--- The Kindness of Strangers ---
"Spike?!" Twilight cried out, over and over, as she hastily proceeded through the ruins of Warden's Keep.
The forest-based fortress lived up to its reputation, the sheer scale of comparable to a small city in it of itself. If the circumstances were less dire, the academic alicorn would be taking in the potent history of the landscape. The ruined main structure was surrounded on all sides by smaller stone buildings and huts, their distinct purposes long since lost to the sands of time. Given that this was once a military base one could assume that these acted as homes for the soldiers of Equestria's past, as well as storage facilities for weapons and supplies.
But in the here and now, these ruined buildings only served as obstacles in Twilight's path. A labyrinth of shattered stone and the various forms of flora that have begun to run rampant. She bobbed and weaved around whatever hurdle came up in her path in her quest to find her lost draconic companion. As her eyes darted to and fro in a frenzied attempt to catch sight of him, Twilight's mind was wracked with worry and guilt.
Why did I tell him to run? Twilight chastised of herself, calling out for Spike again. Again, no response was heard back. He would have been safer in the long run if he stayed with me! What was I thinking?! This cycle continued for some time, Twilight's own berating of her unplanned reaction becoming more and more severe with every passing moment when the young dragon was not found.
And then, to act as a reprieve from her own mental punishment, there was a reaction. Not a voice calling back out to Twilight's, but something else entirely. The only way to describe it was a loud fwooshing, the same sound that came from a vast amount of fire spontaneously appearing. The sound broke occasionally as if it were taking brief reprise to catch its breath before returning in full a second later. And then, alongside the roaring of flames, was something akin to a whimpering canine. Likely from their newfound wooden "friend," given that being's wolf-like nature. Now in a normal circumstance, this would be a very alarming sound to hear in a heavily wooded area like this one. Flames were typically seen as a bad thing when left to their own devices in such an environment.
But Twilight couldn't help but grin at the fwooshing of flames. Fires don't just come from nothing after all, not in a forest still fresh with moisture from a recent rainstorm. Something had to be causing it. And if there was one thing that could cause a blaze in this place, a dragon was a pretty solid guess. And judging from the sound, it was close. Very close.
"Spike!"
The alicorn bolted in the direction of the sound, newfound strength and stamina coursing through her frame at the prospect of finding her friend. Leaping over a mossy stone color, she couldn't help herself from letting out something of a giddy chuckle. Not that there was anything humorous about the circumstances, it was just relieving to have some confirmation that Spike was still alive. Maybe not "well" in this current situation, but alive. That's what mattered right now. But when the sounds of flame ceased to be, that was when Twilight got worried. More so than she already had been, at least.
As Twilight approached the scene-in-motion, the concern of Spike's current wellness was now front and center in her mind. The monstrosity that had been chasing him was nowhere in sight, save for what could only be described as its charred corpse off to the side, and Spike was left to lay on the ground whimpering and sniveling in pain. The bright red of the fresh blood around him told a clear story of what had happened. He had been bitten, and in return gave the wolf far more then it had bargained for. And while the idea of Spike being hurt was mortifying, there was another blatant fact that was staring Twilight right in the face.
Spike wasn't alone.
Crouched down next to him, with a first aid kit oddly enough, was an average everyday pegasus. A soft pink mane covered the unfamiliar pony's face as she worked at dressing Spike's injury, softly speaking words of encouragement to try and calm down the frenzied dragon. Just an average everyday pegasus, completely normal in every aspect aside from a white twig that had been stuck behind one of her ears like a pencil. An odd fashion statement for sure, but neither Twilight or Spike was in any state of mind to question this mare's tastes at the moment. Especially since she was currently treating whatever wound Spike had sustained to his right forelimb.
"Spike!" Twilight shouted again, running as fast as she possibly could over to her friend's side. The yellow pony flinched at the sudden bark and quickly backed away from the long dragon with a sharp eeping sound. Spike, in the meanwhile, almost instantly ceased his rightful crying and squirmed closer to Twilight as she scooped him up into her hooves. No words were spoken between the two, the dragon grateful to be back with his life-long friend as he softly cried and whimpered into her. And Twilight to was busy with examining the wound, constantly repeating the words "you're going to be okay" in an almost religious chant. Though there wasn't much to examine, as the mysterious pegasus who had gotten here first had worked quickly in covering the bite in pristine white bandages.
"Is... is he your friend?" A quiet voice slowly asked. The disguised alicorn snapped her attention to the yellow pegasus, causing Spike's savior to flinch in sudden shock.
She was on edge, Twilight could tell that much, likely from being in this place. But even still, this stranger had stopped to assist Spike in his time of need. She glanced down to the medical kit that the pegasus had been using, noticing that it was designed to be worn like a saddlebag. That at least explained why she was just carrying around medical supplies with her, in some aspect at least. Satisfied with the momentary investigation, Twilight turned her attention back to the henceforth unknown pony.
"Thank you." That's all she said in response. That's all she could say as she cradled Spike closer, an overwhelming rollercoaster of conflicting emotions rushing through her at this very moment.
"Oh... y-you're very welcome..." Against all odds, a smile managed to shine through the yellow pony's nervous exterior for a short moment. "And... I, I, I, I'm sorry if I'm intruding... but you two really shouldn't be out here... not during timberwolf season... they're really active during the Spring and Summer... the only reason I'm out here is for damage control... I-I'm a vet, you see, and the timberwolves will attack a-anything that moves... so I come out to make sure that none of the animals get hurt too bad..."
She was fumbling over her words, keeping her line of sight away from Twilight and Spike. She was absolutely mortified by the very idea of these "timberwolf" creatures, and it showed. The explanation sounded more like an excuse to remind herself of why she had even come out here despite the danger and less like an explanation for Twilight's benefit.
"That would have been nice to know a few hours ago," Twilight answered through a half chuckle, equal parts relieved and frustrated, as she continued to give Spike as much comfort as she possibly could.
"Well... I can't just leave you two out here with the timberwolves..." A deep breath was taken, followed by a nervous gulp. "... There's pleanty of room back at my cottage... if you need a place to go?"
The cry of a howling wolf far in the distance was quick to gather the three's attention. Spike, in particular, let out a small whine as he pushed himself even closer to Twilight. The answer to the worried pony's answer was made clear at that moment, and this unknown interloper was clearly more trustworthy than this forest's wood-made inhabitants. Resting in a house was better than resting in this ancient warzone, especially with that beast clearly on its way back. So without further delay, the newly formed trio was quickly on their way. The newest member of the group led the two travelers further into the gorge, towards a path that they could easily walk up and away from Warden's Keep.
--- — ---
The briskly-paced walk out of the forest was uneventful and silent. Neither Twilight or the mysterious mare made any attempt at conversation, both preoccupied with their own thoughts and looking out for any more fiends. Spike spent his time in the saddlebag, physically and mentally resting after his second traumatic event this week. And the wooden wolf-like monstrosities, apparently known as timberwolves, did not make another attempt on their lives.
Just a simple mid-afternoon stroll through the woods. At some point, Ponyville came into view in the distance through the masses of trees. But as the edge of the woods was reached, it became clear that the town proper was not their destination. Instead, the yellow pegasus was leading them to a humble two-story hut that sat just at the edge of the Everfree. Simple in nature, the same architectural style as the rest of the village, it sat next to a river that flowed through the forest and towards the town. The most distinctive feature of the place was the back yard, guarded by a simple chainlink fence, containing a number of chickens and other similarly sized animals minding their own business. Twilight had actually seen this house once or twice during the stay in town, something of an animal sanctuary based on word of mouth.
Not long after arriving did the yellow mare usher Twilight and her currently unseen passenger inside, and the claims of it being an animal sanctuary were instantly proven true. The modest household was absolutely crawling with animals of every shape and size. Mostly forest creatures like rabbits and the like, the occasional dog or cat, and a rainbow of parrots and other small birds. Pretty standard fair given the location, but there was one stand out member of this particular group of creatures. A flamingo simply stood in off in a secluded corner, currently infatuated with a similarly colored floor lamp. It was surprisingly quiet and clean, despite the sheer number of creatures who were occupying the living room of this home.
"Home sweet home," the pegasus spoke with a sigh as the door closed behind them. Still quiet in tone, but nowhere near as nervous as before. Almost immediately she was swarmed by birds who instantly perched on almost every available perch they could find. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable... oh, and your little friend, too, of course."
The cloaked alicorn hesitantly nodded. No way around it, she saw Spike back there. Thankfully she didn't seem to be put off by the long dragon, at least not enough to make a fuss about it. Still unsure about the situation, she steadily walked towards a small couch with the yellow pegasus at her side and gently set her saddlebags on one of its cushions. Soon after Spike managed to crawl out and curl up onto the couch, taking extra care to not use his injured leg.
Giving him a moment to get as comfortable as he could, Twilight was the first to speak up. "How are you doing, Spike?"
There was a deep breathed sigh on his part. "Better," he answered dully, it was good to hear his voice again after so long. Twilight had known the young dragon long enough to know that he was exhausted, physically and mentally. He'd probably be asleep by now if it weren't for the likely stinging pain of his fresh bite wound.
The yellow pegasus was quick to let out the world's quietest surprised gasp, eyes like dinner plates as she gazed upon the long dragon. "Oh my goodness! H-he can talk?!"
"Of course I can talk," Spike quickly interjected, a quizzical look being shot in the shocked mare's direction. This got the yellow pony to instantly shift from surprise to anxiety in a heartbeat.
"Oh! I didn't mean to offend! It's just... well, I've never seen a critter like you! I was just caught off guard, that's all! I'm sorry!"
"Not many people have," Twilight commented as she turned her attention to her host. "Thank you for your help... I'm sorry, what was your name again?"
Quickly shaken out of the apologetic state, the yellow pony was quickly able to put a small smile on her face. "Fluttershy... and you?"
"Twilight Sparkle. You've already met Spike," her words were accompanied by a small wave of the long dragon's behalf.
Once more, a surprised look came across Fluttershy's face. "Oh... Pinkie told me a bit about you... The adventurer, right?... It's very nice to meet you."
Twilight was made to share in this moment of sudden realization, and it plainly showed on her face. "That's me... I'm more of a 'traveler,' but that's me."
The pegasus let out a relieved sigh, a great weight being lifted off of her shoulders. "Oh thank goodness, for a second I thought I invited a complete stranger into my house..."
Being associated with that pink earth pony had proven to be an advantage in this town on more than one occasion. And Twilight was glad that she had run into someone who continued to prove that right. It was a refreshing change of pace after the two hostile encounters this week. First the dragon, and then those timberwolf creatures. Luck and fortune were a very limited resource these days it seemed, and Twilight was willing to take whatever she could get.
After reveling in her relief for a short period, Fluttershy quietly cleared her throat to regain Twilight's attention. "So... umm... you two are welcome to use the guest room for a few days... i-if you need to, that is! By no means do you have to stay here... I just figured that you wouldn't want to go out on the road again while he's still hurt," Her attention turned towards Spike, "A-and I can help the healing process if you'd like. I'm... I'm a vet, I think I mentioned that earlier... So I might be able to help with that leg."
"That's... great and all, but you don't have to do that," Twilight interjected with her own nervous grin, "We appreciate the help, we really do, but we don't want to impose. We'll be out of your hair by tonight."
"No!" Fluttershy shouted. Granted, a shout from her was more akin to a regular speaking voice, but the intent was clear. "It's not safe out there at night!... Well, less safe... that's when most of the timberwolves come out."
Twilight and Spike both looked to one another with matching expressions of worry. A silent conversation was had between the two travelers at that moment, and after its conclusion, they both looked towards Fluttershy with the same thankful smile. "Well... as long as you're offering, one night couldn't hurt," Twilight answered with a small sigh. "Thank you."
"It's really no trouble. My parents always said a little kindness can go a long way," Fluttershy reassured with a kindly smile in return, "I can... show you to the guest room if you'd like."
"You go ahead... I'm just gonna lay here for a little while," Spike interjected as he shifted further into the couch's embrace with a loud yawn. "I just got comfy."
Neither of the ponies could argue with that logic, nor did they want to as the young one deserved a bit of comfort after what had happened today. And so after scooping up her saddlebags, Twilight gestured for her gracious host to lead the way. And so the two ponies left the young dragon to his well-needed nap, each equine taking care not to accidentally step on any of the smaller critters as they stepped on by.
"I... umm, I think it's safe to say you don't want anybody knowing about him?" Fluttershy asked as they ascended up the stairs. "N-not to be rude... it's just, well, Pinkie would have mentioned definetly something about him if she had known anything. Loudly, to the entire town. The moment she found out."
"If it's not to much trouble, then yes," Twilight answered solomly, "Most ponies freak out when a dragon just shows up in their town."
Fluttershy stopped at the top of the steps and tilted her head at her cloaked guest. "He's a dragon?... I mean, I can definitely see it... but he doesn't look like any dragon I've ever seen."
"We get that a lot. Only one of his kind ever seen, as far as we know. We call him a 'long dragon.'"
"Oh, is it a sore subject? I hope I didn't—"
"It's fine... you've already seen him, might as well fill in a few blanks for you." Twilight felt a twinge of defeat with that remark. In all of their travels, she and Spike had an absolutely perfect record of keeping him out of the public eye whilst among other ponies. Fluttershy here was the first pony outside of Canterlot to break that streak, and the disguised alicorn couldn't help but be a bit upset over her record ending as it did.
Fluttershy's eyes darted away for a moment as she continued to lead the guest through her home. And she noticeably bit at her lower lip before she continued the conversation. She looked like she really did not want to, but was seemingly under some self-made obligation to do so. "I... umm, only really have one other question in mind... if you don't mind me asking since he's a dragon and all... is there any chance of him—?"
"Your animals are safe," Twilight interrupted the moment she realized where the question was going. "As far as I've been able to tell, long dragons are omnivorous. But Spike's spent a good chunk of his life on a vegetarian diet. He won't attack any one of them."
Another relieved sigh rushed out of the pegasus. "I'm sorry for being rude, I just wanted to—"
"You're fine. It was a perfectability reasonable concern," Twilight offered a sincere smile alongside this interruption, "But thank you for not bringing it up in front of him. He's been through a lot recently, and I appreciate your tact."
"O-oh!... Well, you're welcome..." That seemed to have caught Fluttershy off guard as she pushed open one of the doors on this floor, revealing a sparsely decorated bedroom. "Here it is... not much to look at, but it should work."
As Twilight passed through the room's threshold, "not much to look at" was definitely what came to mind. It reminded her a lot of the room she had stayed in back at Bedrock if she were being perfectly honest. The only differences came in the colors and patterns on the bedsheets and drapes, and the fact that there was a distinct lack of rock-based art. Not that simplicity was a bad thing, but it was noticeable. The lack of complexity in the room's decoration thought was actually rather soothing after the day's excitement.
--- — ---
As the sun began to sink beyond the horizon signifying the end of this hectic day, Twilight was left with time to stare up at the ceiling in reprieve. Laying atop a bedroll with her legs and wings splayed to either side of her. The door had long since been locked, the alicorn was determined to keep at least one secret from the hospitable yellow pegasus this day. Thankfully, Fluttershy's knowledge of Spike gave Twilight an excuse to not cast the perfect privacy spell she was accustomed to using, which was a good thing in this instance as she didn't feel like using any magic after the day's frantic festivities.
Spike, in the meanwhile, had since had his bite-wound properly taken care of by Fluttershy, after Twilight confirmed that Fluttershy was indeed a veterinarian by trade. The pegasus hadn't been lying about that, and Spike's injury had been properly cleaned and dressed after the rushed-job in the woods. In her professional opinion, the long dragon would be able to make a full recovery within a month or so, but she did heavily recommend that he did not put much strain on the limb for a while. Nothing was broken or injured beyond repair, but it would take time and rest. She even put in the effort to make a small sling of sorts, as a passive way of discouraging Spike from walking on it. Afterward, he had been relocated from his perch atop Fluttershy's couch into this guest room. And seeing as how he had been physically injured today, he was given no choice in taking the bed for himself. Not that he was particularly complaining about this fact, but the conversation that had led to it was rather short.
"You're hurt. You're taking the bed. End of discussion."
The long dragon had since made himself another nest out of the blankets and sheets, and curled himself up into a reptilian orb to cradle his hurt leg. He was content with spending some time to rest and relax, still exhausted from earlier. And as he was left to recover and recuperate, Twilight Sparkle was once again left with time to think. Well, "daydream" was a more accurate term in this particular instant. "Spacing out" was another good choice of words.
Adrift in a sea of near-mindless thought, simply letting her mind wander in much the same way she and Spike had been living their lives. Just going from place to place, or topic to topic in this case, and just seeing what happens. There was an end goal in mind, in some respect, but there was no clear cut road on how to find it. Or even on where that end goal was. It existed, that much was certain, but there was no way of knowing when or where it'd be found.
After sailing through a sea of meaningless thoughts for eternity and a day, the inevitable ultimately came to pass. Her academic mind, starving for substance, finally settled on a topic for internal discussion. And the lucky winner of the alicorn's attention was the subject of her and Spike's current states of being. Pushing herself up off of the ground, the young dragon was left blissfully unaware as her eyes fell upon him. He was entirely at ease, at least on the outside, in spite of today's harrowing events.
That's two times in one week where I almost got him killed, her eyes narrowed whilst observing the lounging long dragon. She huffed subtly as her attention was turned towards the room's single window. The day had finally given way to the night, and the mare in the moon had only just begun to peak over the horizon to bathe the land in soft silvery light.
Two times in one week...
She still couldn't believe it. No matter how hard or how long she thought it over, Twilight just couldn't accept the reality of this situation. In the past five days, the two of them had endured more life-threatening trials then they had in the rest of their travels. Mathematically speaking Twilight knew that such circumstances were certainly possible, but by no means were they probable to any noteworthy degree. The proverbial needle in the haystack, as it were. And this unprecedented streak of exceptionally bad luck was enough to get Twilight to think.
"... Hey, you awake?" Twilight finally broke the hours-long silence, keeping her eyes locked on the slowly rising moon.
"Mmmmm... yeah." The young dragon slowly emerged from his newest burrow, using his good forepaw to rub the weariness from each of his eyes in turn. "What's up?"
"I've been thinking... maybe it's time we take a break."
Spike's head leaned to the side as he perplexedly stared back at Twilight. "Are you... breaking up with me? Because I don't think we have that kind of relationship."
"Wait? What?! No!" Twilight quickly spun around and glared at him with shock and embarrassment. "Where did you even learn that?!"
"I gotta do something while I'm riding around in the saddlebag," Spike smirked, "And you have a lot of books."
There was suddenly a new flavor of deep regret born within her's heart, this particular grief involving the cheesy romantic comedy novels from her younger days that she had chosen to take with her for some unfathomable reason. But right now wasn't the time to dwell on those past mistakes, and Twilight made that very clear as she shook those memories away.
"That's not what I meant in the slightest. I'm talking about..." There was a short lapse in the conversation, just long enough for the alicorn to take a deep breath. "You know, traveling. I think it's time we took a break. Plant our roots for a while, you know?"
"Oooooh! That makes MUCH more sense!" Spike smiled and nodded as he came to understand her meaning, but this shortlived victory was quick to fade. "... I'm guessing this is about today?"
"That's part of it, yes."
"Well... it's probably not a good idea to leave with this, anyway," he lightly shook his wrapped arm for emphasis, "And you sound like you've already made up your mind."
It was Twilight's turn to nod in confirmation as she turned her attention back to the window. The moon had fully risen by now, creating a truly beautiful scene in part with the Everfree Forest just beyond the glass barricade. While teeming with danger, it did make for a legitimately beautiful view. If Twilight were given the luxury of choosing where she and Spike were to take their vacation from exploring, Ponyville would at least be somewhere on the list.
The quiet country town was exactly what the doctor had ordered, a perfect contradiction to the life that she had become accustomed to over these years. So long as she didn't wander into the Everfree again, but that wouldn't be a hard feat to accomplish. And as the young alicorn stared out into the night, already formulating plans for where to go from here, a grim realization came to mind. One that would prove to make this newest life choice very difficult to cope with.
"I'm gonna have to get a real job..."