private Sombra's Shadow

[Sweet_Melody 308]

"No, my lady - though you've just earned quite a few points with me.  

 

Melody Smiled. 

 

The cart's far heavier than one would think, and the workout keeps me from turning into a fat, lazy pony.  Besides, dragging this pile of splinters is a curse I would never wish on a fine damsel such as yourself."

 

She giggled a little, and opened her mouth to reply, but noticed he went into a bow, and stopped herself from her statement.

 

 

 

"But merely the offer you've made warms my cold heart.  Were I still a young stallion, I would endeavor to perhaps steal a kiss from you, but I will simply bear the burden of your loveliness as we travel on together."

 

Melody blushed as well, "I-I am happy to be of company and delight to you..."

 

"My deepest apologies, my lady - old habits die hard, and my habits are quite old by now.  I do forget myself sometimes."

 

Melody noticed his happiness, and she too was happy that she had made his day just a little brighter. She hoped that with her showing her concern and care for the others, that even after they knew her identity, they would still accept her. She followed happily.

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@,

 

"There is no need, I appreciate your offer but I'm not that kind of pony who talks about her problems. I just ignore them for a while until they go away." Trivy said with a smile that she wasn't sure of was real or fake. "I got to go, there's a guard tower coming up. I need to adjust the route."

 

@@Randimaxis, @@Sweet_Melody, @

 

Trivy walked to the front of the group to make her announcement. "Alright, listen up everypony! There is a guard tower half a mile that way so we gotta make a small detour through the forest. If you all just stay together and stay close to me, everything should be fine."

Edited August 16, 2015 by Pucksterv

[Randimaxis 8,634]

"Alright, listen up everypony! There is a guard tower half a mile that way so we gotta make a small detour through the forest. If you all just stay together and stay close to me, everything should be fine."

 

Through the forest.  Just a small detour.  Over rocks, roots, mud and all sorts of other varied terrains that will almost assuredly cause me nothing but grief as I lug this rutting pile of wood and pain across even more mileage.  Oh yes, Trivy - by all means, you are MORE than welcome to increase the amount of time that I must be tied to this wagon of misery... in fact, if we could just skip the details and simply NAIL the damnable thing to my spine, that would certainly be the most WONDERFUL idea in all the rutting world!

 

What he actually did was nod sagely at Trivy's words, then he began trotting again.  The left wheel of his 'companion' caught a root, and the entire thing jerked to one side - not precariously so, but enough yank on his opposing shoulder, causing a muscle there to spasm.  And to think, I have MILES of this to go, he thought.  That was when the two young ponies sitting on the buckboard began to sing "99 Bottles Of Cider On The Wall", and thumped their hooves in time, each vibration sending various parts of Harcourt's back into random twitches.  The right wheel then repeated the earlier actions of its brother on the other side, having a similar effect on the opposing side of his back.

 

He was really beginning to HATE that cart.

[Count Paradox 3,548]

Psych woke groggily to the noise of ponies singing. It was odd, really... He had fallen asleep in the forest beneath a tree, thinking no pony or no shadows would find him, yet, here was this loud band of ponies traipsing through the woods, being loud enough to alert Sombra's minions. Either that, or they were just in disguise, trying to lure out any hidden rebels or escaped slaves! He didn't want to go back, so he decided to distract them and make a break for it. Lifting a small rock in his telepathy, he aimed it behind the group and chucked it before running off in the opposite direction, not caring if he made noise as he ran. However, he forgot to spread his sight, which made for a bad time as he ran into some vines and got tangled up.

[Randimaxis 8,634]

... fire... I could burn it with fire... no, fire would attract Sombra's forces, for certain... maybe I could find a nice family of beavers who could use it as a dam; it's damned enough, THAT'S for sure... or maybe termite-

 

A rock flew from nowhere and bounced off Harcourt's rump, jarring him from his cart-murdering thoughts.  He jerked to a stop, and turned to face the young ones.

 

"LOOK, I HAVE HAD ABOUT ENOUGH OF..." That was when he spotted the pony struggling in the brush and vines. 

 

"Group up!  Unknown pony!  Fighters to the rear!"  The call was a familiar one that they had used for years, covering themselves from possible attacks as they traveled.  It meant there was something odd happening, and that they might be in danger.  The other ponies gathered into a tight-knit group, while those who could fight rallied behind them, blocking them from the unknown threat behind them.

 

The two little fillies disappeared into the back of the cart, while Harcourt released the harness and hopped onboard to cover them.

[Sweet_Melody 308]

Melody heard Harcourt's command, and found herself being pulled into the group closer. This made her feel very uncomfortable, but she also knew that it would keep her safe from whatever was going on. 

 

Hopefully it's nothing too....scary..... She thought to herself. 

 

 

She crawled through the group and to right behind the cart with the fillies. She tried to see what they were up against but couldn't get a good view of anything.

[Count Paradox 3,548]

Psych continued to fight with the vines, but, still being tired from escaping, they wore him down quickly. He sighed and hung his head, resigning himself to getting caught again. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad... Maybe they would only beat him within an inch of his life...

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Count Paradox, @@Randimaxis,

 

"Wait! wait..." Trivy said to Harcourt as everyone got in formation. She walked towards the stranger caught in the vines. "I've seen you before, haven't I? Stranger, tell me your name, I know you from somewhere. Give me a reason why I should untie you from those vines instead of attacking you?"

Edited August 16, 2015 by Pucksterv

[Sweet_Melody 308]

Melody listened to Trivy, still trying to get a good look at what was happening. She was very curious about what was happening.

 

Come on... Come on.... What is it? Who is there??? She thought to herself. She finally got a peek at Psych, noticing he was tangled. She gasped a little, surprised to see there were even more ponies out here. 

[Count Paradox 3,548]

"I... My name is Psych..." He sighed. "Please... Don't send me back to the slave mines... I don't want to go back..." A few tears fell from his unblinking eyes. "I won't be able to handle working there any more..." He moved his head up to stare at her. "Please... Don't hurt me..." He spread his sight out to see who was in front of him. "Are... Are you not a shadow from Sombra's army?"

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Count Paradox, 

 

"Are... Are you not a shadow from Sombra's army?" 

 

"Do I look like a shadow? If I was, would I be talking to you right now?" Trivy said, raising an eyebrow. She looked at Psych with a chuckle. "Don't worry, we mean no harm. Here, I'll help you out of those vines." Trivy's horn started to glow as she used her magic to untie Psych from the vines. 

[Count Paradox 3,548]

"I don't know, I... Can't see anything... I'm blind..." He fell to the ground after being freed and slowly stood. "But... I can see another way... I'm, uh... Psychic..." He looked down, ashamed. "Most ponies are afraid of me when I say that... I'll understand if you all don't want me near you, no pony else did. Even in the mines, others avoided being near me..."

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Count Paradox,

 

"Yeah yeah, backstory later, we gotta move now. We can't stay in once play too long when traveling. You can come with us if you want. You are welcome but you gotta come with us now." Trivy didn't wait for a response and walked back to the rest of the group. "Come on, lets get moving. We're not going to get to Baltimare by standing here all day."

[Sweet_Melody 308]

Melody saw Trivy walk back to the group, and didn't hesitate to continue walking.

 

Baltimare.... She thought, I've never been there....

 

 

As they continued walking, Melody stayed next to Harcourt, and tried to kick away any rocks that were in his way, it was the least she could do. 

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

No... no... where would they be?

 

It had been a few days since Lilith had left, bearing the cold as she made her way south. She was about thirty miles out from Canterlot when she had decided to stop until she had a specific location in mind, and thus began the painful work of researching the rebel activity and trying to find a point where to head.

 

As she parked by a campfire, trying to stay warm at the edge of the forest, Lilith had the maps given to her out and was trying to cross reference them to try and find where they might be headed. I must say, she commented, it is quite significant that they have been able to confuse all of the data and tie it up into a knot. The missing piece that he was trying to give me was probably what I needed to figure this out, so unless I have a lucky break of some sort... Lilith huffed. She hated anything that was pure luck. Sitting back, there were about three possible locations: Baltimare, Ponyville, or all the way in Apploosia. If they were going down the Apploosia, she wouldn't be able to catch them, so hopefully that wasn't the case. Besides, if they went to the other two, they would go through or at least skirt the Everfree- a ranger in a desert was rather odd (though not unheard of)

 

WIth a sigh, she took a sip of the cider that she had packed (and reheated), packed up the maps and other equipment, and relaxed, staring at the sky as the smoke from the fire curled through the air. Hopefully something would reveal itself, whether that be a mistake on the rebel's part, they were by some miracle close enough where they saw the smoke and got curious, or some suitably random chance. Otherwise, she wouldn't really be going anywhere and she would fail miserably. Which was unacceptable.

[Count Paradox 3,548]

Psych simply nodded and followed her to the group, opting to stay in the back, out of everypony's way. Looking around a bit, he could see that the group wasn't that large, only a few ponies, and even less of them had weaponry. He felt a bit nervous, and hoped that they got to where they were going soon. While it felt better traveling in a group, he knew no one in said group and felt like an outsider.

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@, 

 

The drunken guard who had 'escaped' the tower attack had stopped running a while ago and was now dragging his hoofs along his path. He wondered how much further he had to walk before he reached to Crystal Empire. He was hungry and tired when he saw smoke coming from somewhere in the distance. He ran towards it, knowing that rebels would never light a fire, it must be some of the other Darkmane group. "Help! Somepony help please! I'm a Darkmane! Please help!"

[Sweet_Melody 308]

Melody noticed Psych was staying behind a little. 

 

She slowed down a bit to get to beside him.

 

"Hello there..." She said to the pony, trying to be friendly. "You have joined this group as well?" 

 

Melody kept her head forward as she talked and walked, trying to stay attentive to her surroundings...  

[Randimaxis 8,634]

"Trivy, might I see you for just a moment?"  Harcourt's words were terse and tight, and he wore his concern-face.

 

He waited until she got close, and began to mutter softly, almost under his breath.

 

"I'll take it as read that he's not a threat, since you led him back over to our group.  Glad you went to deal with him; my flank is still angry about that rock, and I'm still agreeing with it."

 

There was a small bruise, but he seemed to be limping ever-so-slightly... of course, being Harcourt, Trivy was fairly certain he was playing it up for effect; she'd seen him go through far worse and never say a word.

 

"So, since you've spoken to him, I'd like to see if you still retain the pony-reading skills you learned: What did he tell you, and what did you see?"

[Pucksterv 4,508]

"So, since you've spoken to him, I'd like to see if you still retain the pony-reading skills you learned: What did he tell you, and what did you see?"

 

''We can trust him. I recognized him since he is from the slave mines....and you know about what happened to me there." Trivy was silent for a moment as she remembered her time in the mines. "I got out and it seems he got lucky too. That's all that matters." 

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@@Pucksterv,

 

"Help... someone help please..."

 

Lilith immediately tuned out the rest of her senses as her instincts kicked in. Quickly ensuring that there was a lack of brush or fuel for the fire to start a brush fire with, she took off in the direction of the screaming, flipping up into the trees at the side of the road and running along then to hasten her progress.

 

It took her 5 minutes to reach what she called the 'danger zone', slowing down and focusing on seeing and hearing anything that might prove helpful in this cry for help- or if it was a trap. She remained this way, out of sight and earshot, for at least ten minutes, ensuring that there were no ambushes nearby, or any immediate danger. She realized after a moment that it was just a drunk soldier. She sighed slightly as she stepped back a moment. Was it wise to offer her assistance to every drunkard that walked by? Then she realized something- this was a guard in a guard's outfit who had been thrashed pretty well and then thrown out of his jurisdiction. With his armor. Meaning that this fellow was a victim, as if he had been thrown out on his rump, then he wouldn't possess his armor anymore. Shaking her head slightly, she came out of the shadows, face hidden in her cloak. "Hello, soldier... what brings you this far from civilization in such a broken condition?"

[Randimaxis 8,634]

Harcourt sighed and tsk-tsked her. 

 

"You disappoint me, girl.  If that is all you gleaned from him, you're not retaining much.  Remember, a friend today could be the enemy of tomorrow..."

 

Isn't that right, Rave?  Luther had talked of working with House Darkmane long before Harcourt had left home - and hadn't had much to say when he'd come back.

 

"Now, let me show YOU what you've missed - or neglected to tell me."

 

He turned his keen eyes toward Psych, scanning him over for no more than five or six seconds before turning back to Trivy.  He then cleared his throat softly, and began speaking.

 

"He's walking on the outer edge of the group, which means he has an 'outsider' mentality - good to know, for he might enjoy a chance to prove himself.  He is thoroughly worn out, so he'll require rest tonight instead of standing watch.  His eyes look... blind?  Well, if that's the case, he won't be able to help us navigate... but his ears will probably be sharp as tacks.  Melody seems to be speaking to him at the moment, so it should be noted that he doesn't send out an eerie vibe to others - which is a GOOD thing, Trivy, as there are enough spooked ponies here already.  And THOSE observations are based only on what I see."

 

He shook his head sadly, then took a deep breath and nodded toward the pony talking to Psych.

 

"Now, YOU do the same for Melody... or I'll just keep picking ponies until you do it right.  What you observe can save your life."

 

Harcourt seemed firm about this.  He waited for her response.

[Pucksterv 4,508]

"Now, YOU do the same for Melody... or I'll just keep picking ponies until you do it right.  What you observe can save your life."

 

"Harcourt, I don't have time for this. My gut tells me that Melody is a good pony, sure, there is more to it but that doesn't matter. If I feel I can trust her, then we can trust her. You know that. Now please, focus on the road ahead." Trivy said a bit irritated. Somehow, in only a few minutes, Trivy's mood had completely changed from cheerful to miserable.

 

 

 

"Hello, soldier... what brings you this far from civilization in such a broken condition?"

 

The soldier took a moment to catch his breath. "I..my station was attacked by a large group of rebels. They took us by surprise, they told me to run and to deliver a message to King Sombra himself. They were heading to the east the last I saw them. Now if you excuse me, I need to go to the crystal empire." The soldier said, ready to start walking again.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Pucksterv

[Randimaxis 8,634]

Harcourt looked at Trivy in surprise for a moment... then frowned sternly, and turned back to the road.

 

"Yes, yes... 'pull the cart, you old nag'!  Very well, then.  Since you're SO busy, I suppose I'll have to just keep my flapping gums to myself, eh?  If that's what you wish, then FINE."

 

He shot a look at her from the side of his view.

 

"But when your carelessness gets somepony killed, I won't have time for your tears."

 

He looked forward again, and steered the cart away from Trivy's side of the road.

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@@Pucksterv,

 

They're near Canterlot? Odd. But if they're in Canterlot... and heading east... Manehattan's completely out of the question and Ponyville's south, so that means... Baltimare.

She allowed herself a small smile as she shook her head. "Your station was attacked, so you are delivering a message. Intriguing... Well, you have about a half-day's journey ahead of you before you reach the nearest train checkpoint, and from there, I'm sure you won't have a problem hitching a train up north. Just keep going down this road for about eight miles- you'll see a big hole-filled boulder- then cut right for about three-fourths of a mile and you should end up right on top of it. Tell the station manager your dilemma, he'll probably get you on the next train that stops for refuelling."

 

And now, for a thank you present. This soldier just saved my entire mission, whether he knows it or not. "I cannot stay here for long," Lilith continued, "but perhaps a canteen of warm cider would go a long way towards helping you make it there in slightly better spirits." She held up the canteen, offering it to the guard.