//------------------------------//
// Rocky Road 
// Story: A study of Harmony 
// by Sugar Dove 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 2

A Rocky Road.

The excited band trotted down the hillside from Canterlot. The sun had barely risen above the horizon. They animatedly talked about all the places they wanted to see and the things they wanted to do. It wasn't long though before the early start started getting to some of the ponies.
Sugar Dove yawned, closely followed by Gamersedge. The pair laughed at each other, "That was totally your fault," Egde joked,
"Probably," yawned Dove in response.
"Honestly!" Steadfast called from the front of the group, "Do you two ever go to sleep or are you always this sleepy?"
"Always this sleepy." Dove replied, holding a hoof to her snout to stop from yawning, "So where to first?"
"Well I don't know," D said, "You packed a map right?"
Dove nodded sleepily and pulled it from her bag, Rouge instantly levitated it before the group. 
"Ponyville would be the obvious choice," Dove suggested, "That is where the last barers came from. It would be a good place to start and we could visit the famous Apple Orchards."
"Sounds good to me," Edge licked his lips at the thought of the apples.
"Why not." Rouge said rolling up the map and returning it to Doves bag.
Steadfast turned to take the lead. "Well then we'll just stick to the path downhill. Less stress on the hooves for our first days travel."
The group let Steadfast take the lead. He was more of an outdoor type than the rest of them. And since they couldn't go wrong with following the path they simply returned to general banter. The main topic of conversation being D's attire.
"So tell me again whats with the contracption?" Sugar nodded to the mechanical wings strapped onto his back, his bags hanging stuffed  underneath them.
D raised his head with pride and flicked his tail as if on show. "They are simply mechanical wings, fully working and absolutely fantastic if I do say so myself. However I do need a high up area to take off from as they need a bit of speed to get started. They are rather heavy."
"They look steampunk." Dove said plainly.
"You think...I never noticed."
Rouge looked back at them and admired them artistically but added, "But why do you need wings. You have magic?"
"Well yes but unicorns can't fly, you need really powerful magic to conjure spells that can do that. Not to mention I have the technical skills to build them so why not."
"He has a point." Edge agreed.
"We could test them." D said.
"Really?" Edge said excitedly. 
"No!" Dove's tone edged up a notch.
"Why not?" D asked.
"Cause I can't catch you if anything goes wrong."
"I'm not expecting you to catch me. They are going to work. I looked at all the possibilities and we're definitely above the needed height to gain the necassary velocity."
"No!" 
"But..."
"No. Period. No. There is no way you figured everything out! Its impossible and I'm not fast enough, strong enough or brave enough to catch you if it goes wrong."
"Oh come on Dove! Its going to work. Besides, you can't stop me."
"Pride before the fall D." Dove warned.
"Nah! I got this. Watch." He stepped confidently up to the road edge looked down and assessed the drop, with magic from his horn he flicked a switch below the metallic wings. They heaved into life, flapping up and down, the leather between the panels going ridgid and loose with each swaying beat. D took a few hoof steps back and galloped off the edge into a dive. Rouge, Dove and Edge leaned eagerly over the edge to watch. Steadfast hadn't noticed form the front of the group. 
At first everything looked alright then it dawned on them that he wasn't pulling up. It wasn't going to work. Edge bit on his lip anxiously. Dove kicked off her bags, opened her wings and without thinking leapt after D.  She straightened her body and folded her wings to gain speed. She was barely catching up, and just managed to grip onto D's tail. She opened her wings and tried to catch the air, then flapped desparately trying to either pull up or slow the pair down. 
Crash! Crackle! Creek! Snap! Ruslte! Erk! Thud!
"They Crashed!" Edge leapt back from the ledge from panic almost tripping on Doves abandoned backpack. Moonlight was sitting on it peacefully at the time and pecked in annoyance at the pony. "Ow!" 
Steadfast stopped in his trails when he had heard Edge yell, looking back to see only two of his fellow travellers immediately looked down to see a break in the trees where he assumed the other two had ended up. "What happened?!" He yelled back.
"D was testing his new invention, clearly didn't work, Dove went to catch him and they've both crashed." Rouge said, the height of calm.
Edge on the other hand had grabbed Doves bags and had taken off at a gallop downhill. 
"Quick we gotta find them!" 
Steadfast nodded to Rouge and the pair galloped after him.
Meanwhile beneath the tree line a dazed D shrugged out of his battered contraption and sat on the leafy, pine covered ground. He looked up at Dove.
"Shut Up." She said flatly. Her tail caught in a tree branch above, her wings hanging loosly behind her.  
"Sorry." D said simply. 
The pair looked a little shaky, both covered in scratches and bruises. D mostly protected by his contraption had a few scratches on his cheeks. Dove was thoroughly battered, a small bruise forming on her flank and feathers malting from her wings.
She sighed weakly. "Thats ok, it was a pretty cool idea. You'll fix it I'm sure."
"Guess your right about the pride thing." D joked, smiling. "Now lets get you down." He said going round to her wings and tugging.
"OW!" She complained, but still didn't budge from the tree. Her tail properly knotted.
D tried a different approach, but still no luck. "Looks like we may have to cut you down. Tail or branch." 
Dove peered up at her tail, she was rather fond of it, but she was getting head light from hanging. "What can we use?" 
The unicorn rumaged in his bags, but couldn't find anything significant. He looked about for rocks or loose bark. Nothing. "I'm going to try find the path. I'll get help ok."
"Dont leave me!" Dove pleaded.
"Just hang in there, you leapt didn't you. You'll be brave..." He said as he galloped off into the treeline and out of sight.
Dove hung alone.

A Race to the bottom.

Edge was fast and was the first to get half way down the hill. However he wasn't pacing himself well and within moments of stopping to breath Steadfast galloped past. Edge wearily lifted a hoof in protest then sighed. Rouge came up behind him. "Are you ok? You look a little ... off." 
Edge frowned determined and chased after Steadfast. Rouge shrugged to herself and continued on at the pace that suited her. She tried to look calm but on the inside was full of butterflies. Truth be told, she thought to herself, I'm not a calm pony. 
Nor, clearly, was Edge. Frantically giving it his all to get to the bottom of the hill. He had known Dove for the longest of the group, he knew she wasnt a strong flier. What if she was hurt?!? He paniced.

Meanwhile D had dashed his way through the tree line, occasionally making a trail by carving crosses into tree's with his horn. He had remembered the angle he had come down at and knew which way would return him to the path. After a couple of scrapes and and carving up what felt like half the forest he reached the edge. The light of the sun was dazzling and almost blinded him at first. He blinked and looked about. The path wasn't far from the tree line. Up above was the mountain. Rouge and Steadfast's bright pelts could be seen clearly from there even though they were still a considerable height up. 
D took in his surroundings and snatched up a twig. He trotted over to the path and carved less than delicately with the twig and arrow pointing towards the blackness he had just come out of. He even drew a squiggle picture of himself for good measure. Not that it would necassarily be recognisable to anypony except him. He looked up again. Thought for a moment. Then put a hoof to his mouth and shouted as loud as he possibly could. His voice echoed upwards. 
"Down here!"
To his surprise and to those above. They heard him. Rouge stopped in her tracks, as did Edge who skidded straight into Steadfast;  D waved up to them, he pointed at the arrow and ran back into the woods to make sure Dove was ok.

Back on the trail, having seen D the group were relieved slightly. At least D was alright. "What was he pointing at? Or at least I think he was pointing." Rouge said as the group again took to the task of speeding down the mountain.  "Hey! Hold up! I'm not that fast!" 

D hopped between trees and branches following his simple trail. This time he took it easy heading back in, careful not to get any more scraps. It took a while but he eventually found dove, he could hear her breathing heavily before he could even see her. When he saw her he found that her eyes were puffy and her forehead and mane were damp.
"Were you crying?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No," She said simply rubbing a hoof to her snour absently as though she had sniffled, although D asumed that by hanging upside down sniffling would have been impossible.
"That is a lie." He said back, as he came over and got underneath her, "Now I'm gonna push your head up, you have to use your wings to lift yourself up to the branch. Maybe we can get you loose before the rest get here."
Dove nodded, something that D noted as odd looking if you were hanging upside down, then he pushed her upwards, careful to keep his horn well clear, as she took over from there and flapped desparately at odd angles to hoist herself up. After what felt like forever with a swing here, push there and feathers strewn across the forest floor Dove was holding onto the branch but still with her wings pointing to the ground.
"Thats a start. Now swing round."
"I can't." Dove said. Hooves wrapped tightly around the branch as if for dear life. "My tails tugging, I'll just make it worse."
"Course you won't just gotta move back a bit and swing." 
After a moment she nodded and shifted slowly back a bit. She moved her wings to create a sideways draft and after much mucking about on her part was able to get another front hoof on the branch. Then with a final pull was upright on the branch. She sighed with relief and tucked her head into her hoofs, eyes closed and breathing softly.
"Now you've gotta start on your tail." D said.
Dove didn't move.
"Dove are you listening?"
"Let me get the blood back in my flank D! "
"Oh. Sorry."

Back on the trail. Steadfast had reached the bottom. "A new personal best," he muttered to himself. Rouge and Edge still a considerable bit  up the hill.  "I'll go ahead!" He called up to them. 
There was a barely audible ok from Rouge.
Steadfast galloped on. Every thud of his hooves on the soft dirt track sent dust flying up behind him. It took him no time at all to find the drawing on the path. The arrow pointing towards the woods. Crosses on the trees. It was safe to assume this was a trail. 
He simply got stuck in. He was a keen outdoor pony. He  could handle the rough ground. However his backpack didn't agree as it snagged occasionally on passing branches. From time to time he would stop to consider the trail but otherwise reached the pair in no time. 
D was sat on his haunches looking up and Sugar Dove. 
"What the hay are you two up to?" He said.
The pair jumped when they heard him. 
"How did you sneak up on us? I made heaps of noise getting through the trees!" 
"I'm a professional. So whats happening? Why didn't you just go to the path?"
Dove blushed a little from where she sat. "I'm stuck." She flicked her tail only to cause a rustle of the twigs and leaves it was caught in.
"Ah." He sighed, "That is typical of you Dove."
"Thanks I'll remember that when you get stuck."
The pair smiled. D looked at them each in turn with a confused look on his face. "In joke." Dove confirmed.
"Right so move over little one and let the stallion have a look."
"Hey!"  D complained, even though he moved aside, "And how are you going to reach her?" He questioned Steadfast. 
Steadfast stopped dead. "Um..."
Suddenly there was some crashing of leaves and some yelling. Edge tumbled into view. "Dove!" He wheezed, "You alright?!?!"
Dove smiled softly, "I'm fine, you need a sit down." Edge nodded and oblidged, Rouge right behind him complained.
"What the hay was that stick thing you drew on the path meant to be and how the hay were we meant to follow those little barely visible carvings!!! D you are hopeless!"
"Thats why your the artist." He swiftly replied.
The group went silent then looked to one another. Then they all laughed at the akwardness of the situation. Steadfast set down his pack and started to see if there was anything in there that could help. Edge panted wearily for a moment but was soon his normal self. Rouge came and stood beneath Dove and looked up. She then simply stated.
"Your stuck."
"Yes."
She paused.
"This is why you failed flight school isn't it?"
Dove mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." 
"So nobody packed a knife or anything?" Rouge said loudly.
All the ponies dipped their heads and didn't look directly at her. Rouge almost laughed. "And you call yourselves prepared!" She said as she rummaged in her bag.
"Actually I didn't say..." D started but Rouge interupted.
"Ah! Here we are." She said levitating a small make shift blade like tool. "Its for sculpting models but it was sitting in my art tools so I grabbed it. " She brought it up to Doves height, "Now hold still and I'll see what I can do."
"Please watch the tail..." Dove whinced.
A few crackles later and a pile of leaves and twigs fell to the ground along with some strands of matted tail. Rouge's tool considerably more blunt that before. 
She put it away with satisfaction. Dove flicked her tail and the rest of the debris flew off. There was still some bits stuck in her tail but she was free and much happier for it. With a happy breigh she leapt down from the tree but found that her knees were still wobbly from having hung so long. With a little Whoah she lay down on her front.
"Whats wrong?" Edge creapt forward concerned.
"Nothing. Just numb. I was hanging there for a while."
"Hanging?" Steadfast chipped in.
"Dont even go there." Dove stopped him.
"Can you walk?" Edge said.
Dove looked to her hooves, flapped her roughed up wings and decided, "With difficulty."
Rouge shrugged, as did D. "Well we're too small to carry you."
"Well dont look at me!" Steadfast added swiftly.
Edge didn't need prompting he had swiftly leapt to Doves side. Flicked her over his back and smiled. "I've got it covered."
"Shall I take both the bags them to reduce the wait?" Rouge offered.
"No I got this!" 	Edge said far too keenly.
"Well at least we're not far now, that little mishap has saved us half a days journey. We'll be at ponyville by sundown." Steadfast pointed out.
"We'd be there now if we took the train." D added cheerfully.

****