Count On Me
In the middle of Fall, the leaves rustled, crackling as they were sent flying from the slightest of breezes, falling from trees as the season rounded the corner, rocking ever so gracefully to the ground, falling onto one another, one by one. They produced an unorganized pattern of red, orange and yellow, only just beginning to cover the forest floor, matching the colour of the pillars of light that poked through the shade. They lay scattered around the quaint village's premises, with ponies swiftly attempting to remove them from paths, shophouses and doorways. As they were swept away, more would merely take their place.
The luscious green vegetation, lightly swaying in synchronization as the wind rushed onto those that still withstood the passing of seasons; Trees that futilely battled against the will of nature still stood, slowly but surely, giving up their shades of green to the bare branches that were bound to follow. They towered above the ground, shadowing the ground with their tangled web of wooded limbs. The vines, the bushes, the flowers, all still stood strong against the test of time; The deciduous plants were slowly withering, as if they were fighting the turn of the season. They produced an almost unnoticeable scent, whilst the flowers produced a weak scent on their own. While it is weak from one, together, they make a beautiful, pure smell that hangs throughout the dying woods, and is carried into Ponyville with the wind. It is a scent that is not tainted by the presence of man, or their assemblies of progress and industry that polluted the other world.
A mirage of a faded rainbow trailed behind the Cyan pegasus, sending a wave of red, orange and yellow swirling into the air as she sped past. Rainbow Dash zoomed through the town, heading for the only tree that withstood the season of Autumn in the center of the town. With a cocky, confident attitude that always followed her, she bolted through a circular window, swinging it back on its hinges that were carved into the centuries-old Oak. Slowing gracefully to a halt right in the center of the public library, she spied her Lavender coloured friend, arranging, sorting, organizing, something that she had been used to her entire life.
"Hey Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled out above her.
"Gah!" Twilight lost control of a set of telekinetically held books, sending them clattering to the ground. She allowed a small groan to escape her lips. "You just enjoy doing that, don't you?"
"Never gets old." Rainbow Dash chuckled as she landed.
"And close that window, you're letting all the chilly air in!" Twilight peevishly shut the glass circle with her magic.
"Right. Anyways, Winter's coming up pretty quickly, and Applejack and I were just suggesting one last bondfire gathering before the snow can fall. What'dya say?"
"I don't know, Rainbow Dash." Twilight hesitated. "It's pretty cold out, and I've gotta get this new cargo organized before Winter..."
"Lighten up, Twilight! You're always busy anyway!" Rainbow Dash brashly stated. "C'mon, it'll be fun! Everypony else already said yes."
"Ugh, fine." Twilight slotted each book neatly into their allotted places on their shelves. Behind her, four more boxes were stacked at the other corner of the room.
"Great! We'll be at the countryside, near the edge of town tonight." The rainbow-maned pegasus lifted back of the floor of the library. Just before she headed out the door, she stopped. "Oh, and should we invite Keith?"
"Why not? He's our friend, isn't he?" Twilight turned from her seemingly endless shelves of reading material.
"We can try. You do know how busy he's been lately though, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, he hass busy; moving on Earth, supervising his residence here, re-arming himself for hoof-knows-what reason, and all the while, recovering from that little injury he gave himself." Twilight sighed. "Yeah, he's grown a little distant. Doesn't mean we can't try."
"Could you do it?" Rainbow Dash opened the door to the library, letting in a chilly draft. "I'm trying to get the others. 'Kay thanks bye!" She whizzed out into the cold, brisk winds without even waiting for a response.
Twilight, closed the door behind her friend. She sighed again at the Element of Loyalty's unkempt behaviour, wondering when she will ever learn.
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Twilight Sparkle trotted up the newly beaten path at a brisk pace. With a pink and white striped scarf around her neck, she made her way up the residence of her only Human friend.
The new thin road lead right up to the door of his new house, surrounded by grass that was now dry and withering from the season. The house itself was a work in progress. It was no ordinary, block house. From the outside, it was a magnificent layered circular building made of uncarved stone, boasting tints of white, grey and black and cemented together in a rigid pattern. Each floor was smaller than the previous one, a smaller circle than the one before, like a strange imitation of a layered cake. With three floors completed, and another one still in the middle of construction. The workers had left, as the sun was already setting, leaving the wooden frame of the next one and a half stories bare for the chilly air. A pile of stone, sand and cement were left aside in the fields as construction took a temporary halt. Although incomplete, the first two floors were livable, with the houses only resident residing within.
The entrance had two parts. Sticking out of the side of the first storey was what looked like a glass booth, supported externally by a wood frame. Abruptly poking out of the stone exterior, it was a space between the outside and the indoors, an inner entrance big enough for a few ponies. Twilight entered the first entrance, a two part glass door, entering into the booth. Inside was another door that lead into the house. The booth got wider from the outside in, making it bigger than it appeared. She politely tapped on the internal door, which was made of frosted glass. It was a double door wide enough for ponies, and made the interior slightly visible.
After a second succession of rapid taps, Twilight made out a two-legged figure, rushing to the door. It was obviously Keith. Twilight perked up when the Human swung open the double doors. A wave of heat quickly engulfed the glass booth. The Human's expression was exuberant at the sight of the Unicorn, though a slightly frazzled one.
"Twilight! Didn't expect you to come up here. It's been awhile!" Keith stepped aside, welcoming Twilight into place. "Welcome to my 'humble abode'."
The inside was already furnished, with modern teak furniture from the living room and dining room that was visible from the center of the circular tower. Every room on the first floor was connected. Despite its stone exterior, what kept the inside warm was another layer of thick concrete, trapping the heat from a nearby radiator. The interior had a rather simplistic antique yet futuristic feel, with whitewashed walls and a metal spiral staircase all along the sides of the tower. The ceiling stopped at the second floor, barring off the parts that were still unfinished.
"This is barely humble." Twilight stared amazed at the quick work of a few months. "That was really fast!"
"Well, I got them going at a good price." Keith was in his usual black jeans and a comfortable plain white t-shirt. "I've moved some stuff from Earth here while I was at it."
"I see..." Twilight was baffled at the sight of the strange flat black screen that sided one wall of the living room.
"So what brings you here? I don't suppose this is just a visit?" Keith called from the kitchen, his top half disappeared behind a shiny, metallic refrigerator. He reappeared holding a bottle of grape juice.
"Yup." Twilight turned from the confusing sight of the flatscreen television. "Your not still knee-deep in work are you?"
"Nope. But I was." He sat down at the head of the dining table. Twilight joined him, The table was low enough for ponies and high enough for humans. "I've been working my ass off recently. Sorry if I brushed you girls off for the past month or so, but things have really been keeping me occupied. Both here and Earth, it's stressful, not to mention just a little weird for those who know me on Earth."
"Don't fret about it, Keith." Twilight placed a warm hoof on Keith's hand. "I understand. The others will probably get it too." She smile warmly at Ponyville's alien of a resident. We're having a final bondfire tonight. There won't be anymore time this year. Want to join us?"
"Last dry bondfire of the year?" The human ran a hand through his hair. "I wouldn't want to miss that, huh?"
"We're all going to be there. Trotter, the Crusaders, everypony!"
"Well, I guess I could use a little break. Training, building and moving sure takes a lot out of you."
"That's the spirit!" Twilight smiled warmly. "Bring marshmallows. We're making s'mores." She giggled excitedly on her way to the front door.
"I'll meet you at the bridge tonight?" Keith trailed behind her.
"Sounds good." The Unicorn exited from one door, opening and closing it with her magic. "We'll see you later!"
Keith looked on through the frosted glass, seeing his good friend disappear down the path. She had no idea how troubled he'd been. Having to go through most of the past few events in a pair of crutches was the hardest part. With a sigh, the bearer of Harmony headed of the spiraled flight of steps to the second floor. Here, there were four rooms; an office and study, a bedroom, a spare room that was still empty, and another room that essentially served as an armoury. Keith dragged his feet into the armoury. She also had no idea how little sleep he'd been getting either. Flicking the light switch to the metal-walled curved room, a single, custom-made rack was half-empty except for the two swords that was in his possession. On its opposing side was a hanging stand. It showed the golden-plated spaulders that Legion had so reluctantly parted with. Next to it hung the pair of snake-leather gloves. Now, it wasn't alone. Ingot and Driscoll had produced a pair of hard leather knee and elbow guards as well. Unfortunately, none of these items have been put to the test.
Keith turned to the other end of the room. On a slanted frame was his new pride. Glistening in the sunlight that entered from the opposite window. It came with a leather case; an almost oval shaped bag with a flap that was lined with a long row of little sewn slots. Nobody but him, Ingot or Driscoll had seen it yet. Nobody knew what it could do, but it was indeed significantly improved from its first model.
The human closed the flap to the unusual weapon, he would be bringing it with him. Not that he thought there would be trouble, but more as to let the others know what he took half of his time to work on in the past two months. It was definitely a lot safer model now. Turning out the light, Keith stepped out of the barren Armoury. He would prepare for the event later...
... after a nap.
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True to her word, everypony was there.
I walked up to the growing flame that ate away at the pile of dry branches. Above us, the stars of the night sky shimmered in a cloudless, empty space. They gathered at an empty patch of land, now a glowing yellow dot on a stretch of darkness. The town was quite a distance, and further beyond the site was the dreary entrance to the Everfree forest. For a moment, I doubted that the location of this event was really suitable.The air was at an ideal temperature, being warm enough for the will of most ponies, yet cold enough to have them don a piece of warm clothing. I too had a plain grey scarf to keep warm, draped neatly around my neck.
The bonfire was growing brighter by the minute, and as I approached the small crowd, I could feel the warm embrace of the blazing flame, crackling and spitting sparks and ash to fuel the fire. Everypony was occupied with one task or another. Rarity, complete with fashionable woolen boots, was preparing s'mores for the others. Around her sat the Cutie Mark Crusaders, struggling to perfect the technique of that sweet and scrumptious snack. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were off, salvaging fallen branches, sticks, twigs and anything that could burn. Pinkie Pie, as usual, was bouncing around in hype, finding stones and placing them around the growing flame, while Applejack stoked the fire. For some reason, everytime she bounced, the stones would jump out of the bucket, but land perfectly inside in a cartoony fashion. Twilight was talking to another Unicorn I hadn't seen in a while. Trotter seemed to be arguing with his fellow student and friend over some miniscule matter.
"...and I'm telling you, s'mores were discovered by the filly scouts!"
"That is not true! I-"
"Um... hi guys..." Abruptly ending their meaningless banter, both unicorns turned to me in delight. Nobody had noticed my presence until then.
"Ah, Conway! You made it!" The scholar still wore his Scholar's robe. I've yet to see him without it. "Not that I thought you wouldn't make it..."
"We're just about to gather round! We've got more than enough to keep us warm for the whole night!" Twilight spoke with anticipation, much like she did in her first sleepover.
"Speak for yourself!" Rarity slid into a fine purple sleeping bag and lay down by the fire.
"Alrighty, gather round everypony!" Applejack dropped a big wooden branch from her mouth, and replaced it with a S'more on a stick, licking her lips.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled together on one side, happily giggling away at a joke they cracked on themselves. One by one, we all settled down, enjoying the last cool outing in each other's company before Winter. They Mane Six had most likely done this before, but it was my first time joining them. Soon, we were all relaxed around the bonfire, waiting for the last two Pegasi to return.
In the middle of our conversations, a sudden swoosh of wind signaled Rainbow Dash's return. We expected a happier mood from the cyan pegasus, but her face bore an expression that was quite the opposite. Hovering above the bonfire, her scarlet eyes were as wide as the moon. She looked nervous, worried, and scared all at once. Something that was an uncommon sight in this brave pony.
"Guys!" She attracted everypony's attention. "Has anyone seen Fluttershy?" She spoke quickly and to the point.
"What? She wasn't with you?" Applejack immediately rose from her spot.
"She was. We split to cover more area, but now I can't find her!" Her voice cracked in worry. She darted her eyes all over the place, scanning the fields for the umpteenth time.
"Now calm down sugarcube," Applejack said. "We'll help find her. Where was she headin' when you girls split?"
"That's what I'm worried about!" Rainbow Dash gulped. "She was headed to the edge of the Everfree!"
Almost instantly, a deep silence came over the gathering. Nopony spoke, but some stared with dropped jaws. Other's showed no expression. I felt my heart kick at my chest and resound in my ears. Nopony moved, and the only sound heard was the crackling of the burning timber.
"THE EVERFREE?" Twilight shot up. "Why would she go that way?! That's dangerous!"
"I don't know! She had no intention to go in! It's just that are more trees along the edge of the forest, and-"
"This is no good, this is no good..."
"Rarity, I'm scared."
"It's alright Sweetie Belle, just stay calm and... THIS IS THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!"
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! We have to find her!"
The silence turned to an explosion of activity, Pinkie Pie galloped in circles while Rarity tried to calm the three fillies. Applejack and Twilight argued with Rainbow Dash over the careless decision. I was also at a loss for words. For now, the night was ruined, and my favourite pony could be in danger!
"Everyone! COOL IT!" Everyone dropped dead silent once more, turning their heads to the Scholar of Magic. Trotter had a stern look on his face and he didn't look as scared as the others. "Arguing like this is wasting time! We really should set out to find her! Who knows what could have happened?" He slung his saddlebag over his shoulder.
I snapped out of my panicked daze. There was no way I was going to sit and wait for news. I grabbed the bag I had brought with me from the armoury. Rising to my feet with determination. "I'm going. Anypony else?"
"We are!" The Mane Six answered in unison.
"Us too!" Applebloom waved a hoof.
"Oh, no you're not!" Applejack shoved her sister back on her haunches. "It's too dangerous for little fillies like you! Stay here, and wait. We'll be back!"
"I'll stay." Rarity reluctantly volunteered. "I don't know about you, but it would cause more trouble to leave them alone."
"As you wish, Rarity." Trotter turned to the direction of the dark damp forest.
"What are we waiting for?! Come on!"
With the same goal in mind, the Mane Six and Trotter galloped onward as I struggled to keep pace with them by running. We barely heard the warnings Rarity shouted at us as we headed off to the edge of the forest.
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"Where could she be?" Applejack galloped along the side of the Everfree, but not entering it. "She ain't anywhere out here!"
"She's gone?!" Rainbow Dash bit her two front hooves, the fear for her friend clear on her face.
Twilight and Trotter scanned the wall of the woods, their horns shining brightly with magic to scan beyond the haunted-looking trees.
"Now let's not jump to conclusions." Trotter was perfectly calm, though serious. He was in total control. "Miss Dash, have you check inside the Everfree?"
"Are you crazy?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Fluttershy would never to do that!"
"Well, we must consider all options at this point." Trotter took a deep breath. "I'm going in, all of you wait out here..."
"Oh, hell no!" I grabbed the end of the blood red stallion's robe. "You're no safer going in there yourself. Trust me, I know."
"And it won't be for the two of you either." Twilight swallowed her fear, slowly advancing towards the dark and dangerous forest. It still stood, unnaturally unaffected by the turn of the season. "It's not as if we haven't been in there before. Let's go, girls!" The other four of the Mane Six followed in hot pursuit, leaving me and Trotter to take the rear.
The environment changed immediately. The twisiting trees and branches hung ominously overhead, eating out the moonlight that had shone upon us. Every step deeper into the damned woods brought a greater feeling of lifelessness, and a damp, dirty stench hung over our noses. Even Rainbow Dash didn't fly. She was scared, not for herself, but her foalhood friend.
But no more than ten meters in, we found her.
"Everypony, look!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, pointing a hoof at a silhouette among the trees. A shadow of Fluttershy's mane was clearly made out. "Fluttershy! Over here!" Pinkie Pie bounced through the bushes.
"Pinkie! Wait!" Trotter called in alarm, but to no avail. The party pony continued her way to her friend.
Everypony galloped through the labyrinth of trees. Calling out the Element of Kindness' name. But before they could clearly make out her figure, another shriek was heard. A high-pitched, fear-filled scream echoed through the night. A flock of birds took to the air, surprised by the sound.
It was Pinkie Pie.
The blood-curdling scream sent a chill down my spine. I could tell it was the same for the others. Pinkie PIe almost never screams like that. So what reason had she to do so now?
At last, we burst into a clearing from the vegetation. What we saw brought absolute horror. I gasped in fright at the frozen figures of two of my favourite ponies. Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared the same reaction. Trotter's serious expression became one of anger and controlled anxiety. For as moment, we gaped at spectacle.
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were turned to stone. Their rough grey figures stood unnaturally still, with the same petrified expression frozen on both of their faces. Fluttershy was trapped in the position of stepping backwards, while Pinkie Pie was halfway reeling back, but it was too late. She was stuck with her front two hooves in the air and standing on her hind legs.
Trotter ignored the two stone statues, using his magic to cast a greater light spell than before. He angled it to the ground, keeping his snout to the dirt, and examined. It didn't take him long to raise his head again, with agitation and anger in his navy blue eyes.
"Cockatrice." He said with a growl.
"God damnit..." I muttered to myself. I wasn't truly scared, I had seen and felt worse. And to top it all of, I had security. Reaching for my leather sling bag, I flipped the catch. In the next second, the bag folded out, putting in full display of everypony else the combined handywork of me and the town's blacksmiths.
Sliding the completed crossbow out of it's slot, I slowly brought up the weapon. It was drastically changed since the first one. The first was just a prototype, to make sure that it worked. Now that the basics were down, modifications were made. Overall, it was bigger, but different materials had been used to make it lighter. The space was needed for the modifications. For beneath the mahogany base and handle of the crossbow was a lever-action loader. At the crossbow's side, a slot was parallel to the barrel. With one hand, I flicked a bronze lever, located at the cock of the gun, opening the side. I reached cautiously for another slot in the bag, pulling out a rectangular metal box. The size of it made it only holdable with outstretched fingers, from my middle finger to my thumb.
"Cover me." I spoke lowly, but confidently. Trotter produced a standard metal knife from his bag, gritting it tightly in his teeth.
The girls looked in fascination and terror as I slotted the silver box into the side of this new weapon, with a satisfying click. Tilting the one-handed weapon to the side, I empty the contents of the metal box into the crossbow. Any normal crossbow couldn't hold ammo that way, but this one was different. Driscoll had a lot of ideas that rivaled the human's mechanics of the time. Making sure that the cartridge was empty, I switched the bronze catch back into position with a flick of the thumb. At the moment I flicked it, the metal box, now empty, fell out of the side of the crossbow. I caught it in my other hand and placed it firmly back in its place.
Finally, with my right hand on the trigger and my left hand on the underside, I pushed my last three fingers downward with the lever. With a bit of force, I let the wonder of this unique mechanism to do its job. As I pushed down on the loader, the two cogs at the end of the crossbows golden arches turned rapidly. It was connected with the catch in the center of the barrel. It pulled the bowstring to back, bringing it to the ready. At the same time, the metal flap beneath the barrel folded inwards, popping out a single, small lightweight bolt. Measuring same length between my wrist and elbow, the round locked in place with the pulled bowstring, ready to fire.
Ten rounds per cartridge, thin steel arrow-headed bolts with a quick reloader...
The idea was of my own mind, Driscoll's knowledge and skill made it possible, working on the interior, while Ingot made the exterior. As far as I was concerned, it was a masterpiece.
"Not bad." Muttered the scholar. In his field of mythological studies, survival was a skill that was required. And it was a skill he wasn't short of.
Before any further compliment, another shriek was heard. This time, it wasn't one of a pony. It was the sound of a monster. More specifically, a half-chick, half-dragon. The chicken like sound echoed from all sides.
"Light up the area! Don't let it get close!" Trotter and Twilight lit their horns ablaze, producing a radius of purple light.
"Get behind us girls, don't let him get you too." I beckoned them to gather around their frozen friends. They hastily obliged, and even tried to comfort the stone cold statues.
"Alright." Me and Trotter were faced back to back, guarding the group. "How do we reverse the spell?"
"Right now, the only way to dispel them is to have the Cockatrice do it himself." Trotter spoke without emotion and remained very factual. "The breath of a Cockatrice should do the trick... but that's easier said than done."
"And if we kill it?"
"Don't. Then there'll be no way to break the spell, unless you would like to risk the time and your life to find another Cockatrice."
Another shriek came from all sides. It was followed by a growling cluck, an odd sound I had never heard before. The other ponies were wide-eyed and breathing fast. Rainbow Dash showed a more anguished attitude.
"Girls," Trotter added a tone of comfort in his voice. "please close your eyes. Not only will it protect you, but you might not like to look at what we might have to do..."
"What if it looks at us?" I asked, my heart beating like a rock in my chest.
"I'm safe." Trotter pushed up his spectacles. "There are a number of spells in these glasses that are to my advantage."
Damn! What about me?
I flipped out my new Iphone, and activated the camera function. It was inefficient, but I had no choice. Holding the phone sideways in one hand and the crossbow in the other, The look in the camera might as well have been a copy of a first person shooter.
"There!" Trotter whispered urgently. "It's over there." he beckoned with his head, but moved no other body part.
Without turning my head, I angled the camera to the side, giving me a view of my right without having to look. I stiffened, seeing a pair of cold glowing red eyes. Behind us, I could hear the girls shivering. Not from the cold, but from fright. I kept my eyes on the two bright red dots in the trees, never letting it out of my sight.
"At the count of three..." Trotter spoke low. "Shoot near it. It will spring out, and I'll try to grab it. Ready?"
"One..." I started.
"Two..." The eyes seemed to grow bright, like lasers in the night. A growl was emitted once more.
"Three!"
I spun right, shutting one eye and taking a blind shot at the red dots. The arrow whizzed of the barrel, turning into a blur in a split second.
What happened next happened in the matter seconds. The arrow disappeared into the bushes beneath the monster. A shrill, spine-chilling cry escaped the beak of the Cockatrice, and a shadow of the creatures form was seen flying out of the hedge. In that instant, Trotter dashed from my side, with the knife still gritted within his jaws. With a grunt, he jumped at the hovering red-eyed shadow. A big tussle was heard in the bushes as the scholar was engulfed in the darkness. The Cockatrice popped out of the vegetation a moment later, putting in full view it's peculiar form. Still looking through the camera screen, I realized that I had the chance to shoot at it again. I fumbled with the cross bow beneath my arm, attempting to reload it with one hand. Just then, Trotter jumped out behind it, tackling the beast.
"Don't shoot!" He shouted, struggling with his eyes closed to hold onto the creature. But it was no use. The Cockatrice kicked free of the grip of the hooves and began to rise in altitude. All the while crying out into the night sky.
"Now shoot! Don't let it get away!"
It took me less than a second to obey the command. I slid the phone away, as the creature no longer faced me. At least then, I could aim better. Holding the firearm in both hands, I took aim with my right eye, and pulled the trigger.
The Cockatrice fell to the ground with a painful cry. It sounded like a mix of a lion's roar and a chicken's call. It slammed into the dirt, with an arrow wedged in its tail, and blood was just beginning to seep out of the wound.
"Got it!" Before It could rise again, Trotter pounced on it. Cradling it with two hands and the knife just angled above the monster's head of a chicken. I swiftly withdrew my camera's phone again, realizing that it almost looked at me. Just as I brought the screen to my eyes, I felt my joints stiffen slightly and my whole body shivered from an unearthly drop in temperature. I had barely avoided its gaze.
"Now, before we cause even more bloodshed..." Trotter's horn glowed bright red, touching it against the struggling Cockatrice's beak. The beast stopped struggling immediately. "... you will do as I say. Am I clear?"
The Cockatrice nodded robotically. It's eyes only looked straight up at the sky, the anger and pain had disappeared in its emotionless expression. It was under a hypnosis spell!
"Hey, girls! You seeing this?" I said in triumph.
"We can't.... BUT WE CAN HEAR EVERYTHING!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"What in tarnation is going on?!" Applejack questioned with her eyes still tightly shut.
"Can we look now?" Twilight asked.
"It should be no problem now." Trotter then addressed the hypnotized creature. He spoke into its ear, calmly and sternly. "Now go and free our friends."
The girls and I watched, gaping at the obeying Cockatrice. The half-chicken half-dragon walked stiffly to the foot of Pinkie Pie. It inhaled deeply before heavily exhaling onto the grey surface of the party pony. From where he breathed out, the grey areas began to melt off, cracking and shattering rapidly through the rest of Pinkie's body. The Cockatrice moved on to Fluttershy, performing the same process. A wave of relief swept over all of us, as the original colours of the Elements of Kindness and Laughter returned.
"...Uhh..." Fluttershy moaned rubbing her head.
"What happened?" Pinkie Pie suddenly gasped. "YAY! Fluttershy! I told you she was here!" She quickly embraced the yellow pegasus. The rest of the group soon followed.
"D-Does anyone else feel really c-cold?" Fluttershy blushed while she shivered.
"That's usually what happens after being dispelled." Trotter returned back to his jolly behaviour. "We'll explain later. Right now, let's get out of here, before we can encounter another horrid being." There was a unanimous agreement.
"Umm... Trotter?" I asked quietly as the girls went ahead. "Where did the Cockatrice go?"
"Oh, I sent it home! Actually, I just told it to turn around, walk to the center of the forest. The spell will have timed out by then." The scholars robe appeared to be a little ruffled, but not as scratched up as the face of the Scholar. Darker shades of red cut lines across the pony's face, and blood flowed from a big cut on his forehead, just above his horn.
"We're gonna need to patch you up." I said with a smile.
"Oh it's nothing." Trotter wiped the blood of with his foreleg, continuing out of the woods. "I've had worse, believe me."
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"... And I thought it was a stray chicken that had strayed really far from the coop." finished Fluttershy softly. "I didn't really see its body, only its head... I'm really sorry..." She looked shameful, sadly looking into the blanket that was wrapped around her.
"Umm... no problem?" Trotter managed a small grin, then winced as Twilight applied a first aid patch beneath his horn.
"That was really brave of you, Harry." Twilight smile warmly. "I've never really seen that side of you before."
"Don't mention it." Trotter smiled even wider. "Being a survivalist was a necessary qualification. It's part of the job. So I say again, Fluttershy, it was no trouble."
"No, really... I've made all of you so worried, and-"
"Hey..." I sat by the apologetic pony's side, just closing the flaps to the crossbow carrier. I got off the boulder where I sat, and wrapped both my arms around her neck and mane. "... that doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that your safe." She gratefully returned the embrace.
"Can we pleeeaase, start now?" Pinkie Pie begged. "The fire is going to die soon and I'm starving!" Pinkie Pie pulled a cupcake from behind her back, digging her snout into it barbarically.
"Finally!" Rainbow Dash munched on a s'more, covering her lips in chocolate sauce. Rarity shook her head with haughty disgust before daintily nibbling on hers.
"And why not a song while we're at it?" Applejack said. "Keith, can you sing?"
"Well... I think it'd be better if all of you sang instead..."
"That's lazy talk!" Applejack joked. "Everypon-er... body can sing. Give us a tune, cowboy!"
"Pleeaase?" Fluttershy pleaded in the adorable manner that only she knew how. Her teal eyes could have my heart melt in pictures, but now she was staring right into my soul with them.
"Okay, okay. Don't expect anything great, though." I propped up my s'more and cleared my throat. "Pinkie! The guitar please!"
From out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie pulled out a guitar, cheerily throwing it across the fire, landing squarely in my hands. I didn't even think guitars were used in Equestria.
Recalling those self-taught guitar lessons, I strummed on a few familiar chords, slowly forming a basic melody. Unexpectedly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders began to beat on the hollow log that they sat on, producing a small conga-like sound and giving it a sense of rhythm. Pinkie Pie spontaneously plucked a tamborine from her puffy mane, clapping it with the beat. Soon, we had the whole crowd swaying with the tune around the glowing fireplace. I cherished every moment of these newfound friendships.
I had forgotten about another type of 'magic' that all the ponies possessed, not just the unicorns alone. It was the magic of music. The ability to spontaneously join in and cooperate in a musical piece. This type of magic required no source, or effort. It merely required a passion and the spur of the moment. It was just another positive side-effect of this world.
"This is a song about friendship. A friendship that never dies." I relaxed back onto the boulder that I was sitting on.
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The fire had died down, now a smoldering heap of ash and dust, with the exception of a twig or two. We had indulged ourselves to our heart's content, and the last dry bonfire of the year was coming to a close.
The faint glow of the fire was no insignificant compared to the bright moonlight. I had dropped the guitar hours ago, just to stargaze at the wide blue sky. We had no idea what time it was, we had been enjoying ourselves too much to care. All we knew was that it was really late.
Rainbow Dash was the first to tire out. Stretching and yawning, the cyan pegasus took to the air and headed for home, gratefully thanking everypony for the fun and... well... the other activity.
Rarity had to left too. She left with Applejack, carrying the three snoozing fillies on their backs back into town, moseying sleepily into town.
Pinkie Pie, and Twilight were left, with Trotter having to turn in early due to work. They were just cleaning up whatever bits of rubbish we had left lying around the field. I was just dozing off as well, lying back with my head against the hard cold boulder. Despite the chilly night, I was still feeling perfectly warm.
"Psst... Keith?" Twilight whispered. I was just about to nod off again, until I saw her saunter up. "You should get home. You'll catch a nasty cold out here!"
"Yeah, you're right..." I was just about to stand, but then I remembered who was resting on my stomach.
Fluttershy was already asleep, still wrapped in the blanket that rose and fell with her breathing. I didn't dare to wake her up, but leaving her out here wasn't an option either.
"Maybe you should take her home?" Twilight suggested sheepishly. "We're just about done here anyway." Just then, Pinkie Pie returned with a sack full of empty bags of marshmallows, chocolates and other candies. She was tired enough to stop bouncing too.
"I'll take her home." I volunteered, slowly getting up so as not to suddenly wake the cute, sleeping pegasus.
Slinging the weapon carrier over my shoulder, I was going to carry Fluttershy. Very gently, I turned her over onto her back. She whimpered in her dreams, only making my heart explode for the second time that night. Delicately, I crouched down and pulled up her two front legs over my shoulder. This woke her up a little bit, but she cooperated. Twilight and Pinkie giggled as they watched me, clumsily wrapping my arms around her haunches. I could imagine it was a weird sight, seeing a human give a pony a piggyback ride.
"Well, this isn't harassment at all, is it?" I grunted. "Just kidding."
"It's too bad Rainbow Dash isn't here." Pinkie Pie stifled a louder laugh. "She would be rolling in laughter!"
"Ha. ha. Goodnight, girls." I sluggishly headed for Fluttershy's cottage. Seeing the shadows of Twilight and Pinkie Pie wave behind me.
It was not really a long way to her place from the outskirts of town. But while carrying her, it felt a lot longer than it should have taken. I wasn't regretting it though.
Sweating in the cold of the night, the pink mane of the blanket-wrapped, snoozing Fluttershy hung over my face. I had to blow it aside every few minutes. The night was quiet, and almost no light came from the town. But the moon was still high in the sky, along with the stars. Whatever time it was, it was definitely really late.
It look longer than expected to reach the destination of our short, yet tedious journey. I felt my thigh muscles begin to ache as I trudged up the winding path to the animal-infested cottage.
Rapping quietly on the door, I waited for a certain bunny to respond. He swung the top half of the door open and shot me a look of annoyance. But it softened when he saw the cargo I was lugging on my back. Angel graciously opened the rest of the door, making as little noise as possible to prevent waking up the rest of the animals.
"I'll just take her upstairs." I whispered to the white bunny. He showed and made no complaint.
At this time, I thanked Celestia that my self-given injury was perfectly healed by that time. I would never have been able to take Fluttershy a quarter of this distance if I still suffered from that kind of fatigue. After carefully making my way up the steps, I slid the yellow pegasus into bed.
I pulled off the blanket that was wrapped around her, and it was replaced with her soft bed quilt. I was surprised I hadn't woken her up at all through this entire time. Fluttershy lay on her side, lightly snoring as I tucked her into her bed. I took a step back, admiring this adorable sight. I never dreamed of performing such a strange fatherly task, let alone to a pony. Nonetheless, I had no cause for complaint. It was a great relief to have her off my shoulders though.
Before I made my way back downstairs, I gave her one last hug. It felt like it was the right thing to do.
By the time I reached the bottom of the staircase. The consequences of my actions began to take effect. I realized how tired I really was. This wasn't the first night that I've slept this late, and it was now taking its toll. In the center of the wooden living room, Angel bunny now looked up at me with a fuzzy smile.
"Mind if I spend the night here, Angel?" I whispered, drained of energy. Before I waited for any response or protest, I wearily threw off my bag and jacket. Leaving the scarf around my neck, I flopped onto the couch by the fireplace. And in those few moments before I slept, I thought back to the events of that night. From the happiness and anticipation, to the fear and danger, to the fun and laughter. It felt like a lot had happened in such a short amount of time. I supposed I was making up for it, not having actually connected with them for the past two months.
With these happy thoughts in mind, I played the more positive events of tonight in my head, over and over, until sleep swiftly swept my away.