2) Strangers in Paradise

The morning sun shown bright in the guest room in Twilight's castle. Pea rolled onto her back to look up at ceiling while she thought about her situation. She lifted herself up and wandered into the throne room, following the smell of freshly made breakfast. The scent of things she had never eaten led her to the sight of Tuff, Twilight and Yearling sitting at the main table with a breakfast fit for a princess. Tuff had a pile of muffins and candied fruits in front of him as he chugged his third glass of orange juice. Twilight and Yearling had never seen a young colt eat so much.

"He can sure pack in in, can't he?" Pea chuckled as she sat at the other end of the table.

"Ah, Good morning! Did you rest well?" Twilight said as she sipped on a mug of coffee,"Funny, I found you on the floor instead of a bed."

"Yeah, I slept pretty good," Pea eyed Yearling who was eating a doughnut quietly,"What's she doing here?"

"Twilight told me you were going to write of your life in the outside world, being an author I couldn't help but offer my assistance." Yearling smiled.

"But I told her already, I can't write. I can barely read,"Pea said scanning the breakfast banquet,"How am I going to write a whole book?"

"Tell you what, you tell me and I will write it for you," Yearling offered," That can't be hard, can it?"

"You'd really do that?" Pea asked. She rubbed her shoulder sheepishly,"Even then....all books need a name don't they? What would you call mine?"

"The title can come later, right now you need to eat up," Twilight butted in,"We have a few things we need to do today."

Pea grabbed a muffin and took a bite,"What kind of things, if I'm so bold as to ask?"

"If you're staying here awhile, which I'm sure you are, you need to meet some of the locals."

Pea half choked when she heard this,"I've already tried that, you know where that went."

"True, but be a bit more...gentile this time. Yearling will be with you to make the ponies here a bit more...accepting of you," Twilight said.

She noticed that most of the food was gone now, thanks to a certain colt, and used her pink cloud of magic to move the dishes to the kitchen. Yearling thanked Twilight for the food and headed for the front door with a satchel in tow while Pea and Tuff stared at the spaces that were once occupied by plates and tea cups.

"Now Tuff," Twilight said,"Have you ever gone to school?"

He thought about the question for a moment,"School?"

"Oh dear..."

Yearling called from down the hall,"Pea Gravel, aren't you coming with me?"

"Sure, give me a sec!" Pea called. She looked over to Twilight,"Now look here, I appreciate you wanting to teach him but...I don't think a school room environment would be best for him."

"Why? Is he shy or have problems with bigger children?"

"No, he'll be fine. I'm more worried about the other kids," Pea looked to the colt,"Now look here, you be nice to Princess Twilight and do what ever she tell you, got it?," And with that Pea trotted off to meet up with Yearling.

Twilight looked at Tuff's youthful face for a moment. She wondered what a young colt like him could be so dangerous.

"Tuff, have you ever been in a fight with another colt?"

"No, I did have to help Auntie fight a big armored pig though. He had blood all over his axe, it was so cool!" Tuff smiled at the princess.

Twilight laughed nervously,"Well, umm...that's...wonderful! Let's change the subject, alright?"

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"Do you know how to read or write at all?"

"Nope," Tuff said with a cocky smile,"I never had time for it."

"Figures," Twilight said under her breath,"Well today is your lucky day, Tuff."

Yearling seemed nervous walking next to the cyber mare. In fact, everypony on the streets they passed gave odd looks. Pea noticed how unsettled she was and offered to buy her a drink.

"We just ate," Yearling protested,"And besides, why would you buy me just a drink?"

Pea smacked her forehead,"I'm sorry, let me be more specific. Would you like a hard cider?"

"No, I don't drink alcohol...much" Yearling blushed slightly.

"Well let's get a little and talk about our book," Pea grinned.

"I do know a place outside of town...and I suppose a drink or two wouldn't hurt."

"Alright, lead the way!"

Yearling led Pea down a road leading to the far end of town, there the houses became less packed together and eventually no houses at all. The two mares were in the field outside of the town and a small crowd of ponies followed at a safe distance. Yearling looked behind them and noticed the curious ponies with cameras. The more Yearling thought about it, the more the crowd looked like an mob from a monster movie.

"Ummm...I think we're being followed."

"It's not an angry mob is it?" Pea asked without turning her head.

"I think so, should we do something about them?" Yearling asked.

"Well unless you have a pair of wings...oh," Pea looked at Yearling's wings as if they just appeared there. She looked at the pegasus with a wry smile,"You think you can lift me up?"

"Umm...I suppose, why?"

"Why not?"

Yearling  sighed and shook her head with a smile,"Well, we need a running start."

She spread her wings out and sprinted forward. Pea threw her head back and laughed as her cyber legs pounded the dirt after the tanned mare. The crowd behind them began running in pursuit and came about twenty feet behind the two mares. Pea looked at the Pegasus who was breathing heavily.

"Is this as fast as you can go?' Pea called over the rushing air.

"Cors not! It's just been awhile!"

Yearling jumped on Pea's back and locked her fore arms under the cyber mare's. Yearling pumped her wings and sent them into the air, the ground and the crowd shrank under them as they climbed into the sky. Pea held onto Yearling's hooves tight as she tried not to look at the ground.

"You know, I thought you'd be a little heavier," Yearling chuckled.

"Hey, you calling me fat?" Pea looked up at her with a sour look.

"No, don't be silly!" Yearling said.

"Well...now what?" Pea looked back down at the ground. She had never really been this high up and giggled at how the ponies looked like ants.

"Hey, is that who I think it is?" Yearling peered off into the oncoming distance. Pea looked in the same direction and saw a trace of a rainbow line in the sky.

"Funny, I thought rainbows made an arc, not a straight line."

"That's not a real rainbow. That's the trail Rainbow Dash leaves behind when she flies, I wonder if she's coming over here."

"Well I can see why they call her that," Pea said as she saw the blue pegasus fly in arcs and loops. She began flying toward the mares and Yearling began descending.

"Hey! Where are we going?" Pea said covering her eyes.

"I can't carry you forever, Pea. Besides I was meaning to talk to Dash today," Yearling said as they grew closer to the ground.

They landed and Pea sat with her arms folded while Rainbow Dash followed up at the rear. The blue pegasus trotted up to the other mares and smiled to Yearling. Dash then cast a sour look to Pea.

"Daring Do...er...I mean A.K Yearling, I'm so glad your here!" She glared at the cyber mare,"I see you caught the freak."

"Hey," Pea cast a similar look back at Dash,"I have skin and blood just like you. If anypony here is a freak it'd be you, I've never seen anything with a mane like yours."

Dash ignored the cyber mare,"We've been looking for her all night. You know she scared Applejack to death and the colt of her's got Diamond Tiara's dad pretty upset."

"Dash, I don't think you understand. Pea Gravel here is a very...interesting mare once you get to know her. Oh, and she was staying the night at Twilight's."

Dash shook her head,"No way! I asked Twilight about that mare and she said that she already looked for her..."

"You've got the wrong idea about her. If it makes you feel better, she and I are writing a book soon! Isn't that exciting?"

"B-but...you write...you are Daring Do! How can you write something else...let alone with her?"

Pea stood up which caused Dash to inch back,"Kid, I've got plenty of stories if your willing to listen."

Rainbow Dash was dumbfounded, completely flabbergasted. Her favorite author...no, her idol was sticking her neck out for a complete stranger and a rather unsettling one at that. Dash's knees buckled and she fell on her haunches. She looked from Daring Do (Pea didn't know Yearling and Daring were the same mare...yet) to the cyber mare with her jaw hung open.

Pea closed it with a smirk on her face,"You better keep that mouth of yours closed, something may crawl in and eat your brain."

"Thanks lady," Dash smacked Pea's hoof away from her face,"But you need to leave. Equestria isn't meant for somepony like you."

The grey mare pulled her metallic fingers in and out of a fist,"Well then...why don't you make me?"

Dash made a cocky laugh as she stood up into an aggressive position,"So you want to do this the hard way?"

"Show me what you got."

Yearling looked from one mare to the other,"Hey, nopony is in the wrong here! What are you two doing?"

Pea's emerald eyes were now almost mint in color and met Yearling's in a cold stare,"I'm showing this punk how we 'outsiders' handle our problems."

In a flash the blue pegasus rocketed to Pea with a hoof ready to swing at the cyber mare's face. Pea watched as Dash swooped toward her and felt the impact of Dash's swing on her jaw. Pea staggered back and Rainbow stood on her hind hooves rubbing the one she swung with.

"Heh heh, a little taste of Dash Fu a bit much for-"

Dash didn't even see the cyber mare spring back at her. Her boastful words and the rest of her hot air was forced out as Pea rammed a fore hoof into the pegasus' diaphragm. Dash fell like a split tree on the ground gasping for breath. She looked up at the cyber mare with wide eyes as her attacker had a hand ready to pull her up. Dash began breathing normally again and accepted the cyber mares assistance up. She stood breathing hard for a moment and looked at Pea from head to toe. She stood smiling as if nothing happened even with the trickle of blood running off her lip.

Pea wiped some blood off her muzzle,"You got some arm there, if you swung any harder and I might've lost a tooth!"

Yearling looked to the cyan pegasus,"Are you alright? No broken bones?"

"She'll be fine. I hit her diaphragm with about fifty psi. She's probably hit the ground harder then that from a flight crash."

"Is that all you can do?" Dash asked. On the outside she still looked ready for a fight, but she was screaming at herself from the inside.

Pea twiddled her fingers again,"I don't want to have to dig my fit back out of another chest alright?"

Dash backed away from her with a pale face. Yearling stopped her,"Dash, don't go! Just stay for a moment, please," She looked over at Pea with an icy look before stamping to her face to face.

"If you want that book written you're going to have to be more tolerant with others," She whispered severely,"No more scaring and fighting with ponies, alright?"

Pea clenched her face up as she was about to counter Yearling's threat but sighed in stead. She looked over Yearling's shoulder to Dash who was waiting nervously. Pea rolled her eyes and groaned before trudging over to the pegasus.

The cyber mare rubbed the back of her neck,"Look...I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have been so quick to violence, can you forgive me Rainbow Smash...er Dash?"

"Only if you let me help out on the new book," Dash said quickly,"I've helped Daring Do before, I could help you too!"

"You recovered quick, Rainbow Dash," complimented Yearling,"I hope we can all get along now," she glared at Pea.

"Wait, isn't Daring Do a character in Yearling's books?" Pea asked,"Wait...is she," The cyber mare pointed to the tan pegasus,"Is she...Daring Do?" She looked to Dash who nodded.

"You got me," Yearling smiled bashfully,"You haven't even read my books and you know. The Daring Do books are my personal adventures here in Equestria hunting rare and important treasures. From what Twilight told me you were looking for treasure too, and with some war going on every waking moment...that must be such an adventure."

Rainbow Dash was dumbfounded, completely flabbergasted. Her idol, Daring Do, was putting this stranger on a pedestal like Dash had done for the ruby eyed pegasus. Rainbow feinted and landed on the grass face first. Pea and Daring looked at her with wide eyes.

"You know, I think a drink can wait. Let's just hang out here in the field, what do you think Yearli-...I mean Daring Do?"

"I...I suppose?" She replied and Pea promptly lay on her back in the grassy field. Daring looked around in the empty field, she saw the mountains, forest and Ponyville all comfortably away in the distance. She lay on her legs near Pea while Dash lay unconscious near by.

Daring reached into the satchel she had carried with her and pulled out a note book with a pen clipped to it. She opened it and Pea held her torso in a crunch to see the book. It was blank for the most part, a few scribbles on the first page. Daring held the pen in her mouth and looked closely at Pea. The cyber mare felt almost embarrassed under the writer's keen eye.

Daring made notes of the way Pea's mane reflected the sunlight like the orange of a morning sunrise, how her torso fur on closer inspection hid a well toned muscled core, the metallic legs had a plated look and seemed to be designed for more then just helping a pony walk again. Out of her vest's v neck a hint of her circular brand could be seen and then Daring's eyes went the mare's flank, Pea pulled her tail over her flank's bare skin.

"Hey missy, were not writing a smut book!"

"Really Pea?" Daring asked with a groan,"I was looking at your cutie mark, not your butt!"

"For you, I'll take that excuse," Pea moved her tail to reveal her cutie mark. It was a sandstone colored heart with a cracked center and a compass behind it. Daring made a note of it and looked with worry at the cyber mare.

"Why do you have a broken heart for a cutie mark?"

Pea lay down again on her back. She folded her arms behind her head and looked up at the slow rolling clouds in the sky. Dash had regained consciousness at this point but kept her head low and watched the two adventuring mares through the short grass.

"Rocks are beautiful, yet I have a heart of stone," Pea said mostly to herself,"I've been forced by chance or maybe fate to be a wanderer, the crack is from my first kill. I was an alright kid before then but after...."

Daring was writing down everything Pea said,"Go on, tell me what happened," She encouraged.

"She was a Carnahorse. I was eleven years old. She kidnapped me when I was in the mountains and was going to eat me...I'll never forget those green eyes. They looked just like mine..."

"How did you escape?" Daring asked mesmerized.

Pea sighed as a breeze flowed over the lush grassy field. The mares who listened to the cyber mare were whisked away with Pea's words. They felt as if they were with her as she described the dry heat of the pine forest that covered the low mountains.

They saw Pea as a young mare, no more then a filly. She was hog-tied across a big stick attached to a large leather back pack on a husky looking yellow pony. The 'carnahorse' carried Pea up a mountain path to a shabby log cabin. Pea kept quiet because far more dangerous creatures then ponies like her captor lived up here. They arrived at the cabin and the husky yellow mare placed the stick Pea was tied to over two wood tripods that were on either side of an ashy pit. Pea inhaled sharply when she saw bones peaking out of the old coals.

The grey filly looked around desperately at the complete mess around the cabin to try and find a way to escape. The carnahorse was busy with a few small sticks and a ball of cotton for the beginning of a cooking fire. Pea waited until the captor had moved to the other end of the house before she attempted an escape. The rope that had kept Pea on the stick hadn't been very well tied and after some careful wiggling the filly was free of the binding cords. Her captor hadn't seen her escape, but something kept the filly there. A strange kind of hunger she had never felt before.

"She thought she had me tied up pretty good when she left me in her fire pit," Pea's voice was dry as she retold the event,"I got out of the rope and found her not to far from the house at a big tree stump. She was so busy swinging that ax splitting wood she never saw me sneak up behind her. I kicked out her leg and she staggered, dropping the ax. For my age the ax was heavy, but something inside made me stronger.

I took my chance and held it ready to swing, she stood on her hind legs looking at me with false confidence. I remembered what she said about ponies like me, how we were weak and meant as food for creatures like her. I swung it and it sunk into the side of her face and her blood splattered against mine, she still wasn't dead though.

I looked at her with the same cold green eyes she looked at me with when she when she told me I was just food, a fluke of existence. I had split wood before but when I looked down at the sputtering mess of that carnahorse I couldn't help but laugh in her face. I lifted the splitting ax over my head and swung down at her thick neck, it stuck in and I had to kick it free before swinging again. Oh, the look in her eyes was...something I'd rather die then have in mine," Pea fell silent as Daring scribbled the remaining words onto the page with watery eyes.

Dash's voice broke the silence, "But...how did you get there, weren't your parents looking for you?"

"No kid, a dragon named Wiktet came in and smashed my house. Actually this 'carnahorse' is a bit after that. Once our house was gone, Wiktet grabbed my mother and ripped only one her wings off like a doll's arm. My padre and I tried to find shelter and keep her from getting sick. A whole winter passed while we lived in a cave close to the mountains. My mom was healed from injury but being stuck on the ground made her mind very sick, she always kept her eyes in the sky after that. We managed to find a small town with a doctor and when we told him about her condition he prescribed a kind of fruit called Jade Cactus Fruit.

Once she had been eating a small piece for every meal for a while her mind recovered...slightly. Only four months had passed and she took bigger and bigger doses each time. One night after seeing a flock of birds fly overhead she stuffed a hoof-full of the fruits into her mouth. Padre and I woke up to the sounds of her strangled, foam clogged breathing. Padre tied to help but she kept convulsing and then every muscle went limp... "

Dash held her hooves over her mouth in shock. Daring stared at Pea with her mouth slacked open. Pea pulled her neck up and rested her head over her hand. The pegsi were silent in shock and remorse, Pea had a small smile as her closed eyes held back a tear or two.

"How can you smile?" Dash asked frantically, "You watched your mother die in a horrible way, is that funny to you?"

"No kid. I'm smiling because I'd rather remember the mother that raised me then the one I saw die. If she saw me sulking over something as common as death after so many years she'd never forgive me. But a pony like me has seen a lot of it...caused a lot of it," She sat up and looked at Dash's shocked magenta eyes with a soft and almost worn down look, "Living as long as I have through the things I've brought on myself, smiling is one of the only ways I have left to not go crazy. Besides, it takes more muscles in your face to frown."

Daring made a shaky breath and the cyber mare looked over to the writer, "Is that all true?" The tanned pegasus asked, "Did you really see all of that while you were so young?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, or anypony here for that matter. You all are so sincere and innocent, I'd feel like I would be cheating you if I wasn't honest," Pea smiled. She motioned Dash to sit closer and the pegasus was hesitant for a moment," Come on Dashy, I won't bite."

Dash got up from her spot in the grass and walked over to sit with the adventuring mares. Pea moved her hind legs into a criss-cross position and had her fore-hooves on her knees. She looked at the two pegsi like a school teacher would while reading a story to her class.

"You've got more room in that note book right?" Pea asked pointing  to the book in front of Daring.

"Do you have more of your story to tell?" She asked ready to write.

"You bet your ass I do!" and Pea began where the event in the mountains had left off.

She told them of how she began wandering from town to town. As Pea talked and talked, Daring and Rainbow Dash were pulled into the story more and more. The tales of struggling for survival and the idea that you were only worth a piece silver for the opponent in the battlefield. Hours passed and the three mares didn't notice the time go by, the clouds and the sun rolled west in the sky. Daring found it hard to keep up with writing down everything the cyber mare was telling but she scribbled and scraped her pen across the paper to preserve the words that flowed into her ears. Pea was so wrapped up in talking that when somepony came in from behind to tap her shoulder she swung a fist behind her along with a startled look.

Tuff ducked his head easily and stared at his startled Aunt with a grumpy face. Pea drew her fist back and folded her arms across her chest. Tuff did the same.

"The hell are you doing?" Pea said through her teeth,"I thought you were learning or something."

"You've been out all day Auntie. I had to listen to Twilight yammer about boring history and this 'chemistry' thing," Tuff frowned.

Daring looked up at the sunset,"Oh road apples! It is late," She scrambled her to her hooves and shoved the note book into her satchel,"I'm going off to Dash's place to write the rough draft of this. I'll let you know as soon as I'm done," She said excitedly. She had the light of a fresh idea burning in her eyes,"Come on Rainbow Dash, we don't have a moment to lose!"

The two pegsi took off into the air and the two earth ponies watched them fly off,"So what did you do today, Auntie?" Tuff asked.

"I told them some of the things I did when I was younger. Man, I'm hungry! Let's go back to Twilight's," Pea said happily after she had stood up,"I got about to the Morton part."

"The Pig knight who you fought for?" Tuff asked as they walked back towards town.

"He was one ugly son of a sow. That fort was almost as ugly as he was," Pea laughed.

They walked through the outlying streets as not to frighten any of the pones enjoying the warm evening air. They arrived to Twilight's castle and found the aroma of several tantalizing dishes came from behind the door. They walked down the main hall following the trail of sweet air through corridor after corridor until they found a large room with Twilight and five other mares sitting at a long table with an array of food they were dining on. A white unicorn looked over to the two earth ponies with a mildly disgusted look.

"Ah, Twilight? Your...guests are here."

"Is that the pony who beat up Rainbow Dash?" A pink pony said popping up next to Pea.

The cyber mare inched away from the hyper pony," 'Beat up' isn't the term I'd use. I would go for...a small lesson is self defense."

"There's a seat fer the both of ya," Applejack said flatly," Come on over an' eat up."

Tuff accepted quickly and hopped on his seat, looking at all of the food before him. There were cakes, pies, sandwiches, smaller pies, cupcakes, fresh fruit and other foods Tuff couldn't recognize. He dumped a hefty portion of everything his side of the table. Pea walked over to her seat next to the ravenous colt and looked at each of the mares. She stopped at Dash who kept her gaze from the cyber pony.

"Hey Rainbow Dash? Where did Yearling go off to?" Pea asked.

"She's at my cloud house writing your book. She might've come over to eat but when she's excited about a story, she gets really excited about it. I don't think we're gonna see her for awhile."

"Oh no, what about the festival?" Twilight groaned,"This is the first festival I've organized and one of the panel guests wont be there? It's in a few months and writing a whole book will surely take longer then that. At least I still have the other Authors from Canterlot..."

"So umm...how long are you two planning on staying in Ponyville?" A shy yellow pegasus asked from across the table from Pea.

"I'm not sure, I've been looking for a safe place to raise Tuff and this is the closest to perfection I've found."

The pink mare popped up next to the cyber pony again,"Oh! So you two are going to LIVE here?"

"If you all are willing to put up with me, I'd be grateful if I could stay," Applejack and Dash cringed when Pea said this.

Pea became quiet as the six mares went back to chatting, what about she didn't know. She thought about how much Daring became enveloped in Pea's past stories. Even Dash seemed enthralled by them. Would a book about me be accepted in a place like this?  She asked herself. Pea wasn't sure.

Several minuets passed and Pea ate a few bites of food, she was to worried about how a book about her might ruin Tuff's chance at a normal life. She sighed as the six mares around her just smiled as if nothing was wrong and envied it.

Quite suddenly Daring flew into the room panting. She had a pit helmet on and sweat beads on her face. Pea jumped off her chair and rushed next to the pegasus.

"Daring, you alright? You look like something's after you!"

"Look at this," she wheezed as she pulled something out of her satchel,"I've never seen anything like it before!"

She held in her hoof a glossy, almost marble like gem. It was teardrop shaped and dark turquoise with milky swirls around it. Daring looked up at Pea with a confident smile,"Auizotol...he's gone crazy over this thing. Take care of it...please." Then she feinted onto the floor.

Pea saw a bruise looking spot on her chest. Her mind snapped into action. She put the gem into her vest before she looked to the six shocked mares.

"She's got internal bleeding. Damn it...alright ladies, I'm going to need all of your help," she pointed to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash," You two, get her to a hospital now. You, fancy unicorn, watch Tuff for me and stay in here. You, jumpy and Applejack, make sure this Auizotol guy doesn't get inside the castle. You, princess, brief me on Auizotol."  Pea commanded and each mare looked to Twilight.

"Well...don't stare at me, do what she says! This all seems really dangerous!"

With that each mare went off  to their task. Fluttershy and Dash lifted Daring gingerly and flew out the door. Pinkie pulled a ninja suit from nowhere and somersaulted out the door. Rarity and Tuff sat at the table with nervous faces. Twilight teleported herself and Pea to the front door of the castle.

"Pea, we've dealt with Auizotol before, but...he's never been so violent..."

"How big is this guy?" Pea asked flatly.

"He's much taller then a pony," Twilight recalled,"He's got arms like a gorilla's and a long mouth full of sharp teeth, I've never seen a pony fight him and win before...you're not...you're not fighting him are you?"

"That's the plan, sugar cube," Pea said grimly.

"Well, how are you going to find him?" Twilight asked desperately.

"I'm going to need a bird's eye view, fly up and do a perimeter check. Teleport back to me if you do or don't find anything."

Twilight's heart was pounding. This was all so sudden and yet this mysterious mare kept her head cool while something was thirsty for blood. She flew skyward and her head was swimming in different emotions as she scanned the now night covered land. She flew almost six hundred feet up and found a slew of torch fires in the Everfree forest. She poofed back to Pea who was ridged with a cold look that hid red hot anger.

"I found several torches in the Everfree forest-"

Pea butted in,"Take me there, now."

"Like...carry you?" Twilight asked sheepishly.

"And drop me in there, you got a problem?" Pea's cold eyes pierced Twilight's.

"N-no...alright, let's go," Twilight stammered. She fluttered her wings and lifted up Pea in a cloud of magic. They teleported in the air close  to the forest and a low din could be heard. Twilight was breathing quickly and had trouble keeping her elevation.

"Shhh,relax. It's easy," Pea encouraged,"Just fly close by and drop me right in. You've played ring toss haven't you?"

"Y-yes, but I don't see h-how it helps here!" Twilight panicked.

"Just pretend that I'm the ring and the gap in the trees is the goal. The prize you win is your town's safety."

"I'm  not sure that made me feel any better, but...okay," Twilight nodded.

She flew the cyber payload over and saw a gap in the trees where torch light leaked out. Twilight looked to Pea with frantic eyes but Pea just looked up at her and nodded. Twilight bit her lip hard as she let go of the mare. She watched with awe as Pea waved back to her as the grey mare fell to earth.

Pea grabbed the top branches of the nearest tree with all four limbs. She moved her hands and feet one after another silently as she made her decent. She saw the big blue beast that was named Auizotol, he fit the description the princess gave her. She made her way to the the branched just out of view. There were several tribal looking ponies and a variety of bruiser ponies as well. They all held torches as they looked at Auizotol.

"Treasure hunters!  Stallions of Fortune! The greatest treasure in Equestria is in that town. I want it and will pay any price to whoever brings it back to me!" He shouted and the stallions cheered.

Pea saw an unnatural look in his small eyes. She had seen that look before, it was on Gumbo when he talked about the 'most beautiful thing in the world', it was on Borox when he was dominating on the battlefield, and it was on Belial as he hunted for the gates of Tartarus. Pea knew that a look of greed like this led to lives being smashed like grapes for that beast's wine. She readied herself for a surprise attack on the blue ape like monster.

The crowd began to rush to the edge of the forest and Pea took her chance. She jumped off the tree and slammed her hind hooves into Auizotol's shoulder blades. He coughed as he slammed onto the ground. He spun around and grabbed Pea with a meaty hand. His eyes had the look of murder in them, as did Pea's. The ape's crowd stopped dead in their tracks and watched the brewing fight.

"What are you, a PONY doing to stop me getting the King's Tear?" He hissed.

"I don't give a damn what is or who you think you are. There are innocent ponies out there and I won't let you get that mcguffin even if that means killing you."

"And how will-" Auizotol smirked but stopped short.

Pea squeezed both fore-hooves on his thumb and bent it back in a nasty direction. The ape screamed and dropped Pea. She landed like a cat on the ground and wasting no time tackling the ape's legs and pulled his ankles in awful positions. Auizotol squealed and grabbed an ankle with his free hand. Pea stood on her hind hooves ready to strike again. Out from the ape's back his tail ending in a fist whacked Pea in the gut. She grabbed it only for a moment then looked into Auizotol's eyes.

"What did you do to Daring Do?"

"She tried to take the King's Tear. I stopped her with a mace to the chest!" He cackled wickedly,"She'll only have a few hours to live! The mace had a contact poison from the dreaded Red Ring Octopus, I shall be finally rid of her by morning!" Despite his injuries Auizotol coughed up a laugh.

Pea pulled her arm into a twenty five degree angle at her side and stomped on her hind legs up to the blue ape. He swung his tail again but his fist was caught by Pea's free hand. He squirmed as her metallic fingers wrapped around his tail's fist and the crunching of his finger bones was audible. She moved next to his long torso and her coiled arm sprung out. It nearly sunk into Auizotol's chest and Pea strained to pull her fist out of the crater she made in his ribs. He coughed up blood on the ground and the look of murder was gone. He curled up as his damages would allow and rose a hand up to Pea in desperation.

"P-please...spare me! I'm but a gold hungry fool,"His plea were silenced when Pea's hind hoof pushed his bottom jaw to the ground causing him to piratically kneel. He tried to push Pea off his jaw but she stood like a rock against his struggle. Pea's grim face curled up into a smile.

"You think just because your bigger and stronger then ponies that you can just take what ever you want. I'll tell you what. The pigs and Gnolls I've fought would kick your candy ass for breakfast, these days they tuck their tails and run when I walk into town. You though...you tried to kill one of these ponies here. They were nothing but nice to me so I'll do them a favor..."

Auizotol growled in denial at the mare's words. She slid her hands between the ape's teeth on his top jaw and pushed up slightly. He pulled back and screamed as the mare used her mechanical limbs to lift the ape's top jaw. The higher she lifted the more the sides of the ape's jaw ground in a unnatural way until there was a loud crack and the ape went limp. Pea stepped to the side and Auizotol's jaws smacked together, completely out of alignment. His once berserk eyes had rolled back into his head leaving them blank and lifeless. Pea rolled her shoulders and cast a frighting glare at the torch bearing crowd. The ape's followers were completely dumbfounded. They had never seen such brutality in their lives and whimpered as Pea waled over to them. She had a grim smile on her face.

"Alright boys, I'm going to need you to busy yourselves and bury our poor friend who has passed on. Better make it snappy, or I'll make your necks go 'snappy'," she said.

The stallions ran in a mindless mob around the ape and frantically dug a trench next to the dead monster with their bare hooves. Pea sighed and walked to the edge of the forest. She emerged into the field outside and found Twilight waiting for her. The princess sprung next to Pea with a barrage of questions.

"What happened? I heard a lot of screaming, are you alright? Is Auizotol still in there? Is he coming out?"

Pea held a hoof up to quiet the alicorn. She looked at the purple mare with a tired but pleased look,"You and your friends won't have to worry about Auizotol ever again. Before I go lay down, tell me about Daring. Is she alright?"

"Yes, the doctor said she came in just in time. If she was any later a poison would have stopped her heart!"

Pea began walking back to town,"How many times have I walked to this damn town?"

Pea's mind was half asleep as she made her way for the town. Twilight teleported them both back to the castle in the guest room Pea had slept in the night before. The grey mare glanced around for a moment before flopped onto the bed. Twilight wondered what made the mare so tired, but didn't want to ask. She left the room an gathered her friends back up.They all sat outside Pea's room in the hallway. Twilight seemed the most shaken up of the troupe.

Applejack comforted the  princess,"We got Daring Do safe with the doctor. Did that mare tell you what happened with that ape fellah?"

"No, she didn't tell me, she seemed so tired. Is her nephew alright?" Twilight asked. Tuff jumped out behind Rarity.

"Here lady, is Auntie G alright?" he asked.

"She's just sleepy, like the rest of us. We'll talk in the morning," Twilight assured the group of ponies.

They dispersed back to their houses with few words to each other, each shaken up by the sudden events. Twilight made her way back to her room with a head full of one thought, what did Pea do in that forest? She groggily opened her bedroom door and slumped to the bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

She awoke the next morning oddly refreshed. Twilight walked to the guest room with a tray of breakfast in tow ready to surprise Pea. She swung the door open to find an empty room. She checked the room next door and found Tuff snoring. Twilight left the food in Tuff's room and searched the rest of the first floor in search of the grey mare. She spent almost an hour looking around before checking Pea's room again. She went inside and found something she didn't notice before, There was a small piece of paper tucked into the blanket with a cross inside a circle. She slapped her forehead in response.

Of course! Pea had left the night before to visit Daring in the hospital, and since Pea can't write she made a red cross symbol on a note. Tuff was behind Twilight when she found this and beside startling her he found out where his aunt was. Twilight asked if they should go and see what they could do. Tuff shook his head, he told her that it was best to leave Pea alone at a potential death bed.

A few days had passed and Twilight found out that Pea refused to leave Daring's bedside until she got better. As Daring heath returned to her she immediately decided to begin writing Pea's book again. Every morning a nurse would come into the hospital room with a syringe she injected into Daring's arm and a cup of syrup she had the pegasus drink. The shot was an anti-venom and the syrup was for keeping the anti-venom in check. It was Red Ring Octopus venom they were dealing with after all.

While Pea stayed at the hospital with Daring Tuff stayed at Twilight's castle. She was so excited about having a pupil of her own, much the opposite of how Tuff was feeling. Almost two weeks had passed since the event and Daring was released from the hospital.

Pea greeted Daring as she left the building and the tan pegasus was desperate to get some fresh air.They left the grounds and Daring decided they should sit in a reclusive spot in the park on a tree covered hill, so Pea didn't gather any unwanted attention. Pea had brought Daring's satchel along for the trip, along with her own saddle bag. The park had a few ponies and foals playing in it's confined fields completely oblivious to the stranger that sat among the trees. The two mares sat enjoying the sun and silence for a while. Daring broke the silence.

She kept looking out at the park,"Pea, what did you do to Auizotal?"

"Excuse me," the grey mare snorted,"What makes you think I did anything?"

"He is one of the most persistent creatures I know. That night he had a look in his eyes I've never seen before, he'd never just give up. It doesn't help that I know what or somewhat of your...abilities."

Pea smashed a fist into the dirt,"I got rid of him, alright? He's been after you since day one of your treasure hunts and now he's gone. I thought you'd be grateful." Pea spat at the grass.

"Is he locked up somewhere or did...did you kill him?" Daring asked quietly.

Pea gritted her teeth,"And why is it so bad that I killed someone who was a problem for everyone else?"

"After all you said about Equestria...how perfect or innocent it is..."Daring hugged herself remorsefully,"You bring something like murder into it. I thought you knew better...maybe you're just some brute from a warring kingdom after all."

Pea grabbed Daring's shoulder to make the mare look at her,"Look, what I did may have...was wrong. Once I saw your injury-"

Daring smacked her hand away,"I don't need your pity! I only decided to write you a book is...is because I needed to make more money! I need it and ponies are suckers for things they don't understand."

Pea grabbed Daring by the shoulders and slammed her weight onto a tree. The grey mare was on her hind legs and held Daring against the tree with a vice grip around her slim torso. Daring had a panicked look only for a moment. She looked at the furious mare with a wry smile.

"You...you were going to use me?" Pea fumed under her breath,"I was going to be a means to your end for money?"

"So, what are you going to do this time? Hit me, brake my nose?" Daring wheezed out of the vice grip.

Pea's arm was shaking, not because of the mare's weight but because of her words. Pea gritted her teeth.

"Just...just shut your mouth! I've been bought and used all my god damn life, I will not allow that to happen again. What's wrong with killing that bastard ape anyway?"

Daring placed a hoof onto Pea's gripping arm,"This is a place of caring souls and shelter from the cold. Bringing a thing like murder in here will taint that, do you want this place to end up like where you're from?"

Pea let go of Daring and the tan mare slumped against the tree. She sat and looked up at Pea who was shivering, the cyber mare's knees buckled and her weight toppled to the ground. Her green eyes stared out wide and afraid.

"All those ponies...they...they saw me," She pulled up her hands to her face,"You were right! I murdered him...and...I enjoyed it," her lip quivered.

Daring rubbed a bruise on her neck,"So you're sorry?"

"W-what? Of course I'm sorry!" She lay on her back nearly sobbing. She held her hands in the air to look at the palms as if the blood was still there. Her face twitched and flinched as she held back a barrage of tears,"It's these arms...these things! Before I lost them I had to think my way out of fights I knew I couldn't win...but now..." She pulled her arms back to her chest,"I'm just like them...a monster..."

Pea curled into a ball and shivered. Daring had never thought that a mere like Pea Gravel would cry, not like this. The tan pegasus scooted over and ran a hoof through Pea's mane. Pea looked up with watery eyes.

"Pea, if you're truly sorry...well...I'm not sure there's anything we could do," She smiled. Daring placed a hoof on either side of Pea's head and pulled the grey mare to her chest. Pea was shocked and blinked in disbelief.

"Shh, if you need to let anything out, go ahead," Daring said hugging Pea.

The cyber mare wrapped her arms around Daring's waist and hugged tight. The pegasus patted her head gingerly as Pea let out choked sobs, for her recklessness here, for the pain out there. It had been awhile since she had cried like that and it calmed her nerves to let out what was bottled up. How much time passed there the two mares didn't know, but neither cared. Pea had only hugged a handful of ponies in her life, she felt safer in Daring's arms then any other. Eventually, Pea pulled herself into a sitting position up next to Daring.

"Thanks...I needed that," the grey mare sniffled.

"I'm sorry I lashed out at you," Daring sighed,"I...I was scared. For you and of you a bit. When I said I was going to use you to make money...you know I didn't mean it right? But we've put that in the past, so no hard feelings?" Daring smiled with a hoof around Pea's shoulder.

"Yeah, no hard feelings," She sat for a moment with Daring's arm over her shoulder,"Oh, oh I meant to tell you," Pea said wiping the wetness from her face with her vest,"That thing you found, it's called the King's Tear. The ape mentioned something about it being a invaluable treasure...have you heard of it?"

Daring leaned on Pea looking up through the tree leaves,"The King's Tear huh? Very poetic sounding," she sighed. Pea looked down at the tanned mare leaning on her, the cyber mare blushed slightly.

"I heard of it," Pea said,"It's something Volm is looking for, something I'm looking for." with this information Pea seemed suddenly euphoric. She stood up and held Daring into the air,"I got it before he did! I got it, not him! Can you believe it?" She laughed.

Daring couldn't help but  laugh along with Pea's spastic joy. Pea spun in a circle with Daring like holding a child and once she became dizzy she set Daring back on the ground. Pea's head bobbled as the world spun around her. Daring laughed again.

"You're a crazy mare Pea Gravel! It's refreshing in such a calm place like this," Daring giggled.

"And you're not to bad yourself,"Pea smiled. She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out Daring's book. She tossed it to the tan pegasus and then a pen,"Now, we've got a book to finish. Let's get to writing!"

It was the night before the Literature Festival. Daring Do and Rainbow Dash sat in Rarity's boutique picking different dresses for the festivities. Next to the door was Daring satchel with a thick, newly bound copy of Pea's book. While Daring was having her hair fixed up into a bun a knock came at the door. Dash got up to answer it and once she opened the door Pea was standing outside with a sheepish smile.

"Are you here to try out for a dress?" Rarity called from inside.

Pea eyed the cyan pegasus,"I dunno. What do you think Smash, would I look good in a dress?"

"If it was made of sheet metal," Dash joked,"Come on. I think getting a dress for you will be a...interesting job."

Rarity looked up from behind Daring's mane,"Oh goodness! I'm certainly glad you came here, I'd simply die if you went to the festival with that on," She cried pointing to Pea's worn vest.

The grey mare chuckled,"Yeah...some ponies would find it rather silly huh?"

Rarity proceeded to look over at all of the other dresses she had out in case one ripped or got dirty. They all were beautifully colorful and ornate, each a work of art. Rarity and Dash piratically had to drag her over to them to see what she looked like in them. They went through most if not all of them, each making Pea feel less and less comfortable. When Daring saw her being stuffed into and pulled out of dresses she couldn't help but laugh, Pea wrinkled her face at the mare in response. After what felt like forever they had gone through every dress Rarity had in the mare's size and bigger. The cyber mare simply didn't feel fit to wear such beautiful things.

"Umm...Miss Rarity?" The cyber mare asked putting a hefty necklace back into a drawer,"Do you have something...perhaps more, I don't know...humble?"

Rarity giggled,"Well, I suppose. Awhile back Zecora came in asked me if I could make her another cloak-"

"Could you?!" Pea asked excitedly.

"But it's so simple...alright, I'll do it," She trudged over to her fabrics and reached behind a stuffed shelf case. She pulled out a dark green fabric that looked like it had never been rolled out. She drug it over to her work bench and began making the stencils necessary for the cloak.

Daring was in a dark blue dress when she walked up to Pea,"Do you think this one looks good on me?" she asked.

"You look...daring!" Pea smirked. The pegasus chuckled.

Rainbow Dash's voice called over from the door,"Hey, what's this?"

Daring scrambled over to the mare and snatched her bag that contained the novel,"Hey, no peeking!"

"Peeking at what?" Dash with a puzzled tone.

Pea waved a hoof for the mares to walk back over into the main room. Daring held the shoulder strap in her teeth keeping the contents away from Rainbow Dash. Pea grabbed the bag when she had the chance and pulled the book out. She and Dash stared at how simple the brown and red bound book looked. Pea handed it over to Rainbow Dash who blinked in disbelief.

"Go ahead, read it."

"Pea! I wanted you to see it bound first," Daring said.

"She wanted to help, so I'll let her by listening to what she has to say about it."

Dash took the novel and held it as if it were gold. Pea smiled back at the pegasus as she lifted the cover to see the first page. Dash cocked her head to the side when she saw there was no title.

Pea smacked her forehead,"We forgot to name it!"

"You know...I had an idea if you two want to hear it," Dash said quietly. Pea and Daring leaned forward with their ears tuned in. Dash put the  book safely under her wing,"Pea, you told me that there was so much out there a pony couldn't control...that creatures like us are at the bottom. Since this book is probably going to have a lot of that...how about Forces?"

Pea and Daring gasped,"That's a great idea!"

Dash stood in a proud position,"Of coarse its a good idea, I thought of it!"

The night wasn't getting any younger and a tired look came over the two mares involved with the books creation. Dash thanked the two mares very much, and Rarity. The unicorn was to busy muttering over the silliness of Pea's cloak request to pay much attention as Rainbow Dash exited the boutique. Once Rainbow left Pea slumped onto the floor with heavy eyelids, Daring with an equal fatigue lay as gracefully as she could without ruining the blue dress she had on.

Rainbow held the mysterious novel in her arms as she pumped her wings through the night sky. She raced through air currents and clouds on her way back to her home, the perfect place to read the book she had waited almost two months for. She slowed her pace once the door of her house was in view, once next to it she threw it open and kicked it closed on her way to her room.

Not very many ponies knew of her book collection. It was in her 'sports' room on shelves hidden by various banners of sports teams or wonderbolt members, but in the center of that literature was her very own LazyBuck recliner. Dash flew into the room full of dart boards, pool tables and hidden books and landed on the wide cushioned chair. She took a moment to catch her breath after the race home.

For some reason she couldn't calm down. She vaguely remembered the things Pea Gravel said in the field outside Ponyville, but to see it all and more there in black and white, the mare felt nervous about reading it. She tried settling herself more comfortably into the chair. Dash lifted the cover and turned to the first page with text.

For anypony with a thirst of freedom and a will to pay the price.

Rainbow Dash's grip on the book slacked,"Price? What price dose freedom cost?"