We bin travelin all day. I hafta give it to Arrow, he sets a good pace. Fast enough fer my hoofs not to git itchy to move faster. but not so fast that Penny Rose cain’t keep up with us. Arrow says we’re still in the foothills of the Black Mountains. Says we won’t reach the mountains proper fer a couple of days yet. We climb steadily, windin our way through forests of evergreens an across dry open valleys covered with scrub. At times I find meself enjoyin the scenery, espeshally when I can see down into a small valley filled with greenery an flowers. We hardly ever got flowers back at Silverlake, only after lotsa rain.
Nero’s pleased to have me back after being apart fer so long while we was in Hopetown. I feel the same. Mainly he’s happy to jest ride on my saddlebags, makin conversation an remarkin on the scenery as we go along, he seems to like it too. From time to time he’ll disappear fer a bit on some crow business. He’s bin missin since mid-afternoon an I’m jest startin to wonder where he’s got to when he appears outta nowhere. But instead of comin to me, he flutters down to land on Arrow’s head. Then he leans over an starts to nibble lovinly on his ear.
I cain’t believe my eyes.
"Nero!" I yell. "Leave Arrow alone!"
He shoots over to me so fast he’s jest a blur. Lands on my saddlebags an hunches there, not lookin at me as I look back at him. I never knew a crow could look guilty, but he does all right.
Arrow looks back an smiles. "Don’t call him off on my account," he says.
Bloody Arrow. What is it with him? What is it about him that he seems to charm everypony, bird an everythin that crosses his path? Ash an pretty well every other Free Hawk, my sister an now my damn crow. I swear, if there was a rock in his path that he couldn’t be bothered steppin over, all he’d hafta do was give it one look an it’d roll outta the way. Not me though. I don’t roll outta the way fer nopony. Not even him. Especially not fer him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As dusk starts to fall, we sets up camp in a stand of pine beside a little trickle of a creek. The layers of dead needles feel soft an springy unner my hoofs. The sharp sweetness of warm pine fills the air, I breath deeply, enjoying the smell.
Arrow closes his eyes an takes in a deep breath too. "We’ll have sweet-smellin beds tonight, Penny," he says.
"I’m gonna make ’em real good, Arrow," she says. "You see if I don’t."
I collect wood an git a fire goin while Arrow sorts out our gear. Penny Rose bustles around, unloadin the bedrolls from the saddlebags an settin ’em out beside each other. She chats away to herself an I let it roll over me, like usual.
"I’ll sleep here," she says. "An Arrow’ll be … here … an then Moon can go … here. Right between me an Arrow."
My head shoots up. "What?" I says. "Oh no!" I go over an grab my bedroll magically. "You go in between Arrow an me. That ’ud be better, don’t you think? That way, uh … you can talk to both of us. How about that?"
"But Arrow put me in charge!" Penny pouts an sits on her rump. "He sorts our stuff, you do the fire an I set out the bedrolls! Ain’t that right, Arrow?"
"I thought it was," says Arrow. "But I guess yer sister don’t think yer up to the job, Penny."
They both look at me. Penny’s got her face all scrinched tight. She does that when she’s upset an tryin not to let her chin wobble. Arrow’s face is blank, like he don’t give a hoot one way or th’other. I don’t trust him fer a second. He knows I don’t wanna lie next to him, but I cain’t tell Pen that. As far as she’s concerned, I’m jest bein mean to herlike usual an not givin her a chance. He’s got me this time.
"That ain’t true," I says. I give my bedroll back to Pen. "Sorry, Pen. Of course it’s yer job. I’ll leave it to you."
While she’s busy puttin her arrangements to rights agin, I go over to where Arrow’s sortin food for dinner.
"I know what yer up to," I says. "An it ain’t gonna work."
"Is that right?" He don’t look at me, but keeps on pullin food outa the saddlebags an other gear. :"Fer future reference," he says, "I’d be grateful if you’d tell me what it is I’m supposed to be up to that ain’t gonna work. That way I won’t bother gittin up to it agin."
I frown. "There you go agin, doin that eel thing," I says. "What yer up to, Arrow, is … is tryin to make me look like a fool all the time!"
"Oh, is that what I’m up to?"
"You know damn well it is!"
"Then I apologize," he says. "Most sincerely." He smiles. A pleasant smile. Not cocky or arrogant. I dunno what to make of it.
"Well …," I says, "all right then. Jest mind you don’t do it agin."
"I promise," he says, "the next time you look like a fool, Moon, it’ll be all yer own doin." He winks at me as he picks up the food an gear with his magic. "Fire needs tendin," he says.
I stand there fer a moment. He jest got me agin, the bastard. But I feel a little smile sneak over my face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Night, Moon," says Penny. "Night, Arrow."
She rolls over onto her side, facin away from me, an soon she’s fast to sleep. Nero’s set on his roost in a tree nearby.
I stare at the night sky. It’s high an light an clouds scud across the face of the moon for which I was named. I clutch my blanket around me tight, lie still as a board. I’m so aware of Arrow lyin next to me. The warmth of him, the sound of his breathin, the slight rise an fall of his chest I can see outta the corner of my eye, the heartstones burning somethin fierce.
There’s a rustle as he moves. I look an he’s facin me, propped up on one elbow. The dyin fire catches on his cheekbones, shadows his eyes. My stummick jumps. Shivers. I look away.
He reaches out an touches the heartstone, lyin in the hollow of my neck. Draws his hoof away quick. "It’s hot," he says.
"I know," I says. I pull it over my head magically an shove it down in my bedroll. "Stupid thing," I says. "Dunno why I wear it."
After a bit he says, "Tell me about yer brother."
"We’re twins," I says.
"Ah," he says. "I figgered he must be somethin special fer you to go through so much to find him. What’s he like?"
I think. It’s always the same when somebody asks me about Sun. Mercy, Wysteria, Feath … even Penny. I wanna talk about him an at the same time I don’t. I feel like, if I do talk about him I’m givin away little bits of him that I wanna keep to myself.
"Our ma died birthin Penny Rose," I says. "An after that, Pa … well, he warn’t ever the same. He didn’t seem to care about nuthin no more. Not us or … not anythin … not really. If it hadn’t of bin fer Sun keepin food on the table an a roof over our heads, I believe we would of all died. Sun an me was only nine year when Ma died, same as Penny is now. We'd barely had our cutie marks two months. So he ain’t afeared of takin things on to survive. Never has bin."
"But what’s he like?" says Arrow.
"He’s … well, he’s funny," I says, "an kind an … he’s real smart. I guess he paid attention to what Pa told him. Not like me. He knows … everythin. He can fix anythin, he knows the land an creatures an … me. He’s th’only pony in the world who really knows me."
Blaze. Dark eyes, almost black, meet mine. Lookin deep inside of me. Findin my darkest thoughts, my worst fears. I shake the thought from my head, shiverin slightly.
"He sounds too good to be true," says Arrow. His voice seems to come from a long ways away.
"What’d you say?" I says.
"I said … that Sun sounds too good to be true in a land like this."
"You got no right to say that. You don’t know nuthin about him."
I says it real quick, to block out the thought of how Sun’s bin changin over the past year or so. How he was that last day. How he said he couldn’t wait to leave Silverlake an the look on his face when he called Pa a foolish old stallion livin in a dream world. I hate that Pa died with them bein the last words spoke between ’em.
"Hey," says Arrow, "I’m sorry, it was a stupid thing to say. I’m sorry. So, if yer twins he must look the same as you?"
I turn on my side to face him. "No," I says. "He’s beautiful. Like Ma was, also he's a pegasus like she was too. Gold mane like the sun after which he was named, with red in it, like fire. Long, in a braid right down near to his hoofs."
"Yer mane’s startin to grow back," he says. "It’s dark, but I can see some colour."
"Black, with purple" I says. "Like my pa’s. He was a unicorn. Pen takes after our grandma. My mane used to be real nice. Thick an long an … I must look real stupid."
"No," he says.
"When Ma was alive, she used to say, yer the night-time, Moon, Suns’s the day. I’m the one who always takes things too serious. Sun’s the one who smiles, makes you laugh. He’s a good pony, Sun. He’s everythin I ain’t."
"Is that what you believe? That you ain’t a good pony? That you ain’t beautiful?"
I don’t say nuthin.
"You must miss him," he says.
"I never knew that missin somepony could hurt," I says. "But it does. Deep inside. Like it’s in my bones. We ain’t never bin apart till now. Never. I dunno how to be without him. It’s like … I ain’t nuthin."
"Don’t say that," he says. "Don’t ever say that. You are somethin, Moon. Somethin good an strong an true. With him or without him."
He reaches over an brushes my tears away with his hoof. I didn’t even know I was cryin. A warm path trails behind his touch.
The clouds clear fer a moment an I dive into his strange silvery eyes.They’re like a moonlit lake. We lie there fer a good long time, jest starin at each other in the soft, piney night.
At last he says, "We’ll find him. I promise. Now try an git some sleep. I’ll take first watch."
"Wake me when it’s my turn," I says.
"I will," he says.
"G’night, Arrow."
"G’night, Moon."
He sits, his back aginst a tree.
"Arrow?" I whisper.
"What?"
"Thank you."
"Sweet dreams, Moon."
But I don’t sleep fer ages.
Somethin good an strong an true. That’s what he said. Nopony ever used such words about me before. I wonder if he really means ’em.
The Arrow I seen up till now, that Arrow’s all charm an quick words an easy smiles. But the way he is tonight, the way he was while we was talkin, I warn’t expectin that. It put me in mind of Mercy. I felt this … stillness, I guess you’d call it … at the heart of him. That’s the same feelin I got from her. Stillness, like calm water. I dunno what to make of it. It don’t seem to fit. An jest when I thought I had him all figgered out too.
But the thing is, I think I might be … startin to trust him. I know Feath thinks he’s hidin somethin, that he’s got secrets. An she could be right. She’s seen a lot more of the world than me, met a lot more ponies. Penny Rose seems to like him jest fine, but what does she know? She’s jest a little filly.
I dunno if I’m right to trust him.
I stare up. The gray clouds brush over the black of the night sky.
I wish Sun was here. He’d tell me. He’d know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s the middle of the day. We’re still in the foothills, dry an dusty, but the land’s gittin hillier, rockier, with more’n more tree cover as we go along. Arrow’s bin walkin a little ways ahead of us all mornin. I’m glad not to hafta say much to him. I’m wishin I hadn’t of said so much to him last night. I ain’t quite sure why I did. I shouldn’t of let him fool me into sleepin next to him.
Penny Rose’s walkin beside me an Nero’s hitchin a ride on her rump. Penny starts lookin behind us, over her shoulder.
"What is it?" I says.
She frowns. "Nuthin," she says. But as we go on, she keeps lookin back. I can tell she ain’t easy. That she’s got somethin on her mind. Finally, I cain’t take it no more. I reach over an grab her leg. Bring her to a halt.
"Yer drivin me crazy, Pen," I says. "Tell me what it is."
Arrow turns around an trots back to join us. "What’s goin on?" he says. "What is it, Penny?"
She chews on her bottom lip. Looks all uneasy, shifting her little wings a bit.
"Penny," I says. "Spit it out or I’ll shake it outta you."
"I … I think somepony’s followin us," she says at last.
"What?" I says.
"Where?" says Arrow. He reaches into his saddlebag with his magic an pulls somethin out.
"South," says Penny, pointin back the way we come from.
Arrow holds the thing to his eyes with his magic. It’s made of black plastic. He looks through the narrow end an now I see there’s two big circles of glass at th’other, wider, end. He twirls a little knob in the middle.
"What the hell’s that thing?" I says.
"It’s a long-looker," says Arrow. "Lets you see things far off in the distance."
"Wrecker tech!" I says. I don't like the wreckers, they wrecked the earth, made lotsa places dead with their magic wars an their tech an stuff.
"As a matter of fact, it’s mighty useful," he says. "Picked it up back in Hopetown. It’s amazin what ponies leave lyin around. You don’t come across these very often an when you do find one, it ain’t usually in one piece like this one is, but then theres some old spell protectin it from damage so I guess that's why." He takes a good long gander, sweepin it right across the horizon. "I cain’t see nuthin that way, Pen," he says. "Here, Moon, you wanna take a look?"
He hands it over an hesitantly, I hold it to my eyes. All of a sudden, the little copse that we passed through a half hour back rushes right up close to me. I can see every leaf on every branch on every tree. "Whoa!" I give Arrow a big smile. "That’s amazin, like some spell!"
He stares at me, a funny look on his face. "That’s the first time I ever seen you smile," he says.
I scowl at him. "Whaddya mean?" I says. "I smile all the time."
"No you don’t," Penny Rose pipes up. "You used to, when Sun was around, but ever since he went, you bin all mean an cross an horrible an—"
"All right," I says, "that’s enough."
"I was only sayin—"
"Well, don’t!"
I magically lift the long-looker to my eyes agin an make a good check of everywhere I can see. "Nuthin," I says at last. "There ain’t nopony followin us. Next time you imagine you see somethin, Penny, do us all a favor an keep it to yerself."
She pinches her lips together tight, wheels around an pushes past me, her chin in the air.
Arrow opens his mouth to say somethin, an I point my hoof at him. "Don’t even think of it," I says. "She’s my little sister an I’ll talk to her any way I want."
He turns an walks him past me. "She’s nine years old," he says. "Give her a break."
Nero caws at me. Like he’s repeatin what Arrow jest said. I stare at Arrow’s back. How strange. Almost the ezzack same words Sun said me, that last day when we was fixin the roof.
'She’s only nine, Saba. You might try bein nice to her fer a change.'
Sun. Arrow. Penny Rose. I frown. It’s makin my head hurt.
I’ll think about it later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arrow’s hoof on my shoulder wakes me. It must be my turn on watch. He took the first half of the night an I’ll take us through till dawn. Right away, I’m wide awake, sittin up. His eyes gleam in the darkness.
"You let the fire go out," I whisper.
"No, I put it out," he whispers back.
"What’d you do that—"
"Penny was right," he says.
"What?"
"There’s a light on the ridge."
My heart starts thumpin. I slide outta my bedroll. "Show me," I says.
Tonight we’re camped on a hill at the foot of a light tower. There’s a line of ’em, marchin across a wide mountain plateau towards the ruins of a big Wrecker city, about three leagues due north of here. You can see the rusted iron skellentons of the tall buildins in the distance, Skyscrapers, they used to call ’em. There's also this massive partly collapsed stone building. When it wasn't collapsed you probly coulda seen it from Hopetown. Whatever pony had lived there must've been richer than rich.
Arrow scrambles up the leg of the light tower an I follow him. We go high enough to git a good view an then he gives me the long-looker. "There," he says. He points south, back the way we come from.
I look through it. Light. Faint. Flickerin on the ridge that we came over this mornin … no, yesterday mornin now. "A campfire," I says.
"They lit it jest after midnight," he says. "I bin watchin an it ain’t moved since."
"They must be camped fer the night," I says.
"Hmm, maybe," he says.
"We cain’t be th’only ponies travelin through here," I says. "It’s probly fine."
Jest then, the light goes out. Then another one appears. But this one’s movin. It bobs over the ridge an starts down. It’s headed this way.
"That don’t look fine to me," says Arrow.
"Let’s wake Penny an git outta here," I says.
"Good plan," he says.
We ride into the dead city jest as the sun’s startin to rise up. Sometimes Pa used to tell us about the big Wrecker cities that sprawled over leagues an leagues. Sun an me always thought he was tellin us tall tales, like the story of those two princess sisters that made the sun an moon move, but it looks like he was right about the cities. The remains of a vast city, spread out across this plateau in the mountains. A long straight trackway, a old road covered now in grass an low shrubs, lies ahead of us as far as the eye can see. The rusted iron skellentons of skyscrapers, the ones that we seen in the distance, line both sides of the road. Other roads lead off from the main one, like branches on a tree.
You can see where there was buildins, way back when. Now they’re nuthin but bumps an grass-covered hills. They fell down long ago, bit by bit, an ever since then the earth, the plants an the winds, they bin quietly movin an shiftin to cover what’s left. To hide it away. Bury the past.
There ain’t no sound but the wind. It moans around corners. Sighs as it brushes past us, whisperin the long-forgotten secrets of this place. Listen to the wind, Mercy told me. If only we could unnerstand what it’s sayin. Maybe it’s tellin us how many ponies lie buried unner our hoofs an how they came to die. Could of bin plague or hunger or thirst or wars. Or maybe all of ’em all at once. The Wreckers did it all.
Now there ain’t nuthin livin here but cats. The cats don’t give us a second glance as they slink along on their business. Nero dives at ’em fer fun, fallin silent outta the sky an sendin ’em racin off in a panic. We start to head off the main road down a smaller, fully dirt one. The second I get off the road, the ground, it shifts. I don’t even have time to shout out before my
right hindleg’s disappeared up the knee.
Penny giggles.
"I fergot to mention," says Arrow. "If the ground dips, go around it. In this kinda place, a dip usually means there’s a hole." He watches me as I pull myself out.
"Thanks," I says. "I’ll try to remember that."
"We better check where our friends are," he says. He hands the long-looker to Penny. "You wanna shin up an take a look?"
She nods. She ain’t said nuthin to me since we shook her awake to tell her about the lights an strike camp. I’ll take her aside later when Arrow ain’t nearby, tell her I’m sorry I didn’t believe her when she said we was bein followed. I guess even Penny can be right sometimes.
She scampers up a big hill nearby an climbs the metal tower stickin outta the top of it. She wraps one arm around a girder an holds the long-looker to her eyes. "I can see ’em!" she shouts, all excited.
"How far away?" calls Arrow.
"Uh …"
"She cain’t tell distance," I says.
"I can so! Two leagues," she says.
"How many are there?" says Arrow.
"Four! No, wait! Uh … I cain’t see very good!"
"Try twistin the knob in the middle," Arrow calls.
She lets go the girder an starts fiddlin with the knob.
"Penny!" I yell. "Are you crazy? Hang onto somethin!"
"Leave me alone!" she yells. "I know what I’m doin!" She twists to glare at me. She loses her balance.
"Emmi!" I yell. I start to sprint up the hill.
She throws her arms around the girder. She’s safe. But she lets go of the long-looker. It flies into the air. Fergetin my magic, I make a dive fer it. But I’m too far away. There’s a crack as it hits a rock jest ahead of me. I land with a thud on my stummick an lie there, lookin at the shattered bits of long-looker scattered all over the grass. Nero flaps down an lands on my head.
"Crap," says Arrow.
"Gawdammit, Penny" I says. "Look what you done now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay." Arrow slides over the top of the hill to where we’re huddled outta sight. "Looks like there’s jest two of ’em. D’you think we made the hole big enough?"
"I told you," I says, "I dug hunnerds of traps jest like this one. Me an Sun used ’em all the time when we was huntin wild boar."
Penny Rose frowns. She says, "But Moon, there warn’t no wi—"
Behind Arrow’s back, I slash my hoof across my throat an scowl at her somethin fierce.
She snaps her mouth shut.
My plan better work. I don’t want Arrow twiggin that I never actually made a pit-trap before. Sun an me used to talk all the time about diggin one, but at Silverlake there warn’t no huntin worth the time an trouble it would of took us. Arrow an me’s dug this one in the spot where my hoof went through the ground. Right in the middle of the main track through the city. Turns out there was a pretty big hole already there. All we had to do was make it a bit deeper.
"My bedroll’s gonna git all dirty," Penny grumbles.
We spread it over the hole, pegged down the edges an covered it all with grass. Now you’d never know there was a hole there.
"Too bad," I says. "It’s yer punishment fer bustin the long-looker."
"I said I’d try to fix it," says Arrow.
Emmi pokes her tongue at me.
I point at her. "Yer gettin way too fresh, Penny," I says. "You jest wait till we—"
"Shhh!" Arrow hushes us. We crouch there, silent, not lookin at each other. Jest waitin.
Then I hear voices. The soft snort of a laugh.
"They’re comin," Arrow whispers.
We flatten ourselves into the side of the hill. Arrow an me reach fer our crossbows an load up. Penny fits a stone into her slingshot. My heart’s poundin hard in my chest. The voices pass by our hidin place.
Then, "Aaah!" They yell out as they step into nuthin. As they tumble into our trap.
"Go!" yells Arrow.
We leap up an rush over the top of the hill. We thunder down th’other side.
"Hooves up!" I yell. "We got you covered, you bastards!"
Me, Arrow an Penny take up positions around the edge of the pit. Our weapons is drawn. We aim down at our captives.
"I don’t believe it," says Arrow.
"What the hell’re you two doin here!?" I says.
Ash an Epona stare at us from the bottom of the pit where they’re lyin in a tangled heap of arms an legs.
"Well it ain’t ezzackly the welcome we was expectin," says Ash. "But I’ve had worse."
They git to their hoofs. Epona holds up a hoof. "Wouldn’t mind a little help gittin outta here," she says.
"It’d serve you right if we left you there to rot," I says. But I give her my hoof an Arro gives his to Ash an we help ’em climb out. They start to brush theirselves down.
"Hell, Ash," says Arrow. "That was more’n stupid. We could of shot you. You could of broke a leg when you fell in. Why didn’t you let us know it was you followin us?"
"We wanted to surprise you," says Ash.
"Well you sure did that all right," says Arrow.
I frown. "I thought the Hawks had some trouble to take care of," I says. "Feath said somethin about a territory dispute on the western road."
They dart a look between ’em. A guilty look.
"She don’t know yer here," I says. "Don’t tell me … she left you two in charge of Darktrees an you snuck off."
"Okay," says Ash, "we won’t tell you."
"Go away," I says. "Turn right around an go back. An make sure you tell Feath this was all yer idea an nuthin to do with me."
The brown zebra frowned at me. "Hang on a minute," says Epona. "We happen to think Feath’s wrong. That she should of sent at least some of us with you to help."
"This is more important than who’s got control of the western road," says Ash. "From what you said—about Freedom Fields an the Tonton an the chaal—this could be about more than jest gittin yer brother back. It could affect all of us. Jest burnin down Hopetown ain’t enough. We cain’t stop there. We gotta stop the whole thing. Git rid of ’em all."
"Listen," I says. "I don’t care about nuthin besides gittin Sun back. D’you hear? That’s it. Nuthin else. An I don’t need yer help. I don’t want it. Go home."
"Why d’you always gotta be such a rudesby?" says Penny Rose. "They jest wanna help us find Sun."
"Button yer lip, Penny," I says. "I got a good mind to send you back to Darktrees with ’em."
She scowls an flares her little wings." Jest try an make me," she says.
"Don’t you sass me missy!"
"Now now," says Arrow, "let’s jest everybody calm down. I’m sure we can—"
"Shut up, Arrow," I says. I narrow my eyes. Give Ash a good hard look. "You sure there ain’t another reason why yer here?" I says. I glance at Jack, then look at Ash agin. She’s gone all red in the face unner her grey coat.
"Of course not," she says.
"C’mon, Moon," says Epona. "You know we’re good in a fight."
"I’ll say this one last time," I says. "If I wanted you to come with me, I would of asked you to come with me. But I didn’t. That means I don’t. You can be on yer way soon’s I fetch Penny's gear. Yer goin back with ’em to Darktrees," I says to Pen.
"No!" she says. "An you cain’t make me! I hate you, Moon!"
I turn an start walkin fast towards where we stashed our stuff while we found out who was followin us. We hid ’em well outta sight.
"Excuse us fer a moment," I hear Arrow say.
He trots after me an grabs my arm. "I wanna talk to you, Moon," he says.
I yank my arm away an keep walkin. "There ain’t nuthin to talk about, Arrow," I says. "They’re leavin an Penny Rose’s goin with ’em. End of story."
"They wanna help," he says. "They wanna do somethin. Maybe help make the world a better place. C’mon, Moon, what’s yer problem with that?"
I keep walkin.
He goes around in front of me. "What’s the matter with you?" he says. "Talk to me."
While he’s talkin, I try to dodge around him, right then left, but he blocks my way every time I move a hoof. My temper’s dancin. It’s itchin fer a fight. I clench my teeth.
"Git outta my way," I says.
"No."
"I’m goin to git Penny's gear. Git outta the way, Arrow."
"Not till you tell me why your bitin everyponies heads off," he says.
"Fine," I says. "You wanna know what’s wrong? It’s this … crowd of ponies trailin along behind me, slowin me down, an I’m sick of it, that’s what’s wrong! I don’t care about makin the world a better place. All I wanna do is git Sun back! But I keep gittin trapped. I leave Penny Rose somewhere safe an she follows me. The Pinches snatch us an I end up in Hopetown in the Cage. I finally ecscape an, thanks to you, I ain’t only lumbered with Penny agin, but here we are in the middle of nowhere an Ash an Epona’s pitched up. An why d’you think that is, Arrow?"
"You know why," he says. "They wanna help."
"Are you blind?" I says. "They only followed us here because … d’you like Ash?"
"What kinda question’s that? Of course I like her. What’s not to like?"
"No," I says, "that ain’t what I mean. I mean … do you like her? Because she likes you. A lot."
"What?" He laughs. "Don’t be stupid."
"You really cain’t see it?" I says.
He shakes his head. "Yer bein ridiculous," he says.
"Oh am I?" I says.
I push past him. Head to where the packs are. My skin’s pricklin. My belly clenches. I’m hot all over, head to hoof. I start to collect our stuff.
He strolls up, stands watchin me.
"If I didn’t know better," he says," I’d think you was jealous."
"Jealous!" I glare at him. "Whaddya mean?"
"I mean," he says, "that you want me fer yerself. You jest don’t wanna admit it."
I stare at him. Then, "Go to hell, Arrow," I says.
"C’mon," he says, "admit it."
"Leave me alone!"
I cain’t look at him, cain’t listen to him, cain’t think about things I don’t wanna think about. Feel things I don’t wanna feel. I can only think about Sun. Nuthin but Sun an gittin him back.
"All I want from you is the fastest way to Freedom Fields," I says. "I’m goin on from here by myself."
"By yerself," he says. "Are you sayin you don’t need me?"
"I don’t need you, Arrow."
"Yer wrong, Moon. You need all of us. You jest don’t know it yet. The Tonton won’t take kindly to their King bein killed. They’re gonna want somepony to pay the price. I’d almost put money on them goin ahead with their ceremony. If yer gonna save Sun, yer gonna need all the help you can git. An believe me, once we reach Freedom Fields, you’ll be damn glad we’re with you."
I lean my head aginst an old rock wall fer a moment an close my eyes. "You ain’t gonna let me go by myself," I says.
"Nnope," he says.
"You cain’t stop me. I could run, right now, an gallop away as fast as I can."
"We’d just follow you."
Trapped.
"You always know best, don’t you, Arrow?" I says.
"I like to think so," he says. "An that reminds me, you owe th’others a apology fer bein so rude an high-hoofed back there."
"What?" I says.
"Apologize," he says. "Fer bein so damn ungrateful."
I narrow my eyes. "I don’t learn manners from a thief," I says. "Cuz that’s what you are, ain’t it Arrow? That’s what you do to git by, ain't it?"
"I might be a thief," he says, "I might not be. One thing’s fer certain though. I ain’t the one folks call the Angel of Death."
He knows jest where to stab me.
"You bastard," I says.
"If it makes you feel better," he says.
He gives a little bow of his head, turns and walks away, floatin his and Penny's gear.
I kick the wall in frustration.
Some of it crumbles away, revealin a little old metal box.
I pull it out an open it. Inside is what Golden Pinch called paper. Theres a picture on it, an I can still make out the colours pretty well. There's some old old spell pertectin it.
The pictures of of three mares an a filly an a foal. One mare, the oldest, with a couple wrinkles startin to show, is a purple unicorn with a fading purple mane... no, wait, a pegasus... she had wings an a horn, how was that posible? Well she sat in chair in the middle, the blue baby foal in her hoofs. The two mares looked like sisters, each with a star sort of cutie mark, and their coats are similar to the old mares, posibly their mum. Their manes are blue with purple streaks. The unicorn filly is pale pink, her mane purple, no cutie mark yet.
I sigh. At least somepony was happy once. A nice, happy family like this was probably hard to find nowadays.
I close the box an put it back in the wall. Maybe it'll be found again, maybe it won't. Who knows.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arrow picks up the pace
.
He says he ain’t certain how long it’s gonna take us to git to Freedom Fields. Says it depends on whether we run into any trouble on the way but it might take us a week or it might take us ten days.
Ten days. With midsummer twelve days away.
The sun beats down on us, white hot an merciless. The air shimmers, heavy an thick. It’s hard to breathe. I float my coat above me to keep the sun off.
Ash walks at the front with Arrow an makes up to him like nopony’s business. Even he must notice it by now. She walks so close to him that her leg touches his. She looks at him all the time. She leans over an says things that make him throw his head back an laugh like he never heard nuthin so funny in his life.
It’s sick-makin.
Or it would be, if I cared.
Which I don’t.
Liar, whispers the voice inside my head. Liar, liar, liar.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We finally pass through the Wrecker city an cover another four leagues before we stop fer the night. Arrow calls this real mountain country. The trail’s bin snakin around the edges of steep, heavily wooded slopes that all press in close together.
This land don’t please me. Too closed in. Too dark. Not enough sky.
We set up camp inside the ruins of a big stone buildin that stands beside a stream in a little rocky valley. Nero swoops in an out through the windows, cawin with glee as he scatters the roostin pigeons. Ash an Arrow bring down a couple of ’em fer supper. They all chatter away while they build a fire an git the water boilin fer a brew of sage tea. Epona plucks an guts the pigeons with Penny’s help. Then she shoves ’em on a spit an sets ’em to roast.
I sit on my own a little ways off, pullin at tufts of grass, chewin some grass slowly, mullin over what Arrow said to me. After a while Penny comes over.
"Mind if I sit down?" she says.
I shrug. "Suit yerself," I says.
She sits herself down beside me. We don’t say nuthin fer a bit, then, "I’m sorry fer sassin you," she says. An I shouldn’t of stuck out my tongue. Sun’d be mad if he knew."
"Don’t s’pose he’d be too impressed with me neether," I says. "Losin my head with you like that."
"Guess we’d both be in trouble. Epona’s nice. An Ash. Don’t you think?"
I grunt.
"Well I like ’em," she says.
I don’t say nuthin.
"They’d like to be yer friends, you know," she says.
"Huh," I says.
She kneels up an takes my hoof." We’re gonna find Sun. I know it. We’re all gonna help you. Me an Ash an Epona an Arrow."
"You would of bin safe with Mercy," I says, pullin my hoof away. "You should of stayed there, like I told you to."
"I know," she says. "But I’m stubborn. Like you."
We look at each other. Then we smile.
"Yeah," I says. "I guess you are at that. Listen, Pen, I … I’m sorry. I know I ain’t bin very nice to you. I don’t mean nuthin by it, you know that, don’t you? It’s jest … I’m worried about Sun. Worried that … that maybe we won’t—"
"I know," she says. "I worry about him too. Jest like I worry about you. I couldn’t hardly stand it back in Hopetown when you was fightin in the Cage. Every day I was so afeared that you’d die an leave me."
"I won’t leave you," I says." I promise." I sigh. "I’m gonna try to be a better sister to you, Penny."
"It’s okay," she says. "You don’t hafta. I’m kinda used to you the way you are."
She kisses me on the cheek, real quick. She goes back to the fire to join th’others. I sit there a minute or two, till the lump in my throat goes down. Then I walk over. The conversation stops. They all look at me. Essept Arrow. He stays crouched by the fire an makes hisself busy pokin at it with a stick.
"I got somethin to say," I says. "To all of you. I know I bin actin like I… Like I lost my head, bein ungrateful an cantankersome an … well … I’m sorry. An I jus wanna say … I jus wanna say thanks. Thanks fer comin with me. Fer tryin to help me find Sun. I do appreciate it. I’m grateful."
They look at me. Like they’re waitin fer more.
"That’s it," I says.
Ash shrugs. "We’re doin this fer everypony, she says. Not jest you an yer brother. It’s bigger’n that."
"We’ll find Sun, Moon," says Epona." We’ll help you git him back." She smiles an they go back to their cookin an chattin.
I done what Arrow said. What was right to do. Now I walk away from ’em quickly. But my heart feels lighter. More hopeful.
A hoof on my arm stops me. Arrow. "That was well done," he says.
An, like every other time Arrow’s touched me or come near me, heat washes over me, through me, around me.
"Don’t touch me," I says.
He steps back, puttin his hoof down. His mouth’s a tight line. "Sorry," he says. "My mistake. It won’t happen agin."
As he goes back to join th’others, I pull the heartstone outta my vest an hold it in my hoof. Hold it while it cools down.
I look up at the sky. The first stars is out. An the moon. Every night it creeps along in the sky, closer an closer to where it’ll be at midsummer. There ain’t nuthin gonna stop it.
We’re in a race, the moon an me. A race of two Moons. An it’s a race I cain’t afford to lose.
Maybe it ain’t such a bad idea to have some help. I’ll put up with anythin if it means I git Sun back safe. Anythin an anypony.
Even Arrow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We stand on the edge of the escarpment. We look over a dry river gorge to the mountain on th’other side. It towers above us, dark an jagged an dangerous. Behind it, more mountains stretch as far’s the eye can see.
"Is this th’only way to Freedom Fields?" I says.
"No," says Arrow, "I brought you this way because I thought you’d enjoy the scenery."
He glares at me an I glare right back. We bin snappin an snipin at each other ever since the Wrecker city.
"Them mountains look awful big," says Penny Rose.
"They’re called Discord's Fangs, there's some mighty strange things in those mountains, like a valley filled with sweet pink clouds that rain chocolate milk, or there's the caves where everythin floats. An while there's a few places you might wanna go to see, theres many more dangerous places where you'll lose your mind, or die," says Arrow. "Anyhoo, look. About halfways up. D’you see it? That’s the One-Eyed Stallion. That’s where we’re headed. That’s the plan."
He points out a buildin that clings to the side of the mountain. I probly wouldn’t of noticed it otherwise. It’s made of the same dark stone as the mountain. It’s long an low, set well back into the rocks. A narrow white track zigzags to it from the gorge below.
Smoke trickles out from a crooked chimley.
"What’s the One-Eyed Stallion?" says Penny.
"A tavern," says Arrow.
Epona frowns. She says, "An we’re goin there because …"
"… you’d like a drink?" says Ash.
Arrow shakes his head. "The landlord’s a goodfriend of mine," he says. "Ike Appletrees. He’s a good pair of hoofs. Dependable. Jest the stallion fer this kinda thing."
I stare at him. "Oh no," I says, "no way. You ain’t askin him to come with us."
"Yer right," he says. "I ain’t gonna ask him, I’m gonna tell him."
"An you an this … this …"
"Ike," says Arrow.
"This Ike," I says, "the two of you’s such good friends that he’s gonna drop everythin an come with us jest because you tell him to."
"That’s right," he says. "You got a problem with that?" He gives me a fierce look, like it might put me off.
"Yeah," I says, "I do as a matter of fact. An I also got a problem with you tellin us this is th’only way to Freedom Fields. I think yer takin us this way because you jus wanna see yer friend Ike."
"This ain’t no social call, Moon," he says.
"Oh, so you ain’t denyin it!"
"Look, d’you wanna find yer brother or not?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then shut up an mind yer footin on this slope," he says." I’ll go first."
Arrow an Ash an Epona go first. They disappear over the edge of the escarpment they start to pick their way carefully down the slope.
"All right, Pen," I says. "You go now. Nice an slow. Be careful."
The earth’s dry, pebbly an loose under hoof. As I move down carefully, I see Pen’s havin trouble keepin upright.
I move over to help her when Ash calls out. "Wind’s changin direction!"
Epona points at the sky. Thunderheads! she shouts.
A great towerin bank of black clouds come rollin at us from the northeast. They’re movin hellish fast.
Lightnin forks down. I count. One elefant, two ele—thunder rumbles. It’ll be on top of us any moment.
"Those are rain clouds!" Arrow shouts. "Hurry up!"
I go to take Penny by the hoof but she’s gone. She’s already headed down the slope
on agin, her hoof’s slippin in the loose earth.
I start after her.
"Penny Rose!" I call. "Be careful!"
Jest as I say it, she slips and falls on a sharp rock or somthin, cause her flanks got a cut on it which is bleedin, slowly turnin her pale yellow hide dark red. She moans, it obviously hurts.
At that moment, the clouds crack open.
Rain pours down on top of us in sheets. In seconds, we’re drenched through to the skin.
"You idiot, Penny," I says. "I said to be careful! Why cain’t you jest do what I tell you fer once?"
"Moon!" Arrow’s voice, muffled by the rain. "Git offa that slope now!"
"Don’t tell me what to do!" I yell back.
I throw Pen onto my back an hurry down. The ground’s turnin to mud unner my hooves.
"You took yer sweet time," says Arrow when we git to the bottom an I set Penny down.
"Don’t start with me, Arrow," I says.
He jest frowns at me then he says, "the river’s started to run. If the rain keeps up like this, we could git a flash flood. We gotta git across before we’re trapped in the gorge."
We start towards the river’s edge, Penny an Arrow gettin ahead of me.
"I’ll take Penny across the river!" he calls to me.
"Okay!" I call back, then I trip, fallin flat on my face. Gettin back up, I'm headed fer the river when somethin makes me pause. I frown. I feel … I know there’s somethin not quite right, but … I shake my head. No time to stop an think now. I reach the riverbank, the thick reddish brown stream of muddy water’s flowin fast. It catches on a dead tree lyin on the riverbed, turns it this way then that way, slowly, like it’s makin up its mind what to do with it. Then it lifts the tree an
rushes it downstream.
The riverbed’s narrow here but deep. The banks ain’t wide. If the rain keeps fallin like this, it ain’t gonna take long fer it to overflow its banks an fill the gorge. We’ll be swept downstream if we’re caught in it. Epona an Ash is almost at th’other side.
"Be careful!" calls Epona. "The riverbed’s all churned up mud! It’s hard to keep yer footin!"
Arrow starts to wade into the water. Penny's sittin on his back, clingin to his neck. Suddenly I know what it is that ain’t right. My heartstone’s gone. I run back to where I tripped. There it is, lyin in the mud. I snatch it an shove it deep into my boot. Run back to the riverbank.
In time to see Arrow stumble.
In time to see Penny Rose lose her grip an fall into the river.
"Penny!" I cry
.
She cain’t swim. Without thinkin, I dive in to save her. I surface to see Arrow haulin her outta the water by the back of her tunic. He swings her back up on his back.
"Is she okay?" I call.
"She’s fine!" he says. "Jest git yerself across!"
The water’s reached my chest now. The wicked current wraps itself around me. I ain’t took more’n four steps when somethin bumps into me. I look down.
It’s a pony leg bone.
I gasp.
All around me, the dead are risin.
Another leg bone bobs to the muddy surface. Then a skull. A arm bone. They swing lazily. The current grabs ’em an carries ’em away. Wreckers must of used the dry riverbed as a mass grave an now the heavy rain’s churnin it all up. I lift my head high from the water,outta the way. Slowly I turn in a circle, blinkin the rain away from my eyes.
"Ohmigawd," I says. "Ohmigawd ohmigawd ohmigawd."
The river’s alive with dead pony’s bones. It’s thick with ’em. My breath’s comin shallow an fast. I feel somethin touch me. I make myself look down. A skellenton’s wrapped itself around mme. The skull grins up at me. I shove it away. But when I pull my hooves away, the whole top half of the skellenton comes with ’em. I’m standin in the ribcage. The skull comes off and floats in the now higher water, right in my face.
I scream. Shake myself loose. Scramble to git away. Lose my footin. I fall. I go unner. An the current sweeps me away.
I fight my way to the surface. Spit out a mouthful of filthy river. "Help!" I yell. "Help!"
I doubt if any of ’em can hear me over the poundin of the rain an the rush of the river. An I must be well outta earshot by now. I’m a ways downstream from where I fell, that’s all I know. An I got no idea where this river goes. I grab onto the trunk of a dead tree as it slides past me. I pull myself up so my head’s outta the water. I hang on tight as I go rushin along on the river of mud an
bones.
"Arrow!" I shout. "Arrow!"
The heavy rain means I cain’t see no further’n three arms-length in front of me. There ain’t no way of tellin how far I am from the riverbank, but I know it’s there somewhere. I gotta try to make my way over to it. I grit my teeth an kick hard, tryin to steer away from the middle of the river, but the current’s got other ideas. The moment I start to make headway, it snatches at my tree an
whirls us off. I keep on tryin, over an over agin. But the current’s too strong fer me to fight.
Then I start to hear another kinda roar. One that ain’t the rain, but somethin else. It reminds me of … I cain’t think what, but I know that whatever it is, I heard it not so long ago.
The river’s gittin narrower an narrower. I’m bein carried towards a group of jagged rocks that stick up outta the water. I’ll try to grab holda one. But I’m goin too fast. As I reach the rocks, the tree trunk I’m clingin to hits the first rock an cracks in two. I lose my grip. I’m dragged unner the water. My nose fills. My mouth fills. I’m chokin. My body smashes aginst stone. Once, twice, I hit the rocks, still unnerwater. I’m tumbled every which way.
I bob to the surface. Gasp fer air, spit out water. Grit in my mouth, on my tongue. I got nuthin to hang onto now. It’s all I can do to keep my head above water. The current races me downstream. That roarin I bin hearin … it’s gittin louder. Ever louder.
Now I remember where I heard that sound. It was at Darktrees. The day when Maev an me went bathin. An my heart stops in my chest. Because I know what that sound means.
There’s a waterfall ahead.
"Arrow!" I scream his name as loud as I can. "Arrooooow!"
The roar of the waterfall’s gittin louder. The river’s gittin wilder, throwin up filthy water in great sprays. A rock lies straight ahead. Right in the middle of the river. It’s wide an flat. Not too high. I could pull myself onto it. But it’s smooth. Nuthin to grab hold of.
I’m there. I reach out. No! I’m bein swept past the rock! I feel the rush of the falls. Draggin at my legs. I fling my hoof back. Over my head. Make a grab at the air. Grab fer anythin. There! My hoof holds somethin. My arm’s near yanked outta its socket.
I stop.
I’ve stopped.
I wait there fer a second, gaspin, as the river roars around me, tuggin at my legs, frantic to rip me from my hoofhold an throw me over the edge of the falls. I hang on. My arm’s pulled backwards over my head. Whatever I got hold of, it seems strong enough. A piece of metal stickin outta the rock. Cold. Rough. Sturdy. I flip myself over, git ahold of it with my other hoof too. Then slowly, fightin aginst the current with every bit of strength still in me, I manage to drag myself outta the water an onto the rock.
I lie there. Pantin fer breath. I can feel the rain pound down on me but I hardly notice it. After a bit, I lift my head to see what it is that’s saved me. A iron spike. Rough an rusted. What it’s doin in this rock in the middle of this river at the top of this waterfall an who put it here, I’ll never know. I’m jest damn glad it’s here. I pull myself up to sit, still hangin onto that spike. Then I cain’t help myself. I peer over the side to see how close I came.
An I start to shake.
Because my lucky rock is hangin over the edge of the waterfall. Below me, the waters roar as they plunge down. My bowels clench an I scrabble back from the edge.
I’m on a rock. On top of a waterfall. In the middle of a river. With no way off. I look down. The water’s still risin around me. If it keeps on, I’ll be swept over the falls. I got no idea how high they are. My teeth is chatterin from the cold, or maybe shock. I huddle in the middle of the rock. Hug my hind legs to my chest.
"Moon! Moon! Where are you?"
My heart leaps. A voice. Muffled by the rain, but—
I peer through the curtain of rain, try to see where it’s comin from. Then I see him. He’s in the river, swimmin an bein carried along by the current. There’s a rope looped unner his armpits, tied high around his chest.
"Arrow!" I shout. I sit an wave. "Arrow! Over here!"
He spots me.
The next thing I know, he’s comin up right below me. I hang onto the spike with one hoof an reach down with th’other. He grabs it. I give him a pull an he scrambles up beside me. He drags the slack of the rope outta the water an plops it onto the rock.
"That was close," he says. He sits there, pantin.
"Arrow!" I throw my arms around him. I’m shakin, head to foot. "I never bin so glad to see anypony in my life!" I says.
He shrugs me off. Looks at me with narrowed eyes. "What happened?"
"I lost my … my necklace," I says. "I had to go back fer it. Then I lost my footin an … well. Here I am."
He don’t say nuthin fer a moment. "Then, Did you find yer necklace?"
I can feel the heartstone burnin aginst my hoof, where I shoved it deep down inside my boot. "Yeah," I says.
"Good," he says. "I’d hate to think this was all fer nuthin. Well. Much as I’m enjoyin sittin here … talkin about … jewelry … I think we’ll continue this conversation somewhere safer."
He scoots around behind me so’s I’m sittin between his legs. He loosens the slipknot on the rope around his chest.
"At least we’re even now," he says.
"Even?" I says. "Whaddya mean?"
He lifts the rope from around him an starts makin the loop bigger. "The rule of three," he says. "You remember, I explained it to you. You save somebody’s life three times, their life belongs to you."
He slips his arm around my waist an pulls me in closer.
"What’re you doin Arrow! I—"
"Shut up or I’ll throw you in," he says. He lifts the rope over so it’s around both our waists. "As I was sayin," he says, "you saved me back at Hopetown. That was one to you. Jest now, I saved you from goin over the waterfall so that’s one to me."
"You did not! I saved myself!"
"You wanna quibble? I’m happy to leave you here."
"No!" I says. "No! Don’t do that!"
"Well then," he says. "I think we’re even."
"I don’t believe it," I says. "Rule of three. That’s about the stupidest thing I ever—" He yanks the slipknot tight. My back’s crushed aginst his chest. "—heard of," I says.
"Stupid, eh?" He whispers it in my ear so’s his breath tickles. I shiver.
"I hope you got somethin strong at th’other end of this rope," I says.
"Ash an Epona," he says. "All right?"
I nod. He gives the rope a sharp tug to let ’em know we’re ready. Then we slide down into the river.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ash an Epona give one last haul on the rope an Arrow an me’s dragged outta the water onto the muddy riverbank. We lie there, gaspin fer breath.
"Moon!" Penny throws herself on top of me. "Moon! I thought you was drowned! I thought I’d lost you!"
"C’mon, Penny Rose," says Ash. "Give Moon a chance to git her breath back."
"Thanks, Ash," I says.
She peels Pen away from me. Epona gives me a hoof up an wraps me in a fierce hug.
"Thanks," I says.
"Ash an me ain’t much good at swimmin," she says. "Yer lucky Arrow was here."
He grins his big jimswagger grin. "Would you mind repeatin that, Epona?" he says. "I don’t think Moon realizes ezzackly how lucky she is."
I’m startin to feel stupid that I threw my arms around him like I did. Like I couldn’t help myself. "I didn’t need savin," I says. "I was perfectly fine till you came along."
He stares at me. His mouth drops open. The rain runs down his face into it. "You," he says, "are insane. Truly insane. Five minutes ago, you was stranded on a rock in the middle of a river at the top of a waterfall with no way—I repeat, no way—of
gittin off. Any normal pony would not consider that to be fine. An—correct me if I’m wrong—but when I got there, I distinckly heard you say you was never so glad to see anypony in yer life."
"Did not," I says.
"Uh … I think we’ll jest start on up to the tavern," says Ash. Her, Epona an Penny disappear.
Arrow gives me a hard look. "You make my brain hurt," he says.
"An yer the most puffed-up, big-headed swagger boots I ever met," I says. "I got news fer you, Arrow. You ain’t so great. You ain’t great at all. Not even the slightest bit! If it warn’t fer you an yer stupid plan to go see yer stupid friend in some stupid tavern, I wouldn’t of ended up in the river in the first place!"
"Oh, I know what this is about," he says. "This is about Ash agin."
"It is not! Anyways, I couldn’t give two hoots about you an Ash or you an anypony else!"
"There ain’t nopony else!" he yells. "It’s all in yer tiny little mind! You know what you need?"
"Yeah! I need you to shove off an leave me alone!" I yell back.
"No! What you need is to lighten up! My gawd, if yer outta yer mind, I must be outta mine even more! An you know why? Fer even thinkin fer a moment that you an me could of—"
"Could of what?"
"Dammit, Moon, I thought we could have a good time together! You know … I’d help you find yer brother an you an me ’ud … you know."
"No! I don’t know, Arrow! What the hell’re you talkin about?"
"What I’m talkin about … is this!"
He hauls me to him, grabs my face an kisses me.
I hold myself still, stiff, hooves firm on the ground. At first, from shock. But now to keep ’em away from Arrow. My hoove's are itchin to touch him. All over. His arms, his face, his back, his chest. I cain’t let ’em. I give him a shove. He goes sprawlin backwards into the mud.
"What was that fer?" he yells.
"Fer kissin me!" I yell. "An don’t you dare do it agin!"
"Oh don’t you worry about that," he says, "I’d rather throw myself over that waterfall!"
He picks hisself up.
"I’d rather sleep in a nest of scorpions!" he says.
He stomps off up the hill.
I follow.
My lips is tinglin.