Chapter One: Storytime Troubles
Chapter One: Storytime Troubles
“This is a tale about bravery. A tale about rising above the odds, and facing it head on. This is a tale about… Ah who am I kidding. This is actually a tale about misery. I’d say more, but sadly, there isn't anymore than that. So just lay down and listen to my tale.”
A long time ago, there lived a Pegasus pony by the name Espionage…
“Why is he called Espionage, Grandpa?” A fillies voice ripped through, cutting off the story.
Confused a gruff voice quickly looked for an answer. “What… er just… just lay back down and listen you silly little filly.”
“Hghm… big meanie,” she whimpered.
“Yeah, yeah… now where was I? Ah yes I remember…”
-by the name Espionage, now Espionage wasn't like any other pony.
She interrupted again, curious at some specifics. “Why isn't Espionage like other ponies?”
“I was about to get to that.”
The reason for that was, that Espionage had an item in her possession, that if any other knew about it. Then they would be jealous about it, and try to kill her. All in order to get it.
“Espionage is a Mare? I thought she was a Stallion.” She bursted out bewildered.
Not liking all of the interruptions he half-heartedly snapped. “Confound it child… if you keep interrupting me, then I’ll take it as a sign you don’t want storytime.”
“No. I’m sorry, I really want storytime!” She pleaded, eyes filled with advanced sadness.
He let slip. “Right…”
This item of her’s was an object filled with great knowledge. But that knowledge could only be used by those who wish to rule. Which was the very reason Espionage carries it, since she does not wish to rule nor serve. She was but a simple traveler, who enjoyed the occasional drink of the water’s of life whenever she could, traveling from town to town. She travels lightly a cloak, and a sword.
“A sword?” Dumbstruck, she asked not knowing what a 'sword' was.
“Yes. Swords were sharp metal sticks… basically. Ever since the old ruler Deus passed, and the new ruler Celestia took over swords were officially banned.” He replied to her casually, like it was basic everyday knowledge everyone knows.
“Someone ruled before Celestia?” She asked him puzzled and confused.
Nearly mortified he asked. “What are they teaching you at that school of yours?”
“Well you know. The normal things like Pre-Calculus and Science.” She answered earnestly.
He was near speechless, but mainly shocked. “Pr-Pre… Pre-Calculus?”
“Yeah didn't they teach you that?”
He stammered. “He… Hehehe… Back… back to the story…”
She travels lightly a cloak, and a sword. Her cloak, a dark dirtied brown, tattered, battered with multiple cuts and scorch marks in it. The sword, strapped tightly on her underbelly, was a single edged curved black and red colored beautiful blade.
Espionage was an expert swordsmare, who fought in the last Great War, gained a reputation as being unbeatable and untouchable. Gossip circulated that in the final days of the war, she was killed in a fight by the efforts of the opposing side’s best Pegasus named Clipper. Neither of their bodies were ever found at the area the fight was said to have happened, only Clipper’s Sword, stabbed into the ground in a clear grassy field.
“Did she die? Did he die?” She interrupted curiously.
“What do you think?” He snarked.
“Yes. They died,” she replied sadly.
“Just listen, or Grandstallion can go early.”
She replied still feeling down. “Okay…”
-in a clear grassy field. It is also believed that Clipper unable to defeat Espionage, left all the fighting behind, and became a recluse. But that isn't the case, either. No. Clipper abandoned the sword, picking up the swift and graceful Martia Hoof combat, and took to traveling with Espionage.
Clipper carried only two things. The first a cloak, while the second was a saddlebag. The cloak, like Espionage’s, was battered, tattered and scorched. His cloak however was a dirtied dark green. The saddlebag contained all of their money and healing apparatus.
“...” She snoozed, away silently.
“I guess the little one fell asleep. Guess I’ll continue this some other time.”
“...” She continued silently.
“Goodnight little one.” He said tenderly.
Chapter Two: Sleepless
“Right, so here we are again. You don’t want to go to sleep without a bedtime story. Just lay down, don’t interrupt and Grandpa will tell you more about Espionage…”
Brilliant arcs of black and red carved the air in the briefest appearance of what could be a dance. The arcs barely missing, no purposely missing vital spot after vital spot. Espionage moved her blade so swiftly, so elegantly, so gracefully. You would mistaken it for dancing. Don’t mind her slight failure at being able to walk straight though. That is what the water’s of life do to ponies after all, well one of the things.
Clipper fluid in his motions, and unwavering in his strikes, struck one vital point after the next using Martia Hoof. He wasn't perfect with Martia Hoof, but each hoofstrike landed diligently before moving onto the next spot. Unlike his traveling companion he was not under any effect of the water’s of life, as he does not drink it.
“Are they killing other ponies?” She interrupted.
“No, other ponies are trying to kill them. They are fighting back without killing.”
She chimed. “Wow they must be amazing!”
“They are." He replied. "Now if you want me to continue, then you better do an amazing job at staying silent.”
“...” She remained silent.
“Good. Now then…”
Seventeen ponies against two. Seventeen very angry ponies against two: one calm, while the other was as happy as could be with a warmth in the stomach. Seventeen ex-soldiers against two of the best. The fight was decided before it even began, and it began when Espionage accidentally bumped into one of the big bulky ex-soldiers. He demanded an apology, which Espionage declined his offer merrily. Enraged he got his friends, the rest of the ex-soldiers together, which was meant to intimidate Espionage into apologizing.
Espionage not in the right mindset to be dealing with other ponies, simply stuck her tongue out at them before taking another swig of the water’s of life. Angry they charged right at her. She graceful, with a slight stagger, dodged one advance after the next. Even when surrounded she didn't put down her bottle, or stop drinking.
Clipper, who had been waiting outside, heard the commotion inside of the tavern and stepped inside to see what was going on. Upon noticing Espionage in a fight with a group of ponies he joined in for two reasons. The first reason was because he was bored of waiting at every place that served the water’s of life. While the second reason was because he didn't want the group to be hurt too badly from the less than perfectly functioning Espionage.
She interrupted yet again. “Why would Espionage be less than perfectly functioning?”
“It is just how she and any other gets when they drink too much of the water’s of life.”
“Why?”
"Why what?” He barely countered, not thinking about what he was saying at this point.
She answered him with yet another question. “Why are those soldiers fighting Espionage?”
“Because they were drinking the water’s of life too." He told her. Then he added. "Unlike Espionage though they don’t have an extraordinary tolerance to it.”
“What’s tollrance?”
He corrected her. “No tolerance, it is how well one can handle something.”
“Oh. Then what’s…”
This time he interrupted her. “Do you want to hear more or not?”
“I do.” She peeped.
“Alright, back to the tale…”
The fight lasted a whole six minutes, which would have been longer if Espionage didn't want to get back to her drinking. Eighteen beaten ponies spread across the ground and not a single one was fatally injured. It didn't help that the tavern’s owner’s grandcolt was one of them. Which means that they were thrown out of the shaky tavern.
Espionage visibly upset, because she couldn't drink any more precious water’s of life. Clipper on the other hoof, only looked a little disturbed that Espionage was upset over something, which he thought wasn't a big deal.
“...” She snoozed silently.
“Wow child!" He thought aloud, nearly waking her up. He then piped. "Asleep already, you must have been exhausted from that party earlier.”
“...” She continued silently.
“Well I guess I won’t be able to finish anymore of this story though.” He started explaining sadly.
“...” Silent she remained.
He continued sadly. “You see your grandstallion here is going to be executed tomorrow morning.”
“...” Undisturbed she slept.
“Goodbye little one, and sweet dreams.” He softly bade his farewell. Knowing that this was his last time seeing her, but more importantly to him. It was the last time she would see him... at least alive.
Chapter Three: Immersion
Two cloaked ponies, one mare and one stallion, walking down a dirt path heading out of the nearby town.
“Ugh,” the cloaked Mare grumbled. “Why can’t we just stop and get a drink?”
The stallion stopped walking and just stared at her. “We should have only passed through that town, but we ended up staying there for thirty-two hours,” he agitatedly growled. “Why do you think that happened?”
The mare stopped walking too, while turning toward the stallion. “Look Clip. I know.”
“Do you really?” brow curled up.
She smiled sheepishly, while looking at a passing cloud. “It isn’t my fault that you wanted something to eat, and rest at an inn.”
“Espionage. You. Are. The. Reason,” he yelled angrily. “Remember ‘Hey I’m thirsty, and this place has some life water. Let’s stop for a couple minutes,’ but we didn’t stop for a couple of minutes. We stayed at the inn’s bar section for twenty-four hours.”
Espionage, the cloaked apricot colored mare, turned back to the direction they were previously walking. “Alright. I understand Clip. I just wanted a little drink,” she hummed.
Clip, or rather Clipper, trotted to catch up with the non-stopping mare. “Little?”
She giggled. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t a little, but carrying the King’s Relic is tiring, and well. It makes me thirsty. To relieve my thirst I drink, and the only thing to drink that is ever good is water’s of life,” Espionage explained lazily.
Clipper, walking beside the mare, accidentally slowed down dropping behind. “I keep hearing about this King’s Relic, but I have no clue what it is, or why you have it. Why don’t you tell me those things?” he asked her, before quickly realizing he was being left behind again.
Espionage, not waiting in the slightest for her traveling companion to catch up, gave a look to the sky; as to decide whether such an important piece of information should be shared. “Well with the King’s Relic it allows whoever wants to rule knowledge. The knowledge that it contains will enable them to become the absolute ruler…”
“Absolute ruler of what?” Clipper asked; finally catching up again.
Espionage stopped, her cheerful behavior and expression immediately dissolved replaced by sadness. “I’ll tell you everything I know… but you have to buy me a drink.”
Clipper, also having stopped, looked at her saddened expression and gulped. “Deal.”
He was treated to a sigh from Espionage. “The absolute ruler is that. An absolute ruler who rules absolutely. I don’t know exactly what kind of knowledge is contained inside of the King’s Relic. As in order to get the knowledge one has to want, or wish, to rule. Why do I have it… simple. I don’t want to rule, but I served in the war and I don’t wish to do that again,” Espionage explained true to her word.
“It is something simple like that, ‘get great knowledge, rule all’ kind of thing?”
Espionage started walking again. “Yup,” she answered him lamely. “Let's go.”
Clipper looked on in sorrow, simply standing there. His head drooped down subtly, and he quickly changed his expression to that of stoicism. He followed behind Espionage slowly.
--- --- ---
An hours walk in pregnant silence, and the silence remained intact still. Quietly Clipper followed, and just as quietly Espionage led; only one thing was clear between the two, neither wanted to be the one to break the silence. The silence was broken, luckily, by a shriek in the woods, which they were beginning to pass through.
Espionage looked in the direction of the shriek, narrowing her eyes trying to make out what was happening. “I’ll bet you thirteen Bits that it is a mare having an irrational reaction to a complete misunderstanding.”
“Irrational reaction… alright then I will bet that it is a mare… being attacked by a wild animal, and she has just seen a friend of hers die,” Clipper accepted the strange bet. Both bets were strange, but what is worse is neither of them had thirteen Bits.
They rushed to the bushes to see… a mare was backing into a tree, a stallions body was lying motionless, and a large cat was slowly closing the distance between it and the mare. Espionage, with a flap of her wings, flew up. Her blade already drawn, she slammed down onto the large cat. A sharp “MMEEEOOOOWWW” and the cat dropped, blood formulating around its broken head.
The mare looked at her in shock. “What are you doing?” Espionage, confused, looked at her with a questioning look. “You killed my cat… do you know how expensive those things are?”
“No, and the cat is a living thing not a toy,” Espionage answering truthfully.
The stallion now getting up. “How could you do that, do you know who we are?”
“No we don’t,” Clipper replied walking over to where Espionage stood.
Espionage grinned mischievously. “Should we?”
The mare and stallion both looked, shocked, angry and sweaty. “Of course you should know us, we are famous,” they shouted in unison. “We have been famous for the things we did in the war.”
Espionage tilted her head, and asked in a confused tone. “War?”
The two of them blinked multiple times out of disbelief. Then after a small amount of silence the mare had something to say. “Y-you’ve never heard of the war… the big war between Deus and Lady Cel?” she asked.
The mischievous smile that crossed Espionage’s muzzle quickly faded. “Nope never heard of it,” she lied.
“How?” was all the strangers could muster in reply.
Clipper coughed. “You shouldn’t pull these silly pranks.”
“But--”
“A prank. That was a prank,” the stallion interrupted furiously. “You must think you are so funny? Pulling a prank on the Mighty and Supreme Delatum, and his illustrious lady Pixie, what could you have possibly gotten out of something so... so juvenile?”
Espionage put the hood of her tattered, rugged, cloak over her unwashed hair, she snickered. “My co-hort and I simply did what was fun,” her snickering quickly died down, and in a tone of her rare ‘serious tone’ she added. “Besides it was just a war.”
“J-just a war,” Pixie bewildered. “How can you call it just a war? Ponies died.”
Clipper glared at the two. “Stop. It would be bad to keep pressing this subject.”
“What?” Delatum roared. “You bring it up, and then demand that we High Nobles… simply stop. How dare you.”
“Es calm down,” Clipper instructed. “I’ll pay for your nex--”
A hoof stomped the ground causing a small cloud of dust and dirt to form around the powerful pressure. “Shut up!!” Espionage interrupted unswathed by the forseeable offer. “I’m supposed to just stand here, while these ingrates insult you and me.”
Delatum face contorted in unbridled fury. “Ingrates you call us ingrates. Insolent fools my men will make you pay for your haughty insults.” He cleared his throat before yelling out. “Kill them you idiots.”
Hoofsteps and rustling could immediately be heard afterward. Five armed ponies and four weaponized griffons brushed out of the shrub. The ponies and griffons had a clear leader, a mare carrying a scythe, who stepped forward. “Master… it seems that we are in need of more… insurance,” her voice full of control, and authority.
“Y-you want more--”
Espionage backed away a few steps. “Tailing… what are you... doing here?” her voice quivering in surprise.
Tailing squinted, focusing her vision on Espionage, upon noticing what she was seeing. She closed her eyes and smiled, the type that is never sincere, but kind. “Espi a better question is why are you here… you know my line of work.” She looked at Clipper. “I see that you also have a,” she paused searching for the right word, “an underling.”
“He’s not my underling,” she lashed. “He’s my… he’s my,” Espionage froze her tone dubious.
“He is what… a friend?” Tailing scoffed.
“N-no… no he isn’t. He’s… he’s,” she froze again. “He’s--”
Delatum and Pixie started to gallop as fast as their hooves could carry them. Galloping in the opposite direction of Tailing, eliciting a sigh from her in response to their action. She pointed a hoof at them. “Oh boys…” she hollered. “Cut the runners down.”
“Affirmative,” came a chorus of quick replies. Just as quick Tailing’s underlings charged after Delatum and Pixie, the runners.
Delatum was proving to be a lazy noble with the underlings fast in pursuit, and gaining. Pixie on the otherhoof is demonstrating that she isn’t lazy like Delatum, that is until she tripped and fell. Clipper ran after, not only proving his athleticism but also his superior speed.
Tailing pulled a sheathed sword out of somewhere holding the hilt in her mouth. She lowered herself closer to the ground, dropping into her fighting stance. She muttered something through her teeth, past the weapon in her mouth, which sounded something like this. “Drough ughr hwordgh Eghsphi.”
Dust flew up around Espionage’s hoof, when she slammed it down once again. “Tailing do you really want to fight me?” Her tone unwavering, her fear misplaced with distance and seriousness. “You’ve never beaten me, even when we were foals.” Tailing kicking up dirt and dust behind her with her stomping hoof, as she made her intentions clear.
“I’m sorry Tailing you called for this,” Espionage apologized, guilt flowing in her face. She slowly drew her blade.
Tailing burst into a full gallop the moment Espionage drew her sword. Espionage’s wings flapped out from under her cloak, she swiftly jumped backward adding to the distance with the force of her wing flap. It didn’t matter that much, since Tailing closed the distance without a second’s passing.
--- --- ---
Clipper’s breathing had deepened. Galloping at full speed he was gaining on the runners. Within seconds he caught up to the rear of the group, but he kept galloping. Several more seconds later he practically flew passed the fore-runner.
Abruptly stopping and rearing his hindlegs up. He bucked the face of the fore-runner, incredibly hard. A soft crunch could be heard above the rearing dirt. The underlings screeched to a sudden halt; drew their weapons, and quickly surrounded the pink cloaked Pegasus.
Clipper took a slow glance at all of their weapons. “Two spears, one battle axe, three long swords and one pike.” Then glancing down at the fallen fore-runner, who was seeing stars, and added. “And one fallen.”
“So altogether… or separately?” Clipper asked, past a malicious grin.
