Blaze the Pony Tale
Chapter 416: 407. Roll of the Dice - Part 1
Previous Chapter Next ChapterAs the evening hours gave way to the night, the guiding glow of the moon fell upon an old inn and tavern beside the road. He'd traveled a fair distance as he approached this shabby-looking waterhole in the middle of scenic nowhere and yet the figure could not afford to dally. His sources claimed this particular inn, the Shy Shire, was a favorite spot for adventurers to wet their whistles. Taking a deep breath, he entered and saw the inside wasn't much of an improvement.
The patrons were sparse and spread out, with two slick-looking unicorn merchants counting some bits on a private table, a trio of Diamond Dogs examining a big gemstone in another, a grape purple earth pony mare guzzling down wine at the bar, and the barkeeper was a minotaur, presently polishing a wine glass. He heard a bar stool scritch along the floor as it was pulled out and looked to see a short little dragon with a gray beard and mustache, wearing a wizardly hat, cape, and boots, and holding a wooden staff, topped with a piece that resembled a gnarled hand holding a jewel between its thumb and index finger.
"What'll it be?" the barkeeper asked in disinterest.
"Ahem, greetings, barkeep. I am Garbunkle the Magician, and I come in search of worthy companions to aid me in a mission of grave importance!"
"Huh, well, not a lot of the sort you're looking for here at the moment," the barkeeper responded before adding, "although..."
"Yes?" Garbunkle leaned forward in interest.
"There might be one yet I can't promise he'll be interested," the barkeeper gestured to a corner of the tavern and Garbunkle looked that way.
Sitting at a table in the darkest corner of the tavern was a hooded stallion, leaning back in his chair, with his hooves resting on the table. He wore a cloak, leather armor, and there was a bow and quiver set against the wall beside his chair. He took a deep swig from his tankard and then let out a loud and obnoxious BELCH, Garbunkle wincing, whether in intimidation or disgust he wasn't sure.
"He comes around every fortnight or so," the barkeeper explained, "though he has disappeared every now and then for months on end. Keeps to himself but occasionally he's joined other adventurers on some quest or such. I don't know much about him, other than the name he goes by... Orion."
The barkeeper returned to his polishing and Garbunkle figured that was all he was gonna get... unless he dared to proposition this Orion directly.
This is no time for cold feet, Garbunkle, the dragon wizard took a deep breath, There is too much at stake.
Slowly yet deliberately, Garbunkle approached the cloaked pony called Orion and pulled up a chair to sit at his table. The pony made no indication he'd noticed him though his words made it apparent he had, "You have exactly thirty seconds to leave my table and me be..."
His voice was low and growling, like a beast, and now that he had a closer look Garbunkle noticed that Orion's hood had holes in it for his ears, and those ears were tipped with unusual tufts of fur. Then of course, through the shadow of his hood, Orion's eyes glowed a frightening yellow with predatory slit pupils.
"My apologies, good stallion," Garbunkle's voice quivered a bit yet he maintained his composure, "I have come seeking companions to join me in my mission, and the barkeep suggested you."
"I take it he also mentioned whatever job you may have for me, I am unlikely to take interest..." Orion pointed out, leaning back in his chair again.
"Aye, he did," Garbunkle nodded, "but still I ask you, sir, to hear me out: My homeland is beset by a prophecy that foretells doom, and the only way to avert it is to restore a lost treasure to the heir to the throne."
"Lost treasure, huh..." Orion yawned, revealing his mouth was filled with sharp teeth and fangs, "and what, pray tell, is the land you seek to save and the name of this heir?"
"I hail from Spiketopia and have been dispatched by Princess Shmarity," Garbunkle declared with a determined puff of his chest.
"WHAT?! 'Shmarity'? 'Spiketopia-' Really?! Stop the game, time out!"
Midnight Blaze glared at Spike across the game board, "Are you for real? We are not calling the land 'Spiketopia' and we are especially not calling the heir Princess 'Schmarity'!"
"Aw, c'mon!" Spike complained, "I won the dice roll, so I'm the leader of the party!"
"Yeah, sure, but that doesn't mean you get to name the land or the quest-giver," Thunderlane piped in.
"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.
"Sunburst, you're with me, right?!" Spike turned a pleading eye to Sunburst, who held the rule book.
"I'm sorry, Spike," Sunburst shrugged, "but being leader of the party doesn't automatically give you the authority to make these sorts of details. As game master, that's my job."
Earlier, Sunburst had asked Midnight to help him search for a book he was interested in reading and during, Spike had stumbled across his old Ogres & Oubliettes rule book.
He'd suggested they play a game together, and though Sunburst was reluctant he’d caved when Midnight promised a particular lesson in Mana Wielding he’d been looking forward to after their game.Midnight also pointed out it might be more fun to include more players. The problem was, the girls had left on a goodwill tour of Yakyakistan, Blueblood was on a business trip, Soarin was busy handling the Weather Office, and Cheese had been called away to help plan a party in San Franciscolt.
So, they’d gone to Big Mac, who had been watching the twins. Big Mac had always wanted to try O&O but didn't know anypony who'd be interested in playing or even where to look for the necessary pieces and rule books. On the way back to the castle, Thunderlane flown over to say hi and they’d invited him to come and play too.
So now, they were back in the castle, their gameboard, map, pieces, and everything else ready, and Sunburst had immediately called dibs on being the game master. He then declared the leader of the party would be settled via a dice-roll, and Spike won.
"Ah, fine!" Spike grumped, "So what is the name of the land and the quest-giver?"
"We'll go with the rule book and say it's Ancient Ponyland and the quest-giver is Princess Majesty," declared Sunburst, "the quest is to recover the Wand of Rule."
"I'm cool with that." "Much better..." "Eeyup."
"Fine! Can we get back into it now?!"
“Before we do…” Midnight spoke up as his horn lit up and his lips pulled into a mischievous smirk, “let’s make the game a little more… interesting!”
A Flash of Light blinded them for a moment before they were whisked away to another place but the same place…
*snore....snore....*
"HEY!" Garbunkle snapped at Orion who was obviously fake-snoring.
"I'm sorry, are you still talking?" Orion responded sarcastically, "Something about... Spiketopia or something called Schmarity?"
"No... wait a minute,” Garbunkle took another look and realized something, Is… am I seeing things?!
He raised his claws and formed a T as he cried out, “Time-out!”
Another flash of light, along with a sensation as though the world was slowing down…!
…and Spike found himself back at the table and saw Midnight, Sunburst, Mac, and Thunderlane, the rest of them (sans the alicorn) looking equally perplexed as Spike asked the million bit question, “What the hay just happened?!”
“Well, I thought, why just play a tabletop game…” Midnight explained with a smug look, “when we can live the game?! So, I took us into my Alicorn Dimension and now we’re playing the game as though it were a real scenario!
“We’re still here, playing the tabletop, but we’re also in my Alicorn Dimension, playing out the game and it’s scenarios, as though we’re actually our characters!”
“But where were we?” asked Thunderlane, raising a hoof, “I could see Garbunkle and Orion as though I were watching a show on TV. But I also felt like I was there, in the tavern! Watching you guys talk…!”
“Me too!” Sunburst brought up.
“Eeyup,” nodded Mac.
“Well, Thunder, Mac, your characters haven’t entered the scenario yet,” explained Midnight, “so the yous here watched what was happening as though it was indeed a show on TV, but the yous in the fantasy watched from the POVs of the background characters.
“As for you, Sunburst, you’re the game master, so it’s the same for you. But since you’re not an actual player, you won’t join the game since you haven’t designed your own character yet. Once your guys’ characters enter the story, you’ll be living the game alongside me as Orion and Spike as Garbunkle. Does that make sense?”
“Wow…!” Sunburst was in awe.
“This is gonna be cooler than I thought it’d be!” agreed Thunderlane.
“Eeyup!”
“So… shall we get back into it?” asked Spike.
“Absolutely, time-in!” Midnight’s horn lit up again…
“Hellooo? You were saying?” Orion teased in a singsong-y tone, “Schmarity? Spiketopia?”
“Er- No! I said… the quest is to recover the Wand of Rule on behalf of Princess Majesty of Ponyland!" griped Garbunkle, and instantly there seemed a change in Orion.
He stood up from his table, grabbed his bow and quiver and stated, "I'm in."
"Wha- Really? Just like that?" Garbunkle flabbergasted.
"Just like that," Orion sighed wearily, "though I have no idea where to find this... Wand of Rule."
"Well thankfully..." Garbunkle reached under his cape and pulled out a scroll, "Princess Majesty saw fit to see me well-informed and prepared for this quest. This scroll speaks of a legendary place known as the Dream Castle, from which the Royal Family of Ponyland once ruled, located in the mysterious Dream Valley."
"Of course..." Orion shook his head woefully, "You do know that place is cursed, right?"
"Uh- Sure I do!" Garbunkle put the scroll away with an indignant poise, "But I am determined not to let the princess down!"
"O-kay, but given where we're going, we're gonna need some help," Orion pointed out, "Luckily, I happen to know a couple guys who would be great to have along in this quest."
Orion placed a few bits onto the table and started for the door, "Let's get going."
"Really? Shouldn't we rest up and head out in the morning?" asked Garbunkle.
"Heh, apparently you don't know who you're talking to," Orion lowered his hood and the edge of his cloak rose up and revealed a leathery wing and gave Garbunkle a better look at his new companion.
Orion was a Lunar Pegasus! His coat was a dusky sapphire blue, his mane black as a nightmare, his wings were cobalt blue, and his ears were tipped with tufts of hair because those hairs in particular were a characteristic of lunar ponies. They were sensitive to sound waves imperceptible to most pony ears, and aided lunar ponies' ability to use echolocation. Their eyes could see even in total darkness, their noses were sharper than any bloodhound's, and their fangs betrayed their diet including meat, meaning they were omnivores.
Lunar Pegasi are the most common type of Lunar Ponies, though Lunar Earth Ponies and Lunar Unicorns did exist.
Alas, Lunar Ponies had a bad rep, with lots of stories calling them pony-eaters or bloodsuckers, and those were the foal-friendly rumors! Garbunkle had heard worse...
Noticing the disturbed look in the wizard's eye, Orion smirked, "Heh, still wanna adventure with me?"
"Uh.... of course I do!" Garbunkle chuckled nervously. "After all, there's really not much time for me to keep searching for more adventurers to accompany me on this quest, and the fact you mentioned two more who could help is a Faustsend!"
"Very well then, let's be off," Orion led them out the door, "the first guy I'm thinking of is a knight of Castle Chadwick."
"Wha- Orion, hold on!" Garbunkle ran out and in front of the lunar pegasus, "I get that you're used to traveling at night, and I will do my best to accommodate you in this quest, but unless these other adventurers you mentioned are lunar ponies too, I think it'd be better if we rested up here tonight before heading out in the morning to see your knight friend."
Orion gave Garbunkle an edged look and for a moment the dragon wizard was afraid he might have offended him.
Sighing, the ranger conceded, "I suppose... After all, my friends aren't lunar ponies themselves, so... your suggestion is sensible."
Garbunkle phew'd and said, "Well, then let me take care of the rooms for tonight."
Sunburst, Spike, Midnight, and Big Mac waited patiently though they were all getting antsy to move things along. Finally, the distant sound of a toilet flushing perked them up as they soon heard the hoofsteps of Thunderlane as he returned.
"Whoo! That's so much better..." Thunderlane sat back down at the table where the game was set up. "Oh, and, uh... I wouldn't go in there for a while, if I were you guys."
"Do I even want to know...?" Sunburst asked rhetorically.
"Can we just get back to the game?!" Spike complained.
"Fine, Midnight, it's your roll," Sunburst brought up.
"Finally!" Midnight levitated the dice and let them roll...
A fine morning made for a pleasant walk through the forest. If you weren't a lunar pony, that is. Garbunkle kept hearing Orion grumble and complain under his hood, avoiding looking up in case any sunlight shined into his sensitive eyes even though the treetops did a fine job keeping the sun at bay.
"Ugh, you know, we'd be making better time if you focused more on walking and less on complaining!" Garbunkle snapped .
"I am a lunar pony! We don't like daylight!" Orion snapped back, "And besides, Castle Chadwick isn't far. At the pace we're making, we should get there before dusk."
"We'd get there sooner if you would fly us to Castle Chadwick!" Garbunkle griped.
"In the full glare of the sun?! No thank you!" Orion harrumph'd.
As the two continued to bicker, they had no idea they were slowly being surrounded. Or at least... Garbunkle had no idea.
"You know what? I've just about had it with you!" Garbunkle pointed his staff at the lunar pegasus, "You're moody, disrespectful, and all-around an unpleasant pony to be arou-"
It was at that point that Orion raised his bow, pulled back an arrow, and launched it in Garbunkle's direction, causing the dragon wizard to cry out in horror and duck even though the arrow missed him. He stood up and threw a glare at Orion, yelling, "Oh that is it!! I'm gonna-"
*Thud*
The sound of something heavy dropping behind him caused Garbunkle to pause mid-sentence, and he slowly turned... and saw what appeared to be a grungy-looking Cat, garbed in dark clothing, a dagger in paw, and an arrow between his eyes. Garbunkle's jaw dropped as he emitted a high-pitched and prolonged squeak of terrified realization.
"I hope you cast as well as you nag, wizard," Orion commented as he prepared another arrow, "because if the dead Cat that was about to kill you isn't clue enough..."
Jumping out of the surrounding foliage were several bandits, consisting of two earth ponies, a griffon, another Cat, and a dragon that was taller and fiercer looking than Garbunkle. They all wore shabby dark clothes, some with scarves wrapped around their faces, and they were armed with daggers, swords, and the griffon carried a crossbow.
"...we have company."
"You find yourselves surrounded by a gang of bandits; you have three options: Attempt to bargain with them, run for your lives, or fight."
"We'll, uh... we'll fight!" Garbunkle raised his staff and prepared a spell.
"The griffon bandit has his crossbow aimed at your party member and is about to shoot; if you roll an 11 or higher, your spell will conjure a shield to protect him. 10 or lower, he gets shot through the leg."
"You'd better not fumble this, 'Garbunkle'..."
*Gulp!/Roll*
"16! Your spell shields Orion, and he quickly takes down the griffon and the dragon bandits!"
"Ha!" Orion's arrows quickly took down the griffon and the dragon bandits, the griffon getting shot in the heart while the dragon choked on his own blood from the arrow piercing his throat's softer skin.
"Orion! Behind you!" Garbunkle warned as he held off the cat bandit.
Orion turned and saw he was about to be trampled by the two earth pony bandits!
"You're about to be attacked, but if you roll a 15 or higher, you will be saved by an unexpected arrival. 14 or lower, you get injured and your primary weapon is broken."
*Roll*
"18! You're on, Sir MacBiggun!"
Orion braced himself for his enemies' assault, only for a large shape to explode out of the nearby foliage and intercept the two earth pony bandits with a shield, pummeling them aside. He was a red unicorn, large and mighty in stature, clad in dark armor with a helm with bladed horns. He had some chin stubble and a few battle scars, and his mane and tail were soft orange as he wielded his sword and shield with his magic.
"Sir MacBiggun! Your timing is impeccable!" Orion smirked while Garbunkle zapped the cat bandit, causing him to yowl as he fell unconscious.
"Eeyup!" Sir MacBiggun responded as he pressed his shield down onto the two earth ponies, preventing them from getting up, and "discouraging" them from trying with his sword to their throats.
"Don't move a muscle, ya varmi- Er, Ah mean, you knaves!"
"We surrender!" the earth pony bandits whined like crybabies.
After tying the remaining bandits up and looting their fallen comrades, Orion declared, "Garbunkle, meet my old friend, Sir MacBiggun, a Knight of the Castle Chadwick."
"An honor to meet you, sir knight," Garbunkle gave a respectful nod. "Orion speaks highly of thee and it appears warranted."
"Y'all're too kind," MacBiggun nodded in response with a polite smile. "Ah was just on patrols when Ah heard th' ruckus an' came t' see wha' was goin' on. Glad Ah did too, these bandits hav' been harrassin' travelers comin' an' goin' from Castle Chadwick fer a while. Ah'm sure muh king will reward ya fer their capture."
"We'd be honored to meet with your king, Sir MacBiggun, though I'm afraid we'd have to depart quickly," Garbunkle quickly explained the mission he was on and had hired Destrier for and how Orion had recommended they recruit Sir MacBiggun for the quest.
"So what do you say, sir knight? Up for a little daring adventure?"
"Ah'm certain muh king wouldn' mind mah absense t' help Prince Majesty," Sir MacBiggun as he levitated the bandits, "Let's turn these troublemakers in, get rewarded, an' after a quick word wit' His Highness, we'll be off."
Before long, they were on their way, again to recruit one more into their party. But first, they were making a stop in a village not far from Castle Chadwick.
"We should hav' our armor an' weapons spruced up," Sir MacBiggun said as they walked through town. "While tha's bein' done, it'd be a good idea t' stock up on anything else we might need."
"I have been meaning to get some new bowstrings and more arrows," Orion agreed, "and I could use some new daggers among other things."
"Then it's settled, we'll take care of our equipment, grab some other things we'll need, and meet back here at the big statue of Lord Stormbreaker," Garbunkle pointed out the statue of a mighty alicorn stallion, reared up, hooves raised, wings spread with lightning bolts extending from the wingtips, a handsome beard and brazen smile.
"Then we can grab lunch or something and continue on for... who's this next pony you mentioned, Orion?"
"A skilled warrior," Orion answered with a reverent tone. "He is a Monk warrior, traveling to improve his skills in martial arts. Last I heard, he was seeking a... new level of harmony or something, and he's supposed to be in a forest that's a quick trek aways from this village. Hopefully we'll find him and we can convince him to join our party."
"Aw'righty, let's split up an' get crackin'," MacBiggun declared and the other two nodded.
But before they could go their separate ways to stock up-
"AAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!!" "LOOK OUT!!" "MANTICOOOOOORRRRREEEE!!!!!!!!"
The three of them spun `round and saw a panic of villagers running from a large beast that had the body of a lion, demonic horns and wings, and the tail of a scorpion, snarling and growling as it prowled through the streets, gazing around hungrily.
"Forsooth! A Manticore has invaded the village, sending everypony into a panic! You have the options of running and maybe you get away, hide and hope it doesn't find you, or face the monster!"
"To arms, fellow adventurers!" Garbunkle raised his staff, "A beast threatens these good folk and we must come to their aid!"
"I'll draw its attention!" Orion took flight, rising up onto the rooftops, where he took aim and fired a couple arrows at the manticore's face, only for them to get buried and entangled in the beast’s mane, angering it as it roared in his general direction.
It raised its scorpion-like tail... and flung it towards Orion, sending several harpoon-sized stingers in his direction!
"The Manticore surprises you by shooting stingers from its tail! Roll a 16 or higher and you'll dodge unscathed, 10 or lower, you'll be impaled by all of them. If you roll 11 to 15, you'll dodge most of them but one will scratch you."
Orion had not been expecting the monster to have a long-range attack and quickly lunged one way, and gritted his teeth as all but one of the stingers missed. It didn't strike any vital spots, but it still left a scratch on his flank. Almost immediately, he felt his flank burn in agony that he dropped his bow and struggled to stand.
"Urgh! Guys, watch out for those stingers!" Orion gritted through his teeth, "They're poison!"
The manticore growled as it prepared to pounce its incapacitated prey, only to get blindsided by Sir MacBiggun, as the unicorn knight charged into the beast, using his shield. He snorted as he continued to push the manticore back, until finally, he had it braced up against the side of a building and struggled to keep it pinned, even as it snarled and thrashed and tried to sting MacBiggun with its tail.
Garbunkle raised his staff and yelled, "Sir MacBiggun! When I give you the signal, get out of the way!"
"You are preparing a spell to subdue the manticore. If you roll a 17 or higher, you'll succeed. Any lower, the manticore will get loose and you will be in danger!"
In the midst of his concentration, Garbunkle almost failed to notice the manticore manage to throw MacBiggun off and then lunge for the little wizard before his spell was ready!
"The party leader is in danger! Roll a 15 or more and you'll save him, but if you roll a 19 you'll also inflict critical damage!"
Just when it seemed Garbunkle would be fatally embraced in fangs and claws, from out of nowhere came a dark gray and golden blur that struck a flying kick right into the side of the manticore's head, sending the beast for a loop while the blur grabbed Garbunkle and zipped away to a safe distance. Once his horrific moment of terror was over, Garbunkle gazed up at his rescuer and saw he was an earth pony.
A lean and strong earth pony with a dark gray coat, his mane, silvery bluish-white, was styled in a topknot, a cloth headband around his forehead, and he wore a martial arts apparel, consisting of a dōgi colored golden white, and a dark hakama.
"Uh, thanks for the save," Garbunkle offered his hand...but the earth pony only bowed and brought his hooves together.
"You are welcome, wise wizard, but let's focus on the task at hoof," the earth pony faced the manticore as it was getting up and glaring bloody murder at him for the nasty-looking bruise on its head.
"Because it appears the task is not polite enough to wait out the formalities."
The manticore roared as it whipped its tail forwards, sending a score of stingers flying at the earth pony and Garbunkle. The wizard cringed but cast a shield spell, raising a bubble of mana around himself while the earth pony simply jumped back, avoiding some of the stingers, while he twisted his body around, evading the rest. The manticore launched more stingers, but this time the earth pony raised his forehooves... and with unseen skill and speed he batted them all aside, not one managing to leave so much as a scratch.
"Your martial arts skills serve you well, but you must end this before somepony else gets hurt. Roll a 16 or higher and you can perform a finishing skill. Any less and the manticore will cause more damage and suffering to the village and its inhabitants!"
"This must end..." the earth pony took a stance to gather his ki, the manticore snarling as it began to charge its opponent, only to stumble as Garbunkle cast a binding spell, conjuring chains of magical energy to impede the monster's movements. The earth pony took a deep breath... before he charged forward, moving faster than the eye could follow, and held his hoof over the manticore's chest, everyone, even the monster, in awe!
"Touch of Thunder..." the Earth Pony Martial Artist declared softly as he released a concentrated burst of ki, its power surging through the monstrous cat, and expelling out its back in a flash of crackling light!
...
...
...
And then, the manticore dropped, not dead but no longer able to cause any more trouble, and the Earth Pony Martial Artist stepped back, taking another deep breath, as he put his hooves together.
Now that the danger was past, introductions were made and the injured were tended to.
"Ouch! Watch it, Jin Fuu, it's still tender!" Orion complained as his old friend tended to his wound.
"Good to see you feel the pain," responded Jin Fuu, the Earth Pony Martial Artist who had saved the day, as he channeled his chi into his hooves as he held them over the scratch where Destrier had been poisoned.
"It means the healing technique is working."
They were in the village inn where Destrier had introduced Garbunkle and Sir MacBiggun to Jin Fuu, a warrior monk of the Faustynn Temple, and Jin Fuu to them. They were enjoying a meal while they let Jin Fuu treat them, thanks to his expertise in healing arts using ki and herbal remedies.
"So, whattya say, Jin Fuu?" asked Garbunkle hopefully. "Are you up for some adventure and saving a kingdom?"
"The universe guided me to this village," Jin Fuu responded in a distant tone, "and I am certain it is to aid you in your quest. It will be my honor."
"Good t' hear," MacBiggun nodded, "Ah think we'll be better off wit' you on board. So Garbunkle, let's head out an' get them supplies we wer' gonna get earlier."
"Orion and I shall await you here," Jin Fuu added, "By the time you return, he should be back on his hooves and ready for the journey ahead."