The sun was low in the afternoon sky as Quicksilver and Misty trudged back to camp. His saddle bags hung low from the weight of the samples he had gathered. It had been a good day, but a long one. They picked their way through the field of boulders. When they crossed the stream, Misty softly said, “I so want to just sit down and do nothing for a while.”
As they neared the camp, they slowed down. Ahead they could see Starlight hunched over the rock table, her back to them. The rage in her voice was clear even from this distance. She would shake her hooves in the air or slam them down on the table as she argued with some unseen opponent. They couldn’t make out the words, but the emotions were obvious.
“Hi, Starlight,” Quicksilver called from a short distance away.
She jumped to her hooves. As she spun around, one of her forelegs swept across the table, knocking a number of small stones to the ground. She turned to them with a wild expression on her face.
“Oh, back so soon?” Her eyes darted around, taking them in and scanning the surroundings behind them. “I didn’t hear you sneaking up on me.” She nervously swished her tail back and forth.
“Are you okay?” Misty asked. “We weren’t sneaking. You sounded pretty angry as we got closer.”
“What did you hear?” Starlight sputtered out. She slowly started to back away.
“Nothing,” said Misty, “we were too far away. Quicksilver only spoke so we wouldn’t startle you. Not that it worked very well.” She finished with a slight grin.
Starlight raised her head as her ears turned forward. “Oh, okay, sorry. I guess I was kind of obsessing about being run out of my town. I didn’t mean to worry you.” Her body relaxed, and she took a step towards the couple.
Misty casually walked forward while keeping some distance from Starlight. “It’s fine, please, don’t give it a second thought. You’ve had a few hard days. Why don’t you and I prepare dinner while Quicksilver deals with the samples we collected today?”
Starlight rubbed her neck. “Sure. I’m sorry, I probably should have started things while you were working. It’s not like I have a lot of other stuff to do right now.”
They shared an awkward chuckle that quickly faded away.
After dinner Quicksilver and Misty walked to the stream to fill canteens and wash the dinner dishes. Quicksilver kept an eye on the camp as they talked.
“So, Misty, what do you think about Starlight?” The canteen he held bubbled as it filled with water.
“When we got back to camp, was she arguing with a bunch of rocks?” She briefly glanced over her shoulder.
“That’s what it looked like. I’m a little worried about her. Perhaps it’s a side effect of getting banged up, or maybe she’s not the most stable mare in the paddock.” He sat the full canteen down and started to fill the next one.
“Should we be worried?” She began to scrub the pot they’d made dinner in.
“I’m not sure. Let’s make tomorrow our last day and start the trip home first thing the following morning. Starlight is moving better, so she should be able to walk out if we go easy.”
It was early evening, the sun was down, and the remaining twilight would soon fade to dark. The three of them were sitting around the stone table, drinking some tea. Quicksilver and Misty were doing most of the talking. Starlight sat quietly and listened, only occasionally adding a comment. The topics ranged from their life in Canterlot to details about their research.
Suddenly, Misty jumped off her stone chair and took a defensive posture with hooves spread and wings extended. Staring into the forest past the tent, she softly said, “We’re being watched.”
Quicksilver and Starlight glanced back at the forest, then stood up. They quickly moved to Misty’s side of the table. All three stared into the dark forest. Quicksilver's horn glowed blue as he charged his magic. Soon, they spotted a pair of glowing green eyes. Then two more sets appeared.
“Timberwolves,” Starlight hissed.
“I thought they were only in the Everfree Forest,” Misty softly exclaimed.
Looking at Misty, Quicksilver firmly said, “Misty! In the air, now!”
Misty spun around and jumped up with all her might. Her powerful wings propelled her almost straight up. Once she was above the treeline, she leveled out. She circled the camp, peering down into the darkness
Quicksilver whispered to Starlight, “We should slowly retreat towards the stream and get away from the edge of the forest.”
Walking backwards was slow, but they didn’t dare turn away from the threat. Step by cautious step, they kept their gaze fixed on the menacing green eyes. Starlight inhaled sharply as two additional pairs of eyes appeared.
Misty called down, “There are two to the north working downstream, and three more to the south moving up. The forest is too dark to see into. I can’t tell how many there are.”
“At least five,” Quicksilver called up.
Water from the stream dripped off Quicksilver and Starlight’s hooves. They stopped as they felt the first boulders behind them.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Starlight, we can’t cross the boulders backwards, and I don’t want to get trapped against the cliff. We should stop here.” She nodded.
The gentle sound of the burbling stream was shattered by a howl from the woods. Narrow green eyes closed in from three different directions. Quicksilver widened his stance and lowered his head. His horn flared with magic, and a spherical shield spell surrounded the two ponies. It shimmered in the dark.
The timberwolves charged. The shield flared with energy as it rebuffed the attack. They scrambled to their feet and howled in pain and rage. Quicksilver wiped a bit of sweat from his brow as the wolves crouched low. With glowing eyes fixed on the ponies, the timberwolves slowly circled the shield. The air rumbled with low growls. The occasional timberwolf would lunge at the shield, looking for an opening. Quicksilver grunted every time they impacted it.
“Can you hold the shield?” Starlight asked. She scowled as she met the gaze of individual wolves.
He nodded. “Yes, but move closer. I learned some time ago to keep my shield small in a standoff.”
“I don’t think this will take long.” She briefly glanced at the shield. “What type of shield is it?” Her eyes darted back to the wolves.
“It’s just a physical shield. Do we need something more?” He flinched as a timberwolf slammed into the shield right in front of his face. “I didn’t think about magic. Do we need magic too?”
She shook her head. “No, no. Don’t add magic resistance to the shield. I need to cast something through it.” She glanced up at Misty hovering above them. “Have Misty get to cover, fast.”
Quicksilver called up, “Misty, fly to one of the higher caves. Go in far enough so that you can’t see us and are protected from magic.”
“Okay, be careful.” She banked towards the cliff and climbed towards one of the cave openings.
He watched her disappear into the cave. “Okay, she’s clear.”
Starlight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her horn flared. A second sphere began to form just outside Quicksilver’s shield. It grew brighter as Starlight poured energy into it. The wolves stopped circling the pair and watched. There was a pause. Neither pony nor timberwolf moved. Suddenly, Starlight opened her eyes. The new sphere exploded, expanding in all directions.
When the spell hit the timberwolves, they instantly fell apart. The logs and branches they were composed of dropped to a pile on the ground. All that remained was a shifting green mist hovering silently over the heaps of dead wood. Within moments, individual bits of wood began to lift off the ground and float up to the mist.
Starlight didn’t wait. She fired a magical bolt at each reforming wolf with scary efficiency. As it was hit, the mist dissipated into the air. Any floating bits of wood dropped back to the ground. Within moments, they were all gone. Quicksilver gave her a sideways glance.
“What?” Starlight asked, twisting her head to glare at him.
He lifted a hoof defensively. “Nothing. That was just… I mean… Couldn’t we have just scared them off or something?” He scanned the area one final time and dropped the shield spell.
Starlight turned to face him. “Timberwolves don’t scare, at least not for long. They don’t give up. And they’d have killed us all if Misty hadn’t…” She tilted her head. “Wait... what did she do anyway? How did she know they were there?”
Quicksilver glanced up just as Misty glided in for a landing.
“I felt a magic-suppression spell go by, even inside the cave.” She looked at Starlight. “You?” Starlight nodded. Misty continued, “It looked like the fight was over, so I came back down.”
Quicksilver walked over to Misty. They shared a quick hug. Starlight stumbled as she turned to face them. “I guess I’m not back to one-hundred percent yet.” After a brief pause she continued. “Misty, you probably saved our lives with your warning.” She tilted her head. “How did you know they were out there?”
“I’m not sure. I got a chill. It felt like something was watching us, was watching me. It was cold, and scary. I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was there.”
“Well, we’re glad you did,” Quicksilver added. “I think we can go back to the camp now, perhaps have a little more tea to calm our nerves. Not sure if we’ll get much sleep tonight though.”
Misty was looking at the forest, her voice soft and concerned. “Do we need to worry about more timberwolves?”
Starlight answered, “I don’t think so. They travel in packs and are territorial. I’m sure we got the entire pack, and any other packs would not be close.”
“That makes me feel a little better,” Quicksilver said. “Perhaps we can get some sleep after our tea. It’ll take us a full two days to hike out of here. And that’s if we get an early start each day.”
The three ponies trudged slowly through town on their way to the train station. Their legs had remnants of dried mud on them, and their manes hadn’t seen a brush in days.
“That was a hard two days, I could really use a hot shower and a soft bed,” Quicksilver said.
“That does sound nice,” Starlight added.
“So, Starlight, where are you going to go next?” Misty asked.
“I don’t really want to, but I’ll probably stay here for a while. I need to earn some bits before I can go anywhere. But then I think I’ll go to Vanhoover. It’s about as far away as I can get, and I know some ponies there who can help me out, or at least give me a place to stay for a while.”
Quicksilver interrupted, “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to go check the train schedules. I’ll be right back.” He turned and trotted off.
After walking in silence for a bit, Starlight continued, “What are you and Quicksilver going to do?”
“Well, after a week of sleeping on the dirt, we’ll find ourselves an inn for overnight.” She looked down and tried to brush some of the dirt off one of her legs. It didn't help. She sighed and shook her head. “We can get cleaned up, have some real food, and sleep in a soft bed. Then sometime tomorrow we’ll catch a train for Canterlot.”
The two mares found a bench to sit on to wait. After killing time for a while, they saw Quicksilver returning. Using his magic, he passed a piece of paper to Starlight, who took it in her own magic.
She studied it for a moment, then looked back to Quicksilver with her head tilted. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s what you need right now. A one-way ticket to Vanhoover. And take these,” he levitated a small pouch to her. “A few bits for food.”
“I can’t take these. I won’t be able to pay you back. You’ve already helped me so much, no doubt saving my life. I really can’t…”
“Nonsense,” Misty interrupted. “We said we’d get you to safety, and that doesn’t mean abandoning you in some town with no money or transportation.”
“It’s not that much,” Quicksilver added. “But you wanted to get going, and this train’s leaving in about half an hour.” He grinned.
Starlight hugged him. “Thank you.” Then she hugged Misty. “Thank you both.” She stepped back and wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m not really good with long goodbyes, so… yeah.” She waved at the couple, then trotted towards the train station.
“We spent the night in the town and headed home the next day. We never heard anything more about you and wondered from time to time if you were doing okay,” Quicksilver concluded.
With the tale finished, Starlight sat quietly for a few moments. “They called it anterograde amnesia, or difficulty forming new memories after my concussion. It wasn’t bad. It mostly just made the events those first few days a bit… fuzzy. I could remember much of what happened, I just couldn’t recall your names until I saw you again today.”
She dropped her head, staring at her half-empty teacup. “I have a confession to make,” she started. “I wasn’t totally honest with you about what happened when you found me.”
“We know,” Quicksilver and Misty said at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.
“Right. Of course, you know.” Starlight rolled her eyes.
Misty continued, “Yes. We knew there was more to the story than you were telling us. But you needed help, and it wasn’t our place to pry. So we did what we could to get you someplace safe and send you on your way.
“A couple of weeks after we got back to Canterlot, we heard the tale of the Elements of Harmony going to a small village to free it from a tyrannical cult leader.” She glanced at Quicksilver and then back to Starlight. “Oh, I mean, I’m sorry…”
“No, no, that’s pretty accurate,” Starlight added softly, looking down at her tea again.
Quicksilver spoke up. “Well, when we heard that story, it was pretty obvious that you were the exiled leader. That’s also when we learned your actual name.”
Misty snickered, “Starlight Twinkle? Really?”
Starlight shrugged. “Head injury…”
He continued, “We contacted Twilight Sparkle and let her know that we’d found you and helped you get back to town. She was very grateful for the help we gave you. We have no idea what happened after that.”
Slowly shaking her head, Starlight said, “Twilight never told me that. I had no idea she had tried to find me.”
She paused for a long time before continuing, “That fall down the mountain was just the first of a series of falls I took down to a very dark place. I was driven by anger and revenge to make Twilight pay for what she and her friends had taken from me. It was bad. It was destroy all of Equestria bad.”
“Oh, I don’t think it was that bad. I mean, it’s not like you can actually destroy Equestria, right?” Misty asked.
Starlight paused. Misty and Quicksilver glanced at each other and shrugged.
“You might be shocked to know what the wrong magic spell can do in the hooves of someone who was as unhinged as I was back then. Let’s just say it was really, really bad.
“But in the middle of my attempt at revenge, my enemy reached out in friendship. At that moment, I remembered another time when two other ponies, who had saved my life, also showed me friendship. It gave me the courage to accept what Twilight was offering me.
“So I took her hoof. Recovery hasn’t been easy, and I’ve made more mistakes since then. But I’m trying. Speaking of which, here.” Starlight set a pile of bits down in front of Quicksilver.
“What are these?” he asked.
“It’s to make sure you can get where you need to go, a one-way train ticket and a few extra bits for food.”
Quicksilver waved a hoof back and forth. “Oh, no, you don’t need to pay us back. We did it freely, as part of trying to help.”
“Listen. I’ve hurt a lot of ponies. I’ve gone back to as many as I can find to apologize and make restitution when it’s possible. Twilight has encouraged, even forced me to do that a couple of times, but there are others I’ve had to seek out on my own.” She glanced at Misty and then back to Quicksilver.
"As much as I tried, I couldn’t seem to remember your names. And it never occurred to me to ask Twilight about it. But now that I have found you, I need to apologize for lying to you and give you back these bits.” She pushed the bag of bits closer to Quicksilver. “It’s not about you, or even about the bits themselves. It’s about me dealing with my past mistakes the only way I know how. So, if you could please help me out just one more time and take this?”
Quicksilver glanced at Misty, who gave him a quick nod.
“Okay. You never really wronged us, but we’ll accept your apology and forgive you. We’ll also accept your bits and call it even between us. So, we’re good?”
Her eyes filled with tears, Starlight looked at Misty and then back to Quicksilver. In a voice tight with emotion, she softly whispered, “Thank you.”
After a moment and a deep breath, Starlight stood up. The couple also got to their hooves. Starlight gave Misty a long hug. Then she turned and gave the slightly startled Quicksilver a hug.
“Thank you for the tea.” And with a big smile Starlight added, “If you’ll please excuse me, I need to go find Twilight. I have a friendship report to give her about the value of friends you may not even realize you have.”
-- The End --