//------------------------------// // 12) Nulpar Tour: Days 11-25, Mount Bodach // Story: Climbing the Mountain 2 // by Talon and Thorn //------------------------------// Dear Fragrant           I haven’t managed to write for a few days, I got a new job! No more ruling Nulpar for this stallion, I’m working on a caravan now! Well, only for a while. I was just about to leave Sharpside when Iron mentioned that there was a trade caravan heading north and I decided that it would be a good idea to ask if I could tag along. Mum did ask me to travel with others whenever possible. Prudence, she’s the donkey in charge, seemed ok with the idea once she’d asked a few questions, and literally counted my teeth, that was a little odd. Anyway, she and her people have been good company for the last week or so now, each evening once we’ve made camp they have story-telling competitions. I’m not sure I believe half of them, Prudence tried to make me believe that there’s a secret hidden city of stallions kept eternally youthful by a magic fountain in Nulpar. Still, if I have the time, it might be an idea to check out the area she described, just in case.   Once we left Sharpside we headed north and then followed the Gullywine, Nulpar’s second largest river, west for several days. It was hard going, having to pull those big wagons all day. Still, its doing wonders getting me back into condition, I think I was getting a little flabby with all that Canterlot food and not much exercise.   Things were going quite well until we finally decided to ford the river, it’s not as deep and fast as it would be in spring after the thaw but it was still a daunting task. Most of the crew had done it a few times before so they knew what they were doing. They attached empty barrels to the side of the wagons to make them more like boats and we took them across one at a time, all of us swimming as hard as we could. The first two trips went well but then disaster struck the third wagon, one of the ropes slipped or snapped or something and we lost about half the contents into the river. Prudence was furious, I was just glad I wasn’t Short Trip, the pony in charge of loading that wagon, he got quite the tongue lashing.   Luckily the other wagons didn’t have the same problem once we double-checked them. Prudence wanted us to spend all night trying to retrieve the lost goods but it was too dark and we were all exhausted. It wasn’t much fun around the campfire that night I can tell you. Prudence had us up at first light checking down river for anything that had washed ashore. Despite our best efforts we didn’t find much I’m afraid, and what we did wasn’t much use. Maybe someone downstream will have a windfall in a few days.   After that we’ve been carrying on west for a few days now, apparently we’ll reach the city of Midnight’s Folly tomorrow, I’ve heard of it but not visited before so it’ll be something new for me.   See you soon   Max     Dear Fragrant           Midnight’s Folly is probably the strangest town in Nulpar, certainly the strangest I’ve seen so far. It’s less a single town and more like a collection of buildings spread over a valley. There’s a decent sized farm in the middle of the main street! Most of the actual houses are carved into the valley walls, they’re more like caves than real houses, still the locals seem to be happy enough with them.   They’re a tough people, they seem to mostly survive on bloody mindedness, the fields in and around the town only just provide enough for them to eat. They rely on regular shipments from other towns like Prudence’s caravan. Speaking of her, she actually paid me for coming with them, I tried to refuse but she insisted and told me I had a job with her if I ever wanted it, so I guess I have some backup if being a baron doesn’t work out.   The town mostly makes its money from quarrying, they carve out blocks of rock from the cliffs around the town and in the spring make rafts to float them downstream to Neighvosibirak. It’s not a method of travel I’d thought of before, it’s a shame I didn’t arrive earlier to I could see it in person.   It took a while for me to convince Lucky Dip, he’s the mayor of Midnight’s Folly, that I actually was a baron, apparently that news hadn’t made it up here yet but once I did he and his people were very friendly. They threw a huge party to celebrate the founding of Nulpar, even if it was half a year late. They had a lot of suggestions about how I should run the province but most of them weren't that practical.   They even gave me a present, a book! It was second hoof of course, books are not that common up here, it’s called ‘Daring Do and the Griffon's goblet’. I flicked through it about it about some mare searching for hidden treasure and having all sorts of adventures on the way. A bit farfetched for my tastes, but it will certainly be something to distract myself with on my journey. A very generous present really.   It was a bit of a surprise, but I wasn’t the only guest in the village, there were a few ponies and elks passing through. They belong to something called the Order of Legends, apparently they try to record everything that happens in the whole world, particularly any heroic deeds that are carried out. They’re supposed to wander the world most of the time, the ones I met had spent the last few years in the border zone gathering tales then they take it back to some sort of island off to the west and store it there.   They were leaving in a day or two so I asked their leader, an elk called Muninn, if I could tag along. He agreed and we’ve been traveling together for a few days now. They’re not bad company, a little cagey maybe but interested in everything I have to say. They did say they wanted to know about heroes so I told them about what Tender Heart and Piste did last year at Innsbuck, and of some of the things that happened in Canterlot, I made sure to tell them about baron Fields. It’s nice to think of the old stallion’s life being recorded for posterity.     Anyway we’re due to go our separate ways tomorrow. Muninn and his people are heading south, whereas I’m off north. It’s pretty barren up there, you can go days if not longer without seeing anypony. It’s a shame the order can’t stay, I’d been glad of the company. Still maybe a few days alone will give me some time to think about things, to try to decide what to do back in Sadlzburg, how to develop Nulpar, stuff like that.   Yours sincerely   Mounty Max.     Dear Fragrant                  I really wish you were here, I wish any pony were here really, but you most of all. I think it’s been five, maybe six days since I last saw anyone. It’s all very well to say that it’s nice to have some time to yourself but there’s also too much of a good thing. Ponies are meant to spend time with other ponies, and I think I’m going a little stir crazy. I gave a speech to a pile of rocks yesterday, it was mostly practice and to hear the sound of my voice, but I did feel a little put out that the audience didn’t stomp at the end.   Anyway, putting aside my incipient madness, I’ve been heading roughly north for a little over a week so far, its hard going making my way over and around various mountains. It’s a challenge and I am enjoying myself, it would just be better if there was somepony around to enjoy it with. I’m almost at Mount Bodach, it’s the tallest mountain in Nulpar, once I get there I’m going to turn east for a bit and head to Dragontooth pass, that’ll get me into the eastern reaches of Nulpar. According to the new map I got when we were on the way to the Eyrie, there are quite a few villages over that way, then, if things go to plan I’ll loop back around and head west and then south back to Sadlzburg, hopefully.   As hoped I have managed to use my free time to think about the various suggestions my people have given me about running Nulpar. They are certainly a varied lot and their ideas were just as disparate, still most of them want to talk to each other, an official postal system would be a start, if I can afford it. Roads and rails would make that, and a lot of other things, easier but I know how difficult and expensive that will be given how rocky Nulpar is. I know you said I might have to wait a year before putting forwards my rail grant bill, but I don’t know if my people can wait.   It’s another thing to think about and I have plenty of time to think out here. Still, I better set off again. Mount Bodach’s only a few hours away and the view is magnificent.   Thinking of you.   Max   Max carefully packed away his quill and paper. He wasn’t likely to be able to get any more out here. Then, straightened up and scanning the area around him, he felt a little surge of pride as looked up at the behemoth towering over the other peaks around. Mount Bodach. As far as he knew, he was the only pony to have climbed it, maybe even the only person. Although he suspected that one or more of the Tor tribes had probably scaled it at some point.   Clambering to the top of a cliff, Max tried to get a better view. He briefly considered trying to repeat his feat, but quickly thought better of it. He had come very close to dying on his first attempt, and it would probably be quicker to go around the mountain rather than try to go straight over it anyway. He blinked for a moment as he noticed a flash of colour on the mountain’s grey sides. What was that?   Narrowing his eyes, Max thought he could just about make out a few tents positioned near the base of the mountain, out of the wind. Max frowned. Who could be out here? As far as he knew there weren’t any settlements for miles and not much reason for anypony to be passing through. His curiosity piqued, Max started to clamber down the cliff and towards the tents. If nothing else, it would be nice to have someone to talk to after so much time alone.     It took a little longer than Max had expected to scrabble over the loose slopes leading to the camp. As he remembered from his last visit, over a decade ago now, the wind constantly gusted in the area around Mount Bodach and blew his mane this way and that. As he approached, he saw a nearby pony wearing a hardhat and tapping away at a boulder with her hoof. “Hello!” he cried.   The pony turned towards him, revealing herself to be a young light grey earth pony with a purple mane which somehow held its shape despite the wind. “Greetings,” she said in a bored sounding tone. “We weren't expecting to see any other ponies in this area.”   “I wasn’t really expecting anypony either. What are you doing here?” asked Max.   She frowned as if he’d asked a silly question. “Looking at the rocks,” she explained in the same monotone.   “Maud!” came another, more emotive, voice. “Do you have those samples yet?”   “Not quite, professor,” replied Maud. “This pony interrupted me.”   “Who?” came the voice as a second, older, mare came into view. She was a unicorn with a thickly curled white mane and a dark grey coat. “Oh, who are you?”   “Hi, I’m Mounty...” began Max.   “Mounty? Isn’t that the baron’s name? Not related to him, are you?” she asked before Max could finish.   “Actually...”   “Silly question, really,” she said, cutting Max off again. “What would a baron or his family be doing in a place like this?” She gestured around the mountain.   “Well, you see...”   “I’m Professor Honey Bear, by the way. Rude of me not to say that earlier.”   Max paused for a second and was a little surprised that the mare didn’t continue.   “Oh, um, pleased to meet you. What are you doing here?”   “I guess I could ask you the same question.” She raised an eyebrow. “We’re here for the rocks.”   “I’m just passing through on my way to the settlements in the north. You see, I’m...” explained Max. Then he paused. “What rocks?” He glanced around. There were certainly lots of them around, but he didn’t think there was anything special about them. Or was there? He remembered something about a rock he’d taken from around here...   “All the rocks, really. I’m from CalGeo, the Califerlong Institute of Geology. We’re carrying out a geological survey of the whole of Equestria, and given that Nulpar just got named a proper province we thought we’d come and take a look. Some quite fascinating formations around here. Maud,” she turned to the younger pony, “take that sample back to camp while I show Mr Mounty about.”   “Yes, professor,” murmured Maud, quickly looping a rope around the boulder, and to Max’s astonishment, she started to drag it away without any apparent effort.   “Ah, students, useful things,” muttered Honey. “Now as I said, we’re carrying out a full survey of the province. We’re just collecting samples right now, but once we get them back to CalGeo we can review their make up and get a better idea of what makes this place tick. What is it that you do anyway, Mounty?”   “Oh, um, well...” He was a bit suspicious of this strange mare. He didn’t know anything about any survey; he was fairly sure he was supposed to be told about that sort of thing. Or maybe he had been and he hadn’t noticed. “I’m a post stallion!” he said, thinking quickly and reaching a hoof into his bag. In addition to the ones he’d been writing to Fragrant, he’d picked up some letters in Midnight’s Folly; Nulpar didn’t have an official postal system (another thing on Max’s to do list), so anyone traveling long distance just picked up any letters due at their destination and dropped them off when they had the chance. Not the quickest, or most secure system, but it mostly worked out.   “Ah, well, I guess you travel around a lot for that. Nulpar isn’t the most easily navigable of places, is it?”   “No... I hope you haven't had too much trouble?”   “Oh, we came quite prepared. We brought an expert. Hey, Wings!” she bellowed.   Max looked around and noticed a strange looking pony trotting over. He was a pegasus, just. His wings were tiny and apparently malformed, seeming bent almost backwards. His coat was an icy blue, but his mane a fiery orange. “Honey?” he asked as he approached. Max’s eyes widened as he recognised the figure.   “Mounty, this is Ten...” began Honey.   “Ten Wings!” exclaimed Max his mouth dropping open. He recognised the stallion from a picture in Mountaineering Quarterly; the pegasus had been unluckily born with crippled wings but had felt a strong instinct to fly, an instinct he had used to become one of the greatest climbers of his age. Max couldn’t believe that he was actually here! Next to him Honey scowled at being interrupted.   “Yeah, nice to meet you...” said the new arrival.   “You were the first pony to climb Mount Eventide...”   “There were actually two of us there.”   “To scale all the major peaks of the Macintosh mountains in a single season!”   “Well that depends on how you describe major...”   “You were the first to climb the west face of the Mattershorn!”   “I guess you have me there,” said the Pegasus with an awkward smile.   “Oh, Luna, I’m... I’m such a fan of yours, Mr Wings!” gushed Max.   “Well nice to meet you, then,” said Ten Wings, holding out a hoof which Max took and pumped enthusiastically. “Do any climbing yourself?”   “Well a little, as a hobby really, and to get around. It’s my mark.” He shifted to give the mountaineer a look at his flank.   “Huh, snap,” said Ten Wings, revealing the image of crossed rope and ice axe on his own side. “You know much about this area? Pays to have a little local knowledge, I always say.”   “Well, I don’t like to brag,” said Max bashfully, “but I’m the only pony I know to have climbed that,” he pointed up at the nearby mountain.   “Really? I thought that only...” said Ten Wings, rubbing his chin.   “Hum?” said Honey, looking off distractedly towards the camp.   “Oh, nothing. So, any tips you can give me, Mounty? What face did you scale?”   “Well I started on the south since it looked to be the simplest, but once I was about a third up...”   “If you two fellas are going to talk shop, do you mind if I leave you to it?” asked Honey. “I want to keep an eye on the students. Don’t want to leave them unsupervised too long, you know. They’re enthusiastic, but they miss more than they notice.”   “I think I can take good care of our friend,” said Ten Wings, nodding at Max.   “Good, good, nice to meet you, Mr Mounty,” said Honey, taking off towards the camp.     “Would you like another helping, Mr Mounty?” asked Tectonic Shift. She was one of the camp’s students, a crystal pony, her coat a deep ruby glittering slightly in the firelight. Apparently she was from the crystal empire, studying in Calgeo.   “Thanks, but I’m full,” said Max, covering his plate with a hoof. To his joy, he had gotten to spend much of the afternoon talking with Ten Wings; the pegasus took his time extracting every bit of information Max had about Mount Bodach, even asking him to drawing a rough sketch of the peak with a possible route marked out on it. That done, Max couldn’t resist asking Ten Wings about his career, and the mountaineer seemed happy enough to chat about this previous climbs. Max was astounded that he’d managed to just bump into one of his heroes; he did consider asking for an autograph or something, but he didn’t want to seem too overbearing. By the time they had finished, evening was drawing in, and Ten Wings invited Max to have dinner with the rest of the party. Breathlessly, Max agreed. He had offered to cook for his hosts, but they had refused, insisted that he was their guest to look after, and that it was Shift’s turn. Max was a little worried about what the crystal pony would produce; he had heard rumours that their diet included rocks. Certainly, back home Sparks did tend to eat some strange things, but she had been raised by goats. He was pleasantly surprised by the meal, which was made up of layers of potato and macaroni with a layer of stewed apple on the top. “What did you say it was called?”   “Älplermagronen,” said Tectonic in lightly accented Equestrian. “I’m not the cook my grandfather was, but I like to think I’ve picked up a few of his skills.”   “More than a few, dude,” said Geode, or Geodude as the others referred to him; another of the students, a dark brown-coated unicorn with a long untidy blond mane. “That was awesome, and far less crunchy than when Maud cooks.”   “Limestone is good for the bones,” said the grey mare dully.     “So,” said Geode, levitating a guitar from somewhere. “How about a sing song, dude? Just the thing for a quiet evening around the campfire.” He lazily strummed a few chords.   “We really should go over the day's findings before bed,” said Honey, a little half-heartedly.   “Come on, dude, we've got guests! There’s more to life than just rocks!” There was a rumble of agreement from around the camp except Maud who looked shocked, showing more emotion than Max had seen from her before.   “Ok,” said Honey, throwing her hooves up in defeat. “I’ll go first, then.” The rest of the camp all gathered around and she got herself comfortable. To Max’s surprise, the professor seemed quite talented, singing a well-known folk ballad in a silky contralto. By the second verse, the whole camp had joined in the song about the tribes leaving their original home and arriving in Equestria.   Next up was Maud, who droned her way through a rather toneless poem about types of rock; it didn’t mean much to Max, but the geologists all seemed to nod along so he assumed it made some sort of sense.   Tectonic’s piece was a rather saucy ballad from her homeland. She wasn’t – in Max’s opinion – that great a singer, but her performance was rather more active than her colleagues, dancing around the fire as she told the story of a mare awaiting the return of her lover and what they intended to do together when they met. Geode certainly seemed appreciative of the mare swinging her flanks around, and the occasional eye contact between the two suggested that the performance may have been put on for the unicorn alone.   It took a bit of coercion before the next student – a pegasus mare with an icy blue coat and white mane – was willing to take her turn. Max didn’t think he had heard her say more than two words before. She was apparently called Crystal Dreams. To Max’s surprise, once she has screwed up her courage – and her eyes – and did start to sing, she was rather good, belting out some modern song that he was sure he’d heard some of the younger pages back at Canterlot sing. It might have been by somepony famous, but they didn’t get much new music back in Sadlzburg. The entire camp broke into applause by the time that Crystal had finished, and the mare gave a shy bow before scuttling back to her place next to Geode.   The stallion himself also performed in a modern style similar to the shy pegasus; the song was apparently of his own composition, a love ballad which judging by the eye contact was aimed at one crystal pony in particular. Looking around the camp, Max saw a look of quiet amusement on Ten Wings and Honey’s faces. Apparently any relationship between the two was at best an open secret.   Next, Ten Wings took his place. To Max’s surprise, he sang rather tunelessly in another language. Max wasn’t an expert, but he thought it might be pegalopian; it sounded rather grand and operatic to his ears, but he stomped anyway when it came to an end.   “Your turn, dude,” said Geode once Ten sat down again.   Max gulped nervously. He had guessed this moment had been coming, but he’d sort of put it to the back of his mind as he listened to the other entertainment. He wracked his brains for a song.   “Come on, Mounty, you need to pay for the food,” said Tectonic with a grin.   “Just a minute,” he protested. The only thing that came to mind was an old lullaby his mother used to sing to him as a foal, about the princess watching over her little ponies while they slept. It probably wasn’t that appropriate, but it was all that he could think of. Taking a deep breath, he started to sing. He was surprised at how vivid an image it conjured up, of nights huddling under the sheets as winds howled outside. By the time he was finished, he wasn’t that surprised to find his cheeks wet. Even though he was closer to home than he had been for most of the last half year, he suddenly felt very homesick. He really should write a note to his mother and tell her he was alright; given how winding his route was, it might get to her before he did.   Once the camp had all taken their turns singing, they broke down into smaller groups. Maud and Honey started to go over some of the samples the team had collected while the other three students continued to chat. Tectonic and Geode seemed to be trying to get some time alone but Crystal seemed to be something of a third wheel. He was just about to try and distract the filly to allow the other two a bit of privacy when Ten Wings interrupted.     “I think we might have a few more things to talk about, Mounty,” said the pegasus.   “Oh, right, of course,” agreed Max. He thought they’d gone over everything, but he certainly wasn’t against spending more time with his idol. The two of them moved a little distance away from the campfire and Max started to spread out his maps and drawings again. “I thought you’d sorted everything out?” he said.   “More or less, but you can never plan too much.” Max shrugged; he’d always been a bit more spontaneous about things. “So, would you like to do the ascent with me?”   Max’s immediate response was to want to shout ‘YES!’ Getting to actually go climbing with his hero! It was a dream come true. But his ears dipped as he thought about the actual situation. It was a two, maybe three days’ trip to the top of the mountain; probably the latter if they were collecting samples on the way. There and back would make it six days – he didn’t have the free time. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to make my way east. I’d love to climb with you but I’ve got duties.”   “The mail must get through, eh?”   “What? Oh, yes,” said Max, remembering his cover story. He’d almost forgotten why he’d kept his identity secret.     “Look, you said that the east looked like it had the clearest run, right?” Max nodded. “Then why don’t we set out together? You can start the ascent with me, give me some last advice, and then head off your own way. It shouldn’t take more than a day out of your schedule.” Max nodded again. That seemed to make sense.   “Ok,” he agreed.   “Good, it’ll give us some more time to talk. I’ve got some things I think you’ll like to hear,” said Ten mysteriously.   Max frowned. “Couldn’t you tell me now?” he asked.   “Not while we’re in camp,” said the pegasus before he headed back to the fire.   That was odd, thought Max, following Ten.     Max yawned as he made his way across the foothills of the mountain with Ten Wings. He’d tried to get an early night, but had been awoken by what he suspected was Geode making his way to Tectonic’s tent in the middle of the night. Fortunately, if that was the case, whatever they did next was silenced, possibly magically. The incident had made him wonder what Fragrant was doing at the moment; the thought of sneaking from his house to hers at night like the young lovers nearby brought a smile to his face. As he’d drifted off to sleep, he supposed that the secrecy around their relationship did add a certain spice.   He’d woken early and packed up his gear with Ten Wings before saying his goodbyes to the rest of the camp as they awoke. Then the two of them had started off towards the mountain. To his surprise, Ten let Max take the lead and they followed a rough trail skirting the bottom of the mountain before making their way, roped together, up the cliffs themselves.   They had made fairly good time, and by midday the base camp itself was out of sight and the land around was spreading out below them. They stopped for lunch on a large overhang that gave some cover from the ever-blowing winds and the noon-day sun above.   “This is the life, right, Mounty?” asked Ten, looking down from their perch. “Top of the world.”   Max grinned with agreement. “Everything down there just seems so small, it makes my troubles seem so insignificant. Up here it’s just us and a mountain, a real challenge between pony and the elements. It’s a shame I can’t go all the way to the top with you.”   “The offer's still open if you want.” Max shook his head. “Since I was born with these things,” Ten waggled the stumpy wings on his side, “this is the closest I can get to flying, you know. It never feels quite right on the ground, you know... well, I guess you don’t, really,” he added a little awkwardly.   “Maybe a little,” said Max. “I might not be born for the skies, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like being up here.” He passed a sandwich he’d been given at the camp to the pegasus before starting on his own. “Ow!” he cried as his teeth caught on something hard. He spat it out. “A rock?”   “Ah,” said Ten Wings. “One of Maud’s, then,” He examined his own, removing some gravel. “You know, I swear that girl’s half dragon. She likes stones in her food.”   “What would that make her? Dracoequine or something?”   “I think they’re called Kirin, actually. But no, just strange. She says her family farm rocks. How does that work?”   “Actually, I’ve seen that. Something about magic items, I think.”   “Huh,” mumbled Ten, digging into his sandwich again. The two continued to eat in silence for a bit before starting to plan the rest of their day. It was time for Max to go his own way back down the mountain, and for Ten Wings to make his way towards the summit. Max started to unwrap the maps again, but Ten Wings stopped him. “I don’t think we’ll need to see them anymore, baron.”   “What do you... oh.” Max’s eyes widened. “You know who I am?”   “Well, unlike Honey I did my homework. Only one pony has climbed that mountain,” he nodded up at the peak above them, “Mounty Max, Baron of Nulpar.” He pointed a hoof at Max. “You didn’t even try a false name.”   “Oh, well, I guess you’ve got me there.”   Ten Wings sighed. “I was expecting one of your staff. I didn’t think this would rate you coming in person.”   “Expecting? Why?” said Max, sounding confused.   “We didn’t get clearance from your office for this expedition,” said Ten Wings with a frown.   “It needs clearance?” asked Max, raising his eyebrows.   “Well... yes... I sort of thought you’d know that. It’s why you’re here, right?”   “Um... I’m sort of new at this. I didn’t know anything about this all.” Well, Welcoming had mentioned something about it back in Sadlzburg, hadn’t she? It hadn’t seemed that important at the time. “What’s wrong with what Honey’s doing?”   “She should have asked you for permission to carry out the survey. When she hired me, she said something about it being better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and that her grant was fairly specific on when she had to have the survey done by.”   Max blinked a few times, trying to think over the situation. It seemed odd that there was a grant for studying Nulpar. Maybe it was because the province was new? “You knew this was wrong, but you still came?”   Ten Wings flushed a little. “Well, they were offering quite a bit of money, and come on, who wouldn’t want the chance to climb that!” He gestured up at the bulk of the mountain looming over them. Max had to agree. “Why are you here undercover, then, if you didn’t know we were here?”   “I really was just passing through. I meant to tell Honey who I was, but she just...”   “Didn’t let you get a word in edgeways?” finished Ten Wings. Max nodded and the pegasus laughed. “I guess I should have just kept my mouth shut, then. Would have saved us all a lot of bother. So, you going to fine us? Throw us out of your lands?”   Max sat back and though for a moment. He knew that what Honey and her team were doing was technically wrong, but if they’d asked, he probably would have said yes. It wasn’t like they were going any harm. But a rule was a rule. What could he do? He could probably head back there and have it out with her, as uncomfortable as that sounded. But then what? Throw her out of his province? He didn’t have time for that, and maybe not the right. “I guess I’ll have to make a complaint against CalGeo then,” Ten Wing’s nodded. “There should probably be a fine or something. I’ll have to look it up.” Well, Mrs G or someone would for him. A thought struck him. “Can I get a copy of the report they’re making?”   Ten Wings seemed to consider it. “Not really my side of things, but I guess so. They work for a public university and it’s about your province. You can probably get it without too much trouble.”   Max nodded. Who knew, maybe they would find out something useful about Nulpar.     Max was feeling a little maudlin once he and Ten Wings had to finally go their own ways. It had been nice to have somepony to talk to about his hobby and... well... nice to have someponies to talk to, full stop. By his reckoning, it would probably be at least three days before he even got near a village and had anyone to talk to again. When he had gotten up, he had insisted that he help with the breakfast, and this time the rest of the camp agreed. But they had also insisted that he refill his supplies from their stocks, resulting in his bags being rather heavier than he’d planned. It had been late morning before he was finally on his way.   He looked back and could see the tiny figure of Ten Wings continuing his way up the mountain. He wished him luck on his ascent. Turning again to face his next destination, Max couldn’t help but wonder about the circumstances behind the expedition being there in the first place. Was it just chance that a geological survey was being carried out? It certainly seemed useful to him; if they found anything useful, then it might help his plans to develop his province. Did he have an unknown ally somewhere? Or was there somepony else who benefited? If so, he couldn’t think of who they might be.   He sighed. It would be niggling at the back of his mind for the rest of the day now. He shrugged as he started to clamber over a small rise. At least it would give him something to think about.