Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Two: Nature's Blessings

by Kiernan

Chapter the Ninth: Composure

Kai was not very happy with the change in wagon. While he was glad he didn't have to pull a wagon with a pony and a human inside, he now had a heavier wagon that was going to become even heavier. To make matters worse, the three guardians of the forest had taken away his magic, as well as Twilight's. Kai had originally planned to let some of his magic make the job easier, but no such luck.

He didn't like the task at hoof, either. The wagon behind him was almost watertight, but intentionally had a leak at the bottom. They were supposed to fill the whole thing up with water from the river, bring it back without too much leaking out, and water the big tree. That would be difficult enough on its own, but the method they had for filling it was to use clay jars that had greedy cup siphons on them. They had to fill it, by hoof, slowly, and then make their way back to the tree with enough water to saturate the ground, slowly, through the hole in the bottom of the wagon. They could try as many times as they wanted, but Kai really didn't want to make multiple trips.

When they came to the river, Kai unhitched himself and rotated his shoulder a few times to loosen it. It was growing more and more sore the longer this journey was, and with him constantly pulling the wagon, it wasn't likely to turn any better anytime soon.

Nik kneeled down in front of the river and filled his jar up to the brim. As he lifted it out of the water, all of the liquid was suddenly sucked out of the bottom, soaking his shoes. By the time he'd reached the cart, there wasn't very much left. To make matters worse, there were multiple siphon releases at the bottom, so it would be foolish to try plugging them all up.

"This has to be done slowly," Fluttershy instructed. "We have to do this calmly, gently, and deliberately. Like so." Reaching down, she filled her jar just over halfway, carried it back to the wagon, and poured it in. Immediately, a tiny trickle began dripping from the bottom. "If you come at it too strong, we'll be here forever."

Kai limped over to the river and did as Fluttershy directed. Once it was over halfway, he rushed it to the wagon. He made it about halfway before the jar began to siphon. In his rush, he'd jostled the inside enough to activate the seal, causing the water to come flowing out.

"You have to walk slowly, too," scolded Fluttershy. If you shake it too much, it won't want to stay. You have to treat it like you would a bunny."

After fifteen minutes of testing, Twilight had figured out exactly where she could fill her jar for every speed at which she could walk, and calculated the fastest and most efficient method for carrying the water. Of course, that didn't stop the cart from leaking , but she was doing her fair share of filling it up.

By the time the cart was filled up to the brim, it was sitting in a pool of mud. Kai was glad for the thick grass keeping it from sinking, but that didn't make it any easier to move. The foliage was so wet and slick that he was thankful he could move the cart at all. It was really heavy, but with all four of them working together, it was moving. Unfortunately, they weren't really moving fast enough. As more and more water drained out, it was becoming easier to pull and push, but the ones moving it were fast becoming exhausted.

About a third of the way back, and with a quarter of their water saturating the road behind them, Kai looked to his right. He hadn't felt anything, nopony had pointed anything out, he'd just turned his head to the right. When he did, he saw something that unsettled him, and a chill ran down his spine. Watching them from the trees were a trio of bears. Big, strong, adult bears. Kai was tired, he was sore, he had no magic, and he had no weapon. The bardiche he'd received from Bone, as well as all of his knives, had been left behind as part of the challenge. He'd not felt so helpless in over a decade.

Fluttershy glanced at Kai, and followed his gaze to the bears. With only a "Wait right here," for her compatriots, she walked up to them before Kai could unharness himself. He managed to let out a squeak before Twilight grabbed his shoulder and shook her head.

"Fluttershy has this handled," she said, patting his shoulder. "Trust me, she knows what she's doing." Kai swallowed hard and nodded, glad he was already out of breath and sweaty.

It took about a minute for Fluttershy to convince the bears to come help them push the wagon back to the clearing. They made the whole process much faster, and with their help, the tree was fully watered in a single trip.

"Very ingenious," said the first guardian.

"It is wise to use the benefits that nature gives to you," concurred the second.

"It is, however, odd that you chose bears to assist in your task," said the third, scratching his chin.

"One wonders how you came to tame them," nodded the first.

"Especially without the use of your magic," agreed the second.

The third leaned forward. "How did you manage to do it?"

"It was Fluttershy," answered Kai. "She just walked up to them, said something, then they just decided to help. I have no idea how she spoke to them, or what she said. She just did it somehow, and I'm not going to complain about it."

"It wasn't hard," explained Fluttershy. "I told them that if they helped us, I'd help them. Simple as that."

"What'd you promise to help them with?" asked Nik.

"Don't worry about it," smiled Fluttershy, waving her hoof. "It's simple, really."

"At any rate, you've completed your task," confirmed the third guardian.

"For that," added the second, "You are worthy of receiving our master's favour."

The first produced an orb with green markings inside it. "Take it, and with it, rid the world of the calamity you have brought with you."

Nik took the orb and placed it with the others. As he did, the three spoke in unison again. "You are welcome to rest here for the night."

As Kai and Twilight's magic returned, the guardians slowly retreated into their tree hollow. Kai took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief. There was still an hour or so of light left, and he hadn't wanted to pull the wagon again today. After a quick talk with Fluttershy, he could breathe even easier, as they could set up the tents. Kai wouldn't have to worry about being attacked during the night, because Fluttershy assured him that the bears were going to keep them safe all night from anything that tried to take them down. She seemed confident that she was correct, and Twilight agreed with her. He wasn't so sure, but he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, since they were both in agreement.