Act II
An alarm roared as the vibrations from whatever had caused the explosion rumbled through the barracks. Everypony was now awake and looking around at each other for confirmation that they'd heard the same thing. Soon, shouting was audible from outside as a few stallions hopped from their bunks and checked the windows. No sooner had they made it to the pane did the Sergeant burst through the door.
"We're under attack!" he shouted, the sweat dripping from his face evident even in the dim moonlight. Mac knew he wasn't the only pony whose heart dropped into their stomach at that moment. Without warning, the roof of the barracks went flying into the night sky as a hydra being controlled by a mounted griffon rider tore into it. "Follow me to the armory if you want to live!"
Mac sprang out of bed, nearly having Shining land on top of him as they scrambled for the door with the other recruits. His mind was still clouded from nearly making it to sleep, and his hooves led him clumsily toward the doorway. Once outside, the neat, tidy and organized military base was in chaos.
Earth and pegasi ponies with spears and iron shoes and unicorns with bow and arrow fired into wave after wave of advancing griffons as they rained from the sky. Various buildings burned behind them as they sprinted behind their Sergeant to the somehow still intact armory. As Mac ran past various battles being fought, he noticed some of the garrison had smiles on their faces as they plunged their weapons mercilessly into the invaders.
Mac could hardly imagine killing with a smile, though perhaps that was something they'd learned to do. He'd often read about how muscle memory and simple reflex play a key role in deciding the victor in battle. He thought that perhaps the soldiers were simply on autopilot, doing as they were trained and nothing more.
After a sprint through the fog of war, Hydra battalion arrived at the armory door, where a gruff looking unicorn with an eyepatch began giving weapons to the shivering and scared witless young recruits. Earth ponies seemed to get shoes that covered the first few inches of their hooves, though they were made of iron, and spiked. These were fitted on their forelegs and hind legs, while pegasi were outfitted with spear launchers, sewn into a special vest they wore. This vest positioned the spears safely under their wings for concealment, and fired via a lifting of one or both wings. Unicorn's were given a bow and arrow quiver, and expected to use them via magic.
Mac was right behind Shining as they got their weapons. Once weaponized, the frightened group of stallions assembled loosely in front of their Sergeant. Even as chaos reigned around him, Castille was a rock of a pony; no deafening bomb or arrow whizzing by broke his concentration. "Recruits! This is your first test!" he shouted, affixing his armor and readying his weapon. "Do you see what's on that hill?" he asked, pointing to the looming mountain above the camp. "That is Canterlot Castle, this installation is the last stop before these bastards get to the capital! I don't know how they got this far, but here is where they stop! Understood?"
"Yes, Sergeant!" As many as were able responded. Some stallions wept at the thought of death, others stayed stoically silent, and still others appeared giddy as foals, ready for their first taste of combat. Mac and Shining were in the middle category, though outward calm belied their nerves.
"Good. Now, as long as you follow my orders, you'll all be—Ack!" An arrow flew straight into a gap in their commander's armor, toppling him almost instantly. Mac could see the horror on his squadmates' faces, and he was sure the same expression was plastered on his as well. After a bit of gurgling, Castille lay dead in front of his stallions. The entire battalion simply waited for a few moments before beginning to scatter.
Mac and Shining stayed and watched their 'brothers' either run to hide or run into battle. They glanced at each other before Mac asked: "What now?"
Shining smiled. "We fight!"
Macintosh grinned as he replayed the memory of that night in his head. Only afterward would he realize why the other commissioned guards seemed to be smiling as they ended the lives of countless enemies. It was honestly a very ingenious way to root out the weak, or those who would fold under pressure. He and Shining had made the right choice in charging into battle, though he knew Applejack would have killed him if it had been an actual life and death situation.
During that hectic fight, he recalled the first time he 'saved' Shining's hide.
Mac had never been in a fight, let alone a battle against a trained army. That didn't stop him, as he was prepared to make any sacrifice necessary to reach his goal. If that meant standing atop a pile of slain griffons who foolishly attempted to reach the princesses, then so be it. The griffon army was not just staffed with griffons. They had war hydras, battle ursas, and the commanders even rode dragons! The grunts, however, had light armor and crude spears. Mac and Shining joined up with a group that had jumped into the fray. The unicorns began showering their enemies with arrows while the pegasi took carefully aimed spear shots. Once their ammo had been exhausted, it was the earth ponies' time. Mac charged with a few of his like-minded brethren into the weakened and wounded brigade of griffons squaring off against them.
Ignoring the wounded and dying, Mac focused on those still alive enough to pose a threat.
Okay, it's probably just like applebuckin', he reasoned. 'Cept it ain't a tree. It's a skull.
Mac leapt into the air, his spiked forelegs smashing into a griffon's face, sending his helmet flying and its owner sprawling to the ground. Mac looked at the crimson line draining away from the motionless attacker. Every muscle in his body froze up as he contemplated the life he'd ended at the worst possible moment. As he tore his eyes away, the scene before him seemed to be muted, moving slower than he was used to. Spears jabbed into enemies; ponies attacked from all sides, while others cowered in any hole they could find. Mac knew he had signed up for this very moment, but was having trouble grasping having it thrust upon him so soon. At a glance, Mac noticed Shining, using a small sword he'd looted off a dead attacker to battle a particularly large griffon.
Unknown to Shining, a hydra rider had decided to assist his comrade in the fight. The beast slithered up behind Shining, just as he appeared to be gaining the upper hoof. The mighty hydra lifted its foot, ready to smash him into a red puddle. Before Mac knew it, he was dashing toward him, screaming for him to look behind him and knowing he could only save his life if he reached him in time.
By the time the crushing foot of death was nearly upon him, Mac was a few steps away. He knew he'd be cutting it close, but Shining was by and large the only friend he had made outside of his family and Cheerilee. He'd be damned if he let the first friend he made in basic training get smushed by a hydra.
Extending his forelegs, Mac tacked Shining around the waist and they both ended up tumbling in the dirt, just as the hydra crushed the spot they had been only milliseconds earlier.
Since Shining had no idea he was about to be a grease stain on the dirt, he began fighting Mac as though he were an enemy before he realized what had happened.
"What was that about, Mac?" he complained, dusting himself off. "I was about to beat that guy!"
"You were... about... to be... squished," Mac panted. As they stood beside each other, they noticed the chaotic noise of combat suddenly cease. They looked around, noting that the enemies they'd been fighting were slowly dissolving away in the wind, as if they weren't really there at all.
From his crumpled form, Sergeant Castille got up, dusted himself off and began stripping off his armor.
"Alright ladies, assemble on me!" he commanded, though many recruits looked as though they'd seen a ghost. Mac and Shining included. "Let's go!" he demanded.
After regaining their wits, those in hiding, and those who'd fought crowded around their leader. It was then that Mac noticed he had streaks of paint all over him, as did nearly everypony else in his battalion, even Shining.
"Now, as you may have noticed, I'm still alive," Castille began, pacing in front of his troops. "That's because this was just a drill: a spell cast by our psychological warfare corps. Gentlecolts?" he motioned to innocuous looking piles of debris, which were simply unicorns hiding beneath blankets made to look like rubble piles. "What you have just experienced was the best combat training scenario we can create. If this were a real combat situation, most of you would be getting wrapped in an Equestrian flag right now!" he bellowed, pointing to a splotch of red paint where the 'arrow' had pierced his armor.
"The paint covering you all is an indicator of where you would have taken a hit, and how badly it would have affected your performance on the battlefield," he began to explain. "Red means your ass is dead. Orange is a serious injury, but likely survivable. Green is just a flesh-wound."
Mac examined himself, only to find a bright red crescent across his neck. He glanced over at Shining, who had also taken an interest in Mac's wounds.
"Dang Mac, you got killed!" he whispered as Mac checked Shining over.
"You didn't get out scot-free either," he replied, pointing to the orange lines across both forelegs and numerous green and orange lines across his body.
"Hey, they can make me new legs; they can't make you a new head," he teased, earning a grin from Macintosh.
"Now then," Castille continued. "Those of you too rattled to continue, you can quit now. The guard corp is not for everypony, and there is no shame in realizing this. In the morning, you may leave if you wish. Those of you who decide to stay, know that from now on, the only easy day was yesterday. Understand?"
"Yes, Sergeant!"
"Good, now get some sleep," he ordered. "Dismissed!"
Mac and Shining made their way back to their barracks, which sat untouched by the simulated attack. For the precious few hours left of the night, they slept like rocks.
That first night was the start of Mac and Shining's relationship. At its outset, Mac had no idea where this road would lead. However, one of the reasons he'd joined the Royal Guards was to spice up his rather mundane life, and making new friends was part of the experience. From that night on, whenever partners were chosen or assigned, Mac always tried to ensure he was in Shining's group and vice versa. For their valor (or foolhardiness) during the simulated attack, the two stallions were made platoon leaders. Mac and Shining always recapped the days events to each other, each night after a long day of drills, exercises and routine. Laughter at the slip-ups of their subordinates and impressions of their instructors kept their friendship close.
Since each of them led their own platoon, they rarely saw each other during the day outside of the mess line. Even so, they managed to become closer to each other as the days went by. The more they learned about each other, the more similarities they found. Both had little sisters, both had families they hoped to make proud, and both wanted to protect the princesses and serve Equestria.
Mac shifted against the breeze, still keeping his idle gaze out across the fields. The first weeks of training were a blend of the same thing over and over again. Once he thought they were ready, Sergeant Castille decided it was time for their survival training to begin. Mac and Shining's platoon had decided to stick close and share resources. Sergeant Castille was adamant about the fact that there would be no resupply until the two weeks in the uncharted wilderness outside Fort Luna were up. Hence the term 'survival training.' Any manner of dangerous wildlife would have to be dealt with, and as such, each stallion was issued their race's weaponry and armor.
Mac recalled those two weeks vividly, as it was during that time that he and Shining had gotten separated from their platoons and lost in the woods. It was then that they'd discover more about each other than either would have guessed possible upon their first encounter.
As the weeks wore on, Hydra battalion had been granted privileges for progressing in their training. A few days to leave the base, and occasionally the ability to order take-out instead of eating military food (as long as something was picked up for the Sergeant, of course). Before the operation, Castille assembled his stallions in the briefing room.
"Alright mares, this task is nothing like anything you've done thus far." He pointed at a map hanging behind him marked with dotted lines, and numerous X's. "As in, there will be no resupply, no safety net, and no backup during this drill. For all intents and purposes, this is a live drill. You will be given weapons and be expected to use them only if you are threatened by hostile wildlife. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sergeant!"
"Now, Hydra battalion, your platoons will dropped into enemy held territory and you are expected to survive and evade capture for one week's time. Any stallions left in the wilderness by the end of the scenario will earn a weekend pass to travel off base for their platoon." Most of the cadets didn't seem to react to his offer. Barring a major screw-up, most of Hydra battalion was allowed to leave the base on the weekends after drill. "Without a curfew," he completed, sending murmurs of excitement through the assembled troops.
The hushed conversations quickly quieted down, lest Castille run the battalion until he got tired. "Your enemy is Ursa battalion from Fort Celestia. They will be hunting you like animals, and you will be doing the same for them the following week," he explained, the sound of his hooves pacing across the floor echoing in the quiet auditorium. "So help me, if those jokers from Fort Celestia capture more of you than you capture of them, you're going to wish this was an actual combat situation, because you'd be better off in a P.O.W. camp than you would being returned to me! Understand?"
"Yes, Sergeant!"
"Good. Eat well tonight; it'll be a long time before you see the inside of my mess hall again. Dismissed."
Mac and Shining sat next to each other while their subordinates sat in the row below them. The operation was set to begin after dinner. The various platoons were to be dropped off in the middle of the woods with nothing but a map, compass, rations and weapons. Their training up until this point was more than enough to ensure everypony's survival, but training and nerves can often cancel each other out.
"Ready to head out into 'enemy territory'?" Shining smirked.
"Ah s'pose. Hope your squad of misfits is up to it," Mac replied with a sly grin.
"Don't worry about us. First platoon'll still be in the deep while your lot is sitting behind a barbed wire fence," Shining said smugly, and with good reason. His platoon led the battalion in academics and marksmanship. Mac's platoon was in second, but only because of a few missed shots and flubbed tests.
"Well then, why don't we make it interestin'?" Mac suggested as the other recruits began filing out of the auditorium.
Shining raised an eyebrow. "A wager, huh? Sounds fun. What's the winner get?"
Mac put a hoof to his chin in thought. "Hmm... well, we both got sisters, right?"
"Yeah..." Shining answered slowly, narrowing his eyes at Mac.
"How about a date? Winner gets ta take the loser's sister out." Mac smiled, knowing his sister would be safe. She was only a filly, after all.
Shining grinned. "Deal. How old is your sister by the way?" he asked.
"Seven, and my Ma just had another one." Mac smiled cheekily. "And yours?"
"Eight," Shining replied.
They both caught a laugh as they began to head towards the mess hall. "Ah guess that wager's pretty much shot," Mac chuckled.
"You said it. I guess it'll just be for pride then, won't it?"
"That's fine with me. I don't mind braggin' rights," Mac said as they entered the mess hall, the smell of mediocre military food greeting them as they walked in.
After dinner, they met Sergeant Castille at the armory. Once everypony had suited up, they began applying their camouflage. Once prepped for woodland survival, they were led into the wilderness via pegasus. Once the rally point had been reached, their guides took off, leaving the platoons to fend for themselves. A report of a canon would signal the start of the exercise.
A boom echoed across the woods, scaring birds from their trees as the drill began in earnest. Mac led his stallions through a bit of dense underbrush in search of a nearby stream on his map. Proximity to water was key to survival, so he figured the best place to set up an ambush would be near a ready supply of it. After all, enemy armies need water too, and to capture an enemy squad while playing defense would certainly put Mac in good standing with Sergeant Castille.
After about an hour of marching through the forest, Mac stopped his troops, crouching silently in the overgrowth. Through the moonlight, they could see a platoon of stallions making their way down a trail. Mac couldn't believe anypony would be dumb enough to use a marked trail during a drill like this. He couldn't quite make out the insignia on the armor, but he knew if he sprung his trap on friendlies, it would simply result in a good laugh, and no casualties. Using hoof signals, Mac's stallions took their positions and waited for his signal. Just as Mac was about to rise from the bushes, something cold pressed against the side of his neck.
"Gotcha."
He carefully turned his head in time to see Shining standing behind him, a small dagger in his magic. Mac breathed a sigh of relief before looking at the 'ponies' he was about to ambush. They were nothing but straw dummies dressed up to look like guards. Shining was clever—Mac had to give him that.
"You guys weren't exactly what we were looking to catch, though," Shining laughed as the platoons stood from their positions and met in the forest.
"Ah see we both were tryin' ta catch one of the enemy platoons," Mac replied.
"Well, you know what they say about great minds," Shining quipped.
"Yeah, Ah suppose we—" Mac was interrupted by the ground shuddering beneath them. Almost rhythmically, the shaking began to grow.
"You don't suppose Fort Celestia has battle Ursas, do ya?" Mac asked as the trees in the distance began to shake. Fear gripped every heart as a massive ursa major pushed over the massive trees as though they were weeds blocking its path.
Mac wasn't sure who gave the command, but when somepony screams 'run' when something like that emerges, it's best to just do it and think about it later.
The two platoons took off, the massive animal in hot pursuit. As they sprinted, Mac knew in the back of his mind that they'd tire out before the ursa did. Since he and his squad weren't looking to become snacks, he shouted to Shining who had been keeping pace beside him.
"Shining! That thing's gonna eat us if we keep runnin' with the group!" Mac panted as he galloped. "We need to draw this thing away from them!"
Shining nodded. "Okay, follow me!"
Mac and Shining broke off from the rest of the platoon, the ursa taking the bait as they'd hoped.
"Well, it's following us! Now what?" Shining asked through his full sprint. Mac could feel his legs beginning to weaken, though he didn't dare slow down.
Mac looked ahead. They were running out of forest. In front of him was a large cliff, and he didn't have to speculate how far down it went.
"I've got an idea!" Shining said confidently.
"What is it?" Mac asked as they both approached the cliff.
"Run off the cliff!" Shining barked.
"What?!"
"Trust me, Mac! You'll be okay, I promise!" he assured him as he peeled off, leaving the massive beast dead set on eating Macintosh as he neared the sheer drop.
He looked at the incoming edge, then back to the hungry animal behind him. Well, it's either get eaten or fall to my death! he thought, his hooves making his decision on his demise for him. Mac shut his eyes as his forelegs took the final step off the edge of the cliff... only to have the feeling of solid ground still beneath his hooves! He took a few more cautious steps before peeking one eye open and looking at his hooves. In retrospect, he's wish he hadn't.
He was floating above what seemed like a mile fall, his whole body consumed in Shining's magic. The ursa behind him tried to skid to a halt, but ended up taking the plunge into the river far below. As Mac caught his breath, he looked toward the heavenly looking solid ground his partner was standing on. "See? I told ya you'd be okay!" Mac sighed in relief as Shining brought him back over land.
"That... was a... right smart plan..." he panted as Shining took a moment to let the adrenaline wear off.
"Yeah, it was!" he shouted triumphantly. "We should get medals for that!"
"Agreed," Mac added, taking a sip of his canteen. "You still got your map and compass?"
Shining checked his gear. "Nope, looks like I left them with my navigator. You?"
"So did Ah," he mumbled.
After a few moments, Shining broke the uncomfortable silence. "Well, now what?"
"Ah guess we survive."
Mac and Shining shared a laugh before trekking back into the woods, careful to avoid enemy soldiers and any more hungry animals.
It would be dark soon, and Mac knew he should start heading back to the farmhouse if he wanted to get a good night's rest.
Yet... he very rarely got to appreciate the sunset. Even more rare was the chance to enjoy it without anypony pestering him about something needing to get done. It was a good opportunity to enjoy the quiet, something Mac was quite fond of. As his eyelids grew heavy with the approach of the setting sun, he recalled the evening he and Shining spent in a cave they'd found after being chased into Celestia-knows-where by the ursa they were running from. It was the cave that would bring them closer than either thought possible.
Macintosh and Shining had just outrun an ursa major, and had managed to get away unharmed. Unfortunately, the forest had many dangerous animals to throw at them. They made it through hydra, windigo, and cockatrice swarms before coming across a cave that seemed devoid of threatening wildlife.
Mac had injured his leg rescuing Shining from becoming a statue, and Shining had sustained a rather nasty horn-bruise keeping a herd of wendigos from devouring Mac after he'd mistakenly ventured into a pack's den. Shining had Mac's injured leg around his shoulders as he helped him limp into their new home.
The two injured ponies finally relaxed as they flopped onto the cold stone ground of the dank cave. Their armor clanging against the stone as they removed it. The ground was a welcome relief from the heat they'd been feeling from running for their lives.
Once they'd finally collapsed onto the cold stone floor, they caught their breath.
"Sweet Celestia, Mac," Shining whined. "You eating your platoon's meals for them?"
"Very funny," he grunted, attempting to stand on his three working legs.
"Don't test that ankle Mac, I'm telling you it's—"
Crack
"... broken."
"Gah! Celestia-rutting-Luna-on-the-moon, that hurt!" Mac hissed, gingerly cradling his now useless appendage as he crumpled back onto the cold floor.
"What did I tell you?" Shining scolded, trotting over to take a look at Mac's injury. Digging into his supplies, he found a few magic powered glow sticks. A touch of the horn and they were lit, casting an eerie green glow across the rocks of the cavern.
"At least we're alone in here," Shining said, casting a glance back to the wall. The cave was not very deep, and a collection of heavy boulders at the back of the cave suggested it had once gone much farther. "Let me see."
Mac held his hoof out slowly. Any jostle or movement would send another bolt of pain through his limbs. Shining held his temporary light near Mac's hoof.
"Hm," he mumbled, looking over the swollen hoof. "Well if it wasn't broken before, it may be now."
"Thanks, doc," Mac muttered.
"I told you not to stand on it, didn't I?" he quipped smugly.
"Yeah, yeah, enough about that," Mac insisted. "How're we gonna get back to Fort Luna if I'm crippled and you can't use your magic?"
"Who said I can't use my magic?" Shining asked indignantly.
"The welt on your horn," Mac replied flatly.
"Pfft, I can still use magic," Shining said confidently.
"S'at right?" Mac smiled. "Then how bout you pick up this here rock for me."
Shining glared at Mac, then at the rock. It was about the size of an egg. Only a challenge for a foal, really. Shining scrunched his face in concentration, his aura surrounding the rock, only to have it fizzle out. Shining held a hoof to his head, but quickly withdrew it.
"You were sayin'?" Mac asked as he drew his good hoof lazily across the ground.
"I don't have to prove anything to you!" he snapped quickly. "I'm going to catch some fireflies," he huffed, "with my magic."
"Ah'll be here..." Mac yawned, digging into his own provisions with his good hoof and fishing out the first aid kit.
After about two hours, Shining decided to reappear, the lantern he had left with providing a paltry amount of light via the two fireflies he managed to capture.
"That's quite the night light," Mac said.
"And I suppose you can do better?" Shining asked sourly.
Mac grinned. "Put a bit of your honey ration in the bottom the lantern and open it."
Shining looked at him as though he had lost his mind. He wasn't about to let his two insect prisoners escape! He'd spent two hours just catching them!
"Are you nuts?"
"Nope, but Ah know a farmin' trick or two. You city folk could learn somethin'."
Shining glanced at the dim lantern, then back toward Mac's silhouette before opening the lantern and setting his hostages free.
"Just a little honey'll do ya, we don't need to attract the whole forest."
In about thirty minutes, the lantern was filled with fireflies, illuminating the entirety of the cave. Shining closed the lantern and set it between the two of them, Mac smiling as he rolled onto his side.
"Not a bad splint," Shining said, noticing the bandages on Mac's leg.
"I had a long time to work on it," he teased.
Shining grunted as he rifled through his gear and unrolled his sleeping bag. Just before he got settled in, he noticed Mac having some trouble managing his sleeping arrangement with only one hoof.
He trotted over, lending a hoof and laying out Mac's bed for him. "Thanks," Mac muttered.
"No problem."
"Ain't easy livin' without magic, is it?" Mac asked as Shining got back into his bedroll and threw a blackout cloth over the lantern.
"I'd be more comfortable if I had it, yeah," he admitted guardedly.
An uncomfortable silence entered the cave as they tried to get some sleep, though the sounds of the forest echoed through the cave as though the creatures inhabited it alongside them.
"When d'ya think they'll come lookin' for us?" Mac whispered.
"Not for a week, at least," Shining replied glumly.
"Great..."
Mac remembered the days he spent in the forest with Shining. Per the training requirements, they'd only had enough food to last them four days. Since Mac wasn't exactly mobile, it fell upon Shining to do most of the gathering—a fact he was quick to remind him of after returning to the cave with their dinner. After a few days, their make-shift home was beginning to smell as though two unwashed stallions had been living in it. Deciding he could stand it no longer, Shining declared it was time they found a stream to bathe in.
A look of remorse fell across Mac's features as the wind began to die down in way of the approaching night. It was on that little trip that he did something he regretted even now. Looking back on it, it was the most awkward, embarrassing thing that he could have done, but at the time...
"Dude, you reek," Shining stated bluntly after tossing Mac a few wild greens he'd found while foraging.
"Thanks for the update," Mac replied with his mouth full.
"Look," the unicorn teased. "I don't know how often you earth ponies in that backwater town you're from bathe, but if I can smell you from outside the cave, it's bath time."
"It ain't just me stinkin' up this cave," Mac replied, focused on his meal.
"Well it ain't gonna be just me down by the river, either." Shining trotted over to Mac and threw his good hoof over his shoulder. "Up ya go," Shining strained, lifting Mac shakily onto his back.
"Is this really necessary?" Mac complained.
"It is if we want to get there by sunrise tomorrow," Shining shot back, resigning Mac to his position. As they traveled, Mac's vision bobbed up and down as Shining's flanks worked to keep them both going. He was certainly a strong pony, the strongest he'd met in person besides his father. His forelegs dangling around Shining's neck, Mac slouched on his mount.
"Tell ya what, you just wake me when we get there," Mac yawned. He rested his head along Shining's mane and closed his eyes, the constantly moving mass beneath him gently lulling him to sleep as they went. In no time at all, Mac was passed out.
With an unceremonious thud, Mac tumbled off of Shining's back.
"Ah! Ya didn't have ta drop me!" Mac snapped, thanking Celestia he hadn't hit his injured hoof on the way down.
"Sorry, I was kinda getting tired of getting jabbed in the back for an hour," he said softly, though loud enough for Mac to hear as he walked toward the clear waters of a spring a few steps ahead.
Mac raised an eyebrow before realizing what he meant. Sure enough, upon inspection, it appeared little Macintosh decided to make its presence known on the ride over. If Macintosh wasn't red before, he was red now.
"Ah... uh, Ah'm sorry,—it's just that when ya fall asleep, sometimes ya get—"
"Don't worry about it," Shining called over his shoulder, beckoning Mac to follow him into the water he was already wading in. "Just get in."
Mac looked at his splint, and then back at the water. "You sure Ah should get this wet?"
"No, but I'm sure you need to stop smelling like that," Shining countered. "Don't make me drag you in."
Macintosh stood on his three good legs and hobbled over to the edge. Shining was already wither-deep, and began swimming around like a duck in a pond. Mac, however, was a lot more timid about his entrance. Slowly, he began to back into the water, hind legs first. As he acclimated, he had to admit the water felt great, and he probably did stink pretty badly. Being a farmer, he was somewhat used to unpleasant smells.
Just as Mac was about to lower his torso into the water, he felt a pair of hooves wrap firmly around his waist. His ears shot straight up as he whipped his head around.
"You're taking too long Mac!" Shining called from behind him, a foal-like grin on his face.
"Shining, so help me if you—"
"What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of our splash!" Shining lifted Mac out of the water, into the air, and then back down into the water on top of him. They separated as Mac swam to a shallower end of the spring, flicking his ears and mane to dry himself off. Though his bandages were soaked, he figured he could always re-apply them. His ankle had stopped swelling a bit, so perhaps a bit of revenge was in order.
"You done it now," Mac threatened, the same playful smile on his face that Shining wore earlier. "An earth pony with three legs, and a unicorn with no magic." Mac tossed his head back triumphantly, "Ah think Ah know who'll win."
Shining narrowed his stance and returned his mock-glare. "You think you can take me?"
"Why don't we find out?"