Fact or Fiction (v2.0)

Before the grey mare knew it, she was in a glossy throne room with the lavender princess. A chandelier made of tree roots was overhead in the high ceiling and six chairs were set in a circle with a table at the center. Twilight began walking down a nearby hallway and Pea took a moment to follow her, taking in the sudden change in scenery.

"Some place you got here," Pea gawked at the crystalline walls, "you live here alone?"

"No, I have my assistant and my friends come to visit often. Now, I have a few guest rooms down this hall, you can take your pick."

Pea was bewildered that a princess had invited her to a castle, giving her a room even. She followed the princess to a set of doors and opened the first to the left. Inside she found a dresser and a quaint twin sized bed. To the right was a door leading to a small bathroom. A clear crystal window was at the far end with the rising moons light showing through. She turned to thank the Princess but she was already half way down the hall.

"Once your done setting up, I'll be waiting in the throne room," Her voice echoed off the hallway walls, "we have a lot to talk about."

Pea felt like she was in a dream as she entered the simple room. She was used to sleeping under the stars after all her travels or in cheap rooms, rented for a night with hay and straw for bedding, not a bed and linens.  She lay Tuff on the bed and placed the blanket over him gently. She smiled as he snuggled deeper in the covers.

Pea placed their bags next to the dresser and went to the small bathroom.  She looked into the mirror and saw her face was a grubbier than it should be while in the company of royalty. She fiddled with the faucet trying to figure out which knob was hot or cold and eventually just splashed water in her face and scrubbed.

She saw the liquid fall back into the sink as a brown-ish color and huffed.  She looked over to the shower and sighed in defeat.  It had been years since her last shower and she was proud of it, now she felt obligated.  She closed the bathroom door and opened the shower curtain. She fiddled with the shower knobs like the sink's, mostly due to the fact that she was more accustomed to bathing in rivers, not bathrooms.

After learning the mystic ways of modern equestrian plumbing she took off her vest, and laid it on the sink. She stepped in the shower on her hind hooves, the hard rubber tips of her back legs kept her from slipping as she stood tall. She began to wash her front half, letting the water wash over the numerous scars from a lifetime of strife.  Her forehoof grazed a branding mark on her barrel in the shape of a compass.

She found a soap bar and with a series of clicks fingers protruded from her forehooves.  Grasping the bar as though it were a common task she washed her mane in the relaxing shower. She looked to her lower hooves and saw how brown the water was and smirked, "I was talking to all those ponies with this much dirt on me? No wonder none of those encounters ended well,,” she sighed, “and my attitude doesn’t exactly conform to these ponys’ standards."

Pea didn't realize how long she was in the artificial rain but she began to love the luxury, but knew she couldn’t stay in for much longer as she was getting sleepy.  She reached her metallic arm down and shut the water off before sheathing her fingers.

She took to her four hooves and shook her body like a dog to dry off, she laughed sheepishly when she saw a towel hung on the door.  She dried what was still damp on her body  then checked on Tuff before heading off to Twilight.

She entered the throne room and found Twilight sitting in one of three cushy chairs next to a fire place with her muzzle in a big book. Twilight looked up from her book and giggled. "So that's what took you so long, you washed up. You know, your mane is quite lovely when it isn't dirty."

"Thank you princess-" she began to bow.

"Please, call me Twilight," the alicorn interrupted with a slight frown, “and don’t bow to me,” she gestured to another cushioned chair, "come and sit. I want to talk to you."

Pea moved to the chair furthest from Twilight and sat up with her forehooves in her lap. She looked at Twilight's friendly smile, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"You said you wanted your nephew to be safe, correct?” Pea nodded, "well, I'll let him stay here and educate him if you like. From what Applejack told me, you two have it pretty rough out there. Famine and ponies killing ponies you said?"

Pea was taken aback at the generosity of the princess. She leaned into the chair, "I can't thank you enough, but nothing is free.  What can I do to repay the offer?"

Twilight's smile faded. Her gaze went to Pea's torso, "Tell me what happened that made you lose your legs, and the scars."

Pea sat quiet for a moment. "I can't say anything but the truth to you, Prin- Twilight." Pea looked aside, "his… no, it's name is Volm."

"Volm? I've never heard of him," Twilight replied cautiously.

"No one did, he just swung in out of the blue. Tirek's Crusade stopped short and Belial just-"

Twilight stopped the mare. "Wait, wait, Tirek? My friends and I put him back into Tartarus! There's no way he can be fighting."

"He's not.  In fact, when news of his short time on the surface reached the rest of the centaurs like him, The Torrent, as they call themselves who is led by their prophet, Belial, rallied an army and searched for the gates of Tartarus-"

"There's more like him?” Twilight asked loudly, “do they all consume magic like he does?"

"Not really, but Tirek is worshiped like a god by them. Somehow he obtained a higher level of power then the rest did, and Belial is looking for it-"

"How did you get mixed up in a holy war, Pea?" Twilight asked bewildered.

"Well, that 'higher level of power' is what I was looking for. If I found it, I could keep it from the grip of evil like Belial or others,” she shrugged, “it's not just him though, there's a dragon named Borox who's in league with him."

"And how does this Volm fit in?" Twilight asked.

"It found the power before everyone else. That thing of pure evil took everything from me," Pea said as she sneered.

"You still have your nephew, don't you?" Twilight said comfortingly.

"Yes, but the worst thing is that Volm separated me from my friends," Pea swallowed hard, “they weren't just my friends, they were the few I could trust my back to.  Now I'm not sure if they are still alive or not."

"So what brings you here, is the 'Higher Power' you mentioned in Equestria?" Twilight was now sitting on the edge of her seat.

"A part of it maybe, but I really came here to speak with the Sun Goddess.

"Princess Celestia?  Why?" Twilight asked wide eyed.

"Our kind is cannon fodder out there, food or slaves and what is she doing?" Pea gritted her teeth, "Sitting here playing princess."

"Pea, calm down. I'm sure she's doing something about the war-"

"No, I've only seen the sun out there,” Pea Gravel said with an edge, ”She’s the goddamned princess of the sun and she lives in a peaceful kingdom full of ponies like us."

"I'm not sure what you’re so upset with her about, but this story is getting confusing." Twilight groaned, "how did you learn about the 'Higher Power'?"

Pea's face softened slightly. "Oh, right, I was still back in a place known as Peron. My crew and I went to a harbor to get a boat after escaping a bunch of dragon worshippers and we got mixed up in a situation with pirates… that's where I met Rochi," Her face warmed up when she said his name.

"I take it you liked him?" Twilight asked with a smile. She was glad the mood became brighter then talk of war and monsters.

"Like him? I love Rochi.  He was a slave for the pirate captain Gumbo then, but when we came around, his thirst for adventure came back and he left them. Turns out they were after 'The most beautiful thing in the world', which is what Rochi went to sea to find."

Twilight rubbed her eyes sleepily. Her horn glowed and a stack of paper and pen floated next to Pea. The grey mare blinked in surprise but Twilight yawned. She placed the paper and pen onto Pea's lap. “I’m betting he found you?” Twilight teased causing the grey mare to blush deeply and look away.  "That's some story, but I need to know the whole thing. You should just write it all down while you stay here."

Pea smiled sheepishly. "I'd love to, Twilight. But I'm… I can't write."  Twilight looked at her for a moment. “You see," Pea continued, "A nomadic vagabond merc like me doesn't have space in her pack for books, I just keep the stories in my head."

Twilight got off her pillow and headed for the door. "I'm sorry, but I do have something to take care of, however I suppose I can start teaching you to write tomorrow, and Tuff also.  I hope you have planned for a long stay,” she said in a more firm tone that Pea took as a command. “Goodnight, and don’t let the parasprites nip your ears."

"Goodnight, princess," Pea said quietly as she bowed her head and stood, her metal hooves making less sound than a normal ponys thanks to rubber tips helped her leave in silence.

Pea walked to her room and opened the door, smiling to see Tuff safe in bed.  Her heart was fluttering, ‘I'm safe, and so is Tuff’, she thought, ‘but what about them? I need to find them, and Rochi.  Bring them here...’‘

Pea moved to the center of the moonlit room. She lowered to the floor and sprawled comfortingly on it. She felt tired mentally and physically, she welcomed sleep, but was unprepared for the big day tomorrow.