Tales of Arcania

Chapter 7: Pride

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Cutscene 7: The Tavern

After they leave the building, Strobe Light takes Retro and Dirge to a local tavern. Strobe Light offers drinks to Retro and Dirge. Retro refuses, but Dirge happily accepts his offer, ready to play with his new-found freedom.

After Strobe Light and Dirge have many drinks, Strobe Light admits to using a light manipulation spell to make Retro say what he said, and influence him to kiss Dirge.

Retro laughs at the joke Strobe Light played, and thinks it would be nice to apologize to Dirge by getting him a biscuit. He asks Strobe Light where a bakery is, and after he gives detailed directions to Retro, Retro asks him to watch the drunken Dirge for a moment.

Once Retro leaves, Strobe Light thinks its time to lie Dirge down in one of the taverns up stairs bedrooms.

"C'mon kid, we're going upstairs." Strobe Light says. Dirge agrees happily and while stumbling, follows him.

As they are about to enter the room, Dirge stops Strobe Light to ask him for a good time.

"Sorry kid, I have a policy against drunk partners." Strobe Light states firmly.

"But... Your not drunk!" Dirge whines. "And I promise it will be fun." Dirge says as he bends over for Strobe Light.

Strobe Light pokes Dirge's cutie mark, and Dirge falls on his side, passed out. Retro finds Strobe Light carrying Dirge with telekinesis into the room.

"What happened?" Retro asks. Strobe Light explains the situation, sets Dirge on one of the two beds in the room, and goes to sleep on the other.

Play

I start to leave the room when a hear some music behind me start playing. I turn to see where it was coming from when I see Dirge smiling, in a relaxed position on the bed with a radio beside him, playing the music.

In a voice that wasnt quite Dirge's, he says "Good evening Retro. How about I treat you to a good time?"

Well that's not like Dirge to be so forward about stuff like that.

"How about no?" I say.

Without phasing him at all is seems, he asks if we can go get more drinks. Before saying no, I notice that his eyes aren't the same shmexy aqua color. Instead, they were orange. So I tell him that I'll get drinks with him if he likes.

"The more, the marrier." He says in his suave voice.

He turns the music off and we leave the sleeping Strobe Light to go back down to the bar part of the tavern.

"So Dirge, whats with your eyes?" I ask him.

"Please Retro, call me Pride. Right now I am enjoying the body of Dirge, that is the deal we made after all." He says.

"What deal?" I ask, very curious to know the answer.

"The one he told you about. He gets to have a horn, and lots of power. And I get to use his body to have fun from time to time." He answers.

"He said the deal was to constantly feel pride?" I ask.

He answers with "Well then I suppose he lied." as he turns away from me to a unicorn mare... Wait no, pegasus mare... An alicorn? I thought that my family and Dirge were the only ones?

"Good evening dear, how about I show you a very good time?" He asks her.

She smiles brightly and says "sure" to my surprise.

He turns to me. "Wanna join?" He asks me.

I tell him no, so he shrugs, says "See ya later then.", and walks back up to the room.

Nearly half an hour later, Strobe Light comes down. "Did you enjoy the show?" I asked him sarcasticly.

"Enjoy the show with suave-filled Dirge and that hero bitch? Of course I did, I even joined. At least heroes are good for something." He said with a nicker.

I asked "So wait, you fu-"

"Yep." He cut me off and answered the question I was about to ask.

"So wheres Pride?" I ask

"Who?" He asked.

"I mean Dirge. Wheres dirge?" I corrected myself.

"Oh, hes on round like, eight or something. I gave up after one go. I dont wanna have anything more to do with any heroes." He says as he looks at the clock. "Oh crap. Ive got to get some rest. I gotta go. Come see us again Retro, your pretty cool." He says as he trots out of the tavern

Flash Forward

When I woke up at the bar that morning, Strobe Light was missing and Pride came down the stairs with his decency magic still off, leaving his um... Stallionhood just swinging around as he trotted...

So that's how big Dirge is...huh, not the large I was expecting from a pony that small. I think to myself as I get cut off by Pride's voice "Were going home Retro, I did some naughty things, and we have to go right now."

He says gleefully with a teeth showing smile.

"Can you at least turn your decency magic back on?" I ask, not really caring whether he did or not.

"Jealous?" He responded with a smirk.

"What? N-No. Its just, you know, decent is all." I tell him with a studder.

He laughs and says "Ill give you some later. But right now, we have to go." He tells me, his voice getting a slightly more worried.

I say "Alright let me just-"

He interrupts me, and grabs me with a very powerful orange telekinetic field. "No, no, lets go beautiful."

He rushes us back to the train station, with me in his magic the whole way, and we we're lucky enough to have it depart shortly after. His decency magic is still off while we're sitting on the train. I look at his um... for... research? Ya, I feel like that's believable; for research.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I say

"Ill follow you." He responds.

I go into the males bathroom, and he follows me in, locking the door.

"Excuse me Pride?" I ask, looking at him.

"Just a gift. For letting me play all night without trying to stop me. Trust me, you'll enjoy it!" He says as he casts a spell that turns my own decency magic off, and holds me exposed, and his eyes go back into being aqua.

"W-Where are we?" Dirge asks, looking around.

An orange aura envelopes Dirge's horn and he smiles and starts to look me over.

"W-What are you doing?" I ask, nervously as he gets closer to me, making me shift nervously.

Chapter 7.5 Coming when I feel up to it

Aaaand about a half hour later, I'm helping Dirge wash his face off.

"Im so so so sorry Dirge. I really am. Pride offered it, and well, your kinda cute, so how could I refuse; That, and I was tied up. Though of course the orange eyes were a turn off, well until they went back to being aqua, then I just couldnt help it." I say as my voice goes from apologetic to nostalgic.

Neither of us have stopped being red since the climax... He clears his throat to get my attention, or maybe just to... um...

"You have magic. You could have stopped me." He said scoldingly as he points to my horn.

Now I feel like a dick... I think to my self 'wait, he could have stopped himself if he wanted to.'

"You liked it didnt you?" I ask as I look him in the eyes.

"That's... Well I... Well yes... I... really enjoyed it... And then the taste afterwards was... very good..." He says with a look of shame on his face.

"Oh c'mon Dirge. Your sexy. I'm happy you gave me my first... Other pony experience." I say encouragingly with a reassuring smile.

He seems to brighten from what I said.

"I'm happy to be the first one to do such to you." He responds with a smile.

We leave the restroom, and sit back down at our booth.

"Hey Dirge?" I ask.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"I didnt know you went both ways." He looks at me and tells me that he only goes one way.

Then why did he just...? oh... OH! Then it hit me, hes not straight.

Flash Forward

"Dirge?" I say as I remember the biscuit I had gotten for him. "Here you go bud."

He looks at me with an expression of pure unadulterated happiness, and devours that biscuit like the last two.

I start to fall asleep on the way back home.

Back into the darkness...

"Retro... Listen..." The echoing voice, coming from the black pony said. "I need you... I need your help..."

I try to speak but nothing comes out.

"You cant talk yet... Your body Isnt used to this place... So for now... Just listen to me..." It says "I need your help... Your a good pony... You'll help me... I'm trapped here... In this dream...

Dirge softly nudges me awake.

Those dreams are odd... I'll think I should keep it to myself though. I dont want anypony thinking that I'm crazy.

"Hm?" I ask.

"We're home." He tells me.

So we get off the train and head towards Varo's hole in the ground. When we enter the lab I find Varo talking to Blaze.

"There is nothing you can do for them. Just accept it and move on. Heres your pay." Varo says to Blaze. Blaze takes the money, a slip of paper on the table, and tells me that hes only one point behind.

"Hey Varo." I say "So kind of important. Dirge here has a guy named Pride inside of him, and we gotta get him out somehow, I'm worried for my friend."

Dirge looked at me happily, and Varo worriedly.

"Pride? Pride is alive?!" Varo asks with a look of panic on his face. "No! You, stand under that, now!" He shouts worriedly, as he points towards some kind of machine with strange mechanical arms and knives.

I cut in, worried for Dirge "Whoa hold on Varo, will he be okay?"

"None of us will be 'okay' if Pride gets out, none of us will be safe." He says with complete seriousness.

His voice convinced me. So I allowed him to put Dirge in the machine, and it instantly goes to work. One half started to weave what looked like an earth ponies husk of a body. The other half, holding Dirge, looked like it was tearing away orange colored smoke from him, and fusing it with the husk.

The machine drops Dirge, I quickly rush over to him and he struggles to breathe. I give him my own air, and thankfully, he picked up his breathing again.

"He stopped breathing Varo! He could have died!" I shout to him.

He pays me no attention as he talks to the husk. "Hello Husk, do you remember me? My name is professor Varo. Your my lab assistant, welcome back."

The Husk answers in a calm, creepy monotone voice "I... think I do remember you professor... It's good to be back." before going to work and mixing chemicals like Varo usually does, though it looks like he is just mixing random ones, rather than certain ones, like Varo.

Varo looks to us. "You cannot mention anything from the outside to him ever, Understand?" He commands

"Yes, I fucking understand. Dont you dare, ever, risk the life of any of my friends again!" I shout, demandingly. "Who the hell was Pride, and why did we put him in that husk?" I ask.

Varo explains "Pride is one of four very, very, evil beings that live around Arcania. Pride was the strongest, and until I figure out how to kill him, he stays trapped in the husk."

"Really? Who are the other three beings?" I ask

He answers me again. "After I answer, you leave, and I'll send you your next mission, but you have to go, very soon. Wrath, Avarice, and Insanity. All very powerful, And all very corruptive. Now go away." He finishes, shooing us away like stray animals.

I carry Dirge all the way home.

"Thank you Retro." Says my bat pony saddle bag friend. A.K.A. Dirge, from on my back.

When we get home, I notice Blaze on the couch taking a power nap. I set Dirge down in a dinning room chair, and without asking him, I take out some dough, and make an attempt at baking biscuits for him.

I noticed Blaze had left, and Dirge had fallen asleep by the time I finished cooking. I also noticed that a message was left in my journal from Varo.

"Open message?" the Dazzler asked.

I tap the hologram's "yes" option on it's screen and I start to read the message.

"There are two groups of longma battling for whatever stupid reason they have to battle. Normaly I would let it settle itself out. But its unervingly close to a gooble village. Do whatever you have to to stop the dispute, and keep the goobles safe."

Shortly after clicking the "Show location" Icon, it pulled up the holo-map, and cleared a small spot of a blank area.

"Its go time" I say to myself after putting Dirge in my bed, petting his mane, writing a note that told him that Ill be back soon, and left the biscuits on the nightstand for him.

"Goobles" I say out loud to myself. "What sane pony could proudly call themselves that?"

Pause

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