“Surprise!” Pinkie Pie called, bouncing into the Carousel Boutique.
“Darling, darlings, hello,” replied Rarity, catching sight of Spike as well.
“Spike’s got some presents for you,” Pinkie Pie grinned.
“Presents?”
“We went and got you some gems,” Spike said, deciding the less detail he went into the better. “I hope you like them.”
“You know I always love gems,” smiled Rarity.
“All Spike’s idea,” Pinkie Pie added.
“Oh you are marvellous,” said Rarity, giving Spike a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to Pinkie Pie, “isn’t he marvellous?”
“He’s the best Spikey-wikey ever!” Pinkie Pie nodded, rubbing Spike on the top of his head.
“Awww,” said Spike, the blush the kiss had given him getting even deeper.
“I’d better get back to Sugarcube Corner.”
“Let me help you with the buckles,” nodded Spike, hiding his embarrassment in dealing with that.
“I’ll bring your panniers to you later?” Rarity asked.
“Okie-dokie-loki, no rush though.”
“Thank you for helping Spike,” Rarity added.
“Anytime!” said Pinkie Pie, bounding off as soon as the backpack and panniers were removed.
“This way,” Rarity said to Spike, leading the way.
Spike hefted the panniers and backpack up and staggered after Rarity to where she wanted to sort the gems. As he began to unload them and she began to sort them a very slight frown came to her face. Some of these gems suggested a worrying possibility and with that in mind she looked again at the backpack. Its straps had held it securely on Pinkie Pie, looping down and just behind the lower edge of the pannier bags each side, but she noticed how those straps were set on it and that there was extra padding at the flap end. Which suggested something else.
==
Joe sat on his porch and gave his lunch some time to settle. It had been a morning of mixed feelings, bad with the dreams, good with talking to Pinkie Pie, and bad with visiting the Diamond Dogs. Perhaps he just needed more sweets in his diet, it seemed to work so well for Pinkie Pie as she’d still been so happy and bouncy even when carrying all the gems. Though as the backpack probably weighed less than Spike it was not surprising she could still bounce. Dismissing that idea Joe began to ponder what to do.
He’d taken his armour off as soon as he got back to his hut and had put on the shirt Rarity had given him yesterday. The undervest had been a bit sweaty so that had gone straight into his laundry pile and he’d given the padded vest a bit of a wash so that was damp, but even had it been dry or he’d a spare he didn’t feel like putting his armour on again today. Reading seemed like a peaceful idea but he didn’t want to finish the book until he felt it was safe to visit the library and return it for a fresh one and, as he’d said to Pinkie Pie, he’d good reasons to avoid company.
With a nod to himself Joe went back inside and began making some cheese sandwiches. Some hill walking seemed the best idea and there’d likely be somewhere nice to stop and enjoy the view and those. Joe clinched his belt with rope and knife tighter since it was over trousers rather than armour and, after putting the sandwiches and a couple of buns in a pouch and that pouch’s strap over his shoulder, he picked up his spear. He doubted he’d need to stab anything or he’d have put his armour on but it would be handy as a walking stick and better to have it than not if his doubts were wrong. With one last mental inventory Joe left his hut and began for the hills.
==
“Rarity?” Twilight Sparkle said, a little surprised. “What brings you here while the boutique is normally open?”
“Oh, Spike has been simply wonderful,” Rarity replied, nodding towards the small and freshly blushing Dragon at her side. “He’s been a real sweetheart and brought me enough gems for several dresses.”
Twilight Sparkle looked at Spike. “He has?”
“Indeed he has.”
Spike mumbled something embarrassed sounding and wandered off to see about his chores. Rarity watched him go and then sidled up to Twilight Sparkle, letting her concern rather than her pleasure show. Twilight Sparkle looked at her friend and waited for her to speak.
“Some of the gems he brought me I normally buy,” Rarity said softly, “because although it worked out in the end I don’t feel like the risk of digging near the Diamond Dogs, and that is the only place they can be found near here.”
“You think Spike went there?” asked Twilight Sparkle, looking dubious.
“He did have Pinkie Pie’s company, and maybe someone else’s,” Rarity replied. “Some of the gems were in her panniers, but some were in a bag whose straps looked as if they were meant for something that walked like Spike, but larger and with no scales along the spine to damage the bag.”
“Joe!” hissed Twilight Sparkle.
The two Ponies left the Golden Oaks Library and went to the Carousel Boutique where Twilight Sparkle examined the backpack and agreed with Rarity about it. Then Twilight Sparkle floated Pinkie Pie’s panniers up onto her back and they went to Sugarcube Corner to return this and find some answers.
“Hi Twilight, Rarity!” Pinkie Pie greeted them as they entered the shop.
“Come to return your panniers, darling,” said Rarity, Twilight Sparkle taking the cue and floating them off her back and across to their friend.
“Thanks!”
“And come to ask if it was just you and Spike who got the gems,” Twilight Sparkle added.
“Oooh, Joe did help,” nodded Pinkie Pie, deciding that as Joe had said he’d not expect them to lie she’d not say just that he’d lent the bag. “But he didn’t want any fuss or bother about it.”
“I am sure he didn’t,” Twilight Sparkle grumbled.
“Well, we shall have to thank him,” said Rarity, sounding less grouchy.
“I’m not sure if he’ll be home,” Pinkie Pie warned them. “He was going to go for a walk or he might have gone back to bed, bad dreams last night so he didn’t sleep well.”
“And how do you know how well he slept?” asked Rarity, a little archly.
“I went and delivered some buns to him this morning,” Pinkie Pie replied cheerfully, missing the implication, “and he mentioned it had been a rough night when I asked if he was okay.”
“Oh,” said Rarity.
“Where did you go for the gems?” Twilight Sparkle asked, not interested in what Joe’s relationship with Pinkie Pie was.
“That’s a secret.”
“Knowing where the gems are from is important,” Twilight Sparkle replied.
“And so is keeping a secret. Ask Spike if you want to know.”
Twilight Sparkle looked at Pinkie Pie and remembered how inflexible Pinkie Pie had been about this before. Rarity and Fluttershy had both been miserable during Fluttershy’s brief but successful modelling career and if they had known how miserable the other one was then some of that misery could have been avoided. Without Pinkie Pie’s constant reminders, and apparent stalking, Twilight Sparkle thought she might have been able to… without directly telling… drop enough hints her two friend would have talked and found this out.
“I’ll do that,” said Twilight Sparkle, rejecting the idea of further argument.
“Okie-dokie-loki.”
Twilight Sparkle and Rarity left, the latter waiting until they were outside to speak. “Are you sure we didn’t give up too soon?”
“Believe me,” Twilight Sparkle said, “Pinkie is very firm about keeping secrets, which is good if they are yours but…”
“Secrets?” another voice asked from just above them. “What’s up? Other than me.”
“Hello Rainbow,” said Rarity, looking at the hovering Pegasus. “I think we have to talk to Joe.”
“But he might not be at his hut,” Twilight Sparkle added.
“I’ll check,” nodded Rainbow Dash with a grin. A small cloud of dust rose as she arced away. The two Unicorns looked at each other and then moved away from the doorway of the shop to wait. The same multicoloured streak descended and another small cloud of dust rose as Rainbow Dash landed, looking disappointed. “It doesn’t look like he is home.”
“If he hasn’t gone for a walk he might have been napping, like a certain Pegasus has a habit of,” Rarity smiled, “so did you wait long enough for him to get to his door?”
“Ooops,” said Rainbow Dash, taking off and streaking away with undiminished speed. This round trip took a little longer but soon she was back. “I waited but still no reply, what did you want to talk to him about?”
“I want to know where he took Spike to get gems,” Twilight Sparkle said, frowning as she thought of the danger. She’d hatched and raised Spike so she resented him being put at risk.
==
Joe scrambled up the last part of the slope onto the flatter ridge, jabbing his spearhead into the turf for extra support and sighing as yet again it sank in deeper than he wanted. His spear had not been as good as an aid to walking as he’d hoped. The length of the spearhead meant it was rather short if he held it below that point up and if he held the butt end the sharpness of the spearhead meant it took little pressure to root it firmly enough to need quite a tug to free. Still, it had been more help than hindrance and not bad enough to warrant making and using a staff instead.
It was almost time to turn back as he wanted to aim to get back to his hut well before dark so if he did get lost or sprained an ankle he’d still have a chance of getting there by around nightfall. Moving along the ridge in what he thought was the right direction he saw a boulder that looked quite smooth and comfortable and about the right height to sit against the edge of. Joe made himself comfortable, putting his pouch and water flask beside him and admiring the view before he looked down the hill to consider his route.
One swig of water and a sandwich taken out of his pouch later Joe had decided he knew what direction he was aiming in and that there didn’t seem to be any obstacles that way. He took a bite of the sandwich and nodded to himself as he visualised the route. Gradually he’d lost the sense of unreality as going for a walk and eating cheese sandwiches, even if that cheese was made with milk from talking cows, was reassuringly normal. Even before they had arrived at the Diamond Dogs Joe had begun to wonder if Pinkie Pie had been bluffing but with the peace and quiet and the sense of calm he’d recovered he was able to move past that thought and onto what would have followed.
If she had been bluffing and he’d refused to help then the trip could have been avoided, if she’d not been bluffing and he’d refused to help then he’d have suffered the guilt of not helping. The problem was how far would Pinkie Pie have carried a bluff? If she had waited until they were out of sight and earshot to tell Spike she was bluffing then that would look the same to Joe as if she’d not been bluffing. This had not been a good day but better than spending it wondering if Pinkie Pie and Spike were safe and far better than if they had been harmed because he’d not helped.
Joe’s thoughts were interrupted as he saw a streak of colours crossing the sky, the speed of what left it letting one streak cross another before the first had faded. It was not a surprise when the streak arrowed down towards him and he saw what was at its head.
“There you are!”
“Hello Dash, cheese sandwich?” Joe asked, reaching into his pouch for a fresh one.
She took the sandwich and a couple of hefty bites, settling as she did to sit on the boulder beside him. After several seconds of companionable silence and mutual munching Rainbow Dash spoke. “Twilight and Rarity seem pretty annoyed with you.”
“For the same reason? Or have I annoyed them separately?”
“You took Spike to near the Diamond Dogs.”
“Oh yes, of course,” Joe sighed. “I’d have taken him there, naturally it would be my idea and my fault, I so want to impress Rarity with gems after all.”
“Ouch,” winced Rainbow Dash. “Are you saying Spike took you?”
Joe opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it and shook his head with another sigh. “Sorry,” he said, “I could be quite sarcastic, but no need to with you or with them. So thank you for the warning as that might help me avoid being rude.”
“No trouble.”
“Heh, wish the same had been true the rest of the day,” Joe chuckled. “At least Pinkie had fun, made her laugh, which is not unusual, and nearly spill her panniers and Spike onto the ground.”
“What was the joke?”
“You remember I said about humans and jousting?”
“Sure.”
“Well, if you are going to have someone trained since boyhood in fighting and wearing armour that’s almost impervious to anything but the best weapons, such as he has, then…” Joe stopped and shook his head. “Like the soldier training, does it speak poorly of us that it was needed or well of us that such a man was supposed to be bound by a code of conduct? One of honourable behaviour, to show courtesy and compassion, to help others, and to protect the weak.”
“Why is that funny?”
“The code was, is, called Chivalry,” Joe smiled. “Named after the Chevaliers, who were named that after the Chevals, the horses, they rode. So Pinkie thought I meant I said I was acting like a horse.”
“And what makes you think you weren’t,” frowned Rainbow Dash with a grin, prodding Joe with one hoof to punctuate her statement.
“Stallion being manipulated maybe,” Joe nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich. “Some protective instincts, which were likely misplaced with how formidable you Ponies are… so was only ‘help others’ rather than ‘protect the weak’.”
“Twilight and Rarity might be at your hut,” said Rainbow Dash after a few moments, adding to the warning that Joe had thanked her for, “and might be getting impatient.”
“The polite thing to do would be to stand up and go there now then,” nodded Joe. Then he took another bite of his sandwich. “But I have pleasant scenery, a sandwich to finish, and pleasant company.” He paused and considered. “A few minutes won’t matter, I wandered for a couple of hours so, even going downhill and directly, I’d not be back there before an hour from now.”
“I could fly ahead,” Rainbow Dash offered.
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Or I could carry you.”
“I don’t know about that,” Joe said, adding when Rainbow Dash frowned, “which is not an insult or a challenge, just comparing your wings with an Eagle.”
“Hah! What sort of Eagle has wings like mine?”
“I can name a few species, but the one I was thinking of was about my height and though its wings were broad and powerful for speed and agility, rather than long and slim for soaring, it still had about twice your wingspan.”
“Whoa, that sounds like a Griffon. Except all Eagle.”
“I’ll admit you’re stronger than they were, since you are so much faster, but I think those Eagles could ‘only’ carry off a human child rather than an adult. So I am not sure you are enough stronger.”
“I bet I am,” said Rainbow Dash, before a thought occurred to her. “Wait, you said ‘was’ and ‘were’… what happened to those Eagles?”
“I also said they could carry off a human child,” Joe replied, “so what do you think happened to them.”
“Oh…” nodded Rainbow Dash. After a pause and a bite of cheese sandwich she spoke again. “Did you hear about the rescue I performed at the Best Young Flyer competition?”
“I think you won it, and you did your Sonic Rainboom, but…”
“Twi had given Rarity some temporary wings, but those burned away as she was performing and, in screaming and flailing, she’d knocked out the three Wonderbolts that tried to catch her,” Rainbow Dash said, gesturing with her hooves as she spoke to show the movements. “I saw this and came down in a dive and, whoosh, caught them just above the ground and looped back up to the arena.”
“Impressive,” said Joe, with a gratifyingly large amount of admiration. Then he nodded. “I expect I do weigh less than three Pegasi and a Unicorn, but truth be told I’d want to use enough rope to secure myself that it would be kinky and you’d have to fly slowly enough that it would be boring for you.”
“I remember being tied up during an Iron Pony contest when I lassoed myself, wasn’t fun,” Rainbow Dash commented, taking the last bite to finish her sandwich before she asked, “But what do you know about flying?”
“One reason humans might come up a hill like this is something called a hang glider. Metal tubes with fabric stretched across them to form a fixed wing and as the name suggests you hang from straps beneath it.”
“So you think you’d be using me as a ‘hang glider’?”
“I think I’d have to be hanging beneath you, though I doubt you’d be gliding.” Joe snorted. “Let’s face it, even if you were the size of Princess Celestia my legs would still be getting in the way of your wings if I tried to ride you.”
“What about the way you carried me yesterday?”
“That was how I carried you, if you were carrying me your forelegs would be pulling up on my neck rather than supported on my shoulders and your rear legs would be trying to slide out rather than your hindquarters being supported, though…” Joe broke off and started chuckling.
“What?”
“One of the common ideas for humans is strapping something onto their back to let them fly,” Joe said, controlling his chuckle. “A rocket pack, or a pair of wings, or something.”
“So you were thinking of strapping me to your back?”
“And chuckling because, somehow, a blue Pegasus never occurred to anyone as the ‘something’.”
“Good,” Rainbow Dash said, taking to the air, “since that does sound kinky.”
“Not really,” protested Joe, finishing his sentence as Rainbow Dash arced away out of earshot, “there are… harnesses for tandem parachute jumps.”
Joe shrugged and finished his sandwich. There had been enough jokes about how closely the experienced jumper and the inexperienced one had to be pressed together that he’d not be able to argue too strongly about the lack of kinkiness. Sandwich eaten, water flask back on his belt, pouch back over his shoulder, and spear back in his hand he started down the slope at an angle to aim for what looked a promising break in the trees.
==
Rarity sat calmly on a cushion on Joe’s porch and tried to not be irritated by how unsettled Twilight Sparkle was. Her friend kept on standing up and pacing back and forth before sitting for a few minutes and then standing and pacing again. She wasn’t sure if Twilight Sparkle was overreacting or not, but working herself up like this would not help them get answers from Joe.
“I can’t believe he was that stupid,” Twilight Sparkle growled.
“Spike?”
“Joe!”
“I…” Rarity began, not sure how she was going to continue. Perhaps remind her friend that this had been Spike’s idea, since Pinkie Pie had not made that as clear when talking to them both. Perhaps argue that Joe looked formidable enough to give Diamond Dogs pause, since Twilight Sparkle had not seen him in armour or in just shorts and socks. Before Rarity could decide there was a swoosh.
“I found him,” said Rainbow Dash, looking a little proud of herself.
“Where?”
“Geez Twilight, take it down a notch. He was half way up that hill,” replied Rainbow Dash, pivoting in the air and pointing, “so even coming straight back he’ll be an hour or so.”
“Thank you for finding him,” Rarity said, “and, I assume, telling him we’d appreciate his return.”
“Not a problem,” nodded Rainbow Dash, “and now to ask him about arrows.”
“Arrows?” Rarity asked, not getting any reply from the rapidly receding Pegasus. She looked to Twilight Sparkle to see if she had an explanation but saw her other friend was already off the porch.
“Come on,” said Twilight Sparkle, adding when Rarity just looked puzzled rather than following, “you’re the one wanting to get back to the boutique. If we go and meet Joe we can get this dealt with sooner.”
Rarity was not so sure as this also gave the chance they’d miss meeting Joe and have that delay them. But Twilight Sparkle was trotting implacably away and in the mood she was in it seemed better to follow and at least try to smooth things over. Even Big Macintosh would return that much aggression and she didn’t think Joe was as calm.
==
The descent of the hill had gone well enough and the ground between it and the trees was firm rather than having any hidden boggy patches, or at least none that Joe had found. It was still a pleasant walk even knowing the probable argument that awaited him at the end of it. For a moment the sky over the trees ahead became more colourful and then the source was flying slowly beside him.
“Hi.”
“Hello again Dash,” Joe said, “I wasn’t expecting your return.”
“You said the company was pleasant.”
“And it is.”
“I told them you were on your way back and how long you’d be.”
“Thanks, hopefully they’ll give up.”
“I don’t know, Twilight looked pretty stubborn.”
“Was a faint hope anyway,” Joe sighed, “and better I talk to Twilight before she complains in a letter again.”
Rainbow Dash gave him a frown, but decided to stick to what she wanted to say. “You didn’t answer my question about arrows yesterday.”
“I probably did when I said they’d be too light and flimsy,” Joe admitted, “which suggests you’d need something sturdier.”
“Only suggests though.”
“Knowing that my not talking about things disappointed Discord does make me feel I should continue to be cautious, even if the questions are being asked by a good-looking girl… or, rather, mare…”
“You think I’m good-looking …” Rainbow Dash started to say, then her eyes narrowed. “are you trying to distract me?”
“Trying,” agreed Joe, having second thoughts about whether he’d rather discuss arrows or the other topic.
“I don’t care what Discord said,” Rainbow Dash argued, not letting herself be diverted, “it’s pretty big-headed of you to think you could change Equestria by sharing what you know.”
“I’d have agreed with you a few days ago Dash,” nodded Joe as they reached the treeline, “but I’d no reason then to stir things up and after the warning I’ve less reason now.”
“I know that expression,” Rainbow Dash said, a quick flurry of wing-strokes whirling her ahead of Joe so she could stare him in the face. Joe had to stop walking and leaned back a little in reaction to the stare. “That’s the way you looked when Fluttershy said you were violent as a predator and you decided to not argue with her. What are you not saying now?”
“Apparently I am not saying about arrows.”
“But you did say about Twilight complaining in a letter, and from what she said Discord didn’t warn you, so I wonder who did.”
“A mystery, since it would be egotistical of me to think I could change Equestria.”
Rainbow Dash hopped up and over Joe, turning as she reached the apex of that inverted U so she was facing the same way as him, a draft going down his back as she flew with her head over his shoulder and one wing behind him. “So you are going to tell me about arrows and the sturdier variety.”
“Because I’ve removed my excuse by agreeing with you it was big-headed,” Joe asked, ticking off the options by raising the thumb and first two fingers on his left hand, “because I should be putty in your hooves and taking the chance to show off, or because that would be a safer subject?”
“All three.”
“Fair enough. What I was thinking of was a Plumbata…”
“A what?”
“Sorry, old word for lead is Plumbum so lead weighted Darts were called Plumbata. About the same length as an arrow but a lot thicker.”
“And that would be better for me to throw?”
“Humans used to throw them… er… at each other. But might be better for you to just drop it, depends on your… I was going to say arm speed.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “My forelegs are strong enough, want to arm wrestle some time?”
“I might surprise you, and I did say speed rather than strength.”
“Difference being?”
“About the closest things to humans on my world are creatures called Chimpanzees, and they have much stronger arms than us. But the way our arms work and how our chest muscles and shoulders are arranged makes us much better throwers.”
“Why would it be better for me to just drop it anyway?”
“You are very fast through the air so even a hard throw would not add much,” Joe replied, swinging his arm, “but might throw off your flying rhythm and mean the dart would be meeting the air at an angle…”
“Gotcha!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Want it to be in line with the way I’m flying… wait, is this getting towards you having to admit something?”
“Admit something?”
“About how you are able to talk about flying things dropping things.”
“Oh no, I’d hardly admit that there was only eleven years between inventing aeroplanes and starting to drop things on each other from them. Or that they did actually drop scatters of darts in the early years of that particular war.”
“Naturally you’d not admit that,” Rainbow Dash nodded sagely, “you have to be cautious and not make us think you barbaric. What’s an ‘aeroplane’ anyway?”
“Think of an albatross gliding, except rather than the occasional flap to get speed and lift it has an engine to give forward thrust.”
“Sounds slow,” Rainbow Dash frowned.
“Depends how much forward thrust…” started Joe, slipping into conversation as they reached a stream and turned to follow it. He knew this was not being cautious but he didn’t see the harm in talking about how thrust was produced by propellers since, although the power was piston engines rather than magic, those were like the rotor that let Rainbow Dash’s tortoise Tank fly. And there was a hydroelectric dam near Ponyville so turbines were no mystery to them even if they’d not needed to invent the jet engine.
==
Despite Rarity’s complaints, which were more for the sake of form than genuine, Twilight Sparkle was continuing determinedly along the stream bank. This was not a straight path towards the hills but was close enough to it that it seemed likely Joe would follow it. By her estimate they had been walking long enough they should see him within the next few minutes and that estimate seemed accurate as she heard the sound of voices coming from around a small bend in the stream. These seemed cheerful and unconcerned and Twilight Sparkle felt a twinge of irritation at this, sometimes the happiness of others lifted your mood and sometimes it made you wonder what they were so happy about.
“So,” Rainbow Dash said as they came around the bend, “for fun rather than practical you might strap a parachute on…”
“Less kinky than strapping a Pegasus on,” nodded Joe, pushing a branch aside with the flat of his spearhead, “though, as I said, there are tandem harnesses for parachutes.”
“Are you saying you’d strap both on?”
“The speed you fly you’d collapse or shred any parachute if you acted as motor. Either strapped on or towing like those flying chariots.”
“At least towing would be less kinky,” Rainbow Dash frowned, “but you still have all those centuries of horses towing humans to make up for.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Darlings,” Rarity said, interrupting the discussion, “we came to meet you.”
“Rarity, Twilight, hello,” nodded Joe as he stopped walking.
“Hey Rarity, if Joe helped with the design do you think you could make a funny shaped parachute?” Rainbow Dash asked, climbing to above Joe’s head with a couple of powerful wing beats and then losing that altitude in a glide down to her friend. “Something different than the ones for floating straight down?”
“I am not sure I know the design well enough,” Joe commented, glad he’d angled his spear down when they stopped.
“And we have something more important to discuss!” Twilight Sparkle said, floating the backpack into view.
“Not much to discuss,” replied Joe, “Pinkie came to my hut to deliver some buns, Spike arrived and asked for help getting gems, we helped.”
“We are a little concerned that…” Rarity began.
“You took him to near the Diamond Dogs!” interrupted Twilight Sparkle, saying much the same as Rarity had intended to put more politely.
“He said the only place he knew was there,” Joe replied, “I could have called Pinkie’s bluff that they were going to go there without me when I refused, but I did not care to take the risk she was not bluffing.”
“Pinkie Pie did say that it was Spike’s idea,” commented Rarity.
“Joe should still have stopped him,” Twilight Sparkle growled.
“We didn’t stop him when he wanted to follow the Dragon Migration,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, “we just followed to make sure he was safe.”
“It’s not the same,” hissed Twilight Sparkle, “Spike wanted to do that so he could learn more about being a Dragon, it was important to him.”
“I’ll admit I could have argued more,” Joe said, “could have tried to call the bluff, tried to carry Spike back to Ponyville if it had not been a bluff and I had been unable to convince him. But this also seemed important to him and was not my suggestion.”
“And going into the Everfree with the Cutie Mark Crusaders was not your suggestion either,” frowned Twilight Sparkle, “doesn’t mean that agreeing to that was not your mistake.”
“Walking back from Fluttershy’s cottage with you was also not my suggestion,” Joe smiled, his manners fraying, “and that could be considered a mistake with how difficult your questions have made things.”
“My questions? You compare taking foals into danger with having to answer a few questions?”
“More than a few. But you are right.” Joe sighed. “Though at least Spike judged the danger of the Diamond Dogs better than I did the Everfree. He said we’d only go to the edges of their territory, and as it turned out we got some gems and were not attacked.”
“Because you were lucky.”
“Yes.”
“If Spike tries to get you to do this again…”
“Then I’d tell him no, as we were lucky this time.”
Rainbow Dash looked at Joe, she had begun to notice how carefully he sometimes chose his words. She also noticed how much he agreed that they had been lucky and that he had said they had not been attacked rather than that they had not seen any Diamond Dogs. Whether to point this out was another matter as it did seem Twilight Sparkle was calming down a little.
“Darlings,” said Rarity, snagging the backpack with her own magic from Twilight Sparkle’s and floating it to Joe, “I think we can all agree that Joe made a mistake, but that Spike, and Pinkie Pie, put him in an awkward position.
“I suppose so,” Twilight Sparkle admitted reluctantly.
“It was awkward,” agreed Joe, with clear understatement, “but Spike’s heart was in the right place. I still should not have been so… helpful… though so you have my apologies for letting my judgement lapse.”
“Pinkie did mention you had not slept well,” Rarity smiled, more brilliantly than had she only cropping teeth, “so you were tired.”
“Worse than that,” said Joe, looking a little bleary eyed, “the dreams had included ‘heroic warriors’ who’d think nothing of ‘fighting foul beasts for treasure’ and half my brain seemed to be stuck in that mindset. Which is an explanation rather than much excuse.”
“Or any excuse,” Twilight Sparkle growled.
“More excuse with how surreal things can still feel here,” chuckled Joe, “Pegasi and Unicorns and Dragons and talking Pink Ponies, so of course I’m dreaming or playing a game, or so it felt for most of today.”
“Well!” Rarity said. “You can tell us all about these ‘heroic warriors’, or as much as you can on the way back to your hut.” She turned and glanced back along her flank. “Come come, walk and talk.”
“Or fly and… er… fly and…” muttered Rainbow Dash.
“Fly and ply, with questions?” Joe said, starting to walk after Rarity.
“I am not prying,” protested Rainbow Dash, flapping into motion.
“I said ply.”
“Oh.”
“Though fly and pry would be more succinct.”
“Hey!”
Twilight Sparkle shook her head. She was not satisfied with this and she had a lot to talk about with Spike, but Joe seemed repentant enough that she could forgive, if not forget, his stupidity. At least it was only stupidity rather than malice so she did not have to take any drastic action. Hopefully the Princess would be able to give her some advice when she received the letter Twilight Sparkle intended to send as soon as she got home.