//------------------------------//
// Rising Tension  
// Story: Camp Staff in Equestria 
// by Dimensional Librarian 
//------------------------------//

	“None, I had only ever killed fish and the occasional squirrel or rabbit for food.” Horton said as he released a sigh, “When I first arrived I was thinking about starting a camp that ponies could come to to learn various crafts and survival skills. Once, I killed those men I knew I couldn’t do that, mostly due to how you and your wives would react to the news. That’s why I want to go on a little trip around the country instead, I want to start by looking in the Everfree Forest for a certain hut that won’t want to be found.”

One of those ears inched upwards. "Look, if they… attacked you like that, you have the right to defend yourself, but…" He frowned a little. "What happened? Start at the start and walk me through, if you can?"

“Do you really want your foals to hear something like this?” Horton asked as he pointed to Fast and the foals. “I know this wouldn’t bother Booksalot because he’s been in a few fights in his own travels, and you had that dream world that you died in. Am I wrong Prince Silver Watch?”

The hairs on his withers stood up as the tension grew. "Just a dream, as you said. Some of it… nevermind that. We're here for you, one way or the other. Stick to the facts. Neither of us… should… be interested in gorey details."

“I’ll tell you the short version then,” Horton said as he closed his eyes, “It was calm night, I was sitting in this spot as the fire had just gone to embers. I was starting to fall asleep when one of my perimeter traps went off making a lot noise telling me that they were coming. I assumed it was them because they had kept trying to steal some of my things to help their lives be better.” Horton then crossed his legs and opened his eyes before continuing. “I had been carrying the sword with me to use as a machete, a tool to help me gather things or to act in self defence if a wild animal tried attacking me. I walked toward the trap that had gone off…”

"--Stop there," cut in Silver. "If they were bothering you already, why didn't you do… anything? Go to a local town, report them, move away, just about anything more than… nothing? You knew they were there and it escalated to this, if I'm not misunderstanding."

“The closest town is Canterlot and Ponyville, they are both two or three days away by walking.” Horton replied, “So I made the traps, I flintknapped some arrowheads tied them to sticks and buried those so that if you walked in some areas it would be painful and annoying but not kill anyone. I also attempted a bear trap like one but that one never worked right so I threw it into the bottom of the river. I chose not to leave because I didn’t really want to carry the two-hundred and fifty pounds that is all my stuff and the foot locker.”

"So you made a choice,  just to be clear. You decided your stuff was important, important enough to kill for, in the end." His wings spread wide. "That was, in the end, the decision. You didn't know what the intruders were capable of in either direction. They could have shot you dead just as easily. You valued your things more than their lives or your own. Was it… Was it that valuable?" His magic reached to see, slipping into cracks and corners to feel at what might be there.

“When I went out to confront them one of them jumped me and got me in the side with a small swiss army knife. They were going for my life to get my stuff so that’s when I defended myself.” Horton stated. Silver could feel many things within the foot locker, ranging from clothing, to a few what seemed like trinkets without being able to see them, to a collection of pocket knives and the sword, all locked within. “If you want I’ll work on rewriting my journal so that it’s more legible and send it to you so you can see my whole life while I’ve been here.”

"When I look my wives in the eye and tell them that humanity is, by and large, friendly and empathetic souls that would rather avoid conflict, am I a liar?" He rose to his full standing height. "If you know me, then you know I started on two legs, just like you. I thought most people preferred that, peace. Good neighbors over bad. Cooperation over violence. That's just… It's not even natural. Wild animals don't like violence, too dangerous." He laughed at that. "Ironic in a way, isn't it?"

Horton crossed his arms and watched Silver with a mostly unamused expression. “I agree.” He finally said cutting some of the tension in the air, “You aren’t a liar Mr. Watch, I personally would rather find a peaceful solution to a problem than go right to violence. But why dwell on the past? What’s happened has happened and we can’t change that. I wish to better myself and try to avoid such a situation from happening again.” Horton then removed his jacket and set it to the side as he stood up and gave the scout sign, “I promise on my honor as a scout, for that is all I have left.”

Fast came up beside Silver, looking between him and the human curiously. "That's kind of a big deal, I mean killing anything that can ask you not to, right?" She perked an ear. "Never did that myself."

"I have…" confessed Silver. "Not on purpose… Not even while awake… I never want to even be that close again." He stomped a hoof. "So here's a stupid question." He thrust a hoof at the footlocker. "Why did you come prepared for this?"

“I had been camping, I was working staff and had recently bought my solar charger for my phone and my water purification system.” Horton said lowering his hand and sitting back down with a slight wince. “The knives are all my pocket knives, the scout motto is Be Prepared, and every one of those knives were originally intended to be tools for survival, not weapons. And the sword was in my footlocker because I was showing it to the other staff, with it being my very first of what was going to be a collection. When the Text asked what I wanted to bring I said my foot locker because I had just packed it up to go home.”

"Then he got you." Silver slumped a little. "You took something dangerous, and he got you. The Text got rid of someone else he didn't like, and got the blood all over your hands. They came because… He killed them, with you. You were his sword."

Fast blinked softly, trying to parse that. "Want to try that one more time?"

“The Force that brought you your husband Miss Fast Change.” Horton says with a soft smile, “The Text is its name, and it also brought those other humans to Equestria, and since it didn’t like them or they had just asked for a bad path. I became a tool to get rid of them.”

"Does that make you happy?" asked Silver. "What does it make you feel? Be honest."

“What is there to feel? Regret at killing something sentient? Anger at being used? Frustration toward not having peace?” Horton asked then shook his head, “I’ve already been through the emotions, I like what Morrie had to say on the subject. Did you ever read that book, ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’?”

Silver shook his head. "Afraid not, but that's beside the point. You're a Scout, or so I thought? You act like a soldier that's put it all behind them, and that's a little… unsettling, if you don't mind my saying."

Fast nodded at that even as Clear Twilight broke free and flopped to the ground. "Come back here, you," called out Fast as she wandered off after the lunar earth filly.

“I don’t mind at all.” Horton said as he watched Clear and Fast for a moment. “A lot of people always told me I seemed older than I really am because of that attitude.” Horton then paused for a moment before continuing, “So, about me going looking for a hut in the Everfree Forest, yea or neigh?”

Silver blinked softly. "Look, you are either dangerous, or hurt, possibly both. You need help, and I'm willing to help you get it, but I'm not here to force it. You've been through a terrible thing, and you're burying it under a mountain of machismo. It might feel right… but it isn't. You were used, hurt, physically, mentally. May I help you?"

“You’re the first to notice.” Horton said with a chuckle, “Yeah, I’m hurt, I never had any friends, wasn’t really close to my family even though I still miss them to heaven above, and I just don’t fit into social norms. Being out here by myself with limited interaction has both helped and hurt me. And of course I’m dangerous, if you made me choose one thing about myself that I’m scared of the most I would say my patience. So, if you wanna help me I’ll gladly accept it.”

Silver's face unfolded into a smile, a hopeful smile. "Do you need help carrying your things? It would be awful to lose them after all that." He didn't move to snatch the foot locker. It was obviously precious to the human. "We'll bring you to Canterlot. You'll be cared for. Once you start to feel again, I swear to help you get wherever you want to go, though I would caution against the Everfree, still, your life in the end."

“I think that teaching me a new skill would help me get better.” Horton said with a smile, “Give me to the blacksmiths and let me learn. Books pack up the camp!” he said as he pulled the key to his locker from his hip and threw it to the aged unicorn who grabbed it in his flaming aura along with the foot locker, the hammock and its gear.

Silver glanced at the unicorn curiously. "No harm in learning a trade, but how did you two get in contact." He snatched the fleeing Morning Glory from the ground with his magic, to Fast's releif. She had the other giggling foal. "I never learned how to smith, but I guess you know that?"

“The Goat from the Belfry told me I should come look for him after he asked me to come answer a question for him.” Booksalot said simply as everything was gathered and he started trotting back the way they came.

“And Booksalot was my OC so I was fine with him showing up every once in awhile like he did.” Horton stated as he picked up his jacket and the woven grass bowl he had made during their talk.

That made Silver relax a little. "My own OC was quite a help when I first arrived. I thought I was the only one, but I guess that was just me thinking I was special." He turned back to where the portal was, bumping into Fast along the way. "Let's get back. We can chat along the way."

Horton took one last look around the camp before he started to sing as he kicked out the fire and followed.

“On a hill
Above the river
In amongst the trees
Flies the flag of Arrowhead
Waving in the breeze.

Hail, to Arrowhead 
Hail, to Arrowhead
A place to work and play
Where a scout learns better scouting
All the live long day.”

Booksalot listen and joined in with humming the same tune when Horton did as they continued their walk.