//------------------------------// // The First Evening // Story: Camp Staff in Equestria // by Dimensional Librarian //------------------------------// Booksalot careened around the shelf and took off at a full gallop through the large doorway that lead into the even large room that contained statues, large vehicles, and a few other mysterious artifacts that were to big or unsightly to keep in the main section of the Library. The bipedal shape of Menhit came around the shelf next, in one hand was a Khopesh in the other an egyptian ax. “Get back here and face my blades, Gelding. They wish for blood after being contained for so long.” the lioness headed goddess called out as she ran after the fleeing equine. “Never bitch, I’m too old to die today.” “I’m a lioness!” Menhit roared out as she chased the Librarian deeper into the room. She followed him around a corner, only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight of a large metal tube in front of her. On the other end Booksalot was seeting upon a chair with a smug grin as a faint whirring sound started. “What is the meaning of that loo…” Menhit said before a Deafening bawhoomph filled the air along with stone dust. When it cleared Booksalot was looking upon empty space at the end of the machine before he looked up and watched Menhit fall to the lower levels. “Well that worked better than I thought it would.” Booksalot cheerfully said as he jumped down and went to the edge looking down to the darkened floor below. “I forget what’s down there,” he pulled a map over from a nearby shelf as he sat back. The sound of thunder rose from below causing Booksalot’s ears to drop, “Of course she found the instructions to the Mechas.” he deadpanned before taking off at a full trot to find something else useful for his fight with Menhit. “And closed. So what did you think of your first day Horton?” Forge asked with a smile as the human in question was slowly getting up from the chair he had been in for the majority of the day. “My brain is dead, please don’t request any sort of higher level brain processing while it reboots.” he replied. “Is there anything interesting we can go off to do to for a bit before hitting the hay?” “There’s all sorts of things across the rails in Decanter. We can fly over and take a walk around to see what’s happening tonight.” Forge suggested as Regular came out from the back and shook off soot from his wings. “Let’s go over to Decanter and show our new friend some fun things to do.” “Sure, sounds like fun.” the changeling said as the group stepped outside. The two members with wings started to fly before Regular looked down and noticed Horton watching the train that had just appeared on the middle line blocking his way. “We forgot he can’t fly.” he told his employer. Forge Wright turned around muttering a curse under her breath before calling out, “We’re going to have to wait for these trains. There’s a few more coming right now.” “There’s no reason to wait when I’m going to try something stupid right now.” Horton called back. “What do you mean by ‘I’m going to try something stupid’?” Forge asked Horton as he calmly walked the opposite direction of the tracks and the growing sound of the approaching trains. The human reached into his jacket pocket turning his speaker on allowing a fast and deep bass line to emit from it. He then turned around before taking off at a full sprint in time with the beat toward the tracks. Regular Pegasus looked over and watched as the track closest to the shop had a second train upon it before he looked back at the running human finally realizing what he was thinking. The changeling dropped down to try and catch his new coworker only succeeding in landing behind the sprinting human. Horton then leapt into the air and with his left hand reached out and grabbed the train. It started to carry him down the line as he gently pulled himself onto the car’s walk. Once steady on the swiftly moving object he sprinted the short width of the car before leaping onto the train headed in the other direction and back toward where he started. From there he leapt off landed with a roll upon the ground before he casually walked forward across the third and final track right before a new train came roaring past. He reached back into his pocket and turned off the speaker before he looked up at Forge and Regular who were now flying over head and coming down, “So, we were going to go do something?” “Why the name of Celestia would you do that?” Forge Wright yelled as she came down on top of Horton, pinning him to the ground as she continued. “That was honestly one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen anypony or even sentient creature do. Whatever got into that tiny little head of yours that it was at all a smart idea to try something like that? I was scared that something bad was going to happen to you once I realized what you were doing.” “Forge, calm down, he’s okay, mostly stupid it seems but okay.” Regular Pegasus said as he landed next to the other two. “How am I supposed to stay calm when this human that I’ve been put in charge of watching tries killing himself?” Forge Wright asked turning on her employee with harshness in her voice. “I’m still right here ya know.” Horton sarcastically commented from underneath Forge. “How about you demount me and we take a walk to talk this all out like ordinary living beings?” “You’re right Horton,” Forge sighed as she stepped off of him, “Now can you please explain why you would do something so stupid?” “Simple, I didn’t feel like waiting or walking around.” he said as he stood up and began walking down the street with both the pegasus and changeling looking at him in confusion. They started to follow as he continued, “So really in all honesty guys, I know when something is stupid but if I don’t try then I’d just wind up living a boring life. That’s something I know I don’t want.” “Okay then that’s something I am willing to respect.” Regular chittered out as they walked past a bright and colorful changeling. “I don’t mean to pry but is there a reason that you are still a classic changeling instead of the colorful colors of what happens when one gives love?” Horton asked noticing the newer kind of changeling. “Because it’s easier to hide the soot on a black carapace.” Regular shrugged as he changed into a bright green pegasus stallion with a changeling cutie mark. “I’m also willing to follow some of the rules of the local hive like I have to wear the changeling face whenever I change and can only eat freely given love. The rest just annoys me because I’m not a part of that hive.”