//------------------------------// // 007 - Deer and Dragons // Story: Welcome to Distopia // by LucidDreamer //------------------------------// Lorraine plodded after Applebloom as the teen led her around Sweet Apple Acres. The luck dragon carried a metal bucket filled with vegetable peels and leftover scraps of food with her tail as she followed the filly. Applebloom led her to the pigpen and the dragon lumbered on over, grabbed the bucket in her claws and dumped its contents into the trough by the fence. “How many animals do you look after on the farm anyway?” the noodle dragon asked as the pigs squealed with joy and rushed towards the food. “Well, lemme think, that’s the pigs done, we just gotta feed the chickens, check on the cows in the milking shed, clean the rabbit hutch and top up Winona's food an’ water bowl,” Applebloom explained. “We keep the pigs to use their droppin’s for fertilizer, chickens give us a good supply of eggs an’ the rabbits we keep are a special kind, you can spin their fur into yarn!”  “Ooooo angora rabbits, right?” Lorraine  asked excitedly as she left the bucket by the fence. “Eeup, Prench Angoras, I’ll show you them once we check on the chickens.” Applebloom replied. The pair walked in companionable silence, the sounds of life around the farm filling the quiet morning with a calm ambiance. Soon the sound of clucking hens filled the air as an area fenced off by a tall wire fence came into view. A modest sized chicken coop sat in the middle of the yard while hens of various sizes and colors were milling around outside foraging. A single rooster sat perched on the coop roof. Applebloom unlocked the door and grabbed the wicker basket that sat by the entrance to the coop. “ I’ll run in and grab the eggs, could ya sprinkle some of that there chicken feed around the yard for me?” Lorraine looked over at the bag of feed and a metal scoop by the door. “This stuff?” “Yeah, just dig out a big scoopful of the stuff and sprinkle it around the place.” the filly instructed and the dragon nodded. Applebloom trotted into the coop while the noodle dragon walked into the enclosure, closed the door behind her and did as she was asked. The birds paid her no mind and followed the movement of the feed, their wings flapping madly as they scrambled to eat their fill. She set the bag and scoop where she found them and slipped back outside to wait for the farm filly. Applebloom trotted out with a basket of eggs carried in one hoof only a minute or so later. “I’ll take these to the house,” the filly said and pointed at a dirt path that veered to the left to some other section of the farm. “That path there’ll lead to the rabbit hutch, we got three adults and five little ones, go an’ have a look and ah’ll catch up.” “You sure?” Lorraine asked. “Yeah! You gotta learn your way around here sooner or later if you wanna keep pitchin’ in right?” applebloom replied. “Good point, I’ll meet you there.” The noodle dragon said, and plodded on down the path. She could hear a dog, most likely Winona, barking in the distance and paid it no mind as she walked. It didn’t take her long to reach the rabbit hutch, another fenced in enclosure with a small building for the animals to sleep in. They were a bit larger than, say, the smaller white and brown creatures Fluttershy kept at her cottage, though that could be due to the thick fluffy fur that covered their bodies. They looked like clouds or cotton balls with a head and legs, as their head and forelegs were covered in shorter fur, giving the rabbits a neater look around those areas. Four baby rabbits ran around the enclosure while a fifth one, with brown fur, light brown eyes and smaller than its siblings, watched from a corner. The oddest thing about the smaller rabbit, was the two short, dark gray nubs on the top of its head, almost like the beginning of horns.  “Oh, y’all lookin’ at Stubbs?” Apple Bloom asked as she strolled up alongside Lorraine. “Yeah, he’s a special rabbit. He’s got horns.” “So, he’s perfectly fine?” The noodle dragon asked.” He’s not sick or anything?” “Yeah,” the filly nodded, “his ma’ just got out one night and AJ found her fuckin’ a jackalope. He scurried away right quick.” She giggled. “Then Stubbs was born, at least that’s what we call him. He’s a quiet one, just kinda keeps to himself.” “I think he’s cute.” Lorraine smiled at the small rabbit hybrid. “Well, if his fur doesn’t come in as thick as the other rabbit’s we may have to give him away. That won’t be ‘till winter, so y’all can think on it if ya want a rabbit in yer house, or yard. Yard might work better.” Bloom nodded and smiled at the dragon. “Okay, so what do we have to do here?” The dragon asked in return. “Well, I’m gonna wrangle all the rabbit’s inta their cage, then all we gotta do is clean the pen. Basically, rake it, clear out the gunk, and put down some fresh hay.” Bloom explained as she trotted over to the door, barely opened it, then squeezed through the gap, before closing it behind her. Lorraine then got to watch the teenage filly race around the pen in an attempt to catch very hyperactive rabbit babies. In the meantime, the parents had hopped into the cage, as had the small jackalope. Bloom was gasping for breath, by the time she got all the rabbits into the cage and shut the door. “Their gonna be tha death a’ me.” The filly giggled, opening the door and letting the dragon in. “Sorry ‘bout the smell.” “I don’t have a sense of smell.” Lorraine replied plodding into the enclosure. “Lucky.” Bloom huffed while wrinkling her nose. The pair worked in a content silence, leaving a pile of muck and soiled hay outside the enclosure to be picked up later. Bloom set down the shovel she’d been using. “And that’s about it. Thanks for all the help. Ya want some lunch?” A red blur suddenly shot by the pair. It took a moment for Lorraine to register that that had been Alastor. This was swiftly followed by a loud barking, as Winona tore after the deer. Said deer circled the enclosure and hid behind the noodle dragon. “Darling, fine day we’re having.” Alastor tried to sound nonchalant. “How are you, you’re chores done, can we leave?” He rattled off, with a smile. A nervous smile, but a smile. Winona raced up to Lorraine and skidded to a halt. Her front was down, her tongue hanging out as her butt was up in the air and her tail was wagging violently. Alastor’s voice seemed to raise an octave. “No! Keep away!” “Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen someone who was afraid of dogs. Well, ta that degree.” Bloom commented, glancing between the excited and playful dog and the cowering deer demon. “Well, I guess I’ll have to pass on having lunch here. May as well have lunch in town or something.” Lorraine said with a sigh. “And tha’s fine.” Bloom nodded. “See ya for the next Peacewalker meeting?” “Yeah, you guys have it at my house.” Lorraine rolled her eyes. “Oh right.” Bloom blinked. “Well, y’all have a good rest a yer day and thanks again.” “Yes, everything was wonderful. Thank you for having us!” Alastor tugged on the dragon’s leg, only to huff and encompass her in a red aura and levitate her behind him as the pair left. “You know, you didn’t have to come.” Lorraine said, a tinge of concern to her voice. “Of course I did, we’ve spent almost no time together (entirely my fault) and I wanted to make up for it.” Alastor shook his head with a grin at her. “That farm was delightful, with the exception of the mutt.” “I guess we’ve both been busy.” Lorraine nodded. “Which is why we are having a day like this.” The deer replied. “So what’s for lunch?” The noodle dragon asked, content to just let him carry her. “I’m not sure. We should take a look around and see what there is. Unless, you have a place in mind?” Alastor glanced over his shoulder at her. “Well, the only places that’ll serve me are Sugarcube Corner and Bonnie’s Tea Shop. Unless you want to try talking your way into a restaurant?” Lorraine replied. “The tea shop sounds lovely.” The deer said with a wide grin. Alastor watched in almost stunned amusement as his table companion decimated a blueberry muffin. “Darling, that is quite impressive. Though, I’d expect a dragon to eat much more than you. You seem far more reserved. And, yes, I’m aware of your previous existence.” He waved a hoof as he shrugged. Lorraine, for her part, was doing her best to pay attention to the deer. Thus she had paused in her muffin murder. “I’m not really sure how to word it, old habits I guess?” “Quite.” He nodded. “You are too kind. What with how much you enjoy your food, it’s nice for you to pause for a little conversation now and then.” “Hey, I’m trying!” Lorraine huffed, pouting a tiny bit. “Oh, that wasn’t meant to be an insult. Quite the opposite in fact. You’re trying to be an attentive listener. Which I appreciate.” The deer smiled. “So, are you prepared for your chance at stardom?” “It’s just an interview.” Lorraine said with a groan. “And I’m trying not to stress about it. John’s been helping.” “I have no doubt he has.” He chuckled. “You’ll simply be answering questions, much in the same way that you did for that lovely school assembly.” “It’s nationwide TV.” Lorraine said slowly. “I am not going to have a moment of peace after this.” “And you will do just fine.” Alastor nodded. “And if people come to your door, I’m sure John or that delightful griffon will handle them for you. Then again… you might become a target, but that’s not anything to worry about.” His grin widened. Lorraine sighed. “Well, shit’s gonna hit the fan sooner or later.” She finished her muffin. “So, you get your equipment from Tartarus yet?” “No, it’s stuck in Tartarus Customs.” The deer groaned. “Which is a fancy way of saying Mourning Star blocked it. Apparently, I haven’t suffered enough.” “Can’t you find anything to replace it?” Lorraine asked, curious. “No, my equipment is thousands of years old and is almost impossible to find.” Alastor’s face looked a little strained. “Honestly, I might have to contact a few acquaintances of mine to see if they can get it here for me.” “Anything I can do to help, maybe frame it like it’s for the cause or something?” The noodle dragon asked. “Oh no, unfortunately not. Unless we sneak it out via black market or similar dubious ways, it’ll stay in Tartarus. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mourning Star was doing this on purpose to make me resort to such methods.” The deer tapped a hoof on the table. “He can be quite petty at times. Then again, so can his wife. Strange how far from the tree their daughter fell though. She’s doing good work.” “Huh, so what’s she do?” Lorraine asked, looking down at where her muffin used to be. “... I’m still hungry… Dammit…” Alastor’s smile returned. “Heh, Princess Joy runs the Tourism Board for Tartarus. Does a wonderful job of making it look more like Las Pegasus rather than a dark city-scape with the occasional gang war. Oh, you should have seen her when she started. She was hopeless until I came along. She had the spirit, but not much else. I think she just needed the resources and a good backer. Which I provided both of.” “Oh cool, so what kind of work did you do?” Lorraine asked, looking back to the deer. “Aside from some resources, and a brand deal for my radio station, I helped kick-start an economic boom by convincing people to move to Tartarus. I can have quite the influential voice when I want to.” He chuckled darkly. “Why, I haven’t done that much work since I came up topside during the twenties.” “So… is she okay without you?” The noodle dragon tilted her head to the side curiously. “And what about your businesses and stuff?” “The businesses run themselves at this point. Well… Joy is looking after things for me.” He waved a hoof. “As to Joy, she’s doing just fine, in fact, you’ll probably meet her during All Hallows Eve.” “Really?” Lorraine blinked. “Yes. You see, it’s the one night a year where denizens of Tartarus can go topside. It has something to do with the fact that the planar barriers are both closer, in a metaphysical sense, and weaker on that night.” He said then paused. “And… it’s a month away.” He blinked. “I need to prepare.” He got up from his spot. “Darling, I’m sorry, but I have preparations to make, so I must leave you for now. It’s been a joy talking to you. Have a wonderful rest of your day, and I will talk to you….. At some point in the future.” With that, the deer trotted out of the tea shop. “I hope he’s going to be okay.” Lorraine said, then got up to go order more food. It had been a couple days, and while Alastor wasn’t around often, Lorraine noticed that whenever he did show up, he was quite twitchy for lack of a better term. “Right, so the hexes are in place, as are the curses, the wards…. Drat! I’m missing… Starmoss…” Alastor groaned as he slowly circled the living room. “He seems… stressed.” John commented. “Starmoss does grow in the Everfree…” The deer continued his verbal thinking. “And I swore I saw some growing in the ruins of the castle there. The Timberwolves might be a problem in numbers. I never did dabble enough into Destruction and Pyromancy.” He paused. “Mmmmm….” “It’s gonna be fine. He’s just been warding the house for Nightmare Night.” Gilda shrugged as the three of them watched the deer from the kitchen. “Lorraine? Would you be interested in a little trip into the Everfree?” Alastor asked, looking over at the group. “I mean, uhhh, you sure that’s safe?” Lorraine replied. “I’m sure everything will avoid us because of you.” Alastor nodded. “Oh right, luck dragon, duh.” Lorraine blinked. “Yes, and I doubt we’d find anything that could bother something like you. Well, you don’t really know how to be a luck dragon, but presence alone should be fine.” The deer nodded. “We could go with you, strength in numbers.” John offered. “Yeah, I mean I hunt, but the Timberwolves have been getting bolder.” Gilda nodded. “That might be for the best. I was hoping to just have the two of us go, but you two might have a point. What if something happened to one of us? To you.” Alastor said with a nod, looking at the noodle dragon. “So, everyone just grab some saddlebags and get ready?” Lorraine asked. Which everyone did. Alastor had a rather nice pair of dark red-brown saddlebags that were clearly made of leather. Gilda had a single blue bag at her waist. Noodle dragon had equipped her saddlebags, and the smol bug had put on his backpack. Once John and Gilda made sure that everyone had anything they might need for an hour or two in the forest, they were ready to set off. However on opening the door, they found quite the pile of gifts. “They don’t give up do they?” Alastor asked. “Nope.” Gilda shook her head with a sigh. “Any food? We could take it with us.” Lorraine commented. “Waste not, want not.” “Let’s just bring it all inside.” John sighed. After five more minutes of ferrying packages inside, the group was finally ready to go. Again. The path leading into the forest and the first bit of the trek inside wasn’t bad. The sun shone through the branches and a soft breeze pleasantly blew in from the north. “We got lucky with the weather.” Lorraine commented. “I always forget to check the schedule.” John said with a chuckle. “It’s as simple as… looking out the window.” Gilda snorted and rolled her eyes. “So, I had a thought.” John spoke up again. “What if we started a garden in the backyard? Maybe have Apple Bloom or Granny Smith help out with some pointers.” “Well, it’d save on bits, not that you’re hurting for any.” Gilda shrugged. “Eh? Sounds fun?” Lorraine said with a shrug. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind helping with that, myself.” Alastor spoke up sounding quite happy. “It might even help, what with not needing to go into the Everfree as often. Reminds me of when I was just a calf.” “Right, you were mortal once.” John nodded. “And I am again, thanks to Mourning Star.” Alastor’s normally wide smile fell a bit. “We’ll get that figured out, don’t worry.” John added quickly. “Do we even know what we’re supposed to do to fix that?” Lorraine asked. “I believe it was left purposefully ambiguous.” The deer said with a small sigh. “Well great.” John rolled his eyes, only to pause as the group had made it to a rather large cliff. “We need to go down that, don’t we?” Lorraine asked, only for her to be unceremoniously picked up in a deep red aura. Alastor started down the protruding rocks like he was a mountain goat, rather than a deer. Gilda shrugged and picked up the smol bug. She lept off and glided down to the clearing below. “See, that wasn’t so bad.” Alastor said, setting the luck dragon down as the griffon landed and set down her own passenger. Lorraine simply blinked as the deer set off ahead of them. “Don’t go too fast man, this place is still dangerous, despite having her here.” Gilda commented. “I am well aware of that my feathered feline.” Alastor called back over his shoulder. As they continued, things were almost peaceful. There was the occasional bird call, but beyond that there was little noise. Sans the comfortable breeze. “This feels much nicer than town to be honest.” John spoke up as they weaved through the slightly overgrown path. “Not that the scheduled weather is bad, it’s just… This feels more real I guess.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, am I making any sense?” “I get it.” Gilda nodded as the noodle dragon stared at the ground lest she trip over something. “While this is nice, I personally miss the colder weather from the north.” Alastor said with a wistful sigh. “So you could say you’re a northerner.” John said. “Yes.” Alastor craned his head around to look at the bug, giving him a slightly confused look. “Oh man, it’s cold ou- You don’t know the meaning of cold! Who is you- I’m a Northerner! Where did you come from-”  John giggled, as the griffon and the deer gave him a confused look. “Okay?” Gilda blinked. “You’re doing that quote thing where you just say something whether or not we get it, right?” “Yep.” The bug nodded. “To be fair, I don’t get it either.” Lorraine added. “It was from a Vine that I saw years ago. I was just reminded of it, and I thought it was funny.” John giggled to himself. “There are times where you’re as random as Pinkie.” Gilda spoke up. “Hey, I resent that. I’m not as overbearing as her…. I think.” John said, finishing with a hum. “Trust me, you’re not. You are definitely not.” Lorraine said. “Yay.” The smol bug cheered softly. “Slight complication.” Alastor spoke up. “River.” He held a hoof out gesturing at the river in front of them. He kept glancing between the sides. “Guys, I have wings. I can just carry you all over.” Gilda rolled her eyes. “No need.” Alastor said as he, once again, levitated the noodle dragon. Only to back up, and take a running start at the river. He lept, and managed to just clear it. A back hoof made a bit of dirt crumble into the water. He then set down the dragon again. “Holyshittoofast.” Lorraine stated looking a little out of it. “Gilda.” John said sitting on his haunches and raising his hooves towards her. “Uppies.” Gilda snorted. “Dweeb.” She shook her head and picked him up, once again, carrying him over the obstacle in their path. “Wonderful. Continuing on!” Alastor grinned and trotted ahead, again. “I know you wanna scout, but maybe stay within a range where we could actually react?” John asked as he power-walked to keep up with Gilda. “And I make a better target.” The deer replied. “And just because I’m weakened, does not mean I’m defenseless.” “You’ve got a point.” John nodded as the noodle dragon plodded along, bringing up the rear. “Ah! Look here!” Alastor spoke up, making everyone pause by a tree. “It’s a tree.” Gilda said, staring at the brown wood of the oak. “Yes, and no.” Alastor nodded. “This tree, is teaming with Life. Not life as in it’s alive but Life as in the cosmic force. This whole forest is saturated with Life Magic. It’s no wonder that the weather here does not want to bend to ponies ordered wills. This would be a prime place to live for deer, which would keep the life magic in balance throughout the forest. However there aren’t, due to the amount of wild beasts and various elementals in the forest. Maybe someday.” He sighed almost happily as he stared off into the distance for a moment, then perked up. “Right. We should keep going.” “What would it take to have deer live here?” Lorraine spoke up. “Hmmm?” Alastor paused and looked at her. “Well, perhaps a few wards to start. Someone to tame some of the beasts in a specific area, if not tamed then killed. An area that would be fit for a Sacred Grove, and lastly, an Alpha to care for that Grove. Again, perhaps someday.” He nodded. “Couldn’t you find a way to help with that?” The noodle dragon asked. “I would have to go looking for Groves and I doubt any Life-loving deer would allow one such tainted, like myself, into one of their Groves. And even then, I’d need a Grove Seed from a Sacred Tree. Which, again, is doubtful that I could ever get.” Alastor explained with a small sigh. Lorraine blinked. “What do deer think about luck dragons?” “Well beings of Light and beings of Life can get along on occasion, baring that either one isn’t too zealous to their cause or force. More than likely, you’d be honored. Beyond that… would probably depend on the specific Grove in question.” Alastor nodded. Suddenly one of Alastor’s ears twitched as his head snapped around. He glanced around, standing stock-still. “You can’t smell it yet.” He said quietly. “But there is a Blightwolf nearby.” “And that is?” John asked, lowering himself to the ground a bit. “Two kinds.” Alastor stated. “One, a type of golem from ancient times. A Fel-infused wolf-like construct, purpose made to kill non-Fel creatures. The specific purpose, kill off an area’s food supply and corrupt the wildlife via forcing them to eat tainted food.” The other three had lowered themselves a bit out of caution. “The second, and a brief cosmology lesson. Each Cosmic Force has its opposite. Order has Chaos, Light has Shadow (or Void, but that’s a very fuzzy line). Life has Death.” A scent wafted into the air like a mix of dead leaves, rotting wood, and something close to mildew, but significantly worse. “We’re dealing with the second type of Blightwolf. An Elemental of Decay.” Alastor sounded grim. “This shouldn’t be here…” Something crossed the path in front of them. It looked only vaguely like a wolf. Limbs made of dry brown bark, spotted with patches of gray and black mold. A barrel of gnarled, thorny branches contained a pus-yellow thing that seemed to pulse in some mockery of a heartbeat. Atop it’s back, running the length of where a spine would be, were numerous tumor-like growths, mushrooms that glowed an eerie green and pulsed in time with the things heart. The head was only vaguely wolf-like. It bore a maw filled with thorns dripping with some yellow-green substance. Its eye sockets were lit by the same luminescence of the mushrooms on its back. Lastly, a pair of warped, gnarled antlers protruded from the back of its head, like everything else, they were covered in thorns. “Do. Not. Move.” Alastor hissed quietly. Gilda froze. John did his best to not even breathe. Lorraine did her best not to move as the thing plodded across the path and moved into the treeline. “Now. Follow me. Slowly.” Alastor said quietly as he began to take slow, careful steps forward. The other three did the same. Lorraine in particular, was aware of where each claw landed. As they made it to where the thing had been, both Gilda and John did their best not to gag. The prints the Blightwolf left in the ground were black, as if its passing killed the ground itself. There were other small patches, as if it had been dripping other noxious fluids onto the ground as it passed. Those patches of dead ground seemed to be growing. John blinked. “Blight.” He murmured softly, as he made sure to step over the patches and pawprints. “Indeed.” Alastor said softly. Lorraine, instead of trying to step over each spot, just hopped over the entire path that the thing created. “The castle shouldn’t be too far.” Alastor only spoke up after they were a great deal away from the Blightwolf’s passing. “Ah, in fact, here’s the bridge.” He actually brightened as they came to a massive chasm. On the other side was a ruined castle. The ruined castle. Spanning the gorge was a somewhat shoddy looking rope bridge. “Oh yeah, that looks stable.” John said dryly. “I am not walking across that.” Lorraine shook her head. “Nope.” “Whelp.” Gilda picked up John and flapped her wings. She took to the air with the bug and flew across. “Pardon, darling.” Alastor said with a chuckle as he once again levitated the noodle dragon. He trotted across the bridge with ease. Halfway across… There was the sound of popping wood. Not the sound of a plank breaking either. Alastor broke into a dead sprint to finish crossing, as Lorraine unintentionally got shifted a little. The Blightwolf, almost soundlessly, was charging across the bridge. The popping noises were coming from its legs as fluids ran down from the broken gray and black spots. Lorraine froze, she couldn’t look away. It made a leap. A claw lashed out. Alastor tried to levitate Lorraine out of the way, but Lorraine yelped as a single claw grazed along her flank. Alastor made a leap to the other side as the wolf hit the bridge and caused the ropes to snap. It, and the two halves of the bridge fell into the chasm below. “Damn.” Alastor swore as he set Lorraine down, the noodle dragon wincing at the already inflamed slash on her flank. “Shit, shit. Shitshitshit.” John swore, starting to pace. “Alastor can you do anything about that?” “I can try.” The deer nodded. “I have enough to make a poultice that can put off the effects and help her own healing process. She’ll be miserable, but alive. Beyond that, she’d need proper medical care.” “Well let’s get her inside, at least we don’t have to-” John was cut off as a weird scratching noise caught their attention. Out of the foggy depths of the chasm, a wooden claw slammed into stone. The Blightwolf was climbing up the other side of the chasm. “That’s bullshit.” Gilda’s beak dropped. The Blightwolf pulled itself up, plodded over to where the bridge would connect, and simply sat on its haunches. Its head turned and it stared right at them, entirely unmoving. “And fuck that, we’re going inside.” John announced as Alastor levitated the quiet and deadpan noodle dragon. The only way they could tell anything was wrong with her was that her ears were splayed all the way back. They’d found a bedroom in the castle, which Alastor immediately plopped the noodle dragon down and shooed the bug and griffon out so he could work in peace. He checked her over fully, paying close attention to the wound, before unpacking the various bottles, vials, and even a full alchemist’s set, in his saddlebags. Lorraine hissed as he cleaned out the wound with water from a canteen. He cleared some old books off a desk and started working away at some plants with a mortar and pestle. He was silent and appeared very focused on what he was doing. Lorraine simply sat there quietly. Oddly enough, she was reminded of sitting in a doctor’s office waiting for the doctor to get done with whatever he was doing. Her face contorted. She did not like to be reminded of that. Alastor pulled out what looked like a bundle of bandages as well as a few other plants from his back. There was a sprig of blue-ish bark with berries that looked like blueberries, only these berries looked to be made out of blue crystal or ice. There was also a sprig of black wood bearing wide flat leaves of pale white tipped in light blue. He plucked a berry and a leaf and started grinding them up. After a few minutes of grinding, he dripped a few droplets from a vial of milky-white liquid into the mortar, grinded a bit more. He set down the mortar unrolled the bandages and trotted over to the dragon while levitating the mortar and bandages with him. “This is going to feel quite cold. A hot poultice doesn’t work well on naturally hotter creatures such as yourself. Thus, a mixture of colder things, as well as something to boost your immune system.” He started to slather the mixture onto her wound. Her leg twitched at the cold, but the dragon did her best to hold it still.  Once the wound was fully covered, he wrapped her leg in bandages and tied it tight directly over the wound. “Painful, yes, but pressure is needed.” The deer said with a nod. There was a knock. “Hey, Gilda flew back to town. She’s getting help.” John spoke up from the other side of the door. “Even knowing her stubbornness, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to wait till tomorrow morning before anyone show’s up. We’ll have to see. Ummm, how’s Lorraine doing?” “I’ve done the best I can with what I have. She’ll live. That was a smart idea from the featherhead, perhaps I don’t give her enough credit.” The deer chuckled softly as he started to repack his things. “I’m sore.” Came the noodle dragon’s response. “Okay. Let me know if you two need anything.” The bug said. “Keep an eye on that Blightwolf, would you?” Alastor asked. “Shit! Good idea!” John gasped. That was quickly followed by the scrambling of hooves. Alastor finished his packing and set his saddlebags on the desk. “Lorraine.” He turned around and bowed to the noodle dragon. “I apologize.” “Uhhhh, why?” Lorraine blinked. “If I had been a little faster, you wouldn’t have been hurt.” The deer replied, straightening. “But we didn’t even know a Blightwolf was around.” Lorraine countered. “And look on the bright side, you were able to do something for me. Which is pretty impressive.” Alastor blinked. “Thank… Thank you.” He nodded. “Still…” He sighed. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have had any of you along at all… Though this could have been significantly worse, all things considered.” “I don’t want to know.” Lorraine grimaced. “No. You don’t.” Alastor shook his head. “So, am I supposed to be freezing my arse off?” She asked. “That is probably both the poultice taking effect, as well as the fever you are no doubt getting.” The deer replied with a hum. “Both are normal, and again, apologies.” “Am I going to be okay?” Lorraine asked. “Yes, it’ll be uncomfortable, and probably worrying for you, but you will be fine, especially when reinforcements come and we can get you properly treated.” Alastor replied. “You sure?” She asked. “Of course.” He nodded. “Hmmm, what does John say? Is there anything I can do to help?” She shrugged. “I dunno?” The deer sighed. “Well, how can I put you at ease, barring what I’ve already done?” “I can’t really think of anything.” The noodle dragon shook her head. The deer glanced around the room and spied an old blanket. He levitated it and shook it outside the window, before trotting over and laying it over the dragon. He then gave a single nod. “You should try to rest.” “I’m fine just lying here.” Lorraine replied. “That will have to do.” Alastor replied. “Sorry.” The noodle dragon stated. “For what?” Alastor asked, blinking at her. “I shouldn’t have gotten hurt.” Lorraine responded. “I should be stronger than this.” Alastor blinked again. “Your, supposed, lack of strength has nothing to do with this. You were entirely powerless thanks to both myself and the Blightwolf, do not apologize for something you had no control over.” “But, I can’t afford to be sick or hurt, I have to be there for you, and John, and Gilda.” She replied. “You are. However, you must know that we’re there for you too. You might not like being vulnerable, but you’re allowed to be vulnerable from time to time.” The deer nodded. Lorraine frowned and got quiet. “You’ll let us in eventually.” He shrugged. “I know John is there for you, regardless. Perhaps you need something to destress one of these days. Perhaps a spa session with Rarity?” “No way in Hell.” Lorraine snapped her head up to look at him. “It was merely a suggestion.” Alastor chuckled. “Sorry.” The noodle dragon apologized again. “It’s quite alright, nothing to apologize for.” The deer shook his head. “I still shouldn’t be like this.” Lorraine said. “Like what?” He asked. “I’m supposed to take care of you guys.” She replied softly. “Correction. We’re all supposed to take care of each other.” Alastor responded. “That’s what the original herds were supposed to be for, at least. The herd, the pack, the community, takes care of each other.” Lorraine huffed and grumbled a bit, causing Alastor to chuckle. “John’s right, you’re cute when you get like this.” The deer said offhandedly. Lorraine looked up then blinked at him. “You think I’m cute?” “Why, yes.” Alastor nodded with a grin. “I don’t know why you think that, but okay.” The dragon said then shuddered a bit. “I’m fucking freezing.” “You probably will be for a bit.” The deer said with a nod. “It comes with the territory.” Lorraine groaned. “Joy…” It was late. John couldn’t tell what time it was, just that the sun had gone down. The Blightwolf was still on the other side of the chasm. Despite his worry for his girlfriend, he was determined to keep an eye on that nightmarish decay beast. “Why didn’t I make the connection earlier?” He grumbled to himself. “The cosmology is the same as-” A sound made him pause. There was a flapping of wings. Though it was dark, the moon lit things rather well. Thanks to this he could see a host of winged forms flying over the trees. A larger one broke off and landed in front of him. “What Ho Jonathan! We came as soon as we could muster the forces!” Luna stated proudly. She turned to look at the Blightwolf, which had made no move despite the pegasi and thestrals flying into the ruins. “Tia will have that dealt with momentarily.” John blinked, only to squint as the surrounding area lit up like there was a small star. Which, in fact there was. A “small” sun hovered over the chasm. “Please. Take me to your love.” Luna said. John snapped himself out of it and nodded. Alastor stepped back as Luna undid the bandages. The wound was now an angry red. The dragon herself was shivering and she looked rather pale. “This looks well cared for, my thanks demon, but we will finish what you started.” Luna said, smiling at Alastor. A blue glow surrounded Luna’s horn, only to shift to a silvery-white. A soft hum, almost like a chorus of angelic voices filled the room. The same silver-white light surrounded Lorraine’s whole leg, then spread to encompass the whole dragon. The redness faded, as did the gash, as the dragon visibly relaxed. The light and sound faded and Lorraine blinked. “I feel like shit.” “And you shall, we have cured the toxins, yet your body will still need time to recover. Come, let us get you all home so thou mayst rest.” Luna said with a smile. “Ah, and it seems my sister is just about done.” There was a whooshing, roar, like a raging firestorm as the outside lit up like it was noon. A wave of heat blasted through the room and didn’t fade even as the group got their things together. Only when the four of them, and a pair of flanking Night Guards, left the room did the heat and light fade. Lorraine had made to get up, only for a mixture of blue and red light to surround her. Luna and Alastor looked at each other, nodded, then together carried the dragon above their heads. The poor dragon was too miserable to even complain.