A small clay disk shot from the ground high into the sky. It spun rapidly as it sliced through the air, growing smaller and smaller by the second. A moment later, a flash of green lightning arced from the same spot. It sizzled through the air far faster than the disk, almost instantly reaching the clay projectile. The disk shattered as the lightning struck it, and the broken pieces fell from the sky, landing harmlessly in the open fields outside of Ponyville.
Kyle nodded in approval. “Not bad,” he commented. “Though you could be a bit quicker with your shot. I almost lost sight of that one. Again.” From a small pile of identical disks next to him, another one was enveloped by a light-green aura and hovered in the air above Kyle’s head. It paused for a moment as it stabilized in the air, drew back, and then launched itself forward.
Beside him, Scootaloo closed one eye as she took aim with her hoof at the disk. Her tongue poked out of her mouth in concentration. She hesitated for a split second before a burst of jade lightning erupted from her hoof. This time, the bolt sizzled harmlessly behind the disk. She took aim again, and this time her bolt struck home as the projectile broke again.
“Faster this time,” Kyle nodded as she looked up at him. “But you missed with your first attempt. You’ve shown you can shoot quickly, and you’ve shown you can be accurate. Now, let’s see if you can be fast and on-target at the same time. Remember, your Jade Lightning looks like it strikes instantly, but even lightning has to travel to reach its destination. Anticipate your target’s movement. One more time.”
Once more, a disk was enveloped by a light green aura and steadied itself just over Kyle’s head. An instant later, it was flying through the air over the plains. This time, Scootaloo was already eyeing the disk as it took off. She steadied her hoof and squinted her open eye slightly. She snorted lightly, and a bolt of lightning arced away from her towards the disk.
This time, her bolt was closer to the mark. Though not a direct hit, her bolt grazed the tail of the disk. Tiny fragments were blown away by the electricity, and the remnants of the disk were sent tumbling to the ground.
Kyle felt his lips turn upwards slightly. He turned his head towards his apprentice, who was looking up at him expectantly. Slowly, he nodded. “Better,” he said warmly. “Not perfect, but an improvement.” Scootaloo beamed and laid down on the grass as Kyle continued. “Now, we just need to up the accuracy a tad more, and make it consistent.” That didn’t seem to please Scootaloo nearly as much. Her smile instantly fell, and she groaned softly.
Kyle chuckled. “Not today, though,” he soothed. “We’ve been at this for a while, and quite frankly, we’re running out of disks.” His words were true - a sideways glance told him that less than half a dozen remained. “I think we’ll call it a day here. Why don’t you meditate for a bit, and we’ll talk after.” Scootaloo nodded and closed her eyes. A visage of peace crossed her face, and a moment later a faint ring of green bubbles began to form around her.
Kyle turned his attention to the other figure sitting not far away. He strode over to the figure and sat down underneath the tree next to her. “Thanks for your help today, Lyra,” he said.
The mint-green Unicorn smiled. “No problem,” she replied. “But, just out of curiosity, why didn’t you ask Princess Twilight to help?”
“She said she was busy. And the disk is too heavy for me to throw fast enough for Scootaloo to practice her aim on. I needed help from someone who could throw it fast and far, and that essentially limits my options to those who can use magic.”
“And…?”
Kyle sighed and shook his head as a small smile crept across his face. “And I thought that we could hang out after,” he admitted. “I feel bad about having to leave you behind last time. But I already told you about what happened after.”
Lyra nodded. “Yeah, it sounds like Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence were in over their heads after all.” She turned her head to look at him. “Did you really break Discord’s jaw?”
“Right before that worm thing showed back up and sneezed all over him, yep,” Kyle nodded. He closed his eyes and folded his arms. “I shouldn’t have let my anger get that out of hand…” He smirked slightly. “... But I’ll admit, it felt good.”
Lyra chuckled as she laid down underneath the shade of the tree. The two fell silent. Lyra’s eyes slowly began to close, and she rested her head on Kyle's knee, with bits of her mane falling across his lap. Kyle leaned back on both hands as he casually observed his apprentice’s meditation. He had been finding far too little time to spend training her, and even less to spend with friends. But today was different. He had burned through his work for the day and finished early, allowing him this rare opportunity to just relax. And it was a perfect day to do so as well - the usual chill of autumn had been broken, and warms rays of sun shone down upon the land.
“So, what’s been going on with you?” Kyle’s voice broke through the silence, and Lyra opened her eyes to look up at him. “Anything going on in Ponyville I should hear about?”
"Not much, as usual. The Ponyville Days celebration ended a couple of hours ago, the Ponytones quartet have a performance for Ponyville’s Pet Center Fundraiser in a couple of days, and I think Sweet Apple Acres is hosting some kind of turkey call competition tomorrow...” Lyra’s eyes opened even more, and her ears perked up. “Oh, there was one thing.” Kyle remained silent, so she continued. “There’s this guy… A Night Elf? Tall, really long pointy ears? One of those guys has been going past my house every day, towards Fluttershy’s cottage. No idea what’s going on there, but Fluttershy doesn’t normally see too many visitors.”
“I can imagine,” Kyle muttered. He leaned back again before laying down, and closed his eyes. It did seem bit unusual. Fluttershy didn’t seem like the kind of Pony that made friends very easily. Not that she wasn’t nice - she was, very much so. But her quiet and timid nature seemed to often hinder her in a social setting, to the point where she would shy away from anyone she wasn’t familiar with. So how had this Night Elf gotten past that?
Still, Kyle didn’t find himself concerned. It was unlikely that a Night Elf would be affiliating themselves with Zinju and his demons, considering that the Kaldorei were among the staunchest opponents of both Trolls and the Burning Legion. Besides which, Fluttershy would have told them if some stranger had been talking about demons and such. Most likely just a new friend that had found a way past her timidness. Something to be happy about, considering that their two worlds were supposed to be forging closer bonds.
The sound of hooves on grass drew Kyle from his thoughts. He turned his head just as a set of orange hooves stopped next to his face. His eyes travelled upwards to see Scootaloo grinning down at him. “Relaxed, are we?” she teased.
Kyle didn’t rise to the bait. “Very,” he replied evenly. “We’re done for the day. Let’s meet up again… say, four days from now after school, in our normal spot?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “Can’t, sorry. That’s when Sweetie Belle and Applebloom and I go see Twilight for our personal lessons with her.”
“Then the day after, same time?”
“Sure.”
“Alright.” Kyle pushed himself back into a sitting position and stretched his arms. “Be sure to keep up the exercise regimen, and try to practice what we worked on today. And remember,” he added with mock threat in his voice as he waved a finger at her, “I’ve got eyes in the town. I’ll be making sure you’re not slacking.”
Scootaloo slapped his finger lightly with her wing as she turned away. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she giggled as she flapped her wings. Kyle had to shield his eyes from the dust she kicked up as she launched herself into the air and took off towards the nearby town.
As Kyle lowered his hand, Kyle heard Lyra sneeze beside him. “She sure has some power behind those wings,” she sniffled. “Hard to believe that just a couple of months ago she could barely hover for a few seconds.” Her head turned towards Kyle. “Though I suppose she has you to thank for that as well.”
Kyle shrugged. “To a limited extent, I suppose. It’s not exactly like what I did to help her was hard. I just had to point her in the right direction”
“Even so.” Lyra’s voice trailed off for a moment as she threatened to sneeze again. She paused, and then snorted as the sneeze faded. “Rainbow Dash must be getting jealous by now,” she continued. “The way Scootaloo’s looking up to you now. She used to fawn over Dash like that before you showed up.”
“I’ve been told,” Kyle replied, squirming slightly. Truth be told, he hadn’t seen any of Scootaloo’s so-called fawning over him. She seemed perfectly normal whenever he was around. He knew that she respected and liked him both as a teacher and as a friend, but to the same level that she reportedly held for Rainbow Dash? The thought that she held him that high upon a pedestal honestly made him a bit uncomfortable.
“So, now that we’re done here,” Lyra’s voice cut into Kyle’s thoughts. “You said you wanted to hang out after. Have anything specific in mind?”
With timing that could not have been better if it had been planned, Kyles’ stomach decided at that moment to loudly remind him that he hadn’t eaten anything since the night before. In his haste to finish his work for the day, he had forgone his morning meal, as well as lunch. Kyle felt his cheeks redden slightly as Lyra snorted. “Sugarcube Corner then?” she laughed.
Kyle cleared his throat. “Y-yeah, that sounds good.” Lyra merely shook her head with a smile and started off towards Ponyville, with Kyle right behind her.
Though the Ponyville Day’s celebration was now over, the streets were still crowded as Kyle and Lyra made their way into town. Progress was slow as they made their way through the crowds, sticking close together to make sure they didn’t end up separated. Here and there, Kyle could spot a few other Humans and Night Elves wading through the sea of Ponies, as well as the occasional Gnome or Dwarf that seemed in danger of drowning in the crowd.
Even so, Kyle could feel the crowds thinning as they made their way towards the center of town, in the opposite direction that most of the other Ponies were headed. By the time the familiar gingerbread-esque roof Sugarcube Corner came into sight, the crowds had thinned out significantly, though there was still more traffic than usual along the streets. It took a bit of effort, but they eventually managed to escape the mass of bodies and squeeze into the building.
In here, just as outside, the establishment was filled with far more Ponies than usual. As they walked in, a hurried-looking Mr. Cake walked up to them. A moment later, they had been seated in a small booth off to the side, and Mr. Cake had run off. Kyle took the opportunity to look around the bakery. Just as outside, the vast majority of the occupants inside were Ponies, though Kyle could see a lone Pandaren sipping from a cup of tea in the corner.
A flurry of movement caught his eye as the door to the kitchens swung open. Pinkie Pie stepped through the open doors, balancing two trays on her back and one on the tip of her nose. After steadying herself for an instant, she ran over to a table and deposited the tray from her nose onto their table. She bounced her hind end into the air, and one of the other trays went flying into the air. An instant later, it was balancing upon her nose as well, and she was off to the other side of the bakery to deliver another order. It was a display of control and balance that Kyle would never have expected out of anyone, much less Pinkie Pie. He found himself wondering just how she had managed to pull a stunt like that off.
“Oh right. Pinkie Pie,” he reminded himself. “Don’t question it.”
A moment later, the pink mare was trotting over towards their table. Her eyes met Kyles, and her grin grew even wider. Kyle felt himself cringe slightly as she stopped in front of their table, and he braced himself for one of her infamous hyperactive outbursts.
“Heya Kylie, Lyra. You two know what you want?”
Kyle blinked. That hadn’t been hyperactive at all. Quite calm, in fact, considering the Pony he was dealing with. Apparently even Pinkie was feeling the effects of the business in the bakery. “Are you ready, Lyra?” he asked. She nodded. “Alright. I’d like an apple turnover and a cup of tea, please.”
“And a daisy sandwich with water for me, please,” Lyra added.
“Apple turnover, daisy sandwich, tea, water. Got it!” As quickly as she had appeared, Pinkie ran off and vanished through the kitchen doors again.
Kyle and Lyra settled into their seats in silence. Kyle took the opportunity to continue looking around the bakery. Already, several Ponies had gotten up and left, and one of the tables had been re-occupied by a white, dual-shade blue-maned mare and a Worgen who towered over her. As he watched, the Worgen let out a rough bark of laughter and slapped their table with enough force to make it bounce off of the ground.
A soft purple glow caught Kyle’s attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head towards the light to see a familiar lavender alicorn in the corner by herself. A few hairs in Twilight's mane were out of place, and her shoulders were slumped. And her eyes... They seemed almost afraid as they glanced back and forth over a sheet of parchment on the table in front of her. She brought the cup of coffee beside her back up to her lips and took a sip before setting it back down. An instant later, her head was laying on the piece of parchment and her ears were folded down. Even from across the room, Kyle could hear her let out a massive sigh.
Her head slowly rose back up, and she brought the coffee back to her lips. She glanced around the room, and her eyes met Kyle’s. Her ears perked up slightly, and she gave a small wave… a wave which was cut off as Mrs. Cake walked over to her. The two spoke for a moment, and Twilight levitated a few bits onto the table. Mrs. Cake collected the bits and the empty coffee cup and walked away leaving Twilight alone again.
At that moment the door to the kitchens burst open again. Kyle’s head jerked towards the door as Pinkie stepped through with another pair of trays balanced on her back. Just as last time, she ran over to their table and deposited the two trays before disappearing off to the other side of the bakery.
Kyle reached his tea and took a sip as he glanced over at Twilight again. She had risen to her hooves and was now walking towards their table. As she drew near, her gaze shifted over to the other occupant of the small booth, who was taking a bite of her sandwich. Her smile faltered and her ears flattened, and she adjusted her course slightly to walk right past them and out of Sugarcube Corner.
Kyle took a bite from his turnover as he watched Twilight through the window. A small pang of worry shot through him as he saw her shoulders slump before turning towards her library. Something was wrong, and judging by what she had been doing when he had first seen her, he felt it safe to assume that it had something to do with that scroll of parchment she had been reading. And then there had been that thing at the end just before she left…
Kyle glanced out the window again towards the library treehouse. He wanted to go see Twilight, to see what was wrong. But no, he couldn’t do that. Not now at least. He’d already ditched Lyra to help Twilight before, and it wouldn’t be fair to do so again when he had set this time aside specifically to make up for that.
“Hello? Equestria to Kyle?”
One of the menus flew up and down in front of Kyle’s face, surrounded by a pale-green glow. Kyle drew his head back and looked across the table to see Lyra staring at him. “S-sorry. What was that?” he stammered.
“I said, is something wrong?” she asked. Her eyes flicked to the side for an instant. “You’ve been staring out that window for a few minutes now.”
“Huh?” Had it been that long? He had thought it had been a minute at most. “I, uh, was just thinking how nice of a day it was,” he finally said. “Might be the last nice day of the year. Maybe when we’re done here we could head to the park?”
Lyra raised an eyebrow, and for a moment Kyle feared that she would call his bluff. But instead she merely shrugged and nodded. “Sounds good to me,” she replied as she took another bite of her sandwich.
The rest of their meal passed without incident, and before long the two were walking out of the bakery and towards the outskirts of town. The crowds had almost entirely dissipated by this point as the townsfolk went about their normal business, and so they had no trouble moving through the streets towards the park.
As they wandered through the streets, Kyle noted that there seemed to be more non-Ponies out than usual. Rather than the sparse sprinkling here and there that he had noticed the last time he had been into town, there were now two or three whichever way he turned. A few bore the insignia of Ironwall upon them, but most seemed unaffiliated with the garrison. Either a fair number had come from Azeroth to participate in the celebrations, or else more and more were coming through the portal by the day.
As they entered the park, it quickly became apparent that they weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather. Foals could be seen running around and playing or flying kites, while the adults seemed content to just watch. A few couples were enjoying the nice weather as well, seated on benches or underneath trees.
Kyle and Lyra soon found their way towards the center of the park, not far from the grove of trees that Kyle and Scootaloo used for practice. A particularly large oak was unoccupied, and so Kyle laid down with his back against the trunk. Lyra was just a second behind him as she laid down amongst the roots next to him.
For a time, silence descended upon the two, broken only by the rustle of wind in the leaves and the chirping of birds. It almost felt like a spring afternoon, rather than mid-autumn. Kyle found himself removing the leather armor that he wore, revealing the short-sleeved shirt underneath. He found himself growing drowsy, and at the same time not desiring to doze off.
“So” Kyle began, “How are things going with you? How’s the orchestra doing?”
“Same as usual, really.” Lyra let out a small yawn and stretched her forehooves above her head. Apparently she was feeling the same effect that Kyle was. “We’ve got a concert coming up in a couple of weeks, so we’ve been busy preparing for that.”
“Really?” Kyle’s head turned towards her. “I don’t suppose there are any tickets left?”
“Probably not. But if you wanted to come to the next one, I bet I can get you in without too much trouble.”
“Yeah. Yeah I’d like that.” Kyle turned his head so that he was looking straight ahead once more, and raised both hands behind his head to cushion himself against the bark of the tree. “I’ve been meaning to come see one of your performances for a while now, but…”
“You’ve been busy saving the world and fighting off demons,” Lyra giggled. “Yeah, I know. Speaking of, I heard Ironwall was attacked?”
“Yeah, on Nightmare Night.” Kyle closed his eyes and frowned as memories of the demon attack flashed through his mind, followed by the scene of the destroyed wall. “They blew open the western wall and dropped an Infernal on us - a really big demon. It was an inside job, and we knew it, so we began questioning those we thought most suspicious. When we started talking to this one Warlock, he summoned another demon on us and tried to make a run for it.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t get far?”
“You’re right. One of the hunters up on the wall blew his brains out as he was running.” Lyra blanched slightly, but Kyle didn’t notice. “I’d have preferred to get the traitor alive, but… better dead than alive and free, I guess.”
“Yes well…” Lyra cleared her throat loudly. “Other than that, I hope things are going well for you?”
“Not too bad. Extra paperwork to get more supplies to fix the hole in the wall, but that’s nearly done. After that, just a couple of small projects and I think Ironwall will finally be fully built.”
“Excellent!” Lyra stretched out her rear hooves as well. “So what does that mean for you? More free time?”
“Less paperwork, thank the light.” Kyle closed his eyes again and smiled. “After that, it’ll mostly be collecting resources for the Alliance war effort, as well as any special requests that King Varian or Princess Celestia have.”
Kyle felt something cold poking at his hand. He frowned and opened his eyes, looking down towards the source. Lyra was nosing at his hand, and lifted it so that it fell across her head. It was at this point that Kyle realized that Lyra’s position, with her legs outstretched in either direction and belly facing towards him, was essentially a Pony’s way of initiating cuddling. “And you’ll have more time to hang out then, right?” she asked.
“Yeah… I should…” Kyle muttered as he slowly withdrew his hand from Lyra’s head. He heard a small sigh from Lyra as she brought her legs closer to her body. The two fell into a rather awkward silence as they fell into their own thoughts.
On the horizon to Kyle’s right, he could just make out the tip of the library tree-house. Instantly, Twilight’s odd behavior came back to the front of his mind. He likely wouldn’t be able to go see her today - not without ditching Lyra. No, he’d have to make sure to do that tomorrow...
Hang on… Was it getting darker?
Kyle raised his head and turned it towards the horizon. Sure enough, the western skyline was steadily turning a deeper and more vibrant shade of red as the sun began to descend. Apparently shorter days during the winter months also applied in a world where the sun and moon rose and set at the whims of a pair of Ponies. He reached his hand over and gave Lyra a nudge.
Lyra grunted and slowly opened one eye. “Hm?” she murmured. “Did you have to do that? I was just starting to drift off…”
“Well you’ll have plenty of time for that soon enough,” Kyle said as he gestured towards the setting sun. “But it’s almost night time, and I guarantee you it won’t be quite so warm and comfortable out when the sun’s down.”
“A fair point.” Lyra rolled over onto her belly and stretched out her front legs like a cat before rising to her hooves. “We’ll have to do this again sometime. And maybe plan something a bit more exciting than napping under a tree.”
“After recent weeks? A bit of rest is always nice,” Kyle chuckled as he put his armor back on. “But yeah, next time we’ll think of something else to do.”
As the two walked away from the park, Kyle took note that they were far from the only ones caught off-guard by the early sundown. Parents were calling their foals over, mares and stallions were packing up picnics, and so on. He caught a quick glimpse of Scootaloo’s scooter zooming away out of the park, towing a wagon with two small fillies in it.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Lyra’s house, close to the outskirts of town as they were. From the path leading up to her front door, he could just barely make out Fluttershy’s cottage on the hill at the far end of the road. There was no sign of any Night Elf there, though that meant very little.
Kyle was drawn from his thoughts as Lyra stopped in front of her door. Her horn lit up, and the faint sound of a tumbler clicking into place came from the lock on her door. Her door swung open, and she started to step in. She paused, and looked over her shoulder before turning around. “Would you like to come in for a bit?” she asked.
Kyle shook his head. “No, thanks. I’ve got to get back to Ironwall. Still got some work to do tomorrow.”
Lyra nodded slowly. “Alright. Well… I’ll see you later then.”
“Alright, bye.”
Kyle turned to leave, with his mind already drifting off. He froze, however, as something soft and furry pushed against his right hand. He looked down towards his hand to see a mint-green head rubbing its cheek against his hand. He remained frozen as Lyra moved to his leg for a second before she pulled her head back and turned around, closing the door behind her.
He didn’t know how long he stood there on the path to Lyra’s front door. By the time he came to, the sun had already finished setting, and the magical lamp-posts that lined the streets had flickered to life. Slowly, he forced his legs to start moving him back to Ironwall. Almost reluctantly, his body obeyed, and he started off down the street.
She had nuzzled him. Not a quick, casual nuzzle as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, or even Rainbow Dash were known to occasionally do. A long, affectionate nuzzle. Tender even. The kind that he had seen couples sharing. A strong display of emotions beyond that of friendship. Had Lyra been a Human, it would have been the equivalent of a kiss on the lips.
Kyle sighed and brought one hand up to his forehead to rub his temples. He had known Lyra liked him. He had known basically since the first day he met her. And on that day, he had made it very clear that he did not return the feelings. Though her initial introduction to Kyle had been a bit shady, to say the least, the two had become friends after their encounter with the Sha of Misery. Today, Kyle would be willing to wager that she was one of his closest friends in Equestria, second only to Twilight.
And through it all, his feelings towards her had not ever turned romantic. He had guarded his words and actions carefully early on, so as not to send the wrong signals. He had hoped that she had moved on. That she had accepted that he didn’t share her feelings. And he had come to believe that she had. Perhaps that was what made him lower his own guard. Perhaps he had ended up doing something that sparked her hope again?
Looking back through the day, he should have seen it coming. The way she had drawn close to him while Scootaloo was meditating. The way she had looked at him in Sugarcube Corner. But most of all, the invitation for cuddling under the tree. That alone should have set off warning bells. How could he have mistaken that for merely being friendly? Even Pinkie Pie, with her seeming disregard for the personal space of others, wouldn’t do something like that with just a friend… or so he assumed. It was always hard to tell with that one…
He shook his head. No. Back on topic. He should have seen the warning signs that Lyra hadn’t given up yet. Whether she had never given up, or whether her interest had been renewed by something, she was still looking to win him over.
But Kyle still wasn’t interested. To be fair, Lyra was probably an attractive mare by Pony standards, but the fact still remained that she was a Pony. And the idea of dating a Pony - a creature which last year Kyle had believed to only be an unintelligent farm animal - was still a very odd idea for him. Yes, these Ponies in Equestria were far different from the ones in Azeroth, but the physical resemblance was definitely there. Not to mention, personal feelings aside, how he would break such news to his friends or family back home…
Kyle registered in the back of his mind that he had entered Ironwall and was now walking up the path towards the town hall. Guards walking by nodded or saluted as he passed, but otherwise left him alone. Even Filwin, who would normally be advising or informing him on some matter, simply kept her distance as he strode past. Clearly, everyone could tell that he had other things on his mind than whatever they had to tell him.
These thoughts continued to flow through his mind as he entered his room and prepared for bed. He barely remembered washing his face or brushing his teeth or running a razor across his cheeks. It wasn’t until he threw his shirt off to the side and finally slid under the sheets that he fully realized where he was and what he was doing. He sighed and blew out the candle on his bedside table, plunging him into darkness. Only the glow of the waning moon shining past the tree leaves and in through the window illuminated the room.
What was he going to do? It wasn’t like he could just ignore her, one of his closest friends. But at the same time, he wanted to prevent any awkward confrontations. But then again, simply ignoring the problem would only build upon the problem and lead to an even MORE awkward confrontation…
He frowned. No, simply letting it go wouldn’t work. He’d have to confront Lyra about it and let her know again, in no uncertain terms that he was still not interested in her. It’d be difficult. It’d be awkward. But it had to be done if he wanted to save their friendship. He steeled himself and nodded. Tomorrow he’d go find her and talk this out before heading to Twilight’s…
Oh sweet Light. In all of his thoughts he had completely forgotten about his other closest friend in Equestria. Something was still troubling her, and he wanted to find out what, to see if he could help somehow. He rubbed his eyes as the pressure that had been building behind his temples threatened to turn into a full-blown headache.
He leaned over and fumbled around with his bedside table before finding the latch to the bottom drawer. He pulled it open and rummaged around in the drawer before finally finding what he was looking for. He pulled his hand out with a firm grip on the object in question. The silvery moonlight briefly revealed the long glass bottle of cider within his hand. With a quick tug on the cork, the bottle was open. He brought the bottle to his lips and took several long, deep gulps before pulling the bottle away. He wiped his lips, corked the bottle, and stowed it away back in the bottom of the drawer. Finally, he laid back down and covered his head with his pillows.
“Confound these Ponies…” he mumbled into the fabric. “They drive me to drink.”