//------------------------------// // 13 - Second Leg // Story: Return to Equestria // by David Silver //------------------------------// It was the ride up the elevator that seemed to bother David most. "I don't have to sit for the entire ride." Joypad tapped at the chair they perched him on. "You can stay right there. Besides, it's a little elevator. What are you even going to do in here?" With a soft chime, they arrived at their destination. "Stupid question." They pushed David along even as he asked it. "Why do ponies use wheelchairs when they have four legs?" Joypad squinted at him. "Because sometimes they can't use all four? Duh? Where are the other two?" The designer took off ahead of Joypad on the hunt. “You’re back,” Gloomy Sonnet noted in a bored tone, “See, Charlie, your human friend is fine.” “Fine?!?!” The doll flailed like a muppet having a seizure. “He’s in a wheelchair! He was walking just fine when he left! That is not fine!” "My legs work just fine." To prove it, David got back up, despite the glaring this earned from Joypad. "Ta da. Now, we--" "--need to get to Bridlewood, unless you're a super keen wizard?" Joypad peered at Gloomy with evident doubt. "I need him to answer questions, so please help us help him." The designed clopped a hoof, clearly set on the task at present. “I can manipulate ponies with the magic of rhythm.” Gloomy stated the simple fact with neither pride nor humility. “But I doubt that would help here.” “Wait… every time you were doing that cute little thing with your hooves…” Jet stepped back suddenly. “I was playing you like a steel drum, yes,” Gloomy admitted shamelessly. “That’s why the plan was for *me* to do the talking.” She shot her beloved jinx doll a momentary glare, then continued. “Charlie, can Jinx things sometimes, but he already tried that.” “Yeah, the Text was kinda cagey.” The doll shook its head. Joypad shook her head. "That's fine, so we need somepony that can shatter curses and/or heal ponies. You know someone who fits that description?" “The pony to talk to would be our boss.” Ragdoll rubbed his chin in thought. “Alphabittle knows pretty much every unicorn in Bridlewood.” The female designer clopped her hooves. "Great! So that's where we need to be." "You're on the right track." Joypad met the designer's hoof in a loud clop, proving, again, that different tribes could agree. "We're off." Jet let out a little eh. "Have you informed your manager?" "No, but you will." The designer shot Jet a winning smile. "And I'm trying to secure our human, so it's 100% job related. Not like we have a better pony for the job." “Welcome to the ‘totally not taking a vacation on the job’ club.” The doll threw up his arms in a victorious “V”. “We should all resupply. The trip back to Bridlewood is a two-day walk.” Gloomy suggested reasonably. “If we leave in the morning, we can make camp at Izzy’s Bridge and get to Bridlewood by lunchtime.” “Also, we should totally go to a pegasus bar and grill!” The doll waved his arms emphatically. “Everyone who eats gets to try Pegasus food, and I wanna soak my head in random beverages… What? That’s the only way I can taste things!” Joypad let out a huh. "Our towns are about the same distance apart." "About. Not quite the same." David shrugged as he headed back towards the elevator. "By the way, you never gave us your name. We need something to go by." "Wha? Oh!" The designer pointed to herself. "Me? Back Story!" Back dipped her head at David even as she scampered after him. "Which is also my specialty, and why I need to know more." “So we have a plan!” The doll clopped his front velveteen hooves together noiselessly. We all refill our camping gear, and meet back up at… Hey, Zing, where’s a good place to go for a fun meal? High protein items and a wide variety of drinkable liquids are a must?” Jet raised a brow at the insisting doll. "She's on the clock. She better get straight to Bridlewood and back." "I will," came Back's call as she pressed the elevator call button perhaps more times than strictly required. “We have a plan.” Gloomy’s rhythmic hoofbeats would not be denied. “We gather supplies, meet at an appropriate dining facility to establish further planning, and we set out in the morning. It is a serviceable plan. Stick to the plan, Mr. Jet.” “Ding, the elevator opened, allowing Back to flee with a less manic but just as driven David behind her. Joy was a step behind, pushing the chair along even with no occupant in it at that moment. Gloomy trotted sedately into the elevator, catching her passenger off guard. He turned around and waved a hoof. “Good meeting ya, Zing. I know I’m always smiling, but this is totally a sincere smile. You alright. Sorry we got off the wrong hoof.” Jet applied a hoof to his face. "Change of plans," he muttered to himself with a spirited trot away. He would not be making a model of advertisements with the human, at least not that day. The elevator doors slid shut and began the trek downwards. Back suddenly wheeled on the unicorn+1. "Why are you trying to get me in trouble?! All he needs to know is I'm helping him." She pointed to David with an equine snort. "Any more than that is just questions on questions. He isn't my boss, he's just going to let them know. That's it." “Sorry.” Ragdoll Charlie's ears tilted back and he hung his plushy head in shame. “I was genuinely trying to be friendly with him. I gave him a kinda hard time. Really misread the room…” “That is why the plan was that I was supposed to do the talking.” Gloomy huffed. “Yeah, sorry… I kinda went into ‘evil corporate conspiracy mode.’” The doll nodded. “I mean, the whole thing was kinda sus… two ‘humans’ showing up at the same time at a big game company with all this obviously human tech everywhere. And I kinda felt bad… but I definitely didn’t mean to get you in trouble, Ms. Story…” Back Story stomped a hoof at that. "What are you talking about? Humans aren't technology… Or are they?" She squinted at the two of them, the two humans, even if one of them wasn't human shaped. "Our humans are about equal on--" "--We're here." Joypad nudged the wheelchair out the opening doors. "Let's not keep this elevator busy for the other ponies." As if conjured, there were many other ponies waiting to get into that elevator behind Joy, but waiting impatiently. David scooted out, getting some glances, but most seemed quite intent on getting to work. "Today's been interesting, but let's keep it easy." “He’s been going on about ‘electronics’ since I was ten.” Gloomy rolled her eyes. “Your technology is based on their technology.” She waved a hoof between the developer and the humans. “I’m unsure whether it comes from all powerful words or a magic mirror. I know it’s a lot and he and he just blurts it out. You have my sympathy.” Ragdoll had the sense to keep quiet and look ashamed.” Back waved that away. "Oh, well, compared to unicorn technology, he's probably right." She lit up instantly afterwards. "No offense!" "Cold." David grabbed the chair and casually folded it shut from left to right, allowing him to carry it with only a moderate amount of difficulty. "Hey!" Not that this pleased Joypad, trailing after him. "That's for you, when you fall over again." “There are no paved roads in between the places we are going.” Gloomy pointed out. That chair would just be one more thing to carry.” “She ain’t wrong. We’d be better off carrying him than trying to push a wheelchair off-road.” Ragdoll nodded as sagely as a plush toy could, then added cheerfully, “It’s a good thing we’ve got a strong earth pony who can do that!” "Actually." David was pointing forward with both hands despite both being full of the chair. "Why don't we grab the floating disc from back at the hotel? We'll want it anyway, and can use it for that if needed, which we hopefully will not." Joy snuck forward to grab the chair with her hooves, wrenching it away from David. "Well fine! Then we shouldn't steal this." She casually placed it beside the front counter with a nod. "It doesn't belong to us, anyway." “Okay…” Ragdoll nodded dubiously. “We will all split up and get equipment and/or supplies, and meet at…” The doll did a complicated little dance across Gloomy’s cell phone. “...Apple Buck’s on the corner of Flutter Blvd and Dash Ave? And don’t apparently steal medical equipment…” With a destination set, two mares accompanied David. Both seemed to watch him with caution, though one was far more curious than the other. "So… I didn't get to ask, but what's your religion like?" "That's a complicated question that depends on the human being asked." "Knew it!" Back Story did a little dancing flail mid-step. "Humans are religious, and very varied. Fascinating!" Joy nudged Back away, coming between them. "Stop bothering him!" Despite that, they got the floating disc easily, still loaded up with the supplies they had from the trip there. Back Story led them to an outdoor shop. "Huh." Joy craned her neck around. "This doesn't look much different from the one in Maretime Bay." Back giggled at that. "One outdoor shop to another, and who could tell the difference?. Why would they look that different?" She trotted up to the counter and got to ordering supplies, though more of than blinked than the supplies they had gotten the first time. Meanwhile, in another camping supply store… “What was that, back there?” Gloomy snapped irritably at the doll as she gathered dried goods into her cart. “We. Had. A. Plan! I do the talking! You almost lost us the whole deal with your paranoia!” “I’m sorry Gloomy.” The doll slumped. “Everything just kinda hit all at once, and I just… I don’t know…” “You didn’t think. You just said the first thing out of your head, and I can’t be your filter the way I used to,” the unicorn replied, pulling Ragdoll down from her cap and giving him a nuzzle, “I’m not a little filly anymore, and you're not cursed to live vicariously through me. A lot has changed… some of it changed all at once when the magic came back, but a lot of it changed so slowly that I don’t think you ever completely realized it happened. You're not a mentoring voice in the back of my head anymore, Charlie, and I’m the only way you have to experience the world. We’re partners in this now, which is way healthier than what we had before.” “I know, girl.” Ragdoll Charlie returned the nuzzle affectionately. “I’m trying.” “I know you are Charlie,” the unicorn’s grim visage flashed a brief smile. “It just takes time.” They had their supplies and met on the outskirts of that busy city. Joypad waved back at it. "I was sure when I left there, I would head back to Maretime with stories." She turned back in the direction they had chosen. "Not going in some new direction." Back raised a hoof. "I never left Zephyr Heights. Perhaps this is the start of some grand adventure that will ensure personal growth through challenges, big and small!" “I still think we should have left in the morning. Either way, we got two nights between us and Bridlewood.” Ragdoll crossed his arms and sulked. “At least my way involved one of those nights involving a good meal and actual beds.” “Shush,” Gloomy admonished her doll, “You don’t even eat… or sleep at least half the time. Plans change sometimes.” Back wandered towards Gloomy with an unsure smile. "What's this bridge you were talking about?" David waved the question off. "A unicorn thing, which I'm sure we'll get to hear about." They had a path and a plan, and the walking started.