We reappeared in the barn with a flash. Properly prepared this time, I was able to stay standing without support, but the world still whirled around me. I shut my eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and steady myself.
Once the dizziness had passed, I staggered to the door and stole myself a taste of the cool morning air. I caught sight of Big Mac hauling an empty cart towards the orchards, accompanied by what I assumed was a foal, though her legs short and stumpy, a far cry from the usual spindly legs of a young horse.
Mac glanced over and caught sight of me. A few seconds later, the foal followed his gaze. What followed was an entertaining sight as she tried to get a better look, while Mac did his best to block her view. I took the hint, and drew back inside. I clearly wasn't for children to see.
"I get the feeling I'm not wanted here," I said, half to myself.
Twilight was there next to me. "Why do you say that?"
"Should you even need to ask?"
I gestured at the barn door. "I haven't been outside since Applejack brought me here. You wouldn't even let me walk to your house. And Mac out there hasn't exactly been welcoming."
I wandered to a wall, and stood there, scuffing at the loose hay gathering under my feet. "Applejack's already all but admitted she doesn't want anyone else to see me. I think I understand why, but I don't like being hidden away. Like I'm some kind of monster." I've already had enough of that back before.
"Well, you are kind of intimidating. And these ponies have been through a lot lately. Something new like you, showing up out of the blue? Who can say how they'd react. Besides, it won't be for forever. Either Celestia can send you home, or she'll make sure you fit in here until we find a way. If you want to go, that is."
Why would I not want to? I had a life to return to, such as it was. I had a pack in trouble and revenge waiting. Of course I wanted to go back. I had to.
I'd sacrifice what might be my one chance at a clean slate and a fresh start, but I had to.
Sighing, I fell back against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. I'd have to choose, wouldn't I? A fresh start or comrades in danger. And I already knew that there wasn't any doubt which I'd pick. It wasn't fair, but it was life.
At that moment I heard a voice coming from outside that sounded as though the owner had been plucked straight from one of the 'better' cities on the Drijian. I sat up. That wasn't the sort of voice I'd expect to find around a rustic town like this.
"It's not Big MacIntosh, is it? I suppose I could whip up something to suit him, but somehow I never thought of him as the sort of stallion to be interested in my wares."
"No, Rarity, it ain't MacIntosh," came Applejack's exasperated reply. "And if it were, I sure as heck wouldn't be the one comin' down an' askin' for ya!"
"Well, I've run through everypony on the farm! Unless you've been keeping some extremely scandalous secrets from us all, Miss Honesty, there's shouldn't be anypony else here!"
"And that there is precisely my problem."
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
The door swung open.
"Why don't y'all take a look and see?"
A perfectly white unicorn walked through, her purple mane bouncing in an elegant single curl and an expression of mild distaste on her muzzle. She brightened up, though, when she caught sight of Twilight.
"Ah, Twilight, there you are! What is so important that you had to call on me this early, and drag me up to a dusty old barn, no offen..."
The mare that I assumed was Rarity trailed off as her eyes picked me out of the gloom, just as Twilight had yesterday. In an instant I saw the story of my life from hereon out; an endless parade of shocked and scared ponies wandering in through those barn doors and recoiling at the sight of me. Behind her, Applejack peered around the door with a distinctly unamused expression.
After a few seconds of silence Rarity stumbled back a pace or two and flicked a nervous glance at Twilight. Seeing her friend standing beside me seemed to reassure her, and she dipped her head first to Twilight and then to me.
"Twilight. Sssssssir?"
Was it really so hard to tell? I raised an eyebrow in amusement, but offered her a generous nod in return, replying "miss," as I did so. Everything about this Rarity seemed to scream 'high-born' at me, from the obviously styled mane to her voice to the way she carried herself, balancing lightly on her hooves as if she glided around rather than walking. It was a posture I'd seen among high-born ladies before, and it was an experience to see it performed with four legs and hooves.
However, while most high-born ladies were as shallow and frosty as their high-born husbands, there was something different about this mare. Though she complained about the early hour and the state of the barn, it was clear she didn't really mean a word of it. She was somehow more genuine than that, a fact that made me less inclined to treat her with the usual contempt that the nobility earned from me.
The feeling seemed not to be mutual. Rarity, though she stood her ground for her friend's sake, looked at me with that same air Twilight had shown when she had departed last night. As though she wasn't sure if she should be fascinated or terrified by the tall, dark-haired man with the dead eye.
Perhaps sensing tension in the air, Twilight stepped forward with a false and unnaturally wide grin fixed on her face.
"Rarity, we have an... unconventional order we need you to fill. This is Ranger, and he has a meeting with Princess Celestia at eleven, and he needs an outfit."
Rarity blinked a few times, and for a heart-stopping second looked as though she were about to refuse outright. But something seemed to click; she took a deep breath, shook her head as if to clear it, and looked me up and down. Silence stretched out, filled with anticipation and desperation as she hummed and hawed, tapping an ivory hoof against her chin.
"Eleven, you said?"
Twilight nodded anxiously. All trace of fear had vanished from Rarity's voice. It was confusing at first, but looking back I realise just how professional she was; if there was a client with an order, it mattered not who or what they were, just that they needed it filled. I began to hope that she might be able to work some kind of miracle.
Up until the point that she sighed and shook her head, at least. "Then I'm sorry, darling, but it can't be done."
Twilight began to protest. Suddenly unnoticed in the background of this conversation, I rolled my eyes. Of course it couldn't. There were some days when nothing wanted to go right, and of all the days it could have been, it had to be this one. I glanced around, waiting to a chance to poke my head into the conversation and make my own opinion known. In the meantime, Twilight was trying to impress upon Rarity the importance of a meeting with royalty, but didn't seem to be meeting with much success.
"Twilight, please! As much as I'd love to help Mr Ranger here make a good impression, there just wouldn't be enough time, even if he were a pony. Surely you know how hard it is to design an outfit from scratch. And I don't even know where I'd begin!"
"Oh, come on, Rarity, it doesn't have to be much. It's just so he doesn't feel uncomfortable. I'm sure the Princess would understand if it's not your best work."
Rarity paused with her mouth open, looking as though she weren't sure if she should be offended or if she should take the point under consideration. It seemed like the ideal moment to speak my own piece.
"If it helps, I'd be more than happy with just a pair of trousers and a good, thick cloak."
Twilight nodded along with me, forcing Rarity to give the idea some serious consideration instead of dismissing it out of hand.
"Well I suppose I could do you a cloak, so long as I have enough fabric. And the trousers... Well, they will take some doing, with you unusual stance, but I might be able to rush them through. Plain, of course; there's no time for ornamentation, as I'm sure you understand."
"Plain suits me fine," I replied, shrugging.
"Yes, I imagine it would..." muttered Rarity. "Now, if you could stand up and hold still, I'll need to take some measurements."
A measuring tape lifted itself from her saddlebag and started to circle me. Every few seconds it would wrap itself around some part of me, or stretch along a limb, and Rarity would note the measurement to herself. At one point she mumbled something about not having enough fabric. I disliked the implication, but with Twilight standing nearby I bit back the comment already forming on my tongue. Every time I looked at her, my mind started to think about oranges.
Eventually, though, Rarity finished her work and nodded to herself. Relieved of my duty to stand, I fell back against the wall and slumped back down again.
"Well, it will be a challenge, no doubt about it, but I can have this done by half-past ten."
She turned a hard glare at me. "I do hope you appreciate the effort. Now, I hate to be a bore, but if we could skip the haggling and come straight to a price? This has put me in rather a hurry, you see."
I opened my mouth to explain my situation, when Applejack cut in.
"Well, that might be a problem, Rarity. See, Ranger here kinda dropped outta the blue. And I mean that in all seriousness. Showed up in the orchard yesterday afternoon with nought on him. No idea where he came from, save that it ain't here. So I was thinkin', if you were willin', we could sort him out with a little credit? I can find some use to put him to on the farm, and he can pay you back when he earns the money."
"Oh."
Rarity looked me up and down, seeing me as more than a strange monster or a new challenge for what I think was the first time. And she would have seen a mess of old scars, tangled hair badly in need of even the slightest attention, and of course a piece of old sackcloth tied around my waist with a length of rope. It was obvious that I wasn't well off.
"Why darling, I had no idea! Of course you're not in a position to pay! If you were, why would you be wearing that? No, no, in that case, consider it a gift. Something to help you get back on your hooves. Or whatever it is you walk on."
"That's uncommonly generous of you," I replied.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I suppose I should thank you for giving me a head start on your species. It's always exciting to start something new, don't you think? When you do get home, be sure to tell your friends about me when you talk about Equestria. I'm sure we'll see more of you visiting in the future, and I'd welcome the new custom."
Both Applejack and Twilight glanced around awkwardly at this, but Rarity either didn't seem to notice, or didn't realise the significance.
Though she had a point, even if it was less pleasant than she, or the others for that matter, realised. If I did go back, and people found out where I'd been and how I'd returned, it was a fair bet that at least some of them would want to visit for themselves. And some of those would see a peaceful land, unprepared and vulnerable.
Twilight might have been able to turn my head into an orange, and move things by magic without even showing effort, but could she fight off an entire army? Could the god-princesses?
There was a chance that Equestria might see more of my kind. It was a thought that turned my gut cold.
In the meantime, though, Rarity was pressing on heedless of my thoughts.
"If you'll excuse me, though, I really must get started. I'll have the order ready and back here as soon as possible. Mr Ranger, Twilight, Applejack." She nodded to each of us in turn.
"I'll see you here, then," replied Twilight. Then, as Rarity shuffled out the door, she turned back to me. "Okay, so we've only got a few hours to get you up to speed on royal etiquette. Now listen closely, because this is important. Rule number one..."
***
I admit, I wasn't the most dutiful student. Actually, I wasn't dutiful at all; after the first rule, I just sat back and let her voice fade into a dim buzz in the background. A little ways into it Applejack excused herself and slipped out, probably to help her brother in the orchard. I envied her; a little hard work would have been better than just sitting here, half-listening to Twilight rattle off a list of utterly pointless rules that I suspect she learned simply by rote. I doubted she'd ever really used them herself; the man with the ear of the king tends not to have to bow as low.
Twilight finally slowed down after what felt like hours, during which time I'd thought out and scrapped several plans for my meeting with Celestia. None of them seemed appropriate, so I finally deciding to make thing up as I went along, making a mental note to add a healthy dose of well-measured respect to ease things along, and if need be to smooth over any insult I might make.
I'd also taken the chance to wonder what Rarity might come up with for me. No offence to her, but despite her apparent skill I wasn't hopeful. Designing for ponies must have been completely different when compared to my style of clothes. It didn't help that she seemed the type to design fancy frocks as opposed to a more sensible fare.
"Did you get all that?"
I blinked. Twilight was saying something. The last few seconds of her speech replayed itself in my head, letting me know she had finished her list at last, and was awaiting a response.
"Not really, no," I said.
Surprise flashed across her face, swiftly followed by anger, but then she just sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Well I'm not repeating myself. If you mess up, it's your own fault."
"I can live with that," I replied, picking idly at a piece of straw from the floor.
She shook her head.
"Look, Ranger, if you're not going to listen to anything else, at least listen me now. Be polite. Don't act like... Well, like you are now. And keep an eye on me."
I neglected to point out that, in my situation, that would leave me with no eyes to keep on other things.
"If I tell you to do something, it's probably best that you do it."
"Alright," I relented, nodding. "Don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing."
That was a lie, but if Twilight knew it then she didn't let me know.
Little more than a minute or so later, as we sat in silence, Applejack called out from the yard.
"Twi? Ranger? Rarity's on her way. Looks like she's got yer order with her, too."
"Oh, good!"
Twilight trotted over to the door, trailing a faint spark of magic behind her. "She's early too! That's a good sign, right?"
Then she paused, looking back at me. Despite the news, I hadn't moved from my spot on the floor. "Aren't you coming? I thought you wanted to get outside for a bit."
"Is it such a good idea? There might be somebody out there who shouldn't see me."
Frowning, Twilight put her head out the door.
"Applejack? Is it alright for Ranger to come out?"
Applejack waiting a moment before replying, probably thinking it over. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Should be fine, yup. Applebloom's away at school fer now, an' Granny's takin' her mid-mornin' nap."
Fair enough, I thought, hauling myself onto my feet. I still wasn't deemed fit for public view, but at least I'd get a bit of sunshine. You had to be thankful for small mercies.
As I stepped out into the yard and shook out my stiff legs I caught myself wondering what the elf and the monster were doing. Wondering if they were even still alive, if Dartilia would abide by his word. The thoughts set the weight in my chest moving about, bringing a hollow pain with it. If they were alive, they were probably mourning me by now. A day or so later, and for them the hurt would be starting to set in, the knowledge that they'd never see me again.
Had it only been a day? It felt like so much longer. Come to think of it, how long had I been drifting before I woke up here? There was no way to know; it could have been moments, or it could have been months. Years even. Maybe they'd already forgotten.
I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I almost didn't notice Rarity as she stopped in front of me, saddlebags in place, holding a paper-wrapped package in a practically invisible blue grip, and wearing a look of pride and satisfaction.
"I hope you didn't get too anxious waiting to see what I'd come up with. As I said before, it's rather plain, but I think I made it work. For a first attempt, at least, I'd say it's rather splendid!"
She set the package down at my feet and stepped back, smiling expectantly up at me. That was my cue, then. Time to see if my suspicions were right. I tore the paper away, and my mouth dropped.
She'd done it. I'm not sure how, but she'd done it. Lying there were a pair of dark grey trousers, not fancy but certainly not shoddy, and a thick, black woollen cloak with a shining metal clasp at the front. Sweet sacrifice, but it even had a hood!
Without waiting for further comment I pulled the trousers on under the sackcloth, buttoning them up and letting my makeshift belt fall away.
They fitted near enough perfectly. Perhaps a little tighter than I was used to, but they left enough room to move freely, and the material was more comfortable than anything I'd felt before. This, coupled with the refreshing experience that was the shower, made me feel a little better about the world I found myself in.
And it obviously showed on my face, because Rarity smiled, looking her work over.
"I take it you're satisfied?"
"Satisfied?" I repeated, picking up the cloak and swinging it up across my shoulders. "I'd say so. This is better than I'd hoped, I'll say that much."
I tested the hood, nodding to myself. Very fine. Very fine indeed. Rarity had a talent, there was no doubt about that. I smiled and offered her a short bow. "Thank you, m'lady." I thought she might appreciate that.
She did, dropping into something like a curtsy herself.
"Why, you're quite welcome. But I'm afraid I can't stay; I had to push some orders back to get this out in time. Do give my best to the Princesses, though, Twilight."
She, Twilight and Applejack made their farewells, leaving me to think about what she'd just said. So she knew the Princesses as well. It made sense, considering she was Twilight's friend, but that message was a little to personal for anybody not held in some high regard. Perhaps it was a side effect of her obvious nobility? She might well have been the rebellious daughter of some nobleman - or rather noblepony, I should probably say - who had run away from the family home to...
To do what? Make dresses in a farm town? Admittedly a farm town that housed one of the Princesses' personal students, but still.
"Oh, before I forget, though!"
Just as she was about to leave, Rarity turned back, levitating a small, black tangle from her saddlebag. "I ran into Pinkie Pie as I was on my way up, and she asked me to deliver this to you. She said that she would have given it to you myself, but she had a feeling she was supposed to be somewhere else."
Twilight took the tangle in her own glowing grip and let it spread out in the air. It was a rounded triangle of black cloth, stitched to a band of some kind of stretchy fabric.
"An eyepatch?" she said in confusion.
"Yes, it came with a note. Hold on a moment, darling, while I find it..."
She rummaged around, eyes turned skyward. "No, no...oh, don't want to bring that out...ah, there we are!"
A small square of yellow-ish paper drifted over to Twilight, who leaned in to read it.
" 'Dear Twilight, I had a funny feeling you might be needing something like this, so I thought I'd lend you one from my stash. Don't worry about returning it, I have plenty more. Love, Pinkie Pie.' "
All four of us shared a look. Mine was of total confusion, but the other seemed to have dealt with this sort of thing before.
Rarity cleared her throat.
"Yes, well, Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie I suppose. Anyway, I really must dash this time. Ta-ra!"
And then she was gone. Twilight looked back at the note, then to the eyepatch, then up at me.
"I guess this is for you. Unless.."
She held a hoof up to her own eye nervously. "I don't think I broke any Pinkie Promises lately."
Applejack shuddered.
"Nah, she'd letcha know right proper if you had. Remember Dodge?"
"Yes, you're probably right. For you, then, Ranger. Though how she knew is a mystery."
The eyepatch lifted itself up to about the right height for me to take. It wasn't hard to guess what it was supposed to be used for; I'd made use of strips of cloth for a similar purpose before. Though I had to admit, the eyepatch idea was a far better solution, in many respects.
With the patch in place, I let Twilight and Applejack get a better look at me.
"I have to say, that looks a lot better than before," said Twilight with a smile. "No offence, but the blank eye was a little distracting."
"None taken," I replied shortly. "So, how long before this chariot is due?"
"Not too long. Princess Celestia said it was being sent to the road into Ponyville, so we might as well head there now and wait for it."
"Well, if'n you don't mind me cuttin' an' runnin', I really should be gettin' back to work," Applejack said.
"No, don't worry about it. I'll tell you how things went when I get back," Twilight replied with a smile.
"Welp, maybe I'll be seein' ya again soon, Ranger."
I nodded.
"Maybe. Until then?"
"Until then."
Before she left, I offered her a hand, which she took with only a moment's hesitation. I clasped her wrist in a soldier's handshake, and felt the end of her hoof shift and touch mine.
"Fortune's favour," I said solemnly. A mercenary's farewell. I'd repeated those words enough times that they'd lost most of their meaning, but this time, for the first time in a long while, I meant it. I owed a lot to Applejack, and might be owing her a lot more in the future.
She froze, unsure how exactly to respond. But then she smiled and shrugged, choosing to reply in her own way.
"Back atcha!"
I smiled back, then we both let our limbs drop and turned away. She, to get her hooves dirty on a farm. I, to meet a princess with the powers of a god.