//------------------------------// // Act One Chapter Six // Story: Burnt Offerings // by Spike the Scribe //------------------------------// Unknown forest, Date unknown, (Presumably 24 September, 1000 SR), Hours after midnight We were sitting around the campfire, most of us trying to figure out what to do next. About an hour past since my outburst and the six of us collectively decided that we should wait until Pinkie Pie came to herself and for Rainbow Dash to rest up and let her injured side take a break from all the straining activity. The atmosphere around the fire was depressing for the most part. Without Pinkie Pie to cheer us up with her endless bounds of enthusiasm the gravity of the situation we found ourselves in was beginning to get to us. Add to that the quarrel between Rarity and Applejack, as well as the fact that the fashionista was pointedly ignoring her, looking in the opposite direction of the farmpony all the time and you have a rather good idea how tense the mood was. And Rainbow's grumbling wasn’t helping. Most of the time we spent in silence, either staring into the fire or keeping an eye out on the forest surrounding us. If there were any conversations, they were rather strained. Rarity was too busy with her attempts to get at least a part of the grime from her dress off (although she did almost flip out once she took a better look at what Fluttershy was wearing, especially its current state), AJ patrolled the clearing, Rainbow was sulking and Fluttershy was Fluttershy. Still, I was able to get at least a part of Rarity’s and Applejack’s story. Contrary to our previous examples, Applejack and Rarity appeared relatively close to one another. So close in fact that once one of them tried to stand up, the other one cried out in surprise, ordering the other to back away (it was rather obvious who shouted and who stood). Fortunately they quickly came to the conclusion who was who and after spending some time pondering their new appearances and what should they do Applejack decided that there was no reason for them to linger and that they should try and find us. Back then Rarity was actually thankful for the fact she had awoken near somepony as well versed in survival as AJ, but that changed quickly after but a few moments. Rarity never was a mare interested in camping, or any wilderness-oriented activities period. It wasn’t that big a surprise then that after a mere few minutes of threading trough the woods she began complaining. If anything, Applejack was surprised she lasted as long as she did. Somewhat prepared for this, she was able to mostly tune the unicorn out and concentrate on finding her way through the woods, and for the most part it worked. For the most part. All seemed well for about an hour, tough finding a way out of the forest came out as a failure. Rarity was still complaining, Applejack was still trying to make heads or tails of the forest and generally the duo was beginning to get a little bit annoyed with one another. I mean come on, how long can a mare listen to another mare’s constant complaining, or how would you feel if you were ignored for over an hour? That probably brought a lapse in concentration in AJ’s case, ‘cause she failed to see something that Rarity later on described as ‘completely obvious’, which by the way earned an annoyed glare from the farmpony. They were just passing a small mound of dead pine branches, a harmless enough thing to pass by to be sure. Yet once Applejack moved past it, she apparently failed to notice the thing shift in a definitely conspicuous manner. Moments later something burst out of the pile of branches and launched itself at the blond mare. There was a bit of confusion, the story getting blurry as both mares recounted the events differently, but from what we gathered they were attacked by a tick. Yes, I know how it sounds, but it was no ordinary tick to say the least. It was apparently the size of a full grown dog and unusually aggressive, lunging at them and trying desperately to sink its mandibles in them and drink their blood. The sheer size of the arachnid was enough to make the two mares consider fleeing, and taking into account we were talking about Rarity here, that’s exactly what she did. Now, I’m no expert on tick behavior, all I do know is that they are parasitic beings that drink blood, kind of like vampires, and that they usually ‘attack’ by waiting for a creature to come by them, planting themselves on their bodies and biting into their flesh to drink their lifeblood. This one however acted differently. Apparently the moment its initial attack on AJ failed, the farmpony jumping out of its way at the last possible moment and preparing to defend herself, it decided to target Rarity instead. Why it did that and decided to chase after her instead of confronting the less ‘lively’ prey I don’t have the slightest clue, but the thing is it did just that. It all but forgotten about AJ and concentrated on chasing after the fleeing fashionista. The next part of the story wasn’t that interesting. It consisted mainly of Rarity running blindly trough the forest, pursued by a gigantic tick, and Applejack trying to follow them to the best of her abilities. Of course seeing as AJ lacked the superior eyesight that Rarity’s new form possessed it wasn’t that easy for her to keep track of them, but fortunately she managed, and in the meantime she was able to make herself an improvised weapon to deal with the arachnid. Of course I was talking about a branch-turned makeshift club. Really, I was beginning to feel proud that I had the exact same idea as somepony as well versed in outdoor escapades as Applejack. Back to the story, Rarity, after a good few minutes of fleeing blindly trough the forest thickets found her way to the same clearing we were in at the moment. She tried to keep on going and not let the tick get to her, but her legs were giving up on her, not used to such abuse, and she tripped in the most undesirable moment. While she was trying to get to her feet, the tick had finally caught up to her. Losing no time the arachnid flung itself at her, grabbing on to her with its multiple legs and pinning her to the ground. It also tried to bite onto her, but Rarity either by a streak of unfathomable luck or sheer self-defense instinct was able to avoid being successfully deprived of her lifeblood long enough for AJ to catch up to her. Once Applejack saw what was going on she wasting no time and began assaulting the tick to the best of her abilities. Long story short, she was able to get the beast off of Rarity and managed to seriously wound it, possibly even kill it. Of course at that point Fluttershy looked a bit morbid, any mention of a creature of any kind being killed making her cringe, but she was otherwise okay. That also explained the yellowish goo that stained Rarity’s dress –it was probably the tick’s ichor. Normally the story would end here with Rarity thanking Applejack for saving her life and all that, but this wasn’t the case. Instead, Rarity blamed AJ for bringing this ‘abomination’ on her, even though it clearly wasn’t her fault (the vile thing was waiting in an ambush and was probably hunting either way). More even, she began lashing out on her failed attempts on leading her out of this ‘horrid forest’ or finding their friends, and over time she was beginning to point out more and more things that she counted as Applejack’s flaws, less and less concerning the events of the last few hours and concentrating on things seemingly unrelated. AJ wasn’t one to back down from a fight, so she began to counter-criticize Rarity, pointing out her uselessness in a situation like this and stating that if it wasn’t for her efforts she would probably be tick-food by now. And that lasted for a good chunk of an hour. The two apparently came to a cease-fire minutes before Pinkie burst in and startled AJ. All those things that I’ve learned from listening to this story, all Rarity and Applejack said –it was beginning to confuse me more and more. Not the story itself mind you, I understood it fairly easily, but the implications it brought with it just boggled my mind. Up until now, whatever transported us to this forest was sure to place us at random. In this case however it went the opposite rout, dumping both mares practically side by side. Then the kinds of creatures the two of them were transformed, they made little sense. I mean yeah, AJ was basically the same thing now that RD was, so that might've meant that whatever creature they now were was used to physical work, as both of them were quite athletic. But Rarity and Fluttershy? What did they have in common? Maybe it was because of the fact both of them were extremely graceful? Or maybe their good looks? Because that’s the extent of similarities that I can think of right now. I quickly came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be able to figure this out on my own. I wasn’t as smart as Twilight, and the extent of my knowledge was what I was thought by her or remembered from the times I helped her in her research… Wait a moment, what did Twi usually say about research? ‘The best results are achieved by running a problem by a larger group of ponies to acquire more data and take into account multiple points of view’, or in laymare's terms –the more of us working on it the better! I needed to talk about it with the others, maybe if we brainstormed we would be able to figure something out! I looked at the girls and cleared my throat, gaining their attention. “Hey girls, I’ve been thinking: does any of you have any idea why we ended up here?” Okay, that was a bit blunt coming from me, and random. Guess somepony needed to fill up in Pinkie’s ‘absence’. “Call me mad but I think it was magic.” Rainbow replied sarcastically, crossing her arms on her chest. “Seriously Spike, you were there, I was there, even Fluttershy was there. We all know what happened.” “Well the thing is it’s not as simple as you might think.” I replied, and upon seeing a raised eyebrow from her I continued. “What’s the last thing you remember before ending up here?” “Well, Twilight was casting some serious magic on that bear creature and something went funky with her spell.” The cyan mare said, looking confused at my question. “Define ‘funky’.” I ordered. “Well, her aura-thingy got bigger and brighter…” “Brighter as in…” “Spike, you knew full well how it looked, you’ve been there, remember?” I think I was beginning to annoy Dash. Still, I wanted to hear that answer, as obvious as it was, from her lips, so that there was no mistake. So I stared at her impassively. After a few moments she gave in. “Alright already! Sheesh… It was blindingly bright. Ya happy now?” “Yes, quite.” I nodded at her and looked at the others. “You girls seen the same blinding flash of light before we ended up here too I suppose?” Fluttershy only nodded in response, AJ and Rarity following suit moments later. I nodded to myself and looked at Rarity. “As a unicorn, what do you know about magical overload?” Rarity looked mildly surprised, probably at me knowing about something like that, but answered nonetheless: “I cannot speak out of my own experience in the matter as I never overexerted myself in that sort of way, but I do know that magical overload usually ends up making a unicorn’s spell that he or she is actually casting misfire.” “Does this misfire consists of spells working in a undesirable way or…?” “From what I believe it either fails entirely, not working, or overcharges the spell, leaving control to the unicorn in question. Practically the only negative repercussion of that kind of overcharge is magical exhaustion the unicorn feels for some time after the spell ends, depending on the reserves the individual possesses.” “So magical overload can’t… I don’t know… spontaneously change a simple levitation spell into an overpowered teleportation spell?” I pressed on, and as a response Rarity shook her head no. “No, it simply does not work in that way.” “Hold up there a minute. Ah always thought that unicorn magic can get mighty uncontrollable if overloaded.” Applejack interjected, scratching her head in confusion. “Yeah, ain’t that like what usually gets unicorns in all sorts of trouble?” RD backed up AJ’s argument. In response Rarity only shook her head. “I wouldn’t expect anything different from the two of you. Most non-unicorns believe that, but I can assure you that it’s a blatant misconception, common among earth ponies and pegasi.” Rarity adopted a superior pose while saying that, which was beginning to get on the nerves of both mares she addressed. Fortunately, she quickly noticed the less then amused stares and reverted to a more neutral one. “Rarity does have a point.” I spoke up, a feeble attempt to get on her good side. “Magical overload doesn’t work like you two described it. Inexperience and poorly executed experiments on the other hoof, that’s where the real ‘fun’ is.” All four mares stared at me like if I sprouted a second head, mouths agape. To be honest I expected a reaction like that – I mean a non-unicorn knowing things like that? Definitely not that common. Either way even if I expected this sort of response it didn’t mean that I didn’t get creeped out by the stares. “What!?” I asked defensively, shifting away from the stares. “I lived under one roof with a unicorn whose special talent is literally magic for fourteen years now, it’s not like I’ve been blindfolded all that time!” Good thing Twilight wasn’t anywhere near, she would've surely disappeared my mouth for that slip up. Nonetheless, the girls seemed satisfied with my answer, at least that’s what I’ve got from studying Rarity’s expression. “Is what he says' true?” Rainbow asked, still looking at me suspiciously. “And how do you believe I should know that Rainbow Dash?” Replied Rarity undignified, realizing the question was directed at her. “Contrary to popular belief I do not go around poking in on other ponies private lives.” “Rarity, Ah do believe that RD was askin’ ‘bout the inexperience part.” Applejack interjected, to which Rarity had the dignity to blush, embarrassed of her own improper conclusions. “Ah, yes… um… yes, it is more than possible for young and inexperienced unicorns to… well… have rather poor control over their powers. And experimenting without supervision from an adult or more experienced unicorn is generally frowned upon. To be honest, I do believe that some of the more colorful stories about magical overloads originated from those kinds of unsupervised experiments.” “In other words once Sweetie Belle starts learning magic keep clear of her, gotcha.” Rainbow nodded to herself. Rarity looked like she wanted to argue upon hearing that, but thought better of it. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity proceeded to enter a heated discussion about young fillies and colts and which of the three types of ponies had the hardest times in their late childhoods and early teens. RD was just finishing a rather vivid story about the dangers of living in Cloudsdale, especially when it came to pegasi who had still problems with actually flying, a story that was making Fluttershy cringe every few seconds, when I decided to steer the conversation back on track. “Listen, as entertaining as your story is Rainbow, shouldn’t we be concentrating on something more, I don’t know, pressing, like what the hay actually happened to us?” I butted in once the cyan mare made a remark about young colts going *splat!* upon reaching the ground. She looked a bit annoyed at me for interrupting her, but that quickly gave way once she realized I was right. Fluttershy sent a thankful look my way for finally stopping RD. “Ah dunno what more there is ta talk ‘bout.” Applejack interjected, looking confused. “Ah mean Ah don’t really see a reason why we’re talkin’ ‘bout unicorn magic and whatnot, ‘sides the obvious Ah mean.” She added, gesturing to her body and the surrounding forest. “We’re getting there Applejack, don’t worry.” I assured. “And by the way: thanks for mentioning our other thing, I almost forgot about that. Now: have any of you noticed something weird with us after we landed here?” I didn’t need to wait too long for Rainbow Dash to answer that. “Well duh… Whatever we are, we’re not ponies anymore.” Pointing out the obvious, just as I suspected. “Well yes, that is quite noticeable.” Added Rarity, looking over herself and comparing herself to the others. “I cannot say if I’m comfortable with the way I look right now or not. This creature just looks so… alien. And don’t get me started on the absolutely horrendous stains on my dress, they’re simply dreadful.” “No offense but Ah still recon that gettin’ all soiled up is better than havin’ yer blood sucked out.” AJ butted in. Rarity glared at her, but remained calm otherwise, thank the stars. I really didn’t want another argument at my claws. “Yes, well, you all have a good point with that; we do look different, but I wasn’t talking about that, not directly anyway.” This got their attention. Rainbow looked like she wanted to ask what could possibly be more important than us changing shapes into weird, as of yet unnamed creatures, and the rest looked like they wanted to do the same. “What I was referring to was the fact that from the moment we changed none of us had any problems moving around. Don’t you guys find that strange?” “No, not really.” Answered Rarity, not understanding what I was getting at. “Why should we have problems with moving? It’s not like we were paralyzed or anything as horrible as that.” “Um… actually, I think that Spike has a point.” Came the soft voice of Fluttershy, barely audible above the crackling of flame. I looked at her with gratitude, happy that at least one of the mares understood what I was getting at. Dash and the others however looked more confused than anything else, and as their eyes fell on the shy mare she let out a small ‘eeep’ and withdrawn, thinking that she somehow insulted the others. “Darling, whatever do you mean by that?” It was Rarity that spoke up the first, still looking confused. “We can move about just fine, there is nothing wrong with our coordination. Not a single problem whatsoever.” “Yes, and that’s exactly what I’m referring to.” I stepped up before Rarity had a chance to continue. Seriously, Fluttershy was looking more and more hounded with each passing minute, her anxiousness getting the better of her even tough Rarity was as tactful as ever. “Listen: I can understand why I didn’t find adapting to this body all that hard, and I can kind of understand why Pinkie didn’t have any problems too, seeing that she’s Pinkie Pie. But you guys? It’s just… I don’t know… weird seeing you walk around on two legs and use your ‘claws’ like pros.” I think that I finally gotten to them. Judging by the expression on Rarity’s and Rainbow’s faces it actually downed on them that they were unknowingly doing something that nopony before them experienced. Both of them looked at their ‘claws’ more carefully, like if they’ve seen them for the first time, and began flexing their fingers and tightening them into fists like if they were testing their abilities. Applejack however… well, she was a different story entirely. AJ didn’t at first react to what I said, just as if she wasn’t listening to me. To be quite honest, she did scan the tree line in search for any dangers in that moment, so it could be just that. However after a few more minutes and looking oddly at RD and Rarity studying at their ‘claws’ she finally gave a reaction. A rather confused expression appeared on her freckled face and she gazed at Rarity, looking at her as if she was going to ask her something. And soon enough: “Why are y’all actin’ so surprised? Ah thought that this is normal stuff when ya change all magical like.” That made Rarity pause for a bit and look at AJ with genuine surprise. “I cannot believe that I am going so say this, but you could be right Applejack.” AJ looked like she wasn’t sure if she should treat that as an insult or not, so she decided to not say anything at all. “I admit, transfiguration magic just isn’t my cup of tea, so my knowledge on the subject is limited. However I do think that your explanation is possible Applejack –I’ve heard stories of unicorns utilizing these types of spells on living creatures and that in turn their ‘test subjects’ retained most of their motor functions.” “Uh… can somepony translate that into Equestrian?” It was Rainbow’s turn to look confused. Applejack too looked like she wasn’t exactly sure what Rarity just said, tough she seemingly understood the gist of it. Still, I didn’t have any other choice than act as a translator… again. “Rarity basically said that she heard of unicorns turning creatures into other creatures and that they could move around just fine.” Seriously, and here I thought that I would need to do something like this only with Twilight’s explanations. Both mares adopted more understanding expressions once I broke it up to them in simpler terms. Rarity in turn looked quite proud of herself –having an opportunity to shine like that, even if it wasn’t related to her dressmaking skills was still enough to stroke her ego a bit. That, and normally when it came to magic it was Twilight that was the first to explain things, so an occasion for the second unicorn of the small group of friends to explain something magic-related was a real rarity. After a couple of moments Rainbow Dash decided to sum up our findings. “Okay, so we know that whatever happened to us was definitely the work of unicorn magic.” She began. “In other words it was probably the work of Twilight… not intentionally of course!” She added hastily once she spotted our (mine, Rarity’s, AJ’s, and even Fluttershy’s) combined glares. “ I mean we all saw that she had like real problems with her magic once she banished that giant bear thingy.” “Ursa Major.” I supplemented. Rainbow shot me a pointed look, but I ignored it for the most part. “Yeah, well, whatever it was, the big bear definitely made Twi overexert herself and she lost control of her magic or something. Then it hit us, changed us into whatever we are now and transported us Celestia knows how far from Ponyville.” “Not ta burst yer bubble RD but hasn’t Rarity said sumthing ‘bout magical overloads not changin' the way the spell works?” Applejack interjected, pointing out something quite important here. Rainbow however seemed to be prepared for that particular question. “Yes, Rarity did say that, but she also said that unicorns casting magic that they have no experience in can mess things up reall bad.” “And you think that Twilight used magic she wasn’t familiar with to stop the Ursa?” I asked, rising an eyebrow. “Seriously Dash, who do you think Twilight is, an amateur like that Trixie pony? She knew what she was doing, and she knew the spells she was casting, even if they were cast on a scale she never used before.” “Not to mention that your theory does not count in the fact that whatever magic worked on us provided us with some clothing, in my case even some quite marvelous design if I do say so myself.” Rarity butted in, taking pride in the dress she was currently wearing. That is until she remembered it was basically stained with giant tick blood at which point she returned to scrubbing at the material in a vain attempt to clean it up. She had brought up a valid point tough. For the most part I ignored the fact we were now wearing clothes of any sorts. Apart from the first few moments after I noticed I was changed I didn’t think much about that small detail. I mean it felt like if it was completely normal to have a shirt and pants on. Problem is, it wasn’t normal. I was a dragon, the girls were ponies, and to quote someone wiser than me: ‘we normally don’t wear clothes’. Rarity in her small explanation mentioned animals being capable of moving unhindered once changed into other creatures. She hadn’t however said anything about any change in their behavior. If we were changed in a similar manner, then shouldn’t we still feel the slight awkwardness of wearing clothes. Or did the change affect also that? And if so then why were we so comfortable with wearing anything anyway? Did the creatures we were now normally wore clothes? And if so then why? It appeared that I wasn’t the only one who found this strange. Quite surprisingly, the only pony that wore anything on a regular basis, Applejack, came to the exact same conclusion. She looked first at herself and at the clothes she was wearing (a simple shirt and a pair of pants, all in I think shades of brown or dark orange), then shot a glance at the rest of us, and frowned, scratching her forehead. “Eh… Listen y'all, Ah suppose y’all noticed it by now, but ain’t it a lil’ bit weird that we actually have clothes in the first place? Ah mean Ah hardly even noticed it an all the scuffle with that gosh-awful tick an’ after that Ah didn’ had the head ta think ‘bout it.” Rarity looked like she wanted to comment on that, but she bit her tongue before she said anything. Instead it was Rainbow that answered the farmpony’s question. “Yeah, that does seem quite weird.” It was like if she first noticed she was wearing something, looking herself over with mild interest. “You’d think that something as obvious like this wouldn’t escape our notice. And it’s kind of weird now that I think about it. I mean what gives? Why do we need clothes?” “Um… I think I might know why…” Fluttershy spoke up shyly. We all looked at her, and this time the girls did at least try to look more soothingly as to not make the timid mare more nervous then she was already and gestured for her to continue. “You see… whatever we are right now… the creatures we turned into… well, I think they actually need clothes to survive.” We exchanged surprised looks. It was clear that none of us thought about that. Finally Rarity spoke up, asking the question we all had at the moment on our minds: “Why do you think that these creatures need clothes to survive dear?” “Um… I actually took some time to look over… myself…” At the mention of that she blushed profusely. After a second however she fought the blush down and continued. “The poor things don’t have any sort of coat or fur besides the hair on their heads. They must get really cold without it, so…” “So they wear clothes to keep warm.” Rarity finished for her, a look of astonishment on her elegant face. “I must admit, aside from some winter creations it did not occur to me that somepony, or some creature for that matter, would need clothes to actually fend off the cold, not in a temperate climate.” “It does make sense though.” Rainbow added her own two bits. “Take for example the Wonderbolts. They wear their aviator suits not only because they look awesome in them, but also to protect them from cold while performing. You wouldn’t believe how frosty in can get when you’re spiral diving at a high altitude or doing anything else that high for that matter.” “Um… may I continue please?” Fluttershy spoke up a little, tough most of us could barely hear her. Nonetheless we all went quite and nodded for her to continue. “I only wanted to say that if the rest of you are any similar to me… I mean to me in this body, like you Rarity… then the clothes probably serve also another… em… function?” She seemed uncertain, but if it was of what she was about to say or how to actually approach the matter we couldn’t tell. After some minutes of Fluttershy fumbling with her words Rainbow was beginning to get fed up. “Oh for the love of… Listen Fluttershy, you know us for how long? Ten, twelve, fourteen years now? You know perfectly well that we don’t bite and that you can say anything to us and we won’t get upset. So spit it out already!” “Okay, if you really want to know, then I’ll tell you.” I was genuinely surprised that Rainbow’s rather harsh approach actually gave positive results. Heh, who knew. Either way, Fluttershy took a deep breath, looked at us seriously, and began: “The creatures don’t have fur almost anywhere on their bodies. And that includes the more… private… areas…” Okay, so she did trail off at the end, and she did blush like mad after she said that, but to her defense –so did the others. Out of the three mares Rarity took that information the hardest. Where RD and AJ only blushed, albeit strong enough to put the glow of the campfire to shame, the fashionista looked like if she just witnessed her boutique burn down to the ground. Mouth agape in an unladylike fashion and eyes as wide as dinner plates, she stared in disbelief at Fluttershy, trying to comprehend what she just heard from her. Sputtering, trying to form the right words, she rose to her feet and began pacing in a vain attempt to calm down. “You mean to tell me, that we changed into creatures so crude, that they are indecent by nature?! That they… that we are so… I don’t even have the right words to describe how horrid this all is!” It was official now –Rarity was freaking out. Who knew that an information like that would have such an effect on her. I for myself didn’t exactly see what all the fuss was about. Then again I was a dragon, a reptilian creature, so I didn’t have to worry about being decent –nature provided me with a method far better than those of mammals. However… Come to think of it, now I too was a mammal, weren’t I? Did that mean that…? Oh boy… The implications of my position threw me for a loop for awhile, but even after I managed to fight off the blush forming on my own cheeks and clear my thoughts, Rarity was still at it. It seemed that she wouldn’t be stopping her critique of whatever we changed into anytime soon. And to be perfectly honest, it was beginning to get on everypony’s nerves. “Ya suppose she’s goin’ ta can it anytime soon? Ah think Ah’m gonna go nuts if Ah hafta listen to this any longer.” “I hear ya sister, tough I wouldn’t count on her shutting up anytime soon. From what I've heard Rarity can go on and on and on…” “Oh hay no! Ah ain’t gonna listen to this any longer!” With that said Applejack rose to her feet and stomped her way towards Rarity. Once in reach she grabbed the purple maned mare by the shoulders and shook her rather hard. “Snap out of it girl!” The combination of some rather hard shaking and a loud shout directed straight at her face was enough to make Rarity stop her rant for a moment. She looked genuinely confused as to what had just happened and looked at AJ in a dazed manner for a few seconds. Moments later she stepped back from the farmpony and glared at her, huffing. “Applejack, darling, don’t you know that yelling at somepony’s face is considered rude in most societies?” Oh boy, here we go again. “Surely even in your… rustic community something like that is considered impolite.” “Impolite or not, Ah just ‘bout had enough of yer complaining ‘bout what we are now.” Well what do you know, AJ didn’t take Rarity’s bait. “Okay, so dem creatures we’re now ain’t furry enough ta cover up dem important bits, we get it. But it ain’t sumthing worth the time ya spent on whinin’ ‘bout it. ‘Sides, we have clothes an’ apparently they too have clothes, so it ain’t like they’re all goin’ ‘bout naked. An’ Ah’m sure they have a… uh, what’s it called again… a nudity taboo or sumthing in place, so ya need not fret, ya hear?” For a moment there Rarity looked like if she wasn’t sure what to say; she probably expected Applejack to say something different, but the farmpony surprised her with a well thought answer. Struggling to find something worth criticizing in AJ’s words (I still don’t get it why the two just can’t seem to get along), the fashionista had to eventually admit defeat. Hanging her head in shame she spoke in a small voice: “I guess you are right Applejack, I may have overreacted just a bit there. It’s just that the thought of being indecent in any manner makes my blood run cold.” “Don’t ya worry ‘bout that sugarcube, Ah ain’t exactly comfortable with all this as well, but Ah jus’ don’t go on ‘bout it fer hours at a time.” AJ replied, patting Rarity on the arm reassuringly. Contrary to the unicorn, she didn’t appear to want to continue the fight from what I could tell, and it showed, even if she couldn’t resist a slight, playful jab at her flipping out like that. Did that make her a better pony? Possibly, but I wasn’t one to judge. Besides, what matters is how Rarity actually reacted to that. The mare of my dreams seemed to perk up, knowing that she wasn’t alone in this mess and that others felt like she did. She also seemed to warm up a bit towards Applejack at that moment, sending her a thankful smile and a nod before she stepped back and began straightening her dress in a way that clearly told me that she was doing that only to calm herself down (pros of spending time around a fashionista I guess). Not long after that she resumed her position on the halved log, AJ following suit not long after. “What?” Applejack asked once she noticed the look RD was giving her –a mischievous smirk accompanied by an arched eyebrow. “Nudity taboo? Really? I didn’t think you knew such a thing existed Applejack.” Her smirk morphed into a grin as she noticed the frown on AJ’s face. “Ya callin’ me stupid or sumthing?” She asked accusingly, glaring at Rainbow. “All have ya know, that workin’ on a farm doesn’t automatically mean that somepony’s slow on the uptake. ‘Sides, Ah read a couple o’ books in mah time an’ Ah picked up sum terms from ‘em.” “So what, you’re an egghead now?” RD was close to bursting out laughing by this point. This however brought Rarity into the fray, who decided that the least she could do was defend Applejack from such accusations. Besides, if reading a book or two automatically makes you an egghead, then not only Applejack, but all of us (with the noticeable exception of a certain cyan mare) were eggheads. “Applejack is by no stretch of the word an ‘egghead’ (no offense) as you oh so eloquently put it Rainbow Dash. There is no harm in reading a good book from time to time. Why I myself do enjoy some good literature, especially on Sunday mornings and with a cup of hot chocolate at my side.” “Yeah, an’ what do ya think Ah have to do in winter on the farm? Not that much work ta do with all dem snow an’ all.” Rainbow just rolled her eyes and choose to ignore the two mares. My guess –it would take a miracle to make her read something longer than a Wonderbolt Academy Acceptance Letter. Still it was nice to see AJ and Rarity actually agreeing on something for a change and working together. It at least proved that the two of them could set aside their differences. Seeing that the discussion was once again going off course I decided to remedy that as soon as possible. “Maybe we should sum up what we discovered so far? Ya know, before you guys go completely off topic here?” I was rewarded with some annoyed looks from the mares, but they nonetheless listened to me and placed their discussion on the back burner for now. “Very well then, let us gather up what we have established so far.” Rarity began, and in a manner that could only be made by a creature with digits she began counting off on her fingers. “We have been transported into this dreadful, tick-infested forest and transformed into two-legged creatures that not only cannot keep warm without wearing clothes, but need them to even be decent. Whatever had changed us, it must have worked with intent, as I already stated, that a simple magical overload on Twilight’s part would not do all those things.” “So ya think that it was somepony else that sent us here an’ all that?” Asked Applejack, tilting her hat a bit in thought. “Ah recon ya have a point there sugarcube. Why else would Twi be castin’ spells like them ones that are on us? She seemed ta have the Ursa in control.” “Wait a moment.” Rainbow spoke up, looking between the two mares like if she wasn’t sure what was going on. “What do you mean with ‘somepony else sent us here’? We all saw what happened! Twilight’s magic went all wacko and did all this, you guys saw the flash of light from her horn, haven’t you?” She was rewarded with a discrete roll of the eyes from Rarity and a silent chuckle from Applejack, which only served to annoy the pegasus more. “What!?” “Nothin’ RD, ya just proved somethin’, ‘tis all.” “Yeah, and what’s that?” “That you, my dear, have a habit of not listening to what other ponies say, too engrossed with your own stories.” Supplemented Rarity, and once she saw the angered yet confused expression on RD’s face she continued. “If you were paying attention to what I was saying once we were discussing young unicorns and their magical education you would remember that I mentioned how ‘mentoring’ works.” “Isn’t that when an older and more experienced unicorn uses his own magic to manipulate his student’s magical power?” I asked, having a vague idea of what Rarity was talking about. “Precisely Spike. A unicorn ‘mentor’ can, if given the possibility, use the power of his ‘student’ to power his own magic, in the same time teaching his ward how to cast the spell in question. It is a rather old praxis, but it serves the purpose of teaching young colts and fillies the basics of spells such as the simple levitation and light spell.” I had a feeling that Rarity was going through this lecture more for Rainbow’s sake than for mine, especially considering I knew all those things already thanks to Twi. The lectured mare in question in turn quickly caught up and noticed what Rarity was going at earlier. “So you think that somepony ‘mentored’ Twilight’s magic into changing and sending us here? That’s kinda weird if you ask me. Why would anypony want to do something like that?” “Dunno, revenge maybe, or envy?” AJ proposed some sample motives. “Twi is one heck of a powerful unicorn, bein’ the Element o’ Magic an’ all. Ah would bet mah hat that some ponies are jealous of her skills an’ such.” “Yeah, but that still leaves the ‘who?’ question.” Rainbow pressed on. “I mean I don’t think there's a unicorn in Ponyville who would want to do something like that…” Suddenly she trailed off, her eyes first widening in realization, then squinting into angry slits as a cold yet furious frown appeared on her face. After a moment she muttered, gritting her teeth in rage: “Trixie… I bet that no good showoff had something to do with this! Twilight showed her who’s boss and she did that mentoring trick to get revenge, that cheap excuse of a pony!” “Ya seriously think that this whole ‘High an’ Mighty’ Trixie or whatever she’s called would be able ta mess Twi up so bad?” Applejack looked at her friend with an arched eyebrow. Rainbow responded with a stiff, angry nod, muttering obscenities directed at the ‘Great and Powerful’ showmare. “Well I do believe that in theory it could be possible for this brutish excuse of a unicorn to actually do something like that, but that is only in theory.” Rarity added, making the rest look at her expectantly. “If memory serves me right, Trixie wasn’t able to stand her ground against that dreadful Ursa, yet Twilight managed to subdue the beast and transport it away from Ponyville. That would imply that Twilight possesses significantly more raw power than Trixie, which in turn would make any attempts by her to use the mentor technique to ‘mess Twilight up’ almost impossible. After all –mentoring works best if the mentor is more powerful and experienced than the student.” “Yeah, but that’s the only lead we got right now.” Rainbow argued. “I mean come on! You guys know how big of an ego that showoff has…” “Bigger than yer’s, an’ that’s an accomplishment.” AJ muttered so that Dash couldn’t hear her. “…I bet she’s behind all this. Besides, I don’t know anypony that would even think about harming Twilight like that, not to mention us.” “Yes, you don’t know any pony that would do that.” I decided that this was as good as any moment to reveal what I knew. “But what if it wasn’t a pony at all?” “What do you mean Spike?” Rainbow asked, looking at me suspiciously. Rarity and Applejack also looked at me, tough their eyes were significantly less accusatory then the violet orbs of the pegasus. “You know something, don’t you?” “Well, kind of… I think.” I muttered, a bit unnerved by her stare. Still, I had to share what I knew, and no amount of glares courtesy of Rainbow Dash was going to prevent me from that. I took a deep breath and launched into a recap of what I’ve discovered not a day ago. Starting from the moment Twilight and I left the crowd of ponies before Trixie’s stage to discuss something (didn’t mention what, and it wasn’t that important in the end) I told them about the strange light that I saw between some houses and of my decision to investigate. I told them about the odd glow that moments later transported Pinkie Pie in front of me, just a few second before I was about to confront it, dodging me and confusing both me and the pink mare. I also recounted the small investigation the two of us had, us finding a set of weird hoofprints and then going to Fluttershy for her opinion about said prints, seeing as they were definitely not equine in nature. It didn’t come to me as that great of a surprise when the girls looked oddly at me once I said that. I mean for all they knew I was with them when they were being humiliated by Trixie. Not to mention that they believed that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were there as well. Thankfully, ‘Shy was there to back my words up, even if it was nothing more than a subdued whisper and a slight nod. With her support I was able to convince the rest that I actually wasn’t with them and that what I was telling them was the truth. It didn’t mean that they understood how it was possible that I was apparently in two places at once, but to be completely honest I didn’t have the slightest clue how that was possible myself. Getting back on track I summarized what Fluttershy was able to establish from a sketch of the hoofprints I provided her with: that it was a biped, that it was large and heavy, and that it probably was a carnivore. Oh, and the apparent fact that it could use magic. This of course got the girls interest. Questions about why I didn’t tell anypony about that began to be flung at me, so I ended up telling them about how I went straight for Twilight and informed her about what I discovered. They were surprised when I told them that Twi didn’t believe me. Well, surprised isn’t exactly a strong enough word. Shocked would be more appropriate. Of course I omitted the fact that I basically began arguing with her about the creature, and that she probably declined to help me sorely out of momentary spite, but I figured it wouldn’t mean that much in the end. And to be honest, I didn’t feel that good talking about Twilight in a way that implied she was unhelpful just because. So, to clear out any doubts I told them that apparently she was followed by a doppelganger of me that bugged her to no end and that she just thought what I was saying was only a scheme of mine. Come to think of it, I do think that’s exactly why she didn’t want to believe me in the first place. It was all downhill from that pint onward. I informed them that after the fiasco with Twilight I’ve decided to look for them and try to convince them to help me do something about this possibly dangerous creature. The girls looked surprised at that, well, aside from Rainbow Dash who looked more sheepish than anything else. Seeing that they didn’t understand what I’ve meant I told them in a few sentences that I began looking for them around town, but either I couldn’t find them or they were in no condition to help me (at the mention of that Rarity and RD both blushed from embarrassment, tough I didn’t point them out in particular –I’m many things, but suicidal is not one of them). And so, from one thing to another I finally told them about Snips and Snails finding and ‘bringing’ the Ursa to Ponyville and concluded my story with a simple ‘you guys know the rest’. Silence befell our small group, only the sounds of cracking fire and the occasional breeze filling the air. The girls most probably were trying to come to terms with what I just told them, trying to figure out why an unknown, apparently magical creature decided to mess us up so much. I for myself had the odd suspicion that whatever had sent us here was trying to get rid of the biggest threat it could face. I mean come on, the girls were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony for peat’s sake, they were like Princes Celestia’s secret weapons or something. It was clear as day why something malevolent would target them. And I just ended up with them because I knew too much. Then again, why didn’t it just kill us and be done with it? Ugh… we really need to find Twilight, only she would be able to make sense of this. After a few more moments the silence was broken by one of the girls. Not surprisingly, it was Rainbow who decided to add her two bits. “I still think that this whole Trixie is behind all this.” She muttered darkly, glaring at nopony in particular and crossing her arms. “This weird magic-wielding winged thingy must work for her I bet.” “Ah dunno RD, that would be a mighty big coincidence if ya ask me.” AJ shook her head, tipping her hat a bit in thought. “An’ why in the name of all things apple related would this critter work for somepony like Trixie anyway? Ah get the impression that it would be the other way ‘round.” “Yeah, but doesn’t it strike you as odd that the moment she shows up in town this thingy begins roaming Ponyville’s streets and making duplicates of Flutters, Pinkie, and Spike?” Rainbow countered. “For all we know this thing could be some kind of magical thingamajig she made that’s under her control and has most of her true evil powers.” “Darling, I do believe that those comics that you read have rotten your mind entirely.” Rarity added, rolling her eyes not so discretely. “There are no such things as magical constructs, if that is what you were aiming at with that colorful description you presented us with.” “Um… guys?” I faintly heard Fluttershy speak up. “I think that… em… Pinkie Pie is…” “Oh yeah? Then I would like ta hear your theory Rarity.” Apparently nopony else noticed Fluttershy’s attempt, as Rainbow Dash decided to pick a verbal fight with Rarity. “Well, let’s hear it. What, you don’t have one? Then my theory is as good an explanation as anything.” “Not the point Rainbow. All I’ve said is that magical constructs do not exist. Trixie couldn’t create something that’s impossible to accomplish.” “Um… Excuse me but… could you calm down for a bit… if you’re okay with it that is.” Fluttershy wasn’t giving up apparently as she tried to gain the other’s attention once more. “I… I think that… um… Pinkie Pie is going to…” “Then this thing is under some kind of her spell or something. I’m telling ya, she ordered that thing to do this to us so she can make duplicates of us and create her ultimate fan-club or something like that.” “Girls… really… this is probably something important…” Poor Fluttershy, still ignored by the others. “Why that is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. If you would as much as think back to the Ursa attack you would notice that this whole ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie wasn’t able to even affect that dreadful beast. How could she then possibly mind control some sort of alien creature we don’t know the first thing about? Not to mention that creating a ‘fan-club’ is probably the stupidest reason to do anything I have heard in my entire life.” “Um… please, could you listen to me? I-I think…” “And what’s wrong with that, huh? A fan-club is a reason as good as any other. Besides, you’ve seen how big of an ego that mare has, it would be perfectly fitting for her to do something like that. I’m telling ya, this is all Trixie’s doing. She’s trying to get rid of us as to inflate that ego of hers to the size of a…” “Gigantic donut!” An extremely loud, gleeful shout interrupted Rainbow, startling all of us, especially the cyan mare, though she would probably deny it. We began frantically searching for the source of the noise, but as it were, it wasn’t that hard to pinpoint from where it came. Pinkie Pie, still in her weird, large-eyed two-legged form finally awoke, or at least it seemed that way. The pink party pony sat bolt upright in the place she was lying not a few moments before, arms outstretched like if she was about to grab something. Her expression was one of glee, just as if she ended in candyland or something, tough it was marred by the big lump courtesy of Applejack. Her blue eyes were darting from one place to the other as if she was frantically searching for something but couldn’t find it. Finally, after a few seconds of searching she noticed us, looking at as in confusion, just like if she didn’t knew who we were. That however didn’t last long –she remembered that we apparently looked like that now, so she adopted a happy if not a bit loony grin. “Hey guys, didja see a large, hulking donut with sprinkles and stuff roll by? Seriously, it was here just a moment ago…” We exchanged confused glances at that, letting Pinkie Pie take another look around, probably still looking for the ‘runaway donut’. It was good having her back, don’t get me wrong, but diving straight into her randomness so quickly was confusing at the very least. After a few moments Rarity decided it would be for the best if we calmed Pinkie down before she did something too random. Clearing her throat she turned to the party animal: “Pinkie, darling, I’m afraid you won’t be finding that… ‘donut’… anytime soon. I’m afraid it was just a dream.” Pinkie looked just like if somepony told her she was forbidden from throwing parties for the next month –such a heartbroken expression should be labeled a weapon of mass destruction. With watery eyes and a barely contained tremble in her voice she asked the obvious: “It was just a dream?” “Ah’m afraid so sugarcube.” Applejack nodded, taking her hat off and looking hesitantly at Pinkie, probably preparing to apologize to her. The mare in question however didn’t seem to notice, still focused on the apparent lack of giant donuts. “No giant donuts with extra sprinkles rolling around?” We collectively shook our heads at that. We were preparing for the worst –knowing Pinkie, she could go into hysteria or burst out into tears. In the worst case scenario she would do both those things in the same time. However nothing, not even our familiarity with the pink earth pony could prepare us for what was to come. “That’s good, for a moment there I was beginning to think I was going loco in the coco.” …What? “I mean donuts don’t just roll around in the middle of a forest now, do they? Especially big ones. That’s just silly.” Seriously: what? “Cupcakes on legs on the other hoof are quite possible. They usually sit in their molds all quiet, but once you look the other way for just a minute they all mysteriously disappear. That’s some sneaky cupcakes alright, all ninja style. Still, a shame –I was really looking forward to eating that jam-filled goodness.” …You know what? I’m not even going to bother questioning that. I already feel like my brain cells are committing mass suicide. One look at the faces of the girls was enough for me to figure out that they too were feeling that way. For a moment it seemed that Pinkie Pie was preparing to launch into another of her crazy rambling sessions. That quickly changed however once the haze of unconsciousness lifted and her pain receptors began working properly again. She stopped mid-sentence, moaned a great big ‘ouch’ and began rubbing gingerly at her forehead in the place where the lump was. This of course made Applejack feel all the more guilty, and she finally took her hat off, looking apologetically at the pink maned mare. “Why do I feel like I had too good of a time last night?” Pinkie hissed, but once her ‘claws’ reached the bump her eyes widened in surprise and –at least I think it was –excitement. “Uh, uh! Am I growing a horn now? Am I turning into a unicorn? *ouch* Or is it were-unicorn? Is it even possible? I know I read somewhere this story where I grew a horn, but I’m not quite sure now. *ugh* Does it mean I’ll have cool unicorn magic now?” “Eh… Pinkie? That ain’t a horn yer feelin’ there.” Applejack tried to calm down the excited if not hurting party animal. It was hard enough apologizing to her when she was only moaning in pain, trying to do that when between moans while she rambles excitedly about having a horn is something else entirely. “It isn’t?” …Aaand again with the heartbroken expression. I had to avert my gaze, I just couldn’t take it. “Nope, Ah’m afraid not.” I have to give credit to AJ here; she withstood the look Pinkie was giving her like a pro. Then again, she already felt guilty, so it didn’t make that big of a difference to her. Pinkie however wasn’t going to let go that easily. “Are you sure it’s not a horn?” She asked hopefully, pointing at her lump with her ‘claws’ and hissing in pain once she touched it. “Ah’m sure sugarcube, that ain’t no horn yer feelin’ there. In fact, Ah wanted ta apologize for that.” “So it’s not a horn because of you?” “Jus’… jus’ listen ta me, alright?” And there you have it –Applejack had had enough of Pinkie’s constant silly theories. She looked the pink mare straight in the eye and reminded her what happened before she blacked out, all the time saying that she was sorry, that it was an accident, and that if she knew it was her she wouldn’t lift a hoof against her. Pinkie’s reaction however was, well, something none of us expected to be honest, as usual. Instead of looking angry, sad, hurt or anything along those lines she adopted a thoughtful expression, scratching her chin and frowning a bit. “So I’ll won’t be having a horn anytime soon.” She muttered, and we all had to force ourselves not to facehoof (faceclaw). “That’s another disappointment. Ah well, it’s not like I’m not used to things like that. And it does explain why I feel so dizzy right now, not to mention the ringing in my ears.” “Oh my, Pinkie. You may have a concussion.” Not surprisingly an information like that was enough to warrant Fluttershy’s attention. And in turn, ‘Shy’s proclamation was enough to further fuel Applejack’s shame. The look Rarity was giving her wasn’t helping at all. “Ah’m really, really sorry for that.” Was all the farmpony could muster, hanging her head in guilt and shame, staring at the ground with an apologetic expression. Fortunately, Pinkie Pie did finally see in what kind of distress AJ was, and as a pony that could not help but to ‘turn a frown upside down’ as she put it once she began cheering her up. “Hey, it’s no biggie, and I’m not mad at you.” She said, smiling at Applejack reassuringly. “You did what you thought was best at the moment. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, it’s only a concussion. All I have to do is… em… Fluttershy, I never had a concussion before, my Pinkie Endurance™ always prevented me from having one. What does a pony have to do to get rid of it?” Fluttershy looked a bit startled at being addressed, but nonetheless answered: “Um… you’ll have to lie down for a few days. If everything’s alright by that time you should be okay.” “Aw… That’s gonna be super boring! But hey!” Pinkie added hastily once she noticed that AJ looked a bit worse after hearing her proclaim that. “It’s all going to be fine! And I’ll use the time to prepare a plan for a “First Time Getting Rid Of A Concussion” party!” That lifted Applejack’s spirit, making her smile just a tiny bit and finally stop ruffling the edge of her hat. Unfortunately, lil’ miss Sunshine a.k.a. Rainbow Dash just had to ruin the mood with her two bits: “Not to burst your bubble or anything, but if you haven’t noticed –we’re in the middle of a friggin forest infested by crazy boars and gigantic ticks! Just how do you think Pinkie will be able to lie down for a few days in a place like this?!” “We could always just try and get out.” I suggested. “Oh yeah? And how do you propose we do that, huh?! I don’t have my wings, remember? I can’t just fly over the forest and find the closest way out for you guys.” Rainbow was suddenly at my face, glaring at me. I’m really starting to get the impression that the lack of wings is getting to her. Just a thought. “Not to mention that apparently AJ is no good in navigating in a forest bigger than her orchard.” “Now wait a darn moment RD, what’s that supposed ta mean?!” Great, more infighting. Rainbow just had to run her big mouth now, didn’t she. “What I mean is that you, apparently couldn’t find your wait out of here for more than an hour. Face it, you’re lost.” “Ah don’t remember y’all findin’ a way out o’ here as well. And yer experience with woods is flyin’ over ‘em, not goin’ trough ‘em.” “Hey, I’m a pegasus, remember? I don’t need to walk through a forest when I can just fly over it.” “But yer not a pegasus now. Ya can’t just fly away, and as far as Ah know, Ah’m the only one with any know-how prepared ta live in the wild.” “Yeah, and a load of good that did.” Rainbow replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes, and began counting out on her fingers. “Let’s see now: you got lost in a forest, you run into a giant tick that wanted to drink Rarity dry and you mistook Pinkie Pie for a wild animal that wanted to maul you two. Survival expert extraordinaire.” “Hey! That was mean Dashie! AJ’s doing her best and all you do is complain.” Pinkie to the rescue. I was wondering when she was going to intervene. She would continue to defend the farmpony for sure, but at that moment her bump decided to remind her of its existence and the pink pony could only hiss in pain, supported by Fluttershy. For a moment there Rainbow Dash looked like if she wanted to continue arguing, disregarding what Pinkie so clearly pointed out. She never did however, sudden realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. She looked at the fuming, red-faced Applejack, who was preparing to retort to yet another jab from the cyan mare, and she had the decency to hang her head low in shame. “S-sorry AJ, I… I don’t know what gotten into me.” She mumbled an apology, an act that took Applejack (and the rest of us for that matter) by surprise. We stared at the multicolor-maned mare and listened to her, our jaws hanging loose from shock. “I know you’re doing what you can to help, it’s just… it’s just that… Ugh, why does it have to be so hard?! I’m confused, I’m not used to be bound down to the earth! My place is in the clouds for crying out loud! But now… now I don’t even know what I am. I’m the best flier in Equestria, but now I don’t have any wings. It’s like… It’s like I’m stripped of a really important part of me, the thing that made me, well… me. I know Fluttershy’s not making a problem out of it, but she rarely flies as it is. But I? I always fly, I was born to fly. My cutie mark has to do with flying! But… but now I don’t even have that anymore. Am I even me now?” That… was surprisingly deep for Rainbow Dash. It seemed like she undergone an existential crisis right before our very eyes and we didn’t notice. And to top it all, I was beginning to feel like a jerk for thinking about her lack of wings in such a lighthearted manner. She hid it well until just now, but I guess something like losing wings is something truly traumatic for any pegasus, and that went double for RD. She couldn’t just keep it all in, she needed to create an outlet for her frustration. Thinking back on it, she probably acted like a jerk as a way to relieve some of that frustration and not out of spite or anything. This argument, her apparent and blatant disregard of the most prominent part of her very nature –loyalty… It was all a way for her to cope with the loss. And her confession jut now proved it. It was the first time I ever heard Rainbow Dash, the headstrong, always confident pegasus sound and look so dejected, so… depressed. Vulnerable even, tough the last she would probably deny. And one look at the girls confirmed it –they too were at a loss of words, seeing her like that for the first time. It was only after a moment of silently mulling about the whole situation that I decided to say something, anything, just to… just to stop feeling like a jerk and try and help her. “I… think I get where you’re coming from.” I started not too loudly, tough it was still perfectly audible in the silence that befell us. My words brought a doubtful look on RD’s face, but I didn’t care. “It’s like you’re missing a vital part of you. To be perfectly honest I know full well what you’re talking about. I, for example, can’t breathe fire anymore. Can you believe that: a dragon that can’t do something as simple as breathe fire. But that doesn’t mean I’m not me anymore. I know, it’s different, but I feel that in some way it’s actually the same… uh, at least I think it is. Do I make sense?” I asked, looking at the rest for help. Seriously, I’m no therapist material. Fortunately, Rarity came to my aid. “What I think Spike wanted to say is that we all lost something in coming here darling, and that we all know to some extent what you are going trough right now.” She said soothingly, tough she looked a bit uncomfortable talking about that. Apparently up until now she didn’t think much about her own lack of horn, and what follows that –magic. “We’re in bodies that are far from perfect, not to mention horrendously indecent… Em… What I’m saying is that we know, we understand, and we’re not going to judge you for your lack of wings. I, for example, lack magic in this form, and that most definitely is something that I will come to miss with time. I may not be as dependent on it as some ponies, but the simple fact I will be forced to work with my hands from now on makes my skin crawl. I just hope that whatever happened to us is not permanent and that sooner rather than later we will get back into our real bodies. But as for you Rainbow Dash –don’t worry. We’ll get through this and you will get your wings back. You’ll just have to wait for it, like the rest of us. And try not to dwell on it too much, alright? A frown most definitely doesn’t suit you.” She ended, offering her a soft, encouraging smile. Taking her example the rest of us offered her our own supportive looks as well, silently telling her, that if she ever needed us, we were there for her. Strange… I never thought that we would be in a situation like this. If somepony were to tell me two days ago that none other than Rainbow Dash would need our collective support to go through some hard time she was in, I would send him in the direction of the nearest psychiatrist. Dash seemed to lighten up a bit after that. It was clear that it wasn’t enough and that the lack of wings still weight heavily on her, but at least for the time being she was going to be okay. She was about to say something, knowing her: raspy thanks and then try to force us to promise not to tell anypony about what happened here, but something happened before that. Something that most definitely spelled trouble. As Rainbow was opening her mouth to say something a pained, frightened squeal pierced the night air. It brought all of us to attention, the sound being so loud and sudden that Fluttershy had no other choice than to ‘eeep’ as normally in situations like this and back up as quickly as she could. The worst part of that pained noise was that it sounded suspiciously familiar, enough so to make Dash pale a bit. “Him again?” She squeaked, half-frustrated half-panicked. “Aw come on! Give me a break!” Yep, it was the unmistakable sound of a wild hog. The squeals of the wild pig did not subside, instead growing louder with each passing second. That momentarily put as on high alert. Whoever would be at least decent if it came down to a fight (Rainbow Dash and Applejack to be precise, tough the cyan mare still was worse for were thanks to the last hog) stood in front of our small group, either clutching broken-off branches in their ‘claws’ or clenching their fists. I too decided to help out in any way I could. For once I wanted to pull my own weight… not to mention impress Rarity, but that’s beside the point. The rest, namely Fluttershy, Rarity and the indisposed Pinkie Pie huddled behind us. And so, prepared for the worst we waited. The sounds of the wild hog were getting louder and louder, its squeals growing more ferocious by the second. The sound of its hoofs hitting against the forest floor and the rustling of bushes it must've run through was getting louder as well, a clear indicator that the creature was getting closer. We prepared for the worst. The hog burst from out of one of the shrubs surrounding the clearing. It charged blindly ahead, probably not even noticing that it stumbled upon us. It squealed and roared angrily, making a mad dash in our direction, just as if it wanted to charge us and trample us into submission. There was something odd with it however, and even in my panicking state I was able to notice what was amiss. There was something long and clearly wooden sticking out of its back. I didn’t have much time to look at it as the wild pig was running at us with alarming speed. It lowered its head, readying its tusks to gore the first opposing creature it met, and that just happened to be me. I gulped down my fear, sweating bullets, and I hefted my impromptu weapon, ready to defend myself. A soft, almost inaudible swishing sound could be heard moments before the animal was able to get to me. Not a second later the boar let out another pain-filled sequel, yet this one sounded differently, more… pathetic. I don’t even know when I closed my eyes, but once I heard that sound I instinctively opened them and looked at the wild hog. What I saw was something I was not expecting. The wild animal, the mass of muscle and fur that moments ago was charging at us now lied on the ground, kicking at the air in a vain attempt to get up. It squealed even louder and looked so panicked that I could almost feel its fear. Its small, bloodshot eyes looked at us, almost as if pleading for help, almost as if it knew was happening to it and didn’t want to end up like that. But I wasn’t looking at its eyes, no. I was looking at its back. Where once was only one piece of wood sticking out, now there were two. I quickly put two and two together and reasoned that the pieces of wood I was seeing were in fact arrows. Ammunition for a rare in Equestria weapon, a bow to be exact, it seemed that two such arrows, each tipped with white, almost shining in the faint glow of the fire plumes were just shot into the back of the charging animal. But that could mean only one thing: there was somepony or something out there with a bow, and it just took down a boar all on its own. It seemed we were finally going to meet the locals, for better, or for worse.