Chapter 2: Waking Up Again
Rejuvenated by the night's light I rose from my second slumber. The small mare was sitting opposite me against a tree, I could feel her fatigue just from looking at her, no doubt sleep deprivation played it's part.
"Hello Ironheart," I could barely hear her her voice was so soft. "I watched what you did last night, and I am so confused, you saved my life but killed a creature in the process," her eyes began to water and her frustration was expressed with more volume. "then you use blood magic to heal yourself, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND," she screamed with tears pouring down her face as she leaped to her hooves to revel a humungous bruise along her ribs, one was definitely broken.
"Maiden you are injured!" I rushed over to her, her wounds worried me. The thought of the death of an innocent this early in my journey, it wasn't going to happen.
"how can you be so cruel, and yet so kind?" Her eyelids closed as she struggled to exhale, I assumed the worst. I placed my ear on her neck to feel for a pulse, a weak one was found. The heart beat gave me a higher level of comfort, but I knew the threat was not averted. I had picked up the mare by the scruff of her neck and carried her. I wasn't entirely sure where I was headed, other than forward, but I just kept walking. The sun had gotten higher in the sky and my little pony had become a burden.A single thicket crossed my path and I trampled through it, much to my surprise a road was beneath my feet. In a split second I considered leaving the pony on the road it was after all the most logical decision, why not, can I do what it takes to save this person. Immediately I was filled with disgusted anger, the thought of saying "I give up" was obviously contrary to a virtue I at one time stood for but since forgotten the real thing I resented the thought that I was limited by something. A shifting from the creature in my jaw caused me to drop her, the sound of a thud and soft whimper followed as the creature rose to her feet. I was going to beg for her forgiveness but my stomach was faster with words. She smiled with her broken lip and bruised face.
"Come with me, my house is close," she lead me down the path to a small cottage overflowing with animals of all shapes, sizes, and kingdoms. My new found companion went ahead into the cottage, I dashed after her in hopes of more strange and wonderful pets, Instead I found five mares of varying colors, but all having the same mixed expression of anger, irritation, surprise, and one with a grin from ear to ear.
"I'm going to take a bath, help yourself to the oats" a familiar soft voice said just before a door closed. I couldn't tell where in the house she was coming from, or even the direction, I was to focused on the five pairs of eyes, my heart began to quicken it's beat, much like when I fought the chimera but this was worse, my likelihood of survival was little to none, not that the odds where swayed my way in my previous fight, but the reason for this fight being so rigged was that even if I could counter one like I did to the chimera, there was no way could fend off the other four. This was one of the few times I was in a state of fear, I hated it, also not being able to think of any options that didn't involve going into a murderous rampage frustrated me.
"C'mon then, I'm ready for thy thrashing." I closed my eyes tight not to see the beating blows coming. Much to my surprise they didn't come, instead a hoof rubbed my head and played with my hair.
"Oh stranger, we're not gonna hurt you," a high pitched bubbly voice said "I mean Rainbow is a little butt hurt about not being there for her friend that was missing for a day, but other that that we just have questions." I opened my eyes to see who was talking to me, it was the pink mare tho still had that ear to ear grin. looking around the room I guessed the rainbow maned and cyan coated Pegasus was Rainbow.
"Questions indeed, let's start with your name, what is it?" the purple unicorn began the questioning.
"You may call thee Ironheart," I pronounced proudly and more confident, now not in the face of being beaten to death.
"What exactly do you do Iron?" The orange coated blonde with a hat carried on the questioning on. My mind had drawn a blank.
" ... Umm ... " My head strained to think of a hint Luna said in her visit, nothing was there except for that one line about being true to my blood oath, but if I told that to the two unicorns could turn me in to the authorities or worse try to remove my power themselves, I would have to kill them then, I thought. "I've been divided from the whole of my traveling circus," Worst lie ever, but I had to run with it now, "Tiz I, Ironheart the strong stallion," the white unicorn and orange earthpony where accepting, rainbow and the purple unicorn looked suspicious and the pink pony somehow looked even more happy, this made me feel really bad that I had lied, and for a second I thought that if they knew the truth, that I was a pony who traded his destiny to being a servant of Luna, nope, better for them to not know the real me.
"Where is that accent from, darling?" The white unicorn asked, I couldn't lie my way out of this one, I didn't even know the name of the town I was in currently, let alone the name of one to fabricate a story. I stared blankly at the unicorn straining for an answer, I could only dodge the question.
"Tiz of personal preference to keep that fact to my self." Funny that I chose that way to say it, I'm holding on to a past I don't even know what it was. The response satisfied most ponys in the room and they responded with a nod, except the pink one, she was still smiling brightly, and Rainbow had turned away and hadn't reacted, as I walked closer something felt familiar, like when you see someone bite into a lemon for the first time and their face twists and you can't help but feel the sour yourself, the only difference was Rainbow was irritated like I was back on the path.
"Dost tho have words with thee?" I asked in her direction half not expecting to get a response.
She grumbled something I couldn't hear, it was likely a profanity, or she may have been organizing her thoughts. "listen buddy, I can't prove you are a bad guy or a good one, but your story doesn't make sense to me, I don't like you because you don't make sense," Rainbow's words where choppy, as if she was thinking at the same time as thinking, looked difficult. "Urgh... screw it," in her frustration she flew out the cottage with a slam of the door. We're more similar than you think, I thought as Rainbow's friends followed her trying to understand a simple pride issue. I looked around trying to find a hint to where the oats where kept, instead I found the pink pony staring at me, or more accurately my mane.
"ya know I have this friend who who is obsessed with bouncy manes, oh wait that's me," she punctuated her sentence with a giggle and snort "any way I have this OTHER friend who is a professional mane stylist, or not professional but could be the best in Equestria and definitely the best in Ponyville, but it'll cost ya," somehow even though I knew most of the voice was babble the happy tone made me smile. "I'll take that as a yes!" The pony burst with excitement leading a brisk trot away from the cottage. The light exercise reminded me of how hungry I was, I soon forgot after arriving at a shop with the fancy script reading "Caracalla Boutique". A few interesting designs of cloths where on display in the window, very exotic, especially for me who at this point had believed all ponys walk around naked. The door shot open as my pink friend bounced in chanting something like oh Rarity I have a customer for you. As I stepped inside, also appeared a familiar white coated and purple maned unicorn, she looked pleased to see both of us.
"Hello Pinkie Pie, and Ironheart was it?" Pinkie Pie and Rarity glad I herd those so I didn't have to ask.
"Indeed," I responded to the question as Rarity turned to Pinkie.
"To what do I owe this meeting," the edge in her voice directed at Pinkie
"I got to thinking, and I thought ya know who has more bouncy hair than me, NO PONY, but then it hit me, our new friend Ironheart isn't even in his final form yet, so if my good friend rarity gives him a bath and makeover, HE WOULD HAVE THE FLUFFIEST HAIR IN ALL OF PONYVILLE, and here we are"
"Alright, I do suppose being clean is always in, follow me" Rarity smiled and waved a hoof in my direction, signaling me to follow, as we left Pinkie to ascend some stairs and down a hallway to a dark carved door, the extravagance of this place was both surprising and intimidating.
"Now the tub can be tricky some times and I would appreciate you not over flowing it," I nodded once, Rarity opened the door and I stepped in mesmerized by the gems and stones arranged in patterns. The door closed behind me and my focus was regained, a very large boll connected by various rods to the wall, I saw two knobs jutting from the contraption one blue the other red, I turned the blue one, clear liquid escaped a solid hose, the word for it was on the edge of my mind, water, I could barely remember what water was. I looked around for a plug to stop the water, it was over by the smaller tub, I went over to pick it up, there was someone there, nope just a reflection off the wall, mirror, dirt and dried blood stained my gray coat black. I knelt down to see how my face was doing, I stared into a pair of deep blue eyes before noticing the train wreck that was my mane, Pinkie Pie was right, my hair was a tangled mess, but it was a big tangled mess. I grabbed the stopper and plugged the tub, ice cold water met my fur taking off some dirt, the temperature change didn't stop me. Gradually the water cleared off my coat to it's light gray color. Once clean I walked out to meet Rarity, she led me to a separate part of the boutique with a couch for laying and in my case, hair styling, Rarity scolded me for tracking water everywhere, I apologized and laid on the couch submitting to the clearly irritated Rarity, who began furiously combing and brushing my mane into a presentable state.
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"IT'S SO FLUFFY" Pinkie Pie's muggy enthusiasm could be felt as Rarity and I emerged to the main room.
"Do you like it darling, I figured you would, it was quite the fashion challenge to turn this massive mess of a stallion into a proper pony," Rarity paused and turned to me. "However those shampoos and conditioners are not cheap," Rarity gave me an unfamiliar look, expecting to be payed with some sort of currency. Although the idea of exchanging services for currency was easy to grasp, I had no idea what kind of money did they use here or anywhere for that matter.
"Don't worry Rares he's on my ticket," Pinkie placed a small pouch on one of Rarity's worktables. "this one will have to beat me in a cupcake eating contest to pay back his debt," My heart sunk as Pinkie's giggle punctuated the sealing of my fate, Rarity's mood also seemed to fall, I followed feeling enslaved by a good deed. Why was I so worried anyway, cupcakes didn't sound so bad, either they where cakes with cups in them, or cups with cakes baked into them. It was likely the second but on the off chance it was the first what should I have to ask my cups to be filled with?
" I'm sorry," Rarity whispered as I left the building, I opened my muzzle to respond but the door to the carousel boutique closed. I followed the bouncing pink escort to a house that was made to look edible. I found my mouth watering and my stomach groaning at the site of, if this was like rarity's house, some shop home hybrid. Sugar cube Corner was carved into the hanging sign in small script as not to take attention away from what I concluded was a cupcake. I opened the door swallowing hard expecting an avalanche of cupcakes. I was only half right, while the long table that occupied most of the shop was overflowing with small pastries, other larger pastries also adorned the walls and glass cases. The mood of the room would have been comforting if not for a stern looking Pinkiepie ... deflating?
