Knight of Equestria - Gabriel the Wanderer

(Entry 17)

The next day, the duo walked based on Amethyst's directions, something the man was more than displeased with. He had awoken with head pain centering around his right eye, as well as those terrible dreams of a mother long gone. Indulging the young mare this once couldn't hurt.

"We should be there any minute; you're gonna love this." she said.

"Such confidence, considering you barely know me." he replied.

"That's true, that's true. But believe me, you will. Not to mention you need it." she added, making the human raise a brow. "Listen, I'm thankful that you saved my life and all, but you really stink. Not to mention your rumbling tummy. Not that I blame you, surviving on that slop in a can and all..."

Amethyst continued to talk as they began walking up a small hill. As they reached the top, in view came a quaint town. It was large, probably bigger than Ponyville, he thought. He could see some tall buildings in the town, suggesting an air of wealth.

He stopped walking as Amethyst kept walking and talking to herself, before she noticed he had stopped.

"Huh? Why'd you stop? We're almost there." she said.

"... I'm not welcome in any sort of settlement." he said.

She walked back to him. "Now c'mon, don't be like that. Sure you look weird, but I'm a Unicorn. I'm probably the weirder one."

"That's not it..." he replied.

"Then what happened? Did you do something wrong?" she asked.

He looked down and away from her, making her realize his answer without him speaking.

"Oh." she said, slightly taken aback. "What did you do?"

"I didn't leave Equestria of my own volition, I was banished. Rumors spread that I violently attacked one of the princesses..." he explained, still not looking at her.

"Well... did you?" she asked, somewhat to his surprise.

"I did not."

"Then what's the problem?"

He began to smile, then laugh at her naivety. "As if they would believe me." he replied.

"Well, if they don't, that's their problem. I believe you." she said.

He was somewhat stunned by how Amethyst was treating him, whether it being a result of him saving her he could not say.

"Now then." she continued. "Let's get down there."

"... Fine." he conceded. "But after this, I'm continuing on my own." he added.

"Sure, sure, c'mon!" she replied, beginning to trot excitedly. He caught up to her, despite the fact that he was the one carrying everything.

…...

The two strode in to the town's admittedly luxurious inn. The stares they received inside matched the ones they got outside, although Amethyst never seemed to mind. She casually strolled up to the counter with him in tow, digging into her pockets and pulling out a sizable amount of gold from the Spider's treasure pile.

"Room for two, please. Make it the finest you have."

The earth pony behind the counter looked amazed by what she was presenting him, gazing at the glimmering gold coins in astonishment. "R-right away, miss!" he said.

"Oh, look at this!" she said, jabbing her tall friend with a foreleg. "They have a spa built in. We want that, too." she said to the inn keeper.

The inn was closer to a fancy hotel, they discovered. Their luxury room had a small hot-tub and decorative water features. They didn't get too much time to check it out before being whisked away to the spa treatments Amethyst bought them.

The attendants shared a glance upon seeing him, but still did their work dutifully. Within hours, he was cleaned, given a back massage, and pampered more than he had ever been in his life. He had known Ponyville had a day spa, but never opted to visit it when he had the chance which he now heavily regretted.

Amethyst was likewise receiving the deluxe treatment, although hers had some more talkative attendants.

"Excuse me, miss, but is that thing you came in with the same thing that got exiled from Equestria?" the attendant asked.

"Oh, him? Yeah, he's the guy." Amethyst responded casually.

"Pray tell, how did you tame him?" the attendant continued to pry as she started filing Amethyst's hooves.

"No taming needed. He's a nice guy, once you get to know him." Amethyst said. "He's not some wild animal. Oh! You're asking me that because there's that rumor he attacked a princess or whatever, right?"

"You mean it's not true?" the attendant said, somewhat surprised.

"Of course not! I mean, I wasn't there, but if he said he didn't do it, I believe him."

"I hope you're right, madam."

…...

This young pony who calls herself 'Amethyst' Is admittedly quite interesting. She cares not for the rumors that taint my reputation. She displays no amount of fear toward me. It's... very comforting. When I look at her, into her violet eyes, I can't help but wonder if Twilight looked similar to her at that age. She reminds me of her terribly.

Despite everything I have tried to do to put the past behind me, I have now realized just how much my time in Equestria meant to me. How much my friends meant to me. How much that love meant to me.

He sat in a luxurious seat in he and Amethyst's room. He finished his writing and closed his journal, instead turning his attention to the food placed on the table in front of him.

"Your r-room service, sir..." the earth pony attendant said.

"Thank you. That will be all." he replied dryly.

"O-one last thing, if I may..." she said shyly. This earned her his bored gaze. "W-we didn't have any robes for someone of your... size, so please excuse the one we had produced as quickly as possible." she said.

"I'm sure it's fine. You may be off now." he replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"Yes sir..."

As she went to leave, the door to the room burst open and an ecstatic Amethyst came jaunting in.

"Whoa, hey, the food's already here? Nice!" she said, walking passed the attendant who hurriedly exited.

Amethyst sat across from him and began to eat some of the delicious spread on the table. They ate in silence for quite some time, before the food in front of them had disappeared.

"Ah... I tell ya, this is the life." Amethyst said.

"No objections from me." he replied.

"This... this is the kinda stuff I've dreamed about for as long as I can remember. I never would've had this if I still sat around the orphanage." she mused.

"Just remember that your money isn't infinite. I suppose you'll have to go back to treasure hunting at some point." he replied.

"Eh, that's a problem for future Amethyst. Present Amethyst is going for a dip in the hot-tub. Wanna join me?"

"Hmm... I think I will."

As the two made their way across the room, Amethyst stripped off her cloak and hung it on a changing screen with care. The man disrobed as well, caring significantly less about the pile of rags he left behind. He emerged from his screen with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Is... that a normal thing for humans to wear into a hot-tub?" Amethyst asked.

"... Yes." was all he said.

She shrugged before noticing something else. "Oh, what about your bandages? Won't the water mess 'em up?"

"It's not a pool, I don't plan on being completely submerged." he replied.

"Suit yourself!" the young mare said as she slipped in, going fully underwater almost as if she were proving a point.

He climbed in after her, surprised at the depth the tub reached, even for someone of his size.

When Amethyst emerged, she let out a long sigh and leaned back against the wall of the tub, letting herself relax. He did the same.

"Still wanna go off on your own tomorrow?" she asked him.

A grin crept onto his face. "Maybe, maybe not."

…...

Later in the night, they were met with a dilemma.

"There's only one bed." Amethyst said.

The man shrugged and sat in a nearby chair. "You paid for the room. Knock yourself out."

"Yeah but you're the one made me getting the money even possible. You should take it." she replied.

"I'll just use a chair. The bed's probably too small for me anyway." he stood up and pushed another chair closer to his and used it to support his feet. "See? This would probably work the best."

"If you insist... if you stay another day, I'll take the chairs. That'd be fair." she said, climbing into the soft bed.

"Sure, sure. Now go to sleep. That hard day of being pampered must've taken a lot out of you." he teased.

"Oh, ha-ha." was all she said in reply.

…...

In truth, he was probably more tired than she was. He fell asleep almost immediately. He was plagued by a different nightmare than his usual this time, it seemed his perspective was crawling through the dark tunnels of the Spider's cave. The major difference being he could see very clearly what was going on. When turning a corner, he was accosted by a brilliant light and just like that, he was ten years-old again.

He was once again in his family home. Once again he was faced with his mother.

"How was your day at school, Matt?" she asked.

"F-fine..." was all he could muster.

"Aw, someone doesn't sound fine. Was Angie messing with you again? I already told you, she likes you!"

He gritted his teeth. "Stop this..."

She didn't respond to what he said. "Oh, it'll be alright, my dear. My dear little Matthew." she smirked a bit before continuing. "Did I ever tell you me and your father couldn't pick a name for you?"

His head perked up. He didn't recall this conversation ever occurring, although clearly it must have.

"Your father wanted to call you Matthew, but I wanted to call you-"

…...

Suddenly, a loud thudercrash awoke the sleeping human. He jolted upright, scared out of mind. He noticed Amethyst sitting by the window. He began to walk over to her.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"Oh, you woke up from the third bolt? I thought you were gonna sleep through the whole thing." she replied. "As for that?" she said, pointing out the window before shrugging in his direction.

Outside, storm-clouds and rain had rolled in as they slept and furious bolts of lightning danced in the night sky. Brilliant burst of crimson joined them and loud, beast-like roars could be heard as well. Whatever was happening, it was happening above the clouds.

He mulled over what had happened in his dream as he tried to get a glimpse at whatever was happening outside.

"Were you having a bad dream?" Amethyst asked. "I was gonna wake you up, but you looked pretty distressed already."

"... Yeah. I was."

"Was it about what happened in Equestria?"

"No, not this time. Don't worry about it. Just a ghost of some days long gone."

The mood was brought down pretty harshly.

"Amethyst?" he asked.

She silently turned to face him, but did nothing else.

"My name is Gabriel."

In his mind, choosing a new name symbolized his attempt at leaving his past behind him. The person he was was no more. The person he was becoming would be different.

"I thought you said you didn't have a name?" she asked, smiling coyly. "'Gabriel', huh? I like it."