Unmarked

by Croswynd

Chapter 3: A Blustery Beginning

The young pegasus gritted his teeth against the pain as the doctor pony tested his wing, bending it and flexing it to simulate the action of flying. The action of moving it burned through his wing bones, every frayed and damaged nerve in the extremity screaming into his mind to make the pain stop. Wincing against the movement, Novell thought back to his journey through the forest and was glad he had kept it tucked in, as the pain of moving it would have brought him to his knees. Thankfully, the doctor stopped manipulating his wing after a few more moments, writing something on a chart with the pen in his mouth.

The pegasus reflexively tucked his wing to his body and whimpered softly at the movement. Trying to take his mind off of the throbbing appendage, Novell let his gaze wonder toward the other pony, irrational worries floating through his head as he imagined not ever being able to fly again—never able to feel the wind in his mane as he dived. No more reclining on clouds to watch the sun or moon tick slowly across the sky or helping his father with the storms. A cold feeling started in the pit of his stomach, panic causing his heart to flutter faster.

The earth pony glanced at him with a critical eye once he finished writing in the chart, noticing the young pony's frantic breathing. “You’ll heal, eventually. Its a simple sprain, both from carrying a weight it was not meant to and from the fall, but it’ll still require conservative care.. My recommendation is to keep it tucked in for the rest of the day.” The doctor shook his mane in thought, glancing out at the morning sun. “Tonight, you’ll have to stretch and move it before it becomes too stiff, like I just did for you. No flying for at least a week, but continue stretching it once in the morning and once at night for the duration.” The doctor paused, smiling comfortingly. "And no more carrying other ponies, especially ones larger than you.”

Novell felt his head bob up and down in agreement, sagging with relief and letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in. His worst fears were dispelled, even if he had to stay grounded for a week. Still, his mind pointed out, it was a small price to pay, considering the reason I did it. His eyes slid back to his wing, swollen with a slight red blush showing through his alabaster coat, and silently gave thanks that it had held together long enough to get the Professor and him close to the ground. Novell didn’t want to imagine what would have happened had he blacked out sooner.

“Thank you,” he replied, grateful for the good news, his heart returning to a steady rhythm. With a quick smile, the doctor left the room, the voices of the Professor and his parents’ coming to an abrupt halt as the earth pony opened the door. Feather Light breezed in, almost gliding across the ground with her wings flapping in a disconsolate beat of worried agitation. It stirred a cool gust as she nuzzled his neck, crooning and cooing as she checked him over. Thundermane's voice sounded from the living room, quietly conversing with the doctor outside, but the words were lost as the Professor trotted in and began speaking.

“I hear the young pegasus is going to be just fine, despite such rough tribulations,” the unicorn started, coming to a halt at the foot of Novell’s bed. His mother stopped nuzzling long enough to realize her wings were causing her to float away, dropping to the floor with a concentrated expression on her face. “I must once more apologize, Miss Feather Light, for being the cause of your son’s recent injury.”

“Nonsense, Professor,” his mother replied with a smile, fluttering her wings once in emphasis. “He saved your life from a vicious beast and I’m very proud that he was able to do so, even though I am somewhat miffed at him for even being near the mountains.” She turned to look at Novell with a disapproving teal eye, so unlike her usual demeanor that he was forced to look away. “As long as it isn’t permanent, we can just forget this whole thing happened.”

A deep voice from Novell’s left, near the door, broke in. “Indeed. Celestia knows I would have done the same, were I confined for any period of time at his age. Perhaps we were too harsh on him.”

Blinking in surprise as he saw a small smile in the stallion’s normally gruff visage, Novell felt a surge of affection for his sire, but he contained himself in case there was more forthcoming. When nothing more did, his eyes darted between each pony in the room and wondered what was to come next, a slight irritation creeping into his mind. Am I just going to go back to my normal, everyday life as if nothing happened?
"Well, I suppose all is well that ends well,” the Professor spoke up to break the sudden tenseness in the atmosphere. “I really should be getting back to Canterlot. My thesis on the mighty Yeti won’t write itself, you know. Such a fascinating creature,” he paused, staring into space for a moment before nodding to each of them. “At any rate, it was a pleasure meeting you, Novell. And you as well, Miss Light, Mister Thundermane. If you ever require the services of a researcher, no doubt somepony in Canterlot will be able to point you in my direction. You have my thanks.”

“Wait,” Novell interrupted with reluctant hope, dropping off his bed with a slight wince as he jarred his wing. The unicorn stopped and turned, an indecipherable look on his face. “Since you’re a researcher, you’ve probably heard about all kinds of different…problems with ponies, right?”

“I’m no doctor, but I have had the opportunity to explore ailments and curses that ponies have been afflicted with throughout the ages,” Professor Search said, raising an eyebrow as a frown slid across his muzzle. “Would I be correct in thinking that the reason you’re asking me this has something to do with your, ah, ‘special case’?”

The young pegasus’ eyes fell to the side, thoughts running through his mind with all the organization of a whirlwind. He was never very good at discussing his mind or expressing what he was really thinking, especially when most of the townspeople shunned him. Come on, Novell, just ask the pony, a quiet voice said in the back of his mind, clear over the chaos. He blinked, nodding to himself slightly as he worked up the courage to voice his question. More thoughts of possible rejection and depression clouded a corner of his mind like the thunderstorm from before, but he banished them away with a new resolution.

“Yes, Professor,” he began bluntly, “it does have to do with my blank flank.” Novell paused, anticipation roiling inside his stomach. “Have you ever heard of a pony not being able to find their special talent this late in life? Does everypony always have a talent? Am I...cursed?”

Professor Search looked at him for a long moment before responding, puzzlement and interest warring in his russet colored eyes. “Unfortunately, I do not know the answers to those questions, my boy. As far as I know, there has never before been a pony without a cutie mark this long, nor have I heard of a curse that would keep one from finding their special talent.” Novell wilted, a gleeful voice in the back of his mind repeating ‘I told you so’.

"But I might know somepony that could help. An earth pony by the name of Study Mark. He deals directly with research involving the inherent magic in every pony. There’s magic involved in the process of a cutie mark, nopony can deny that, and Mark has all but figured out the how’s and why’s of it, from what I’ve heard. It’s really all quite interesting.”

“Could you tell me where to find him?” Novell asked, hope soaring through his breast as his ears perking up again.

The Professor smiled at him fondly behind his bushy beard. “Of course I could do that. However, I have a better idea. Why don’t you join me on my journey back to Canterlot? Mark should be there and I owe you my life, so introducing you two to each other is the least I could do.”

“Do you believe this ‘Study Mark’ can cure my son?” Thundermane rumbled from the doorway, suddenly intense. The ash colored unicorn looked into the eyes of the pegasus and reluctantly shrugged.

“I am never sure of anything, but if anypony could help this young pegasus, it would be Mark. I would recommend the princesses as the first place to ask, but they are quite difficult to get an audience with on short notice.”

“Then he has my permission to leave. Even if this pony cannot help Novell, perhaps a friend such as yourself will be able to find a place for him in Canterlot.” Thundermane sighed, his head lowering in dismay. “I have done all I can myself and have failed to bring even the slightest spark of interest out in my son.”

“No doubt the change in scenery will be good for him,” Professor Search replied softly, shuffling awkwardly.

“Oh, dear, an adventure,” Feather Light responded in a dreamy voice as if she hadn’t been listening past ‘Canterlot’. Her wings flapped of their own accord until she was floating above the ground, toward the rafters. “I’ve always wanted to leave Hoofington to see the world. I remember being a little filly and wishing so much for my cutie mark to involve exploring. Oh!” Her eyes opened wide. “Maybe that’s what your special talent is! That would be so wonderful, being able to go all over the world, something I could never do. Oh, excuse me for a moment!”

“So I can go?” Novell asked hopefully as his mother glided out of his room, humming to herself cheerily. He was old enough to decide his own fate by now, even if he had no special talent, but he would prefer having his parents okay with the journey.

With a nod of his head and a flick of his tail, Thundermane gave his assent. “You may. I would caution you not to fly muzzle first into trouble, but I would be a hypocrite in that case.” His father smirked fondly before sobering up. “I hope you find what you are looking for out there.”

The Professor grinned around his mustache at that. “Ah, then I suppose we should be going, if the decision has been made. Canterlot is still several days out from Hoofington, so we had best go while we still have sun left to see. With luck, we’ll reach the mountain pass by the end of the day.”

Novell felt the uncontrollable urge to smile, caught up in the excitement of the Professor’s statement. He had never strayed very far away from Hoofington before last night, so the thought of once more venturing from his home was electrifying. The imaginings of what he would see almost made him extend his wings, but he checked himself ruefully. He would have to remember that his normal actions could cause him more trouble than they were worth.

Just then, his mother rushed into the room, humming happily to herself around a pair of light brown saddlebags clutched in her mouth. She floated over to him and carefully deposited them on his flank, perfectly positioned both in comfort and to cover up the fact he had no cutie mark. Novell glanced back at them, noticing the careful stitching and edges frayed from age. A couple of brown buttons kept the saddlebags closed on each side.

"Those were mine when I was just a little younger than you. I couldn’t wait to explore the world, so I went out and bought them with all the bits I had left. My parents found out and stopped me before I could leave, so I never got to use them, but I’ve kept them with me to remind myself of my dreams," Feather Light sighed wistfully, staring at him with a smile on her face . "I hope they can help you chase your own, now.”

Novell felt his eyes fill with tears at the last, his mother’s own responding the same way. She floated forward, nuzzling him and whimpering in  a mixture of motherly affection and loneliness. The alabaster pegasus returned the gesture, a tightness in his stomach appearing as he realized he wouldn’t be seeing his mother every day when he was on the road. A shadow loomed over them, Novell looking over to see his father shifting uneasily. Thundermane joined in awkwardly, resting his head on Novell’s neck and surprising the younger pegasus.

“I’m proud of you, for the things you have done and the things you will do. Even if I failed you here, I hope that you can find yourself out there. You’re an incredible pony, even without a special skill and I can’t ask for a better son,” the elder pegasus whispered huskily, a catch in his voice.

Novell nodded, at once both at ease and awkward with the attention. He stepped back after a few seconds, his mother smiling at the two of them with tears in her eyes, joy and sadness warring there. The pale pegasus closed his own and drew in a deep breath, psyching himself up for what he had to do next.

He glanced over to see Professor Search looking awkwardly out of the window, silent for once. The world outside pulled at him, his hooves moving of their own accord and his ears twitching in response to the sounds of birds singing. He slowly walked out of his room the three ponies behind him following him to the door. He looked back at them, glancing at his parents one more time with a slight smile.

“Thanks mom, dad. I’ll be back soon, with a cutie mark! And I’ll take care of myself.”

The Professor chose that moment to clear his throat and add his own opinion. “Indeed. He’ll be safe with me. This old unicorn still has some fight left in him if something goes sideways. Though I doubt we’ll encounter anything too dangerous. The roads are safer than they have been in a long time, with two princesses to watch over us.”

Thundermane nodded at them, his feelings concealed behind his stern face. Feather Light floated beside the dark grey pegasus, wiping away a tear with one hoof as Novell opened the door. The Professor cheerfully trotted outside, Novell following him with one last glance behind him. He waved at the two pegasi in the doorway, their hooves raised in response, Feather Light’s cheerfully waving while Thundermane’s own moved stiffly. The young pegasus turned back to his companion and trotted to catch up.

“It’s a hard thing to do, leaving behind somepony that cares for you,” Professor Search started sadly. “You handled that better than most ponies would.”

Novell nodded thoughtfully. “I’m sure I’ll feel it later. The homesickness, I mean.”

The two continued in silence for a few minutes, walking down the path that lead to the main road. The young pegasus drew in another breath, the unfamiliar weight of the saddlebags reassuring on his flank. At least with this thing I won’t have to constantly deal with other ponies commenting on my absence of a cutie mark.

Presently, their path crossed with the route heading toward Ponyville and Canterlot, a long series of signs pointing toward the towns in the fork. Novell slowed and glanced once more behind him, the house no longer in sight. He looked back at the road and stepped forward gingerly onto it. A small puff of dust surrounded his hoof as he stomped down. The young pegasus chewed on his cheek, feeling a slight nervousness in his stomach. Novell looked back one more time before setting his shoulders and continuing onto the road.

The Professor stared at him with no expression, closing his eyes and nodding when the pegasus trotted up beside him. Novell felt a tremendous weight lifted off his shoulders, the knot in his stomach relaxing as he moved down the path. With their hooves sending up more puffs of dust, the two ponies began their journey in high spirits.

The mountains that formed the pass into the middle of Equestria loomed in the distance, a violet color against the bright blue sky. Clouds drifted over them, casting shadows across the fields around the road. The wind was stiff, tossing Novell’s mane to and fro. When he looked over at the Professor to comment on it, he noticed not a hair on the unicorn’s head was moving. The pegasus squinted his eyes as he peered at the horn, which was glowing with a slight white aura.

“Unicorns...” Novell mumbled under his breath, looking back at the road and lowering his head in disgruntlement.

“What was that, lad?”

“Oh, uhm, nothing. Just muttering about the wind. It got strong all of a sudden,” Novell fumbled in reply.

The grey unicorn looked around at the swaying grass and up into the sky. “Indeed.”

Novell took a double take at the elder pony, mildly surprised at the one word sentence. A sudden gust from his right knocked him to the side, his hooves scrambling to stay under him. He clamped down on the urge to spread his wings to catch his fall, the muscles already tensing in preparation. The Professor reached out a hoof to check Novell’s submission to gravity.

“I know pegasi are supposed to be light in order to fly, but are you sure you didn’t inherent your mother’s predilection for weightlessness?”

Novell looked around suspiciously for a certain orange pegasus before replying. “This wind can’t be natural. Equestria’s ponies regulate the weather themselves. It almost feels like there’s something else directing the wind, but I can’t see anypony around.”

“Magic, perhaps?”

“Not any unicorns’, if that’s what you mean,” Novell said stolidly, shaking his head just as the wind started to fade.

The Professor cleared his throat, the aura of magic fading from his horn. “There are various creatures aside from unicorns that can use magic, lad. Still, the breeze seems to have passed. Come, come, we’ve lots of ground to cover. I think you’ll like Canterlot. Lots of libraries and books, universities everywhere, and its such a sight to behold the valley beneath the castle. You can even see Cloudsdale on the horizon if you look at the right time. I must say, watching the sun set or rise is quite the experience.”

“How did you know I like books?” Novell asked quizzically, the wind forgotten.

“Well, your vocabulary for one. You’re quite the educated fellow, you know. Reminds me of myself back in the day, hah! Ah, those were the days...”

On the precipice of another adventure, the magnificently mustachioed unicorn reminisced about his earlier years. The sensational scent of the soil and grass surrounding the two companions jogged a memory of a journey into the wilds of the wildly dangerous Everfree Forest that lay below Canterlot, to research the crazed cockatrice. Such a wilderness of—

“You’ve been to the Everfree Forest before? Isn’t that one of the most dangerous places in Equestria?”

“Oh, yes, very dangerous. Hydras, Ursas, and Manticores, oh my, it was quite the experi—, ah, trip. There was so much research to be done there that my assistant had to pull me awa—” The Professor stopped at that, glancing to the side and continuing softly. “There was a lot of research there.”

Novell’s ear twitched at the discordant note in the other pony’s voice. “You had an assistant?”

“Yes. Yes I did,” Professor Search replied concisely, trotting forward ahead of the pegasus. Novell watched him for a moment before falling in behind the unicorn, glancing around at the surroundings in lieu of restarting the obviously uncomfortable conversation.

The plainlands that surrounded Hoofington were slowly giving way to forested areas the closer they got to the mountains. The woods around the trail were sparse copses of trees rather than the full fledged forest that bordered his house, but Novell spied the end to the plain lands coming up further along the trail. He looked up and glanced at the sun, noting its progress and performing a few quick calculations. We should be in the forest by nightfall, he thought with a shudder, not looking forward to spending another night under the trees.

The two ponies walked in silence for the next hour, the wind mysteriously intermittent, almost bowling him over one moment and nonexistent the next. Novell couldn't help but get the feeling something was causing the wind to constantly blow him around, but when he looked around there was nopony in sight and not a cloud to hide behind. As the morning wore on into the afternoon, the saddlebags on the pegasus’ flank became heavier and heavier. Even though he was in relatively good shape from flying constantly, he had never tried to trot with a burden this long.

The Professor, now back to his cheerfully ostentatious self, noticed the younger pony’s discomfort. “You seem a bit tired there, lad. What would you say to a quick break? I’ve been smelling carrots all morning from those saddlebags your mother gave you. Good vegetable to have around, improves your eyesight.” The unicorn paused, looking crosswise at his glasses in consternation. “Not that I’ve seen anything to prove that point, but that is what they say. Maybe I should look into that.”

Novell nodded, wearily reaching back to grab the saddlebags as they walked to the side of the road. The two ponies lay down on the soft grass as another, softer wind sprang up. The pegasus closed his eyes and savored the wind against his sweaty mane and heated body. The sound of the Professor clearing his throat brought his eyes open again. He grinned ruefully at the older pony, opening the flap on one of the saddlebags and pulling out four bright orange carrots.

They snacked on the vegetables, Novell’s companion filling the silence with more descriptions of Canterlot. The Professor was quite animated when he mentioned his own office in one of the more prestigious universities. Novell was unsurprised to hear that the unicorn had a class every time he was in the city, which wasn’t very often given his study habits. What the pegasus was surprised to hear was that a great many ponies looking to continue their knowledge of the world showed up whenever he spoke.

“You’re telling me that there’s that many ponies looking to explore the world?” Novell asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.

The Professor looked put out at that, supplementing his carrots with the grass around them. “Well, of course, lad. Equestria, and the lands beyond it, hold wonders both discovered and still hidden. Ponies of all ages dream of seeing these sights, just like your mother said she did when she was younger. I, myself, have only explored Equestria proper and still not seen all it has to offer since I started nosing around. The flora and fauna could take up the bulk of a pony’s life if he or she decided to study them. You’ve seen the Yeti, but there are still many other species quite similar to that mountain ranging beast. The Sasquatch is, in fact, one of the more prominent in the forested regions of this valley.”

“I can’t say I’d like to see anything like another Yeti,” the young pegasus replied with a shaky grin at the thought, “but I think travelling the world sounds like it’d be fun.”

“Ah, it is, lad. Especially when you roam with friends at your side,” the unicorn smiled, wrinkles crinkling under his eyes.

Novell looked up, surprised. “You mean that?”

“Well, of course, Novell. You did save my life, if I recall, and the least I could do is name you one of my friends as a result.”

“But, I don’t have a cutie mark. Most ponies wouldn’t want to be seen with me,” the pegasus replied, his ears drooping.

“That’s part of your charm, lad! You’re an interesting pony, both in personality and the fact that you have no cutie mark. I wouldn’t think less of you just because I happen to have something you don’t. You have wings, after all, something I’m extremely envious of, I admit, yet I do not see you in a hurry to escape the company of a unicorn.” The unicorn rose to his feet, chomping the last bit of the carrot with a friendly grin. “At any rate, we’ve tarried here long enough. We musn’t keep the world waiting, eh?”

The pale coated pegasus tried to hold back a smile of his own, but failed. He nodded and put the saddlebags back on his flank, looking all the world like a normal pony and not caring a bit.

The two companions made good time as the sun slowly sailed its way across the sky, the grassland rolling into low shrubbery beside the road. The copses of trees they passed grew larger until the path was surrounded on both sides by the tall pines and oaks, their leaves orange and yellow as Fall set in and carpeted the path. The crisp smell of the pine needles and berry bushes melded together into pleasing aromas that set his mouth to watering. Novell’s stomach rumbled at the thought of the berries, even though he’d eaten just hours before.
Rays of sunlight from the sinking orange orb shined through the trees in shafts of sparkling light, using the last bits of its strength before it sunk below the horizon. The young pegasus was mystified at what he had been missing sailing over everything, not even knowing such sights existed. I’ll have to start walking more, even when I get my wing back to full strength, the pegasus thought happily as he inhaled the scents wafting around him.
Squirrels stared at them from the path, their big glistening eyes filled with glee as they chased one another through the trunks and branches near the road. The trees shook with their passing, groaning good naturedly against their ministrations as well as the wind that had been following the ponies off and on that day. Moments after he noticed it, the breeze returned full force, rustling through the trees and sending the leaves through the air in an autumnal ballet.

One offending leaf flew right into Novell’s face, causing him to twitch away in surprise. He wiped it off with a hoof in annoyance, glaring skyward to see if anypony was around and playing tricks on him. Unfortunately, nothing but violet clouds greeted his vision, cheerfully floating on the air currents as if in spite of his thoughts. If only I could fly, I’d be able to find out what was going on, he grumbled inwardly, or at least direct the air streams somewhere else. Not that I’m very good at that...

The Professor had pulled ahead, looking around at the trees with an interested expression, no doubt cataloguing each leaf as it fell. His hoofbeats against the dirt path were a reassuring counterpoint to Novell’s own. The pegasus was happy that he didn’t have to travel this route alone — journeying with others was enjoyable, just as the unicorn had said earlier that day. He checked the sky again, noting the progress of the sun as it glowed a mellow orange, part of it covered by the mountains that lorded over the pass.

“Oh, my, would you look at that!” Professor Search exclaimed excitedly, causing Novell to return his gaze back to earth and his mind to break from its reveries. The unicorn was rushing forward and veering into the forest, leaving the pegasus alone on the road, caught off guard. He quickly followed, looking around nervously as he entered the foliage, a tree limb scraping across his short mane. His companion's trail was obvious even to an inexperienced woodspony like Novell, so he galloped through the broken branches and trampled saplings after the unicorn. The road disappeared behind him as he trailed the Professor, trying to keep the elder pony in sight. Roots and bushes rose up to block his way, but he continued on relentlessly, fearing the thought of being alone this close to dark.

“Professor!” Novell yelled, narrowly avoiding a limb the unicorn had unintentionally pulled back. It whisked over his head, the pegasus’ heart already beating fast with adrenaline. “Wait up! Professor!”

He galloped faster, his wing starting to ache with the rough pace he was forced to assume. A few seconds passed before he entered a clearing in the forest, the Professor out in the middle of it and investigating a small grove of yellow flowers. The unicorn looked up as Novell trotted up, managing to look chagrined as he realized what he had done.

“Apologies, lad. I just get so caught up in my research, sometimes,” Professor Search said. The younger pony raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Yes, well, look here, boy. These flowers are an interesting part of the ecology here in the forest, one of the many plants in Equestria that are amazing in their abilities. These particular ones are part of the family of magivascular plants, flora that has a magic of its own, similar to Poison Joke or the Beneviolet. This one is called the Dazey, quite drolly.”

“A daisy? Well, obviously,” Novell replied, wondering why the Professor bothered even coming out here for a simple flowering plant.

“No, no, it's Dazey, as in 'a daze'. Its pollen has the power to confuse and disorient any creature foolish enough to inhale it. A defense system against predators, you see. These plants are also used quite frequently as a sort of sedative by Zebra and other hedge wizards, since large doses can render one unconscious. There have been other, unsubstantiated rumors that some of the more...unhinged elements of ponykind use the plant as a defense against zomponies, silly as it sounds.”

“Should we be standing near it?” the pegasus asked, slowly backing away from the happily swaying plants.

“No, no, we’re fine as long as we don’t touch them. The defense system is initiated by physical contact. Quite ingenious, if I do say so myself.” Professor Search poked one of the plants in emphasis, a puff of yellow powder floating into the air around the unicorn’s face. The elder pony swayed uncertainly, his eyes growing suddenly unfocused as he fell to his backside, sneezing. “And...potent.”

“Come on, Professor, let’s get back to the road,” Novell sighed, pulling the unicorn to his hooves and guiding him away from the flowers before he could get himself into more trouble. The pegasus idly wondered if the Professor's former assistant had known what he was getting himself into when he started working for the unicorn.

"Probably not," the pegasus mused aloud.

"Probably not what, lad?"

Novell grinned at his friend and shook his head. "Nothing, Professor, nothing at all."

They were just about to exit the clearing when a whistling sound came from behind them. The pegasus looked around confusedly, looking up to where he thought the sound was coming from just as a blast of wind hit him, sending his mane streaming back behind his head and forcing his eyes into slits. The Professor fell backwards, still unsteady and caught unprepared by the force of the torrent.

“Whooooooooooaaaaaa!” a familiar voice yelled out as an orange blur tumbled through the similarly colored sky. “Where’s my eject button? Oh, haystacks! Hold on, Swirley!”

Novell watched as the pegasus executed a front flip mid air until her hooves were facing the ground, her wings flapping madly against her rapid descent. The wind picked up on her down drafts, blowing hard against the clearing’s floor as she directed the air currents to give her more lift. It looked like the orange pegasus was going to stop herself in time when a yellow mist sprang up to engulf her from below.

“Oh, gross, what is—achoo! Whoa,” Whisper Wind yelled loudly, sneezing as the cloud enveloped her. Her wings began to beat out of sync as her brain shorted out from the pollen lining her nostrils. Novell’s eyes widened as she stopped flapping altogether, still above the trees, and dropped like a stone.

“Whisper!” Novell yelled, darting forward into a gallop, his wings involuntarily spreading in preparation to fly. Agony coursed through his sprained appendage as it opened suddenly, almost causing him to fall to his knees. The pegasus gritted his teeth against the pain and kept running, jumping forward to intercept the foalish pegasus before she could really injure herself.

He caught the female Pegasus in his front hooves, her breath exploding out of her lungs as he hit her. They tumbled to the earth, rolling together comically in a ball of hooves and tails before hitting a tree at the edge of the clearing. They rolled halfway up the trunk before falling apart from one another to land in the soft grass. Novell stared up at the sky, seeing stars too early orbiting his vision, a steadily burning pain attesting to the fact that his wing wasn’t about to let him forget it was still aching.

“Novell! Lad! Are you okay? Oof,” Professor Search yelled from across the clearing and tripped over his own hooves, still under the effects of the Dazey.

The pegasus shook his head to clear the stars, rolling over to his hooves unsteadily. He glanced over at the cream soda colored pony near him, watching her sit on her flank and weave side to side. Novell rushed over to her, Swirley gazing up at him from atop the mare’s head, eyes as unexcited as ever, though its shell had transformed from a relaxed orange into an irritated red. Whisper looked at Novell, her eyes rolling around in their sockets unsteadily as a sleepy smile stole over her face.

“Oh, there hi flank blank. Did trick my see you?” she babbled, falling backwards into unconsciousness. The snail tumbled from her curly mane into the grass beside her just as the Professor trotted up, his legs spread out as if trying to steady himself in an earthquake.

“A Refferentus Snail!” Professor Search exclaimed, his eyes gradually focusing on the small, color-changing mollusk. “I’ve never seen one in pony before! I wonder if it can eat magic like the books said?”

Novell checked to see if the mare was okay, concerned over her well being despite her usual behavior toward him. A rolling snore came from her mouth, her chest shallowly rising and falling. Yellow dust coated her face as he examined her closer, the young pegasus thinking quickly and rubbing the pollen with a few rolls of grass. It came away easily, the orange pegasus' breath coming easier as he cleared it from her nose and mouth. He dabbed at her eyes, noticing they were already swelling. A voice from his left drew his attention away for as few seconds.

"Very good, Novell. Wiping away the pollen is the first thing to do when exposed to it."

The blank flanked pegasus looked up in concern. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course. Even a large dose like the one she experienced isn't enough to harm her. She'll sleep through the night and wake up fine in the morning."

Novell nodded, his heart slowing down as he sat down in the grass, wincing against the throbbing in his wing. He stared at the two ponies, bewildered by the events of the last few minutes. It wasn’t even a day into his journey and already things were going crazy. The young pegasus sighed and raised a hoof to his face, a headache already forming in his skull.

It was going to be a long journey.