Part 10
The castle was something that Colgate would not soon forget. While it was true that something wonderful had come of it, for Berry made a point of throwing that bottle away, the whole experience had left her feeling quite a bit rattled. After all, it wasn't everyday that you got lost in ancient labyrinths (amid the sounds of endless giggling none-the-less!), encountered an army of Pinkie Pies (save that one day, but Colgate preferred to not think about it. Let's just say that a few of them had decided that Novocaine felt funny and used her whole supply to rather … comical if not disturbing effect), got knocked unconscious while surrounded with crumbling walls, get dusted with a duster that later became a magical flying-whatever that was, watch an Alicorn Zebra battle a Pinkie of monstrous size, and then have a wish granted by a Magical Pink Pony Goddess.
Well, not everyday for Colgate anyway. Given some of the stories that Princess Twilight (she still wasn't quite used to saying that yet) told her of the things her and her friends have gone through, it wouldn't surprise her if events like the castle were a drop in the bucket for them. But not Colgate! Oh no! She was very, very, VERY happy living the simple life of a quiet (if not frustrating at times) dentist in a small town. A small town that happened to now contain a castle in addition to a Princess...
The thought made her pause. Perhaps she should move. With the appearance of the castle, she wondered if things would only get more busy and if the town would only get bigger. Nah, Ponyville was a fine place to live … even if it always somehow managed to be the center of trouble. Most of the time, it was a pretty boring place to live. Nothing too exciting happened, save the odd world-ending event. Thankfully however, the Princess and her friends were always on hoof to help out. Actually, thinking about it, living in the same town as those 6 might not be a half-bad idea after all. Sure, Ponyville somehow managed to be the center of trouble, but she felt safe knowing that those 6 would be close-by when (not if, when) things suddenly turn south.
She let out a sigh, and a small smile crossed her lips. She had been gazing at the night sky. It was a nice night, now that all that was over. Her thoughts had been drifting ever since the little group had settled down in a lovely clearing. The other three had all fallen asleep. Lyra and Bon-Bon had settled near each other, with Bon-Bon's hoof subconsciously shoving itself into Lyra's mouth from time to time to stifle her occasional, and rather loud, snoring. Berry had settled closer to Colgate, and had also begun to snore softly, but not nearly as loud as when she had been a stallion. Colgate however had a bit more trouble falling asleep. Not because she wasn't tired you see. Both mind and body were very ready for rest. But she had wanted to mill things over in her mind a bit. That, and she had wanted to gaze at the stars.
They were simply lovely. Colgate always loved the way they shined like little fireflies in the sky. They've always captivated her and always cause her to feel like a little filly again. They filled her with that wonder and innocent joy of youth. She never considered herself to be an astronomer, or even a night pony. That said, she spent many a late night as a filly simply staring at the night sky. She had actually memorized many, if not most, of the constellations in the sky. Most of that knowledge, however, had been lost over the years of studying to be a dentist.
She had been sad to see it go, but there were more practical things to fill her head with. Things like understanding the structure of the muzzle and what teeth were made of. She had to learn how to use the various tools and techniques for treatment and prevention. She even decided to dabble a bit in surgery. In short, it was a lot to learn and shove into one's head, so something had to end up getting pushed out. Not to mention the part where her particular school decided that a graduation requirement was memorization of all common, and even several uncommon, conditions and their applicable treatments.
They had been hard, grueling years. Long days and all but sleepless nights. Still, it had been those wonderful stars that had seen her through those crazy days. When she felt stressed, overwhelmed, or simply discouraged, she somehow always manged to find some strength from the stars. They brought her peace. Whenever she needed to think, she would always walk outside and look up (save when it was the day, for the sun's a bit bright to be star-gazing at, though technically speaking one would indeed be gazing at a star).
And thinking is exactly what she needed to do right now. With all that had happened, she began to wonder if this journey would be worth it. She began to wonder if this would prove to be too dangerous. True, what had happened had happened because of that drink Berry had brought (which she had thrown far into the forest), but she felt that this whole thing would prove to be more dangerous then she had thought. She wasn't a fighter. Neither was Berry, and Bon-Bon's commando days were long behind her (Well, if you believe the rumors anyway. She's always denied that she served under Princess Celestia, much less was a commando of some kind, but the rumors insisted that she was covering it all up. However, rumor also had it that Lyra was secretly three ponies in one, and that Berry was immune to food poisoning and had super mutant powers). And as far as she knew (if she was ignoring the rumors) Lyra was, for all her energies and eccentric (if not reckless) behavior, was about as peaceful a pony as they come. In short: What were they going to do if any sort of real danger came across them?
She rolled onto her side, her thoughts continuing to drift aimlessly around in her head. They went from 'what are we going to do after we find the brush, IF we find the brush?' to 'I wonder if the stars have mouths? And if they do, how do they brush them?' Without any clear path or meaning they floated about in her head, bumping into each other and blending together like globs of floating paint. Slowly the thoughts became harder and hard to focus, and her eyes became heavier and heavier. Finally, sleep came...
Which really was quite unfortunate.
End of Chapter One