Quicksilver and Misty were seated in front of a small Ponyville café. A pot of tea and a plate of shortbread cookies sat on the intimate table before them. They were not the only couple enjoying an afternoon snack on the warm spring day. A constant parade of ponies walked by the café occasionally stopping to look at a shop window or to chat with a street vendor.
Misty sighed contentedly. “You know, we need to do more of this when we’re home in Canterlot.”
Quicksilver tilted his head. “More of what?”
“Nothing.” She smiled. “We get so busy we forget to find a nice café or a park to just sit and do nothing together. It’s one of my favorite things.”
Quicksilver tilted his head. “But we eat out kind of a lot at home. We do this all the time.”
“This is different.” Misty paused as she took in the scene. “At home, dinner is a task we perform so we can get back to our labs. Here it's an activity we slow down to enjoy.”
“You’re right.” Quicksilver chuckled. “Sometimes it takes us going on a super busy trip to get a chance to slow down. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s how it seems to work with us.”
“Well, taking a little extra time to visit Maud here was a great idea.”
“I wanted to thank her for this latest site suggestion. She described it as ‘a promising source of interesting minerals’ and she was right.”
“I can tell how much you like her. Should I be worried, given how often you talk about her?” Misty snickered and took a sip of her tea. Quicksilver's mouth hung open. “I’m just kidding. I like Maud too. She’s a little, well, different, but she knows her stuff and has a delightfully subtle sense of humor.”
Quicksilver blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair. “I agree, on both counts,” he replied. “She’s really quite brilliant in her field, which you would expect given that she has a rocktorate.”
She chuckled softly. “It was fun watching you at the site. You were as giddy as a foal over all the ‘interesting dirt’ you found.”
He rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “You’re never going to let that dirt comment go, are you?” She shook her head. “Still, Maud has suggested three different sites to us over the years, and each one has been exceptional. Her focus may be on rocks, but she’s not bad with interesting dirt either.”
Misty let out a contented sigh and took another sip. Looking past her, Quicksilver noticed a unicorn with a lilac coat slowly approaching them. Their eyes met as she got closer.
She stopped a couple paces away. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but…” She lowered her head and shifted on her hooves nervously. “Do I know you two?”
Misty turned around. “Starlight!” She hopped to her hooves and gave the startled unicorn a polite hug. “It’s good to see you again. It’s been such a long time.”
Quicksilver sprang to his hooves. “Please, join us. Have a seat.” With a slight bow, he gestured to an open chair.
Starlight shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude. I just saw you here and thought you looked so familiar... “ Her forehead wrinkled as she closed her eyes for a moment. “I just can’t seem to place you.”
“I insist,” Quicksilver said, pulling the chair out from the table a bit.
Starlight stepped forward, but didn’t sit down. “I don’t want to interrupt your tea.”
“Nonsense. You really must join us. Can we get you something?” He raised a hoof to signal the earth pony waitress.
Quicksilver and Misty sat down as the waitress trotted over. “Yes, what can I get for you?”
“Uh, just some tea please,” Starlight responded as she also took a chair. She glanced at the couple again.
“Are you okay, Starlight?” Misty asked.
She shook her head. “I’m trying to remember… Misty?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right.” She gestured to Quicksilver. “And my husband?”
Starlight stared at him. “Umm… Quicksilver?”
He nodded. “Correct. And do you remember where we met?” He paused. Starlight glanced to the sky for a moment, then shrugged and shook her head. “At a site we were camping at. At the edge of the Crystal Mountains, Northeast Equestria.”
Starlight’s eyes went wide. “Oh…”
Quicksilver and Misty had just finished setting up their camp at a site Maud Pie had previously used. The site was picturesque, located in a large clearing next to a lush forest. A rushing mountain stream ran along the far edge of the clearing some distance from the camp. On the other side of the stream lay a boulder field that led up to the face of a mountain.
Maud has set up a nice little camp during her time here which included a fire pit and accompanying table and chairs made of boulders. One thing missing was a place to sleep. That was easily addressed by running a line between two trees and setting up a hutchie tent large enough for two of them. It was rustic, but they weren’t a couple of pampered ponies. This would work just fine for a few days.
Quicksilver spread out a map on the makeshift table and oriented it so it was lined up with the topography on the far side of the stream. His view shifted back and forth between the map and the scene before them.
“Okay, Maud’s map shows this site all the way to the mountain.” He tapped the location on the map. “She’s marked all the caves she explored and numbered the top six that she suggested we look at. I can see a couple of them from here.” He indicated with his hoof. “The others shouldn’t be hard to find.”
Misty interrupted him, “What’s that? Over there, that little spot of color.”
He glanced at her to see where she was looking, then squinted. “Where? I don’t see anything.”
Misty stepped over, standing right next to Quicksilver. Lifting her leg, she pointed at one particular boulder on the far side of the stream. “See that big boulder right there?”
“Yup.”
She shifted where she was pointing. “Now look just a bit to the left and go back about halfway to the cliff. See those two boulders that are in sort of a V-shape?”
He nodded. “Uhh, oh, yeah, I see that.”
She shifted again. “Now go left again that same amount and look right at the base of the cliff.”
He squinted as he looked. “I’m still not… wait, I see it. A little splotch of purple, I think.”
“Yes, that’s it.” She lowered her leg. “That doesn’t look like flowers to me, or any sort of plant I’m familiar with.”
“Why don’t you fly over and take a quick look? Let me know if it’s something interesting I should come see.”
Misty extended her wings, took a few steps, and launched herself into the air. She flapped a couple times to gain some altitude and then started to casually glide towards the base of the cliff. Quicksilver sighed as he watched her fly. To him, few things were as beautiful as his wife in flight. Suddenly, she banked hard and returned to where Quicksilver stood.
”It’s a unicorn lying on the rocks. They’re not moving. I see some blood. Please hurry.”
She banked again and headed back towards the cliff, but didn’t land. She circled the area, her eyes probing for any hazards that might be present. She occasionally glanced at Quicksilver.
Quicksilver grabbed the first aid kit and galloped to the stream. Water splashed high all around him as he thundered through it. Slowing, he began the process of picking his way through the field of boulders. He winced as his wet hoof slipped off the smooth surface of one. “Take it easy,” he said to himself. “You really don’t need to twist a fetlock out here.”
Misty called down, “It looks safe, you can keep going.” He quickly covered the remaining distance to the pony. Misty flared her wings to slow down as she came in for a landing.
The pony--a mare, as they could see now--was sprawled out among the rocks, lying face down with her limbs at awkward angles. She was covered in cuts and scrapes, several of which were lightly bleeding.
“Is she…”
“No, she’s alive, I can see her breathing.” He glanced up at the cliffside towering above them. “She must have slid or fell down that steep face and landed here.” A few small pebbles sprinkled down around them. “We should get her back to camp, quickly.”
“Shouldn’t we tend to her wounds first?” Her brow furrowed as she looked at the mare, then at the first aid kit he held in his magic.
“I don’t want to hang around under this cliff.” More falling pebbles clattered off the boulders around them. He briefly checked the cliff face above.
Misty looked up and startled as a pebble bounced off her muzzle. “No, no, you’re right, fast is better.” Misty peered towards the camp. “It’s a clear shot to the camp from here.” She glanced back at Quicksilver. “Teleporting would be the fastest.”
He nodded. “And the most gentle. I’ll levitate her off the rocks, then teleport us both.” He waved towards the camp. “You fly ahead and get things ready for her. Here, take the first aid kit too.”
Misty took off, and Quicksilver’s horn lit up as he carefully lifted the mare off the rocks and positioned her next to him. Then he focused on the camp, and, in a flash of blue light, they were there. Misty was just opening up the first aid kit.
She pointed into the tent. “I laid out a bedroll you can set her on.”
Holding the mare in his magic, he rotated her around and into the tent. She let out a groan as he lowered her down. Quicksilver then enveloped the mare in a field of magic.
“I don’t sense anything broken. But I’m not a doctor, and I can’t tell about any internal injuries. She’s bleeding some, but none of it looks serious, and most of the bleeding has stopped on its own. I’m most worried about a concussion as those wounds to her head suggest she smacked something pretty hard.”
Misty and Quicksilver began working to stop any remaining bleeding and bandage up the worst of the wounds.
Misty asked, “Do you think I should fly for help? I can contact the E.U.P. and lead a search and rescue team back here.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the sun low in the sky. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that today. By the time you got there and they were ready, it would be dark. It would be too dangerous to fly out here at night, so they’d wait until tomorrow.” He glanced at Misty. “And I really need you here overnight in case I need help with her, not stuck in town waiting for dawn.”
As they finished tending to the mare’s wounds, she let out a groan and moved her legs around. Misty laid a hoof gently on her shoulder and leaned in close. “Shhh, shhh. It’s okay. You’re safe now. Just rest. Shhh.” The mare stopped moving and relaxed.
“I thought she might be waking up,” Quicksilver said. “I’d feel a lot better if she was conscious.”
“You think she’ll be okay?” Misty gently stroked the mare’s mane.
“I don’t know. Now I wish I’d taken a couple more basic medical classes.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s not knowing what to do. I hate not knowing.”
“We’re doing the best we can.”
“I know, I know. It just feels so... inadequate. If it’s a concussion, she could wake up at any time. If it’s something more serious, she might not survive the night.”
The couple moved out of the tent and stood at the opening, watching the mare. “We’ll know more in the morning. And I can be ready at first light to fly for help.”
Quicksilver put a leg around his wife and pulled her close. “Good plan. We may want to do that even if she does wake up during the night.”
She gave him a peck on the cheek. “In the meantime, I’m going to get some dinner started. You put the kit away and clean up all the trash?”
He smiled at Misty. “That would be great. I’m starving. We should stay close, but with the tent occupied, I guess we’ll be sleeping under the stars tonight.”
“Sounds like fun. Sure won’t be the first time.”
Misty cracked open an eye. The pre-dawn scene was awash in a low mist that clung to the ground. And it was cold. She realized Quicksilver was gone, and rolled over to see him tending a fire in the firepit. With a dry mouth, she squeaked out a soft, “Hi.”
He looked up and smiled. “Good morning. I can have some breakfast ready in a few minutes if you want to get off your rump and start moving.”
“I’d love to, but I think it might be frozen off.” She rolled onto her barrel and after a moment stood up. She walked over to Quicksilver, and they nuzzled briefly then she moved in close to the fire. “Ohh, that’s better…”
Quicksilver pulled a couple boxes out of a bag and held them up for Misty to see. “So, powdered haycakes, or powdered eggs?”
Misty grimaced. “I miss our kitchen.” She smacked her lips a couple times. “I think the haycakes would be the preferred provision for today.”
Once breakfast was done, they cleaned the dishes and were putting everything away when they heard a moan from the tent.
They trotted over to find the mare lying on her barrel. Her ears rotated forward at their approach, but her head remained lowered. She had her muzzle planted between her forelegs, eyes closed.
“You’re awake!” Misty exclaimed. “How are you feeling?”
The mare slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes just enough to peer out. She immediately squeezed them shut, moaned, and lowered her head again. “The world is spinning, and I think I’m going to be sick.”
Quicksilver fetched a canteen and walked over to the tent. “I think some of that may be dehydration. You haven’t had any food or water for at least eighteen hours, probably a lot longer.” He held the canteen in front of her. “Here, have a drink. But take it slow, not all at once.”
After several tentative sips of water, the mare cautiously opened her eyes. She slowly looked around the campsite. “Well, I give this hotel one star, at best.” She closed her eyes again for a few moments and then looked at the couple. “What happened? Who are you two?”
“I’m Misty, and this is my husband, Quicksilver. We’re researchers doing some field work. We got here yesterday late afternoon and found you at the base of that steep escarpment across the stream.” She pointed in the general direction. “It looked like you slid or tumbled down the incline and landed among the boulders at the bottom.”
Quicksilver continued, “You must have used magic to slow your fall or cushion the impact, otherwise you wouldn’t have survived. You still got pretty banged up, and I’m sure you have a concussion. You were out for a long time.”
She shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember any of that.”
“That’s fine. I’m not surprised. We plan to send Misty into town to get E.U.P. search and rescue out here to airlift you to a hospital…”
The mare bolted upright. “No, no hospital!” Quicksilver and Misty both took a couple steps backwards, eyes wide. “Oh, sorry, I mean, I just can’t go to a hospital right now. Just let me rest for a while. I’ll be okay.” She slumped down again.
“But why can’t you go to a hospital?” Misty asked. “Are you in some kind of trouble? You need professional care. You might have injuries we can’t see. What are you doing out here by yourself anyway?”
She looked down at the ground for a moment, then let out a little sigh. “My name is Starlight… Umm... Starlight Twinkle.” Quicksilver and Misty glanced at each other briefly. “I was the mayor of a small town on the other side of these mountains. We had a wonderful little community where everyone was equal, and we all shared in the responsibility of the town. It was a little different than your typical town, but we were content.” She paused. “Then this… unicorn, and her friends came into town. They acted like they were interested in joining the community, but it was all a plot. They took over the town and turned everypony against me. I had to flee for my life. I spent several days working my way through the mountains to this side, and then, well, then it gets fuzzy. But I know I need to keep a low profile. I need to get someplace safe where no one can find me.”
Misty and Quicksilver gave each other another cautious glance. Misty continued, “That must have been horrible. You need to be checked by a doctor, but we can’t force you.”
“I just need a day or so to rest, and then I can make my way someplace.”
“I’ll tell you what, Starlight. Misty and I were planning to be here for at least three days. We have enough extra food to handle all three of us. You can stay in camp and rest while we do our research. As long as you don’t get worse, we can skip getting official help. But if I see anything that suggests you are getting worse, all bets are off. Whatever trouble you had isn’t worth your life. Deal?”
Starlight nodded. “Okay, deal. It’s not like I have much of a choice, I guess. Thank you.”