Shellstrings

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Desert Gossip

Outskirts of Appleloosa – Evening

One by one, the stars twinkled to life over the desert landscape as Braeburn carted the mares back to their retreat in Appleloosa.

"So I take it y'all got some progress made, huh?" the stallion remarked.

"Well—" Lyra winced.

"I got to pretend I was a butterfly!" Minuette chirped, her grinning teeth reflecting moonlight. "And not throw up!"

"Gosh..." Braeburn smirked as he cautiously rounded a patch of cacti. "That seems like a mighty important step right there!"

"I will admit," Twinkleshine muttered. "Tree Hugger's methods are... a bit unorthodox."

"How so?" Braeburn asked.

"They're downright goofy," Lyra grunted.

"Lyra..." Lemon Hearts glared aside. "The mare knows what she's doing. It's obvious she's had some experience in improvisational mental exercises. Give her some credit."

"I'm afraid to," Lyra wheezed. "Or bits even! I'd feel like an enabler!"

Lemon Hearts sighed. "Lyra..."

"That whole session felt like a twisted version of magic kindergarten!" Lyra exclaimed. "I mean... hobbling around... 'buzzing'... doing charades?!" She shifted where she sat on the wagon. "All I got out of that was an aching flank! How's this supposed to make us feel any better about being turned into emotionally wrecked husks by changelings at the Canterlot invasion?"

Twinkleshine and Minuette froze in place. Their pupils shrank as their coats paled over—

Lyra jolted in place. "But h-hey!" She grinned wide. "At least we f-found plenty of nectar, r-right girls?!"

Minuette brightened on a dime. "Heehee! Right!" She rocked back and forth, humming to herself. "Tomorrow, I'm gonna outfly all the other pretty butterflies!"

"I'm... not sure we're gonna be doing the 'butterfly' exercise again tomorrow," Lemon Hearts said. "At least, I hope not."

"Awwwwwwww..."

Lyra glanced back. "But what if she does have us do it?"

Lemon Hearts shifted nervously.

"Hey..." Twinkleshine shrugged with a smile. "I'm game for whatever! It's been weird... but a good weird, y'know?" She held up a tiny notebook. "Plus... we've got these killer sweet planners out of the whole deal!" In waving the thing around, she inadvertently dropped several flakey bits from between the pages. "Huh... how did these leaves get stuck in here?"

"I still can't believe I was thinking so much about... y'know... buggy things without bugging out!" Minuette giggled inwardly. She scooted closer to Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts. "You wanna know what color my cocoon was?"

Lemon chuckled. "Why don't you tell us, Minnie."

As the three unicorns chatted, Lyra stifled a yawn. She got a good whiff of the cool desert air at night. Then, with a calm breath, she scooted closer to the front of the wagon and leaned over closer to Braeburn. "Thanks for giving us a lift."

"My pleasure, ma'am!" Braeburn exclaimed. "I'd tip my hat, but I ain't fixin' to trip on three legs before I get us home."

"Right..." Lyra heard another wolf howl. She turned and looked far behind her. A black, bleak horizon stretched under starlight, punctuated occasionally by mesas and rock formations.

"Dun be scared or nothin'," Braeburn said. "None of them coyotes or wolf packs wander too close to town. And even if they did..." He smirked proudly. "Them buffalo do a good job of keeping them at bay. This here is the safest place in the desert there ever was."

"Yeah..." Lyra gulped. "About that..." She turned to look at Braeburn again. "I read somethin' about there being... disappearances in the desert as of late."

"Beg yer pardon?"

"Buffalo have been disappearing," Lyra muttered. "It was a headline in the Appleloosa Gazette. Strike a bell?"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh..." Braeburn moaned.

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Just plain old sassy print... bleedin' for no good purpose." Braeburn's nostrils flared in the night. "Things get admittedly sleepy and predictable-like around these parts. So occasionally the upstart pony press writer from the big city decides to stir thangs up a bit with rumor and gossip..."

"So... there hasn't been a case of buffalo disappearing all of the sudden in the desert?"

"Heck no!" Braeburn inhaled. "Well..." He exhaled.

Lyra cocked her head to the side.

Braeburn muttered in mid-trot. "Supposedly—'bout a week ago—a few buffalo come marchin' into town, crashin' in at the local salt bar and ramblin' about one of their brave brothers suddenly vanish' in a cloud of green smoke. Like... fire from the hills. But that's buffalo for ya. They wander them desolate plateaus for so long that I think they just dream up the most fantastic of thangs."

"They dream up their friends and family turning up missing?"

"The way I see it—if there was a legit problem with the buffalo, they'd sure as Tartarus tell us! Erm... if you pardon my language."

"Do you Appleloosans even know the buffalo that well?"

"We sure do! I mean... heck... we dun square-dance together all the time or nothin'. But we've built ourselves a great rapport with the likes of Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strong Heart. And if Little Strong Heart was to tell me—face to face—that there was somethin' fishy goin' on in the desert... then I would believe it."

"But she hasn't..."

"Nope! So... all's quiet on the horny front!" Braeburn chuckled. "Get it? Because buffalo have horns and... and... uhm..." He exhaled. "Whew... I need to write down some scripts one of these days..."

"Nah, it's okay..." Lyra leaned back as she watched the desert nightscape drift past them. "...you've kept things relaxing enough."

"And here I thought it was yer therapist's job to help you relax!" Braeburn said before smiling and humming to himself.

"Yeah..." Lyra gulped. She closed her eyes and listened to the voices of her friends. "I know... right?"

Comments

[bloons3]

"Heck no!" Braeburn inhaled. "Well..." She exhaled. He?

[Scorch215]

I can see why that type of therapy isn't working for Lyra. If anything it will make her worse.

[Razzy]

Soon, soon!

[Lightning Bearer]

"Plus... we've got these killer sweet planners out of the whole deal!" In waving the thing around, she inadvertently dropped several flakey bits from between the pages. "Huh... how did these leaves get stuck in here?"

Strictly medicinal, of course.

[IceKitsune]

I was right she is just going to do it half heartedly. Lyra has to try if she wants anything to work, and she just refuses. Her merger with Chrysalis is going to be so horrible for her.

[dzamie]

Strongheart's gotten replaced by a changeling, then?

[SIGAWESOME]

7520754

Strictly medicinal, of course.

Medicinal?!

What in Tartarus are you dithering on about? I will have you know that these are spices! 100% legal oregano for my...brownies!