To Err is Equine

by RLYoshi

9: Rebuilding the Burned Bridges

[Perspective: Risk Reward]

I trotted out of Carousel Boutique with a sigh. Rarity had been kind enough to give me one of her gems to try and use as a replacement horn, but for some reason, it didn't work. I couldn't funnel my magic into it enough to produce more than a tiny blink of light. Maybe I was losing my touch after so long without magic, or maybe gems just wouldn't cut it for me. Either way, I'd have to go without magic for a while longer.

My next objective was to find Rainbow Dash. It was around the afternoon, so I knew she'd be walking around somewhere. I searched high and low (well, just low really, since I couldn't fly) and eventually found her trotting through the mane plaza.

...I'm getting more and more like Arrell every minute. That wasn't even intentional.

"Hey! Rainbow!" I called to the blue mare. She looked over at me and stopped walking, letting me trot up to her. "I think I should talk to you about something."

"Is it about Arrell?" she asked.

I nodded. "It's about time you got used to him."

"Risk..."

"I know you don't like him because the two of you got off on the wrong hoof..."

"Risk?"

"But still, you're being kind of racist, when you think about it..."

"Risk!"

"Just because he's a Windigo-"

She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. "Risk!"

I blinked. "Yes?"

"You don't need to lecture me about Arrell." She sat down on a bench, and I joined her. "I don't hate him like you think I do." She paused. "...anymore."

"What happened?"

"Well...it's a long story, and before you say you have the time for it, I don't." I closed my mouth. "So I'll just give you the basics. Earlier today, I was dealing with this creep who wouldn't give me back my private journal, and then Arrell stepped in out of nowhere and intimidated him into handing it back over."

Arrell? Intimidating? I'll believe it when I see it.

"That's all?" I asked for clarification. She nodded. "So...you hated him at first because he accidentally froze you, made a big deal about it, then stopped hating him when he helped you get back your diary?"

"Journal. And yeah."

I thought over that for a moment. "Seems kind of...what's the term I'm looking for?"

"Anti-climactic?" a voice came from behind us. We spun around and saw Arrell there.

"Yeah, what he said," I told Rainbow before turning back to the Windigo. "Didn't see you there."

He shrugged. "Probably because I just walked up five seconds ago. Or fifteen, rather, since we've been talking for about ten seconds and I sound way too much like Twilight right now." He facehoofed...is it still called a facehoof when a Windigo does it? "Anyway, I've been looking for you. Any progress with your horn?"

I just pointed at my forehead. He looked at what was clearly still a broken stub.

"...maybe I should've noticed that."

"Yeah, probably," Rainbow chuckled. Arrell looked a little surprised that she was talking to him, but regained his composure quickly. He came around the bench and sat down on the edge.

"I tried using one of Rarity's gems, but I couldn't get more than a little spark out," I explained.

"Gems?"

"According to one of the magic books I read, gems can be used to produce magic," I told him. He got a weird look in his eye. "You okay?"

---

[Perspective: Arrell]

Gems producing magic...that sounds familiar... My mind kept on racing with possible theories for this. I never paid attention to the magic books, and Risk never read out loud, so I didn't hear the theory from there. Twilight also never talked about magic with me – not unicorn magic, anyway. And obviously it wasn't possible back on Earth... Where have I heard it before then?

"Equestria to Arrell?" Rainbow broke into my thoughts. I snapped out of my trance and looked up to see her flying above me, face uncomfortably close to mine. I yelped and fell backwards off the bench, causing her to crack up laughing. "And to think you chased off that guy earlier!"

I grumbled a few choice words as I stood up. "He wasn't taking advantage of my haphephobia," I shot back.

"Haphe-what?" Risk asked. Rainbow looked similarly confused. Great, I get to explain this to yet another person.

"Haphephobia means a fear of being touched," I explained. "And for me, it's intensified when it comes to females, because I'm an awkward nerd like that. Add in the fact that I startle easily, and you get fourteen. Simple math." I don't know where I got fourteen from either.

"...you're afraid of being touched," Rainbow deadpanned.

"Hey, shut up. You're the one who's afraid of ponies finding out that you like reading."

Her eyes widened and she put a hoof to her lips. "Shh! Don't let anypony hear you!"

"Then don't make fun of me for not liking physical contact," I retorted. "There's a reason I was always single."

"I would've thought that reason would just be your shyness," Risk broke in.

I shrugged. "That doesn't exactly help either."

---

Later that night, Risk and I returned to the library, but not before I bought myself a wristwatch. What? I like being able to tell time. Plus, I always wore one as a human, so it was kind of a memento as well. Even if it technically wasn't even a human wristwatch.

When we got back, False was already asleep in the guest room again. Twilight explained that the earth pony had wanted to get up early to leave, so Risk and I decided to crash for the night too. He took the couch once more, and I went off in search of a bench.

---

[Perspective: False Front]

I found myself walking through Ponyville, along a street I didn't recognize. Nopony was around, but I didn't feel alone. There was no sun, moon, or even stars in the sky, nor were there any lights on around me, but I could see just fine. I didn't have a destination in mind, but I kept walking. It wasn't that I was being forced to walk; rather, I just wanted to keep moving in one direction.

Eventually, I was outside of Ponyville. I didn't know where I was, so I turned around to go back into the town. But when I turned around, it was gone, replaced by a black void. I opted to keep walking in the direction I was going, since at least there was land there.

The place I was walking through slowly became more and more empty. At first it seemed like a giant field, with grass, trees, flowers, and even a waterfall at one point...but slowly, it all vanished. Now I was walking on grass that I couldn't even feel, and there was no scenery aside from the black void behind me. I began to trot faster, hoping to get away from it.

"Stalliongrad."

I stopped at the sound of the voice and looked around. Turning behind me, I saw a figure floating in the void. I had trouble making out what it looked like, but whatever it was, it appeared to be female.

"Take your friend to Stalliongrad," the figure told me. "There, he will meet someone important."

I tried to respond, but no voice came from my throat. Despite this, the figure seemed to know what my question would be.

"I am the one who brought your friend to this world," she explained. "You may call me Styx."

I rolled my eyes and tried to speak again.

"Yes, I understand that you do not consider him a friend," Styx replied to my unspoken statement. "But, in time, you will. He will become invaluable to you, as you will to him."

I raised an eyebrow.

"No, I do not mean in that way. The two of you, as well as your unicorn friend, will all learn to rely on each other for help. If more should join you, they will as well. Keep this in mind. With the way things are coming along, none of you would survive on your own." Styx began to disappear, and I tried to yell after her, but she disappeared without answering.

---

Author's Notes: And so we finally learn what god - or goddess, in this case - sent Arrell to Equestria. Anyone who knows who the goddess Styx is (and not just about the river with the same name) might begin to see why Arrell became a Windigo.

And good news: next chapter, the adventure finally resumes, with no more filler! I wanted to just patch up things between Arrell and Rainbow and do away with the plothole of why Risk didn't just use a gem to replace his horn. And now, we can finally continue the action!

Comments

[Doctor D]

Pfft! Arrel is afraid of touchy-touchy. *goes to beat the laughter out of himself*

[Steelclaw]

A pony with a wristwatch... How would they wind or adjust it with hooves? Unicorns could use their magic to manipulate the dials, but earth ponies and pegasi? Perhaps a unicorn might get business by being a watch-winder as well as just selling. I've put too much thought into this.

I'm really enjoying the story!

[RLYoshi]

1409076 It's a digital wristwatch, and your answer is: magic.

[AppleTank]

1409076 1409140
Hey, hooves can already pick stuff up, and Missy has evidence that the hoof-picking-stuff-up thing is powered by magic, so that's actually a legitimate explanation. All Arrell has to do is think about pushing the buttons or whatnot and it'll happen, as long as Arrell doesn't dwell too much on his lack of fingers.

[Dusk Apollo]

*remembers mythology classes*
Yeah... that makes sense. Now I feel saddened because I forgot that...

I cannot actually feel "sadness" or the like.

[AliCentaur Br0ny]

This was a good chapter.
So we finally find out (to some extent at least) who sent Arrell Equestria.

This is continuing to be good.
I eagerly await the next chapter.

[Lucky424]

Well I wouldn't say I have haphephobia, as I'm not afraid of it. I just don't like it. No wonder I'm single!!

Oh well, more time for ponies and Reaper-killing!!

[BioChemicalWolfGear]

You're progressing through this story well and your chapters seem more planned

That's a rare trait on fimfiction and I admire you for that. I remember how almost all adventure stories actually start off as cliche and then "SUDDENLY ADVENTURE" and the plot comes in...

Yea I'm cringing right now.

You've done well. I got good character building off of you and easy to read paragraphs that keep my attention enough for me to soak in all the details you write.

[Knighthawker]

Styx? Oh I love that band! My favorite song is "Sailing Away"

[GordonFreebrony]

2268934
You look familiar.... have we met?

Oh waitm aren't you the one with the floating house over the everfree?

[TheBigNerd]

Styx? The one with a river that turns you into an invincible juggernaut who needs 14 hours of sleep each day? That Styx?