Chapter 38
Cal,
If you do nothing else in your chambers and if you believe nothing else, believe that your people still need you to read Celestia’s will. To read signs.
Do you still read signs? When last I saw you, seven sunrises ago, you were still anointed with the ashes of the glare, so I must believe you do, but now you have kept to your room for so long, I would not be surprised if you leave it as Caldesseia of Fall’s Gambit instead of Summer’s Tempest, your fire changed.
I ask about signs because none of your windows face west. You should hear Winterwatch’s words on what they saw before dawn today. The great glare moved as it has never moved before, Cal. I do not know how to understand the rest, the fire. You know my belief has never been strong, and these days it is beyond shaken. It is lost. Still I think these are omens.
You must come out. You must speak to the people you are meant to Guide. There is still fighting, but with the heron gone, the anger has left as well. Now, people are taken with a great sadness. They are lost.
Won’t you come out? If you will not see me, if you feel betrayed by me, at least see the others.
Finally, Winterwatch also reported a shadow moving among the lowest passes, one they said belongs to no beast they know. One that moves like kin, but none forage the slopes.
None know what this means. You must at least suspect something. What is brewing, Cal?
-V
Sunlight hit Rainbow Dash right in the face, turning the world red past her eyelids. Bright light and uncomfortable heat woke her up, but the dull, throbbing pain all over her body robbed her of any illusion that she lay in bed. She lay on her back, in fact, and something poked her in the side.
Her head was still attached to her body, though. Good start, Dash thought, having a very vague feeling that this was something non-obvious she should be thankful for. She opened her mouth to take a deeper breath, and a lance of pure, white-hot ow shot along her jawline. She hissed in pain and tried to bring a hoof up to touch her snout, but she couldn’t. Her legs didn’t respond. She tried her wings, too, but nothing moved.
Her heart beating a little faster, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She had to know what the damage was, and waiting wouldn’t do her any favours.
As far as she could tell, Dash lay upside-down in a tangle of particularly thick, bright-green ferns. The root from a nearby tree jabbed her in the side, and her hindlegs and her wings disappeared into the mess of greenery. She turned her head around as best as she was able, every second, every heartbeat hammering on the side of her skull. She was right above the ground in the middle of a patch of jungle like any other. Being upside-down didn’t help her headache much, either. Rainbow Dash rocked her body back and forth, grunting in pain whenever the root scraped against her side.
“Come on,” Dash muttered. “Come on. Let me go you stupid plaAAugh!”
Rainbow Dash crashed to the ground. Another round of pain. Though the fall was barely half her height, she was now fully aware of the existence of every single part of her body. Because it all hurt. She staggered up on all fours, grinning despite it all. If her wings and legs hurt, that meant they were still attached.
She looked back over her body, forcing her wings to respond, to spread and shake loose the last branches and leaves. Two out of two wings. All I need, she thought, taking a deep, stinging breath. Her head and her muzzle hurt worst of all, and if she focused on that, if she concentrated all of her annoyance on the hammering headache and the burning pain in her muzzle, her wings didn’t even hurt that bad. She shook her head to make that exact point, chuckling to herself as she was rewarded her with a flare of pain, but her laughter was cut short.
Dash had shaken her head from side to side, but something felt wrong. Extra wrong. She should have felt her mane against her back. She should’ve seen it. Grunting with effort, Rainbow Dash turned her head as much as she was able, reaching up to touch.
The back part of her mane was definitely shorter than it had been, and the ends of her hairs were hard. Burnt. Right. Because of the firestorm and stuff. I guess I was in there, she mused. She didn’t feel much at the time, and she could still see her bangs when she looked up, so the important bits were all there. Whatever, then. Dash shook her wings out again and looked up. Her saddlebags hung from a branch by the next tree over, and she had wasted enough time when she already knew her body worked.
Flying took effort, but she managed. Rainbow Dash flew over to retrieve her saddlebags, noting that they were a little singed but otherwise fine. They had spilled their contents onto the ground below, and some animals had made a snack of the food she carried. Nothing to do about that. Dash strapped the saddlebags on and stuffed it with the two silken dresses, the half-full bag of water, and the map—all the stuff she had left in her bags.
Almost all the stuff. Dash stared at the foreign object that remained on the ground. At first she had thought it must be a rock, but when she poked it, it was far, far too light to be any kind of rock she knew. It had to have come from her pack, but what was it? Rainbow Dash leaned close and sniffed it. No smell. She glanced left and right, then gave the thing a furtive lick.
“Okay. I’m still standing. So… not poison,” Dash said out loud. “But—oh. Oh. Oh ew.” Dash kicked the calcified sandwich away and shuddered, sticking out her tongue.
Of course, if that particular piece of nastiness had fallen out—
Dash’s breath caught. She yanked the dresses and evertyhing else out of the saddlebags and stared into one, then the other. Nothing. No sign of the other stuff she’d dumped in her saddlebags before she left. No sign of one particular item. She looked left, right, up and down, eyes darting about the nearby trees frantically until she finally spotted a blue loop hanging from a tiny branch right next to where the saddlebags had hung.
Rainbow Dash flew back up, gingerly bit down on the tailband, and tucked it away at the bottom of her saddlebags before she repacked them and took to the air once more, heading up high.
She didn’t want to lose that tailband, but she couldn’t stand to think about it either. She didn’t have to consider the tailband, she realised with some relish. They were still in danger. Dash couldn’t stop to think about what she “should” or “shouldn’t” do. She had to push them all to their limits if they were to get out of this with their feathers intact, and yesterday was proof of that.
She pierced the canopy and paused right above the treetops. She thought they’d fought Yelgadar yesterday, at least. How long had she been out? The sun was high in the sky above, full daylight streaming down on her, and for once, there was a pleasant breeze that made flying a little easier even if her battered body protested the notion. She had no way of telling which day it was.
A quick glance about told Rainbow Dash that she wasn’t where she expected to be. She was far, far further to the east than she should be, close enough to the Morrowsworn’s side of the Cauldron that the mountains loomed oppressive. She thought she could see a bare patch of earth to the far south-west, but if that wasn’t the impact site way over there, no evidence of yesterday remained. Maybe it wasn’t ‘tomorrow’ now. Maybe it was next week, or next year, the jungle swallowing all that had happened.
Rainbow Dash turned in a slow circle, trying to find anything familiar, but nothing stood out to her. Just jungle. Endless jungle and mountains that would take days or weeks to get to—except to the east. The near east was familiar with its lower passes, but if they were near the Morrowsworn village and their goal, where were Rarity and Fluttershy? There was no ‘they’. Right now, there was only Rainbow Dash. A single she.
An icy lump formed in Dash’s throat, her ears drooping. Had they gone on without her? No! Of course not. They wouldn’t—would they? Rainbow Dash’s eyes stung as she tried to force her heart to shut up, to stop hammering quite so loud. She didn’t need to panic right now. She really needed not to panic now. She needed to think, but she couldn’t, a blanket of white nothingness descending over her. Even if Rarity and Fluttershy hadn’t left, even if today was today, how would they find each other in this vast place? Her mouth felt dry, her vision clouded—and then she spotted the light.
Barely visible in the incandescent sunlight covering the jungle, a blue-white light pierced the dense jungle not too far to the south. Rainbow Dash rubbed at her eyes, blinked and stared breathlessly, waiting until the light pulsed again before she decided it was real.
Of course. A light, just like Dash had told Rarity to make. Because Rainbow Dash was the smartest, most awesome pony ever. Dash took a shuddering breath and wiped her snout with the nook of a leg, biting back a grunt of pain as she touched it. She pumped her wings as hard as she could, flying straight for the guiding light.
The last pulse of light had been close, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell exactly where. The jungle was unusually dense here. She was pretty sure they were closer to the Morrowsworn town than they’d ever been since the first night after they fled, but she couldn’t say for sure. Whatever, Dash thought. She could think about that later. Right now, she needed another light. She needed to be right about this. She needed the light to be Rarity and Fluttershy. A few minutes ago, she’d adopted the standard pegasus search pattern, flying in slowly expanding circles.
“I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” Rarity’s voice drifted from the jungle below. Dash arrested her flight at once.
“Try again, please?” said Fluttershy’s softer tones. “I can fly you up above the trees in a little bit, I think.”
Rainbow Dash turned around and shot off towards the sound.
“Absolutely not! You need rest, or your wings will be seriously hurt, even I can tell as much,” Rarity said. “Darling, I’m doing my best, but this much light is exhausting. If we wait for night, it’ll be a lot easier to see even from down here.”
“We can’t wait!” said Fluttershy, a little louder, her voice firm. “Rarity, she’ll be scared. I’m scar—”
Rainbow Dash crashed through the canopy in a puff of leaves. She miscalculated slightly, a leg hitching on a branch. The world spun around and around until finally she hit the ground, flopping onto the dirt back-first, her teeth rattling with the impact.
“Rainbow Dash!” said two familiar voices in unison.
Rarity and Fluttershy sat over by a large tree, but they were up on all fours in a second, running towards her, and Rainbow Dash barely managed to stand before Fluttershy collided with her, knocking her back over again, wrapping her forelegs around her neck. A moment later, Rarity hugged around her as well.
“We were so worried!” Fluttershy said, breathless. “I was worried we’d never see you again!
“Darling, don’t you dare do something so utterly idiotic ever again!” Rarity snapped, squeezing her tight.
Rainbow Dash didn’t bother protesting or defending herself. She didn’t tell Fluttershy that her wings hurt. And her neck. And everywhere else the other mares touched against as they held her tight in a crushing hug. She just closed her eyes and breathed slowly for a long minute. Better than to open her mouth and say something stupid. Something stupid and true. Like admit how scared she had been herself.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, her voice tinged with fear. “You’re not hurt, are you?” She let go, pulled back, and shuffled her wings nervously while she looked down at the floored pegasus.
“She looks alright,” said Rarity, letting go as well. “Can you speak, dear?”
The unicorn looked harrowed, her eyes rimmed with red, and Rainbow Dash could tell Fluttershy was tired as well. Casually, she noted a few more missing feathers in Fluttershy’s wings, and her tail was singed just like Dash’s mane. Clearly, Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only one who’d had a tough time—but they were all still here. Dash sighed and reached out, pulling Fluttershy and Rarity back down on top of her.
“I’m alright,” Dash murmured. “And I have the best friends ever.” A helpless laugh bubbled up and escaped her mouth. “Rarity, did you see my girlfriend fly? I have the best girlfriend ever.”
“Yes dear, I saw,” Rarity retorted, giggling into her ear. “I was on her back.”
“I’ve never seen you fly like that before,” Dash said, grinding her bruised snout against Fluttershy’s coat. “I keep saying that. And it’s true every time. You rock.”
Fluttershy laughed and cried all at once, a snort, a giggle and a sob rolled into one, and Dash felt something wet against the top of her head. Snot in her mane probably. If that wasn’t love, Dash didn’t know what was. Rainbow Dash laughed as loud as she ever had, wrapping her wings around her friends, relishing in the shared warmth, the touch, the memory of all they had done together so far, and the knowledge that whatever else they had to do to get back home, there was no stopping them.
The fact that the heat was gentler today than it had been any other day in the Cauldron was just a bonus. Never one to turn down a gift, Rainbow Dash didn’t mind, but she honestly didn’t need the mild breeze that carried through the jungle, rustling leaves.
Fluttershy and Rarity had the camp set up as the ponies usually made it, this time right next to a stream that provided fresh water. The tarp was tied to branches above, providing generous shade, and their blanket was folded double for comfortable seating. Rainbow Dash nuzzled in between Fluttershy’s feathers, doing the best she could to put her wings in order while a free hoof touched her leg just because she could. Because she wanted to. Today, touching was good. The feeling of Fluttershy’s coat-hairs underhoof was nearly as good as the satisfaction of righting and cleaning her feathers.
“In all seriousness,” Rarity said. “We could do with less… fleeing from mortal peril, I feel.” Dash felt a tug on her mane as Rarity’s backup shears cut away more of the burnt tips.
“Bhf wfh—” Dash began, letting go of one of Fluttershy’s primaries. “But we’re getting so good at it!”
“Yes, well, even if we’re building up expertise in that particular field, it is never going to be my personal favourite pastime, so I feel like we should try to avoid it,” Rarity said clicking her tongue. “If only for the sake of what remains of your mane. I’m having to style the back of your neck very short.”
“I like it,” Fluttershy said, leaning forwards to get a better look to Dash’s other side. She smiled.
“Yeah? I guess it looks good,” said Dash, grinning.
“Darling, I haven’t even brought out a mirror yet,” Rarity said.
“Don’t need to,” Dash said, laughing. “Whatever, but hey, thanks.”
“You hardly need to thank me. I’m doing us all a service. Burnt mane smells awful.”
“Huh. I guess. I haven’t smelled anything in a while. I think my snout is taking a break,” Dash admitted. Fluttershy frowned with concern.
“You really shouldn’t have overexerted yourself like that, Rainbow Dash. That didn’t almost go wrong, it did go wrong,” Fluttershy said. “And it’s a miracle that you’re not more badly hurt—ouch!”
“Feather was bent. Had to go,” Dash muttered. “And come on, we all had to get a little bit stupid to get out of that pickle. How are your wings, huh?”
Fluttershy folded her ears but said nothing.
“Just admit that my tornado was cool and I’ll admit it was stupid,” Dash offered, grinning as she ran her teeth along a feather, spitting out a leaf. “Stupid and cool go hoof in hoof together half the time.”
“It was a fountain of flame, dear,” Rarity said. “That is not ‘cool’, that is absurd, ridiculous, and a host of other things besides, none of which are good!”
Fluttershy chewed on her bottom lip, clearly fighting back a smile.
“I… liked that it didn’t set everything on fire, because it funneled all of the flame into the air, so I don’t think that it hurt any animals or anything,” Fluttershy said, her wing shifting a bit, forcing Dash to move a hoof to keep her from closing it. “That was nice. And it was very impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a single pony ever starting a full-force tornado before.”
“Mm-hm,” said Dash, surfacing from her feathery work. “So, ‘nice’ and ‘impressive’. Add those together, and you get ‘cool’. Thanks!” She laughed. “And yeah. It was totally crazy and I’m never ever doing that again because I probably shouldn’t still have wings.”
“Thank goodness,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.
“That is all I wanted to hear,” said Rarity, tousling Dash’s mane with her magic before she got up and moved to the other side of the blanket. “All done. Let me see if I can’t do the same to your tail, Fluttershy.”
“Hey, while we’re talking about crazy, and if we’re done being amazed at how fast Fluttershy flew—which we’re not,” said Dash, grinning wide at the blush on Fluttershy’s cheeks. “What about you, little miss parrying beams of lava or whatever the hay that was?”
“Oh please,” said Rarity, wiping her shears off on a tuft of grass while she sat down behind Fluttershy. “It’s—”
“Nuh-uh,” Dash interrupted her.
“No?” Rarity asked, frowning.
“When you go ‘oh please’, you’re about to tell us why something awesome you did isn’t awesome, and you’re wrong,” said Dash, poking Fluttershy to signal she was done with the one wing, moving over to her girlfriend’s other side. “You were amazing!”
“She’s right, you know,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head slightly. “You’re usually good at accepting praise, but you’ve been very careful about it while we’ve been away from Equestria. You can’t really say that this was something every unicorn could do. Um, if that is what you were about to say.”
The stymied unicorn said nothing at first, bringing her shears to bear shortening Fluttershy’s tail further by cutting away burnt bits while she chewed on her cheek.
“Well,” she said. “I suppose… I am starting to see some, hm… some common elements in magic, if you wish. I’ve seen a few other species’ magic, and perhaps a unicorn with an appreciation for details and a keen awareness of patterns sees some things that others may not.” Rarity shrugged, turning her eyes upon Rainbow Dash, then Fluttershy, giving each of them a long look. “Just like how one sees complexities within ponies that may not be immediately obvious. Similarities and differences and their… interplay—and how wonderful it can be.”
“And that’s how you turned away the scary fire chicken's magic,” Dash said, staring deadpan at her.
“Hm? Oh! Yes. In the same way you create a tornado by ‘going really fast’,” said Rarity with a smirk. “Whatever that fire was, it was also magic, and I couldn’t snuff it out like I did with the peryton antlers. Yeldagar’s magic was much, much too strong, but I could turn it away. I can’t put it into words better than that.” She tilted her head a touch. “I doubt I could tell even Twilight exactly, because I don’t believe I know any terminology for… for the way the magic is shaped when it doesn’t involve a horn.”
“I think it sounds very impressive anyway,” said Fluttershy, smiling over her back at the unicorn.
“I suppose it is,” Rarity replied, her eyes on Fluttershy’s tail as she worked, a faint but easy smile on her muzzle. Rainbow Dash buried herself in Fluttershy’s innermost, softest feathers, half to check up on them, half just for the way they tickled her face. Fluttershy giggled and shook her wing slightly.
“The bigger question is, of course, what would have happened if I hadn’t,” Rarity went on.
Dash looked up at her between soft yellow feathers. “Uh, fire bad? I know you’ve had roasted marshmallows. You know how fire works, right?”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Yes, dear, but don’t you remember what Odasthan said? He said he doubted Yelgadar’s fire could burn us.”
“Sure. That’s why you’re not fixing Fluttershy’s tail, which wasn’t burnt at all,” said Dash. “That’s sarcasm, by the way,” she quickly added.
“Of course I observed the same things you do, for goodness’ sake, Rainbow,” said Rarity with a sigh. “I just… wonder. He didn’t strike me as a liar at all. Everything Odasthan said that we could verify has been true.”
“‘Everything we can verify’ hasn’t been a lot yet,” said Fluttershy, her brow knit in a faint frown. “But… he was very nice to us, so I don’t think he would lie, either. I’m glad we didn’t get hit by the fire anyway because I don’t think I’d like to take a chance with something like that. I’m okay not knowing, honestly.”
“Yeah, seriously,” Dash said, spitting out a piece of a leaf and gently wiping her muzzle. “I’m all for games and trying your luck and stuff, but I wouldn’t want to gamble with something like that.”
Rarity nodded. “Nor I, obviously, but it makes you wonder doesn’t it?”
“No,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head briskly. She smiled. “It really doesn’t, but that’s okay.”
Rainbow Dash nosed two feathers apart and pulled back to give her work a look. All of Fluttershy’s feathers were in alignment, even though she’d lost more than a few, and they were all as clean as they could be. Dash patted her wing and gave it a push. “Alright, all good. Your turn,” said Dash. She turned her side to Fluttershy, spreading her left wing just as Fluttershy turned to face her, giving the other pegasus mare a faceful of feathers. Fluttershy pushed Dash’s wing down a touch, giving her a blank look.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Your turn! Let’s switch. I did your feathers, now you do mine,” said Dash, cocking a brow. “What, is that a problem?”
Fluttershy smiled wide and shook her head. “Of course not,” she replied, shuffling a little further away to buy herself some space, and Rainbow Dash held her wing steady at a good height for the taller mare.
Fluttershy might not be great at preening, but so what? The worst thing that could happen was that she’d do a poor job, and Dash would have to fix it herself. Until then, Dash could relish the feeling of her girlfriend nuzzling into her wing, seeking feathers to coddle. Rainbow Dash’s eyes closed of their own accord when she felt Fluttershy’s hot breath against the base of her wing, giddy with anticipation.
“So, what do we do now?” Rarity asked.
“What?” Dash asked. A tug at one of her feathers. A touch against one of her wing-bones. Fluttershy’s snout was pleasantly cool.
“Plans, dear,” Rarity said. “According to Fluttershy’s estimations, we are close to the Morrowsworn town.”
“Mm. We’re almost there, I guess,” Dash murmured. “That’s cool.”
“Excepting that our plan isn’t very detailed at all, and we’re at the point where we need to make some choices,” the unicorn said, insistent. Fluttershy’s ministrations ceased, a hoof holding Dash’s wing up now.
“Who needs a plan?” Dash asked, batting Fluttershy’s neck with her wing, wanting her to get back to preening. “We just beat this big flaming bird, no problem! We’ll just punch through the town, or fly over it too fast for them to follow, or try to go around it or something, I don’t know!”
“Getting away from Yelgadar wasn’t exactly no problem. I don’t know how well I can fly right now, I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, shifting her wings on her back. “And Rarity, you said the magic makes you tired.”
“No, I say that doing it tires me, but I recover quick enough,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned about poor Rainbow Dash, who—”
“I’m fine,” Dash snorted.
“—who looks like she’s rolled down several mountains and been stomped on by a herd of angry hydras,” Rarity concluded. “Darling, if you’re feeling good, I’m glad, but how is your flying?”
Rainbow Dash flicked her ears. “I’m awesome. Pretty much the best, thanks for asking,” she said, staring back at Rarity deadpan. “Yeah, yeah, okay, you’re right, fine. I probably can’t do much either. I can still fly, but no way am I crossing any mountains. You’re right. We’re no closer to leaving the Cauldron than we were when we got here. Heh, bet I can still beat any of those dumb peryton in a race though.”
“We’ve explored some other options,” said Rarity. “Options that didn’t really work out, certainly, but we couldn’t know that ahead of time. Now we know that we have to go east. That’s a form of progress.”
“And we’ve given the Morrowsworn a little time to maybe… calm down?” Fluttershy added. “I don’t know if I feel like trying to talk to them without having a way to escape, but…”
“I guess that’s something,” said Rainbow Dash, feeling a little better about their situation. “Huh. Yeah, that’s actually really good. No way will they think we’re still around now! We’ll catch them by surprise!” She poked Fluttershy with her wing again, but Fluttershy simply rested a foreleg against it, clearly still more interested in thinking than preening.
“But neither of us can fly very well right now,” said Fluttershy. “That means we’ll either have to wait until we feel better—”
“Waiting,” said Rainbow Dash, letting her disgusted tone say exactly how she felt about that word, and that idea.
“—and then try to sneak through to the slopes of the mountains, either by making a big circle around, or by flying over the town at night, maybe,” Fluttershy continued. “We don’t know what they’ll do. If they chase us, we have to hope we can keep going until they give up. The only other option I can think of is that we sneak in and see if we can find the tunnel they took us in through.” She rubbed a hoof along the edge of Dash’s wing absentmindedly.
“Yeah, no, waiting is the worst. I vote ‘no’ on waiting,” said Dash. “I veto it. That’s like a double vote.”
“So it is subterfuge, then,” Rarity declared, exhaling loudly. “Sneaking and skulking in the shadows. Perfect. We’ve already acted as brutes, and now we are to become trespassing burglars. Ah well, I think I prefer it to trying to simply fly over or run through their township yelling at the top of our lungs. As I recall, the tunnel wasn’t very far away from the town.”
“Nah. It was a short walk. It’s probably in the hills. Remember the rock with their prison?” Dash asked.
“Their prison, and also their storage shed, evidently,” Rarity said with an arch look.
“Aren’t prisons really kinda just storage sheds?” Dash asked, scratching her head. “For people?”
Rarity frowned. “Why are you looking at me when you ask? I told you I’ve no prior experience with imprisonment!”
Fluttershy cleared her throat. “The one time I flew up to look for you earlier this morning, I thought I saw more crags and hills, so I guess the terrain around their town is a little—”
“I’m looking at you because we were talking, jeez,” said Dash, rolling her eyes.
“—a little different,” Fluttershy continued. “I think I have an idea, actually. Um. Girls?”
Rarity huffed. “Well, at any rate, I don’t think that comparison has much merit. Maybe the Morrowsworn treated us terribly, but I’ll have you know that Hoofington Correctional, for instance, is a very well-run facility, and ponies are treated with respect and care there. You only really have to visit to show you’re following the program, you know. They’re not locked in like we were.”
“Rarity? Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked.
“Uh-huh,” said Dash, raising a brow. “And you know this because…”
“Because I have a friend who once made a mistake! Good heavens, Rainbow Dash, will you stop with this interrogation?” Rarity asked, raising her voice a tad.
“Girls?” Fluttershy asked, sighing. “Are you listening? We were talking about the plan?”
“It’s not an interrogation!” Dash said. “You’re the one being defensive! I believe you if you say you have a ‘friend’—”
“I can hear those air quotes, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said, pointing a dire hoof at Dash, who couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore.
“I’m not doing air quotes! My hooves are on the ground!” Dash said, chortling.
“I said I canhear them, not see—”
“Girls!” Fluttershy shouted. Dash winced and Rarity shut up mid-sentence.
“My apologies, dear,” Rarity said.
“I was listening,” Dash said, flicking an ear. “You said you had a plan?”
“Yes,” said Fluttershy, nodding quickly. “The problem is that we don’t really know the area. I don’t even think we could find the town again—or maybe we’d just walk right into it, and then we’d be in trouble. Maybe we could ask for help from a friend? Earlier this morning, Rarity and I met someone who lives nearby, and I’m sure he’d be happy to help.”
Dash tilted her head. She’d given up on getting Fluttershy to take an interest in her wing again. “And when you say someone, you mean...”
“Oh,” said Rarity. “The cat. He seemed pleasant, his very sudden appearance aside.”
Fluttershy smiled wide. “He was pleasant, wasn’t he? And so cuddly!” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Loper is a green-spotted puma, and this is his territory. He’s very nice to let us share it with him, so be sure to say thank you.”
“O-kay?” Dash said. “Uh. Cool? What’s he gonna do?”
“Deep-jungle pumas are expert stalkers,” said Fluttershy. “They’re very good at sneaking and walking unseen. I think he really scared poor Rarity when he came by.”
“He didn’t come by so much as he just appeared in that tree,” Rarity said with a scowl. “Still, I can see how he might be very useful. A guide, of sorts—if we can find him again, that is.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll come see us again when we start moving,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe it would be best if we wait until it gets dark. We could see if we can find Loper, and then sneak east to see what we can find? We probably don’t want to stay close to the city, though, so maybe we should try to get back out before it gets light out again—I don’t know. I’m, um, just thinking, I guess.”
“Just thinking?” Dash asked, frowning for a split second. “I like it. This sounds good, seriously. This is great stuff, Fluttershy!”
Rarity nodded. “I agree. I think this sounds like a solid plan. A good start, at least. Of course, this all hinges upon finding this puma again, but if you’re convinced you can do that, then I believe we know exactly what to do.”
Fluttershy blushed a tad and ducked her head in thanks, finally turning her attention to preening Rainbow Dash again. “I’m sure.”
“Then all we have to do is wait and nap,” said Dash, very much okay with that bit of the plan. “Huh. In and out again without being seen. Rarity, you could learn a thing or two from Fluttershy if you’re going to do illegal stuff without being caught and put in jai—ow!” Dash winced, and Fluttershy spat out a feather.
“Sorry. It was bent. It had to come out,” said Fluttershy, smiling sheepishly, trading a quick glance and a smile with Rarity, who mouthed a wordless thanks to Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash grumped and folded her ears, annoyed for all of half a second before she felt Fluttershy’s hoof against her side and her muzzle going to work righting, cleaning and stroking her feathers again.
“I was joking,” Dash muttered. “Besides, I got more community service hours for foals’ ‘misdemeanours’ growing up in Cloudsdale than anypony in the town’s history.”
“Misdemeanours?” Rarity repeated.
“Yeah, it’s not called ‘property damage’ until you’re an adult,” Dash said, grinning. “I even dragged Fluttershy into some of—ow! Fluttershy!”
“You have a lot of crooked feathers,” said Fluttershy. “Sorry.”
Rainbow Dash fell asleep at some point, and she wished she hadn’t. The sensation of Fluttershy ruffling, nuzzling and nibbling her feathers, combined with the for-once-pleasant heat of the day made her eyelids heavy. She woke once to Fluttershy moving over to her other wing, and the next time she opened her eyes, she felt rested, and it was a little darker out. Afternoon.
At first she thought both Rarity and Fluttershy were asleep at her side, but the other pegasus mare’s eyes fluttered opened and found Dash’s own.
“Oh, you’re awake,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her.
“Yeah. I could nap a bit more if that’s alright,” Dash said, yawning.
“Mm, we should probably wait until it’s dark,” said Fluttershy, covering her muzzle as she shared the infectious yawn. She scratched at one foreleg with the other and sighed. “I really hope this works out.”
“Of course it’ll work,” said Dash, leaning over to rub the side of her head against her. She really wished her muzzle would get better so she could use it properly.
“I think so. I hope so,” Fluttershy repeated, resting her head atop Dash’s. “It almost feels like we’re home already, just a little bit. I feel like I could sleep forever.” She giggled. “Maybe I could join you for a nap at your place. Would that be okay?”
Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh, trying to not wake Rarity. “Yeah, but only if we can go to your cottage first. Some really sugary ice-tea and a pre-nap nap on your couch. Deal?”
“Deal,” said Fluttershy, still laughing as well. They sat like that for a moment, and before long, Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy’s breathing get a little louder, steadier. She was asleep again. Rainbow Dash spread a wing and turned her head a little, meaning to check up on Fluttershy’s work. She was too comfortable right now propping up her sleeping girlfriend’s head, but at the very least she could check what she’d need to do later to get her feathers in order.
Nothing, apparently. When the hay had Fluttershy gotten so good at preening? Had she always known how to align feathers, turn their bases and get to the hard-to-reach places? Probably. Equally probably, Dash had been silly not to realise. She shrugged. The need to get back to sleep was more pressing right now. More comfortable. Dash draped one of her wings around Fluttershy’s neck, rested the other one atop Rarity, and closed her eyes again.
“If and when we get out of this mess,” Rarity remarked while meticulously folding their blanket, pausing for a second to grab a quick drink of water. “I expect it will take weeks to get used to a regular sleeping schedule again.”
“You know what’ll help? Not having super-short days because of these dumb mountains,” Dash said, biting down on the strap securing her saddlebags and pulling it tight. It felt weird not to have an ohron any more, but as far as she could remember, she just had an empty water-bag in the neck-bag she lost during the chase. Rarity put the blanket on top of her back, lighting her horn to scan their campsite for anything they might’ve missed.
“Without a doubt,” said Rarity.
Rainbow Dash grimaced at the light coming off Rarity’s horn. “Uh, Rarity? You might want to not do the light thing tonight. We’re kinda trying to be stealthy?”
Rarity frowned. “If I don’t see where I’m going, I could hurt myself, or worse, step in something unpleasant.”
“Yeah, and if the Morrowsworn see where we’re going, the jig’s up before we’ve, uh… started… jigging? C’mon, Rarity!” said Dash. The unicorn sighed and nodded, her horn winking out.
“There,” she said, blinking rapidly. “Well. This is going to be unpleasant. At least it hides the fact that I’m wearing this horrendous dress-thing. Fluttershy, dear? Which way to your little cat-friend?”
“Oh, he’s already here,” said Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash turned around, and sure enough, a few strides away, a large, stocky cat lay draped along a thick branch low above the ground, with Fluttershy sat right beneath, all geared up and ready to go. The puma didn’t look very green-spotted to Dash’s eyes. His coat was a deep, dark orange with spots that were darker still. The big cat’s tail swung back and forth, batting against Fluttershy’s head.
“Rainbow Dash, meet Loper. Loper, this is Rainbow Dash. She’s my girlfriend,” said Fluttershy, her smile wide and her eyes seeming to sparkle in the scant moonlight.
“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. A stray few butterflies milled about her stomach. The sooner they got back to Ponyville so Fluttershy could tell that to everypony, the better. “Nice to meet you.”
“Do you want to show us where to go, please?” Fluttershy asked.
The puma made a low rumble, an oversized purr from an oversized cat, and jumped down to the ground making no sound at all. He turned over his shoulder and let out a low yowl, ducked under some plants, and headed east into the jungle. Fluttershy trotted after him, and exchanging quick glances, Rainbow Dash and Rarity followed in turn.
The jungle was more dense here than it’d been anywhere else except maybe right in Odasthan’s wake, but the puma kept a high pace, and Fluttershy didn’t seem inclined to tell him to slow down. At times, Fluttershy trotted. Sometimes she cantered. In the rare spaces where the trees were far apart and they had to cross a clearing, the puma dashed across, and Fluttershy launched into a brief full gallop.
At first, Rainbow Dash didn’t really understand how this was supposed to be sneaky. Simply keeping tabs on Fluttershy and the puma took much of her attention, but the ponies were definitely not stealthy. At times they crashed through undergrowth in their attempts to keep up, and even at the best of times, their passage was marked by a constant rustle—and then they stopped. Their puma-guide lay down close to the ground, and Fluttershy did the same. Dash had no idea what was going on, but she followed suit, folding her legs under her body, as low and close to the ground as she could get.
Rarity had lain next to her for a good minute when she turned to Rainbow Dash, opening her mouth as though to speak. Rarity caught on the inhale when they heard a faint noise that stood out amidst bird-calls and insect sounds. Up ahead, past Fluttershy and Loper, a faint shadow passed between the trees. Dash thought she saw a tail. Another puma, jaguar, or whatever else? A minute later, the puma and Fluttershy moved on, and Rainbow Dash followed.
“What on earth was that about?” Rarity asked in an exaggerated whisper when they cantered through the bushes again. “Local animal politics?”
“No idea,” Dash replied when Fluttershy said nothing. “Probably? I don’t know or care, but hey, one thing’s for sure. I’m gonna trust that puma when it comes to being sneaky.”
They ran when he ran, they stopped when he stopped. Rainbow Dash had no idea for how long they kept this up, but her legs, still sore from the crash, ached by the time they slowed down. For a while, their pace cut down to a walk at best. Now Fluttershy stopped up ahead. Dash couldn’t see the puma any more, but with how dense the jungle was right here, she wouldn’t be surprised if she stepped on him. She remembered the jungle being particularly thick around the Morrowsworn town.
“What’s up?” Dash whispered.
“He’s going to go scout ahead a little,” Fluttershy replied. “He says we’re getting closer to what he calls the ‘tall herd’s territory’.”
“That would be the peryton, no doubt,” Rarity suggested, and Fluttershy nodded.
“He said they have antlers, and that they build strange dens. It has to be the Morrowsworn.”
Dash tapped the ground in the relative silence. All this guessing and supposing was annoying enough, but they’d moved in darkness under the dense canopy for multiple forevers without seeing anything.
“Bit for your thoughts?” Fluttershy said, tilting her head.
“I’m thinking of checking up top,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing up.
“I don’t know that’s such a good idea if we’re trying to be sneaky and all,” Rarity whispered, giving Dash a dubious look.
“I’m just gonna fly up to the treetops, poke my head up. No way anyone’s gonna see that,” Dash retorted. “It’s a huge jungle!”
Fluttershy bit her lip, then nodded. “I’m sure that’s fine if you’re careful?”
Rainbow Dash didn’t need to be asked twice. Or get permission twice—which was kind of what it was. Right now, Fluttershy was acting flight leader. With a grin and a flush of heat at the thought, Dash took off, aiming for the treetops. She had to rein in her urge to punch through and soar off into the cool night air, and instead landed on a high branch, her wings working half-time to keep her steady on something that could never support her weight. She poked her head up, a little higher until she could get a clear look.
At nothing. Jungle as far as her eyes could see. The lowest passes were still a little further to the east, at the far edge of a mountainous cul-de-sac. Somewhere in the jungle before them lay the Morrowsworn town with nothing to betray it except the rocky spires and hills Dash associated with their first ‘visit’—but that terrain covered leagues upon leagues of the jungle to their east. Dash let herself drop back down to the ground just as the puma, Loper, stalked in from the far side of her friends.
“I got nothing,” said Dash, shaking her head. The puma stopped right in front of Fluttershy, yowling quietly and rumbling.
“Okay, the tall—um, I mean, the peryton town is very close now, he says,” said Fluttershy.
“Did you ask him if he knows where the cave is?” Dash asked.
“He rarely comes this close to the city, but I’ll ask. We should probably just go around, but, um… Trying to explain this in ways he understands is a little hard,” said Fluttershy, her ears wilting. She turned back to the puma. “We’re looking for a cave. It’s… probably south of the city, I think—”
The puma rumbled and leaned closer to Fluttershy, giving her cheek a lick. Fluttershy giggled and shook her head.
“—oh, no thank you. Really, it’s getting late, or early, so if we can’t find the cave, a safe way past the city would be nice, too. Maybe you can just take us east a little longer, and then we’ll go back?”
Loper turned around and slinked off into the brush.
“Okay,” Fluttershy whispered. “I think we’re going to go look for a way around? He says that we’re terrible stalkers, and that going too close to the slopes will get us seen, so we should stick to the jungle. Just try to be quiet.”
Stalking wasn’t Dash’s favourite. For every second they spent taking slow and careful steps, creeping around the trees, ferns, great-leafed bushes—and increasingly, rocky crags—for each such moment, they spent ten sitting completely still, and never once did they see anything. Still, Dash had to assume Fluttershy knew what she was doing. Or, she trusted that Fluttershy trusted the puma who remained out of sight half the time.
At some point, Rainbow Dash decided she wasn’t afraid anymore. Not that she had ever been afraid, of course, but playing these shadow games with their hearts in their throats was silly. What was more, there was no real reason to believe that there were any Morrowsworn in this jungle. Maybe they were far, far away from the town, and the puma just felt they were close. Maybe they had overestimated the peryton.
“Do you think they even have patrols?” Rainbow Dash asked in a low whisper. Again the puma had disappeared, leaving the ponies alone behind a rocky outcropping, and this time in particular he had been gone for quite a while.
“I don’t know,” Fluttershy replied, her face in shadow.
“‘Patrols’ are the sort of thing you expect at the palace grounds, not around a town,” Rarity whispered back.
“Exactly,” said Rainbow Dash. “We should have done this way sooner. They said they’re not ‘warriors’.”
“They were fierce enough when we tried to escape, mind you,” Rarity retorted. “Practically their entire town—”
“Shh,” said Fluttershy, pointing ahead. Dash saw lights dancing in the jungle. Four, maybe five. Distant chatter. When she squinted, she thought she could see more further away.
For a long while, the ponies sat completely still and quiet. The lights stayed distant, moving around, but never closer to them as far as Rainbow Dash could tell. She didn’t even move her wings, despite the way they itched—and now she was thinking about how they itched, making it way worse.
Finally the lights disappeared. Dash rustled her wings and let out a sigh. While she wasn’t exactly happy knowing that there were in fact peryton about, it sure beat out thinking that they’d spent hours sneaking around for nothing at all. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Rarity as a shadow snuck past her, Loper walking past her to sit by Fluttershy’s side.
“I’ll have you know my first response when something furry brushes against me unexpectedly is usually to scream,” Rarity whispered in an icy tone, but she received no reply. Fluttershy leaned closer to the puma and nodded, then peered skywards—and Dash could tell why. There was a faint tinge of red to the night sky. Dawn was imminent, at least past the mountains.
“Okay, we really need to start getting back. We should have turned back sooner. We can’t hide as well as you,” Fluttershy said, pausing when the puma purred. “What? Oh. Um, girls? There’s… apparently a cave right up ahead.”
“A cave?” Rarity asked, frowning. “Well, that doesn’t tell us much. While they mostly built houses from wood, at least as far as I recall, we knew they had at least two caves.”
“No way,” Dash replied in an urgent whisper. “There can’t be that many caves, and this can’t be the place they locked us up. That one’s in the middle of the city. This has to be the cave with the boats.”
“We know next to nothing of how this city looks,” Rarity countered, turning her snout up a tad.
“We really have no way of knowing,” said Fluttershy, hesitating. “We had bags over our heads when we were taken out, so we won’t even know if we see it.”
“Indeed,” Rarity said. “And from the looks of it, we’re running out of time. Perhaps we can come back tomorrow and try again? Surely your feline friend here can show us some good hiding spots that aren’t quite so far away. That way we’ll have more time tomorrow.”
“Right.” Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. “That’s a nice idea and all, but we don’t know what kind of creepy heron magic these guys have, either. Maybe they have a pony detector now! We’re taking risks any way you shake it. They could be closing in on us this second.” Dash hissed out the last word through clenched teeth for dramatic effect. She didn’t really put much stock in that herself, but it sure got the point across.
Rarity nodded, pursing her lips. “I see your point, dear, but I disagree. I think it’s best to turn back. I suspect you vote for us pushing on, hm?”
“I’m not voting,” Dash whispered. “Sure, I wanna go on, but it’s not my call. This was Fluttershy’s idea. She should decide.” It seemed pretty obvious to her. Sure, they had all worked together, but Fluttershy had taken the lead on this particular venture, a fact that still excited her.
Rarity shrugged and turned to Fluttershy. “Well, there we have it. I’d still say we turn back, and if this was a matter of votes, it is one vote against one, so either way it comes down to you, dear.”
“Me?” Fluttershy asked, eyes wide. She froze with one hoof on Loper’s head, stroking him like she would any cat. Fluttershy’s eyes flitted between Rainbow Dash and Rarity, before finally falling upon the puma.
“And in case you are about to ask,” Rarity added with a deadpan stare. “No. The cat doesn’t get a vote.”
“Oh,” said Fluttershy with a sigh, her ears wilting. “I don’t think he really cares either way.”
Rainbow Dash said nothing more, simply waiting. She swished her short tail back and forth—quietly and stealthy-like, of course—while Fluttershy stared past the bushes and ferns, her eyes dancing across a gap in the trees and the rocks that littered the dark jungle floor, towards where a moment ago there’d been dancing lights. She patted the puma on the side.
“Let’s go see what the cave is, at least,” whispered Fluttershy. “Sneaking through the jungle has worked so far. I’m sure we can go on a little longer and decide what to do when we find out what this cave is.”
Dash grinned. Her wings tingled pleasantly until she stretched them out—earning her a low-effort glare from Rarity, who caught a faceful of feathers.
“Do watch your wings,” Rarity shot. “And fine. Let’s be quick about it.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with it?” Fluttershy asked before she’d even taken a single step. Rarity shook her head and smiled.
“Of course dear, lead the way.”
Fluttershy nodded quickly and took off after Loper with Rarity and Rainbow Dash in close pursuit.
Rainbow Dash had expected a short walk, a look over the next hill or past what the rocky spire just ahead hid. Not so much. Either pumas had a different concept of time, or dawn fell upon them quicker than she had expected. Probably the latter, really. They hadn’t gone very far, it just felt far in all the haste.
Strictly speaking, dawn had barely broken, but this close to the eastern mountains, sunlight would find them fast. No longer did they have to watch their footing or mind the branches and roots in the absence of Rarity’s magical light.
More than once, Rainbow Dash wanted to mention that maybe they should head back—or better, hurry up—but their feline vanguard had his own method of going about things, and speed was not on his agenda. They waited to let a cluster of lights pass in the distance, and the next time they paused, the peryton passed closer than ever, now without needing antler-lights to find their way. Two stags crossed their path no more than twenty strides ahead of the group while they hid under a thick cluster of fronds.
“—season for barrel-root, soon,” said one.
“Any day, really, but without the Guide to tell the fall season prediction, it feels arbitrary,” said the other.
“Maybe, but when have we ever really listened to those predictions? They’re for tellers and planners. We pick as much as we need to.”
“Ha! If one thing stays the same whatever the others get up to, it is this. Koltares can say—”
“Please, let’s not even talk about that,” the first one groaned. “We’re no longer speaking to Therostos’ family because of that. He listens to the fool.”
“You would have us take Velysra’s words for truth?”
“In Celestia’s name, I would forage! Only food will keep this place together while they quarrel, so let’s keep our mind on task, dearest.”
The pair passed out of sight and out of hearing, the ponies exchanging quick glances before they were forced to run to keep up with Loper, their saddlebags and gear rustling and clinking with the sudden speed.
“I told myself I wouldn’t complain,” Rarity whispered urgently. “But I’m getting worried. It’s already morning!”
“He says it’s right over here,” Fluttershy replied, sounding a little worried herself. Rainbow Dash said nothing, keeping her head down. They ran straight across more than one thin little dirt path, and she thought she could see shadows to her right, indistinct shapes suggesting buildings, perhaps. A minute later, Dash was certain she could see the outline of a palisade wall, the jungle getting thinner and thinner—and then she lost sight of it again. Now they climbed, darting between two rocky spires similar to the one that had held their prison. Loper turned around suddenly and let out a rumbling purr, rubbing his head against Fluttershy’s leg to beg a scratch between his ears.
“Okay. Um, this… is it, I guess,” said Fluttershy. Just ahead of them, another dirt path snaked its way left and right, the left side winding through rocky terrain, out of sight not ten strides up and around a bend. The right side pointed down into the jungle, and Dash could only just see it widen, the dirt path studded with logs. “He says the tunnel is right up here,” Fluttershy added, pointing left. “But he doesn’t want to stay. If we want help getting back, we have to go now.”
“If we head back right now, what’s the point?” Dash asked. “We’ve got to check out what it’s like!”
“And make our way back without help?” Rarity did not look like she enjoyed that idea.
“The city is right over there,” said Dash, waving a leg. “We just go around, it can’t be that hard.”
Fluttershy sighed. “I don’t want to be the one who decides again. I don’t know what we should do, really, but we probably shouldn’t stay here.”
Rainbow Dash nodded her agreement. They had all the cover of sitting by the roadside in the middle of Ponyville hoping no one looked their way. If anyone came down the path, they would be in plain view.
“Okay, fine—”
“Let’s go have a look, then,” Rarity interrupted her.
“Wait, really?” Dash asked.
“We’ve done well so far, as Fluttershy has said, and if we go slowly on the way back, the Morrowsworn are hardly looking for us any more, and there are plenty of places to hide.” The unicorn shrugged. “Let us follow this trail and see whether it is the same cave, or if it’s another set of rooms stuffed full with vegetables, fruit jams, and random passers-by they’ve captured.”
Rainbow Dash grinned and nodded. “Alright. Sure, let’s go. Thanks for the help, Loper!”
“You’ve been ever so helpful. Tell your family we said hi,” said Fluttershy, patting him on the head.
“Yes, certainly. Thank you ever so much,” said Rarity, waving an awkward goodbye to the puma. The giant cat slinked away through the crags and the trees, disappearing in an instant, and Rainbow Dash wasted no time herself, leaping out onto the path and setting off through the rocky terrain.
Dash would have liked to say that the soft soil path felt familiar, or that she recognised the plants by its side, but she really didn’t. Crags rose up to either side for a brief moment, and Rainbow Dash had to marvel at how perfect the trail was for an ambush. Privately she imagined a million scenarios in which peryton jumped down from the low, overhanging cliffs by the dozens. Her heart beat a little faster, and she caught Rarity and Fluttershy both giving the ledges furtive glances, but no one came.
Mere minutes later, they came up on a sheer rock-face set in a particularly large cliff—a grain of sand to the true mountains, but plenty massive up close. The trail passed a tall, narrow portal of hewn stone. One branch of the trail continued, disappearing around a nearby bend and following what little plant-bearing soil there was, but to Dash’s mind, there was no point to looking further.
“This is it. This has to be it,” said Dash.
“I’m starting to feel like a broken record, dear, but we don’t know that,” said Rarity, frowning at the portal. “I will grant you that it looks… likely, though.”
“If the city is just down there,” said Fluttershy, “then I think it’s about the right distance, too, but it’s hard to tell. It felt like we walked forever with those horrible bags over our heads.” She pointed behind them, and Dash was surprised to realise that from up here, they could see the city.
Maybe it was the angle. It could also be how close they were, the shape and height of the trees that covered their city—perhaps all of those things, but Rainbow Dash clearly saw the signs of a town and its inhabitants to their south. Small shapes moved between buildings, and now that she knew what she was looking for, she recognised the palisade wall, too. She could swear she recognised the one stone spire that thrust up above the treetops, atop a small hill in what had to be the center of the town.
The entire Morrowsworn township lay behind them, a large and sprawling mess full of life like any other town. Though she was too far away to tell for sure, Dash imagined she could hear people trading, chatting, laughing and doing whatever else people did way, way too early in the morning.
“Should we go in?”
Fluttershy’s voice brought Dash back to the present. “Huh? Oh. Yeah, let’s check it out,” said Rainbow Dash. She’d stuck her head inside, noting the descending spiral staircase—that one she did remember—before Rarity arrested her movement, seizing her tail-tuft with her magic.
“We don’t know there’s no one there,” Rarity hissed.
“Yeah? Well, we don’t know that there’s gonna be no one there tomorrow night either,” Dash protested, scowling. “They just use it to keep their boats, right? It’s gonna be a tiny risk no matter when we head down there. Why wait?”
Fluttershy stared at the ground, pensive for a second. “If we wait, I could see if I can find some little animal who likes dark places and ask if they mind going down there, maybe?”
Rainbow Dash stopped tugging at her own flank, relenting, and Rarity let her go. Dash sighed and considered that for a second. Every instinct in her body said that they should just go, that there was no reason to wait, but Rarity and Fluttershy had a point. They usually did. She didn’t like the idea of getting stuck down there—whatever “down there” was.
“Right, but—” said Dash, stopping herself, her ears perked up. Did she just hear voices?
Rarity tilted her head. “But what?”
“—would say that, you’re summer-born,” said a harsh voice, launching into laughter, loud and close, right around the bend. Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and all three ponies looked about frantically, clearly thinking the same thing. They needed somewhere to hide, but there was nothing here unless they could all fit behind a fern the size of a houseplant.
“Pfaugh, let me guess: You were born a winter night,” said another voice. Now Dash heard hoofsteps. Many of them.
“What do we do?” Fluttershy asked, her breath almost as loud as the voices themselves, clearly heading for panic-ville in a hurry.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Dash. They were hemmed in by rock on most sides. “Rarity! Magic us up and we’ll fly—”
“Darling, Fluttershy was devastated after the last flight, I’m not going to help you two hurt yourselves,” said Rarity, shaking her head, and honestly, she was right. “We could hide inside?” Rarity asked, pointing to the darkened doorway.
“We could get trapped. Maybe we should just run?” said Fluttershy, pointing down the path, but Dash already knew it wouldn’t work. The path heading to the town was mostly straight from here, and besides, it was—
“Ugh. Too late,” said Dash, grimacing. The peryton rounded the corner, and Dash widened her stance a bit and spread her wings. No matter what came of this, she knew that they weren’t gonna catch the ponies a second time.
The peryton numbered ten or eleven. Nearly a dozen full-grown Morrowsworn spilled onto the path not far away from the ponies, each of them bearing large saddlebag-like baskets Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen any other peryton use, and the lead peryton’s abrupt stop caused the peryton in the rear to crash into the others, spilling mushrooms and fruits onto the ground.
“I don’t see how my—ack! Galrastos, what is the meaning of this?” said a doe.
“Oh,” said a stag closer to the front.
“Uh,” said the doe in front.
“Oh dear,” said Fluttershy, shrinking back at the sight of the large group of imposing peryton… foragers? Rarity sighed and walked up to Dash’s side, her head held high.
“Hello, my dears. It seems we’ve been caught out, but let’s try not to make this unpleasant, shall we?” Rarity suggested.
“I think this is already unpleasant,” the dark grey lead doe said, glancing back at her peers for a moment, most of whom looked shocked more than anything else. “We have to get back with this harvest, but… you are the Equestrians,” she hazarded. “The ones who were taken, and then escaped.”
“Good guess,” said Dash. None of the peryton made any move towards the ponies, and Fluttershy moved up to her other side, so she packed her wings away for the moment. She caught a few of them staring at her green feathers. “So, you gonna try to capture us again, huh?” she added. “Because I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“That is what Koltares has been advocating,” said a mostly white stag from the middle of the pack. “If you would come—”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Dash growled. “If you think that’s happening, you better get ready to have your butt kicked, because if you don’t remember what happened last time—”
“I don’t listen to Koltares,” said the grey doe, frowning at the stag who had spoken. “And neither should you. Better to wait for the Guide—”
“The Guide has been silent for a week!” another snapped, turning around so fast his baskets spilled.
“Then listen to Velysra—” said yet another one.
“Who hasn’t seen her any more than we?”
“Her voice is the only one with any reason—”
“Reason? Reason left this place—”
“Enough!” the grey doe shouted, stomping a dainty hoof in the soft soil. It made no sound whatsoever, but her voice stilled the quarrelling peryton.
“You, um… seem to have a lot to talk about,” Fluttershy said, her head tilted to one side. “I don’t suppose you and your friends maybe just want to turn around and forget you ever saw us, and continue your discussion?”
“Preferably one that has you agreeing with Velysra over Koltares, if those are the options,” Rarity said with a huff. “I don’t know the exact specifics of your debate, but—”
“See? Even they know Koltares’ words are poison!” said one of the more vocal stags.
“That is exactly why we should listen! If they say this, then—”
“In the name of Celestia, be quiet!” the lead doe yelled.
“Yep, still weird that you’re saying her name like that,” Dash muttered, shaking her head.
“I will thank you not to incite more idiotic political debate,” said the doe, sighing wearily. “And no, I do not think you will convince these headless roa-ha to all hold their silence about our meeting, nor will you convince me, but I do not know what to do, either.”
Rainbow Dash tapped a hoof on the ground as she thought. A lot of large bulky peryton, all uncomfortably close? Not great. Talking? Usually not great, but right now, infinitely preferable to fighting. She looked to Rarity and Fluttershy, who both looked equally clueless.
“I dunno,” Dash admitted, shrugging. “This is the weirdest stand-off I’ve ever had. Hey, d’you know where this tunnel leads?”
“That is—” one doe began to say.
“Sst,” another hushed her.
“No,” said the grey doe. “I don’t think we should tell you. What are you doing here? I thought you fled many days ago.”
Rarity raised a brow. “To borrow your own words, I don’t think we should tell you.”
“I see,” said the doe. One of the peryton coughed. Another adjusted the baskets on his back.
“Yep,” said Rainbow Dash, scratching her back. Awkward.
“We should bring them with us,” said the white stag who had spoken up earlier. “It is the simplest way.”
Rainbow Dash flexed her wings. The stupid stag who said it hid behind the other peryton, so Dash settled for glaring at the lead doe. “I’d like to see you try. I’m not gonna hold back this time.”
“Ignore him,” said the doe, her words slow and precise now, careful, almost. “If you… favour the Guide’s aide, Velysra, then… perhaps one of us could go find her and bring her here. If you do not wish to come with us, and this I understand, then you could talk to her, and maybe then we could all agree on what must be done?”
“Maybe?” Fluttershy asked, puffing out her cheeks.
“No, what must be done, is that you leave us alone,” said Rarity, glaring at the doe through the narrow slits of her eyelids. “If you’re at all familiar with what your people did, you know you kidnapped us and imprisoned us for no reason at all. You should be glad we’re being so gracious about it.”
Some of the peryton exchanged looks at that, some of them clearly surprised, others muttering among themselves. The grey doe herself looked unsure, now.
“I am in forage. I know much, but there must be things I do not know,” she said, shaking her head. “But even if you were right, and even if I myself had wronged you by my own claws, you’re in our territory. I cannot pretend—”
“Look!” shouted one of the does, cutting her off. One of her hooves pointed down the path, past the town to the south.
Sunlight had already touched the mountaintops of the eastern Cauldron, and now the light rolled across the slopes on the other side of the Morrowsworn town, stretching for the jungle itself. Over the rocky slopes that led towards the lowest mountain pass, something moved. At first, Dash thought it was a bird of some kind, marvelling at how good her eyesight must be to pick out an eagle or whatever at this distance, but then she saw another. And then another.
On the ascent and against the sky, they were nearly invisible, but the green of the great winged shapes contrasted against the grey rock on the descent. Even in the sunlight, the fliers glowed bright with magic. One, two, three full formations soared through the sky. Rainbow Dash thought she could see more glimmering shapes above the mountain pass far in the distance, and one flight seemed to materialise from the jungle itself, like ghosts out of the treetops.
“Those are Ephydoerans,” Rainbow Dash said, her heart skipping a beat. “They got the message! After all this time, they actually came!”
“What? No!” the doe said, her voice nearly lost among the shouts and yells of the other peryton. “We have to warn the others! Come! Quickly!” The grey doe’s baskets hit the ground, and she took off down the path running at full tilt, followed by two others, but the white stag and many others rounded on the ponies instead.
“This has to be their doing! See her wings?” the white stag yelled, pointing to Rainbow Dash. “Seize them!”
This time, his calls met with a general murmur of agreement. More baskets were dropped to the ground, mushrooms, fruits and vegetables spilling underhoof while the large group of peryton stepped forward, quickly blocking the other side of the path as well.
Before Dash had time to think or plan, there was nowhere left to run. There was too little space to even fight, if she had to be honest: Large peryton with sharp antlers lowered hemmed them in towards the cliff and the tunnel entrance. They didn’t even have a chance to scoop Rarity up and fly away.
“Get in! Down!” Dash shouted. Fluttershy nodded and slipped inside the tunnel, Rarity lit her horn and glared at a peryton who tried at some magic or other, quickly snuffing his antlers out, and then she followed Fluttershy. The second Rainbow Dash turned around, the peryton broke into a run. Dash paused just inside the entrance just for long enough to kick out behind her, but it didn’t deter them for long. She ran as fast as she could, quickly catching up to Rarity.
“I really hope this staircase doesn’t lead to a room full of peach jam!” Fluttershy shouted, her voice distorted. The ponies’ hooves hammered against stone steps in a constant drum mixing with the shouts of pursuit.
“It better not!” Dash replied, her wings wobbling at her side as she tried to keep her balance. Running down a spiral staircase was a new experience. “I’m sick of running, but I’m sick of fighting and yelling and arguing with peryton, too!”
She got no reply to that. Dash put her head down and ran, casting a glance behind her every few steps. Rarity’s horn lit their way, but there wasn’t much to see. Around and around they went, chased by the shadows of peryton half a turn of the stairs behind them. Dash was starting to feel really dizzy when the staircase spat them out at a flat and familiar-looking stone landing right alongside an underground river. After the long ride up the river, Dash thought she’d never be happy to hear the sound of rushing water again, and she’d been wrong.
“Score!” said Dash, quickly glancing about. Four boats rested at the other side of the platform, out of the water, their hulls studded with the tiny glowing stones. “Uh, now what?” she barely had the time to ask. The peryton rounded the stairs, just now coming into view.
“Get the boats, you two!” Rarity snapped. “Leave them to me!”
Dash would’ve protested, but time was a luxury they clearly didn’t have. There wasn’t nearly enough space to fight off a large group of angry peryton down here anyway. She followed Fluttershy over to the upended boats, halting by the one closest to the water.
“Not another step,” Rarity snarled over by the stairs. The first peryton came to a screeching stop, only his head poking out from the open doorway. “You don’t know what my magic is capable of, do you? Well, I’ll show you.” Her horn lit up, and behind the unicorn, a white orb sprung to life, a perfect rendition of the moon. Rarity grinned, backlit by pale moonlight.
“Rainbow Dash, the boat,” Fluttershy said.
“Right! Right! Okay, let’s get it in the water,” said Dash. She stepped in between two of the slim craft, bracing against one and pushing against the other with a grunt—neatly sending the boat right into the water and rushing downstream all by itself. Fluttershy blinked.
“I, uh. I guess they’re lighter than they look,” Dash said, scratching her head.
“Let’s just put it next to the water, and get in before we launch it,” Fluttershy suggested, pulling at the next boat.
“Ponies, then add water, yeah, got it!” Dash agreed, helping her move the boat to the low steps next to the river. Over by the doorway, Rarity took a step forward and thrust with her horn, lights dancing about her, but the peryton were getting bolder. One of them stepped forward, antlers lowered in challenge.
“Rarity! Get in!” Dash shouted, hopping into the boat.
“Oh thank goodness, finally,” Rarity said. She turned around, kicked out against the chest of the lead peryton to send him tumbling against the doe behind him, and galloped for the boat. Fluttershy sat down just as Rarity leaped aboard, and Rainbow Dash reached over the rim to give it a push. The peryton spilled onto the landing, pointing and shouting just as the river gripped the boat and whisked them away. Dash barely managed to stay upright as they were pulled down into the dark tunnels below.
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I hope they wanted to go downstream...
8644912
Water doesn’t generally flow from the coast towards mountains, so if this is indeed the same river they came in on, they probably originally traveled upstream into the Cauldron. However, it may be that this is another river leading from the edges deeper into the cauldron, or the weirdness of this whole area extends to the river’s flow.
Regardless, I can’t see them leaving now and missing out on what happens with the arrival of the Ephydoerans, who seem to have come in force.
I do wonder what happened with Yelgadar... both immediately following their confrontation, and what caused it to get so out-of-hand so quickly. As Rarity noted, a lot of that meeting went opposite to what they were told to expect, which leaves another mystery unsolved in the valley.
8639001
Some counter-points, though I mean for them to be more food for thought rather than trying to argue or anything! In paragraph order:
Not everything needs to be foreshadowed.
Rain Serpent had no reason to know what Fire Chicken would want in exchange for conversation/helpful pointers. We also don't know if the antlerless Peryton talked to Serpent before or after Chicken, so there are plenty of reasons why Serpent wouldn't bring it up.
Sometimes a character's actions result in nothing happening as a direct result. They fail, or what they're doing doesn't work, or they don't find what they're looking for. But we the readers and maybe the characters learn something because of those actions that they took that "didn't matter". Just because it's not obvious to us what the purpose of a scene or chapter is right away, doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong.
This was a nice chapter. We got a little of the payoff from the chaos in the Morrowsworn town we'd been hearing about in the letters, and we got to see the Ephydoerans show up to try to rescue the ponies. That was a plot thread I wasn't expecting to see revisited anytime soon, and I was pleasantly surprised. I hope we get to see the results soon, and that they're not too upset that the ponies freed themselves already.
Loper was cool, too. That cat knows where it's at. And he's right about the ponies being terrible at stealth. I commend him for his patience and skill.
It was also nice to see the party reunite after the end of last chapter. Looks like they're moving forward at a good clip now.
8646180
(If you reply to a comment without having the same chapter loaded that the comment was made on, then the person you're replying to won't get a notification. I only saw your comment because I was reading through the comment section after reading this chapter.)
Phrasing like this makes you come off as condescending and dismissive. It feels like you're saying I'm not smart enough to understand this work, though I doubt this is your intention.
As for your first comment that not everything needs to be foreshadowed, why not? It's often useful to give readers some sort of premonition. Even something small hinting that something's not right in a situation can build up tension for a payoff when things go pear-shaped a few paragraphs later. I really liked how the Morrowsworn ambush was set up by vague hints like the paint and the peryton asking where to find the ponies in Vauhorn (if I recall correctly). I may have been miffed that the party fell for an obvious trap because the plot demanded it, but the setup for it was great. What purpose is served by avoiding foreshadowing something big?
As for the fire chicken, maybe it would be improved if Rarity said that she was different from how she'd been described, and had Fire Chicken's dialogue more clearly reflect this. That would have tipped the reader off to what the party seems to be realizing this chapter (and seems to have stealthily become a plot point): that Fire Chicken used to be a lot more reasonable and less deadly than she is currently.
I'm still mostly enjoying this fic, but seeing the parts I don't like is making me think about why I don't like those parts. Articulating these thoughts is teaching me some good lessons, which I hope to apply to my own works.
So many delightful morsels in this chapter. One in particular that I am pondering is whether or not the cavalry showing up is the result of Fluttershy's game of bird-phone tag or the Rainboom powered, upward spewing, fire tornado. If it was Fluttershy, does this mean that the Greenwing Patrol is no longer angry with the ponies?
8646318
For all we know at this point, the broken column under the Hill Of Spooky may actually have been foreshadowing. I know that when I read it, I thought that it had something to do with the Grand Fire Chicken, as the rain wouldn't/couldn't touch it.
8646318
thanks for the head's up about the chapter/notification thing! I actually had no idea that's how it worked. I generally was just looking at the story and its chapters and replying from there. Weird that it'd mess up the notification though.
Yeah, not my intention. Tried to use the 'us' part since I tend to miss a lot when I read things. Takes me a number of read-throughs and some serious thought to analyze a work, generally I'm focusing just on the surface/explicit parts of a story.
But I meant what I said. You or I or anyone reading something could miss the point of a scene, or maybe even just a singular line. I guess it's a little tough to set your expectations of how 'deeply' or 'purposefully' a text can be read. Because when analyzing a professionally done and edited story, you'd expect that the author would have very specific thoughts in mind when it comes to why they might include a scene or point of dialogue. You can be reasonably confident that the better authors will always have at least one point to anything included in the final version of their work. Nothing is included by random happenstance.
That ostensible truth doesn't carry over nearly as often to fanfiction, where a lot of authors are cutting their teeth on writing. Some folks might not have anything specific in mind when they include a scene in something they publish.
But the point I was trying to make is that, personally, I think it could be interpreted as arrogant of me to assert as objective fact an opinion of mine; one that's supported by an incomplete set of data (story's not finished yet) and my own subjective point of view. That stating something is wrong because it seems pointless is in bad taste (imho).
I have two main thoughts here, one's just simply: Sometimes surprises or an unexpected turn of events can be good and useful too. It doesn't sound like you necessarily disagree with the notion that not everything needs to be foreshadowed (emphasis important), because I'm right there with you that setting audience expectations can really help give plot-points proper weight, context, and make sure that they don't come across as contrived.
The other is that it sounds like maybe you took away something different than I did from the chicken. Not to try and argue that you're wrong (I'm also going off of memory here), but I felt like we didn't hear enough about her to be able to say just how reasonable she was or is. I got the impression that she thought very differently than we do, or than the ponies do, kinda like water serpent. She's an ancient force of nature personified, so it felt right that maybe you can't exactly bargain with her. That maybe you'd get burnt if you're dealing with her in a naive or casual manner.
(A possible third thought: I suppose you could interpret some of the ponies' "Fire/destruction bad" talk in previous chapters, and the difficulty they had approaching her or even her motes as foreshadowing to that dialogue blowing up in their faces.)
But yeah! I've recently (in the past year or two) really taken an interest into talking about these sorts of things when it comes to story writing. Analysis is pretty cool, and it's fascinating how much needs to come together in a story (or film) for it to be good, how tweaking little things here or there can change the message or the tone of a work. Definitely has some practical applications if you do write, yourself.
And I think it also has the added benefit of being great practice for talking about specific or complicated subjects as well. Hashing out ideas and comparing/contrasting subjective viewpoints in a reasonable and respectful manner. Nuance is definitely important in this kind of discussion, and as we can see elsewhere online these are all things that are sorely lacking, heh.
(One thing I had thought of partway through this post was to ask if you have seen any of the youtube channel "PBS Idea Channel"? One of their videos, "But wait: Do we really CONSUME media?" seemed applicable to our conversation and differing thoughts.)
I guess the reason the foliage around Morrowsworn is so thick is because Yelgadar doesn't occasionally burn their village like he does the rest of jungle for some reason? Did the Peryton offer him a sacrifice long ago to do so? Do they still offer him sacrifices?
The reunion scene at the beginning was fantastic, by the way!
8649836
Thanks for being respectful in your reply. That's not something I can take for granted on the net, especially when there's disagreement involved.
I've seen a few Idea Channel vids, but not that particular one. May check it out.
This fic is uniquely frustrating for me. There are so many aspects (ha!) of it that I love or are done well, but then I run into things about it that really rub me the wrong way or feel wrong to me.
It's not enough to turn me away, though; I get the feeling that I'll be here posting rants for a long time to come.
8649985
Well, at least looking at and analyzing things that feel wrong or don't sit right with you is a great way to learn more and possibly interact with other PoVs. Which can only be a good thing, assuming the discourse remains constructive and respectful. Conversations that remain so online are definitely not something to take for granted, yeah X3
Guess I'll continue offering points to consider when you do feel the need to rant? XD
8650863
Alright. See you next time, then!
Now that they finished exploring the Bow - that was an outstanding accomplishment for them if they can tell geographers about it. With Yelgadar enraged, heron hiding somewhere and something probably amiss with Caldesseia, that is now not a place for tourists.
Given that they were travelling with the current on their journey into the cauldron, I suspect that they are not leaving via this route.
I'm getting a little tired of characters insisting that body magic and flying away are dangerous, when they've used it safely multiple times while trying to fly over the mountains by now. If Rarity hadn't made that comment, this situation might have seemed a little less incredibly contrived, just to force the story to interact with the Morrowsworn again. Seriously. They didn't want to just fly over the mountains in this area (which are obviously easily scaled, because the Ephydoerans just did it) because they might be seen by the Morrowsworn? So obviously the best alternative is to sneak into the middle of their town? Where they will definitely be seen by the Morrowsworn? Please.
Ride of the Valkyries intensifies...
Time to get the heck outta Dodge.
Hopefully this stream takes us out, cause them getting kidnapped again would be just....the worst.