CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
TRUTHFUL LIES
It wasn’t so bad being dead. A smell of sweet pastries, the subtle aroma of a hot sweet cup of tea and a comfortable pillow beneath your head was just the thing to wake up to in the eternal herd. Good gracious he could almost taste it. Hang on… he could taste it! In a rush, Runcy sat up and instantly regretted it as the room span nauseatingly around him. Gently, a hoof pressed him back down accompanied by a kindly smile from somepony he recognised.
“Terra?” Runcy breathed out in relief, sinking back into the pillow, “Thank the goddesses.” His eyes shot open, “You’re hurt!”
Terra chuckled, “No, I’m fine. Thanks to you.”
Runcy watched her for a moment, searching for the wound that had been there only moments earlier. Mind you, who knew how much time had passed? In a place with no windows it was impossible to tell the time save for watches and clocks. He froze; he had been hurt too… hadn’t he? Carefully, he felt down his body and felt… absolutely fine.
Sitting beside him, Terra shook her head with a smile, “Tea?”
“Um… yes, thank you.” The grey stallion carefully sat up and with the aid of a few pillows, was able to take a mouthful of that most glorious of beverages – and a jam smothered muffin too as it turned out. It was the breakfast of the gods.
“You look… well.” Runcy said instantly regretting his choice of words. “I mean, oh I don’t know what I mean! This whole world has gone topsy turvy and I’ve gone mad with it.”
Terra laughed, “I’m fine, as are you. And thanks to you, my standing within the tribe is now second only to the council.”
“And Uriana?” Runcy asked.
“She was sung to her ancestors, as is our tradition.” Terra replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Runcy wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he knew enough about foreign relations to accept that not everypony viewed life and the values equestrians held in such high regard, quite the same way. He nodded, relieved simply that she was alive.
“Well, the main thing is you’re safe,” Runcy smiled, “But let’s not do that again eh?”
Terra hung her head, “You gave me too much of your spirit. You nearly died.”
“Happens all the time,” Runcy grinned, but Terra shook her head.
“No. Runcy, this is bad, you must not do this.” She suddenly smiled slyly, “Although, I admit you did give the elder a fright.”
Runcy’s eyes wet wide as he remembered, “Terra, you went white as snow! And your eyes, those teeth!” He reached a hoof out to her and then pulled it back suddenly, “You are alright aren’t you?”
Terra rolled her eyes, “Yes!” She shook her head and took a bite of her own muffin, “Nopony truly knows what happened, but the elder believes it may have been your link with our ancestors and my lineage that contributed towards the transformation.” She shrugged sadly, “It was a fleeting thing, but it has set a fire in the hearts of our people, Runcy. Intentionally or not, you have brought us a gift that we thought we would never have again: the gift of hope.”
Runcy sighed, “I don’t know about that, Terra, but if I’ve helped your people somehow then at least something good came out of all of this. Personally, I’d settle for just going home right now.” He took a sip of his tea, “What was all that about anyway?” He waved a hoof, “My being your ‘soul mate’, the challenge to Uriana and so forth. I’m utterly blind to your ways, Terra. Please, I want to understand.”
The young mare smiled and patted his hoof, “Then let me be your eyes.” She moved her chair closer to the bed and placed her hoof on Runcy’s chest, “You did not want to mate with me. I did not understand why and I was… angry. I didn’t understand this ‘marriage’ you talked about.”
“Your people don’t get married?” Runcy asked in surprise.
Terra shook her head, “We have what you may call ‘partnerships’, whereby a mare may take a stallion to be her own. If they are unhappy they find other partners. Sometimes the couple have a foal and will stay together until the child is of age and then they decide whether to stay together or find another.”
“That’s… very fluid,” Runcy remarked.
“A mare may have more than one stallion” Terra explained, “Although our stories tell of the lord and lady of the tribe being mated and having a son, it was not quite what you may call ‘marriage’.” She frowned in thought, “I asked one of the celestian’s about it and she told me of your customs.” She suddenly chuckled behind her hoof, “It sounded very strange!”
Runcy huffed, “Well I think that’s a matter of perspective.” He gave Terra a wink, “So, you found out about marriage?”
Terra nodded, “I understand that your people used to follow a traditional practice called ‘herding’, yes?”
“A long time ago!” Runcy said hurriedly, “That was usually practised when stallions were in short supply through war or disease and so on. Mares have usually outnumbered stallions in Equestria over the centuries.”
Terra raised an eyebrow, but carried on, “Your rejection of me was seen by Uriana as a failure by myself. She accused me of being cold to you and shirking my responsibility to the tribe’s future. That was why she had me lie with another.” She smiled sadly, “That was when you came in full of anger.”
Runcy frowned, “I damned well was too, and with bloody good reason.”
“It is… hard for me to understand, Runcy. Our stallions are like yours in some ways; all they are interested in is mating. But you… you treat me like my sister, like Patah.”
“I’ll try and take that as a compliment then,” Runcy snorted.
Terra gave him a tap on the hoof, “It is.”
“And this ‘soul mate’ thing?”
Terra looked a little embarrassed, “It is where two become… deeper than the physical. Mating is a simple act, but when two share respect and kindness, when they develop a bond, then we call that couple ‘soul mates’. They are...” She looked away, “In your language… married.”
“Wha…?!” Runcy nearly shot out of the bed, “I can’t be married to you, Terra! We’re, that is...” He swallowed, “I’m already-”
Terra’s hoof on his muzzle pulled him up short, “I know.” She smiled gently, “We do not need to mate to be soul mates, Runcy.” She gave her mane a shake, “I find it hard to describe, but it is a bond that is… different. We are friends, yes?”
Runcy breathed a sigh of relief, “Yes, of course we are. You’re very special to me, Terra and one of the few real friends I have here. Come to think of it, you’re the only wendigo friend I have. Something tells me Khanid’s not too keen on me.”
Terra shrugged, “You frighten her.”
“I… What?! Oh for...” Runcy groaned, “How in the name of Celestia’s ample rump can I frighten something that looks like a pile of old washing?”
Terra blushed, “Runcy, please, that is very disrespectful!” She still couldn’t hide the smirk behind her hoof as well as she thought she could.
Runcy rolled his eyes, “Pah! So tell me, how in Equestria can an earth pony frighten her? She’s a unicorn isn’t she? And she’s a wendigo too, so I’d imagine all that arcane cosmic power stuff could probably turn me into powder in the blink of an eye if she put her mind to it.”
Terra shook her head, “It is the power you and I share.” Slowly she rolled her shoulders and poured out another cup of tea. Runcy watched as it sloshed into the cup, sending its aroma into the air. “She fears that we may affect the coming of the lord.”
“How so?” Runcy asked, genuinely intrigued.
“By challenging him.”
“Oh, come on!” Runcy’s ears twitched irritably, “The silly old baggage has lost the plot completely. Living beneath those bed sheets all the time must have addled the old dear’s grey matter. I’m no more a threat to her than… than…” he looked down at his plate, “...breakfast muffins!”
Laughing, Terra collected the used crockery and put it to one side. A knock at the door made her look round, “A moment please.”
Runcy leaned back and stretched his legs. He was still a little out of sorts, almost light headed to some degree, but at least he was in one piece which was a damned sight better than the alternative. He shrugged; a good breakfast could do you wonders for you, and Terra’s were the best by far. He picked up Starswirl’s book and leafed through the pages. Starswirl the traitor, eh? Runcy wasn’t sure which was more disturbing: the accusation of what he’d allegedly done or the fact that the wendigo had forgiven him as if he were a wayward son whom the parents forgave no matter what their transgressions. He’d read more of the book later, but really all it seemed to talk about here on in was his internal conflict with Celestia and how he’d simply up-sticks and left one day. By and large, that was it. Whether Starswirl wrote another diary or not was unknown; the rest of this book was untouched, as though the old wizard had simply vanished into the depths of history never to return. Runcy looked up as Terra re-appeared by the side of the bed with somepony else in tow. You just had to love the way these mares brought everypony into your bedroom; come one, come all! He rolled over to see who it- Oh, goddesses… “Barbary...”
The terracotta mare was like a thunderhead of furious indignation and rage all bundled into one jodhpurs wearing package. She looked like she was going out for a run, especially with her mane tied up in a pony tail and the smooth fitting blouse she wore. She’d always had style that one, even if she did look as if she were about to kill him.
“Ah… here you are.” Her yellow eyes blazed like fires. Come to think of it, she reminded him a little of Terra when she was angry with him. “Is there are part of my saying ‘ten minutes’ that you found ambiguous, Runcy?”
Runcy frowned, “Ten minutes?”
“Last night you damned fool!” Barbary held her hoof to her chest and took a deep breath, “I suppose I should have realised why you didn’t want to meet me, what with all this free wendigo tail on tap.”
Runcy winced. He couldn’t remember a damned thing about this ‘ten minutes’ thing, but he could guess. Damn it all, why couldn’t she understand he just wanted to be left alone! He gave himself a shake and threw back the covers, trying not to lose his temper. “I had other things to do,” he said levelly.
“You had...” Barbary glanced at Terra who was busying herself with tidying the room as though she were the only one in the room. She had no doubt the grey unicorn would be listening to every single word and it made her tail twitch just thinking about it. Turning her attention back to the target of her ire, Barbary glowered menacingly, “Look, I don’t care, alright? If you want to go off gallivanting around with loose mares, you can do it to your hearts content, but right now you have to come with me.”
Runcy blinked in surprise, “What? Why?”
Barbary rolled her eyes, “There’s no time, just get out of bed and follow me.”
“For Celestia’s… Alright! Damn it all...” Runcy pulled himself to the edge of the bed and went to pull on his trousers. The room span.
“Runcy!” Terra was there in an instant, catching him in her forelegs, “You’re still weak, you can’t move around until your spirit energy has recovered.”
“Spirit energy?” Barbary’s eyes went wide, “What have you been doing, Runcy?” She glanced at Terra and to the bowl of red cherries that sat by the side of the bed and gasped, “Don’t eat those!”
Runcy froze, “What?”
“They’re poisonous you idiot!” Barbary took a step back and slowly reached a hoof towards the small black hoofbag she habitually carried, “Back away from him girl. Slowly.”
Runcy stopped and turned to face her. He’d seen Barbary in various states before: angry, furious, fuming, drunk and randy, but never this… this was something that made his blood run cold.
“Those berries affect ponies badly, Runcy, very badly. They open the spirit to forces of the nether world and induce a near hallucinatory state where… things can happen to you that believe me, you really don’t want to experience.”
“Terra?” Runcy looked up at the grey mare in confusion.
Terra hung her head, “It’s true,” she sighed, “The berries grow in the places between the worlds where the veil is thin and one can see their ancestors.” She lifted a hoof suddenly, “But they can also be used to rebuild lost spirit in the right amount. You lost much of yours last night when you… when you shared it with me.”
“Oh, OH! Now it all becomes clear!” Barbary nickered, “Sharing your ‘spirit energy’ with her were you? For Luna’s sake, you stallions can’t keep your damned pants on for more than five minutes can you?”
“Oh, belt up, Barbary!” Runcy snapped. He’d had enough, more than enough. Pushing the females away he pulled himself from the bed and snatched a hoofful of the berries, “I’ve been eating these bloody things since I got here, and I’m still in one piece aren’t I?”
“You’ve been what?!” Barbary nearly choked, “How… who the hell gave you those?”
Runcy shrugged,“They just appeared in the room each morning, I presumed they were complimentary.”
Barbary’s expression was like iron. She glanced at Terra who looked back with a shake of her head, explain the battle madness.”
“What’s that?” Runcy asked. He groaned and covered his muzzle with a foreleg, “Oh goddesses, don’t tell me I did something when I was half cut last night.”
Terra shook her head, “When that stallion… hurt me, you attacked him with a skill and strength I have only ever seen when one of our warriors becomes lost to their ancestors spirits. We call it ‘battle madness’.”
“I think she means you went beserk, Run,” Barbary added unhelpfully.
Runcy clucked his tongue, “You know, normally I’d think you were both stark staring mad, but with all the other insanity that’s been going on around here lately I think that’s rapidly becoming a mute point.” He sniffed, “So, you think somepony’s been poisoning my brekkers to drive me round the bend, right?”
Barbary shook her head, “No, not in so many words.” She glanced at Terra, “I have never known a wendigo lie, Terra. Can I trust you?”
Terra nodded, “Upon the honour of my bloodline, I give you my word.”
Runcy reached for the berries.
“Two, no more,” Terra cautioned.
Runcy nodded and munched them down, feeling the strange tingle running through his body as well as the sweet yet tart taste. They were quite delicious for something that drove you bonkers.
Barbary nodded, “Come with me, both of you.”
The group trotted out of Runcy’s room and down a side corridor usually used, to the best of Runcy’s knowledge, only by the wendigo. To many of the Veritas ponies he’d met since arriving here, the wendigo were viewed as little more than indentured servants and barely worthy of note, meaning that their comings and goings went for the most part completely unnoticed. It was hardly surprising really, the unicorns looked so similar to one another it was hard to tell them apart, other than by age or cutie mark of course – but who would bother to look? Besides, the way they looked now was certainly a far cry from the terrifying visage he’d seen only a day earlier. For a moment he caught himself; was she terrifying? To most ponies she would have been surely, but he’d reacted to her as though she had done no more than change a hat. Had the time here affected him so much that staring into the face of a being that hadn’t existed in this world for a thousand years simply meant so little to him? He was in a place where only a few weeks ago he would have been falling over himself to get to, and yet now he was here, steeped in its history and surrounded by such incredible creatures, he felt strangely numb to it all. Dear Celestia, was he really so old now that he couldn’t feel excited any more about the things he used to love so dearly? As a child he had been fascinated by history, his father introducing him to the wonders of the ancient world when he was but a foal. And as Runcy grew, his passions too, grew with him, consuming his spare time and fusing with him, becoming part of who he was today. The Spoon family had always been traditionalists, and as much as it rankled Silver, it was important – not just because of Runcy’s passion for it, but because it grounded them, reminding them of who they were and just as importantly, where they’d come from. To look to the future was something that he understood, of course he did, and young Trestle was a product of that future, but to forget the past was to forget lessons that had been learnt in blood. She may not realise that now, but some day, Silver would come to know this and understand.
The door closed and Barbary waved Runcy to a packing crate while she stood and paced. She looked… worried? Runcy wasn’t sure with Barbary, it was always difficult to work out what the enigmatic creature was thinking at the best of times and now he was even less sure than he ever had been.
“Runcy, I...” She took a breath and closed her eyes, “What I’m going to tell you is in direct conflict with my orders. If you breathe a word of what I’m going to tell you...” She looked up at him with her big yellow eyes, “We’ll both die.”
“Die?” Runcy blinked in surprise. He was still tired and was beginning to wonder if he was half dreaming all of this.
“Listen to me,” Barbary continued, “Your family are in danger. You are in danger, do you understand that? Can you get that through your thick head?”
Runcy sighed, “Irrespective of your doubtlessly high opinion of me, my dear Barbary, I can assure you I am not an imbecile!” He could feel his mane bristling, “Now tell what the hell this is all about will you?”
Barbary watched him in silence for a moment, clearly fighting some sort of internal conflict before finally nodding her ascent. “I’m… i’m an agent for Equus.”
“You say that as if I should know who they are,” Runcy said levelly, “I’m going to presume some sort of government agency?”
Barbary nodded, “We’re… affiliated with the CBI, but answerable to Princess Luna.”
“Wheels within wheels.” Runcy shook his head, “Even now they have to have their own toys, eh? So, what is it then? Veritas pissed off somepony higher up the food chain?”
“Runcy!” Barbary huffed, “Damn it all, you’re so infuriating!”
“So I’m constantly being told,” Runcy replied tartly, “So, come on, out with it.”
The terracotta mare closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearing her lungs, “Equus have been watching the circle for a long time - years in fact. We are well aware of their plans to create a private army to invade the changeling lands.” She raised an eyebrow, “What you probably don’t know is that the incursion into their homelands which Celestia spoke about wasn’t sanctioned, and it nearly resulted in their total annihilation.”
Runcy nodded, “If it wasn’t sanctioned then who did authorise it? Veritas?”
Barbary glanced at Terra before turning back to Runcy. “Hell fire… well, in for a penny, in for pound eh?” She smiled bitterly, “Around a year or so ago we found out that our wendigo friends weren’t quite as extinct as we’d originally thought.”
Runcy nodded towards Terra, “Apparently not.”
Barbary shook her head, “No, I’m not talking about the ones here. I’m talking about a village near the Everfree forest, one where remnants of what had been known as the ‘four winds tribe’ live.” Suddenly Terra’s ear pricked up, her eyes gleaming in the blue glow of the store rooms walls as Barbary continued, “They were a rag tag group, no more than a few hundred griffins, minotaurs, ponies and then goddesses know what else.” Barbary shrugged, “But one of them was a stallion from the Equestrian watch. I don’t know exactly what, but something happened to him, and he… changed.”
Runcy looked at Terra and their eyes locked.
Barbary hung her head, “He called himself the ‘lord of the four winds’.”
Terra’s face was a mask of shock.
“And he’s what, a wendigo?” Runcy asked.
Barbary nodded, “He is, or at least we believe he is.” She looked Runcy in the eyes, “He can change, Run, into this… thing.” She shuddered, “It’s a long story.”
“He can change?” Runcy rubbed his eyes, “What did he look like?”
Barbary shook her head, “I haven’t seen it myself, but we’ve all heard about it. Some have seen him, and they said they’d never forget it. He’s a unicorn, but somehow he turns into this… this creature that has wings, and eyes that are pure blue and flicker like flames. He changes colour, if can believe that, from grey to white. He’s more demon than pony, Runcy, and he’s extraordinarily dangerous.”
“Do the princesses know?” Runcy asked.
“Of course they do.” Barbary sighed, “He has an… understanding with them.”
“Well at least he’s on our side,” Runcy breathed, “Thank the goddesses for that.”
Barbary shook her head, “I don’t think he’s on anyponies side, Run. I think he’s more concerned about his family and his people.”
“So what’s this got to do with me?” Runcy asked, “I mean, if this wendigo fellow has no interest in the rest of Equestria and he’s damaged the changelings ability to attack us, then Celestia wanting to negotiate with them makes more sense now. But that said, why do we have to be doing any of this here? Does veritas know?”
“Of course they do. Veritas have ponies everywhere in the government as we all know.” Barbary gave her mane a shake, “Run, we think they’re planning a coup.”
“Oh, come on!” Runcy huffed, “Every damned noble in Equestria has designs on the throne and every time somepony with more balls than brains has tried it, it’s been an unmitigated disaster. Personally I prefer my balls attached where the goddesses intended them and not gracing Celestia’s trophy wall.”
“And yet here we are,” Barbary replied calmly.
Runcy scrubbed his mane in thought. There had to be some… oh, goddesses of course! “The portal!” he breathed, “They’re going to use it to open a gateway to… wait, can it really send you anywhere?”
“Starswirl apparently thought so,” Barbary replied solemnly, “But what we know for sure is that there normally needs to be an active portal at the other end for a master portal to link to.”
“A master portal?”
Barbary nodded, “There’s another one in the palace.”
“Oh, hell.” Runcy closed his eyes, “I helped them break the seal.” His heart dropped like a lead weight in his chest, his throat drying up with the terrible realisation of what he’d done. “Tell me you have it guarded, Barb.”
She nodded, “It’s locked down. Our best ponies are on it.”
“Goddesses forgive me.” Runcy closed his eyes, “What the hell was I thinking? This is madness, absolute madness. How did I not see this coming?”
“Have you ever wondered where those books came from, Run?” Barbary asked, “You know, the small red diaries that one of your friends just ‘happens’ to find and send to you? For a modest fee of course.”
Runcy opened his eyes slowly, staring hard at the ground as his hooves dug into the crate. “Sunny.”
Barbary hung her head, “There’s more to tell you, Run, but we have to get out of here.”
Runcy’s blood ran cold, “What? Why now?”
Barbary looked at Terra and then back to Runcy, “The agency are going to hit this place. I don’t know when yet, but it’s soon and they want you out of here before they arrive.”
Terra lay a hoof on Runcy’s foreleg and looked at Barbary, “You are planning to destroy us?”
“No.” Barbary shook her head, “We have no grievance with the wendigo. Once, yes, but not now. Our new… ‘friend’ would not take kindly to any attack on his people.”
“His people...” Terra gazed into Runcy’s eyes, “He has returned. Our lord, the lord of the four winds… he has returned?”
Runcy smiled at her, “I would say your people no longer need fear the sun, wouldn’t you?” He looked to Barbary, “What about the wendigo here?”
“They can do whatever they like,” Barbary replied, “But I think it would be best if they moved out of the area before the operation commences for their own safety. We’ve been laying contingency plans, but we haven’t approached the elder yet. Khanid can be… difficult to deal with.”
Terra dropped to her haunches, her eyes filling with tears. Slowly, the small drops solidified and began to drop to the ground with a sound like distant bells. Runcy put his forelegs around her, whispering comfortingly, “I think it’s time to go home.” He gave her a nuzzle, “And then I will have some accounts to settle. In full.”
There was a knock on the door, “Terra? It’s Patah.”
The ponies glanced at each other as Barbary backed away from the door removing a small device from her bag which she pointed at the door as Terra spoke, “Patah? What are you doing here?”
“I came looking for you.” Terra’s sister’s face appeared in the doorway, “There’s trouble.”
Terra frowned, “What trouble? What’s happening?”
Patah grimaced as she glanced past her sister at the other ponies in the room, “Uriana’s family have been telling the rest of tribe about your spirit awakening and they think you’re keeping the secret to yourself to spite them.”
Terra barked out a bitter laugh, “What foolishness!”
Patah nodded, “I know, and the elder knows it too, but…” She sighed, “Terra, somepony told the stallions and unrest is spreading.”
“We need to speak to the elder.” Terra glanced at Barbary and Runcy, “I won’t ask you to come, but you are welcome if you do.”
“What are soul mate’s for?” Runcy said jumping down from the crate. He followed the others out into the corridor and found himself muzzle to muzzle with the smiling face of a bright green stallion with a mane that flowed like a river of gold.
“Hello my boy,” Sunny smiled warmly, “I wondered where you’d been hiding yourself.” He closed his eyes and lifted his muzzle, “Ah, the wonders of fate truly are a miracle to behold wouldn’t you say?” The black overcoated guards either side of him hefted their weapons. “Would you like to see what I have for you?” Lord Aura chuckled, “I think you’ll like it… very much indeed.”
***********************
“Oh, Celestia, my head...” Rinse groaned and threw her forelegs over her head, “What the hell happened?” She opened her eyes suddenly, “Where are we?!”
Twilight blinked in the bright sunshine, her eyes slowly adjusting to the intensity of the light. “Judging by the air temperature, the lichen on the trees and the local flora, I’d say we are north-east of Cloudsdale, somewhere along the edge of the crystal mountain range.”
“The boundary lands? Oh, wonderful,” Rinse groaned, “What a time to forget my ski boots.”
“That’s alright, I forgot mine too!” Twilight chirped and leaned down to collect a stunned looking Spike. “Up you come.” The lavender unicorn missed the sarcastic smirk Rinse shot her and quickly took out her aetherscope. “Hmm… thaumaturgical activity is at background levels. Curious.” The small meter bleeped as she panned it around the grassy clearing. “These blocks are obviously the remains of the portal connected to the one we entered. Apparently exiting a damaged one can lead to unexpected results.”
“A master of understatement!” Rinse announced animatedly. She reached into her pocket and popped a painkiller into her mouth, washing it down with a mouthful of water from her canteen, “My head feels like my brain’s trying to beat its way out of my skull.”
Twilight nodded to her scaly friend, “Spike?”
“On it.” Spike hurried over to the pale blue mare and tugged at her to make her lean down. She didn’t object. “Twilight, I think she may have concussion, possibly a skull fracture.” He brushed his hooves over her fur and nodded, “Yup, time to do what you do best.”
Rinse looked up in surprise as Twilight set down her packs and took out a small box marked with three colourful butterflies. “Hold still now,” Twilight chirped. Rinse glowered at the ground; how the hell was she always so… so… perky?! Twilight’s horn glowed and the feeling of warmth and comfort spread from Rinse’s ears down to her hooves. “Almost done” Twilight said happily, “Annnd… there! Right as rain.”
Rinse opened her eyes cautiously, “I’m...” She reached up and gingerly touched her head, “I’m okay!”
“Yeah, she’s good like that” the little dragon said. He helped Twilight strap her panniers on her back and waggled his eyebrows comically, “I said she should have been a doctor, but no, nopony listens to old Spikey-wikey, right Twi?”
Twilight stared at the aetherscope and called back to the others over her shoulder, “I’m picking up stronger readings to the north west. Come on!”
Spike shrugged, “See what I mean?”
Rolling her eyes, Rinse hurried after the lavender mare and her diminutive sidekick as they dashed through the forest into its dark depths.
For such a tiny thing, Spike had a fair turn of speed on him, but his stubby legs were no match for four and he soon hopped up, to Rinses surprise, onto her back. “Thanks for the lift!” he beamed cheekily. She’d stopped caring now, this whole business was just going from the sublime to the ridiculous anyway. What was next? Tapdancing alicorns dressed as bananas? Oh goddesses, what made her think of that! She sighed; the way today was heading a whole flock of them was likely to swoop in at any minute, or was that ‘bunch’? Gah! Whatever… They trotted deeper into the ancient forest. Up ahead, Twilight was chattering about something to do with the lack of vegetation from light or something, but most of it went over her head. The mission was what was important, and the objective had to be secured. She’d failed once already, and she sure as hell wouldn’t fail a second time or else she’d never be able to show her face at the agency again. If any of them could even remember her that was. She’d been working deep cover with the Spoon family for so long now she couldn’t remember any other life other than this one, and her days off had been spent sending reports back to command rather than having what some would rather amusingly call ‘a life’. Still, there was always Crisps. The poor lad was absolutely besotted with her, or more specifically the mare he thought she was. In fact he so hopelessly in love she’d break his heart if she told him the truth. Sadly, despite the reality of her situation and as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she kind of liked the life she had as a maid. Crisps was kind and gentle, if a little simple in his own way, and the Spoons it had to be said were very good employers. Sure, Lord Runcy could be a miserable sod at times and he nearly blew a fuse when he’d found her giving Silver cheese and biscuits that time. But for the goddesses sake, cheese of all things! It wasn’t as if the little filly had an allergy to it, and they all knew what it was anyway – it was that awful condition she had. And the silly little twit had run off through this dreadful forest looking for her father. She could only hope she hadn’t come to any harm and… oh, Twilight had stopped. What was she doing now?
“Look at that reading, Spike.” The lavender mare showed the little dragon her aetherscope, “It’s more than twenty times the BTR level.”
“BTR?” Rinse asked, looking round at Spike.
“Background Thaumaturgical Radiation,” Spike shrugged, “It’s what’s normally in the ground: vegetation, trees, rocks and everyday kind of stuff.”
“And twenty times is high, right?” Rinse asked warily.
Spike nodded, “Very.”
Rinse groaned inwardly. Why did she have that awful sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach? And it wasn’t from the unceremonious dumping out in the clearing after stepping into that nightmarish portal thing back in that… what in Equestria was it anyway? An armoury? Under the house? It was more like a musty old museum than anything else, but by Celestia’s hairy buttocks, who the hell would want something like that nightmarish place under their home? Bloody hell, she’d never get to sleep again after knowing that was down there!
“This way...” Twilight muttered.
Rinse gave herself a shake and followed the lavender unicorn off into the darkening trees. It was cold, but there was a certain indefinable stillness in the air that had her hackles going up like there was no tomorrow. She’d heard stories about places like this, and the creatures that inhabited them. Mostly she’d thought it was a load of old twaddle intended to frighten the unwary and children from wandering into their gloomy depths, but this… this was something more. Twilight must have noticed it too. She raised a hoof,
“Spike?”
The little dragon seemed to instinctively know what the lavender mare wanted, and to Rinse’s amazement fished out a set of goggles from his backpack and settled them into place over his eyes before jumping down off Rinse’s back. She watched in silent fascination as he slowly adjusted a knob on the side of the comical looking things and began muttering under his breath in concentration, “Nothing… nothing… still nothing… wait, hang on…” He froze, staring off into the distance, “Yes, there! Picking up a large heat signature, Twi. No signs of life though.”
Twilight nodded in the direction he was pointing, “Lead the way, Spike.”
Rinse subconsciously checked her sidearm, “Spike? Don’t go too far ahead now, okay?” The tiny dragon waved a claw in acknowledgement as the trio set off once more.
“Strange…” Twilight said half to herself, “I’ve spent years researching the wildlife of Equestrian forests and I’d have at least expected something.” She looked up at the trees as they walked, “The northern forests should be teeming with life: pine squirrels, silver foxes, all manner of birds, and yet there’s nothing at all. I’d rather hoped to have seen one of the lesser spotted hammer drills, they should be pairing this time of year.”
“I don’t know about lesser spotted hammer drills, but my horns itching like crazy!” Rinse grimaced, tossing her head irritably, “What the hell’s causing this?”
Twilight nodded her agreement, “You can feel it too, can’t you.” She lifted up her aetherscope and showed it to Rinse. The needle was flickering off the scale. “Massive thaumaturgical radiation,” Twilight said as she made another of her habitual notes, “Fascinating.”
“Isn’t this dangerous?” Rinse asked, “I’ve been warned about high magical energy fields left over from the war and we were always told in school to avoid them. Strange things can happen to you if you wander into them, can’t they?”
“They’re still around,” Twilight replied, “but if we keep to a minimum safe distance, we should be fine.”
“Should be?” Rinse felt a shiver run through her, “You’re not exactly making me feel very confident here, Miss Sparkle.”
“Twi? Rinse?” It was Spike, “I think you’d better come and take a look at this.”
The two mares hurried to join their companion, but before they could reach him a wall of stench hit them with all the force of a runaway freight train. Wasting no time, Rinse reached back into her pack and pulled out a length of cloth which she dampened with some water from her canteen before tying it around her nose. Dear Celestia, what the hell was that?! The reek was indescribable. Twilight however, as Rinse had come to expect, didn’t seem to be affected by it in the slightest.
“The aetherscope’s useless” the lavender unicorn said with a dismissive shake of her head, “but I think we can safely say we’ve found the source of our radiation signature.”
The threem of the stared down the bank side into a scene that looked as though it were from one of the books Rinse had read about the war. Smoke drifted up from a great rent in the earth, with blackened trees and rocks radiating out around it. Something had happened here, something terrible, and it was recent too.
Spike scanned the ground below, shaking his head, “No signs of life.” He lifted up his goggles and wiped his muzzle, “Right then, you two stay here. I’ll go down and see what’s- Hey!”
A pale blue foreleg blocked his path. “No Spike, I’ll go.” Rinse’s expression brooked no nonsense, “It’s no place for a baby dragon.”
“Baby dragon?!” Spike snapped, “I am not a baby, I’m just as old as you are! Probably.”
“Probably?” Rinse looked down into the pair of bright green reptilian eyes and smiled gently, “Look, Spike, I need you to stay here and look after Twilight for us, okay? I know how you feel, but I was trained for this sort of thing and I need somepony, or some dragon, to have my back. Okay?”
Spike looked a little unsure at first, but to his credit didn’t argue the point and simply nodded, “Yeah.” Suddenly, he lifted a claw, “Rinse? Dragons have a keen sense of smell, and… well, there’s more than burnt wood down there.”
Rinse closed her eyes and nodded. The look in Spike’s eyes had said more than his words ever could. For such a young dragon he was surprisingly mature, maybe even more so than Twilight in some respects – especially when it came to common sense. She gave herself a shake. Right then, no time like the present… She paused, taking out her pistol and looked back at the little dragon, “Spike?” He looked up. “Here.” Rinse’s horn glowed and she floated a silver device out of her pack and into his open claws, “Do you know how to use one of these?”
Spike stared at the thing for a moment and then nodded, “I think so. Point and click, right?”
“Point and click” Rinse echoed. She turned to walk away.
“Wait!” Rinse closed her eyes as Twilight ran over to her in a lather, “Rinse, what in Equestria are you doing?! You can’t give him that!”
“He has a right to defend himself, Twilight,” Rinse retorted.
Twilight was incensed, “I know what that thing is, Rinse, and I can’t believe anypony would be so irresponsible as to give a child a firearm!”
Rinse opened her eyes and turned to face her, “He’s not a child, Twilight.”
“I don’t care!” The irate unicorn stomped her hoof angrily, “Spike, give it back.”
Rinse rounded on her, “And what are you going to do exactly, little miss magic pants? Are you going to use clever words to save your hide?”
“I’m more than capable of using my magic to protect us,” Twilight replied with a toss of her mane, “I can teleport us to safety or throw up a shield quite easily.”
“‘Quite easily’…” Rinse let out a sarcastic bark of laughter, “I knew a unicorn who was cocksure of herself once, Twilight.” She fixed her with a look that made Twilight swallow. “Let me tell you, magic’s not much use when you’re having your throat torn out by a pack of timber wolves.”
“Even so-”
Rinse placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Twi, Spike is a male, and whether you like it or not, whether you approve of it or not, his instinct is to protect those he cares about. I’ve seen the way you two work together; he adores you, and he’d likely get himself killed trying to prevent any harm coming to you.” She took a deep breath, her voice hardening, “I won’t let anypony else suffer because of idealistic wishful thinking, Twilight. This conversation is over.” Rinse checked her revolver again and gave Twilight one last glance before slipping over the edge of the steep bank to whatever waited for her below.
The descent was tricky, but by angling her body just so, Rinse was able to slide from tree to tree, giving herself at least some cover from the gully below. Still, she knew with chilling certainty that anypony looking in her direction would probably have seen her as clear as day and her best course was to reach the bottom as quickly as possible where she would be able to use her speed to her advantage. Mercifully, it didn’t take as long as she’d anticipated, and her hooves soon hit solid ground.
It was as quiet as a grave.
All around the charred and blackened trees still smouldered, the smoke hanging in the air stinging her eyes. Rinse blinked the tears away and began to wish that she’d borrowed Spike’s goggles, but it was too late for that now. Held in the glow of her magic, she panned he pistol around her, past the rocks, the trees, but the little dragon had been right: if there had been living creatures here once, they were long gone. Carefully she began to pick her way over the still warm and steaming ground, past the large blackened… Rinse looked down; that was no rock. Burned almost beyond recognition, the charred remains of a once living creature lay curled up in a horrifying pose, frozen at the moment of death. But it was the smell… dear goddesses… the overpowering stink of burnt hair, burnt flesh… Rinse lifted the cloth from her nose and emptied her stomach. Taking a mouthful of water from her canteen she swilled it around her mouth and spat it out. Judging by the creatures tracks it had been running away from the large cleft in the ground and had been picked up and thrown, only to land and crawl to where it breathed its last breath on this cruel ground. Rinse looked about her with fresh eyes; now she could truly see the unimaginable extent of the devastation that had been wrought here.
Diamond Dogs.
The ground was littered with them; all of them by the looks of their tracks had either been running or thrown about by some huge force that had emanated from underground, the remains of which was still radiating intense heat and creating a shimmer in the air above it. Great Celestia… what had happened here? It was like the pits of hell had bulged up out of the ground and spewed their entrails into the world of the living. The more she looked the more she saw, and the less she wished she had. What she’d initially assumed were broken tree limbs were limbs of another kind: arms, legs, shattered and torn pieces of flesh that had once been living, breathing creatures lay all about her. Thank the goddesses Spike hadn’t come down here to see this. She gave herself a shake, steeling her nerves and walked slowly towards the great split in the earth. Here, there was more of the same, much more. Rinse was almost glad the heat beat her back, and the way her horn was itching she was pretty sure she was dangerously close to that ‘minimum safe distance’ Twilight had spoken of. Now that she thought about it, maybe it would have helped if she’d actually told her what that ‘distance’ was. Rinse sighed; it was too bloody late now, wasn’t it? She began to walk back, searching the ground for some clues, some evidence as to whether their missing fillies where… She froze, staring down at the hardened, heat dried ground. Yes… yes! Hoof prints, lots of them too, all heading away from source of the blast. She could feel her heart rate increasing as she followed them. There were definitely two sets, much smaller than her own. They had to have belonged to Silver and another child, probably her friend Diamond Tiara. She sighed; those two always had been inseparable. So, it was a rescue mission for two now was it? Not that it mattered, if nothing else it would help tracking them that little bit easier. She continued her examination. By the way the earth had been picked up the girls been running hard, but there was something else: a third set, larger than the others - an adult? So, there was another pony with them, and the prints suggested they’d been running with the girls, leading them away to… cart tracks. They were deep too, suggestive of a heavily loaded wagon or cart of some kind, but here was where the hoof prints ended. Curious… A sky chariot or carriage perhaps? No, the tracks continued off into the forest. By the way the mud was piled up and the scorch marks, the cart must have left at quite some speed. She leaned down and sniffed at the tracks; yes… quite some speed indeed. Rinse nodded to herself; she’d seen enough.
“Anything?” Spike looked up hopefully as Rinse hauled herself back up the last few feet of the bank.
The pale blue mare nodded as she dusted herself down and took the pistol from Spike’s claws. Held in the glow of her magic, the sidearm floated back into its case. “They were here.”
Twilight, still sulking, suddenly sat up, “Were?”
“There’s cart tracks,” Rinse explained. She adjusted her packs and gratefully reattached the last of her gear with a little help from the ever industrious Spike. “They’re heading off through the forest. It should be a simple enough task to track them.”
“Looks like this is the break we needed then, let’s go!” Spike shouldered his pack and leaped onto Rinses back.
She smiled and shook her head, “Ever onward, eh?”
Rinse lead them down and away from the horror of the blackened ground she’d visited. There was no need for anypony to see that. Nature would return soon enough to reclaim this terrible place and wash away the grim spectacle that was now forever etched into Rinse’s heart. She had no love for diamond dogs, few ponies did, but so much death… How could such a thing have happened?
Spike leaned over Rinse’s shoulder, “Hey, look at that.”
“What’s up Spike?” Twilight asked walking over.
“There’s no hoofprints.” Spike observed, “I know they were in a hurry, but how do you manage to leave the driver behind and still make the cart move?” He shook his head in bewilderment, “They must have been moving some too, look at the way the mud’s all banked up.”
Twilight looked at Rinse and the two mares stared at the tracks together. Spike was right, there were no hoofprints, and yet the cart wheels showed signed of high speed and rather dangerous manoeuvres too. Everywhere broken branches and pine cones evidenced the pell mell rush of the cart through the burnt forest. Rinse looked at one of the trees, “It must have been tall for a cart,” she observed.
“And heavy too. Four wheels, so it’s not a chariot.” Twilight pointed to the overlaid tracks, “Steam driven maybe? I’ve seen one of those contraptions before and the depth of them would suggest considerable weight.” She scratched her chin in thought, “The sticking point with that hypothesis though is that speed is not their strong point, so it could certainly be magic.” In a trice the faithful aetherscope was out once again and Twilight was back in her element: research, “Hmm… definitely some magical energy residue here.” She shrugged, “With any luck we should be able to catch up with our fillies before nightfall.”
“If they’re not wrapped around a tree,” Spike muttered.
Twilight clucked her tongue, “You’re not helping Spike.”
Rinse rolled her eyes and kept quiet, concentrating on following the deep tracks as they slewed around trees and rocks, heading mercifully towards what looked like more open ground. The earth was quite firm here and Spike wasn’t too heavy thank goodness, in fact she’d almost forgotten he was there until he shifted his weight a little. In truth she was glad of the company and it was quite pleasant to be out of the manor in the wide open vistas of nature for once. She still considered the manor to be home of course, as much for her as it was for the Spoon family really, but it had a feeling of oppression to it sometimes with all that dark wood and dim lighting that she had become so used to she only really noticed it when she was away from there for a few hours. Good grief, no wonder Silver wasn’t in the best of health, despite the best the Equestrian medical authorities could provide. She could remember the day Celestia and Luna had arrived as clearly as if it had happened that morning too; what a surprise that had been! For a moment she thought the princess would have recognised her, but if she had she didn’t let on. But… what of the future? Twilight and Spike knew she worked for the agency and the longer she spent with them the harder it would be to arrange for their memories to be altered. Yet, to do that to Celestia’s protege? Alicorn buttocks, that would be a one way ticket to the unemployment office if ever there was one – if not worse. They’d all heard the stories of Celestia’s ‘younger days’ and the rumours that abounded of those who had slighted her ‘disappearing’, with only piles of ash to be found beside warm plates of half eaten food or… Damn it! Why was she thinking about things like this now? Wasn’t it bad enough that they were out here in the arse end of nowhere with piles of incinerated corpses only a few miles behind them, searching for a couple of fillies that she should have made sure were safe? Blast it all… A slight tugging on her mane drew her attention. “Rinse?”
“Hmm?”
Spike kept his voice low, but he needn’t have worried, Twilight was so lost in her examination of that stupid aetherscope of hers that a brass band could have marched past and she wouldn’t have noticed. Maybe she should have glued the bloody thing to her muzzle, the silly creature. “What does the agency do?” Spike asked.
Rinse shrugged, “We work for the princesses, keeping ponies and little dragons safe.”
“Don’t we have the watch though?” Spike asked, “They’re supposed to keep us safe, right?”
Ah, the watch! Such a quaint notion. Equestria’s police force, or ‘the watch’ as they were affectionately known, was about as much use as a chocolate fireguard and as bent as a rubber bit. The only one she’d ever had any kind of respect for had left the watch and turned out to be… well, it was probably best not to dwell too much on that particular situation. The agency had torn itself apart after that madness set in, and of course, the changelings had used the internal confusion and corruption to slip right into the very heart of Equestria. Truthfully though, she didn’t know all that much more about the ‘incident’ as it was rather enigmatically referred to other than occasional communiques to keep an eye out for ‘unusual alicorn like entities’. Bloody hell, could they have been any more vague? And in any case, didn’t they think that if anypony actually saw something that could be described as an ‘unusual alicorn entity’, they wouldn’t be hollering about it from the highest building in Ponyville? She groaned; why didn’t she opt for an easier life? She could have been a… maid. She sighed.
“Rinse?”
“Oh!” Rinse gave her mane a shake, “Sorry Spike. The watch are what you might call local authority level, keeping an eye on your basic law and order stuff – the sort of things which affect everyday ponies.” Like an overdue library book, Rinse thought sarcastically.
Spike altered his position, “So you take care of more serious crimes?”
Rinse nodded, “Something like that. We deal with the sorts of things that you don’t need to worry yourself about.”
Spike sat back and sighed, “Well, that’s a conversation stopper.”
Rinse smiled, “Got it in one, kiddo.”
“I’d like to be a secret agent some day,” Spike mused, “Special Agent Spike, on her majesty’s secret service.”
Rinse chuckled, “Maybe one day Spike, but it’s sure not glamorous. Believe me, I’ve cleaned enough toilets to know that much.”
Spike sat up hurriedly, “Toilets? Mmm… you know, maybe I need to reassess my future career choices.”
“One that doesn’t include cleaning toilets, eh?”
“Got it one, kiddo.” Spike gave Rinse a cheeky wink, the two sharing a laugh in the dying light of the forest.
The temperature was dropping rapidly now. Despite the time of year, being this far north the pure blue skies promised a bitterly cold evening. Oblivious to the world around her, Twilight trudged along as she had since they’d got there, her face illuminated by the glow of her magic and from the everpresent aetherscope. They’d noticed some time earlier that the cart had apparently slowed and the hoofprints of an adult had appeared, apparent pulling the vehicle in a more conventional manner. They’d barely mentioned it. It was getting late, they had only basic equipment with them and so far there was no sign that they were getting any closer to their goal. At least there were signs of life once more; an owl hooted off in the distance, its plaintive cry making Rinse’s mane prickle. She pulled her tunic around herself and considered taking out her travelling cloak, but what of Twilight and Spike? Neither of them had brought much more than they were standing up in and they, including herself she’d have to admit, had simply plunged through the portal without a second thought. Now they were going to be paying the price for their impetuous decision and-
“Twi? Rinse?” Spike stood up, sniffing the air, “Can you smell that?”
Twilight stopped and snuffed the air carefully, “Smoke… birch wood smoke I’d say.”
“A camp fire!” Rinse glanced at the others, “Could be our girls.”
“Come on!” Twilight neighed and before Rinse could stop her had broken into a full gallop.
“Twilight! Goddesses damn it...” Rinse nickered, “Hang on tight, Spike.”
The little dragons claws clung tightly onto the pale blue mare’s neck as she broke into a gallop after the rapidly disappearing Twilight. Running full tilt in the gloom was dangerous enough as it was without diving headlong into potential danger. None of them knew who the pony with the wagon was nor whether they were friendly or hostile. For that matter the reaction of somepony out in the wilderness at night, potentially one who had been running for their life from the horror in the gully, wouldn’t necessarily be-
Twilight’s shout cut through the forest night, “There!”
A scream rang out followed by a crash of something, or somepony tumbling through the undergrowth. Still at a full run, Rinse swung left, flinging herself into a slide that took her into cover behind a wide tree. “Spike, stay here and don’t move, understand?” The little dragon nodded as he jumped from her back and Rinse was immediately up and moving to another tree, this one with a familiar lavender unicorn quivering in front of it. “Twi, are you hurt?”
“N… No!” Twilight’s eyes were like saucers, staring up at the crossbow bolt embedded in the trunk just above her head.
“Stay down.” Rinse had her pistol ready to hoof but decided against using any magic; its glow in this gloom would make her a perfect target. She slipped past Twilight and moved up to another tree, peering through the night to what looked to be a… caravan? The vehicle was sat next to a small campfire, and just visible as a shadow in the flickering yellow light, somepony was moving around. She took a deep breath, “Hoy! Don’t shoot, we’re friendly!”
The shouted reply was definitely Equestrian, “Get lost!”
Rinse shook her head; damn that Twilight! Charging off like that had likely caused this mess. She huffed and closed her eyes, leaning back against the tree, “We’re looking for two fillies, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. One has a silvery grey coat and the other one’s pink. Have you-”
“Yeah, I’ve seen them,” the voice shouted back, “What do you want with them?”
“We want to take them home,” Rinse shouted back. Not that they’d actually given any thought to how they were going to do that yet of course, but hell, it was a step in the right direction at least. “There may be a reward on offer,” she tried.
“May be?” the voice shouted back, “There better bloody well had be!” There was a pause and then the voice called again, “Come over to the light where I can see you and don’t even think of trying anything clever. If I see any weapons I’ll turn you into pincushions. I warn you, I am powerful sorceress who could have you inside out in the blink of an eye.”
Twilight and Spike, at Rinse’s gesturing, moved up beside her. “You got a shield spell?” Rinse whispered. Twilight nodded. “Keep it to hoof in case she gets a bit trigger happy.”
In the darkness the mare beside the fire was no more than a shadowy outline, but the crossbow floating in her magic was all too clear. “Step forward into the light so I can see you, and don’t try anything funny!”
“Keep behind me,” Rinse whispered and carefully, the trio walked forward.
“That’s close enough,” the mare said loudly, “Now, who are you?”
“My name’s Blue Rinse, I’m… a maid for the Spoon family. This is Spike and this is-”
“-I know who that is,” the mare cut in. Whoever it was, their voice had changed from sounding angry and wary, to bitter, “You’re not welcome here. Find somewhere else to scrounge.”
Twilight blinked in surprise, “Trixie?”
The shadowy figure by the campfire lifted her head and adjusted her hat, “I said it before, and I’ll say it now… GET LOST!”
Rinse closed her eyes and took a breath, “Aren’t you interested in the reward then?”
“Hah! Pulling that out of your arse now are you?” Trixie scoffed, “You said ‘may be’ before.”
“Do you think there really wouldn’t be for two of Equestria’s most prominent daughters?” Rinse shook her mane, “Look, I can authorise payment on their behalf as-”
“A maid?” Trixie barked out a laugh, “I suppose that’s what they normally do is it? Send the hired help out into the wilds to look for their lost foals? Come on, pull the other one it’s got bells on.”
Rinse was starting to lose her patience, “Look, it doesn’t bloody well matter does it? All we’re asking for is information on the two girls. You will be more than amply rewarded I can assure you.”
Trixie glowered at them, “I’m more concerned about being stabbed in the back, but then you’d know all about that wouldn’t you, ‘Miss Sparkle’.”
Twilight hung her head, “It wasn’t like that Trixie and you know it.”
“Wasn’t like what? You humiliated me in front of the whole town and did your damnedest to destroy my career. Now you’re after what? A free evening feed and to sleep by my fire? Well guess what, Miss ‘my friends a princess’ I don’t have to help you with anything.”
Spike piped up, “Trixie, we’re very sorry about what happened back in Ponyville. I think that perhaps it was all just an awful misunderstanding that got out of hoof. All we want is to take Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara home to their families. We’ll make sure you have compensation for your time and help, so please, if you can help us we’ll leave you in peace.”
There was a dreadful pause. Rinse’s hoof began to twitch towards subconsciously to her pistol; if this damned mare wasn’t going to help them voluntarily then she’d have to m-
“I suppose you’d better come over to the fire then.” Trixie lowered the crossbow, “But if you’re expecting food you can forget it, you’re little friends already ate me out of house and home.”
“So they’re here?” Spike asked hurriedly. He peered around in the darkness, his keen night vision not detecting anypony other than the four of them.
Trixie slumped into her chair, propping the old crossbow up against the caravan steps. “Oh, they were here alright,” she said bitterly, “Until some goons wearing black gear like our magical ‘maid’ here turned up and tried to murder me and burn my home down.”
“Tried to murder you?!” Twilight’s forehooves shot to her muzzle, “I don’t believe it!”
“Well you better bloody well believe it Miss Sparkle because they’ve got your fillies,” Trixie announced.
“Who were they?” Rinse asked, “Can you tell us anything that may help us find them?”
“Another freebie?” Trixie huffed, “Ah… what the hell does it matter anyway. They went north, due north. They were pegasi so don’t go bothering yourself looking for any tracks because there aren’t any.” She stared at the ground a moment and then gestured to Spike, “Go inside and get three cups; I think you’re going to want me to recount everything, right?”
Twilight looked up from under her spectacles and floated out her notepad and quill, “Yes, please.”
Trixie groaned. The evening was still young and there was plenty of firewood to keep them warm. High above the stars shone brightly, with the moon almost pure white in the perfect sky. Perhaps it was an evening for story telling after all, regardless of the company. She took a breath and began…