard lay dead and the creature let out another screech. But the thing was far from done.
Star looked on in horror as the corpse starting violently gorging away at the neck of the guard, tearing flesh from bone. "I'll be damned..." Star said grimly to himself while charging his horn. He was stopped by a quick tug at his satchel and the aura around his horn dissipated. He turned quickly to see his guard and frowned.
His guard quickly returned the gesture. "We don't have time! Too many have died already and we can't afford to risk anything!" He shouted while urging him along. They wasted no time, shouldering through the Royal Chamber doors and quickly turned around to bar them from anything that might have been tailing them. Feeling secure they turned around and saw in horror the sight ahead of them. His guard vomited.
There was about a dozen or so undead ponies in the center of the room tearing away at the flesh of one of the Elites Guard. The creatures were screaming in joy as they were covered in the blood of royalty. Upon closer inspection Star noticed it was Sage, the princesses personal escort and guard.
"God's be damned.. It's happening again!" Star said to himself while looking around the room. He kept searching for the stone until he saw it on the queens bed. There was no way they could quietly move around a group this large with all the movement they were making. Just then a thought suddenly struck him.
"Where are the princesses?" He whispered. "Damned if I know!" His guard shot back. Star started hacking and coughing heavily. His age and the time spell was starting to catch up to him. The dead never took notice of them. He recollected himself and took a deep breath. The guard shook his head. "They left for Canterlot shortly before this whole thing happened so I'll assume that's where they're staying. Bet they're lollygaggin' about sipping tea.. Damn it! They probably don't even know what's happening here!" He spit off to his side. "Yeah, we'll let just the Everfree be consumed." He said in a mocking manner and glanced at the feasting dead. He shook his head. "Damn those two!" He finished angrily.
Starswirl sighed. Turning the guard into a visual replica of the Princess wouldn't work unless he had her within range and sight. He doubted the pony would allow him to do it anyway. The dead may be stupid but they know who their target is. There had to be another way. "I need to get the stone." Starswirl mumbled to himself. He kept staring at the mound of undead feasting in a heap of the corpse of the once famous Elite pony. He sighed and slowly started walking to the feast.
"You're mad! What do you plan to do?" His guard quickly grabbed for his satchel again but Star quickly tugged it away. He stopped to face his guard "We don't have a choice here. I won't be stopped by the dead. My goal is too important to just sit around and stall.. You see what happened to Sage? We're here because unlike him, we have magic my friend." Star finished boldly.
The guard let out a nervous laugh. "Of course you do. Not everyone is a master of the Arts." The guard said as Starswirls horn started charging. The guard looked at him one last time and scoffed. "You can't be serious!" Star kept advancing slowly, but surely. He was getting close now. "They'll tear you to pieces!" He said while watching as the Great Starswirl lowered his head and kept moving forward.
The glow on his horn intensified as he got closer. Star grinned. "Right where I want you." The dead noticed him and they all started screaming. A large gray and blue pony covered in blood and missing half his face got up and began charging from across the room. The guard started panicking "Don't be a damn fo-" The guard's words were cut off as a loud boom rang out through the chambers and everything went white. There was a violent tremor in the ground. He lost his footing and almost fell as the floor began cracking beneath him. He looked up and quickly leaped off to the side just as the ceiling caved in on itself. It crashed into the floor and shook the whole room. He stopped and took a look at the large hole not two feet away from him. He closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths. Star was already on the other end of the room, a fragment of The Shiv in his hooves. The guts, limbs and blood of the dead ponies were flayed all over the room in the chaos.
The guard finished taking his breathes and stood up. He slowly began moving over to where his sword was sticking out of the wall a few feet away. He didn't remember losing his grip on it. "You could have destroyed the whole castle! Are you mad!?"
Starswirl didn't respond but kept looking at the smooth stone in his hands. It was engraved with strange markings. "I hope you didn't forget that we're at the top of the damn castle!!" his guard said while tugging at the grip of his short sword. It finally came loose. He slid a hoof along the edge of it and frowned. "You bent my blade!" He said while waving it in the air for Starswirl to see. Starswirl ignored him.
Star turned around and held up his head proudly "I bested them in the art of magic!" He announced proudly as if there was an audience. The guard slowly shook his head. "You are truly mad." Starswirl chuckled to himself while stuffing the stone in his satchel. "We're not in the clear yet." Star said while taking a moment to flop on the royal bed and think. "Yeah I can only imagine why not." The guard said, There was another tremor through out the building. The fighting hadn't stopped yet and it wouldn't until every Royal Guard was either dead or turned.
"I'm going to need two more stones." Star said. He sighed. "Only problem is one's destroyed and the other is in the Shiv's control." His guard started laughing manically. "You're not serious." Star looked straight at him and the look on his face told him everything. The guard scoffed "You can't keep going through time trying to save Equestria if you keep doing that damn spell." His guard said while slowly walking across the massive chambers to the bed. "You'll die or be damn near dead if you do it again." Starswirl still wasn't buying it. "Not to be rude, but you're too old" He said as seriously as he could.
"I've got to try damn it!" Star shouted in frustration as he was thinking of all the possible ways that things would end if he used this spell again. He nearly lost his soul in his last attempt. Powerful or not, the spell isn't meant for mortal use. His guard stopped in the center of the room where the most gore was and looked around. He shook his head and then looked back up to Star. "I think it's madness, but if it's the only way, so be it."
Star laughed to himself and looked at the room around him. "You think everything is madness. I must be the most powerful pony in Equestria. I'll be damned if I die to a spell. Especially one that I made." He finished seriously.
"You can't keep telling yourself that Star! You'll be dead unless you know where you're going! The jump can't be too far in time or else you'll end up like.. That other fellow. I forget his name" The guard said while pawing at the ground.
"Then I won't jump very far." Starswirl said simply. He had an idea. He took back out the note he wrote to himself and checked it over. "This will work." He said to himself. He charged up a spell the paper burst into flames. He floated a scroll, a small piece of broken wood and an inkwell off of a nearby desk. "I won't go too far back." He mumbled to himself while dipping the wooden shard in the ink. "Just far enough." He finished writing on his scroll and signed it. "He'll have to take this seriously."
His guard was confused. "What are you going to do now?" He asked. Starswirl looked back at the guard. "Well.. To be honest I initially thought that I could just go back 1000 or so years and stop the cultists who birthed this demon.. But that's out of the question. In doing so, I would rip down the very foundation of time we have now, and the spell would probably just kill me before I can even do so." He said while looking out over the land in a nearby destroyed window. "The Great Death happened for a reason but nopony remembers it." He said with a sigh.
"So how far are you going to go back?" The guard questioned. They stared at each other for a good three seconds before a loud banging noise went through the door. The guard spun around, sword at the ready. Starswirl jumped out of the bed and threw up a quick shield on the door. They were wasting time.
The guard turned around and they locked eyes for a few moments. "I have an idea. The scroll I've written will help me learn the spells I would need to keep the spell. That's a last resort if my body doesn't make it." Starswirl said finally. "I have to go to my prime." He finished.
The guard screwed up his face and eyed him curiously. "You're what? You can't be serious! It took you ages to learn what you did! If you try leaking your spells into your mind at such an age, you'll surely kill yourself." The guard said. Starswirl kept looking at him and then suddenly started laughing. Another thud went up against the door. The shield would give them a few more minutes at most. Whatever was on the other end had to be big.
"You really think that an influx of knowledge is what's going to kill me? In my strongest days? I say sir, you're the mad one." Star finally said. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm sure I'll understand everything. Besides, I was one of the most gifted unicorns of my time!" Starswirl said. There was more thud's against the shield as whatever on the other end was starting to get angry.
His guard was starting to lose it. "Fine! Just do the damn spell and be done with it! I refuse to be turned into one of those creatures." He said stubbornly. Starswirl just shrugged and began charging his horn. This was a one way trip and he hoped he would make it to the other end. He wouldn't have much energy after he rips through the current existing time. He would have to touch horns with his younger self and transfer his memories, knowledge of magic and erase his own memories before he would get sucked back into the portal. After that, he would fade into nothing.. Hopefully.
He started getting that tingly feeling from his tail to his horn as if someone was tickling him. It wouldn't be much longer now until he had to release his grip on the time spell. The door was hit hard and this time the shield that covered it completely shattered. The screams of the dead could be heard beyond it. "You better hurry up and get going. I wish you luck sir! Don't let my death be for nothing!" Was all his guard said while keeping his eyes locked on the large double doors. A heavy bash sent the doors inching forward. There wasn't any time left. His guard got in stance.
"Thank you for everything." Starswirl said. Everything was slowly turning white in his eyes. Another hit and the doors still held but barely. Sounds were beginning to muffle and he felt the castle start trembling on itself. Not much longer now. "Let my blade feast..." Was all Starswirl could make out from the guards muffled shouts at the dead behind the door. Everything began to slow down and the light slowly came. Starswirl kept his eyes on the last moments as the doors burst open, ripping off their hinges in a slow explosion of dust and rocks.
He released the spell and felt his body weight shift, slowly from one end of his tail to his head. He barely saw the guard run into the opening of the room and cutting down as many dead ponies as he could in slow motion before everything began to fully whiten out. The guard was in the center of dead army now and Star barely got a glimpse at the beast that had rammed the door open. It was nothing more than big mass of flesh. He could barely make it out as he closed his eyes to shield them from the light. 'So they're changing..'. Was all he could think as time completely stopped. He channeled as much of his remaining magic as he could into a second time spell to stack the previous effect.
The fatigue was on his body now and soon his soul would be separated from his body and there would nothing but the feeling of constant suspension and that sinking feeling in his gut. There was nothing but white and gray moving lines around him. He was in another realm now and all he could do was hope that he stopped the spell precisely when he needed to. He didn't move and didn't try to. He was the only pony in existence that was mortal to cast this spell and survive. This was his third time. He closed his eyes. The long wait has begun.
This was going to be his last stop.
War of the Wise and Ripped Fabric
Chapter 2
A Temporary Problem..
"Sorry sir, but you simply do not have enough bits for this!" The stallion at the stall said while trying to flag another customer over. But Starswirl wasn't going to let this go. He needed that satchel. "You can not deny me this! I'll give you three! And that's my final offer!" He shouted over the buzz and commotion of the Canterlot Workers District.
The salespony looked at him for a moment and laughed. He spat on the floor to his side and pawed it away. Kicking up some dust. "No means no! You best get going before I call the guards!" He said finally. Star cursed under his breath and slowly backed away. He scoffed once he felt he was in reasonable distance. No point spending a night in prison. But he still needed that satchel.
He perused about for another stall that might be selling another satchel for cheaper, but there was none. 'Another time' he thought before deciding it was the right time to leave. He sighed. 'Damn' He thought. The commotion and dust that was constantly kicked around in the District always got to him. It was a long and constantly busy street lined with stalls and merchants trying to sell their goods. He looked up at the dusty orange sky and noted that the sun was setting. He didn't want to waste anymore time out here.
He trotted off into a smaller street that branched off of the main road. It had a little less commotion but nonetheless had the same rushing feel to it. There were workers everywhere and he couldn't help but notice the small changes around him. More businesses sprang about, merchants came in and out and there was always, always somepony getting wrestled to the ground by guards outside of a tavern. He liked the business but he wasn't sure he agreed with the chaos it brought with it.
'I spoke too soon..' He thought. He heard shouting down the street and quickly closed the distance so he could see what the commotion was about. Outside of a small pub he favored, he saw a stallion pinned on the ground by two guards and another holding a spear to his face. Starwirl stood a few feet away, safe enough from the struggle and just took in the whole sight.
The guards were having a bit of a hard time. The stallion was obviously very drunk but strong and continued to wiggle around in their grasp. "I told you already twice damn it! I am God! Do you know what i'll- " His drunken banter was stopped as a guard hit him with the shaft of his spear. Hard. "Quiet down! Come now, let's hurry and get this one back to the Castle. I want to end this shift as soon as possible." He said. The other two guards nodded in agreement. "This is getting really old." One guard said while struggling to lift the large stallion. "The third one this week, damn it.." Was all Star could make out as the guards walked away with the sleeping drunk mounted on their backs.
Starswirl shook his head and casually trotted into the tavern. He really did like this place but there was too much drama involved when it got filled. It was a dusty old place, filled with workers and guards alike. Ponies usually minded their own business but when Starswirl walked in, they all shot him a quick look before returning to their drinking. He simply ignored them.
He walked over to the bar counter and sat on a stool. "What he got." Star said while gesturing to the stallion next to him. The bartender nodded and turned to grab a glass bottle of brown liquid but stopped. He turned around. "Bits first" He said. Star groaned and rummaged in his old red satchel with patches on it. The small thing was starting to rip apart. He really needed a new one. He found the coins and threw them down on the counter. The bartender scooped them up and grinned. "Now you can start paying off the rest." He said while stuffing the coins in his own satchel.
Starswirl took in a deep breath. After holding it for about a minute he exhaled and realized that he forgot about that. "Wait just one second now.. What debt? I don't believe I've been here before." Star said with the best smile he could muster. 'Play it cool.' He thought. Just then he suddenly realized how hot it was and the dust was starting to make his eyes itch. The look wasn't working.
The bartender looked him straight in the eyes and shook his head. "Star. enough with the crap! You're in debt to every tavern from here to the Everfree! Don't you try to pull this shit with me!" The bartender shouted and suddenly the tavern got quiet. Star felt eyes all over him and he started to panic, He leaned in to whisper. "Listen, some day I'm going to be a famous master of the arts!" He said while still trying to keep his cool. He was sweating. "Please, just this once!" He pleaded quietly while leaning back in the stool. The bartender looked at him for a long time and then shrugged. He turned around to the wall lined with various glasses.
Those drinks were just calling for him. "Alright.. I got you this time." The bartender said as he turned around. "But I have to ask.. Why do you continue with the drink? You're too young to be throwing your life away like the lot of us." He said while gesturing around. A few big and dusty stallions nodded in agreement. "Just get me the drink already." Starswirl muttered and with that the commotion returned. He sighed. Starswirl closed his eyes and waited for the wooden tankard to be slid over to him.
The tankard he was waiting for slammed into the side of his face, effectively knocking him out of his seat and soaking him with rum. He quickly scrambled up off the floor and shook himself off. His mane went from light blue to navy. Everyone in the pub burst out into laughter. Even the guards were trying their hardest to stop their chuckles. "What the-" Another mug came sailing over the counter at him. This time he just barely avoided it with a side step but he stumbled a bit. "Stop, damn you! What's the problem!?" The bartender stared daggers at him. "What's the problem? The problem here is that you need to get a damn grip on yourself!" He shouted while pointing an accusational hoof.
The laughter started to die down a bit. "I'm allowed to drink as much as I please!" Starswirl shot back. The bartender quickly flailed another mug at him and this time it hit Starswirl square in the face. He stumbled backwards into a table of guards and the mugs on the table sloshed around and splashed some of them. They quickly got up and glared at Star. He got a grip on himself and was about to apologize before one the guards grabbed another mug off of the table and quickly flailed it at him. Another direct hit straight to the forehead.
He stumbled again and fell over, He tried to figure out what was happening. 'I have to get out of here!' More ponies gathered around taking turns tossing mugs at him. A lot of them missed and ended up hitting other ponies in the pub. He was drenched in alcohol and his head was in pain. Some of these hits would leave bruises and he hated bruises. Furious, he quickly got up and stared around at the tavern full of drunk stallions. "Damn it, do any of you not have sense?!" He shouted.
A drunk staggered up to the front of the multi-colored crowd and took a look at him. "Aye, you're a fool!" He announced. The laughter erupted and not a moment sooner the whole tavern was on the floor and in tears. Starswirl lowered his head and charged his horn. The laughter stopped and the guards quickly scrambled for their weapons. "Don't do anything stupid!" One of the guards said, sobering up. He lowered his weapon as a realization struck him. "Wait a minute, there aren't any offensive spells a little crap like you could toss at us! Only the princess can do dangerous magic!" He shouted while grabbing for another mug to throw at Starswirl.
Starswirl then did something stupid. He finished the charge in his horn, felt it tingle, and let off a volley of golden bolts at the guards but it missed and hit the table next to them. The table exploded in splinters and the pub got deathly quiet. They all stared at the burning husk that was once a table. One guard turned and just stared at him, jaw dropped. Starswirl quickly went from anger to mortification in a second. He stood completely still as if they wouldn't notice. 'How did I do that?' Was all he kept thinking over and over again.
Another moment passed and one guard fainted. There was an explosion of angry screams and mug tossing. Fighting erupted and soon stallions were charging, biting and tackling one another in random drunken, multi-racial violence. Starswirl was in a full panic and started hesitating. Two guards tumbled over in front of him, one trying to smash the others face into the wooden floor but was quickly turned over and pinned on the ground. Another group of stallions in the back pulled out small knives and started stabbing away at anything that moved. There was blood and alcohol everywhere.
Starswirl quickly turned for the door and dashed to it. He was charged from his side and smashed into the counter. A large drunk and furious gray stallion was trying to rip the horn off of his head. Starswirl started screaming and tried pushing the drunk away but he was too strong. He grabbed for anything on the counter and his hoof bumped a mug. He quickly grabbed it and slammed it into the stallions face. He then charged his horn and let off another volley without aiming. The golden bolts smashed straight into the wooden ceiling, collapsing chunks of it right onto their heads. Star stumbled over but quickly got up and looked over to see the stallion asleep on the floor. He felt something on his head but didn't have time to check.
His mane covered in alcohol, wood chips and dirt. He made a charge into the entryway door and smashed straight through. He fell over as his leg got caught on something and he charged his horn in panic. He thought of the Grand Chambers and discharged the spell he was casting.
Everything went gold, and then white. He didn't have time to think as he felt a rush of cold air and fell on white stone. He quickly got up and stumbled over into a desk, knocking most of the glass contents off of it. A chorus of gasps went out and he gripped a glass cup. Something pushed him into the air and he couldn't move, The cup fell out of his hoof and onto the floor and shattered..
"What do you think you're doing?" said a powerful feminine voice through gritted teeth. Starswirl looked around him and sure enough, he was in the Royal Chambers. During a meeting. He smelled of alcohol, and looked horrible. He stared wide-eyed at the business ponies around the room and tried smiling but he winced instead. As he looked in a large oval mirror. he saw that he was floating in a hue of gold, and covered in a combination of things. He coughed some blood onto the floor and a mare fainted. 'I'll say.. This is very awkward'.
He sighed and looked at the princess. "Sorry to intrude on such short notice, my dear princess! I hope you can find it in your warm and caring heart to pretend that this is not a real thing that is in fact happening in your chambers right now." And with that he smiled. It wasn't helping.
He felt the grip of her spell tightening around his neck and he started having a fit. She released the spell and he fell on the floor gasping for air. His lungs felt like dust. "The meeting will have to wait until a later date. I am very sorry for the inconvenience." Was all she said and the ponies quickly shuffled out of the room. One mare dragged the one that fainted across the floor until they were outside of the room. The door slammed shut.
"Starswirl The Fool, tell me now why I shouldn't kill you." Celestia said calmly. He coughed again and he got up and tried to walk over to the princess to bow, but fell over. His leg was cut up and bleeding. "I would bow, my lady but it seems I'm in pain." He said smugly. She didn't move and she didn't blink. "Sage." She said and a large dark green and red, elite's guard came barreling through the door with a spear at the ready.
He saw Starswirl and relaxed. "The problem, my lady?" He said in a deep and horrible voice. He sounded like a monster. He even looked like one with all the scars along his body. Cuts on his face and burns along his legs. A large green shield for a cutie mark. "You sir, look terrible." Star said while trying to stand. 'If only I could be here on better terms.' He was jostled out of his thoughts as the large green guard started marching his way over to him. Star quickly got up and started to back away. "Didn't mean it in an insulting manner! I was just speaking my mind." He said with a smile. Sage didn't do anything but breath in deep powerful breaths.
Just then Star realized how horrible he smelled. Alcohol, sweat and blood was a bad mix. "Quiet!" The Elite spat at him. "Now answer my question, why are you here? I'll not repeat myself." The princess said sternly. He looked at her and then back at the large beast in front of him. It was taller then the princess herself! "Well.. To put it simply, I stumbled into a bar, got into a little bit of a tizzy, invented a dangerous spell that allows me to channel anger into my horn and simply blast things to pieces. Then I started a riot because nopony has ever managed to see aforementioned spell be cast in history by a Unicorn. Not a god." He finished with a grin.
"I then ran out the door, thought about your lovely chambers and accidentally invented the very first long distance teleportation spell!" He finished with excitement. He sighed and pawed at the floor. "Only problem? Every guard should be looking for me-" A guard burst through the door, tripping over himself and soaking wet with sweat and rum.
He was taking heavy breaths. "You're Highness! There's a psycho run-" He stopped and saw Starswirl in the corner. Then he slowly turned his head and saw Sage. His eye twitched and he slowly turned around and walked out of the room, gently closing the large door behind him. There was a brief moment of silence. "As I-" A loud thud came from behind the door and muffled screams of a servant mares outside the door could be heard. "No, I will not calm down, God damn it! I quit! Let go of me!" The guard shouted in fury. Breaking glass and banging was heard outside the door..
"A Temporary Problem, no?" Starswirl said with a grin 'Huzzah!' He thought. The princess frowned. She stood still and then finally let out a long sigh, slumping over a little. "What to do with you Starswirl? You cause problems everywhere you go! What do you want from me?" She said in frustration. Star shrugged "A few bits, please? I'm rather poor and my spells haven't been selling so well.. Ever." He said simply. "Anything for my subjects" She muttered to herself. A small bag of coins appeared next to him and he smiled. "I promise you, I'll put this to good use!" He said while the small bag in his satchel. He turned to leave. "Starswirl!" The princess called out.
He stopped and turned around "Yes, Ma'am?" he said. Her posture straightened up again. "Stay out of pubs, and don't ever cast those spells again. Or you'll seriously regret it. Do you understand me?" She said with anger clear in her voice, but her face was emotionless. He scrubbed at the dry blood on his face with the satchel strap. "I can't promise you that." He said with a smile. He bowed and turned to leave again but she charged up a spell and he was sent outside of the castle, In front of the Great Gates. He fell face first out of the portal and quickly got up. The guards at the gate gave him an odd look. He returned it, bowed and ran off.
'That satchel is mine!' He thought over to himself as he raced through the busy streets of the Canterlot Worker's District.