Innocent

by Puzzle Piece

Act I: Chapter Six: Of an Unusual Nature

The weight of a pony on his back slowed Cor down on his trek back to town. The others had waited up for him at first, but at his urging, they had gone ahead. Carrying Jason was harder than he’d expected. He’d thought being a pony would allow him to haul loads with ease but this apparently wasn’t the case. He huffed along resolutely, one hoofstep after another.

As he walked, Cor thought through where he’d begin looking for Zacon. He wasn’t likely to be hanging around Sugercube Corner, not with Pinkie Pie spending so much time there. He may have holed up in the library or back at Sweet Apple Acres. The library would be his first stop. Then there was the possibility that he’d simply left the town all together. If he had, Cor would have a hard job of tracking him down: Hoofmarks all looked the same.

Jason groaned and seemed to be coming to. Cor lowered him to the ground behind a house off the main street. Jason’s eyes blinked open but he made no attempt to sit up.

“That went about how I expected,” he said tiredly. “Dash didn’t take it too badly did she?”

“I don’t think so. They all seemed to be in good spirits when they left.”

“That’s good. I’d hate to have bad feelings between us. It was an enjoyable experience.”

Cor laughed. “Says the guy that took a nap while I gave him a ride to town on my back! You keep pushing yourself to the brink, and then who has to clean up? Me.” He shook his head in amusement and then took on a more serious tone. “You need to be careful. That’s a dangerous ability you’re messing with.”

“I’m not just messing with it. I know exactly how far I’m pushing and how far is too far.” He looked away uneasily. “And I don’t need to hear it all from you too.”

“Sorry. You know that she only says it because she cares. And so do the rest of us.”

Jason didn’t respond. His expression was that of anger but Cor knew it was directed inward. He also knew better than to press the subject. Instead he resumed his musings about the kind of trouble Zacon might have caused and where he could be at this moment. He didn’t have to worry about Zacon’s whereabouts for long. The grey stallion came charging around the corner, spotted them and galloped to their side.

“There you two are! I’ve had the damnedest time trying to track you down.” He looked back over his shoulder as if expecting to be followed. “This town is crazy! I’ve been caught in the middle of three flash mobs in the last hour alone!” He glared at Cor as if he were personally responsible for this grievous injustice.

“Flash mobs?” Cor raised an eyebrow.

“Yes!” Zacon said with an un-equine growl. “I was looking for you two around the library when every one of the ponies in the street started singing and dancing on top of buildings and through the windows and everywhere. And by the time one of these displays ended, another would start up. I’m just thankful that pink one was nowhere to be seen.”

“She was with us this morning.”

“Small mercies,” Zacon grunted, glancing the way they’d come from. Then he looked closely at Jason for the first time. “What happened to you?”

Jason made an effort to rise but could only manage to prop himself up on his haunches. “I pushed myself too far again. You know the drill.”

“I do know the drill, and it involves something interesting!” Zacon’s gaze was baleful. “You two were off doing something worth paying attention to and you did it without me?!”

“It was just a race with a local Pegasus,” Jason said, trying to downplay it.

“Just a race you burned mana for.” Zacon huffed. “At least I won’t have to wander aimlessly now. What’s our plan?”

Jason leaned against the nearby wall and closed his eyes, still recovering from the effects of his spell. Cor thought for a moment.

“I was thinking of exploring the woods.”

Zacon scowled. “Really? A walk in the woods? Talk to some trees? You Elves need to find some real hobbies.”

“Like dismembering and devouring small animals?” Jason spoke softly, his eyes still closed.

“The creatures of my people’s lands are anything but small and you know it. And hunting is more than a hobby; it’s a way of life. ” Zacon frowned at him.

“Well, what do you think communing with nature is? Reclusive habits dying hard?” Jason retorted.

“You two need to just cool it. Zacon, you know what our connection to nature means to us, so deal with it. Jason, I’m the Ranger so I’ll do the arguing about the merits of bonding with forest life.” Cor stared them both down until it was clear the argument was over. “Besides, I didn’t mean a cheerful stroll down the path. Applejack told me the Everfree Forest was unnatural somehow. I’d like to look into it.”

Jason opened one eye to look quizzically at Cor and Zacon’s ears shot up.

“Unnatural how?” Jason inquired.

“She didn’t say and it was clear she didn’t want to.”

“Ooh, this is getting better all the time.” Zacon grinned wickedly. “I’ll go get our stuff.”

“What?” Jason balked. “You think we need weapons? What, is a tree going to look at you funny?”

“You know,” Cor interjected. “I’d feel better about having our weapons with us on this one too.”

Jason sighed. “Fine, bring ‘em.”

Zacon ran off without another word.

“I’m not sure if it’s a good thing that he’s this excited,” Cor said with a frown. “It makes me uneasy somehow.”

“I know what you mean, but isn’t this better than the alternative?” Jason offered.

Cor took a breath to respond, but ended up giving a nod in concession.

~*~*~

The woods were ominously dark even though the light was only just beginning to fail. The three warriors stood at its border, eyes trying to pierce the gloom. The growth began rather abruptly. The countryside was an open grass field right up to the edge of the overgrown tangle that was the Everfree Forest.

None of this gave the warriors much pause as they started in. They scanned the shadows for danger and their ears twitched at the slightest sound. Weapons were held at the ready and the blades glinted where stray beams of light fought through the canopy. Vines choked everything and what little path there was offered treacherous footing at best.

Cor led the group with Jason in the middle and Zacon bringing up the rear. Cor picked his way through the trees with no sense of haste. He watched small animals scatter at their approach. The creaking of branches surrounded them, but the wind did not reach below the tops of the trees it moved. The air was still and chilling. There was a sense of being watched from every dark corner and the sound of larger animals reminded them that not all of the eyes they felt watching them were imagined. Cor found he was holding his breath at several points and made a conscious effort to calm himself.

Two steps farther back, Jason walked cautiously. His sword hovered above him where he could send it flying to either side at a moment’s notice. His eyes picked out the movements of every creature through the foliage, tracking them until they proved to be no threat. He stepped purposefully around the roots and vines that tangled the path, head swiveling to watch every direction at once.

From the back of the group, his axe balanced over his back, Zacon watched the Unicorns press ahead. He made no effort to conceal his movement and didn’t even glance behind him as he went. First of all, he didn’t think anything would have the guts to attack such a well armed party, and second; he almost invited an attack. He relished the thought of real action after so much…whatever you’d call the past two days. He didn’t care much about their direction and left thoughts of navigation to Cor. As long as they could finally do something besides sit around, he’d follow anywhere Cor led.

They’d gone a mile in and the light was nearly gone. The shadows of the forest cloaked everything in purples, grays, and deep blues. The path was badly obscured by undergrowth and at times, disappeared completely. Cor didn’t hesitate as he pushed farther into the trees and his companions didn’t question his judgment. The sounds of night descended on them and as they did Cor realized something that had been poking at the back of his mind since they’d come here.

He halted suddenly, causing the others to scramble to identify the disturbance. When nothing presented itself, they looked to Cor for answers.

“What’s the deal?” Jason said, casting glances all around.

“This forest is unusual…because there’s nothing unnatural about it,” Cor stated.

“Would you mind running that by me again?” Jason turned to give Cor his full attention.

“Don’t you see?” Cor faced them both in the darkness. “This world’s nature is controlled directly by the ponies. So wouldn’t it be the logical if they thought a place that takes care of itself was unusual?”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Jason admitted.

“Aw, you mean this is just a walk in the woods?” Zacon let his axe fall to the ground where it bit a deep gash through the vines at his feet.

“I’m afraid so,” Cor nodded. “It’s a bit over-grown, sure, but it’s still just a normal forest.” He placed a hoof on the bark of the nearest tree. “These trees are active and free of any obstructing influences.”

“That’s just great.” Zacon sat down to one side and glared at the darkness.

“Still,” Jason said. “It does feel more oppressive than a normal forest.”

“It’ll be the fact that the ponies don’t come here. Being totally neglected and even shunned will do that. That being the case, I feel an urge to walk its paths a bit farther.”

Zacon heaved himself up and shouldered his axe again. They started off at a normal pace now, despite the darkness. Weapons were held loose and they no longer watched every movement. They struck up conversation after a ways, more to fill space than anything else.

“I slept in a few hours,” Zacon began in his description of the time they were apart. “And by the time I was up, you had both disappeared. I knew we needed to get the equipment somewhere safer so that’s what I did first. I got them up to the rooms easy enough but that big stallion, Macin-something, asked me to help with a few things. After noon was well behind us, he ran out of tasks. That was when he suggested we have a few friendly contests.”

“They were simple but entertaining in their own right,” Zacon said grinning. “The hoof wrestle was by far the most enjoyable. We seem to be evenly matched, he and I. I wouldn’t have thought him up to it just to look at him, but after working beside him, I knew otherwise. And he makes good use of it too. We were deadlocked for almost a minute. Of course, the strength of this body is nothing compared my own but I still triumphed in the end.”

“Then we fixed the table and I started looking for you two. It was already late so I gave up quickly. By the time I got back, the evening meal was over but I managed to grab a scrap or two.” A hint of scorn crept into Zacon’s voice, directed at his companions. “The next morning, you were missing again and I had no choice but to look everywhere for you. You left no notes, you made me aware of no plans, and you didn’t wait to fill me in on anything.”

Jason and Cor glanced at each other guiltily.

“So I wandered the streets for a few hours before things got weird. You’d think a spectacle of that scale would need to be coordinated somehow but they just seem to know exactly what all the steps are as soon as it began.” Zacon paused, remembering. “And who sings a four minute song about growing flowers anyway?” He looked at Cor especially but the Ranger had no answers for him.

“At that point it became a matter of dodging these ridiculous displays. I still haven’t figured out what sets them off but I’ve become quite good at evading them. You two showed up just as I was about to make a break for the library.”

“I’m sorry Zacon,” Jason apologized. “I guess we were both so caught up in the race that we forgot to keep you in the loop.”

“Well, do better next time and I’ll forget about it,” Zacon dismissed it with a grunt. “Did you two find anything about how to get back?”

“Not exactly,” Jason frowned. “We’re trying to recreate properties of the blast using crystals that we’ve…”

“A straight yes or no will do,” Zacon cut him off.

Jason sighed deeply. “No.”

They were silent for a long time, simply walking together in the now comfortable darkness. Cor picked his way along the path with ease and paused from time to time to examine the life around him. Jason let the sounds of the forest wash over him in a soft ebb and flow of living energy. Zacon, for his part, was tolerant of his friends and did nothing to disrupt them.

Cor was just about to suggest they head back when he saw a strange look on Jason’s face.

“What is it?”

Jason’s muzzle scrunched up in puzzlement. “Is that a chicken? Over there in those bushes?”

Cor followed his gaze and, sure enough, a chicken was peering out of a stand of shrubs a short distance from the path.

“Hmm, I didn’t think a chicken would be in a place like this.”

“Well, it isn’t alone,” Zacon rumbled. He indicated another patch of undergrowth with three more chickens shuffling around in it.

“Something isn’t right,” Jason said as he spotted two more back the way they’d come.

“What are you worried about?” Zacon asked. “Being pecked into submission? Are they going to drown us in egg goo?”

Jason gave him a hard look. “This is clearly no accidental encounter and they have us outnumbered.” He noticed several more moving amongst the trees behind the grey stallion.

“You really think they’re setting up an ambush?” Zacon muttered doubtfully. “If this is the best this land has to offer, I don’t think I’ll shame myself by becoming involved.”

Before they had time to discuss it further, their attackers were on them.

~*~*~

While all six of them had tried to keep the results of the race quiet, by morning of the following day, the friends found that everypony in Ponyville seemed to know there was a new Unicorn in town that had supposedly beaten Rainbow Dash in a contest of speed. Those who claimed to know the details always said they heard it from somepony who was there, but never seemed to agree with another’s story.

Rainbow was taking it badly and had retreated to her cloud home. Twilight was of the mindset that spreading the truth would help things calm down, so she and Applejack had been going around town setting everypony straight. Fluttershy had understandably declined being involved in the inevitable arguments that followed.

Rarity would have been out silencing idle gossip right alongside them, but most of a day lost to the race had put her behind on outstanding orders and she couldn’t spare the time. Three finished products stood in a line beside the window of her inspiration room. The sunbeams that danced across them brought out the yellow bands of silk that flowed from the first two, a matching set for a pair of sisters in town. The soft blues underneath subtly provided the slender form of the outfit itself without distracting from the overall effect. The other was a dashing suit for an equally dashing stallion who had ordered it for a dinner in Manehattan. Its red velvet vest with black linings and brass buttons were bold and stern, accented by the gold-trimmed white shirt worn beneath.

Her current project was harder to pin down, both figuratively and literally. It was a complex interweaving of embroidered folds and trailing sashes worked through loops to create the effect of decorative ribbons hung around the wearer. It was a detailed custom order, something she was generally against, but the customer was quite specific about her needs and Rarity would never disregard a patron’s specifications.

The body of the dress was a light pink and the sleeves were silver. The collar was pale lavender and the hanging sashes were sky blue. Using so many soft colors without something to offset it was outside of Rarity’s normal style but she thought she was at least pulling it off. A string of tiny sapphires adorned the hem, an addition the customer had allowed at Rarity’s suggestion. It gave the piece at least one sharp color to balance the rest without imposing on the eye.

A last set of folds was refusing to hang correctly and one of the sashes kept twisting up. Even with telekinesis, she was having trouble keeping all of the pieces out of the way to make the necessary adjustments. Without taking her eyes off the spot she needed to shorten, she reached over to a side table to pull the cup of pins closer. She misjudged the distance, however and the cup tipped over the table’s edge, pins spilling in every direction.

Rarity flinched in anticipation of the clatter and mess that would follow, but it never came. When she opened her eyes to look, she saw the whole mishap suspended in mid air. She looked all around and found her rescuer in the open doorway. Jason’s horn was lit with tan energy that carefully replaced the cup and its contents on the table as he approached.

“Oh, you are simply a lifesaver, Jason,” Rarity beamed. “Would you be a dear and help me with one other thing?”

“Of course.”

“I need to pin this fold here.”

She directed Jason to the problem area and he began pinning it in place.

“Yes, just there. And there. And one last one right here. Perfect!” She took the piece off of the manikin and brought it over to the worktable. “What brings you here today?” she asked as she shortened the marked parts.

“I was wondering if I could have an outfit made for Cor and myself.”

“Oh, and what is the occasion?”

“No occasion, we just wanted something to wear.” Jason said with a hint of self-consciousness. “I see that you’re rather busy though. If another time would work better…”

“Nonsense!” she interrupted. “I’m nearly done with this and I don’t have any other projects lined up. I would be delighted to put something together for you and your friend.”

“I’d also like to request it in a specific material.”

“Of course. I have a wide variety to choose from. You can look through them over there.” She gestured to a cabinet against the far wall.

Jason glanced at it before speaking. “I was actually thinking of a material that we had prepared.”

“What material would that be?”

Jason hesitated further. “Leather,” he said at last.

The sound of the sewing machine stopped suddenly. Rarity turned slowly to look at him.

“Leather?” she repeated with no small amount of shock. “Where did you get leather?”

“Cor, Zacon and I were out in the Everfree forest and…”

“What in heaven’s name were you doing there?!” Rarity interrupted.

“We were just having a look around. It wasn’t as bad as we had heard…until we were attacked by a pack of cockatrices. Once the fight was over, we figured it’d be a waste to just leave the bodies there, so we, or at least Cor and Zacon, began the tanning process. Once they were sure the hides would be of usable quality, I came here to see if you’d make something of them. They should be along in a few minutes.”

“Well, I…um…I suppose I could.” She grimaced slightly. “It just seems so…ghastly. To use the hide of another creature; I simply cannot believe some stylists favor the practice. And worse still, that there are ponies who would consider wearing it.” She saw the uncomfortable expression on Jason’s face and felt the need to apologize for being so forthright in her opinion, but she couldn’t find the words.

“I kind of figured you’d feel that way.” Jason sighed, turning to leave. “If it bothers you so much, forget I asked.”

“Wait. I would still be willing to make the outfits for you. It just caught me off guard, that's all.” Rarity paused to reflect. “And it would be a waste not to use the hides, right?” She gave an uneasy smile, hoping it would be enough to cover for the uncomfortable moment.

It was in that exact instant that hooves announced Cor and Zacon entering the boutique.

“Is she ready to work our tanned hides?” said Zacon in an unusually cheerful voice the moment they were through the doorway.

Jason flinched visibly and Cor stopped to stare at the big stallion’s impertinence. Rarity’s smile slipped another notch. After an awkward pause, Zacon seemed to realize what he’d said.

“I’ll just wait outside then, shall I?” He dropped his share of the leather beside the door and left with a mischievous smile.

Cor followed Zacon’s exit with a suspicious gaze. Jason cleared his throat and helped Cor move the leather onto one of the worktables. Rarity floated a measuring tape and a notepad over.

“I’ll need measurements from the two of you,” she said as she wrapped the measure around Cor’s midsection. The pencil flashed across the paper as Rarity moved around them.

“What would you like these outfits to be?” she queried.

“I was thinking a simple vest and a shirt of a finer fabric to put on over the top,” Cor mused.

“Would you prefer any particular material for the shirt?” Rarity pressed.

“A blend of rayon and cotton, I think,” Cor said after a short pause.

“Rayon and cotton blend,” Rarity repeated, her pencil tracing the words on the notepad. She moved on to Jason. “And you?”

“A vest sounds good but it’ll be a silk shirt for me.” He mulled something over for a moment. “And could you make the whole outfit black?”

Cor stifled a laugh while Rarity fixed him with a questioning gaze.

“You want the whole thing to be black?” she asked. “But your coat is such a light color that it would clash horribly, if you’ll pardon me for saying so.”

“I just prefer black,” Jason said simply. “It’d just feel more…normal.”

“Well, it looks like we won’t be able to give Zacon a hard time about feeling abnormal anymore. I’ll have mine in a dark tan.”

Rarity shrugged and took down the requests. Having all the measurements she needed, she turned to the leather. She shied from it visibly as she first handled it but eventually managed to ignore her discomfort. She levitated each piece into the air in turn, marking them for the necessary cuts.

“Did you say that the shirts go over the top of the vests?”

“Yes we did.”

“That seems an odd way to wear a vest,” she pointed out.

“It’s the way we’ve always worn them,” Cor insisted. “Decoration on the outside, functionality on the inside.”

“What function would that be?” Rarity asked, glancing at him.

“Armor.”

She frowned. “What would you need armor for?”

“In case we get jumped by another pack of cockatrices,” Cor snorted.

“I should think staying away from the Everfree Forest would do the same job,” she countered.

Cor nodded in concession to her point. “Still, I’d rather have the option of protection in case we happen to cross their way again.”

“Mmm,” Rarity acknowledged, still not fully agreeing.

Cor looked at the door. “I think I’ll go make sure Zacon isn’t doing something we’ll regret. If you don’t need anything else that is.” He looked at Rarity for approval.

“Not at all, darling.” She smiled as he nodded and turned to leave. “And I should have these completed in a day or so.”

Jason walked over to the window and stared out at nothing in particular. Rarity began cutting the leather into the shapes that would become the vests. The snip and tap of her tools working were the only sound in the room for a long time.

“Is there something else you wanted?” she asked when she noticed he was still there.

“Hmm?” He looked over, shaking his head as he returned to awareness. “Oh, no. I was just thinking about something.”

She waited for him to elaborate but he didn’t. She tried another approach. “I’m glad that your little mishap a few days ago wasn’t serious.”

“My mishap?” Jason tilted his head in confusion.

“When you stumbled into that ditch,” she explained.

“I wouldn’t say it wasn’t serious actually.”

“Well, you were a bit of a mess. But you’ve cleaned up very nicely.” She looked at his mane. “Mostly.”

“That’s not quite what I meant but…”

“I know a lovely place where you could have your coat and mane redone. I’m a regular with them so I know they’re simply marvelous.”

Jason was trying to find a response when the door was thrown open suddenly, framing a frantic Twilight.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Jason! You need to come right away. You too Rarity. She called for all of us.”

“All of who?” Jason asked cautiously. “And who has called us?”

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight cried, as if they should have somehow already known. “She’s asked all six of the Elements and you three to meet with her in Canterlot as soon as possible! I've already told Cor and Zacon. Come on!”

“Oh, if only you’d asked for these outfits a few days ago,” Rarity moaned. “At least you’d have had something decent to wear.”

Jason raised an eyebrow as she draped herself over a couch, wallowing in dramatized grief. Twilight just hid her face behind her hoof.

Comments

[Wolfinsheepsclothing]

neat, looking forward to more