//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: Reflected Reflections // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// The day was slightly cloudy, the sky was a slightly darkened shade of blue, and the companions had just put the small town of Ponyburg behind them. Ponyburg existed outside of the Foreverfree County, it was a small town founded at the base of Canterhorn mountain, and existed in the shadow of Canterlot, which was now in ruins. Ponyburg’s claim to fame was its pear orchards, and the town had been founded by a family of earth ponies known as the Pear clan. The entire town was shocked, shocked that actual adventurers and an alicorn would visit them, and to show their appreciation, they had loaded the companions down with as many pears and pear goods as they could hold. Pear cider, dried pears, fresh pears, a batch of pear muffins, pear pasties, and a few bottles of pearjack. The residents also seemed quite shocked that an earth pony and a pegasus found love. Garlic had left behind an entire town now devoted to his cause. “It’ll be another day before we reach Bridge. Need to be careful though. We’re approaching the Skunk Tail Woods,” Fogwalker announced as the group rounded a bend in the road. “Are the skunks dangerous?” Sunrise Surprise asked in concern. “Not really, no… but the timberwolves certainly are,” Fogwalker replied as she stretched a wing. “They’re vulnerable to fire and I like burning them. Makes them howl.” “We’ll be fine. Just keep a guard posted while the others sleep,” Garlic said as he watched Fogwalker stretch one wing and then the other. She was pretty when she stretched, there was something about her body and how everything rippled, the way her skin pulled taut over finely corded muscles, the shapely curve of her… “Garlic can’t stop staring at you,” Sunrise Surprise observed and then nearly tripped over her own front hooves. She recovered less than gracefully, mostly due to Chert grabbing her and keeping her from pitching over. “I know,” Fogwalker replied nonchalantly. “I’m his pretty little pegasus mare and I like being looked at, makes me feel good.” Sighing, Sunrise thought about saying something, but remained silent. Sunrise wasn’t pretty as she knew it. The glasses, the lisp, her chubbiness, the snorting, her clumsiness… she was never going to have a pony staring at her the way that Garlic was staring at Fogwalker. “I hear water up ahead. Might be nice to stop and take a dip,” Chert suggested. “I can help you remove your armor Fogwalker.” “I know… those nice hands of yours are wonderful,” Fogwalker responded as she gave Chert a warm smile. The pegasus picked up her pace and perked her ears forward inside of her helmet. “This is different… walking to a destination instead of flying. We’re seeing a lot more of the countryside. We’ve met some ponies. We’re traveling through towns instead of over them.” “I suppose walking does give you a different view of the world. I wonder what it would be like to fly,” Garlic remarked as he pondered Fogwalker’s words. “Pegasi take a trip and think only of the destination. They spread their wings and go. An earth pony or a unicorn takes a trip, and it becomes a journey. There is a whole wide world be found along the way. Things along the road cannot be ignored.” “I think you’re right Stinky,” Fogwalker replied as she stopped to look at the big earth pony. “I suppose we only see the problems we are dispatched to and probably never hear about how bad things are in the flyover places.” The companions came to a shallow brook and a small stone arch bridge spanned the water. Ahead of them was more prairie, and off in the distance the Skunk Tail Woods could be seen. Beyond the Skunk Tail woods was their destination, the Ghostly Gap and the city of Bridge. The water was cold but refreshing. Garlic stood mid-stream with the water only one third of the way up his legs. It was a lot deeper for everypony else, nearly reaching their bellies. Fogwalker had her face shoved down into the water, Sunrise was standing in one spot while trying to preen her new wings, a difficult task for her, and Chert was busy trying to find useful rocks that could be knapped into arrowheads. His head held high, Garlic stood watch so the others could relax in safety. Lifting her head and gasping, Fogwalker shook the water from her face, her wet mane whipping about and slapping her cheeks. She did a full body shake and her wet tail slapped against her hind legs. For one brief moment, Garlic looked at her and was distracted by what he saw. Shaking his head while taking a deep breath, he resumed his vigil. “All of this walking is good for me. I keep telling myself that. I’ve been walking more and now I no longer wheeze when I walk up the sixteen steps that lead to the second floor of the library,” Sunrise Surprise said to her companions in her usual nasal lisp. She no longer felt so self conscious about speaking around them now and the words were easier to say. Whistling a tune, Chert tossed a rock ashore where it landed with a thump near the group’s supplies and he resumed his searching for more suitable stones. “Am I a pretty pony?” Sunrise Surprise asked in a bashful, worried sounding voice. “Because I don’t feel pretty. Nopony looks at me. I’m almost completely grown up now and nopony has ever shown any interest in me.” Garlic coughed and then stared intently at something that seemed to be very interesting off in the distance. Fogwalker’s ears fell back, shot forward, and then splayed out sideways as she went through several emotions all at once. She turned her head to look at her friend and took a deep breath. She then turned to look at Chert and saw that he was busy looking at her with a pleading expression upon his face. “Oh dear, this silence is painful,” Sunrise whispered and then let out a nervous snort. “Sunrise, no matter what you think you look like, there is somepony that thinks that you are pretty… just look at Foggy… she frets and fusses that her wings are too stubby, her legs aren’t long enough, that her neck is too thick, and I know that the fact that one ear is longer than the other bugs her to no end. I find every inch of her beautiful,” Garlic said in a raspy low voice as he stared intently off at the woods in the distance. “Especially her mismatched ears. I find them endearing,” he added. “Thank you Garlic,” Sunrise replied as she blinked back tears. Stumbling through the water, she made her way to Garlic, ran into him because she didn’t have her glasses on, and then after she reared up, she placed her forelegs around his neck to give him a hug. Watching Sunrise hug Garlic, Fogwalker smiled. “My ears drive me to distraction. I always think other ponies are staring at them,” she admitted. Letting go of Garlic, Sunrise dropped down to all fours and carefully backed away, not wanting to twist a fetlock on the slippery stones that made up the bed of the stream. “My grandmare, Pearl Onion Pie, she said that there is pretty and that there is practical. She told me that whomever I found practical, I’d also find pretty. I think she was trying to tell me that how you feel about somepony determines how you see them,” Garlic said as he turned to look at Sunrise Surprise briefly. He resumed his watchful vigil, looking for trouble as the group relaxed. “Every now and then, Garlic surprises me,” Fogwalker admitted to Sunrise Surprise. “He has horse sense,” Sunrise Surprise replied as she looked up at the long lanky earth pony. The Skunk Tail woods were dark, the air was cool, and the scent of pine tingled the nostrils. The trees were mostly deciduous, but there were a few pine trees that stood out among the many maples, oaks, and yews. A wide road meandered through the trees, a road with deep ruts left from thousands of wagons that had transported goods from one end of this road to another. “The skunk tail hanging moss,” Sunrise Surprise observed as she craned her head upwards and looked at the dark grey moss hanging down. “So named for being fluffy and smelling kinda bad. It has many medicinal uses, is useful for fighting infections, can be chewed on for a toothache, and the main side effect is a purgative effect in equines, which can be helpful even if it might be a little disgusting.” “Quiet… there are no birds singing,” Chert warned as he pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow. His eyes narrowed and his tail swished. “Arrows won’t do much good against timberwolves,” Garlic cautioned as he moved closer to Sunrise Surprise. “We’ll need to smash them and set them on fire.” Taking to the air, Fogwalker shot skyward through the trees to have a look around. She circled overhead, looking downwards with her sharp eyes, trying to spot anything moving in the trees that might be dangerous. Off of the road, she saw the trees and shrubs moving. Something was moving towards the road. “Off to your left! Incoming! Dunno what!” Fogwalker shouted in warning as she dropped downwards like a stone through the trees to rejoin her companions. “OH SNOT!” Garlic swore as he saw their attackers. “Felis minors!” The first of the constellation cats came crashing through the underbrush, it was as large as a bear, glowed faintly even in the daylight, and radiant stars were visible upon its pelt. Chert responded first, releasing three arrows in rapid succession. The first struck the creature in one eye, the second arrow struck the creature in the other eye, and the third arrow went down the constellation creature’s gullet, lodging into the back of the monster’s throat. The centaur nocked another arrow and then saw a second and a third constellation cat burst out of the woods that lined the road. The big cat dropped dead, choking on the arrow in its craw. The second felis minor pounced, airborne, it headed right for Sunrise Surprise, who screamed in terror as she stood frozen, her eyes wide, and her mouth hung open. A moment later, Garlic collided with the creature mid air, and he smashed his helmeted head into the giant cat’s mouth, shattering its teeth. The two large powerful creatures crashed to the ground and the cat raked its claws over Garlic’s unprotected chest. Yanking an oil flask free from her harness, Fogwalker doused the third cat in oil, drenching its head in flammable liquid. She darted in, her wings buzzing, and moving too close for comfort, she smacked her two front war shoes together, which produced a shower of sparks. As she passed, an arrow passed beneath her and struck the big cat in the eye. The oil ignited with a “WHOOSH!” and the big cat was suddenly ablaze. It yowled pitifully as it fell over and writhed on the ground, trying to make the burning stop, clawing at its own head and eye to make the pain go away. Seeing that Garlic was in trouble, Fogwalker rushed over to save him. The big cat had clawed him several times and Garlic knew he was in some trouble. The cat was as large as a bear, powerful, and without teeth after the savage headbut. The cat wasn’t hunting now, this wasn’t about food, the cat was fighting for its own survival after having severely misjudged its prey. Lashing out with a hoof, Garlic clipped the cat on the ear as he tried to get away from the creature. Claws sank into his withers and ripped downwards, opening his flesh and sending rivulets of blood trickling down his shoulder. Slamming his head forwards, Garlic banged his helmet against the cat’s skull several times, once, twice, thrice, and on the forth impact, something gave way as the cat’s skull shattered. Rearing his head back, Garlic brought it down hard one last time, smashing his helmeted head into the cat with a loud wet meaty sounding squelch. Getting up on his hooves, he broke away from his attacker, kicked it in the face as the creature lay twitching on the ground, and then watched as Chert approached with his axe drawn. The centaur brought his axe down upon the felis minor’s neck, going halfway through, and the creature’s struggles ended. With a jerk, Chert pulled his axe free and then immediately went to Garlic’s side. “This looks bad,” Chert stated in a strangely calm voice. Dropping to her hooves, Fogwalker landed and rushed to Garlic’s side. She hissed when she saw the open lacerations and her face contorted from feeling sympathy pain for her mate. “Garlic,” Sunrise whimpered in fear. “This is looks worse than it is. The ones on the front are bleeding, but they will close. The others on his legs aren’t deep. The one right here on his back though, the one in the middle is deep,” Chert said as he carefully examined his friend. “I can sew this shut.” “You can?” Sunrise asked. “I have a great deal of twine given to me so I could make arrows… I can fix this,” Chert said in a reassuring voice. “Make camp. Right here on the road. I’ll need a fire.” “I’ll gather wood,” Fogwalker announced as she took off, looking one final time at Garlic as she began to gather wood from the side of the road. “We should move away from the bodies,” Garlic suggested as he craned his head back to look at his own withers. “Stop moving… you’re stretching the skin and making it worse,” Chert commanded. “I can’t believe we survived that,” Sunrise Surprise panted as she tried to control her heavy breathing. “Thank you Garlic… for saving me… that’s twice in one day.”