The group of eight walked for the entire day, stopping only two times to rest and drink water as well as use a cluster of oak trees as a restroom. One thing that quickly became clear to Twilight was that they’d be seeing a lot of grass and trees along the journey. There was very little variety in the landscape they passed. Upon pressing Hector about this topic, he told her they’d be passing through the tip of the Bern mountains to the frozen plains of Ilia eventually, so she wouldn’t need to worry about getting bored of the scenery after a while.
Another thing she noticed during the trip was Rainbow’s cherry-red face, increasingly sluggish movements, and labored breathing. Her speedy friend wasn’t used to walking on the ground for such long stretches of time and it was definitely taking its toll on her legs’ stamina. Twilight would’ve thought it was a necessary compromise to maintain her and her friends’ low profiles, but they hadn’t passed by a single traveler so far, so it didn’t seem to be a particularly large concern. Still, it was definitely better to be safe now and not sorry later.
The sun was hovering just above the horizon when Hector motioned for the group to stop just as they passed through another small forest.
“We’re just before the Laus border,” he announced, turning around to face the group. “This is a good place to rest for the night.”
“Thank goodness!” Rainbow said before plopping onto the ground. “Who knew walking could be such a chore? My legs feel like they’re going to fall off!”
Applejack just snorted a laugh. Fluttershy walked over and offered to help Rainbow get up, only to be refuted by her. “Just let me rest for a few minutes,” she said between tired breaths.
“Ah, don’t worry ‘bout it, Dash,” Applejack said. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually. But it might help ta hit the gym more often when we get back home.”
“Maybe,” Dash said neutrally.
Hector turned to Oswin. “Oswin, let’s prepare the camp.”
“Of course, my lord,” Oswin replied. They set off for the supply wagon.
“Any way we can help?” Applejack asked the two.
“You don’t need to worry about helping,” Hector said as they passed her. “We’re your escorts, so it falls upon us to see to your needs.”
Applejack ran around in front of them, standing tall and with a proud smile. “Can’t just sit idly by an’ watch work bein’ done without my stamp on it.” She bumped a hoof against her chest. “Ah got a worker’s blood in me, and it’s itchin’ to contribute even here.”
Hector stared blankly for a moment. “Go grab some firewood if you’re that determined,” he replied, stepping around her along with Oswin.
Applejack huffed. “Fine then.” She re-entered the forest, out of sight.
Serra sat down on a nearby rock and rest her head in her palms, her expression one of supreme boredom. “This was always the worst part of traveling in Eliwood’s army,” she said. “Waiting for food to be cooked and served— a lady shouldn’t be made to wait like this.”
Rainbow lifted her head up. “So why don’t you go help Applejack or something?”
Shock filled Serra’s eyes and she let out a faux-frightened gasp. “I am a royal cleric. My job is to heal the injuries of my comrades. The last thing one of my stature does is risk getting down and dirty like a commoner. That’s what vassals are for.” She huffed and crossed her arms. “But Lord Hector won’t let me have any.”
“Gee, I wonder why?” Twilight heard Rainbow whisper.
Florina approached the ponies. “So, um, how was your first day in Elibe?” she asked. “Did you like it?”
“It was a little relaxed,” Twilight said, “but it was nice to get a feel for this world and what life is like here. I’m hoping we get to see some more new, exciting things eventually.”
“I thought it was nice,” Fluttershy said. The fox slept soundly on her back, its little chest rising and falling rhythmically. She gently stroked it. “I can’t wait to see what other little animals we find here.”
Rainbow got to her hooves, now looking substantially less tired. She did a few stretches with her legs before saying, “It’s been alright,” but Twilight could tell she was holding back from complaining more about all the walking.
Hector and Oswin soon arrived with the kindling, food, and tents while Applejack arrived with a sizable pile of sticks a moment later. Oswin began setting up the tents while Hector began starting the fire. Applejack dumped the firewood on the ground and trotted over to Hector as he started digging a fire pit with a small shovel. “Mind if I help, Sugarcube?”
Hector met her gaze, looking confused. “‘Sugarcube’?”
Applejack blushed. “Uh, sorry, force of habit– Mind if I help, Hector?”
Hector shook his head. “I don’t need it.” He gestured with his head over to Oswin. “If you really have worker’s blood in you, go help Oswin set up the tents.”
Applejack raised a curious brow. “Not too keen on havin’ help, are ya?”
Hector just gave a noncommittal grunt. Applejack trotted off to go help Oswin.
Everyone was silent while the camp underwent preparation. Crickets and frogs began filling the air with their nighttime ambiance as the sun fully dipped below the horizon, casting the land into twilight. The fluttering of bats could be heard from within the forest. The fire was crackling splendidly and the tents were set up by the time night descended upon Elibe.
Hector took a couple of bags from the supply wagon. He opened one to reveal a collection of wrapped packages. “I’m assuming you ponies are herbivores?” he asked.
Twilight and her friends all nodded.
Hector lifted the other bag. “And you won’t have problems if the rest of us eat meat in front of you, right?”
“There exists a number of carnivorous races back in Equestria,” Twilight explained. “We won’t mind as long as whatever animal it used to be wasn’t sapient.”
“Then we haven’t a problem,” Hector confirmed.
He took four packages from the open bag and passed them to the ponies. They opened them to reveal an assortment of fruits and vegetables as well as a small slice of bread. Hector took another four packages out of the other bag before he and Florina got to work cooking their meaty contents over the fire. Florina fed some raw vegetables to Huey while the water boiled. The smell of the meat cooking in the pot was, expectedly, revolting to Twilight and her friends, but they stomached it. The fruit and vegetables in their own meals smelled different from the kind they were used to back home, but still pleasant enough to tickle their taste buds.
The group began digging into their meals once they were all prepared. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes. Twilight decided that, while Sweet Apple Acres was still her favorite, the difference between its apples and the fruit she was gorging on now wasn’t a big one. Juicy flavor exploded over her tongue, massaging her taste buds with near-divine expertise. The vegetables were just as tasty and the two combined caused Twilight to let out a contented sigh as she chewed. Looking around at each of her friends’ expressions, they seemed to be in similar states of bliss as her.
Serra swallowed her current bite of chicken and gave a thoughtful hum. “It’s not bad,” she said. “But I don’t think anything could ever compare to Rebecca’s cooking.”
“I guess so,” Hector said plainly.
Rainbow swallowed her own food. “Who’s Rebecca?”
“Rebecca was an archer employed within Eliwood’s army during the war against Nergal two years ago,” Oswin explained. “She was quite skilled at both hunting and cooking. She even became the head cook all throughout the company’s travels, serving over thirty people by the end.”
Applejack whistled. “Hoo-wee, that’s a lotta work to do fer one gal.”
“She had help,” Florina said. “But the food she herself prepared was always the best. No one was ever left dissatisfied with her meals.”
Twilight swallowed a bite and set aside her meal. “You’ve mentioned that stuff before: Eliwood’s army, the war against Nergal– it sounds like there’s a story to all of that. Think we can hear it?”
“Yeah, it sounds pretty awesome and action-packed,” Rainbow said, eyes lighting up.
Fluttershy scuffed a hoof. “I-I guess it’d be interesting.” Beside her, the fox quietly nibbled on a mouse it had caught earlier, unmindful of the unfolding conversation.
“Sure thing,” Hector said plainly.
“Lord Hector, are you sure?” Oswin asked warily. “Those events are unknown to the whole of Elibe. And for good reason; the masses would panic knowing that dragons exist and might possibly invade again someday.”
Hector turned to Oswin with a furrowed gaze. “You know as well as I do that that’s never going to happen, Oswin.” He gestured to Twilight and her friends. “They don’t live here, so giving them a recounting of the war against Nergal stands to do no harm.” He gave a coy smile. “Besides, do they seem the untrustworthy type to you?”
Oswin gave no reply, sitting back and taking another bite of his food.
Hector turned back to the ponies. “First of all, Eliwood is another lord in the Lycian League– of House Pherae, specifically. We won’t be passing through that territory, as it’s directly to the east, whereas we’ll be traveling above it to the north. Eliwood and I have been good friends since we were very young and even sparred once every two months since we were twelve. But now that we’re both Marquesses, we don’t have time for that anymore. Meeting up at all, really, but our duty to the country comes first.”
Twilight’s friends all finished chewing what food was in their mouths and set aside their meals, ears open and listening intently as Hector continued his tale.
“Two years ago, Eliwood’s father — the then Marquess of Pherae — Lord Elbert, disappeared. Eliwood, myself and the granddaughter of another Lord named Lyn, amassed a small ragtag army to find him. We eventually learned that Elbert was abducted by a madman named Nergal and a number of assassins under contract by him called the Black Fang. We eventually located them on a little island off the southern coast of Lycia called Valor and discovered the reason behind his abduction. And it was bigger than we ever could’ve imagined.”
He took a swig of water from his canteen before continuing. “Nergal turned out to be a powerful druid who had the ability to harness quintessence– the term he used to refer to a person’s life energy. Lord Elbert apparently had enough quintessence that, when drained from his body, would provide Nergal enough power to enact his ultimate goal. On Valor, there exists a shrine called the Dragon’s Gate; in order to open it, he needed lots of quintessence. I understand Florina told all of you about the Scouring, correct?”
The ponies all nodded.
“The dragons who vanished after the Scouring fled through the Dragon’s Gate to another world. We had a couple of dragons disguised as humans in our group; a sibling duo named Ninian and Nils. Near the end of our journey, we learned that they’d been called by Nergal through the Dragon’s Gate, coming through of their own accord to see their homeworld one more time. But after learning that Nergal wished to drain the quintessence of dragons so he could gain power unparalleled to anything else in the world, they escaped and hid among mankind, eventually making their way to us.”
The ponies were rapt with attention, sitting on the edge of their log as Hector began to wind down his tale.
“There’s more to the story that I could tell you, but to make a long story short, we eventually gained the power to oppose Nergal with the aid of one of the Eight Generals from the Scouring; the Archsage Athos. And no, we never learned how he could’ve lived so long.” He took another swig of water. “Using some of the legendary weapons the Eight Generals used against the dragons, we defeated Nergal and saved Elibe from either falling victim to his madness, or a return to the time of the Scouring.”
A long silence hung in the air for a minute following Hector’s tale. Twilight pressed a hoof to her forehead, feeling overwhelmed by it. As she began to break it down, however, a sense of both familiarity and intrigue washed over her. This world had blotches of darkness in its past, consequences resulting from those times could manifest even a thousand years later, and heroes were there to deal with those consequences.
A glance over at her friends showed that Rainbow and Applejack were in similarly awestruck states. Fluttershy, however, was clearly uncomfortable and trying to put her mind somewhere else; Hector’s tale had probably conjured up some rather violent images in her head. She picked up her ration, resuming her meal without a word.
Hector wrapped an arm around Florina. “It’s also on that journey that we first met.” He smirked. “You’d never guess how it went down.”
A strong blush crept across Florina’s cheeks and her expression turned flustered. “Hector…”
“How’d it go down?” Applejack asked.
Hector snorted a laugh. “Her pegasus landed on top of me.”
“Whoa, really?” Rainbow asked.
“That sounds mighty painful,” Applejack said with a grimace.
Twilight spared a glance over to Huey; the alien pegasus was standing next to the wagon, unhitched and resting peacefully. “I can only imagine how many broken bones would result from having something so huge land on top of you.”
Hector tapped his chestplate. “Nah, I was wearing this armor at the time. I came out of it unscathed.” He looked down at Florina. "Had I the choice, though, I would've chosen a far less dangerous way for us to first meet.”
Florina’s flustered expression became twice as prominent. "It wasn't one of my better moments...”
Hector laughed a little and pressed her against his side. "Ah well, we live and learn.”
The ponies — aside from Fluttershy — and Serra broke into giggles. Oswin showed no reaction, merely continuing to eat his food.
“Maybe you should try your hoof at pairing couples, Rainbow,” Applejack remarked once they settled down, shooting a sly glance to her friend. “You’re already pretty good at crashing down on ponies.”
Rainbow stuck her tongue out at her.
“Well, anyway,” Applejack continued, “we heard one of your stories, so I s’pose it’s only fair we tell y’all one of ours if you’re interested.”
Hector nodded. “I’ll admit to being a little curious.”
“How about the story of how the four of us and Rarity and Pinkie Pie met?” Rainbow suggested. “Your story was pretty awesome, but ours might just have it beat.”
“Since when did this become a competition?” Hector asked, puzzled.
“Hey, I’m a competitive mare,” Rainbow said, patting a hoof against her chest with a cocky smile. “It’s in my blood.”
Hector merely blinked.
Twilight cleared her throat, preparing to speak. “Well, the story of how we all met actually begins with what used to be an old mare’s tale in our world: the Mare in the Moon.”
Oswin had finished his food by now. He joined the other humans in tuning into the conversation as Twilight began weaving her own yarn.
“Long ago, two alicorn sisters ruled over Equestria, each controlling a celestial body. The older one controlled the sun while the younger one commanded the moon. Together, they ruled fairly over their subjects, maintaining peace and harmony across the land.
“But over time, the younger sister grew jealous of her older sister. Ponies lived out their lives during the day but slept through the night. The younger sister felt unappreciated and her jealousy eventually turned her into the wicked Nightmare Moon, who sought to plunge the world in eternal night to force ponies to appreciate her.
“Having no other choice, the older sister used a set of powerful artifacts called the Elements of Harmony to safely banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years. She eventually returned on the thousandth anniversary of her banishing, still jealous and wanting to plunge the world in eternal night. Those two alicorns were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”
The humans were as rapt with attention now as the ponies had been during their own story.
“The Mare in the Moon was a legend that I’d been researching for some time before I realized exactly when it was going to happen. There’s a lot of details I’ll also leave out, but what ultimately happened is that me and my friends banded together to confront Nightmare Moon. We made our way to the Castle of the Two Sisters— the last known location of the Elements of Harmony. With the Elements, we were hoping to stop Nightmare Moon and she did everything in her power to impede our journey. We persevered, eventually locating the Elements. Then it was just a matter of getting them to activate so we could stop Nightmare Moon.”
She took a moment to stop and smile at her friends. They stared back, a knowing glint in their eyes.
“In order to activate the Elements, its bearers need to embody certain virtues: kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and honesty. My friends all covered those while the sixth and final Element — the Element of Magic — needed a strong bond of friendship to activate. After everything we’d gone through to reach the Elements, working together to overcome every obstacle Nightmare Moon threw at us, I realized the value of friendship and recognized everyone as my friends. With that, we obtained the Element of Magic and–”
“And then we shot out a giant rainbow laser and WHAM!” Rainbow smashed her hoof against the other. “Nightmare defeated!”
Twilight shot an annoyed glare at Rainbow. “What she means to say is that the Elements purged the jealousy and darkness from Luna’s heart. As a result, Luna came back to rule alongside her sister and my friends and I are now more or less tasked with using the Elements to end threats to Equestria as needed.”
The humans seemed to take a moment to digest her story, much like she’d done with theirs. After everything she’d learned of this world, she was very curious to know what the humans would think of Equestria from the little window she’d just given them. The story of Eliwood’s army and the war against this Nergal character called to attention the biggest difference between their two cultures: the value of life. The reason for this difference was something she would love to understand.
“These ‘Elements of Harmony’ sound pretty useful,” Hector finally said. “Why didn’t you bring any of them with you?”
“Honestly, it never crossed my mind,” Twilight admitted. “Not that it really would’ve mattered, since they’re only at their most powerful when used together; without Rarity and Pinkie Pie here, we couldn’t use them at their full power.”
“Not that we’d need ‘em,” Rainbow said proudly. “Mad sorcerers? Pheh. I’ll give ‘em a good buck to the face if they try to mess with us.”
“There ya go speakin’ without thinking,” Applejack said, shaking her head.
“I doubt we’ll encounter anything worse than bandits on our journey,” Hector said. “Regardless, you won’t be doing any fighting. It falls to me, Florina, and Oswin to protect you ponies from harm. And Serra,” he added when the cleric cleared her throat.
“Fair enough, I guess,” Rainbow said, though there was a little disappointment in her tone.
“I am curious about these legendary weapons you mentioned,” Twilight said to Hector. “What are they like? I imagine they’re very unlike the Elements of Harmony.” She pulled a notepad and pen from her readily available extra-dimensional pocket space, ready to take notes.
Hector blinked at the sudden use of magic before speaking. “We only used four of them: Armads, Durandal, Forblaze and Aureola,” he said. “Eliwood and I had to pass separate trials to claim Durandal and Armads, respectively, while Athos himself used both Forblaze and Aureola. Durandal is also known as the Sword of Sacred Fire while Armads is known as the Thunder Axe. They’re infused with the strongest magic known to man. That’s as much as I can tell you.”
Twilight scribbled down a couple pages’ worth of notes. “And what about Aureola and Forblaze?”
“The most powerful magic tomes to ever exist.”
“Magic tomes?” Twilight said, surprised.
Hector rubbed the bridge of his nose in slight annoyance. “Look, I’m not the best person to ask questions about magic. All I can say is that your magic works differently from magic on Elibe, now that I’ve seen how yours works. In your world, only unicorns can cast spells. Here, only those who have a natural affinity for one of three magic types — light, anima, and dark — can cast respective spells by chanting lines from tomes written in ancient scripture.”
Twilight scribbled even more notes into her notepad. What answers she’d gotten were now outweighed by the ton of new questions she had. Still, she decided she’d learned enough for now. “Thank you for the information. Hopefully, I’ll get to learn more specific details while we’re here.” She sent the pen and notepad back into the pocket space.
The group spent the next ten minutes or so continuing to eat in silence, letting the crackling of the flames and surrounding nighttime noises provide a soothing ambiance to their dinner. Once everyone had finished and packed away their supplies, sleeping mats were fetched from the wagon and everyone retreated into their respective tents; the ponies had their own while Hector and Florina had one all to themselves. Serra had brought a sleeping mat along and ended up joining the ponies in their tent. Oswin had no tent for himself; he would be switching with Florina and Hector once he finished his shift standing watch.
The fox curled up into a little ball in a corner of the ponies’ tent, quickly falling asleep and looking quite adorable. Serra changed out of her white clergy robe, leaving only her smallclothes and neatly folded it beside her mat. She then unwrapped her hair bands, letting fall her ponytails and set them atop her robe.
“Not a whole lotta room in here,” Applejack observed, looking around the tent.
Indeed, with how much space the tent boasted, the ponies barely had enough room to fit comfortably themselves. Adding Serra into the mix ensured everyone would have to tuck in their legs to make adequate space.
“We’ll manage,” Twilight stated. “Hopefully, no one will have to go during the night.”
“Ooh, let’s tell some scary stories,” Rainbow suggested, punctuating the end of her sentence with a creepy tone of voice while waving her hooves spookily.
Fluttershy squeaked and mimicked the fox, shivering uncontrollably.
Serra turned to Rainbow, confusion etched across her face. “Scary stories?”
“Yeah, any real night of camping isn’t complete without a good ghost story right before bedtime!”
Serra cocked her head. “That’s rather strange.”
“We’re not gonna be tellin’ any scary stories, RD,” Applejack declared as she placed a comforting hoof on Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus relaxed a little, peeking out from behind her hooves.
“Ah, sorry, Shy,” Rainbow apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.
“Stories, huh…” Serra tapped her chin for a moment. “Ah, I know!” A broad smile crossed her face. “I’ll tell you about the time I helped Florina gain the confidence to confess her feelings for Lord Hector.”
“Wait, really?” Twilight said, surprised.
“You’re the reason they’re married?” Rainbow asked.
“Well, not directly,” Serra clarified, rolling a hand. “I didn’t know Florina had a crush on Hector when she came to me hoping to gain more confidence. Has she told you that she used to be afraid of men?”
Wide-eyed, the ponies all shook their heads.
“I was just as surprised as you are.” Serra clasped her hands together, casting a dreamy gaze upwards. “Ah, perhaps there’s a goddess of love and she’s bestowed upon me her power to bring souls together for all eternity.” She let out a long, contented sigh. “Alas, my beauty truly knows no bounds, both inside and out.”
The ponies all blinked slowly. Then they all briefly shared a hesitant glance before Twilight said, “So, you’re gonna tell us the story?”
“Oh right, of course.” Serra sat down on her mat and the ponies followed suit. She began narrating the tale, occasionally waving her hands for dramatic effect.
“So, there we were at the rear of the front lines. Eliwood’s army was battling yet another gathering of Black Fang forces in Bern, but Florina and I were falling behind the rest of the company. Side by side we trekked, eager to join our comrades-in-arms. We cast our eyes back with every other step, anxiously anticipating a rear ambush of reinforcements from the enemy.
“It was right then and there that Florina turned and asked me how she could change her personality to be more like mine. And, of course, the generous soul in me was all too happy to take Florina under my wing, to train her in the art of exuberance. Had I known she intended to use that confidence to confess her feelings to Lord Hector–” she gave a faux dramatic gasp, “–why, I might have fainted dead on the spot!”
The ponies all blinked again, even more slowly.
“Anyway, I gladly accepted the task of training the shy little pegasus knight into a great bundle of energy and confidence, never backing down and always standing tall and proud. Over the course of the rest of our journey, I continued drilling into her the basics of being outgoing. We made considerable progress, but eventually, Florina gave up, believing she couldn’t match my standards. Still, without my tutelage, she never would’ve been able to confess her feelings, so I consider the mission a wholehearted success!”
The ponies stared deadpanned. Twilight felt her brain valiantly attempt to reassemble its scattered pieces of comprehension.
“Well… that was certainly… enlightening…” she finally said before trailing off, not sure what else to say. Her friends just nodded absently.
“Glad I could entertain you.” Serra looked at the ponies eagerly. “Can you show me some more magic, please?”
“Well,” Twilight started, slightly hesitant, “what kind of magic? Basic levitation? Teleportation? I know various spells, but a lot of them are more for novelty than practicality.”
“Hey, it’s not every day one gets to meet talking alien equines with magic!” Serra said. “Just show me any magic you got.”
“All right then.” Twilight tapped her chin, scrolling through her mental list of spells she knew, passing over all the ones that wouldn’t be safe to use inside the tent.
Her eyes widened when an idea came to her and her mouth twisted into a mischievous smile. It was a cruel and sadistic idea to use on someone like Serra, judging by her character; she might be downright traumatized if Twilight went through with it.
But then again, Serra did say to show any magic she had.
Twilight lit her horn and aimed it at Serra’s face, prompting a startled reaction from the girl. “Trust me, this won’t hurt a bit,” Twilight assured her.
Before Serra could say anything, Twilight shot a lavender beam straight at her. Serra gave a shrill eep as the beam impacted her face before harmlessly dissipating.
A brief moment of silence followed that seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Everyone held their breath in anticipation of what would happen.
And then, in the blink of an eye, a thick brown mustache sprouted under Serra’s nose.
Serra blinked. She put her fingers against the strip of hair, running it over. The motions became increasingly frantic and her breaths started coming out rapid and panicked. Finally, she lunged forward, grabbing Twilight by the neck and pressing her face against her muzzle.
“What did you do to me!?” she wailed with enough dramatic flair to put Rarity to shame.
Twilight could hear Rainbow and Applejack doing their best to hold back a torrent of laughter. Fluttershy was silent, probably indifferent to the whole thing.
Twilight gave a soft, good-hearted chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of it,” she promised, gently using her telekinesis to push Serra away.
“Yes, please, get rid of this horrid thing!” Serra looked cross-eyed down at her new facial hair and visibly shivered.
“Sure will.” Twilight yawned. “Unfortunately, my magic’s pretty well spent. I should have enough magic to spare after a good night’s rest.”
“Wait, what?” Serra’s eyes filled with terror. “Say it isn’t so!?”
“Sorry, Serra,” Twilight said as she snuggled into her mat. “I’ll get rid of it in the morning, I promise.”
“B-bu-but,” Serra stammered, her voice wracked with despair. “I can’t– I don’t– I–”
Serra’s voice faded into white noise. Twilight’s eyes felt droopy as sleep began overtaking her. She didn’t fight the urge and closed her eyes. Just before her mind drifted off into blissful slumber, she heard Applejack whisper in her ear.
“You were just makin’ stuff up right now, weren’t you? About needin’ a night’s rest?”
Twilight fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Oswin stood guard outside the tents, lance in hand and eyes scanning the surrounding area. The fire’s light in combination with the waxing moon helped illuminate everything. This particular area wasn’t particularly known for heavy bandit activity, but any knight worth a damn knew to always remain vigilant under any and all circumstances. And he very much considered himself worth a damn.
Sounds of nighttime ambiance filled the air, joining the crackling fire to create a soothing melody that threatened to break Oswin’s concentration. He gripped his lance tightly, trying to keep his mind focused on the threat of brigands or dangerous creatures. Until Hector and Florina woke up to take their shift, he needed to remain alert and awake.
“What did you do to me!?”
Serra’s exclamation brought his attention to the ponies’ tent. What followed was a short conversation in which he could discern Twilight had done something to bring Serra to a state of despair. The thought that he should check to see what was wrong crossed his mind, but he decided against it. It didn’t sound like anything serious if Serra’s panicked ramblings were anything to go by.
Her scream had certainly helped to jolt his senses, however. Oswin smiled upon the realization that this was probably the only time he’d ever be thankful for Serra’s over-inflated ego and outspokenness. He turned back to watch over the campsite, feeling more content than he had before.
Time passed without anything happening. Whenever the fire threatened to go out Oswin would add some more twigs to help keep it alive. He was probably there for a few hours when he heard movement coming from the ponies’ tent. He turned to see Applejack stepping through the tent flaps, keeping her oddly-shaped hat steady as she exited.
He turned back to look over the campsite, unmindful of her. He heard Applejack trot up alongside him and sit on the log.
“Can’t get to sleep,” she said plainly.
Oswin regarded her with a neutral look. Her face certainly didn’t look tired. “Do you intend to keep me company until I retire to bed?” he asked.
Applejack laughed. “Maybe. Do ya want me to?”
Oswin paused for a moment before saying, “You should get some rest.”
“Ain’t the casual chattin’ type, are ya?”
“I’m trying to focus on watching for threats.”
“Fair enough. But I’m gonna stay here for a while anyway.”
Silence passed between them for a few minutes. Oswin tried to focus on his task, but now he found Applejack’s mere presence to be distracting. The mare wasn’t doing anything to bother him, but if a threat suddenly emerged, having her unprotected would make things too complicated. Not to mention, if Twilight’s spell was down, anyone would be able to see Applejack’s true self.
“Somethin’ wrong, partner?” she asked, eyebrow raised.
Oswin blinked. Just then did it occur to him that he’d been staring at Applejack. Quickly, he scanned the clearing, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed nothing unusual.
“I strongly insist you return to your tent,” he said, trying to sound calm and reasonable despite the rising intensity of his heartbeat. “If brigands come, having you here will only make it harder to keep the entire encampment safe.”
“Hey now, I can handle myself in a scuffle all well an’ fine,” Applejack insisted. She stood off the log and flexed her hind legs, pronounced muscles bulging under the skin. “I’ve been applebuckin’ trees since I was a little filly. Show me a varmint an’ I’ll buck some sense into ‘em.”
“I don’t doubt your strength, Miss Applejack,” Oswin insisted back. “Call it a precaution. If anything were to happen to you or your friends while under our protection, Lord Hector would face the consequences. As his sworn retainer, I hope you understand why I cannot allow this to transpire.”
“Yeah, I get what you’re sayin’,” Applejack replied with a nod. “Look, I’ll go back to the tent and wake everyone up if somethin’ happens. But I’m sure you can spare a few minutes to just chat, can’t ya?”
Oswin considered this for a moment. He’d be lying if he said these ponies weren’t fascinating to learn more about. They were friendly and supportive and were considered heroes in their homeland. Another scan of the clearing revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
“... Alright.”
“Thank ya kindly,” Applejack said with a smile. “There’s somethin’ I wanna know: Why is Hector so gosh darn stubborn about not acceptin’ help? Believe me, I know firsthoof that bein’ stubborn only nets you a whole lotta trouble.”
Oswin debated for a second whether it would be acceptable to discuss Lord Hector’s shortcomings with who was essentially an alien being. He decided in its favor, believing that Lord Hector wouldn’t care either way.
“Lord Hector has been feeling pressured ever since he ascended to Marquess,” he explained. “He wants to prove to himself that he’s capable of filling the role his brother left for him when he died. Perhaps he feels he can’t rely on help from others if he wants to succeed at that goal.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Applejack said. “And what do ya think? That the best idea?”
Oswin found himself surprised by the question. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before replying. “I… I think any good ruler will listen to the words of those close to them. Lord Hector may feel the need to prove himself, but that doesn’t mean he won’t listen to reason. I know firsthand that he does.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Applejack laid down on her stomach on the log, tucking in her forelegs. Oswin thought the resulting position was more cat-like than horse-like. “So, whatcha up fer talkin’ about? Anything you wanna know about Equestria?”
Oswin thought it over for a bit. “Nothing comes to mind. Maybe… What are Princess Celestia’s guards like? As peaceful as Equestria might be, surely she puts her guards through rigorous training?”
Applejack shook her head. “Twilight would know more about that than me. Although, something tells me they ain’t trained as well as they could be. We got invaded by these weird bug-like creatures called changelings a few months back; they wanted ta conquer us so they could harness love from us to feed themselves. Celestia’s guards were kinda useless at fightin’ from what I saw.”
“That is troubling,” Oswin remarked.
“Yeah, but then again, me an’ my friends eventually got overpowered by sheer numbers. We managed to save the day, though, thanks to Twilight’s brother and his soon-to-be wife usin’ their magic ta blow the changelings away to Celestia knows where.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Even so, I hope they’re alright and not starving to death wherever they landed.”
That last part left Oswin fairly conflicted, but he decided not to voice his thoughts on the matter. The ponies wouldn’t have agreed to aid Ilia if they weren’t kind and caring; he shouldn’t criticize their beliefs just because he thought differently.
“I suppose it’s a good thing that your world isn’t as familiar with conflict as this one,” he said. “I could never live with myself if I failed in my duty to protect Lord Hector.
Applejack nodded. “I believe that.”
Another round of silence passed between them. Applejack yawned a few times before getting up off the log. “Reckon I’ll try to get some shuteye then.” She tipped her hat to him. “Thanks fer the friendly chat, Oswin.”
“You’re welcome,” Oswin said plainly.
Applejack took a few steps back towards the tent. She was about halfway there when she stopped and turned around to face him again. “One more question: Do you consider Hector a friend?”
Oswin froze. Every mental function he had took a dive off a cliff into the dark recesses of his mind. It was a question he’d never been asked before, nor had he a readily available response to.
“I… He… I mean I…” He trailed off, words escaping him.
Applejack gave a hearty laugh. “It’s okay, Sugarcube; I get that things work differently here.” She reached the tent and parted the flaps. “G’night, Oswin.” She slipped inside.
Oswin managed to unscramble his thought patterns a few moments later. He blinked, then remembered he still had a job to do and darted his eyes across the clearing. Seeing nothing but firelit grass, dirt, and trees, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Applejack’s question ran through his mind. He mulled it over for a bit before breathing another, more exasperated sigh.
“Those ponies sure are strange.”