“Rainbow Dash?” I responded with an annoyed groan, “What could you possibly want? There’s no time for this!”
Cozy shimmied in place with her hooves pattering against the cloudy ground. “W-we need to keep moving! We don’t know what’s gonna happen if the next pony on our list is hurt.”
“Woah, woah...hang on, guys. Just calm down and relax,” the rainbow pegasus assured us. “I’m not here to cause you any problems. But I’m just curious since I saw Thunderlane rush out of his house just now. What’s going on?”
I suppose there was no getting out of this. Dash could follow us to the ends of the earth if she desired. So getting away from her was completely out of the question. I looked over at Cozy, and nodded once. There was nothing we could do for the moment other than explain what our intentions were to Rainbow.
Cozy got the hint, and calmed down. She stood still next to me as I spoke.
“Okay then. To make a long story short…”
One explanation that I was not in the mood to recount later…
“...and that’s why Thunderlane zoomed off. Currently, he is on his way to see Moondancer right now about the symbol that had been placed on him.”
“Symbol?” Rainbow repeated, “What did it look like?”
I described it from memory. “A circle with three triangles in the midst of it. Why? What’s wrong?”
She tapped her hoof against her chin as she looked down at the ground with a worried stare. “Nothing. It’s just--I think I heard something about Caballeron having the same thing done.”
What a riot. Caballeron was indeed the next name on my list. But of course, I had to hear things out before I made a move. Caballeron was an interesting case. As both he and Daring Do had been known for pillaging artifacts all across Equestria to which the pegasus mare would write about in her novel series of the same name. Yes, it shocked me when I found out that it was all real when I was younger. But anyhow, they both had agreed to stop fighting over things, and published a decent amount of fictional books in the last few decades or so. They were both probably extremely wealthy business partners by this point. And Ahuizotl agreed to stop fighting them since they no longer wanted his treasures. Everyone wins.
But this was interesting to hear. The fact that Rainbow would know about it made me curious. Though, I suppose it made sense. She and Daring were close friends, so anything out of the ordinary or strange would definitely be shared between the two pegasus mares immediately.
I looked over, and saw Cozy already thinking hard with her eyes focused on an empty space in between some clouds in the distance. Smart kid; always with her mental gears turning.
“Okay, then in that case, we should go see him next,” I responded, “That seems the most logical, yes?”
Dash rolled her eyes with an uncertain look. “Welll...I dunno. He’s not the most...sociable type. It took him awhile just to open up to other ponies and his gang members are now charity workers. Go easy on him when you first meet him, okay?”
Oh dear. That didn’t sound too good. But I was well-versed in dealing with delicate situations. I myself was rather delicate in some ways after all.
At last, Cozy broke her own personal silence. “I got an idea,” she explained as she looked up. “Maybe we should meet with Daring Do first. If she can help us speak with Caballeron, we can show up without scaring him.”
“Pfft. When ya put it like that, ya make him sound cowardly,” Rainbow replied with a small laugh, “Haha. But I guess that’s how some of the books went. Anyway, that’s a great idea, Cozy. Your odds of meeting him are better if you’re already friends with AK Yearling. I know where she lives, too. Just tell her RD sent ya,” she pulled out a Daring Do keychain that had her address marked on the back, and offered it to me.
“You’re not coming with us?” I asked as I took it with my hoof.
She shook her head. “I wish. But I got lots of work to do. Flurry’s little speech at that trial sort of inspired me. The Wonderbolts were kind of...boring at one point,” she admitted with a disappointed frown. “I have to be honest. Their potential has been really squandered over the past few decades, and Flash Magnus would be disappointed.”
“Ya got that right,” Cozy said with an unamused expression, eyes narrowed.
“Oi--” I nudged her with one of my hind hooves, and shook my head with a dismissive glare.
“Whaaat? I’m right!” she tried to reply back, which caused Rainbow to laugh even louder.
“Hah! No, she’s right. They suck. But anyway, I’ve gone back and restructured the Wonderbolt’s Academy and reoriented the studies more towards aerial combat, and strategy rather than simply flying around and looking pretty.”
Well I’ll be damned. Rainbow Dash of all ponies had just stated how she wanted to focus on more than just showing off. Next thing you know, pigs will be growing wings and flying right with them!
“That’s hella mature of you,” I praised her with respect, seeing as she was a bit older than me, “As expected from a seasoned Wonderbolt, ma’am.”
“Pshaw!” she scoffed again, and swatted her hoof against the air in a dismissive style, “quit it with the ‘ma’am’ stuff. You’re not one of my recruits. But thank you. The next time Equestria gets attacked, we’ll have a whole back of esteemed fliers ready to fight that are just as strong--and awesome--as me.”
Cozy’s eyes lit up at Rainbow’s words. I suppose she must have been really excited to hear about the Wonderbolts becoming actual fighter pilots again rather than simple stunt ponies. But that glint in her eye quickly faded away as she shook her head. My best guess was the fact that she was concerned over whether or not she would be accepted into such an Academy after what she did in the past.
“That sounds nice,” the pink pegasus said as she shifted the topic, “And we’ll do our best to see what’s going on with Caballeron. I don’t know if you trust me, yet. But you can trust Pale,” she pointed at me. “He’s the best caretaker that a pony could ask for.”
Eek. More compliments. But in this moment, I had to accept them for the sake of inspiring confidence within Rainbow Dash. After all, a former Element of Harmony would know how to trust others better than anypony else. Especially the element of loyalty.
“Yeah, you got that right. I’ll handle the situation promptly,” I said while I puffed my head and neck up higher. I don’t know why I did that, though. Probably to go along with the whole thing about inspiration.
Rainbow didn’t comment on it, thankfully. “Heh. Well, as long as you know what you’re doing,” she replied with a nod. “Anyway, I need to get back to the Academy soon. I was just here on my lunch break. Good luck to you both.” With a salute, Rainbow flew back into the air the same way she had left us.
I took another look at the keychain in the shape of the dull gold pegasus adventure mare who had been famously known for all of her novels. The address was right on the back, and it was a remote location far within Equestria’s outer limits.
Cozy looked at me. “Do you know which way we should go, Pale?”
“Mmm...just about. And I think we can get some help from an old friend of mine. Yearling’s home is located in an area that is in proximity to all sorts of monsters. It’s best if we travel carefully. And if we hit trouble, you get up, and hightail it back here to let Rainbow Dash know, got it?”
She hesitated for a moment, but the kid was smart. I knew she wasn’t going to refuse an order that was logical as well as practical. “Okay, sir,” she responded candidly, “but I’m ready for anything. No matter what happens.
“Good. Then let’s go.”
And so, we were off once more. Cozy and I left the city in the clouds, and headed down to Ponyville to catch ourselves that train. I wasn’t at liberty to disclose exactly how and where we went in order to find Daring Do’s home, but once we got off, we had to do a bit of walking.
Did I say a bit? I meant a lot. At least two hours’ worth.
Thankfully, the fall season made it a nice, chilly day in the Uncharted Region of The Forest. We weren’t even close to being dehydrated.
Though, the kid was getting a bit impatient. “Ugggh,” she groaned as she walked beside me through the forest, “are we there yet? And who’s this friend you’ve asked help from anyway?”
“Ah, he’ll show up fairly soon. He’s got a very tactical way of approaching things. Something that you share in common which could help with our efficiency level,” I said with a bit of a smirk. I looked at the forest through the trees, and suddenly pulled a hard right to prance in another direction. “This way. Yearling’s home is just a few yards down this path and we should see a cottage…”
Cozy followed with what I can only assume was silent excitement.
It was about another five minutes before we finally arrived at the small, wooden house in the middle of the grassy field. “There we go,” I said as I approached the place, “Stay behind me while I knock. You never know what kind of traps that Daring Do might rig her home with…”
“Oooh…” Cozy responded with an eerie sense of wonder.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP
I tapped the door with my hoof three times. It took yet another five minutes or so before I finally got a response from inside. Though, it was rather muffled.
“Who’s there?! Go away!” cried the voice from inside.
“Um, Rainbow Dash sent us here. We’re actually looking to see you for something important, Ms. Yearling,” I raised my voice so she could hear me better. “This is Officer Vestige of Ponyville.”
As soon as I stated my title, I heard the sound of several locks, chains, and bolts become undone. The door was swiftly opened, and we were met with the dark yellow pegasus with a mane style that appeared to be a grayscale version of Rainbow Dash’s. Huh. There were quite the set of bags under her eyes--likely from aging. Though, she didn’t look bad at all if you asked me. Though it was a surprise to see her without her usual explorer’s hat and vest on.
“Ahem, hello,” she answered swiftly as if she was nervous, “I swear to Twilight that I don’t have any stolen artifacts, substances, or paraphernalia anywhere. I’ve stopped doing that for years. Search the whole house if you want!”
I heard Cozy snicker from behind me.
She must have been really antsy about the complications of her little ‘adventures’ from her past life. But I wasn’t here for that, obviously. “I believe you. But that’s not what I wanted to speak with you about. Do you mind if I come in?”
“Oh...whew…” she exhaled, and stood aside to allow me entry. “Sure. No problem.”
I beckoned Cozy to follow, and we both went inside. AK quickly shut the door behind us. The place was rather...rustic to say the least. Filled with old books on shelves, boxes in a few corners, and sets of chairs that looked as if they could easily cost a fortune on their own!
Yearling ushered us to the dining room table where we all sat. Once there, I explained to her why I had come down here, and the fact that Cozy would be able to help somepony like Caballeron speak with others if possible.
“Ah...I see,” the esteemed author shook her head, “Sorry...I’d love to help, but I’m busy with something rather delicate right now. Some unknown tribe of monsters in the forest has been causing problems and I wanna stop them before it becomes anymore dangerous and they start harming ponies.”
Tribe? Monsters? Not exactly my forte, but I’d be willing to lend a helping hoof if possible. “I see...well, mind if we tag along? If we help you, then maybe you can help us.”
She raised a brow. “Are you sure you wanna bring the kid along?”
“Hey!” Cozy protested, “I’m the same age as Princess Flurry Heart! And I’m plenty capable, too.” She stuck out her tongue with a pouty face.
I nudged her from under the table. “What she meant to say, was that she’s a lot tougher than she looks. Don’t count her out.”
Yearling sighed, and put on her trademark hat. “Alright then. Let’s get going. I’ll fill you both in on the way there. Things are about to get sloppy.”
Yech. Why ‘sloppy’ of all adjectives?