//------------------------------// // Tender // Story: Fellow Travelers // by ChillyKitty //------------------------------// It was wonderful really. The fact that after countless seconds that turned to minutes and started feeling like hours, each filled with darkness and scares as Discovery followed a mysterious fanged mare, he finally saw something. He heard the calls of the wild as the bugs chirped and raised their voices while he stepped deeper and deeper into the creature infested jungle. Nearly tripping over a few sticks and vines, actually tripping over one large root, and playing the trip off as if it was nothing. The mare giggled at that, when he grunted in pain only to try and play it off as him clearing his throat. Her soft giggling was a comfort. Even though the stallion would never admit it, he was getting scared. The darkness of the night combined with unseen creatures chattering as animals do started to make his coat stand on end. But then he saw something wonderful. Or perhaps beautiful would be more accurate. Just behind a large leaf that had obstructed his view before the mare pushed it out of the way, was a small peaceful cottage. Warm light of fire glowed from the windows softly, a jar of fireflies hung at the door, making the entrance even more apparent. Discovery briefly wondered why he couldn’t see the light before he got so close. Perhaps the mare knew a unicorn that had casted a secrecy spell? Or maybe the mare, whatever type of pony she was, could do magic herself? Though the latter thought was hard to believe it wasn’t impossible. He had no idea what a slit eyed, fanged pony had to offer. As she lead him closer to the house he spotted glass orbs and jars of brilliant coloring tied to strings and reflecting light onto nearby surfaces. Her were many plants in pots surrounding the door and a few suspended in the air, being tied to the overhang that would've blocked the door from light had the sun been out. He also noted a few terrifying masks that would've made any normal pony flee.  Discovery knew he had a problem, he never ran when he should have. As he stepped closer, he saw more and more extravagant details on the mask, now would probably be a suitable time to turn tail and run, but a thought like that never even crossed his mind. No, he wouldn't realize the mistake until much later, should this strange mare turn out to be an evil enchantress. He felt stones underneath his hooves, stepping stones that lead to the door. His eyes went from one of the masks to the doorway in an instant when the mare opened it and stepped inside. She glanced back at him, a smirk on her muzzle, “Come on.” she said softly, like she was coaxing a scared creature. He hesitantly followed her in, being careful not to track in dirt from his hooves in the process. He glanced to his left. The entire room could be described with one word; chaotic. Yet it seed to be organized chaos, if such a thing even existed. Her was a pathway leading to elsewhere directly on his left. Near the pathway there were stairs. The stairs didn't head to another level but instead just headed to a raised bed, next to it was a ladder that seemed to go to a trap door that must've lead to the roof. Near the ladder, suspended almost in the middle of the room, was a hammock. A pony would have to leap from the bed to the hammock just to sleep in that thing. All around were various tables and shelves with yet more plants and masks, a few lanterns, and many potions. He noted a cauldron that almost seemed too fitting in the mess of various pieces of metal and fabric and even more potted plants. Discovery look to the right, seeing the door. He closed it immediately, he'd almost forgotten that he hadn't yet. Just a few paces behind it was the mare, hanging up her blindfold and removing the cloak. Naturally, the earth pony's jaw dropped. A pair of strange, leathery wings hung off of the fluffy mare's back. They were unlike anything Discovery had ever seen before. "This.. you.." words tried and failed to escape Discovery as he grasped for an explanation.  The mare turned, giggling at his wonder for her, "We never properly introduced ourselves." She pointed out, "My name is Barter Moon." “Er-” the stallion blinked, “Uh, I’m Discovery.. Discovery Dusk.” The introduction tore him away from thoughts on how those strange wings work. He barely noticed his eyes trailing from hers back down to her wings until she cleared her throat. “Oh- er, sorry.” he smiled awkwardly. Barter didn’t say anything, she just hummed and turned to large a sack. She loosened the knot that held it close and reached a hoof in. She rummaged for a moment, “Are you a traveling merchant?” she asked. Discovery was dumbfounded, he tilted his head, “Yes? How’d you know?” She laughed, pulling something out of the sack, “You mentioned traveling from an inn, not a home, and your saddle bags look filled to the brim.” She said matter of factly, “I only know of one type of pony who’d go such far distances with that much stuff.” “I see.” Discovery stated, a bit annoyed with the mare’s tone. Barter turned to face the stallion, “That being said, I am a bit of a merchant myself, how about a barter?” She raised her hoof to show a rounded golden thing. Discovery took a step closer to see that it had many intricate swirls carved into it and a bit of a bump on the side, it was some type of pocket watch. Barter pressed the button to reveal not a watch but a compass. “This is just one of many, if you see anything here you’d like I might be willing to trade it.” She closed the compass and set it down on the wooden table behind her. Discovery almost removed his saddle bags to search for something worthy of the compass, but stopped himself with a sudden question. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked to the mare, “You bring a strange stallion into your home and the first thing you do is ask to trade?” Barter giggled, “Well actually, the first thing I did was undress.” Discovery’s face flushed and he stared blankly at Barter who couldn’t help but laugh at his embarrassment. “Still,” He said with frustration, his ears folded back, “My point still stands, this isn’t exactly normal behavior, aren’t you the least bit suspicious?” Mares who lived alone normally weren’t going to let an earth stallion they’d just met sleep in their house. “Ah but you see, I am not a normal mare.” she smirked and Discovery was certain she’d read his mind for a moment. “Clearly not.” Discovery grumbled, forcing away his blush. “But,” Barter trotted away and sat at the table, Discovery noted that the cushion she sat on didn’t match the others that surrounded the table. In fact none of the cushions matched each other. Each had a different color, pattern, shape, and material. “Shouldn’t you be suspicious of me?” She bared her teeth for a moment, looking almost reminiscent of a wild beast. Discovery stepped closer, his eyes locked onto her fangs, “Not in the slightest.” he said in a distracted sort of way. His mind ran through all the explanations and reasons for a mare to have fangs. Without removing his eyes from the subject he raised a hoof and fumbled with his saddle bag, grabbing a sketch book a charred stick. He took the stick in his mouth and began doing something he’d learned was bad manors when he was a foal. He was drawing somepony without their permission. He didn’t realize his rudeness until the mare spoke up, “Uh-um” she mumbled. Discovery looked up from her fangs to see that she was blushing wildly, “Er..” he started dropped the pencil into his hoof, he fought back his own blush and turned toward the table, sitting properly on the cushion beneath him. “Sorry, I…” “It’s fine.” Barter laughed awkwardly, a smile creeped onto her face, Discovery had no idea what caused the warm smile to grow but he wasn’t about to let himself stare again. “I’m a bat pony.” She spoke, staring at the table. Discovery looked to her, “Oh.” he blinked, “..What?” He was quite certain he’d never heard those two words paired together like that.  “I don’t know why I’m telling you honestly.” She explained, “I don’t know why I showed you in the first place.” She laughed awkwardly again, readjusting the wings on her back, “Ponies usually scream in horror at the sight of me.” Discovery looked the mare up and down. She was beautiful, her coat looked soft, softer than a normal ponies, her mane and tail were spiky but well kept, her mane being tied up in a neat ponytail. She undoubtedly looked like a pony though, despite her fangs and cat like eyes and leathery wings. She looked different but the same way a unicorn looked different from an earth pony. He wasn’t quite sure why ponies would fear her, though her fangs could insinuate carnivore, they sparked more curiosity than anything else. Discovery’s eyes wandered to her’s. She was staring at nothing in particular but they seemed to be filled with such bitter grief. He quickly noticed himself staring again. He cleared his throat and looked back to the table, “So, do you have anything a filly might like?” he asked, “That you’d be willing to trade that is.” At once the air in the room almost seemed to change as Barter thoughts went from horrid memories to that of her many items. “It depends.” She smiled, “What does the filly like?” Discovery smiled and began describing his daughter, the happy little mare who wanted nothing more than to travel with her father and bake with her mother, well rather to figure out the reactions of different ingredients that changed wildly once heated.  Barter listened, intrigued. She got up and was followed by Discovery around her home as she gathered many items, some of which she thought might suit Dawn. At some point they’d turned to the map that was splayed out on the table. “Oh!” Barter suddenly gasps as she leaned over the parchment. “What is it?” “I know a mare!” She smiled,. Turning to face discovery, “She’s from a family of glass makers, but she’s got a knack for the sciences of the world much like your Dawn, she puts her specimen in the glass and creates art from it.” She said, “Here.” she headed over to one of the many shelves and grabbed a paper weight.  She brought it over to show Discovery it, encased inside was a cockroach. That in itself wasn’t disturbing, Discovery had made plenty of drawings of the gross little creatures. What was disturbing was the critter’s stomach that had been split open and stuffed with some type of food that almost looked appetizing had it not been placed inside the husk of a bug that would make any filly squirm. Well maybe any filly other than Dawn. “That’s gross.” Was all he said. Barter frowned for a moment but then shrugged, “She does flowers and plants as well, along with none stuffed bugs and pieces of once living creatures so long as the being died naturally.” she said, “I’d assume your daughter would like a specimen that’d last a lifetime or longer.” Discovery nodded, swallowing hard out of fear of gagging up his bitter apple of a dinner, “You’re right, she’d love it.” he confirmed. Barter smiled, clearly a bit proud that’d she’d helped. “Well then, you can come with me to her family’s shop tomorrow morning. It’s in the Southwestern Trading Port so the walk’s not to far.” she spread her wings but paused before taking flight, “Oh right,” She spoke to herself, turning her attention back to the stallion she explained, “I’ll sleep in the hammock, the creature I share this home with normally sleeps in it but he’ll be gone for a few more weeks, so feel free to take the bed.” Discovery smiled, “Thank you.” Barter seemed to smile back for a while but then froze, “Yes, it’s no problem, goodnight.” She said quickly before taking flights and heading to the hammock.  Discovery started toward the stairs, “Good night.” He called as he flopped down onto the soft bedding, allowing himself to relax into sleep.