Freedom Through Harmony

by Electricut

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty One
Town
Sandwich Shop

Twilight made her way to the sandwich shop quickly, Trixie and Spike beside her. Applejack had been frustratingly vague about what was actually being discussed this morning, other than it was important. Trixie curiously had been eager to go, but denied knowing anything more about it. Spike said he wanted to tag along as well, curious and slightly apprehensive about what this was all about.

As the three approached the outdoor dining area, she saw both Pinky and Rainbow Dash both seated already, chatting idly. They noticed the other’s approach and turned. “Hey.” Dash greeted them simply. “I guess you two wanted to tag along, too?”

They sat and waited for the others, as no-one would say anything until everyone had arrived. Rarity was next to show up, along with Fluttershy. They both had their weapons on them, and Twilight noticed that everyone else had brought something to fight with as well. I don’t really have a need of a weapon, so I guess I’m alright, but... Why does everyone look ready to fight? Neither of the newcomers seemed to have any idea what was going on, either.

Last to arrive was Applejack, who looked worried. “Sorry I’m late, but I can’t find Applebloom anywhere!”

Dash swore under his breath. “Darn it, Applebloom...” He sighed and addressed everyone. “I think she went off to find him herself.”

Applejack started. “What?! But, how would she even know about him anyway?”

“She may or may not have been listening in on the whole meeting.” He said simply. “Point is she’s likely out in the middle of the forest right now, let’s go get her back.”

“Wait, she heard the whole thing and you knew the whole time?!” Applejack asked, exasperated.

“I take full responsibility, yes, but let’s save it until we find her?” She sighed, reluctantly agreed, and the two set off.

“Wait, just wait a minute.” Twilight said, following the others, thoroughly confused. The rest of the group also followed, most just as lost as she was. “What is going on here? Who is it she went to find?”

“Applejack, Pinky and I were approached by some guy, Xekora I think he said he was, last night.” Dash said as they walked. “Said he had some information for us, and some of the stuff he said really piqued my our interest. Plus he appears to be immortal. We were going to decide this morning whether or not to take him up on his offer and meet him at his forest-house, but it looks like Applebloom made the decision for us.”

“How do you know that’s where she is?” Twilight asked.

“Because I told her not to, of course. Her curiosity is infinite, and being told not to do something always make’s kids her age want to do it more. Today’s not a school day, anyway, so I can think of nowhere else she could be if not home.”

“Wait, wait.” Trixie interrupted. “Did you say his name was Xekora?”

“That’s who he said he was. Why, you know him?”

“So he’s finally come out of hiding... Goodness, we’re all screwed now. If he’s handing out info about this... things are sure to get interesting...” She ended with a mischievous chuckle, but refused to elaborate, leaving Twilight more frustrated and confused than ever.

The party of eight made their way outside of town and to the entrance to the EverFree forest, looking around for any clues. According to Pinky, Xekora had said he would leave a subtle trail starting here, but Twilight couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Here.” Fluttershy spoke up suddenly. “That branch stuck in the ground there... It wouldn’t be like that normally, I think that might be it.”

She moved over to the upright branch she had indicated, then looked around carefully. “And there! There’s a bit of cloth on the tree there.” She led the way through the various waypoints, everyone else following behind.

“I’m impressed, Fluttershy.” Twilight said, walking near her. “I guess you’ve been getting more of an eye for detail with your training?”

“I suppose it’s a bit from that...” She said sheepishly. “I think it’s mostly because I know the area around the town and the forest like the back of my hand. I have to go in a lot for herbs and things, so I know my way around. I’ve... I’ve never been this way, this far though... I just have a general idea of what it should look like, so I look for anything that isn’t part of that... I never found any buildings in the forest, though, so we’re still going just by these signs...”

Indeed, as the forest grew denser, and whatever path they were using disappeared, their progress slowed considerably. Spike, having some experience in the wilderness of his old home, joined Fluttershy in scanning the area for out of the ordinary features. Twilight watched the two curiously. You know, I didn’t notice it until now... She thought. But Spike has been hanging around Fluttershy a lot lately. I don’t think it’s anything serious- Spike looks around twenty, but he’s actually a lot older, and he’s not the kind to do that... But I think he is becoming fond of her, to some degree.

The trees nearly blocked out the sky, and Rarity apprehensively cast a light spell above their heads. As Spike called out the next way marker, Twilight headed up the rear of the group. As she stepped forward to join the others, she heard a slight noise behind her, and stopped short. She turned, but saw nothing. Probably just a stick falling off a tree. She concluded, and hurried to catch up with the others.
______________

The party continued on, eventually coming to a large clearing. They seemed to have reached the end of the journey, as it was clear someone lived here. A decent sized wooden house was situated near the back of the clearing, and in the center was a fire ring, with numerous log-chairs and a campfire. Though a cauldron of something or other was cooking and filling the area with a pleasant aroma, no one else could be seen.

“Well, this is the place, looks like.” Applejack said. “But where is he? Or Applebloom?”

“Maybe inside?” Dash offered. The two went over to the building and tested the door, which opened without much effort. “I guess there’s not much need to lock it out here...” They entered the house and began looking around, while the others stayed outside.

“Weird, he said he’d have things ready for us if we decided to come...” Pinky mused. “Looks like he set up a campfire for us, but why isn’t he here? Ah, maybe he went out to get some more wood.” She pointed out the remains of a stack of firewood.

“That is precisely what I did.” A low, accented voice spoke from behind them. Twilight spun around to face him, but had to look up. She wasn’t the tallest to begin with, but the newcomer was- at least a foot taller than her. He had spiky black hair, pupil-less black eyes, and basic leather clothing. A bundle of sticks was under each of his arms, and he regarded the group curiously, tilting his head slightly. “Brought a few more than I expected, I see.

“So it is you, isn’t it Xekora?” Trixie said, smiling. “We’re in for it now, aren’t we?”

“Ah! Trixie, my dear, s’been a long time, hasn’t it? C’mere, give your kindly human uncle figure a hug.” Strangely, though Trixie was exactly the opposite of the type who would run up and give someone a joyful hug, she did just that. Whoever this Xekora person was, Trixie appeared to be on very good terms with him. He removed her hat and ruffled her hair. “Kind of a silly hat, if you ask me. The whole ensemble does suit you, though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She half asked, half giggled. This all seemed a bit strange to Twilight, as she had never imagined Trixie capable of affection like this- she was always so stoic and aloof around others.

“So, I take it you’ve met?” Twilight asked.

“Uh... Did I ever mention I owe him my life?” She asked in return.

“No, I think you somehow failed to mention that.”

“Huh. Well... Yeah. I owe him my life. See, what happened was-”

“No, no!” Xekora interrupted. “Don’t say it yet! Save it, we’re going to have a big community story-telling thing in a bit, you’ll have plenty of chance then.”

Before Twilight was able to inquire further, another voice called from across the clearing, possibly from behind the house. Hearing it made her stop short.

“Hey, Link- er, Xekora, sorry, I am never going to get used to that. I think I found most of the stuff you wanted. What did you want me to do with it?- Woah, people. Guess they did decide to show up, huh?” She turned slowly to face him, and her eyes widened. His hair and wings glowing in the sunlight like fire, bright orange against the black leather jacket he now wore. His familiar dusty brown pants and basic white work-shirt were still constant, as were his black gloves, identical to Twilight’s own. He tossed the bag of herbs and whatnot at the front of the house on Xekora’s request, then turned to face the group.

He stopped similarly when his eyes rested on Twilight, as caught by surprise as she was. When she finally found her voice again, she spoke his name, almost in a whisper: “Phil?”

Upon hearing his name, his eyes softened, and he cast his arms out slightly. “Twilight.” He confirmed, and she launched herself at him, beyond caring that the whole assembly was probably watching the event unfolding. He caught her as she threw her arms around him, wrapping both his arms and wings around her. They both stayed silent for some time, before he broke the silence quietly. “Sorry I had to disappear like that all of a sudden. I meant to get a message to you somehow, but some things happened, and I was forced to wait it out here for a while. I... I really missed you.”

She felt herself blush slightly against his shoulder. “Why did you run away like that, anyway? Celestia sent me a message saying to be on the lookout for you, and to figure out why. She seems pretty worried about you too.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “I didn’t really run from the castle, but for something else. Something’s wrong right now, Twilight, and I think the capital might be in danger. I left to investigate, but just slipped out so no-one else has to be worried about it yet. I was too weak to go much further when Li- Xekora found me and sheltered me. I was going to take off pretty soon, anyway, so I guess it’s pretty lucky for both of us that you came here today! Just about missed me.”

Satisfied with the answer for the time being, she rested her head on his shoulder again, closing her eyes. Normally she wasn’t this affectionate either, but with Phil’s sudden disappearance and weeks of worrying about him, she was just glad to see him alive and well.