Earlier, the sun was already setting by the time we reached the edge of the southern forest. I wanted to call it a day, but Sienna walked on, ignoring me, or maybe she didn’t know how tired I was. In any case, I could have just ignored her, too, and slept on the edge of this forest, but then I would be on my lonesome, and I didn’t think that was a good idea...even if Reykan was and still probably is watching us from afar.
I let out a tired groan as I force my tired and aching hooves to move through this dense and dark forest. The gaps between the trees are very narrow, with an occasional pony-tall bush rooted on the said gaps, blocking us from going through, making this tiring journey more annoying than it should be as we try to move around it or look for another path to take. At least the bushes aren’t ‘disguised sleeping timberwolves.’ A sea of thick, dark green leaves up above leaves little to no gaps for the eyes of any earth-bound creatures like myself to see the sleeping sky, making the forest even darker than it probably should. Thankfully, my tired eyes have already adjusted to the darkness, enough for me to see the dark and faint frames of my surroundings.
The loud and monotonous orchestra of the crickets echo very loudly in the forest, almost making it impossible for me to hear my own tired breaths and my own hoofsteps on the forest’s floor, not to mention Sienna’s, who’s three or so hooves ahead of me, who hasn’t said a word ever since that weird kangaroo left.
“...We can rest here.”
...Never mind. She just said something. I let myself fall sideways, allowing gravity and the ground to embrace me. Thud!
She turns around, her blinking emerald eyes barely visible from the darkness. “...You should have told me you were tired.”
Yeah, no. I kinda can’t, since you looked so annoyed or grumpy, not to mention very quiet. Angry and quiet females are scary creatures from what I’ve observed back home. I close my eyes and sigh in relief, focusing on the tingling electric-like sensations on my four tired hooves. “...Owie...” I mumble tiredly, my side starting to ache from lying on my gem-in-a-saddlebag. I turn to lie on my chest and belly, sighing through a tired smile on my lips. My ears twitch slightly as I hear Sienna lie down on the ground.
“Good night,” she says, her voice still carrying a hint of annoyance.
And then a loud hooting hoot of an owl echoes up above, barely piercing through the loud cricket chirps.
“...Night,” I mumble as I allow myself to drown in sleep’s embrace.
Here’s to hoping that Reykan wouldn’t be annoying us while we sleep...
I close my teary eyes and open my pony mouth wide as I let out a looong yawn. Morning came a little too soon for my liking, and Sienna was and still is looking annoyed, and aside from the ‘Let’s move’ she said as soon as she saw me waking up earlier, she hasn’t said a word to me.
With sleepy hooves, I follow Sienna’s lead though this gloomy forest. The sky is still waking up from what I can see through the little gaps on the sea of leaves up above, but at least it’s not as dark as last night. Rotting leaves, twigs and branches litter the forest floor, with different kinds of small insects moving and flying around. The air is cooler than the previous forest, and carries the many echoing chirping melodies of birds from up above, accompanied by the occasional rustling noises from scampering little rodents.
A horrible squeaking noise erupts in the forest, making me jump. Ignoring the panic tweets and rapid wing beats of the birds up above, I turn and see a struggling and squeaking rat trying to escape the jaws of a brown-scaled snake that is slowly coiling its slender body around its victim.
“...Jay,” Sienna calls impatiently.
I frown a sad frown as I feel my ears droop. Turning to my grumpy companion, I see her rolling her eyes before she continues moving, and I follow her after a quick glance at the predator and prey live action scene.
Walking around a tree, I notice how quiet the forest is now, and it’s...unsettling.
The trees are starting to provide wider gaps in between them now, which only means one thing, and that one thing is making me smile, making me feel that all of this walking is going to be worth it.
The lake is up ahead. I can’t see it yet, not with all the trees and bushes around, but I know it’s up ahead. And I think Sienna thinks the same, too, judging from her calm expression I chance to see each time she turns around a tree or a bush. It’s an improvement, which also means she’ll be talking again soon.
“I think we’re getting close,” I hear her say as I walk around this big tree, seeing her standing up ahead, her head and ears turning. “I can hear quiet voices. And that weird noise Seri makes when she’s surprised.”
Eeyup, talking deer’s back. “You mean ‘quack’?” I ask as I stand by her, looking around and trying to listen to any voices, but nope, I don’t hear any faint voices or anything.
“Over there,” Sienna says, walking towards the direction. She then stops and looks at me. “You still have the gems, right?”
I nod my head. “Yeah.”
She blinks at me. “...Are you sure?”
I frown at her. “Yes.” I turn my head to look at the saddlebag on my side, and push the cover slightly with my pony nose. “I doubt they suddenly grew legs and ran off.” Shiny gem number one is still there. I check the other bag on my other side, and eeyup, shiny gem number two’s also there.
“That’s good,” she says with a small smile before moving onward. “I was thinking... Maybe we should let the swans look for the eggshells before we give them the gems.”
“Just one gem,” I say as I follow her lead.
“Right,” she nods her head. “Just one.” A pause. “Where do you think we can get the other items?”
I blink. “About that... I asked a pegasus back in that small pasture to get me the other two plants in exchange for one gem.”
She’s not responding.
I wince. Maybe mentioning that pasture will ruin her mood once again?
“That winged pony knows where to get them?” she suddenly asks in a not-angry tone, making me sigh in relief. She stops and blinks at me. “And only two plants?”
I nod my head. “Yeah. The Protean Mushroom and the Poison Joke.”
She blinks once again. “Protean Mushroom?”
“Ah, right. That’s the name of the mushroom that turns red during the day and blue during the night.”
“Oh,” she says, nodding her head. “What about the other one?”
I blink. “The...Poison Joke?” I shrug. “He’ll take care of it, too. I bet he’s already back in the pasture by now.”
She furrows her brows for some strange reason. “I mean the other one, Jay.”
“Uh...” I blink in confusion. “The...silver ladybug eggshells?”
She rolls her eyes. “The other one. Don’t tell me you forgot about the clover that makes sounds.”
...
... ...
... ... ...
Hello, hoof. This is face. Face, meet hoof.
She frowns at me. “I can’t believe you forgot about that!”
I sigh, my ears drooping in shame. “I...can’t believe it, either.”
She takes a breath and sighs. “Let’s hope that there are sound clovers around the Swan Lake,” she grumbles as she continues moving.
Aand I ruined her mood. Joy...
Minutes later, and after walking around this giant tree, the happy and chatty voices sound clearer to my ears now as I stare at the lake a few meters ahead beyond the obscuring bushes and trees. White, twinkling sunlight stars are dancing along the calm and swan-infested surface of the large lake, bringing a smile to my face.
Sienna and I walk out from the trees, looking around. The lake is pretty large, as well as this clearing that borders the said lake. And swans are everywhere: black and white! They almost look like Seri though. The white ones, I mean. Only difference is that their bills are all orange, some all black, others have both colors but with different patterns. There are also white swans but the colors of their necks and heads are black, too. Some are on the lake and some are on the grassy ground by the lake, and all of them are chatting merrily, their happy voices echoing all around the clearing.
“Well,” Sienna says, her emerald eyes swimming through the scene before us. “...they’re happy birds.”
I nod my head in agreement. “It’s better than angry birds, at least.”
She looks at me. “What do you mean?”
I shrug. “Eh, don’t worry about it—”
“A pony!” a voice shouts above the chatter.
“A doe!”
Blinking, Sienna and I turn our gazes back at the swans.
“A pony!”
“A doe!”
“A pony!”
“A doe!”
All swan eyes are now on the two of us as the swarm of feather dusters happily approaches us, chanting their ‘pony’ and ‘deer’ chants along the way.
“...Uh...” Sienna nervously takes a step back, stops, and looks back.
There are happy-looking swans chanting happily behind us. How they got there, I wouldn’t know. But they’re there. Actually, they’re everywhere, already surrounding us.
“Eh heh heh heh...heh...” I awkwardly say as Sienna and I nervously lean against each other, our personal spaces almost completely taken by the swarms of happy swans. “T-they really are a happy and friendly bunch, huh?”
And then they’re suddenly quiet, the silence almost feeling too foreign for my abused ears.
“...Uh...” Sienna uhs...
A black swan standing in front of us and in front of the crowd furrows its...uh... It gives us a serious look, as if trying to scan us. “...You two friendly?” she asks, her voice sounding elderly.
“Uh...” I say. “...yes?”
“FRIENDLY!”
“Gah—!”
“Eep—!”
Oh my god! My poor, poor ears!
Blinking the stars off of my eyes, I shake my head and see...that all the swans are now on the lake, smiling at us.
“Welcome to our hooome~” a group of swans on the left say...in a melodious tone.
...Are they about to sing?
“Welcome to our hooome~” the swans on the right sings.
...Eeyup, they’re about to sing.
“Welcome to our hooome~” the swans on the center sings in a higher pitch.
I...smile. Hey, they sound pretty nice, to be honest.
They all then take deep breaths, silence—
“WELCOME TO OUR HOME DEAR PONY AND DOE HELLO! ~ WELCOME TO OUR HOME WE ARE GLAD TO MEET YOU! ~”
Uh...
A group of swans flies in the air.
“WE ARE AVEEYANS OF WHITE OR BLACK OR BOTH! ~ HAPPY TO HAVE YOU AND THAT IS OUR OATH! ~”
The swans in the air and on the lake are flying and swimming in patterns now, all the while smiling at us.
“WE DON’T HAVE MUCH BUT PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY! ~ TELL US WHAT YOU NEED AND WE’LL FIND IT RIGHT AWAY! ~”
A swan’s head pop’s up in front of me, to my great surprise. “Pom pom POM!”
“WOO HOO!” the swans cheer, swirling in the air and swimming in a circle, their loud and merry voices hurting my ears.
“...Ow...” Sienna mumbles beside me, her head hanging low as she rubs her ear with a hoof.
“So what do you need, pony and doe?” a white swan suddenly asks, suddenly standing in front of us with a wide, beaked smile.
I slightly shake my head. “Well, uh...before that...” I smile a small, awkward and fragile smile. “...nice performance?”
The swan quickly turns her long neck around to look at the others on and above the lake. “They like our song!”
The swans cheer. Weird crowd.
The swan then looks back at me. “We thank you, mister pony.”
“Eh, no problem?” I take a breath. I blink. “Wait... What do you mean by ‘what do we need?’”
The swan smiles as she nods her head. “It’s exactly as it sounds like, mister pony!”
I arch an eyebrow. “How...did you know we need something?”
The swan shrugs. “This here lake is not an ideal place for a pony and a doe couple to live—”
I stifle a groan. Sienna fails to do so.
“—so then why would a pony and a doe come here to our little lake? Why, to conduct a trade, of course!” Miss Swan happily explains, spreading her long and white wings wide. She then pulls her wings back. “So, what do you—”
“Rrraaaawrrr—!”
“Gah—oof!” Something black pounced on me, knocking me to my side—
“R-Reykan?!” Sienna yelps.
“A panther!” the swan shrieks, scrambling away.
“I got you, Jay!” the cub proudly claims, standing proud on my side with a smile. “So! Did I—”
“Panther!”
“PANTHER—!”
“AAAHHH!”
“PREDATOR—!”
Shrieks and loud flapping wings echo all around as white and black feathers fill my vision—
—and ten seconds later, silence reign in the clearing, devoid of any swans as black and white feathers softly rain down the watery and grassy surfaces of the clearing.
Reykan blinks, his sapphire eyes gazing at the empty lake. “...What was their problem?”
I hear soft hoofsteps, growing fainter and fainter. Blinking, I lift my head and look at where that sound is coming from...or leaving to.
Sienna’s marching back towards the trees.
“First, they were singing, and then shout-singing? And then they—whoa—oof!”
I push myself on my four hooves, ignoring Reykan who fell off of me. “Sienna?” I call as I see her turning around a tree. “Hey, Sienna!” I holler, but she’s not responding. “Darn it, what has gotten into her all of a sudden?” I mumble as I walk after her in a fast pace.
“Jay?” Reykan calls behind me as he probably gets up on his four paws. “Hey! Where are you going? And did I passed the test?”
“Not now, Rey,” I say as I turn around the tree—
—and with a surprised yelp escaping my pony mouth, I bump my nose on Sienna’s nose, my surprised look contrasting her angry look. She slowly and angrily moves her head forward, pushing my head back as I helplessly gaze at her furious emerald eyes burning through my head. “Why. Is. Reykan. Here.”
That wasn’t a question.
“Huh?” Reykan asks, looking at the two of us. “What about me being here?”
She ignored him.
“That was the test, right? Me stalking you two and jumping at you when you reach Swan Lake?” Reykan asks oh so innocently. “I mean, sure, I didn’t know if that lake over there was Swan Lake, so that’s why I took a while to jump at you. Oh, and the swans started singing, too, which surprised me. So...does that little delay of jumping at you guys made me fail the test? Please say I didn’t fail...”
Sienna is breathing very angrily, trying to contain her rage as she waits for my reply.
I gulp, smiling a weak and nervous smile at her as I slowly take a few steps back to recover my personal space...and to stall some time. Okay... Okay, okay... What to say? What do I say? Uh...
Eye twitching, Sienna snorts angrily, turns around and marches away.
I bite my lower lip as I feel my ears droop.
“Uh...” I hear Reykan say. “Where is she going?”
I take a breath and sigh. “Sienna...” I call as I walk after her. “Please wait.”
She stops and violently shakes her head. “No, Jay,” she quietly says without looking at me. “I don’t know why you want him around.” She shakes her head again. “I don’t know why you want him to keep on trying to kill you.” Slowly, she turns her head, enough to give me a sideway glare. “But I know one thing, and that is to stay away from crazy ponies like yourself.”
I slowly take a breath, close my eyes and sigh. “Sienna... It’s—”
“If you want to die that badly, Jay,” she says, still glaring at me, “then don’t drag anyone else with you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t plan on dying just ye—”
“Then why in deer god are you still dragging him with us?!” she snarls, turning to properly glare at me. “With you?!” She points an angry hoof at Reykan who’s...standing beside me. “He is a predator, Jay! He eats ponies like you and deer like myself! Can’t you understand that?! He can kill you but you kept on letting him tag along with you! WHY?!”
“S-Sienna’s scaring me...” Reykan mumbles under his breath as he backs up and hides behind my hooves.
Sienna suddenly throws her angry look at the leafy ceiling above and screams with frustration, echoing through this thick forest.
I flinch, my ears drooping once again.
Her screaming done, Sienna angrily snorts before she turns around and walks away.
I close my eyes, take a slow and deep breath, and let out a sigh... Frowning, I reopen my eyes.
Sienna’s gone.
Taking another breath, I sigh as I turn around, walking past the panther cub.
“...Jay?”
I stop.
Reykan shuffles beside me, his sad sapphire eyes blinking at me. “Did...? Is...?” He looks back, frowns, sits down and looks at me again. “...Is it my fault that Sienna left?” he asks in a sad tone.
I sigh.
His ears droop. “I...didn’t mean to. I mean...” he hangs his head, staring at the forest floor beneath him. “I... What did I do wrong that made her angry like she did?” He looks back at me. “I know I’m a preydator, but I won’t eat her if she doesn’t want to.” He blinks. “I...don’t even have to eat or kill you if you tell me not to.”
I sigh once again as I sit down in front of him. I slowly lift a hoof and, ignoring his wincing expression, I gently pat his black-furred head. “I...know, Reykan.” Another sigh escapes my mouth. “I know...”
“Was she upset that I kept on trying to kill you?” he asks as I pull my hoof back. Curiosity replaces the sadness in his eyes as he blinks. “Or maybe she’s upset that I haven’t tried to kill her yet?”
I blink at that. I shake my head. “Don’t worry about her, Rey.”
“But she left!” he says, frowning. “How could she just...leave you? I thought she wanted to help you and Twilight pony about...something.”
Oh, right... Reykan wasn’t there during Twilight’s explanation. That was my fault. I smile a fragile smile at my panther companion. “Don’t worry about it, Rey...”
Silence... Once again, I realize how quiet the forest is.
“Jay?” Reykan suddenly calls, looking at me. “Did you like Sienna?”
I blink at him. I frown at him. “...No.”
He blinks at me. “Oh.” He nods his head. “Okay.”
So...now what? The swans left the lake, Sienna left the party, and Reykan’s sitting in front of me, scratching his ear with a hind paw.
“...By the way, Rey,” I say quietly, catching his attention. “You...passed the test.”
He blinks at me. “Oh. Right...” He smiles. “Awesome! So, what’s the next test?”
I take a breath, look at the quiet lake through the tall bushes, and sigh. “...Help me and Twilight restore Equestria.”
“...What?”