Post by Bardigan on Nov 17, 2012 18:07:32 GMT -5
Watching the sunset over the little hubbub of Owl City is quite the usual evening activity for Professor Comet Galaxy - and it's that which she's doing tonight. It's not too late, but the winter hours are causing shorter days, and before she heads back to the Observatory to begin her night's research, she has decided to spend some time in one of her favourite places. Presently, she sits on a small tree-balcony, slightly away from the main city which is slowing down after the day, but close enough to still hear the clinking of plates as ponies dine and the occasional snippet of conversation. The professor sighs, and smiles as she takes a breath in of the calming atmosphere.
"And the One-Eyed Dragon *roared* mightily, spreading out his wings! And what wings they were. Towering over the highest peaks, blotting out the sun! Evergleam had never *seen* such a mighty beast before. But she set her jaw and prepared her enchanted lance..." Bardigan waves his hooves and flaps his wings, making the magic smoke curl and the flames grasp a little higher. On the shadows cast on the large tree behind him, vague images of a daring earth pony and a heavily stylized (but still quite ferocious!) dragon shimmer and wave, giving the impression of movement and battle. He's on the ground, in the shadows of the trees, to enhance the effect."She charged forward, one pony against a mountain! But she had the strength of the whole earth at her hooves and wouldn't be swayed. Varathrax laughed wickedly, 'Ha ha ha!' and it shook the very earth. With one might blast he engulfed the entire countryside, and Evergleam too, in flames!" He gave his wings a mighty flap, making the fire roar a bit and scaring the audience in front of him.
Hearing the familiar voice of a storyteller in close distance, Comet perks her ears and turns away from the milky twilight for a moment to locate him. She smiles as she sees the audience in front of him; not just foals and young fillies and colts, but mares and stallions, too - all enjoying his spellbinding display. She flutters over gently and takes a seat towards the back, listening in to the story being told.
Somehow Bardigan is able to even replicate not just the sights, but the *sounds* of battle: a roaring dragon and the faint cries of a lone pony defying it. Or perhaps the imagination of the crowd is just running a little wild? "The king's army was paralyzed with fear! They had no idea what was going on behind the smoke and the flames that leaped up so high. 'Twas well the battle took place on the mountain peaks, or the country would have been scorched with fire. For an entire day and night the fires never stopped, though they had nothing to burn but bare rock, and nopony could get close, and through it all they heard Varathrax cursing the brave little pony that stood up to him, and the sounds of crashing rock and roaring blasts of flame. And then on the second day... silence. They all feared the worst. Had Evergleam fallen and the One-eyed Dragon was free to rampage? No! For when the unicorns lifted the Sun to its highest point to see if they could pierce the gloom, there came a great sound!" Bardigan blows on a horn that makes several passers-by turn and take notice. "Evergleam's horn wildly blowing over the mountain peaks, declaring victory!"
Comet finds herself thoroughly drawn into the story, sitting up straight and hanging on every one of the playwright's words. As the story reaches its dramatic climax and the victory is revealed, the astronomer even feels compelled to join in with the delighted cheers of the little ones.
With the work with the recent rainstorms concluded, Rainbow Dash doesn't have much to do other than one of her favourite pastimes: sleeping on a drifting cloud. She's settled into the soft fluff very nicely, lying belly-down as she softly snores. It just so happens that her cloud drifts right over a certain area in Owl City where many ponies are applausing, and the noise is enough to gently stir her awake. "MMmnnnhhhuh?" she mutters, blinking several times to get her eyes working again. "What's going on?" She peers over the edge of the cloud and sees quite a lot of ponies gathered about...is that? No way.
"Oh yes indeed!" Bardigan exclaims to the cheers of the foals in the audience. "The army hastened to recover their hero. A mighty spell was concocted to blow away the smoke, and upon the slope of Heorot's Reach stood Evergleam, atop the body of One-eyed Varathrax. His massive body was splayed out, dead as a doornail across the mountain range. Evergleam stood upon his head, and on her lance was the remaining eye of Varathrax himself!" Bardigan says with macabre relish, and with very gentle blows of his wings, the smoky shadows curl into (if you squin and turn your head a little to the right) the shape of an earth pony holding aloft a lance, with a single burning ember making up the 'eye' of Varathrax at its tip. "The jewel Varathrax used for his eye was empty of magic now, but it still gleamed with the memory of the evil dragon's power. His body was too big to do anything with, and so that was the only trophy Evergleam took from the battle. It is said that part of the jewel was turned into a centerpiece of the crown of King Palladium, that all would know his daughter's death was avenged. Varathrax's body stayed on the mountainside, and those peaks *to this day* are still charred black and smoke with the heat of Varathrax's breath!"
Rainbow_Dash watches, listens, her fertile imagination starting to take hold as Bardigan concludes his story. Disappointment was the main feature of her inner self, however; she's quite clearly missed what seems to have been an exciting and adventurous story. Horseapples! She leaps off her cloud and gently glides down to the back of the crowd, impatiently shoving ponies aside to reach the front. "Excuse me! Coming through!" she declares, more than a few of them yelping in surprise and indignation. The really young foals she leaves alone, though; that would be really rude after all.
"Did Varathrax rot away?" one foal asks. "Not at all!" Bardigan declares. "His body did not come to ruin. In fact, as ages went by he turned to stone and became one with the mountain, the great spines on his back creating a whole new mountain range! And for fourteen days blood *dribbled* from his eye socket that was torn open by Evergleam. And his magical blood fused with the earth." It is said that this created a vast treasure trove of magical gems, and if one can brave the journey, and dig down into the spot where mighty Varathrax fell, they will uncover whole veins of untapped minerals!" Bardigan notices Rainbow Dash pushing through the crowd and gives her a gentle nod of acknowledgement.
Rainbow_Dash smirks as Bardigan sees her. She vaguely remembers tales that stipulated that Varathrax was an entirely different dragon than the one whose blood created gems in the earth, but that's how old legends work. "Hey Bardy!" she says. "If Varathrax made so many jewels when he died then how come nopony ever dug them up afterwards?" Time to throw a spanner in his story!
"As I said, the mountain was charred black with the fires of Varathrax!" Bardigan says, completely unfazed by Rainbow's money wrenching. A good storyteller never misses a step. He flares his wings dramatically. "It smoked with vicious heat for weeks afterwards, so nopony was able to even get close save Evergleam in her armor. And the reputation of the dragon was so fearsome that nopony even dared to go back to that place, which was said to be cursed by the evil magic in Varathrax's hide, attracting all manner of unsavory beasts to the region! And the troubles between the three pony tribes soon flared up again, until the distant, cursed, burned black mountain reach was forgotten save by the bards who sung about it. Who knows? Perhaps one day some brave soul among you will return to the Old Kingdoms and dig up the very bones of One-Eyed Varathrax some day!" The foals oooh and ahhh at the thought of being brave adventurers going back to some distant land, and Bardigan puffs out his chest a bit, smiling back at Dash, allowing a bit of smugness to creep in. Spanner averted, with style.
Rainbow_Dash is quite impressed at Bardigan's quick improvisation. Guess that's why he's one of the best! She settles into the crowd and let's the pegasus stallion complete his story.
Bardigan turns back to the rest of the crowd. "So alas," he goes on, "that day of great triumph was not to last. For though it was a great day indeed, and one of the great Old Dragons had been cast down and evil did not hold sway any longer... the three pony tribes did not appreciate it." He flaps his wings, and the images of unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony appear and drift away. "The pegasi refused to acknowledge Evergleam's great earth pony strength and skill, and were jealous of her. The unicorns tried to make her one of their own and coveted King Palladium's crown, saying she had fought for them alone. The earth ponies tried to make her a war hero against the other two. Evergleam defied them all. Her enchanted lance she hurled back into the stars, her fireproof armor she returned to Heorot's Forge, where the minotaurs secreted it away that only another worthy hero would wear it. As for herself... Evergleam vanished into the pages of history, willing to be a hero to all, but a ruler to none."
Another flap of wings shows an earth pony standing proud and tall... and another gentle brush sends it away to the misty vapors of imagination.
Rainbow_Dash gapes at the floating images. Isn't that smoke stuff something that unicorns did? Now's she both completely mesmerized and completely /pissed/ that she missed the story earlier. She'll have to make him do an encore later, maybe for her and her friends? A private viewing! Though, the most stirring thing about the story for Rainbow Dash is what Evergleam eventually did: if /she/ had been the hero she might have been tempted to try and become the Queen herself. Yet, another part of her knows that would've been the wrong thing to do. Maybe that's why Evergleam was a hero. She shifts uncomfortably where she stands.
"So *nopony* knows what happened to her?" one of the older ponies complains. Bardigan shakes his head. "Her story ends with her walking away from all the distrust and discord of her fellow ponies, her magical artifacts scattered to the ends of the earth, and only her erstwhile friends to tell her tale. Some say she defeated Varathrax because she was the only one who *could,* and after he was dead she had no purpose in life and left for other adventures. Others dared to call her a *coward,* and even a bad pony for not helping unite the tribes sooner!" He lets a few scandalized gasps die down. "Still more believe this..." He grins and waves his wing one last time, and the smoke curls up again, forming... whatever images a pony's imagination can make up. "That what happened after is not so important as what she did before. Because all stories end, one way or another. But they all exist to be *told.* And in the telling, they inspire more stories of their own... and *I* believe that to inspire, not control, is what Evergleam and every other hero desired." One last flap puts the flames out for good, and Bardigan takes a bow as the crowd disperses, talking excitedly among themselves.
Rainbow_Dash manages a smile as Bardigan pushes the moral of the story in an oh-so-subtle manner. To inspire, not to control... somehow it resonates a bit with her, too. She's gotten a few comments before about how her Sonic Rainboom helped inspire somepony (not forgetting how it inspired her friends even before they met!) but hearing Bardigan's story gives it an all new meaning, something she'll have to think about for the next few days. But enough of that! Thinking is hard. She calmly walks up to Bardigan and smirks. "Hey! That sounded like an /awesome/ story!" she declares, genuine excitement in her eyes. "Too bad I missed most of it, heh."
Bardigan takes his hat off his head and waves it around, getting most of the soot from the fires off. He plops it back on his head and gives Dash his best actor's grin (read: handsome). "Most of my stories are. As for missing it, don't worry. I'm sure I'll have another one soon. Ponies love their adventures. I also have it in writing, though the language is a good deal more archaic than what I used." He tilts his head. "I didn't know you had an interest in theatre, miss Dash."
Rainbow_Dash raises a playful eyebrow at Bardigan when he grins; she's not so impressed by looks as much as skills! "Not really; drama is so...drama. I like it when I can follow a story on my own instead of having a bunch of ponies in costumes do it for me." He glances at Bardigan's hat and the soot floating in the air. "When did you learn how to do that...smoke and shadow stuff? That really looks like some kind of unicorn trick."
"Practice," Bardigan answers, and twitches his wing. A small cloud of ash drifts up, teased into the air with small, controlled movements of Bardigan's wings. "Long hours of practice. I dared not show this skill in public until I'd perfected it. It looks *ridiculous* when done wrong." He slaps the ash cloud back down. "I traveled with my parents for many years, performing for whoever was willing to pay for a show, and even some completely for free. They were roaming troubadors and entertainers, and I followed in their hoofsteps... though with a bit more, ahem, sophistication," he says, rubbing a hoof on his chest. "If you've ever been to Canterlot, you've probably seen my face before in posters here and there."
Rainbow_Dash gazes at the swirling soot clouds with obvious amazement, her mouth hanging slightly open until she suddenly reminds herself to close it again. "Oh wow...I don't think I've ever met a pegasus who can do that! I mean, in flight school they always talked about wing control and air streams and all that, but hey, the only reason I cared about that stuff was because I wanted to know how I could go faster." She grins and leans forward in a flight posture, stretching her wings out, the powerful muscles on her chest contracting visibly beneath her taut flesh. "Speed is what its all about for me!"
Bardigan chuckles, glancing up at the sky slowly filling up with stars. "Oh, I think everypony in Equestria knows about that by now, Miss Dash," he says with a wry smile. "Though to be sure, I've never tried those skills of mine in the air. And forget about top speed for me. I'd never be able to outfly you, so don't worry about me stealing your crown out from under you." He reaches out and gives her a poke in the middle of her flexing with his wingtip.
Rainbow_Dash chuckles. "Hey, I didn't say I thought you were a threat!" she says churlishly. "But...to be honest, I am pretty impressed by that thing you did. I mean, sure, you're not as fast as I am, but even /I/ have some, what's the word...limitations." She lets her tongue out a bit in mild discomfort, not used to describing herself in such a manner. Rainbow Dash! With limitations! "I mean, really fine air control is something I'm actually still working on. After all, that's what the Wonderbolts are looking for! But, eh, you probably knew that about me, too, heh." She grins sheepishly.
"Quite a bit, actually," Bardigan says quietly. "You and your friends *are* famous, after all. Living examples of ponies like Evergleam," he adds with a small smile. "You probably don't know, but I've spoken many times with Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. I must say, I'm honored to say that I live in times like these, when I have heroes to write stories of my own about."
( "That's right, we /are/ heroes," Rainbow Dash says proudly, tapping her chest. "The last adventure was all Twilight, though. She's the one who did all the...puzzle solving. Me? I just jousted, mostly. It was a really fun tourney, though!" Her posture relaxes as she gets more and more comfortable talking to Bardigan; he does have quite a mellowing effect on ponies, it seems. "You know...if you had some of your stories writen down, I might take a look at them! I'm sure you'll impress the rest of us Elements, too. I mean, you do wanna impress the heroes of your age, right?" She grins big, as if she's doing something very mischievous. )
Speaking of Twilight, here she comes now... Or... Wait, IS that Twilight? She's clinging to a vine that's swinging through the trees, and she's yodeling at the top of her lungs. The small purple unicorn seems to be having the time of her life, hooting with joy as she hangs upside down by her hind hooves. "THIS IS SO AWESOME!" she yells, before... whups, losing her grip. There she goes! "AAHHHHHHHHH!"
"Well... I suppose I do," Bardigan says, modestly looking away. There are *certain* ponies of heroic caliber he would like to impress more than others, but that's a conversation for more private times. "I do have several... well, many, many more than several... stories in written form, though I don't know how well they'd read to a pony like you." And speak of other heroes, here comes Twilight! And... there *goes* Twilight. "Up there!" he shouts in alarm, taking to the air... though, not nearly as fast as Rainbow Dash.
"I prefer stories with lots of action, obviously," Rainbow Dash says. "If you already have some of th- what the hay!?" She stares up at 'Twilight', gaping at her 'friend' as she acts in a completely un-Twilight manner. Is this part of one of her 'experiments'? "Hey Twi? What are yo- TWI!!" As soon as the purple unicorn falls she leaps into action, diving down to catch her before she hits the ground!
Twilight screams as she falls. "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" she screams, plummeting towards the ground... Oh good! She's been caught by two awesome pegasi! "Hey thanks! I was trying out my new..." *ziiiiip* "Twilight outfit!" says a certain pink pony.
"What," says Bardigan, having only covered half the distance that Dash did due to her blazing speed.
Rainbow_Dash swoops down and catches 'Twilight' with ease, wobbling just a bit as she makes a perfect landing on the ground below. "Whew! That was a close o- OH CRIPES!" She snorts audibly and backs away when 'Twilight' suddenly transforms into Pinkie! It takes her a few moments to settle down from a mood of great surprise to humoured exasperation. "Pinkie...you're so random," she says, rolling her eyes, smirking. "Where do you /get/ those suits anyway? They're kinda...creepy.
Pinkie bounces on her hooves a bit. "I make 'em myself! They're just like my baked goods, only they're costumes, and they're not edible... SO I guess they're not a lot like cupcakes at all! You want one?" she asks, holding out a pristine Rainbow striped cupcake. "I made it with zap apple jam!" she says... "Or was it rainbows...? I can't remember, ish GOOD!" the pink one says, cramming it into her mouth.
Bardigan can only roll his eyes good-naturedly. "In all the chaos that's gripped Ponyville recently, I believe yours is the only kind I can actaully smile at, miss Pie," he says with a sincere smile right afterwards.
( "Heheh, count me in on /that/ one, Bardigan," says Rainbow Dash, glancing aside knowingly. She tentatively steps forward and pokes Pinkie's costume with a hoof. It looks just like a weird costume on the ground, but when Pinkie is wearing it... "You still have jam left over? I ate all of mine months ago!" She grabs a cupcake and immedietely begins eating it. Mm
hhmmm! )
Pinkie Pie is busy nomming on a cupcake for a moment. "Mmmmmm! THISH SHO GOOD!" she says. Then she swallows hard. "Oooooh! Dashie you got a coltfriend!" she says, looking over at Bardy, and winking. "Now you take care of my friend," the pink mare says... Then her personality and expression do a complete 180. "OR I WILL FIND YOU." she says. "Pinkie Pie PROMISE... Okay?" she asks, bubbly and bright again. "Lemon drop?"
Bardigan leans back a ways as Pinkie rounds on him, wringing his front hooves. "Uh, wait, that's a misunderstanding!" he blurts out, shaking his head. "She just happened to drop by as I was telling one of my stories! I wasn't trying to...!" He looks down at the lemon drop. "A lemon drop *does* sound lovely though," he says, reaching out for the treat.
Rainbow_Dash gawks at Pinkie like she's suddenly puked confetti. "A /coltfriend/? You're totally getting it wrong, Pinkie! I mean, we just met for Celestia's sake!" Not that she's really interested in a committed relationship anytime soon, either! Relationships were apparently a lot of...work. "'sides, I'm sure Bardigan here already has a special somepony...I think."
( Pinkie blinks at RainbowDash for a moment. "Huh? I thought you and he would be so cute together! It's like totally cool if you're not though! Whupsy Lupsy!" she says, winking at Dash as Bardigan takes a lemon drop. "So what are you two doing here?" she asks. )
Bardigan tosses the drop in his mouth. A few seconds of blissful ignorance go by while he sucks on it, then stops. His smile slowly fades. And then his mouth sort of... scrunches up, and his eyes begin twitching wildly. "H... ho-ho-haaah..." He starts stuttering, and then, critical mass is reached. He can't take it any more, spitting out the lemon drop and flopping onto his back, flailing his hooves. "Hooot! HOOOOOT!" he yells/whimpers, rolling around as he fans at his mouth, which somehow seems to be smoking.
Rainbow_Dash eyerolls again, but out of greater exasperation this time. "Oh brother," she utters. She looks at Bardigan as his faces suddenly collapses into pain. "Whoa, are you donig al- oh." She looks at the cringing, sour-faced pegasus for a few seconds before flying up, grabbing her cloud, and dragging it back down with her. She takes a hoofful of fluff and squeezes it right over Bardigan's mouth. "What did you put in that stuff, Pinkie
!?"
( Pinkie SQUEAKS as Bardigan appears to collapse in pain. "OHMIGOSHOHMIGOSH!" she yells, throwing her bag on the ground and going digging through it. "I'M SOSOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY!" she says, digging through some rather strange objects. Eventually she comes up with a glass of chocolate milk and a loaf of bread. "HERE!" the pink mare says, shoving them at Bardigan. )
The water steams as Bardigan opens his mouth to take all of the water in, eyes watering up. The moment the chocolate milk and bread come into view, he snatches them up and shoves *both* into his mouth at once, using the milk to make it easier to shove the bread inside! "Nnnff!" he answers both of them, clutching his cheeks with one hoof, and pointing at the lemon drop with the other like it's some kind of cave demon trying to assault him.
Rainbow_Dash just stares at this whole debacle with anxiety. "Umm...is he /supposed/ to take it all at once?" She shuts off the water immedietely and peers at Bardigan, half-expecting him to start choking.
Pinkie Pie hovers over Bardy... "I'm SO SO sorry! I didn't know you were allergic! Do you need medicine? The hospital? It was just pepper!" she says to Dash. "Like you did at that party for Gilda!" she says.
"Too... much... pepper..." Bardigan manages to choke out through distended cheeks full of bread, water and milk, and a burning tongue. "/So/... /much/... /pepper/."
Rainbow_Dash gingerly pulls out the bread and slaps Bardigan's cheek around so that the milk and water go down his gullet. Hey, what else what she supposed to do? "Wait...Gilda? What did you say about Gilda?" She stares at Pinkie, intrigued and disturbed.
Pinkie Pie trots over to a nearby knothole, and digs around in it. She comes up with a sealed bag full of toiletries. "here! I have a tooth brush in here somewhere!" she says, thrusting it at Bardy. "Huh? Don't you remember the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party we threw for Gilda? Where she was all like RAWR LAMEO's, and you were all like 'nu-uh!' and she was like 'yeah huh! call me!'"
Bardigan holds the toothbrush and cries a little bit, uncertain what he's supposed to do (and his mouth still feels like it's on fire). "I met Gilda," he gasps. "She's in town. Cough. Hack. Bit rough around the edges. Aaack."
Rainbow_Dash definitely remembers /that/ ill-fated gathering. "Oh, /that/ party. Right...yeah, I'm not really keen on remembering that." She idly guides Bardigan's toothbrush-holding hoof towards his mouth, but she's rather more interested in something else. "You saw Gilda? She's in /town/ again? What!?"
Pinkie's ears perk up. "She's back? How is she? OH GOSH SHE NEEDS A REAL PARTY THIS TIME!" the pink pony says, leaping several times her own height into the air. "COME ON!" she says, tugging at Rainbow Dash. "We have to get you to the spa RIGHT AWAY THERE'S NO TIME!"
Bardigan shakes his head as he sticks the brush in his mouth and starts scrubbing idly. "She's... she's not around often from what I can tell. Hiding out... in Twilight's library." He sits up, stopping mid-brush. "Ahh... I'm not entirely sure she's ready to make her presence public knowledge yet, however. She seemed... reticent. Quieter than I was told she'd be like. Certainly not as abrasive. Though we didn't speak long."
Rainbow_Dash's ears droop visibly as Pinkine gets all excited. "Pinkie, I'm...really not in the mood to meet her again soon. Or maybe ever." She still feels a lot of bad blood between herself and Gilda, and she's not one to test just how much resentment the griffon has cultivated. She's certainly already a bit resentful herself about the whole thing, but as for towards Gilda herself... "In the /library/? What!?" Her eyes bugger out in complete surprise. "Oh boy, oh cripes!" She rubs her temples with the tips of her hooves. Great, now she'll get nervous checking out new Daring Do books! She barely catches the gist of what Bardigan is saying; she can scarcely believe that Gilda would be anything resembling quiet, though given what happened the /last/ time she was in Ponyville. "I'll, uh, keep it to myself," she utters, figuring that she'll keep her own self out of the way from Gilda as well.
Pinkie senses... notfriendship from Rainbow Dash. "Now you listen here Rainbow Dash!" she says, putting her hooves on her flanks. "I thi---ooohhhghmyyyy!" she starts to say, interrupting herself as she gets a major case of the shakes. "TwitchaTwitch! TWITCHY!"
Bardigan sighs quietly. "Miss Dash, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad blood or memories. I just thought... well. I thought you should know, just in case." He leans back from Pinkie Pie when she starts shivering, eyes widening. "Twitchy twitch?" he asks, knowing that can only mean something bad. "What... what could possibly be causing that?!"
Rainbow_Dash can only nod gravely. "Yeah...thanks, actually." She did appreciate it, even though it's more of a warning than anything to her. She glares at Pinkie as she suddenly goes ballistic. "Um...whoa, what's up now?"
Pinkie shakes shaking and shivers shiveringly. "It's a DOOZY!" she says, bouncing up and down. "It's a doozy... Op, there it goes!" she says, stopping. "SOMETHING is gonna happen though!"
"Something?" Bardigan asks, growing a little alarmed as he looks back and forth, trying to discern the source of Pinkie's jittering. "Something! That's... that's incredibly unhelpful, actually," he mutters, backing up to a tree, as if that will provide him any shelter against what's coming. "I hope it's nothing to do with Gilda if it's going to be that... exciting. This town has had enough of that lately."
"I think we should take a step back. Or several," says Rainbow Dash, backing away and looking at Pinkie with increasing alarm. It looks like something bad!
Pinkie seems to have completely forgotten about her shakes and shivers. "hey! Rainbow dash! Bardy! Let's get something to eat! I'm starving!" she says, hopping along.
Bardigan is still half-hiding behind a tree as Pinkie trots off. He gives Dash a careful glance, as if to ask if it's safe to follow.
Screenplay comes flying up through the city and finding Rainbow she comes over. "Hey Rainbow thereyou are.." she says, "Hope it's not a bad time.."
Rainbow_Dash blinks. "Uh...suuuuure let's do that!" she declares. She looks at Bardigan and tilts her had in Pinkine's direction. Yeah, pretty safe so far. Unfortunately for Screenplay, she's quite distracted by Pinkie and so she totally misses her, taking off and following the earth pony and a safe distance.
Pinkie Pie goes looking for a restaurant. "So how did the two of you meet? I LOVE hearing all about my friends!" she says happily.
"Met? Oh, well... I was just telling some stories of mine I've got saved up in here," Bardigan says, tapping his head with a wing. "According to Rainbow Dash, it was quote 'awesome.'" He gives the pegasus mare a teasing smile. "I'll have to make sure you and the rest of your friends are about next time. I know you've all seen my last plays, but sometimes it pays to have a more intimate setting. You get to show off so many more personal tricks."
Screenplay sees that Dash seems to be busy she decid4es to head off and meet with her later
Screenplay disappears into the trees, headed for Whitetail Wood.
( "Depends on what kind of 'personal tricks'!" Rainbow Dash quips. Apparently even she's heard the rumours about Bardigan. "Yeah, Pinkie, he had this awesome story about slaying a dragon, but I missed most of it," she says sadly. "I guess Bardigan here can always do an encore for us later! Anyway...what's this place you got in mind, Pinkie?" )
Pinkie pauses, then looks back. "I dunno! I was just thinking of looking around until I found a place!" she says. "You killed a dragon? Why did you kill a dragon?" she asks, trotting back towards the two pegasi. "Spike's just a bit ol' sweetypeety itty bitty baby dragon!"
"Oh, *I* killed no dragons," Bardigan is quick to clarify with a nervous chuckle. "I barely even know how to hold a sword, and that's only because of my theatre training. No, this was a story of one of the *Old Dragons*, who according to legend were almost universally destructive and evil as much as they were powerful and awe-inspiring. The terrible Varathrax the One-Eyed, slain by humble Evergleam the earth pony, many years before Equestria was founded and ponies were still in their separate tribes!"
Bardigan's dramatic side takes over as he jumps into the air, putting a hoof up and flaring his wings. "Evergleam who treated with minotaurs and matched the stars themselves in a battle of wits to seize the weapons needed to slay the mighty Old One, who was the size of a mountain wings twice as big!"
( "Here we go again!" says Rainbow Dash, drinking up the details of Bardigan's story as he begins to say it again. Hopefully he'll keep this up until they get to the restaurant! )
And just like that, they're suddenly in a cafe, or walking right into one! And once they sit, Pinkie's eyes are GLUED on Bardy, staying still and quiet. Seems a good story can absolutely paralyze the young mare of the pinkness.
The cafe is filled not only with the buzz of late night life conversation, but Bardigan's own voice. He's anything but subtle; having no fires and shadows to work with he stands on his chair, waving his hooves around to get the excitement across. Some strange, intangible energy emanates from him, encouraging ponies to lose themselves in the story. "In the days when King Palladium ruled the Unicorns and the Pegasi were more isolated than ever, the Earth Ponies found themselves besieged by a terrible beast from the dawn of time. Varathrax the One-Eyed Dragon, one of the first of his kind, said to have been kindled in the black fires of the First Flame, father of all dragons! A more evil and power-hungry creature there never was, coming upon the ancient ponies without warning, for 'twas a pony who took his eyes in ages past! Vengeance he wanted and vengeance he got, burning whole swathes of the countryside with a single breath, blotting out the Sun with his wings when the Unicorns tried to raise it!"
Rainbow_Dash just listens, listens with awe and wonder, feeling herself taken away to some other world. Now /this/ is how stories should be told, not any of that poetry or frou-frou costume stuff. She keeps her eyes on Bardigan, mesmerized by his thespian affectations, easily slipping into the imagery of her mind. She can see the adventure!
Pinkie Pie is the quietest she's ever been. She leans on the cafe table, not even slurping a drink she has. The pink mare can't HELP herself. This is such a good story! She'll have to remember to tell Twilight about it but Twilight probably already knows the story wait if she keeps thinking so fast she'll miss the story! So even Pinkie's thoughts quiet down as she gets swept into the story.
"Varathrax had power that only an Old One could claim. His scales were midnight black, impervious to any weapon ponies could bring against him. Whatever spells were cast, that mighty armored skin turned it aside, no matter how powerful the caster was. His strength was such that he could raze a city with a swipe of his tail, and his wingspan covered the land in a terrible shadow. His one eye was a jewel he claimed from deep within the earth, ripped from the bosom of stone that all the world rested upon. It infused his already magical blood with great power. He came the worst against the Earth Ponies, for they grew the food that all the ponies depended on. He burned their fields and slew their mightiest warriors, and all quaked in fear of him. The Pegasi sent their greatest champions to best him as a matter of pride over mastery of the sky, and he beat them back with hurricanes sent by his wings and fire that vaporized their clouds. The Unicorn king Palladium then did what he thought best: he offered the surrender of his kingdom before Varathrax could come and lay waste to his country the way he had the Earth Ponies and Pegasi. But mighty Varathrax laughed at the offer, for he was not a creature who knew mercy. He demanded a tribute and named the terms: the capital city of Palladium, and the life of his fair daughter, Princess Bismuth. Mighty Varathrax came upon the Unicorns, and razed Palladium's city to the ground in a single night and killing poor Bismuth. He earned the ire of all three tribes that day... but none could challenge him anymore, and he ruled with an iron fist." Bardigan slams his front hoof down on the table, rattling it to emphasize his point.
Rainbow_Dash imagines Varathrax as being an immense, bulky, meaty monster cackling maniacally as he dominated the land. This was just like "Daring Do and the Throne of Blades", when she stopped the evil king from using the shadow-making Eye of Umber!
"One-Eyed Varathrax was now lord of the land, and burned what he pleased and took what he wanted. The Earth Ponies tended their fields and did their best to stay under the shadow of his wings, for though his rule was cruel and capricious he did not utterly destroy them for their servitude. King Palladium was stricken with grief over the loss of his daughter and greatest city. The Pegasi and Unicorns, proud ponies that they were, tried to take their revenge, but Varathrax beat them down. The Unicorns' greatest spells were useless against his armored scales, and the Pegasi's strongest spears were dashed against him. Varathrax scoffed at them both and ravaged their lands, burning Unicorn and Pegasi cities to dust and scattering whatever armies they sent. At last, the Pegasi simply withdrew, pushing their remaining cloud homes far, far away. And for a time, Varathrax was completely unchallenged. The land smelled always of smoke, and every morning Varthrax would *ROAR* with all his might to proclaim his victory to the world, his lordship over the masters of the Sun and Moon themselves. But one pony decided there was no waiting for a hero when one could try to be one themselves. Her name was Evergleam, an Earth Pony who lived in a small village too unimportant for Varthrax to even take notice of. She had watched the devastation from afar, and decided that something simply had to be done. For though the Earth Ponies were humble and did not fight Varathrax like the other tribes, their connection to the earth kept them safe and sane, and they stoically bore the burden of Varthrax's rule while the other tribes suffered in spirit. She remembered the old tales Earth Ponies sang that Pegasi forgot, and Unicorns lost when Varathrax burned their cities. She remembered the power of the earth's magic, and how it might help them see a Sun not spoiled by the dragon's smoke again..."
Rainbow_Dash feels the tension, the excitement, building as Bardigan sets the scene in a magnificent way, the smoke and soot flowing aronud him in fantastic shapes attracting all the passers-by and restaurant patrons. They murmur among themselves as recognition dawns. Meanwhile, Rainbow herself is starting to visualize this Evergleam, am ambitious, big-hearted mare who looked an awful lot like herself.
Bardigan does seem to have a strange power over the audience, the sheer charisma of his words helping them visualize everything in the story. "Evergleam was big in heart, and in body. Many ponies overlooked her for being a strong and sturdy Earth Pony, which all Earth Ponies were. But the song of the earth ran strong in her, and she knew that she had to find a way to defeat Varathrax. She left her home with nothing more than a gold coin, a bag of supplies, and hope in her heart. The one place she *could* go, she went: the Unicorn kingdom, now a shell of its former self... but the one place she could find passage out of the lands. She befriended one of the Unicorns' last great battle mages, and he agreed to teleport her as far across the ocean as he could. She had to leave the pony lands and find help elsewhere. She ended up in the land of the zebras, ancient and wise, closer to the earth like Earth Ponies, but familiar with magic like Unicorns. Varathrax's roar was heard there too. But it was her one gold coin that proved her worth. For on the road in the zebra lands, after days of going from village to village without success, she met a single homeless zebra at the gates of the desert city Ule'Pele, the price of admission of which was a single gold coin. Instead of buying her way into the city, where she heard was the one place to get help against the great Dragon, she gave her single coin to the homeless beggar to let him purchase food and medicine. But lo! It was no mere zebra but one of their most powerful shamans. He heard the roar of Varathrax from over the horizon and foresaw the coming of Evergleam, and laid out that test of generosity. She proved her worth in his eyes, and he gave her a special map to a place the song of the earth guided her to: a place where stars themselves touched the world's surface, and still communed with those who were brave enough to come to them."
Rainbow_Dash's head is full of stars. The light of the heavens shines in her eyes, and the music of the spheres stirs her heart. This story was getting better and better!
"Over desert and plain and grassland she traveled, climbing the mountains at the edge of Neighara's desert. At the lowest ledge of the highest peak, she found an enchanted tree, from which she tore loose a stick to help her travel. On and on she went up, to the top of the greatest mountain of the range, where the air was thin and the clouds were few. There the Sun did not even manage to reach overhead, and the stars shined brightly at all hours of the day. And there she stood and shouted for three full days, hoping to get an answer, and the stars said nothing in return. Evergleam maintained her vigil till she was faint with hunger and thirst, until at last one of the stars looked down upon her, and asked what she was here for. Evergleam explained her mission, and the star asked her this: what force could defeat the undefeatable, could outlast the everlasting, and shine without light? Evergleam answered it sounded like nothing could, and since all she had to go on was the steps shown to her, she'd just have to do her best and take one step at a time until any or all of those things were done. And the star said that though her answer was not correct, it was wise. And the stick she tore from the tree was imbued with a great light, and became a mighty lance, the one thing on the earth that could pierce the scales of Varathrax." Bardigan gives the crowd a vicious smile. "Evergleam had the first weapon in her arsenal."
"The first weapon!" says Rainbow Dash, totally captured by the story at this point. "She had more? Did they explode in rainbows?"
"Not quite!" Bardigan exclaims. "It shone with the power of the stars themselves, and was just as magical. Evergleam left the mountain and returned to the zebra. She needed a suit of armor that could withstand the fires of an Old Dragon, and only the war-like minotaurs could provide her with that, for their greatest smiths held Heorot's Forge. With the zebra's help she crossed the desert and went towards the Western Continent, where all things are old and magical. Every day in her travels she heard the roar of Varathrax proclaiming his dominion over the earth, and it spurred her on even when she grew weary, his pride feeding her righteous anger. Across the land of jungles and bongo and takin and water dragons she traveled, across another ocean, until she came to the Ashlands, where all was volcanoes and sulfur, and salamanders lived. In the heart of the earth in that terrible place she met with the minotaurs who worked Heorot's Forge, the greatest metalsmithy in the world. A single minotaur met her there, on a bridge leading to the Forge. Many had come, but none were denied entry to see the minotaurs' secrets. If she could withstand a single blow of his hammer, she could enter. And Evergleam reached deep into the earth, for its magic was strong here where the earth was born. She Set her hooves in the rock, and the earth stood with her against the minotaur's single blow, which was so strong it cracked the bridge in two. And for the first time since the Forge was founded, an outsider was allowed entry. The song of the earth sang to her Earth Pony soul, and the heat of the volcanoes didn't bother her a bit."
Rainbow_Dash gapes. Earth ponies with their own magic? That was really weird! But she /did/ remember hearing about it, somewhere, about how all the races of pony had their own kind of magic, and the magic of the unicorns was even more mysterious and frightening than it is now. A whole population of Twilights! That itself was a pretty fantastic idea. She also has this strange image of Applejack making apples fall off the trees through willpower, through her connection with earth. Hey, was Granny Smith like those ancient earth ponies, with the way she made zap-apple jam? She was certainly old enough!
And Pinkie? Maybe /she/ has...nah, Pinkie was just /weird/.
Every pony has their magic! Bardigan would say so if he didn't have a story to tell. "The minotaurs forged for her armor there in the heart of the earth, with fire so hot and so full of life that Varathrax's black and evil flame couldn't overcome it! It was the fire of the earth's creation that smelted the ore that made her armor, and though it could never be crushed or pierced, it was light as a feather on Evergleam's body. Ooh, it was purest silver and hardest steel all in one! From that day on she wore the armor, always ready for the fateful battle. But one more thing she needed... the power to spread hope and friendship to her fellow ponies, who were more divided than ever under the rule of Varathrax. And so she returned to her home in the divided pony kingdoms, and turned to the one tribe that turned its back on all the others... the Pegasi, and their ability to make rainbows. But they were obstinate, and did not believe an Earth Pony who had abandoned her home and come back after so long deserved their help, nor had the power to defeat Varathrax when their greatest champions were slaughtered in droves. She came to them in an airship, and they scoffed at her, insulted that she tried to talk to them like equals. But one Pegasus believed: the daughter of General Thunderhoof, the leader of the Pegasi. From under his nose she stole a Rainbow Horn, which when blown could create a rainbow in the sky, a sign of victory and signal for help to all ponies. Blow this and any Pegasus worth their salt will come to help, she told Evergleam. And Evergleam went next to the Unicorns, where King Palladium still sat morose in the ruins of his city, mourning his daughter..."
Now here is where Rainbow Dash starts feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't easy having to hear about the pegasi giving the hero a hard time, but then again, she /has/ met a lot of stick-in-the-mud pegasi before. She imagines the faces of those bullies from flight school facing off against Evergleam and the general's daughter. Yeah, that definitely seems appropriate.
"Since Evergleam found no help with the Pegasi save for the horn, she turned to the Unicorns, who had suffered most. They were prideful like the Pegasi and enjoyed beauty and high learning, and Varthrax had torn away all of that. She promised Palladium that she would take revenge for every pony slain, including Princess Bismuth, if she would but have use of their great magic to employ against the dragon. For though she was an Earth Pony and if she Set her hooves in the earth she could kick down a mountain if she needed, she would need more than that. She would need levitation to match the dragon's wings, and teleportation should the need to escape arise. The king gave her more than that: he gave her command of her army, and hailed her as the savior of the realm. Evergleam wanted none of that, but she took it with grace to avoid upsetting the king. Her own fellow Earth Ponies she gave one of the greatest tasks: to remember her as she was, not as the legendary hero she became. She told them to keep the story of her song deep within the Earth, dark and humble, so that she could be remembered as a pony above everything else. And then, she led her ragtag army to the edge of the Three Kingdoms, far away from where the battle could hurt any more ponies. And there, at the foot of the mighty mountain of Heorot's Reach, she put the Rainbow Horn to her lips... and blew."
Rainbow_Dash doesn't want to speak a word or make a sound, lest she totally ruin the mod that Bardigan is building. She leans forward and looks at the stallion with wide excitement, the images of an epic battle, with spear and shield and the clink-clank of armor, unfolding before her. Oh man oh man this is gonna be great!
"The sound echoed through all the Three Kingdoms. In its wake a rainbow stretched across the entire land, and ponies everywhere wondered what it could mean. Varathrax knew, however, and he laughed that a worthy foe had come to him at last. And he chased Evergleam to the edge of the earth where she waited for him, and the King's army quaked at his coming. Evergleam told them that she didn't want one more pony to die from Varathrax's claws. Let her be the last victim if that would bring peace! But every pony there, though they were all Unicorns, saw something in that Earth Pony they hadn't before, and resolved to stay and fight with her. Varathrax came down to the mountain, and looked down upon the tiny pony who dared to defy him. 'What's this?' he asked. 'What's this? I'm insulted! I thought another great beast of the Morning Age awaited me, but I find just one little pony of the Earth! I scorched your Earth, pony, and now I will burn you too!' And Evergleam waited for his great fire. And he snorted one great breath, *FWOOSH!*" And Bardigan throws his hooves in the air to simulate a fireball. "And his dark fire consumed Evergleam! But when the fire faded, there she stood in her armor, which was barely singed. 'Just an Earth Pony?' she replied. 'I'm *a* pony! A pony who fights for *all* ponies! I have hope in every tribe and foal and king! I have hope that we will live together again in peace! I'm here to fight for that future! A future free of *you!*'" Bardigan spreads his wings and puffs out his chest. "And the King's army, every Unicorn gathered there, let loose a burst of magic such as never had been before, inspired by Evergleam's courage. It struck Varathrax on his armored breast, and he recoiled from the sheer power of their hope! And Varathrax knew now he faced ponies that were no longer afraid of his warmongering, and he *roared* like he never had before. But before he could smite the army like he had so many before him, Evergleam lifted her lance and the power of the stars blinded his one eye. 'This is my fight!' she told the ponies with her. 'Don't come forward, whatever you do! If I should fall, you must be the last line of defense! We will conquer today, or all ponies will perish!' And the army withdrew under the cover of her light, leaving her alone against a very surprised, very *angry* Varathrax."
( By now Bardigan's tale has attracted the attention of the entire restaurant. Ponies otherwise occupied have dropped whatever they're doing just to walk up and listen. The waiters try in vain to restore order and get everypony back to their tables, but in the end they relent and improvise, serving meals to the ponies where they stand. The gathered shadow beneath lamp and candle quivers in anticipation as Bardigan recites the final battle. Rainbow Dash holds her breath, feeling the hairs of her mane stand on their ends as if the dragon's fire has singed them. )
"And from here, Rainbow *should* know the story, as this was where the ending came! Unless you want to hear about the battle again?" Bardigan asks Rainbow with a teasing grin. "Of course you do! And the One-Eyed Dragon *roared* mightily, spreading out his wings! And what wings they were. Towering over the highest peaks, blotting out the sun! Evergleam had never *seen* such a mighty beast before. But she set her jaw and prepared her enchanted lance. She charged forward, one pony against a mountain! But she had the strength of the whole earth at her hooves and wouldn't be swayed. Varathrax laughed wickedly, 'Ha ha ha!' and it shook the very earth. And with one mighty breath, the entire mountainside was engulfed in flame! For an entire day and night they burned though there was no fuel but the rocks of the mountain, and the King's army couldn't see, only heard the sounds of battle and doom as Evergleam gave her all against the Old Dragon, bringing hope and love against the primordial evil of a creature more element than alive! They saw only the tip of her starry lance and the evil eye of the Dragon as they battled, one small pony grappling with a monster hundreds of times her size."
Rainbow_Dash definitely appreciates hearing the ending again; everything is coming together now! Everypony in the restaurant is hushed, their voices captured by the sacred air of storytelling.
"And on the second day... silence," Bardigan says, letting a hush fall over the room. "Total silence... until the unicorns lifted the Sun above Varathrax's smoke one last time to see through the gloom. And a great sound was heard! Evergleam's horn wildly blowing over the mountain peaks, over all the earth, declaring victory to any and all who had the ears to hear it! One of the great Old Ones was slain, and his evil would never trouble ponykind or any other creature again!" And from there, the story comes to a slow, falling halt, as Bardigan recounts as much of the aftermath as he is asked, up to and including the mysterious fate of Evergleam, who after refusing to lead the ponies in further conflict against each other, gave her enchanted weapons back to their owners, and was sadly never heard from again.
At once the entire restaurant breaks into raucous applause. "Hooray for Evergleam!" shouts one mare. "Bravo, bravo, an excellent story!" says a finely-dressed stallion. Most happy of all, however, was Rainbow Dash, her most eyes beaming with satisfaction. "Oh yeah, oh yeah, /that's/ a story!" she declares, sighing contently and having a nice, long sip of her apple-hay stew. Quite a night this turned out to be!
"And the One-Eyed Dragon *roared* mightily, spreading out his wings! And what wings they were. Towering over the highest peaks, blotting out the sun! Evergleam had never *seen* such a mighty beast before. But she set her jaw and prepared her enchanted lance..." Bardigan waves his hooves and flaps his wings, making the magic smoke curl and the flames grasp a little higher. On the shadows cast on the large tree behind him, vague images of a daring earth pony and a heavily stylized (but still quite ferocious!) dragon shimmer and wave, giving the impression of movement and battle. He's on the ground, in the shadows of the trees, to enhance the effect."She charged forward, one pony against a mountain! But she had the strength of the whole earth at her hooves and wouldn't be swayed. Varathrax laughed wickedly, 'Ha ha ha!' and it shook the very earth. With one might blast he engulfed the entire countryside, and Evergleam too, in flames!" He gave his wings a mighty flap, making the fire roar a bit and scaring the audience in front of him.
Hearing the familiar voice of a storyteller in close distance, Comet perks her ears and turns away from the milky twilight for a moment to locate him. She smiles as she sees the audience in front of him; not just foals and young fillies and colts, but mares and stallions, too - all enjoying his spellbinding display. She flutters over gently and takes a seat towards the back, listening in to the story being told.
Somehow Bardigan is able to even replicate not just the sights, but the *sounds* of battle: a roaring dragon and the faint cries of a lone pony defying it. Or perhaps the imagination of the crowd is just running a little wild? "The king's army was paralyzed with fear! They had no idea what was going on behind the smoke and the flames that leaped up so high. 'Twas well the battle took place on the mountain peaks, or the country would have been scorched with fire. For an entire day and night the fires never stopped, though they had nothing to burn but bare rock, and nopony could get close, and through it all they heard Varathrax cursing the brave little pony that stood up to him, and the sounds of crashing rock and roaring blasts of flame. And then on the second day... silence. They all feared the worst. Had Evergleam fallen and the One-eyed Dragon was free to rampage? No! For when the unicorns lifted the Sun to its highest point to see if they could pierce the gloom, there came a great sound!" Bardigan blows on a horn that makes several passers-by turn and take notice. "Evergleam's horn wildly blowing over the mountain peaks, declaring victory!"
Comet finds herself thoroughly drawn into the story, sitting up straight and hanging on every one of the playwright's words. As the story reaches its dramatic climax and the victory is revealed, the astronomer even feels compelled to join in with the delighted cheers of the little ones.
With the work with the recent rainstorms concluded, Rainbow Dash doesn't have much to do other than one of her favourite pastimes: sleeping on a drifting cloud. She's settled into the soft fluff very nicely, lying belly-down as she softly snores. It just so happens that her cloud drifts right over a certain area in Owl City where many ponies are applausing, and the noise is enough to gently stir her awake. "MMmnnnhhhuh?" she mutters, blinking several times to get her eyes working again. "What's going on?" She peers over the edge of the cloud and sees quite a lot of ponies gathered about...is that? No way.
"Oh yes indeed!" Bardigan exclaims to the cheers of the foals in the audience. "The army hastened to recover their hero. A mighty spell was concocted to blow away the smoke, and upon the slope of Heorot's Reach stood Evergleam, atop the body of One-eyed Varathrax. His massive body was splayed out, dead as a doornail across the mountain range. Evergleam stood upon his head, and on her lance was the remaining eye of Varathrax himself!" Bardigan says with macabre relish, and with very gentle blows of his wings, the smoky shadows curl into (if you squin and turn your head a little to the right) the shape of an earth pony holding aloft a lance, with a single burning ember making up the 'eye' of Varathrax at its tip. "The jewel Varathrax used for his eye was empty of magic now, but it still gleamed with the memory of the evil dragon's power. His body was too big to do anything with, and so that was the only trophy Evergleam took from the battle. It is said that part of the jewel was turned into a centerpiece of the crown of King Palladium, that all would know his daughter's death was avenged. Varathrax's body stayed on the mountainside, and those peaks *to this day* are still charred black and smoke with the heat of Varathrax's breath!"
Rainbow_Dash watches, listens, her fertile imagination starting to take hold as Bardigan concludes his story. Disappointment was the main feature of her inner self, however; she's quite clearly missed what seems to have been an exciting and adventurous story. Horseapples! She leaps off her cloud and gently glides down to the back of the crowd, impatiently shoving ponies aside to reach the front. "Excuse me! Coming through!" she declares, more than a few of them yelping in surprise and indignation. The really young foals she leaves alone, though; that would be really rude after all.
"Did Varathrax rot away?" one foal asks. "Not at all!" Bardigan declares. "His body did not come to ruin. In fact, as ages went by he turned to stone and became one with the mountain, the great spines on his back creating a whole new mountain range! And for fourteen days blood *dribbled* from his eye socket that was torn open by Evergleam. And his magical blood fused with the earth." It is said that this created a vast treasure trove of magical gems, and if one can brave the journey, and dig down into the spot where mighty Varathrax fell, they will uncover whole veins of untapped minerals!" Bardigan notices Rainbow Dash pushing through the crowd and gives her a gentle nod of acknowledgement.
Rainbow_Dash smirks as Bardigan sees her. She vaguely remembers tales that stipulated that Varathrax was an entirely different dragon than the one whose blood created gems in the earth, but that's how old legends work. "Hey Bardy!" she says. "If Varathrax made so many jewels when he died then how come nopony ever dug them up afterwards?" Time to throw a spanner in his story!
"As I said, the mountain was charred black with the fires of Varathrax!" Bardigan says, completely unfazed by Rainbow's money wrenching. A good storyteller never misses a step. He flares his wings dramatically. "It smoked with vicious heat for weeks afterwards, so nopony was able to even get close save Evergleam in her armor. And the reputation of the dragon was so fearsome that nopony even dared to go back to that place, which was said to be cursed by the evil magic in Varathrax's hide, attracting all manner of unsavory beasts to the region! And the troubles between the three pony tribes soon flared up again, until the distant, cursed, burned black mountain reach was forgotten save by the bards who sung about it. Who knows? Perhaps one day some brave soul among you will return to the Old Kingdoms and dig up the very bones of One-Eyed Varathrax some day!" The foals oooh and ahhh at the thought of being brave adventurers going back to some distant land, and Bardigan puffs out his chest a bit, smiling back at Dash, allowing a bit of smugness to creep in. Spanner averted, with style.
Rainbow_Dash is quite impressed at Bardigan's quick improvisation. Guess that's why he's one of the best! She settles into the crowd and let's the pegasus stallion complete his story.
Bardigan turns back to the rest of the crowd. "So alas," he goes on, "that day of great triumph was not to last. For though it was a great day indeed, and one of the great Old Dragons had been cast down and evil did not hold sway any longer... the three pony tribes did not appreciate it." He flaps his wings, and the images of unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony appear and drift away. "The pegasi refused to acknowledge Evergleam's great earth pony strength and skill, and were jealous of her. The unicorns tried to make her one of their own and coveted King Palladium's crown, saying she had fought for them alone. The earth ponies tried to make her a war hero against the other two. Evergleam defied them all. Her enchanted lance she hurled back into the stars, her fireproof armor she returned to Heorot's Forge, where the minotaurs secreted it away that only another worthy hero would wear it. As for herself... Evergleam vanished into the pages of history, willing to be a hero to all, but a ruler to none."
Another flap of wings shows an earth pony standing proud and tall... and another gentle brush sends it away to the misty vapors of imagination.
Rainbow_Dash gapes at the floating images. Isn't that smoke stuff something that unicorns did? Now's she both completely mesmerized and completely /pissed/ that she missed the story earlier. She'll have to make him do an encore later, maybe for her and her friends? A private viewing! Though, the most stirring thing about the story for Rainbow Dash is what Evergleam eventually did: if /she/ had been the hero she might have been tempted to try and become the Queen herself. Yet, another part of her knows that would've been the wrong thing to do. Maybe that's why Evergleam was a hero. She shifts uncomfortably where she stands.
"So *nopony* knows what happened to her?" one of the older ponies complains. Bardigan shakes his head. "Her story ends with her walking away from all the distrust and discord of her fellow ponies, her magical artifacts scattered to the ends of the earth, and only her erstwhile friends to tell her tale. Some say she defeated Varathrax because she was the only one who *could,* and after he was dead she had no purpose in life and left for other adventures. Others dared to call her a *coward,* and even a bad pony for not helping unite the tribes sooner!" He lets a few scandalized gasps die down. "Still more believe this..." He grins and waves his wing one last time, and the smoke curls up again, forming... whatever images a pony's imagination can make up. "That what happened after is not so important as what she did before. Because all stories end, one way or another. But they all exist to be *told.* And in the telling, they inspire more stories of their own... and *I* believe that to inspire, not control, is what Evergleam and every other hero desired." One last flap puts the flames out for good, and Bardigan takes a bow as the crowd disperses, talking excitedly among themselves.
Rainbow_Dash manages a smile as Bardigan pushes the moral of the story in an oh-so-subtle manner. To inspire, not to control... somehow it resonates a bit with her, too. She's gotten a few comments before about how her Sonic Rainboom helped inspire somepony (not forgetting how it inspired her friends even before they met!) but hearing Bardigan's story gives it an all new meaning, something she'll have to think about for the next few days. But enough of that! Thinking is hard. She calmly walks up to Bardigan and smirks. "Hey! That sounded like an /awesome/ story!" she declares, genuine excitement in her eyes. "Too bad I missed most of it, heh."
Bardigan takes his hat off his head and waves it around, getting most of the soot from the fires off. He plops it back on his head and gives Dash his best actor's grin (read: handsome). "Most of my stories are. As for missing it, don't worry. I'm sure I'll have another one soon. Ponies love their adventures. I also have it in writing, though the language is a good deal more archaic than what I used." He tilts his head. "I didn't know you had an interest in theatre, miss Dash."
Rainbow_Dash raises a playful eyebrow at Bardigan when he grins; she's not so impressed by looks as much as skills! "Not really; drama is so...drama. I like it when I can follow a story on my own instead of having a bunch of ponies in costumes do it for me." He glances at Bardigan's hat and the soot floating in the air. "When did you learn how to do that...smoke and shadow stuff? That really looks like some kind of unicorn trick."
"Practice," Bardigan answers, and twitches his wing. A small cloud of ash drifts up, teased into the air with small, controlled movements of Bardigan's wings. "Long hours of practice. I dared not show this skill in public until I'd perfected it. It looks *ridiculous* when done wrong." He slaps the ash cloud back down. "I traveled with my parents for many years, performing for whoever was willing to pay for a show, and even some completely for free. They were roaming troubadors and entertainers, and I followed in their hoofsteps... though with a bit more, ahem, sophistication," he says, rubbing a hoof on his chest. "If you've ever been to Canterlot, you've probably seen my face before in posters here and there."
Rainbow_Dash gazes at the swirling soot clouds with obvious amazement, her mouth hanging slightly open until she suddenly reminds herself to close it again. "Oh wow...I don't think I've ever met a pegasus who can do that! I mean, in flight school they always talked about wing control and air streams and all that, but hey, the only reason I cared about that stuff was because I wanted to know how I could go faster." She grins and leans forward in a flight posture, stretching her wings out, the powerful muscles on her chest contracting visibly beneath her taut flesh. "Speed is what its all about for me!"
Bardigan chuckles, glancing up at the sky slowly filling up with stars. "Oh, I think everypony in Equestria knows about that by now, Miss Dash," he says with a wry smile. "Though to be sure, I've never tried those skills of mine in the air. And forget about top speed for me. I'd never be able to outfly you, so don't worry about me stealing your crown out from under you." He reaches out and gives her a poke in the middle of her flexing with his wingtip.
Rainbow_Dash chuckles. "Hey, I didn't say I thought you were a threat!" she says churlishly. "But...to be honest, I am pretty impressed by that thing you did. I mean, sure, you're not as fast as I am, but even /I/ have some, what's the word...limitations." She lets her tongue out a bit in mild discomfort, not used to describing herself in such a manner. Rainbow Dash! With limitations! "I mean, really fine air control is something I'm actually still working on. After all, that's what the Wonderbolts are looking for! But, eh, you probably knew that about me, too, heh." She grins sheepishly.
"Quite a bit, actually," Bardigan says quietly. "You and your friends *are* famous, after all. Living examples of ponies like Evergleam," he adds with a small smile. "You probably don't know, but I've spoken many times with Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. I must say, I'm honored to say that I live in times like these, when I have heroes to write stories of my own about."
( "That's right, we /are/ heroes," Rainbow Dash says proudly, tapping her chest. "The last adventure was all Twilight, though. She's the one who did all the...puzzle solving. Me? I just jousted, mostly. It was a really fun tourney, though!" Her posture relaxes as she gets more and more comfortable talking to Bardigan; he does have quite a mellowing effect on ponies, it seems. "You know...if you had some of your stories writen down, I might take a look at them! I'm sure you'll impress the rest of us Elements, too. I mean, you do wanna impress the heroes of your age, right?" She grins big, as if she's doing something very mischievous. )
Speaking of Twilight, here she comes now... Or... Wait, IS that Twilight? She's clinging to a vine that's swinging through the trees, and she's yodeling at the top of her lungs. The small purple unicorn seems to be having the time of her life, hooting with joy as she hangs upside down by her hind hooves. "THIS IS SO AWESOME!" she yells, before... whups, losing her grip. There she goes! "AAHHHHHHHHH!"
"Well... I suppose I do," Bardigan says, modestly looking away. There are *certain* ponies of heroic caliber he would like to impress more than others, but that's a conversation for more private times. "I do have several... well, many, many more than several... stories in written form, though I don't know how well they'd read to a pony like you." And speak of other heroes, here comes Twilight! And... there *goes* Twilight. "Up there!" he shouts in alarm, taking to the air... though, not nearly as fast as Rainbow Dash.
"I prefer stories with lots of action, obviously," Rainbow Dash says. "If you already have some of th- what the hay!?" She stares up at 'Twilight', gaping at her 'friend' as she acts in a completely un-Twilight manner. Is this part of one of her 'experiments'? "Hey Twi? What are yo- TWI!!" As soon as the purple unicorn falls she leaps into action, diving down to catch her before she hits the ground!
Twilight screams as she falls. "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" she screams, plummeting towards the ground... Oh good! She's been caught by two awesome pegasi! "Hey thanks! I was trying out my new..." *ziiiiip* "Twilight outfit!" says a certain pink pony.
"What," says Bardigan, having only covered half the distance that Dash did due to her blazing speed.
Rainbow_Dash swoops down and catches 'Twilight' with ease, wobbling just a bit as she makes a perfect landing on the ground below. "Whew! That was a close o- OH CRIPES!" She snorts audibly and backs away when 'Twilight' suddenly transforms into Pinkie! It takes her a few moments to settle down from a mood of great surprise to humoured exasperation. "Pinkie...you're so random," she says, rolling her eyes, smirking. "Where do you /get/ those suits anyway? They're kinda...creepy.
Pinkie bounces on her hooves a bit. "I make 'em myself! They're just like my baked goods, only they're costumes, and they're not edible... SO I guess they're not a lot like cupcakes at all! You want one?" she asks, holding out a pristine Rainbow striped cupcake. "I made it with zap apple jam!" she says... "Or was it rainbows...? I can't remember, ish GOOD!" the pink one says, cramming it into her mouth.
Bardigan can only roll his eyes good-naturedly. "In all the chaos that's gripped Ponyville recently, I believe yours is the only kind I can actaully smile at, miss Pie," he says with a sincere smile right afterwards.
( "Heheh, count me in on /that/ one, Bardigan," says Rainbow Dash, glancing aside knowingly. She tentatively steps forward and pokes Pinkie's costume with a hoof. It looks just like a weird costume on the ground, but when Pinkie is wearing it... "You still have jam left over? I ate all of mine months ago!" She grabs a cupcake and immedietely begins eating it. Mm
hhmmm! )
Pinkie Pie is busy nomming on a cupcake for a moment. "Mmmmmm! THISH SHO GOOD!" she says. Then she swallows hard. "Oooooh! Dashie you got a coltfriend!" she says, looking over at Bardy, and winking. "Now you take care of my friend," the pink mare says... Then her personality and expression do a complete 180. "OR I WILL FIND YOU." she says. "Pinkie Pie PROMISE... Okay?" she asks, bubbly and bright again. "Lemon drop?"
Bardigan leans back a ways as Pinkie rounds on him, wringing his front hooves. "Uh, wait, that's a misunderstanding!" he blurts out, shaking his head. "She just happened to drop by as I was telling one of my stories! I wasn't trying to...!" He looks down at the lemon drop. "A lemon drop *does* sound lovely though," he says, reaching out for the treat.
Rainbow_Dash gawks at Pinkie like she's suddenly puked confetti. "A /coltfriend/? You're totally getting it wrong, Pinkie! I mean, we just met for Celestia's sake!" Not that she's really interested in a committed relationship anytime soon, either! Relationships were apparently a lot of...work. "'sides, I'm sure Bardigan here already has a special somepony...I think."
( Pinkie blinks at RainbowDash for a moment. "Huh? I thought you and he would be so cute together! It's like totally cool if you're not though! Whupsy Lupsy!" she says, winking at Dash as Bardigan takes a lemon drop. "So what are you two doing here?" she asks. )
Bardigan tosses the drop in his mouth. A few seconds of blissful ignorance go by while he sucks on it, then stops. His smile slowly fades. And then his mouth sort of... scrunches up, and his eyes begin twitching wildly. "H... ho-ho-haaah..." He starts stuttering, and then, critical mass is reached. He can't take it any more, spitting out the lemon drop and flopping onto his back, flailing his hooves. "Hooot! HOOOOOT!" he yells/whimpers, rolling around as he fans at his mouth, which somehow seems to be smoking.
Rainbow_Dash eyerolls again, but out of greater exasperation this time. "Oh brother," she utters. She looks at Bardigan as his faces suddenly collapses into pain. "Whoa, are you donig al- oh." She looks at the cringing, sour-faced pegasus for a few seconds before flying up, grabbing her cloud, and dragging it back down with her. She takes a hoofful of fluff and squeezes it right over Bardigan's mouth. "What did you put in that stuff, Pinkie
!?"
( Pinkie SQUEAKS as Bardigan appears to collapse in pain. "OHMIGOSHOHMIGOSH!" she yells, throwing her bag on the ground and going digging through it. "I'M SOSOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY!" she says, digging through some rather strange objects. Eventually she comes up with a glass of chocolate milk and a loaf of bread. "HERE!" the pink mare says, shoving them at Bardigan. )
The water steams as Bardigan opens his mouth to take all of the water in, eyes watering up. The moment the chocolate milk and bread come into view, he snatches them up and shoves *both* into his mouth at once, using the milk to make it easier to shove the bread inside! "Nnnff!" he answers both of them, clutching his cheeks with one hoof, and pointing at the lemon drop with the other like it's some kind of cave demon trying to assault him.
Rainbow_Dash just stares at this whole debacle with anxiety. "Umm...is he /supposed/ to take it all at once?" She shuts off the water immedietely and peers at Bardigan, half-expecting him to start choking.
Pinkie Pie hovers over Bardy... "I'm SO SO sorry! I didn't know you were allergic! Do you need medicine? The hospital? It was just pepper!" she says to Dash. "Like you did at that party for Gilda!" she says.
"Too... much... pepper..." Bardigan manages to choke out through distended cheeks full of bread, water and milk, and a burning tongue. "/So/... /much/... /pepper/."
Rainbow_Dash gingerly pulls out the bread and slaps Bardigan's cheek around so that the milk and water go down his gullet. Hey, what else what she supposed to do? "Wait...Gilda? What did you say about Gilda?" She stares at Pinkie, intrigued and disturbed.
Pinkie Pie trots over to a nearby knothole, and digs around in it. She comes up with a sealed bag full of toiletries. "here! I have a tooth brush in here somewhere!" she says, thrusting it at Bardy. "Huh? Don't you remember the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party we threw for Gilda? Where she was all like RAWR LAMEO's, and you were all like 'nu-uh!' and she was like 'yeah huh! call me!'"
Bardigan holds the toothbrush and cries a little bit, uncertain what he's supposed to do (and his mouth still feels like it's on fire). "I met Gilda," he gasps. "She's in town. Cough. Hack. Bit rough around the edges. Aaack."
Rainbow_Dash definitely remembers /that/ ill-fated gathering. "Oh, /that/ party. Right...yeah, I'm not really keen on remembering that." She idly guides Bardigan's toothbrush-holding hoof towards his mouth, but she's rather more interested in something else. "You saw Gilda? She's in /town/ again? What!?"
Pinkie's ears perk up. "She's back? How is she? OH GOSH SHE NEEDS A REAL PARTY THIS TIME!" the pink pony says, leaping several times her own height into the air. "COME ON!" she says, tugging at Rainbow Dash. "We have to get you to the spa RIGHT AWAY THERE'S NO TIME!"
Bardigan shakes his head as he sticks the brush in his mouth and starts scrubbing idly. "She's... she's not around often from what I can tell. Hiding out... in Twilight's library." He sits up, stopping mid-brush. "Ahh... I'm not entirely sure she's ready to make her presence public knowledge yet, however. She seemed... reticent. Quieter than I was told she'd be like. Certainly not as abrasive. Though we didn't speak long."
Rainbow_Dash's ears droop visibly as Pinkine gets all excited. "Pinkie, I'm...really not in the mood to meet her again soon. Or maybe ever." She still feels a lot of bad blood between herself and Gilda, and she's not one to test just how much resentment the griffon has cultivated. She's certainly already a bit resentful herself about the whole thing, but as for towards Gilda herself... "In the /library/? What!?" Her eyes bugger out in complete surprise. "Oh boy, oh cripes!" She rubs her temples with the tips of her hooves. Great, now she'll get nervous checking out new Daring Do books! She barely catches the gist of what Bardigan is saying; she can scarcely believe that Gilda would be anything resembling quiet, though given what happened the /last/ time she was in Ponyville. "I'll, uh, keep it to myself," she utters, figuring that she'll keep her own self out of the way from Gilda as well.
Pinkie senses... notfriendship from Rainbow Dash. "Now you listen here Rainbow Dash!" she says, putting her hooves on her flanks. "I thi---ooohhhghmyyyy!" she starts to say, interrupting herself as she gets a major case of the shakes. "TwitchaTwitch! TWITCHY!"
Bardigan sighs quietly. "Miss Dash, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad blood or memories. I just thought... well. I thought you should know, just in case." He leans back from Pinkie Pie when she starts shivering, eyes widening. "Twitchy twitch?" he asks, knowing that can only mean something bad. "What... what could possibly be causing that?!"
Rainbow_Dash can only nod gravely. "Yeah...thanks, actually." She did appreciate it, even though it's more of a warning than anything to her. She glares at Pinkie as she suddenly goes ballistic. "Um...whoa, what's up now?"
Pinkie shakes shaking and shivers shiveringly. "It's a DOOZY!" she says, bouncing up and down. "It's a doozy... Op, there it goes!" she says, stopping. "SOMETHING is gonna happen though!"
"Something?" Bardigan asks, growing a little alarmed as he looks back and forth, trying to discern the source of Pinkie's jittering. "Something! That's... that's incredibly unhelpful, actually," he mutters, backing up to a tree, as if that will provide him any shelter against what's coming. "I hope it's nothing to do with Gilda if it's going to be that... exciting. This town has had enough of that lately."
"I think we should take a step back. Or several," says Rainbow Dash, backing away and looking at Pinkie with increasing alarm. It looks like something bad!
Pinkie seems to have completely forgotten about her shakes and shivers. "hey! Rainbow dash! Bardy! Let's get something to eat! I'm starving!" she says, hopping along.
Bardigan is still half-hiding behind a tree as Pinkie trots off. He gives Dash a careful glance, as if to ask if it's safe to follow.
Screenplay comes flying up through the city and finding Rainbow she comes over. "Hey Rainbow thereyou are.." she says, "Hope it's not a bad time.."
Rainbow_Dash blinks. "Uh...suuuuure let's do that!" she declares. She looks at Bardigan and tilts her had in Pinkine's direction. Yeah, pretty safe so far. Unfortunately for Screenplay, she's quite distracted by Pinkie and so she totally misses her, taking off and following the earth pony and a safe distance.
Pinkie Pie goes looking for a restaurant. "So how did the two of you meet? I LOVE hearing all about my friends!" she says happily.
"Met? Oh, well... I was just telling some stories of mine I've got saved up in here," Bardigan says, tapping his head with a wing. "According to Rainbow Dash, it was quote 'awesome.'" He gives the pegasus mare a teasing smile. "I'll have to make sure you and the rest of your friends are about next time. I know you've all seen my last plays, but sometimes it pays to have a more intimate setting. You get to show off so many more personal tricks."
Screenplay sees that Dash seems to be busy she decid4es to head off and meet with her later
Screenplay disappears into the trees, headed for Whitetail Wood.
( "Depends on what kind of 'personal tricks'!" Rainbow Dash quips. Apparently even she's heard the rumours about Bardigan. "Yeah, Pinkie, he had this awesome story about slaying a dragon, but I missed most of it," she says sadly. "I guess Bardigan here can always do an encore for us later! Anyway...what's this place you got in mind, Pinkie?" )
Pinkie pauses, then looks back. "I dunno! I was just thinking of looking around until I found a place!" she says. "You killed a dragon? Why did you kill a dragon?" she asks, trotting back towards the two pegasi. "Spike's just a bit ol' sweetypeety itty bitty baby dragon!"
"Oh, *I* killed no dragons," Bardigan is quick to clarify with a nervous chuckle. "I barely even know how to hold a sword, and that's only because of my theatre training. No, this was a story of one of the *Old Dragons*, who according to legend were almost universally destructive and evil as much as they were powerful and awe-inspiring. The terrible Varathrax the One-Eyed, slain by humble Evergleam the earth pony, many years before Equestria was founded and ponies were still in their separate tribes!"
Bardigan's dramatic side takes over as he jumps into the air, putting a hoof up and flaring his wings. "Evergleam who treated with minotaurs and matched the stars themselves in a battle of wits to seize the weapons needed to slay the mighty Old One, who was the size of a mountain wings twice as big!"
( "Here we go again!" says Rainbow Dash, drinking up the details of Bardigan's story as he begins to say it again. Hopefully he'll keep this up until they get to the restaurant! )
And just like that, they're suddenly in a cafe, or walking right into one! And once they sit, Pinkie's eyes are GLUED on Bardy, staying still and quiet. Seems a good story can absolutely paralyze the young mare of the pinkness.
The cafe is filled not only with the buzz of late night life conversation, but Bardigan's own voice. He's anything but subtle; having no fires and shadows to work with he stands on his chair, waving his hooves around to get the excitement across. Some strange, intangible energy emanates from him, encouraging ponies to lose themselves in the story. "In the days when King Palladium ruled the Unicorns and the Pegasi were more isolated than ever, the Earth Ponies found themselves besieged by a terrible beast from the dawn of time. Varathrax the One-Eyed Dragon, one of the first of his kind, said to have been kindled in the black fires of the First Flame, father of all dragons! A more evil and power-hungry creature there never was, coming upon the ancient ponies without warning, for 'twas a pony who took his eyes in ages past! Vengeance he wanted and vengeance he got, burning whole swathes of the countryside with a single breath, blotting out the Sun with his wings when the Unicorns tried to raise it!"
Rainbow_Dash just listens, listens with awe and wonder, feeling herself taken away to some other world. Now /this/ is how stories should be told, not any of that poetry or frou-frou costume stuff. She keeps her eyes on Bardigan, mesmerized by his thespian affectations, easily slipping into the imagery of her mind. She can see the adventure!
Pinkie Pie is the quietest she's ever been. She leans on the cafe table, not even slurping a drink she has. The pink mare can't HELP herself. This is such a good story! She'll have to remember to tell Twilight about it but Twilight probably already knows the story wait if she keeps thinking so fast she'll miss the story! So even Pinkie's thoughts quiet down as she gets swept into the story.
"Varathrax had power that only an Old One could claim. His scales were midnight black, impervious to any weapon ponies could bring against him. Whatever spells were cast, that mighty armored skin turned it aside, no matter how powerful the caster was. His strength was such that he could raze a city with a swipe of his tail, and his wingspan covered the land in a terrible shadow. His one eye was a jewel he claimed from deep within the earth, ripped from the bosom of stone that all the world rested upon. It infused his already magical blood with great power. He came the worst against the Earth Ponies, for they grew the food that all the ponies depended on. He burned their fields and slew their mightiest warriors, and all quaked in fear of him. The Pegasi sent their greatest champions to best him as a matter of pride over mastery of the sky, and he beat them back with hurricanes sent by his wings and fire that vaporized their clouds. The Unicorn king Palladium then did what he thought best: he offered the surrender of his kingdom before Varathrax could come and lay waste to his country the way he had the Earth Ponies and Pegasi. But mighty Varathrax laughed at the offer, for he was not a creature who knew mercy. He demanded a tribute and named the terms: the capital city of Palladium, and the life of his fair daughter, Princess Bismuth. Mighty Varathrax came upon the Unicorns, and razed Palladium's city to the ground in a single night and killing poor Bismuth. He earned the ire of all three tribes that day... but none could challenge him anymore, and he ruled with an iron fist." Bardigan slams his front hoof down on the table, rattling it to emphasize his point.
Rainbow_Dash imagines Varathrax as being an immense, bulky, meaty monster cackling maniacally as he dominated the land. This was just like "Daring Do and the Throne of Blades", when she stopped the evil king from using the shadow-making Eye of Umber!
"One-Eyed Varathrax was now lord of the land, and burned what he pleased and took what he wanted. The Earth Ponies tended their fields and did their best to stay under the shadow of his wings, for though his rule was cruel and capricious he did not utterly destroy them for their servitude. King Palladium was stricken with grief over the loss of his daughter and greatest city. The Pegasi and Unicorns, proud ponies that they were, tried to take their revenge, but Varathrax beat them down. The Unicorns' greatest spells were useless against his armored scales, and the Pegasi's strongest spears were dashed against him. Varathrax scoffed at them both and ravaged their lands, burning Unicorn and Pegasi cities to dust and scattering whatever armies they sent. At last, the Pegasi simply withdrew, pushing their remaining cloud homes far, far away. And for a time, Varathrax was completely unchallenged. The land smelled always of smoke, and every morning Varthrax would *ROAR* with all his might to proclaim his victory to the world, his lordship over the masters of the Sun and Moon themselves. But one pony decided there was no waiting for a hero when one could try to be one themselves. Her name was Evergleam, an Earth Pony who lived in a small village too unimportant for Varthrax to even take notice of. She had watched the devastation from afar, and decided that something simply had to be done. For though the Earth Ponies were humble and did not fight Varathrax like the other tribes, their connection to the earth kept them safe and sane, and they stoically bore the burden of Varthrax's rule while the other tribes suffered in spirit. She remembered the old tales Earth Ponies sang that Pegasi forgot, and Unicorns lost when Varathrax burned their cities. She remembered the power of the earth's magic, and how it might help them see a Sun not spoiled by the dragon's smoke again..."
Rainbow_Dash feels the tension, the excitement, building as Bardigan sets the scene in a magnificent way, the smoke and soot flowing aronud him in fantastic shapes attracting all the passers-by and restaurant patrons. They murmur among themselves as recognition dawns. Meanwhile, Rainbow herself is starting to visualize this Evergleam, am ambitious, big-hearted mare who looked an awful lot like herself.
Bardigan does seem to have a strange power over the audience, the sheer charisma of his words helping them visualize everything in the story. "Evergleam was big in heart, and in body. Many ponies overlooked her for being a strong and sturdy Earth Pony, which all Earth Ponies were. But the song of the earth ran strong in her, and she knew that she had to find a way to defeat Varathrax. She left her home with nothing more than a gold coin, a bag of supplies, and hope in her heart. The one place she *could* go, she went: the Unicorn kingdom, now a shell of its former self... but the one place she could find passage out of the lands. She befriended one of the Unicorns' last great battle mages, and he agreed to teleport her as far across the ocean as he could. She had to leave the pony lands and find help elsewhere. She ended up in the land of the zebras, ancient and wise, closer to the earth like Earth Ponies, but familiar with magic like Unicorns. Varathrax's roar was heard there too. But it was her one gold coin that proved her worth. For on the road in the zebra lands, after days of going from village to village without success, she met a single homeless zebra at the gates of the desert city Ule'Pele, the price of admission of which was a single gold coin. Instead of buying her way into the city, where she heard was the one place to get help against the great Dragon, she gave her single coin to the homeless beggar to let him purchase food and medicine. But lo! It was no mere zebra but one of their most powerful shamans. He heard the roar of Varathrax from over the horizon and foresaw the coming of Evergleam, and laid out that test of generosity. She proved her worth in his eyes, and he gave her a special map to a place the song of the earth guided her to: a place where stars themselves touched the world's surface, and still communed with those who were brave enough to come to them."
Rainbow_Dash's head is full of stars. The light of the heavens shines in her eyes, and the music of the spheres stirs her heart. This story was getting better and better!
"Over desert and plain and grassland she traveled, climbing the mountains at the edge of Neighara's desert. At the lowest ledge of the highest peak, she found an enchanted tree, from which she tore loose a stick to help her travel. On and on she went up, to the top of the greatest mountain of the range, where the air was thin and the clouds were few. There the Sun did not even manage to reach overhead, and the stars shined brightly at all hours of the day. And there she stood and shouted for three full days, hoping to get an answer, and the stars said nothing in return. Evergleam maintained her vigil till she was faint with hunger and thirst, until at last one of the stars looked down upon her, and asked what she was here for. Evergleam explained her mission, and the star asked her this: what force could defeat the undefeatable, could outlast the everlasting, and shine without light? Evergleam answered it sounded like nothing could, and since all she had to go on was the steps shown to her, she'd just have to do her best and take one step at a time until any or all of those things were done. And the star said that though her answer was not correct, it was wise. And the stick she tore from the tree was imbued with a great light, and became a mighty lance, the one thing on the earth that could pierce the scales of Varathrax." Bardigan gives the crowd a vicious smile. "Evergleam had the first weapon in her arsenal."
"The first weapon!" says Rainbow Dash, totally captured by the story at this point. "She had more? Did they explode in rainbows?"
"Not quite!" Bardigan exclaims. "It shone with the power of the stars themselves, and was just as magical. Evergleam left the mountain and returned to the zebra. She needed a suit of armor that could withstand the fires of an Old Dragon, and only the war-like minotaurs could provide her with that, for their greatest smiths held Heorot's Forge. With the zebra's help she crossed the desert and went towards the Western Continent, where all things are old and magical. Every day in her travels she heard the roar of Varathrax proclaiming his dominion over the earth, and it spurred her on even when she grew weary, his pride feeding her righteous anger. Across the land of jungles and bongo and takin and water dragons she traveled, across another ocean, until she came to the Ashlands, where all was volcanoes and sulfur, and salamanders lived. In the heart of the earth in that terrible place she met with the minotaurs who worked Heorot's Forge, the greatest metalsmithy in the world. A single minotaur met her there, on a bridge leading to the Forge. Many had come, but none were denied entry to see the minotaurs' secrets. If she could withstand a single blow of his hammer, she could enter. And Evergleam reached deep into the earth, for its magic was strong here where the earth was born. She Set her hooves in the rock, and the earth stood with her against the minotaur's single blow, which was so strong it cracked the bridge in two. And for the first time since the Forge was founded, an outsider was allowed entry. The song of the earth sang to her Earth Pony soul, and the heat of the volcanoes didn't bother her a bit."
Rainbow_Dash gapes. Earth ponies with their own magic? That was really weird! But she /did/ remember hearing about it, somewhere, about how all the races of pony had their own kind of magic, and the magic of the unicorns was even more mysterious and frightening than it is now. A whole population of Twilights! That itself was a pretty fantastic idea. She also has this strange image of Applejack making apples fall off the trees through willpower, through her connection with earth. Hey, was Granny Smith like those ancient earth ponies, with the way she made zap-apple jam? She was certainly old enough!
And Pinkie? Maybe /she/ has...nah, Pinkie was just /weird/.
Every pony has their magic! Bardigan would say so if he didn't have a story to tell. "The minotaurs forged for her armor there in the heart of the earth, with fire so hot and so full of life that Varathrax's black and evil flame couldn't overcome it! It was the fire of the earth's creation that smelted the ore that made her armor, and though it could never be crushed or pierced, it was light as a feather on Evergleam's body. Ooh, it was purest silver and hardest steel all in one! From that day on she wore the armor, always ready for the fateful battle. But one more thing she needed... the power to spread hope and friendship to her fellow ponies, who were more divided than ever under the rule of Varathrax. And so she returned to her home in the divided pony kingdoms, and turned to the one tribe that turned its back on all the others... the Pegasi, and their ability to make rainbows. But they were obstinate, and did not believe an Earth Pony who had abandoned her home and come back after so long deserved their help, nor had the power to defeat Varathrax when their greatest champions were slaughtered in droves. She came to them in an airship, and they scoffed at her, insulted that she tried to talk to them like equals. But one Pegasus believed: the daughter of General Thunderhoof, the leader of the Pegasi. From under his nose she stole a Rainbow Horn, which when blown could create a rainbow in the sky, a sign of victory and signal for help to all ponies. Blow this and any Pegasus worth their salt will come to help, she told Evergleam. And Evergleam went next to the Unicorns, where King Palladium still sat morose in the ruins of his city, mourning his daughter..."
Now here is where Rainbow Dash starts feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't easy having to hear about the pegasi giving the hero a hard time, but then again, she /has/ met a lot of stick-in-the-mud pegasi before. She imagines the faces of those bullies from flight school facing off against Evergleam and the general's daughter. Yeah, that definitely seems appropriate.
"Since Evergleam found no help with the Pegasi save for the horn, she turned to the Unicorns, who had suffered most. They were prideful like the Pegasi and enjoyed beauty and high learning, and Varthrax had torn away all of that. She promised Palladium that she would take revenge for every pony slain, including Princess Bismuth, if she would but have use of their great magic to employ against the dragon. For though she was an Earth Pony and if she Set her hooves in the earth she could kick down a mountain if she needed, she would need more than that. She would need levitation to match the dragon's wings, and teleportation should the need to escape arise. The king gave her more than that: he gave her command of her army, and hailed her as the savior of the realm. Evergleam wanted none of that, but she took it with grace to avoid upsetting the king. Her own fellow Earth Ponies she gave one of the greatest tasks: to remember her as she was, not as the legendary hero she became. She told them to keep the story of her song deep within the Earth, dark and humble, so that she could be remembered as a pony above everything else. And then, she led her ragtag army to the edge of the Three Kingdoms, far away from where the battle could hurt any more ponies. And there, at the foot of the mighty mountain of Heorot's Reach, she put the Rainbow Horn to her lips... and blew."
Rainbow_Dash doesn't want to speak a word or make a sound, lest she totally ruin the mod that Bardigan is building. She leans forward and looks at the stallion with wide excitement, the images of an epic battle, with spear and shield and the clink-clank of armor, unfolding before her. Oh man oh man this is gonna be great!
"The sound echoed through all the Three Kingdoms. In its wake a rainbow stretched across the entire land, and ponies everywhere wondered what it could mean. Varathrax knew, however, and he laughed that a worthy foe had come to him at last. And he chased Evergleam to the edge of the earth where she waited for him, and the King's army quaked at his coming. Evergleam told them that she didn't want one more pony to die from Varathrax's claws. Let her be the last victim if that would bring peace! But every pony there, though they were all Unicorns, saw something in that Earth Pony they hadn't before, and resolved to stay and fight with her. Varathrax came down to the mountain, and looked down upon the tiny pony who dared to defy him. 'What's this?' he asked. 'What's this? I'm insulted! I thought another great beast of the Morning Age awaited me, but I find just one little pony of the Earth! I scorched your Earth, pony, and now I will burn you too!' And Evergleam waited for his great fire. And he snorted one great breath, *FWOOSH!*" And Bardigan throws his hooves in the air to simulate a fireball. "And his dark fire consumed Evergleam! But when the fire faded, there she stood in her armor, which was barely singed. 'Just an Earth Pony?' she replied. 'I'm *a* pony! A pony who fights for *all* ponies! I have hope in every tribe and foal and king! I have hope that we will live together again in peace! I'm here to fight for that future! A future free of *you!*'" Bardigan spreads his wings and puffs out his chest. "And the King's army, every Unicorn gathered there, let loose a burst of magic such as never had been before, inspired by Evergleam's courage. It struck Varathrax on his armored breast, and he recoiled from the sheer power of their hope! And Varathrax knew now he faced ponies that were no longer afraid of his warmongering, and he *roared* like he never had before. But before he could smite the army like he had so many before him, Evergleam lifted her lance and the power of the stars blinded his one eye. 'This is my fight!' she told the ponies with her. 'Don't come forward, whatever you do! If I should fall, you must be the last line of defense! We will conquer today, or all ponies will perish!' And the army withdrew under the cover of her light, leaving her alone against a very surprised, very *angry* Varathrax."
( By now Bardigan's tale has attracted the attention of the entire restaurant. Ponies otherwise occupied have dropped whatever they're doing just to walk up and listen. The waiters try in vain to restore order and get everypony back to their tables, but in the end they relent and improvise, serving meals to the ponies where they stand. The gathered shadow beneath lamp and candle quivers in anticipation as Bardigan recites the final battle. Rainbow Dash holds her breath, feeling the hairs of her mane stand on their ends as if the dragon's fire has singed them. )
"And from here, Rainbow *should* know the story, as this was where the ending came! Unless you want to hear about the battle again?" Bardigan asks Rainbow with a teasing grin. "Of course you do! And the One-Eyed Dragon *roared* mightily, spreading out his wings! And what wings they were. Towering over the highest peaks, blotting out the sun! Evergleam had never *seen* such a mighty beast before. But she set her jaw and prepared her enchanted lance. She charged forward, one pony against a mountain! But she had the strength of the whole earth at her hooves and wouldn't be swayed. Varathrax laughed wickedly, 'Ha ha ha!' and it shook the very earth. And with one mighty breath, the entire mountainside was engulfed in flame! For an entire day and night they burned though there was no fuel but the rocks of the mountain, and the King's army couldn't see, only heard the sounds of battle and doom as Evergleam gave her all against the Old Dragon, bringing hope and love against the primordial evil of a creature more element than alive! They saw only the tip of her starry lance and the evil eye of the Dragon as they battled, one small pony grappling with a monster hundreds of times her size."
Rainbow_Dash definitely appreciates hearing the ending again; everything is coming together now! Everypony in the restaurant is hushed, their voices captured by the sacred air of storytelling.
"And on the second day... silence," Bardigan says, letting a hush fall over the room. "Total silence... until the unicorns lifted the Sun above Varathrax's smoke one last time to see through the gloom. And a great sound was heard! Evergleam's horn wildly blowing over the mountain peaks, over all the earth, declaring victory to any and all who had the ears to hear it! One of the great Old Ones was slain, and his evil would never trouble ponykind or any other creature again!" And from there, the story comes to a slow, falling halt, as Bardigan recounts as much of the aftermath as he is asked, up to and including the mysterious fate of Evergleam, who after refusing to lead the ponies in further conflict against each other, gave her enchanted weapons back to their owners, and was sadly never heard from again.
At once the entire restaurant breaks into raucous applause. "Hooray for Evergleam!" shouts one mare. "Bravo, bravo, an excellent story!" says a finely-dressed stallion. Most happy of all, however, was Rainbow Dash, her most eyes beaming with satisfaction. "Oh yeah, oh yeah, /that's/ a story!" she declares, sighing contently and having a nice, long sip of her apple-hay stew. Quite a night this turned out to be!