Glory and Fortune

“Araki…” a voice calls out from the darkness. It’s black once more, the empty void completely surrounding you. “Who’s there?” You call out to the darkness, as a light flashes to reveal a field of black roses in the midst of dawn and a woman, who looks very similar to you in appearance in every way except gender, standing at the opposite end of the burnt-black field. She’s dressed all in white, and seems to shimmer in the light of the morning sun. “Who are you?” you ask, wary as the woman ignores this question and starts to approach you with an almost gliding gait to her step. “Araki, you do not belong here anymore” The woman says, as she continues to stride towards you. “What do you mean ‘I don’t belong here’? I don’t even know where here is. And why are you calling me ‘Araki’?” you respond, as black petals start to float in the gentle morning breeze.
“Because that is the name you were given, so many years ago.” the woman says, stopping her stride to stand in the middle of the field.
“What you do mean? Who are you?” you repeat, assuming a defensive stance.
“Who I am is no longer important, all that matters now is that you go and fulfill your purpose, Araki” the woman says, raising her arm to point at you, her thumb and middle fingers held together tightly.
“What’re you-“ is all you manage to say before the woman snaps her fingers, unleashing a burning light that sears your vision white. The last words you hear the mysterious entity say are “Everything Burns”.

You awake with a start in the cave to the sound of heavy rain outside, the dream still fresh in your memory, as you sit upwards and cover you face with your hands. “Araki…” you mutter to yourself, your shaky voice rebounding slightly off the walls of your shelter as you lay back down on your sleeping bag.
“Mm, what is it?” a familiar voice mumbles out from your left, as it’s half-asleep owner wraps her upper-left hoof around your still-charred chest, causing you to wince slightly.
“Nothing... just... a bad dream, that’s all” you answer, grasping the figure’s hoof slightly with your right hand.
“You said ‘Araki’. Who’s ‘Araki’?” the figure asks, her wings sleepily giving out a single flap.
“Hm... I guess... I’m Araki” You say, still somewhat troubled by the dream.
“Mm. Nice to meet you, Araki. My name’s Gloria.” the khaki Pegasus greets as she nuzzles her snout against your neck, before drifting back to sleep.
“Hm, same to you.” you reply, as you lay there, silently pondering the meaning of your dream. “Everything Burns, what does that mean?”

Dawn eventually breaks, and you sit up, stretching out your back with a pop. You look at the sleeping Gloria, admiring her peaceful form momentarily before getting up and walking out of the cave with a limp. You raise a hand and shield your eyes slightly to give them time to adjust to the natural light, the sounds of the wet jungle slowly becoming apparent to you. “God, I hope I can go somewhere nice after I get out of this place. After yesterday, I just want to spend time in a place where I don’t have to be on edge 24/7.” you grumble to yourself, as the sound of shifting fabrics and hoofsteps emanates from inside the cave, alerting you of the fact that your winged friend has woken up.

“Good morning, Araki.” Gloria says happily as she trots out of the cave and into the rainy jungle.
“Oh, so you remembered?” you say, slightly surprised considering her groggy state at the time.
“How could I forget the name of my savior? Though personally, I still prefer Dye Job. Now do you want breakfast now, or do you want to just want gather it along the way?” the khaki Pegasus asks, flapping her wings to keep the rain off.
“I just want to get out of here as quickly as possible. Though a snake wouldn't sound half bad” You answer, eliciting a small, slightly disgusted, chuckle from your friend.
“You know what, considering what you went through, I guess I’ll let it slide from now on...you damn carnivore. Anyways, I’m with you on getting out of here. Chances are they’re still looking for us, so we should probably head to the nearest town and stay at an inn or something.” Gloria says, her demeanor shifting to one of slight somberness.
“... They’re going to be hunting us forever now, aren't they?” you ask, sighing inwardly.
“Yeah... they are. Not just because we have the medallion. The mere fact we got out of our cell is a grave insult to Volkiba’s reputation, let alone escaping one of her outposts. We should go.” Gloria answers, momentarily re-entering the cave to gather up the sleeping bags.
“So, can we go to Ponyville or whatever it’s called? I’m interested to see what the big deal about that place is” You ask, as Gloria exits the cave and tosses you your long black jacket and white t-shirt for you to put on.
“Sure, as a matter of fact, that’s where I was planning to go. I've got this acquaintance that lives there, she’s a bit of an egghead, but she could probably help us find the exact locations of the remaining five medallions, including the one I know is located somewhere in the Crystal Glaciers. Plus, the medallion we've acquired will be safe in her hands.” Gloria says, visibly giddy at the thought of being able to finally enter friendlier territories.

“All right, it’s settled then. Come on, I've had enough of this humid hel- wait a minute... when we first met, you mentioned that these jungles were on the far south-western reaches of this country... and that an entire desert divides this forest from the rest of Equestria” You reply, not looking forward to the idea of walking through a desert, especially in your weakened state.
“Yeah, well, don’t worry about that. We’ll be flying there, after all.” Gloria says, expanding her wings gracefully.
“Huh? Are you sure you can carry me for that long? I don’t mean to sound like an ass, but you were barely able to haul my battered body out of the outpost.” You ask, deeply unsure of Gloria’s plan.
“Honestly, I don’t know. But, I do know three things: One, you were brutally tortured less than 12 hours ago. Two, I need you strong, Araki; and you sure as hell won’t get a chance to recoup your strength while walking through a desert. And Three, they’ll find us eventually if we stay here. So, shut up and get on my back... you ass.” Gloria says, as the two of you let out a simultaneous chuckle.

You climb on the khaki Pegasus’ back, wondering if the four-foot mare will be able to take off before having all uncertainties dispelled as Gloria shoots upwards in a blur.
“By the way,” You shout, trying to overcome the sounds of the howling air resistance as rain smacks against you like hailstones, “What do we do if we come across any Pegasus scouts?”
“Oi, Dye Job, reach into my right sidepack's first compartment! I was able to reacquire the crossbow and about 20 tranquilizer bolts along with most of our supplies while in the storage room.” Gloria loudly replies, holding her fedora on her head with a hoof to keep it from flying away.
“Only twenty bolts? I thought we had around 40 when we were captured,” You ask, your eyes closed by the screeching winds as you rummage blindly through Gloria’s sidepack.
“We did. But, apparently, confiscated goods are distributed among officers before anything else, the only reason we still have the crossbow is because they already had their own. Considering that all my poison darts were gone when I smashed the locker open, I’m guessing they’ll be using them mainly for silent assassinations and executions.” Gloria answers as she bursts through the cloud layer, leaving a trail of white haze behind her.
“You had poison darts on you? That doesn’t seem your style, Gloria.” You say, your long coat fluttering wildly behind you like a flag in a hurricane.
“I know, I only had them in case I came across someone who was better off dead. I never got a chance to use them either. It’s a shame, really. I wouldn’t have minded putting one in Volkiba’s neck when I had the chance.” Gloria says, slowing to a hover as she scans the horizon for hostile Pegasi.
“Don’t say that, Gloria. You’re not a cold-blooded killer.” you say, bending forward to stroke her mane soothingly.
“Maybe not yet... but considering what we’re up against... well, ponies can change, and not always for the better.” Gloria says, before uttering a sharp gasp.

“What is it? What do you see?” you ask, as you knowingly nock a bolt into the crossbow.
“What do you think, Blondie? Looks like we have company” Gloria says, pointing towards three distant but quickly growing specks on the horizon.
“Thought as much... I think you should get moving, Gloria. We might as well lead these guys on a merry-” You say, before being cut of by a sudden lurch backwards as Gloria starts flying to the north-east.
“Way ahead of you, Dye Job. I can’t go at top speed with you're weight hindering me, so they’ll catch up soon enough. Hit them when they get in range.” Gloria says, your pursuers now about 50 meters away from you and closing fast.
“Gloria, if I knock them unconscious, won’t a fall from this height kill them instantly? I mean, I will if I have to, but it’s still a harsh way to go” you say, sending a bolt flying at the pursuing Pegasi as they move to dodge it, now 30 meters away.
“Don’t worry, we’re above the cloud layer, remember? The magical relationship between Pegasi and clouds works both ways. Meaning that just as Pegasi can walk and lounge on clouds, so too will clouds help break a Pegasus’ fall in a pinch” Gloria answers with winded breath, as you nock another bolt into the crossbow and fire in the direction of an emerald green stallion.
“Yeah... I’m pretty sure that’s not how thi- wait, what the hell?” you say, as the airborne dart pierces the skin of the pursuing Pegasi and you watch in disbelief as he crashes softly onto the cloud layer with a pomf that sends up a smalling scattering of haze. “Well... I’ll be damned” you think to yourself, as you casually nock another bolt.
“See? I told you so.” Gloria says with a chuckle, as you send the bolt flying towards your pursuers and hit nothing but air.
“Yeah, yeah. Give me a break; it’s only my third day here.” You say, loading another bolt and promptly firing it into the neck of another Pegasi, watching as it too lands unconscious onto the soft cloud layer below; leaving a pink, blue-haired female Pegasus with emerald eyes as your sole pursuer. However, you are unable to nock another bolt before the Pegasus quickly closes the distance and latches herself onto Gloria’s underbelly, pinning the khaki Pegasus’ wings to her sides. You quickly hook your legs tightly through the narrow gap of air between the two embattled Pegasi to avoid falling to your death as your pursuer locks her front hooves around Gloria’s back in a death grip and goes into a spinning nosedive, intent on taking the two of you with her.

Gloria struggles to free herself, as the kamikaze Pegasus mare drags the two of you through the cloud layer, revealing a fast approaching sea of yellow sand below. “Sleep the bitch!” Gloria screams at you. You don't have time to load the crossbow, so you grab a bolt and raise your arm as you look at the two pink forelegs holding their owners death grip on Gloria secure. "I'm sorry" you mutter as you bring the bolt down on the pink Pegasus' left foreleg, directly depositing its point into the skin of the pink Pegasus’ left wrist. The impact forces the bolt to release about a quarter of its sleep-inducing contents into the hostile Pegasus’ blood stream before the vial shatters, causing the long-haired mare’s tight grip to loosen as she partially loses consciousness. The two Pegasi part in mid-air and Gloria spreads her wings as soon as they are free, steadily slowing her rapid descent as her subconscious opponent’s form violently crashes into the desert sands at terminal velocity, throwing up a large cloud of dust upon the fatal impact. Gloria lands softly as you shakily unhook your legs and pull yourself off her back. You’re only able take a couple of steps before you collapse on all fours from vertigo and empty your stomach onto the hot sands. You regain your composure before standing up and walking towards the pink Pegasus’ impact zone. “Ah, no... fuck...” You groan out through your teeth, running your hands distressingly through your hair as the dust settles to reveal the grisly sight. Your eyes widen in terror as you realize she’s still moving.

You run up to her battered and spasming body, as yellow sand steadily turns red all around her. Her blue hair is almost completely dyed red with her own blood, and one of her wings has been torn clean off by the impact. Meanwhile, you see a gash along her underbelly that is large enough to reveal her mutilated insides to you. As you kneel into her line of sight, you notice the entire right side of her face has been shorn off, leaving nothing there but bits of muscle tissue, cracked bone and an empty eye socket.

“W-what’s your name?” you ask shakily, unsure of whether the pegasus will be able to respond.
“S-Silvia... S-Silvia A-Azure.” The dying mare responds, visibly in agony with every word as she stares at you with her remaining emerald eye.
“Silvia Azure...” you repeat as your vision blurs with tears “That’s a beautiful name. Where are you from Silvia?”
“I’m f-from... C-Canterlot. I used to live there with my parents and little sister. She’s 15, 4 years younger than me... H-her name’s... A-Acalia. P-please, can you f-find them for me and tell them something?” the mutilated Silvia asks, desperately gasping for every breath.
“S-Sure... What do you want to tell them? I’ll... I’ll make sure it reaches them” You ask, the tears now running down your face.
“Tell them... that I’m... s-so s-sorry, for l-leaving without t-telling them... I heard it was a g-good job, with lots of t-travel o-opportunities. H-ha... I always... w-wanted to see the world... and n-now I n-never w-will...” Silvia says weakly, before going into a seizure. You embrace the thrashing mare, holding her tight as everything she was slips away until she finally goes still after one final twitch. You rise from the deceased mare as the desert wind starts to gracefully blow.

You continue to stare in silence at Silvia’s mutilated corpse until a pair of khaki hooves wrap around you from behind and try to tear you away from the brutal scene. “Please don’t look, Araki.” Gloria whispers shakily into your ear.
“Why shouldn't I?” you mutter monotonously before uttering a scoff that causes Gloria to let out a choked sob as you continue “Why shouldn't I gaze upon the spilled blood for which I am responsible, undoubtedly the first drop of many?”
“Araki, it isn't your fault” Gloria replies tearfully as she holds you tight “There’s no way either of us could have saved her”
“Don't talk to me. Nobody EQUESTRIAN HAS ANYTHING TO SAY TO ME TODAY!” you scream furiously, causing Gloria to release her embrace with a surprised squeak at your sudden outburst.
“We had ample chance to save her, and instead everything she was, everything she could have been, has been snuffed out in an instant, all due to my actions! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a fucking message to deliver!” you continue, your vision blurred by tears as you start to move your legs. Suddenly, an intense pain explodes from your upper chest, forcing a choked scream from your lips as your legs give out from under you and bring you to your knees. You dizzily raise your left hand, and notice that you hand a bunch of cuts on it... as well as a distinctive green substance.

“Damn it, Araki! I told you not to use the bolts like that! Who knows what effects the anesthetic is having on you. Plus, I told you to not to overexert yourself until your body’s been given time to heal, and what do you do? You get so emotionally worked up over something you had no control over that you gave yourself heat exhaustion!” Gloria yells with a sob, unclipping her canteen from her belt and bringing it to your lips.
“How can you be so cold about this?” You stammer out deliriously, before the luke-warm water pours from the container and into your mouth.
“Araki, I know... I know everything you’re feeling right now, I've been there. But I also know for a fact that if I had tried to save her, we would have been to heavy to slow down in time and the two of us would be dead in that crater right alongside her. Don’t you see, Araki? Volkiba’s troops are willing to die if it means taking their enemies with them, and considering her reputation as a sadist, I'm not surprised by that. Again, I understand how you feel; no should die like... that. But for Celestia's sake, blame the one's giving the orders” Gloria says, lifting the canteen from your lips to take a swig herself.

“Thank you... for understanding” you say halfheartedly, as Gloria gives a sigh before putting you on her back.
“We'll talk about this after we find a place to recoup. Ponyville’s out of the question for the time being seeing as I don’t have enough energy left to walk there, let alone fly. Luckily, my cutie mark comes from the fact that I’m very good at memorizing the locations of things and places once I know where they are, helped alot during my teen years when me and Fortuna were living in a messy Manehattan apartment and I had to find my keys at least once a week. It also worked quite well when combined with Fortuna’s sense of direction. Her cutie mark was a compass, obviously. I remember catching a glimpse of a small city about 10 kilometers away as... Silvia... was trying to suicide attack us. We can go there and check in at an inn.” Gloria says, noticeably hesitating to mention Silvia’s name around you.
“Wait, you carry money?” you ask, the thought of sleeping in a bed improving your mood significantly.
“Blondie, I spend most of my time exploring the plot end of nowhere, looking for forgotten relics of great value. Why would I risk losing my hard-earned bits in the woods when I could just keep them safe and sound in a bank account?” Gloria asks rhetorically, looking back at you with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, I kind of figured you were going to say something like that” you say, your usual personality slowly reaffirming itself.
"Anyways... you're not dead yet, so that probably means you're going to be sleepy for the rest of the day" Gloria says as she starts walking in the direction of the town.

You spend the next couple of hours staring sleepily at sand, sharing crappy jokes with Gloria to help ease the boredom. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, you arrive at your destination.
“Ah, we’re here. The walled desert city of Pori, one of many such towns where ponies and camels share the same community” Gloria asks, slightly intrigued by this fact.
“What, camels and ponies don’t get along usually?” you ask curiously as you climb off her back, still noticeably unsteady.
“Oh, they do now; But there was a war a couple centuries ago and ever since there’s been lingering animosity between the two races. But nowadays it’s barely noticeable, if at all existent. I’m sure it still is in the more radical subcultures, but in this town camels and ponies live together under an element of mutual harmony.” Gloria answers, looking around for visible directions and finding none.

“Excuse me... are you looking for directions?” A camel asks, as you notice he’s wearing a fez.
“Why, thank you. Um, yes, I was just wondering where the nearest inn is. Could you please point me in the right direction? Oh, I’m sorry, I never asked you your name, what is it?” Gloria asks, noticeably more polite with the camel than she is with you.
“But of course, güzel. My name is Mehmet Ali Karaca. There’s an inn between each of the four entrances, but the nicest one is the Aşk Geyik Inn, which is immediately to the right. Just follow the wall and you’ll come across it eventually.” the fez-wearing camel answers, bowing politely.
“Why thank you” Gloria replies, copying the camels bow. “By the way... what does ‘güzel’ mean?” Gloria asks, intrigued by the camel’s choice of word.
“It means ‘beautiful’, in my native tongue” the camel answers, as you notice Gloria acquire a lovely shade of pink to her cheeks.
“Oh, my...” Gloria shakily stammers out, as Mehmet Ali departs with a hearty chuckle.
“So...” you start, before Gloria cuts you off.
“Why can’t you give me such nice complements?” Gloria asks playfully, giving you a light shove with her right hoof.
“I’m making an effort not to be insulted” you respond, causing Gloria to give a light chuckle before hovering two feet above the ground momentarily to kiss you on your cheek.
“I know, but I’m stuck with you, Dye Job. And I wouldn't have it any other way.” Gloria says as the two of you start to walk in the direction of the Aşk Geyik Inn, the sun beautifully setting from behind to elongate your shadows