Quete

by Comrade Bagel Muffin

Emmener Ouest

"Dusk." Escutcheon opened his eyes, a task that he no longer took for granted. He looked around in the cart. It was empty everything was dark. He wished that he could turn his head. "Dusk are you there?" He felt relieved as a hoof tapped his back. "Could you please give me some water, I'm really thirsty."

"We need to talk." The voice wasn't Dusk's it was a mare's voice. She sounded emotionless and cold. She took his hoof off of his back. "Where do you come from little one? How have you done what you've done?" She put her hoof on the back of his head. He screamed as pain clouded his vision. He woke up in searing pain.

"Escutcheon." Dusk grabbed him. He felt pitiful and ashamed at crying like a foal in front of his only friend on this side of the world. The pain however wouldn't let him hold his tears back no matter how hard he tried. "Escutcheon it's okay," The wagon jumped. Escutcheon felt a moment of weightlessness as his body was wrapped in a unicorn's aura.

"Can't you keep this cart steady out there. Banging his head is going to paralyze him, or kill him!" Quadratic yelled, to the ponies pulling the cart.

"What!?" Dusk yelled. "Your exaggerating right?" Dusk pulled him up closer to her.

"No. It took four healing spells to try, and half a dozen potions just to stabilize him. Banging his head isn't going to do him any favors." Quadratic stated bluntly.

"Quadratic, go back to sleep." A mare's voice spoke. "Dusk you can rest to. I've got him." He felt her magic moving around him. The pain began fading away quickly. "Hopefully this will be the last night that he's like this." The wagon jolted again and again he felt a sense of weightlessness.

"No It's fine I'll take care of him." He felt something put to his lips and took several sips thankful for the drink. He moved his hoof to his eyes and wiped the tears away, and quickly steadied his breathing.

"Thank you."

"No problem Escutcheon just get some rest. You're fine, you're moving your limbs and talking now. That's good." The wagon jolted again.

"Especially after what just happened. Are you trying to hit every bump."

"Do you want to pull the cart." A stallion's voice answered.

"Quadratic go to sleep." Escutcheon's vision slowly focused on the source of the mares voice. "You're way to tired. You need to get some sleep. We'll need you for the healing spell tomorrow." Quadratic sighed at the mint green mares comment and lay down next to Pythagorean who was still sleeping. "Dusk, Escutcheon, you two should get some sleep too. I'll make sure he doesn't bang his head." Dusk nodded. She pulled Escutcheon up to her, and put herself between him and the wooden walls of the wagon.

"Who are you really?" The mare's voice was cold and distant, everything was black and dark. The world was nothingness and void. He began to sweat. "Well?"

"My name is Escutcheon from Equestria." He gulped. "Who are you?" He tried to turn his head, if this was a dream it should be possible. He felt pressure on his head, not enough to hurt him but enough to keep it in place.

"I do not know."

"Where are you from?"

"I do not know." Escutcheon frowned.

"What do you know."

"I know that you should not be here." She answered. "But I don't know why. And I know how to do this." The sound of a unicorn's magic filled the endless void. His eyes shot open, he was awake, and warm. Dusk held his head gently to her chest her hooves and wings wrapped around him, and their blankets wrapped around the two of them. The cart wasn't moving, but the outside was filled with noise ponies getting into harnesses, and jumping into wagons, talking, laughing. He couldn't understand any of it.

"Dusk wake up." Nebula came into view.

"Dad?" She unfurled he wings knocking the blankets away, and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Escutcheon got off of her trying to get back on his hooves. His legs were sore, wobbly, and asleep, but the pain was nearly gone.

"Escutcheon, take it easy." Nebula caught him, as his legs gave way. "Don't push yourself."

"I'm fine." He tried to find his balance. Dusk got beside him. Sandwiched between the two of them he quickly regained his center of gravity. "Most of the pain is gone."

"That's good, this should be the last time we'll do this then." Nebula ducked under him and got him on his back. The two of them got off of the wagon. Where the four unicorns that he had seen earlier. Nebula lowered him down, and helped him walk to the center of the four of them. He waited until Escutcheon gained his balance, before leaving him alone in the middle of the four unicorns. Their horns lit up and their magic went into him. What was left of the pain faded away to nothing.

"Do you feel better?" Dusk walked up to his side."

"Better than ever." Escutcheon smiled taking off the bandage that was wrapped around his head. Dusk jumped on him in a hug.

"Alright lets get back in the wagon It's time to head off." Nebula jumped into the wagon followed by Dusk and Escutcheon, who looked out to the eastern horizon. The desert was no longer there instead replaced by grass land as far as the eye could see. He let out a sigh as the wagon started heading west.