Title:           Red & Anon (Anon & Red) CYOA 9 (8 is missing)
Author:          BabsZeeb
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/YKZ63m2x
First Edit:      Monday 2nd of November 2015 12:20:45 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Monday 2nd of November 2015 12:20:45 PM CDT

"Well, Anon? The bath is waiting."
"Sounds good. Yea I could use a bit of downtime."
"Great. Hey massage lady, this guy as well."
>"Oh. Do you want the couples bath?"
"No. I want a dick growing potion so I can join him in the men's room."
>"O-oh. I will have to talk to my manager about tha-"
"OF COURSE WE WANT THE COUPLES ROOM!"
>the mare behind the counter yelped
>"This.. this way..."
>Red raised an eyebrow and looked at you with a funny smile before following the mare
>the mare lead the two of you down a hatch to what looked like an old timey Turkish bathhouse
>you weren't too hyped over being underground again but the lovely marble walls with the green accents made up for it
>"Here is the dressing room. Please remove your clothes and proceed to the tables."
>the mare left the room leaving  you and Red alone as she prepared some soaps
>you started to undress as Red was already naked
"They usually give you a bigger towel back home."
"C'mon, Anon. It's not like I've never seen it before."
"It's not that. It's a matter of privacy."
"If it's privacy you're going after you could find some new clothes. Those pants are ruined. your shirt is shredded and there's only one piece of fabric hiding your thing."
>Red pointed at your crotch
"From the outside world."
"Yeah. underwear is pretty hardy."
>you slipped your last shredded garment off yourself as you entered the main bathing area
>though compact it was sizable compared to the humble appearance of the main building
>the heat of the steamy coal hit your bare chest like brick
>the sudden change in humidity and temperature felt instantly relaxing
>you rested your body upon the giant, hot stone table belly first
>Red followed suit
>as the mare Red yelled at started applying some oil on both your backs she spoke, breaking the silence
>"I haven't massaged a Minotaur before as they're not popular but i'll do my best if you let me."
"Yeah, yeah, that,s fine."
>another mare started drawing water with a basin as she commenced scrubbing
>were was she hiding all this time?
"So have you read the papers?"
>Red asked, dripping with snarky sarcasm
"What about the papers?"
"They say the Germaneians are prepping up for another throw-down with the reds."
"Didn't you tell me they were always bickering?"
"Yeah, but it's been silent there for almost a year. Ponies thought they were finally over their ideological differences. But something happened."
"What happened?"
"Well. If the papers aren't just baiting, the reds captured Hoofler's granddaughter."
"Sounds bad."
"Bad and good. They thought she'd been killed in action a while back. But the fact that the commies are holding her royally pissed Hoofler off."
"That's cool and all but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Duh. Wartime is always relevant. Unfortunately, there will be less merchants making their way from the North, that's for sure. Might also be a need for hired hooves on both sides. Goods will also sell for more in the North now if we have something they really want."
"And what would that be?"
"I don't know. Depends on the place and time I would imagine."
 
 
>the mare you met behind the counter started rubbing your greased up back as the other one followed suit with Red
"Hmm~ Isn't this just fantastic?"
>the felling of soft hooves pushing hard into your back in random places would be annoying as it was clear she had no idea what she was doing
>but
>it did feel good when considering all the oils, heat and the occasional right amount of pressure to the right muscle
"Yeah, this is great."
"You know. I was contemplating hiring somepony to run maintenance on the ship. Small things like repairs and stuff."
"…And?"
"Well I wanted to ask you first. Not that i'm gonna change my opinion or anything. It's just nice to know that you know."
"Well in that case I guess it's fine. Do we have the bits for it?"
"Yeah we still have some. Redheart is withdrawing a good amount as we speak as down-payment. We'll get the rest from her grandaunt once word reaches Manehatten."
"You mean we got so much it requires down-payment?"
"Well yeah, we did a twenty man armed escort with what, five people? That equals serious bits."
"We were six though. If we don't count Redheart."
"I'm assuming you're thinking about Aldreda. Well she wasn't part of the contract so why should she be payed?"
"Well I think she seriously earned it for one."
"What would a corpse even use the bits for?"
"I don't know. But still."
"Fine, they'll be going out of your share then."
>you shrugged
"So what's for dinner?"
"You hungry?"
>The mare massaging you moved up and was now doing some weird walk on your back
>felt fucking good though
"Starving."
"I know a place, or rather, Redheart does. She recommended it."
"Does it serve meat?"
>the mare on your back jolted
"Hey. I'm paying to get massaged here."
>"Sorry! Sorry!"
"I don't know. Didn't ask."
"Well i'm glad you took me into consideration."
"If it does it does, if it doesn't. Well. You can go fish with the bats or something. I know they're pretty exited to try fish."
"So we just have the bats locked in the ship for now?"
"Nah, Marcus is with them. Telling them about the ships and teaching them basic tasks. He told me he's been talking to you about it."
"Yeah, he wanted to earn the bits needed to deal with his little incident from us legitimatly. He refused a handout. Said it had something to do with being free or some gay shit."
"That's… Honorable of him. He's a keeper you know. On his way to being quartermaster as well."
"Isn't he a little young?"
"Well his fellow zebras find it impressive that he's so comfortable around bats from what I've heard."
"That's good. Cause I didn't like our previous one."
"Two birds with  one stone then, Marcus can earn more bits and I don't have to drown our current quartermaster."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Well. Maybe not drown him… But i'd maroon him for sure."
"That's sweet of you. Red."
"Aw~ You'd do the same for me."
 
 
>Red passed you an intoxicatingly cute smile
>the pony on top of you was really working her magic now as she was giving your muscles a run for their money
>really, REALLY wanted to call out but you managed to keep it down to a few unattractive man-grunts
"You okay, Anon?"
"I'm fine, i'm fine. It's just that-"
>you looked up to the mare dancing a silent polka on your back
"You are really good."
>"Thank you. Would you recommend me in the future?"
"I- Sure, Yeah, why not?"
>"Ohh! The manager is going to be so pleased that I can do minotaur massages now!"
>you didn't have the heart to tell her you was, in fact not a minotaur
"You know. It's been a while since we talked about random shit like this."
"Yeah. It's nice. So do you think the bats will do well at sea?"
"I hope so. If they're willing to learn. Having leather wings should be useful in wet areas."
"I just hope they can get along with our existing crew. The bats seem open enough but you need to keep in mind that a lot of cultures have legends about such beings. None of them particularity positive ones."
"I'm sure it'll go fine. It's like you said back in that cave. The bats are mainly female and the Zebras are mainly stallions. I'm assuming chivalry is a thing in Equestria?"
"Yeah it is. You're probably right. For some reason you men always seem to ease up with some female company."
"Strictly instinct. You don't hurt the ones you plow. That means less plowing later."
"See, this is why I don't understand dykes, or you men for that sake. Men are the perfect partners, they're so simple in what. Why would you ever be with a mare when you could have a strapping young stallion, Anon?"
>Red asked teasingly
"Well. You're very simple yourself, Red."
"He he he. Walked right into that one."
>the bathing and massaging continued for some time until they let you hit the showers
>you equipped your boxer shorts and rolled the rest of your ruined clothing into a ball to carry with you as they were useless for anything but giving them to a tailor for a point of reference
>Red payed the mare her bits from a saddlebag she had put away in a locker
>you walked out the door and let the sun hit your freshly scrubbed body
>this was the life
"So you wanna go eat now or check with the harbormaster regarding our leathery winged crew's curfew?"
>what do?
 
 
"The food can wait. I wanna talk with the harbormaster."
=="Kay. I'll meet up with the guy I want to hire while you find some clothing in the meanwhile."
"What if I want to wear underpants to the meeting?"
"Please don't."
"I am the danger."
"Be serious for a moment."
"I am the one who knocks."
"Anon!"
"Fine, Jesus. Were are my clothes?"
"They're in that box you tied to your little Frankenstein monster."
"And were is that?"
"If it's not on the ship it's underwater, along with your gear."
"WHAT?!"
"Relax. Aldreda can sniff 'em out… probably"
"Well shit, fuck it then. Let's just go."
"Are you sure you don't wanna change. At least go nude or something, those underpants looks dumb."
"No I think i'm good."
"Afraid seagulls are gonna mistake it for a worm?"
>Red conjured up a cheeky grin while pointing at your perfectly proportioned human donger
"Fuck you. Let's just go."
"Alright. I'll stop teasing."
>Red lead you to a district primarily made of brick and straw housing and into an office
>after cursing out the receptionist, Red gained access to the upstairs office were the harbormaster supposedly worked
>A familiar face poked her snout through a bunch of papers bearing the expression of surprise
>"Red. And Red's company. What brings you here?"
"We want to talk about how some of our newly acquired crew mates are not allowed to enjoy your beautiful city."
>Red was littered with subtle sarcasm
>"Oh, the bat ponies. I already told you, Red. I have to prioritize popular opinion. The last thing I want is for somepony to cry for the royal guard and have them discover how this port makes bits on the side by dealing with pirates. "
"Maybe there's something we could do to sway your opinion?"
"Besides rolling out the cannons that is."
>"Threats aren't gonna work on me, young lady. I deal with scum twice as bad as you on a weekly basis. But there is a couple of problems I haven't gotten rid of as of late."
"Spit it out."
>"Two primarily. I have a merchant that I suspect will bring bad business into town. I want her to get the message that he's not welcome here."
"What's the other problem?"
>"Remember what I said about maintaining popular opinion? I also have diamond dog with a press pass that makes him untouchable. He and his photography crew is shooting for some sort of foreign lewd amateur magazine, asking random mares and stallions on the docks if they want to star in said magazine. You can not believe how many complaints I've gotten because of this guy. He needs to go."
"So let me get this straight. Either wed kill a merchant or a porn photographer?"
>"No killing."
>the harbormaster's voice turned sharp and harsh
>"I don't know how you do things and frankly It's none of my business. Either talk to them or sabotage them in some way, I don't care. Just don't spill blood in my harbor. I will have none of it."
"And we only need to deal with one?"
>"Yes. Otherwise I'd have to pay you. Either one is fine, it'll be one less pain in my plot to deal with."
"Well, Anon? What do you think? Personally I wanna tackle the porn guy."
>what do?
 
 
 
"What exactly do you mean by bad business, when it comes to the merchant?"
>"Shifty product, shifty crew. Can't deny them entry because if they don't carry bad goods I will gain a reputation that might hurt business years from now."
"And what would you consider to be a shifty product?"
>"The less you know the better, I don't want you getting caught with information that may trace back to me. All you need to know is that it may or may not involve potions with dangerous side effects that I don't want circulating in my harbor."
"What kind of potions?"
>the harbormaster sighed
>"the shifty kind. And that's all the information you're gonna get on the merchant."
"But what if she doesn't have a bad product? Do we still ruin it?"
>"Yes make it look like a robbery or trade territory. It doesn't really matter as long as it's destroyed or the merchant somehow can not sell it."
"This sounds way harder than getting rid of some diamond dog sleaze photographer. I still think we should go with him."
>what do?
 
 
"Yeah alright. Diamond Dog it is."
>"Great. He lurks around the harbor at dusk. I'll tell the guard to ignore your crew."
"Just like that?"
>"Call it good faith, besides. They might come in handy."
"Thanks a lot! We won't mess up."
>"Hoofsies crossed."
>the two of you left the harbormaster's office as Red turned around to talk to you
"If we're gonna go eat I need to go back to the ship to get some bits."
"Right now?"
"Bits take a lot of room in a saddlebag, Anon. I can't just waltz around with enough for a bath AND dinner."
"Don't you guys have bills or something? Paper money?"
>Red shock her head
"Your entire economical infrastructure is dependent on small currency?"
"Some stores let's you use gems."
>for fucks sake
"Okay then. I might as well get some pants if we need to go there first anyways. Should probably tell the crew it's save to crawl out of the ship."
>Red smacked her face with a hoof
"Oh yeah. Totally forgot about those guys."
"Really nigga? It's been less than a minute."
"I know. You just said you were hungry and I stated thinking about food."
"You seriously forgot why we came here?"
"Only for a minute. It slipped my mind, alright? 'Sides, I don't need to remember when I got you~"
>you cocked an eyebrow
"What do you want?"
>Red never was the mare to be sweet without being explicit about it
"Nothing."
"You sure about that?"
"Yeah, no i'll or lewd intentions behind it. Just giving you a compliment is all."
"If you say so."
>bullshit
>you made your way towards the ships with Red as you took a moment to enjoy the view and scenery of an actual horizon
>man, you really did prefer the surface over the shitty underground caverns
>Red stopped for a chat with one of the zebras chilling by the ships as you entered it
>box, box, box. You were looking for that damned box with all your stuff in it
>fingers crossed it didn't break or anything
>you tried not to disturb Marcus as you went below deck to search as he was busy training your new recruits in the art of tying knots
>probably very hard to do without fingers
>you took a moment to thank your lucky stars you weren't the one having to teach them
>entering your Captain's quarters you found it laying on your bed
>thank God, they fished it out
>couldn't bother to dry it though
>your bed was in some serious need of a rinsing as sea water and sand stained the sheets
>oh well
>you cracked it open to find wet clothing and soaked guns and ammunition
>fuck
>you didn't know how to dry weapons
>you were always so careful
>you couldn't believe the box leaked, unbelievable
>being cautious, you placed the guns and ammunition to the side, not really sure what to do with them
>maybe the doc had some information regarding such an issue?
>the fact that the water your weapons had been exposed to was fresh water and not salt was a small comfort though
>you dug out a soaking wet casual t-shirt and a pair of bathing shorts as the temperature was comfy outside
>you just hope this stuff would dry before nightfall
>exiting the boat with only a sheathed dagger hidden away in your shorts, you made your way back out to Red who was just finishing up getting bits
"You have the money?"
"Yeah, and I told some of the crew to spread the word that they're free to walk the city should they please."
"Nice."
"So, you ready for some dinner now?"
>what do?
 
 
"Yeah, so were are we going?"
>Red started to trot while talking
"Oh it's not long. Right over here, I see you found your clothes."
"And weapons."
"Are they alright?"
"I'm not omnipresent but I do know the pistol is waterproof. Not sure about the ammo though. I can always look for some info on the laptop."
"You know, Anon. A magic movie shower that can also access technology from your home planet is probably very dangerous, and valuable."
"Information usually is. But I never thought of it's worth. There's Gigabytes of text files and pdf's in that thing."
"What's a Gigabyte?"
"One thousand Megabytes."
"Sounds like a lot. What's a Megabyte?"
"A little bit over one thousand Kilobytes."
"I'm starting to notice a pattern here. How many books worth of information can you squeeze into a 'lap top'?"
"Depends on the book and if it has pictures in it or not. With no pictures I'd guess around two to five megabytes? Say a laptop has half a terabyte of storage, and each book takes five megabytes…. Hmm.. A hundred thousand books. Give or take."
"Are you kidding me?"
"No."
"Damn! If only we had somepony interested in alien language. It would have to be written by hoof, translated and re-formatted and we could sell it."
"I'm not too sure I wanna sell human books in Equestria."
"Why?"
"You guys have magic, we have technology, wouldn't be fair if you guys got our ace card."
"Eh, maybe, we can call it our retirement fund."
"Do you plan on retiring?"
"he. he hahahaha! No, Anon. Pretty sure i'll be dead by then. Oh look, our restaurant."
>Red pulled out a chair and motioned for you to do the same
"Oh look, a drinking map. What are you having?"
"I think i'll go with a beer."
"Nice, I'll take a soda."
"A soda? Weren't you itching for a drink back on the mountain?"
"I did, and I still do. But I want to start with a specific kind of Rum. One they only sell to ships in large barrels. I was thinking about sending somepony up to get a pair later today"
"Alright."
"So. How do you figure we deal with the photographer?"
"Haven't decided yet."
"I have an idea."
"Oh yeah? Let's hear it."
"I say we-"
>"May I take your order?"
>A lanky unicorn stallion interrupted Red
"Oh, certainly. One pony cola and a big tray of hay fries. And today's special."
>the stallion nodded as he scribbled in his notepad before focusing his attention on you
>"And you?"
"Can I see a menu? Oh, and a beer, please."
>"Of course."
"One more more thing."
>"Madam?"
"Talk over me again and I'll feed you to a horde of plague bearing bat ponies."
>"Y-you're the sailors who brought them? I heard roumors of them in the water but I never expe-"
"You should probably fetch that menu before Anon gets hungry, or the bats for that matter."
>the stallion somewhat frantically lowered his head in submission
>"Right away mada-"
"MOVE!"
>the poor stallion whinnied while making a run for it
"Ouch, a little harsh?"
"They work in service, they get payed to get yelled at."
"C'mon, Red. They have a shitty enough job as it is."
"No one's stopping you from being nice to them."
"That's true I guess. Speaking of being nice to strangers. Who's this new guy you want to hire? How did you find him?"
"The repairman? He does a little bit of everything, figured i'd be nice to have somepony with actual experience along with so many landlubbers. He's a Red Army deserter. Got a hoof in every door but retracted to building and maintaining after a shrapnel injury. I heard about him from some of our zebras talking."
"How is he like?"
"Haven't met him to be honest. But they say he's good."
>your waiter came out of nowhere and placed a menu in front of you
>you opened it to rake a peak inside
>no pictures
>trashed.png
"Hey, Red. Can you…?"
"Read it? Yeah, give it here."
>you pushed the menu over to Red as she had a look inside
"Hmm, yeah, okay. They serve meat."
>a magical aura holding your drinks hovered over your table before being placed down
>your waiter wasn't saying much
>Red must have scared him good
>but cred for him not running away
"We have squid, fish, chick-en annnd yuk. Please don't order swine. Hmm, yeah, that's all the meat. What does your your belly ache for the most?"
>what do?
 
 
"I'll take the chicken."
"Alright. Did you catch that?"
>your waiter nodded silently as he left your table
"Oh yeah, i'm feeling it now. It's gonna be good to fill my stomach with real grub."
"Can't be worse than squirrels."
"Ha! Preach it. So how about those weapons of yours. You said you weren't sure about the bullets being usable."
"I won't know for sure until I get a look at those do/k/uments."
"Say they're duds. What are you gonna do? You're not bad with a sword you know?"
"Hmm. I don't have any training with swords. I just run on instincts in that regard. Maybe I could use some training. Unless I bump into someone who can make me ammunition."
"If you want something regarding tech, I'd go to the Germaneians as they're decades ahead of everypony else."
"Really?"
"The soviets get stuff done in that department as well, probably cheaper too, but the Germaneians are perfectionists."
"I hear a story begging to be told. What do you know, Red?"
"Oh these stories are picked up from boasting Germaneians and battle broken Soviets. I would take them with barrels of salt."
"Tell me."
"Well, I've heard stories about massive iron crabs with legs long enough to reach the bottom of the sea and still keep itself above water. Giant dragons covered in impossibly heavy armor and ships the size of islands. If there's one thing those Nazis like to do it's spend truckloads of bits in developing weapons to scare their enemies by shear fear factor."
>Red took a sip of her soda using her straw
"Keep in mind that these are all tales of warring seamen, I wouldn't be surprised if it's all exaggeration.
"What about the Soviets?"
"There's a lot of them, they're more down to earth in making stuff that can be mass produced and repaired more easily. Haven't really talked to a lot of them."
"Why is that? I'd imagine there'd be more of  them deserting if there's more of them in general."
>Red shrugged
"No comment. You rarely see them this south in Equestria so I wouldn't know."
"Do you think your repaiman can make me ammo?"
>Red shrugged again
"Maybe. Amber, the blacksmith down in Neighssau seemed to learn quick enough."
"Oh yeah, Amber. I remember her."
"Nice mare. She should really have a bigger shack than she does."
"I don't know, it was pretty big."
"Yeah but most of what she sells is second hoofed. She doesn't make enough bits doing custom work. Shame to because she's good at it.
"Oh well."
"Oh well indeed."
>the same waiter finally served you your food
>the chicken looked a bit overcooked but, knowing ponies usually don't eat the stuff you couldn't really complain
>Red enjoyed the odd combination of hay fries and soup which was today's special
>taking her muffled grunts while slurping that soup, you could make an educated guess that she liked it
>once finished with your food you looked up and noticed the sun was still dominating the sky
>that meant you couldn't go look for the photographer yet
>but the harbor city had lots to do
>be that looking for Red's Soviet repaiman, buy some new clothes/armor since your last one got wrecked
>or browse some alternate weapons… Maybe take Red out for a walk on the beach or sunbathing, bathing maybe?
>the day was yours and waiting for you to seize it
>what do?
 
 
"You know what, Red? I think I want some new clothing."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I keep ruining my clothes and I wouldn't want to run out."
"Hmm. You should look around for a tailor."
"No shit."
"I'm just saying. Have fun."
"You're not coming with me?"
"I wasn't planing on it."
"Why?"
"Can't you dress yourself?"
"Naturally."
"Well good luck then."
"Hey, were are you going?"
"Mare stuff. Bye, Anon!"
>Red waved you goodbye as she left the table
"The fuck?"
>something was definitely going on
>first the flattering and now this
>fuck it
>you made your way down the streets of the lively harbor city, looking for clothing makers
>as you continued down, further into the city you started seeing a few bat ponies trotting around, much to the local population's confusion
>you didn't see any panic though, seemed like the bats were just as curious of the ponies as the ponies were of them
>moving on you finally found a store that looked like it sold clothing
>why don't ponies have more clothing shops?
>you walked in as a glass wearing, blonde coated unicorn stallion greeted you
>"Greetings! Oh I haven't seen something like you before? Are you here for some of my dresses?"
"Hi. No, i'm looking for some clothes."
>"Shame. You'd look cute in a dress. But i'm ahead of myself. Silky threads, seamstress."
>he reached out a hoof which you shook
"Anon, taken."
>"Aw you tease. So what can we do for you today? Any preference for fabric? I'm very flexible."
"I'm not really sure what I want."
"I see. You're confused. Stand still! I will draw some mock-ups."
"If it helps, I do work at sea."
>the stallion was already scribbling away
>"Yaha. What do you do?"
"I'm a Pi-private mercenary."
>"Hmmm."
>the stallion nodded as if he knew
>"It needs to be light, poofy and easy to move around with. Yet, stylish and simple. Let me work my magic."
>you waited a good 40 minutes as the stallion sketched intensively
>honestly, you were half asleep when he smacked the papers in front of you with his designs
>"I'm dooone! I figured a gentleman of your "occupation" would appreciate different price points. They're here cheapest to… least cheapest."
"Oh, nice."
>"If you have any further suggestions, or perhaps want to show me a vision of your own feel free to. I pride myself in covering every basis."
>what do?
 
 
>you tapped your finger upon the center one
"This one."
>"Ah, a classic. Let me take some measurements and i'll have it done by tomorrow."
"So fast?"
>"I am flexible, and quick, though I can go slower if you want?"
"Quick and painless, please."
>the stallion started taking your measurements, giving your thighs and chest extra attention in the process
>to call the experience uncomfortable would be an understatement
>you left the establishment feeling violated
>you needed another shower, Christ
>now that that was out of the way, you should probably go find Red, or something
>hadn't really planned past this part
>oh, yes you had, you should get some reading done!
>you sat your sights on the ships and nearby yacht laying docked by the harbor
>reaching the harbor, you made your way inside the yacht
>damn, comparing the sizes between the wooden ships and the yacht really made it apparent how large said wooden ships were
>crawling inside the bedroom of the yacht, you found your laptop safe and sound
>but upon trying to power it, you quickly realized that the battery was dead
>must have died while idling
>no worries though, you still had your hand-crank generator
>only problem being is that it would probably take some time to crank out enough power to use it to read up on ammunition on your do/k/s
>time that would be used for other stuff, whatever they may be
>what do?
 
 
 
>ain'tnobodygottimefodat
>you put the generator away
>while doing so you noticed something egregious on the floor
>that's that squash you were gonna shove up Red's butt
>it was rotten now
>pushing it lightly with your foot revealed it had merged with the fucking floor
>gross
>you're not touching that thing
>you left the bedroom and waved a zebra minding his own business from the ship to to the yacht
>"Something the matter, Captain?"
"Yeah, my bedroom. Clean it."
>the zebra took a look inside before turning to you with a grim look
>"Is that an order, Sir?"
"Yes. Captain's orders."
>the zebra sighed as you left the yacht in favor of the harbor
>heh, being boss has it's benefits
>you brought two bats with you and instructed them to do some quick recon as you took the main market roads
>nice benefits
>as you took the road more traveled it dawned on you how quick the bats trotting around stuck out form the regular citizens of the town
>some stores closed their doors for them, others immediately looked away when met with one
>though you couldn't really blame them
>after all, you saw one chatting with a pair of normal ponies so it wasn't all bad
>you caught the red maned menace walking out of a rather expensive looking shop
>hanging loosely over her waist she carried soft, brown paper saddle bag hiding… something
"Hey, Red."
>the mare jolted at the sound of your voice
"Heyy Buddy. Got your clothes in order?"
"Tailor took my measurements, yeah. What's in the bag?"
"Mare stuff."
"Really now?"
"Yeah, mare stuff."
>you looked over to the store she exited from, apart from the fancy golden writing and blacked out windows you couldn't notice anything special about it
"Red?"
"Anon?"
"Are you up to something?"
"Are you?"
"C'mon Red. What's up?"
"Nothing, honest. Oh and don't worry about the photographer guy. I got this this one by myself."
"You have a plan?"
"Yeah."
"Does it involve those bags?"
>you pointed at her twin saddle bags
>Red fired back with a relaxed reply
"Does my bags involve you? Quit being so nosy, Anon. Look. You should go look for Aldreda or something in the meanwhile. I got this."
>what do?
 
 
 
"Well alright, I have some stuff to do anyways. I may send someone down after you just to check."
"Well then i'll send them straight back. Besides, the zebras like me better anyways."
"Well the bats like me better."
"Just save yourself the effort and a few broken bat pony ribs."
>you shrugged
"Well alright then, have fun."
"Wow, you're gonna give up that easy? Don't you wanna know what's in the bags?"
"I do but you won't tell me, later, Red."
"Oh…. Um yeah! It's super secret and exiting and you're totally missing out!"
"Bye."
>you turned around and gave her one last wave of the hand
"If I send any bats I'll have them fuck me in public! You don't wanna get cucked, do you now?"
>you didn't turn around
"You do what you gotta do."
>you heard one last groan of frustration until you were too far away for her voice to reach you
>pfft women
>always want you chasing after them
>like you gave a shit what she did, you had two ships attached to your name
>the value of the ships alone had to be ludicrous
>you're pretty sure you could get any mare you wanted in this port
>hmm, making her jelly would be kinda net
>you returned to the ships as the two bat ponies doing recon for you landed next to you
>"You didn't really need our help after all, sorry."
"Thanks anyways. Do any of you ladies know were Aldreda is?"
>"Oh! i do!"
>one of the mares lifted her hoof to answer as if she was in class
>"She's in the water still, hiding from the sun."
"Anything more specific?"
>"Yeah! She's somewhere under the ships for extra shade."
"Why dosen't she just… get on board instead?"
>"Don't know. She hasn't surfaced for a while. We didn't want to interrupt her with whatever she's doing."
"Fair enough. Oh. How good can you guys echo-locate?"
>"Not well enough to find her under water. We've just seen her form from time to time."
"And you know it's Aldreda?"
>"Nothing else can survive that long bellow water."
"Okay, got'cha. Now, I have one more task for you two."
>you lead the mares into your yacht
>tiny eeps of excitement and embarrassment came from the pair as you lead them into your now cleaned up bedroom
>their faces of confusion were adorable as you set them to work cranking the small portable generator
>that couldn't be what they expected at all
>you had to hold your posture until you were out of the yacht and on one of the larger ships before laughing
>you looked around in storage and found a monster of a rough gem
>this thing was the size of a pack of cigarettes
>though it couldn't have been worth one hundredth of what it would be worth back on earth considering it just sat there along with other valuables
>you had a plan to catch Aldreda
>tying the gem to a rope, you threw the fucker overboard and hoped the mare would take the bait
>it worked for not seconds after throwing it out you felt a tug
>you strained yourself in hauling the mare, now baptized in seaweed out of the water and onto the deck
>acting swiftly you got her bellow deck and away from the sun
>the mare looked a bit disorientated but no worse for wear
"Hey girl. What were you doing down there?"
>Aldreda didn't answer as her eyes darted across the room
"Are you alrigh-"
>was all you got to say before the mare vomited up that putrid black goo all over the floor
>"Ehh essss. Found my blinkes."
>Aldreda shuffled her hooves around in the ebony filth as small, glittering gemstones appeared through a yogurt-thick mass of seaweed, sand and the previously mentioned blackened goo
>the pushed the big, rough gem off to the side as her eyes stayed fixed on her mess
>"This one. Yours."
"Well i'm glad you got your jewels back. Did you find anything else of interest down there?"
>the mare harked her throat and vomited out a massacre of claws, shells and more bile
>"Food."
"Oh for fucks sake."
>"What do you wish of me?"
"Just wanted to see if you were alright."
>"Fine. This new world is fun. Water used to be much deeper, blacker."
"Well i'm glad you're alright. Did you find all your blinkies?"
>"No. Found most . Most is enough."
"Alrighty."
>now that that's out of the way and Aldreda was accounted for you felt like you had shit under control
>the laptop probably needed a few hours though so you should find something to do in the meanwhile
>what do?
 
 
 
"You know what, Aldreda? Red has been acting kinda weird."
>Aldreda looked up from her puddle of puke and cocked her head
"I think I wanna go spy on her, figure out what she's up to."
>"I can help."
"You sure about that?"
>"Stalking pray is what I do. She will not see me. I can help."
"Well alright then. Just so you know the sun is still up."
>"I will not abandon the shadows."
"You sure?"
>"'Always.'"
"Alrighty then. Just don't stay too close."
>Aldreda nodded as you left the ship in favor of the harbor town
>you got more and more used to the town and it's architecture as all this back and forth nonsense went on
>you were about to pass another boring alley way when there, in the corner of your eye…
>you almost missed it but that red mane was impossible to mistake
>you hugged the wall and engaged spying
>Red was talking to a stallion in the alley way
>you could see the two of them laughing together
>old friends?
>maybe
>Red gave the guy a package and got another one in return as she turned in your direction to exit
>shit!
>you scrambled back behind a set of smelly garbage cans and hid as well as possible
>Red approached the garbage with a lax pace
>shit shit shit!
>the mare was now right next to the garbage as she looked around
>she found you!
>…but, instead of calling you out she continued scouting
>she… didn't find you?
>man, these horses were bad
>instead she turned her behind towards the garbage and crouched
>was she… reliving herself?
>sure enough, instead of finding a toilet like a fully functioning adult, Red marked her territory on a set of garbage cans as a golden stream exited her horsie hole
>giving you front seat view
>the fuck?
>man, this horse was lazy as shit
>after that little display she shook her rump to dry, getting a few drops of the golden shower on your clothes
>motherfucker!
>you were gonna get her for this
>but then she'd find out you stalked her
>shit
>Red continued walking out of the ally as if nothing had happened
>once the coast was clear you made your way out of the trash
>aw man, she pissed all over your shoes as well
>you walked out after her
>you got out of the ally just in time to catch Red turning a corner in one of the populated streets
>knowing there was no way to disguise yourself by blending into the crowd you kept your distance
>after seeing Red enter a pub you continued your chase
>you smothered your smelly face up against the window and saw Red casually sit down with a couple of ponies you didn't know
>weird
>the ponies ordered some drinks as they continued chatting
>you had to walk away before seeing anything else though as you drew a lot of outside attention
>figuring it was best to act nonchalant, you entered a store facing the bar so you could keep watch for when Red exited
>you had to admit, playing spy was kinda fun
>"Sir…. Sir? Are you looking to buy?"
>a mare poked your leg with a hoof
"What? Yeah, yeah. What do you sell?"
>"We sell toys and children's trinkets in this establishment."
"Hmm."
>Red was still inside the bar
>"Sir?"
"Yeah, yeah. Do you have binoculars?"
>"We do sell spyglasses."
"Let my test one out."
>the mare hoofed over a spyglass from the shelves
>finally
>you used the spyglass to zero in on the bar Red was currently in
>you saw her and her unknown friends chat intensely and laughing
>Red pulled out both her hooves and moved them back and forwards each other as if simulating length
>she turned to one of the mares at the table and squeezed her hooves together to emulate something tiny before laughing even harder
>that bitch
>after a while Red parted with the bar ponies and left the establishment
>you turned the the toy store mare who tapped her hoof in annoyance
>"Well?"
"Oh, yeah, no thanks. I don't want it."
>"Seriously?"
"Yeah, thanks though."
>hehe, you were such an asshole
>leaving the dumb store you kept your sights on Red
>your target was on her way to yet another store
>the store was stylized as a stereotypical African shaman hut but with a bunch of ugly ass masks nailed to the walls
>Red didn't spend too much time there as she left soon after
>it was staring to get dark outside now as the mare finally made her way to back to the harbor
>Red started talking to a few zebras, presumably asking them things as they shrugged in response until one pointed a hoof in the direction you originally started stalking Red
>after chatting with the zebras, Red walked on board one of the big wooden ships and emerged with a drop dead sexy looking Arabian belly dancing outfit
>behind her walked a gang of bats, all fitted out with bone jewelry and poofs of white dust that looked like it had been applied on their withers and down their fore hooves
>Red the entourage of newly awoken bats with her down the docks, trotting around like she owned the place
>she got a lot of attention from stallions working the boats by the docks and it was clear that she loved every single minute of it
>stalking them still, you realized that all the bats were female
>they made public waves definitely, if the cat calls were anything to go by
>soon their strut was interrupted by a diamond dog
>the first diamond dog that you'd seen in a while
>it had to be him
>Red blew him a kiss as the bats behind her giggled
>the dog and Red talked for a bit before said diamond dog showed her and her pack of prancing bat ponies the way to his ship
>looks like they were about to set sail
>what do?
 
 
>thoughts of sneaking on-board ….sneaked up on you but considering the boat was stationed one long stretch of dock surrounded by water made that quite impossible
>unless…
>you turned around, seeing if Aldreda had followed you
>no Aldreda in sight
>you tapped your knee, same way you did the first time you called on her
>it wasn't until doing so, Aldreda revealed herself from behind a crowd of ponies
>the mare walked stethely towards you
"Hey."
>"Yes? Hello."
"Think you can sneak on board that boat over there?"
>"Maybe. Why?"
"I just want you to check on Red. Make sure she's okay."
>"Do you think the bats are up to no good?"
"I was more worried about the dog. I need you to stay hidden on board the boat."
>"Ehh…. Gmmm. Seems too small of a boat. They'd catch my sent."
"Damn."
>"If you want to protect Red, I will help you."
"It's not just that. I mean, i think she has a surprise or something. She was acting strange, the kinda strange she has when she's plotting."
>"Shhhh! Shhhh!"
"What? What now?"
>Aldreda backed off into the shadows as she pointed a hoof in the direction of the boat
>you turned to see one of the bats point in your direction while talking to Red and shrugging
>Red squinted and then opened her eyes wide in surprise
>"We've been founded out."
>aw shit
>being human was cool and all but your outline stood out like a sore thumb
>a literal cardboard box would raise less suspicion
>well at least now the gig was up and Red trotted towards you
>what do?
 
 
"Anon. What are you doing here?"
>whelp, there goes any notion of stealth
"Me? I'm taking Aldreda for a walk. Come out, Aldreda."
>the mare crept out of the shadows
"Goodness. What are you hiding from?"
>"You."
"Me? Anon, what's going on?"
"Aldreda got a bit spooked by the jingly bits on your outfit. Which might I add, looks gorgeous on you."
"Ti hihi. Oh this little thing? Yeah, it was the one I bought at the store you caught me in."
"But why hide it? And what's up with you and that Diamond Dog?"
"I was gonna tell you but I know how easily you humans turn to violence."
"Says you."
"I mean lethal violence. I figured out i'd use my noggin to get rid of him."
"Well now I'm cureus."
"Shut up. Anyways, I talked with some of his ponies and we agreed to a little photo-shoot, once he has his pictures he'll piss of, I'll get some extra rum money and my face on a magazine."
"Alright. That only leaves the bats, what about them?"
"Are you kidding? What kinda hound dog wouldn't pick up a magazine featuring a species wildly believed to be fiction as well as a real, genuine pirate posing for them? That's why I looked for you around the ships, Anon. You're a rarity if I've ever seen one. Both I and the photographer wants you with us."
"Why have a dude in  sexy a magazine?"
"Wow, racist."
"How is that in any way, shape or form racist?"
"'C'mon, Anon. It'll be fun. We have booze, candy, party favors and little miss chainsaw-jaws here as backup."
>Aldreda hissed at Red, apparently not too flattered at her nickname
"Relax, Aldreda. Don't worry, we'll doll you up."
>"…I'd like that."
"So what do you say, Anon? We're leaving now to take some pictures a little off coast. Are you coming or do you just want to let your marefriend sail out at sea to be photographed by strangers without her big, strong man to protect her?"
>Red was shaking her thigh when mentioning the big strong man part
>what do?
 
 
"That actually sounds kinda fun."
>you looked over yourself
>unkempt beard, bathing shorts, t-shirt, socks…. sandals
>you looked like a beach bum pedophile
"But i'm not all that presentable."
"Yeah… I wasn't going to say anything but you look like pieces of a painting of a junk heap strapped together."
"And the beard?"
>Red cringed a little
"It's the reason why we haven't kissed as much as i'd like… But hey. Maybe we have some time to trim you up? We're not gonna take pictures until an hour or so."
"Yeah, that's cool. But I still need new clothes."
"Didn't you order some clothes earlier today?"
"The guy said they'd be done in the morning."
"Hmm… Have you considered just dropping clothes?"
"You what?"
"I know your prick isn't much to brag about… at all but you don't see anyone else wearing clothes on a daily basis."
"Now listen here you dumb horse, my dick is perfectly normal by human standards."
"Doesn't change the fact that you have a teeny widdle dick though."
"It gets the job done. It's more than enough to send you into spasms."
"True… But the people buying the magazine won't know that. You should at least find some respectable pants. Would be weird to have all of us dressed real nice and then have you halting behind with…. those."
>Red pointed at your shorts
"The bats aren't dressed nice, what are you talking about?"
"They're nice by bat standards. White powder splashes on the coat and bones is the preferred bat pony fashion. At least for those hermits."
"Then why can't this be the preferred human fashion?"
>Red gave you the 'ol bedroom eyes
"'Cause. Charles look a hundred times better fashion vise. Oh! You should ask to borrow his clothes."
"I don't think he'd like the purpose I was using them for."
"I don't think YOU'D like to be immortalized on a magazine looking like something hauled out of a shipwreck."
"That's true but…"
>aw shit
>what do?
 
 
 
"You're right. I should at least get some proper pants."
"Great. I'll have a barber ready for you when you come back. Say hi to Charles from me."
"Red, I don't need to borrow anyone's pants. I have pants of my own back on board the ship."
"But Charles has such fancy pants though."
"Relax, Red. I'll show you one you a pair haven't seen before."
"Are they hot?"
"They're practical."
"So they're ugly?"
"I said practical. You'll love them."
"Well… Okay. If you say so."
>Red didn't sound convinced
"C'mon, Aldreda. We need to get you prettied up. Maybe a manecut as well. I've never seen more split ends in my life.
>"What's a manecut?"
"Oh dear. You should get going, Anon. We have a lot of work to do."
>you walked quickly over to the yacht
>entering you saw two lazy ass bat mares fallen asleep on top of your bed with the hand generator between them
>dumb lazy bats
>you quickly checked on the laptop and saw that it had almost full battery
>good to know
>looking around in your patented big 'ol pile of random shit from back home you fund the pants you were looking for
>this pair was piratey but also moderate
>they would do nicely
>fisherman's pants, you couldn't remember were you got them but they were cozy as fuck and definitely a must have for the kinda guy who spends more time behind the keyboard than talking with people
>God, you missed your internet connection
>you returned to the harbor were the photographer's boat lay docked
>there outside, you saw Red holding Aldreda's hoof as she sat on a chair while an earth pony was working on her mane
>Red bit her cheek while nodding slowly once you showed yourself bare-chested with the fisherman's pans equipped
"Not bad, not bad at all."
"Told you you'd like it."
"You know me well, Anon."
>Red turned to the barber and waved a hoof at her
"This is Powder Rouge. She'll do your hair tonight."
>"Anything you want. I do."
"Anything?"
>"Anything."
>the pone with a distinct Azan dialect spoke up
>hehehe. Even the pony Asians had funny eyes
>what do?
 
 
"Alright, I want you to trim my beard and… What do you think about my hair, Red?"
"That's up to you but I think you should cut it. Maybe get some glorious long locks of hair once you build up some real muscle."
"Cool. Wait. I have real muscle."
"You're not even close to Tyren though."
"Bitch I can't grow Minotaur sized muscle. Well. i could. But then I couldn't drink what I wanted, eat what I wanted and spend five days a week in the gym and I don't have time for that."
"Shame. You can get bigger though, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good. But keep it short for now."
"Hmm."
>the nip-nip pony finished up cutting Aldreda and motioned for you to sit
>Aldreda had a really nice haircut now
>instead of flat, greasy hair she now had a bit of volume to it, which suited her
>you let the Nip-Nip pony work her magic
>how do ponies even work scissors?
>eh, didn't really matter
>she was quick though, you didn't have time to doze off before she finished up
>Red hoofed the mare some bits as she pushed her chair to the side
"Okay, now we're ready. I want you to meet our photographer for the evening."
"What's his name?"
"I'll introduce you."
>you walked with Aldreda and Red over to the boat and was greeted by a huge bipedal dog with a slick cut and radical sunglasses
>further back in the boat you could see a couple of mares chatting with your bats
"Anon, this is Rover. Rover, this is Anon."
>Rover? What a name for a dog
>"Nice to meet you, boy. So you're the captain that's been making waves around town?"
"Waves? What do you mean?"
>"Spat out of a mountain, bringing a crew of sexy fanged crewmates? I'd say that's making waves."
"Oh.. Yeah. Yeah I get you now. So you're the photographer I've been hearing about?"
>"He He. Yep! Photographer and seasoned author for Hound Dog Magazine."
"Well it's nice to meet you."
>you paused for a minute
"Um. Red said there was gonna be booze."
>"Ha! So you truly are sea dogs! Get this man a drink, ladies!"
>this dog was most certainly in a cherry mood
>one of his unicorn mares hovered a jug of something that smelled of mead in front of you, using her magic
>you grabbed in and had a taste
>not bad
>it was thick as yogurt though, but not overly bitter
>you turned to your side to see that Red was already drinking
>Aldreda was cautiously looking up from a corner, not wildly excited by all these new faces
>"We're gonna have some fun before taking pictures."
>Rover pulled out a pen and notepad, using his finger-like paws
>"So why don't you sit down, relax and tell me about your legend. How you got into the trade, what rival pirates and merchant ships should know about you. "
>what do?
 
 
 
>you took another sip of your jug
"Red, I haven't had a drink in a while. Why don't you give him the rundown?"
"Oh, sure. You see, it all started at a tavern in Neighssau."
>Red stated compiling the shit that had happened but she specifically didn't mention how the two of you met in the human world. Or anything about the human world for that matter
"So then, we planted explosions on the ship's hull as a last resort, but it didn't come to that, Anon and I sneaked in but I bumped into a bunch of pissed off griffons so I used my bomb."
>"And it didn't hurt you?"
"No, snack-bar explosives were made with mining in mind. The explosion triggers half a second after a personal protective shield is released, protecting the user from the boom."
>"Clever, I've never heard of anypony using mining equipment as a weapon. Seems pretty reckless."
"You think that's reckless? I aught to tell you about the time Anon used bottles of piss to torch bat ponies."
>"NOW I'm interested. I hope it wasn't one of these beauties."
>Rover nodded towards your bats
>they blushed as a response, probably not used to this kind of attention
>one of the mares answered his question before Red had the chance
>"They were ferals, i'm sure. Anon, Red and Aldreda are mighty warriors."
>"Aldreda, huh? Who's that?"
"That's the one in the corner."
>Red pointed at Aldreda's location
>Aldreda twitched a bit at the attention
"She's a little weird like that, but harmless."
>"Really?"
>Rover turned to Aldreda with a smile
>"Hi, Aldreda. Why don't you come over here and sit with us?"
>Aldreda slowly made her way over and placed her rump right next to you, keeping body contact the entire time
>"You look a bit pale, want a drink, Aldreda?"
>"I don't- …Sure."
>the same unicorn magic'ed over a more feminine looking drink to the mare, which Aldreda accepted
>"So tell me your story, beautiful. Were you with these gals when Red picked you up?"
>"No. Hunted them. Way back."
>"I don't understand, what do you mean by hunting?"
>the bats in the boat turned eerily quiet as Aldreda spoke
>"Galloped after them. Wiped their hives out. Drove them to the most distant corners of Equestria. We all did. Denied death and brought into eternal servitude of the sun."
>Rover slowly nodded but didn't write anything down
>"So. You're a Sun Sentinel?"
"How did you know?"
>Rover put his notebook away and grabbed a drink
>"They're legendary creatures outside of your nation's boarders. Equestria would like to forget about their past actions and shun their history, but we remember. It was during the great plague, right? You fell in a forest and the ancient wizards picked you up."
>Aldreda slowly nodded
>"I don't know what to tell you. Or our bats over here. But the fact that your kind is co-existing is nothing short of a miracle. Why is that?"
>"I am freed from my oath."
>"So…?"
>Rover lightened the mood
>"Now you're ready to party?"
>"Anon?"
"Well don't ask me. Ask yourself."
>"Eh… Hmmmm Hhhh. Yes."
>"Well what are you ladies waiting for? Pour this retired sentinel a drink!"
>the mood returned to normal as the bats and mares resumed their chatting and all was good
"Hey, Anon, want a party favor?"
>Red grinned as she sensually sucked on a waterpipe
"What is it?"
"That's a secret i'll never tell."
>you turned to see a couple of the bats giggling as they shared a pipe with the Diamond Dog's mares
"Hey, Rover. What's that you're feeding my pirates?"
>"Secret Diamond Dog recipe. We call them Scooby snacks back home."
>what do?
 
 
"Yeah, sure. Pass that."
>you grabbed the water pipe and wrapped your lips around the end as you inhaled
"Harrummph! Haehk!"
"Hmm-hehehehe. You're a sissy, Anon."
"Huorgh! Fuck you."
>"You know."
>Rover interjected
>"It's strange to see ruthless killers so down to earth."
"We're not ruthless killers. Well, Anon is. But killing is bad for business. Less merchants alive means less funds sailing back and forth the seas."
>"Aha."
>Rover picked up his notepad again
>"But I'm guessing that doesn't mean you're harmless either?"
"Aldreda. Show the nice dogie your smile."
>Aldeda awkwardly grinned to the Diamond Dog
"Now show him your pearly whites."
>Aldreda's head twitched a bit as she revealed her second row of Angler-fish tier teeth
"That shit chews through meat and bone like an Ursa Major on a rampage a modest town."
>Rover visibly cringed
>"There's a good girl."
>the dog snapped a picture of her gaping maw of ultimate death
>"Besides…. That, what other weapons of terror do you utilize?"
"Well our bats are tecnically plauge carriers. That's something you don't want on your ship, right girls?"
>you looked over to the bats, and their increasing physical interaction with Rover's mares
>"Y-hehe Cap! One bite and it's all over. Tehheehe."
>wow, they could not hold their liquor
"We also have a team of hearty ex slaves which i told you about. It takes a lot to deter hardened stallions. Oh, and Anon of course."
>"So tell me, Anon. What should your average merchant ship fear from you?"
>what do?
 
 
"To merchant ships? Let's just say i'll leave enough of them left for the bats to fight over."
"Ohahaha. Anon is acting like a hard ass."
"No, i'm just saying-"
"He's good with a gun and strong enough to drive a cutlass though a pony's barrel."
"God dammit, Red."
"Heh. He's also not afraid to get his hands dirty. As humans are born predators."
"I was trying to keep a sense of mystery with this whole thing."
"Nah fuck that. Your average pony isn't smart enough to do mysteries."
"You're a fucking bitch, Red. You know that?"
"He he he. Yeeep!"
>Rover jotted away at his notepad
"Don't worry about it, Anon, here have some more Scooby Snacks"
>Red passed the pipe over to you
"But yeah, I wouldn't mess with Anon."
"What are you talking about? You mess with me all the time."
"Yeah but i'm adorable and you love me."
"Eat a dick."
"I do that too! Even more reason for you to let me mess with you."
>Rover chuckled at Red's antics
>"Women, am I right, Anon?"
"No wonder people keep themselves to magazines."
>"Hah! Yeah right. I should get a reward or something."
"You're a cool guy, Rover. I'm glad Red was the one to come up with a plan to deal with you."
>"Deal with me?
"We got some harbor privileges for keeping you off the streets."
>"Oh- oh. I see the pony PC police is at it again."
"Yea it sucks but what did you expect."
>"hehe. True that. Anyway, I think the moon has settled enough for us to take our first shots. You guys ready?"
>what do?
 
 
 
"Hell yeah let's do some shots!"
"I don't think that was wahat he meant."
"SHOT SHOT SHOT SHOT SHOT SHOT!"
"He means photos you dork."
>you lifted Red up by her shoulders and started to shake her
"Shot shot shot shot shot!"
"Yheeeah! We want shots! Shots shot shots!"
>you saw rover pour a few drinks while shaking his head with a drink
>"Drink up. You winged ladies wanna start?"
>"Hey yeah! Woo!"
>Rover started positioning your bats for a photo-shoot as you and Red drank up
"Drank!"
"Salam!"
>the two of you downed the bitter liquid
"How-we. That's phahaha awful."
"Yeah, tastes like shit. Hehe."
"I love you Anon."
"Heh, yeah, i'm great."
"Tell me you loved me you big, smelly ape."
"Make me."
>Red gave you that intoxicating grin as she leaned over with hungry lips
>your lips connected as Red started violently raping your mouth with her sloppy, drunken tongue
"You know. If I was a silly pony I'd let you ravage me right now~ Kill my cunt with your dick."
>you nodded slowly
"Yeah, I think I love you."
"Heh!"
>Red closed in again an this time it was your turn
>you stroked her tongue with your own as you dug your hand into her mane and pulled her harder into the kiss before separating, leaving a hot, huffing Red
"Tell me i'm the best you've had, Anonymous."
"You are. I'd kill for you."
"Hmm~ Yea~"
>you felt your boner protest against the usage of pants
"It's been so long."
"So long~ Far too long."
>Aldreda noticed your intimacy and moved over to lay on the floor instead
"Do you have any plans for me, big guy?"
"Maybe. I might have something in store for you."
>what do?
 
 
 
"Yeah."
>you sneaked a hand down Red's back and squeezed her meaty ass
"But not now. Later."
"C'mon, Anon. Fuck me. Take me now!"
"No bitch I said later."
"Hmmph. Well alright. But i'll be expecting some tongue therapy as reprimand."
"Sure. I'll be sure to scrub your stern."
"Hmhm~ I'll be sure to remember that."
>"You people ready for our photo shoot now?"
"Yeah. Let's go, Anon."
>Red jumped off the seat, as she did you could see a clear wet patch were she was previously sitting
>you followed the mare to the edge of the ship were the bats were already placed around in lewd poses
>"Alright, Red. If you could stand here, Anon, you go there. Red, give me a cheeky, smug smile. Anon, look tough. No Red, not that smug."
>the photographer and author of "Hound Dog Magazine" started snapping pictures, directing you to do various poses until he surprisingly called Aldreda out
>"Hey Sentinel. Come over here a minute."
>the mare crawled out of the shadows
>"If you can stand over the bat ponies triumphantly as if you've just defeated them?"
>"Anon?"
"Yeah, you can do whatever you want. You don't have any masters now."
"She kinda does, you're her captain."
"Yeah but for fucks sake, she doesn't need to ask me whether to pose or not."
>"I'm not ready for this responsibility. Guide me. Please"
>taking into consideration that Aldreda has been a servant throughout her unnatural life, her being afraid of choice did make a lot of sense
>what do?
 
 
 
"Go on, Aldreda. It's cool."
>Aldreda carefully walked among the giggling bats and hissed
>"No, more fierce. As if you've just defeated them."
>Aldreda forced her hoof down onto one of the mare's windpipes and pushed
>"That's it, now, give me a sinister grin."
>Aldreda tried her hardest but she only came off as goofy
"You know, you're more fierce when you're not trying."
>"Sorry."
"Just… Try to think about something that makes you mad?"
>"Oh yeah get angry, think of something that really pisses you off."
>"Well… It was that time in Dragor village where we were sent to deal with the plague… We came too late. The village was burning, the bats had pilled corpses up and used them as feeding heaps. Infected mares devoured their foals in the streets…"
>you saw Aldreda push harder onto the throat of the bat pony beneath her hoof, much to the bat's dismay
>"My only consolation for years was what we did to them, how we hunted them. They felt their last equine feeling that day, unrivaled, paralyzing horror."
>Aldreda's voice was growling as you noticed that disgusting black goo starting to form between her lips
>"Great! And it's a wrap."
>the the demon pone quickly released her death-grip on the bat as she rolled away in a couching fit
>that could have ended a lot worse
>Aldreda clearly wasn't wasn't over it in the least
>you walked over to the mare who was one bad memory away from having her face ripped off
"Hey."
>you patted the mare's back
"Are you okay?"
>the bat mare sized her coughing and smiled
>"Yeah yeah. I'm good."
>she was obviously pretty intoxicated and probably wasn't aware of the danger she was in
>you locked eyes with Aldreda who just frowned and creeped back into the shadows
"So do we get payed now or what?"
>"Yeah, we're taking an hour long detour for some final pictures for the magazine but we could drop you off first. Still, we have some bottles we need to kill off though so you're welcome to finish them off with us as we sail back to port taking the longer route if you wish."
"What do you say, Anon?"
>what do?
 
 
 
>you shrugged
"Free booze sounds pretty good to me."
"Yeah! Drinks all around!"
>Rover sat a large sack of bits at your feet and offered you another jug
>"Cheers!"
"Cheers man."
>your thoughts drifted to Aldreda and how maybe you should tell her she'll never get to see her Sun Princess while in your hire
>wonder what that's gonna do to her?
>she doesn't seem well adjusted enough to take it lightly but it's cruel to keep her hopes up
>when would she take such news lightly anyways? Never would be your best bet
>you took a swing of the newly acquired jug
"Hmm. This isn't mead."
>"Nope. It's forest rain."
"Really? Cause it tastes like alcohol to me."
>"Heh, no. Forest Rain the drink. You've never heard of it?"
"I have! It's some mystical shit brewed in the jungles of Zeveres. Nopony but the brewers knows what's in the stuff."
"Hmm. Well it's not bad."
>it tasted sweet, yet not faggy
"You know…"
>you poked the bag of bits with your foot
"We really should set up a treasure trove."
"What? Why?"
"Retirement?"
"Eh, I don't plan to make it that far."
"Hmm. Eh, yeah, guess you're right."
>you didn't exactly had the most stable of working conditions
>it wouldn't be unreasonable to see yourself dying form this shit
>oh well
>you finished the jug of Zebra brew while chilling on the ship seating
"Do we have any rum?"
>"Yeah, we knew our company after all."
>Rover chuckled
"Oh! Anon! We need to wait for that special ship distilled stuff. It's imported and magical in every sense of the word."
"Why can't I have a bit of rum? I've earned it."
>"It's right here you know. Look, it's even branded, fancy that."
"I've been itching for it since our cart broke down but I promise you, it's worth the wait. It's special rum."
"Special, how?"
>Red licked her lips
"Trust me, Anon. You don't want me to spoil this one."
"Yes I fucking do. Tell me."
"Nuh-uh. You gotta wait.
>man fuck this
>what do?
 
 
 
"Hmm…"
"Please….?"
"Fine. Sure. Hey, Rover, got anymore of that zebra brew?"
>"Mare's giving you a whipping, Anon?"
"Well yeah, what are you gonna do?"
>"Thank heavens i'm single. Here you go."
>Rover put away the bottle of rum and gave you another jug of "Forest Rain"
"Thanks. Hey, i'm gonna go check on Aldreda real quick."
>"Well here, bring her one as well."
>Rover handed (pawed?) you another jug for you to comfort the Crow with
>you walked around the deck looking for Aldreda
"Aldreda, hello?"
>aside from the background noise of drunken banter the oceans lay dead silent
"Come on. You know I can't beat you in hide and seek. Come on over here."
>you saw a pair of hooves disturb your view of the harbor town of Horseshoe Bay as Aldreda climed on board
"Woah, were have you been hiding?"
>"Side of the boat. I tried swimming. But I only sink…"
"Why would you do that?"
>"I disgraced your word."
"This is about almost crushing the wind pipe of that mare, isn't it?"
>Aldreda nodded with her sight firmly placed on the planks the two of you stood upon
"Hey, shit happens. Have some Rain water or whatever the fuck they called it."
>Aldreda looked up and cocked her head
>"What is it?"
"Booze. Pretty good booze at that."
>"I. Don't know if it will have an effect on me."
"Why not?"
>"My… veins do not flow, my pumper does not pump."
"Well LSD seemed to work on you. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that alcohol would do the same."
>"Do I get aggressive when drinking? Like Red?"
"That depends from person to person. And Red doesn't get all that aggressive."
>"Her pumper pumps faster when she drinks."
"Well she's probably just happy or something. I wouldn't worry about it."
>"I guess since you and Red can do it. I can as well."
"That's the spirit."
>heh, spirit
>you placed the jug in the mare's hooves
"So how are you doing? You alright?"
>"I am fine. This is fine."
>Aldreda pointed at her drink
"I'm glad you like it."
>"Do you think Celestasia likes this. It is really good. Maybe we could bring her some as a gift?"
"Hehehe…. yeah…"
>"Can I ask Rover for an unopened bottle?"
>what do?
 
 
"You know what. Drink up. Cheers."
>Aldreda looked you in the eyes, slightly confused
>"But I-"
"I said cheers. For ponies… or something. Go on, trust me."
>Aldreda stuck her snout to the jug
>you were pretty sure she didn't know how to cheer
>at any rate she should be liquored up good before you tell her she'll never see her role model
>wonder how she'll react
>she can't kill herself, seeing as she's already dead
>hehe, you make yourself laugh sometimes
>but you didn't want her to wild out or anything
>you looked down to see Aldreda almost finished with her jug
>shit, you hadn't even gotten a sip in
>your internal monologues will be the death of you, you just knew it
"Did you like the zebra drink?"
>Aldreda nodded, eyes fixated on the soon-to-be empty bottle
>"My head is filled with water. it feels funny to move."
"That's half the point, let me get you another one."
>dohoho Anon yuo genius!
>you left Aldreda to get some more zigger hooch
"Hey, Rover, can I have another jug of that stuff, it's really good."
>"And cheap."
>Rover chuckled
>"I think we traded for it, can't remember what but it was cheaper than any booze I've seen, so don't feel bad for drinking it."
"Don't worry, I wasn't."
>"Heh, of course you wouldn't."
>you walked back to to the mare
"C'mon, buddy. Drink drink drink."
>Aldreda sat her ass down as you supplied her with another jug
>"Outlander, I feel strange. Is the boat swayin- hiicho! -ing?"
"No, you're just getting drunk. Do you like it?
>"There's so much falling over in my brain."
>Aldreda seemed pretty done
>you could always sneak another bottle into her system or just tell her and be done with it now
>what do?
 
 
"Come, I want to have a talk with you."
>"Huh?"
>you sat down on a built in couch and gestured for Aldreda to join you further away from the crowd
>the mare placed her rump down next to your as you began petting the perplexed putrid pony
>"What are you doing?"
"Listen, you know about the Earth God, right?"
>"My architect."
"Yeah, how do you feel about him?"
>"One should never talk bad about the Old Gods, Outlander."
"That bad, huh?"
>"I said nothing."
"Look. When I was there, with him he told me something regarding you."
>"What?"
"About you and Celestia."
>Aldreda's ears perked up and you saw a shimmer of a smile form on her face
>her tail even wagged a bit
>making this real hard to do, Aldreda
"He said that. That you can't see her."
>Aldreda's carefully cheerful demeanor dropped as if you had kicked a 4 year old's puppy off a cliff
>"Meniir…. Meniir!"
>Aldreda started to hyperventilate as her voice cracked
>"Da-silur. Hhhh Hhhh!"
>you held the mare tightly as she huffed in small breaths of air while breaking down
>you felt her lightly trying to resist your embrace as her body shook from the emotional collapse
>"Ah! Ha- Wh- why?!"
"He said it would kill you. He didn't want that to happen."
>you heard a subtle pop and a wheezing noise come out of the mare
>oh fuck, one of her lungs probably punctured
>you noted that she didn't exhale, only inhaled
>you held a hand over her mouth to try to stop her from further damaging herself
"Aldreda it's going to be all right. I'm here for you."
>"I- I sacrificed. I gave all my life!"
>Aldreda turned to you with a look of sheer confused pain
>"Why! Why leave me to rot in eternal solitude only to do this? Why would he do this? Why Outlander!"
>you had never seen Aldreda so emotional
>it was frightening to see this quiet ball of death so animated
"I don't know. He wants you to live."
>you heard a pair of hooves approach you in the distance
>gods damn, this is not the time
"What's all this ruckus about?"
>"Draoslo! Heeren af TYRANTER!"
>Red paused her advances
"To-kay?"
>Aldreda ripped herself from your grasp
>"Red, Outlander …I must leave you."
"Um. What's going on?"
>Red was pretty drunk
>"I  will defy my architect by doing away with his vile creation."
"Aldreda. Don't, we can fix this. Okay? Just calm down."
>"I will always be eternally grateful for your kindness, Outlander. But it is too good for the likes of me. It is too good for any of us.."
>Aldreda gave you one small inkling of a smile before speaking
>"Thank you."
>with that she leaped towards the edge of the deck
>you threw yourself after her but she was way quicker on her fee than you were
>Aldreda threw herself onto the ocean before you could get your hands on her
"Wha- What the fuck just happened? Anon what did you do?"
>you sighed
"Told her the truth"
"What truth?"
"It's a long story. Aw fuck, what am I gonna do?"
>seeing the look in her eyes you had no doubts she was gonna find a way
>the water wouldn't drown her but still, something deep down there probably could
"How deep is the water here?"
"I would guess four to six hundred meters."
>fuck
>Aldreda sank naturally, and there was no way for you to survive a dive that deep
>what do?
 
 
"That's too deep for any of us…"
"You're not going in after her, are you?
"Of course I am."
"Well. I don't see how you'd have a chance in Tartarus finding her at the bottom of the sea. But I could probably get some ponies together to set up a diving bell."
"Yeah, yeah! That's a good idea, Red."
>Red rubbed her chin with a hoof
"Though that would take a little under a week's time. Heaven knows were she'll be by then."
"It's still worth a try."
"Maybe. But there's nothing I can do about it tonight. Just… Try to enjoy the rest of the evening. Short and merry lives, remember?"
>Red raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile, trying to cheer you up
"Only her life wasn't short, or merry."
"C'mon, Anon. Don't be like that, please."
"I should ask some of the bats for help."
>though they couldn't even locate Aldreda through the water by the shore-side
"There's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just enjoy the night and I'll see if I can get us a team of divers tomorrow. You can contact that earth God as well then."
>Red seemed inconsiderate but she was right, there wasn't much you could do at the moment
>what do?
 
 
"No fuck it, she'll be gone by then. I need to speak to Rover. Hey! Rover!"
>"Anon?"
"We need to return to Horseshoe bay. Now."
>the dog drunkenly stumbled over to you
>"Why the rush?"
"Aldreda fell off the ship. Her kind sinks as a rock you see."
>"Oh. Was it an accident?"
>no
"Yea."
>"Oh dear. Very well then. We have enough pictures as it is. Back to port, ladies!"
>the dog managed to steer the sip despite his drunken stupor
>then again, boats were pretty chill to drive while under the influence
>once you returned to port you hurriedly said your goodbyes and commenced rubbing your tattoo
"Shit's not working."
"Are you sure that's how you contact the gods of old?"
"I don't fucking know."
"It's not a magic lamp."
"Just get some bats off their asses and instruct them to keep a lookout for Aldreda."
"Fine, geez."
>you halted a couple of your bats as they trotted off the photographer's boat
"Hey, ladies."
>"Heyyy- Hich! Cap!"
>they were so fucking drunk
"You don't happen to know how much a Black Crow can take before keeling over, right?"
>"Hmm~? Oh. Yeah, they pass like everypony else if they loose their head."
"Really?"
>"Ahhh heheh yeah, and- sssunlight, and the…. hmm the- err.. If they loose all their lives."
"What do you mean, lives?"
>"They can take more… hurtings if they eat stuff…. Live stuff. Once they run out, they do too. Scary stuff."
"Alright, gotcha, thanks.  Now, one last thing. Do you know how you summon the Earth God?"
>the mare you were talking to shambled a bit before snorting
>"Nahhh If I did we'd invite her to a par-tey! Wooo!"
>the bat cheered as she fell on her ass laughing
>shit
>well your rubbing wasn't doing you any good
>and it was fair to assume the bats didn't know either
>what do?
 
 
 
>hmm
>maybe you should try direct contact with the soil?
>nah, it couldn't be that simple
>could it?
>just because the diety is the God of earth, it meant you hat to touch actual earth for it to work?
>what constitutes earth?
>the mountain was made primarily out of rock but the summoning happened on earth inside the rock
>does that mean you could just…. bring a jar of dirt with you?
>man, fuck Equestria and it's abortion of natural laws
>you walked up to a spot of dirt and sat down and started rubbing
>still didn't work
>you started undressing and rolled around in the dirt as you concentrated profusely
"Are you having brain problems, Anon?"
>Red walked up to you with a concerned look on her face
>you started to feel the earth around you moisten
"Hush, it's working."
"I'll go see Redheart about this. You must have bumped your head or something."
"Yeah yeah. Just get the bats ready to scout."
"Sure, honey."
>Red made her way over to your ships
>it was the last you got to see of her before the earth swallowed you whole
>darkness
>utter darkness
>were were you?
>you felt more than a bit horrified when you reached out and felt your entire body covered in thick, un-moving dirt
>you couldn't breathe
>you couldn't…
>no, not like this
>fuck
>you started to struggle and fight
>there
>at the ass end of your fingertips you saw a light
>you continued digging until you fell flat upon soft dirt
>Jesus, fuck, might as well kill yourself at this point
>looking around you saw a ton of half destroyed ivory white buildings
>the buildings looked primitive in nature and among the center of it all you saw… Red?
"Greetings."
>the mare stood facing away from you a couple of hundred meters from your position but you could hear her as if she was right next to you
>her tone was cold and dead, yet not hostile
"Less than a week, huh?"
"Please. I need your help."
"We had a deal, Anonymous. A very, very simple deal. Did you perhaps not understand our arrangement?"
"I-"
"Naturally you did. So, why then is my sentinel screaming in abject terror at the bottom of the sea?"
>"Red's" voice didn't change away from her coldness, adding to the tension
"I can explain."
"Really now? Well do go on. I'm dying to know."
>what do?
 
 
"I told her about why she couldn't see Celestia and she freaked. Rambled about killing herself and jumped off the side of a boat."
"And you didn't stop her?"
"I tried. But she's faster than me."
"Hmm. And what gave you the bright idea to tell an emotional wreck such things while outside of my domain?"
"I didn't want to keep it from her any longer. She was talking about Celestia and how she wanted to bring her gifts and such, it felt cruel to keep the truth from her."
>Red/Earth God turned around
"And it couldn't have been done beforehand? Or afterwards for that matter? You should have known better."
"I did what I did because I care about Aldreda. The fact that I stand before you should be testament to that."
"That's true. I can see inside your heart that you do care for her. And calling for an audience with a God isn't something to be done lightly."
>you took your eyes off Red for one brief second to brush off some dirt, once you returned your sight, the mare was right next to you
"I can also see that you crave her flesh… But who am I to judge?."
>just a fucking God
"So yeah. I came to you because I want help in saving her."
"She's filled with regret of her actions, yet is trying to get herself eaten by an aquatic predator. The creature's stomach acids will corrode her flesh and eventually end her existence. And I specifically remember telling you that it would please me to keep her alive. See how this string of events will displease me?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now you caused this. It is only fair that you fix it."
"I'll do anything I can but it wasn't part of our deal."
"Yes. It was!"
>earth God raised it's voice slightly as some of the pale ruins crumbled in the distance
"Her death will displease me, you came to ME asking for MY help!"
>more ruins came crashing down, closer to the two of you as the God of Earth's irritation levels rose
"Do you really think you can worm yourself out of our agreement by having that mare die some other way?"
"No. Of course not. I said I was gonna do it. Just help me out."
>Red/Earth God seemed to calm down at this, she even gave you a small smile
"Good. She will be devoured by a huge Megalodon whole in a couple of hours. By then you'll have three days to capture and slay the beast. Retrieve her to the surface and I will even grant you a reward for being honest with me."
"Really?"
"I try not to be vengeful. I will reveal the location of the monster to you, then, yours and her fate lies in your own two hands."
"What happens if I fail?"
"I'll take your hearing. As was the deal. And you will officially be on my bad side."
"Find the pre-historic shark, kill it, retrieve Aldreda. Got it."
"Mind you this is not a demand. Should you not have what it takes to kill a Megalodon, you're free to refuse my proposal and leave with your hearing and on neutral terms with me. You're not immortal and it would be unfair of me to treat you as such."
>what do?
 
 
"I'll do it."
"Brave are we?"
"I was thinking about those pebbles that lets you breathe underwater, the ones your Gothi had. I have a pretty fast vessel from my homeland that could make it to Aldreda before she gets eaten if it's not too far away."
"Ha ha ha ha! Can you believe he actually bashed his eyes out? I like that kind of dedication. And for your information, they're not "pebbles". They are fragmented pieces of mountain hearts."
"Mountain hearts?"
"Rare rock that only forms in large structural conduits like mountains. Very rare."
"Yeah, one of those would greatly help me with saving Aldreda."
"You have an interesting tactic. But I noticed you referred to their properties as water breathing. I can assure you they do a lot more than that. You see. they grant its consumer the strength of my mountains! …For a limited time, it's the reason why you weren't smashed to meaty little bits on your decent down that underground stream."
"That's even better."
"Yes. Indeed. Though don't expect to ascend from the depths should you go for a swim while one of those are in your system still. For mountains have poor buoyancy."
"So what you're telling me is that-"
"You'd have to fend off any potential predators."
"But I'd be invincible?"
"For the duration? Just about. Almost invincible,as good as you're gonna get. That is of course if I decide to give one to you. The buoyancy effects of mountain heart wears out faster than the other ones so drowning is the least of your worries."
"…What do you mean? I'll be using them to save Aldreda."
"Free handouts turn mortals lazy, spoiled and unappreciative. I could always send a first Era dragon to fish her out of the water but she put herself in this situation. It's up to her or her friends to get her out of it."
"So you don't like to get involved?"
"I do but I try to contain myself to deals as that usually deter most mortals. Woe is me you actually have to work for something."
"I get you. So what would you have me do?"
>"Red" smiled
"Ah. You didn't assume the reason I negotiate with you is because you're actually practical for me in any way. You're learning. I like that."
"Thanks. I guess."
"Now let's see if you can keep up the good work. What do you think would be a task worthy of a piece of mountain heart? Oh! Make it a good one and I'll give you your reward for saving Aldreda right now."
"What is it?"
"It's useful I'll give you that, but anything more would spoil the surprise."
>what do?
 
 
"As much as your reward would be helpful I must decline. I prefer payment after the job is done."
"Would you look at that? Though you should definitely tell me what you have to offer before assuming I'd give it to you right away."
"Gotcha. I was thinking about doing a quest in your honor."
"Really?"
>the Earth God looked like a mother forced to smile at her 3 year old's shitty finger painting
"What did you have in mind specifically?"
"Well I wa-"
"Ohh I see."
"What?"
"Yeah, yeah. That would certainly do the trick. Are you sure? I mean, I know you are but… huh. Very well."
"But I didn't say anything."
"Oh Anonymous. I know you didn't but keep in mind that I know you better than you do."
"What are you talking about?"
"I know what you're going to do before you do it. I know every thought and emotion you have. I know how many steps you'll take this month. I even know the day you were born and the day you will die"
"So thi-"
"Pretty much, yeah. These conversations of ours are more for my own amusement then anything else."
"So you know if I'll make it or not?"
"Yes and no. I intentionally keep such information pushed away to the furthest reaches of my being. That's how I treat the vast majority of variables in this world."
"Why? Wouldn't it be cool to know everything?"
"Absolutely not. Are you able to comprehend a smudge of how boring being divine is? Don't answer that, you do. Imagine having the knowledge of every being, of every atom given to you in one fixed place in time. Now imagine not having a single deviation from your pool of knowledge throughout eternity."
"Okay, okay. I see were you're coming from."
"And they act surprised when gods go mad. But i'm rambling. Put out your fists."
>you stretched your arms out straight and formed fists
"Like this?"
"Now pick a hand."
"Pick a hand?"
"Yes."
"Um, alright, left!"
>your fist opened without your consent
>all that greeted you was an empty palm
"Try again."
>you opened your right fist and were greeted by an equally empty palm
"Wrong again."
>you opened your left fist again, somewhat annoyed
>there lay a small, gray skittle sized stone
>fucking wow
"Aren't you above pre-school magic tricks?"
"He he. No, not really."
"Well thank you anyways. I'll bring Aldreda back to the surface in one piece."
"Oh, before you leave. I want you to have the reward. Your future quest pleases me."
"That's very nice of you but I'd feel bad about claiming a gift from you before I save Aldreda."
"In no point in time do I remember giving you the option to refuse. If you had a say in the matter, you would have been told so. I said if I like your tribute, you'd be rewarded my gift early."
"I don't follow, you're forcing me to take it?"
"Kinda. I said you would get it early, now what kind of a god would I be if I didn't hold my word?"
"O…kay?"
"Check your right hand."
>you looked and saw an odd looking
"Now to your left again."
"Not to disrespect but we really don't have time for this."
"Oh yes you do. Not a moment passes in my vicinity without my say so. It hasn't been ten seconds back on the surface. Now look."
>you looked and saw your hand resting on a strange rock being elevated by a dirt pillar
>shit must have risen from the ground while you weren't looking
"What is it?"
"That, my dear mortal. Is a slab of true cosmic steel, not the toxic northern minerals the Equestrians call cosmic steel. This stuff came from the heavens. Within this unrefined slab rests your new poking thing."
"You're gonna make me a weapon?"
"Ya. Couldn't help but notice you rendered your home-world arms useless by downing them in water."
"Isn't this stuff insanely valuable?"
"Pfff. if you're a mortal, I would assume so. And it's not like I won't get it back anyways."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You won't live forever. Once this civilization dies I'll reclaim everything the mortals of this world has dug out of my soil."
"Alright, cool. So what do I get?"
"Up to you, really. You won't get enough for a sword or anything, but I think we can hammer out a dagger or some form of spear."
"What's the benefit of cosmic steel over regular steel if you don't mind me asking. Aside from the toughness I mean."
"Plenty. It's blood-bound so it can not harm anything you do not wish to bring harm upon. It also kills a lot cleaner as it rapidly emits an expandable field of frost inside anything you stick it in, but only if you wish for it to happen. Making accidents a thing of the past. The edge also molds sharpness to your purpose at the time of using it."
"How does it do that?"
"It will be bound to your blood. While in your hands it will never falter, dull or break. Unless you demand it to."
"That's pretty fucking neat."
"So what will it be, dagger or spear?"
>what do?
 
 
"I'll take the dagger. I already have a sword for range."
"You know Amber makes that stuff out of scrap right?"
"You know Amber?"
"Duh, I can be made aware of all life living on the surface. Didn't know her until you mentioned your sword."
"God powers, got it."
"But anyways. Dagger it is then."
>You saw the slab of steel crack, kneed and eventually liquefy under the will of the Earth God
"You know."
>"Red" interjected as she twisted the steel using her godly mind powers
"We're not talking about a lot of tons when it comes to the amount of true cosmic steel resting on Equestria's surface. This thing will be worth more than both your ships combined."
"That sought after?"
"It's hardly sought after because so few mortals have the funds to find or purchase it. But if someone offers to buy it from you, you say no. Do not lose a gift from a god. It's a nice rule of thumb."
"What happens if I do though? I work on a ship after all."
"It'll find a way to return to it's owner. Blood binding is a powerful thing. Imagine, you can attach your keys to this thing and never loose them again."
"He he."
"Alright. I think she's about done. A work of beauty, don't you think?"
"Wow. And that pattern is?"
"It's the way the metal dresses itself. Take good care of her now. Honor the craftsmanship and know that you now posses a blade forged by the gods who also forged this world. A rather small blade but a blade god-forged nonetheless."
"Jesus, I don't know what to say."
>earth God magiced it into your hand as you felt your flesh grip the steel for the first time
>the feeling was amazing, it was as if the metal withing your grasp was alive somehow, you could almost feel it move
"Then bite your tongue. Now go. Save my sentinel and should you survive, maintain my honor."
"What customs would you have me follow?"
"To be honest with you, Anonymous. I just made something up. Your mortal subjective definitions of honor and customs doesn't mean anything to me. Keep in mind you came here by rubbing your mark as if expecting some genie to pop out while rolling around in the mud like an imbecile."
"Oh, yeah I guess you're right."
"Well I'm sending you back now at any rate. Be sure to spill blood with that thing for it to bond with you."
>you looked down at your kick ass dagger
"Why make it go through such an arbitrary thing to get it to bond?"
"What? I'm not allowed to have some theatrics?"
>you felt your legs sink into the ground as an unseen force kicked you backwards
>the feeling of falling came to you for a split second before you woke up, back in the mud pit you originally rolled around in
>looking around you could see Red was on her way to rally some bats for that scouting job
>in your hands were the pebbl- mountain heart fragment and your brand spanking new god-dagger
>in the corner of your mind you could feel Aldreda's presence
>it felt like seeing someone a second before passing a corner, you just knew were they were without looking
>fuck
>if you're really gonna go through with this you needed something that would allow you to see underwater
>also some thing to pull yourself up with so you wouldn't swim in circles
>the anchor would probably work for that
>still, a light source would be good to have
>what do?
 
 
>you rose from the dirt, dagger firmly in hand
>putting the pebble safely in your pocket you raised the blade to your avalible hand
"Rah do gol, gron daar dwiin wah zu'u, luftnid!"
>Red turned around with her eyebrow firmly cocked
"Anon, are you okay?"
>you dragged the dagger over your palm, cutting nice and deep
>the blade sent out shivers of calm through your body as your face stained with your own blood
>you swore you could hear the God-forged beauty exhale
"Naal hin uth zu'u fent dein laas hin vahlok!"
>Red looked at you as you were utterly insane
"…I'll go get Redheart."
>some of the bats from the shore flew by to check on the commotion
"SUSHI, OROK'ALOR! TI BIC KAD, NI VEN'ARAN GAR KYR'AD AKAY NER RAMAANYC HAAL!"
>the bats started to… cheer?
>"Verellus! Verellus!"
"Chay' law' ngeb Hol vabDot vISov shit quv!!"
>"Hemos! Hemos! Hemos! Hemos! Hemos!"
>the crowd shouted in booming approval
>holy shit, they had no idea what you were saying
>they just pretended
>this was fucking hilarious
"Alright. Nopony should have any reason to be this loud without booze in their system. What's going on?"
"I'm going to slay the Megalodon!. TONIGHT HE DIES!"
>the bats kept encouraging you with their praise
>hahaha they had no idea what a Megalodon is
>they've never even seen fucking fish before
>Earth God was right, theatrics go a long way
"Really now. Well you ponies have fun."
>fucking what?
"Fucking what?"
"Shit, if you get eaten, who's gonna captain the ships? Why do you wanna chase a Megalodon anyways?"
"A call to adventure, kindled by the God of Earth!"
>the mob started to stomp their hooves
>"Wooo!"
>Red didn't look convinced
"Well sure, you guys have fun then, good luck trying to find a Megalodon in the middle of the night though."
"No worries. I appoint."
>you pointed the bloody dagger at Red
"You! To tell me how to do that."
"Um, there's a veteran shaman that runs a shop a stone throw away. She'll help you out."
"We should raid the shady merchant ship for goods instead."
"Heh, cheapskate! We could do it tomorrow. The ship would be most crowded at night. Ponies saving bits by sleeping on the ship instead of renting a place and such. If you're not in a hurry I'll hop on with you then."
>purchase your potions now or roll the dice on the merchant ship having what you'd need tomorrow
>what do?
 
 
"Nah fuck that. Buy drugs, bust shark nuts."
"? Stallions who wear makeup!?"
>you gave Red a look
"What, we're not doing an improv song?"
"No, no we're not. And you totally ruined the moment."
"What? It's fucking hot. Don't say you wouldn't feel a little exited if I wore some big, bulky piece of armor and refrained from trimming my fetlocks."
"Well you do look gorgeous with an AA gun strapped around your waist."
"You're a darling. I'll still have a shrink waiting for you when you come back though. And Anon?"
"Hmm?"
"For goodness sake, don't let those bats drive your little boat. Get Charles to help you instead. No offence girls, but you don't know what you're doing."
"Hmm. Can you get him for me while I go potion shopping? I don't have much time. And it's a yacht."
"Hey, you do what you gotta do.I'll have him here for you by the time you're back."
"You're not even gonna ask why i'm up to this?"
>Red shock her head
"No not really. If that earth god of yours sent you on some crazy crusade against big sharks or whatever I want no part of it. He's not my God."
"Fair enough. I'll bring you some teeth."
"Nice. Thank you!"
>Red pointed you in the direction of the shaman's shopkeep
>not surprising, it was the stereotypical nigger hut you saw Red walk into when you were stalking on her
>you walked in and saw a tiger pelt carped collecting dust on the floor
>these zebras went all out
>were there even tigers in Africa?
>did you really give a shit?
"Hey yo. I need some potions."
>a zebra mare was sitting by the desk reading, not paying much attention to the shop at all
>"Self service, buddy. Don't get your hooves all…. muddy? Yeah, we'll go with that."
>if this was a themed shop she was doing a poor job at it
"No can do. I can't read Equestrian. I need some night vision potions."
>the mare looked at you funny while popping some pink bubble gum with her mouth
>"And what are you supposed to be?"
"My species is not important. What is important is what I'm going to do. I just fuckin' hate marine life. And the finned worms feasting on its carcass. My whole life is just cold, bitter hatred. And I always wanted to die violently. This is the time of vengeance and no shark is worth saving. And I will put in the grave as many as I can. It's time for me to kill. And it's time for me to die. My genocide shark crusade begins here."
>you were in the fucking zone
>the mare didn't seem interested
>"To your right, three potions down. Don't wear big shoes or you'll look like a clown."
>the zebra returned to her magazine
>it was clear that she wasn't trying
>there is no way this was the veteran shaman Red was talking about, probably a lazy teen or some other kind of lower life form
>you pointed at a bottle of glowing with a radiant piss yellowness
>"Yeah, that one. Come here and our transaction is done. Oh and it's four hundred bits."
"Isn't that expensive?"
>"Mhm. Dragon-eye essence usually is. Never… something something like this."
>the mare returned her snout to the magazine once more
>fuck
>you didn't bring any bits
>well, you had no time to loose
>you pulled a Red and sneaked it into your pants
"Well then i'm not interested. Later."
>"Hmm."
>she didn't give you a second glance as you walked out of the store without paying
>damn, you were hardcore
>returning to port, you saw Red hanging around with a couple of crew mates
>none of them being Charles
"Hey, Anon. Charles is waiting for you in the boat."
"It's a fucking yacht."
"Apple, dapple. Good luck out there, Anon. Don't widow me yet."
"We're not married either."
"You know what I mean."
>you hopped on board the Yacht, bringing Whiskey and smoker with you as the bats by the shores pleaded for someopony to be there to tell them the story afterwards
>you saw Charles behind the wheel
>"Took you long enough."
"Not happy to see me? It's been a while, man."
>"Not happy with aiding demons. Happy to see you though."
>Whiskey voiced up
>"What's a demon?"
>Smoker was the next to speak
>"It's a… anti God but tinier. I think,"
>sweetsummerchild.jpg
>"Anyways."
>Charles turned around to face you
>"Are you ready for this?"
>what do?
 
 
"No, now that I think about it."
>you jiggled the potion around in its flask
"I should probably ask Red if she knows what this is."
>"You bought a potion? I thought your brain was to bigoted to respond to magic."
"It's a long story. I'll be right back."
>Whiskey poked your leg as you got up
>"Wait! Can I see your dagger, please? Is it really from the Earth God?"
"Sure. Here."
>"I didn't expect you to trust me with it."
"Nah it's cool. I have insurance."
>kind of
>"What is insurance?"
"Ask Charles, I have to hurry this shit up. Wait. You guys wouldn't happen to know what Dragon essence is by the way?"
>Smoker's eyes lit up
>"I do, what type of essence?"
"The eye kind."
>"Oh that? That's a concentrated mixture that improves the eye sight of the pony that's using it."
"Does it improve seeing in the dark?"
>"Yes. Dragons do not use reflective surfaces or anything to see when they fly at night. Their eyes produces it's own light."
"Cool. You got all that from those dusty old tomes at your mountain library?"
>"Pretty much. There wasn't a lot to do back there. Not like it is out here."
>well that's just dandy.
"How long do these things last?"
>"Well that all depends on the quality. The weakest potions last two days or so. I wouldn't worry about conserving it for the last second if you plan on using it now."
>you kinda did
>Just too bad the faggot author have food in the oven and need a small break
>what do?
 
 
>you took a small swing of the bottled content
"Spicy."
>"Don't take any more than that."
>Smoker warned
>"It is toxic in big doses."
>Whiskey gave the stallion a look
>"Is not. It is poisonous."
>the two bats started arguing as you tapped Charles on the shoulder
"Just drive, straight ahead for now. I'll give you directions along the way."
>Charles revved the boat up and started driving
>"Have you been drinking, Anonymous?"
"Yeah. Little bit."
>"I see. Can I perhaps advice against this? Do you even know what you're looking for?"
"Yes. I'm looking for those extinct sharks. The Megalodon."
>"That sounds like a really, really bad idea."
"And then I'm gonna kill it, gut it and retrieve another one of these "demons"."
>"You're scary when you're drunk. Please don't leave me alone with all these things."
"They're no more demonic than your average pony. Relax"
>"I don't know. Magic is a no-go last time I checked. You're not helping."
"They're fine, just look at the pair arguing, aren't they cute?"
>Charles turned to see Smoker and Whiskey, were now getting physical over the proper use of poisonous VS toxic
>"Okay, okay they're cute."
"And cute shit are good. Like lambs, kittens, ponies. If they were a threat to us, our brain would make them look ugly."
>"I don't think that's exactly how it works but you're right,t hey seem harmless."
"Oh, a little ways starboard and you're there."
>Charles adjusted the course
>"How do you plan to dive? The waters look deep."
"Divine intervention, buddy."
>you popped that pebble and retrieved your dagger from Whiskey
"Whiskey. Drop anchor!"
>"How?"
>sigh.jpg
"Charles. If you'd please."
>Charles hit the switch
>"I have no idea what's going on but good luck out there, Anonymous. I hope you know what you're doing."
"Yep, me too."
>you dived into the water, making sure to grab the chain of the anchor to decend faster down the blackened deep
>you felt pressure starting to build inside of your lungs as the water over you started to tug and squeeze
>the air stated to seep out of your nose as you decended deeper
>God, you hoped this worked
>you held off breathing in water as that is uncomfortable as all hell but it was an inevitability
>you noticed your condescension didn't really impact your ability to see
>now would you look at that? The potion worked
>maybe now you'd quit pissing rainbows
>fingers crossed
>oops. Out of air
>erugh
>you inhaled disgusting water
>the mountain heart seemed to do its job a as you weren't dying
>that's good
>there wasn't a whole lot going on as you decended
>you did see a fish though
>after a while, you started seeing the bottom, it was sandy, with a lot of rocks
>socking, you know.
>your new-found instincts told you Aldreda was… behind you
>turning you saw a shell shaped building of sorts and just knew she had to be there
>you approached the lost thingy and realized just how awful humans were at sea-walking
>good god, you were NOT designed for this
>sooooo sloooow
>if the moon landing really was staged, this would definitely be the way they did it
>you entered and saw the place to be empty, say for some sea trash
>and Aldreda eating sand
>she didn't seem to notice you
"…"
>fuck, that's right, can't really speak with water in your lungs
>what do?
 
 
>taking a final look atound you confirmed that there was no dinasaur aged mega shark with his nose upo your ass
>yet
>the bottom of the sea was murky and hard to look through
>it probably wouldn't take more than a few seconds to pounce up behind you
>you walked closer and poked her horse shoulder
>the mare turned her head and jolted at the sight of you
>not so fast mother fucker
>you wrapped your arms around her torso, denying her any chance of escape
>as she calmed down, you loosened your grip on her, but still held her tightly enough for her not to escape
>you could finally see her face and what a sight it was
>from the looks of it, her eyes had popped clean out of her sockets from pressure
>knowing Aldreda and her regenerative abilities, coupled with the fact that all her nerve endings were long dead, this was less of a concern to you
>Aldreda rested her snout against your palm and you noticed by how her body language changed that she recognized you
>time to get this bad girl home
>time to carry this confused pony back to the anchoring point
>you tried climbing but noticed the fucking chains give way
>you realized that if you were to pull on this thing, the yacht would probably roll over
>using intuition, you removed your pants instead, and used them to tie Aldreda to the anchor
>you shook the chains lightly, indicating to the people above that it was probably a good idea to raise anchor
>they did just so and you were left with only your undies and dagger
>you could probably explore the area while waiting for the fabled Megalodon
>maybe skip it and find a way to lure it here or something?
>or do what any sane, reasonable human being would do and hide
>what do?
 
 
>you decided, it was probably best to hang around near the boat
>…
>well this was terrifying
>at the bottom of the sea all alone waiting for a fucking shark
>mountain heart or no, your survival instincts were firing at all cylinders to get outta here
>oh well
>you ponder if this was the Water Gods doing, having your sentinel eaten and all that
>no, couldn't be
>if the Water God was a fraction as powerful as the Earth God appeared to be, your flesh would boil the second you touched water
>you saw how easily the Earth God could manipulate her/his element, he also mentioned how the notion of time was irrelevant to him
>would it then be such a stretch to assume the Water God was similar?
>you honestly didn't know
>while wallowing in dread, something finally happened
>a noise, unlike anything you've heard before while at or in sea
>the best way to describe it was as if glass broke in slow motion, coupled with the crackling of a motherboard, right before it snapped in half
>you started to see the oceans darken in the distance
>whatever was making those sounds had to be way bigger than any shark, extinct or not
>the waters didn't darken at one peculiar point as it would as if something approached
>rather, the entirety of one side started to get robbed of light
>the sound intensified as you felt yourself being pushed away from the source by a watter current
>the bottom sand was being disturbed further inhibiting your line of sight
>oh god! The sound was right on top of you now
>you cowered, or rather, tried cowering as you were washed off your feet
>fuck!
>why couldn't you find something less dangerous to do?
>you got a glimpse of a fin
>you had little point of reference, but were you to guess, it would be in the ballpark of a football stadium
>what in the absolute god damn was that?
>it seemed to have retreated back to the darkness as the last thing you saw was a shadow of it's tail
>…
>yeah, fuck this
>you were spazzing out pretty bad now
>oh please, o' please let this moutain heart shit run out soon
>you turned to look at the abandoned building only to find something loosely latched onto it
>it seemed to be the carcass of the Megalodon you were suposed to fight
>bitten in half…
>nose to fin…
>if this titan was the Water God's answer to Earth God's dragons you wanted no part of it
>seriously
>the waters became noticeably warmers around your loins
>was there ever a point and time were gods sat down and thought "Maybe i'm over ex-fucking-aggerating?"
>what do?
 
 
>you thought, generally the best course of action was to stay low but keep your dagger at the ready
>there was a part of your brain, the brave and stupid one, that wished for you to jump that fucker, should it show its face again
>but you couldn't even come close to it without being pushed off your feet
>nah, fuck that
>your heart was racing and you were on the verge of panicking
>this was extremely taxing for your rationality and nerves
>you held your ground just waiting for the anchor to drop again
>were it up to you, you'd charge for the shore but you had no idea which direction to take
>being blown off your feet didn't help either
>god fucking dammit, why didn't you purchase that compass?
>no matter now
>at least you got ample warning should the Leviathan come again
>it wasn't stealthy, so that's good
>but when you're that size, you didn't need to be
>shit
>you wish you were at your ship, drinking rum
>bet these dumb sea monsters didn't even swash buckle
>your feet hurt
>after a while with dead silence, say for a few omenous deep sea noises you noticed yourself getting lighter
>you jumped and jumped, soon enough your feet quit meeting the sea bottom
>fina-fucking-lly
>you hauled ass out of there and swam upwards
>the swim took you quite some time but finally you breached the surface
>looking around you saw no Yacht
>your senses pointed you in the direction of Horseshoe bay though
>did Charles puss out?
>probably
>oh well
>what do?
 
 
>you felt the only thing logical to do was to start swimming
>fuckity fuck fuck fuck
>this was exhausting
>time for a reminder to never smoke whatever the fuck that diamond dog gave you only to start swimming
>your lungs were on fire
>you weren't in bad shape, per say but Jesus fucking Christ
>a drink would be good right about now
>a drink and something to sit on
>you finally reached shore
>arms feeling like wet noodles
>man, even lifting them hurt
>you'd be sore tomorrow
>looking around you saw your Yacht
>time to ask Charles why the fuck he didn't wait for you
>that was totally not cool
>once approaching you saw Charles alone with his suit unbuttoned, leaning back in the seat smoking a cigarette
>he looked stressed to say the least
"Had a nice drive home, motherfucker?"
>"Anonymous. Well I.. See, I saw this huge head,right?"
"Yes?"
>"Bigger than anything I've ever seen before. The bats panicked and started wailing for me to get outta there. How did you survive?"
"Dumb luck and divine intervention. Is Aldreda alright?"
>"The zebra shamans are having a look at her now. I haven't seen anymore of that creature. Stayed here mentally preparing myself to come get you."
"Well that's really cool of you. I appreciate that."
>"No worries. You'd do the same for me. Though, to be fair I'd never get myself into such a situation in the first place."
"Heh, true that."
>"So did you kill it?"
"The shark?"
>"That thing wasn't the shark you were talking about?"
"Hmm. oh God no. What do you think, i'm suicidal or something?"
>"Sometimes."
"Well to answer your question, no I didn't get to kill the shark, that Leviathan looking thing beat me to it."
>"So mission failed?"
"Quite the contrary. I got Aldreda. I'm happy with that."
>"So what do you plan to do now? I could really go for a drink personally. What about you, Anonymous?"
>what do?
 
 
 
"I think I should check on Aldreda first though. She looked pretty fucked up"
>"Why was that thing down there to begin with, do you know her?"
"Yeah. Imagine bat ponies as vampires, right? Well Aldreda is kind of their Blade."
>"Their… blade?"
"You know, the black vampire slayer."
>"Oh, Ahh. I see. So why aren't they fighting?"
"They were, a long time ago. Look, it's a long story. I'll elaborate over a drink but first I wanna check on her."
>"Fine. I'll show you were they dragged her off to."
>Charles lead you, unsurprisingly, to the makeshift med-bay in one of your two ships
>there you could see three Zebra mares busy brewing potions, as a couple of bats were hard at work sowing the gutted Aldreda shut
>Redheart was walking around in a red jacket thing and saddle bags, instructing the other equines how to go about things
>"Stand back, Charles. We don't know what's inside of her."
"What's going on?"
>Redheart sighed
>"Look. I know it looks bad, her belly exploded. She'll be fine as long as we get the worst of the wounds- Hey, don't sew that part to that!  The other one, no, remove those stitches."
>Redheart turned her focus back to you
>"As I said. Her regenerative properties should do most of the work. We just need to clean her out a bit."
"She heals when she drinks-"
>"Yes. I know. We have enough of that. Look. I know you're worried but the best thing you can do for her right now is for me to do my job. Go, relax or something, you've been through a lot."
"I see. And she'll be alright?"
>"Yes, she'd get over this herself, we're just making sure she doesn't heal wrong."
"Gotcha."
>"And Anon?"
"Yes?"
>"This is going out of your salary. I'm not putting myself in risk of infection for free you know."
"Fair enough."
>"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to get back to work."
"You're a lifesaver, Redheart."
>"Tell me about it."
>after the little white earth pony shooed you and Charles out of her operating area, that left you with no other option than a bar run
"So you know were Red is?"
>"No Idea."
"You didn't talk to her?"
>"No. I've been by the docks, smoking."
"Bad habit."
>"Tell me about it. Speaking of bad habits. You wanna go get something to drink now, perhaps we'll find Red on the way."
>what do?
 
 
"Mhm."
>you nodded
"Let's go."
>"Good. I know this one place, I got the first round."
"You have money?"
>"Yeah. I did some work on the side, I have bits."
"Sweet."
>the two of you left the ship while chatting
>you kept a lookout for any Zebra or bat available to play messenger boy for you
>no luck so far
"So, exactly what were you doing for all this time down here?"
>"Odd jobs here and there. Fixed some houses. Messed around in a cafeteria. Stuff like that. Oh, and I also got a lot of time to get a tan going on."
"Sounds chill."
>"It was. Ponies live very laid back lives. Ah, here we are."
>Charles lead you to a quiet, yet anompheric sailor bar
>ponies there were a bit older and worn out but they didn't give you any long glances
>they all gave a drunken wave to Charles though who sat down in a booth, motioning you to follow
>"Heh. I used to work here a bit too."
"Cool."
>a big unicorn mare greeted the two of you
>she was around the size of Red with a free flowing light blue mane and blond coat
>"So this is the pirate squirt you've been telling me about, ay, Charles?"
>the mare reached out her hoof which you met with your hand
>"Call me Grace. My real name is embarrassing."
"Anon, what's up?"
>"Well your bits if i'm lucky. What will it be?"
"Something strong, please."
>"Will do. what about you, Charles?"
>"The usual."
>the mare retrieved a pen from a desk far away from her
>that unicorn magic must be neat
>"Alright. Be with you guys in a second. Anon? Don't steal anything. he he."
>you turned to Charles
"Who was that?"
>"She told you, Grace. A friend of mine."
"Nah, man. I was talking about her build."
>"Oh? Yeah, she's ex royal guard."
"Neat. So how do you two know each-other?"
>"Well. I– I was there sun bathing and she sat down next to me, and we began chatting."
"So… You guys more than friends or what?"
>"Pfft. You wish. You know I don't like ponies that way."
"Fair enough."
>"So. You mentioned divine intervention back there earlier. What did you mean by that?"
"Well. I've been getting some help from a… let's call it a spirit, that the bats worship."
>"Anonymous…"
>Charles gave you that bible belt look
"I know, I know but c'mon. He.. or she isn't that bad."
>"You know those things do everything in their power to ruse you, right?"
"Yeah but if it wanted me dead, or my soul or something, It would have its way. Shit's powerful."
>"I still don't like it but-"
>the mare, Grace came up to the two of you, holding drinks in her magic
>"What are you two boys talking about, not me I hope?"
>Charles replied
>"Oh, no nothing. Anon just told me about some spirit he's been messing with."
>"Typical. Well which one was it?"
"No one particular."
>"C'mon. You can't say A and refrain from saying B. Are all humans a big tease?"
>what do?
 
"Well. The followers call it 'Earth God'."
>"Earth God?"
>Charles raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his beer
>"Ever heard of an Earth God, Grace?"
>"Now that you mention it. Yeah, though not much, from what I remember it was a supposed deity that some wacky cult used to worship up north a few years ago. I was stationed near by to take care of pirates on behalf of the princess, never heard a lot from the cult though."
>"Do you wanna elaborate on exactly what it is, Anonymous?"
"Well it lies in the name, really. The guy controls the earth, rock and soil from what I've seen. It also has a pet dragon. "First Era" he claimed."
>"Oh, that's bad."
>Grace chimed in
>"If that's true it means it's one of those elders. Ainchient beings said to build the world. Though that's only a theory."
>Charles moved his lips away from his drink
>"Back home the king of the earth is also the lord of evil, coincidentally."
"Look, i'm not in over my head here. And it's not the devil. Rest assured. Equestria probably just has diffrent rules when it comes to the divine."
>"Anon is right."
>thank you, Grace
>"According to the old legends, the elder lords built this world together, and then slowly grew dormant and retired back to their own personal corners of this world. If the "Earth God" wanted to do Equestria harm, there'd be no Equestria to speak of."
>Charles gave you another look
>"So, they're like sentient, classical elements?"
>you shrugged while giving him a smile
"Yeah, maybe? I don't know. He doesn't really go into detail."
>"Well, you know what's good and what isn't, Anonymous. If you say you have it under control I believe you, and trust you to take the right decitions that come your way."
"Yeah. Yeah! Oh, and just a precaution, you'll sneak in a prayer for me, right?"
>"You're already on my list."
>phew
>now that that was over with, you felt like changing the subject
"So, Grace. Charles told me you used to be with the guard?"
>"Yeah, gah, I knew you guys were talking about me. Yeah-"
>Grace blew a piece of mane out of her face
>"It was a while back, figured I'd try the civilian life but it gets quite boring, people like Charles here, traveling back and forth with their tales help,but still."
"At least it's relaxing."
>"Oh it is~ No more spear training or marching, oh, ha ha don't get me started on the marching!"
>you heard a stallion whisstle from the bar to Grace
>"Opp- Gotta go, i'm at work after all. See you two later."
>"Later, Grace."
"Yeah, later."
>the mare turned to the annoyed stallion to pick up some more drinks
>"So, aside from… that. Did you have fun up the mountain?"
"Yeah, camping and all that jazz? Pretty sweet. Got into a fight with some feral bat ponies though."
>"So they come in a feral variant too?"
"Yup. If they bite a pegasus pony, they'll turn feral, the ferals give birth to sociable ones like the ones we have on board the ship now."
>"I see."
"You don't sound convinced."
>"I'm not. It's a lot to process."
"I get you."
>"I just.. It's a lot at one time, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, totally. You should drink more, it'll make more sense then."
>"He he, you know what, Anonymous? i think you're right."
>you and Charles chatted about random, lighter topics for quite some time
>that was, until a familiar looking mare came bursting through the door with an entourage of zebras and bats behind her
"Anon you dick! Were have you been? I thought you done got yourself ate!"
>sweet Mother of Mary, Red was drunk
"Hey, Red!"
"Youuu shiiiit! I was about to be sad you-… you… DOUBLE ZIGGER!"
>an assortment of boos came from Red's striped entourage
"Ohh Piss off you gobshites!"
"Red, i'm fine. It's all good."
"All good?"
"Awww!"
"Yiiis! Come let's leave this shithole and go get smashed someplace fancylike!"
>what do?
 
 
"Got some place in mind?"
"Yess siiir! Come. It's not far away."
>you got up from the booth
"You coming, Charles?"
>the former boat salesman snorted
>"Do I have any choice?"
"Nope!"
>Charles called over his mare friend
>"Excuse me. Grass Grazer."
>"Charles! I told you not to call me that."
>"Apologies, Grace. It slipped my mind. We're leaving now, I'd like to pick up the tab."
>"Oh, alright. Sure, give me a second."
>Red got this drunk, smug, shit eating grin on her face
>you knew she was about to do something stupid
"Grass Grazer, huh? That's a pretty stupid name."
>damn Red and her abusive ways towards ponies in the food & drink industry
>"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
>"Well if it is so stupid, what's yours?"
"Red."
>Red licked her lips after uttering her name
>"Oh ha ha. And i'm the one with the dumb name? Did your parents write your birth certificate with crayons as well?"
"Watch it, cunt. You're not the first pretty mare I've turned ugly."
"Red, let's just leave."
"Nu-uh. I don't know if you know, just who you're talking to."
>"I bet there's a lot of things you don't know."
>ohh, sick burn
"That 'hich-'s It, we're taking this outside."
>"Are you sure? I am obligated by law to inform you that i'm ex-royal guard."
"Oh so that's why you're such a bitch. All your stallion friends in the guard were too busy fucking each-other to pay any attention to you?"
>you could see Grace visibly pissed off
>"I bet you wouldn't be such a loudmouth if you weren't backed by all your friends."
"Oh , these guys? Men! And mares, I forbid you to intervene. Captain's orders. You!"
>Red pointed at the mare
"Outside. Now."
>what do?
 
 
>a majority of aye's came bawling from the crew as Red huffed
"Break my heart, why don't you? Traitorous sea dogs."
"Come on, Red. It's time to chill out. Why not pick a fight with a bottle 'o rum instead?"
"Hmm. But I wanted to give this sissy guard her what-for."
"Well, it's not happening. Grace, you're invited for when you get off shift. Men, and… mares. First round is on Red here!"
>the crowd of bats and zebras cheered as you put Red down again
>the mare didn't give you any lip, she simply returned to the crowd to make more noise
"No hard feelings, men, each of you scummy land lovers are valued equally as lowly. Now let's get drunk!"
>the crowed laughed hearty as they started moving outside
>heh
>you were liked more than Red
>feelsgoodnigga.jpg
>"So… what was that?"
>you turned to see Grace, with an understandably puzzled look on her face
"That's how we choose leaders."
>"You just screamed a lot."
"Exactly."
>"Well. That, Red character didn't really seem to like me very much, I'm not doing anything later tonight but, I don't wanna impose."
"Nonsense. She just really likes to bad mouth waitresses, she also gets catty when she drinks. But i'm sure she'd have forgotten about it by then."
>"Well alright. I'll come. If for nothing else, make sure your bunch doesn't torch the bay or anything. So, i'll see you there, when my shift is done, Charles."
>"Yeah, i'd like that, bye, Grace."
>you followed the rowdy bunch to the cafe/bar you saw Red hang out in, earlier today
>walking in, you saw the entrance lead to a big open, closed in garden are of sorts, guarded by a few of your men
>they let you pass, naturally
>you were the official captain, after all
>this must have been the place Red bought out
>a band was strumming up some tunes that fitted the setting
>to your left were big barrels of, judging by the smell around here, appeared to be rum
>Marcus had had one too many and was clumsily trying to pour himself some more
>looking up, you could see a couple of bat drunkenly flying about, stretching their wings
>near the band, you saw a few of the drunker zebras dance around in circles
>the majority of your crew was near the center of the garden, drinking, talking and laughing, Red included
>looked like a proper pirate party if you were to say so yourself
>what do?
 
 
"Are you gonna be fine if I leave you alone for a bit, Charles?"
>"Sure, no problem. This reminds me of one of my family gatherings, i'll fit right in."
>lel Catholics
>you waltzed over to Red's table as she was bragging over how many feral bats she took down
"So, Cabinmare?"
>Red took a deep breath
"Captain?"
"Would you be a dear and bring me a lick of rum?"
"Yes, captain. Right away."
>Red's tone was dripping with passive aggressive sarcasm
>you were playing a dangerous game
>but it was pretty fun, and she needed to be put down a peg
>Red got out of her seat and walked towards the barrels
>"Tell us abut the ferals!"
>one of the zebras that previously listened to Red uttered
"Well son. They're mean motherfuckers for one."
>you took a seat
"See this?"
>you pointed at your crooked knuckle and the scar accompanying it
"It was from one of those ferals, what they do is swoop from the night sky and bite you. They don't have to kill you either, their poison does that for them."
>"So… how did you survive?"
"I'm immune to Equestrian potions. Don't ask me why, I have no idea."
"Yeah? Well hooves crossed you're not immune to this."
>Red placed a cup of rum your way
>you reached to grab it but Red stopped you
>the mare lulled out her tongue and let a drop of spit drip into your cup before giving you the bedroom eyes
>"Would be a shame to waste good rum, Capt'n."
"Eh, I've tasted you before, it's not too bad."
>you took a sip, not giving a fuck
>"Capt'n. It's a sign of endearment to spit in somepony's mug while on the sea."
"Strange custom. Who thought that was a good idea? Also this shit is fucking delicious. Mmm!"
>the zebra shrugged
>you looked at Red, giving you a smug look, too smug for a cabinmare
"What do you want?"
>Red raised an eyebrow
"I want to dance."
>what do?
 
"Yeah, just, get me a bat pony first."
"That an order there, Cap?"
>Red didn't look impressed
"Yeah."
>the mare sighed and turned around, presumably to fulfill your request
>you celebrated by taking another sip of your rum
>damn this shit was good, horse spit or no
>"You're playing a dangerous game, Capt'n. Heard Red is a good brawler from a couple of those fanged ponies."
"They're called bats, or bat ponies. You know, cause of the wings?"
>the zebras nodded
"Yeah but anyways. There we were, on the side of this… God forsaken mountain slope, trying to defend a makeshift camp from thousands of these feral bats. Keep in mind that just one teeny bite is enough to fuck you over."
>"Any casualties, sir?"
"Oh, no. Well. Did Marcus ever tell you guys why he returned to port, one hoof short?"
>"He hasn't said a lot lately, only stays on board the ship, lecturing sleepy, fanged ponies."
"They're bats. But yeah, that's because of a bite. You know Nurse Redheart, right?"
>"That's one fine looking mare, Capt'n."
"She's the one who amputated him."
>whatever grand delusion, the zebra stallion had about Redheart flew out the window with those words
>you saw all your table companions cringe
>seems like amputation was a major turn off for most ponies, who would have known?
>lel, no race mixing fantasies for you guys
"Here you are, Captain. One plague carrier, as ordered."
>Red came walking over with Smoker
>her voice was still overly smug, you knew there was no way to beat her at this by ordering her to do random tasks
>the bat stallion frowned a bit
>"Do you have to call me that?"
"Do you carry a plague?"
>"Technically speaking…"
"I'm just kidding with you. In any case. Anon wanted to talk with you."
>the stallion turned over to where you were sitting
>"What's the matter?"
"Smoker. Hi. These guys at my table wanted to learn more about bats."
>"Oh?"
>he folded his wings and sat down
>"So, what do you wanna know?"
>the most vocal of the zebras spoke up
>"Fangs, what's up with that? Do you dress up or is it part of being a bat?"
>"They're for catching small game from the skies, or, what's what we usually use them for. Beats using hooves by a long shot."
>the zebra raised an eyebrow
"Oh would you paranoid sissies relax? Even Anon eats meat."
>"Still. Strange custom."
>Smoker spoke again
>"Not that strange. We can live off fruits but… Not a lot of that up in the mountains."
>the zebras still didn't looked convinced as the most vocal one took another sip from his cup
>you still had a last request for Red before letting her off the hook, but your imagination was deeply stagnated from your current intoxication levels
>what do?
 
 
"So, Cabinmare. Would you be a dear and buy everyone another round?"
"These barrels are already bought and paid for, smartass."
"Well, i'd be nice of you if you gave everyone a round."
"I'd also be nice if I kicked you you in the dick, Anon. You have no proper authority until we're out at sea."
"Yes I do."
"No, you don't. Tell me, what's stopping me from just taking one of these handsome zebras with me back home tonight?"
>what do?
 
 
>you got out of your seat and leaned in behind the mare
"Stamina."
"Oh-hee hee. Yeah~"
"So, you wanna go dance now?"
"That was why I asked you, wasn't it?"
>you followed the excited mare to the dancing area of the garden
>you stumbled passed a couple of unconsciously drunken zebras on the way
>as you were about to begin, Red paused, like a bloodhound catching a scent
"That cunt…"
>you turned to look and sure enough, Charles' friend, Grace was making her way forth
"Hello, Grass Eater."
>"Oh, you still wanna go?"
"He he, yuuup!"
>"Well alright, then. This will only take a minute."
"Feeling confident?"
>"Yes. I've dealt with scum like yourself since I joined the guard."
"Your ass is grass, cunt! And I'm the lawnmower! Anon! Hold that thought, I'll be right back."
>Red charged the mare as Grace raised her horn to fire off a spell
>a ball of blue energy sprung from her horn as Red drunkenly dodged, crashing head first into an unconscious zebra on the way
>Grace kept pewing out magic missiles as Red hopped around like Super Mario on crack
>Red could be pretty agile when she wanted to
>she even jumped over one of the projectiles
>"Darn! I won't miss, next time!"
>the entire garden was now focused on the two ducking it out, as Red closed in on the unicorn
>listening to the drunken howls of the crowd, it was clear that they were cheering for Red
>obviously
>once your home mare was withing melee distance she stopped her fore-hooves dead in her tracks, allowing the energy to swing her hind legs towards the unicorn
>a single buck sent the ex-guard flying
"Didn't expect that, did ya? Cunt!"
>Charles came running over to you
>"What in Go- heavens name is going on here?"
"I don't know. But they're really going at it."
>"Is this normal for ponies?"
"Hell if I know. They make time for dialogue between strikes so I guess so. Maybe."
>Red ran over to the mare and was about to- OWW Interrupted by a headbutt
>"So. Do we just let them…?"
>Red was now on top of the mare, pounding her shit in
"Hey, if you wanna go anywhere near that mess of magic and hooves, that's your prerogative."
>Grace managed to roll away and responded by bucking Red in the ribs
>ouch, that gotta hurt
>"I don't know. It seems like they'll need to fight this one out."
>Red bit Grace's hoof in reply
>"Oww! Savage!"
"Yeah… They don't seem to be in a lot of danger, I know Red doesn't have her horseshoes on, that probably dampens their kicks a whole lot."
>Grace tried to poke Red with her horn but was swiftly sidestepped
>"I see. I just hope they'll get along after this."
>The Red maned devil managed to get her head under Grace's belly and raised her neck, causing the unicorn to stumble to the ground
>with that, Red got herself on top of the unicorn and started wrestling her to the ground
>or… you know… As good a wrestle that could be preformed with hooves
"Gotcha now, cunt!"
>Red bashed her own skull against the opposing mare
>"Ahh! Alright, you win! You win! I submit!"
>your mare looked down upon her opponent with a smug grin
"Pah!"
>Red spat some blood
"And the guard wonders why they never get to see live combat. Come on, Grace, let's drink."
>the unicorn got some assistance from Red, pulling herself up
>"But… But you…?"
"You want another go? Let's drink! Anon. You know that thought I told you to hold? Heep holding it."
>you raised an eyebrow to Charles to see him mimicking the action
>"You know. I actually thought Grace was gonna win."
"You and me both. But Earth ponies are sturdy as fuck. They'll win if the fight drags out."
>"I see. Wanna, perhaps leave our ladies alone for a while while they sort things out?"
>what do?
 
 
"Assuming they won't jump at each other's necks again. Sure."
>"Don't worry. Grace is a well tempered mare."
"So she's everything Red isn't?"
>"Pfft. You could say that, yeah."
>the two of you returned for your drinks and sat down somewhere secluded from your number-two's
"So I gotta ask. How's it feel being the Religious type in a place like this?"
>"What do you mean?"
"Like. They have a super pony that can lift the sun. Old gods that built the planet, magic and talking animals. Doesn't it conflict a bit with scripture?"
>Charles took a bigger sip than usual
>"Yeah, this place is pretty crazy. I don't know what to say to be completely honest. The bible describes our world, so I wouldn't say there's any conflict there. Maybe this place wasn't intended for humans and thus was not mentioned? I can't really say."
"Hmm. A beta test maybe?"
>Charles shrugged
>"I've never given such subjects a lot of thought before. Maybe, in due time, we'll discover why we were placed here."
>you patted Charles on the back
"Think the big guy upstairs would have you spread the good word of the lord to these filthy, four legged heathens?"
>"Ha ha ha! Perhaps so, Anonymous. Though I should probably start with you and Rodgers."
>Charles joked
>he seemed to enjoy the subject at hand
>you took another swing
"He he. Hey, i'm serious. You could be pope or something. Shit would be neat."
>"I don't think I have the makings of a pope in me. Besides, I can't just declare myself pope. Doesn't work like that. …Although. If I happened to wake up one morning and saw Christ reveal himself to me, I wouldn't decline his call."
"Here's hoping, Charles."
>"Here's."
>the two of you toasted
>heh, toast. What a dumb name for banging mugs together
>"So, what's up with you and Red. Word around the ships say you're dating."
"Eh, yeah, little more than that though."
>"I figured."
"I don't know. Man. Their behavior is so similar to that of humans and all. It just sorta happened, y'know?"
>"I get you. Red is a very kind mare when she wants to be. And the two of you seem to compliment each other."
"You think so?"
>"On one hand, we have Anonymous."
>he gestured with his hand
>"A fearless nomad, with little regard to body, limbs or soul. Yet. Level headed and fully capable to function within, or even lead a group unit, despite finding himself in a total alien environment. On the other hand."
>again, Charles used his hand to demonstrate
>"We have a very driven, very hardy female that's very good at handling uncharted situations, who is also surprisingly well versed in how her world works. But at the same time, has the social grace of a b 52 bomber."
"…And that's a compliment, right?"
>Charles smiled as he nudged you
>"Naturally."
>you could see from your table that Red and Grace was getting along well, for a pair who was wailing at each other not five minutes ago
>you nodded towards them so Charles would see their interaction together
"Sure you're not up for a double date?"
>"No thanks. I'm good. It's nice to see them getting along though. Strange, as Grace despises pirates usually."
"She didn't know you were with us?"
>"Not until tonight."
"So you didn't tell her?"
>Charles did a parody of himself
>"Hi, unknown pony. Just wanted to give you a heads up that I'm associated with swashbucklers, hope we can still be friend though!"
"Heh. Yeah. I gotcha."
>"Hey, I gotta hit the bathroom real quick. Keep my rum company, would you?"
"Sure, man. No problem."
>"Alright, thanks."
>Charles got out of his seat and left the gardens
>he could have just pissed in the bushes
>all the zebras were doing it, must be normal for ponies
>you sat there waiting, trading glances from the dance floor, to the door and over to Red
>she was too in depth in conversation to notice you though
>looking at the door, you could see several ponies getting invited in that were not part of your crew
>meh, the zebras must have gotten some friends in the month or so, you were away
>just then, you saw a pale pegasus with a blond mane make her way towards your table
>great, was this one of these royal guard pricks?
>the mare looked you over like a confused mother, trying to buy her son his favorite video game
>after some shameless starring, she blinked her green eyes and spoke in a casual manner
>"Busy?"
>what do?
 
 
>you nodded towards an available stool
>the mare sat down, giving you this unmistakable professional look
>"Anonymous. I heard you are eine problem solver, ja?"
"Who told you that?"
>"Ein little bird, I vish to hire your services."
>work
>shieeet
"Really?"
>the mare nodded
"Mind specifying?"
>"Eine ship. Couple of miles up North. lies silent by an island. I wish to see it with my own eyes unt clear out any remaining crew."
>that accent though
"Killing is looked down upon in Equestria, who's ship is it, and how would you make it worth my while?"
>"It belongs to eine offshoot of ze Hoofiet union. Rapists, deserters, scum. They vill not be missed."
"The reds up top? I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you're with the Germaneians?"
>Red did talk about tensions rising between Germaneia and the commies, off Equestria's boarders
>"Correct."
>the pegasus shuffled a little brown letter over the table, past the rum stains
>"My affiliates rewards a civilian's assistance. Enjoy ze rest of your evening, Anonymous."
>the mare shook your hand, using her hoof and got out of her seat
"Just like that?"
>"Zhere is more information in your letter, including how to contact mich."
"Wait. You didn't give me your name."
>the mare turned around to look at you
>"Kyire. Unt I vill be looking forward to your reply."
>with that the mare turned back and walked out the doors
>what the fuck?
>you took a look at the letter she left behind
>it was all in gobblty goo language
>AKA Equestrian
>or Germaneian
>perhaps a little bit of both
>she wasn't a native speaker, that's for sure
>yeah, a bat, or Red would definitely have to translate this
>what do?
 
>you folded the letter and stuck it in your undies, as that was the only article of clothing you had on you, seeing as you didn't get dressed after the deep sea dive
>…yeah
>you took another sip of rum
>how was this your life?
>hmm, you wonder if you were rich yet
>Red handled the money, and she must have blown quite a bit on fucking barrels of rum
>what could you spend money on in Equestria that wasn't liquor?
>they didn't have cool shit like computers, fast cars or whatever rich people blow their cash on
>a nice house maybe?
>nah, you'd need at least a TV for the living room, and you hadn't seen one of those around
>damn
>you saw Charles return from his bathroom break
>"So, did I miss anything?"
"Yeah."
>"Oh?"
"Got a new contract."
>"I'm guessing it's not handing out blankets to homeless ponies."
"Nah, don't worry. Nothing that boring. This mare wanted us to take out the crew of a shipwreck, not too far away."
>"Hmm. Alright?"
"Well. She wanted to have a look at the ship as well though."
>"Did she tell you why, she wanted them dead?"
"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's because she's a Nazi."
>"Hehe, no, but really, what did she say?"
"I'm not kidding, there's Nazi ponies. Nazi ponies is a thing. Why do you think the bats know German?"
>"You're serious?"
"Yeah, met a few older ones back at the mountain, they raised all of them, go on. Ask any bat pony in this garden and see if i'm lying."
>"I- okay, okay. I believe you, it's just so weird. I mean, I wouldn't associate Nazis with ponies."
"Fuck, man. I wouldn't associate civilizations with ponies, just roll with it. Thinking about it just hurts your head."
>"Good point. So I'm guessing this shipwreck houses Jew ponies?"
"No, commies. I haven't heard about Jew ponies yet."
>and hopefully you never will
>"Have you told Red about this?"
"I'll let her know tomorrow."
>you looked over to Red's table and saw the mare laying on her back while on the table, encouraging Grace to do body shots from her belly
"She's having fun."
>"She's gonna need a trip to the clinic for pumping if she doesn't slow down."
"They're horses, Charles. Horses can drink a lot of alcohol."
>"That's just a saying, based on how big horses are. These aren't fully sized horses."
"Hmm. You're right. We'd probably win in a drinking contest, seeing as we're bigger."
>"That was NOT my implication. But you're right. I think. Damn, now you got me curious. Wanna test out your thesis?"
>what do?
 
 
 
"Yeah, let's give those pussy ponies some liver failure."
>"Alright, and Anonymous?"
"What?"
>"Why didn't you put some new pants back on? I've been meaning to ask."
"Kinda slipped my mind."
>"The fact that you're walking around in your undies "slipped" your mind?"
"Hey, i'm overdressed compared to the rest of this garden."
>"…Fair point."
>you ended up sitting next to the mares, now thoroughly hammered
>"I- oOooO. hi hi. Shouldn't have done this. I have woork tomorrow."
"Nahhm.. Ypu'll be fine. Heey. You could work for me!"
>"Naahh."
>Grace burped as she pushed her mug to the floor with a lazy hoof
>"Don't wonna work for a cunt."
"Hahahahaha"
>"hahahaha!"
"Jesus fuck, you two are gone."
"No, we're right hre. Ohh! Ohh! We'rte gonna shit…"
"Well, do it?"
"Nah. Nah. I meant shoot. Shooting stars. They're on tonight. Grace has the calendar stuff in her head. Wanna come?"
"I was thinking we could have a little drinking contest."
"Oh i'd crush- crush you. Just… need to sober up a bit. I'll let you challenge me afterwards. Cool?"
>what do?
 
"Yeah okay."
>"Sounds a bit childish, no?"
"Dude, we're hanging out with ponies."
>"Hmm. Yes. True."
"Let's go then! "
>the four of you left the garden and the small town
>it wasn't far, like 4 minutes away
>ponies made their towns small
>further out, you could still see the odd bat flying about
>probably just getting used to the big openness of the outside world
>must be good to stretch those wings out as well
>Grace noticed the little black specks flying about as well
>"Wow. How many bats are there?"
"Out here?"
>"No, I mean on the mountain?"
"There's around half a thousand sane ones and… Well. I have no idea how many ferals."
"Didn't those demons say there was infinite ferals in the woods and cracks around that place?"
"They were probably exaggerating."
>"What?! This is horrible! We should inform Princess Celestia!"
"Relax. There's been ferals in those mountains since forever, they don't leave and ponies never go up there. Chill."
>"You went up there!"
"Look, isn't it better to let that wasp-hive lay? Who knows how many of those plague riddled bloodsuckers there are up there? You'd only need one infected pegasus returning home for major shit to go down."
"Yeah. Let sleeping dogs lie. The last thing we need is ships of infected ponies, spreading that stuff around, ruining every harbor in Equestria."
>"Well… If you put it like that."
>Grace burped
>"But why do you have them on board then?"
"They're tame, Grace. Wouldn't hurt a fly."
"Ehem. Not with fights like that they wouldn't. Remember how much rump I kicked in their arena thing?"
"Yeah, you really showed them what for."
>"You fought them?"
"That's what they did for fun up there. Don't worry. They didn't bite me or anything."
>"Well that's comforting."
>a shimmering flicker flew across the night sky
"Look."
>you pointed at it, as it disappeared
>another one followed, as soon as the first one died
>"Woah."
>soon there were more, falling like light rain at a pretentious restaurant
>"Luna is bringing her A game, tonight."
"They're so …pretty."
>Charles spoke up as the mares rolled over on their backs to enjoy the show
>"So this Luna, the princess. She does this?"
Grace spared the man a glimpse, before returning to the night sky
>"Yes. So ponies can enjoy her beautiful night."
"Is it a propaganda thing or something?"
>"Hmm? No. She just wants ponies to enjoy her night."
"Seems like propaganda to me."
>"It could be. Maybe. Depends on whether you mean propaganda in the demeaning thing or the good thing."
"Come on, Anon. Sit down. Let's discuss drunken philosophy stuff."
>good God
>what do?
 
 
>you placed your butt down on the soft, damp grass
>looking over, you saw the two ponies resting on their backs with their hooves relaxed over their chest, much in the way dogs do when they’re expecting a scratching
“Okay, so what do you ponies think about good and bad?”
”Good and bad?”
“Good primarily.”
”Oh. Well, freedom, and doing what you like is the definition of good. There’s no downsides.”
>Grace didn’t seem convinced
>”No it isn’t.”
”Yes it is.”
>”What if what you do, hurts other ponies?”
”I don’t hurt other ponies. Not much anyways.”
>Grace scrunched at Red
>”Well, if somepony does want to hurt others, would that be considered good?”
”Well. I…”
>”You’re wrong. There’s no good or bad. Just things reacting to things.”
”That’s stupid.”
>”You’re stupid.”
“Some philosophy debate you’re having.”
>”But Red is wrong.”
>Charles spoke up
>”She kinda is.”
”Alright, Grace, why don’t you elaborate on how morality is just things reacting to things!”
>Red got that ‘gotcha’ glimpse in her eye
>was she actually not expecting a reply?
>”Good and bad are just subjective cycles. It’s the same principle we see in nature and magic.”
“Sounds awfully pretentious.”
>”Do you even know what that word means? Cycles are everything. They’re the basis for our magic.”
”Wasn’t that an inborn skill? Magic I mean.”
>”According to the uncensored books, sure. The ones you’re not supposed to read tell a different story.”
”And how would you know what those say?”
>”How do you think I became an ex-guard?”
>Grace turned to you
>”I could teach you a thing or two about magic, but it’ll cost you.”
“What? That’s bullshit.”
>”Knowledge is power, Anon. Set me up on a date with Charles and we’re good.”
>”What?! I’m not going on a date with you.”
>Charles didn’t seem too enticed with the idea
”Take one for the team you wimp. It’s only a date.”
>what do?
 
 
"You sure, Grace? You know that forcing anyone to a date kills any prospects of a relationship."
>"Yup. Definitely sure!"
"And you, Charles. What's the big deal? A date isn't committing to anything."
>"Hmm. I don't know."
"Faget."
>"Excuse me?"
"Anon's right. Let the mare have her way. I wanna know more about magic."
>Charles sighed
>"Fine."
>"Nice!"
"So tell us then."
>"Sure. Some books tell us that magic is the result of magical residue, seeping out from the soil, or even the elders after creation. Others say that there's an elder that's dedicated to magic itself."
"Strange. how many elder gods are there?"
>"Nopony knows."
>chatty deities like the Earth God were probably in the minority
"I don't get it. Why would those books be censored?"
>"Cause. If magic comes from an external force, it means that there exists something, powerful enough to switch it off."
"Hahaha. So? Earth ponies manage just fine without magic. Pegasi too."
>"I wouldn't expect you to grasp the complications of this. Magic is a cycle. Or rather, a downward spiral, I should say."
>you didn't understand half of this so you decided to rub Red's belly
"Hmmmf~"
>Red purred
>"-Meaning that, for our magic to be able to react, there must always be a reaction. Now. Were is that reaction? It's being suppressed by its original wielder. That reactionary magic is pilled up in every building, totem, fetish, monument and shrine. An advanced, user. Magical or not, could draw from this great source, utilizing under-magic. Or, black magic as it were."
>Charles didn't like the sound of that
>"Black magic, huh?"
>"Oh yeah. The collective pool of hundreds of generations of magic, all there for the taking. The only thing needed is study on the subject and sacrifices for pleasing the original owners."
>"I'm not so sure I like your plans."
>"They're not my plans. I merely study it for the theatrics. Besides. It's not too different from what Anon is doing. Contacting elders. Receiving rewards. Can I look at that dagger of yours, Anon?"
"Hm. Sure."
>Red was salivating at this point
>Grace inspected the dagger
>"Hmm oh- Cosmic Steel? Well well well. If this isn't the result of divine intervention, i don't know what is."
"You seem a lot more knowledgeable on the subject than when we first met."
>"Naturally. I don't just go yammering about the forbidden arts to just anypony. Especially if I don't know them."
"Yeah. Occultists back home do the same thing. Keep it under wraps, I mean,"
"…Anon?"
"Yes, Red?"
"Heh, hehe. Wanna go back to the yacht~? Maybe leave these lovebirds to themselves?"
"I'm not really noticing a romantic connection between the two."
"C'mon, Anon. Please? I have something I wanna show you~"
>what do?
 
 
"Sure, i'm guessing there's no way you'll tell me, what it is."
"Oh, Anon. You know me so well!"
>figures
"Alright, let's go then."
>Red turned around and waved Charles goodbye
"Have fun at your date together."
>"Oh, this isn't our date."
>"It isn't?"
>"No, Charles. Our date starts tomorrow."
>"Then… What's this?"
>"This, is just two good friends hanging out."
>"I thought that was what the date would be."
>"Oh, it is!"
>"I.. don't follow."
>you were pretty sure that mare sneaked two dates out of Charles
>clever girl
>you and red retreated to the yacht, but not before Red picked up a saddlebag from one of the other ships
>Red gave you a sultry look as she dug around the saddlebag with her muzzle
>scented oils, incense, a couple of dried leaves that gave you a strong vibe of them having some form of narcotic origin
>lastly, Red showed you a black potion, who's only means of identification was a pictured label
"Temporary Mare-to-Mate potion~ What do you say, Anon? Wanna get crazy?"
>what do?
 
 
"Yeah …You're going to have to elaborate."
>Red's fair dropped, as did her ears
>the mare spat the potions to the side of the bed
"It's pretty self explanatory. Makes me have to lift my leg when having to pee, to put it like that."
"So you mean futa?"
=="Futa?"==~¨
"Yeah, futanari. were you have one of each genitalia?"
"Ha ha ha ha! What?"
"It's not that unheard of in human erotica."
"You humans are freaks. I love it~ But I got bad news for you if you expected anything other than balls and my usual pucker being back there."
"So…"
"So you'll get my ass, a pair of stones, and my rod. What you decide to do with it is up to you~"
>what do?
 
"Well then. I guess you better drink up."
"He he."
>Red un-corked the potion and chugged down and immediately scrunched up
>the mare looked like she downed a shot of rubbing alcohol
"Wowie. Mind lighting the incense while I process this? There's some tinder matches in the saddlebag."
"Sure."
>you placed the incense around and lit it
>the little sticks glowed softly while releasing a steady stream of smoke and pleasing odor
>Red crawled onto the bed and hugged the sheets with her belly and hind legs
"Oh and the leaves. Just light them on an non-flammable surface and close the door. Should be more than enough to get us going."
>you ran out and got a plate
>placing the leafs on the plate, you lit them inside of the bedroom, only to find them burning like tinder
>damn, this place was a fire hazard now
>you took a whiff of the leaves
>…narcotic, definitely narcotic
>you placed the plate down on the nightstand and let the seeping narcotic chemicals explore the room
>Red flipped over, onto her back to reveal a dark colored, limp horsecock
>it was no where near the size of, say Marcus's junk but you figure a potion could only do so much, though, considering the human anatomy, that might be a good thing
>still, it put your dick to shame, just because it wasn't the size of a literal third leg, didn't mean that it was anything to scoff at.
"Teehihihi. Looks like you'll need to wake it up, Anon~"
>what do?
 
 
>you grabbed the lubricant and flipped it 360 degrees and started shaking the contents out of the bottle, and onto Red's cock
"Ohh! Cold."
>using both hands, you started jacking her off
>you used one hand focusing on the bottom 1/3rd and the other near the top
>using your thumb, you occasionally swiped a thumb over her un-fared head
"Ohh~! Those hands are amazing. How do you humans do anything but masturbate all day?"
"That's a good question."
>you noticed the stiffy in your pants, hollering for some fresh air
>you removed your undies and resumed loading Red's musket
>the little mare was already huffing and puffing
>you leaned down and gave her member a lick, beginning on the middle of her base, all the way to the top
>whether it was the narcotics violating your brain, the scented oils or some real degeneracy going on, you didn't know. But you loved her taste
"Ah-hh-h–h! Careful!"
>Red seemed to enjoy this
>you didn't wanna puke on Red's dick so you focused mainly on liking
>after all, you had zero points in your dick-sucking skill
"Slow down. I'll cum if you keep going!"
"Wow."
"Sh-shut up! You know we ponies don't last long, stallions even less so."
>you could defuse this with the good old tradition of cock-jousting
>you could also make her cum now
>or experiment with orgasm denial
>what do?
 
 
>you halted a bit and took in her scent
>locking eyes with her, you could see that she was already ready, bud didn't want to
>was it embarresment?
>punishment for all the times she made fun of your dick, and here she was, not being able to go a minute without edging
>yes, it's punishment time
>her big, throbbing cock was aching to baptize anything in the general proximity with semen
>you started carefully licking it again, while still using both hands to work her flesh
>the way the dark skin tightened around her veins and preputial ring was hypnotizing
>you got brave and opened your mouth some more
>with her interment delivery in mind, you engulfed the head of her member
>the heat generated from her fifth leg was pleasing, both for your fingers and your tongue
"HAH! Ohhh~!"
>you could feel Red's cute little twitches reverberate from her crotch, through the base and your hands and finally, your mouth
"AHhooo!!!"
>Red's head flared, as she damn near locked your jaw with her girth
>the mare ejaculated a billion white Reds as the thick, pearly seed filled the chasm of your mouth
>the warm cum hit your soft palate and ran down onto your eager tongue
>notbad.jpg
>you got as much of it down your throat as possible, as Red's semen continued being pumped from her perfectly shaped balls
>Red's nectar was thick but easy to swallow, especially when being produced by your best mare
>your mare's meat Popsicle slowly retreated back into its shaft
>looking at Red, you could see the orgasm took a lot out of her
>her chest was moving up and down, rappidly as she panted
>you laid your waight over her, pinning the mare and started kissing
>Red didn't recoil, but instead started lapping up the remainder of her own cum in your mouth
>seemingly not enough for her as she moved over to lick your chin and throat
>once she greedily lapped up every last drop of her own thick splodge, she locked lips with you again and kissed you, hard
>the smell of cum was thick in the air as you wrestled Red further into the bed, as if fighting her for the last puddle of cum on her tongue
>you eventually parted lips as a string of semen connected the two of you, one Red was sure to lick off your lips before retreating her head back to the pillow
"…Wow. You're divine~"
>you wrapped your harms around Red and squeezed her
>she squeezed back, though more than a bit exhausted
>you both knew at this point that Red owed you one since you didn't cum
>though she did look pretty done, you could probably cash in now, or tomorrow, once she's rested
>but years of video games has thought you that potions were generally short lasting, so she most likely would be your good old Red once you woke up
>what do?
 
 
"Hey Red."
>you uttered from the comfort of her mane
"Hmm?"
"Turn over."
>you got off Red and let the mare turn around, for you to inspect them cheeks
>her ass was as plump as before, only, instead of sporting a marehood under her ponut (why do you think in pony puns, Jesus)
>there rested a pair of sizable testicles, as drenched in sweat as the rest of her butt
"See anything you like?"
"Hush, woman, can't you see i'm trying to concentrate?"
>you placed one hand over each cheek and gave them a good squeze, Red giggled at your antics
>inspection of Red's butt complete, it was a bit sweaty, but perfectly usable
>what do?
 
 
>you sneaked your fingers around Red's thighs and lifted her up
"Oh! Nope! You'll have to wait, Anon. I need to wash first."
"It's nothing. it's only smellz."
"You don't want shit on your dick, do you? I'll be right back."
>way to kill the mood
>bitch
>Red ran off to the bathroom, leaving you alone and horny on the bed
>you sighed and got comfy
>the sheets were seriously soaked in Red's scent
>you missed her already
>damn
>and was it just you, or were you getting light headed from Red's narcotic leaves?
>shut up, anon. You're not making any sense
>focus, motherfucker, focus!
>Red walked out the bathroom and sat down on your lap, her cock resting on your belly
"So."
"So-"
"Heh, you sucked my dick."
"I did."
"Not gonna lie. That's, heh, kinda gay."
"Just prep that ass up. And turn around first. You're still the woman in this relationship, you go at the bottom."
"He he, comes from the guy so vigorously swallowing cock. Aye aye, Captain!"
>Red lifted her mighty rump, turned around and and let you position your dick, pushing it against her newly washed ponut
"Ah! Not so fast, you sick horsefucker! You better have saved up some of that lube."
>you drenched your member with lubricant and even afforded Red's ponut a couple of drops
"Waa! Cold! Warn me before you do that."
"Sorry."
"You better be."
"Well, if you're gonna be a bitch about it."
>you rammed your cock into her ass
>the mare yelped in surprise as she clutched the bed and held on for dear life as you proceeded
"Rapist! I didn't say I was ready!"
"That's what you get for being rude."
>you forced your cock back in there as Red tightened up
>ohhh, the feeling of psuedo rape was amazing
"Sorry! Sorry! JUST! Stop fucking my shit up!"
>you slowed down as Red apologized
"Wowie. Jaysus…  Okay, just gimme a second. I need to prepare myself."
>…
"Ready?"
"Yeah, sorry. Just like you can't shit while stressed out, you can't do anal either. Your pucker needs to be relaxed."
"It's alright. Sorry for raping you."
"Awe, you're so sweet."
>Red turned around and gave you a smile
>it warmed your heart
>and her ass warmed your dick
>you proceeded, and pushed, penetrating her
>you continued to plow her, gently this time
"Yeah, what's better."
"Ohh. Yeah. Now cum already, i'm tired."
"Oh C'mon. Were's your passion, Red?"
"It slid down your throat a while ago."
>you continued fucking the mare, your hands still resting on her meaty butt
>you could feel the anus tighten and relax in tandem with your movements
"Oh boy. You keep going like that, I might cum again."
"Does it work like that?"
"I don't know. My G-spot must have ended up somewhere around there I'd imagine."
>you shrugged
>Red shrugged as well
>pushing ahead, you continued to pump Red's ass, speeding it up a bit
>you were already horny from your previous sexual escapedes, so this shouldn't take too long, you had that feeling
>due to the vast amount of lubricant you added into the mix, Red's butthole was now making kissy noises
>it was sorta, kinda cute
>you worked yourself up to a sweat
>their drugs were taking their tool and Red's juicy ass did nothing but excite you more
>you hugged her sturdy butt as you shot load after of life-giving cum inside the mare's ass
"There we go~"
>you slowly slid off and out of her and rested on the bed
>Red laid down beside you and started snuggling you like a teddy
>you reserved one hand to cuddle her mane and another to get a blanket
"You were great today."
"You wasn't too bad yourself."
"…"
"What?"
"Nothing. I'm just tired. Night, Anon."
"Goodnight, Red."
>whatdo tomorrow? Also yes, rushed ending
 
>you woke up with a drooling headache
>shit
>your mouth tasted weird
>your arms were rubber
>what the fuck happened last night?
>memories of a giant whale, swimming a lot, posing? and drinking horse cum came back to you
>wait?
>drinking horse cum
>fuuuck
>you shuddered at your deviancy
>suppress that shit like an orphan's childhood
>you had a look around, and sure enough, Red was missing
>but what's this
>you noticed a note were the mare in question would have been, had she not been such a morning perso-pony
>you picked up the note and found some masterful, visual illustrations for why she had left
>drinking
>figures
>though, you should excuse the shitty drawing skills
>not like you'd expect much from a society were 2/3rds write with their fucking mouths
>might as well see how Aldreda was doing
>she looked FUBAR when you saw her earlier
>the zebras and bats gutted her to get all the sand out
>plus no eyes
>she was sounding more like a shitty creepypasta than a pone
>damn
>you had a bit to drink from the Yacht's bathroom tap and equipped some blue jeans and a white wife-beater
>your piraty clothing was probably done by now, you should give that a thought, later
>as you walked onto the harbor, you could see several bats laying around
>most ponies tending to their own shit, and kept their distance
>you wondered for a second if they were dead, but upon closer inspection, they were just passed out
>yeah, a life of isolation, followed by the sudden introduction of alcohol will do that to you
>since they didn't roast under sunlight, unlike the pony you were about to go see, you decided to let sleeping pones lie
>you walked onboard the ship with the medbay and found more bats sleeping
>these ones had Africa-tier, medical protection gear, covered in black goo
>you swore, one of them had just used two condoms as makeshift "gloves"
>motherfucking savages
>walking inside you found a tired Redheart writing shit next to an empty operating table
"Morning, so how did it go?"
>"Ahh! Anon. You startled me. The "operation", if you can call it that. Went fine. Aldreda's up and running. No thanks to your bats, by the way."
"Ouch, that bad, huh?"
>"Well, they're immune to infection, that makes them useful. But by the sun, are they bad at medicine. We actually had to cut, poor Aldreda up a second time because one of them forgot some cloth in there. Suffice to say, she'd be dead, ten times over, if not for her ability to self-heal."
"I'm sorry you had to deal with complete newbies. Were is she now?"
>"Hmm? She's with Red. They're at a bar or something. Seems like Red has her own ways of getting Aldreda to deal with her existential crises."
"Alright. Thanks. You're a lifesaver, did I ever tell you that?"
>"I believe you did. Now if you'll excuse me. I'll help myself to some of your bits for a cup of coffee and some painkillers."
"Why the painkillers?"
>"They help me sleep at night."
"We all have our vices."
>Nurse Readheart nodded slowly
>with the new info gathered, it's safe to say that Aldreda couldn't be drowning in ancient angst too much
>what do?
 
 
>meh, she should be good for now
>your clothes however…
>you made your way down the street were you ordered your clothing and knocked on the door to the stallion's shop
>"He-loooooo? Who's there?"
"Me. The minotaur thing."
>"Ohh~ I thought it was ,my depth collectors, coming for my knees again. Coming!"
>that's harsh
>the stallion opened the door and invited you in
>"Oh, I know we're not open yet, but I guess I can make an exeption for you~"
"Um. Yeah. Sure. So you got my outfit?"
>"Do I?! Come, come. Let's get you dressed!"
>the stallion "helped" get you dressed in the dressing room
>thought these things were supposed to be private
>maybe ponies have different customs?
>in any case, he was eager to shove you in front of a mirror for you to admire his work
>nice, very nice
>even had good pockets
"I like it. It's good. You're pretty baller. Sticky Threads."
>"Oh I am so glad to hear that! And it's Silky Threads. darling."
"Got it. Thanks, Silky Threads."
>you walked towards the door
>"Um.. Aren't you gonna pay?"
>shit
>you had no bits
>why did you never pick up any bits?
>what do?
 
 
>meh, she should be good for now
>your clothes however…
>you made your way down the street were you ordered your clothing and knocked on the door to the stallion's shop
>"He-loooooo? Who's there?"
"Me. The minotaur thing."
>"Ohh~ I thought it was ,my depth collectors, coming for my knees again. Coming!"
>that's harsh
>the stallion opened the door and invited you in
>"Oh, I know we're not open yet, but I guess I can make an exeption for you~"
"Um. Yeah. Sure. So you got my outfit?"
>"Do I?! Come, come. Let's get you dressed!"
>the stallion "helped" get you dressed in the dressing room
>thought these things were supposed to be private
>maybe ponies have different customs?
>in any case, he was eager to shove you in front of a mirror for you to admire his work
>nice, very nice
>even had good pockets
"I like it. It's good. You're pretty baller. Sticky Threads."
>"Oh I am so glad to hear that! And it's Silky Threads. darling."
"Got it. Thanks, Silky Threads."
>you walked towards the door
>"Um.. Aren't you gonna pay?"
>shit
>you had no bits
>why did you never pick up any bits?
>what do?
 
 
"Oh, yeah. About that.."
>"What's wrong?"
"I don't have any bits with me."
>"Oh please! I can't stand the thought of another robbery. I've been eating grass for a month!"
"Woah- Nah, it's good. I have some in the ship. I'll get it for you."
>"Wa-? Really?"
"Yeah. Um. Sure?"
>"My hero!"
"Hmm. I'll be right back."
>"Oh i'll join you! So you don't have to walk all the way back."
"I appreciate that."
>"Oh it's not an issue. I can assure you"
>poor fuck was probably happy he was paid
>you got back to the harbour to find Marcus yelling at the remaining bats to get off the streets
"Hey man. Had fun last night?"
>"Oh, hey, Captain! Yes. I really needed a night to just relax. Only problem is how these bats acts."
"Hmm. Yeah, I noticed a bunch of them blacking out in the streets."
>Marcus kicked one of the mares, sleeping on the ground, lightly in the flank
>"Get up! You wanna sleep? do it in your bunk. Do not embarrass yourself by laying around drunk."
>the mare obliged, and flew drunkenly towards the ship the bats were starting to favor
>"Sorry about that. Can't have them laying around. Public indecency is taken seriously in this town."
>you took note that Marcus only tended to speak in rhymes, when being near strangers
>must be that polite zebra custom or whatever
"Hey, I was gonna ask you something."
>Marcus stopped murmuring about bats for a second and payed you attention
"Stop rhyming, please. Also. How much money do we have? You know I'm awful at Equestrian currency."
>"Captain. We're rich. Why do you think, Ms Red bought out that restaurant? And those barrels of rum for that matter? We could live like kings for another month."
"Sweet. Cause I was thinking we could we could give the crew matching uniforms or something. Do we have the money for that?"
>"Pfft. You could dress up half this town if you wanted to. Though as your quartermaster, I recommend against it."
>Stinky Threads got a glimmer in his eye
>"But who would you hire? You'd need somepony with a passion, nay, a matter of life and death to get your uniforms in tip top shape!"
"You'd do it?"
>"Well, I do appreciate my knees, staying in my forelegs. Just a suggestion though. I do not wish for my rain to ruin your parade!"
>the stallion gave you a grin, too wide for someone waiting to get his caps, smashed
>what do?
 
 
"Hmm. You can take it up with Marcus, you're good with finances, right, Marcus?"
>Marcus gave the smiling stallion a semi-disgruntled look
>"You can take it up with me, if you wake up these bats first. I have things to do."
>the stallion smiled unnaturally wide as he tossed himself around Marcus' neck
>"Oh thank you thank you! I'll get right on that! O- are they dangerous?"
>the zebra shook the needy stallion off himself
>"Poke them in the butt or the back, keep clear of their sides and muzzles. As they might bite when provoked."
>the stallion's facade tanked
>you saw Marcus had somewhat of a devious look to him
>he was probably just fucking with the guy
>mah zigga
>with that out of the way, you should probably go get some bits
>lord knows, you always seemed to run out
>if you took them with you
>ever
>this was a new experience for you
>imagine, not having a woman pay for your stuff
>you were becoming a big boy now
>you entered the ship's treasury, guarded by two sleeping bats, pilled on top of each other
>cute
>looking around, you started filling all the pockets of your new outfit with bits
>why God, why did ponies have such shitty currency?
>all these bits were 1's and 10's
>seriously?
>no fucking bills?
>nothing?!
>…regardless
>you left the ship and the lazy guards behind, in favor of the town
>while walking down the streets, you saw slightly confused ponies, erecting ladders to wake up bats, who had fallen asleep on the roofs of their houses and establishments
>it was kinda cute how they used brooms and sticks to try to wake the lazy, plague riddled balls of death, without actually touching them
>poke!
>while in the relative main street
>as close as this place came to having a main street
>you asked around town for a bar that would be open at this time of the day
>from what you could gather, there was two locations, selling booze at this hour
>an old family restaurant
>and a bar-motel… thing, at the edge of town, which nopony was too eager to talk about
>what do?
 
 
>hmm
>the cliff bar wasa literal kilometer away
>the family one was much closer
>in fact, you could see it from here
>damn, ponies make small towns
>you entered the small, cozy building and saw an annoyed waitress, glaring daggers at a mare blowing fart noises with her tongue out at her
>what sort of immature, snotty shit would act like that, in public?
"Hey. Anon!"
>the one you decided to bed
>you waved to Red and saw that Aldreda was indeed with her
>you pulled out a chair and sat next to the two
>Red was well on her way, getting whiskey cheeks, while Aldreda had her muzzle centered squarely on the floor
>she was also wearing some sort of head shroud and sunglasses
>piss poor attempt at hiding from the sun, perhaps?
>she was indoors now, so she shouldn't melt or anything
"So what have you two been up to?"
"Drinking. Dealing with bad customer service."
>"They were foals!"
>the waitresses shouted out
"Pfbrbrbrbpppt!"
>Aldreda ignored the squabbles
"But yeah. Me and Aldreda have been talking and come to the conclusion that she should see a shrink."
"Oh really?"
>"Mss… Hmmm eh."
>Aldreda looked like a dog caught pooping on the floor x17
>though, you could completely understand why she would be embarrassed, after her little stunt
>what do?
 
 
 
>you scootched over and gave Aldreda a hug
"You alright, big girl?"
>the mare just sorta shrunk in her seat
>you let go of her as you could see she wasn't comfortable with the approach
"I think we need to talk."
>"Eee… He-"
"In private?"
>Aldreda quietly nodded her head
"So you're just gonna leave me here?"
"Red, please."
"Fffine. I'll spend some quality time with the waitress."
>the mare supplying Red with drink, looked apauled
>"I-i refuse! You're an awful pony!"
"Yeah, but whatareya' gonna do? As long as I fork out bits, you have to keep serving me."
>"That's because you scared off the other customers! Do you have no shame?"
"Hey! I didn't hear a single colt complain."
>"Sexual harrasment is NOT okay!"
"C'mon. It's not sexual harrasment if they're in a group."
>"They. Were. Children!"
>Jesus
"Let's go, Aldreda."
>"Behind."
>you walked out of the building as Red's argument escalated
>she'd get herself kicked out of the port if she continued like this
>you couldn't see Aldreda behind you, but considering it was day time, she was probably lurking in the shadows
>since waking up, you haven't noticed yourself, being able to feel her presence
>you entered the Captain's cabin and sat down in the boss nigga chair which complimented the room nicely
>oh hey, your hat
>equipped
>Aldreda came, skulking through the door like a beaten child as you were playing with your pens
>you got up and firmly closed the door
>Aldreda looked towards you, sunglasses still on her face, but her scarf discarded
>"…Mmmm… Wanted to talk?"
>it was clear that she didn't want to be in the same room as you
>her voice was quiet and reserved
>if she could dig a hole through the floor and hide, she would have
>what do?
 
 
 
"How was surgery?"
>"Something sewn together. That shouldn't be.. It will fit itself with time."
>ouch
"Well, at least you must have had a good night's sleep, since you're up and at it now, right?"
>"I can't get my brain to shut off. I haven't been able to since- Since…"
>Aldreda paused looked around
>she finally gave up and sighed
"So what have you and Red been up to?"
>"…Drinking."
"Did you have fun?"
>Aldreda nodded quickly and suddenly, still not keeping eye contact with you
>you noticed a few mild burns around her neck
>probably should have held onto that scarf
"So… Yeah. How do you like it here? Civilization, I mean?"
>"I don't understand. It's strange."
"How so?"
>"No high, safe walls. To keep the creatures away from the towns. And Ponies …stare at me."
"Are you bothered by that?"
>"No. It is just, strange. They wouldn't stare at me back then, looking at our kind is bad luck."
"So you didn't live in a town or anything, back then?"
>Aldreda shook her head
>"Not after.. This."
>the mare nibbled some singed coat hair, off the side of her neck
>"We were not allowed inside the city walls. We roamed the forests and mountains, hunting bats."
"Christ. Was that all you guys did?"
>Aldreda nodded again
"But then, this is better, right? All that effort amounted into ponies being able to live in small towns, without being afraid of things that go bump in the night."
>Aldreda didn't reply
>she looked just as uncomfortable as when you first started talking to her
>what do?
 
 
"Hey. It's gonna be alright. I'm not mad at you."
>"Mmmm-mad at myself."
"Don't be. It's gonna be alright in the end."
>"I'm past my end. Trice now…"
"I know you're going through a lot. And I'll help you through it."
>you tried giving her another hug, and she huddled into your arms before they were fully stretched out
>she didn't make any sounds
>no weeping, sobbing, talking, or breathing for that matter
>she was also cold to the touch
>it was in times like these, you realized she was indeed a walking cadaver
>"There is something."
>You turned to look at her
"What?"
>"I wish to speak to he who Lords over this Soil."
>what do?
 
 
"If that's what you want. I think we can do that. Does later today work for you?"
>Aldreda nodded
"Great. So, you want something to eat or, a drink perhaps?"
>Aldreda's mood seemed to have shifted, lightly
>she was making eye contact at least
>but it was still behind those tacky sunglasses
>"Not hungry."
"But you'll heal up quicker."
>Aldreda looked back at her semi-scorched backside
"Sure you don't want a little blood?"
>"I can not accept. Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Cause, I like you?"
>she didn't look convinced
>"Why?"
"What?"
>"Why do you like me? I'm not enjoyable to be around. I only cause trouble. Almost killed that mare. An then… myself."
>this was getting difficult again
>what do?
 
 
"Well. We're not perfect either. My blood is pumping through your black sludge stuff. You fought by our side against ferals, and when greeted with a hive of bat ponies, you chose to do the right thing and leave them be, despite how they treated you. Oh. And you're able to stay in the same room as Red. That's a feat, not a lot of ponies can claim."
>you got a faint chortle out of Aldreda
>"Maybe. But my purpose is served. I have lived for a long time. And now that… With Celestasia.. It would be best if I moved on."
"We'll find you something else to do. The world is a lot bigger now. I'm sure there's a ton of stuff that'll make you wanna stick around."
>"True. I love you. And Red. Maybe if-…But it's too much to ask for."
"What?"
>Aldreda lifted up a wing and displayed it
>"This body is made for one purpose. As is my mind. I can feel it pushing. Every hour of every day. Pushing against this. No. Not build for a real life. Not forged with the future in mind."
"So that's why you want to talk with the Earth God?"
>"Why he wants this undecaying flesh around. I don't wish to live, knowing it is solely for novelty purposes."
"I understand."
>"So, if you wish to help me, once more. I would be eternally grateful."
>what do?
 
 
"Okay. But I can't promise anything will come from it. And if you're looking for a favor, he might ask for a lot in return."
>"That's alright. Thank you, outlander."
>Aldreda cracked her first smile
>you walked outside and Aldreda followed
>better make this quick, so the sun doesn't torch her
>you started undressing and threw yourself into some mud, rubbing your tattoo thingy violently
>Aldreda gave you a funny look
"It's normal."
>was she smoking?
>this wasn't normal at all
you started rubbing less and less as your body went limp
>shit was like dying in slow-mo
>your hands refused to move, as you felt your eyelids got heavy
>you managed to spare one last look at Aldreda who looked sorta tired as well
>Itbegins.webm
>…
>fuck
>you you gotta ease off on that teleporting realms stuff, thingy
>damn, your mind was sludge
>having a look around, you saw no color
>and to your confusion, no horizon
>just a giant, crooked, floating slab of rock
>and you stood right on it
>maybe you were just really high up?
>doing a double take, you noticed a small town down the slope
>looked like some sort of miniature, spaghetti western movie set
>and… screaming coming from it?
>yeah, definitely screaming
>Aldreda's screams
>oh shit
>what do?
 
 
 
>oh fuck!
>you ran for the hills
>or rather, down a hill
>almost tumbling a few times as you went down
>damn, you were NOT hydrated enough for this
>as you approached the town, the sound of Aldreda got louder
>much louder
>power-tool-tier loud
>you had to plug your ears, using your fingers
>finally you rubbed shoulders with the buildings
>but she wasn't there
>you had a look outside
>fucking nothing
>the sound was so deafening that it made it hard to orientate
>especially with the echo, made by the big cliff side surrounding this place
>you finally spotted her
>she was sitting down on her haunches, bawling at a tree
>nigga whut?
"Aldreda!"
>she kept screaming
"ALDREDA!"
>she paid you no mind
>you un-plugged one of your ears to try to grab her
>bad fucking idea
>the sound was too fucking painful
>you plugged that ear right up and resorted to gently kicking her in the flank
>no response, still
>you walked in front of her, but to no avail
>she looked right through you
>as if you didn't exist
"Maybe you don't."
>what was that?
"You know who this is. In the biggest building, Chop chop."
>you somewhat regrettably left Aldreda to her bawling, to find out just what was going on
>you awkwardly opened the door to the largest of the six buildings, with your foot
>once inside, the door shut and all sound disappeared from your surroundings
>all except one
"Miss me?"
>it was Red. Or, Earth God, in disguise as Red
>what do?
 
 
 
"Oh. I only summoned you because Aldreda wanted to talk an-"
"First off. No one summons me. You summon yourself to my location. Second. I already talked to Aldreda. That's a nice name for her, by the way."
"Is that why she's out there screaming? What did you tell her?"
"Calm down, Anonymous. I merely told her what she wanted to hear."
"And that was?"
"I'm noticing you're getting aggressive, quit it right now, or i'll give your blood a reason to boil."
"Oops. Sorry."
"You're forgiven. Aldreda wanted to know why she didn't die like all the other sun sentinels, when she was handed out her poison. She knew it all along, of course, but the mare suppressed it. I reminded her. And well, you can see the result for yourself outside."
"What did she do?"
"She was a very bad pony. By mortal law back then, anyways. For that you'd need some context. But if you'd rather prefer your perception of Aldreda as she is, I understand. …Though I assume you wanna know anyways."
>what do?
 
 
 
"I do."
"Good. I like a good story. Get comfortable, Anonymous."
>you did just that
"Way back when, a couple of years after the unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi united under one banner. they had a lot of groups rising up to claim power. Now, these weren't anything like the violent power grabs you humans are used to. No. They had several day long discussions on how to rule. Some suggested they have something akin to the system your western world has. Others, suggested they'd turn to gods for rulership. Now. I'd suggest the ladder, but they figured i'd be ideal to have their own monarchs, with divine-like traits."
"Okay, i'm following so far."
"I know you are."
>Earth God gave you a smile a toddler would get from his kindergartner teacher, for paining a shitty picture
"But all was not well in Equestria. For as the ponies centralized, they became weary of each other's traditions and habits. So, to maintain a sense of subjective, mortal morality. While waiting for their upcoming royalty. An order was set up. And what happens when you give mortals the unquestionable right to govern morality?"
"It fails?"
"Yes! Hard too. You couldn't spit on the dirt roads without getting punished, those being everything from lashings to curses."
"Wow. Overkill, much?"
"Yep. Now you know were the strain of bat pony came from. "
"Aldreda did a lot of bad stuff back then. And she was wanted for a lot of crimes. Everything from grave robbery to assault. Though they seem petty to you, amd they are. They merely lead up to what caused her to commit a sin, so grave in the eyes of the Order, that she received her punishment."
"And that was?"
"Cannibalism. Though out of necessity. She was on the run and hid up in, what you now call Foal Mountains, with her band of fellow thieves. You know the rest. Winter came, the cold weather made it impossible to fly or orientate. Eventually, the others died from the cold. Supplying her with precious nutrients."
"So, she didn't kill anyone and ate them? She only ate another pony to survive?"
"Yep. Was enough for the Order to severely punish her though. She was found in the mountains, and left to die in the mountains, in a small pen, huddled together with the remains of her friends."
>Earth God looked to the side, then back at you
"It was around this time, the same Order, pleaded my favor in creating a symbolic, vampyric curse. Realizing their mistake. And how quickly it spread, they came back to me and begged me to resurrect the ponies who had insulted their sensibilities the most. Aldreda was one such pony."
>as interesting as this was, Earth God sure took his sweet ass time to get to the point
"You realize, I can read your mind, right?"
>oh shit!
"Anyway. I rose them from the ground, new, forged for the sole goal of the hunt."
"Okay. But I don't see how that'll make me think any different of Aldreda."
"That's just the thing. The original Aldreda is passed. She passed at death. What you've grown a bond to is a combination of everything she killed. Her mind started out blank, she birthed consciousness from ending others, and the most peculiar part? All those voices, despising the host, screaming at the host, is the reason the last sign of her sanity, died outside, just now. Her very core, rejects her body, she now realizes that, she doesn't have a "self", an ego if you will. The only thing remaining of her, is the flesh, the rest is stolen. Now the stolen parts rebel."
"That's.. Beyond fucked up. Why would you make something like that?"
"Anonymous. You need to realize that we do not see the world the same. But that's another story."
>what do?
 
 
 
"So, since I gave her some of my blood, wouldn't, at the very least, a part of her, not hate her?"
"A poor phrasing but yes. That would most certainly be the case. If you died."
"I'm sorry?"
"She's not a printer, if that's what you're getting at. She'll only assimilate a conscious, if the previous host of said conscious is dead. You see,  I'm very specific with my words, Anonymous."
"Okay, but there has to be something I can do to break her curse. Right?"
"Wha- oh. hehehe. This curse that you speak of, is my design. She'd be a glorified maggot-farm without it."
"But what about her state of mind?"
"That's nothing I can fix. …Just kidding. I can fix it with the same amount of effort it takes you to wink. However, I'm not a fan of messing with the heads of mortals. The best that could be done for her now, dept free, would be to lobotomize her, to ease her suffering. Or jam that dagger of yours into her skull until she doesn't regenerate anymore."
"So there's no other way?"
"Would I lie to you?"
>what do?
 
 
 
 
"I'm confused here."
"What would you like me to elaborate on?"
"Are you saying you want me to kill her? I thought you wanted me to keep her alive…"
"Well, essentially, that's her freebie options."
"But why tell her if you knew it would break her?"
"I warned her first, if it makes you feel better. It's not for me to judge what mortals want. Well, technically it is. But you know what I mean."
"So… You'll help. If I agree to a deal?"
"No, not you. This is her mess. She dragged you into this and therefore, any transaction would be at her expence, not your own."
"But she's not really in the state to make deals with gods."
"That's why you'll make them for her."
"I don't follow."
"Since she's not in a state to make decisions, her closest of kin, what would be you, will have to do it for her."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you'll have the pleasure of bringing a constantly screaming Aldreda back to Equestria."
"You're not leaving me with a lot of choice here."
"Hahaha. I know."
>you saw a big smirk on Earth God's face
>he was enjoying this
"Tell you what, you're a fan of choices. So i'll spitball a few. First. I'll euthanize her and wipe your deal about keeping her alive. Second. I'll reset her, so she'll be able to go back to her original state of having no consciousness, aside from her primal instincts, in exchange for one of her loved one's lives. Third. I adapt the factory model to something more suitable to a sociable creature, and wipe her past for no extra charge."
"What's the cost for the last one? That obviously sounds like the best option."
"For you maybe. Let's call it a surprise."
"That sounds… Suspicious."
"Yeah, but what are you gonna do? This makes it more interesting for me, at least. If for nothing else than seeing how much you care about your friend. Oh, what's that? I won't judge you for taking the easy way out. That doesn't concern me."
>fuck
>Earth God's last option seemed like a quick fix
>but his demand was a secret this time around, if this particular god wasn't so damn nihilistic, you'd be tempted to call it a test of fate
>and this time it wasn't aimed on you, but Aldreda
>you'd have to make that decision for her
>what do?
 
 
 
"Adapt her to the new world."
"That's a lot of potential responsibility you're weighing on somepony who would much rather see the grave than another day. Are you sure about this?"
"Yes. I am."
"As you please. And do wipe that frown off your face. Don't even try to justify me as the bad guy."
"Not gonna lie. It's pretty hard not to. Helping that Order was a bad-guy thing to do."
"I carry this world. Every. Single. Day. And every single day I have mortals praising my eternal kindness and denouncing me as the one, true evil. But i'm neither. Every single bump in the road that eventually got you here, was your own. You decided to dig my sentinel out of the ground. You decided to revive her. You decided to bond with her, and you decided to crush her. Now you come to me, once more with a sour lip, expecting me to wave my ligaments around and fix everything. Naturally I will do so, for such is my nature. And the Order? They were the most renowned and cherished organization in the eyes of the ponies of yore."
"Still. Why would you go through with it?"
"Why not? You see, I do not subscribe to any mortal morality, as they are all flawed. That's why I will offer my deals to high-born nobles and drunkard pirates alike. View me as evil if you'd like, your opinions do not define my nature."
>you heard an unearthly moan coming from the whole of the outdoors
>the barn. thingy was shaking and rapidly falling apart
>you quickly observed your surroundings
>looking to the roof, you found the cracks in the ceiling to be blinding
>…
>…
>fuck
>fuck Gods and their theatrics
>you opened your eyes to find yourself in the halls of a massive fucking library
>you jumped a bit
>this sure as shit wasn't Kansas
>looking around, you saw some kind of equipment laying on a table near a desk, down the main walkway
>down the left side were grand paintings, obviously made from different time eras
>everything from singed runes, to art deco
>to the right, there were a LOT of weapons, armor and trinkets, all neatly put on display
>well you were in over your head
>what do?
 
 
 
>you walked over to the table and examined the equipment
>looked to be some sort of armor/uniform
>though clearly designed for equines
>it had a decent amount of soft blue dyed padding and brown leather straps sown in as reinforcements
>the padding ended near the second last joint of the hooves, or the knee
>do ponies have knees?
>they have two knees
>you think
>-and replaced the blue and brown of the armor in favor of oily white cloth
>it didn't look too posh but most definitely durable
>to the sides lay some empty leather pouches, easily accessible by using either mouth or hooves
>other than that, there were some dried leaves, a couple of unidentified bombs, by the looks of it and a pair of ramming nubs
>you decided to look at the art
>the first picture was blue and white, where the white was so brilliant, you could have sworn it was glowing
>it looked like a jumbled, inconclusive mess… but with a certain symmetry to it
>the first thing that came to mind was that it looked like a motherboard, only with the majority of the lines being bent in 45 degree angles
>the second was the one you saw from where you woke up
>looked like a bunch of (rune?) etchings, carved into literal rock, littered with singes
>the next pic was a really basic cave painting
>sorta seemed like it was made with the equine version of finger painting
>which made sense
>sorta, kinda maybe
>finally, after shifting through a couple of garbage ones, you saw one you could clearly made out
>hundreds of branches and spears, shooting out of the anthers of a four-eyed creature
>maybe they're pictures of creatures he's made?
>the next painting, looked to be some sort of high-end mathematical formula, the symbols used for numbers and lettering were foreign to you, so you couldn't come to any conclusions to what it was about
>it had angles in it though
>formulas
>stuff like that
>you continued on and saw more pictures of the anther'ed beast, dragons and a …white coated Aldreda?
>no
>it was a portrait of a snow white sentinel smirking with the second row of meat-grinding teeth, subtly in the back of her mouth
 >but it wasn't Aldreda
>looking closer, it was almost as if she didn't have a coat, because, icy blue veins were visible around her neck and head
>might be an artist's interpenetration though
>you decided to give the weapon sets a peak
>there were several different items of note
>several would be an understatement
>everything from gem encrusted single musket shots, to heavy, gold plated dragon armor. All hung up on fine silk strings
>because magic fucks logic in the ass
>you looked over some swords
>all of them looked to be worthy of kings
>there wasn't a single item here that would feel out of place in a national treasury
>you decided against touching anything, as Earth God would probably have specifically given you the OK
>since he didn't, well, you didn't wanna be a rude guest
>this place really did give out a sense of personality
>it wouldn't surprise you if this was his personal crow's nest of mortal made crafts and goodies
>you continued to walk around the big library, looking for both Aldreda, and a book that wasn't in some dead fucking language
>you found none
>that was until, you finally spotted a chest high window
>outside you could see… something
>it was one of those shitty squiggly windows that let in light but distort viewing
>you pressed your face against it and witnessed a tree behind a blue background
>possibly a red/brown table
>and something light gray moving behind the windows
>yeah, fuck these windows
>what do
 
 
>you kept an eye on the wall as you strafed to the right
>the exit couldn't be far now
>you tried not bumping into stuff on your way
>to call the place crammed with books was an understatement
>you finally found a door and turned the knob
>it was open
>oh joy!
>exiting, you turned and headed for the gray moving entity you saw in the window
>it was sunny outside, which was odd, since the place didn't look like Equestria
>you turned and found the building you walked out of to be an elaborate piece of stone carving inside the peak of a mountain
>it was just then you realized how high up you were
>you walked up to the table, tree and light gray creature, which you soon identified to be a pony
>but who?
>you walked closer to see the pony bite it's teeth against the mighty tree's bark
>you could see several chewing marks on it's fore-hooves, with red blood mixing into the urban snow coat, creating a shade of sickly pink
>the pony turned it's head and gave you a stunned look
>…those familiar, gasoline colored eyes
>"You…. Did this?"
"Umm Aldreda, is that you?"
>"You saved me."
"I did?"
>what the fuck happened to her color?
>she still had her leathery wings though, but those were almost camouflaged in the ocean of matching melancholy azure
>"But I am the sentinel of the sun. I am the protector…"
>Albinodreda sighed
>"You were right, Maker. I'm a loser… A weak… Pathetic… Loser."
>the mare rolled onto the grass and closed her eyes
>you tapped her withers
>Aldreda soon opened her eyes again, and stared right at you
>"But I never, intended all this …madness. Brother."
>brother?
>oh my
>you felt flattered
>"Never."
>the mare gave you a clever smile
>"And nobody except you really understood. Well, how could they?"
>Aldreda rose from the grass, a smile still on her face
>"That all I ever wanted was to bring them something great! Why does nothing ever turn out like it should?"
"Well. What the heck, you went and did your best, and by God you really gave your foes some hell."
>"For eons by, I made the bat plague die! And at least I made something out of this spell! I DID!"
>Aldreda started circling you as she sang
>"And for the first time since, I don't remember when. I feel just like my old living self again. My heartbeat's BACK! My pores all sing!  That's right. I am alive ha,hahaha!"
>the mare was fucking ecstatic
>"And I just can't WAIT until our next mission on the marines. 'Cause I've got some new ideas that will make our foes all scream! And by God i'm really gonna give it all my might!"
>the mare fucking jumped hugged you like a love starved dog
>"Look at my hooves, brother. I bleed again."
"That's great!"
>"Let's leave the maker's shrine, brother, for the sea. I want to feeeel the Equestrian sun again. Truly feel it."
>Aldreda seemed to be on cloud nine
>what do
 
 
"Sounds good. I have a question though. Did the maker speak of any consequences?"
>"Consequences? Trade. Nay. Not yet."
"So he's biding his time?"
>Aldreda nodded slowly
"Um. Yeah. Alright. We should patch up your legs before we leave though."
>Aldreda got off you and looked at her left hoof
>she smiled as a droplet fell from the hoof she was inspecting
>she wouldn't die anytime soon
>…but still
"Do you know if you still have that enhanced healing?"
>"I do not know."
"Well, we shouldn't risk an infection or something."
>you stroked her snowy coat
>warm
>she's finally warm
>"Maybe wrappings Inside?"
"I don't know about that. I wouldn't wanna take something that's owned by a god."
>"He speaks through the rock. Can you not hear?"
"No. i can't"
>"I. Can lead you."
>what do?
 
 
 
"Be my guest."
>Aldreda took the lead as the two of you walked inside
"So. What is the rock saying anyways?"
>"Many things. At the same time. Have to find a voice. Separate. Follow. Follow."
>your sister from another era started searching as you followed behind her
"What's up with this place?"
>"Temple. Old. So old."
>Aldreda's ears perked up
>"Here. Health."
>Aldreda opened a the doors of a wide cupboard, supporting an array of different spectacles
>inside, were some potions and a couple of bandages
"So. The maker is alright with us taking these?"
>Aldreda nodded
>"Gods do not bleed."
>yeah, and you were pretty sure gods didn't need glasses either
>regardless, you patched Aldreda's forehooves up
"So. Do you know how we get out of here?"
>"One thing missing."
"Oh yeah? And what's that?"
>"An old acquaintance."
>Aldreda walked over to the padded armor/uniform thingy and dragged a hoof over it
>"Tethered and bruised. Now restored. Sounds familiar?"
"This was your old sentinel uniform?"
>Aldreda nodded
"Different dyes. Same fabric."
>now it really did sound familiar
>the feeling of familiarity filled you, as your vision became blurry
>oh for fucks sake
>you were on to the Earth God now. Cheep shot
>this was the dumbest excuse to teleport you out of his domain
>hmmm
>fuck
>last time, swere on ur mum
>you woke up by the mud, next to the pier and found Aldreida, passed out next to you
>not gonna lie, it was pretty fucking cute to see her breathe while sleeping
"Anon. You dick!"
"Dicks?"
"You missed nightmare night, you prick!"
"Wait, what's? Going on?"
>Red leaned over you with an angry expression
>or
>you thought it was Red
>this mare had a horn
>but the voice was the same
"Sorry. - Important stuff."
"I bet you didn't even dress up. Look. Even Aldreda celebrated Nightmare Night, last evening."
>you looked over to see that Aldreda was indeed still gray
"Sorry, I'm. Hey, what are you supposed to be?"
I'm the biggerst horror of them all. My big sister.
"You have a sister?"
"Did your brain turn to rocks? Of coarse I have a sister, I've told you before,"
>now that you gave her a second look… Yeah, her manestyyle was a bit different
"But anyways. i Still haven't eaten breakfast. You want in?"
"How long was I out?"
"A day …Maybe two. So, you wanna fill your belly or what?"
do?