The world below became a patchwork of greens and browns. As Astral Shroud flew through the vast expanse of sky, a vibrant tapestry appeared to stretch endlessly. His children were wide-eyed and filled with wonder, pointed excitedly at the fluffy clouds that danced around them, their imaginations ignited by the beauty surrounding them. The cool air brushed against their fur, invigorating and refreshing, while the sun's golden rays enveloped them in a warm embrace. Each gust of wind carried with it the scent of adventure, the thrill of flight intertwined with the joy of family as they glided through the heavens. Creating a memory that would forever be etched in their hearts.
Ray suddenly laughed joyously. Never in her life did she ever think that her first experience in the air would be this wonderful. A smile graced her lips as she experienced flight, the exhilaration that came after feeling the rush of wind. Her entire body felt alive, free, and energized; like everything that has been holding her back since she was reincarnated in this world had vanished. She could still feel the tendrils wrapped around her body, but it was no longer present, and her breathing calmed as time passed.
Windy subconsciously outstretched her hooves like the wings of an airplane. Happy giggles escaped her lips, and Astral smiled at her. Their speeds increased, but not too much where it discomforted the two passengers. Windy smile grew a little wider, reveling in her surroundings while she listened to the breeze that blew past her ears.
Duke looked genuinely flustered. Not just flustered, but wonderstruck. No matter how many times he's flown in the air, the experience was still breathtaking. His eyes gazed down upon the forest, filled with awe and amazement. He lifted his head to face forward, seeing the world zipping by. Duke wondered at this moment if this was how birds felt flying freely through the air.
It was then that Duke noticed his sister looking down.
Duke followed her gaze and found the source to be her flank.
"Something on your mind, sis?" Duke asked, tilting his head at her. Ray turned his gaze towards him.
"Oh, it's nothing," Ray replied. "I was just wondering when we're gonna get our own cutie marks."
Astral glanced at his daughter.
"I'm sure we'll all get our own eventually in the future," Astral reassured, smiling at her. "Speaking of which, do Cutie Marks have some importance to one's self? I've never watched the show so I'm just wondering."
Ray nodded her head.
"Yes," Ray replied. "Most people will tell you that a Cutie Mark is supposed to represent a pony's special talent, but really, it can mean a lot of different things. Twilight and her friends are a good example. Cutie Marks are meant to represent anything that makes a pony stand out from the rest."
Astral nodded his head.
"I see," acknowledged Astral.
Duke perked up when he saw something from a far distance.
"There it is," Duke announced, pointing ahead.
Ray and Astral followed his line of sight. From below, Astral could see the village nestled within a large and wide clearing. There were huts everywhere; each one built out of bamboo sticks and woven grass. The buildings seemed made of straw as well, giving the appearance of having been there for decades. The water looked like crystal, reflecting the sunlight perfectly.
Astral leaned down a little. Even from hundred feet in the air Astral could see dots of earth ponies moving about; some were walking down the dirt path, others were carrying baskets on their heads, and the rest were entering their huts. The sight was picturesque, yet strangely peaceful.
"Is that the village?" Ray inquired curiously, looking up to her brother.
Duke nodded his head.
"Yup, that's the one," Duke replied.
Astral looked between his children flying by beside him.
"Okay, just like we practice. Slow and steady," Astral instructed gently. The children obeyed his instructions without question, slowing their pace even more.
Astral and his children began to descend slowly towards the earth's floor. One by one they landed in front of the village's entrance, folding their wings back to their sides with grace. Windy landed on Astral's back before folding her wings. Astral looked at the entrance, noting that the gate was half broken; one door laid on the dirt floor inside the village while the latter loosely hung on its hinges.
Astral started forward and entered the village. Ray and Duke trailed after their father, and Windy looked around with curiosity. The earth ponies of the village notice the alicorn family upon entering their home, and soon the village's attention is focused on them. Everypony stopped what they were doing, staring at the family with curious, yet concerned looks. Astral and his children halted their pace at the heart of the village as all the earth ponies surrounded them. Proceeding to stare at them with a mix of curiosity and worry washing over their countenance.
This didn't go unnoticed by Astral.
"They all seemed scared of us," Astral noted, staring back at each earth pony one by one. Duke glanced at his father.
"Yeah, I got the same reaction when I first came here," Duke remarked, looking back at the crowd.
Ray placed a hoof on her chin.
"Maybe it's because they're cut off from sustained contact with neighbouring communities and the world community," Ray suggested, glancing at her father. "This is probably their first time seeing a family of alicorns."
Duke turned his gaze toward a big muscular earth pony. Though the big didn't advance, he narrowed his gaze at Duke. Waiting for him to make the slightest movement.
"Well, at least they're not hostile.…yet," Duke muttered under his breath.
Astral surveyed his surroundings. Most of the earth ponies around them were dressed in leaf-like clothing. Their manes and tails were wild and messy. These ponies all wore masks of some sort, covering their faces and preventing them from revealing their identity. The only ones that didn't wear masks were the fillies, who stick close to their mothers and fathers.
Astral chewed on his lip. He had read stories of people making contact with uncontacted tribes that were disconnected from the world. Some ended with the tribe giving the outsiders a fare warning, allowing them the chance to turn and walk back to where they came from. Other times it ends with the tribe killing the outsiders for trespassing their territory. Killing them in the most brutalist way imaginable and taking parts of their remains back to their hidden village. Astral's stomach flipped at the thought, knowing what that kind of fate held for an outsider.
But that doesn't mean Astral is scared of these ponies. Strength and magic wise, he and his children could definitely defend themselves against all of them. However, he doesn't want to harm any of these ponies. Astral would rather want to make peace with this isolated community if possible.
"Bạn là ai và bạn đến từ đâu?" The earth pony chieftain asked, looking at Astral with narrowed eyes. Astral blinked in bewilderment at the stallion.
"I…I'm sorry, but I can't understand you," Astral said, shaking his head slightly.
The interface popped up in front of Astral. Astral looked down at the system's panel, and blinked in surprise.
[ Translation ]
[ "Who are you, and where did you come from?" ]
The quest log briefly disappears then reappears again.
[ Notice
The earth pony before you is speaking Vietnamese. Speak whatever you wish to say to him, and the system will translate what the latter replies to you. Once you're done talking, your words will be translated and will be heard by the stallion. ]
Astral blinked in surprise from what he was reading. He was thanking his lucky stars that the system was lending him this small but useful assistance. It gave him a chance to communicate with these earth ponies without having to resort to using gestures.
"My name is Astral Shroud," Astral politely introduced himself, placing a hoof over his heart before gesturing to his children. "These are my children; Ray Brightbloom, Windy, and Duke Bravestone. We are alicorns from a faraway land, a land that no pony in Equestria could reach. Unfortunately, we have lost our path and can not return to our land where we once resided. For now we are just travelers on a winding journey, searching for a new land that we can call home."
Astral slightly bowed his head with a smile. Ray and Duke emulated their father's actions by bowing their heads as well.
"We come before all of you with peace," Astral assured, straightening back up to his full height.
The system translated Astral's words to the chieftain as the stallion listened silently. When the system finished relaying the message, the chieftain nodded his head respectfully to the alicorns. Astral sighed in relief; glad that his backstory wasn't too complex or too difficult for the language barrier to handle.
"If I may ask, what happened to your village?" Astral asked, gesturing his hoof at some of the destroyed huts.
"Ngôi làng của chúng tôi đã bị tấn công bởi những kẻ cướp biển từ biển," the chieftain replied, sounding very angry.
Ray opened up her interface and read the translation.
[ Translation ]
[ "Our village was attacked by raiders from the sea." ]
Ray raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"Raiders from the sea?" Ray repeated curiously, placing a hoof on her chin in thought.
Ray found herself deep in thought about the stallion's description. The imagery conjured up visions of pirates, particularly Captain Celaeno, the notorious leader of a crew that delivered cargo for the Storm King. However, a significant flaw in her theory emerged: Captain Celaeno and her crew were known as sky pirates, navigating the air rather than the ocean. This distinction left her questioning the connection between the stallion's words and the world of seafaring pirates.
"These raiders you speak of, are they parrots by any chance?" Ray asked, turning her attention to the stallion.
The chieftain shook his head.
"Không, những kẻ đột kích tấn công chúng tôi là những con mèo cầm kiếm," the chieftain replied.
[ Translation ]
[ "No, the raiders that attacked us were cats wielding swords." ]
Duke placed a hoof on his chin.
Cats wielding swords, Duke thought.
Duke lowered his gaze to the ground. The image of Capper flashed through his mind. Duke had never read the My Little Pony comics, so Capper was the only other cat he knew from the movie that could fit that description in terms of species.
"And how many were there in total?" Astral asked, staring worryingly at the chieftain.
One of the mares walked up beside the chieftain. She glanced at the chieftain with worry under her mask, and he turned his gaze towards her. He took her hoof in his before returning his gaze towards Astral.
"Mỗi tàu có năm con, tổng cộng một trăm người. Chúng tôi cố gắng chống trả, nhưng chúng quá đông. Chúng không chỉ lấy thức ăn và tài nguyên của chúng tôi, mà còn lấy cả con cái chúng tôi. Để bị bán làm nô lệ cho công việc bẩn thỉu của chúng," the chieftain replied, his tone laced with concern.
[ Translation ]
[ "In five ships each, a hundred men in total. We tried to fight back, but there were just too many of them. They not only took our food and resources, but our children too. To be sold as slaves for their dirty work." ]
A wave of despair washed over him as Astral absorbed the chilling news. Vivid and haunting images of his children being forcibly taken, helpless and terrified flooded his mind, stirred a primal fear within him. The notion of his beloved children falling victim to such unspeakable horrors sent shivers down his spine. Ray and Duke shared in this anguish beside him, their expressions mirroring the Chieftain's sorrow. They could feel the weight of the village's suffering, a collective grief that resonated deeply within them. Each heartbeat was a reminder of the fragility of their loved ones, amplifying the urgency to protect their family and community from the looming threat of the pirates.
"As a father myself, I'm sorry for your loss," Astral sincerely apologized. The chieftain appreciated his kind words and nodded his head.
There was silence for a moment.
"Mr. Chieftain, may I ask you your name?" Astral asked, smiling at him.
The chieftain blinked.
"Brisk," the chieftain named Brisk replied.
Astral took a step towards Brisk.
"Brisk, if you will allow me and my family, we'd like to help you rebuild your village," Astral offered. "We want to help bring your village back to its former self."
Astral closed his eyes. Images of crying fillies in chains flashed in his mind. The sight made his blood boil.
"And I swear, as father to another father." Astral reopened his eyes as they narrowed with determination set in them. "I will find your children, and bring them back home."
Ray and Duke stared at their father in awe. The chieftain and the pony villagers blinked in shock.
It was then that Astral received a new notification log.
Astral glanced down at the log panel.
[ [QUEST LOG]
( Daily Side Quests: Search & Rescue has arrived )
GOAL
Number 1: Find the raider's pirate ship.
Number 2: Find their homebase by getting answers from the crew.
Number 3: Locate said homebase and take down their operations.
Number 4: Retrieve the young fillies and bring them back to their families.
Reward: 8,000 Skill Points and a new Skill. ]
The determination on Astral's countenance deepened.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the third chapter. Originally I was planning to make this chapter longer, but I decided that this would be enough. I also like to make a quick announcement before signing off. I'm gonna be putting this story on hold, and will be gone for twenty-nine days for religious reasons. I won't be back until either March 30 or March 31 so I apologize to all of you who won't be seeing any updates from this story for a while. (If God wills), I'll be sure to get back into writing more chapters for this story as soon as I return. With all of that said I'll be going now. I hope you all have a wonderful day or night wherever you are!
See you all in the next chapter, my little shimmerings!
