Chapter 12 - Onward!

Eris and I sat on the ramparts of the castle, staring out at the expansive forest, a huge mountain relatively close. We both sat on the edge, my feet hanging as I sat back, my wings splayed out on the concrete; Eris, naturally, sat just the opposite, her head hanging over the side, her mismatched legs idly kicking the air.

'What do you think, Eris?' I asked.

"Of what?" she replied.

'Just...anything...'

"I think that if genetic engineering continues the way it is, flying pigs will be a very real possibility in the next century" she nodded with a mock serious expression.

I was laughing so hard, I couldn't breathe.

'What would you say if we were to leave?'

"Leave? I'm all for it! Go where?" she jumped up and pulled a generic hero pose.

'Anywhere! There's a whole world out there, full of ponies no less!'

"You noticed too?" she smirked "Good, I thought I was going nuts."

I rolled my eyes as I smirked, staring up at the morning sky.

'What I mean is...what if we left the castle, and saw the world, really go out and poke around?'

Eris remained unusually quiet, silence dominating the air as I waited for her reply.

'This is out of character for her...she's almost never quiet' I thought, sitting up.

I looked over the edge, and saw that the almost constant smile wasn't spread across her face, it was instead replaced with a look of thought, her muzzle wrinkling in concentration.

'Eris?'

"Huh? What? Oh...yeah, sure! Sounds fun..."

That didn't sound very convincing to me...

'Eris, what's the matter?'

"Nothing" she looked away examining a particularly interesting stick.

'Yes there is...' I pressed

"No, there isn't." she retorted with her arms crossed

'Please just tell me, I'm worried...' I begged.

"Well you know what? So am I!" she cried, sitting up.

'What?' I scratched my head.

"You got me, okay? I'm worried about you!" she yelled waking her arms for effect.

'Me? Why?' I raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

"Think about it, y-you're my..." she stuttered.

''You're my' what."

"You're my...first...friend..."

'I am? But what about all those ponies in the Plane?'

Eris snorted, rolling her eyes.

'Can I take that as a no?'

"Uh, yeah." she waved a claw.

'Fair enough'

Eris sat up and stretched, her wings fanning out as her arms went skyward. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" she said enthusiastically, standing up.

'Right now?' I asked.

"Sure! Why not? Nothing going on around here"

'Fair point...okay, let me get ready'

"Shouldn't take too long" Eris smirked as I stood.

A smile of my own spread across my face as I headed down the stairs, the sword and dagger around my hips swinging as my feet padded against the steps.

'What would I do without her?' I thought, roaming the halls, searching for anything I might have needed.

Really though, what would I do without her? She and Luna were my first friends in this world, and made this
world at least a little more bearable.

'Though...I still can't imagine why she hangs around me...'

Yet another mystery to add to the pile- why did Eris always insist on being around? Not that I minded of course, I was happy I'd met her, there just wasn't any reason to it... Eris popped into existence a few feet away, her wings flapping as she floated above, a pair of sunglasses perched on her muzzle.

“Well, I’m all ready, how about you?”

‘As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess…’

A wide grin bloomed on her face, pronouncing her snaggletooth. “Let’s get going, then~” she exclaimed.

And so, Eris and I walked the halls of the castle one more time before heading out of the large, wooden, double doors, and walking into the thick, dark emerald-green canopy, not knowing what to expect next from the wild and untamed forest.

‘I really hope we don’t run into any manticores out here...’

X X X X X X X

"Ha! Got ya!" Eris shouted, leaping out from behind a tree trunk.

'Eris, that gets old after about the millionth time' I said, rolling my eyes.

"Would you prefer something more drab? Snakes in a can, maybe? Nothing gets a rise out of ponies like good old fashioned scare tactics"

'Whatever you say...'

Eris 'hmmph'd' and disappeared from view, the dark forest was suddenly very solitary, the eerie silence dominating the air as I walked.

'She's not really gone...is she?'

I continued walking, Eris still not having returned.

'Any minute now...any minute now, she's going to leap out and shout 'surprise''

The dark forest was beginning to be almost unbearable, the only sound accompanying me was the sound of my bare feet against the dirt and debris of the forest.

'Sh-she's gone? She just...left?'

No, that's ridiculous, she wouldn't have just...but...she just wouldn't...okay?

'But she did, she left you here, all alone in the Everfree'

'She didn't...she's still here...'

'Is she?'

'Shut up- me...'

What the hell is happening? I'm practically arguing with myself, and losing.

'Bye-bye sanity...' I thought.

I suddenly found myself falling backward onto the ground, I let out a surprised shriek as I fell, my body thumping against the ground as my sword clattered in its sheath. I looked up, and saw that a tree was the offender, its dark trunk bent as it reached into the canopy.

The tree then sprouted a pair of red-and-yellow eyes, a wide grin and snaggletooth joining it.

"Surprise!" Eris screamed.

I shrieked again as the draconequus reappeared, howling with laughter.

"You should see the look on your face! Like I said, scare tactics get 'em every time!"

'Where were you?'

"Not too far" she responded, her laughter dying.

'Why did you do that?'

"Cause it was funny..." she replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'I thought you left...' I mumbled.

"Well.... I didn't!" she smiled brightly and gave me a little hug

She will...just give it time...

I scowled at the thought, and shook it off as I stood up. Brushing the dirt from my dress, I began walking again, Eris following as silence once more took control, both of us quietly walking through the forest.

“Hey, Hope?” Eris asked

‘Yeah?’

“Wanna play ‘I Spy’?" she gave a grin.

X X X X X X X

Hours later, Eris and I had stopped for the night. Thanks to her magic, we had a tent and sleeping bags to sleep in. I settled into my own sleeping back as Eris floated into the tent, a small, blue stuffed bear in her grip.

“What?” she asked upon spying my cocked eyebrow.

“Nothing…” I responded, pulling up the bag.

“Don’t be surprised if you find a trumpet in your bag tomorrow morning…” she muttered, slipping into her own bag, holding the bear protectively.

‘What would I do without her?’ I shook my stony head and giggled.