Overhead, the stars twinkled, peeking out from behind a few clouds, and the night was cool but humid. There was more than enough starlight as well as moonlight to see by as Tarnished Teapot and Maud Pie continued down the road together.
They had parked sometime around noon, lounged around in the shade, having crawled under the wagon, slept, and waited until nightfall. Now, Maud was moving and making good time. The night, much cooler than the day, made for good traveling.
“We’ve crossed the Everfree River… if I can pull a little more than twenty five miles tonight, we should reach Rambling Rock Ridge… maybe sometime around dawn,” Maud said.
“The place where we made camp?” Tarnish replied.
Maud shook her head. “No. That’s a little farther south. But there is a northern campsite that is just off the road. It has a pump with clean water and there is a creek which may or may not have water in it. It sometimes goes dry near the end of summer.”
“Was the twelve gallon water barrel a good idea?” Tarnish looked over at Maud. “When you took me home, we seemed to do okay with a five gallon jug. And there are pumps at every campsite it seems.”
“Tarnish, there are two of us now and not every campsite has pumps. Not every place we go has a campsite. There is a very real chance we could run out of drinkable water in some of the places we go. I wanted to go with a twenty gallon barrel, but one hundred and sixty pounds of water was too much to haul with the rest of our equipment.”
“When you read stories about adventures, you always read about the heroes doing amazing things… braving the wilds… fighting monsters… you never read about the heroes discussing water management and how much supplies weigh.” Tarnish paused and looked at Maud as he walked. “At the last campground, why did you pull water from the river rather than the pump for our meals?”
Maud wickered and then after a long moment with no reply, she looked at Tarnish. “I like the mineral flavour of the water. You can taste the rocks.”
“Oh.” Tarnish couldn’t tell if Maud was having fun with him or not. He decided it didn’t matter. He grinned, took a step closer, and nuzzled Maud’s neck, rubbing the bridge of his nose against the soft curve of her throat.
Enjoying the feeling of Tarnish caressing her, Maud felt little tingles running up and down her spine. “I think if you read about adventurers having to look after the boring everyday stuff that makes adventuring possible, it would spoil the feeling of adventure. Ponies want to read about adventurers exploring some ruin, or finding some ancient treasure, or maybe finding some long lost tomb. That’s adventure. But the moment you read about the hero having to manage the weight of his photography equipment, the amount of food they have, how much water they have in reserve… I think the story becomes something else.”
“Like what?” Tarnish asked.
Maud shrugged. “I don’t know. Something else.”
“Heroes never have to eat. They never have to use the bathroom. They can survive on an expedition for weeks, even months, with nothing but themselves and maybe a nice hat. Like Daring Do. She goes into the jungle for months, finds what she is looking for, and she only has herself. She never carries any food or water or supplies. I never really cared about the practical side of adventuring before, I liked reading those books… but then I crossed the desert a few times… crossing the alkali flats opened my eyes. My canteen is heavy. It holds just a little over a gallon of water—”
“Ten pounds of weight,” Maud interjected.
“—and hanging it around my neck was a chore. I think Daring Do would die within the first few days of her adventures. Probably from dehydration. I mean, right now, it is nighttime, and while it is a lot cooler than the day, it has still got to be almost eighty degrees outside. I’m sweating… I can feel it trickling down my legs. My balls feel soggy. And if I kept walking like this without any water, I think I would die.” Tarnish thought back to the beginning of his adventure and his thirst. He had reached a point where drinking out of a mud puddle had seemed like a good idea. He recalled his meal of blackberries and the thorns that had pierced his lips. As he walked, his canteen, all ten pounds of it, slapped against his chest. “Maud?”
“Hmm?”
“I just had a thought. I know we have about six hundred pounds of gear… but how much does the wagon weigh?” Tarnish glanced over at Maud with his eyebrow raised.
“The wagon weighs about five hundred pounds.” Maud paused and tilted her head as she gave thought to her answer. “Solid wood construction, brass fittings, and a four by eight bed. Might weigh a little more.”
“How do you do it?”
“Tarnish, I’m an earth pony.”
“Yeah, but not every every earth pony could do this.”
“Tarnish, I am a strong earth pony.”
“That much is obvious… I just don’t see how you do it. I mean, it amazes me just watching you move… your muscles… um…”
“You like watching me. I like it when you watch me. I like it when another pony appreciates my strength.” Maud leaned forwards into her harness as the road became an incline and the pair began to go up a low grade hill. “I spent my foalhood working hard. Daddy never allowed us to give up on a task. Somehow, we had to finish. We found ways and means. We Pie sisters got strong. Even Pinkie… she might look soft and chubby, but she has immense strength.”
“This hill looks long.”
“Just keep the canteen ready. Makes it easier on me to be able to drink and not have to stop. Getting the wagon moving on a grade like this is easier said than done.” Maud slowed down a bit and began walking with a stiff legged gait, digging her hooves into the dirt road for traction.
The campsite, a place of rest funded by the Crown, turned out to be a pleasant place. There were a few lean-to cabins, a water pump, a crude stone oven, and a simple shower that could be operated with a pump. Maud and Tarnish pulled in a little after nine o’clock in the morning after a long night of travel. The incline had been a little harder on Maud than expected.
Maud kicked the brake for the front wheels while Tarnish gave the lever that locked all four wheels a good yank. Afterwards, Tarnish began to help Maud out of her harness. For all of her strength and endurance, after going over twenty five miles, a good part of it uphill, Maud was exhausted.
Feeling some worry, Tarnish watched as Maud moved with almost glacial slowness towards the creek. He followed after her, his head low, concern upon his face. The creek looked shallow; there wasn’t very much water flowing over the rocks.
Reaching the water’s edge, Tarnish helped Maud get undressed. There was no shade. He peered up at the sun as he pulled Maud’s smock off and felt a bit of worry. The water, only fetlock deep, was not enough to submerge in and get cool. Maud lay down upon the rocks and then began rolling around in the water, trying to get wet, while Tarnish pulled off his gear so he could join her.
“What do you want to eat?” Tarnish asked as he lay down upon the rocks and rolled over onto his back. “Nothing hot I bet… sandwiches?”
“Sandwiches work.”
Tarnished Teapot looked over at the now soaked pony beside him. He could see Maud’s muscles quivering, twitching, and jerking. He rolled over onto his stomach, crawled on his belly to Maud’s side, pushed Maud over, and then began to rub her legs, using his hooves to knead her flesh. He saw her eyes close as he went to work. He had no idea what he was doing, but he reasoned that it must feel pretty good. Maud had gone limp.
He worked on her hind legs first, rubbing her thighs, trying to be gentle. He tried his magic, using his telekinesis to apply pressure and massage her worn out legs. Looking down, he spied Maud’s belly button… and everything else. It was hard not to feel aroused in this situation. He placed a hoof upon her stomach, gave her a loving caress, and then realised that she was asleep. Maud was out for the count, her head resting upon the creek bed and water flowed around her ears.
He glanced down at his amulet; it was still a pleasant shade of blue. He peered up at sun, which held promise of bringing the heat. He lifted Maud in his telekinesis, struggling to lift her up. He was tired and she was heavy, not to mention soaking wet. He paused, considered his actions for a moment, and then placed her back down in the water, making certain that her muzzle was pointed upwards.
Laying her down in the dirt of the camp while she was wet would leave her muddy. Casting a final glance at Maud, Tarnish left her laying in the cool water so he could go and spread out a blanket in one of the lean-to shelters so they could rest out of the sun.