Chapter 16:
Guiding the Guide
"Anything yet, Sweetie Belle?"
"Nope, not yet! Try heading north!"
The Cutie Mark Crusader had been traveling for quite a while in search of water, but unlike before, they all seemed to be in high spirits. Needles, however, seemed to be grumpy.
"Do ya even know how to use a dowsing rod?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, of course I do," said Sweetie Belle, swinging the parasol around with her magic. "You just have to wait until the rod shakes, and then you find the water. That's what I read in that book Twilight lent me, anyway."
Needles sighed. "Readin' 'bout somethin' in a book is different than actually doin' it, you realize," she said.
"I know, I know," said Sweetie Belle with a pout. "We're not stupid."
"Never said ya were," said Needles brusquely.
"Geeze, what's eatin' you?" asked Babs Seed.
"Nothin'," said Needles flatly. "Now could ya please mind your own business?"
"Not if you're gonna be rude to my friends," said Babs, blowing back her combover.
"I'm not tryin' to be rude," said Needles defensively. "I'm jus', thinkin' is all."
"'Bout what?" inquired Apple Bloom.
Needles bit her lip, and then let out a sigh. "Let me ask ya somethin'. Say we meet the Dragon Magi, and ya ask them what y'all wanna ask 'em. Do ya think they'd have the answer?"
"I don't see why they wouldn't," said Apple Bloom with a shrug. "Chief Thunderhooves said they help anyone who needs guidance, an' we wanna know how we're supposed to get our Cutie Marks."
"Well, what if they jus' threw up their claws an' said 'I don't know?' What then?"
A hush fell over the Crusaders as they pondered Needles's question. Babs was the first to speak up.
"Well, maybe we could ask the Dragon Magi for proof of their existence," said she. "That way, when we head back to Appleloosa and tell everypony about our adventure, they'll believe us."
"And maybe that in turn will lead to our Cutie Marks!" Scootaloo pipped up cheerfully. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Legend Detectives!"
"Yay!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom cheered in unison.
Needles blinked. "Y'mean, y'all wouldn't be mad or disappointed?"
"Well, we'd be kinda disappointed, sure," said Sweetie Belle. "But you already said that the Dragon Magi don't know everything. We shouldn't get mad at them for not knowing something."
"I jus' hope they don't give us a lecture about how we should wait an' be patient," said Apple Bloom, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, I've already heard that from everypony an' every zebra I know. I don't need to hear it from every dragon, too."
Needles cast her eyes downward and grew quiet. After a pause, Babs nudged her.
"Hey, so how do ya know the Dragon Magi are real?" she asked.
"Hmm? Oh, that," said Needles, clearing her throat. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain."
"What's so hard about it?" asked Apple Bloom, raising an eyebrow.
"I-it jus' is, alright?" said Needles irritably. "Look, could y'all please stop bombardin' me with questions? Save it for when we actually meet the Dragon Magi."
"Alright, alright! Sheesh," said Apple Bloom, taken aback by Needles's harsh demeanor. "You don't need to go jumpin' down my throat."
Needles let out another sigh. "Sorry. I jus' have a lot on my mind right now," she said. After a pause, she looked up. "Y'all really think the Dragon Magi can help ya, huh?"
"We wouldn't be out here if we didn't think that," said Scootaloo.
"Alright then. How?"
Scootaloo brought the wagon to a stop as she and the other Crusaders gave Needles a quizzical look.
"What do ya mean how?" said Babs. "They're supposed to be wise, right?"
"Yeah, but how are they wise?" inquired Needles. "All the legend says is that they practice magic. It doesn't explain how knowin' a few spells suddenly gives ya the insight to help others get their lives in order."
"Didn't you say that the legend's real?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah, it's real, but that doesn't mean I understand it," said Needles.
"Well, maybe you can ask them," said Scootaloo with a shrug.
"Scootaloo, if she knows where the Dragon Magi are, don't you think she would've asked them before?" said Sweetie Belle.
"Well, maybe it never occurred to her before," said Scootaloo.
"Can we get back to findin' water, please?" said Needles in a strained tone. "This is makin' me uncomfortable."
"Then why'd ya bring it up in the first place?" asked Babs, placing her hooves on her hips.
"I-I don't know!" Needles said sharply. "J-jus' leave me alone, alright?!"
The Crusaders were all taken aback by Needles's outburst. After a pause, they all looked rather ashamed.
"We're sorry, Needles. We didn't mean to upset you," said Sweetie Belle somberly.
"Yeah, sorry," said Scootaloo. "We promise not to bug you anymore."
Needles gave the Crusaders a weak nod. "It's alright, gals. Jus', no more questions about the Dragon Magi, yeah?"
"Sure, no problem," said Apple Bloom. "Let's get back to it, Scoot."
Scootaloo nodded, and the wagon began moving again. Babs blew back her combover.
"Doesn't change the fact that you brought it up," she muttered.
"I know, I know," said Needles. "I guess I'm jus', frustrated."
"Frustrated?" parroted Babs.
Needles gave Babs a look.
"Not askin' about the Dragon Magi. This is a totally different thing," Babs said in her defense.
Needles snickered a bit, and then sighed. "I reckon this kinda thing would fly over your heads, but I might as well get it off my chest. See, I'm, kinda in the same boat as y'all are."
Apple Bloom tilted her head. "I didn't know dragons had Cutie Marks."
"Not like that," said Needles, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I don't know what to do with myself. Heck, the only reason I joined the Bull's Eye Gang was the prospect of free gems for me to munch on. I guess that's why it never felt, right. I mean, I had no qualms with robbin' people. Dragons thrive on hoardin' stuff, after all. It's kinda our thing."
"Spike doesn't hoard stuff, though," said Sweetie Belle. "I mean, he does a little, but he says he tries not to."
Needles sniggered. "Y'all are gonna have to introduce me to this Spike fellow. I'd like to meet him," she said before composing herself. "Look, the point is I didn't have a direction in life, so I jus' went with the flow. All I was ever concerned about was gettin' my fair share of the loot. But that all changed when I helped ya escape the hideout."
"Really?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Mmm-hmm," said Needles. "Helpin' y'all out was the first thing I've done in a long time that had meanin' to me. I dunno, it's hard to describe. I guess this feels, good. An' I don't want this feelin' to go away." She then sighed as tears began to mar her vision. "But, it's gonna have to go away. After I help ya find the Dragon Magi, I'll jus' be driftin' again."
Babs chuckled and shook her head. "What are ya, stupid? It doesn't have to be that way."
Needles looked up. "Huh?"
"The Dragon Magi help anyone in need of guidance," said Babs. "That includes you, doesn't it?"
Needles gave Babs a weak smile. "I wish it were that simple," she said.
Before Babs could inquire as to what she meant, Sweetie Belle interrupted.
"Water ho, Scoot!" she exclaimed as the parasol began to vibrate.
"Where?! Where?!" said Scootaloo, looking around every which way. "I don't see it!"
Needles giggled. "Y'all have to dig for it. That's how dowsing works."
"Oh," said Scootaloo sheepishly as she brought the wagon to a stop. "Alright, let's get to it, then!"
With that, she hopped off of her scooter and started to shift away hoofful after hoofful of sand. The other Crusaders quickly joined in, but not before Sweetie Belle returned Needles' parasol. After a few minutes a digging, they found what they were looking for.
"Alright!" cheered Babs. "We found water!"
"Yay!" squealed Sweetie Belle. "Quick, everypony check your flanks!"
They did so, but became disappointed when they found that there were still no Cutie Marks for any of them.
"Aw well. At least we got water," said Apple Bloom. "Let's fill up our canteens."
As they got to work, Needles watched them in silence. After a pause, she sighed.
"Actually, I've got somethin' to tell y'all," she said, hiding her face with her parasol. "Truth be told, I've never been this open with anyone before. I mean, Toro's a nice guy once ya get to know him, an' I suppose Trigger means well. But, y'all are really the first friends I've had in a long time."
Sweetie Belle looked up with big puppy dog eyes. "Aww~! That's so sweet," she cooed.
"Y-yeah, sweet. Now enough with the face, please!" said Needles, her cheeks becoming a vibrant shade of pink. "Look, what I'm tryin' to say is that there's somethin' y'all should know about me, an' I don't want any of ya to get mad or anythin'."
"Why would we be mad with you?" asked Scootaloo. "You helped us escape the bandits, you saved our lives, and now you're helping us find the Dragon Magi."
"Just say what's on your mind, Needles," said Babs.
"Alright," said Needles, taking a deep breath. "Well, the truth is that I'm actually..."
But she got no further. The Crusaders all gasped in horror as two large shadows appeared behind Needles. Needles groaned, appearing to be more annoyed than afraid.
"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Asty!" she growled as she turned around. "I'm tryin' to have a moment here! Y'mind?!"
"As a matter of fact, I does," said Asterius, pointing his cannon at Needles while Toro the Bulldog set his sights on the fillies. "You should know that no one crosses the Bull's Eye Gang an' gets away with it."
"What do we do now?" whimpered Sweetie Belle.
"You mean besides panic?" asked Apple Bloom.
"No, I'm already doing that. And it's not helping," said Scootaloo as her breathing became erratic.
Babs scrunched her eyes shut and began to tremble all over. "Don't cry, Babs. Whatever you do, you'd betta not cry," she murmured to herself.
"You girls have all been very naughty," said Trigger. "Especially you, Needles. I think you need to be, punished. Ehheh... Ehheh..."
"You'd better have a good explanation for this, Señorita Needles," said Toro.
Needles folded her arms. "I shouldn't waste my breath. You wouldn't understand, Toro, an' Asty and Trigger don't care, anyways."
"Right you are, Needles," said Asterius with a sneer. "You shouldn't be wastin' your breath. After all, it's gonna be the last time you ever breathe."
Apple Bloom gulped. "We're doomed."