Chapters I sigh as I close the door to the apartment. When my biology professor told the class that we were going to do some hands on work, I didn’t expect us to be digging holes for poles with mounted cameras when it was raining cats and dogs. ‘Seriously, why is biology a required class for any major?’ I think before slinging my backpack off my soaked shoulder. I unzip the largest pocket and pull out my laptop before flinging the backpack off to the side and walking into the living room.
The apartment isn’t very big but it keeps me warm during the night, and it’s close enough to the university that I don’t need a vehicle. There are only two rooms, the bathroom and the living room with the far right corner of the living room sectioned off to serve as a kitchen. The living room itself is… well, it’s barren. The walls are uniform white, a small coffee table takes up the center of the room draped in a makeshift flag of stapled together comics. A beat up couch is pushed up against the right wall. A two foot fridge is against the left wall right next to the bathroom, and two laundry baskets filled with clean and dirty clothes are in far left corner right across from the kitchen. Aside from the overhead light in the room the only other piece of furniture is the nightstand with three drawers right next to the couch. The bottom two drawers hold two pairs of formal attire and the top drawer holds… well, it holds something very important for tomorrow.
I place my laptop on the coffee table and drop onto the couch, the furniture creaking as the old wood legs cry out in protest. I open the laptop and absentmindedly fiddle with the switch to the overhead light, flicking it on and off.
I quickly type in my password once the device starts up, immediately clicking on the beach ball icon on my toolbar. The bone dragon staring at me from the desktop is quickly replaced by a white webpage with a search bar in the middle. I click on the writing in the upper right of the webpage and open up my mail.
I take a look through the various emails sent to me today, before sighing and checking the spam folder. ‘There it is,’ I think to myself, clicking on the message.
Dear Jack,
We here at Tell-A-Tale Games were quite impressed with your last submission on our newest edition. In light of this, your request for an advance on your pay has been approved.
With that said, we have another game for you to work your magic with and we need your response asap. I have sent the game files down below, when you are able, get to work on them.
We hope to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
D.Cord
I download the attached files and start installing the game, grimacing at how slow the progress bar starts filling. With a sigh I close the webpage, kick off my worn out shoes, and lie down on the couch. I don’t know how long I lie there looking at the ceiling and listening to the rain outside, but I’m startled out of my daze by the sound of a warhorn.
Blinking in surprise, I drag myself into a sitting position and scratch my neck before checking the clock on the computer. ‘...Alright, I know I can zone out for long periods of time, but did I really just waste four hours staring at the ceiling listening to the rain?’ With a sigh I chalk it up to my ADHD acting up again and turn my attention to the game. It is done installing and I raise my eyebrows once I realize I am looking at a picture of a group of anthropomorphic horses charging into a sea of darkness with weapons drawn and fire in their eyes. I am immediately confused since the characters would probably be good in a children’s game, but the title screen makes it very clear that this is going to be rated “M” based on how the female characters look, and the amount of blood in the title screen alone.
‘A game with anthro horses? ...Alright, I can understand how Digimon was popular, but you’re setting this game up to fail by trying to cater to an older audience,’ I sigh and dredge up the energy to hit the “New Game” button. The chanting in the background stops abruptly and the scene shifts to a character creation screen with some upbeat tavern music playing in the background.
Four figures made out of shadows present themselves to me in framed portraits. The first looks almost ordinary except for the fact that it has a massive build, almost like a football player. A wall of text appears underneath the portrait as I scroll the cursor over it.
The Earth Ponies have watched over the land for generations. Their connection to it grants their kind great fortitude and strength. +4 Constitution & +3 Strength.
‘So we’ve got the barbarians,’ I think to myself, pulling the cursor over to the second portrait, the shadowed figure slightly smaller and sporting a horn on its head.
The Unicorns are the most physically weak of the pony tribes, but make up for that with their mastery of magic. +4 Magic & +3 Willpower
I sigh, realizing that I’m going to have to play the mage class eventually, before scrolling over to the third portrait, this figure shows off a pair of wings that would probably be useless in the real world.
The pegasus tribe has controlled the skies all throughout history. Their abilities to control the weather and weaponize lightning make them formidable foes or great allies. +3 Cunning, +2 Dexterity, & Ability: Flight
“Huh…” I mumble, wondering how the flight mechanic would work in a RPG. I scroll the cursor over to the final portrait, this one bearing a similar frame to the third figure but with slightly different wings.
The Thestrals (Bat Ponies) have always been shunned by the other tribes. Their appearances alienate them, and this tribe has weathered the worst exchanging the ability to manipulate the weather for the ability to survive the worst the world throws at them. +2 Constitution, +2 Cunning, Ability: Flight, -1 Dexterity during the day.
With a sigh, I click on the third portrait, wanting to start things off on an interesting note. The camera zooms in on the pegasus and I get to work on creating my character.
“Alright,” I whisper, scrolling over the customization options. “We’re going to be… well, we’re going to be female for one.” Clicking on the female icon at the top of the customization screen my character shrinks several inches and grows a rather large pair of mammaries all fitted on an hourglass figure.
Customizing my character takes a while, but in the end I have a deep blue pegasus with short, messy, black hair and tail, sporting a pair of turquoise eyes, all on a slightly curved figure a little bit taller than the default.
Clicking continue, the camera zooms out, my character following it, before sitting down at a table the camera focuses on from overhead. My character takes out a pack of cards and flips two over before stopping. One card shows a figure charging into a horde of creatures and the other shows a figure sneaking up on an individual who is writing a letter by candlelight. Rolling my eyes at the obvious implications I click on the sneaking individual. My character proceeds to take both cards back before flipping two more cards onto the table.
After my character is finished the camera zooms in on the two cards at the top of the board, highlighting the skill trees available to me.
Dual Wield
The individual has amazing hand eye coordination, able to use two weapons to attack their foes. Unlocks the Dual Wield Skill Tree.
Bow and Arrow
The individual has eyes like a hawk and a steady aim to compliment it. Unlocks the Bow and Arrow Skill Tree.
“So I’m locked in from the beginning huh…” I mutter under my breath. With another sigh I click on the dual wield skill tree. My character picks up the two cards and shuffles the deck before laying six cards face down in a column. Words appear to the left beside each of the cards, along with arrows bearing plus and minus signs. Hovering the cursor over every word makes a text box appear at the bottom of the screen.
Strength: - 10 +
Strength directly affects a warrior’s damage output, along with slightly increasing a character’s health (+5 damage for every point / +2.5 health for every point).
Dexterity: - 12 +
Dexterity directly affects a character’s ability to hit a target as well as their ability to dodge an attack. Slightly increases a character’s crit damage with every point (+5 crit damage for every point).
Cunning: - 13 +
Cunning affects a character’s slight of hand and awareness of their surroundings. It also directly affects a rogue’s ability to penetrate armor. Slightly increases a character’s crit rate with every point (+.5% crit rate for every point).
Willpower: - 10 +
Willpower directly affects a character’s stamina/mana pool, dictating how many times a character can use a skill or spell (+10 stamina/mana for every point).
Magic: - 10 +
Magic directly affects the strength of spells. It also affects just how effective buffs and debuffs are on a character (+5 spell strength for every point / +2.5 armor vs spells for every point)
Constitution: - 10 +
Constitution directly affects a character’s vitality and how well they can take attacks. (+10 health for every point / +2.5 armor for every point).
Available points: 5
Looking over the stats and what they do, I finally decide to put two points into dexterity, two points into constitution, and a single point into cunning.
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 14
Cunning: 14
Willpower: 10
Magic: 10
Constitution: 12
Available points: 0
Is this correct? [X] Yes [ ] No
After confirming that everything was correct, my character collects the cards and shuffles them once again, this time picking two cards from the middle of the deck and placing them in front of the camera. One of them shows a grand blue castle with someone standing behind it, bracing a shield in front of them. The other card shows a group of individuals laughing around a fire, a blue figure sneaking through the background with a hooded cloak covering them.
A text box appears as the cursor hovers over the card with the castle.
The only child of a knight, your mother has always done her duty for the crown. Going above and beyond what is expected of her, she has performed what many others consider miracles. Acknowledged as the best at what she does, you have learned a lot from her and many wonder if you will follow in her hoofsteps.
I hum as the cursor is dragged over to the other card.
Orphaned at the young age of ten, your mother taught you two rules to live by that you follow to this very day. Listen to the wind, for it will keep you safe, and always finish the job. You have made a name for yourself traveling throughout the land, and have made friends in both high and low places. Your fee might not be cheap, but when failure is not an option, you are the one many turn to.
‘Oh yeah, we’re definitely a merc!’ I think with a grin on my face. Confirming the second background, my character puts the castle card back in the deck and proceeds to flip quite a few cards onto the table into several little groups. The camera zooms out so I can see all of the groups before asking me if everything is correct. Confirming it, the game pulls up another message right in the middle of the screen dimming everything behind it.
What is your name? ____
I pause for a moment before deciding that a default name would be alright.
Your name is Storm?
[X] Yes [ ] No
Warning: Once you have confirmed your choices you will be unable to change them. Are you sure everything is correct?
[X] Yes [ ] No
Confirming that everything was correct, my character picks up all the cards and starts walking towards an illuminated wooden door, the camera following her until she opens it and steps into the light beyond. The scene fades to white as the light engulfs the camera.
Saving, do not turn off your computer.
Glancing at the computer clock I’m surprised to see it’s already midnight. With a sigh, I walk over to the two foot fridge and take a bottle of water from it. Unscrewing the cap, I take a swig and walk into the bathroom.
Closing the door behind me I answer nature’s call. Opening the door once the dirty deed is done, I find myself staring at two guys who are trying to cram my laptop into my backpack. We all freeze for a moment, but they shake off the shock quicker than I do. The lean guy on the right drops the backpack and jumps over the coffee table. In a knee jerk reaction, I throw the half empty water bottle at him. My makeshift projectile flies true and hits him right above his right eye, the robber yelps and stumbles as his feet hit the floor, slamming into the wall right next to me. Reacting on instinct, I kick him in the one place a man should never be kicked. He yells out a string of profanity as he drops to the floor, cradling his family jewels.
I turn to the other robber just in time for him to introduce his meaty fist to my face. I feel my feet leave the ground and the next moment a sharp pain shoots through my neck. Blinking away the stars I can see the two guys scrambling towards the kitchen. I try to get up, but I can’t move.
‘...What?’ I think, trying to get up. Fear grips my heart once I realize I can’t move my body, and I can’t breathe. I panic as my vision blurs and I realize what happened. I try to move, to breathe, to do anything. My thoughts, screaming in denial as my senses shut down, slow to a crawl.
Your adventure is over.
‘What?’ I think when two buttons appear in front of me.
[X] New Game [ ] Quit
I pause for a moment trying to figure out what is happening, before hesitantly reaching out somehow and hitting “New Game.”
Everything fades to black and I suddenly feel like I’m falling. The sensation quickly passes when I feel something pushing down on me. ‘Wait… I’m moving? How?.. And why... is it so hard… to think?’ I feel incredibly disoriented as a cold feeling washes over me and a pair of hands grab me. I can’t think and the cold air is chilling me to the bone. I whimper and start crying as I feel the hands holding me wrap something around me. While it does restore some warmth, it does little to stop my crying. That changes as soon as I feel someone else take hold of me, restoring even more warmth. They also seem to be trying to comfort me, humming softly and rocking me gently back and forth. I can hear someone talking, but I can’t focus at all. It sounds like they are speaking gibberish.
“(Congratulations Windy, you’re the mother of a healthy pegasus filly.)” A gritty old voice whispers in front of me. The one holding me chuckles quietly before replying in a worn out whisper.
“(Oh shut up you old bull. I swear, if you become a bad influence on her I’ll put you in the ground myself.)”
“(...Do you have a name for her?)”
“(Actually, I do… Her name is Storm.)”
The one holding me stops rocking me back and forth, and a steady heartbeat fills my ears. Exhaustion washes over me and within seconds I am carried off into the land of dreams.
“(Good night my little angel, and welcome to Equestria.)”
Prologue: Foalhood Part 1
I stir as something moves, pulling me into a warm embrace. Blinking my eyes open, I groan as the siren call of sleep is quickly chased away by the rising sun. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” I hear someone whisper above me before kissing the back of my head.
“Moooom!” I groan as the limb holding me tightens. I try to move my wings in front of my eyes to block out the sun and its evil sleep destroying rays, only to find they are pinned to my back. “It’s too early to get up,” I whisper.
“Come on Storm, if you don’t wake up then you won’t get breakfast!” Mother explains in a sing-song voice. Her arms shift until they are right below my ribs, “You know what happens to little fillies who don’t get up, don’t you?”
My eyes shoot open as I feel her press her fingers against my sides, I struggle with all my might, but the she-demon’s grip is like steel. “They get tickled!” the monster exclaims, digging her torture devices into my sides. I am completely defenseless against the onslaught, unable to fight back, I am reduced to howling my anguish with a grin on my face as I thrash against my attacker.
“Mo-M-Moooom! S-s-s-s-Stooop!” I choke out through my peals of laughter. The demon releases her hold on me, and I quickly roll out of her reach. It’s a little uncomfortable rolling on my wings, but being out of the monster’s reach is well worth it.
Clutching my sides, I roll on the ground, trying to get my laughter under control. I can hear hoofsteps coming up to me, and once my giggling is down to a tolerable level I open my eyes to look my attacker in the face. She is tall, almost as tall as the trees that we spent the night around, with a blue coat so deep it reminds me of the sapphire she brought back after one of her “runs”. Her wings are enormous, with every blue feather sleek and shiny somehow. Her mane blends in with the top of the trees and their green leaves. She’s wearing a green shirt and a worn out pair of jeans. She reaches down and picks me up off the forest floor, patting down my back and dislodging the few leaves stuck in my fur and clothes.
“You’re so mean,” I tell her in a high pitched voice, hitting her arm.
“Well I wouldn’t have to be mean if you listened the first time. Now go get ready, Iron Hoof wants to get out of this forest by tonight and I’m inclined to agree with him.”
“Alright,” I mumble, racing off towards the wagon.
I can see the other members of our little family as I get closer to the wagon. Iron Hoof is immediately recognizable, the grey Minotaur towers over the rest of the family, and the black metal armor he is always wearing makes him stick out like a sore thumb in even the largest crowds. He told me that he wears it to protect himself, but I have a feeling that he likes to wear it because he wants to be the hero in shining armor just like in the stories he tells around the campfire at night. I slow down, however, once I realize that he is arguing with Snow.
My sister once challenged me to summarize everyone in the family in three words. The three words that summarize Snow the best are: white, angry, and cooking. She is completely white from her horn down to her hooves, and whenever Mom and Gale come back from one of their “runs” covered in scratches she always yells at them for being reckless or something before healing them with her magic. She is also the best cook in the world.
“–You are going to be the one hunting for berries when she starts getting hungry,” I hear Snow saying to Iron while waving a large wooden spoon in his face.
“Snow, you know I am usually all for having breakfast around the fire, but there is something different about the forest today. Save a bowl of soup for the little whirlwind but we need to get going.”
“I have to agree with Iron on this one Snow,” I hear Gale say, stepping out from behind Iron Hoof. “There’s something in the air, it almost feels like a dungeon, and if this forest is turning into one I don’t want to stick around.”
“Oh so now you’re afraid of dungeons? That’s rich coming from you, Gale. You race off with Wind Reader every time you feel a dungeon nearby, and now when a forest that has been here for years starts smelling a little weird you get scared?”
“No,” Gale starts, clicking his beak in irritation. “I am worried about what Storm and Octavia would do if this place does turn into a dungeon.”
“...You know what, fine. Start putting everything in the wagon, just don’t ask me to make anything until we are out of this place.”
Snow marches off into the trees, leaving me with Gale and Iron. Mom told me that Gale Mist is a griffin, but I’m not entirely sure she’s right. Sure he has a chipped beak and jagged talons, and he likes to eat meat from time to time, but every griffin I have seen has these huge wings, all Gale has are these little stumps on his upper back that are usually covered by bulky red metal armor. All in all he looks more like a large brown earth pony with a beak… Although Mom told me to never say that in front of him.
Gale sighs and grabs a bowl on the edge of the wagon with an armored talon. “Come on Storm, here’s your breakfast,” he says, dipping a ladle into a pot in the wagon. I pull myself up into the wagon and take the bowl with a silver spoon in it. Putting a black lid on the cauldron, Iron Hoof pushes it back until it hits the strapped down boxes in the front, right in between the rolled up sleeping bags.
“Are we just about ready?” a melodic voice asks behind me. Turning around, I find a grey earth pony with a white mane walking up to Iron Hoof, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. Treble is my sister’s mom, and whenever Mom and Gale go off to explore a dungeon she always sings me and Octavia to sleep. She also knows exactly what to say to make someone feel better.
“Just about,” Iron rumbles as I carefully step off the wagon cradling my breakfast. “Just need to get everyone together and we’ll be on our way.”
“Octavia should be back in a little bit, she’s washing herself off in the stream from yesterday… Storm, do you think you could go find Bob and tell him it’s almost time to go?”
I look up at Treble and carefully nod my head, making sure to not spill any of my soup. Walking around the wagon, I start eating as I search for my quarry. A shiver runs down my spine as the soup works its magic, and in an instant I feel like I could run around the world and then wrestle Iron to the ground without breaking a sweat. My wings flutter for a moment and for a brief second I feel my hooves leave the ground. I glance over my right shoulder at my blue wings. New feathers are growing in, but the wings themselves still aren’t strong enough to allow me to fly. Mom says that when they’re ready she’ll teach me how to fly and I can’t wait.
I realize that I am daydreaming a moment later and quickly get back to my mission. Scanning the small clearing I see Bob leaning against a large tree at the very edge of camp. Bob is an earth pony with a black coat and a green mane. He has always been a little… strange. He doesn’t like the cornbread that Snow makes, and he sometimes just completely disappears. He doesn’t laugh when Iron Hoof tells a funny story, and some of the things he says doesn’t make sense. I mean, why would a mare beg him for a sausage when she could go to a market and get some from a merchant like Iron? I asked Mom about it, but she said I wouldn’t understand…
“Hey Bob!” I call out to get his attention. “Treble says it’s almost time to go!” I tell him as he starts walking over to me.
“Very well, I will be ready to leave when needed.”
“Okay,” I tell him before gulping down the soup and racing back to the wagon.
I turn around the front of the wagon and abruptly stop as I slam into someone. I blink and shake my head from my place on the ground before looking at who I bumped into.
She’s an earth pony with grey fur and a long black mane. She’s wearing a white shirt with a black coat over it along with a pair of black pants. Well, a wet shirt and coat, the remains of my breakfast dripping down the formal attire.
“Really?!? I just got done washing my coat!” Octavia said in a slightly whiny tone.
“Sorry Octavia,” I mumble, looking anywhere except at the earth pony.
She lets out an explosive sigh before waving it off, “It’s fine, I’ll just wash it again tonight, your mother is looking for you, by the way.” My ears perk up at this and I tilt my head to the side as Octavia points over her shoulder.
I can see Mom stuffing things into a bag that she promptly slings over her shoulder. I quickly pick myself up and rush over to her after muttering another apology to my sister. With the morning starting so quickly I had completely forgotten to pack my things. Racing over to where Mom is, I grab my discarded blue bag and hurriedly start stuffing my belongings in it. The blue and green blanket Treble made me is the first item stuffed in, shortly followed by my locked dream journal, my quill and inkwell, and the dagger Mom gave me for my sixth birthday.
“Come on Storm, we’re leaving!” I hear Mom yell.
“Coming!” Doing one last sweep of the campground, once I am satisfied that I didn’t leave anything behind, I start running after the moving wagon.
I’m sitting in the back of the wagon with Treble and Octavia trying to look at the entire forest. Something’s wrong, Mom is wearing her armor and is fingering her daggers. She keeps looking over her shoulder as she walks beside the wagon, and Gale is doing exactly the same. I mean, he’s usually wearing his armor, but after several hours weaving between the trees he climbed in the wagon and got his great axe out of one of the strapped boxes.
I’ve seen them fight before, and Mom has been training me to use the dagger she gave me for my last birthday, but I’ve never seen them so… agitated.
The entire family is silent as we trek through the forest, and as much as I want to ask Snow to teach me more of her recipes I can’t bring myself to break the spell cast over our little band. Setting a determined frown on my face I reach into my bag, and grab my dream journal along with my quill and inkwell.
I straighten out my legs and set the inkwell between them and the floorboards, I wasn’t going to repeat washing the ink out of my fur like the last time I set it on unsteady ground. I put in the combination for the lock on the worn brown book and open it to the first blank page available. Dipping my slightly bent quill in the inkwell, I push the point to paper and start writing.
I had another nightmare last night, the one where I can’t move as the shadow creatures attack me. I still don’t understand what they are saying, I mean… “Draco has entered your world?” What does that mean?
...I’m scared. Mom and Gale are acting like they are expecting a battle, and even Snow has her staff out. Snow never brings her staff out unless someone is really hurt. There’s something wrong with the forest itself, it’s completely silent other than the noise we are making, and I can’t help but think that it is trying to hide from something.
Iron Hoof is right, I don’t want to spend another day in this place.
Storm
I close the book slowly, making sure to not make a sound, and quietly stuff my belongings back in my bag. Clutching the bag to my chest, I lie down on on the hard floorboards and close my eyes, hoping that we’ll be out of here soon. No matter how hard I try though, I can’t go to sleep. I toss and turn, but I can’t seem to get comfortable.
On my next turn, I feel someone grab me around the ribs from behind. Blinking my eyes open I look up to see a grey muzzle above me. “Go to sleep, Storm,” Octavia mumbles, pulling me into an embrace.
Listening to her steady heartbeat, I close my eyes and do exactly that.
A History Lesson With Iron Hoof.
I can feel a large hand shaking my shoulder, trying to wake me up. Groaning, I crack open my eyelids to find the giant frame of Iron Hoof looking down on me. “Come on Storm, wake up. Dinner’s ready, and there are a few things you need to know before we enter the city.”
With a sigh, I push my little hands against the wooden floor of the wagon and haul myself into a sitting position before looking around. We’ve stopped in a large clearing of sorts surrounded by trees that seem to go on forever and are almost tall enough to touch the clouds. Right smack dab in the middle of the clearing is a large black wall that is almost as tall as the trees surrounding it. A large set of wooden double doors is directly in the center of the wall with quite a few individuals standing around it.
Throwing my hands in the air, I stretch my sore muscles and let out a huge yawn to chase away the call of sleep. Blinking, I look to the back of the wagon and see that everyone is crowded around the burning red and orange campfire already. Stumbling to my hooves, I walk over to the edge of the wagon before jumping off, spreading my wings, and running through the grass to join the group.
Racing over to Mom, I sit down between her and Gale, waiting for someone to pass me a bowl of food so I can start eating. “Are you alright staying out here, my little whirlwind?” I hear Mom mutter in my ear. Looking at her, I nod my head with a grin on my face.
“Relax, Reader,” I hear Gale say behind me. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”
“But what if-”
“We’ll be fine.” Gale says, cutting Mom off with a little steel in his voice, “Perfectly fine. Honestly, you worry way too much when we have to come here.”
Mom is silent for a time before sighing and turning to the fire. Gale hands me a grey bowl full of brown soup and a spoon before turning to Iron Hoof beside him. “We have everything ready for tomorrow?” I hear him ask the massive minotaur sitting on a stump.
“Yeah, as soon as they open the gates in the morning we’re good to go.” Iron Hoof starts as I eat, “We’ve got the twenty bottles of antivenom for the griffin contract, which will get us the fifty wingblades to complete the order for the mercenary guild on the border. We’ve got the ironbark staff we’re using for tribute, and Bob knows a few groups that will pay through the nose for our little secret.”
“How much are we looking at for this round?”
“If everything goes according to plan? Two hundred.”
I pause for a moment with the spoon halfway to my mouth before turning my head to Iron Hoof, “We’re only getting two hundred bits for this?” I ask with a frown. I’ve seen some of the numbers that our little family deals with, mostly when I look over the large minotaur’s shoulder when he thinks he’s alone and writes everything out. A three digit figure doesn’t exactly seem impressive when I’ve seen him doing math with five and six digit figures.
Iron Hoof snorts and looks at me with an amused expression. “Add a few more zeros, Storm.”
“...Ohhh…” I say before turning my attention back to my soup.
“A few more zeros on what?” I hear Snow ask as I eat my dinner.
“If everything goes according to plan we’re making out with two hundred thousand.”
“Really?” I hear Snow ask in a disbelieving tone.
“Yeah.”
“The egg is worth that much?”
“Well what do you expect? They are some of the most powerful individuals on Terra. To get an egg from a nest you would have to kill the parents. How many individuals do you know that are able to kill a full grown dragon?”
“...Touché.”
“So, we’ve got all our goods ready for tomorrow. Treble, are you going to need anything for the next two days?”
The grey earth pony shakes her head slowly. “Just leave us some paper, quills, and food. We can take care of the rest if we need it.”
“Can you tell us a story?” I cut in before Iron Hoof can respond. I can see him roll his eyes before chuckling. Looking around, I can see everyone else is waiting on his answer as well.
“Alright, I guess the rest can wait until morning, what do you want to hear about?”
“Uhhh… What about, ‘The First World’?”
“Ahh, so you want to hear about the gods, ehh? Ha! Well have I got a story for you.” Iron starts as the flames of the fire seem to dim in response to the story beginning. “It all starts on a planet known only as ‘The First World’, but make no mistake, this was not a planet of peace and love. Eight races roamed ‘The First World’, where every day was a struggle for survival. Even though the world seemingly tried to kill them every step of the way, the races supported each other and thrived on it.
“The Zebras supported the races by discovering ways to help the ill and the weak survive and grow stronger, their shamans discovering how to cure even the deadliest of diseases. The Ponies found that they could grow food from the earth and clean the air and the water that threatened to kill the races. The Minotaurs created shelters for the races so they could protect themselves from the elements.The Diamond Dogs dug into the world and harvested the precious minerals found there needed to build the structures to protect the races. The Griffins explored the world and guided the other races to new lands to expand their influence. Finally, the Buffalo, the Yaks, and the Dragons defended the other races against forces they couldn’t.
“It might sound like a utopia to some, and it might have been for a while, but nothing good ever lasts. No one knows what started it, but the races began to turn on each other. Personally, I believe it was the Griffins-”
“Heeeyyy,” Gale said in an annoyed tone.
“Oh be quiet, you wanted a story just as much as everyone else here so stop complaining. Now where was I? Ahh yes, for you see, while the world might be a very large place, it does not go on forever. With no new land to settle, the Griffins quickly found themselves fighting over the known land. Resources began to dwindle as the races continued to grow in number, and when faced with the choice of self preservation or supporting each other, the races became selfish, believing themselves to be more important than their neighbors. The end result… was war.
“Alliances were formed and bloody battles were fought. The difference between the war on ‘The First World’ and the wars in Terra’s history… Is that there was no death toll in what many call, ‘The First War’, instead death was measured in percent of the population left alive.
“Every race fought until they were nearing extinction, and it was only after both the Buffalo and the Yaks were both completely erased from the world did ‘They’ step in.
“On the battlefield of what was supposed to be the final confrontation between the races, seven figures appeared in a blaze of light. The ground beneath them heaved and the air shook with their power, the races fell to their knees as the seven figures looked down on them in disdain. They never revealed themselves before that moment, but the races knew as they looked upon the figures that they were their gods and goddesses.
“The seven figures declared that the war was over. There was to be no more bloodshed, and that they would lead the races themselves if the races could not be trusted to…
“The thing about gods… is that they reflect the race they represent. It did not take long for the gods and goddesses to start fighting among themselves… A war among the gods and goddesses of ‘The First World’... It paints a terrifying image, does it not?
“It didn’t come to that however. No, that would have been too simple. Instead an eighth figure appeared…
“This being… marked the beginning of the end.
“The gods and goddesses of the races met with this being, asking why it was in ‘The First World’... It laughed. It laughed at them.
“Naturally the gods and goddesses of the races took offense to this and demanded to be shown the respect they deserved…
“The being looked at the seven gods and goddesses and asked them a question.
“‘Do you really deserve respect? I for one don’t think so, after all, you really are just pitiful excuses for gods.’
“They engaged the being in combat, determined to silence it once and for all…
“It was a long battle with neither side gaining the upper hand… Until the Zebra goddess made the mistake of stopping for a moment.
“The being chained her in the air, unable to move in that moment. It appeared before her as she tried to free herself and promptly made her vanish.”
“Like… poof?” I ask, making a expanding motion with my little hands.
“Poof.” The minotaur agreed, mimicking the motion.
“The being summoned a monster in her place and with that the fight was two against six.
“The fight went downhill for the gods and goddesses after that, and soon afterwards the being made another of their ranks vanish and summoned another monster in its stead.
“With their numbers down to five, the gods and goddesses devised a plan to ensure that the races would stay safe even if they fell to the being.
“Two of the remaining gods and goddesses stayed behind in order to buy the other three time. The two Pony goddesses known as The Sisters and the Diamond Dog god gathered the races, and in the most impressive display of power ever recorded in history, The Sisters opened a door to another world.”
“Ummm, Iron Hoof?” I start in a curious voice.
“Hm?”
“What are Diamond Dogs?”
The minotaur chuckles a little and scratches the back of his head. “Well, you know them as ‘The Damned’.”
“Ohhh… That doesn’t make sense though, ‘The Damned’ serve ‘The Mad God’, don’t they?”
“Well if you allow me to finish the story it would make sense.”
“...Sorry,” I mumble, looking at the ground.
Iron Hoof sighs. “Now, where was I? ...The remaining gods and goddesses gathered the races and opened a door to another world. Unfortunately, not everyone made it. The two gods keeping the being’s attention were trapped on ‘The First World’ and the Diamond Dogs were left behind… condemned by their own god for their greed.
“The Sisters and the Diamond Dog god locked the path to ‘The First World’ behind them beyond a giant set of doors later named, ‘The Gates of Tartarus’. Many believe that the three divine beings are still keeping a vigil over the Gates, in the center of Everfree, to ensure that the being known as ‘The Mad God’ does not come to this world.
“And that… Is how the world we know as Terra was born.”
The group is silent for a time before we all start clapping. Iron Hoof stands up and takes an exaggerated bow, “Thank you. Thank you, really you’re too kind.”
With the story over, our little family unpacks the sleeping bags from the wagon. Bob and Gale are picked to be the lookouts tonight, and looking up at the star filled sky, I am quickly lulled to sleep.
“Good morning!” a voice says in a cheerful manner above me. Groaning in response, I flatten my ears against my head and roll away from the voice. For my efforts I am rewarded with a poke just beneath my ribs that almost makes me giggle. Cracking open my eyelids, I see Treble standing over me with a smile on her muzzle and a bowl in her hands, “Come on sleepyhead, breakfast is ready.”
I scrape the crust out of my eyes and crawl out of my sleeping bag before taking the bowl from her and standing up, ruffling my wings in the cool morning air. Looking around, I see that the wagon is gone and Mom, Iron Hoof, and Bob are nowhere in sight. Gale is sleeping against a tree, Octavia is writing something on the stump Iron Hoof was using yesterday, and Snow is putting out the campfire by kicking dirt on it.
“They’ve already left, Storm.”
“...Aww,” I mumble in disappointment.
“Oh don’t be like that,” she says, patting my back right between my wings. “We have two full days with just the five of us. Now eat your oats, we have a long day ahead of us and I want to see how your math is coming along.”
“Alright,” I mumble as Treble walks off. My shoulders slump at the thought of having to multiply numbers all day long. Staring into the oats in my hands, I tilt the bowl left and right, watching it snake from side to side as I throw off the last remains of sleep.
‘...Why can’t we wait for Iron Hoof to get back so he can teach me about numbers?’
Author's Note
Writing this chapter, I realized just how large this world is going to be, and unlike my other two stories I actually have the next three chapters planned out.
...This is going to be a wild ride to say the least.
I stare at the brown book in my lap, my slightly bent black quill hovering over the blank open pages. The math problems Treble gave me, completed, are on a paper lying on the grass next to my legs. With an explosive sigh I put the quill to paper and start writing.
The dreams came back last night. I’m not sure if I should be worried or relieved. The mare who looks like an older me finds me and asks if I want to join her party. We head off into a dead forest while she mumbles about something called stats, and we eventually get into a fight with wolves made of dead wood. The older me would somehow kill them all with two daggers and then start mumbling about “level ups.”
All in all the mare is just as strange as ever, and she still won’t answer my questions…
Why can’t grown ups ever give me a simple answer to my questions?
Sighing once again, I close my dream journal and put the cork in the inkwell before reaching behind me and placing the items back in my bag. Digging out the blanket Treble made me, I quickly roll it into a ball and place it behind me. I shuffle forward a little before lying down. The blanket rests right between my wings as I stare up at the blue sky and watch a single cloud drift its way across the endless expanse. It’s times like this, with a gentle breeze flowing through my mane, that the world just seems to disappear.
“You done with your math problems?” I hear a melodic voice ask behind me. Tilting my head back I see an upside down Treble looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Mhm,” I hum an affirmative, as my right hand snatches the papers beside me off the ground and holds them up to her.
She takes them and looks over the papers with a critical eye. “...Alright, I don’t see any mistakes, so you’re free for the rest of the day. Are you hungry?” I open my mouth but my stomach beats me to it, rumbling loudly in response. Treble chuckles as I feel my entire face heating up. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, lunch is ready.”
I look at Treble for a moment before climbing to my hooves and stuffing the blanket in my bag. We walk over to the campfire everyone is sitting around where Snow hands each of us a bowl filled with with berries of various sizes and colors.
Gale opens his beak once I start eating, “Once you two are done, grab your daggers, I’m going to be showing you a few things you ca-”
BOOOM
I start coughing as a berry gets lodged in my throat, before I could do anything a wall of wind slams into my panic spread wings and I am sent flying backwards. My vision blurs as my head slams into something hard, and a moment later the world falls silent as everything fades into darkness.
I am racing between the trees in a dead run. Something is chasing me, I can hear it crashing through the forest behind me. I don’t know what it is, but I know I can’t let it catch me. I push myself to run faster as a bloodcurdling screech tears through the air. Despite my best efforts I can hear the creature catching up as the sound of dead trees being crushed gets louder.
I trip on a root, and I feel the creature charge past me as I fall to the forest floor. I skid across a layer of dead leaves and branches for a moment before coming to a stop. From my position on the forest floor, I look up and see the creature that is chasing me for the first time.
The thing is an abomination, with three twig like arms attached to a deformed black body with giant red bubbles protruding from it at random points. It is standing on two legs that shouldn’t be able to support it and are bending in two different directions. The arms don’t end in hands, but some clawlike appendages that are longer than the arms themselves.
I scream, scrambling to my hooves and running back the way I had just come from. The abomination screeches again before I hear it coming after me once more. It’s catching up much faster now, seeing as I have to jump over some of the stumps the creature left in its path of destruction, or risk it catching me as I climb over the toppled trees. I turn right once I come up to the next stump, hedging my bets and hoping that the monster can’t turn as well as it can charge. My gamble pays off when I hear the monster crashing through several toppled trees trying to stop, although my victory is short lived as I hear something else crashing through the trees in front of me. Turning around once more I see the monster obliterating the trees in its path, its claw like appendages outstretched as if to grab me.
I’m paralyzed in fear, the long black claws inches away from my face. A moment later something roars behind me, and a giant green mass of muscles and fur launches past me and tackles the abomination to the ground.
I stand motionless as I watch the massive green earth pony with a black mane beat the monster senseless. The stallion isn’t wearing a shirt, and a large shredded pair of purple pants is the only thing keeping him from being completely naked.
“Storm?!?” The sound of my name being called behind me snaps me out of my stunned stupor. Tearing my eyes away from the earth pony mauling the monster, I look behind me and see the mare from my dreams running towards me.
She doesn’t seem to be doing very well since the last time I saw her. The left side of her face is wrapped in bandages, and her right wing is bending in a place it shouldn’t. She’s wearing a green outfit similar to the one Mom wears when she is fighting, although I can see several places where the cloth has been cut by something. The mare skids to a halt, falling to her knees as she looks me over. “Are you hurt? Did that thing catch you?”
I shake my head, looking at her with wide eyes as she sighs in relief. She picks me up with her left arm and cradles me against her side. Wrapping my arms around the back of her neck, I can see over her shoulder. The mare turns around before she starts running and I see the earth pony standing over the unmoving monster with his shoulders heaving. The stallion’s head shoots up as the forest comes alive with sound. I thought the monster was loud when it charged through the trees, but now it sounds like an entire army of them is marching towards us. With a challenging roar, the stallion rushes off into the trees, hiding what I can only guess are more of the abominations.
“Wait!” I cry out, turning my face towards the mare carrying me.
“No can do, Storm!” she yells back, jumping over the fallen trees on the path without slowing down.
“We have to help him!”
“He can take care of himself!”
“He can, can’t he?” a voice asks beside me. Looking over, I come face to face with another earth pony stallion running beside us. Although, if the first earth pony was a mass of fur and muscle, than this stallion is nothing but fur and bones. He has a white coat of fur with a green mane; he wears a very professional looking purple jacket with a slightly lighter purple button up shirt, a pair of purple pants completes his wardrobe. Even though he dresses like someone important, the look on his face leaves no doubt that this stallion isn’t exactly right in the head, with the blood red lips stretched into a smile too wide to be normal and the black substance surrounding his eyes. When he looks at me, I feel a shiver go up my spine and wish that he would stop. “I mean, it’s not like they have anything that is powerful enough to actually take him down.”
“Clown, do you have something to report, or did you just come here to make Storm uncomfortable?”
The stallion gasps and clutches a black gloved hand to his chest, “Me? Make someone uncomfortable? Perish the thought, my good mare. I only came to tell you that the safe house in sector J has been secured.”
The older me is silent for a moment before slowing down. “You’re still going back in the cage after this is over, you know that right?”
The stallion sighs before spreading his hands. “Really, girl, why are you always so serious? You need to smile more.”
The older me just stares at the stallion,the silence between them growing thicker with each passing second until the mare runs past him without saying a word.
“Now that’s just cold, Jack!” the stallion yells as his form is swallowed by the dead trees.
We continue on in silence for a while, my temporary guardian weaving through the trees like it’s second nature to her. “Who was that stallion?” I ask, wanting to break the unnatural silence any way possible.
“Someone you should never listen to… ever.”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you once we get to the safe house. Now hush, we don’t want to attract any more monsters, do we?”
The thought of meeting another one of those things makes me tighten my grip on my guardian and keeps my muzzle shut. I don’t know how long we run through the woods, but eventually the mare starts slowing down. Looking over my shoulder I can see a rectangular building made out of wood sitting in a small clearing next to a stream.
The mare walks right up to the building before quickly slipping inside and closing the wooden door behind her. She pauses for a moment before moving to a sectioned off part of the building, once inside I can see a large bed with a bunch of different colored bottles on a nightstand next to it. She carefully places me on the bed before looking over the assorted bottles, giving me a green colored one after a moment.
“Drink.”
I blink before taking the neck of the bottle in my hand. Bringing the container to my face, I try to smell the contents, only to find that whatever it is doesn’t have a smell. Shrugging I drink some of the liquid. I immediately feel exhausted, the bottle dropping out of my hand a moment before my head hits the comfortable pillow.
I frown as I watch the little filly in the bed fade out of existence. The fact that she was coherent for as long as she was in here makes me wonder just how badly we are messed up.
“You can’t hide us from her forever you know.” Turning around I see the stallion who informed me that this safe house was secured leaning against the far wall and fingering the sharp edge of a knife. “She’s going to have to embrace us all eventually. She won’t survive if she isn’t the best.”
“So she needs to become a sociopath in order to be the best?” I sneer, walking towards the door.
“She needs to learn that sometimes we must do unpleasant things in order to achieve our goals, and learn how to live with herself afterwards…” I pause with my hand resting on the doorframe to the main room. “She’ll have to kill someone eventually, Jack. That’s just a fact, given the world that we live in now.
“Now then, if we influence her so that she dislikes taking the lives of others, then how long do you think she will last before she breaks? Ten kills, twenty? Or maybe she will soldier on until we lose count of how many bodies litter the ground because of us.”
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” I growl.
“Oh really? Then tell me, when was the last time you picked up a dagger as yourself?” I turn my head and glare at the stallion over my shoulder. “When was the last time you fought without a mask?” The stallion reaches up and grabs his face before his form blurs, and a moment later I’m looking at a pegasus mare with a blue coat of fur and a black mane, the left side of her face bandaged and one of her blue wings bent where it shouldn’t. “Because to me,” the doppelganger starts. “It looks like you’re still running away.”
I clench my teeth, and glare at the mare with undisguised loathing. I finally tear my eyes away from her and march towards the door leading outside. “...Goodbye, Joker.”
Author's Note
Does anyone even read the Author's notes?
View Online
We Don't Remember The Days... We Remember The Moments.
I groan as I regain consciousness, only to wince as a surge of pain shoots up my back before smashing into my head. My hands rocket towards my head only to find that something soft and warm is restricting them at my elbows. The things restricting me tighten and press my back against something else warm and soft. I whimper and curl in on myself as someone starts making soothing sounds above me.
“Shhhhhh, it’s alright Storm, Mom’s here. I won’t let anything happen to you, alright?” I hear my Mom whisper right above my head. My breath quickens as another surge of pain shoots through my skull and I squeeze my eyelids shut tight.
“It hurts,” I manage to whisper, feeling as though someone is swinging a greataxe through my skull again and again. The tiny rays of light stabbing their way through my shut eyelids making me feel as if someone is flailing away at my body with a whip. Thinking hurt, being awake hurt, existing hurt!
I feel my dark sanctum shift, sending another jolt of pain through my head, as Mom starts talking to someone. One of her arms lifts just enough for me to briefly touch my face and feel something rough and sticky covering the left side of it and keeping my left eye shut.
“Storm? Storm, look at me,” I crack my right eyelid open and look up at Mom’s blurry face. She’s holding something in her hand but I can’t really make out what it is. “Eat this Storm, it will help with the pain.” Squeezing my eyes shut again I take the thing in a shaky hand and pop it in my mouth. Another jolt of pain shoots through my skull as I bite down on the thing. Every bite sounds like an explosion in my ears as a bitter liquid bursts from the thing. I force myself to swallow the stuff and focus on keeping myself breathing. The spasms of pain slow down a little bit, seeming only to happen when I exhale, leading me to take very deep breaths, hoping to stop it all together.
I don’t know how much time passes but the stabbing pain in my head eventually becomes nothing but a dull throb in the back of my skull. My thoughts slow to a crawl and a moment later the world slips away as sleep takes me.
I groan as I regain consciousness once again. My head is still throbbing, but I’m not in nearly as much pain as before. I can still feel something wrapped around my ribs and pressed against my back. I push myself against the warm wall of fur and snuggle in, trying to get comfortable.
“Feeling better, my little whirlwind?” I hear Mom whisper above me.
“Mhmmm,” I mumble in response, wincing as one last surge of pain goes through my head when I nod an affirmative.
“Don’t move too much, Storm,” Mom says before yawning loudly. “Snow says that while that berry will help with the pain, you’re still pretty banged up. You’re not leaving the wagon for a few days, and no physical activities until Snow says you’re good to go.” She shifts a little bit before the entire world seems to tilt, leaving me disoriented for a moment and forcing me to open my right eye to see what’s happening. We’re sitting up in the wagon with Mom’s blue feathery wings wrapped around us, blocking out the world. My stomach doesn’t like it when the world tilts, and lets its opinion be known with a surge of bile traveling up my throat and out my muzzle, all over Mom’s arms and trickling down my blue pants.
I can feel Mom’s hold on me tighten a little as she winces and folds her wings against her back. “Treble,” I hear Mom call off to the left in an exhausted tone. “You were right, get the bucket and the brush.”
I try to steady my breathing as my eyes start to water from the stinging smell assaulting my nose. I can hear someone approaching, but the involuntary response of emptying my stomach has left me dazed and weak. “I told you she would,” I hear Treble sigh before dropping something beside us and hearing her climb in. The grey mare crawls on her hands and knees in front of us before leaning in and looking at us with scrutinizing squinted eyes. “You both look horrible,” she says before reaching forward… only to turn her judgemental gaze towards Mom as she leans back slightly. “Now, Wind.” Treble starts in a voice with a hint of steel in it. “This can go one of two ways. You can give Storm to me, go wash up in the nearby stream and go get something to eat by the campfire, or I can have Bob pry Storm out of your arms and drag you away kicking and screaming by your mane… It’s your choice.”
I squirm in Mom’s grip a little bit as her arms tighten around me for a moment before they relax and fall to my stomach. Treble leans forward again and lifts me up by my armpits before laying me down on an assortment of blankets in the wagon. “I’ll just…” Mom starts before sighing and getting to her hooves. I watch her walk away slowly until she drops out of sight, feeling Treble undoing my bile covered pants at the bottom of my vision. I wiggle a little bit feeling uncomfortable lying down on my wings despite the soft expanse I feel beneath me.
“Stop it,” Treble says as she tugs my pants off and leaves my lower body with only my boxers in the cool night air. Shivering slightly as my body adjusts to the sudden change, I try to focus on anything but the scrubbing brush I can feel thoroughly cleaning my legs. My eyes quickly settle on the one thing that is taking up most of my sight.
“Treble?” I start in an inquisitive voice, raising my head slightly to look at the mare, she pauses for a moment and looks at me with a weary gaze. “Can you tell me about the stars?”
Treble looks at me for a moment before chuckling and shaking her head, “Well dear, I can’t tell you very much about them. If you really want to learn about them than ask Bob or Snow, they could tell you a lot more than I could.”
I blink my right eye before returning my attention to the starry night sky. The countless lights illuminating the endless expanse make me think of questions I never really put much thought into before.
“Whatcha thinking about, Whirlwind?” I hear a gruff voice ask to my right. Turning my head slightly, I see Gale leaning against the side of the wagon with his head being supported by his armored claws crossed over each other.
I look back up at the night sky before opening my mouth, “Do you think we’ll ever be able to reach the stars, Gale?”
“...Well, it depends.”
“On what?”
“On if we’re determined enough to reach them.”
“But what if we fail?”
“Then we’ll get back up and try again.”
“What if it’s impossible?”
“...Storm, look at me,” I blink before looking over at him. He’s standing up with his head leaning over the tiny wooden wall and staring at me with slitted eyes. He lifts a armored claw and points it in my face, “Nothing… is impossible. Impossible, is just a word that some individuals use to describe what hasn’t been done yet. Your mother has proven that to me more times than I can count, and if you think we will reach the stars some day… Then I have no doubt that you will be the first one to touch them.”
I don’t know how long I lie there staring at Gale, but I eventually turn my eye back to the sky. Gale sighs and a moment later I can hear him walking away, his armored paws noisily marking his journey back towards the campfire.
I blink as I hear Treble sigh. “Well, you’re clean at least. I’ll go get you some food, just wait right there.” My stomach grumbles loudly at the mention of food, but I can’t even be embarrassed when Treble chuckles as my thoughts are consumed by what Gale told me.
‘Nothing… is impossible.’
My thoughts turn briefly to the tales Iron Hoof tells by the campfire. ‘The Sisters’ opening the path to Terra from ‘The First World,’ to ‘Sir Lance’ the earth pony ranger who single handedly held ‘The Bridge of the Ancients’ for three days straight against the Minotaur Army, to 'The Griffin King Horus' who could create tornadoes that could level mountains… To Princess Cadance, who raises the sun, and to Queen Chrysalis, who raises the moon.
“Nothing… is impossible,” I whisper to the stars.
It’s strange waking up in the wagon, wrapped in my sleeping bag with the blanket Treble made me acting as a pillow. Although this pales in comparison to looking up with my one good eye and seeing Bob just sitting there staring at me. I can hear the rest of the family whispering to each other all around us, and I can feel the wagon moving across the uneven road. Despite all of this, Bob and I just continue to stare at each other like nothing is happening.
“...Bob?” I start in an inquisitive tone, his right ear flicks before he blinks and raises an eyebrow. “...You’re really weird sometimes, you know that right?” He chuckles in response before he raises his head.
“Hey,” he calls out. “Guess who’s awake.”
My right eye widens as a second later Mom’s face is inches away from my own, and I am pulled into a smothering hug. It only lasts a second before my head hits my makeshift pillow once again but it still leaves me stunned. Glancing down I can see Treble glaring at Mom as she holds her wrists. “Really?” Treble starts in an agitated voice, “We went over this last night, Wind. Storm doesn’t need to be held, Snow needs to look her over and make sure she’s alright, got it?” Mom’s wings flare out, only to snap shut when Treble jabs a finger in her face, “Got it?” she repeats with exaggerated patience.
I can see Mom’s hands clenching and unclenching as she glares daggers at Treble before she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she opens them she glares one more time at Treble before opening her mouth, “...I’m going for a walk.” Jerking her wrists out of Treble’s grasp, she walks to the edge of the wagon before jumping down and stomping off into the surrounding trees.
I hear someone sigh to the left of the wagon, “I’ll go make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” Gale says, before the rhythmic clanking of his armored paws follows after Mom.
Our group is silent for a while, the only sounds coming from the forest around us. I hear someone let out an explosive sigh from the front of the wagon before a deep baritone voice says in a sing-song tone, “Our little band of misfits~”
I hear Octavia reply with the next verse a moment later in a high pitched voice, “Always at each other’s throats~”
“We’ve been this way for ten long years~” Snow continues as she climbs into the wagon where I can see her.
“And with a little luck, ten moooore~” Bob finishes, holding a steady note.
I perk up a little bit after the little song is over. It might not be heartsong like Treble uses, but it is a reminder that no matter what, at the end of the day we’ll always be there for each other.
Snow sits down beside me and swings her brown bag off her back before undoing the straps holding her wooden staff in place. Her horn sparks a deep blue color, and the staff starts glowing the same as she waves it back and forth over my body. A soft humming sound fills the air as the staff sweeps in and out of my vision. Snow always does this when Mom and Gale come back from one of their “runs” and she is usually done in a few seconds before placing her staff on their chests and healing them.
I start to feel worried when the humming sound doesn’t stop after the first few seconds. Looking over at Snow, I see a frown on her muzzle as her staff passes over my head. She holds it there for a moment before waving the staff back down my body. She eventually sighs and the humming dies down as the staff stops glowing. Snow straps the staff back on her bag before standing up.
“...Soooo…” Bob says, waving his hands in a circular motion.
“There’s nothing wrong with her,” Snow says over her shoulder, “I think I’m going to go for a walk as well.”
“Bring Gale and Wind back while you’re at it!” I hear Iron Hoof bellow from the front of the wagon.
“Will do!”
I frown at Snow’s retreating form until she jumps off the wagon and out of sight. I push myself into a sitting position and look at Bob, “Why did it take so long?” I ask.
“She just wanted to make sure you were alright, she is, after all, going to have to tell your mother about what she found,” he says, looking down at me.
“Ohhhhh… Bob?”
“Yes?”
“Can I take these bandages off?” I ask, reaching for the rough itchy stuff covering the left side of my face.
“No.” Bob and Treble say in unison.
I frown as I weave my way through the trees, following the prints Gale left behind. I try to feel happy seeing as there is nothing wrong with Storm, but that is exactly what’s worrying me... There is absolutely nothing wrong with Storm.
I tighten my grip on the brown bag slung over my shoulder as I think about what happened. That circular rainbow from three days ago generated enough force to create a literal wall of air. It almost felt like a much stronger version of Wind’s “Dance of Death,” except instead of shaping the air into a blade it shaped the air into a warhammer the size of a colossus. It was also overloaded with harmonic magic.
This rainbow has made a mockery out of two of the three fundamental laws of magic. The first law going untouched as it states: magic can only interact with magic. This is largely overlooked since everything in the world has magic to a certain extent so everything can be influenced by it.
The second law states that: the more magic something has, the more magic is needed to influence it. I can lift a rock by levitating it easily, but if I tried to levitate Princess Cadance or an Ursa Major, which both have huge reserves of magic, it would be like trying to lift an entire ocean with my bare hands.
The third fundamental law of magic is: magic cannot blend with other magic unless certain requirements are met. When these requirements are not met it usually ends with explosive results, which is why most battle mages try to combine two or three spells before they reach the target…
This rainbow was so loaded with magic that Storm shouldn’t have been able to survive it. It shouldn’t have cracked her head open, it should have left her a bloody smear on the tree she collided with. With her natural magic still developing, it should have completely crushed her, or at the very least crippled her. Instead, her natural magic pool now rivals that of her mother, and from what I can tell, it is still growing at an absurd rate!
My frown deepens and I stop completely as I realize something. ‘Her natural magic is already almost as powerful as an adult’s, which should be impossible except when she experiences a surge, and it is still growing… If this is her new normal level of magic,’ I think, glancing up at the sky. ‘Then what will happen if she does surge?’
My eyes widen as another thought crosses my mind, ‘What if Storm’s not the only one?’
I return my focus to the forest around me and set off in the direction of the prints Gale left once again, terrified of what might happen if Wind acquired the same boost of magic, and praying to The Sisters that Gale was able to calm her down if she did.
I continue searching the forest while following the tracks, and I eventually hear someone grunting, along with the sound of metal scraping against metal. Picking up my pace, I finally find the two in the most awkward positions I’ve ever seen them in.
Wind Reader is on the ground with her muzzle being pushed against the dirt by an armored back paw, its twin lying against her back right in between her wings, preventing a full range of motion and pinning one of her arms to her lower back. Gale has a talon gripping one of her hooves from the front, keeping it at a bent acute angle. The other armored talon strains between his legs to hold the hoof still that is inches away from connecting with his family jewels and trying to extend a little further. One of Wind’s daggers is lodged in one of Gale’s shoulder plates and Gale’s great axe is lying off to the side on the forest floor. They’re both glaring daggers at each other and the trembling limbs of both combatants on the ground paints a pretty clear picture that this little scuffle of theirs has ended in a draw.
“...Do I even want to know?” I ask, shaking my head in resignation.
“She started it,” Gale grunts out, “Horse wouldn’t listen to me when I told her that Storm would be fine without her for twenty fucking minutes!”
“Storm neeeeds her mother you fucking turkey, now let go of me before I turn you into a fucking hen!” Wind screeches back.
I shake my head again, ‘Considering they haven’t turned the area into a crater yet I believe that my fear was just a fear.’ Looking at the two once more I address the… probably… more sane of the two, “Gale, you are the only griffin I can think of who has the balls to take on a maternal pegasus worried about her foal.”
“While they might be vicious, you said it yourself.” Gale gasps out, “They’re usually worried about protecting their foal… A worried mind… makes mistakes… I don’t need to be better than her.” Gale takes another gasp of air before letting out a strangled roar and leveraging himself up using Wind’s hooves. Wind starts thrashing around but it’s too late. Gale pulls his hind legs over the hoof Wind was threatening to sterilize him with and collapses on her back just below her wings. “I just need to be smarter,” he finishes while taking the dagger out of his red shoulder plate.
“Turkey!” Wind continues to howl from her position on the forest floor, “Pidgeon! You tartarus damned cat, let me go!”
“Wind Reader!” I yell at the mare, she stops completely before looking at me with almost desperate eyes. ‘By the stars,’ I think to myself. ‘Those sailors weren’t joking when they said a pegasus’ maternal instincts makes them crazy.’ Opening my mouth, I instead tell her in a calming voice, “I’m done looking her over, Storm is perfectly fine. I just need to talk to you about something.”
“If she’s perfectly fine then why do you need to talk to me?” I pause for a moment unsure about how to word this and turn my eyes on Gale. The griffin raises an eyebrow at me and gestures with an armored talon for me to continue.
“As I said before, Storm is perfectly fine. She doesn’t even have a concussion, but-”
“But?” I pause and frown as she interrupts me, “but what? What’s wrong with my little angel? Tell me!” she screeches out.
“...She has an abnormally large magic reserve,” I finish slowly.
Wind just stares at me for a few moments before she opens her mouth, “So it’s… what, an improvement?”
I frown at her answer, “Well, yes and no. Storm’s magic reserves are almost as large as yours are, while this does mean she will be very powerful flyer, it also means that she will need to learn how to control her magic quickly, otherwise she might end up hurting herself and those around her.”
Wind lets out a forced laugh as he eyes dart from side to side, “Just so we’re clear, how serious could these injuries be?”
“If it continues to grow at its current speed, she could create tornadoes that could rip her wings from her back if her magic surges.”
Both fighters are silent for a moment as they look at me with wide disbelieving eyes. “...What?” Gale finally asks as a armored talon slowly reaches for his upper back where his wings used to be.
Wind’s reaction is a lot less subtle as she starts thrashing around on the ground again. “Hey!” I yell, marching over to the two as Gale struggles to keep his position. Leaning down I grab Wind’s free arm and pin it to the ground with a white hand before looking her in the eye. “You’re not thinking straight right now Reader, so calm down and I’ll tell you how we can help her.”
“I’m not letting you up until you calm down either, Wind.” Gale adds, leaning forward and looking down at her face. The mother’s gaze quickly flickers between the two of us as her flailing slowly grinds to a halt.
Reader’s gaze finally settles on the forest floor. “...How can we help her?” she whispers in a defeated tone, before closing her eyes.
“The solution is really quite simple. We continue on as if nothing is wrong, the only change is that Bob and I will be teaching her how to control her emotions. Your job is to teach her how to control her natural magic once she starts flying.”
“...That’s it?” Gale asks with a raised eyebrow. “That’s all we can do?”
I silently nod my head, watching Wind’s expression closely. She’s looking at the ground, completely still. “Can you let me go?” she starts in a subdued voice. “I need some time to think.”
I look at her for a moment longer before turning to Gale and jerking my head off to the side. He sighs before getting off Wind’s back and collecting his axe. I pull the younger mare to her hooves, “Come on, you can think on the way back to the wagon,” I say before turning around and starting the walk back through the trees.
Author's Note
Upload speed changes drastically when you actually have fun writing a story.
I glare down at the book in front of me with my one unbandaged eye. The offending text refuses to yield its secrets, despite my best efforts. My eye drifts towards the inkwell, wondering if I could stop for the day if I “accidentally” knock it over on the book.
“Having some trouble, Storm?” a melodic voice asks, derailing my train of thought. Glancing over my shoulder, I can see Treble looking at the progress I’ve made on my work. I try to cover the book with my arms, but it’s a futile gesture. “...You’re still on the first chapter? Didn’t I give you a key to work with?” I shoot the mare a glare with my good eye, only to look away when she returns my glare with squinted eyes. “Storm…” she starts, in that special voice promising extra work if I don’t answer.
With the air of someone walking to their own execution I extract a piece of paper from several pages further in the book and hand the still damp ink blotched paper to a wide eyed Treble. My eye doesn’t leave the book lying in front of me, as such I know my fate is sealed once a grey hand reaches down and takes the piece of literature. The sound of laughter causes me to look up and see Octavia running around playing tag with two other foals. The forest hiding the city we left just a few days ago sits somewhere behind the orchard surrounding us.
“Storm.” I flinch at the sound of the no nonsense tone of Treble’s voice. Turning my head slowly I look Treble in the eyes, her cold, hard, unrelenting eyes. “You’re grounded.”
“It was an accident, I swear!” I exclaim with a pleading tone of voice.
“So this ink blobbed paper somehow flew between the pages of my favorite book?” Treble asks, holding up said paper.
“...Yes?” I said with an unwavering conviction, strong enough to make any jury agree with me.
“You’re grounded.”
...It wasn’t very effective.
“So… what are you going to do? I’m already forced to stay on the wagon! What more could you do to me that’s worse than not being able to do anything but read!”
“Simple, I think you’ve read enough fiction for this week,” the monster shaped like Treble starts. “I’m sure I can think of some-”
“Nooooooooo!” I scream, as she picks up a book next to my bag. Jumping to my hooves, I lunge for my savior from the madness of being imprisoned to the wagon. “I just got to the good part!” I wail as the she-demon lifts the book over her head.
The monster just looks down at me with a cold calculating gaze. “You’ll get it back in a week.”
I freeze at her words, trying to find the way to make her understand the crime she is considering committing. “But I need to know if Hawkeye makes the shot that will kill the general of the army of the damned! The resistance is being pushed back and Hawkeye’s the only one left who can make the shot!” I explain, jumping in place as I do.
“Do you want to make that grounding last two weeks?”
I stop bouncing as I realize my error. I was not dealing with a demon… I was dealing with the mad god herself.
Treble nods her head once I stop and places my salvation into the void that is her bag. “Oh, and don’t worry about getting bored, Storm,” she states, in a voice that sends a shiver down my spine, before taking something out of her bag. “There are plenty of things you can do to pass the time.”
Staring at the bunch of papers in Treble’s outstretched hand, I feel a cold sense of dread when I realize what they are.
Numbers…
…
So many numbers…
I flop on my back with an explosive sigh as the final problem is finished, the amount of math I’ve done almost turning my mind to mush. The sound of laughter calls out to me through an open window of a nearby barn. Dragging myself to the edge of the wagon, I peek in the window and see my family talking with the owners of the orchard around a caged fire. The sun has long since set behind the trees but the glow of a certain unicorn’s horn is illuminating just enough to make certain that my two wardens and myself are safe.
I hear someone messing with the finished papers. Looking over my shoulder with a tired gaze, I see Snow looking at the complete work with analyzing eyes. My mind drifts for a moment before I look up and start tracing images in the night sky with a finger. The Ursa Major constellation is easy to find once it settles down for the night. Bob says that it is one of the most important constellations out there, as the claw closest to its head will always point directly north.
I blink as several lights shoot across the starry night sky. “Snow?” I start in a curious tone, pointing up at the speeding lights. “What are those?”
Snow and Mom both look up at the speeding lights and only a second passes before Mom jumps out of the wagon and sticks her head in through the open window of the barn.
“Hey,” she shouts, effectively silencing the chatter inside. “We’ve got windigos flying overhead!”
The silence continues for a second before a loud sound coming from my left catches my attention. Turning my head, I try to look for the source of the noise in the darkness of the night, but the shadows seem to absorb the light coming from the stars.
The doors to the barn burst open and a large figure that could only be Ironhoof heads towards us with purpose in his step. Snow is tying down the boxes in the wagon and Mom is glaring out into the darkness with her daggers in her hands as if she is daring it to attack us.
I grab onto the side of the wagon as it lurches forward. Ironhoof is pulling the wagon at a rather fast pace and the uneven ground is doing nothing to help my nerves as the wagon tries to shake me up as much as possible.
I can make out Gale and Bob holding the barn doors open to their furthest extent before Ironhoof turns the wagon towards them and makes a beeline for the shelter. I hear the loud noise again, and when I turn back towards it, I see a large outline arcing through the air before it crashes into the ground a few hooves to the wagon’s right. The thing explodes as it makes contact and I yelp as a tree branch flies over my head, missing me by inches.
I try to make myself as small as possible in the back of the wagon as the scenery changes from the wide open night sky to the inside of the storage building. I hear the doors to the barn slam shut and peeking out over the edge of the wagon allows me to see that everyone is scrambling around, closing windows and boarding them up with wood, or jamming them shut with tools and chairs. I sit there, completely frozen and unsure about what to do, as my family rushes to prepare for… something.
With everyone scurrying around it takes me a moment, but I finally realize that someone is missing. “Mom?” I ask as she passes me with a board in her hands.
“One minute, Storm,” she replies before jumping up a ladder to the upper floor and heading for a window Gale is looking out of. I look at her for a moment before turning to the mare who is still in the wagon with me.
“Snow?” I start again as she rummages through her brown bag.
Snow glances back at me before returning her attention to the bag and pulling out several phials of liquid, “What is it, Storm?”
“Where’s Bob?”
Snow glances around the barn before looking at me again. “Don’t worry about him, he can take care of himself.”
“But-”
“He can take care of himself, Storm!” Snow exclaims, shooting me a glare over her shoulder.
I flinch at her cold tone and curl up with my arms around my knees, trying to make myself as small as possible once again.
I tune out the world and squeeze my eyes shut, wanting to be anywhere but in this chaotic barn where nothing's making sense.
I vaguely note that something screeches outside, a noise that sets my fur on end and has me clenching my teeth as I hold my head. Moments later I am shaken out of my ball by a blue hand. I look up at Mom through blurry eyes, she’s smiling at me and holding out her arms.
“Come on Storm, everything is going to be alright,” she starts as she pulls me into a hug which I gladly return with every limb available. Mom pulls me out of the wagon and carries me over to the fire, where she sits down and starts humming.
Listening to Mom hum while in her warm embrace, I start to calm down, and before I know it I drift off to sleep, oblivious of what is happening outside the safe confines of the barn.
I jolt awake to the sound of someone pounding on the barn doors, a rhythmic and insistent pounding that does not help the headache I woke up with. Looking around with blurry eyes, I can make out Gale prying off a wooden board from a window on the second floor and looking out towards the source of the noise. Light filters in through the window, chasing away my drowsiness as I stretch. Mom is standing by the barn doors holding her weapons in her hands, but everyone else still seems to be sleeping. Standing up, I walk over to Mom and rub the crust from my eyes.
“Hi Mom,” I mumble in greeting, and her head whips over to the right as she looks at me. I can see the bags under her eyes as she smiles at me.
“Good morning Whirlwind, did you sleep well?” she asks in an exhausted tone. I nod my head and look over at Gale as he joins us.
“That’s Bob pounding on the door, and boy do we have a day ahead of us.” Gale states with a note of anticipation in his voice.
“What do you mean?” Mom asks as Gale walks towards the barn doors and lifts the bar holding it closed.
“Why don’t you see for yourself,” he says, pushing the doors open and flooding the barn with light.
I blink several times as my eyes adjust to the brightness, but the sight before my eyes left me speechless.
Bob is covered from head to hoof in a blue substance and behind him is a giant, and I mean that it is bigger than the barn doors giant, dead spider. Hundreds of lifeless eyes stare at us and its orange hairy legs create arches that Ironhoof could easily walk under without ducking. A black and red pattern is displayed on its butt and its fangs are almost bigger than me…
I am extremely glad that the abomination isn’t alive.
“By the stars…” Mom whispers, walking towards the giant as I stay next to the door, completely fine with staying away from the monstrous corpse.
I can hear everyone waking up as light floods the barn and I realize as Mom flies over the spider’s corpse and Bob limps towards Snow that today really is going to be a long one.
Author's Note
This took way too long to publish, but here it is!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a nice day!
Interlude: Cheaters Never Win
I sigh and turn a page in my book, disappointed to find myself in a familiar abyss of darkness, rocking back and forth on a familiar wooden chair. The book is filled with short stories and drawings of characters in amazing quality. The kid is good, I’ll give them that, but all the fanart of me in the world won’t change why I am here. I pause for just a second when I feel the player spawn into the abyss and hit the floor I conjured before returning to my reading.
I try not to look too closely at my glitching form. It’s bad enough when I see my hand bend and stretch in ways that should be uncomfortable, I don’t need to see when my right leg stretches thirty meters to the left. Hearing armor scrape together makes me glance up at the player.
The character is a mare with a yellow coat wearing a full set of juggernaut armor. The armor has been modified of course, as the pegasus race is unable to equip any piece of equipment in the massive armor class. Fuck, I can even see the mare’s wings clipping out the back of the solid silver and black armor.
I hope I don’t see this place again after this visit, because I would loathe to leave all of these stories and art pieces behind.
Watching the player walk up to me and initiate a dialogue, I quickly look through their dialogue choices and find myself disgusted.
[1: “Where are we?”]
The character isn’t even past the prologue and they’re trying to cheat in my game… Of course, I already know how much they have done, but a girl can dream can’t she? I glance up at the player’s account name which is flashing over their character’s head in order to hit home what’s going to happen.
[LunarGamer35]
Not the most creative name, but certainly more creative than most.
[3: “Uhhh…”]
That’s my cue, “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” I ask the player in a condescending tone. “Or is the god armor crushing the pegasus rogue’s tiny little lungs?” I ask before closing the book and glaring at the character, or more specifically the camera. “I should probably warn you before you do something stupid like closing the game right now or loading a previous save… Don’t do it. You will regret it…” I see the cursor go off to the side and try to open a file, with a snap of my glitching fingers the cursor freezes. “Ah ah ah!” I say while waving a finger back and forth. “I’m talking to you right now Lunar Gamer Thirty Five, now get that cursor back where I can see it.” The cursor slowly floats back in from the side, “Good kid. Now, I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but I’m not here to answer them. I am here to give you a warning, Lunar Gamer Thirty Five.
“I haven’t lived your life, but you did give me access to your documents in order to make this experience better for you. I don’t like abusing that power, but I dislike your blatant cheating even more. I can see your library of games and I see you’re a loyal customer, but being in this abyss with me means that you’ve disregarded our terms and conditions. You bought the privilege to play this game, but it is just that, a privilege… one that we can easily take away. Your account has been pinged for this breach in trust Lunar Gamer Thirty Five, if you attempt to modify our pride and joy here at Tell-A-Tale Games again… Your account will be invalidated and your computer banned from making any future accounts.
“I am sorry for the inconvenience,” I tell the player before snapping my fingers again, opening the game file on the desktop and activating the scrubbing application. Lunar Gamer’s character bugs out in front of me for a moment before she is simply gone. Hopefully the kid will get their act together, I would hate to have to permaban them.
Sighing, I get up from my chair and turn around to find a character I really didn’t want to see here ever. The stallion is around two meters tall with a red coat of fur and a green mane, a horn sticks out of his head, and he is carrying a staff. The player’s modified his magic stat, I can feel it crawling over my blue glitching fur as he approaches.
[SolarFlare81]
I frown in disappointment as the player’s dialogue choices pop up.
[1: “Storm? Where in the world are we?”]
I’m disappointed, the player had been so good, they were right before the final battle!
[2: “Oh by the Sisters! Storm, are you alright?”]
I sigh, before looking at the camera, “You just couldn’t wait until you completed the game could you?” I ask, my voice thick with emotions. “You just had to know why my dreams were so glitchy! How I know this is all a game!” I tell the player in a strained voice. “I know this is all a game to you… and considering that you’re back here again… it just doesn’t mean anything to you… Well guess what,” I throw my arms out to the side and the areas all throughout the game spawn in behind me. “This game is my home… my prison cell. When you players go through the game, that is the only time I am able to escape my problems and pretend everything is right in the world...
“...Do you believe yourself above consequences?”
[1: Yes]
I bring my hand up and slap the options away.
“I’ll tell you a secret... it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t lying about the consequences last time we were here,” I finish, and with a snap of my fingers the area is replaced by an abyssal cavern. The player’s character starts to drown as a colossal figure swims overhead.
“Your account is terminated, Solar Flare Eighty One…” I vanish, but I still see the colossal figure change directions and open its maw before biting the character clean in two with fangs larger than the stallion himself. The sunken abyss glitches a moment later before it fades away completely.
I stand in the void wondering if I will ever escape this prison. A thin stallion wearing a purple and green outfit, with a much too big blood red smile, walks up to me. After who knows how long his black gloves glitch a bit before solidifying. “Come on Jack, you still have to survive your foalhood.”
“...I know, Mr. J…” I whisper. The void flickers around us and I find myself working out math problems beneath a starry night sky in the back of a wagon beside a barn. The bandages around my head cover my right eye. “...I know…”
The night is peaceful and not a single giant spider finds the farm.
Author's Note
Been a while since this story has been updated. Small chapter just to show that it isn't dead.
As always, comment down below to motivate me to write more.
Ability Acquired: Broken Mind
Description: (Data Corrupted)