Wanderer's Journey: Brony War!

Ever got the feeling that everything could crumble under the weight of stress you felt? That's exactly what Wanderer felt when he found the top of the stairs and saw the state of the princess's room. It was complete ruin, with curtains ripped showing only fragments of the outside afternoon sun, the sheets on the bed were thrown off frantically by whomever was in here last, and drawers from the dresser were pulled completely out of their places.

Wanderer looked around the room disappointed, "Look's like she isn't here..." he solemnly stated. He walked over to the balcony and looked over the handrail.

"You were hoping for that audience with one of the princesses? Dude, I don't think she would have much to tell you anyway." Pinkamena replied from the room.

"Yeah... sure..." Wanderer kept looking over the rail without turning to speak to her.

"What's up with you? You're so... quiet..." Pinkamena asked without a second thought.

Wanderer remained silent, as if to annoy her a lot more. After an annoyed pause from Pinkamena, he finally spoke his troubles: "I'm worried about too many ponies, that's all..."

"What does that mean?" Pinkamena reluctantly asked.

"It means what it says on the tin," Wanderer held his hand off to the side as if presenting the tin, "I'm worried about Derpy, whom may or may not be in trouble. I'm worried about Katherine, if she's still alive..." he let a long breath before continuing, "And I'm a little worried for the crusaders."

"Because they're children, alright, we get it!" Pinkamena sighed with great annoyance.

"I hope you're not seriously going to bring that up," Wanderer sighed, "I'm not worried for that reason, it's just... that Dark Gambit. He didn't tell us anything about himself on the way here."

"He's a survivor, haven't you read things like The Trotting Dead?" Pinkamena pointed out, "Those ponies don't tell much about their past."

"He's suspicious, that's all I'm saying." Wanderer ended the conversation, "Now, let's start looking around this room for clues."

He turned around and headed towards the dressers and examined the drawers, "Looks like these were pulled out by a unicorn... you can see by the lack of scratches on the sides."

"How does that prove anything? I could probably pull one out myself!" Pinkamena retorted.

"One... one you could pull out..." Wanderer repeated her words, "If that's true though, why would someone need to pull every single drawer out? And out of the dresser to be precise..."

"Probably because they were hurriedly looking for something." Pinkamena admitted.

"If they were, then they didn't exactly want to drop these on the ground... that would make it obvious that someone messed with the dresser." Wanderer pointed out.

"Maybe one of the princesses found them while they were trying to find whatever they were trying to find." Pinkamena added to the thought chain.

"Correct, Diane... but let's try to find evidence suggesting that's entirely possible before making that a solid conclusion." Wanderer looked around, "Any clocks?"

Pinkamena dug through a pile of junk next to the door and pulled out a clock, "This is broken... it might have stopped on the time when our culprit was in here."

"Good job..." Wanderer took the clock and examined the hands, which pointed as follows: 3 (small hand) & halfway between 5 and 6 (small hand). "When did the hotel building collapse, Diane?"

"Huh? That seems irrelevant, but..." she thought a moment, "I think it was like... 3:30!"

"So... the princesses found the culprit a little before the building collapsed! Nice find, Diane!" Wanderer praised. Pinkamena just smiled excitedly in response, "Hey, you're still Pinkamena... how come you aren't changing back to Pinkie?"

She looked away and answered in somber tone, "You know how I came along to help? Well, I knew a little that you were going to attack this palace, or at least I hoped you would, and you did. This one human cursed me and now all I can do is be Pinkamena, I don't have any control anymore."

Wanderer checked his deck of cards, "Burn cure, Poison cure, Vex cure..." he put down the cards and apologetically stared at her, "Sorry, I can't reverse it... I don't have the right cards..."

"It's alright, I bet Twilight can cure it!" she ecstatically replied.

"That's the spirit! Can't wait to have the old you back, but let's keep searching." Wanderer responded happily.

"I'll check out that balcony you were looking over, while you check..." she scratched her chin, "Um, somewhere else!" she added.

Wanderer nodded his head and began towards one of the closets, "Wow, they have closets! I wonder what they put in there?" he pulled it wide open and closed it immediately, "Okay, that's not something the world can ever know about..." he stated while holding his arms across his chest and shivering in fear of whatever skeletons were in that closet.

Pinkamena looked back at him confused, but didn't ask anything about the closet. Wanderer quickly moved away from the closet and to the corner that held the beds. He pulled the covers off of Celestia's bed and saw nothing more than a bed.

"Wow, they sure mark their beds a good bit..." Wanderer remarked about the beds. Celestia and Luna's beds were marked by moons, suns, stars... anything that would remind someone that it's their bed. Wanderer scratched the back of his head in frustration and muttered, "Come on, when am I going to find her?"

Pinkamena was pacing infuriatingly next to the balcony door, "*grumble, grumble* When am I going to sate this taste for death?"

Wanderer for the most part ignored what she said and turned towards her, "I don't think there's much else for us to do here. We'd better go see what the others are up to."

"Yeah, we might as well..." Pinkamena agreed. She and Wanderer headed down the stairs and walked into the throne room, the pillar of flames seemed to never disappeared, but the crusaders managed to find a way to.

"Hey, Scoots! Belle! Bloom!" Wanderer called out, "I know you're there, so please come out!"

No movement was seen in the giant area, it was all silent...

"Hey, Crusaders! Come out or I'll--" Wanderer was about to say 'find you myself' before getting tackled by the crusaders.

"Hah! We've got you! Score: 1 for the cutie mark crusaders, and nothing for Wanderer!" Scootaloo victoriously roared.

"Uh, Diane, help!" Wanderer pretended to shout in a scared tone.

"Sorry, you got yourself into this!" Pinkamena replied while devilishly smiling.

Wanderer grunted with effort, lifting the crusaders off his back, "Please... don't do that... again." he stated through pretend pained gasps of breath.

"You're here early, Dark Gambit doesn't seem to be done yet." Applebloom pointed out.

"Oh, great... looks like we have to wait." Wanderer sighed in a exhausted tone.

"While he's off doing whatever, what do you want to do?" Scootaloo asked impatiently.

"I'd love to hear a story! Please tell us one, Wanderer!" Sweetie Belle begged.

"Uh... sorry I don't have one." Wanderer responded shakily.

"Hang on, didn't you have any previous adventures? You should tell us one of those!" Pinkamena responded bluntly.

"These kids wouldn't like them, I sure didn't like them either... and I was only a little older than them." Wanderer answered.

"Ooh! An action story!" Scootaloo squealed. "Come on, come on, come on, come ooooonnnn! Tell us!"

"I said something earlier, maybe we should look back on that... it was something similar to an answer of 'no!' to your demands." Wanderer jokingly refused.

"Please...?" Sweetie Belle was putting on the best sad-eyes impression for Wanderer. Yet he looked back with annoyed disdain in his eyes, "Come on, just like... one story."

Wanderer looked around disdainfully before letting out a long breath and replying: "Just... no... you get no more than that, alright? The stories aren't for little kids like you, Pinkamena can definitely take them, but not you."

"Nah, I bet they could hear it, tell us one thing from your past!" Pinkamena pressed.

"For the love of your gods-" he threw his hands into the air, "Fine! I'm not a hero, I'm a monster; a murderer!" he yelled at them. They remained silent in response to his scream, so he continued "Every time I come to save a universe, I have to commit murder... I have to kill a single person that thought it was okay to destroy the universe. Sometimes they don't even know that they are going to destroy it!"

Scootaloo approached and asked in a confused tone, "But how come you have to kill them? Can't you just tell them not to do it?"

"Because a mind cannot be changed in the few seconds of me finding them, I've killed some many others before them most of the time, so they'll act defensively." Wanderer looks down in shame, "Others will try to reason with me, saying that they're going to be the hero of the story, but I can always see that if I don't intervene, they'll destroy the universe... so I always kill them."

"Can't you try to destroy whatever's going to destroy the universe?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Or try to reason with them?"

"The former I have to do after the kill to ensure it won't happen, and I'm never able to reason with them." Wanderer pointed out, "Once your mind is set, it's hard to let go of that goal." he looks away, suddenly bothered, "Sorry bro... I may have to kill you too..."

"Who's that?" Pinkamena pried.

"Another part of my life that you won't get concerned with, understand? I'm tired of my history, so how about somebody else talk!?" Wanderer avoided the question. He looked around at the group and tried to simmer himself down by taking a few short breathes.

"Um, maybe you could give us tips about stuff?" Scootaloo asked, "Like... how do you usually deal with bullies?"

"I don't remember ever running into any... who are they?" Wanderer responded.

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, they keep making fun of us for not having cutie marks!" Applebloom replied.

"Cutie marks?" Wanderer replied, but after looking over Pinkamena, he answered himself, "Oh that thing on your a--*ahem* flanks? Never really occurred to me that having it was cool..." he looked off to the side.

"See why she bullies us now?" Sweetie Belle pointed out. She explained to Wanderer what a cutie mark was after he gave a confused stare.

"Really? It just appears when you find out the special talent you have?" Wanderer places his hand on his forehead with disappointment clouding his eyes, "I'll be honest... that's kinda stupid..."

"Wh-What!? But it..." Sweetie Belle began, but was interrupted by an annoyed glare from Wanderer.

"Diamond Tiara's statement of it being cool is false! So what, just the mere mention means the end of a fantastic journey (hopefully) looking for something your good at!" Wanderer pointed out, "I bet there are many ponies who got theirs and would reminisce about the crazy times they had looking for it. Some would even want those back."

"Wow... I never thought of it that way!" Pinkie exclaimed. It seemed mid-explanation, she turned back into her regular self, "Yeah, you're right! The way I got my cutie mark was by giving my parents a surprise party, they were confused at first, but I think they really liked it!"

"My point exactly! She won't get the kick she felt from that party from any other party." Wanderer pointed out.

"Hey, that reminds me! I haven't thrown you a party! When all of this is over, let's give you a party to remember!" Pinkie replied in exclamation.

"What's with the noise down here!? Is there an intruder?" Dark Gambit called from a hallway off to the left.

"No, we were just waiting for you, my dear prince!" Wanderer called in his lady-like voice.

Dark Gambit didn't respond as soon as he got into the entrance hall, he just looked at Wanderer with annoyance.

"What? Can't I have fun with the one guy I know nothing about?" Wanderer joked, "So, did you find anything that could tell us something about what happened?"

"No, I didn't... unfortunately, all the rooms are in tatters." Dark Gambit replied, then bit his lip, "Wait... no, there was one place we haven't checked yet."

"Another tower I'm guessing?" Wanderer asked.

"Y-Yes, how did you...?" Dark Gambit began surprised.

"Doesn't matter at present time. Let's go!" Wanderer pressed.

"Now hold on a minute! Answer my question!" Dark Gambit responded.

"Tell us about yourself first, maybe I'll answer than!" Wanderer avoided.

"......Touché..." Dark Gambit answered, "Very well, I won't press further."

He's hiding something... I know it! Confronting him without solid evidence wouldn't be a good idea though.

The rest of the group was skeptical, but stayed behind on Wanderer's request. Dark Gambit and Wanderer carefully climbed up the stairs of an outside tower and opened the large door.

"Who's tall enough to fit in here?" Wanderer commented on the large spacing in the tower. It was filled with mannequins of ponies dressed in regal finery. Wanderer looked around the room and noticed that, besides the mannequins and clothing design supplies, the room looked normal.

"Nobody seems to have been in here." Dark Gambit pointed out.

"But darling..." Wanderer imitated Rarity's voice, "Only the finest silk come out these doors! That in itself makes this place an obvious hiding spot!"

"And how would you know that?" Dark Gambit replied nonchalantly.

"Here's a better question: Would you look for me in here? Or would you look inside the castle?" Wanderer asked in response.

"Ah, I see what you mean... Well, I'll keep an eye on the door while you go have a look." Dark Gambit replied.

Wanderer walked into the middle of the room and looked around confused, "Now where would you hide in here?"

First... the closets were an obvious place, but it's best to be thorough. Wanderer cautiously opened each one, and found large amounts of either clothing or supplies, but nothing else of note. He turned towards his next area to check, the mannequins.

Though the mannequins weren't the best witnesses, Wanderer still tried to pry the truth from them. He crashed into each and every one of them.

"Hey! What are you, daft!?" Dark Gambit yelled from the entrance, "No one is powerful enough to cast a transformation spell on themselves!"

"Except Twilight and the Princesses, yeah I get it!" Wanderer responded before knocking one last mannequin down. Dark Gambit just grunted in annoyance.

Wanderer walked over to Dark Gambit, "Yo, how are you doing?"

"Not very well... *cough, cough*" Dark Gambit responded.

"Got a cold or something?" Wanderer asked curiously.

"No... ahem, I don't." Dark Gambit answered sorely.

"Well, you have something in your throat. It's not something dangerous, is it?" Wanderer asked jokingly.

"It's, uh... nothing, let's move on!" Dark Gambit answered.

Now he's giving more than no answer, I think I'm getting somewhere in making him trust me!

"What's with the stupid grin?" Dark Gambit asked in a confused tone.

"Ahem! Nothing... so, any uh... hints? I think I've looked mostly everywhere." Wanderer recovered.

Dark Gambit cocked an eyebrow in response, "You can do this on your own. I believe that."

"I don't believe in you, yet I trust that you won't attack." Wanderer responded.

"What do you want me to say then? What can I say to get you to trust me?" Dark Gambit asked angrily.

"Tell us at least one thing about your past and I'll let you stay longer!" Wanderer pleaded.

"How will you know it's not a lie?"

Alright... it's time for a gambler to call a bluff!

"Because I've played with the best poker players in another universe, that's how I gambled my way here, so that I could question you." Wanderer explained, "I've seen better poker faces than yours, and I know... what you did!"

"Wh-What!? You're bluffing!" Dark Gambit tried to laugh him off.

"How do you know? I bet I could get it right, then tell the others, what will you do then?" Wanderer pressed, "Will you fight us? I know you have a soft spot for the fillies. Perhaps...?"

"No, I wouldn't do that!" Dark Gambit objected, "You have no proof of that!"

"Why would you save them? If you knew I was there, then you would've let me handle it!" Wanderer accused.

"You're basing everything on thin air! How would I know you were going to be there!?" Dark Gambit exclaimed.

"Because you're no ordinary upper-class pony! You have a job in making criminals disappear, don't you?" Wanderer explained solemnly.

Dark Gambit paused and stared with confusion, "Y-You knew that?"

"I told you, I faced better gamblers than you." Wanderer responded rather quickly, "Now as to why you're still here..."

"What, you can deduce that too? You, again, don't have any evidence to say I was planning to save the two of them." Dark Gambit explained.

"True, but what if I got testimony from somepony?" Wanderer asked curiously.

"Who would you call to the stand?" Dark Gambit asked as if this was court, "No one could tell you I didn't stay here of my own free will."

"Oh, there is..." Wanderer concluded, "Even though they are separate personas, Pinkamena Diane Pie and Pinkie Pie, one would be able to tell me where you were."

I have to be careful in my deduction, or he'll ignore my claims!

Dark Gambit scoffed, "I'm sorry, I don't see the possibility being very high."

"But if the possibility is there, then it's something that needs to be checked!" Wanderer responded exclamatorily, "We can leave right now and see if she says 'yes'! If she does, then I'll have to exile you from the group, in case you're a spy for the enemy!"

"E-Excuse me!? I am not a spy! I'm sure that she'll say no!" Dark Gambit defended.

"I'm doubting you and I haven't even spoken to her yet! If you don't calm down now, I'll have to ask you leave! Before I tell the others about this suspicious behavior!" Wanderer shouted angrily.

Dark Gambit grunted angrily, and continued after a short pause, "I'm not accepting her word! If she says no, then how do we know it's not biased!? Pinkamena seems to like you the most!"

"Bingo! It's all clear to me now!" Wanderer replied exclamatorily. He paused to summon his strength to accuse Dark Gambit, "The statement you just uttered shouldn't be known! Around the others, she made no smiles when closest to me. Now I ask you, how did you know we were close?"

This time I got you!

"Wh-What!? It-It was obvious wasn't it? You took her along to search the princesses dorms didn't you?" Dark Gambit responded, "It would show that you had some feeling towards her!"

"Objection! It would show that I felt she was the best to have around if there was an enemy." Wanderer responded, "You can't make simple judgments on two people you just met two hours ago! You had to know them for a longer time, which means that you are in fact... a stalker!"

"Wh-You don't have p-proof!" Dark Gambit weakly objected.

"That look on your face tells me otherwise!" Wanderer objected, "Now... it's time to tell the truth about your actual motive for being here, before I make you leave!"

"I-I-I-I..." Dark Gambit began, "GRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! YOU'RE RIGHT, I'M A STALKER! I'M GUILTY-GUILTY-GUILTY-GUILTY-GUILTY!!!!!!!" he screamed before falling over in exhaustion, "I-I'm a stalker... for a client, she paid me to find you and... and... make sure you didn't screw up!"

Wanderer looked down at Dark Gambit emotionlessly, "She, as in Celestia, right!?"

"Y-Yes! She got a martial arts master to train me in less than a week before all this started and told me to stay in Cantorlot after the explosion at the hotel, she said that if I did, I would earn a hundred thousand bits!" he confessed, "I needed the money for my dying parents, please... let me keep going! I can't let my Mom and Dad die!"

Wanderer looked at him with surprise, "Tha-That's... just like me... does she think this is some kind of joke to play on me!?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Please!" he kept begging. He fell on his knees and began to sob quietly.

She got someone in the same situation as me to help? Desperation is contagious, especially when I'm around, huh?

Wanderer paused for several minutes and finally answered, "Fine, you may come along, but this will not be talked about to the others! They'll start doubting themselves and then we'll never beat our opponents."

"Alright... thank you! I hope we can... be friends from here on out?" Dark Gambit held out a hoof expecting an answer.

"Of course..." Wanderer bumped his fist against Dark Gambit's hoof and looked back at the palace, "This is bad though... we haven't got any evidence of where the enemies went... we'll have to wait for reinforcements after all."

"Reinforcements? But, the field is impenetrable..."

"Talk like that gets you nowhere!" Wanderer objected, "Humans have a saying in the land they call America, 'There's a first time for everything,' I bet your pony friends are working on getting through the field right now, whatever is in their way!"

Wanderer has finally understood why Dark Gambit followed his group! Yay, but he doesn't to have a plan until reinforcements come through... I wonder what'll happen in the next chapter of Wanderer's Journey? Until then, we'll have to see how his faith in the ponies holds.

A true gambler knows when to save, and that time is now!

Ok! I'll save now!

OR

I don't need to save now! I don't need to right now!