No Heroes: Beyond the Everfree

by PaulAsaran

05 – Water Hazard

Fine claimed they’d been travelling for nearly two weeks now. Nye had no way to know if it was true. To him, the time just flowed by. It reminded him of his old wandering days, when all he needed was the rise and fall of the sun, the falling and melting of the snow, and the changing architecture of the cities and towns.

He didn’t miss those days. Though money had never been an issue, the times had been trying on the soul. Not knowing where he belonged had been so… agonizing. Now, even though he was far from home, he felt remarkably at ease. Rainbow lay close by, resting on her back with legs splayed about. She was a weird sleeper, sometimes all ‘starfished’ like that, other times curled in a cute little ball, which was his favorite. She'd occasionally sleep on her side as well; while it made cuddling her easier, it was easily his least favored position, as it guaranteed that she'd snore. A lot.

That he was familiar enough with her sleeping habits to have a favored sleeping position said much, or so he believed. It made him feel at ease. Welcomed. Home, even when he wasn’t. Come morning he’d rub her belly, his favorite way to wake her up. She’d gripe at him for doing it in front of her friends, but he knew how much she liked it.

For now, Nye turned his attention to the stars above. It was the first good look he’d had of them since this journey started. He’d been sure to include that in his letter to Luna about their progress. The stars were a welcome sight; they made him feel as though his princess was watching over them. He needed that comfort right about now.

Something stirred. He glanced over to see Fine walking from the small camp they’d made. Nye considered letting the sneak do his thing, but something told him that Fine wasn’t out to practice tonight. He’d done that a few times, and Nye had never actually seen him leave on any of those occasions.

He gingerly climbed to his hooves, his neck popping more than once from its awkward position. As his eyes cast about, he got a good look at the destruction that surrounded him. It was so strange, seeing all the damage. Stranger still was how said damage seemed limited to a long stretch of area going west. They had settled at the leading edge, surrounded on three sides by a forest that was rapidly becoming jungle and on one by total deforestation.

Something had passed over this area. Trees lay strewn about the edges, roots and all, and those were the ones that hadn’t been crushed into the dirt. The ground itself had been churned up, leaving scores of smashed, dead limbs and bushes. They’d come across a few bones too, the bodies of animals too slow to escape the massive weight that had slithered across the land. Grass and saplings were growing, steadily working to cover up the evidence of the disaster.

And there, sitting beside a fallen log, Fine sat and stared at nothing.

Nye approached quietly, despite knowing he could never sneak up on the stallion. He sat beside him and gazed out at the devastation. It ran as far as he could see, lined on two sides by perfectly untouched jungle. The landscape seemed so… alien.

Fine didn’t look at him. “Can’t sleep?”

Nye glanced his way. “Thinking about… things. Good ones mostly. You?”

“Same.” Fine took a long breath. “Not good things, though.”

“Hmm.” He looked out over the clear path ahead of them once more. “Seems Riptide's wrath left no corner of the world untouched."

Silence, save for the quiet noises of the animals hidden amongst the trees. Nye marveled at the peaceful nature of it all. Even after so much destruction, the world would heal.

“Have you ever questioned it?”

Nye turned to consider Fine. The stallion’s face was stoic, but his eyes betrayed anger. Even though Nye knew what he was asking, he remained thoroughly nonplussed. When it came down to it, he still didn’t know Fine very well, so to have such a question directed at him of all ponies…

He shook his head. “Not really. We did what we had to.”

Fine kept quiet for a time, his eyes shifting and his jaw as hard as ever. “Sometimes I hate being the iron hoof. I know there was no other option, that if we’d not acted then the results would have been infinitely worse. Even so…”

Nye hesitated, half-raising his leg. Slowly, almost anticipating of some kind of violent reaction, he set it on Fine’s shoulder. “Even Celestia said you made the right call. Don’t you trust her judgement?”

At last, Fine looked at him. It was a searching, piercing gaze, and Nye slowly pulled his hoof away. He shifted a little, sweat beading on his forehead from the intense focus.

Then Fine smirked. “No, I don’t.”

Nye’s jaw dropped. “What?”

Fine, still smiling, turned his gaze forward once again. “I don’t expect Celestia to make the best decisions, or to actually know what she’s doing. Don’t get me wrong, I respect her, and she didn’t rule Equestria for a thousand years alone for nothing.”

“But…” Nye fumbled with his words for several seconds. “But you… don’t trust her?”

Grumbling, Fine rubbed the side of his head and looked up at the sky. “Would you consider Luna to be perfect?”

Nye almost blurted “yes!” but stopped himself short. He still remembered some of her mistakes in the recent disaster, like how she almost threw herself away in a futile attempt to save her sister. Well, in truth she ended up captured anyway, but at least it happened in a way that didn’t involve needless risk.

“I guess not.” His eyes darted to the stars as he hurried to add, “But I know she’s very capable and far wiser and smarter than me.”

Fine’s laugh echoed through the darkness. “It’s not like she’s listening in, Nye!”

“I-I know that.” Nye turned his face away, hoping his blush wasn’t as obvious as it felt. “I just thought it needed saying.”

“I get it, you worship the ground she walks on.”

“It’s not like that.” Nye glanced back to the camp, half expecting Rainbow to be approaching right then. Which was dumb, and he knew it. “I just respect her. A lot. She’s a friend.”

“And a good one.” Fine looked up at the glimmering sky once more. “I respect Celestia, and I do think she’s a good leader. I didn’t some ten years ago, but I’ve warmed up to her. Celestia and I have a complicated relationship.”

Nye cocked his head as he studied the stallion. “I always thought that the Mane Archon had to be the most die-hard Celestia supporter there was.”

“And they usually are. My predecessor was literally in love with her.” Fine gave a quiet chuckle at that. “Poor guy was so infatuated he got himself killed. I kind of miss him, but don’t ever let Celestia know I said it.”

“Uh… okay?”

“The point is…” Fine ruminated on his words yet again. “It was never about Celestia, not for me. I worked with her, true, and we came to an understanding, but I was never in this job for her specifically.”

Now Nye was staring, and leaning a little. He’d never heard Fine speak so openly about his job before. “Then what are you in it for?”

“Equestria.” Fine’s voice was quiet, but there was an underlying passion he rarely displayed. “The idea, the ideal, the purpose. Even though we are a diarchy, when you really stop and think about it, Equestria is one of the freest places in the world. As busy as Celestia and Luna are, the vast majority of the country is ruled by elected officials.”

“Luna’s explained the intricacies to me before,” Nye admitted, rubbing his ear. “Politics never interested me too much, but I got the gist; they only handle the most critical things and let the citizen government handle everything else. They typically only step in when an issue becomes… well, an issue.”

Fine grinned. “Exactly. We have prosperity, freedom, tolerance. Compared to most of the world, Equestria is a paradise. I always saw my job as being to protect that paradise, not Celestia. Granted, protecting Celestia is part of the job, but just a part.”

Nye raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. And how does that square with being the leader of a secret police force that is trained to be intolerant of threats and capable of crushing any pony's freedoms on a whim?”

To his surprise, Fine chuckled. “Ah, the age-old debate. There is a question of ethics, no doubt. Celestia herself strongly disapproves of everything the Archons are for that very reason. I used to think she hated us, but that’s a strong term considering she’s kept us around for seven hundred years. Her hoofing responsibility of us off to Luna was a huge relief for everypony involved.”

“But you don’t consider it to be an issue,” Nye replied knowingly.

“If I did, would I be the head of the organization?”

Nye shrugged, turning his attention back to the stars. “Luna’s not perfect, and neither is Celestia, but I’d still trust them to rule.”

“You and almost everypony else.” Fine followed his gaze. “Those who don’t either try to bring them down… or become Archons.”

“That’s a bit narrow, don’t you think?”

“Not at all. Newspapers or standing armies, resistance is resistance.” Fine smirked and raised a hoof before Nye could speak. “Not that I’m saying we shut up newspapers. There is such a thing as free speech.”

Silence descended on them for a time, both quietly watching the stars. He devoted the time to thinking on the course of their conversation. Eventually, he recognized something. “So you’re happy with where you’re at and what you do… but regret being the one making the decisions obligatory to that position?”

Fine took his time with his answer, which came in a quiet whisper. “I chose to let hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of ponies die. Despite what ponies may think of me, I do have a conscience.”

Nye chewed his lip, trying to see things from Fine’s perspective. He had to admit, making a decision like that…

Come to think of it…

“We could have said no.”

Fine blinked, then turned to him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said.” Nye leveled him with as firm a frown as he could, which probably wasn’t anything compared to what he knew Fine could muster. Still, he had to offer something. “The plan was yours, sure, but we all agreed to it. Jimmy, Octavia, Upper Crust, Lightning, Luna and me. Any one of us could have told you to take your plan and shove it up your rump, but we didn’t. We agreed to engage in a mission to save Equestria, each knowing full well that it could lead to the deaths of millions.”

He reached up once more to touch Fine’s shoulder. “You’re not the only one with this on your shoulders, Fine. You should know that better than any of us.”

Fine looked to the hoof on his shoulder, which quickly retracted. He mulled over Nye’s declaration for a little while, then smiled and turned his gaze forward once more. “You’re wiser than you give yourself credit for, Nye. I’m glad you’re on this little journey with us.”

Chuckling, Nye turned back to the camp. “Yeah, right. You just don’t want to be the only one drowning in estrogen.”

Fine laughed. “I thought you liked being surrounded by cute mares.”

“I only need one,” he replied, and realized that the claim was entirely serious. “And I want to get back to her, if you don’t mind. Are you gonna be okay?”

Fine waved him off. “Even hardmuzzles like me have their moments of weakness. I’ll get over it.”

Nye studied Fine's backside, wondering how much of that was truth. Then he nodded and made his plodding way back to Rainbow, yawning as he sunk to the ground nearby. His tail flicked over to touch her exposed belly, and she responded by rolling over. Though she remained asleep, she ended up nuzzling his shoulder with a smile. He couldn’t help but return it, staring at her lovely face as sleep began to take over.

Then the snoring came.

---

“Oh, come on, I’m not that loud!”

Nye raised an eyebrow at Rainbow, who was hovering just ahead of him with hooves on her hips. “Rainbow, Pinkie had to go sleep in the woods a good hundred feet away. Pinkie.”

Pinkie hopped past them, pausing in her humming to say, “Don’t worry, Rainbow, I once met a buffalo who snored way louder than you!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks, Pinkie.”

“No problem.” Pinkie moved on, ever hopping and back to humming.

Catching Nye’s smirk, Rainbow glowered. “It’s not that bad. If it was, somepony would have told me before. Like Fluttershy!” She flew ahead and landed next to Fluttershy, who gave a little eep when Rainbow’s hoof slapped her shoulder. “I had a few sleepovers with her. She totally would have said something!”

Fluttershy’s mane drifted across her face as she glanced away. “Um, actually…”

There was a moment of silence, then Rainbow let her head droop almost to the leaf-strewn floor. “Lemme guess; you didn’t want to say anything because you thought I’d be offended.”

Her friend responded with only a sheepish smile.

“Great.” She rolled her head back with a groan. “How about you, Fine? Anything to add to this conversation?”

Fine Crime, who had been quiet for much of the journey so far, didn’t even glance back from his place in the lead. “Not a thing.”

Nye trotted forward, catching up with Rainbow and Fluttershy. “What, you mean you’re not going to take part in teasing Rainbow?”

“That’s her coltfriend’s job.” Fine at last glanced back, his expression as serious as could be. “And might I add that it’s probably not a good idea to judge your marefriend when she’s the only pony in the world actually capable of dropping a sonic rainbomb on your head.”

“Why does everypony focus on the rainbomb?” Rainbow asked. “Seriously, that’s not the only trick I have under my wing. I’ve got a lot of other things I could do to him.”

“Really?” Nye sidled up to her and nipped at her neck. “Perhaps you can show a few of them off to me. Later. In private.”

She shoved him away, face going bright pink and eyes darting to their companions. “L-lay off, I ain’t talking about that and you know it!”

Pinkie was all giggles and Fluttershy was looking away with a blush of her own. Fine seemed indifferent, his focus on the jungle ahead. For it was indeed jungle by this point; thick, lush plants, tall and imposing vines, flowers of fantastic shapes and sizes. The heat was stifling, to boot.

Nye, undeterred, moved a little closer and tried to tuck his muzzle under Rainbow’s wing. “Come on, RD. A few tricks under your wing, right? You know that’s one of my favorite—”

“That’s it!” She launched and flew ahead, managing to stay just under the limbs of the high canopy. “I’m scouting ahead. For, uh, water or something.”

Smirking, Nye’s trot gained a little bounce.

“You are cruel to her,” Pinkie announced with a grin.

He nodded, his grin not budging. “She’ll pay me back for it later. Always does. Rainbow’s got a thick hide.”

“I don’t know.” Fluttershy, her cheeks still blooming, watched her friend disappear amongst the trees. “I know I wouldn’t want anypony teasing me like that.”

Pinkie fell in step beside her, shooting Nye a saucy look. “Oh, don’t you worry, Fluttershy. Rainbow will be paying him back in spades later.”

Her expression gave him pause; he had a feeling she knew something he didn’t. Which, given her track record, was very likely. He began trying to think up ways Rainbow might repay his teasing. If she had Pinkie on her side… sweet Luna, that was a scary thought. He opened his mouth to speak—

“Wiggly left forehoof!”

“Huh?” Nye looked down to see that Pinkie’s front left hoof was indeed wiggling, in a way that didn’t seem quite possible by either bone structure or physics. “What does that—”

He walked into something and promptly fell on his rump. He turned to find he’d run right into Fine’s hindquarters.

Pinkie offered her trademark smile. “It means somepony’s about to stop walking, duh.”

“Yes, because I was supposed to have already known that.” Nye rolled his eyes and looked to Fine. “What did you stop for?”

Fine responded by pointing into the jungle, where they could just make out Rainbow Dash flying back to them at a quick pace.

“Hey, guys, you’ll never guess what I found!”

Pinkie abruptly resumed her bouncing. “Another guessing game! Was it an Ursa Major?”

“Uh, no.” Rainbow gave Pinkie a lopsided smile. “I think I’d be flying a lot faster if it was one of those. It’s water.”

“Huh.” Nye rubbed the side of his head. “Well, that’s a nifty coincidence.”

“And right on time, too.” Fluttershy demonstrated her meaning by tipping her canteen over, which spilled not a drop.

“No surprise,” Fine said as he used his magic to pull the map out of Fluttershy’s pack. He studied it as he spoke. “Apparently there’s a whole bunch of ponds. That sound about right, Rainbow?”

“Yep.” Rainbow hovered over his shoulder to look at the map. “Couldn’t say how many. They look kinda like craters.”

“Craters?” Fluttershy’s ears fell back and she cast uncertain looks around the jungle. “What happened?”

Fine shrugged. “No idea. There’s a note here about not disturbing the water too much, but no indication of why.”

Pinkie’s hopping came to an abrupt stop, her pose mimicking that of Fluttershy’s. “I hope they’re not like the Mirror Pool.”

Nye nodded emphatically. “That would be scary. Can you imagine an army of Fine Crimes wandering around Equestria? Doom, I tell you!”

Pinkie smiled at that, though it was subdued. Nye strained to keep his own intact, frantically searching for something that would improve her mood a little more.

“Pretty sure it’s not a mirror pool.” Fine returned the map to Fluttershy’s pack. “What it is is a good campsite.”

“A campsite?” Rainbow looked at the canopy, but there was no sun to be seen. “It doesn’t feel all that late. You sure?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Fluttershy added, her fear replaced with a sudden professional tone. “If there’s water, that could mean a lot of animals, which means predators. The dialect of the jungle creatures is… odd. I’m not sure I could communicate with any of them that might see us as…” Her certainty faded to trepidation. “As a snack.”

“She’s got a point,” Nye added as he patted Pinkie’s back. She rewarded him with a slightly brighter smile.

“There’s five of us,” Fine said, already walking ahead. “We can always set a watch. After all—” He looked over his shoulder to give a confident look to Pinkie. “—with Pinkie Sense on our side, there’s nothing that can sneak up on us.”

Pinkie’s face lit up like a summer sky. She stood at attention and saluted. “I won’t let you down, sir, captain, sir!”

As she bounced away, all trepidation lost, Nye stared after her. He couldn’t help but wonder how Fine knew exactly what to say when it came to Pinkie.

---

Rainbow managed to squeeze her way through the thick canopy just enough to determine that it was still daylight, although she suspected there couldn’t be more than an hour or two of it left. They agreed that stopping next to water now would probably be the best choice. To assuage Fluttershy’s fears, they made camp far enough away from the ponds as to not be visible through the thick verdure of the jungle, on the side of a hill downwind of the water.

Nye and Rainbow were at work on the tent he and Fine had been sharing. Nye didn’t dare to suggest that he share space with Rainbow. Teasing was one thing, but the message that would deliver to the others had even him blushing whenever the idea came around. Rainbow hadn’t said a word about it, and made no objection to sharing her tent with Fluttershy. Pinkie had her own, which seemed strangely unfair to him, but she never complained.

They’d been working in silence, aside from the constant noise of the jungle wildlife all around and the occasional – and very welcome – breeze. Pinkie and Fine had disappeared in the direction of the ponds and Fluttershy was busy gathering wood for a fire. Nye felt at ease with the simple chore of setting up camp.

He looked to Rainbow, who was tying down some cord via an impressive display of teeth and tongue dexterity. “Say, RD?”

Her lips worked around her stuffed teeth. “Yuff?”

“I was thinking… maybe we should do this kind of thing more often.”

The cord at last secured to the stake, Rainbow took a moment to lick her lips before asking, “You mean camping?”

“Yeah.” He smiled, tugging on the ropes with his hooves to ensure they wouldn’t slip. “You, me. Maybe Scoots too, if she’s not too scared.”

Rainbow studied him with a nonplussed frown. “I thought you weren’t big on the rough road treatment. What changed?”

“A lot of things. Mostly me.” Satisfied that the tent would hold, he turned to smile at her. “It just seems like a good way to spend some quality time together. Y’know, away from prying eyes?”

Now her frown turned suspicious. She cocked her head to look at him with a lone eye. “What are you playing at, ya tailchaser?”

He was unphased. “I’m serious. Sitting around a campfire, staring at the stars, no worries about what we’re doing tomorrow or when we have to get back.” He looked at the canopy, trying to imagine a sky full of stars. “No friends to rescue, no enemies to defeat, no schedules.”

When he looked to Rainbow again, she had an unusually bashful smile. “That sounds… nice. We could try it someday, I guess.” Then she stuck her tongue out. “But not for a while. After this trip, I think I’ve had enough camping to last for a good year or two.”

“Yeah, won’t argue with you there.”

They shared a little chuckle. Nye was tempted to say more, but—

“Hey, Rainbow!” Pinkie trotted into the camp, all smiles as usual. “Fine says he wants to talk to ya. He’s over by the ponds.”

Rainbow turned to her. “Uh, sure. But what for?” Pinkie merely shrugged. “Alright, then. Back in a sec, Nye.”

“’Kay.” Nye, seeing no reason to dally, climbed into his tent and began removing his pack saddle. It came off easily after so many days of practice. Once he had it set in the left side of the tent, he pulled out a sleeping bag and unrolled it, then took out his pillow. He didn’t dare to touch Fine’s things, which had been left outside; with how much the stallion valued his privacy, that seemed like a bad idea on the whole.

They might be friends, but deep down Nye still considered Fine to be one scary pony.

Which, now that he thought on it, led to some curious consequences. He climbed out of the tent and looked to see Fluttershy starting the fire and talking to an ever-exuberant Pinkie. Nye couldn’t help but wonder if Fluttershy thought of Fine in similar terms. In subtle ways… did he scare her?

No, that was silly. Fine and Fluttershy were inseparable, or so it sometimes seemed. Even Fine’s slip up by staying hidden so long hadn’t kept him on her bad side. Granted, it was hard to be on Fluttershy’s bad side at all. The mare was just too nice to hold a grudge. And with how much he fawned over her…

Even if she didn’t realize his attraction yet – and how she remained so ambivalent was a mystery for the ages – there was no way she’d fear him. It had been a foolish thought.

“What’cha thinking about?”

Nye yelped and jumped away, turning to find Pinkie’s curious blue eyes set on him. “You and Fine are terrible about that!”

Pinkie’s head cocked to one side. “Terrible about what?”

He sighed and waved a dismissive hoof. “Nothing. And I was just thinking about… Fine.”

“Oh.” Pinkie turned her attention to Fluttershy, who was busying herself unpacking a cookpot. “Just wondering. It looked an awful lot like you were staring at Fluttershy’s flank like you used to.”

“There’s only one flank I wanna look at,” he replied, his attention going to the jungles between them and the ponds.

Pinkie erupted in giggles. “I had no idea your barn door swung that way, Nye! I wonder what Fine will think when he finds out?”

“What?” He paused, thinking on his words, then groaned. “I trotted right into that one, didn’t I?” Ignoring Pinkie laughter, he walked up to Fluttershy. “You need any help?”

Fluttershy craned her neck to see past him. “What’s she laughing at?”

“Me, mostly.” He rolled his eyes and raised his hoof as if to offer it. “Anything I can do?”

“As a matter of fact, there is.” Fluttershy pointed to the small iron cooking pot sitting nearby. “I thought, since we have lots of water now, I might make a soup. Do you think you could fill that up about halfway with water from the ponds?”

“Can do.” He grabbed the pot’s handle in his teeth and made for the jungle.

“Be careful, Nye.” Pinkie called out, her giggles barely contained. “Make sure you’re looking at the right flank!”

“Ha ha,” he replied under his breath. Within a couple steps, he was surrounded by thick tree trunks and bushes. In a couple more, he’d lost track of Pinkie’s laughter. The speed at which the jungle could ensnare a pony was almost frightening. Despite the heat, a shiver ran down Nye’s back. Travelling this place with friends was one thing, but alone he felt vulnerable.

Speed was out of the question. The jungle floor was littered with roots and seemingly random rising and falling hills. To call it rough terrain would be a significant understatement. Nye’s every hoofstep was carefully placed; setting his weight in the wrong place would likely send him careening into one of the small valleys or into a bush of who-knows-what. Fluttershy and Pinkie had both warned against messing with the unfamiliar plants in this place. No wonder nopony had ever bothered to explore this far.

Fortunately, it only took a few minutes for the ponds to come into view through the trees. At last he stumbled out of the thick foliage, only to step into the edge of one of the ponds. Not that it mattered; the cool water felt good. He took a moment to relax and take in his surroundings.

The first time Nye saw the ponds, he came to the same conclusion as the others: they were unnatural. Looking at them now, his suspicions in that regard only grew stronger. There were more than a dozen of the things splayed out over a large area, most in close proximity to one another and none smaller than a fifty foot radius. Rainbow’s claim that they looked like craters didn’t seem far-fetched; the ponds were too symmetrical, too rounded, too neat. The passing of time had warped the outlines, certainly, but they still looked entirely too good to have been made by some natural process.

Nye and Rainbow suspected there had been some kind of magical battle here. Fine suggested it had been a test site. Pinkie, on the other hoof, suggested that maybe they had been dug out, as if somepony had been searching for something. Fluttershy just wanted to keep her distance. Every last one of them agreed that the air felt… ‘heavy’ here, as if there were a great pressure bearing down on them.

That heaviness pushed on him even now, making the pot in his mouth seem more like a lead weight. He was eager to get it filled and move on, but he found himself looking out over the scene a second time. Fine and Rainbow stood on a small peninsula formed by three overlapping craters. Their heads were close and they were clearly speaking, but he couldn’t see their faces.

Nye wasn’t sure he liked seeing them like that. By far, those two were the most ‘combat ready’ of their little band. If Fine and Rainbow had something important to talk about, he suspected it had everything to do with safety. His thoughts went back to Fluttershy’s warning about potential predators. He began scanning the jungle surrounding the ponds, suddenly feeling as though something were watching him.

No. No, he was being dumb. Fine was excellent at detecting things, and Pinkie had her Pinkie Sense. If something was out there, wouldn’t they share that knowledge? Surely they would.

The thoughts should have been reassuring. They proved anything but. Still, Nye tried to shrug off his uncertainty and stepped a little deeper into the pond. Something was definitely not staring at him, and even if it was, that something wasn’t planning on making him into supper. He’d just fill the pot like Fluttershy asked and go back to… back to…

He stared into the clear and pristine water. Little ripples flowed outwards from his legs. His head lowered a little as he continued to stare. What was this… pulling sensation? There was nothing in the water, nothing at all. He moved deeper, the water rising up to just barely graze his barrel. At this point the bank dropped off, leaving an empty blue nothing in which he saw no life…

But something was there. He could sense it. It stared back at him. The water rippled, and he thought he could detect similar ripples across his mind. What was it? Why did it entrance him so? There was something wrong with this, but he couldn’t place his hoof on it.

Then again, why did he want to? The depths appeared so… soothing. If he could learn from it… fathom it…

Wait, what was that?

Eyes?

What have we here?

“Nye!”

His head whipped up, the pot swinging wide to bang painfully against his chest. His vision was filled with green fur and bright orange eyes with thin, cat-like pupils. An instant later, something blue slammed into the thing that had been a second away from doing the same to him.

Nye fell back, the pot falling into the water as he spun towards the action. Rainbow and his attacker were tangled in the shallows of the pool, a mess of fur and hooves and wings. Adrenaline coursing in his veins, he dove into the fray without so much as a second thought.

Just before he reached the fight, however, something landed, splashing cold water all over him. He sputtered and raised his hooves, prepared to defend himself, but no attack came. Wiping his fringe from his face, he found himself looking upon a black… pony? It looked like a pegasus, but those wings…

The newcomer fell upon Rainbow and her opponent, and Nye snapped out of his stupor. With a battle cry that he hoped sounded more intimidating than he expected, he reached in and pulled the black pony thing away. He raised a forehoof to strike—

The world blurred. In an instant, Nye was on his back and underwater. He came up sputtering, trying to figure out what happened. He brushed the water from his eyes – again – and found himself staring up at a menacing black face with eyes not unlike the other creature… only blue. There were also fangs bared in his face and a menacing hiss. The threat was loud and clear; stay down or die.

Nye’s ears perked to splashing. He dared a glance to the side just in time to see Rainbow disengage from her opponent. The two jumped away from one another and paused, both set to low, aggressive stances and soaked. Rainbow had a few bleeding cuts in her shoulder, presumably where she’d been bitten, but she paid the injury no mind.

Now, for the first time, Nye got a real look at their attackers. Such was his surprise that, for a fleeting instant, he forgot there were fangs less than an inch from his throat.

It was a pony… or at least, something closely resembling a pony. It stood just a little taller than Rainbow, and its green body was unquestionably equine, but its fur appeared thick in comparison. It – he, Nye suspected – had a short blue mane, and its entire body held the sleek, aerodynamic form of a pegasus. Leathery wings spread wide in an intimidating gesture, and the creature had fangs just like the one threatening to rip his throat out.

The red, glowing sword that suddenly appeared behind it was unexpected. The weapon pressed against the back of the creature’s neck and it promptly stiffened.

“That’s quite enough.”

Nye looked up to find that the one threatening him had a similar blade at the back of its neck, and Fine Crime was standing just behind it. There was a glint in the stallion’s eye that Nye had heard of only in rumors, an expression on his face that Fluttershy, Twilight and even Luna had all warned him about. Now, seeing it himself for the first time, Nye thought the fangs hovering over his neck felt a lot safer than that gaze.

He really is a scary pony.

The thing atop Nye, however, couldn’t see Fine’s face. Even the blade hadn’t properly cowed it; it spun sideways from the weapon and struck.

Or tried to; Fine blocked deftly and countered in a flurry of motion Nye failed to keep up with. What followed was a series of strikes and blocks, all with the forelegs, that had the two dancing and making waves. It lasted all of ten seconds before Fine took a blow to the jaw that staggered him.

Nye, still lying on his back, watched in amazement. Fine began to fall, his opponent moving in for a finishing blow. Then abruptly, he Fine twisted mid-fall, kicked against the ground beneath the water and rose up right beside his overzealous enemy, the red blade reappearing and slipping neatly under her throat.

“I won’t stop next time.”

The black mare – for Nye could now see that it was one – hesitated. Blood trickled from her throat at the same time that it dripped from the corner of Fine’s lip. Her eyes flicked to her green companion, who hadn’t moved during the entire brawl as the blade remained pressed to his back. Nye took the opportunity to glance at Rainbow, who was gawking at Fine as if he’d grown a second head.

Then the stallion spoke, his voice soft but tone hard. “Our wings are thorned, Fang. Stand down.”

“But—” Fang tensed as the blade cut slightly into her throat.

Fine’s voice was as cold as ice. “167 ponies had me on their minds right before they died. I’ll have no problem making you number 168.”

Her eyes widened. They turned to Nye.

He swallowed, the blood rushing from his face. He hoped very much that he wasn’t about to see a pony – or something closely resembling one – lose her head. “T-trust me, he’s serious.”

“Fine, no!”

Nye turned to stand in time to see Fluttershy rushing out of the jungle with Pinkie close behind. “Don’t do it! Please!”

Fine’s expression didn’t budge. “That’s entirely up to her.”

Fluttershy landed at the pond’s edge and stomped. “I did not spend twelve weeks in terror just to watch you go back to killing ponies! Let. Her. Go.”

With a groan, Fine stepped back, the sword disappearing in a scattering of red bubbles. “I was only going to do it if she made me.”

“And that’s supposed to be better?”

Nye’s attention was diverted when a pair of hooves caught him from behind and spun him around. Rainbow’s head roamed within an inch of his body, scanning everything and making him blush. “Are you hurt? You’re okay? That jerk didn’t do anything to you before I got there?”

He caught her by the shoulders and made her stand up straight. The cuts on her shoulder still bled and she had a few bruises on her chest. Another was forming on her cheek just under the eye. “Me? You’re the one who just got out of a brawl with a… a…” He paused, comprehension fully dawning upon him. “You… Y-you could have gotten yourself killed with that stunt.”

Her expression grew dark. She turned to glare at the leather-winged stallion, who hadn’t moved from where Nye’d last seen him. “I wasn’t about to let that—”

Nye grabbed her and planted a kiss right on her lips. She squirmed, seemingly caught between enjoying the moment and wanting to escape. All Nye knew was that she’d just risked life and limb to protect him, and he loved her for it.

At last she jerked away, water splashing wildly as she launched out over the deep center of the pond and out of his reach. “H-how many times do I have to tell you not to do that in front of ponies!”

“If the show’s over,” Fine groused, “I’d really like some answers.”

The ponies turned their collective attention to the newcomers. The black mare, tail tucked between her legs, trotted towards her partner with head low and eyes simmering. Her wings flapped once or twice in what Nye suspected was an attempt to vent some frustration.

“Ooh, look at that!” Pinkie, still at the edge of the pond, began to bounce. “They’ve got bat wings! I’ve never seen those on a pony before.”

The stallion reared his head back in a proud display. “You will address us by our race, pony.

“We are thestrals.”

Author's Note:

At long last, I get to introduce thestrals to the world of No Heroes. I always neglected them throughout the series, and this story was at least partially conceived to help explain why.

My thanks to GMP for his fast pre-reading work. This one got to him with only a day left.

Comments

[Thought Prism]

Hmm... I'm thinking they should be on the lookout for one of these guys.

Also, typo time. “Luna’s not perfect, and neither are Celestia, but I’d still trust them to rule.” 'is' Celestia

[PaulAsaran]

6653063
If I were still collecting magic cards, I would buy that in a heartbeat.

[Thought Prism]

6653076

I know, right? In a multiplayer game at one point, I played one with 15 other creatures out.