//------------------------------// // Escapade // Story: Where the Clouds Move By Their Own Accord // by Church //------------------------------// I am not going to fight it anymore. I am not going to sit here and lecture you about it. I am not going to sit here and pine away over it. That’s ridiculous. Because even I don’t know. You don’t know, and I don’t know, and nopony bloody damn well knows. Now, this story may not be about me, but I can tell you what I do know. I can tell you my story. I will tell you my story within the lines of this one, and maybe that will help you understand. Because I feel it’s important. Because I don’t know. And you don’t know. And screw our unknowing. So just stop my ramblings now, I’m sick of them. When she died, my only love, I was heartsick. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t socialize. I couldn’t eat or sleep or even beg for the scraps trampled underhoof by the nobles. I was dying inside. There was no doctor to fix it. There wasn’t anypony to console it. It was the loneliest I had felt since my very beginnings, and even then surpassed those. The world was cold and ugly, its face similar to the aftermath of an incredible boxing match. One that it lost. But I couldn’t blame the world. No, I had only myself to blame. The world was not lost, I was. I had lost myself in the world. I was cold. I was ugly. I lived as a recluse. I could not afford to keep up maintenance on the house. It brought back painful memories anyway. The walls had grown foreign in nature, the wooden panels whispering her name from their midst. It was haunting. I was haunted. But ghosts and ghouls didn’t exist, now did they? No, this was all in my head. I had to get away. I had to get off of my grief stricken plot and escape from these frail arms. So I stuck a for sale sign up in the yard. Not that anypony would see it, the house being buried deep in the marshes, but I had to get something out of it. I was going broke. I needed to get out of here and find a place of work in Canterlot, or any other place where they were hiring, really. Two of the longest months of my life passed by. I had posted the ad in nearby villages, hoping the townsfolk were willing to see a different part of the world. Nopony bit the offer. The ads had probably blown away in the breeze. I sat in my loneliness, wallowing in sorrow and distant memories. She wasn’t going to come back. No one was going to bring her back. What the hell was I doing? Get off your ass! Words. Countless amounts of them floated in my head, each of them embellishing themselves for attention. The problem was, I had no idea what they meant. Two months passed. A knock resounded from the front door, making my stomach churn. I sat up from my bedside. I passively trudged my way to the front door and flung it open, the door nearly snapping off of its hinges and crashing to the floorboards. The pony on my porch reared back, startled. “Hi... is this the house that’s for sale?” the pleasant mare said in a sweet voice. She tried to peer into the house behind me. I looked to the for sale sign stuck in the front lawn. “Don’t know what gave ya that idea.” I hadn’t noticed the colt standing next to her. He looked buff and esteemed, but he spoke in a calm, gentle manner. “Heh, touche. We were just wondering if you were having an open house. Do you mind if we take a peek? Are you busy?” I looked behind me. I sighed. “Nah, by all means, com’n.” I ended up selling the house to that cute couple for a modest amount of bits. They were so innocent, so sweet. They had a wonderful life ahead of them. I hated them. I handed them the deed with a naked tear in my eye. Even my tears were lonely. It dropped and landed on that slip of paper, leaving a part of me behind, imparting with an ounce of my soul. Somewhere in me, I thought I had made a mistake. “Good luck.” I said to them, their thankful grins hitting me full blast. Me? I packed my bags for Canterlot. o----o Rarity and Rainbow sat underneath the giant willow, studying the gems before them, eyeing them in studious scrutiny. Rarity was clearly in complete astonishment. She drooled over the jewels, their beauty not to be undermined by anything or anypony. Dash was indifferent, not caring for the value of the gems, but rather what they stood for. And what did they stand for? Why were they led to a small cache of rubies that were normally found in the badlands of Equestria? “These are only found just north of Appleoosa?” Dash asked, clarifying what Rarity had said before. “Yes, quite rare..." Rarity paused. "Rainbow, do you think that we’ve stumbled upon somepony’s secret stash of rubies?” Dash picked up one of the gems and twirled it around in her hooves. Her reflection gazed back at her in the smooth surface. The seemingly magical gem had a breath of its own. It lived. It thrived. Dash gently tossed it back to the grass. “I’m... not sure. Something tells me these aren’t just somepony’s rubies that they were hiding.” Dash said. “What tells you that?” Dash looked to the tree trunk, its base most likely able to hold twenty of her. “Gut feeling.” she said. Rarity frowned. “Soooo... should we keep them?” Dash hadn’t given that a thought. She needed to show them to Twilight Sparkle, so obviously they were coming back with them, but Rarity wanted them for a different reason entirely. Was there harm in the matter? Dash turned away, thinking. “Yeah... yes, we should. But only if I can have one.” Rarity beamed with delight. She telekinetically lifted the rubies and wavered them in the air ecstatically. “Oh, but of course! Here!” she trilled, separating one of the rubies from the group she had under her spell, “Have this one! It’s one of the chunkier pieces!” Dash snatched it out of the air and grasped it in her hoof. She looked back in the direction of the road they had come from, the willow producing a low ceiling for the horizon line. The sun was beginning to descend, taking with it the life from the grasses, as they shrunk back down to the earth in a sleepy fall. The air was noticeably chillier, Dash clung to herself tightly. She twisted her head around to look at Rarity, the white pony hardly paying attention to the weather, her full intent on the rubies. “I think it’s time to go, Rarity.” Dash stated calmly, holding herself and glancing out to the horizon once more. Rarity surprisingly dispersed her gaze from the gem stones. She stared out into the distance with Rainbow Dash. “I fully agree.” she declared. Dash and Rarity swooped back through those rolling hills, the sunlight fading on them, their shadows stretching out over the grasses. Rarity was following Dashie now, toying with her rubies, eyeing her reflection in them. She hadn’t given a second thought as to- why the rubies were lodged in a TREE?! But she didn’t care. Rainbow Dash didn’t mind that Rarity wasn’t asking questions in any sense, so why bother? As they trudged up hill after hill, Rainbow Dash thought of Twilight Sparkle. If the visit to the Princess was a success, then this could all end fairly soon. It could all be over at the clap of a hoof. Good riddance... right? A strange notion passed through Dashie’s mind at that instant. An ultra weird, superbly awful notion that shouln't have presented itself in the first place. Dashie didn’t really want this to end. This was adventure. This was exciting. Why would she give that up? Somewhere inside Dash, she thought this quest wasn’t supposed to end now. She almost wanted to solve the mystery for herself, leave Celestia out of the equation entirely. If the Princess wanted her to get something done, then why interfere with her plans? Dash would do whatever it took to see to it that the deed was done, and done it would be. At that moment, Dash realized that she wanted this. No, she needed this. Even though she had been in a state of chaos, she knew that things would return to normal after this strange trek. Normal didn’t work for her. Normal wasn’t glorious. Dash searched into her fire ruby, wishing to find Twilight scrawled into it in some sort of clairvoyant message. All she saw was her unrecognizable face glaring back at her in the stone. It glistened almost charismatically, as if excited to be torn from its burial place and thrown into the world. Dash winced. She stuck the gem between her teeth and kept walking. The road could be seen from the top of the final hillside as the night sky finally blanketed the two ponies. The last ray of light flashed away from the gravel almost spiritually in a sense, as if enlightening the road ahead. It was assuring. The twinkling stars in the sky brought about a luminous feel. Luna had outdone herself on this evening, the moon and the stars combined to brighten the aweing scene with liveliness, hitting the grasses and the upcoming trees with virtuosity. The moonlight made their shadowed figures laugh in a dark way, inviting and friendly. They were a welcome sight. The rubies held in Rarity and Dashie’s grip gleamed, lighting up the pairs’ faces in a dainty glow, like a dulled flashlight. They pranced through the striking view, their breaths escaping from their lips and disappearing in the chilly night air. The road neared. “Let’s get us home, Rarity.” Dash said, the gleam from the gem dancing in her eyes. And so they went. Three hours. Rainbow Dash sat in Twilight Sparkle’s treehouse for three long, horrid hours. Twilight wasn’t supposed to be catching up on old times with the Princess, she was supposed to be lending a helping hoof. The day had melted by, and she had most likely been dawdling in Canterlot for the lot of it. That was unacceptable. When she got back, she was most likely going to get a taste of her own medicine lecture-wise. Rainbow Dash gladly did the dirty work. But not while her supposed “help” was busy lounging in a reclining chair. Dash paced the library floor with a fervor, eyeing the walls as if they were her sworn enemies. She kicked the books on the floor aside as she came across them. Oh dear, she was becoming Twilight... “Are... are you okay, Rainbow?” a timid voice spoke from the stairwell. Spike jumped off of his seat and cautiously approached the blue pegasus. He grabbed his tail bashfully, averting Rainbow’s icy stare. “I mean, you’ve been here for hours... why?” Dash sighed glumly. “I’m sorry, Spike,” she tried to say delicately, “I just need to talk to Twilight, so I’ll wait til’ she gets back.” Spike scratched at the back of his head. “This can’t wait until tomorrow? What’s so important?” he said. He yawned, stretching out his claws and showing off his baby incisors. Rainbow had been keeping him up, he was obviously tired. Dash chuckled. “How ‘bout you get some sleep there, mister? I promise I’ll make the visit short and sweet.” Kinda like a promise she had heard earlier. “Well I’m not tired!” Spike bragged, flexing his muscles to appear less so. He winked at Rainbow Dash. “I could stay up all night if you don’t tell Twilight.” Dash produced a faint smile on her lips. “Heheh, I won’t tell, Spike.” Spike saw Dash lighten up a bit and he relaxed. His sleepiness fell him back to the stairs, where he sat down, still managing to stage his alertness. “I don’t know about you,” he said, failing to cross his legs. His head drooped off to the side a bit, “but I think we could throw a party, so long as it has ice cream...” he slumped back on the stair, laying his head down on the wood, “lots and lots of ice cream...” Rainbow smiled and rolled her eyes. She meandered over to the corner of the library that housed the Daring Do comics. “Rainbow.” Spike uttered, shakily pointing his claw into the air. “Yes?” “Could you go... get the... hmm... ice cream? It’s in th-the freezer...” Spike ordered dreamily, coasting off into the night. A dragon's mind was not adapted to a pony's sleeping habits. Dash smirked. She pulled one of the comics from off of the dusty shelf and flipped it open. “Yes, I’ll get right on that, Spike.” The young dragon was appeased. “Good.” he said, smacking his lips. Buckets of ice cream frolicked in his head. He counted them, pointing them out with his imaginary spoon. He gradually succombed to his weariness. “Good night, Spike.” Rainbow whispered. Spike tossed on what would be his bed for the night. “I’m not... tir-” he started. He cut himself off with a loud snorting noise and a few snores. Dash was now the only functioning party in the room. Dash silently crept through the pages of her comic, having read all of the words a thousand times before. The pages of neat illustrations were no less a pleasant read as a memory game now. Dash read off the words from the next panels before she even laid eyes on them, but they still felt sweet to the touch. And now, she couldn’t help but imagine herself as Daring Do. That’s right, Rainbow was adventurer extraordinaire, defying the rules and always staying cool. Lame rhyme, I know, but it’s what she came up with. Her life leaped from the panels. She was finding treasures, fending off villainous creatures, and making narrow escapes as thin as a hair. Daring Do's world was cool. Dashie's world could be just that cool. Dash hugged the book. If only... Suddenly a flash flared up in the center of the room. Dash shied away from the intense light as it occupied all of the corners of her wooden abode. She flinched away from a tiny spark of magic that sailed out from the clutches of the orb in the center, sizzling out on the floorboard before her. She put a hoof over her eyebrows, attempting to disperse the rays of light away from her iris’. A single pony’s blackened outline could be seen in the center of the orb. Dash grimaced. Twilight Sparkle materialized in the center of the room, looking thoroughly pissed off. Dashie blinked a few times, adjusting back to the dimly lit room, focusing in on Twilight’s features. Dashie set her book down. “You have some explaining to do!” Dash chided in a whisper-yell, staring coldly at Twilight. “Darn right I do!” Twilight countered loudly. She struck her hoof down into the floor. “I just got ba-” “Shhhhh!” Rainbow chimed in. “What?” Dash pointed to a dreaming Spike over on the stairwell. Spike rolled in his slumber and struggled to stay in his restful state. They could hear him murmur a random assortment of words, suggesting that he was still asleep. “Ah.” Twilight quipped, lowering her voice. “You were saying?” “Oh, yes, well I just got back from my visit with the Princess, and you would not believe what happened.” Twilight trotted over to her window and whisked it open, gazing out into a starry abyss. Dash plucked herself from the floor. “What happened?” Note: regarding what happened- This is what happened- “Princess! I’m so happy you could see me on such short notice!” Twilight exclaimed, rushing across the royal carpet to greet Celestia. She donned her “all business, no excuses” expression. “Anything for my star pupil.” Celestia replied, watching Twilight storm across the floor. She was able to tell something was amiss. “What’s up?” The Princess’ desire to use slang expressions whenever she wanted to stay hip bothered Twilight somehow. She didn’t feel the Princess needed to stay in the know to accomplish her royal duties. She shrugged the thought off. “Princess,” Twilight said briskly, “I can’t stay long because I have to get back to Ponyville, but could you please tell us why you’re making us run all over Equestria?” Twilight stopped in front of Celestia, her plea could be heard reverberating from the walls. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. Care to clarify?” Celestia responded incredulously. Twilight sighed. “The letters you’ve sent us... what are they for?” Celestia brought a hoof up to her chest, utterly confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Twilight Sparkle, I haven’t sent you any letters in days.” Twilight looked starstruck. “You’re kidding, right?” Celestia shook her head. “I’m afraid not.” Twilight looked around the room in a dazed panic, growing chilled to the bone on the inside. “Well, wh-what about the letters I sent? Did you get those?” she chirped, shaking in her horseshoes. Celestia bent down close to console her pupil. She gazed into Twilight’s eyes kindly, using that regal beauty that set all of her subjects straight. “Twilight, I haven’t received a letter from you since last week... is something wrong?” “So... wait.” Dash said after Twilight had finished up her story. “None of the letters are from Canterlot?” Twilight combed a hoof through her mane. “Apparently, no. Rainbow... I- I’m really beguiled by this one.” The pair huddled around the central table, having brought out the two leads they had to go on to solve this puzzle. An age-worn letter. A fire ruby. They beckoned to them, urging the case to go on. “Rainbow, we can’t keep doing this... whoever sent these could be very dangerous. They could be some sort of marauding deviant or crook looking for a cruel joke." Twilight paused to gaze at the gem and the scroll. "It won’t end up being very humorous, I might warn.” Rainbow Dash did not want to hear those words. “I think our best bet is to let the Royal Guard sort this one out.” Twilight reasoned. “I’m sure that they can settle the situation.” Dash gazed at the letter and the ruby lying on the table. She saw something in them. She didn’t know what it was, but she saw something. Dash looked back to her Daring Do comics, feeding off of its stigmatic words, swallowing them in earnest. She wanted this. She needed this. “No.” Dash muttered, her head turned down to the table. “Excuse me?” Twilight asked. “No, Twilight, I want to do this. I think that you’re being over-dramatic.” Twilight reared back. “Who said I was being dramatic?” she replied, completely astounded. But a measly thirty hours beforehoof, Rainbow Dash had been here, in her library, cowering in fear and tweaking out. “Whatever. Twilight, listen, we can do this! Yes, I don’t know who wrote the letter, or who’s doing this to us, or where it’s taking us, but...” Dashie paused, picking up the ruby and directing Twilight’s gaze to it. “but don’t you want to find out for yourself? Twilight, think about it: I think that we can handle thugs and brutes by now." Dashie pulled off her best puppy dog eyes. "Please do this for me?” Twilight watched her confounded expression glimmer in the gemstone. She stared into it like a portal to another dimension. “You’re insane, Rainbow, I-,” she stopped, the words getting choked up in her throat. She let out a gasped breath. “You... you get one chance.” she said with uncertainty. Dash lit up like an equestrian candle. “You’re game?” Twilight looked out to the window she had opened a short while ago and closed her eyes. She sighed. “Yes. I will help you. You can’t do this alone.” Dash flung herself at Twilight Sparkle, embracing her rather ferociously. Twilight let out a muffled gasp. “Okay, okay!” Twilight chuckled through Dashie’s mane, “Tell me more about these fire rubies so we can get some rest. We’ll have our hooves full come tomorrow.” Twilight and Dashie awoke the following morning to a deafening snort emitted from Spike’s mouth. They both jolted up in astonishment. Spike merely hiccuped and resumed his slumber. Dashie and Twilight looked to each other, grinning. This was it. They were doing this. They shoved their covers off of their bodies and sprung out of bed. Dash grabbed the scroll and the fire ruby from the table, and they both made their way downstairs furtively, being wary not to awaken the sleeping dragon. “All right, hold on, let me consult the checklist. Let’s see what we have to bring with us.” Twilight announced, hoofing her way to the cabinets. She pulled the top drawer open and lifted a scroll out from it, unfurling it and studying it instantly. Dashie squeaked over in the corner, teeming with excitement. She waited for Twilight to call off the items they needed so that she could flash around the room and grab them. “Okay, ruby, scroll, check... ah! First things first,” Twilight articulated, leaning to one side, “We’ll need our packs.” Dash whirled by Twilight, blowing the scroll into her face with the coming wind. She grabbed two packs from the closet and pivoted, smiling tumultuously. “Done!” Dash shouted. Twilight huffed the scroll out of her face. “Right. Next, we’ll need some snacks.” Dash shot by Twilight once again, this time throwing her off balance. She wobbled, sustaining herself. Dash could be heard noisily browsing through the kitchen. She appeared back in the doorframe, carrying various munchies in her mouth and hooves. “Fimiffed!” Dash babbled out, a bag of chips occupying her mouth. She opened the packs and dropped the food into them respectively. “Super effective! Okay, packs, snacks... oh.” Twilight muttered, looking at the next item on the list. She glanced up from the scroll. “Where are we gonna find shovels?” Dash shrugged the packs from her shoulders. “Why do we need those?” Twilight looked at Rainbow pathetically. “Seriously? Rainbow, both items so far have been buried somewhere at random. We are traveling to an arid place full of dirt and rocks. What do you think?” Twilight responded. Dash caught on. “Oh yeah. Well, we could borrow some from Braeburn once we get to Appleoosa, don’t you think?” Twilight nodded her head in agreement. “Good thinking.” She faced the scroll once again, vexing her eyes on the next item. “Oh! How about hats and water, it can get pretty dry out there.” Dash zoomed into the kitchen, feverishly snatching two large containers of water from the fridge and racing back to drop them off by the packs. She then chucked herself into the closet again, where she lifted out two jaunty caps that Rarity had made for Twilight a while back (she never once wore them). “Eh, these’ll do.” Dash mumbled, eyeing the caps with a hint of disdain. Dash tossed the caps across the room like a frisbee and smoothly trotted back over to the packs. Twilight checked both items off of her relatively short list, double and triple checking to make sure they needed nothing more from the treehouse. She set the quill and scroll aside, contented and positive that they were fully prepared. “Well, I think that we should be ready to go! We can pick up whatever else in Appleoosa when we get there, sooo... shall we?” Twilight beamed. She held her hoof out, juxtaposing that thin, innocent smile on her lips. Dash gently clacked her hoof against Twilight’s, smirking. “Let’s get it done.” Twi and Dash slung their packs onto their haunches and trotted through the threshold of where Twilight’s front door had once been. It hadn’t failed for the last few days, and it certainly wasn’t failing today, the sun was out and the threat of heat stroke was made fully aware. Dash and Twilight nestled the zebra printed straw hats onto their heads and fished out their sunglasses which they now permanently kept in their packs. Waves of heat could be seen steaming off of the ground, rising into the air like a vaporous spectre. “Heh, if you think this is bad...” Twilight said, comparing the conditions here with what she expected to come. The two waltzed down the street in style. If Rarity had seen them, her heart might have stopped on the spot. The two looked, dare I say... (sigh) fabulous. Alas, the unicorn had parted ways with Rainbow Dash the night before, barricading herself in her boutique so that she could assemble her newest project together. No one was about to see her for the coming hours. “Twilight,” Dash piped up, matching the purple unicorn step for step, “I don’t look weird... do I?” Twilight looked to the oversized sun hat perched on top of Dashie’s head. It did look weird on the blue pegasus... in my opinion anyway. Twilight agreed. It was most likely in the highest fashion, but it was not to her liking. “Nooooooo...” Twilight reassured her, wearing a lying smile. She was lucky she was wearing those sunglasses. “Good.” Dashie said, spreading her wings out so that they could get some air. “I have an image to keep up, you know.” Twilight laughed. “Yes, I know.” she said, suddenly thinking about herself in her current attire. “I must say though, we certainly don’t appear to be headed out west.” Dash chuckled. “Well, I don’t care what they think! We won’t be staying to entertain them!” Dash flapped her wings a couple of times, as if testing them in the heat. “Heheh, I suppose you’re right! We can look as ridiculous as we want in the badlands anyway, no one lives out there!” Dash raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said that looked all right?” Twilight suddenly appeared to be teetering on the edge of a cliff. Her eyes went wide. “Wha? Oh! Heh, did I say ridiculous? I meant... um... delicious!” she blurted out, trying to cover herself. Dashie’s face went blank. “We look delicious?” “Delicious! No doubt about it! Let’s just keep walking!” Twilight inadvertently started to trot at a faster pace. It was a short walk to the Ponyville train station. Twi and Dash had crossed town in just ten minutes, coming to their destination on the edge of town. The station was empty. It usually was, as nopony was much of a traveler in this town. Shame. Why wouldn’t you want to get out of Ponyville? Oh, bother, nevermind it. The two bought their tickets and boarded a train to Appleoosa without any complications. Just as the station was, the cars were deserted. Apparently nopony felt obligated to make the trip to the old western town today, and this train had been traveling for quite some time. It would have been humorous if there had been a tumbleweed bumping its way across the carpeting, crossing the pair’s vision like in one of those western flicks. You know! Like in one of those old Filly the Kid westerns! Ha, that would have been- Ugh, story, story, right. You guys should really just tell me to shut up sometimes. Anyway- Dash and Twilight fought playfully for the first seat they laid their eyes on. Yes, the car was completely empty, but it was a pride thing. It started with a simple shove, but it quickly escalated. Fortunately, the staff onboard were very hospitable. They let the two ponies nip and bat at each other, tumbling to the floor in an uncoordinated entanglement. They let Rainbow Dash rip off Twilight’s pack, using it as a mace to wallop Twilight in the behind, sending her reeling sideways. They let Twilight snag Rainbow in a telekinetic grasp before Rainbow could leap into the designated seat, using the power to fling Rainbow across the car. They let out a sigh of relief as the purple unicorn finally “won”, and had settled in her seat. “Ha!” Twilight boasted, sticking her tongue out at Dashie. Dashie slid into the seat directly facing Twilight Sparkle, making silly faces at her. A lanky colt in a blue uniform approached them after all of the festivities had died down. He adjusted his cap slightly, then looked at the two with trepidation. “Tickets please.” he tried to say with conviction. Twi and Dash chuckled, reaching into their packs that were now ajar and fishing out their tickets in a simultaneous fashion. They politely handed the colt their crumpled up slips of paper. “Thank you.” the colt said, turning away from the two mares and walking back to the next cabin. “Thank YOU.” Twilight said seductively, batting her eyelashes back at the colt. Rainbow stifled a few snorts of laughter until the colt had fully exited. When he shut the door behind him, the two mares bust out laughing. The trip to Appleoosa was a long one. Roughly a ten hour trip by train or so. They wouldn’t make it into town until nightfall, so finding a place to stay was of importance. That didn’t bother them now. Finding a place in town wasn’t overly difficult. Not anymore, anyway. Note: regarding Appleoosa- Since the main six’s last visit, the quaint settlement had grown into a rather prosperous one, attracting ponies from all around. It had grown in population, housing, profit, and just about anything else you’d associate with an up and coming city. The main street that used to carry everything from wild to mild west dances was now a hustling and bustling tourist attraction. Entrepreneurs that took a chance on buying a building there soon found out that it was money well spent, as tourists just ate up the country twang on the products they were selling. Dashie and Twilight gazed out of their window, watching the scenery moderately change from grass to dry earth. They watched the ground flatten, only giving way to a few towering rock formations every now and then. They watched as the grasses disappeared altogether, as if they had been melted by the sun. It was a complete deviation from Ponyville. The ground was dry and arid. It was barren and cracked. It was desparate for life and thirsting for water. It certainly wasn’t unlike anything they’d seen before. “Are we there yet?” Rainbow spewed out into the cabin air. She attempted to open the window, but it wasn’t working. She ended up mashing her face into the pane of glass, kissing it like her first time (a rather embarrassing story, I might add). The earth rolled by in a blurry spectacle from her viewpoint. “Rainbow, we’ve only been on the train for about two hours.” “So?” Dash replied coldly. Twilight only rolled her eyes. “They could move the train a bit faster.” Dash said, crossing her forehooves over her chest. Twilight eyed Rainbow with her piercing violet eyes. “Rainbow Dash, they’re pulling a train! That’s a giant hunk of metal weighing a few tons, I mean, if you didn’t know.” Dashie huffed. “Oh yeah? Well, Fluttershy and I once pulled a cart with all of you in it. I think that counts for something.” Twilight pulled back and sat upright. The expression on her face was one of pure shock and hurt. “Are you implying something?” Dashie scanned Twilight’s frame onceover. She then directed her gaze back out the window. “Alls I’m saying is that someone should lay off the strudels every once in a while.” she mumbled. Twilight drew back in her seat, pressing herself into the velvety booth. She looked like a hoodlum ready to pounce on Dash at any second. Rainbow glanced at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. She did a double-take. Twilight looked like a ravenous lion out on the prowl. There was a frozen moment between the two as they sat eyeing each other. Then they both abruptly broke out in a hysterical fit of laughter. Time eased its way by. The pair rested comfortably in their seats, talking about the future, the past, and the present. They talked about hardships, school crushes, their parents and their lives. They talked about the Wonderbolts, books, holiday vacations, and how AJ’s freckles moved in a funny way whenever she talked. They spoke of an Equestria free of the Princess’ sovereignty. They spoke of themselves leading Equestria.They saw fire and ashes and smoke. They decided not to speak of it again. The night sky slowly descended over the two ponies as they talked. Luna raised the veil of stars and inky black nothingness as if brooding over a day gone awry, and she had failed to correct it. Nonetheless, the deed was completed as the pair talked in their car. They had talked for hours. It didn’t feel like hours. The ten hour train ride felt only like three, but their destination was closing in. Twi and Dash were confused when they noticed that suddenly the lights had been turned off, and the night had taken over. Was Luna tricking them? Where had the time gone? Somewhere, moments must have been missed in there. Somewhere, the day had not yet ended, and they were still conversing about monocles and a day at the beach. Time had blown away as if it never occurred in the first place. They were surprised when they heard that their stop was but two minutes away, and that they should ready their things. Twilight yawned. “Well, I think that we should find a place to stay for the night. Where’s there a place in Appleoosa?” “Not Braeburn’s?” Dash responded. Twilight thought about it. “Hmmm... what time is it?” Dash shrugged. Twi decided against it. “No, no. I wouldn’t bother him this late. There’s bound to be some sort of motel now though.” Dash and Twilight looked out from their train window a final time, finding the approaching lights from Appleoosa become more vivid. A radiant sign that clearly said “station” on it fast approached their car. The wheels underneath the train could be heard screeching, gradually bringing the train to a halt. “Is it just me, or does Appleoosa look... bigger?” Rainbow Dash stated, staring out at a multitude of lights and new buildings at the center of town. “Well that just brightens our chances, doesn’t it? C’mon, help me gather my things.” Twilight replied, throwing some of the snacks back into her saddlebag. Dash grabbed a few things and scooted them her direction. The train came to a stop at the platform, and two wayward ponies wearing some interesting hats leaped from the exit and into the vivacious night air. The station sign lit up the platform like a carnival theme park ride would. The effervescent glow gave a light, bubbly feel to the night. “Okay.” Twilight said as she and Dashie left the deserted platform, “Do you think that we can ask the night clerk if he knows somewhere to stay?” “Good idea.” Dash replied. She ascended into the air and fluttered into the station. Twilight trotted in after her. Dash dropped back to the floor in front of the help desk, Twilight joining her side. The gentlecolt working the shift on this evening was a portly pony with a light brown coat and dusk grey eyes. He looked about ready to pick a fight with anypony, his face was stern and non-negotiable. Dash rested her hooves on the counter, speaking through the hole in the layer of plexiglass separating herself and the clerk. “Excuse me,” Dash piped up, turning the clerk around to face her, “my friend and I are looking for a place to stay here in Appleoosa. Do you know where we might be able to find one?” The colt behind the counter looked at the two innocent mares with scrawny eyes. The assumption that he really did not want to be here could be made. “Yeah,” he said in a deep, booming voice, “thur’s a hotel down the main strip. Can’t miss it.” “Heheh, strip.” Dashie chortled. “Thanks for the help! Let’s go Rainbow.” Twilight commanded, whisking Rainbow away from the counter. Just like that, they were leaving. The clerk watched them go through those unsettling eyes. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be playin’ in the streets fer too long.” the clerk called after them. He flipped open his news magazine. “It can get pretty nasty out there.” Dash and Twilight found Main Street without much difficulty. They just looked for the buildings that dominated the skyline and the lights that outshone the stars. That wasn’t too hard to understand. What was hard to understand, was how Appleoosa became a thriving city of nocturnal ponies out looking for a good time. The street was lined with shops and bars and hotels. It was littered with ponies aimlessly wandering in a drunken stupor. It wasn’t the ideal place for two young ponies to be, the clerk’s words of warning now made sense. Twilight and Dashie made their way up the brightly lit street, dodging a countless amount of hooligans out enjoying themselves a bit too much. Many of them wobbled into the pair, apologized, and proceeded to stumble into somepony else. The familiar denizens of Appleoosa were nowhere to be found, or at least in their case, could not be seen. It was just a guess that they barred their windows and locked their doors securely at night. Just a guess, though. Dash and Twi parted their way through the chaotic crowd, looking for the first hotel they could find. “Over there!” Dash shouted to Twilight, gesturing to a freshly designed building that read “INN” just above its doors. Dash grabbed Twilight by the hoof and dragged her over to the glowing sign. Twilight and Dashie hopped up the steps to the Inn. They avoided one last run in with a drunk before they found themselves standing under the sign, the light reflecting in their eyes. A gentle smile could be seen on their faces. They pushed through the big red doors, where a surprisingly modern display of architecture was revealed inside. A humongous chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, glittering in the lights almost as much as the fire ruby in Dash’s saddlebag. It hung over a wide staircase lined with red carpeting, which went up a few steps before splitting off into two sections, leading off to separate parts of the building. The check-in center was to the right of the entryway. The pair scurried over to it. Dash rang the bell sitting on the counter. The help was already there, she just always wanted to do that. “Sorry.” Dashie rasped sweetly, turning away from the clerk. The clerk smiled, thinking nothing of it. “Can I help you?” he asked. “Yes.” Twilight stated, twisting the clerk’s head her direction. “We need a room for the night, please.” The clerk checked his book for a short time. “Oooh,” he chanted, wearing an apologetic grin, “I think we’re booked for the night. Sorry! If you like, I can check the other motels down the strip for-” Just then, they all watched as a white colt, obviously intoxicated, was being dragged down the steps by one of the watchpony’s on duty. He was hurled out of the motel and into the never tiring streets. “Teach you to throw bags of ice in the pool!” the watchpony yelled through the door. He closed them and wiped his hooves. Then he trotted back up the stairs, back to work. The clerk eyed his book of names again. “You know what.” he said, looking for a phone. “I believe that we will have a space opening up for you. Hold on just a moment.” the clerk picked up the phone and punched in a few numbers. Twilight and Dashie entered their motel room, exhausted from the long train ride, exhausted from the lively streets of Appleoosa. Muffled shrieks and shouts could still be heard bleeding through the walls into their room from the street below. They were so tired the cries most likely would not inhibit their slumber. They set their packs down on the table. Then they threw the covers on the beds aside, readying themselves to plop down into them. “Twilight,” Dashie said, tucking herself into one of the beds, “what’s the first order of business tomorrow?” Twilight yawned. “Continental breakfast.” she replied sarcastically. She flipped off the lights, instantly covering the two in darkness. “No.” Dashie said in the darkness. “Should we see Braeburn first, or what?” “Braeburn.” Twilight decreed. “However, our first first order of business is sleep. Good night, Rainbow.” She turned over in her bed and coiled up into a ball. Rainbow Dash didn’t reply. She stared up at the ceiling, her vision beginning to kick back in. The shouts rising from outside fused with the hum from the heater. They eventually perished in the darkness and stillness of the room. The ceiling had its own collection of stars. Dash connected dots from it, producing her own constellations. It kept her up like an insomniac with an energy drink. But eventually, those thoughts would perish as well. The hum from the heater. The lack of movement. She absorbed them, growing weary. That was enough. Dash tossed in her bed, grinning foalishly, catching the faintest of glows emanating from her pack before drifting off to sleep. “Wake up! Wake up!” Twilight shouted, opening up the window curtain. A blinding ray of light shot into the room, soaking into the walls and dying there. Rainbow Dash sat up, groggily wiping her eyes. The plush motel room bed was too heavenly to escape from. Dash pulled the covers over her head, listening to Twilight Sparkle dart around the room, her hoofsteps noisy and cumbersome. It was too early for this. What could she possibly be grabbing this early in the morning? “C’mon, Rainbow, it’s past ten already, we need to get a move on!” Great Celestia of Equestria they slept in. Dash sprung herself out of bed, the covers coming with her. She was a floating phantom of bedsheets hovering in the center of the room. “Boo.” Dashie joked through the bedsheets. “Okay, okay, I’m up. What do you want me to do?” Twilight looked unamused. “First off,” she said as she telekinetically lifted the covers from atop Dashie’s head, “you can move out of the way so that I can make your bed.” Dashie fluttered aside so Twilight could assemble to covers back to the bed frame. The bedsheets drifted down under the purple glow and neatly pressed themselves down into the bed, looking identical to the one next to it. “Great.” Dash said as the covers had settled. “What next?” Twilight looked around the room, making sure that everything was accounted for, making sure nothing made them seem like unruly guests. “I have pretty much everything covered,” she said, double checking herself. “so just grab your things. I mean, you could take a shower, but what’s the point in that anyway? Besides, we don’t have much time. Check-out is at eleven. Do you still have the ruby and the scroll?” Dash shuffled over to her saddlebag and peered inside. “Yup, still here.” she said, rummaging through its contents. She closed the pack and threw it over her backside. “Good.” Twilight replied. She picked up her own pack and tossed Rarity’s hat on her head. “Grab those two water jugs in the corner so we can go.” She nodded her head toward the far corner of the room. Dashie pounced on the two containers, slinging them over her shoulder and turning back to the door where Twilight was exiting. She bounded off the bedside, grabbed her own hat from the table, and followed after her. The pair trotted down the steps back to the front of the hotel. The chandelier was swaying casually this morning, like the pendulum on a small clock. Dash and Twilight cautiously scuttled under it, wary that anything could happen... anything. They then diverted themselves over to the check-out center to their left. Dash rang the bell sitting on the counter. The help was already there... oh just nevermind. “How kin I help y’all?” a mare with brown eyes and a canary yellow coat said this morning. She produced a thin smirk on her lips. “Hi!” Twilight greeted the mare with an upbeat attitude, “We were just wanting to check out now, please.” The clerk smiled with the customary hospitality shown here in the west. “Well, sure thin’ sweetie!” she drawled. “Just be needin’ yer room key s’all!” Twilight twisted her neck around to look into her pack. She dug through it, searching various compartments, none of them containing the room key. “Oh-oh.” Twilight muttered. “Hold on, let me just-” she trailed off, fishing through her pack, pulling out a random assortment of items. Dashie sighed and walked away while Twilight fell to the floor, still ruffling through the saddlebag. As Twilight struggled with her pack, Dashie trotted along the wall, admiring the intricate weavings and engravings carved into it. She craned her neck up to marvel at the high vaulted ceiling, extending to floor after floor, reaching into the air. It was a sight to behold. It was as if Appleoosa was making a go at being a western Canterlot. Dash chuckled at the thought. High society hospitality went hoof in hoof as much as pudding and applesauce did. Still, Appleoosa: western capitol of Equestria, it had a nice ring to it. Suddenly, a handsome colt not much older than Rainbow Dash bumped into her, sending them both crashing to the floor. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said it was on purpose. Rainbow Dash always caught the eye of all the colts. In some ways, that was good, in others, not so much. The colt readjusted the hat on his head and looked at Rainbow, who was sitting upright and rubbing her head. The colt bolted to his hooves and offered Dash his hoof. “Terribly sorry, ma’am.” he said, still extending his hoof out. “I didn’t see ya thar. Lemme help ya up.” Dash took the help the colt was offering and he strongly hoisted her up to her hooves. Dash rubbed at her head some more before finally opening her eyes. Her pupils expanded. Her heart skipped a beat. He was pretty cute. “What’re ya doin’ round these parts? Y’all from round here?” the colt asked, all smiles. Dash stared into the colt’s wild blue eyes as if it were a never-ending ocean. “Oh, jeez, I didn’t hit ya that hard, did I?” the colt said with sincerity. “Do I need ta take you to a doctor?” His voice was dreamy. Dash snapped out of it. “Oh, no, no, I- I’m fine." she abashed. Her cheeks were red. "And no, we ain't-aren’t- from around here, my friend and I are only visiting.” Dash gestured a hoof over in the direction of a purple unicorn who was laying on the floor, fiercely digging through a saddlebag. She pulled out a plastic key from the very bottom of the pack. “FOUND IT!” Twilight Sparkle proclaimed from the floor. “I mean, if you couldn’t already tell.” Dash said, eyeing the scene that Twilight was making. The colt laughed. “Well miss...?” “Um, Dash, Rainbow Dash.” “Well Miss Dash, will ya be stayin’ long?” Dash blushed. She turned away, looking to the chandelier that was swinging to and fro. “Uhhh... well...” “C’mon, Rainbow, let’s go!” Twilight interjected into the charming chat. She bit Dashie’s tail and proceeded to drag her out of the hotel. Dash was embarrassed. She put a hoof over her eyes, ashamed and impish. Twilight carried her along like a six year old with a rag doll. The colt watched her go, grimacing at the pegasus being carried across the floor. He sighed. He seemed to be striking out a lot of late. Dumb luck. Karma, maybe. Mares were hard to come by... at least sober ones, anyway. He was about to turn away and abandon the chance meeting, when he caught the faintest glimmer of hope sparkling from Dash’s saddlebag. The colt’s eyes went wide with disbelief. “Charlie! Charlie!” the colt whistled, searching the main floor. “Charlie!” “What?” another colt whispered from the shadows in the corner. He emerged from them and joined his friend’s side, munching on an apple. “Did you see that!?” the first colt said, wrapping his hoof around Charlie’s neck. “What!?” Charlie implored. The colt sighed. “Ugh, the mare! The mare!” Charlie looked to the doorway. “Oh, you mean the one you failed to hit on? Yeah, I did see that. Baazing!” The colt cuffed Charlie in the back of the head. “No ya idiot! Didjya see... oh, whatever." The colt took Charlie's apple from his grasp and threw it aside. "Look, juss git the gang together. Kin ya do that?” he said. He started to trot off to the next room. Charlie looked puzzled. “Whatcha want us to do, boss?” The colt trotting away never missed a beat and he never turned around. “Follow them.” Important note: regarding the situation- A young mare with a hat tipped down over her face overhears the conversation between wondercolt and his boy Charlie. She calmly collects her things and leaves. “Braeburn!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, knocking on the pony’s front door. “Braeburn! Open the door!” Some shuffling was heard from the other side of Braeburn’s front door. A single voice could be heard talking to itself from inside, contradicting itself and placing doubt where there was none. If Twilight and Dash didn’t know any better, the assumption that the pony that lived through these doors was insane could easily be made. They backed off of the front step. In a sudden motion, the door was swung inward, where a crazed Braeburn was seen panting in the doorway, nostrils flaring and eyes burning a firecracker red. “WHAT!?” Braeburn hollered from the doorframe. Dashie and Twilight inched away from the door. Perhaps Braeburn was crazy... Braeburn saw the familiar faces backing away from his doorstep and he instantly relaxed. “Oh, pardon me guys! I didn’t expect ta see a fermiliar face!” Braeburn placed his head on the doorframe. “Please, come in!” Twilight and Dash looked unsure. “I’ll explain myself.” Braeburn said. Twilight and Dash looked at each other. They nodded in approval. “Braeburn,” Twilight said as she entered through the front door, “Do you by chance have a couple of shovels that we can borrow? And can you fill up our containers with some water?” Braeburn closed the door behind Rainbow Dash as she came in. He laughed upon hearing Twilight’s words. “Now what’re ya gonna do with those?” “Oh, you know... some excavating, some digging around.” Twilight paused and watched Braeburn take the water containers from Dash and carry them into the kitchen. “All that jazz.” A faucet was turned on in the kitchen, where Braeburn must have been filling up the jugs. The smooth stream of water intertwined with his soft voice. “Sounds like you two gotta lot on yer plate.” Braeburn paused. The sound of water hitting plastic filled the air. “Where’s cuz’? She round here somewhere?” Note: regarding cuz’- somewhere far away, four ponies sit on a hillside in an ideal place for a picnic. A simple pony with apples for a cutie mark and a face beset with freckles sits up and asks, “Where in the hoof ‘er Twilight n’ Rainbow?” “Oh, she’s not with us this time. She’s... tied up in other matters.” Twilight lied. “She still workin’ the farm?” “Yes.” Braeburn chuckled. “Heh, she’s always workin’, ain’t she?” “Yup. She’s quite the diligent pony. About as hard working as I am studious.” Twilight replied. There was another pause. Twilight and Dashie shuffled uncomfortably about the room. Braeburn appeared back in the room with two jugs of water filled to the brim. “Thanks for the shovels and the water, Braeburn. It’s a big help. Oh, gosh, sorry, you are lending them to us, correct?” Braeburn set the jugs of water down by his hooves. “Only if ya promise to bring ‘em back!” he retorted enthusiastically. “And sorry fer earlier, I mistook you two fer a coupla tourists. They’ve come knockin’ on my door of late, and I juss can’t stand it!” “Have they been visiting often?” “All the time!” Braeburn yelled. He sighed. “But that’s besides the fact. You ladies need some shovels? Hold on, lemme go on out back and grab ya some.” Braeburn left out the back door, leaving the two mares in an eerie silence. Without warning, Twilight’s horn started to glow a light purple, and the drawers in Braeburn’s house started to fly open and rest in the air. “What are you doing?” Dash asked Twilight as she perused Braeburn’s cabinets and drawers. “Looking for a map of the badlands.” Twilight responded. She continued her search. Dash rolled her eyes. “Could have just asked.” “That would defeat the purpose.” “You’re silly.” “Maybe,” Twilight said, telekinetically lifting a piece of paper from one of the drawers, “but I get what I want.” All of the drawers were rushed back to their original locations as Braeburn entered back into the room with a pair of shovels. Twilight shoved the map into her pack. “Wouldn’t ya know it, these were the last two I had!” Braeburn whinnied as he came through the door. He didn’t notice anything abnormal about the room or about the two mares standing in it. “Guess ya kin consider yerselves lucky!” Twilight smiled marvelously. “Thanks a lot Braeburn, we owe you one!” “Shucks you two! You don’t owe me nothin’! It was nice ta see a friendly face.” Braeburn giggled bashfully. He set down the shovels at the pair’s hooves. “You two wouldn’t happen to be stayin’ fer a spell, wouldjya?” Twilight and Dashie shook their heads. “Sorry Braeburn, but we gotta split.” Dashie said, eyeing the door. “We appreciate the offer.” Twilight added. Braeburn showed a brief moment of despair. “All right.” he murmured. He immediately perked back up. “You’ll be back, won’t ya?” Twilight and Dashie both nodded in agreement. Braeburn smiled genuinely. “In that case, lemme juss show ya out the door.” Two colts in ten gallon hats watch from across the street as two young mares exit the house they’ve been staking out. They watch with intent as the mares wander off down the street, carrying shovels and jugs of water. “That them?” one of the colts asks. He appears skeptical. “That’s them.” the other one assures. “Looks like a dud. Whatta we got wit them two?” “Not sure. It’s what the boss wants.” The first colt gets up from his seat. “Well, let’s get ‘em.” The other one sticks a hoof out, stopping his partner before he does anything brash. “No, no. Not yet.” he says. “Right now, we follow.” “It’s pretty hot out.” Rainbow Dash said, stating the obvious as the pair had just reached the outside of town. She waved her hoof at her face, using it as a rather poor fan that accomplished next to nothing. “Thanks for the update.” Twilight said as she scanned the map she took from Braeburn. “keep up at this pace and we might appoint you permanent weather mare.” “Sarcasm noted.” Dash replied. She plucked the sunglasses from her pack and threw them on. The pair of strangers to Appleoosa headed due north, directly into the badlands of the west. Rock formations hundreds of years old rose up from the cracked surface of the earth, reflecting the harsh sunlight from their orange-red edifice. It was hot. It was dry. It was everything that they were expecting. The sun beat down on them, harnessing their stamina and throwing it for a loop. Quick side note- If you were to ask me, I’d have to say that I had no idea what they were doing. This so called “mission” was completely unorthodox and, now, almost meaningless. I mean, a random letter presents itself to you under suspicious circumstances. What would you do? Would you follow a trail to an uncertain fate? Would you tackle whatever was thrown at you for an unknown cause? The concept is entirely ridiculous to me. Funny thought hit me at that moment- Only, and I mean ONLY, Rainbow Dash would do something this spectacular. I wouldn’t have done it. As soon as I found out that the letters were not from the Princess, I would have said “meh”, and I would have moved on. Yet here she was, with the ever faithful Twilight Sparkle, trekking it to who knows where. They would soon find out, however, that Equestria wasn't a safe place for such things. Equestria wasn’t just filled with monsters and devious creatures anymore. It was filled with liars and crooks and thieves, just as the letter foretold. And real life was sure to come up and smack the two in the face. “Where to begin, where to begin...” Twilight said to herself, studying the map. She pondered over the names of the rock formations, all of them having something to do with fire. Fire, flames, torches. One of the names stuck out in her mind. “There.” she said, pointing to one of the formations. “Rainbow, hand me the scroll.” Dash pulled out the old scroll from her pack and handed it to Twilight in her mouth. Twilight magically lifted the letter and unfurled it before her eyes, skimming directly to one section of it. “If I fail, we’ll pass the torch.” “See?” Twilight said, showing Dash the map. Dash followed Twilight’s hoof across the map, where it came to rest on a formation appropriately titled “The Torch”. “Well that couldn’t be any more straightforward.” Dash stated, becoming a bit more energized. “Let’s go.” They took a couple of swigs from their water jugs before taking off, venturing into the land that looked as if it had been decimated by a severe nuclear accident. Thanks for that one Albert Einsteer... idiot. “The Torch” was but a mile trot from where they were, not too far in, yet not painstakingly close. They started off at an exuberant trot, excited and hopeful, young and restless. The sun beat down on them They slowed to a steady walk about a quarter of the way there, sweating it out. It was dangerously hot now, they were starting to feel the effects. Dash dragged the shovel behind her as if she couldn't hold up its weight. The sun beat down on them. They trudged along the ground, halfway there, their hooves burning, sweat pouring off of their bodies. Their hats drooped down over their faces and their bodies slumped. The sun, almost literally in a sense, beat them. It shoved them into the hard, unforgiving dirt as if it wanted to bury them. Twilight and Dashie sluggishly crawled along the ground, the burning soil searing their coats. They were a good three-fourths of the way there. “Ow, ow, ow.” Dash uttered as she limply followed Twilight across the boiling ground. She pulled her shovel along behind her, it left a trail extending back to where she had dropped it. “How much farther?” “I can see it,” Twilight croaked out, “it’s just up there!” At this point, she didn’t know whether or not that was a mirage or what. “No, no!” Dash groaned. “We’ve been able to see it the whole time! It was only a mile away, remember?” Twilight halted herself mid-crawl. She looked lost. “Oh yeah.” she murmured. “That’s it, I’ve had enough of this.” Dashie said. She tilted her hat off of her head, and proceeded to abandon some of the expendable items she carried in her pack. She threw her own shovel aside, and took a drink from her disappearing water supply. Dash gradually swooned to her hooves. “What are you doing?” Twilight asked helplessly from the spot she was now glued to. “Just hold on to the shovel.” Dash responded. Dash bit hold of Twilight’s tail. Amid Twilight’s pleas of mercy, Dash turned her 180 degrees, and started to drag her along toward their destination. This was an interesting sight. A beleaguered blue pegasus fights through fatigue to drag her weary friend to a place that they don’t even know houses the item they’re looking for. Undeniable fact: Twilight and Rainbow are an oddball couple that somehow, inexplicably, unquestionably functions as a whole. Rainbow pulled Twilight the last quarter mile to their mysterious rock. She clinked her hoof on the rock to make sure that they had made it. She collapsed into the shade, downing her water. “Could have teleported us.” Dash heaved. Twilight winced. “You know,” she said amidst deep breaths, “I really wish that you’d stop making me hate myself right now.” They both sat up and took a couple of big gulps from their water jugs. Their supply was diminishing at a rate that was not to their benefit. It would have to be that way for the rest of the trip. In any sense, they were here. They had made it. They had to be close to the next clue, it just had to be here. It didn’t take long for the two to recuperate. Their young and vibrant bodies replenished themselves quickly with the help of the water and a few energy spells from Twilight. Twilight found the strength to push herself to her hooves, and Dash was soon to follow. “Okay,” Twilight said, turning to Dash underneath the edifice of the rock formation, “I think that we should surround the rock and look for markings. Sound fair?” Dash chuckled. “Hellooooo?” she said, unfolding her wings. Twilight smiled. “Good thinking!” she exclaimed. She threw Dash the map. “You scout the rock, report to me your findings. I’ll meet you back here.” Dash gave Twilight a smirk. She flapped her wings with effortless force, preparing to fire herself from the ground. She looked up into the blue sky, a concave bowl of humidity and light. Her eyes widened at the sudden upwelling of the freedom she felt. This was adventure. This was exciting. Why would she give that up? “Be back in a jif.” Dash said, beating her wings faster. She never made it off the ground. “Hold it right thar.” a voice broke in from the shadows. Dash stopped. She recognized that voice. “Golly! You’ve made this’n too easy on us, girls!” the voice continued. “Here we thought that we’d hafta trick ya into meetin’ us somewhere, but you’ve gone n’ isolated yerselves fer us! Thank ya kindly, ladies, very thoughtful.” Twilight and Rainbow backed up into the face of the rock. They could fend off brutes, thugs, ruffians. They told themselves so. Another day, another monster. “Show yourself!” Twilight shouted out into the stale air. At first, nothing stirred. Then a colt with wild ocean blue eyes appeared out of the shadows from behind the rock. He crossed out into the open, where he respectfully tipped his hat to the two mares. “Good afternoon to y’all.” he said. “Hey, I remember you!” Dash cried. “ I saw you at the hotel! Have you been following me? What do you want?” The colt plastered a smile onto his face, one that didn’t seem would disappear. “Oh, nothin’ much miss... Dash, was it? You see, ya juss got somethin a ours and we’d like it if ya cud give it back now. No harm, no foul, if ya catch my drift.” Dashie involuntarily grabbed at her saddlebag. “What do you mean ‘we’?” The colt shook his head, as if disappointed. He stared at the two mares, testing their patience. The silence was like staring death in the face. Then he suddenly whistled quite loudly, and a swarm of pegasi and unicorns bulleted out from their hidden perches on the rock face, descending down around the rock, circling the mares. This was bad. This was a new monster. Welcome to the real world. Dash and Twilight plainly showed fear on their faces. They drew back as far into the rock as they could go. “We don’t have anything of yours! Please, I think you have the wrong ponies.” Twilight pleaded, trying to win her way out of it. The colt frowned. “Aww, don’t have nothin’ of ours? Well, this must be a huge misunderstandin’!” the colt bowed his head and sobbed sarcastically. “But ya know,” he picked up, “thar ‘er certainly some... other... ways that we kin git what we desire.” He lifted his head back up and reintroduced that menacing smile on his lips. The other colts in the group whistled and cheered and bleated at the two mares backed into the corner. Rainbow and Twilight were genuinely scared now. “Wh-who are you?” Twilight managed to gurgle out from her dry lips. The ringleader of the group again shook his head in disappointment. The smile on his face never vanished, nor did the passionate sparkle in his eyes. “We go by many names, missy,” he said, needlessly adjusting the hat on his head, “murderers, thieves, villains. But those juss ain’t quite right.” He paused, partaking in an apple from his saddlebag. “Nah, it’d be juss fine if ya called us by our here group name. We call ourselves:" Pause for dramatic effect. "The Rattlers”