Kelly Mathews, Equestria's Landstalker

by Leafwebs

Chapter 1_The Amended Contract - Nightmares Without Context

Chapter 1_The Amended Contract – Nightmares Without Context

“Don’t be sad, I’ve never had an unsatisfied customer.” An aged nearly hairless in figure speaks reassuringly to a shorter member of his kind that was trying to pull from his grip. The face of the shorter member makes the dreamer’s heart race with feelings of desperation and protectiveness becoming overwhelming as the dreamer makes out the tears on the short girl’s face. “All who buy my fare have desired high adventure. I wager that even you will find something special for your very own as well.”

‘Erin…’ Some part the dreamers mind screams as a dissolving hand reaches out to the girl.

“I’ll take care of her now.” The taller figure adds pulling the crying and struggling girl to him. With a piercing glair and cold smile he turns to the helpless dreamer and says. “So rise and shine adventurer!”

With a yelp a blond mane green coated stallion with tan front hooves and silver back hooves falls out of his bed in a fright and startling his roommate.

“It’s not time to wake up yet…” A dark blue stallion groans rubbing his eyes and turning toward the trembling green lump. “Buddy you okay?”

“I must save… her...” The trembling green stallion mutters glassy eyed. “Don’t… don’t send her away… please.”

“Buddy calm down, it’s only a bad dream.” The dark blue stallion adds trying to comfort the smaller stallion with a hug.

“Erin…” The smaller stallion whines as the door opens and the collars light up.

With in seconds the trembling green stallion faints under the collar’s influence and slips to the floor and out of the entranced blue stallion’s hug.

“Please put the young newcomer to bed, will you Thorns?” an orange mare with a curly black mane quietly commands her armlet glowing. After Thorns did what he was instructed to do the mare asks the stallion a question. “What upset our friend just now?”

“Nightmare… must save her… name Erin.” Thorns dimly answers the question.

“Thank you, you may return to your bed.” The orange mare commands.

Leaving the room and locking the door behind her, the orange mare with the curly black mane trots down the apartment hallway to her front desk.

“Another one… may mercy smile on us to find this Erin before the wrong ponies do.” The orange mare mutters grabbing an umbrella and walking outside into the rain.

The dirt road was already becoming muddy. This would likely be one of the concerns to get addressed at this week’s civic planning meeting. Three doors down was the modest home of Mayor Hail Veil, a single story yellow cottage with some tomato plants growing in a window flower box.

Knocking on the door, the orange mare waited getting slightly soaked for the Mayor to arrive. With the clink the lock was undone and the door was opened.

“Honeycomb, please come inside and out of the rain.” Mayor Hail Veil politely offered stepping out of the orange mare’s way. After closing the door she motions to Honeycomb to sit and asks. “What’s happened? I know you keep a keen eye on our new residents so please tell me what the matter?”

“It’s the unique stranger we just recruited; he may have been accompanied by another.” Honeycomb replied worried. “We also need Rain Dancer to improve the dream wards as the stranger continues to have disturbed sleep.”

“The nightmares should have been suppressed just the same the memories of his old life.” Mayor Veil added her brows beginning to furrow. “What did you learn?”

“His companion is named Erin. He was whimpering like any of the many new residents would before being collared and seemed to think she was in danger.” Honeycomb replies. “This has been the fourth dream to disturb his sleep in this first week with us. Thankfully I know Thorns to be a light sleeper, so we could have these details.”

“I’ll fill in Rain Dancer, last thing we need is for the Princess of the Night to ruin what we have begun. On that note you should have told me sooner.” Mayor Veil adds glaring. “Tomorrow we will organize maple sap collection teams to be headed by one of our own and quietly search for this Erin. Keep the unique one and Thorns in town with each other in case more information willingly slips his lips.”

“Thank you Mayor I will. We got some community projects I could assign them take care of.” Honeycomb replies saluting Mayor Veil and walking out the door.

Deep inside the maple tree forest Sumac grumbles over his failure to convince pack alpha Willow Bark to allow him to search the pony town for the predatory abomination. He had taken the alpha to the trail he first followed of this rival, and he too concluded that a foul taint scared the land where the thing walked. But Sumac was ordered to let it drop as the rival predator did not emerge from the pony village.

Sumac padded alongside Birch Heart, a pack sister; as they headed the summon howl of Willow Bark.

“Brother, the news you brought has the pack on edge.” Birch Heart growls quietly.

“So I’m not the only one to notice the strange pony behavior.” Sumac replies raising an eyebrow.

“Some others such as Hickory Knot, Crackle Pelt Elm, and Beach have seen your cold calm ponies mixed with more weary others.” Birch Heart replies with an agitated snarl. “They watch the forest as if they are the hunters of something we fail to scent… all while the others bleed our root bound kin.”

“So the rival is dead. “ Sumac grumbles conflicted eyes darting in thought. With a snarl of his own Sumac continues. “Has the Alpha found the source of the pony herd’s sudden numbers?”

“Watching the pony territory itself is dangerous for our kind, you know this. Most of the encroachment into our territory is by adults.” Birch Heart snaps out before calming some. “Some night hunters however have encountered magic that disrupts sight and sweeps away pony trails deeper into our forest.”

“How deep do they go, can the ponies time of return be used to find what they hide?” Sumac offers.

“The night hunters never seem to encounter the prey’s movements more than once in their trips, but the pattern of behavior suggests some ponies return to the same hidden den deeper in.” Birch Heart replies. “Caves and some other natural formations could hide this pony secret near Deep Lake, but with magic covering the trails a search would take a long time and spook the prey before we got close.”

Sumac and Birch Heart quiet down as they reach the meeting sight. Willow Bark and fifteen other pack brothers and sisters were already assembled.

“A short while ago the pony herd at our boarder has become more aggressive in their encroachment of our land. The size and growth of their numbers being the most startling detail as no young are ever seen.” Willow Bark explains. “Thanks to the night hunter’s odd reports some in the pack think they have discovered a connection between these things. “

“The ponies have been concealing their deeper trails through our lands with magic so we don’t see them, but we need not our animal sense if we can pressure our prey on to a trail of our own.” Beach adds confidently. “Before the rise of the new sun we will erase all but a few of the commonly used pony trails and camp out by our bleeding kin in the remaining.”

Several snarls rang out at the thought of ponies and the bleeding root bound being connected.

“Even with magic to hide them, ponies are not creatures of the forests. They cut paths in the underbrush to move swiftly.” Beach continues flashing some wooden teeth. “We will gather them to us and then the underbrush will show its fangs.”

As the dawn cast its first rays on Maple Village, Honeycomb began setting the picnic tables for the early breakfast her tenets would eat before going to their assigned work. The table cloth was a green and white plaid with a green mop like trim. The plates were all made of clay with a white ceramic glaze only on the top.

The meal consisted of oatmeal with honey and a glass of whole milk; simple and nutritious according to Honeycomb.

With a fake smile, Honeycomb greeted her drowsy tenets as they filed around the table. The tenets consisted mostly of earth ponies and unicorns with the rare pegasi present. The unique stranger and Thorns did arrive on time and in the middle of the breakfast pack, but both were sleep deprived. Thorns was also a bit on edge with his roommate the unique stranger who was trying to apologize.

“What got into dude? I barely slept with all screaming you did.” Thorns huffed with blood shot eyes glaring at the unique stranger.

“Sorry I couldn’t help it. Every time I caught a wink I ended up drowning in the same nightmare.” The unique stranger replies head low and ears flat.

Honeycomb briefly activates her control armlet stifling the twos discussion so rumors would not start in the rest of Maple. Honeycomb recognized the signs of extreme emotional trauma, having helped in the relocation of the foals; in the unique stranger admission about his companion Erin.

‘This Erin must be dealt with before he stumbles upon her himself.’ Honeycomb inwardly concludes watching the unique stranger finish eating. ‘We can’t have him question his new self after all.’

After the last pony finished their morning meal Honeycomb posts on the message board the day’s job assignments. Many would be working on sap collection, a few on construction and a few on…

“We’re on brick making.” Thorns groans out in annoyance.

“Like mud bricks?” The unique stranger replies. “It can’t be that bad.”

“If you can keep from falling asleep from boredom, your body will be sore and worn out just enough to sleep soundly when bed time arrives.” Thorns mutters disgusted before going over to Honeycomb to ask. “Please can I do anything else but bricks?”

“Our new friend needs to start on a trade, Thorns. With his bad sleep last night we can’t risk him getting lost in the forest due to sleep trotting.” Honeycomb replies casually. “You also had a bad night I would assume you would you would welcome being close to your bed after your work was done.”

“Brick making is dull.” Thorns protests his head drooping.

“The training will be simple and the extra hooves should mean you will be done sooner. You’ll be okay Thorns.” Honeycomb replies patting his shoulder.

Thorns smiles slightly before going back to the unique stranger and leading him over to the brick makers hut.

The walk from the row of single room apartments to the brick markers hut took the pair past the railroad station and into the town’s trade ally. Most of the ponies in town were busy with various construction related tasks like tacking up roof shingles or laying bricks down for wall of new houses. The remaining ponies were lined up at the forest entrance and were putting on harnesses that had a line of three hooks down each side for buckets to dangle from.

The scent of Maple sap cooking off from one green painted building actually got Thorns to stop a moment to enjoy the aroma.

“I hope Cornucopia makes some caramels for us.” Thorns sighs in delight.

“Caramels …” The unique stranger replies curious.

“She usually only makes twenty or thirty sugar cube size pieces per harvest saving most of the sap for barrels of maple syrup we trade.” Thorns replies pointing at a stack of fifteen barrels near the green building where only four or five with freshly sealed lids. “Her caramels are so good. You can stick them to the roof of your mouth for a whole night of fun.”

The unique stranger drooled at the thought as a dog walk out of an ally and stopped to scratch.

“Dose sticking the caramel to the roof your mouth really help it last all night?” The unique stranger asks Thorns who playfully laughs.

“It’s not funny having something stuck in your mouth.” An unfamiliar voice scolds from somewhere nearby.

“Nearly all night if you savior it.” Thorns replies after finishing his chuckle. “Just another house more and we’ll be there.”

The brick marker’s hut came into view a short time later. It was a small unpainted brick hut near a small length of train tracks that had a modified hand cart on end and ran over a fire pit. Near the tracks were some work tables with forms for shaping the bricks.

At the first set of tables were several muddy buckets and two empty forms for shaping the bricks. A beige unicorn was busy filling the first form with the aid of levitation magic to hold the bucket, her hooves muddy from where she used them to level off the tops of the soon to be bricks. As the unique stranger and Thorns got near the unicorn looks up and smiles.

“I must have eaten a four leaf clover, Thorns; are you here to relieve me?” the beige unicorn asks hopeful.

“No, sorry Reeds; I’m here to get the new colt started on trade Honeycomb’s orders.” Thorns replies shaking his head and stepping clear of the unique stranger.

“You’re oddly marked…” Reeds mutters out glancing at the unique stranger’s legs. “Thorns are you sure he is as young as you think? He’s got graying back hooves. Who is he?”

“I haven’t had a chance to learn his name, but his crest mark looks like some kind of dogs head.” Thorns replies.

“Thorns you know it’s rude to assume our names go literally by our cutie marks.” Reeds scolds with a snort. Turning to the unique stranger to ask only earned her drooping ears and a quick head shake from the unique stranger. “Sorry I won’t ask.”

“Amnesia, add it to the….” Thorns started speaking before the groups collars flared to life.

“You’ll all have time to talk at lunch, besides Reeds and I are in the middle of a competition. Aren’t we?” A unicorn stallion with a teal accented black mane and sapphire coat snorts out at the trio.

“Sorry Rain Dancer.” Reeds shyly calls back before turning back to Thorns and company. “Come on lend me a hoof here I got lunch choice up for grabs here. Thorns you think you can handle our hot plate?”

“If we can get caramel I think I can handle some sweating.” Thorns replies.

“We’ll see Thorns.” Reeds growls softly looking at Thorns before turning to address the unique stranger. “New pony you think you can fill up these molds evenly and level them off so Thorns can cook the mud? I’ll handle the buckets.”

With a nod the unique stranger sits across from the first brick making form as Reeds and the buckets dash for the mud hole, Thorns taking up a position at the table’s end nearest to the hot plate cart, and Rain Dancer picking up a chisel.

“This is for the choice of our meals today, every pony. Ready, set, and go.” Rain Dancer calls as everyone springs into action.

It was certainly easier for Reeds to focus on being just one part of the assembly line instead of the whole unit up to the hot plate as evidenced by a growing yet small smile on her face. The unique stranger tied up the line once in his confusion on how to signal Reeds for the next bucket. When she noticed she just knocked on a bucket near her which he repeated on an empty bucket near him earning a nod. Thorns also adopted the signal by tapping the table once near the returned form.

Rain Dancer looked over briefly at the trio during this as he hurried himself with glazing and staining the dried bricks.

When the lunch bell rang the trio of Reeds, Thorns, and the unique stranger was just barely edged out of the win by Rain Dancer who glazed a whole stack of bricks before the others could make three stacks.

The contest felt a bit one sided to the unique stranger as he got from his workstation to join with the others.

“Oh the poor pups, it must be kibble again.” A voice mocks.

“Huh? What about kibble?” the unique stranger replies startled.

“That might be all that’s left for you if we don’t get a move on.” Thorns scolds tapping on the unique stranger’s left shoulder and leading him over to the others.

Meanwhile deeper into the forest a small group of ponies made plans to separate from the larger group that would be collecting sap. Two of the four ponies with control armlets would move supplies to their outpost further in while the others managed the collection.

The supplies consisted mostly of bags of dehydrated soup and oat meal. Some new blankets were also included on the backs of the two earth pony mares picked for the supply mission.

It wasn’t long after the supply ponies left that the remaining control ponies noticed something wrong. Many of the sap collection ponies were huddled together shivering; a number collection buckets and hooks were smashed with the tap holes somehow overgrown. A look across the grove of trees showed a lot more undergrowth to contend with too.

With this new development everyone made for home to report what happened.

During the night another nightmare raked at the unique stranger’s mind. A fog dimmed the stranger’s awareness but even that didn’t stop the voice.

“Sister I’m lost…” a heart-wrenchingly familiar voice cries from the form of a female fighter pilot wearing a helmet emblazoned with a fire manned unicorn on it that quickly disappears behind the fog.

“I don’t want to be alone…” The terrified voice continues from the form of a small monkey with a yellow pig tail hair alone in a vast jungle that also disappears as quickly as it arrives.

“Kelly…” A painfully familiar tear stained face screams before the nightmare breaks up.

The unique stranger wakes up briefly clutching his head as his collar glows before passing out with a groan.

Over the next couple days the unique stranger got better at his assigned trade with his two companions; however Maple’s sap harvesters were not having it so good.

“Oh dear no… It’s Meadow Song.” Reeds gasps wide eyed at brown Pegasus with pink wings and several fresh wounds all over her legs as she is carried into town.

“Silk Braid too…” Thorns replies trembling as he notices the speckled mint green earth stallion. He was similar cut over his legs and had several bee stings too being carried in to town behind Meadow Song. “That’s five injured ponies in two days out in the maple fields.”

“Why is every pony on the sap harvest getting hurt?” Reeds adds frustrated.

It was at this moment that Thorns and Reeds noticed that the unique stranger had fallen behind on their way to Rain Dancer’s brick making hut… again. The nightmares had ceased, but the unique stranger’s behavior only continued to suffer.

Turning around the pair retrace their steps and find the unique stranger trying to search the town without being seen from an ally. A few dogs had gathered near him in his search.

“Erin, don’t cry I’ll find you.” The unique stranger whispers hysterically looking out into town. A growl from one of the dogs and nip at the unique stranger’s legs causes him to jump and quietly shout. “Knock it off Erin is in danger. She is around here somewhere.”

The dog closest to the unique stranger smacks him in the face with a paw and barks indignantly at him.

“Don’t give me that I can hear her over this way.” The unique stranger counters trying to get in the hound dogs face. “One would think with ears as large as yours it would be impossible to miss a girls frantic sobs.”

“Thorns is he speaking to Cornucopia’s hounds?” Reeds asks dumbfounded.

“No… well yes, but it seems to be more of an argument.” Thorns replies as the dogs and the unique stranger finally take notice of their onlookers.

“Finally someone who can help me look for Erin.” The unique stranger cheers.

“Since when can you speak with hounds… oh so that is what your talent is?” Thorns replies. “How about we call you Hound Speaker?”

“What are… I need help find my…” The unique stranger began to protest only for his collar to cut him off.

All three ponies in fact had seized up at the call of the collars as another strolled into the alley scarring off the dogs in the process.

“Hound Speaker will be your name from now on. I find it fitting that you explain yourself to them first when they have to track down your flank.” Rain Dancer scolded aloud looking at the now cringing colt. Turning to the others he continues lecturing. “All of you are late, but I do thank you two for finding our stray.”

Hound Speaker bowed his head in shame and walked over to the other two as they followed Rain Dancer back to the brick making hut. It was silent all the way back to the work stations until Hound Speaker got a look at a pile of recently stained bricks.

“It’s like a puzzle, that’s got to be a hassle to paint bricks like this.” Hound Speaker comments in wide eyed astonishment at the stained calligraphy covered bricks.

“No kidding.” Reeds adds walking over to join Hound in looking at the finished bricks. “Now I don’t feel so bad losing all the time.”

“I’m just that good you could learn a thing or two from me.” Rain Dancer replies.

“Maybe, but I see a lot bricks here with the same patterns on them. Why not make a stamp for the repeats?” Hound Speaker asks curiously.

“I don’t repeat any of these more than a dozen times at most. Making a stamp would be a waste?” Rain Dancer counters. “…besides each pony’s house is going to have a different design.”

“No Hound has a point. You put a lot of effort into keeping them precise.” Reeds replies. “I can carve these designs for you out of the firewood when we done with one pattern we can burn it.”

“It would limit any mistakes to the stamp, which we would get corrected before using; and the odd pieces out.” Hound Speaker adds calmly. “It would just be easier in the long run.”

“I guess I could make a blueprint scroll list of the ones I yet need.” Rain Dancer replies. “For now we are going to finish today’s back log.”

The work at the brick maker’s hut progressed without further incident. Eager to show her skill at the end of the day, Reeds takes the blueprint scroll and promises to have the stamps finished by the next morning. After sending the trio home Rain Dancer goes to see Mayor Hail Veil.

“How has the new worker worked out?” Mayor Veil asks waving Rain Dancer inside her house to join her and Honeycomb.

“He is good at the job but his pony identity is breaking down.” Rain Dancer replies coldly. “Increasing the dream wards causes him to hallucinate about Erin. I caught him verbally fighting with a pair of dogs today right in front of Thorns and Reeds.”

Honeycomb drops her cup of cocoa and it shatters.

“Blast it all I thought that was working.” Honeycomb hisses.

“How are you going to handle this problem?” Mayor Veil asks.

“I’m going to enhance the wards again, but we need to get rid of this pest.” Rain Dancer snaps. “His will is too strong and he is too smart for his own good.”

“Smart… what else has happened?” Mayor Veil coldly inquires.

“Hound Speaker looked at the finished bricks and hinted on a pattern. I provided a piece of the design to be made into temporary stamps under the guise of making my work easier on their suggestion, but If Reeds gets any ideas like he did they could expose our secret.” Rain Dancer replies agitated. “None of them possess identities of scholar mages, but uncovering what they have will buck us in the near future.”

“Keep cool with it Rain Dancer. We have need for sap harvesting volunteers.” Mayor Veil replies. “In light of the suspicious injuries of our friends, I’m willing to lose these pests to expose the agitators in the fields.”

“So does that mean we know who is interrupting our supply runs?” Honeycomb asks with renewed interest.

“Not quiet. The agitators have just decided to get clever about our concealment spells.” Mayor Veil replies. “Our pests are aware of our ponies’ injuries I presume.”

“Thorns and Reeds for certain, Hound Speaker will no doubt learn the news from them.” Rain Dancer sighs.

“Then they shouldn’t question the change of duties.” Mayor Veil concludes.

Hound Speaker, Thorns, and Reeds were woken early the next morning by Mayor Hail Veil personally about going sap harvesting. No pony was thrilled by the request to enter the forest; Hound Speaker was especially timid due to Thorns and Reeds dragging him off to visit the injured the day before after finishing work.

The talks that the trio had with the other harvesters had made it seem like the Fields were overgrown, but it didn’t explain the accidents. Only a handful of others submitted to the Mayor’s request to join the group and split off to collect from a section of trees the trio passed ten minutes back.

The forest before the trio now was silent and still. Only a few buckets were in place the others were smashed. The undergrowth around the trees made it look like no pony had walked even near some of them even as a few still had taps.

Thorns, Hound Speaker, and Reeds had just enough time for the hair on their bodies to begin standing on end at the sight when a breeze whipped up behind them and into the grove. Six piles of undergrowth then twisted around and stood up focusing their yellow eyed glair on the group.

“T… timber wolves.” Reeds gasps in alarm. “Why are they here now of all times?”

“Their looking right at us…” Thorns mutters nervously. Looking over his shoulder, Thorns asks a young stallion behind him a question. “Hound Speaker… kid can you please do something about them.”

Hound Speaker reluctantly steps in front of the group on shaky legs his ears zipping between one low snarl to the next. The vocalizations of two in particular really seemed to frighten Hound Speaker a lot.

The first was male timber wolf with skin like birch. His low growl made Hound cast a glance his way for a handful of seconds, but when a female with mossy bark snarls loudly Hound jumps and put his full attention on her.

“We… we are…. We’re not really hurting the trees. The sap we… we collect… is only what is needed to fill our buckets. Just this one time of year before the frost sets in.” Hound Speaker stutters in a hasty reply.

To Thorns and Reeds horror the timber wolf pack perked up in surprise at Hound Speaker’s words and quickly took up aggressive postures directing menacing fanged snarls right at them.

A large timber wolf, poison sumac vines entwined in his oak bark snarls something unmistakably angry sounding at Hound Speaker.

“I… I am… certain that my gift is rare in understanding what you’re saying.” Hound Speaker gulps.

The sumac covered wolf stalks closer to Hound Speaker causing Reeds and Thorns to move in behind Hound.

The large alpha, a Timber wolf with willow vine mane, growls something that even Thorns and Reeds find so commanding that they almost missed the previous wolf’s advance.

Using the alpha as a distraction, the sumac covered wolf slips a wooden claw into Hound Speaker’s mane just behind the head and flashes a vicious fanged snarl at Thorns and Reeds.

The sumac coved wolf sniffs the back of Hound Speaker’s mane and his features harden. The wolf proceeds to growl something right into Hound Speaker’s ear.

“Hound… Do not make any sudden moves.” Thorns meekly orders gazing into the timber wolf’s eyes as he and Reeds freeze in place each with a hoof on Hound’s back.

“Hound Speaker…” Hound Speaker replies in a cold sweet to his wolf captor.

The sumac covered wolf snarls again into Hound’s ear and digs his claw into Hound’s neck. Hound Speaker blanches in shock at whatever it was the wolf had said.

A menacing and commanding howl later by the alpha causes the sumac covered wolf to flinch and his grip to loosen just enough to pull Hound Speaker free. Reeds forces her limp and shaken companion on to Thorns’s back as the pair bolt for town the sound of a newly arriving train being their guide in their escape.

Author's Note:

Kelly is not coping well as Hound Speaker it seems even as she tries unwittingly to fit in. Fear for her sister is bleeding into her ponysona. What is up with Maple Village? The mayor and a few others are up to something large with the strange calligraphy bricks and the supply runs to the caves of Deep Lake.

Next time the Lunaverse mane 6 will be dragged into Maple Village's mystery.