//------------------------------// // 11 The Calm Before // Story: Ponies Give Me Hope // by Kuyashii //------------------------------// The next several days after we saw the phoenixes weren’t especially eventful. That night, I woke up around midnight from a nightmare, gasping for breath and dripping sweat. In my dream, the Diamond Dogs were attacking New Ponyville, and as I rushed to confront them I realized that I had no arrows. I ended up crushed beneath two boulder-sized fists, but I knew what my task was to be the following day. On patrol that day, we gathered as many potential arrows as we could find. Fluttershy and three little fillies without flank marks helped me by gathering feathers from the chickens Fluttershy kept in a little coop by her hut, and that night around the bonfire I worked on my arrows for hours. Fletching wasn’t exactly something I was very good at, but I had learned the basics during my time studying archery. I didn’t have any arrowheads, so I simply whittled the tips into points with a sharp chuck of obsidian that I found in the forest. The next day was spent throwing together a simple archery range on the outskirts of the village, using bits of bark from a pine tree as rudimentary targets, and measuring lanes of varying lengths so I could work on my accuracy at a distance. I spent all of my free time before and after the patrol on that project—I was so exhausted that I turned in right after dinner. The next sunrise found me there at my little range, arrows stuck into the loamy soil beside me, and the chunk of pine bark downrange bristling with a dozen tightly grouped shots. I allowed myself a little smile of satisfaction. “Ok, I’m convinced,” conceded a familiar voice. “Oh, hi Lily!” I was surprised when I noticed her sitting at the edge of the archery range. I hadn’t heard her approach—I guess I was in the zone. She simply nodded and smiled in response, the morning sunlight making her bright blond mane seem to glow. “Breakfast is being served. It was unusual not to see you at the head of the line, so I thought I had better come find you,” Lily smirked. I laughed. “I guess I should take a break. I’ll need something in my stomach so I can work on rebuilding my arm muscles.” Lily raised an eyebrow. “It sure looked like you knew what you were doing.” I rubbed my forearm, which still burned where the bowstring had smacked it. “The motions came back naturally, but I’ve let myself get out of shape.” “Kind of like when a Pegasus spends too much time on the ground, huh? Any more than a month without using our wings, and the first couple of days back in the air can be wobbly and especially tiring.” “Yeah, that sounds about right,” I replied. I left my bow propped against a tree and followed Lily back to the town square, where we sat down at a table with Derpy and Twilight. There was a steaming bowl of soup waiting for me. I brought the bowl closer and peered into its depths. It was murky, with bits of vegetables and green onions floating within the broth. “Try it! It tastes better than it looks,” Twilight encouraged. I brought the bowl to my lips, and carefully sipped, trying to avoid scalding my tongue. It almost tasted savory, and it was rather salty—similar to a soup I had tried once at a sushi bar. “Yeech,” Derpy protested. “Mine looks cloudy.” “Everyone’s looks cloudy,” Lily scoffed. “Just eat it. Like Twilight said, it’s better than it looks.” “Mmm,” I muttered, making a big show of downing the rest of my soup. “Absolutely delightful!” Derpy watched me curiously, at least with one eye. When I had finished, I winked at her and grinned, wiping a few stray drops from my chin. She gingerly dipped her head toward the bowl, and took a tiny slurp of the broth. Her eyes widened, and she drained the rest of her bowl in short order. “It’s delicious!” Derpy exclaimed. “I’m mighty pleased y’think so Derpy,” Applejack said, as she sat down at our table. “I’m glad you’re here, Applejack,” Twilight commented. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about preparing travelling provisions.” “Y’sure we should leave, even if Rainbow isn’t back?” Applejack seemed uncertain. Twilight simply nodded. Applejack shrugged her shoulders. “Well, alright. Anypony but you, Twi, and I’d be a bit less convinced ‘bout this.” Twilight placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am for everyone you’ve done, and what you continue to do every day.” “Aw, shucks,” Applejack pulled her hat down low to cover her blushing cheeks. “Just doin’ my part.” Twilight sat back, eyes unfocused as she mentally crunched numbers. “We will need supplies to last us for two weeks back on the trail. That should be enough time to locate another place to settle deeper within the forest. Do you think you and your family can have that done in three days?” Applejack pushed her hat back to reveal a mask of determination. “It’ll be done in two.” Twilight somehow smiled with her eyes. “That’s our Applejack!” As soon as breakfast was over, Applejack rushed off to meet her family and make plans for all the work to come over the next several days. Twilight returned to her hut, but not before reminding me to continue considering what kind of spell I would like for her to cast on my bow. I smiled and nodded slowly, rather groggy after eating such a rich breakfast and rising so early in the morning. I think Lily and Derpy felt the same way, because they began to yawn as well. Without a word, we rose from our seats together and made our way to an open field beside the river that served as the southern limit to New Ponyville. The grass grew tall and thick there, and it was extremely comfortable if you flattened out a patch to lay upon. It formed a barrier which blocked out the distant sounds of the ponies in town, leaving only a muffled silence which was occasionally broken by the buzzing of insects or the sound of air rushing through the wings of a Pegasus flying overhead. The two sisters made similar nooks next to mine, and we sprawled out on our backs to enjoy the morning before our patrol. The humid air was softened by a gentle breeze, which slowly ushered fluffy clouds across the sky. It looked as though a storm might be on its way, but I wasn’t particularly worried about it arriving during our nap. Derpy laid down between me and Lily, and just before I fell asleep she rolled over and nuzzled in close. I put an arm around her and closed my eyes, completely content. ***** “Wake up!” Someone was yelling in the distance. I cracked open my eyes slowly, expecting to be blinded by the sunlight, but was surprised to find that the sun had disappeared. Instead, the sky was overcast, and the thick layer of clouds diffused the meager light that made it through. Small drops of rain began to spatter my face, so I rolled over to avoid them and noticed that Lily and Derpy were gone. This was another nightmare. It had to be. “Wake up!” The voice shouted again. I awkwardly rose to my feet and glanced back toward the town, shaking my head to sort my thoughts. I saw the whole scene in a moment. Lily was galloping at full speed toward me. Derpy was nowhere to be seen. I heard the screams of ponies within New Ponyville, and saw the orange glow of a large fire. Something wasn’t right; that wasn’t where the bonfire used to be. I blinked, trying to clear my double vision, but I quickly realized that I was indeed seeing multiple columns of flame reaching up into the murky twilight beneath the clouds. New Ponyville was on fire. I was still dazed and disoriented. “Lily, I’m think I'm having another nightmare.” She skidded to a stop just in front of me, her eyes glistening with tears. “This isn’t a dream, Max. They’re back!”