//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: Book 2 The Light: by the flickering light // by Penelope Anne Ink //------------------------------// Edgy had agreed to go with Starry, but he wasn’t sure how much he’d enjoy it. Sometime earlier on, he had made sure to get Starry to hand him over the directions so that he could lead the way. She didn’t seem too eager to have him accompany her in the first place. The directions were to a place not too far out of Ponyville. On the other side of the Everfree Forest there was a short cliff that ran along toward the old castle of the two sisters. Most ponies knew to stay away from the Everfree Forest, though the Elements and one peculiar zebra have been able to go in and out frequently. Starry hadn’t spoken a word since they left Granny Angel and all she was doing was looking at her hooves rather than at him. To Starry, she felt she needed to explain to him everything that was going on while he was gone, but she didn’t want to give an explanation if he wasn’t going to give his own. Still, if only to make things less awkward and to ease some of her anxiety for the forest... “So,” Starry began. Edgy turned to give her one look before pulling out a muffin from his backpack and turning back around to start munching on it. “I’m sorry I’ve been a jerk.” Edgy munched louder. “I was just mad because I lost my job, and you were gone, and you didn’t tell me anything.” Edgy swallowed what was left of the muffin and pulled out another. He had told her all he had wanted to say about where he was going before he left. He hadn’t thought about her job, but he remembered that it had seemed abandoned. It wasn’t really his concern, though. Really, nopony in Equestria ever had an issue with losing their job. You just get back to work. He remembered what Granny Angel said. Starry had wrapped herself up in her work so much it probably was a shock to her. But still. “I mean, I guess I still had some orders to take care of, but it won’t be enough. And I felt miserable. And...” Edgy held up a hoof. “It’s fine,” he said. He pointed a hoof up toward their left and they could see a sheer cliff face that rose maybe half a mile in the air. From their angle they could see somewhat of a cave on a level plain near the top. “We’re here, anyway. If you have the energy to run your mouth you can pick up your hooves and get up to that cave.” It took them the whole afternoon to climb up to the top with a bit of the rope that Edgy had kept in his backpack. Both of them were already tired out, from how much Granny Angel had made them do and the walk over here, and climbing was a bit difficult for Starry. The cave was really a mud hut situated next to a copse of trees. A small fire had gone out in front of it and Edgy and Starry could see a few tools and some equipment hung up neatly along a wall. They weren’t standing around long when a gruff and stout green pony walked up from the other side of the hut. He had seen them walk up and spit out the axe he was carrying in his mouth. “What business do you two have here?” Starry worked up a bit of courage and grabbed an invitation that Granny Angel had supplied with her note. “We’ve actually come to invite you to a party.” The earth pony looked at Starry up and down and then looked at Edgy, who was staring back at him in curiosity. Starry even managed to keep a smile on her face to try to brighten the mood. “No.”