She's such a calm drunk. That's probably what pissed Nutmeg off the most. She had promised that she would stay sober, claiming that she disliked alcohol anyway, and then she had gone and gotten herself completely and utterly drunk. That felt uncomfortably like betrayal. Nutmeg's hooves made little noise on the soft carpeted floor, though with the grey mare leaning her entire weight on her side, walking wasn't an easy task. Her steps were uneasy, and she stared straight ahead at something unknown to Nutmeg with a stupid grin on her face. She hadn't spoken a word since she had begun drinking, keeping silent as she ignored the angry glares the earth pony was sending her.
Clenched in between her teeth was a rusty iron key, a small plastic tag marked with the number '35' attached to the hole in the top with a silver ring. Hopefully, it would fit easily into the door, though the rust made her anticipate otherwise. She sighed quietly, glancing at the rundown building's walls. The plain white doors were evenly spaced, and each had a metal number nailed to the top. She had counted twelve doors each on the first two floors, driven to find something to do while walking painfully slowly to accommodate for the drunken mare. As expected, she soon arrived at her room; and, after finding that the key did indeed fit surprisingly easily into the similarly rusty keyhole, she trotted with her friend into the room and shut the door gently behind her, wincing as it creaked like an old gate. Glancing around, she concluded that although the unlit room definitely wasn't homely, it wasn't unpleasant either, and she wouldn't mind spending a night or two there. Nightshade seemed altogether uninterested, stumbling over to one of the two beds and falling ungracefully onto the sheets, shutting her eyes tightly as she did so. She gave a grunt and rolled onto her back, her dusky wings tucked nearly at her sides.
Nutmeg gave a sight chuckle, placing the key onto the wooden desk that stood near the entrance. "Tired, Shade?"
The thestral flicked one ear in annoyance. "Mm." She moved onto her side, watching the brown mare with heavy eyes. "Too much walking. I'm used to flying long distances. Don't use my legs much." She wasn't as disoriented as Nutmeg had first assumed, which was somewhat surprising given the sheer amount of alcohol she had had that evening.
"Well, you're going to have to get used to it. Sorry." Nutmeg laughed and walked over to the free bed, seating herself on the end and turning her gaze to the lone window in the far wall opposite the door. She couldn't see anything outside, the darkness obscuring everything from view. There was no silvery light pervading the darkness above the horizon. Was the moon not shining? She sighed and looked away. That was odd. If disaster had struck, which it had, she had assumed that the first priority of the entire royal guard would be to ensure the princesses' safety. Had they fallen victim to the darkness? Perhaps the moon was shining, unseen behind the shadows. She couldn't be sure.
Giving a quiet sigh, she fell backwards and rested her head on the pillow, pulling the bedsheets over herself. She shivered. The room was rather cold, and the white sheets didn't seem to provide any of that much needed warmth. Shade, lucky as she was, had longer, thicker fur than the earth pony, and the low temperatures didn't seem to bother her at all. She rolled onto her side, tucking her legs closer to her body. Her mind was in turmoil, buzzing with predictions of certain death and countless questions with no answers. Each time she closed her eyes, she panicked as she recalled some horrific scene from the past week. The murders, the darkness, the fear. It haunted her, and she knew she'd never forget it. She could find comfort in the thought that she was, at the very least, still breathing, and that at the end the day, that was what mattered most, but the relief she felt was fleeting. Regardless, it was reassurance enough, and as she listened to the quiet sounds the thestral was making on the other side of the room, she drifted slowly into an uneasy sleep.
She didn't know how long she slept, but she could easily separate asleep from awake, for as soon as she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the unwelcome sight of nothing at all. She whimpered. It was painfully familiar, and her breathing quickened as she leapt up from the bed and dashed towards where she believed Shade was.
"Yeah, we should probably leave, don't you think?"
She let out a feeble breath. At least the thestral was safe. "You don't seem be panicking."
"I can see in the dark. Also, the last thing I need right now is bright light. I've got a killer headache." Nutmeg felt a familiar weight against her side, knowing that the mare was next to her again. "I'll lead you out. Come on, lean against me." She frowned. The thestral was at least three inches shorter than her, and she definitely wasn't as strong if her lanky frame was anything to go by. Perhaps she'd be better off walking around by herself, listening to vocal commands from a distance. "Don't worry about hurting me. I'm stronger than I look." Damn. She was good at reading expressions.
Pressed against the grey mare's fur, Nutmeg trudged slowly across the carpet, trying as best as she could to avoid tripping over anything. She could feel Shade's heartbeat, and she could hear her panting breaths. She had done a good job in concealing her terror in her voice, but she had given it away in her natural bodily functions. She smiled a little, making sure to hide it from the thestral. It was good to know she wasn't alone in her fear.
Nutmeg stood still for a moment, noticing that Shade had stopped walking. The sound of the door hitting the wall outside as it opened reassured her, as did the realisation that the corridor wasn't nearly as dark as the room. Though there were no visible light sources to be seen, she could see perfectly well. Shade gave a quiet sigh, turning to her with guilt in her eyes.
"Sorry you couldn't get much rest. I know you're tired, and... well..." She frowned, and broke eye contact to stare downwards sheepishly. "Uh, if I hadn't insisted on staying for so long in the bar, you would have gotten more time to sleep. Yeah, this is kinda my fault." Nutmeg nodded in silence, taking a step away from the thestral's side. The grey mare then coughed nervously, turning her gaze to the stairs they had taken to get to the room. "Right, so we'll need to leave here and get somewhere safer. I don't really know anywhere we can go, but anywhere is better than here. We're in a lot of danger right now - there's nowhere to run. We could easily be cornered." Noticing Nutmeg's apparent fear, her serious expression softened a little. "Oh, don't worry so much. I know what I'm doing."
"Yeah, I don't doubt it. But I'm still going to worry. I don't trust you, you know." She descended the stairs rapidly, taking two steps at a time. Nightshade flew after her, hovering above her head and keeping pace easily.
"I know. That's probably for the better." She gave a dry chuckle, landing beside Nutmeg and tucking her bat-like wings flat against her sides. "I'm not very trustworthy. I deceive by nature. Of course, I wouldn't lie to you..." She flashed a grin. "Unless I really needed to, that is." Nutmeg rolled her eyes.
"So where are we going now?" At this, Nightshade frowned. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. After a few moments, she sighed in defeat and shook her head sadly.
"I... I really don't know. I suppose we'll just have to walk around aimlessly for a bit and see where fate takes us." After a free minutes of walking in uneasy silence, they arrived on the ground floor. As Nutmeg started directly towards the door, Nightshade paused and began to search the deserted room. "Hey, Meg. Come help me look."
Nutmeg turned towards her, one hoof poised over the handle of the door. "Look for what? I'm pretty sure there's nothing of any worth here. It's a tavern, for goodness' sake. What use would whatever little money they have be?" She ambled towards the thestral, watching as she fervently tore through the debris that had accumulated due to the dozens of drunk customers over the years. "Also, don't call me Meg." Nightshade snickered.
"I'm not looking for money. I'm looking for my friend."
"Cherry Bomb?"
"That's the one. Now, don't look at my like that! I'm concerned for a friend's safety, that's all." She smiled, returning to her task. "Now could you please lend a hand over here? This place is pretty big." Nutmeg nodded, wandering off to explore the tavern fully.
The lights, weak as they were, would have been very much welcome. The entire building had been plunged into total darkness, and she could barely make out anything more than five feet in front of her face. The old floorboards creaked and groaned with every cautious step she took, and, looking around, she noticed a faint yellow light shining in the next room over. It flickered not unlike the flame of a candle, but the colour seemed to imply otherwise. A unicorn's magic, perhaps? If she recalled correctly, Nightshade's friend was a pegasus, not a unicorn. Regardless of her doubt, she picked up her place and strode as quickly as she could towards the odd light.
"Stay back!" The mare's voice reached her ears before she could even see her, despite the glow of her magic. "You... you foul creature! I won't let you take me, I won't..." Nutmeg stood static, not dating to make any move to approach the frightened mare.
"Hey now, it's alright. I know this chick!" a familiar voice rang out from the shadows to Nutmeg's left. "Hey, Nutmeg! Good to see ya! How's Shady?" Nutmeg simply shrugged. "Ah, I see. You didn't strike me as a very talkative girl, you know. Hey, Rosie, mind casting a brighter light spell?"
Wordlessly, the unseen unicorn that Nutmeg presumed to be Rosie complied, and the weak light grew in intensity tenfold. Now, it was bright enough for Nutmeg to properly observe her surroundings, and she took the opportunity to look at the unfamiliar unicorn. She was lying splayed out on the ground, seemingly weak with fatigue. Her white fur was pristine and perfectly clean, and her yellowish hair, the colour of sunshine, she would say, was held in a ponytail of sorts by shining golden bands. Her eyes, partially hidden by her uneven bangs, were a light teal, and a little sunken. Her ribs protruded out from her sides, and the constant shivering suggested that she was having difficulty staying awake. Her mouth was twisted into a tired frown, and she regarded Nutmeg with a sort of bored interest.
Nutmeg swallowed nervously, There was something unnerving, something oddly morbid in the emaciated unicorn's total silence. Swallowing her fear, she decided be the first to speak. "Hey there. I'm Nutmeg," she stuttered, reaching one hoof out towards her. She didn't make any move to meet it, but she did allow her frown to be replaced with a warm smile.
"Hi, Nutmeg. I'm Gold. Rose Gold. Nice to meet ya!" She was oddly optimistic given her apparent condition, and her loud voice, pitchy and altogether incredibly feminine, did not suit her appearance at all. She made no effort to stand up, but rolled into a seated position from where she was lying on the wooden floor. Cherry Bomb strolled towards the unicorn, draping one wing over her shoulders protectively.
"I found Rosie being picked on by some darklings. I scared them off, and tried to be on my way, but..." Cherry grinned down at the page unicorn. "She stuck around, for better or for worse."
Nutmeg smiled. "That was nice of you." Pricking her ears, she added, "Also, what are these 'darklings' you were talking about? They sound pretty nasty."
"Oh, those are the... uh... the possessed ponies. The ones the Darkness has taken the minds of." Cherry explained, glancing down at Rosie as she did so. "I can't let somebody so innocent die." Nutmeg frowned, watching as the dusky black pegasus abandoned her nonchalance for a short moment. "Well, anyways, I assume you're with Shady?" The earth pony nodded, gesturing with one hoof in the direction the thestral had last been. Cherry smiled. "Great. Ready to go, Rosie?" The unicorn nodded silently, and accepted the hoof Cherry offered to assist her in standing up. She trembled as she walked, uneasy on her painfully thin legs. Her blue eyes stared straight ahead, and the emotionless frown had reappeared on her face. Nutmeg felt a twinge of pity flare up inside of her at the sight, but soon she had managed to push all the negative thoughts away. She knew positivity was of the essence in such a hopeless situation, and chose to grit her teeth and concentrate on getting the weak unicorn to safety rather than dwell on the malaise that was gnawing at her.
Having heard the voices, Nightshade appeared from around a corner. Upon seeing Rose, she gasped in silent horror, her eyes wide. She walked briskly towards the three mares, a look of concern on her face. Her gaze softened as she regarded Rose, approaching the unicorn with a smile on her face. "Hey there. Are you a friend of Cherry's?" The unicorn shook her head, turning her gaze towards the black pegasus. "So you don't know each other?" She shook her head again, still keeping silent. Nightshade sighed quietly, muttering a few inaudible words under her breath. Her wings twitched awkwardly at her sides. Turning her head towards Cherry, she frowned. "You sure we can trust her?"
Cherry glanced at the white unicorn, seemingly unsure of her answer. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Instead, she simply stared at the ground in awkward silence. Nutmeg watched as Nightshade turned around and made for the exit, beckoning with one wing for she and Cherry to follow. She hummed thoughtfully before speaking. "Shade, I think we can trust her." Cherry nodded vigorously as Nightshade turned her head back to meet her eyes in a glare. "You don't know Rose, but you know Cherry. I, for one, know Cherry well enough to believe that she wouldn't let this unicorn stick around if she were dangerous. She's too clever for that," Nutmeg stated in a low, uneasy tone. "You agree with me, right?" Nightshade grunted, slowing her walk and retracing her steps. Pushing her face up close to Nutmeg's, she scowled and unfolded her wings in a show of aggression. Nutmeg flinched, trying her best not to meet the thestral's eyes.
She heard a quiet whimper to her right. "Nightshade, come on. We can figure this out without a confrontation," Cherry pleaded, moving to shield the emaciated unicorn with her body. Nightshade ignored her, not giving any signs that she had even heard the pegasus at all.
"You think you know more about this than I do? You two are too soft for your own good," Nightshade growled, ignoring the tears that had begun to form in Cherry's eyes. "We're much safer without her. She would be a great burden to us - one that we could never hope to handle." The unicorn lowered her head in shame. "If we go around helping everybody we see, we won't be able to help ourselves!" Nutmeg shuffled backwards. Noticing her discomfort, Nightshade drew back, though she retained her narrowed eyes. "Look, I know that I probably sound very selfish." Nutmeg nodded sheepishly. "Well, I am. It sounds wrong, but that's how you survive in a goddamn apocalyptic horror story. I want to live. I want you to live. I want Rose Gold to live. But none of that will happen if we voluntarily put ourselves in danger!" Nightshade sighed. "What happens if we're ambushed and have to run? None of us are strong enough to carry a full-grown mare on our back. She'll be left behind, completely at the mercy of those beasts - and you both know what happens when they corner you."
"Shady, come on! She's not in that bad of a condition. She's just a little hungry, that's all!" Cherry interrupted, lurching forwards to separate the earth pony and the thestral. "If we can just get a little food in her, she'll be better in no time. Right, Rosie?" The unicorn gave no answer, but gave a weak smile to Nightshade. The thestral scowled disapprovingly back at her.
Nightshade shook her head, turning her attention back to Cherry. "We cannot take chances. It's really as simple as that." She turned to Rose. "I'm very sorry, Miss Gold. It's nothing personal, I assure you." Noticing the somewhat disgusted look Cherry gave her, she continued. "Alright, I can tend to whatever wounds you may have and leave you with fresh food and water. That should help you regain your strength."
"That's not enough!" Cherry interrupted, glaring at Nightshade. "She needs our protection. She needs somewhere safe to take it easy until she gets better. We can give that to her, Shady!"
"Well, we're not going to!" she spat. "The best we can do right now is send her off on her merry way with something to eat and drink. We can't afford to take her with us. The shadows are drawn to crowds - the combined light within us is like a beacon to them. We would be putting everyone in danger. If she's alone, she can easily run and hide - she wouldn't need to worry about leaving us behind after teleporting away. She can get her strength up, then she can easily keep herself safe." Her ears moved backwards as a sign of sadness. "I'm just as worried about her as you are, Nutmeg, but I'm worried about you, too."
"Well, if you're worried about Rose, you're sure as hell not showing it! You care about me as a childhood friend, about Nutmeg as a friendly mare who didn't try to push you away after learning of what you've done, about yourself as high-and-mighty saviour," Cherry sobbed, finally losing her composure. "Haven't you ever heard of 'safety in numbers'? Sure, we might attract more of them, but with Rose's magic, we can fight them off with easily! Come on. If you saved Nutmeg, why not save her?" The pegasus gestured towards Nutmeg, who avoided making eye contact with the angry thestral. "Sure, Nutmeg is stronger both in body and mind, but you didn't know that when you saved her! Why not just give her a chance? Come on, Shady. Please. For me."
Nightshade scoffed, but didn't answer Cherry. She strode back and forth along the length of the room, muttering something inaudible under her breath. Nutmeg turned to Cherry, flashing the shivering pegasus a reassuring smile. The thestral came to a standstill with a sigh, turning her head towards the three other mares. "Alright. You've convinced me." She spoke slowly, a hint of reluctance in her voice. "Nutmeg, you're the strongest one of us. Take Rose. We need to find somewhere safe." She left without another word, leaving the door open behind her. A wide grin spread across Cherry's face. She turned to Nutmeg with joy shining in her eyes before reaching a hoof out to the unicorn and helping her up.
"You hear that, Meg?" she laughed. "We won! Shady's never backed down before, but we did it! You're a lifesaver, dude." Nutmeg simply nodded in silence, allowing the weak unicorn to rest her body weight against her. Cherry walked briskly towards the exit, a joyful spring in her step. Nutmeg followed after her, the pressure of the unicorn leaning on her somewhat reminiscent of she and Nightshade the evening before. She chuckled lightly as she walked, slowing her pace to match that of the weak mare.
"I like her." Nutmeg paused. She flashed the unicorn an unsure glance. "No, really. She seems nice. I think she was just protectin' you and Cherry Bomb."
Nutmeg sighed. "Yeah, she was, but cruel as she seemed, her heart was in the right place. She just had a weird way of showing it." She smiled warmly. "Don't worry, though. I never would have let her leave you behind." The unicorn grinned. "Does she not scare you at least a little?"
Rose nodded vigorously. "Oh, of course! She was lookin' at me like she wanted to kill me. Who wouldn't be scared in that situation?" She giggled. "I wanna earn her trust, though. Show her I'm not one to disappoint!"
Nutmeg rolled her eyes jokingly. "And how you do plan on going about doing that? She's not impressed easily, you know." Pulling the unicorn close to her side once again, she exited the building, relieved to see that the darkness was clearing up. "You'll probably have to save her life or some shit. Maybe twice." She ambled over to Nightshade and Cherry, who were waiting outside in silence.
"Heya, you two. Let's get going now, 'kay?" Cherry trilled. Nightshade made no move to leave, and just stared at seemingly nothing in the distance. Cherry coughed nervously. "Uh, Shady? Any day now, dude." The thestral simply shook her head weakly, taking a few tentative steps backwards. Cherry flashed Nutmeg a worried glance before turning her attention back to Nightshade. "You alright? Is something wrong?"
"Quiet!" Nightshade hissed between clenched teeth, pointing a hoof at the pegasus. "They're here." Cherry blanched immediately, her pupils shrinking with fear. Nightshade shuddered. "Damn it... why now, of all times? Okay, come on. We can't run with Rose, so we have to fight." Heeding Nightshade's warning, Cherry took a protective stance in front of the unicorn, her feathered wings outstretched. Nutmeg remained where she was, paralysed with fear. She supposed that Cherry, Rose and Nightshade had faced off against these unholy beings before, but she was almost entirely new to them.
She was expecting something monstrous and eldritch, something like a demon or some other fantastical creature. Perhaps something a little pony-like in appearance, but in all essentials something completely new. She was shocked when she saw the oddly regular-looking ponies slowly approaching her, the dark aura surrounding them being the only thing to set then apart as something otherworldly. She glanced at Nightshade. The thestral was baring her teeth, her pointed white fangs gleaming. She was growling lowly, her eyes daring from pony to pony. "Uh... Shade, are you sure these guys are with the Darkness? They look like normal ponies to me," Nutmeg whispered, her voice just loud enough for the three other mares to hear.
Cherry coughed quietly after Nightshade gave no answer. "Yeah, these are darklings all right. Newly possessed, but still a threat. Mostly because they can trick others into believing they're not possessed." She chuckled. "You're not fooling us!" she called out to the horde. Nightshade glared at her. She grinned sheepishly in return.
A harsh cry drew her attention away from the pegasus. One of the 'darklings', as Cherry had called them, was lying on the ground in front of Nightshade, writhing and convulsing in pain. Its throat was a bloody red mess, a torn, gaping hole present in the place of fur or flesh. The crimson blood was pooling around its weak body and rising up in its mouth, made evident by the quiet strangled choking noises. Nightshade's muzzle was painted red, and she regarded the creature lying almost motionless in front of her with pure hatred. Nutmeg gulped, more than a little frightened by the thestral's sudden show of power. Turning her attention to Cherry and Rose, she gave a whimper. Cherry shrugged, a little scared herself, and gestured wildly to the now rapidly approaching darklings. "I can't fight and protect Rose at the same time. Would you mind taking a few out for me? Don't worry. They're no stronger than you or me. Not yet." She shivered inwardly, but nodded. With some reluctance, she took a few tentative steps towards the darklings.
The first thing she noticed was the unnerving smell of them. A thick scent of blood hung in the air like fog, causing her to begin to breath entirely through her mouth to avoid it. She couldn't think straight - how could she possibly pose any threat at all to these creatures? She didn't have fangs or magic or wings. Hell, some of them did, and though she didn't doubt her own physical strength in the slightest, she worried that it wouldn't be enough.
Without any warning, one of the darklings lurched it her, a low croaking rolling from its throat. Its small body looked horribly frail, and its mane, once a beautiful lavender, was dulled by dried blood. Two wings, useless given their small size, were folded at its sides. A filly; it had been a young pegasus filly. Thoughtless instinct took over, and she aimed a kick at the thing's head. A sickly crunch followed as its weak skull caved in. It gave a pitiful whimper and collapsed to the ground, falling dead on the spot. Gritting her teeth, Nutmeg turned her head and avoided looking at the sight. She shot Cherry a sorrowful frown. "This feels wrong."
Cherry sighed. "I know. Just keep going. We can talk about it after, if you want." She gave a weak smile. "Just remember that these things aren't ponies any more." Nutmeg nodded silently, turning back to the horde of darklings. Taking care not to look down as she stepped over the possessed filly's still body, she looked around for another opponent.
A bright white flash blinded her, causing her to cry out in shock. A cruel snicker sounded from beside her, and instinctively, she shot out a hoof in its general direction and flailed about wildly to find its source. A unicorn, she supposed; she had no surefire way of fighting back against such magic, being an earth pony herself. She heard a loud gasp. "Nutmeg!" Rose gave a frightened screech, and the ethereal sound of a magic spell being prepared reached her ears. It wasn't long before she could see again as the darkling's weak blinding spell faded away. She blinked a few times, wincing as the last remaining hints of dark magic burned her eyes.
The sight she saw after her vision cleared shocked her. The unicorn darkling was hunched over, being attacked with spell after spell from a sobbing Rose Gold. Nutmeg took a few steps back, watching as Cherry rushed over to calm the unicorn. "Hey, Rosie! Um, you can stop now. I'm pretty sure it's dead." Rose shook her head, tears flooding from her eyes. Cherry gasped. "Is something wrong, Rosie?" Draping a wing over the unicorn's back protectively, she gave her a smile.
Nightshade growled. "I told you she'd be a problem."
"She saved Nutmeg's life, Shady!" Cherry cried. "I think that's the very opposite of a problem!"
Nightshade shook her head decisively. "Maybe she did, but does she look like she'd be able to do it again?" Nutmeg turned to look at Rose. The mare was sobbing breathlessly as Cherry stroked her mane reassuringly. Nightshade sighed. "There's no reason to be sad about this. These... these things..." She gestured to the few darklings that remained, keeping their distance for fear of death. "They're not innocent ponies. They're mindless killing machines, whatever they may look like." She turned her head and gave an animalistic snarl. The few darklings whimpered and scampered away into the darkness, knowing well that they were outnumbered. Grunting quietly, Nightshade began to walk away slowly. Nutmeg followed suite, leaving Cherry to assist Rose.
It was a few long hours before anybody spoke again. The only sounds to break the pervading silence were the quiet sobs that Rose gave every now and then. Nightshade constantly shot dark glances back at Rose, and was rather irritated when they were ignored. Finally gathering enough courage to speak, Nutmeg got Nightshade's attention. "Hey, Nightshade." The thestral turned back to look at her. "Where are we going?" She shrugged.
"I don't know. Just shut up and walk, I guess," she mumbled. "Anywhere but here is good." Nutmeg rolled her eyes.
"Are you ever not angry?" she asked.
Nightshade snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?" Nutmeg chuckled. "I'm not angry. I'm just tired, and perhaps a little hungover." She glanced at Rose. "The situation at hand isn't helping."
"She can't help it." Nutmeg pointed out, smiling at the unicorn. "Maybe she's just a little fragile."
"I'm not." Rose called out from behind her, her voice dry. Cherry laughed.
"Well, whatever the reason is, it's not a big deal to me. I'm sorry if I made it look like it was," she apologised. "I get angry over stupid little things sometimes. I'm very petty, so sorry about that." She folded her ears back sheepishly.
Rose grinned weakly. "It's alright, dude. I forgive you." Nightshade smiled. "Now, uh, one second..." Moving away from Cherry, Rose limped slowly towards Nightshade. "You got a little dry blood on your face here. Lemme get that for ya." She brushed Nightshade's muzzle with her hoof before she could protest. Squinting at the mare's face, she smiled decisively. "Got it!" She bounced back to Cherry, seemingly having regained some of her energy.
Nightshade blinked in confusion. "Uh... thanks, Ro-"
"Don't mention it, dude!" she trilled gleefully, interrupting Nightshade. Nutmeg met eyes with Cherry, who shrugged. "Now let's get going!" she called.
"At least she isn't feeling sad any more." Cherry spoke slowly. Nutmeg nodded, watching as the unicorn bounded in circles around Cherry happily. "Whatever happened to her hunger, though?"
The unicorn giggled. "I can deal with it easy-peasy! I've had much worse." She paused her jumping and sat down, rubbing her stomach thoughtfully. "Actually, maybe I really could do with somethin' nice to eat. You guys got anything, huh?" She frowned as Nutmeg and the two other mares shook their heads. "Aww, bummer. Well, I s'pose I'll have to wait, then." She feigned a look of mock devastation, looking at Nightshade with pleading eyes. The thestral sighed, giving in to the unicorn.
"If you're really that hungry, we could find you something," Nightshade offered. "There's probably something edible around here somewhere. It's not like we're really headed anywhere in particular anyway. Do you want to go and look?"hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Rose clapped her hooves together happily, getting up to jump over to Nightshade and then hugging her with great strength that didn't match her frail appearance, much to the thestral's annoyance. "Hay yeah I do! Come on, come on, let's go already!" Nightshade shot a look at Cherry that seemed to scream 'help me', trying her best to pull Rose of her to no avail. Cherry, finding the situation particularly amusing, simply laughed and shrugged her off. Nutmeg did likewise, trying to stifle her laughter as she watched Nightshade try her best to walk with the mare with no apparent sense of personal space attached to her.
"Unsolicited affection is the worst kind," Nightshade mumbled under her breath, "especially if I'm not on a first name basis with the mare hugging me." She glanced towards the unicorn to see if she had heard her speaking. Given her lack of a reaction, it seemed as if she hadn't. "Rose Gold," she called, catching the unicorn's attention. "Would you mind maybe... you know..." Rose tilted her head, her eyes shining with mock sadness. "Letting me, uh..." Nightshade began to sweat slightly. "Go...? You know what? Never mind. Doesn't matter anyway." Much to the unicorn's delight, Nightshade allowed her to keep one hoof wrapped around her as they trekked across the land.