The Forest Pony

by EverfreePony


Chapter 7: Earth Pony Ways

“No, nothing!”

The door slightly shook on the impact, small flakes of gold lining falling off its jamb.

“How in the name of Equestria is this possible?”

The hinges creaked, the aged wood protesting against the harsh treatment.

“Your Highness?” Raven called, knocking on the door. “Princess Celestia?”

The door shook again, the stained glass above it nearly shattering. Only a few irritated grunts made it through the polished wood.

Raven scanned the empty corridor up and down, and with a sigh approached the door again. “Your Highness, it’s me, Raven Inkwell.” The secretary tapped the door again, much more forcefully this time.

The door stopped shaking, enveloping the corridor in awkward silence. After a while, a single word made it through the aged mahogany. “Password?”

Raven released an irritated huff, watching bits of dust flutter in the beams of light filtering through the windows. She muttered, “Winter Moon Celebration is just around the corner.”

A golden aura swiftly crept around the door, engulfing the unicorn mare in its warm, tingling grip. She shuddered at the touch of the raw energy probing her system. The door suddenly creaked open and the mare was thrust into the room with a strong draft of magic.

Once her vision stopped swimming, her eyes widened and her jaw hung open. The room was an utter mess. Small hills of documents dotted the floor. Among them lay a few dessert plates, sprinkled with occasional crumbles or drops of icing. The perfectly waxed floor and pristine velvet carpet were now stained by small scorch marks. Philomena was sitting in the middle of the fireplace, dust bathing in the ash. Tiny grey prints of her talons all around made it clear this had been her favourite activity for a few hours at least. It was incredibly warm and airless inside, not one window was open.

However, the room was still in pristine shape, compared to its occupant. Sitting under the silken canopy of her bed was Princess Celestia. Her soft, pastel mane was disheveled, its gentle waving replaced by furious tides lashing wildly around her head. Small sparks shot off her hair every now and then, falling down and sizzling through the bed sheets.

Her eyes, hidden under deeply creased eyebrows, twitched and shifted, her irises almost burning. Her magic hissed and crackled, lances of extra power occasionally shooting to the object tightly concealed in her telekinetic grasp. Small beads of sweat sprouted on her forehead, running down her muzzle and collecting into bigger drops. They evaporated almost immediately in the heat of her magic, leaving behind ugly and smelly yellow blotches on her fur.

“Princess… are you… alright?” Raven started to back out of the room, groping for the door with her hind hooves.

The regal alicorn shifted. With a cry of anguish, she flung the object across the room. It smashed into the door, the marks on the wood showing it was not the first time. It slowly rolled to the secretary’s hooves. Her eyes shrunk to pin-pricks. It was a helmet of a Solar Guard, its metal crumbled and the plume plucked out.

She was brought out of her gaping daze by Celestia’s voice. “What is the matter, Raven? Is there any news?” The princess was now sitting on her bed straight as a ruler, her features still a little unkempt, but now radiating with cool calmness. She slowly sipped from a cup that wasn’t there moments ago, and quirked an eyebrow at the small white mare, waiting.

“I… no. About Lu—” Fixed by Celestia’s stare, the secretary quickly corrected herself, “I mean, there is no news in the matters of operation Forest Pony. Pardon me my bluntness, Your Highness, but are these codenames and passwords truly necessary?”

“Of course, I received a quick letter from my sister. The journey to Las Pegasus was good and I am sure she is going to take care of these bribery accusations soon enough,” Celestia said rather loudly. In a hushed voice, she added, “Please excuse an old mare’s quirks, my little pony, but I am not going to take the risk that any classified information will leave this room. If you do not like the name, I am giving you all the freedom to change it. Still, I insist that the truth will stay only between you and me, understood?” Her deep, purple eyes bore holes into the smaller pony.

Raven nodded, fidgeting with her glasses. “Actually, that’s why I’m here. Older servants and officers can easily notice when something is off with you. Even Kibitz already suspects something, telling everypony he runs into how strangely you have been behaving.” She trotted to the bed, almost begging. “Please, Princess, go out among them and show them that everything's okay.”

With a delicate swig, Celestia finished her tea, gently setting the cup aside. She extended a wing, draping it over the unicorn. She sighed, gazing out the window. “No. At least not until I am done with that.” She pointed a hoof at the shattered helmet. “It was brought to me after we finished our briefing about the letter last night. Somepony fished it out of the lower terrace lake,” she said, not batting an eye.

Raven gulped, avoiding a glance at the helm. “Then a team of divers and guards should be launched to investigate the river of Cant for the body.”

“That would draw unnecessary attention and I do not trust anypony at this point, especially not the many officers of the guard.” Celestia gave her a sour smile. “If it calms your heart, I will ask the seaponies to keep an eye out for anything suspicious that makes it into the delta. However, I doubt there was somepony falling into the Cant in the first place. No, I have been analyzing the helmet the whole morning. A few spots survived the bath in the lake, revealing remains of resin… or Timberwolf saliva in the panache.” The princess levitated the helmet to her hooves, stroking its devastated plume.

Raven cocked an eyebrow at that, a doubtful spark passing through her eyes.

Celestia shook her head, raising the helm into the air. “I believe it belonged to… one of the attackers. That also means at least one returned back and disposed of the evidence. With a possible unseen murderer on the loose outside, I will not leave my chambers.” With a sigh, she turned the helmet in her magic. “However, there is something wrong with it. It looks exactly like the helmet of a Solar Guard, but there is not a hint of the spell matrix these are normally equipped with to track its owner. We are either facing a very skilled magician or blacksmith with a lot of classified knowledge. It is mildly irking me.”

Raven took in the sight of the devastated room again. “Very mildly,” she muttered, fidgeting with her collar. “Princess, don’t you want to entrust one of your mages with it and take a rest… just for a short while?” Raven forced a large grin to her lips, releasing a quiet squee. Celestia cast her a searing glare.

The unicorn mare rubbed the back of her neck, continuing, “Anyhow… I was also supposed to tell you that the special train from the Crystal Empire is scheduled to arrive in an hour or so, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Raven. Once Captain Armor arrives, send him right here.” Celestia gave her a nod. “Can you please copy me another batch of documents reporting unruliness in the guard since Luna’s return? Those,” she gestured to the paper mess on the floor, “didn't provide any useful information.” The secretary just nodded meekly, turning to the door. “Oh, and please tell the royal bakers that I want something with lots of sugar in it. The cupcakes were great, but did not exactly replenish my energy reserves.”

The door clicked shut behind the secretary, the unicorn mare fixing a loose strand of mane escaping her bun. With a sigh, she started down the corridor. The ornate door behind her shook and cracked once more.


A gentle wind dashed across the fields, sending ripples through the molten gold mass of straws. A small blue blur occasionally streaked past them, chasing an unfortunate vole.

A large column of smoke rose to the sky in the distance. An occasional shadow drifted over the sun as a few pegasi flew overhead, quickly pushing rainclouds to extinguish the fire.

Two mares walked down the road among the fields, one glancing back at the smoke from time to time, the other seemed more interested in the road itself. A trail of stones crushed to bits marked their path.

Hedvika shook slightly, adjusting her saddlebag harness. She took another short look back, unease creasing her brow. Her mind raced on and on: was burning the tree a stupid idea? Did it divert the attention or point straight to them? Would anypony notice the fallen tree anyway? Or had somepony seen Luna knocking it over? Was any normal pony capable of such a feat? Would they go after Sev or after them? What if—?

Her hoof grasping only air broke her out of her thoughts. She chuckled, seeing she nearly fell into the roadside ditch. “I should really stop overthinking things.” She sighed, dragging herself back onto the road. “I hope the fire destroyed the hoof marks in the bark. Don’t want them to find out that there is a strangely strong unicorn on the loose, right, Princess?” She turned to her side, expecting to see the alicorn there. Only a few small whites fluttered in her place.

Fighting the urge to observe the butterflies, she looked back, removing a lock of mane from her eyes. There, in the middle of the road, crouched Luna. Her hooves attacked a larger stone in a quick succession, effectively pulverizing it to dust.

“Princess, your government pays a lot to the road maintenance ponies, I don’t think you need to do the job for them.” Hedvika tilted her head, slowly cantering to her companion.

“Oh, this?” The princess raised her head, bits of debris and sand coating her features. “I was just curious. It is said that every stone in Equestria holds a treasure of gems. It started with Princess Platinum’s fight over a little rock and ended in the construction of Canterlot.” With each word, another devastating blow was delivered to the stone.

Hedvika folded her ears back from the grinding sounds as Luna pressed down on the stone, then shielded her eyes from the sharp, flying bits as the stone popped. “You have in mind the plethora of gems required for jewellery shops in the capital?”

Luna chuckled, standing up. “No, the local ponies don’t even know that their mighty and proud city,” she pawed at the ground, plowing through the dust and dirt, “was a few hundred years ago a dirty mining settlement clinging to the mountain for dear life.” Carefully clasping her hooves together, she pulled a fine amethyst out of the soil.

Hedvika’s eyes widened, gazing at the small purple gem. “I wonder, what would happen if the nobles learned that was their history?” She snickered.

“I assume they would request an asylum to be built on the Moon so I could be sent there.” Luna let out a bitter laugh, rubbing the gemstone on the lapel of her lab coat, careful not to touch the cornflower she received from Cheerilee a few hours ago.

“Anything interesting going on?” Sev called, sticking his head out of the wheat. A terrified vole squirmed in his talons, biting his claws. “Despite the promised chase with guards and police, nopony was on my tail,” he pouted playfully, “and this little guy hasn’t been much fun, so far. Slow and incredibly unaware...” He grumbled, releasing the small rodent. It quickly scampered away, disappearing between the stalks of wheat. “By the way, Hedvi, I think that was because he was infected with the rare eartwig you were seeking.”

“What?” The mare bolted up, dashing into the field. Luna gazed after her, eyebrows arched. Hedvika galloped haphazardly through the wheat, appearing and disappearing from sight like a dolphin jumping out of water. Her tail swished from side to side as she hopped among the stalks.

Sev shook his head, chuckling lightly. “And one would think that with her brain capacity, she’d be able to discern past tense.” He stretched out his wing with a smirk, revealing a small ball of dirt. He held it up for the princess to see.

Luna curiously craned her neck, looking at the strange object.

Thin, silk-like strands snaked between the particles of the soil on the surface. With a wave of Sev’s claws, the dirt pushed away, leaving behind a small window into the cavity inside. The alicorn leaned forward, looking through the opening. There, crawling from side to side, was a creature, resembling a walking, segmented seedling with many tiny legs everywhere and large pincers at one end.

Suddenly, it jumped out its prison, right towards Luna’s face. Or, it at least tried to. With a quiet click it stopped mid-air, strands of magic shimmering around its body, slowly pushing it back. The earthy capsule enclosed it once more, shaking wildly. Sev swiftly pulled it back under his wing.

“Wow, seems like it’s angry.” The dragon gave her an apologetic grin. Luna just rubbed the bridge of her muzzle, shaking her head. A light, good-tempered smile played on her lips.

“Consider it a crash course demonstration of dragon magic,” Sev said, gently running his claws over the surface of the capsule, frosty crystals blossoming in their wake. The capsule stopped shaking almost immediately. “Do you want to hear more? I assume we are not moving from here anytime soon.” He motioned to the green blur of a pony, still madly jumping through the field.

Luna smirked. “Go on.” She unbuttoned her lab coat clumsily, carefully glancing around the deserted fields. She carefully extended her healthy wing, fanning herself with it.

“Well,” Sev started, drawing a claw through the air, “dragon magic works mostly just by manipulating molecules. Need to cool off? No problem, just slow the molecules around you down.” Luna felt her sweaty forehead freeze as he waved his talons before her. “Do you want to produce some sound?” Sev closed his mouth, pointing a claw over his right shoulder. From there, his voice spoke, his face unmoving. “A piece of cake. Just make the molecules move in periodic waves.”

He cleared his throat, opening his mouth again. “And of course, then there is the basic levitation, working by changing molecular density around the object desired to hover.” He chuckled, gesturing over the road. Small pebbles and dust particles gathered into a rough shape of a tiny pony, shrouded by a mist of white fibers blinking in and out of existence. As he gently moved his claws around it, the pony figurine started moving, jumping in place and waving at the princess.

Luna clapped her hooves at the display, her mouth unregally agape. With a final bow, the pebble pony collapsed back onto the road. Sev shook slightly, popping his spine and stretching his wings. “Though, it is also rather taxing,” he said, looking at the princess, “but I’m lucky to have my pony battery nearby.” He turned to the field.

With a groaning huff, Hedvika stumbled out of the wheat and fell into the roadside ditch cushioned with overgrown weeds. Her hooves and the tip of her horn were caked in mud and sprinkled with grain. Her teeth convulsively gripped a small trowel.

“So, was your hunt successful?” Luna trotted over to her, the flaps of the open lab coat flying behind her.

“Nfo,” Hedvika mumbled around the handle of the trowel, lowering her face between her hooves like a punished dog. Her ears hung limply at the sides of her head. She reluctantly released her hold on the gardening tool and continued, “You see, the eartwig is an extremely rare and invasive parasite. It attaches itself into the host’s ear with its pincers and slowly grows its fibers through it. Eventually, it roots the host into the ground and—“

“And it’s right here,” Sev finished, rolling the encapsulated creature to her.

Spotting the creature crawling inside the ball, the unicorn immediately jumped up with an excited squee. She seemed to prance on the spot, her ears standing perfectly straight once more. Luna would even say that the mare’s coat and mane and tail colours became a few shades brighter.

Seeing both Luna and Sev roll their eyes at her behaviour, the unicorn promptly pocketed her trowel with a blush. Processing a small vial from one of her bags, she slid the eartwig capsule inside and stashed it away.


It was such a nice day. Warm and sunny; not a single cloud in the sky. A really good one to finish the harvest; the grain already safely stored back at the barn with the help of local unicorns. But no, something had to happen and hinder the haymaking.

Wet Wheat shifted, wincing as the pain surged through his leg. “Celestia damned pegasuses,” he muttered, clenching his teeth.

“Pegasi,” a tiny voice squeaked behind him. The burly earth pony turned to his side, looking at the source of the voice. The filly next to him blushed, hiding her face behind the locks of her blond mane and the wide rim of her straw hat. “Ms. Chronicle told us, Daddy,” she continued, “that it comes from ancient times when all the pegasi stayed in their cloud cities and wore those strange bedsheets—I think they were called togas.”

“That’s nice, Sunny,” he said absentmindedly, patting her head. Another lance of searing pain shot from his leg.

The filly looked down on his sprained hoof, frowning. The limb was bent at a strange angle and swollen, with a purple-red hue peeping through the dark brown fur.

The stallion gazed in the distance, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the slowly dissipating smoke. A few pegasi danced through the air around it. “They should make some sound like a siren or somethin’ while passin’ by with them clouds. Just to warn them folks below,” he muttered, wincing again.

“Daddy, are you sure that I shouldn’t run back home or go fetch a doctor?” The filly sidled up to him, leaning on her scuffle hoe. It was quite a cute sight; the little filly clutching the tool easily twice her size, and her large, rich green eyes gazing expectantly at him.

“Nah Sunny, ah already told ya it’s gonna be alright. Just gimme a few more minutes.” He gave her a sad smile, draping his large, furry hoof around her. “Ya can go back to weedin’ the lower field and loadin’ the cart if ya like. Ah can manage here.” He patted the side of the patch of grass he was sitting on.

“Alright.” The filly turned, trudging across the field. Suddenly, she tensed up, galloping down the hill.


“Ms. Doctor! Ms. Doctor!”

Both Luna and Hedvika turned, looking at the white blur of a filly dashing up to them. The princess felt the chilly touch of dragon magic quickly buttoning her lab coat. She gave Sev a small nod, spotting only his tail disappearing in Hedvika’s bag.

The filly skidded to a halt, showering the mares with dirt and pebbles from the road. Before the cloud of dust risen in her wake dissipated, she was holding Luna’s hoof, pulling the disguised alicorn into the field.

The princess followed reluctantly, Hedvika in her wake.

“I’m so glad you walked by, Ms. Doctor! Daddy has injured his hoof and I wanted to go for the doctor in Trottingham, but that’s at least half an hour gallop away.” The filly rambled on, “I’m so happy you are here!”

The filly sped forward, Luna casting a pleading gaze to the unicorn galloping behind her. “Doctor?” she stuttered out, trying not to stumble over her own hooves.

They tumbled forward to a balk between the half-mowed fields of wheat and flax, where a large earth pony stallion was seated. He seemed to be sleeping, reclined against the low stone wall splitting the balk. An aged rake and half-tied hay bale lay next to him.

“Of course, you are wearing a white coat, you are a doctor! I’m Sunflower by the way, but everyone calls me Sunny!” Somehow, the filly managed to shake hooves with the alicorn while still clutching her and trotting forward.

“I… Clam,” Luna muttered, her mind fading back to the days of her and Celestia’s childhood. Sunny. She had to wonder when was the last time Tia used this nickname. Good old days before they started drifting apart, too preoccupied with their duties...

The stallion grunted, clasping a foreleg over his face. “Sunny… ah told ya ah can manage.” He slowly sat up straight, glaring at the group of ponies gathered around him.

“Sir, there has been a grave misunder—” Luna started, his hoof waving her eloquent words away.

“Yeah, yeah… Sorry for mah brash daughter.” Sunny hung her head low at his words, taking her scuffle hoe and trudging into the field. “Just tripped badly after ah got scared by couple firefighting pegasusi—or whatever the name is—flyin’ ahead with a bunch of awfully large clouds. Looked just like a dragon that nearly ate mah grandmama.” He looked at the two mares, casting Luna a serious glance. “But since ya are here…”

“Yes?” Luna felt a lump forming in her throat.

“Ya are a doctor, lassie.” He leaned forward. “Ya oughta know whatta do with this.”

“But I am not a—oh.” The disguised princess fell to her haunches, staring at the leg he pushed forward. The hoof itself weirdly stuck out to the side, covered by a muffin top of the swollen joint, shining with all colours from black to red. A cobweb of blood vessels pulsed across its bulging surface.

Luna felt a heavy hoof fall on her shoulder. She looked up to its owner, meeting Hedvika’s eyes. She gave the unicorn a small nod.

“Just give us a moment, sir. I and my assistant here,” she patted Hedvika on the hoof, the mare giving her a startled glance, “need to have a quick discussion about the… procedure.” She dragged the biologist a few steps away into the stubble field and out of hearing range. Looking her in the eyes, she asked, “Could you or Sev fix that leg of his?”

Hedvika shook her head. “I’m a scientist, not a doctor. As for Sev, I don’t think so. He knows how to fix wings because his life depended on it a few times, but this is far too different. And,” she glanced around, “I don’t think he will come out, especially not after the farmer’s remark about dragons.”

Luna rolled her eyes, looking at the bulging bag. “I still wonder by which miracle could he fit in there.”

“Magic,” the bag whispered, chuckling.

The princess just shook her head, her gaze turning serious. “Very well… I still remember the basic aid for injured warriors… eh, ponies. Do you have something that would help cease his pain?”

“The trowel? I sharpened it just the other day,” Hedvika offered.

“I am serious,” Luna whispered, casting a glance to the stallion and giving him a strained grin. “He is injured, I wouldn’t feel good leaving a pony in dire need of help without trying to provide him any aid. Besides, his daughter reminds me of somepony I once knew and cherished and I don’t want to see her sad.”

“I just hate spending more time that is necessary in the open. Feeling too exposed.” Hedvika sighed. “But if you wish… frontal side of the left saddlebag, third subpocket from the top. First aid kit.”

Luna clapped her hooves, grinning. She traced her hoof through the air, looking over the many pockets of Hedvika’s harness. The unicorn mare stood unmoving, and released a small sigh of frustration. Choosing one pocket, the princess stuck her hoof inside, giving the stallion another grin.

His eyes widened in fear, mouth hanging agape. Luna looked at the item she pulled out, an awkward blush crossing her cheeks. She quickly tucked the small, rusted bone saw back where it belonged.

“I said third from the top, not second.” Hedvika chuckled. Louder, she said, “But if you find this tool appropriate, I won’t object.” The stallion started shuffling away hopelessly.

Fishing out the small red kit, Luna trotted to him. “I apologize for my assistant’s… brashness.” She glared at Hedvika, the mare sticking out her tongue. “She still has a lot to learn.”

The farmer seemed to calm down a little at that. “Seems like we both have an unruly filly to look after.” He chuckled, the laughter withering on his lips with another searing lance of pain.

The princess sat down carefully, straightening her lab coat with dignity. Extending a hoof, she gently squeezed the stallion’s hoof. “Relax and do not look at the wound.”

Instinctively, he looked at the swollen hoof, gagging. Luna fought the urge to plant a hoof to her face. With a sigh, she said, “Look me in the eyes and tell me what’s your name.”

Reluctantly, he complied. “W-Wet Wh-heat,” he stuttered, gazing in her eyes. He felt as if the whole deep and ancient universe stared back at him. A chilling sensation ran up and down his spine, his fur standing on end. He could swear a faint tinkling filled his ears. Sparkling and swirling galaxies, planets and countless stars danced across his vision. It was a terrifying and welcoming sight at the same time. Beautiful and tempting, yet so cold, empty and endless. He was lost in the two turquoise orbs, barely noticing the hooves gripping his mangled leg.

Careful to maintain her eye contact with the stallion, Luna worked her hooves around the swollen joint, trying to assess the bones inside. Despite the stallion appearing to be more on the portly side, she could feel strong, taut muscles underneath his skin. The swelling itself was soft and squishy, radiating with unhealthy heat.

The cogs in her mind were turning, trying to recall what the Bone Crusher’s Lexicon of Battlefield Healing, Amputations, Obstetrics and Good Lawyers said on the topic. She definitely didn’t have a bag of leeches at her disposal, nor an axe or a telescope… whatever was the axe needed for anyway. Well, besides being a last resort. Sighing in defeat, she made up her mind. She grabbed his hoof, twisting it to the side.

Wet Wheat sealed his eyes shut, a muffled howl escaping his mouth.

Luna felt a gentle tap against her shoulder.

“Nice one, but for the next time, try using less force and stopping when the hoof is where it belongs,” Hedvika whispered in Luna’s ear, so close that her breath ruffled the hairs in alicorn’s ears.

Luna swore internally that once she got her magic back, she would cast a personal-space-shield spell on herself.

Breaking out of her trance, the princess looked down at the hoof, now sprained in the opposite direction. She observed it quietly, tilting her head from side to side and smacking her lips. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the hoof again and pulled.

The stallion bent forward, a voiceless screech emitting from his throat.

“Oh, that was just…” the princess trailed off, spotting Sunny peeking out from behind the stonewall, “... just a test of the joint’s ability to move. Everything seems good!” She strained a smile, looking at the poor leg in her grasp.

“Ice!” the alicorn called, extending an expectant hoof to Hedvika. The mare just rolled her eyes, lightly prancing on the spot. A few ice cubes shot out from her tightly packed bag, right into Luna’s waiting hoof. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Sunny’s eyes widening.

The disguised princess chuckled, rubbing the ice against Wet’s hoof. The stallion tensed at first, but soon released a deep sigh of relief.

Rummaging through the first aid kit at her hooves, the princess-turned-doctor found nothing useful. It seemed devoid of anything except a few painkillers, scissors, small plasters and a disinfectant, yet the injury desperately needed to be fixated and compressed. She huffed, turning her back to the stallion.

Wet Wheat cocked his head at that. “What are ya doin’, lassie?”

“Oh… just looking for some bandages, I believe I should have a few of them in my inner pocket,” Luna stated, trying to pull off the bandage holding her wing through her neckline. “I hope you would not mind it being a little worn.”

“Ah don’t mind anythin’, as long as it helps,” the farmer responded, rubbing his hoof.

Luna simply nodded and bent down, chafing the bandage with her teeth secretly.

Turning back, she started wrapping the tangled and tattered strip of fabric around his hoof. Fastening the bandage with her teeth, she then carefully patted the joint and leaned back to observe her work.

Wet Wheat bent forward, prodding his hoof gently. “Very nice job, lassie. Just one thing, why don’tcha use yer horn?”

Hedvika burst out laughing, quickly muffling it with her hoof. One of her bags emitted a quiet chuckle.

Luna only rubbed her forehead, adjusting the goggles resting forgotten against the base of her horn. “Well… unusual it may sound, but both my parents were earth ponies. So, I just grew up without the need to use my horn.”

Hedvika smiled at that, looking away for a moment. Sunny let out an excited squee, jumping from behind the wall. All the ponies turned to her, Wet Wheat giving her a scornful look.

“Young princess,” he started, Luna involuntarily tensing up, “Ah believe you had some job to do.”

“But Daddy, I can’t move the hay bales myself.” The filly pouted, ears pressed against her head.

“Alright, alright.” Wet Wheat started to heave himself up, stretching and popping his back.

A green hoof pushed him back down. “No,” Hedvika said, “you have to rest and the hoof should be propped up in the air. As Clam said,” she motioned to the princess, “she grew up almost as an earth pony. I bet that if Sunny guides her, she will be able to do the job.”

The stallion pondered it for a moment, hoof rubbing against his chin, glancing between the mares. “Alright, but if mah daughter does anything errant, please tell me.”

Sunny squealed in joy, beckoning ‘Clam’ to follow her.


“Sunny?” Luna said, looking at the filly trotting beside her.

The filly turned to the princess with an expectant grin. “Yes?”

“Why are you so ecstatic about me being around you?”

Sunny stopped, deflating a little. She took off her straw hat, crumpling it between her hooves. “Well… won’t you be mad at me?”

Luna chuckled, her smile fading at the sight of the filly’s distressed state. “Why do you think I would be mad, little filly?”

They neared an old cart with an ox attached to it. A pile of hay bales rose to the sky behind it. The filly was squirming and fidgeting the whole way over to the bales.

“Well… I…” The filly rubbed her leg awkwardly, her eyes ticking over the fields. Suddenly, she straightened up, grabbing the princess by the lapels of her coat. With steel resolution in her eyes, she dragged Luna between the stacks of hay bales, the princess once more reminded about the strength of earth ponies.

She tried to wiggle free, unable to bring herself to hit the little filly in defense… A single thought permeated her mind, sending shivers down her spine. Was this filly somehow connected to the previous attackers?

They tumbled to the ground together, Luna’s goggles falling over her eyes. Her fur stood on end, beads of chilling sweat budding on her forehead.

The filly straightened up, shaking off the dizziness, and sat across Luna’s chest. She said, “I didn’t want the old cow to hear us.” She clasped her hooves together, crying out in rapid succession, “Please, please, please-please-please, promise me you won’t tell anypony!”

Dazed, the princess lifted her goggles back up and cursed inwardly at her injured wing pinned beneath her back. “I-I promise,” she said, gulping audibly.

“Well…” the filly shifted, emitting a few popping sounds from Luna’s chest “... I have a dream.”

The alicorn’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slapped her face with her hoof.

“Oh no…” the filly clasped her mouth, mumbling her next words through her hooves, “... you think it is stupid?”

“Stupid? Stupid!” Luna cried, wiggling free and gripping the filly’s shoulders. “Dreams are wonderful, little one!”

“R-really?”

“Really.” Luna lifted the filly’s chin with her hoof. “They let you experience whatever you wish to do, your goals are set by your dreams, it is a wholly different realm where you can be yourself. Your own world limited only by your fantasy!” She motioned wildly through the air, nearly setting off an avalanche of hay.

Sunny beamed with joy, wrapping Luna in a tight hug. “I dream of becoming a doctor, but daddy wants me here, working on the farm. He doesn’t care about my good grades at all, too occupied with his rye and oats. It’s a living nightmare!” The filly sobbed, burrowing her face into Luna’s chest. Flabbergasted, Luna clumsily patted the filly’s back. “But you said you grew up on a farm, and you became a doctor! That means I can be one too! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” The little white earth pony got up, hopping around.

The princess blanched at her words, offering an awkward toothy grin. With a sad sigh, she added, “Follow your dreams, Sunny, and let nopony stop you.” Ears lowering slightly, her lips released another sigh. “Mayhap it is true that a doctor is more important than a princess.”

Sunny released an excited squee, jumping around wildly. Locks of her blond mane cascaded behind her like a waterfall.

“Alright, alright, hold your horses, little one.” Luna slowly stood up, noting the slight pain in her wing. Giving away the bandage was not her best idea. “I believe we have a job to do,” she said, grabbing the nearest hay bale, maneuvering it out of the maze of its brethren.

The acrid earthy smell of slightly wet hay assaulted her nostrils, but after a few moments, it became rather welcoming. Swiftly she delivered the bale to the cart, its string cutting into her lips, and threw it abroad.

She moved around the cart and the slow chewing ox attached to it. As she eyed the huge pile of hay yet to be loaded, an idea sprung in her head. Turning to the ox, she said, “If I were to unhook you, would you care to lend us a hoof?”

He slowly turned, looking her up and down. “No,” the ox released a foul burp from his mouth, “me housing and food enough to keep me here and pull the carts and not think about joining buffalo rebellion, but not enough to do pinhead job.” He tapped his forehead with a hoof, motioning to a nonexistent horn.

“Fine…” Luna moved on, grumbling. “Even-toed bighead.”

“Watch out!”

She barely moved out of the way of a flying hay bale. Sunny grinned at her sheepishly, turning to buck another bale onto the wagon.

The princess’ eyes narrowed, a smirk crossing her features. “So, you want to play it like this?”

Sunny froze in half-buck. “Um… what?”

“This!” Luna raced forward, grabbing a few bales and throwing them above her head. She jumped up, striking all of them midair. She gracefully landed down, the bales plopping in a neat row on the cart.

Sunny’s jaw hung open as an unfortunate absentminded butterfly flew by, making its way inside her mouth, only to quickly exit a moment later.

“Earth pony ancestry, nothing special,” the disguised alicorn remarked nonchalantly, trying to hide her own astonishment at her feat. She leaned against the waiting stack of hay, wishing away the pins and needles budding in her unbandaged wing.

“Alllrighty!” The filly giggled, jumping up. She grabbed her scuffle hoe, sticking it under a bunch of bales as a lever. She jumped on the other end, sending them flying right onto the wagon.

Now it was up to Luna’s jaw to fall slack at the violation of laws of physics. The filly chuckled lightly. “Ancestry may be not enough.”

“Oh?” Luna widened her stance, nostrils flaring and hoof pawing at the ground. “Having a horn does not mean that I am weak.” She smirked, feeling the power gathering in her hooves.

The ox slowly chewed, facing the endless rolling fields lying before him. He blinked lazily once or twice, ignoring the ruckus going on behind him. The harness of the wagon shook slightly from time to time, an irritated harump escaping his lips occasionally.

He chewed on, his ears flicking back as another shout resounded behind him. He chewed on despite the shaking ground, a few sickeningly crushing sounds and a light sprinkling of straws and an occasional horseshoe falling on his head from the skies. Even the earthquake that pushed his cart to the side didn’t move him. The steadfast ox chewed on.

“What the hay is goin’ on here?” Wet Wheat called, limping by the side of Hedvika, leaning on the poor mare.

“Um, hay?” Sunny grinned, dropping the last hay bale on the ground. She stood next to Luna, both covered in straws and dust from head to hoof. The disguised alicorn removed the filly’s straw head jammed on her face and placed it on her forehead, the hem resting against her horn.

The stallion looked around, scanning the trampled ground and the cart fully loaded with a tower of hay bales. “Well, that’s what ah call a fast job. Thank ya, lassie. Ah’m in yer debt.” He bowed to the alicorn and limped to the front of the cart, trying to climb aboard.

Luna pulled the hat from her face, holding it to her chest. “Oh, it was nothing. Do not mention it.” She smiled at the sight of Sunny helping her father up on the wagon.

The filly turned her expectant eyes towards the blue mare. “Will you go with us back to the farm, Clam? Just for a little while, please?” She pursed her lips, rubbing her hooves together.

Luna opened her mouth, only to be cut off by Hedvika. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, we still have a few errands to run before the sun sets.”

“Aww,” the filly pouted even more, tears welling in her eyes, “but there is so much I wanted to ask you about being a doctor!” She trotted to the princess, rearing up and gently placing her hooves against the supposed healer’s chest. “Just for a teeny tiny while, please!”

Spotting Hedvika shaking her head through the corner of her eye, Luna sighed. “A good doctor knows when to attend to her duties, Sunny, remember that. Albeit, I promise we will meet again and talk.” She extended her hoof, passing the filly the weathered straw hat.

Looking at the piece of headwear, Sunny pushed her hoof back. “Keep it, Clam. You’ll give it back to me when we meet again.” The filly smiled, wrapping the princess in a tight hug before rushing away to the leaving cart.

Luna waved behind her, gently setting the hat on her head. She trotted back to the waiting unicorn. “You are aware that the forest will be still waiting for us, no matter how much time we spend outside, right?”

Hedvika smirked, cantering forward. “But we’re not going into the forest... the town of Trottingham is our next stop.”