Chapter Three: Part Six
Berry watched as the two of them left, feeling slightly miffed for being given guard duty. Not the worst job she's ever had, but not far from it. It's just that it's so boring. Not only that, once the other two left her sight, as well as ear-shot, she suddenly became very aware that she was all alone in a very big, and most likely very dangerous swamp. Not truly alone, but might as well be, for Lyra's blank stare told her that she wasn't going to be worth too much to talk to. Pity really. Lyra's drunk-speak was simply beautiful. It had been a long time since she'd encountered a pony who could speak that language with such eloquence and grace. The last time she had encountered a pony like that was a random farmer who'd she bumped into during one her many parties in Canterlot. She couldn't recall her name or where she was from, but goodness did she know how to drunk-speak. Didn't she have a brown hat? Or was it a brown coat?
Berry was a little sad. If only Lyra wasn't sedated. Her once gorgeous speech had devolved to nothing more then giggly-gurgling noises. It was rather silly to listen too, but not enough to break the funk Berry suddenly found herself feeling. That and Lyra's drooling didn't do much to improve Berry's mood either.
She sat down and looked around. The swamp was as unpleasant as could be. It smelled rather funky (it actually smelled rather wretched, but since Berry's sense of smell was broken from years of smelling her own breath, she couldn't quite make out that part of the smell), and the constant gloom was depressing. Everything was wet, and if not wet, then damp. She, as well as everypony else, was soaked to the bone with filthy water, and she was pretty sure that mosquitoes were the most abundant form of life here. She had long ago given up on the hope that she would be able to keep them off, and resigned to being eaten alive. There were fallen tree logs covered with moss, water that was varying shades of sickly green, and at the edge of her vision, what looked like little lantern lights hopping and bouncing about. All of them seemed to call to her, beckoning her to follow. Thankfully, she had been warned ahead of time, and knew to simply stay put. Still, she was tempted. After all, anything had to be better then sitting there, waiting to be eaten by who knows what, guarding a boring drunk.
It was times like this she wish she had a drink.
She shook her head. Now was not the time for such things! She had an important duty to preform, and by Joe's Doughnuts (best place to get a jelly-filled doughnut this side of Canterlot by the way) she was gonna do it! Even if the sound of a twig falling into some water made her jump into the air. She looked around frantically, trying to figure out what it was, and where it came from.
“Lyra! Did you hear that?” she asked suddenly, then felt rather silly for so doing. After all, Lyra was in no condition to respond. “Yeah … nevermind.” she sighed and sat down again. The only response she heard was that odd hum-gurgle that Lyra had begun to do again, although something sounded different about it this time. She raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her. “Lyra-”
She saw Lyra lying on her back, her horn glowing, and above her head, suspended by magic, was a large orb of swamp water. Berry gasped as Lyra slurred an eloquent <Water!!>, then dropped the whole orb into her waiting mouth.
And that's about when reality broke, for Lyra anyway. As for Berry, she dove to intercept the water, but was just a little too slow as the orb entered Lyra's mouth, who then gulped the whole thing in one mighty gulp. Berry, not to be defeated by water, slammed Lyra in the chest in an effort to get her to spit it back out. It almost worked too, if not for the fact that she suddenly saw Lyra's magic wrap around the ejected water and force it back down her throat. “OH COME ON!” she cried as she slammed her chest again. The water came out once more, and moving quickly, she planted her hoof onto Lyra's mouth to keep it shut. She grinned as she looked at the orb of water that now hung suspended in the air, just above Lyra's face.
It then flashed, and disappeared.
Berry blinked a few times. Then looked down. She saw the glow of Lyra's magic radiating from Lyra's own tummy. D-Did she just teleport the water directly into her stomach? She watched in one part fascination and two parts horror as the glow began spreading throughout her body. She watched as Lyra's veins began to glow as the magic began spreading through her body. Berry had to admit, it would have looked pretty cool if she wasn't so horrified by what was happening.
“L-Lyra!” she cried. What could she do? Was there anything she could do? Think! There must be something she could do! She looked around, a bit of panic filling her mind. This is bad, this is really bad! She tried to calm her mind (and nerves for that matter), but try as she might she simply couldn't as panic began filling her mind.
If only she had a drink to calm her nerves!
She felt a soft touch against her hoof, and looked down with a panicked expression. There it was, the bottle, sitting there, conveniently next to her hoof. Why, even the top had been removed and it was full of fluid ripe and ready for the drinking. It was even cold to the touch.
But no! No power in Equestria could get him to drink that bottle again! No power whatso-
Oh, rats…
*****
Bon-Bon let out a terrible cry of pain as she suddenly became the landing pad of the mysterious pony who had just dropped in on them. Said cry, however, was lost in a nice puddle of swamp mud as Bon-Bon's face had been planted into it as she had opened her mouth. Thus, Colgate was woefully unaware that Bon-Bon really could use another shot of Novocaine. That aside, there was the matter of the pony who'd just fell on her.
“Oh gosh! Are you okay? Here, let me hel-”
“No! I, Photo Finish, am perfectly fine!” the pony replied as she scrambled to her hooves.
Colgate's jaw dropped. Did she just say Photo Finish? THE Photo Finish? She looked her up and down. The pony before her did indeed match the pictures of Photo Finish. She also looked much like the pony who had come to Ponyville. White mane, striped top, teal coat, and giant glasses to match her scarf. It was all there. She even sounded like her. “PHOTO FINISH?” she exclaimed. “How-why-when-what-”
“Silence!” Photo held a hoof to Colgate's lips. “I, Photo Finish, have come into dis place to see my beloved!”
“Your what?” Colgate tilted her head in disbelief.
“My beloved! 'e is here! He lives in this very swamp!” she exclaimed, throwing a hoof rather dramatically into the air.
“Okay...” Colgate took a step back. She was stunned. THE actual Photo Finish was right here, right in front of her! She'd been something of a fan of Photo's work for some time now, and even humored the odd dream or two of being a model of hers. “I didn't know you had a special somepony.”
Photo adjusted her over-sized glasses as she paused. “It is true. I have seen to it that few ponies know.”
“Why?” Colgate was even more surprised. Photo Finish had a special somepony? Sure, it was strange enough to run into her in the middle of a swamp, but now this? If she had known that this quest for the Legendary Lost Toothbrush of the Royal Sisters would involve such strange events, she would have asked a journalist to accompony her and Berry.
“Ze scandal! Ze rumors! 'e would never be safe from the prying eyes of the press! So, I have kept it a secret! And now you will too!” Photo said, pointing a hoof at Colgate. Thankfully, her tone was more of matter-of-fact, as though she knew that Colgate would respect her wishes, rather then a threat or a command.
“O-okay. Sure.” She had to admit, this would have made for some very juicy gossip, but she respected the mare and her work, so shut her mouth would stay.
“Danke.” Photo nodded.
“Uh, gesundheit?” Colgate replied, not entirely sure what Photo had just said. Photo simply shook her head. Then there was a pause. “So,” Colgate said to break the awkward moment, “you met him in a swamp? What were the two of you doing here?”
Photo struck a dramatic pose. “It is a tale of daring!” She shifted her position. “A tale of romance! And above all, a tale of FASHION!” She stomped a hoof for emphasis, causing the ground that she stood on to suddenly tremble and dozens of bubbles to appear in the mud. She and Colgate both looked down.
“Bon-Bon!” Colgate cried. Her unfortunate friend was all but unrecognizable now that she was almost completely submerged in the mud.
“Ach!” Photo cried, then jumped off of her. “I am sorry little pony! I did not see you there!”
Both Colgate and Photo grabbed Bon-Bon and pulled her out of the mud and laid her on her side. Bon-Bon gasped as she spat out mud and took a deep breath.
“Bon-Bon! Are you alright?” Colgate looked her up and down, her eyes full of worry and concern.
“Peachy.” Bon-Bon said with unamused eyes.
“You are not fine! You need a doctor! Come, we go!” Photo said so suddenly and with such curtness that Colgate did a double take.
“Wait, wait. A doctor? Where?” Colgate raised an eyebrow.
“You do not know of the Doctor of Hayseed?” Photo asked, raising an eyebrow of her own.
Bon-Bon moaned. “Only rumors...” she manged to say
“Bah! You come to Hayseed, and you do not know of the Doctor? Did you come into this place blind?” she asked, rather rudely if you ask me.
“Wh-what?” Colgate asked, rather surprised by Photo's sudden change in manners.
“Bah! We have no time to waste sitting here! Come, I will take you to him!” She turned on the spot, and began marching off.
“H-hold on!” Colgate shouted after her. “We've got two more friends! Not to mention Bon-Bon here can't even move!”
“Yes I can. Though it's more of a painful twitching really...” Bon-Bon smiled weakly.
Photo stopped and turned around. She looked at the two of them for several moments. From Colgate's perspective, it looked as though she was just staring at the two of them at once. Though she figured her eyes were darting back and forth between the two of them. Much like that time when the medical examiner was staring right into her soul as she started listing things off that she had done wrong with the test sample they were working with that day. Though she could see the examiner's eyes, and they were fixed firmly on her, she got the distinct impression that said examiner was able to look at both her and the rather sorry-looking sample.
“They can walk, yes?” Photo asked, knocking Colgate out her thoughts.
“One can, the other can not.” Bon-Bon said.
“I see.” Photo said simply. “You stay here, I go find help!” She turned sharply, and walked off into the swamp.
“Bon-Bon…” Colgate stared at the spot where Photo had just disappeared into the swamp. “Did that just happen?”
“Did Photo Finish really just fall out of a tree and walk off into a swamp to find a doctor to treat me? Yes. Yes it did Colgate.” Bon-Bon didn't sound too good, given the levels of pain Colgate could hear in her voice. “To be honest, I was afraid that I had eaten some of the swamp mud and was seeing things.”
“What should we do? Should we follow her?” Colgate asked.
“Well, no offense Colgate, but I doubt your ability to carry me far, as well as my ability to walk. So, barring Lyra making a miraculous recovery, and/or Berry drinking that bottle again, I think we're stuck waiting here until she gets back.”
Colgate harrumphed, and sat on the ground quite grumpily. Granted, Bon-Bon had a point, but she didn't need to say it like that! “Fine. But when she comes backs, I'm getting some answers!” she frowned a frown. “It just doesn't make any sense. Why would a pony like Photo Finish be in the middle of a swamp like this?”
“And stuck in a tree.” Bon-Bon too looked as though she was deep in thought. That or excruciating pain. Colgate couldn't quite tell based on her expression.
And it was about at this point when Berry came crashing through the swamp, tripped over Bon-Bon, landed on his backside, slid on the ground, stopped at Colgate's hooves, and cried: “LYRA'S SEEING VISIONS!”