I woke up the next day in my room... Well in the tavern room. I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. I could already feel the headache setting in from the hangover, or the beer bottle to the head...or both. The room was big just as big as an average bedroom. Enough space to move around and a desk and drawer. There was a window but the curtains were pulled over it and the shades where batted down to prevent any light whatsoever from getting in.
I moaned and groaned at the feeling of my pounding head and slowly tossed the covers off of me and sat up on the edge of the bed. I remember the fight from last night and that one stallion that practically saved my life. I forget his name... Something rush. I can remember having a few drinks with him and that mare Octavia but anything after that is a haze... I probably had too much to drink.
"Nngh..." Moaned a voice behind me. It startled me a bit and I jumped slightly and quickly looked back. I turned to see that mare from last night tossing and turning in the covers. She turned to face me but she was still sleeping. She had a smile on her face though. I really hope I didn't do anything stupid last night and that there's a good reason why she's in my bed right now.
I just let out a deep sigh and looked around the room. There wasn't much to the room. A bed, a dresser with a mirror, a wardrobe, a small desk, and an end table. There was a carpet on the floor and like I mentioned earlier a window behind me on the other side of the bed. All my stuff was here. My bags and my money too which meant I wasn't mugged or stolen from in the confusion last night. I looked over to my hat which was resting on the dresser.
Strangely I saw a small piece of paper sticking out from the red stripe running along the base of the hat. I got off the bed and almost stumbled over my own hooves... But I caught myself and cleared my head. I walked over to the hat and pulled the paper from the brim of the hat. It was a small note. It read:
" hey there hot shot. Been a while since I met some pony with your kind of guts and I admire that. I'm going to be traveling and you probably won't see me for a while... But if we do meet we should share a drink again. Anyway I left a gift for you in the top left drawer... I think you'll find it suiting. See you in the future... Thunder rush."
That was the guy I met last night who saved my dumb ass. Hmm I don't remember much from last night but I must have done something to impress him. And that's pretty cool seeing as he must be some kind of great adventurer. I smiled at the note and looked at the top left drawer like the note said. I opened it up and saw some clothes inside.
I pulled out one of the pairs of clothes and it was leather armor. I smiled and started putting it on. It took a lot more effort than I'd like to admit and it was confusing with all the straps and stuff but after a few minutes I got it on and looked over it. It was simple cloth armor with dark leather padding. It had a bandolier running across the chest and a few other pockets and a utility belt.
I looked back to the drawer again and pulled out the other piece of clothing. I unfolded it and when I saw what it was I smiled. It was a leather duster. It was closely the same color as my hat and it had a few pockets on it. I smiled and started putting it on. It was a good fit and the opening basically made it look like a cape with sleeves. I looked up and stared at myself in the mirror. I don't think I remember what my face was like.
I had a rugged black after shave and a large scar running across my face. It started above my right eye and ran down to my left cheek. But my eyes where the most interesting feature. They were blood red and angry looking. All in all I looked like a generic cow pony. Like in old western tales. I decided to complete the outfit by grabbing my hat and resting it on my head. I guess this is who I was... Hot shot, the lone wolf... I kinda like it.
I heard more shuffling over by the bed and I looked over to see Octavia twisting and turning again. She let out a cute little yawn and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and tried to remember where she was. She looked over and rested her eyes on me.
" good morning..." She said. " did you sleep well?"
" yeah..." I said. " ugh... We didn't, you know..." I said trying to lead her on. She seemed confused at first but it only took her a few seconds to figure it out.
" oh heavens no..." She said. " I wouldn't bring myself to sleep with a stallion on the first date."
" alright..." I said. " sorry I just can't remember what happened last night... I might have had too much to drink."
" well we had a few drinks with that nice stallion thunder rush and he fixed your wounds with his magic." She said... So it was the hangover I was feeling. " then it started to get late and you were quite drunk... I was getting ready to head home but it was raining heavily outside so you offered to share your room with me."
" that was awfully nice of me considering I was drunk." I replied.
" well I was a bit hesitant at first but since I didn't have many other options and after you did stick up for me I decided I could trust you." She said smiling now and getting out of bed. " so... Thank you."
" no problem..." I said grinning. " will you be fine going home by yourself" I asked.
" yes the rain should be gone by now." She said. " I'll be on my way now I guess." She said heading to the door. She walked over and opened the door and stood there with it open but she paused before leaving. " and uhm... Will you be here again tonight." She asked lightly blushing.
" yeah... I can probably stay here until I get a job and can afford a house." I said.
" alright... So... I'll see you tonight."
" yeah..." I said with a smile. She smiled back and left closing the door behind her. When she was gone I looked back at the mirror and stared at myself. I tried thinking about what I should do now. If I really was an adventurer or whatever I have no idea what I would do. But I guess if I want to keep living I should look for a job or something. Shouldn't be too hard to find one around here.
I walked over to my stuff and started getting ready. I strung my bow to my back along with the quiver of arrows. While I was holding the arrows I noticed a few of them were covered in dried blood. I guess I know how to shoot a bow... And I know how to kill. It also seems like I reuse arrows. I grabbed my pouch of money and it strung neatly to the side of my belt. I decided to leave my bags here because I probably won't need them.
With a goal set in my mind I headed out of the door and closed it behind me. I locked it shut and put the key in one of my pockets. I walked down the hall and on my way down I passed a bathroom... I've never had to go so bad in my life. I walked into the bathroom and did my business then left. I continued down the hall and then down the stairs to the lobby and bar. I walked down into the bar and the bar main from last night smiled when she saw me.
" hey there sweetie... Feeling better." She asked.
" yeah... Sorry about the brawl last night." I said.
" no worries sugar... Bar fights happen around here often enough that we just forget about them the next day." She said as she wiped down the countertop with a wet cloth. " can I fix ya something for breakfast?" She asked. " comes free with the room."
" sure..." I said.
" alright... Be back with something good." She said leaving the bar and going into a back room. I sat at the bar in the same place I did last night. I sat and waited patiently keeping my mind occupied with random things around the bar.
" hey Lone Ranger..." Shouted some guy on the other side of the bar. " kill any bandits lately." He said. He and his friends started laughing, I just rolled my eyes and ignored him.
" yeah... Or maybe you looking to wrangle some cattle." Another stallion said. They all started laughing harder. I sat there and ignored them. They kept laughing and I could tell by the closeness of their voice they were walking over here. And sure enough I was right. One pony rested his leg on the low part of the bar stool and looked at me and another one came over and leaned on the counter. I could tell there were at least two more behind me.
" what's the matter... Partner... No sense of humor." He said. He and his friends chuckled a bit but I remained emotionless and silent hiding my face under the brim on my hat.
" what's a hick like you doing here anyway." Said another pony. I looked over at him and I saw that there were four ponies surrounding me. They must be adventurers because they're wearing armor... But it's just cloth or leather gear.
" here's breakfast." Said the bar mare walking out of the back with a plate of hot food. She placed it down and caught wind of the situation. " hey c'mon no trouble." She said.
" mind your business lady... This is between us and the cowboy here." Said one stallion... Presumably the leader of the group. I knew there was going to be trouble and without trying I already came up with a plan of attack... I have no idea how but I had to try, or get my ass kicked again.
" can I get a bottle of scotch too." I said. She looked at me with curiosity and grabbed a bottle. She placed it down and I grabbed the neck of the bottle.
" drowning out your sorrows now." Said one stallion. They all laughed why I took a swig of the scotch.
" one for me." I said before taking another swig. " and one for you." I said after spinning in the stool and swingin the bottle of scotch at the ponies head. It shattered against his skull and he fell to the ground. I was now facing the two ponies behind me. Without hesitation I bucked out my back hooves and kicked them both in the stomach. They went stumbling back into a table.
Using the force of the kick I launched myself off the stool and quickly moved behind the last pony. I wrapped my hooves around his neck and held him in a choke hold. He clasped for air for a few seconds.
" yippee kai ye... Mother fucker." I said softly right before the lack of oxygen caused him to pass out and he fell limp. I let go of him knowing if I kept my hold he would die. He dropped to the floor and I looked at the damage I had done. I guess when I'm not dazed and confused I can be a real fighter... Sweet. The mare behind the counter just smiled. " sorry 'bout the mess." I said.
" don't sweat it kid... The mess is an easy fix and I'll just put the scotch on your bill." She said. I smiled and tipped my hat before turning around and leaving. I walked outside into the fresh new day. It wasn't too warm or bright out like I expected. It was cloudy and grey. There was a fair breeze in the air and it was an average temperature. If I had to guess it must be around mid fall.
The clouds on the sky where dark and threatened to rain at any moment. So I should keep an eye out for that. I started walking down the street and some of the ponies I passed gave me strange looks. I'm sure I could just pass off as an adventurer but most of the ones I've seen wear armor with swords or daggers or something. I looked different. I did end up passing a few ponies that looked like adventurers.
As I saw some of them pass by I noticed that a fair majority of them were wearing the same kind of emblem on their armor. It was a picture of two crossed swords with a red gem in the center. It must be some kind of guild or something. I decided to ignore it and keep going forward.
As I walked around i started looking for 'help wanted' signs in windows of shops or something but there wasn't much around. I guess I was wrong about it being easy to find work in this town. Now that I think of it I never did get to eat my breakfast this morning... And I'm starving now.
I walked a bit longer before stopping at a shop. The sign said 'sugar cube corner' and the entire house looked like it was edible. I'll be damned if this place doesn't sell food. I walked forward and walked past the salon styled doors into the store. And I was correct when I said they sold food. It was mostly cakes and sweets but still... I could go for anything.
I walked up to the counter and rang the bell for service. I looked behind me to see a few ponies in the shop eating and talking. They were staring at me but when I looked at them they stopped. I turned my head and presumed they were staring again. I waited patiently before a plump looking mare came out the back with a tray of cupcakes balancing on her nose. She put the cupcakes on the counter and looked over to me.
" how can I..." She paused when she saw me. " uhm... What can I get you sir." She said. She was a light blue with pink swirly hair. She had a frilly apron on that had a picture of a cake on it.
" sorry... But I'll just have a muffin or something." I said.
"Sure..." The mare said. " do you know what kind of muffin you want?"... Damn I hadn't thought about that. I thought rapidly and just said the first thing that I thought made sense.
" just a blueberry muffin please." I said.
" alright... That'll be two bits." She said. I reached into my pouch and grabbed two bits and handed them to her. She put them in a cash register and grabbed a blueberry muffin from under the counter in the display case. She wrapped it up in paper and put it in a brown paper bag then handed it to me. " here you are." She said. I could tell that she was uncomfortable around me. It might just be my appearance.
" thank you ma'am" I said tipping my hat to her. I think I'm going to do that now... Just tip my hat... And keep a toothpick sticking out of my mouth. " oh and one more thing... " I said stopping her from going back into the kitchen. " do you know where I could find some work around here."
" sorry... I wouldn't know." She said ending the conversation quickly and returning to the kitchen. I stood there confused for a second.
" look mommy... It's a cowboy." Said a kid from behind. I turned back to see a small colt with his mother eating at the table. I smiled at the kid and tipped my hat to him before leaving. I walked out of the store and back into town. I pulled the muffin out of the bag and started munching down. i finished the muffin and threw away my trash.
i walked away from the large edible looking store and kept my eyes out for wanted signs. i'm sure the market is probably the best place to be looking for a job. i know that i have wings and could easily fly up and look down from the sky... but i liked walking better for some reason. it just felt right... besides walking better suits my outfit and and figure. i was walking through the industrial part of the market when i spotted something.
there was a large sign posted on a window of a large store... it was a blacksmith's armor and weapons shop. the sign read "adventurers wanted... REWARD" the word 'reward was is caps and written in fancy lettering. its not a steady job but if i'm supposed to be an adventurer i guess i should start working out the kinks with a quest or something.
i walked over and looked more closely at the sign. there wasn't anything else on it. i shrugged and opened the door to the shop. i walked in and i was instantly greeted by the heat of a large furnace in the back. there were large weapons hanging from the walls and decorative and elegant suits of armour on stands. there were also shields daggers and other various weapons and utilities. there was a pony by an anvil hitting a mold of a sword and making it sharper. i walked over and waited for him to notice me.
he hammered at the sword for a little bit and stopped to check it. he turned it with his large thick blacksmiths gloves and he smiled. he gently placed it in a barrel of cool water. the hot metal touching the cold water filled the room with the hissing of steam. it died down after a few seconds and the barrel sat there steaming with a new sword in it. he took off the goggles he had on his head and wiped them.
"thank you for waiting patiently." he said. i hadn't known he was aware of me. he stood up and turned to see me. when he got a glimpse of me his expression grew stronger. "are you here for work?" he asked excitedly but trying to hide it.
"uhm yes... you're sign says you need the help of an adventurer." i said.
"oh thank celestia somepony finally has the guts to help." he said. "you've got the job."
"great.. but... what's the job exactly?" i asked.
"well you see a band of thugs has been terrorizing this part of the market..." said the stallion walking behind the counter and doing a few things of little importance. "they often come here and take my weapons and money... this has been going on for almost a month."
"do you want me to take care of them?" i asked nervously but hiding it.
"well it would be better if you could just scare them off... they are just worthless street thugs after all... but if they put up a fight then you do what you have to do." he said. he looked behind him and checked the clock hanging on the wall. "you came here just in time... they should be here around one... like usual." he said letting out a deep sigh.
"alright..." i said. "i'll see what i can do." i said to the blacksmith. he smiled and took his place behind the counter. i grabbed a chair and placed it near the door. i sat there and waited. i took my seat near the door because when they come in here i should be able to block off their exit.
i wasn't so sure i was ready for this however. i don't remember what to do or how i should react to these kinds of situations. i don't know any smart battle strategies. well i shouldn't say that. i can't remember them willingly but i guess i was good at this in the past because i keep playing out the fight and looking over every possibility subconsciously. every angle and little detail ran through my head uncontrollably and i had planned out every possible outcome of the fight... now all i had to do was pick one and play it out.
before i could gather all my nerves there was a knock at the door. the pony outside knocked twice then kicked the door in. it almost hit me in the face if i hadn't stopped it. i was now hiding behind the door. i peaked over to see what was happening and i saw three ponies. one was wearing large metal armour with helmet and the other two were wearing leather armour with metal plating in a few spots. i figured the one with the big armor is the leader of the bunch.
"afternoon pops." said the leader taking his helmet off. "what have you got for us today." he said. i slowly got up and unstrung the bow from my back and held it with my wings. i grabbed an arrow and rested it gently on top of the string ready to pull it back. i walked over and stood in front of the door.
"you thugs can't keep this up forever." said the blacksmith. the three ponies started looking at the weapons and armor around still not noticing me.
"yeah and who's going to stop us." said one of the other two ponies.
"i will." i said kicking the door closed and pulling the arrow back on my bow... ready to fire. all three looked back at me with surprise but they didn't seem intimidated. i stared at them with my deep red eyes and the blacksmith smiled.
"hey what are you trying to pull here." said the leader to the blacksmith. "you think this is going to work."
"i'm sick of you thugs terrorizing us merchants... somepony needs to put you in you're place." all three of them just laughed.
"and you think this cowboy is going to help..." said the leader. "look at him... he's a freak." he and his friends laughed at me. "alright kid i'll tell you what... just go... leave and there won't be a problem." he said. i stood there motionless holding the bow up with the arrow ready to fire.
"look kid just go." said one of the other thugs. "besides we need to have a little talk with our friend here." he said gesturing to the blacksmith. i noticed he had his hand on his sword. i'm sure if i don't do anything they'll hurt him... and i'm not sure if i can live with that kind of guilt. before i said anything a strategy flashed into my head and seared its place into my brain within a second. the leader was taking a few steps forward trying to intimidate me.
"look kid the quiet mysterious thing isn't helping you here... just go." said the leader. i smiled.
"should have kept that helmet on." i said right before letting go of the arrow in my bow. as i whirled through the air i silently prayed it would hit him. and it did... right in between his eyes. the room filled with a thud and crack of the arrows impact and the leader stopped dead in his tracks... literally. blood started trickling from the shaft of the arrow sticking out of his head and his eyes started to roll into the back of his head. he soon tilted to the right and fell over and made a large thud as his metal armor clanged against the ground... he was dead.
a wave of fear and shock soon spread over the whole room and made the air thick. i grabbed another arrow and readied it on my bow and aimed for the one on the left. their expressions went from confident to shocked... then fear. i expected them to attack in a violent fit of rage... but they weren't thugs, they were cowards. when they noticed i had another arrow ready they stepped back and their eyes shrunk. lucky for them i didn't plan on killing anypony else today.
"you... k-killed him." said one of the thugs.
"how could..." the other one started saying before i interrupted him.
"shut up." i said. they both went silent. "you're going to do what i saw then you're going to leave ponyville forever." i said. they both stayed silent but i knew that they weren't going to defy me. "first take off you're armour and gear... all of it." i said.
"but-" is all he got out before i let go off the arrow and it grazed past his cheek. it hit the wall on the other end and filled the room with a thud. his eyes shrunk even more and they both started taking off their armor and gear. when they were done they stood there with nothing to but the fur on their backs.
"good..." i said. "now for him." i said nudging an already set arrow to their dead leader. they slowly walked over and started taking the armor and gear off the leader. me and the blacksmith both watched as the two ponies struggled to strip down their leader. after a while they finally stripped him down and he was soon naked with nothing but the arrow sticking from his head... i wanted that back too though.
i walked over to the dead corpse and the other two ponies back up with every step i took. i kept the bow aimed at them while i grabbed the arrow from the stallions head and ripped it out. i got a little blood on me... but i didn't mind, it just helps look more intimidating. i shook most of the blood off the arrow and put it back in my quiver. i also made the other pony take the arrow from the wall and toss it to me. soon i had all my arrows and they had nothing.
"please..." said one of the thugs. "just let us go now."
"fine." i said letting my bow settle to a rest. "get out of here... leave ponyville and don't come back because if i see either of you two ever again i will find you." i said with an intimidating voice. they both bolted for the door but i stopped them. "wait..." i shouted. they both stopped on a dime and turned to me.
"what now..." one of them said with the hint of fear still lingering over them and growing stronger.
"you forgot something." i said gesturing to the dead body of their leader. " you weren't planning on leaving him here... were you?" i said pulling back on the arrow a little. they both rushed over to their leader and picked him up. one pony carried him on his back and they both rushed out of the blacksmiths... "and that's that." i said putting my arrow back in the quiver and restringing my bow to my back. the blacksmith walked over from behind the counter.
"damnit... didn't think you'd kill him." he said. "that was a bit harsh."
"maybe..." i said. "then again this town is a bit more softer than out west in apalooza." i said making up a lie to seem tough and justify my actions.
"thank you stranger for helping me." he said. "most other ponies wouldn't help or didn't care... but you were kind enough to... thank you again."
"it was nothing." i said. "it's been awhile since i've seen some action." i said making up another lie. "i figured this would be a nice way to work out the kinks."
"well i think they've been worked out well enough." said the blacksmith. "now lets talk about your reward." he walked over to the counter like he was going to do business with me.
"it's no trouble..." i said acting modest.
"no i insist." he said. "and when i first saw you i knew exactly what kind of reward you should have." he said going behind to counter. he came back up a few seconds later holding something in his hooves. it was something wrapped in cloth. "i can't offer you any money since those bandits have been running me dry..." he said unwrapping the cloth. "but i can give you this." he said revealing what was behind the cloth.
it was a tomahawk. it had a shining steel blade outline and was hollow in the middle and i dark black and smooth handle with a grip and some war paint on it. across from the axe head was a point for stabbing. it had a fang or something at the end of the grip handle and there were some feathers strung to the handle tape. it looked like an indian tomahawk.
"this is a native equestrian war axe..." said the blacksmith. "or as others see it... an indian tomahawk."... i knew it. "i've had this for a while but nopony had bought it... i thought you might like it... plus i think it's quite suiting for a cowboy like yourself to carry a weapon like this." he said. i reached out and grabbed the tomahawk. i held it up and looked at it. it felt light and was a medium length weapon... i liked it.
"gotta love irony..." i said with a smile. the blacksmith chuckled to himself. i placed the axe on a weapon slot on my belt and i hung there menacingly. "thank you... it's perfect." i said.
"not a problem... and of course you're welcome to the equipment the bandits dropped." he said. we both walked over to the pile of armor and gear.
"well i don't need the armor... so you should take it and sell it for profit." i said. he smiled and i searched the bandits stuff. i grabbed a nice dagger off the leaders gear and some other gear like a rope and some smoke bombs and other neat stuff. i also grabbed a few random folded up maps... hopefully one of them will be a town map of ponyville. i also found three bags of gold each was filled quite well. i took some of the gold and dumped it in my own pouch. i took like 100 bits but there was still a lot left.
i put that to the side. i kept searching and i grabbed a bag from the pile that weighed quite a bit. i pulled it out and it was just a single pouch but it was full to the brim. i opened it up and rested my eyes on the treasures within. there was silverware, jewelry, and gems. i quickly scanned around for another pouch like this but there was none... just this one. it must be loot from the other shops.
"i know those items anywhere..." said the blacksmith. "the jewelry and gems belong to the jeweler two shops over and the spoons and knives are works of the silversmith down the street... they must have made stops before showing their ugly heads here."
"well i guess we should return them..." i said. the blacksmith just smiled. "and you said that these thugs have been terrorizing the other shops too?"
"the whole damn street." he said.
"well..." i said shaking the bags full of bits in my hand. "we should probably find a way to split this up between the shops."
"you're not going to keep it for yourself?" he said.
"well i already took a few bits..." i said. "besides if i keep all of this i might as well have stolen from the shops myself."
"finally an adventurer with his head on straight." said the blacksmith. "crimson himself would have been proud."
"this crimson guy everypony is freaking out about seems like a real great guy." i said as i helped the blacksmith clean up the shop and gather supplies to return to the other shops.
"well of course..." he said. "you must have heard about the Hero King crimson blast."
"not really... i'm a lone wolf... haven't been in one place for too long and i never made friends." i said.
"well he was the greatest thing to happen to equestria since the princess herself." he said. "hell he lived right here in this very town of ours... since he became a legend every adventurer in the world has made it their life's goal to come here and meet him." he said.
"but he's dead now isn't he." i said.
"yes he is... the corpse was given its own tomb in the canterlot garden of hero's and celestia preserved his body with magic so it wouldn't decompose... then right after ponyville immortalized him by erecting a statue in his honor right in the center of town."
"i saw it... he seems like he would be worthy of the title you gave him." i said.
"and he was..." he said. we finished cleaning up and i gathered all the stolen goods and the money. i got up and we were both about to go to the other shops before there was a knock on the door. it sounded sudden and panicky. the blacksmith walked over to the door and opened it up. suddenly five other ponies rushed into the store. three stallions and two mares.
"is it true." asked one of the stallions.
"is that thug really dead." continued one of the mares. they were all crowding around the blacksmith.
"are you alright." asked the other mare.
"how'd you pull it off." asked a different stallion. they were bombing him with questions and had seemed to completely overlook me.
"woah woah woah..." he said warding them off, it seemed to work in silencing them but they all seemed excited. these must be the other shopkeepers. "yes it's true... he's dead and his grunts have run away with his dead carcass." the five other ponies cheered over his death. it's a bit dark when you think about it... but i guess they have reason to celebrate. "now hold on, hold on..." he said calming them down again. "i wasn't the one who killed him... it was that fine lad over there." he said pointing to me. the others turned their gazes over to me and rushed me.
"thank you adventurer." said one of them.
"were finally free." said another.
"alright calm down." said the blacksmith. "we found some of you're silverware silvia... and you're jewelry...ruby." he said addressing the two mares. they both looked at me and smiled. i grabbed the bag and opened it up to show them.
"oh my... they don't like to part ways with what they steal." said one mare holding up a necklace and the other holding a spoon. "they took this from me almost a month ago." they smiled and i tipped my hat to them. they sorted out their belongings and put them in their own bags. i dropped the empty leather bag since i had no use for it.
"thank you adventurer..." said one of the mares. "you have our gratitude."
"any time ma'am..." i said. i pulled up the bags of money too. "and heres the money they probably stole from y'all." i said. did i just say 'y'all'?... this is the first time i've just noticed my light southern-ish accent. oh well, it only helps add to the stereotype. "i don't know how much is in it... but i'm sure you'll be able to divide it evenly amongst yourselves." i handed one of the stallions the bags and he grabbed them smiling.
"thank you..." he said. "uhm... what is you're name."
"the names hot shot..." i said.
"well hot shot you have our gratitude..." said a different stallion. i smiled and made my way to the door. i turned back and looked at them before leaving.
"if you ever need help again... just ask." i said before leaving. i closed door behind me and made my way down the street... this was a successful first day. i wouldn't count yesterday as a first day since i got here at like four. i looked up at the sky and it was still dull and grey but it was starting to get darker. the blacksmith said the bandits came every day around one and that wasn't too long ago... so i fear it might start raining.
i will have to admit... i could get used to this adventuring stuff. i've already got a hook to my title, cowboy. besides the lifestyle seems interesting as well. maybe that's what i was, an adventurer...probably not, when i woke up yesterday i didn't have a single thing with me except some money, my hat, and a bow with 15 arrows... i was probably just some worthless traveler. needless to say i think i'd rather stick with being an adventurer. i think i should try and see what else i can do around town.
unfortunately that pile of folded up maps i grabbed of the thugs gear didn't have a map of ponyville in it so i ended up just wandering around aimlessly for the entire rest of the day before i found myself back at town center. when i got there i looked back at the statue of crimson. i let out a deep sigh and kept looking at the statue. i noticed that there were fresh flowers laying at the foot of the statue. i smiled and turned away. i could find my way back to the inn from here. if i just take the right path and keep going forward until i find the first inn i should be fine.
so i did just that. i walked out of the town clearing and down the street. it was only five feet later that i felt a tap on the back of my hat... then another, and another. i looked up and my bad feeling was true. i sat there looking at the sky as drops of rain started falling and hitting my face. the rain quickly picked up and it was pouring now. i decided to fly up and make a quick trip to the inn but to the best of my luck i saw a flash and soon after the boom of thunder. it wasn't just rain... it was a lightning storm. and it was a close one too.
flying would just get me killed so i need to run. and i did. i ran down the dirt path which soon softened into mud as the rain continued. my clothes were soaked and muddy. i kept running as the sky flickered with the flashes of lightning and the air was filled with the booming of thunder. i kept running and soon enough to my relief i came upon the inn. i rushed over and pulled the door open. i stepped inside and closed the door quickly. i looked around to see a bunch of stallions sitting at tables or near the fire chatting and talking. there were some at the bar. i let out a deep sigh knowing i'm out of the storm.
i looked over to the end of the room and saw octavia tuning her cello. when she saw me she smiled. i smiled too and tipped my hat to her... well i tried, but the water had softened the leather and it was dropping down a bit. i let out another sigh and walked over to the bar. i took a seat and let the bar stool soak up some of the water. it wasn't too long before the bar mare walked over.
"hows the weather sugar." she said with a smile.
" great..." i said with a bit of anger in my voice.
"ah don't worry..." she said. "just wring you're clothes out in the bathroom then sit in front of the fire for a while... works like a charm."
"thanks..." i said getting up and sloshing my way up the stairs to the bathroom. i took my gear off there and wrung it out over the sink. i straightened it out a put it back on. i did all the straps and put the duster on along with my hat. i walked out of the bathroom and then back downstairs. i took a seat by one of the chairs facing the fire. i took the closest one to octavia. there were two other colts here that were wearing damp clothes. "how long does this take." i asked one of them.
"the cloth will be dry in ten minutes..." said one colt. "but the leather will take longer... just sit in front of the fire for an hour and you should be set."
"thanks." i said tipping my hat to him. i sat there and stared at the fire while the storm raged outside. the dimly lit bar filled up with the flashes of lightning cutting through the windows and the boom of thunder which only seemed to grow worse. octavia had already started playing her cello. i tried to get lost in the music to make time pass by faster but every time i was starting to drift away the crack of thunder brought me back.
"here ya go sugar." said the bar mare who was standing right next to me. she was holding out a bottle of whiskey.
"i didn't order this." i said.
"no that stallion over there ordered it for you." she said pointing to a colt by the bar. he had armoured robes on... if that makes sense. they were cloth robes but with decorative and ornate plates of steel fashioned to them. he was looking at me and i got a look at his face. he had blue eyes, tan fur, and white hair. he didn't look old but his hair was strangely white and unkempt. he also had a horn on his head and a sword hilted to a utility belt. but the most significant feature was the middle plate on his chest. it looked like a picture of two crossed swords was burned into the steel somehow and a red ruby was augmented in the middle of it. like the symbol some of the adventurers wear.
"did he now." i said. i was getting suspicious. i grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the bar mare. i looked at him and he looked at me. he smiled and turned away to the counter.
"he said he would like to talk to you when you're done with you're drink." she said
"i'll talk to him now." i said getting up. i had been sitting by the fire for a while and my clothes had dried pretty well but they're still a little damp. i walked over to the bar and took the seat next to the pony. he turned to me and smiled.
"you decided to approach a strange situation with you're wits about you... that's an admirable decision." he said. his voice sounded young but also wise. i could see now that he was blind in one eye as it was a pale milky blue.
"who are you?" i asked. "and what's that insignia?"
"your perceptive too... i would expect so from a marksman" he said. "i know about you're accomplishment today at the market on iron street." he said. "i was actually on my way to go take care of the problem. i was right next to the blacksmiths when the door burst open and two ponies ran out carrying a dead corpse with the stench of fear lingering behind them."
"so what... you're like some kind of all knowing mage or something." i said.
"no... i was just in the right place at the right time." he said. "the thugs go in armed to the teeth, and a few minutes later they leave running ,tails between their legs, carrying their dead leader... then, you walk out."
"is this going somewhere?" i asked.
"yes... i hope you know that you're a fine and brave hero." he said. "i don't know what you did to make those thugs so afraid or how you killed the leader but whatever it was it worked."
"it wasn't too hard." i said taking a swig of the whiskey. "their leader made the mistake of taking his helmet off... the rest is history, like him."
"not a glamorous victory but still all well in the end." he said.
"so i still have questions." i said. "who are you, what do you want, and why should i care." he chuckled to himself quietly while i took another swig of whiskey.
"my name is cold fire." he said. "i'm the leader of the crimson order... which is the insignia you may have seen on few adventurers around ponyville... and i would like to invite you into the order." he said holding out one of the badges the other ponies wear.
"sounds interesting." i said. "but i'm still waiting for you to tell me why i care." he laughed a little bit and took a sip from his own drink.
"i like you're delightfully sarcastic and comedic attitude... it's quite charming." he said still chuckling a bit. "well if you're looking to be a great adventurer and help the ponies of equestria then i'd join... ponies usually look at us a guards for ponyville. not only that but we frequently receive requests from ponies in ponyville to help them with mundane or dangerous tasks... these tasks are ranked based on threat level and then assigned to other members."
"so basically its an organized group of adventurers." i said.
"exactly..." he said. "so what do you say."
"not interested." i said turning him down immediately. his expression changed from happy to confused.
"not interested?... are you sure." he said.
"yep... i'm sure." i said taking another chug of whiskey. even though the bottle was almost half gone it hadn't hit me yet so this wasn't a dumb drunken decision... i meant it. i don't want to get tangled up in some complicated system of adventuring... takes the fun out of it.
"i was honestly expecting you to say yes." he said. "oh well i guess not."
"sorry to turn you down like that... but i'm just not interested."
"well... this isn't the first time..." he said. "but the other times those ponies ended up becoming criminals or ruffians that we would eventually deal with... you're the first one to show promise who's turned us down."
"i guess so." i said. he was taking this defeat very well. then again i had expected somepony like him to handle it well.
"oh well." he said downing the rest of his drink. "it was worth the try... it was nice meeting you and i'm sure we'll see each other again... until then... i'll be watching." he said before his horn glowed and in a flash of light he was gone. i let out a deep sigh and turned back to the bar. the bar mare walked over and leaned against the counter.
"sheesh..." she said. "what was that about?"
"i don't even know." i said. "something about the crimson order..."
"oh yeah i know them..." she said. "bunch of tough looking guys walking around with badges and weapons playing guard... they can be a bit arrogant at some times but they never do anypony harm... only good... probably the best thing to have happened to this town after crimson himself died."
"well they offered me to join them and i turned him down." i said.
"huh... well good for you." she said. "and you still owe me for the scotch you wasted on that jerks face this morning." she said. i smiled and laughed silently to myself.
"yeah i can pay for it... " i said with a smirk. i reached into my coin pouch and paid her for the scotch that i 'wasted'... i thought it was a practical use for a cheap bottle of booze. i sat at the bar for a while and ordered some dinner. i got a bowl of carrot soup and scarfed it down in under a minute. i hadn't eaten too regularly since i woke up and i've been hungry for a long time.
i ordered a drink or two after my dinner and sat at the bar still trying my best to listen to octavias music over the storm. the storm did a good job of drowning her music out that after a while i realized she wasn't playing anymore, but the music still lingered around in my head. she put her cello away and walked over to the bar and joined me. she looked at me and we exchanged a smile. she ordered a glass of wine and i ordered another beer.
"so would you like to stay another night or do you think you could brave the storm." i said making her chuckle.
"another night doesn't sound too bad... besides this place is nice and quiet during the night." she said.
"why... you're house too loud." i said.
"no its the things inside the house..." she said rolling her eyes.
"what... a husband or something." i said with a bit of surprise.
"no... not married, but i do have a roommate... she's a big time DJ at a lot of clubs and she's always blasting her music at all hours of the day and night... drives me crazy."
"and i guess moving out isn't an option..." i said.
"not a safe option at least." she said resting her head on her hooves. "but i can't really complain... she's been my best friend for as long as i can remember... she drives me crazy and i think the same can be said on both side... but i could never hate her." she let out a deep sigh and took a large sip of wine.
"i'm sure blasting her music without you there to yell at her is driving her crazy... she probably misses you." i said.
"she probably does." octavia said smiling gently. i went to say something else but i was interrupted by a boom of thunder. the boom came mere seconds after the lightning flash. i went to speak but it wasn't over. soon the ground trembled and the air was filled with the sound of smashing and breaking sounds. large crashes and thuds everywhere. soon it finally stopped.
"what the hell was that." said one of the stallions in the bar.
"probably just a quake." said another. soon before we could keep discussing the door to the bar was forced open violently by a mare with orange hair and a lighter orange coat. she was nervous and had a sense of fear about here.
"help..." she screamed. without hesitation i got up. "a tree fell on my neighbors house... somepony help." she said. again without hesitation i rushed by her and out into the storm. a few other stallions followed. i looked over and i could see a large tree had been struck by lightning and cleaved through a house close by.
the lightning set the tree on fire and in turn the tree ignited the house. it wasn't too bad but there was fire everywhere. good thing the rain was keeping the fire from spreading to the other houses. i rushed over and got close to the wreckage. i looked for a way in which was easy as there was a gaping divide cutting through the house. i hopped on top of the tree log and maneuvered my way through falling wreckage and fire. i looked around and i tried to find any sign of life but there was too much fire and rubble i soon found it hard to breathe.
"HELP." shouted a voice from close by. i traced the voice to a mare stuck on the second story which was visible through the gaping maw in her house. "please help." she begged. i spread my wings and quickly flew up. i was about to reach the second story when i heard a crack from above. i looked up and part of the roof gave in. i quickly dodged the rubble and kept going. i flew over and reached the mare.
"don't worry ma'am" i said. "i'll get you out of here." i reached out for her and she jumped right on me and held on for her life. i started flying out when another portion of the roof gave in... silently this time, catching me off guard. when the rubble and burning wood hit me i was startled and i careened for the ground. i did manage to cover the mare and hit the ground. i hit the log with a thud and more rubble fell on top of me.
when i finally cleared up i was lying on top of the mare like a cage and she was balled up in fear. more of the house kept falling around. i went to fly again but just moving my wings caused me pain... they were broken. i tried getting up and move forward but something had caught my leg. i looked back to see a beam of wood keeping me down. i looked at the mare.
"go..." i said. "get out... run." i said. she did so without hesitation. she ran out just as more of the house collapsed around me and trapped me in here. ah...crap. there was fire everywhere now and it had started to spread to the beam trapping my leg. i looked back to see the top of the beam was on fire now. i went to lift it up but the heat of the beam and the fire burned my hooves and i let go. i could feel my leg growing hotter as the fire burned closer to my leg.
i tried just yanking my leg from underneath but that just caused a lot of pain which made me cry out. i also noticed a worrying amount of blood leaking out from under the beam. i quickly checked the underside of the higher up parts of the beam and there were nails sticking out everywhere. they must have punctured something important in my leg. this house really doesn't want me to leave. if those nails heat up from the fire its going to hurt... a lot.
i felt a sudden burning in my leg and i yelled in pain. the fire had grown close to my leg and was burning me now. in a rush of adrenaline and courage i grabbed the burning and nail ridden underside of the beam and lifted it up. doing so burned and stabbed my hooves but i pushed through the pain. i lifted the beam up and unpunctured my leg. i let it go and slid the nails from out of my front hooves as well. i yelled in pain and grit my teeth. i didn't have time for damage control.
i got up... barely, and started to limp over to what i thought was my best bet for an exit. i couldn't make it though... and i fell. i stretched my hoof out as if the exit were that close and i was done. i couldn't make it anymore... dammit... i don't want to die. i never should have become an adventurer... now this is what i get. and burning alive is a pretty shitty way to go out. i turned around and laid on my back. i looked up at the rainy night sky while the fires of my inferno burned around me. they grew hotter and reached further into the sky... like they were trying to take the last sight from my life and burn in along with me.
i started sweating and the heat around me was unbearable. i was sweating so much that i think i ran out of sweat. the fires around me flourished and roared. every second they would inch forward. part of me was hoping i would bleed out instead of burning alive... at least pass out so i won't experience the pain. but there was no hope for that. all i could do was sit there while the burning house crashed around me... it was almost like it was taunting me. i'm sure getting crushed by those beams would be a quicker way out... but this house wanted to see me burn.
it's funny how things happen so quickly. first i was at the bar sharing a few drinks with a lovely and charming mare... now i'm trapped in a blazing inferno. i just laid there while the world went hazy and i struggled to breathe. the fire was so close now... it could already feel it singing the hair on my coat. i waited for it to come, for it to engulf me in it's wholeness and just turn me into another pile of ashes with the rest of the house. it grew so much closer, only a few inches away and then... it stopped.
that's all... it just stopped. like the fire was just erased from the world and all was left was a burnt down house. i stared in awe as i could start to feel rain wash over my body once again. the pain and the burning was real... but it was like the fire was just in my imagination. i looked back up to the sky and the clouds started fading... and i could see the stars and the moon. even though i was growing weak and dizzy i could make out all the stars.
...and i smiled.