MLP ~ The Song of Seven

by ScarletSet

The Introduction - III

The gray sky reflected the sun’s dim rays like a mirror, or an oven. Polaris had his nose buried in his papers, which he levitated alongside his pen. He was taking notes as he walked, even as beads of sweat dripped down his temple and off his chin. Lightning Bug trotted along slowly behind him. Her wings flapped to keep the hot air off of her, but her hoofs dragged through the dirt and her helmet weighed her head down. The air only seemed to get warmer as they climbed down into the hill.

“Hanging in there, Private?” Polaris panted.

“I’m f-fine, thank you,” Lightning Bug wheezed. “Compared to summer back home, this is… nothing. You?”

“I’m presently cursing the genes that gifted me with this garish gray coat that guzzles up the glaring sunlight…” He groaned. “But besides that, I’m… fine.”

“Good.” Lightning Bug wiped the sweat from her brow. “Cause I’d be okay with taking a rest, but only if you were tired of course.”

“I’m not tired in the slightest,” Polaris said. “I’m only, er, mildly inconvenienced by the sunlight. I wouldn’t mind taking a break in some shade, were we to find any. But if you were uncomfortable, we could stop sooner than that.”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Lightning Bug said. “Don’t stop your mission on my account. I’ll manage for a bit longer.” I think, she said to herself.

“The mission is of no importance if one of us dies of heat stroke,” Polaris said. “Which is why if you in any way feel threatened by the heat, we should stop and regain our bearings.”

“I’m a soldier, I’m trained for this sort of thing,” Lightning Bug nearly tripped over her own hooves. “But you’re a unicorn, and a scholar at that, no offense. I can take the punishment, but if you can’t, just say so.”

The two were quiet.

“I suppose I won’t then,” Polaris said. “It would take a lot more than some… little sun to stop me. And if you have no objections, then we may as well carry on until--”

“Polaris…!”

Polaris had a jolt and turned his head. Lightning Bug was face down in the dirt and had her forelegs wrapped around one of his back hooves. “...Yes, Private?”

“I’m tired, hot, and hungry. Can we please take a rest?”

Polaris did his best not to sound relieved. “I suppose if we must. Let’s find some level ground and sit tight, I’ll have us a shelter in no time."

Polaris made do with several tall stones. He placed them down just high enough to cover their heads, and then he draped a large tarp from his bag over the top. The perfect makeshift gazebo. He and Lightning Bug crawled into the relative cool of the shade and helped themselves to a relatively late lunch.

“I thought you said you didn't have any food,” Lightning Bug said.

“I did say that,” Polaris said glumly. “I was very cross at the time. I should have said I had little to spare, which is closer to the truth.”

He produced a hard loaf of stale bread and a flask filled with a purple liquid. “This here is Lustrian oat bread. It’s not very nutritious, or tasty for that matter, but it is filling.” He tore it in half with his magic and passed a piece to Lightning Bug, who in no way seemed concerned. Her eyes were wide and she had to suck in some drool from the corner of her mouth. “That’s the last of it, so if I were you I’d try to make it last..”

In the span of Polaris opening his mouth and finishing his sentence, Lightning had wolfed down the entire half-loaf. “Tang yu so mush!'' she said before she gulped down the last of it. “What was that last part you said?”

“...Nothing, forget it.” Polaris daintily nibbled at the hard corner of his piece. He smacked his lips as the powdery, gritty texture sucked the moisture out of his mouth. He popped open his flask and lifted a small portion of purple drink into his mouth with his magic. He swished around before swallowing and let out a satisfied sigh. He held it to Lightning Bug.

“Would you like some?” he asked.

“Thanks, but I try not to drink.”

“It’s merely a cordial. It’s strong, but only because it’s sweet.”

“...Is it grape-flavored?”

“There’s grape in it.”

Lightning shrugged and helped herself to the flask. She put her head all the way back and poured directly into her mouth, the way soldiers are trained to. It was incredibly sweet, and any flavor or mix of flavors was almost completely masked. It had an interesting aftertaste, and it perked her right up once it reached her stomach.

“That’s actually pretty good!” Lightning gave the flask back and sat down. She tucked her legs and wings in and got ready for a short rest as Polaris finished his piece.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Polaris said. He examined his documents. “The longer we tarry, the longer it takes until we reach the top. That means we’ll have even less time to descend the mountains before nightfall.”

“What happens at night?” Lightning Bug asked.

“I’m not positive myself,” Polaris said. “I always camouflaged my campsite and kept quiet.” He grew grave and lowered his voice. “Some nights I would hear large footsteps and… animal cries. From what I know not, but I don’t feel like taking any chances.” Polaris blinked. “Wait a second! You’ve been out here just as long as me! How do you not know?”

“Oh,” Lightning shrugged. “I never stayed down here at night. I just slept on a cloud.”

Polaris blinked again. “You… slept…”

“On a cloud.”

“A cloud?”

“A cloud. Every night. Pegasi have cloudtouch, remember? What did you think I did?”

“I don’t know, I suppose I didn’t want to assume anything stereotypical.”

“Stereotypical? What do the unicorns say about pegasi and clouds?”

“You know what, nevermind.”

---

“See anything, Private?” Polaris asked. Lightning looked this way and that as she flapped about in the air about two stories above him. They had reached the bottom of their first hill, but now the land was starting to look the same again. If they weren’t careful, they’d never reach the other side and find their next hill to climb.

“Nothing yet!” She called. “Just more rocks and trees.”

“Blast,” Polaris sighed. “...Wait a second… there wouldn’t happen to be a withered four-branched tree to your northeast, would there, Private?”

“...Um…” Lightning had to sing a little rhyme to herself to remember her cardinal directions. Polaris impatiently tapped his hoof as he waited for her. “Yeah, why?” She asked.

“Blast and double blast!” Polaris stamped his hoofs. “We’ve been going in circles again!”

“But we went straight the whole time?” Lightning Bug said.

“And yet there is that withered tree,” Polaris said as he pointed. “And behind us the hill with a cooked Torus on the other side is no farther than it was two hours ago… and there is no doubt in my mind that were we to continue as we have been, we’ll encounter the exact same set of cliffs as before.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Lightning Bug said. “I know it’s easy to get lost but this is ridiculous. We were spotting each other the whole time, weren’t we?”

“Oh, it need not matter,” Polaris said, defeated. “These mountains will find a way, logic and physics forbid!”

“You’re a unicorn aren’t you?” Lightning asked. Polaris gave her a look that said ‘yeah, why?’ so she continued. “Can’t you use your horn to like… Idunno, feel a path out of here with your magic?”

Polaris rolled his eyes. “If I could do such a thing, don’t you think I would have tried using it days ago?”

“...Oh, right. Did you try using more magic?”

“Use more magic,” Polaris murmured. “Spells are a complicated matter. One does not simply--” he held out his hooves and made air quotes. “--’Use more magic,’ if unicorns could just simply ‘use more magic’ for our spells we’d have conquered Cabalos by now. Don’t you think?”

“I guess that makes sense. I just thought your special unicorn powers might have come in handy…”

Polaris squinted. “I certainly hope you didn’t pin your hopes of getting out of here on some imaginary power of mine born from unicorn stereotypes?”

“N-no! And you’re one to talk about stereotypes.”

“Touché.”

The two didn’t move forward for a while. Polaris studied his notes and muttered to himself, while Lightning alternated between pacing circles around where they rested and taking quick flights to check their surroundings. She almost worried that the terrain would change if she didn’t keep her eye on it.

A soft sound tickled Lightning Bug's ear. She flicked her ears back and forth to see where it was coming from. She took another flight into the air and searched for the source of the sound. It was almost like music; very ethereal and shapeless music, it sounded happy and sad at the same time, and no matter where she looked she always heard it, as if it was broadcast directly to her head, like a radio.

For a moment Lightning thought she saw movement. She squinted and watched the dried grass rustle lightly in front of a large cluster of dried trees, as if something or someone had just passed by.

Lightning gently hovered beside Polaris and nudged his shoulder. “What about that way?” She asked as she pointed.

Polaris squinted. “The brush? All of those dry trees hugging the base? You can’t be serious.”

“I am serious,” she said. “Maybe the change in scenery is what we need to get a grip on things.”

“Get ourselves lost, more likely,” Polaris grumbled.

“Any more than we already are?”

Polaris relented and held up a hoof. “If you are so sure of our success, then by all means lead the way, Private.”

“I think I will,” Lightning Bug said with a firm nod. “And my name’s Lightning. You’re allowed to call me by my actual name.”

“Yes-yes whatever, just do so quickly. I don’t want to tempt any fauna that may be watching us.”

---

Lightning led the way, and for a while they weren’t lost, insofar the scenery kept changing, and it seemed like they weren’t going in circles any more. They entered the withered brush and weaved their way around the dusty, dry trees. Polaris of course complained the whole way, but Lightning honestly didn't mind that much. His candidness was comforting in a way, and he was being nowhere near as grumpy as when they first met. At least it beat being alone with her thoughts.

Something moved up ahead. Lightning stopped in her tracks. She couldn’t see through the trees, but she definitely saw something. For some reason her heart said it was a someone. “H-Hello?” Lightning took off into the brush before Polaris could say anything.

“Private?! Hey!” And he followed her.

Lightning came up to a sheer cliff, much steeper than anything she’d seen on the mountains. She saw the final glimpse of somebody’s tail mane flash over the edge. She heard hoofsteps beating the ground above, fading away. Before she could even open her mouth to call again, they were gone.

Lightning studied the cliff. She wondered if even Polaris could scale something like that. unicorns were part mountain-goats, so the Meteoran joke went. Their bodies were stiff and dainty, but their tiny hooves and strong legs let them scale ninety-degree inclines with ease. She was positive Polaris would need a lot of convincing to even try to climb up, but she had to find that person.

At least she hoped it was a person.

“Um, Polaris?” She turned around and saw the unicorn in mid-stride. Lightning flapped up the cliff and pointed. “I found a shortcut. I think.”

Polaris let out a sigh of relief. “Well, I’ll be the judge of that. Yes, this seems to lead to a slightly higher plane of the basin, which would take us closer to the mountain…”

“Can you scale it? It’s pretty steep.”

“Can I scale a cliff? Don’t be ridiculous. Why I should… should… hm…” Polaris cautiously prodded at the steep face of rock and searched for a hoofhold. His hoof found a grip, which promptly gave out and made him slam his shoulder into the cliff. He irritably straightened his lenses. “In theory, yes.” Polaris backed away. “But it would take much more effort than I’m willing to spend.”

“What? You’re giving up on a climb just like that?” Lightning asked.

“We unicorns know how to pick our battles, Private,” Polaris gave her a look. “This would waste our time for what would be a miniscule shortcut.”

“Aw come on! Where’s your mountaineering spirit?”

“I’m pretty sure it died after the first day. Come on, Private. I said you could take the lead and you did, time to turn back. You’re following me, not the other way around.”

Lightning bit her lip and spotted a fairly thick but withering tree jutting from the cliff just a few strides away. “Hold on just a second!” She bounded over and started tapping the tree. “I know, I know!”

“What is it now?”

“I’ll buck this tree down and make a bridge for you!”

Polaris gawked. “Oh great, now she thinks she’s a galloway. What’s possessed you to scale this one cliff?”

“Can’t explain, too busy calculating!” Lightning stuck a tongue out and started measuring with her hooves where she should kick for maximum tree-toppleage. Polaris rolled his eyes and remained still. “Right here should do it!” Lightning said as she turned away from the tree and got ready to kick. If she hit the spot just right, the tree should land right in front of Polaris.

“Um, Private, you’ve done this sort of thing before?” Polaris asked.

“Oh! Um…” Lightning practiced a kick. “Once or twice.”

“Once or twice? Private, don’t you know that there’s a whole technique and nuance to the kicking down trees bit? Why don’t you leave that to the professionals and just forget about the--”

“Hah!”

Crick! One devastating buck from Lightning Bug's hooves was all it took to dislodge a few of the stiff, brittle roots from the ground. Polaris stopped worrying for a brief moment and was almost impressed. Lightning was pleased with her progress and continued to kick, and kick, and kick at the tree.

Crick! Crack!

The tilting tree cast a shadow over Polaris, which made his ears droop. “Um, Private? You know where you’re aiming that thing?”

Crack!

“What was that?!” And she kicked again.

Crack!

A branch dropped to the ground and just missed Polaris’ head. “Gah! Private! Oof!” And another hit him on the head. He angrily put up a small magical umbrella as more twigs, leaves and nuts of all things hailed on him. “Private! You’re clearly not trained for this. You gave me no instruction and certainly had no forethought about what would happen if--”

Creak!

Crrrrk…

Polaris looked up. The final root snapped. The tall, gray tree tilted and fell. Right in his direction. “Sisters, NO!” His hooves scraped the dry earth as he tried to flee.

Fwump!

Dry branches, leaves and twigs broke the tree’s fall. It bounced and bopped once or twice. The sheer crashing sound sent birds flapping away from other trees. It would have been much louder if the tree hadn’t kept so much of its foliage.

“Polaris look! I did it!” Lightning hopped and bounced over to the side of the cliff. “Now you can climb up! ...Polaris?” He had disappeared. Lightning puffed her cheeks and frowned. “He could have said something before walking away again. Unless…” The gears turned in her head. “Oh my gosh! You okay down there, Polaris?!” She bounded down the tree and searched through the twigs and leaves. “You in there?!”

“Hn….”

The moaning came right beneath where she was balancing on the branches. Lightning yelped and pawed at the twigs with her hooves. Carefully she unearthed the disheveled unicorn’s head. It seemed the majority of the trunk had missed him, but he managed to get battered by a few branches. He wasn’t hurt, just a little rattled, and presently pretty peeved.

Lightning backed away as Polaris pulled himself out. He kicked his back legs to dislodge some debris from his coat and then glared down at his pegasus companion. She sheepishly grinned and backed away some more.

“For your sake,” Polaris breathed. “Just be glad that the tree was nearly as incompetent as you are at crushing things. Secondly; I hope for the good of us both that no creature heard that.” He took off his spectacles --still intact against all odds-- and wiped the dust off of them.

“W-Why would that matter?” Lightning asked.

“Upending the terrain and ‘renovating’ so to speak is a surefire way to challenge any beast for its territory. If anything larger than a direwolf were to see this, we may be in for another fight.”

Lightning tried to laugh it off. “If we do find another monster, we can just take it down together like last time! Can’t we?” Polaris walked past Lightning and started scaling the trunk. He didn’t say anything. “Hey, I’m sorry alright? I didn’t mean to hit you with the tree.”

“I know you are, Private,” Polaris said. “I'm not terribly hurt, and now we have a shortcut. Now can we please keep moving?"

"Yeah, ok." Lightning sighed heavily and followed after him. Nobody's ever nice to me unless I get hurt or do something stupid, she thought to herself as they kept walking. For a time she almost completely forgot about the mystery figure and the music.

Polaris didn't say anything the whole time, but it seemed he wasn't mad about the tree-bridge anymore. After a while Lightning's spirits lifted enough that she started singing and humming to herself, until Polaris grumbled to himself about thirty minutes in.

“This is what I was afraid of,” Polaris said as he ducked his head under a branch. “These are the exact kind of trees that impeded my progress before the torus. I pray to the sisters that the nettles and brambles don’t follow as well. That would mean we've gone in the biggest circle.”

“It’s not so bad,” Lightning said. “There’s plenty of space between the trunks at least, and the branches aren’t nearly too thick to fly through. I can check where we're going whenever.”

“Well Private, I’m happy for you, but I don’t have any wings, so that won’t do me much good.” Polaris said. “As for me, I can only think how we’re still lost, we’re only marginally closer to our goal, and we’re out of food. I may need to start planning on how we’re going to get down from here if we don’t reach the top in time, Private."

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Lightning spun on her hooves and faced Polaris.

The unicorn blinked. “Call you what?”

“Private! You call me that all the time. I have a name, you know!”

“I’m just being professional,” Polaris said with a shrug. “It’s customary not to infer a pony from another tribe by name but occupation, so as not to imply any inappropriate familiarity.”

“Yeah well… it’s weird and impersonal and I don’t like it!” Lightning said. “How would you feel if I just kept calling you Professor?”

For a moment it did seem like Polaris would be offended, but his lip curled into a smile and he closed his eyes. “Well, seeing as I'm not a professor yet and becoming one is my lifelong dream… I would actually like that very much.” He kept smiling as he opened his eyes. “Say it again.”

“No! Ugh,” she ducked her head and backed away. “Forget it."

“Indeed,” Polaris said. “I’d just like to see if you’re still singing in the afternoon when it gets really hot with nothing to eat.”

“I think I will,” Lightning Bug said assuredly. “Don’t you worry about me.”

---

It had been no less than two hours since their early lunch, and the heat and lack of food was finally getting to them. They had both had their share of the flask of cordial and it was finally empty. They dragged their heavy limbs through the dust and dry leaves and dutifully carried onwards, though their brows were soaked with sweat, their manes stuck to their faces and necks, and their eyes could barely stay open.

And yet Lightning Bug still insisted on singing, though her voice was dry and cracking like a twig.

Glory… Glory… Meteoras…
Glory, glory Mete...or...as… Phew

“Just a little longer, we can make it,” Polaris said with only slightly more vigor than she. “What if in the off-chance we find a mountain spring with some nice grand green grass to graze?”

The thought of crisp, juicy, sweet grass was both beautiful and horrible to Lightning. She wanted some so bad but deep down she knew there wasn’t any for miles. With a dejected groan she took one more step before helplessly flopping onto her belly. Dust flew into the air, and she snorted uncaringly.

“What’s this…” It took Polaris a long time to slow down, turn around, and walk the three paces back to where Lightning had fallen. “Don’t tell me… you’re giving up?” He nudged her shoulder. “Come on, soldier…! You made it this far.” He butted her shoulder with his forehead, careful not to poke her with his horn the way unicorns do. “You can do it! Just… sing a little more, or something.”

Lightning whined and buried her face in her hooves. It was a special kind of panic to know you’re trapped in the dust and heat for miles and miles, and no matter how much farther you walk, even if you were to rest for the night, the dusty, nasty landscape would just be right there again when you woke up.

Hush little soldier, don’t say a word

We’re all flying home in a helibird…

“...What?” Polaris stepped back. “Come on now, Private. Just a little further.”

“Just a minute…” Lightning whined. “I’ll be good to go, just give me a minute.”

“You’ll bake if I leave you there any longer.” Polaris said. He tried to lift her with his magic, but she was just too heavy, though he would never say that out loud.

Lightning lifted her head up off the dirt, and for a fleeting moment she thought she saw someone else nearby. Just from the corner of her eye she caught the last glimpse of a tail disappearing over the bend. The same tail from before.

She was up on her feet instantly. “Hello?” She called.

“I’m right here, Private!” Polaris said. “No need to shout.”

“No, wait!” And with newfound strength Lightning shot off down the path.

“What’s gotten into you? Wait up!!”

Polaris caught up with her about five minutes later. She was at a fork in the road and looked quite distraught. “A warning before you bolt off would be nice, next time,” Polaris said. He let out a long shaky breath from the sudden exertion. “Aren’t soldiers meant to stay together? What if we lost each other again or some creature found you? …Are you even listening to me?”

“Don’t you hear that?” Lightning asked. Polaris sighed and lifted up one ear and listened carefully.

“...There’s nothing there.”

“But there was!” Lightning said. “Just a minute ago I heard, what was it, music? It sounded like a bunch of tiny little bells, or a harp, or a xylophone, or…”

“Or it was the heat,” Polaris said.

“But I really heard it,” Lightning slumped to the ground.

“I’m glad you found the strength for a few more strides, but we must really hurry up the mountain.” Polaris took a few steps forward and realized Lightning wasn’t following. “Private?”

“Um…” she pointed meekly with her hoof. “I think it was coming from this direction.”

Polaris squeezed his eyes shut and took a breath. He sighed and shook his head. “If it makes you happy, you may lead once more,” he said. “But if we don’t find anything right away we turn right back around, deal?”

“Deal.”

About ten minutes into their detour Lightning stopped to paw at the dark ground.

“What’s caught your eye this time?”

“This dirt is awful firm,” she said.

“Your point?”

“It’s being held together,” Lightning Bug said. “By moisture!”

“That would mean there’s a spring nearby!” Polaris bounded excitedly. “Oh praise the Sisters, I take back ever thinking you were suffering brain damage.” They turned the bend, and what they found was in fact, not a spring, or any kind of water for that matter.

It was a grove of trees. Green, flourishing trees. Their branches were weighed down with fruit.

Lightning Bug smacked herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She took a step forward. The smell of leaves and fruit nearly overwhelmed her.

“It’s a mirage,” Polaris said, unblinking. “It has to be. That or some kind of magical trap. There’s no way this is real!”

Lightning Bug flew up, plucked a fruit free and stuck it into the unicorn’s mouth to make him take a bite. He stopped talking, chewed, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Polaris sank to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. He muttered some sort of prayer. “Oh… bless the Sun and Moon that shine their light on this insignificant little star of mine!”

The grove had a decent variety, about three different kinds of fruit. There were apples, pears, and starfruit of all things. There were only a dozen or so trees, and the entire grove sat comfortably between two hills. Lightning Bug excitedly flew up and picked an entire armful from the different trees.

“Which do you want to try first?” She asked Polaris.

He had already selected a pear and plucked it free with his magic. “I’ll manage, you help yourself.” He daintily nibbled at it.

“Okay then!” And the young pegasus went about scarfing down as much fruit as she could.

“Careful, if you haven’t eaten in so long you may make yourself sick!”

“Oh,” and Lightning Bug slowed down. “Thanks, I hadn’t thought of that.”

The two sat and ate for a while. The ground was covered in cool, agreeable grass that gently pulled the heat from their tired legs and bellies. The full, living leaves and branches actually served to block the sun.

“Who do you think planted this?” Lightning asked after she finished her third apple.

“Planted?”

“It had to come from somewhere, didn’t it?” Lightning said.

Polaris wrinkled his nose as he chewed the last of his first pear. “It may not have been planted at all. This could be purely by chance. I’ve heard stories of old magic doing strange things.”

“Then maybe being stuck out here isn’t so hopeless after all,” Lightning said. “Other ponies must have found this place.”

Polaris was going to call it doubtful, but that was just as a strange melody floated through the air; the gentle strumming of a stringed instrument. Lightning’s ears perked up. She wondered if that was the same music she heard earlier.

“Polaris? You may not hear it but…”

“No, I do hear it,” he said. “Where is that coming from?”

The two carefully rose to their hooves and Polaris led the way as they carefully stepped through the trees in search of the music’s source. They happened upon a tree that was picked clean of fruit and littered with cores and seeds at the base. When the two looked up into the tree’s branches, they saw a figure perched up in the foliage playing an instrument.

His white coat was only lightly tarnished by dust, and his green-colored mane matched the leaves and branches almost perfectly. His mane was tied into a braid that hung over the left side of his face, and his tail was neatly groomed. He had no horns or wings, so that made him a galloway pony. His eyes were golden and were only half opened as he played the melody on his lute.

Star-studded hearts and hopes and dreams

Royal decrees for kings and queens

Hearts make promises that they can’t hope to keep

Loving each other isn't easy as it seems…

Polaris wasn’t sure what to make of the display, but Lightning was in complete awe. "He sounds real talented..." She sat on her haunches and listened to the galloway play a little longer, but Polaris’ patience could only last so long.

“You there!” he called up to him. “Where did you come from?”

The galloway abruptly stopped his singing and cleared his throat. "Oh, don't mind me, I've been here the whole time."

"No you haven't. You’re not supposed to be here."

“Are any of us meant to be anywhere? Where else can we go but where the winds of fate take us?”

“Excuse me?”

“He’s talented and insightful…!” Lightning gasped. Polaris scoffed at her. “Did you plant these?” Lightning asked. “Are these your trees?”

“Mine? Hah, please. I’d never get my hooves dirty. I only arrived shortly before you two.” the galloway strummed some more.

"What are you doing out here? I'm sure there are plenty of trees to sit in back in Sylvain."

“I’m glad you asked!” The galloway stood up and slid down the trunk of the tree. Lightning shyly stepped away as he drew near with his lute. “I’m here for adventure, for mystery! To follow the song~!” he strummed on his instrument. “Oh… my bad,” he quickly tuned it and struck a different chord. “Follow the song~!” he sang again.

“What song?” Polaris asked.

“Your very question only proves that you have no clue!” the bard said.

“Thank you for clarifying that.”

“The song!” the bard repeated as he held his hoof out to their surroundings. “Just as the hills of Sylvain or the shores of Meteoras sing with the song of magic, so too do the Badlands. Thus the animals, thus the water, thus this very grove we stand under! Lore like this is my higher calling." And for a moment the galloway was lost in his own head. He glanced about the grove and smiled.

What if he heard the music too? Lightning thought to herself. She tried following his gaze to see what exactly he was looking at, but all she saw was the trees, their branches and the fruit. There was no more music as far as she could tell.

"By the Lovers, I haven’t introduced myself, have I?” The bard stood up, slung his instrument over his shoulder and held out his hoof to shake. “My name is Meadow Skip. Yours?”

Polaris scoffed and looked away, but Lightning happily held out her hoof. “I’m Lightning Bug and that’s Polaris. Don’t worry about him, he’s just grumpy."

"Ah, worry not," Meadow Skip happily waved her words away. "I know how unicorns are." When their hooves made contact, an arc of energy flew from Lightning's and made her yelp. Meadow drew his hoof back and blinked. "I've heard of sparks flying, but that's new even for me! What an interesting little filly." Lightning covered her face with her wings.

When Meadow reached out to shake Polaris' hoof again, he looked away again. "Well, so long as you're busy chatting with a stranger," Polaris trotted away back to his papers and sat down to write.

"Aw, don't you wanna stay and chat too?" Lightning asked. She received no answer, so she just shrugged and looked back at Meadow. For a while longer, the three ponies just rested in the shade, and the two younger ones chatted for a bit.

“So do you know where this grove came from then?” Lightning asked excitedly.

Meadow Skip flipped his braid. “Do I? ...No, actually.”

“Aw.”

“But if I have heard the stories,” he said no more and strummed some more on his instrument. Polaris set his brow and groaned.

“What stories?” Lightning asked.

“Well, since you asked... the ones where ponies are lost and alone in dangerous lands, only to discover salvation just before starvation.” He gestured around them. “Those stories had to come from somewhere, obviously.”

“You must know a lot about this sort of thing,” Lightning said.

"Private?" Polaris had gotten to his feet and donned his saddlebag. "That's long enough and we're burning daylight. Say goodbye to the galloway and let's get a move-on."

"But what about Meadow Skip? What if he needs help getting through the mountains?"

"Our deal only concerns you and I, Private."

"Ah, don't worry about me," Meadow Skip said. "I've been on my own since I was a colt. The Badlands don't scare me. If you wanted company or a song however, I'd be more than happy to tag along. Only if I had your permission, of course."

"Splendid! You don't," Polaris said. "Let's move, Private--"

"You can come along with us!" Lightning said.

"Private!"

"Oh, I'd be honored!" Meadow Skip said. "It was getting lonely out here, singing all by myself.” He winked at Lightning Bug, and she shyly stuck close to Polaris.

Polaris groaned and marched over to the galloway. “Look here, bud,” he said quickly. “You are with her, understood? She’s with me, but I’m not with you. I’ve got enough on my plate today.”

“Sounds good to me,” Meadow Skip nodded. “So when do we set off?”

“Why we set off immediately! ...That is…” Polaris pulled another pear free and took a bite. “That is as soon as I finish this... Me and the soldier have been through a lot today.”

“Don’t I know it,” Meadow said. “A whole day out here would break the best of ponies, and I should know! I only just made it to the grove a few hours ago, myself.”

Polaris blinked. “You’ve only been out here for a single day?!”

After they left the orchard, the going got a lot easier. The trees became much more dense, and they followed a breezy dirt path that curled around the mountainside. The three ponies walked together and met no resistance the entire time.

Meadow Skip was a hardy young galloway. He might have been a year younger than Polaris. He carried himself so confidently and spoke so clearly and cleverly that Lightning Bug found herself forgetting that they were basically the same age. Polaris was much less impressed, and for a time he was completely silent as Meadow and Lightning chatted.

“So, where are you from Meadow Skip?” Lightning Bug asked.

“Nowhere in particular,” Meadow said with a shrug. “I used to have a home and a family, but one day the wind called me away to the way of the bard.”

“The wind… called to you?” Polaris asked. “Did it first pass through some other pony’s pipe?”

“Not the first time, no,” Meadow said with a laugh. “It called me to go to places yet unseen and to spread the joy of song wherever I went, and so I did. I left home with no worldly possessions but this lute and the saddle on my back. I’ve been on my own for years.”

Lightning Bug was in awe. “Wow… you’re so independent!” she said.

“Why thank you,” Meadow bowed lightly. “That’s high praise from such a lovely filly as yourself.”

“Oh stop it,” Lightning Bug turned away and blushed. “Any one would have said the same thing.”

“I wouldn’t,” Polaris said. “I thought the ponies of Sylvain were meant to be hardworking and gold-loving?”

“Oh I love gold, don’t get me wrong!” Meadow Skip smiled. “It buys me food and rooms at inns and motels. But owning land? Tilling it? Not my style. I’d rather fill the land with my music.” Meadow Skip paused and pointed at his flank. “See? It’s what my Brand is for.” His brand was what looked like three wisps of wind with three leaves floating along them; they were shaped almost like a bar of music.

Polaris screwed his face, and rather wouldn’t stare at another stallion’s flank so he looked on ahead. “Fascinating,” he grumbled.

“But enough about me, what’s your guys’ story?” Meadow Skip asked. “What brings Powerful Polaris and Lovely Lightning Bug to the Mercurial Mountains?”

“I am here on a mission, she was deployed nearby and wound up over the border by accident.” Polaris said quickly before Lightning could answer.

When Meadow gave Lightning an inquisitive look, she just shrugged. "That's... basically it. He was sent here by his boss, and I just got lost." She studied her hooves as she walked. "I can hardly do anything right."

Meadow didn't say anything, and neither did Polaris. The galloway pulled his instrument over his shoulder and played a simple song with one hoof as he walked. "♩Dah dah bada-duh, Dah dah budah-duh...♩"

Lightning's ears perked up and she watched Meadow play, bad mood forgotten. "Wait! That song, I've heard it before!" Lightning said quickly.

"What? This one? ♩Dah dah-duh...♩"

"That's the one! Where was it... it must've been when I was still a foal."

"Why, it only makes sense!" Meadow said with a strum of his instrument. "After all, it predates the three kingdoms."

"Really now?" Polaris asked.

"Of course! Everyone knows that before the nations were built the new foals of the world were sung the Alicorn's lullaby."

"The Alicorn's lullaby? I've never heard of such a thing."

"You haven't?! Oh then I must tell you!"

"You really don't have to--"

"The legend says that the first houses and castles of each nation were built both by the Alicorns themselves and every able mare and stallion, and they worked day and night. Of course back when the world was new there were hardly more than several dozen full-grown ponies per tribe, but there were plenty of foals! So while their parents were hard at work, the Alicorns watched over them, and to put them to sleep they sang this song." Meadow vocalized once more before he stowed his lute away. "The tribes weren't divided back then, so naturally each nation kept its own version of the lullaby as the ages passed. It's one of the few things the Alicorns have left us in the present age, alongside their other gifts to the tribes."

"Where did you learn all of this?" Lightning asked.

"Oh, you hear things here and there when you're travelling," Meadow Skip said. "I never liked staying in one place for very long. You start hearing the same stories over and over again..."

"Hearing nonsense is more like it," Polaris said. "Of course you cling to anything you hear if you lack a firm foundation."

"Don't tell me you don't believe in the Alicorns, friend!" Meadow said.

"We're not friends. I believe that the Sisters founded the Holy of Kingdom of Lustre, as is the extent of my knowledge. I cannot speak for the other nations, so I am in no place to call their legends true or untrue."

Meadow Skip smiled. "I suppose it pays to be skeptical when your nation resists even the most harmless influence from the outside."

"I merely find your story implausible. Even if the Alicorns personally tended to every little foal under their care, how do we know this is the exact song they sung?"

Lightning glanced to the side. "Maybe that's just being a little nit-picky..."

"And on top of that!" Polaris said. "Your story contradicts itself! If the Alicorns worked day and night without rest, to build the nations as all legends say, what time would they have to sing to a bunch of foals when their parents would do just as well? Unless you believe in something... extracanonical?" Polaris set his gaze hard against Meadow, as if it were a dare. The galloway just kept smiling at him and gave the smallest passing semblance of a shrug.

"Doesn't Lustre have its own version of the lullaby?" Lightning asked.

"Oh most certainly," Polaris said. "But we would never be so bold as to call it something so pretentious as the Alicorn's Lullaby. A song from a time pre-nations? Certainly. Perhaps the oldest song written on Cabalos? I've no quarrel with such a thought. But the Alicorns were and are important figures. They wouldn't waste their time on silly things like... music and foals. Assigning a glorified nursery rhyme to them is... gah."

"Perhaps..." Meadow ran ahead and leapt atop a large rock and turned to face his companions. "Perhaps it's not a matter of belief, but rather in your stiff reverence of them, you've come back around to not taking them seriously enough. I personally think the lords and parents of the early nations would have invested greatly in the young."

"Coming from a pony who hails from the land of the Lovers, that doesn't surprise me," Polaris said.

"What's wrong with the Lovers?" Lightning asked. Polaris just rolled his eyes and didn't answer. "I barely hear about them. Everyone talks about how different the Sisters and the Brothers were, but the other two are hardly mentioned."

Meadow gave his instrument a strum. "And there's a special reason for that!"

"It's because they hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things," Polaris said.

Meadow deflated slightly. "Well, so much for 'important figures'," he said.

Polaris shrugged as he walked past Meadow atop his perch. "The Sisters cared for balance and equality, and thus their nation stands the strongest. The Brothers were brutal and bombastic, but even their nation thrives in the present era, in spite of the pegasi's hubris. The Lovers, if the stories are to be believed, were too soft-hearted to ever take complete control of their nation. When the Alicorns disappeared a thousand years ago, the Sylvain noticed last." He offered Meadow a glare over his shoulder as he passed him by. "Thus their nation sunk into greed and hedony, and thus we receive individuals such as this."

"I think that's a little harsh," Lightning said. "I mean, I don't know any galloway, but the ones I've met were pretty friendly."

"Oh, by all means!" Polaris said. "They understand that smiling faces bring in the most bits!"

"Now-now," Meadow finally caught up with them. "You're making me blush... but as I've said, I never cared much for bits."

"Some galloway you are, then."

"Polaris!"

“Who's to say what makes a proper pony?" Meadow Skip asked. "Am I to believe that just because dear Lightning Bug isn't home running drills that she's a bad pegasus? Or just because you're not behind a desk writing magical papers or poetry that you're a sorry excuse for a unicorn?"

"Perhaps you should," Polaris said. "Perhaps the Badlands is just a magnet for all of the sorry little failures of Cabalos and we just happen to be the most recent batch of rejects to grace the gray, grizzled grit. The Alicorns surely said 'now what a bunch of sorry excuses these all are. It only makes sense that the smaller rejects should congregate atop the largest one that they may all suffer together.'" Polaris kicked away a stone and huffed as he walked.

"You really put up with this?" Meadow asked Lightning.

She grinned sheepishly. "He's just being grumpy. He doesn't mean it." Her grin disappeared. "He's not wrong, anyway. Even back home I wasn't much of a pegasus."

"Again with that. Who says these things?" Meadow asked with the first frown Lighting had ever seen him wear.

Lightning put a feather to her chin as she thought. "Let's see... my first boss... my second boss... my shift supervisor... my first commanding officer. Really the only ponies who've been nice to me are the captain and, well, my mom and dad."

"And what forever for?" Polaris suddenly asked. "What has earned you the ire of so many pegasi?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Lightning's ears lowered. "I'm such a scatterbrain, I'm barely any good on the ground, and then there's my..." her coat surged again, but this time she didn't think Polaris or Meadow noticed. "I just don't fit in, that's all. If it weren't for ponies like me... normal ponies wouldn't have anybody to compare themselves to." She added a tired giggle.

"Private, you don't need to put yourself down on my account. I was out of line, anyway."

"Oh, sorry. I've been told I pity myself too often."

"And stop apologizing!"

"...Sorry."

"What, bard? Have you no more words of encouragement?" Polaris stopped and turned around. "Bard?" Lighting turned around too. Meadow had stopped following them a few strides ago. He now stared off the side of the mountain trail they climbed, off into the withered trees and bushes several levels down.

"Don't you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"The song," Meadow said. He leapt over the edge and skid down the side.

"Wuh- Meadow!" Lightning scrambled over and stopped at the edge. "What about going together? Polaris said he was sorry, and I'll stop complaining! Honest!"

"Oh, don't mind me," Meadow called up after them as his green mane disappeared into the shrubbery. "I'll catch up with you. Carry on!"

And he was gone.

"Fickle little thing," Polaris said under his breath, and then he turned around and kept walking. Lightning hesitantly followed after. "The tallest peak is just within reach," Polaris said. "Just a little longer and we'll reach the precipice." Lightning nodded along, but she kept wondering about Meadow. She wondered what he exactly heard, and whether he might have also seen the last flash of a tail somewhere in the distance.

The light at the end of the tunnel couldn’t come fast enough, the stallion thought. He pounded against the gritty floor, his find securely gripped in his teeth, as he skid down a pile of gravel, skipped over a large rock, and once he hit the entrance of the cave he jumped up, spread his wings, and took off towards the town.

It was hard to hyperventilate effectively with his mouth full, but he managed. His heart was racing, drumming inside his rib cage, and he felt all tingly. The branch he carried was pretty unremarkable if he was being honest-- but it smelled. It smelled like a smell he’d never smelt before. It meant trouble, it meant there was a new creature on the block, it meant something had been tearing up the forest outside long before he went outside.

It could just mean the town guard needed to be on the lookout for a brand new animal that may find its way into town, or it may mean some unstoppable, super predator had somehow not only climbed this far up the mountain range, but had managed to get this close to the Valley of Life and Harmony.

And as much as he hated to admit it, he trembled at the thought with sheer excitement.

Pitt Fall and Berry Bushel didn’t need any convincing when they saw the blue pegasus racing home like an excited dog playing fetch. They were on their way out of the valley to pick berries for themselves during their break, but they found this fellow instead.

“Get a load of this guy,” Berry said. “Even when it’s not his shift he acts like he’s guarding the royal palace or something.” He nudged his friend and pointed. “Watch this. Hey! Hey over there!” The pegasus didn’t seem to notice, and kept flying along. “Hey, Slashbuckler! Where’s your shield? What’s the big hurry?!” Berry called again.

“Yeah, where’s the fire at?” Pitt added.

“Exactly!” Slash shouted back as he dashed by. His altitude dipped as he passed by, which nearly knocked Pitt off his hooves and into the green grass.

“Woah, woah!” Berry ran to the side of Slash and held out his hoof. “Slow down there, buddy. Whatcha got there?”

The blue pegasus skid to a stop, spat his stick out, and started tapping the ground. A small cloud of busy dust followed wherever his hooves went.

“Get this,” he said. “Earlier I took a flight around the valley --like I do everyday-- and the whole time I thought I smelled something burning.”

Beat.

“Uh-huuuh?”

“I’ve been smelling it since I got up, but no one was even cooking anything yet when I flew around town,” Slash continued.

“Yeah, cause no one else gets up before dawn,” Pitt said under his breath.

“So! I took off into the tunnels, went to the woods, poked around the trees, dug up some grass, turned the corner of the trail, and I found this.” Slash reached down and grabbed the branch again with his teeth. He showed it to the two, who turned up their noses and took a step back.

“Nice stick,” Berry said.

“Probably fell off a tree, judging by it being… a stick,” Pitt said.

“Look at it!” Slash shoved it into their faces. “This didn’t just fall off of a tree. Look at the way it’s splintered, see?! Something ripped this from its home, better yet something stepped on it!”

“An anxious pegasus, perhaps?”

“No!” Slash spit the stick to the ground and started pacing back and forth. “No, no it couldn’t have been a pony; no hoof prints at the site. It couldn’t have been a mountchaser because those are too small. Couldn’t have been a direwolf either, they never go this far up the mountain -- not this time of year-- there are plenty of monsters congregating but nothing’s ever made it close to the valley before!”

Berry and Pitt shared a glance. Their hoofs started working backwards away from Slash, back towards town.

“And I found more!” Slash suddenly pointed at them and startled them. “This was just the easiest thing to bring back. There’s all kinds of damage out in the woods - trees and rocks with huge gashes torn out of ‘em, from their highest points too! And that smell, it’s everywhere! Do you understand?! What kind of creature do we know could be this large?”

“The old mare who lives next door to Thistlewind?” Berry attempted but was ignored.

“There is no doubt in my mind that there is a dragon loose in the mountains!” Slash declared.

Berry let out a chuckle. “Woah there buddy, let’s not get too crazy, there hasn’t been a dragon in these parts for, what? A hundred years at least!”

“And I mean--” Pitt cast a glance back towards town. “Is this really the best time to have one of your false alarms?”

“Well, unless you got some better idea,” Slash said. “Or you think the King is coming early this year, or you just can’t smell for some reason --”

“Leave my allergies out of this.”

“-- Then you’ve got me unconvinced!” Slash dutifully reached down and grabbed the stick once more.

“Buddy, listen,” Berry said. “Even if there is a dragon out there, there’s no way it’s getting into town through the tunnels, is there?”

“How would you know? How would any of us know? We’ve never dealt with one before!” Slash took off again, on foot this time. “I gotta tell the council so we can figure out what to do about this!”

The two friends silently watched the pegasus disappear. Pitt shrugged and started towards the hills again, but Berry yanked his tail and bopped him on the head when he turned to face him.

“Ow! What gives? What about the berries?”

“Not if there’s a dragon out there, idiot!”

Author's Note:

This chapter was originally much longer and was slashed in half. The second half should go up in a day or so.

Comments

[Fujimi200SX]

Hm. Sudden new characters.

So far this is the one unfinished story that I have actively come back to read in my time on this site. It's amazing.