//------------------------------// // XI: Second Sight // Story: ...And It's Freaking Cold Up Here // by TailsIsNotAlone //------------------------------// "So let me get this straight," I call back to the other ponies. "We're freaking out over a pile of firewood?" "RRRRRAAAAARRRRRKKKKK!" The timber wolf crackles furiously. I hold up a hoof. "Do you mind? I'm trying to figure something out here." "Jay, get back! They may be made of wood, but they're some of the most dangerous creatures in the Forest!" Twilight yells at me. "Chill out. I got this," I turn back to the arboreal menace standing before me. "So, Mr. Timber Wolf. You're going to kill me now, right?" "KRRRRRRKKKKKKK!!" "I thought so. Okay, whatever you gotta do. But...you wouldn't kill a man without letting him have one last cigarette, would you?" "...GRRRRAAAAAHHHHKKKKK?" It sounds puzzled. "Thanks. Twilight, do me a solid and get a heat vision spell ready. Or something like it," I try to suppress a wicked smile. Sure I'll be exposing my habit, but on the plus side I can make myself useful and bring this encounter to a warm and toasty conclusion. I feel around in my mane for the pack of cigarettes. And feel. And feel some more. "Uh, just a sec, wolfie. Technical difficulties." Oh no. Oh HELL no. My smokes don't seem to be anywhere. Where could they have... Silver Spoon. I forgot to get them back from her this morning! Silently cursing myself for my stupidity, I turn back to the wolf and feel twigs brushing my coat. It's standing right over me. "Say, how's tomorrow for you?" An angry growl with more bad breath in my face. I'm guessing that's a negative. "Look out!" Twilight cries. Buzz. SIZZLE. Plop. Four plops, actually. Judging by the whining, I'd say the other three were Apple Bloom plus Sweaty Bill and Cindy Lou Who or whatever the others' names are. Twilight just teleported all of us away from the timber wolf at once. Damn, she's powerful. Fighting down nausea from the spell, I crawl out of the pile of petrified ponies and call out to Rainbow. "Dash! What's happening?!" "Sit tight, Jay. We've got it all under control. YAAAAA...!" She launches herself so hard at the wolf that it blows me off my hooves again. "...AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" And comes flying back the other way, hitting the ground next to me. "Dash?" "Ugggggh." Another pony is knocked into our vicinity. I recognize the cry as Applejack's voice. "A.J.? You okay? Come on, champ. Speak to me." She coughs. "Gosh darn it all, that hurt. He's a big one, Jay. I'm seein' three of him out there." "Then buck the one in the middle!" "...Right," she pulls herself up and gallops back into the fray. Rainbow Dash isn't far behind her. "They're gonna get hurt if we don't do somethin'!" exclaims Apple Bloom. Yeah, but what the hell can I do? "Girls, get ready. We may have to use the Elements!" I hear Twilight say. Oh, man. There goes my breakfast for sure. Fluttershy interrupts. "Wait. Let me talk to him! Excuse me, Mr. Timber Wolf. I'm so sorry to disturb you, but...do you think you could stop trying to kill my friends?" "RAWWWW-ROOOOOO!" "I see. So it's only one of you that's angry and the other three are just going along? Well, I'm sure we can talk about it..." Another crackling noise. "Oh, my. Um, please...you're hurting me..." Pinkie Pie is angry for once. Furious, even. "You put her down right now! Nopony bullies Fluttershy. And nowolfie, either!" I'm on the verge of panic when a massive rumbling, clattering noise breaks out behind me. It's sort of like the timber wolf, but not. "What is that?!" I ask aloud, hoping at least one of the foals will answer. The squeaky one does. "Huh? Oh, it's Applejack's 4-wheeled cart." "What's it doing?" "Rolling right at us." "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" we scream as all four of us are lifted into the air and swept right into the back of the heavy cart. I feel a weird sensation dancing along the flesh under my coat, not like the pins-and-needles tingle of Twilight’s magic but sure as hell close enough. I have no time to think about it as the thing careens out of control straight into the clearing, building up what feels like a crazy amount of speed. All I can do is shout a warning to Twilight and her friends, then drop down and brace myself for impact. The cart slams into the monster with a crack that jars my bones and echoes through the Everfree. Seconds later, dozens of sticks and branches come down like rain, threatening to bury the four of us huddled in the cart. I stay facedown, hooves over my head until it’s finally quiet again and Fluttershy says, “you can come out now, girls. And, um, Jay.” "Goddamn,” I’m half covered in wood, but I manage to shrug it off and rise on shaky legs. “What just happened?” “Are you kidding? You happened!” Rainbow Dash says from the other side. “You made kindling out of him. Totally awesome!” I yelp as she grabs me and does a triumphant spiral in the air. “I don’t believe it,” Twilight remarks. “How did you ever get the cart to go that fast?” “Don’t look at me!” I test the ground underneath me as Dash sets me down again. “Somepony magicked it. Unless I just grew one of those weird horns…ugh. My head sure hurts bad enough.” A grubby hoof paws at my face, making me flinch. “Nope. No horn,” Sweetie Belle says expertly. “Gee, thanks.” Applejack shuffles around the back of the cart, probably examining the wheels. "Well, I'll be. The ol' thing's never done that before. Not on level ground, anyway." Somepony clears their throat delicately. “Er, darlings, I don’t quite believe it myself, but…I’m afraid I am the guilty party.” “What are you talking about, Rarity? How could you ever feel guilty at a party?! Well, unless you ate way way WAY too many cupcakes. Did you? You can tell me.” “She doesn’t mean that, Pinkie,” Twilight, as usual, saves the discussion from going completely off topic. “She means she moved the cart with her magic! But…Rarity, I had no idea you were that strong.” Rarity seems genuinely surprised; no witty banter or false modesty this time. “Oh, Twilight, it really was nothing. I have been known to move more than a spool of thread now and again, and…well, all I could think of was protecting dear Sweetie Belle and the others. I got lucky, I suppose.” “A surge of magical energy like that is more than just luck! Are you sure you haven’t been studying focal discipline? Unikinetics? Limbic channeling?!” “Darling, I haven’t the foggiest idea what any of those things are.” “Give me something. Anything! For science!” Twilight shouts. Oh, boy. Here we go again. Rarity is unruffled. “I do apologize, Twilight, but the variables of fabulosity simply cannot be measured.” “Kinda like my Pinkie Sense!” Pinkie chimes in. What the heck is that? “And like the animals and I just seem to understand each other…” “And like I can fly fast enough to break the sound barrier!” “And like our apples just taste better when we plow our fields natural. With no magic,” Applejack sounds a bit reproachful, like she’s remembering something in particular. Is it my turn now? “And like…uh…I’m a possibly dead human in the body of an absolutely dead pony, whose dream self tells him he has to make magic snowballs and shit.” “Snowflakes,” Twilight corrects me halfheartedly, but a heavy silence falls over the group as the wind starts to pick up. The cutie mark demons start whining again about how bored they are. Fluttershy and A.J. are the only ones who can keep them in line, so they volunteer to take the brats home again. I hope they meet up with us again, soon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We continue south through the Forest as afternoon slides into evening. Nopony has to tell me that; in a place like this you can feel it coming. It’s been rough going in the daytime--the timber wolf, a path that refuses to stay straight and appears different when they look back at it, and of course trees and branches everywhere (Twilight magicked aside an errant branch that swung back and clouted me right in the face; it took Rarity fifteen minutes to get all the twigs out of my mane). I can only imagine how gnarly it gets after sundown. Dash insists on telling me every scary story she can think of about the place as she and Pinkie pull the cart. It’s too bad I can’t volunteer for night watch, because I doubt I’ll get any sleep. Leafless trees rattle in the wind on either side of us, as if even they are shivering. Pinkie says the clouds are swirling like whipped frosting. Rainbow says they won’t be dropping sugar and we better get a move on before the Everfree turns into the Everfreeze. Amen. “Okay,” Twilight finally says. She sounds ragged. “It’s almost dark. We’ll camp here.” No one objects. I’ve been riding in the cart since the branch incident, so I think it’s only fair to do my part and start handing (hoofing?) down supplies. Dash stops me. “Relax, kid. We’re all sleeping in there tonight. If you want to help, lay out the blankets. We’ll need those for sure.” I oblige. The blankets are along the left side of the cart. Finding them is easy; unfolding them just takes a little longer, that’s all. No, seriously, I’m fine. I’ve got it under control, dammit! They’re just really…big. Go away. Take a coffee break or something. I’ll…oof…get ‘em sooner or later. “Shall we lend a hoof?” Rarity asks cautiously. “No!” I yell, despite the fact that I’ve become trapped in a suffocating blob of blankets. A man’s got his pride. Pinkie Pie bounces noisily up to the cart. “La la la la la…oh no! BLANKET MONSTER!” “It’s just Jay, Pinkie,” Dash sighs. Eventually I manage to free the top half of my body from the quilted quagmire, and use my wings to propel myself the rest of the way. But I don’t know how to stop, so I burst out and accidentally headbutt Pinkie Pie in the chest. We both tumble out of the cart in a heap. I stutter out a red-faced apology but Pinkie, being Pinkie, doesn’t seem hurt at all. She just laughs. “Oh wow! Super hugs are my favorites! I haven’t had one of those in a while.” “Glad I could help,” I drag myself wearily back in, trying not to think about how bad I want a smoke right now. We pass around some of the leftover apples. It’s my first time having one straight from the Acres. I’m not exactly an apple connoisseur, but it’s got to be one of the best I’ve ever tasted; warm, juicy, and melts in my mouth like candy. Before I know it I’m scarfing bites as loudly as Pinkie. I find myself thinking of my family as we eat. It seems like the ponies who remind me most of them are the ones I get along with best. Dash is a lot like my little brothers, not to mention a bunch of players I’ve coached over the years: straightforward, outgoing, and loves to compete. A.J. is kind of like my parents, my mom in particular. She didn't farm or have a country accent, but she was tough and she never stopped working. Rarity reminds me of my sister. We were one of the most sports-crazy families in our hometown, but she was determined to go her own way and she did: clothes, makeup, the works. Twilight and Fluttershy are more like kids I went to school with but never knew well, and no human I ever met was like Pinkie. Still, they’re all good ponies. If any of them got hurt on my account, I’d take it pretty hard. “So Rarity,” I say when I’m finished. “That was really your magic back there, huh?” “Yes, I’m afraid so.” “I knew it felt different from Twilight’s. For one thing, it didn’t make me toss my cookies all over the Everfree Forest.” Rarity giggles bashfully. “Well, being a fashion designer does require a more…delicate touch.” “I bet it didn’t feel delicate to the timber wolf.” We both laugh. “At least he'll be able to put himself back together eventually,” Twilight says. "Even if it's as four smaller wolves." “What?!” I feel a chill. “Oh, yes. Their regenerative powers are just one of the wonders of the Everfree! I’ve always wanted to study them…but this really isn’t the time.” Rainbow laughs. "Don't worry about it, Jay. Those things can’t track us this far. Besides, the timber wolves are kind of a fall thing, and...well, we’re having a pretty short one this year, doncha think?” “Thanks, Dash.” “Besides, remember what I told you? There’s WAY worse things lurking around in here than the timber wolves!” “No thanks, Dash.” “Yeah!” Pinkie says casually. “Like that horrible ugly evil blue mist that’s floating over our heads right now! Ooo, Jay, I think it likes you the best!” I can’t tell if she’s joking or not, but I flinch and dive under my blanket. "G'night." Weird magic noises happen, leading to a super-loud pop of displaced air. I think we’re about to find out what the mist is… “Indeed, it shall be a good night, despite this unseasonable cold!" a regal voice blares from above the cart. "And who would know better than We, the Princess of the--” I choose this moment to yawn at the top of my voice. Total coincidence, of course. “…Night,” Luna says frostily. “It appears that most of you are pleased to see me. No doubt you shall also be pleased to see your friends, who quite literally ran into me on the way.” “Howdy!” Applejack’s hooves sound like a mini-stampede as she runs up to us. “Hello again,” Fluttershy’s hooves barely make any sound at all. Everyone jumps out of the cart to greet them, including me. "Good to see you guys again," I say. Did I just...Christ. Oh, well. At least nopony mentions the irony. “With Our help, naturally their safe return to the Forest was assured,” Luna seems almost insulted. She drops the royal We when she’s talking to Twilight or her friends, but not me. As if to say, I don’t look at you the same as the other ponies and I won’t bother to hide it. It bugs me. Is it because I’m in Snowdrop’s body or does she not like my attitude? I should ask her sometime. I zoned out from the conversation for a few minutes there, so I only catch the tail (har) end of what Luna is telling the others. “…And so I was victorious in the battle with the dastardly alarm clock. However, there was no time to celebrate this triumph, or even to make the night, and still meet with you by sundown as I promised. Therefore, you all shall witness what very few ponies have witnessed: the Princess of the Night shall now raise the moon...with an audience.” “Your Highness! You really mean it?” “No way!” “Well, if don’t that beat all…” I open my mouth to say something, but the words get stuck in my throat as I realize it doesn’t matter. No matter how spectacular something like that might be, I won’t see it. Curiosity grows, ripens, and rots into envy as Luna begins and I listen to the “oohs” and “ahhs” from the other six. Maybe if I’d always been this way, it wouldn’t bother me. But knowing the gift of sight before I got here, and having to sit through this with a real idea of what I’m missing… This is such bullshit. “A.J.? What’s going on?” I walk impatiently behind them, trying and failing to get a description from sompeony. “Dash? What’s she doing?!” They’re all too distracted to answer. I struggle to paint a mental picture with the intense magical buzz Luna is giving off, but it’s not working and eventually I give up. Shuffling back to the cart with a burn in my gut, I burrow under one of the blankets and wait for exhaustion to overcome disappointment. I know they're not doing this to me on purpose. Luna's as tactless as I am in her own way, but in this case I think she's just enjoying the attention, and the other ponies are starstruck. Sight isn’t the only thing I want, at any rate. A wicked, nagging hunger is beginning to gnaw at me from the inside. I feel like having another apple, but I don’t want another apple, because I’m not hungry for an apple. What I’m actually hungry for is a goddamn cigarette. And with my cigarettes back at Silver’s place, as I soon remember after feeling around frantically in my mane, I choose to eat another apple. Goddamn it. “One smoke,” I whisper over and over between bites, flinching from the ponies’ exclamations of wonder as they continue watching Luna screw around with the moon. She could be eating a moon pie and it wouldn’t make any difference to me. “All I need is one freaking cigarette.” It’s been a long day, and sleep comes much sooner than I expected. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back on Earth, I had normal dreams. Dreams about football, or my marriage, or Maria Sharapova. In Equestria, normal dreams don't seem to exist. They all have some deeper meaning, or worse, they are dictated by an extremely nosy dark blue pony princess. Kind of like this one. "What is it this time?" I demand, somehow not really caring that I'm back in my human body and can see again. Dream logic, I guess. "Such is hardly the proper way to greet royalty, Mr. Jay," Luna replies, but she sounds more amused than offended. I cross my arms. "Well, I'm royally ticked off right now. Is this about Snowdrop?" "In a way, yes." "You talked to her?!" "No," Luna frowns. "We have attempted to find her again in the dream realm, but without success. Her spirit is most likely resting, gathering strength so that she may help thee at the Castle." "Oh," my shoulders sag. "We have entered thy dream to apologize, Mr. Jay," the Princess looks up. "We did not forget thee." We're standing in a forest clearing, similar to how I imagined the Everfree. It has the same unreal, cartoonish look of my last dream with Luna...but it is real. The trees reach out for the sky with their branches, as if to worship the golden disc that is Celestia's waning sun. As it sinks neatly below the horizon, a magical aura begins to surround Luna. It starts at her horn, spreads to her eyes and then radiates from her entire body. From this distance it's close enough to rattle my bones, if I have any in the dream world. In place of the sun, a brilliant white moon rises majestically from behind the trees, far larger and brighter than any I have seen on Earth. Luna controls it with such grace that it seems like a part of her, and yet it's as imposing and inevitable as any natural force. It's many miles away, but it feels like I could reach out and touch it. As its light bathes the woods in a silvery glow, stars appear like tiny candles being lit one after another. It's more beautiful than I could have imagined. "We sensed jealousy in thy heart," Luna is still right in front of me, yet her voice seems to be everywhere. "It was the same darkness that was Our undoing one thousand years ago. Take care that it does not poison thee as well, and remember why thou art here." She gestures down at my feet where the light seems to shine brightest. I look, and see flowers growing where there were none before. Snowdrops. Beth's favorite.