//------------------------------// // Severance // Story: Risky Business // by Compass The Pegasus //------------------------------// As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Twilight was the first to return after finding no leads on her end, so she waited patiently for the others. One by one, they headed back to the library, reporting no leads and only red lights. Rainbow Dash was the last to return a good half hour after everypony else, crashing into the door, knocking it off of its hinges and rolling gracelessly inside. “Rainbow Dash! Are you okay? You look exhausted.” Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash, who was panting heavily and covered in wood dust, shook herself off, releasing a cloud of debris into the air. “I’m fine, I’m fine” “Okay, well, what have I told you about breaking my house?” “Sorry! Sorry, Twilight… But I got a reading! Way over the Everfree!” She shook her Magic Meter out in front of her. “I flew really, really far out over the Everfree, and beyond, even. Took forever to fly there and it barely glowed, but I got a yellow light, and then I got a green light. Dim, but it was there…” Twilight’s eyes lit up.“Really? Wow, that’s great!” She exclaimed. “Good work Rainbow.” “Thanks.” She yawned, dragging herself over to and then collapsing onto the couch. Twilight trotted over to a shelf labeled ‘maps’ and pulled out a large laminated piece of paper with her magic. Unfolding it in mid-air, she set it down on the long wooden table in the center of the room. The map, titled ‘Greater Equestria’, had clearly not been out in the open for many years, and a thin layer of dust covered the sheet. The girls turned their direction back to Twilight, who was now closely inspecting the map. “Hmm, so you said about two hours north,” she asked, tracing her hoof to find Ponyville. She tapped the little circle and looked up at Rainbow Dash, who walked over and stood next to Twilight. She lifted her hoof and pointed at a landmark drawn on the map, a tall rock formation sticking out of the forest treeline. “I remember I stopped and rested by that rock for a little bit, not too long before I found the signal,” Rainbow said. Twilight shot a confused look at her. “Rainbow Dash, that’s northeast. Anyway, how fast were you flying? This is at least a three day’s journey by hoof, maybe more.” Rainbow just shrugged. “Whatever, that’s fine. Now we’ve got a lead, but I think we have a long way to go.” She levitated her Magic Meter over from across the room and looked at it intently. “I don’t know an exact range for these devices, but judging by the high quality gems that Rarity provided-” “Those are Triple-A rated gemstones, dear,” she chipped in. “But please, do be careful. Those are on a loan.” “Will do, thank you Rarity. The detection radius for these should be around a hundred kilometers. Rainbow Dash picked up the signal nearly ninety kilometers away from us. That means that what we’re looking for is somewhere between ninety and two-hundred kilometers away from Ponyville.” She concluded. Applejack whistled, and a few “oh my’s” and “goodness me’s” were heard. “That’s quite the journey, Twilight,” Applejack chipped in. “If we travel in a group, we could cover maybe thirty kilometers a day if we’re on top of it. I reckon we could get there in a week’s time.” Twilight shook her head. “Not necessarily. We can take the train up til the last stop in Fillydelphia. After that we’ll have to walk, but we’ll only have another eighty or so kilometers to go. A week’s journey, cut down to three days max!” The room nodded in agreement. “So go ahead and pack your things, team. We’ll leave on the train tomorrow morning. If all goes well, we should be in Fillydelphia by sunset. We can stay the night there, stock up on whatever we need, and then try to find our signal in the morning.” And so the group split, heading to their respective homes to pack, leaving Twilight and Spike alone in the library again. “Oh Spike, I really hope that this bad gut feeling gets proven wrong. There’s just something that bothers me about all of this, and I can’t place it.” The oppressive and unnatural silence weighed down on Soren, leaving him unable to move or speak. One simple thought ran through his mind. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ River was the first to regain her senses. She groaned and moved over to where Soren sat, blankly staring at the otherwise empty crater. “Hey, come on,” she said. “Let’s go home. There’s no use staying here.” She nudged him gently with her nose, snapping him out of his focused gaze. “Wha?” “Come on, let’s go home. That’s enough outdoors for today,” she said gently, pulling Soren up to his hooves. Their return back to Oak Ridge was made in a calmer, more natural silence, only broken by directions given periodically. The sun had fallen below the horizon, with the gleaming moon taking its place in the sky. The town had slowed down for the night, but it was a weekend, so some residents still wandered around the streets, and down the Grand on their boats, heading for their favorite bars and restaurants. The hustle and bustle of the workday was gone, but was soon to come alive again by the sounds of street buskers, laughter and gossip. Delicious smells wafted through the air as the dinner rush began, and the residents enjoyed their meals outdoors in the lovely weather. As the two made their way through town, they passed a group of musicians who rushed to gather in the center of town under the plaza gazebo. They quickly set up their instruments, and soon the lead pony counted off and the band began to play an upbeat jazzy tune. The empty space between the gazebo and the chairs and tables slowly populated itself with couples and friends alike, dancing along to the music. Located not even two dozen paces away from the gazebo was a small bakery that River enjoyed visiting often. She swore they made the best apple strudels in the city, plus they stayed open a few hours later than the other bakeries. She led the glossy eyed Soren inside, making sure that his cloak was covering his flanks enough. Stepping inside, the pair were hit by a wave of delectable smells. Apple, peach, cinnamon, and many others. River looked over to the counter, which was staffed by a short, yellow unicorn. Her thick, frizzy, silver mane was pulled up into a high ponytail that looked like it was about to burst apart any second. “Hi there River!” she waved, smiling. “It’s always nice to see you! You want your usual?” Her eyes were drawn to the cloaked Soren. “Ooh, who's your friend?” “Hey there Crumbles, this is Soren. He’s from… out of town.” She looked over to him, but he struggled to make eye contact with her. “Gloomy one, huh?” “He’s just had a really rough day. I was hoping some of your strudel might cheer him up.” Crumbles’ eyes lit up. “Ah! I’ve got just the thing.” she exclaimed, trotting over to the oven. “I was experimenting with a new recipe. Apple strudel with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with vanilla ice cream. If that doesn’t cheer him up, I’m afraid nothing can!” she said. “I don’t mean to brag, Soren, but I’ve got the best pastry shop in town. Most others only make their breads and cakes fresh, and just import frozen pastries from Filly. Isn't that mad? They don’t even make ‘em themselves!” she exclaimed as Soren finally managed to look at her. “My pastries are made fresh every day, and if they don’t make you smile, I’ll eat my apron.” For the first time since they started back to town, Soren’s expression changed as he glanced at River with a skeptical look. The edge of his mouth curled up slightly. “Well, they do smell pretty good,” he admitted. “That’s the Spirit! You guys are just in time too, I just finished the last batch of the day.” As she tended to the fresh pasties, River’s eyes met Soren’s once again. He still seemed a little scared, but River remembered the promise she made to herself earlier. “Hey, it’ll be alright.” she cooed. “Let’s just try and take our minds off of things for tonight. I’ll bring you around town and show you some of my favorite places. How does that sound?” Soren hesitated, but eventually a smile creeped onto his face and he chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds nice.” “Alright, here you go guys!” Crumbles shouted, setting two paper plates onto the counter. The beautifully cooked strudels were a glowing golden brown, the cinnamon-coated apples perfectly caramelized. The fresh scoops of vanilla ice cream were already starting to melt and drip down the sides of the strudels. “Mm! These look great!” River beamed. “How much?” “On the house. Just let me know how they were whenever you see me later.” Crumbles shot a sly smile at River and winked, causing her to laugh. “Haha, well, thanks a bunch, Crumbles.” River carefully balanced both plates on her wings, and headed to the door. “I’ll see you later, alright?” “Mhm, bye bye dear!” she said as she waved goodbye. And with that, Soren and River exited the shop and headed back towards the plaza gazebo, claiming one of the few unoccupied tables. As they sat down, Soren goofily eyed the pastry set in front of him, generating a hearty laugh from River. “What?” he asked, looking at her. “Nothing, nothing,” she managed between breaths of laughter. “Just eat before you kill somepony.” Soren took that to heart as he took a large bite of the strudel. Immediately, his eyes rolled back in ecstasy, the taste eliciting a moan from his lips. ”Oh my god, this is the best thing I have ever tasted.” Without another thought, he chowed down upon the rest of his strudel, stopping only to grab a few licks of the melting ice cream. River chowed down on hers too, watching the stallion in front of her. ‘You know, he’s kinda cute’ she thought to herself, but shook it off. ‘Oh yeah, I guess he’s an alien. That’s still kinda weird…’ As they finished their meals, the plaza square filled up with more and more ponies and griffins alike all enjoying themselves with their friends and significant others. While the band finished up their song, a tall and well-built stallion walked up to the microphone and tapped it with his hoof. “Hello, and good evening fillies and gents,” he said. His voice was smooth like butter, yet deep and powerful. “We're Oak Ridge's one and only 'Jazzophones'. We've got a few new tunes to play for you tonight, so feel free to dance along - and don't be afraid to get a little groovy.” The jazz band immediately jumped into action playing a fast-paced tune, and the makeshift dance floor quickly filled up with bodies as the smooth-voiced stallion began to sing. I stepped out under autumn sky Didn’t know I had to say goodbye Down the train tracks you go, my dear And how I wish you were still near River bobbed her head to the music as she watched the residents of Oak Ridge dance along in front of her. She looked back over to Soren, who had also been bobbing his head along with the music. “Good, aren’t they?” she smiled at him. “Yeah, not bad at all,” he replied, now tapping a hoof along to the beat. “Um… hey, you wanna dance?” River asked him. Soren looked over and then shook his head. “No, no I’m not much of a dancer. Besides, I just learned how to walk, and I’m tired from all the hiking. I don’t think I can do much more than that.” He waved a hoof at her. “You can dance if you’d like, though.” “Aw come on, don’t be such a party pooper. It’ll be fun! And Celestia knows you need fun.” She playfully shoved his shoulder, but he shook his head at her again. “No, really I’m okay,” he insisted. River sighed and rubbed her eyes with her hoof. “Well, I don’t want to dance alone. Come on, won’t you do it for me? Pleeease? I’ll treat you to another strudel if you dooo!” she teased as she put on her best puppy dog face. Her eyes twinkled as she blinked repeatedly at him. Soren tried his best to resist, even turning his face away and shutting his eyes, but his resolve quickly failed as he let out a laugh. “Well, okay. But only because of the strudel.” He smiled at her. “Just don’t judge my dancing skills… I don’t have any.” River trotted in place and put on a smug smile. “That’s okay, I can’t really dance either. I’ll TRY not to judge you.” She stuck her tongue out at him. Soren just rolled his eyes. “Come on!” she chided, pulling him up from their table and towards the makeshift dance floor as the music continued to play. When I’m smiling at the stars I might know not where you are So when my heart is blue I can always look for you The pair found some free space within a crown of dancing ponies, old and young alike. River began to sway her body along to the music with her eyes closed and a smile on her face, but Soren just stood in front of her, awkwardly bobbing his head up and down. He was unsure of how exactly he could dance with four limbs, but to appease the mare in front of him, he tried to mirror her movements. He started by gently swaying his hips side to side, making sure to keep his balance the best he could, and moved on to bobbing his head to the beat, more energetically this time. While Soren focused hard on his dancing, River opened an eye and watched him. He had a look of determination on his face, and he was biting his lower lip. She couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, catching Soren’s attention. “What?” “Oh Soren, you’re trying a little too hard. Just try and have fun, nopony here is gonna judge you.” Soren stopped, and stared blankly at her. “Uh… don’t you remember what I said just a few minutes ago? I just learned to walk. This is a bit more challenging.” River waved a hoof at him dismissively. “I don’t expect you to tango! Here, lemme help. Just do what I’m doing.” She then started to do the simplest dance she could think of: the square dance. She stepped forward on beat, then to the left, then back, and then forward again. Soren observed intently. “Okay, that doesn’t seem too hard,” he said, as he began to follow her movements. “I think I can do it.” After a few rounds of the dance, they were both synced up and perfectly on beat. River laughed and Soren sported a smile. They danced song after song, River gradually teaching Soren new moves until the band wrapped up their final song for the night. At this point, more than half of the dance floor had dispersed and the plaza had mostly quieted down. The pair made their way back to their table. “Whew, I’m pretty tired, aren’t you?” River asked, collapsing onto her haunches watching Soren’s legs wobble as he walked to the table across from her before collapsing as well. “But hey, that was some pretty great dancin’ if I do say so myself,” she said, resting her head on the table, looking over to him. Soren chuckled and returned a smile. “Well, what can I say? I had a great teacher.” They both laughed. Soren looked up at the now, starry night sky. “I uh… thank you… for the pastry and the dancing and nursing me back to health and just making me feel better. You didn’t have to do any of that, but you did anyway.” River lifted her head off the table and reached over to him, resting a hoof on his shoulder. Soren looked back at her and found himself looking into her kind, emerald eyes. “Don’t even worry about it. Everypony needs a helping hoof every now and then.” She scooched closer to him until she was only a few hoofs away. “And thank you for dancing with me. I had a lot of fun, and I hope you did too.” They smiled at each other. “Come on, let’s get back home. It’s getting late.” River got up first, and helped Soren up to his hooves. “Hey, so are gatherings like this common here?” he asked, nodding thanks. “Umm, yeah pretty regularly I would say.” she shrugged. “At least one show every weekend. The Jazzophones play all the time, we get some other local bands and sometimes the bands of nearby schools will play fundraiser concerts, but the best of it is when we get shows from traveling musicians that end up spending a few days here. Last year, that famous DJ Pon3 came through and played a show, but I missed it because I was working,” she pouted. “Sea Breeze got a chance to see her though. I did see that one stallion, what was his name… Oh yeah… John Mare. Bit of an odd name, but he was really good!” “John Mare?” “Yeah, why?” “Nah, just an interesting name,” he said, wondering where he’d heard it before. “Well… anyway, did you have things like this back where you came from?” River asked. “Yeah, I actually lived a few blocks down from a dive bar that had frequent concerts from local bands. Some of ‘em were really good too, so I’d hang out there pretty often.” He paused, and then laughed to himself. “You know, it’s funny that you said you saw a musician named John Mare because where I come from, there’s a musician named John Mayer. I went to at least five of his shows.” Out of nowhere, a dull ache resonated through his head. “I, uh… I went there with someone, but I can’t… I can’t remember who…” he said through clenched teeth. “Does it hurt when you try to remember things?” River asked, growing concerned. “For most things, no. Seems I just can’t remember certain people.” he said, rubbing his temple. “Were they important…?” “Well, I guess for now, just do your best not to think about it,” she offered, not sure what else to say. “Yeah…” he grumbled back. Any further attempts at conversation fell flat, and soon stopped completely. Soren sat quietly at the table staring distantly, River sitting across from him with an open book in front of her. She stared at the pages, but found it impossible to read. She would read the same sentence over and over again until her thoughts ran back to their confrontation with Discord. ‘He’s in some real trouble, isn’t he?’ She thought to herself. She looked up at him, but he hadn’t moved in some time. “What do I do, River? I don’t know what to do,” he finally said, turning back towards the table. “I’m lost, I don’t remember anything, and I’m- I’m scared. He said I would be free as soon as I did what he wanted me to do, but I don’t know if I can do it. But I don’t have a choice.” River’s ears flattened. She didn’t know what to say as another silence built between the two of them. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to figure out something to say. It came to her: “You can.” “What?” Soren looked up, meeting her eyes once again. He could’ve sworn they twinkled in the light. “You can do it,” she stated with resolve. Soren eyed her up and down in an attempt to detect sarcasm, but found none. “How do you think I can do it? He wants me to find these… things without even knowing what they are, all by myself. Hell, I don’t even know where they are. I’m totally alone, I don’t have any money, and I don’t know anything about this place. How. How can you possibly say that I can do it?” He slammed the table with a hoof, knocking over the vase and scattering the lilies. “Well, most of those things might be true… but one isn’t.” “What?” “You’re not alone. You’re in trouble, yes, but you are not alone.” she said, locking eyes with him. “I’m here. I know you need help, and I can help you!” Soren’s shoulders sank down. “Why would you help me? I’m a stranger to you.” He broke eye contact and looked out the open window behind her. “I appreciate what you did for me and all. Saving my life and taking care of me. But… You barely know me. You have no obligation to help me at all, and besides, I have no way to repay you. I’m very used to being in debt, but I hate being a burden.” River stood up and stepped up next to him. She stood for a second in silence before hitting him in the shoulder, hard. Soren winced and rubbed it with his hoof, but didn’t say anything. “I don’t think of you as a stranger,” she said. “You’ve been living in my house for over two weeks. I’ve been feeding you, taking care of you. We just danced together! Maybe you’re not exactly a friend, but you’re no stranger to me either.” She was growing increasingly frustrated. “Yeah, you’re right. I have no obligation to help you, but I- I don’t know.” River sighed. “You know, I used to lie in bed every single night hoping that when I woke up in the morning, things would be different. Something would happen and that I could leave this place.” She walked back to her spot at the table and sat down, resting her head on top. “It’s not even that I hate this place or anything. In fact, I really like Oak Ridge… but I can’t stay here forever. I know that this may be selfish of me, but this opportunity literally fell into my life. And now you just learned that you have to make this crazy journey across Equestria, but you know nothing about this place.” River lifted her head up and blew air out of her nose. “It’s like I’ve finally been given a chance. If I can help you earn your freedom, I’ll have a real reason to get out of this place. Do you understand?” Soren contemplated for a moment, finding it difficult to look at her. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand. I had a rough life growing up.” Soren squinted in pain as he tried to remember. “Though I can’t really recall the circumstance, and for some reason I feel really bad about it; I remember always wishing that something would change. Don’t think it ever happened, though.” he concluded, bitterly. “I can’t stop you, if you want to help me. Though I’ll warn you that I attract bad luck. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. I urge you to really think it over,” he pleaded. “I don’t have a choice, but you do.” Without even a second’s hesitation, River answered. “I choose to help you,” she said, as their eyes met once more. “But what about your sister? You’ll just leave her behind?” “Breezie… she’ll understand. I hope. I love her and all, and I would bring her along, but she genuinely loves this place. I couldn’t tear her away for my sake. One of these days, we’ll have to part ways.” she paused. “And that day is approaching fast.” “You don’t have to do any of this for me.” Soren said, shaking his head. “It’s not just for you,” she replied softly. “My whole life, I’ve wondered if I was really even alive, and hoped that one day I could prove to myself that I am. This is my chance, and it would mean a slow suicide if I let this go.” “River…” “I’m going to help you earn your freedom from Discord. That’s my choice.” As she said this, a titanic weight seemed to have been lifted off of her shoulders, and for the first time in forever, River’s soul felt free. Soren, half expecting this answer, couldn't hold back a smile. “You know, a speech like that belongs in the movies. There is no way I can turn you down after that. Who am I to trample on your dreams?” he laughed. A soft smile appeared, turning up the edges of her lips. A blush, barely noticeable, was forming on her cheeks. “Heh, sorry. I- I didn’t mean to get all dramatic. It’s just-” “It’s fine,” he interrupted. “If it’s what you want, I’d be honored to have you with me.” He extended a hoof to her. River felt her heart beat rapidly, and her soft smile turned into a radiant glow. She extended her own hoof to him and shook. “The honor is all mine.” River sighed deeply before knocking on her sister’s door. Her heart beat out of her chest as she waited for a response from the other side. Sea Breeze had returned home only minutes before, having been out late with some friends. “Come in,” she said from the other side of the door. River entered the room and saw her sister spread eagle on her bed. “Riv, it’s so nice to see you! What’s up?” she said, rolling over on one side to face her. River shut the door and approached the bed, cautiously. “Yeah, it’s nice to see you too, Breezie.” River rubbed her leg awkwardly. Sea Breeze waved her hoof loosely at her sister, gesturing for her to come closer. “Ugh, I’m exhausted!” she whined. “C'mere, I wanna hug from my li’l sister.” River hesitated, but obliged. She walked over to the bed and gave her an awkward hug. “Breezie, listen…” River sighed, breaking away from the hug and sitting down next to her sister. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.” “Of course, what is it?” Sea Breeze asked. “I- I-” River started tearing up, despite her trying her best to hold it back. “I have to go somewhere.” Sea Breeze clumsily sat herself up on the bed. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. What do you mean you have to go somewhere?” she asked, gently patting her sister’s back as she started sobbing. “It’s Soren,” she managed to choke out between sobs. Sea Breeze raised her eyebrow. “Soren, huh? What does he have to do with going somewhere? Are you two getting married or something?” “This isn’t the time for jokes, Breezie. Soren’s in trouble and I need to help him. I have to go far away, and I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I have to go.” “What? Why?” River spilled out the events of the day to Sea Breeze, who at first made occasional witty comments to try and lighten the mood, but then soon went silent as she listened on. She listened about their run in with Discord on the mountain, about the contract that Soren was trapped in, and finally about what they needed to do to get him out of it. “So, you see? He doesn’t have anypony else. He needs my help!” River concluded. Sea Breeze stared at her sister, but was at a loss for words. “Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, but you’ve got to understand.” “Shanghay… That’s literally on the other side of the world. And the Great Blizzard Barrier? River, have you lost your mind!?” Sea Breeze yelled, grabbing her sister by the shoulders. “You’ve never been outside of Oak Ridge by yourself, and you expect to travel halfway across the world to help a stranger break out of some idiotic contract that he got himself into because of his own bad judgement?” “Hey! He’s not a stranger anymore. And you don’t know why he was in that contract, you can’t assume that!” River defended, shaking free of her grasp. “That’s beside the point! It’s not safe! I can’t let my only sister run out into the world by herself. You’ll get yourself killed! So what if Discord wants you to go into the forbidden whatever? Don’t you think it’s forbidden for a reason? Why are you doing this, River? Are you really that eager to get yourself killed?” River’s gut twisted, and her chest tightened, as the words came to mind. She eventually said, “I’d rather die out there than live my entire life here.” Sea Breeze froze, her eyes shooting open. “Huh?” “Breezie, we both know I can’t stay here forever. It’s a slow suicide. This is my chance! It’s my chance to get out there and make something of myself. An adventure - you know, like all the books that we would read as fillies.” “River, those were stories! Stuff like that doesn’t happen in real life. You’re safe here in Oak Ridge. Safe here with me! Ponies like us, we’re not meant for that. We’re meant to live our lives in peace.” River just shook her head, and looked towards the door. “Don’t do this River, please. Think about mom and dad. Would they want you to do this?” she begged. River felt her cheeks burn and her jaw clench. “Don't you DARE bring dad into this!” River spat, wiping her tears from her eyes. “Besides, what do you know? Dad always told me that there’s a big world out there for us. His stories about him and his squad traveling and seeing things we couldn’t dream of just… made me want it even more. He would’ve wanted us to experience it! And sweet Celestia, the way you treated him made me sick.” “What?” Sea Breeze fumed. “It was always ‘mom said this, mom said that, dad sucks why won’t he just let me live my life?’ Remember the night you told him you hated him because he wouldn’t let you stay out late at that colt’s party? Did you ever bother to apologize?” River demanded, stomping a hoof on the ground. “I- I was just a filly,” Sea Breeze stammered. “That didn’t mean anything!” “You know, I found his journal when I finally convinced myself to go into their room. Do you know what it said? He said that every night after he got sick, he had trouble sleeping because he thought he would die with one of his daughters hating him. He loved you, Sea Breeze, and you know what? I think you did hate him. You let him die thinking one of the most special ponies in his life hated him. You hated him, and that’s why you didn’t bother to cry at the pyre.” She knew the venom in her voice cut her sister deeply, but she couldn’t stop now - this had been a long time coming. “You may be fine with living your entire life in this town, but I’m not. I am not going to be some small town bum. I hope that what you did to dad follows you around this stupid town for the rest of your mediocre, lonely life, because I have to go, and I’m not coming back.” The moment the words left her lips, River felt a burning pain deep in her chest. A silence followed which was then broken by the cries of Sea Breeze who had collapsed back down on the bed. She attempted to pull together words, but instead she babbled incomprehensibly as she cried. River reached out to attempt to comfort her sister. “Breezie- I-” “Don’t touch me!” Sea Breeze cried, slapping River’s hoof away. “You think I hated dad? You think I didn’t cry when he-?” She shuddered, her voice hitched, and she threw a hoof at River. “I didn’t cry in front of everyone because I was trying to stay strong for you! For us! I know we didn’t see eye to eye on much, and I didn’t do a great job of showing it, but he was just as much of a hero to me as he was to you. And you have the audacity to say that I hated him? What do I know? No, River, what do you know?” River sighed. She hadn’t noticed before, but her entire body was shaking with adrenaline. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down and at the same time think of a way to deescalate the situation. “Sea Breeze, I uh- look, I’m sorry that was out of line. I didn’t mean that.” “Just go. If you want to leave so badly, just go. Take your new coltfriend and go get killed out there. I don’t care anymore.” “Breezie…” Sea Breeze rolled to face away from her sister. “Get. Out. Just make it easy for yourself and leave before I wake up tomorrow. I don’t want to see you again.” Not sure what else to do, River stepped away from the bed and began to leave. She paused for a moment to look back at her sister for the last time. She was crying again. “I- I’m sorry…” she said as she exited the room, shutting the door behind her. “Goodbye, Breezie.” A weak voice called out, “River…” but it was not heard. Soren snored lightly, leaning on the table. A small puddle of drool formed under his face. River trotted up and sat down beside him. She sniffled and wiped another tear from her eye with a wing. She reached out a hoof to wake him, but she stopped herself. ‘He’s exerted himself enough today, he deserves a little rest,’ she thought. Instead, she stood up and walked over to her saddlebags that were leaned against the wall next to the door. She decided she would pack for the two of them while Soren got some extra rest. If she got it done quick enough, she could catch an hour or two of sleep before they departed on their journey. She grabbed onto the leather strap of her bags with her teeth and carried them over to the kitchen counter. The next fifteen minutes were spent filling them up with food, medical supplies that River had stocked for emergencies, a map, compass, two full canteens, and various miscellaneous items. After realizing that not everything fit in her own saddlebags, she fished out another pair that had definitely seen better days from her closet and evenly divided the supplies through them all. Finally, River walked into her room and pulled open her dresser drawer. Hidden under a small stack of scarves and hats was a worn purse of bits, roughly two hundred and fifteen. This had been River’s escape fund since she was a filly, where she would throw a few bits in every month in the hopes that if she collected enough, she could just buy her way out. Unfortunately, hard times fell upon the family and years went by without the bag seeing any deposits. Once River had graduated from grade school and started working at her family’s shop, she was able to start putting some extra bits in her fund, but eventually tough times rolled back around, leaving the fund untouched until now. “Looks like you finally get to see the light of day, my old friend,” River whispered to herself, picking up the coin purse gently and carrying it back into the kitchen to deposit in the lighter of the two bags. Satisfied with her packing, River returned to her spot next to Soren at the table to catch a few minutes of sleep, but no matter how much she tried, the argument with her sister played over and over in her mind as her silent tears flowed once again. Her eyes wandered up to look at the clock and realized that nearly three hours had gone by. She groaned and leaned over to tap Soren on the shoulder. First few taps had no effect, but subsequent taps after that jolted him awake. “Huh? Whazza?” “Come on, let’s get going.” River said. Soren blinked and yawned back at her. “What time is it?” he asked, noticing his drool all over the table and quickly wiping it up with his foreleg. “It’s fifteen past midnight.” River replied, her voice cracking slightly. She quickly cleared her throat and smiled back as she stood up offering her hoof out to him. He took her hoof and pulled himself up. “Why are we leaving so late? Couldn’t we wait until the morning?” he asked. She turned away abruptly and shook her head. “No. It’s best if we leave now,” she said curtly. Soren noticed her drastic demeanor change, but decided it was best to not ask at the moment. “Uh, alright then. Should we pack or-” “Already done.” “Well, okay I guess. You’re the expert.” He shrugged as he followed River into the kitchen. She pulled on her saddlebag and then explained to Soren how to put his own on by himself. To his surprise, he managed to get it on right the first time, and was pleased that it felt pretty comfortable on him. While he admired himself, River draped his gray cloak over his back and fastened the buckle around his neck. “There, I think that’s everything,” she said, looking around to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. After finding nothing, she motioned for Soren to follow her to the door. “We should be good to go now.” She reached out, but paused before opening it, a distant ache in her chest pounding away. “Hey, you okay?” Soren said, seeing her frozen in place. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Just thinking about something. It’s nothing. Come on, let’s get going,” she said, pulling the door open. “We can get a head start now. That way we can camp out somewhere pretty and sleep in tomorrow.” The cool night’s breeze flowed into their manes. With a deep breath, the duo walked out the front door, taking the first steps of their long journey ahead.