“How much longer until we reach Ilia?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, I’m not complaining; I’m just curious.”
Hector turned to look back at her, his face a mask of bemusement. “We’ve already crossed over the border into Ilia,” he explained. “Our destination is the city of Remi— a five-day journey from here, assuming nothing slows us down.”
“Awesome, that’s great to hear,” Rainbow said, blatant relief in her voice.
Applejack felt similarly relieved at the news. They’d been walking for almost two weeks, much longer than even the longest sprint Applejack had ever taken across Equestria. Even her legs, strengthened from years of applebucking, could barely handle all the constant exercise. It all served to make her even more thankful for the existence of trains, airships, and hot air balloons back in Equestria.
What really impressed her was how easily the humans could take it. Serra wore light clothing, so it wasn’t as surprising that she could handle all the physical stress with relative ease. Hector, Oswin, and Florina, however, with all their armor, deserved massive respect for being able to make it with seemingly little effort. They had to have been really used to this if they could make this kind of journey without breaking a sweat. In the absence of public transportation systems like trains, though, she supposed that only made sense.
The time was about midday when the group finally found themselves treading snow-covered ground. It wasn’t particularly deep; half an inch thick at the most. The air’s temperature noticeably dropped as well, though, it wasn’t cold enough to make Applejack, or any of her friends, start freezing. Hopefully, their coats would keep them sufficiently warm enough until they reached Remi, where they could get to work creating a warmer climate for everyone to bask in.
Applejack’s thoughts turned to many different things over the course of the day, eventually settling on her role in providing aid to Ilia. Her earth pony magic was strong, but to use it to grow enough food for hundreds of people in a short amount of time? Clearly, she’d have her work cut out for her, but she could manage. She had to. As long as the people of Ilia had plenty of seeds and Rainbow could keep the skies clear, she’d expunge every last iota of magic she had to help feed them. Rarity wasn’t the only generous one among their circle of friends, that was for sure.
The group had descended down a particularly steep hill onto a patch of land with more clusters of boulders than one could shake a stick at when Hector held up a hand to signal for the group to stop. His head turned to scan their surroundings and he gripped his axe tighter. He whispered something to Florina and her demeanor instantly changed to be more vigilant as well. Hector then whispered something to Fluttershy, to which she retreated behind the two of them.
Applejack trotted up alongside Oswin and whispered, “Hey, Oswin, is somethin’ happening?” She gestured to the royal couple.
“I imagine Lord Hector is concerned about being ambushed here,” he surmised. He made a sweeping motion over all the rock clusters surrounding the trail. “There are many places for bandits to hide here, so it’s wise to be extra cautious.”
Applejack nodded. “Makes sense. And it’s nice that Hector’s lookin’ out for Fluttershy.”
Oswin was silent for a moment. “... Miss Applejack—”
“Please, just call me Applejack.”
“—Applejack, about what you said the other day…”
Applejack quirked an eyebrow. “What’d I say?”
“... You asked whether I consider Hector a friend.”
Applejack laughed. “Oh, that. I was just kiddin’ around with ya. I’m sure it’s harder ta think of a person you’re charged with protectin’ as a friend. I get it.”
Oswin’s mouth seemed to teeter between smiling and frowning. His eyes remained stoic, yet Applejack thought she could see a glimmer of indecision behind them. When he continued talking, there was a noticeable hint of melancholy in his voice.
“The truth is, I sometimes feel like my duties as Hector’s retainer extend beyond simply protecting him and assisting him in political affairs. Before he and Florina married, I was one of the closest people in Hector’s life, aside from his brother. Uther was suffering from an illness during this time, one that ultimately led to his death. I had been ordered by him to keep quiet about this, but Hector eventually figured out the truth. But while I did it out of a sense of duty, part of me truly didn’t want to see Hector devastated after having lost the last of his family.”
Applejack felt a pang of sympathy shoot through her as she remembered her parents. At least she still had Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac after they died. She couldn’t imagine how it would affect her to lose all of them as well.
“Is that why he’s usually so brusque?” she asked. “I mean, I’m not trying to insinuate anything; I’m just curious.”
“Maybe. I’m a soldier, not a psychiatrist, so I wouldn’t know. To answer your question: I’m not sure if our relationship does extend to being friends. I… don’t know if that would be good or not.”
“Well, maybe it would, but I won’t pretend to know for sure,” Applejack replied. “I’ve been friends with the girls for some time now, ‘specially Dash. There’s a lotta times where she gets reckless an’ I gotta rein her in, but I’d like ta think I’d be just as capable of doin’ that if she was a princess and I was her personal guard.”
Oswin was silent for a few moments. The glimmer in his eyes turned to contemplation. Applejack took the silence as an opportunity to wipe some accumulated snow off her fetlocks. It was annoying enough stacked as high as it was; she hoped it wouldn’t get too deep later on.
“Does being friends require the involved parties to treat each other casually?” Oswin finally asked.
Applejack looked up at him, scrunching her face in uncertainty. “Not… really. I mean, I guess it just comes naturally once you’re already friends. Maybe you don’t get to just casually chat a lot iff’n you two’re always going about keeping the kingdom in order. Honestly, what really matters is that you’re happy. Whether you’re friends with Hector or not, if being by his side as his retainer makes ya happy, then that’s all that matters.”
Oswin smiled. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. Thank you for your advice, Applejack.”
“Shucks, partner, t’ain’t nothing.”
“Everyone, stop.”
Applejack and Oswin turned their attention forward to Hector, stopping when they saw he and Florina were staring at one boulder in particular off to the left. Fluttershy looked similarly confused while Rusty was mimicking the royal couple. A quick glance behind her showed that Twilight, Rainbow, and Serra were a mixture of confused and concerned.
Hector whispered something to Florina. With a nod, she rushed past everyone to Huey and unhitched him from the supply wagon. She pulled a blue amulet from his saddlebag and put it over his head before signaling for him to take off. Huey did as instructed, taking to the air with a great flap of his wings and kicking up a great whirlwind and plenty of snow. He flew back in the direction they came, quickly disappearing from sight over a rocky ridge.
Applejack looked to Oswin. “What’s happenin’?”
Oswin’s eyes narrowed and he gripped his lance tighter. “Be prepared, Applejack. We might be encountering another band of brigands.”
Applejack turned her gaze to the rock Hector was looking at with trepidation. If Oswin was right, then hopefully another shot of Fluttershy’s Stare would be enough to harmlessly send them off so the group could continue onward.
“Show yourself, whoever you are!” Hector called. “Otherwise, we will be forced to assume you are hostile.”
Silence passed between everyone as they waited for a response. Despite the cold air, Applejack felt sweat drip down her face. Her stomach did flip-flops. The world seemed to distort and blur. She steeled her body, ready for a possible scuffle to break out. She’d been told to stay away from the fighting, but if push came to shove and her friends got into danger, she’d do everything she could to protect them from harm.
Finally, a man stepped out from behind the boulder. Similar to the leader of the first brigand group, this one’s clothes were tattered, he had visible scars across his skin, and he held an axe in his hand. He strode forward confidently, eyeing the group with a critical, appraising gaze.
He came around so he was standing directly in front of the group. Fluttershy started moving forward, only for Hector to block her path.
“Something’s not right about this,” Applejack heard him whisper. “This guy isn’t behaving like most brigands. You should leave this to us.”
Fluttershy gently pushed past him. “I can do this,” she affirmed. “I know I can. But I’ll be careful.”
She took a few steps in front of them, about a third of the way toward the brigand leader. He shifted his attention onto her.
“We just need to pass through,” Fluttershy said sweetly. “So please, could you let us go?”
The leader gave no reply. He just stood where he was, completely silent, unmoving. It unnerved Applejack something fierce. Hector was right; something wasn’t right about this. She turned to look up at Oswin, only for something in her eye’s corner to catch her attention. Looking, her blood ran cold at what she saw peeking between two boulders set close to each other:
An arrowtip.
A sharp twang rang through the air.
She didn’t think. Instinct usurped total control of her mental functions. She turned around and immediately dive tackled all three girls behind her. Rainbow, Twilight, and Serra cried out in alarm as she hurled them back against the snow-covered ground in a tangled pile. The instant afterward, she heard a whizzing sound sail through the air as she felt something brush past her ear.
Applejack turned her head to see a pair of furrowed eyes staring at her through the gap between the boulders. A second later, she saw another arrowhead being notched and primed for fire. But the archer never got the chance as a javelin attached to a length of chain entered her field of vision, sailing through the air and between the two boulders, directly into his face. There was a squelching sound of flesh being ripped apart, and when the javelin retracted, the tip was covered in blood and the bandit was gone.
Applejack stared, mouth wide open in shock before Oswin’s voice quickly snapped her back to reality.
“Applejack! Get everyone into the supply wagon! Quickly!”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She got up off the ground along with the rest of the girls. Turning around, she saw Oswin leading a shell shocked Fluttershy away from the royal couple as they charged an oncoming trio of bandits wielding more axes. The first bandit was lying face up in the snow, a spray of blood coating the ground around him and a large, gaping slash across his chest.
A second trio of bandits clambered over the rocks and hopped down to the ground near the girls. They raised their axes and began stalking towards them, only for Oswin to lunge his javelin in their direction, not hitting any of them, but startling them enough for Applejack to usher everyone away. One after another, the girls stepped into the supply wagon. Applejack could hear the sounds of battle ramping up by the time she stepped inside and closed the flap. She silently hoped that Oswin, Hector, and Florina would all be fine.
The four of them settled into what little free space the supply wagon offered. Barrels and crates of weapons, supplies, and other essentials were stacked high and wide. The four of them only had about three square ponylengths of space to squeeze into. The end result was the epitome of uncomfortable, especially because Serra’s elbow was burrowing into Applejack’s side. She didn’t voice any complaints, however, because a little discomfort was worth keeping her life over.
“Is everyone okay?” Twilight whispered. Evidently, her thoughts were also leaning toward self-preservation.
“Ah’m alright, Sugarcube,” Applejack whispered back.
“Same here,” Rainbow followed suit.
“Oh, my robes are all ripped now,” Serra softly lamented, holding up part of her cleric robe which had a relatively small tear down the side.
“Better that than bein’ dead,” Applejack admonished.
“Of course I know that,” Serra replied, pouting. “But these robes are so elegant. So beautiful. It’s such a shame for a girl of my beauty to have to parade around without proper, fresh attire.”
“Yeah, you’ll get used to it,” Rainbow muttered.
“I heard that. And that was so mean!”
Twilight stuffed a hoof into Serra’s mouth, giving the cleric girl a look of panicked alarm. After a few moments, Serra visibly relaxed, to which Twilight removed her hoof.
Applejack turned her attention to Fluttershy. She still looked shell shocked. Her body was rigid and her eyes were glazed over. Rusty was looking just as shaken up from where he was curled up on her withers, making soft, whimpering noises every other second.
Applejack’s eyes tracked to Fluttershy’s cheek when she noticed a bead of red running down it. Retracing its path, she gasped when she saw a small cut in her friend’s ear.
“Fluttershy, you’re hurt,” she breathed.
The other three followed her gaze and similarly gasped.
“Fluttershy, what happened?” Rainbow asked.
“The bandit must have attacked her while we were preoccupied,” Twilight surmised. “If he had hit just a couple inches to the right…” She trailed off, grimacing.
“Well, leave it to me to patch up a wound,” Serra proclaimed.
The three friends watched as she turned around and reached into a barrel situated close to them, pulling out a healing staff. She turned to Fluttershy and carefully maneuvered the staff within the confined space so it was pointing at her cut ear. She muttered something under her breath and the blue orb lit up.
Before their very eyes, Fluttershy’s wound healed itself. The flesh came together and closed up, but the already leaked blood continued running down her face. Twilight took the initiative and used a hoof to wipe away the blood, all the while staring at Serra’s healing magic in awe.
The touch of her friend seemed to wake Fluttershy from her catatonic state. She blinked, then looked around at everyone while her mouth gradually dipped into a frown.
“They’re fighting outside, aren’t they?” she whispered.
Applejack cast her gaze downward. She took her hat off and clutched it to her chest.
“They are,” Twilight said softly. “Hopefully, they’ll be alright.”
“You don’t need to worry about them,” Serra said. “Hector might be mean and have no sense of court formality, but there’s no one better suited for fighting than him.”
“They were going to slaughter us,” Fluttershy whispered again.
Applejack looked up at her friend. Fluttershy’s eyes were filled with horror. Rusty had uncurled from its little ball— Applejack could see fear even in its non-sapient eyes.
“Yeah, some bandits aren’t particularly merciful,” Serra said. Thus far, she hadn’t sounded fazed at all by everything that had just happened.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, ignoring Serra’s comment.
Fluttershy curled in on herself, prompting Rusty to hop off her withers. Her horror seemed to dissipate, replaced by a mixture of regret and sorrow. She didn’t need to say anything to effectively communicate exactly what she was thinking. Applejack felt much the same way, and she was sure Twilight and Rainbow were too. But there was nothing they could do about it now besides wait and hope that the humans would be alright.
Sounds of clanging metal reached their ears from outside, with an occasional cry of pain mixed in. The girls stayed dead silent, not wanting to draw attention to their position in case one of the bandits managed to break past the royal couple and Oswin. Applejack’s body was tense the entire time, her stomach doing flips as fearful anticipation consumed her entire being.
Never before had she felt such tension in her entire life. This was a far cry from her and her friends’ encounters with Nightmare Moon and Discord, people who, while crazy as all heck, ultimately weren’t murderers at heart. Here, she and her friends’ lives were squarely on the line. Ultimately, she knew this was a possibility when she first agreed to come along, but now a sense of regret was creeping over her.
Her ears flicked in response to the sound of snow-crunching footsteps approaching the wagon. She turned her head toward the noise, a sense of dread washing over her. The fact that it was coming from directly behind the supply wagon meant it wasn’t the royal couple or Oswin since the sounds of battle still reverberated from outside near the front of the wagon.
Applejack didn’t have time to warn the girls before the wagon’s canvas flaps parted to reveal a scar-faced man wielding a slim iron sword. If it wasn’t the tattered clothes that clued her in on his status as belonging to the bandit gang, it was the putrid stench of body odor that filled the air immediately once he showed himself.
The rest of the girls all gasped. Rusty backed as far away from the entrance as he could, fearful eyes rooted to the bandit.
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” he said in a rough voice. He raised the sword. “Don’t try to be a hero. Now get out of here.”
In a flash of motion, Rainbow grabbed a sword out of a barrel behind her with her teeth before turning to him with a challenging stare. Sharp gasps sounded from everyone else at the action.
“I won’t let you hurt my friends,” Rainbow said around the sword. “So back off, bub, or else you’ll be sorry.”
The bandit smirked. “Don’t you know how to hold a sword, little girl? If you can’t even do that right, you truly are a fool to believe you stand a chance against me.”
Rainbow visibly tensed, seemingly preparing herself for a clash. The thought that her friend might actually end up putting the sword through him was hard for Applejack to process. But any sense of morality she might have had was completely overshadowed by the instinct of self-preservation.
The bandit tsked and raised his sword. “Not sure how you expect to fight me in such a confined space, but if you’re so intent on dying here today, so be it.”
Rainbow didn’t react, but Applejack could see a bead of sweat dripping down her face, and her legs were trembling. Whether that was with excitement or fear, or a mixture of both, Applejack knew her friend well enough to know it could be either or.
The bandit lifted his sword over his head, preparing to bring it down. Applejack tensed harder.
Suddenly, the bandit froze. His face went from smug to pained, his mouth twitching and labored breaths escaping his mouth. The sword fell from his hand, clattering onto the floor of the wagon in front of the girls.
All five of them watched in shock as dark purple energy enveloped the bandit’s body, creeping around from his back in a squirming, snake-like fashion. It coalesced into a sphere that covered his face before rushing into his mouth. The life disappeared from his eyes and he slumped forward, his torso hitting the wagon’s floor before sliding off onto the ground, the canvas flaps falling back into place.
All five girls were silent for a few moments. Applejack’s thoughts were a dizzying maelstrom of conflicting emotions and questions. Her body relaxed and she broke the silence with a huge sigh of relief. At the edge of her hearing, she noticed that the sounds of battle had ceased. She couldn’t know for sure, but a gut feeling told her the royal couple and Oswin made it out alright.
The canvas flaps parted once again, to which all five girls flinched with renewed surprise. But their rising fear immediately melted away upon sight of the newcomer. Instead of the familiar rough, menacing visage of all the bandits they’d encountered thus far, the man that stood before them looked quite respectable. Distinguished, as Rarity would’ve probably said.
Purple seemed to dominate his outward appearance. His short, neatly combed mane was the same shade of purple as his eyes, one of which being covered by a monocle. His cloak was a similar shade of purple, as was the book he held in his hand that was adorned with a strange, yet ornate design. A red sash held up his blue robes while a brown travel pack was slung over his shoulders— the corner of a book could be seen peeking out through the flap.
He looked between all of the girls before his eyes landed on Serra. “Serra? Is that you?” he asked, surprised.
“Hmm, how do you— Ah, that’s right, I remember you being part of Eliwood’s army.” Serra cocked her head. “What was your name again?”
The newcomer blinked. He looked between each of them again, giving particular scrutiny to Rainbow Dash, specifically, at the sword in her mouth. After a few moments, a small smile stretched across his face.
“It appears there’s much to this that I’m ignorant to,” he stated, his tone calm and professional. “But first, are all of you ladies okay? None of you are injured?”
“Y-yes,” Twilight stuttered. “We’re all fine.”
“I’m coming!” Oswin’s voice rang from outside.
The newcomer turned his head. Another look of recognition crossed his features and he stepped back. Oswin’s face poked through the flaps after a few seconds.
“Is everyone alright?” he asked, his voice panicked and breathing labored. He‘d probably tried to run over to the wagon in his armor.
Rainbow spat the sword out. “Yeah, yeah, we’re all fine,” she said.
“What about y’all?” Applejack asked. “Are Hector and Florina okay?”
Oswin let out a sigh of relief and nodded, “Lord Hector and Lady Florina are both alive and uninjured. The bandits have been routed, so it’s safe to come out.”
Hesitantly, everyone stepped out of the wagon one after another. A short while later, Hector and Florina arrived, thankfully looking right as rain. Applejack couldn’t help but grimace at the sight of fresh drops of blood splattered across their armor and clothes.
“Wait, you look familiar,” Hector said to the newcomer, completely ignoring the ponies and Serra. “Weren’t you part of Eliwood’s army?”
The newcomer smiled. “I suppose it makes sense you don’t remember my name, seeing how we never personally conversed, Lord Hector. I suppose introductions are in order, then.” He glanced around to everyone, placing a hand on his chest. “My name is Canas, and indeed, as Lord Hector said, I was part of Lord Eliwood’s army in the war against the dark druid Nergal. It’s good to see you four alive and well,” he finished while glancing between Oswin, Florina, Hector, and Serra. He then turned to the ponies. “And I see you’ve made some new friends. Pleased to make your acquaintance. What are your names?”
Applejack opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Hector.
“Canas, we are thankful for your aid in routing these brigands, but we’re currently traveling to Ilia on royal matters.” He gestured to the ponies. “These four are crucial for that task, and as such, their identities must be kept a secret to everyone not directly involved.”
Canas raised an eyebrow. “Truly? Why the secrecy? And I would like to believe I’m completely trustworthy. I’m also traveling to Ilia to rejoin my family— I could assist you with your escort mission if you’ll have me.”
“How did you find us here?” Serra asked.
Canas’ eyes lit up. “Ah, that is a tale in the making. I was tucked into my sleeping mat just last night, gazing up at the stars when I caught something in the corner of my eye. I turned to behold what was undoubtedly the most beautiful sight I’d ever laid eyes on.”
His voice began filling with wonder as he continued. “A moving rainbow, visible against the night sky. It shot upward before doing an elegant dance of rolls and flips, finishing off by returning to the earth. I simply had to find out what it was, but imagine my surprise when I happen to come across the lot of you during my search.” His gaze turned to Rainbow Dash, a glimmer of curiosity forming in his eyes as he scrutinized her, specifically, her mane. “Your hair strikes me as unusual. It seems unlikely, but… are you perhaps connected to my sighting in some manner?”
All eyes shot onto Rainbow. Applejack gave her friend a hard glare, as did Twilight, Hector, and Oswin. The rest of the girls merely pursed their lips. Rainbow, to her credit, was looking about as apologetic as Apple Bloom after a mishap involving her, her friends, and a box of matches.
Hector came out of his glare looking contemplative. The scales of decision were clearly tipping in Canas’ favor now, but a mask of hesitation still remained plastered to Hector’s face. Truthfully, Applejack didn’t see how Canas wouldn’t end up joining the group at this rate; the cat was already half out of the bag. Canas had already indicated his curiosity was strong, possibly too much for his own good. If the group hightailed it out of there, she had no doubt he’d follow and eventually learn the whole truth.
Florina tugged on Hector’s fur coat, drawing his attention. “We should let Canas come along. I remember how strong he was back during the war against Nergal— we would benefit greatly from him joining us.”
“I believe Lady Florina has a valid point, Lord Hector,” Oswin spoke up. “Canas must have the means to provide for himself if he’s been traveling on his own. In my eyes, at least, we stand to lose nothing by letting him join us. But of course, I will abide by whatever decision you ultimately make.”
Hector rubbed the back of his head. Some of his hesitance melted away, replaced with understanding. “I’m just not too keen on having to manage a larger than necessary group when we’re supposed to be traveling in secret.”
“Gonna have ta question that line of thought, Sugarcube,” Applejack said, earning herself surprised stares from Hector and Oswin, likely from her casual refusal to call Hector by his name. “We already had a fairly sizable bunch o’ folks when we first set off, but you still let Serra come along because you knew she could be useful. If Canas here is good at fightin’, why shouldn’t he get ta come along?”
The last of Hector’s hesitation disappeared. He sighed, turning to Canas with a half-smile. “All right, you can join us,” he said. “But this mission is shrouded in secrecy for a very good reason. By letting you come along, I’m trusting you with possibly the greatest secret in existence on Elibe. One even greater than the existence of the Dragon’s Gate.”
Canas’ eyes widened. “Greater than even that?”
Hector, Florina, Oswin and — to Applejack’s slight surprise — Twilight, all nodded their affirmation. Canas looked between each of them as if searching for a sign that Hector was exaggerating his claim. When he got none, his gaze seemed to fixate on some point far off in space for a few moments before curiosity once again defined his visage.
“Well, how could a scholar like myself pass up such an opportunity as this? Very well, Lord Hector, I hereby promise that whatever you may tell me regarding this mission of yours, that it shan’t escape my lips to another soul without your consent. Should I swear a knightly vow?”
Hector shook his head. “Plain words will suffice. With that said…” He gestured once again to the ponies. “First of all, these girls here? They’re not actually human.”
“Not human?” Canas inspected them from top to bottom. Fluttershy shied away behind her mane in response. “They certainly look human. If you’re telling the truth, then what are they really?”
“That’s the easy part,” Twilight spoke up. “The hard part will be whether you manage to keep from freaking out.”
She lit her horn before anything else could be said. Applejack felt her skin tingle while a lavender shimmer surrounded her field of vision. Her friends’ bodies similarly shimmered as Twilight released her illusion spell.
Similar to Serra, Canas’ eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at the reveal. He dropped the book in his hands and backed away, only to trip over himself and fall down. He stared utterly transfixed at the ponies, shock and awe written plainly across his face, but with an underlying sense of interest.
He blinked but gave no verbal response.
Twilight stepped forward, smiling softly at him. “Do you need a few minutes to pull yourself back together? I know this comes as quite a shock to you, but we’ll be happy to answer all of your questions when you’re able to start asking them.”
Canas blinked again. He got up off the ground, not bothering to brush some snow that had stuck to his cloak. The shock partially melted away from his face. “Well, I can certainly say I never expected something like this. Indeed, I have a plethora of questions, but I imagine you’re already able to guess most of them, correct?”
Twilight’s smile grew wider. “Well, they are only natural to ask after something like this.”
Canas nodded. “Indeed.”
Twilight proceeded to give Canas a brief rundown of everything that was happening: who she and her friends were, where they came from, the Window’s existence along with the Singularity, and even some of the specific spell matrices used to create her illusion spell. Amazingly enough, Canas was just as rapt with attention listening to that last part as he was with the others, fascinated, even.
Once Twilight was done with her part of the explanation and she renewed the illusion spell, Hector proceeded to explain to Canas about Ilia’s food crisis and how the ponies’ unique magic could help cultivate more food very quickly. He also doubled down on his insistence that Canas tell no one about the existence of the Window, lest it spell trouble for the Lycian League in future affairs with the other countries of Elibe.
“That’s a lot to take in, indeed,” he said once everything was explained to him.
Twilight lit her horn, enveloping Canas’ book and levitating it up to her face for inspection. “Is this a magic tome?” she asked. “I was told this is how humans cast magic in this world.” She winced slightly. “The way you took out that brigand was… well, kinda scary.”
“Indeed it is.” Canas held out his hand and Twilight levitated the tome over to him. He opened it to a random page and opened it for all the ponies to see; completely unreadable writings filled both sides. “This is scripture for a form of elder magic that runs in my family. Some call it ‘dark magic’, and while I can’t deny the negative effects it can have on a caster, my curiosity drives me further and further to explore its depths, to discover its secrets in my quest for knowledge.”
“Sounds kinda dangerous,” Rainbow said. “And not in the way that’s up my alley.”
“It is dangerous, but learning its secrets is worth the risk in my eyes.” Canas closed the book and tucked it under his arm. He once again glanced between each of the ponies with a smile, his face fully relaxed by now. “But even that can’t compare to the opportunity presented before me now. Learning about another world and its people? I’m practically obligated to accompany you on your journey now.”
“I agree completely,” Twilight said, her own smile gracing her mouth along with a slightly manic gleam in her eyes. “I’ve been dying to learn more about how magic works in this world and you’re a gold mine of information right at my hooftips!”
Applejack rolled her eyes, as did Rainbow Dash. Now they were really in for Twilight’s magic science blabber. She wouldn’t have it any other way, of course, but something told Applejack more things would be flying over her head than dirt kicked up by Winona while burying a bone.
“Well, I’d be more than happy to share what information I can with you,” Canas replied before turning to Hector and Florina. “I assume we should be going now?”
Hector nodded. “We’ve been making good time despite our interruption just now. All the same, we want to make it to Remi as soon as possible. These ponies have lives to live back in their own world, and it would be unfair of me to keep them here any longer than necessary.”
“Well shucks, Hector,” Applejack said, tipping her hat. “That’s mighty kind of ya to be thinkin’ of us.”
“It’s all part of being good escorts,” Florina said. “You ponies aren’t used to being away from your families and friends for so long. It must be dreadful.”
“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Fluttershy spoke up. She gestured between herself and the rest of the ponies. “The four of us are together. And you all have been so good to us that we can consider you friends just as well.”
“Of course you can!” Serra exclaimed. “Lord Hector and Lady Florina and everyone associated with them are the best comrades any poor soul could ask for! Why, by the end of this journey, we might be one big happy family!”
Bemusement crossed Hector’s and Rainbow’s faces while everyone else retained masks of neutrality. Applejack appreciated Serra’s enthusiasm, but she certainly seemed to have a habit of blowing things way out of proportion. Still, it was nice of her to think so highly of the group.
Hector turned and gestured for the group to follow. “Alright, let’s get moving.”
The expanded group fell into step behind him and Florina. Twilight wasted no time in rushing to Canas’ side and began hounding him with questions about Elibe’s magic. Canas, to his credit, took to Twilight’s overzealousness with grace, casually answering each question she asked to the best of his ability while she jotted down notes in her notepad. As expected, every other word they said made no sense to Applejack, but she managed to ignore them and put her mind elsewhere.
They were nearing the end of the first half of their journey. Aside from being eager to get started working, Applejack was growing curious about how the people of Ilia would react to her and her friends. They’d already revealed their existence to two separate people— doing so to an entire village had the potential to cause quite a stir.
She only hoped they’d be able to weather it should that scenario come to pass.