Rising Star

by Argonaut44

Chapter Five: A Friend In Need

Bright and early in the morning, Starlight Glimmer’s pleasant sleep was rudely interrupted, when the seafaring grouch Windward shook her awake with his coarse hooves. She blinked her eyes open, confused and disoriented. The sky above her was darker than she expected it to be, the storm from last night now nearly on top of them. The clouds sprinkled a light mist down on them, so subtle that Starlight didn’t even notice it for a few seconds.

“If we’re going to Saddleopolis, we’d best go now,” Windward explained, as he stepped over her to begin reeling in the anchor. She got to her hooves, and immediately nearly lost her balance. The boat was being flung back and forth, both by the stormy winds and the restless waves beneath them.

She stumbled back around to the back of the boat, where she found Dust Bunny and Jackpot, both eating some fruit from Windward’s supply.

“Morning,” said Dust, barely awake.

Starlight sat down beside them, and met Jackpot’s longing look. She recalled what they had done last night, and blushed, a mixture of excitement and regret swirling around inside her. Dust, however, was completely oblivious, chewing on an apple, wondering why they were looking at each other like that.

The trio’s attention was diverted by Windward, rushing around the railing and up the ladder to the deck, muttering a thousand curses.

“Damn you! We won’t make it out in time!” Windward yelled, enraged at the pressure of having to outrun a storm.

“That’s the spirit, Windward,” Jackpot called out, grinning.

The boat’s engine sprang to life, just as the light drizzle escalated to a substantial rain. Windward gritted his teeth and began steering the boat, southward.

Then they were off, rushing past the raging blue waters and away from the fast-moving storm.

As Windward steered the boat south, away from the roaring storm behind them, Starlight lay on the same chair she was in yesterday, nestling herself into the worn-out cushions. She watched as the boat sped away from the seaborne storm, the sky becoming a slightly lighter shade of grey the farther they went. She wondered if they would ever be truly safe again, wondered if she’ll ever feel the same as she used to. For some reason, something Jackpot had said last night made an impact on her. Now, strangely, she actually felt like she was worth something. She wanted to laugh at herself, for all the regretful decisions she’s made, and thought to herself, that she should just go find Twilight, and apologize, and maybe she can at last move on. The idea of a happy reunion was comforting, though before she could do that, she had to deal with whoever these dreadful ponies were who were chasing them.

Jackpot finished off the last apple in Windward’s seawater-smelling box of fruits, and laid back against the side railing of the boat, producing a cartoonishly exaggerated yawn.

“So, you’ve got a friend,” Jackpot said, eyeing Dust, who was still feeling drowsy. She nodded, softly.

“When I was a kid, we were friends...she ran away from town a long time ago, said she was heading to Saddleopolis. Hopefully, she’s still there to help us out,” Dust explained. Then her face became strained with fear, as she thought more and more about their uncertain future.

“This place...will we be safe there?” she asked.

Jackpot shrugged, carelessly.

“It’s no different from any other lousy city. And I don’t know how those ponies would know to follow us there. But if things go south, remember, we’ve always got Vanhoover…”

“If they’re following us, they’d probably go to Vanhoover first. It’s a bigger city,” Starlight countered.

“Maybe so, but it just so happens that my friend is in Vanhoover, and-”

“I already told you, I don’t want to fight them,” Starlight said, sternly.

Jackpot didn’t want to argue with her, but it was clear he disagreed. To both of their surprise, it was Dust who tagged in on Jackpot’s behalf.

“Starlight, they nearly killed Jackpot...I mean...if worst comes to worst…”

Starlight simply shook her head.

“I’m not hurting anypony.” she said, refusing to give in.

“Well what if they try and kill us again? Neither of us can do much against a unicorn, Starlight,” Dust said.

“That’s not true, my friend in Vanhoover, see, he knows a neat little trick, to-”

“If I have to protect us, I will. But I’m not starting any fights,” Starlight said.

That seemed to be enough to satisfy the other two.

Starlight sat back in her chair, and hoped that she wouldn’t have to fight anypony at all. Still, those ponies, whoever they were, were definitely capable of violence. She dreaded the idea of having to fight, but dreaded losing a friend even more.

By the time the seaside city of Saddleopolis was within view, it was the middle of the afternoon. Windward was absolutely ecstatic to have beaten the storm, while Dust was more than a little nervous about entering foreign territory for the first time.

The Winter’s Glory found a place for itself to dock, beside several other comparatively more impressive vessels. Windward spat into the sea, seeing his humble ship as a hundred times more capable than any fancy boat Saddleopolis had.

The trio gathered their things, and stepped onto the dock, intimidated by the high-rising buildings and rambunctious ambience of city life.

Windward exited the boat and joined them, his breath salty and his hair wild from the ocean wind.

“I guess I’ll see you off here,” he said, gruffly.

“Thank you for everything,” Starlight said, earnestly, surprising the crusty Windward with a hug, which he hesitantly accepted. When she backed away, Windward turned to Dust, who simply smiled and nodded, which was all the sailor really needed as a show of thanks. And then he came to Jackpot, who had a ridiculous smile on his face.

“Windward, you musty old dog, you’ve really come through for me. I now declare us even,” he said, smiling ear to ear. Windward was disgusted.

“We’ll be even, when I never see your wretched mug again, you conniving twat.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, until they eventually both broke into a hearty laugh, smiling at each other.

“I’ll be off then, I’ve got ponies waiting for me back in town,” Windward said, untying the boat from the dock and jumping back in.

“You all stay alive, now,” he said, waving goodbye as he climbed the ladder back up to the deck. Jackpot smiled and waved, thankful he had somepony to help them in their time of need.

They watched as Windward and the Winter’s Glory sailed off back into the sea, leaving them on the shiny wooden dock.

Now alone, none of them were sure at all where to go, or what to do.

“So...any idea where your friend might be?” Jackpot asked.

“Not a clue,” Dust replied.

“How about we get something to eat? Most of Windward’s food was either old or rotten,” Starlight said.

The other two nodded, and the group trotted off out of the dock, and into the bustling streets of Saddleopolis.

They perused the wide assortment of shops and restaurants the city had to offer. In every direction, there were ponies in dark clothing with miserable expressions, going to and fro their respective lines of work, their eyes conveying a profound dissatisfaction.

Eventually, the trio settled on one restaurant, an old fashioned cafe, on the corner edge of an intersection. The place was called Paprika’s, and smelled of delicious fare.

Entering the restaurant, a young colt with twig-like blue hair and half-opened eyes greeted them.

“Welcome to Paprika’s. Three?”

“What’s it look like, kid?” Jackpot said, annoyed with the question.

The colt stared at him blankly, before turning to show them to a lowly booth stuck on the side of the restaurant. It was completely empty, save for them.

“I hope this city’s food is more lively than it’s ponies,” Jackpot said.

“You better keep your mouth shut, you’re gonna get us in trouble,” Dust cautioned.

“Trouble? What kind of trouble is worse than what we’re already in?” he asked, laughing at his own question.

“Hi, welcome to Paprika’s. Can I get you all started on some…” began the waitress, who had surprised them, sneaking up beside their booth without a sound. She trailed off, as soon as she noticed who was sitting in the right side of the booth.

“D-Dust Bunny?” the waitress pony asked, her eyes wide with incredulous excitement. Dust looked up from the menu as soon as she heard the voice, and immediately broke into a smile.

“El!”

Dust practically jumped from her seat to hug the waitress pony, who hugged her back, just as affectionately. The pony had bright red hair that was tied back in a pony-tail, and a light pink coat. She had freckles on her face, and soft, tired eyes. After a brief moment of surprised laughter, Dust turned to the other two.

“Guys, this is the friend I was telling you about. Elodea,”

“Uh, hi…” Elodea said, anxious about meeting new ponies.

“Hi!” said Starlight, enthusiastically, always happy to make a new friend. Jackpot simply waved. Now that he believed he actually had a chance with Starlight, he decided to put away his womanizing shtick for the meantime.

“That’s such a pretty name! What’s it mean?” Starlight asked.

Elodea didn’t seem to like the question.

“It’s a...it’s a plant. My parents were both marine biologists,” she said, though clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, I’m Starlight, this is Jackpot. It’s so nice to meet you!”

Elodea seemed a bit taken aback by how friendly these stranger ponies were, though, if they were friends of Dust, they were friends of hers.

“What are you doing here?” she said to Dust, like a concerned parent.

“It’s a long story...we actually...need a place to stay.”

Elodea took a second to understand, and then nodded.

“Yeah, sure! We should talk...look, I get off in like ten minutes, is that alright?”

“Totally.”

“Great,” she said, trotting away from the booth in a rush, after taking the trio’s orders for drinks.

Returning less than ten minutes later, Elodea sat down with them, having poured them each a glass of cider.

“How’d you find me here?” Elodea asked, drinking her cider as if it was the first she’d had in a long time.

“By accident! I wanted to find you, though.”

“Getting into trouble?” Elodea asked, smirking.

“A little,” Dust said sheepishly.

“Uh huh. And what have you two got to say?”

Starlight and Jackpot glanced at each other, unsure who should talk first.

“You’d be saving our skins if you could help us...just for a little bit. And as soon as you need us to leave, we’ll go,” Starlight said.

Elodea nodded, seemingly agreeable.

“You can stay, it’s ok. Anything for an old friend of mine. I can’t say I have much to offer in the food or luxuries department.”

“Anything’s better than nothing,” Starlight said.

Elodea nodded again.

“You work here?” Dust asked.

Elodea cracked a slightly-embarrassed smile.

“Yep. Here. It’s been a long time, Dust...Years, I guess. This was the best job I could get. Before this, I was pickpocketing and living in a shitty alley. Funny, right? Ran away from my parent’s three story mansion and ended up sleeping in a cardboard box. Then I got hooked up with some...uh...less savory types of ponies...I shouldn’t be telling you all this. But I never get to talk to anypony about anything, you know? Nopony ever replaced you,” Elodea said, her voice grave and somber.

“You’re alright now?” Dust asked, concerned.

“I’m doing as fine as any other idiot street rat is doing in this city. I’m actually really glad to see you. I haven’t seen any friendly faces in...well ever, since I got here. Ponies in this city don’t smile. That’s what I miss the most about home, that everypony was always smiling.”

“You can always come back...your parents probably miss you, you know,” Dust said.

Elodea scoffed.

“That life is a joke, Dust. Maybe mine here is too, but it’s a joke for different reasons. The truth is, my life is a miserable mess whether I stay here or go back. Staying here, working all day, is what gives me a reason to keep going...even if I don’t care about it at all...it’s something. I’m just another cog in the machine. Either that, or doing blow in some club basement with the other low-life scum of this city,” she said, frowning.

“Well, if you ever want to...I’ll be waiting for you.”

Elodea hesitated, touched by her old friend’s sentimentality.

“That’s what I miss too. Ponies here would never say stuff like that…”

Elodea glanced at a nearby clock, and exhaled sharply.

“Okay Dust, I’ve got to work. I get off at five, you three come back here then, and I’ll take you to my place.”

“Okay, sure thing,” Dust replied.

Elodea got up and left, leaving the other three in a strangely awkward silence.

“Well Dust, your friend’s a ray of sunshine, ain’t she?”

Dust scowled at him. He always had to make a comment.

“She’s always been a good friend to me.”

Jackpot stared at her, and then nodded, unable to find anything wrong with that.

“If she can get us out of this, she’ll be a good friend of mine too.”

---

The tremendous carriage housing Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle, after an entire day of traveling, finally made it past the last grains of sand of the San Palomino Desert, entering into the grassy wilderness towards the East.

They stopped in an empty field, where everypony could get a chance to rest up and eat something. Their reserves were supposed to last a week, though the high demand for water during the relentless heat of the desert made it more like four more days. Twilight sat alone, while the others ate and relaxed together in groups. She was staring into the distance, to the East, the direction they were heading. She wondered if Chrysalis was but a few miles ahead of them, an unseeable dot in the mountains and forests beyond. She wondered if Chrysalis was looking back, right now, fearing Twilight’s arrival. Twilight hoped Chrysalis was afraid, she hoped the wicked bug would cower when she saw her. Twilight’s face became warped with fury, as she considered every possible way of killing Chrysalis. It brought her a sick sense of joy, and she could barely contain her excitement. She knew of the ancient artifact Chrysalis was after, the Queen Jewel. It was an old relic, whose name she had read in a few books years ago. She had always thought it was a myth, though, considering she had spoken to a disembodied spirit the previous day, it was safe to say that it was not, in fact, a myth. She found Chrysalis to be relentless in her pursuits of power and chaos. So much death and destruction. Twilight recalled what she had done to that dragon, and knew she was supposed to feel guilty to some extent, and yet, bizarrely, felt nothing. No regret, no pain. Just another necessary step in getting to Chrysalis. Maybe when it was all said and done, and Chrysalis was six feet beneath the ground, Twilight felt she might feel guilty for her actions. But until Chrysalis was dealt with, absolutely nothing could convince her to stop.

---

Queen Chrysalis had been traveling for days now, journeying past deserts, fields of grass, forests, and mountains, heading to the east, towards the Forbidden Forest, where the mysterious voice she met in the San Palomino tomb instructed her to go.

It was getting close to nighttime, and Chrysalis was more than ready for some much-needed rest. She halted and dropped her bags of supplies, and then froze, noticing something in the distance.

Above the canopy of trees below the hill she was on, she could see it. Lights in the distance, flickering. Music, life, civilization. It was a city of some sorts, right on the edge of the forest, built along a passing river. She could practically jump for joy at the sight of it. Finally, she was at the end of her long and tiresome cross-country trek.

Chrysalis picked up her things and headed down a hill, covered in trees and untamed wildlife. She had to be careful, avoiding being stabbed by prickly plants and bitten by pesky insects.

At the end of the forest, she came upon the river, where a small wooden building sat. On the other side of the river was the town, built atop dirt and cleared trees. The river was green, and the sky was turning a rosy pink as the sun set. Chrysalis, who was still disguised as Starlight, approached the wooden shack, trying to act as innocent as possible.

There was a window on one side, though after peeking in, Chrysalis reasoned it was abandoned.

“Who the hell are you?” said a voice from behind her. She turned, to see a yellow, pot-bellied pony with brown hair sticking out of his ears and one eye that seemed to be smaller than the other. The pony spat at the ground and wiped his hooves with a filthy rag, while Chrysalis remained where she was, awkwardly.

“Is there a fare to cross?” Chrysalis asked, eyeing the nearby boat tied up near the shack. The stallion chuckled, as if she was an idiot.

“Ten bits.”

Chrysalis grimaced, reached into her bag, and tossed the stallion his due. He collected the bits greedily, smiling down at them in his hooves like they were a lost lover.

He gestured for her to get in the boat, after he shoved it into the water. In no time, he rowed her across the gentle flow of the river, which spanned about 300 yards in width. At the end, she hurried out, without saying anything to the ferryman.

Stepping past the wet grass at the edge of the river and above a small dirt hill, Chrysalis took in the spectacular color and music of the city in front of her, ponies all outside in the streets, dancing, eating, enjoying each other's company. There were colored lights that dangled across streets, and ponies all over town having the time of their lives. Chrysalis shuffled past the crowd of energetic ponies, all either drunk on something or high with the thrill of the party. The city was truly alive, though Chrysalis, naturally, found this to be a bother. Not only did she hate seeing ponies enjoying themselves, but she also only came here for directions. The Forbidden Forest was huge, after all, and to find the exact location of this second trial, she would need help.

She caught sight of a tavern, which seemed to be the centerpoint of the town’s merriment. Outside the tavern were outdoor eating areas, where every seat was filled with a pony, and every hoof holding a pint of cider. Chrysalis walked right through the middle walkway into the tavern, which was even louder and more crowded than outside. The room was doused in orange-yellow light from the ceiling-bound candle chandeliers, and everypony had a smile on their face.

Chrysalis eventually made it to the bar, where she waited for ten minutes before the bartender pony finally made it to her.

“Hello darling, what can I get for y...ah ah! A unicorn! A unicorn, here? Hey Backwoods! Look here!” the bartender called. Chrysalis frowned, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible. Suddenly she felt a stallion breathing down her neck. He had shoved his way right beside her, an entourage of his drunk friends all following, surrounding her, and aweing at the very presence of a unicorn. For some, it was the first unicorn they’d ever seen. Backwoods, who had a light blue coat and red hair that hung down to his shoulders, was looking at her at every angle he could.

“What’s with the frown on your face, huh? Lighten up around here...come on…” he said, slurring his words.

“Wait a minute…” said one of Backwood’s friends, narrowing his eyes at Starlight.

“I...I could’ve sworn I’d seen this pony before,” he said. He had light grey fur and a black head of hair that stuck up. The others all rolled their eyes at him.

“You ain’t never seen no unicorn before, you lying bastard.”

“I did! I swear! I just...can’t remember…”

Chrysalis turned her head away from him, not wanting to draw any more attention to herself.

Then the pony’s eyes widened in horror. He stuck his hooves out to get his friends to back away, unintentionally losing his balance and falling on the floor. The other ponies all stared down at him, confused and concerned. Starlight was still facing away from him, hoping he would just pass out or something.

The room began to get quiet as more and more ponies noticed the stallion on the floor, backing up using his arms, hyperventilating, his eyes locked on Chrysalis.

“I-I’ve seen that pony before! Th-that’s the scourge of the south!” he yelled.

The crowd all turned to Chrysalis, and immediately drew into a panic. The bartender hid under the bar, while the crowd desperately funneled out of the exit. Chrysalis, annoyed with her cover being blown, turned around, her horn glowing, prepared to burn yet another city. Until, in the chaos, she failed to notice a two-by-four swinging into her face, nailing some splinters into her cheeks, and knocking her unconscious immediately on impact. She collapsed to the ground in a heap. Backwoods was standing over her, triumphant, holding his wooden plank with pride.

“Everypony! I got her! I got the bitch!”

The crowd slowly stopped their panic and approached the scene, and, after a brief bit of drunkenly-slow realization, they all cheered again, the hardest anypony had cheered all night.

“Throw her in one of them cells, and for the love of Celestia, get one of those shits for her horn,” said Backwoods, directing them with his victorious plank. Two ponies went to pick an unconscious Chrysalis up, six other escorting them, making sure she wouldn’t wake up.

Chrysalis awoke several hours later, in one of the municipal prison cells. The room was tight and dark. It was the middle of the night, and mostly everypony in town had finally stopped partying and gone to bed. Chrysalis came to the horrified realization that there was a metal ring locked around her horn, and that all of her limbs were bound with iron. She was still in her Starlight disguise, which miraculously hadn’t given out while she was unconscious. She glanced around for a chance to escape, but could see nothing but rock and the bars of her cell. She turned her body to face the window that was built into the rock, also outfitted with metal bars. The window was right at ground level, bits of grass and dirt from outside growing into the rock. She turned back to face the bars, glumly, deciding to wait for a better opportunity to escape, cursing herself for not just burning the town when she arrived.

“Hey you, you awake?”

Chrysalis spun her head around. From the window, she could see a colt’s legs, green in color.

“Who is that?” Chrysalis spat, expecting the ponies to try and gloat their victory over her.

“I’m Savoy. You’re the scourge of the south?” said the colt, who had a subtle accent.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, though had to admit, she didn’t hate the nickname.

“Starlight. Glimmer.”

“Right, right, Starlight Glimmer…” the colt said. She could still only see his legs, “Why have you come here?”

“I wasn’t meaning to destroy your village, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Certainly not. I assumed you were passing through. No?”

“That’s right. Into the Forbidden Forest.”

“The Forest? You are in luck, Lady Scourge, I know the forest very well.”

Chrysalis stared at the legs of the colt, absolutely confused.

“Why would you ever help me?”

“You are a criminal. And so am I. The ponies who brought you here would do the same to me if they saw me.”

Chrysalis felt like laughing, at this measly colt comparing himself to her.

“I am offering you a chance to escape...and I can take you through the forest...for mild compensation, of course.”

“They took my bag.”

“Bag? You mean this bag?” he said, dropping an unseen bag from his back to the floor in front of her skeptical eyes. Chrysalis stood up on the tips of her hooves to get a closer look, and was shocked to see it really was hers.

“How did you-”

“I am a thief. This is what I do. You haven’t much time to discuss. I want a yes or a no. Otherwise I’ll leave, and you will never see me again.”

Chrysalis hesitated, though, having a guide in the forest would be immensely more beneficial than not having one.

“Alright, kid. Deal.”

“Fantastic. Now stand back, as far as you can. And turn your face away, or it’ll burn off.”

“What?!”

“Ready? 3…”

Chrysalis took a moment to see what the colt was doing, placing a collage of explosive devices around the metal edge of the window bars. She frantically turned to face the opposite direction, shielding her face.

“2…”

She braced herself, shutting her eyes and praying she’d survive whatever bombs this kid had been cooking up.

“1!”

Chrysalis waited for the impact, though it didn’t come for a good three seconds, catching her off guard. A massive spectacle of fire and collapsing rock burst from the window, throwing Chrysalis into the metal bars, facefirst. She groaned in pain, and then felt herself starting to choke as the smoke filled the air.

“Come on! We must hurry!”

The colt’s hoof found her in the smoke, dragging her out from the rubble and up onto solid ground. Chrysalis coughed several times and wiped her eyes, finally getting a look at the colt. He had green fur and a dark green head of untamed hair. He waited for her to recover from the explosion, looking around, nervously. Then he took a hammer from his satchel and brought it down on Chrysalis’ chains several times, freeing her.

“Hey!” said the warden of the prison. Savoy turned to Chrysalis, nodding for her to follow him.

Together, they ran into the darkened forest, as the town woke up and discovered what had happened.

Comments

[Pete100]

All I got from this is starlight x jackpot moments, twilight is still a psychopath, and chrysalis was captured, but escaped.

[the book keeper]

Thanks for another good chapter I really am not looking forward to when Twilight and Chrysalis meet there is going to be fireworks. I hope we find out who is after Starlight as well keep up the good work I look forward to the next chapter I hope you will be able to update again soon.