Stories of a Warden

by Rosencranz

IV

His saddlebags are full of ashes, and his face is full of shame. His father says he has to bring them back. Atonement, he says.

He also says the glasses will hide the bruises. He stands in front of the library and tries to force himself to go in. It takes a while. Two cloud-doors open and he is standing in the building. He looks around. Empty, only a librarian and the books. Tomes with high faces, looking down on him with scorn. Their fellows are cinders and he carries their remains.

Roads finds his way up to the reception desk and rears to look over it. A librarian, turning to greet him. Smiling, auburn mane, shining spectacles. Finally, somepony happy to see him.

"Roads." A voice full of warmth.

"Miss Quill." The words echo with guilt.

"Here to return the books you borrowed last week?"

A nod. Slow and hesitant.

"I'll take them."

No movement. A sinking in his chest.

"Well, give them here."

No response.

"Roads?"

Bags opened slowly. A gasp. Ashes spilling out on the floor. Soot and shame collecting around his hooves.

"Roads, what happened?"

"I dropped them." Quiet, only a whisper. As if lies unheard are somehow better.

"In a fire?"

A nod. Her face looms before him. No anger, only confusion.

"I thought you were more careful than that..."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, dear."

She knows the father.

The compassion shocks him. The tears are coming now. Relief, not sorrow. He moves the sunglasses to brush them away. No one must see. Tears are shame.

It is all in vain, the glasses fall away. A black eye bared to the world, another gasp hanging in the air.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I fell down the stairs."

"You live in a one story house."

He averts his eyes and inspects the ashes around his hooves.

"I fell down the stairs."

She nods, thinking.

"Why don't you find something else you like. Feel free to stay in here to read as long as you need. I wouldn't want anything else to end up in a fire." A wink.

A slow, sniffling nod.

"I'll be right back. I've got... uh, a letter to write. Pick out something off the shelf."

He goes to the bookshelves, she to the mailroom.

Roads will never see her letter. It will save his life.

Volume 1

IV

"Am I to doubt and yet be given to know
That where my demon guides me, there I go?
An island? Be it so.
For islands, after all is said and done,
Tell but a wilder game that was begun..."
-Edwin Arlington Robinson, An Island

A hoof nudged Roads awake. He jerked into consciousness and found that he had shifted in the night; he was lying with his face in the sand, almost in the coals from last night's fire.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. We've got a lot to do today."

He rolled over to see Summer staring down at him.

"What time is it?" he groaned, wishing he could go back to sleep. He looked over to the horizon to see that the sun had only just risen.

"I dunno. Morning. Chief and I have been up for about an hour; you got to sleep in because we figured you'd wake up by sunrise. Seems we were sorely disappointed... but then, nopony ever made a mistake overestimating how soft specs can be, so we probably should've known better."

"It's too early," he said, rolling over. Had he not closed his eyes just then, he would have noticed Summer's devious grin.

"I'm afraid it doesn't quite work like that, spec," she said.

The orb of cold sea water she had been levitating behind her back crashed down into his face. In an instant, Roads sprung to his hooves, sputtering and shivering.

"What the hell? Why did you do that?" he shouted.

Chief looked up from across the camp and gave a small chuckle at the soaked pegasus.

"You didn't get up fast enough. We've got work to do today, spec, and I needed you awake," she explained, clearly relishing his discomfort.

"Mmff. Any coffee?"

"Nope. We had some caffeine tablets, but we lost them in the storm. If you really need to wake up, I could always just douse you again," Summer said.

"I'm good, thanks," he said with a groan.

A whole week without coffee? He couldn't remember the last time he'd started a day without a cup. Was it even possible to function without it? He wasn't sure.

"Hmm... well, if you're sure. If you need to, bathe in the ocean," she said, tossing him a bar of soap. "But be quick about it. We've got so much time and so little to do. Wait," she paused, thinking. "Strike that. Reverse it."

Trying to shake off his sleepiness, Roads walked across the beach and waded into the water. His skin went numb and his muscles quivered; the ocean was frigid. After a quick cleansing, he emerged, now awake—but freezing.

"Cold?" Summer asked as he walked back to camp. She sat on a stone, cooking breakfast over the fire she had built atop last night’s coals.

"Freezing," he replied.

"Mhm. It's like that this time of year. Something to do with the currents or something—I never really paid attention in oceanography class back in school. Eggs?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, taking a plate. He glanced down at the greenish-yellow mass Summer had lumped onto his dish. “Uh, are you sure these are eggs?” he asked.

“No, not really,” she said, pausing to glance down at her plate. “But they were in a tin marked ‘edible,’ so they should be fine.”

He sighed and took a bite. "So, what exactly do we have to do today?" he asked between bites.

"Well, we've gotta move the camp inland, for a start. If we keep having to come back to the beach every night, we'll never get anything done."

"And after that?"

"Then we start the fun stuff. Surveying. I've got to get a basic map of this half of the island laid out, then start doing some rough topography estimates, then we'll move on to the other half."

"And what am I supposed to do during all this?"

"Well, after I get the groundwork laid, you can go on and do your whole 'island magic' thing. Today, though, you're on herbological detail. Magical plants and the like are apparently all the rage in Canterlot, so usually we bring a naturalist. You know, gotta find new species and such. Unfortunately, the Aggregate wouldn’t send more than a three pony crew. Weren’t willing to lose any more than that, I guess.”

Roads paled. “Uh—”

“—They said you were a passable alchemist, though, so we figured you'd do. Then we wouldn't have to bring along another spec, you see. It's a fairly simple job, really. Basically, if you see any weird plants or something out there, you write it down and take a sample. You should be able to handle it,” she explained.

"Hold on, I'm not wasting a day picking flowers for you! I've got six days to study magic out here, nothing more."

"And tomorrow you'll have five."

Roads groaned. "If I can't finish my research now, I'll have to wait months to get another chance to study this island!" He scowled, feeling his feathers ruffle as tension roiled in his stomach.

"Too bad," she shrugged. She hadn't even moved from her rock. Instead, she had reclined, forelegs crossed behind her head.

"That's it? It's the only reason I'm out here, and you're just going to dismiss it? Just like that?" he asked.

"Pretty much. You're just a spec. What you do out here isn’t exactly our highest priority."

"Maybe I'll just go out on my own then, and get some real work done!"

"Well, if that's what you want, feel free to go off exploring this island by yourself. Chief and I can map this place out while you get lost.” She paused, eying him. “Or eaten."

Roads glanced over to the darkened edge of the forest, into the shadows of the swaying fronds, and a shudder passed through him. As much as he hated not getting to study the island, he wasn't going into that jungle alone.

"Fine. I'll handle herbological detail. But only for today, " he said, grudgingly.

Inside, he still fumed. Plants grew everywhere; the magical properties of this island were unique, and he was missing a rare chance to study them.

"Good. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to lose another spec.”

She turned to Chief, who had replaced the cart they had lost in the storm by fashioning a makeshift sled out of a medical stretcher. There was little enough of the cargo left that he had managed to pack most of it onto the sled.

“Ready to head out?" she asked.

He gave a stiff nod, and Summer quickly folded her tent, draping it over her saddlebags. Roads rolled up his bedding, stuffed it in his pack, and hefted it over his back. Summer's dismissal left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he trudged up to meet his comrades at the edge of the jungle, anyway.

At the edge of the sands rose an impressive wall of flora. Thick ferns sprung up under massive ivy wrapped trees, vast palms that towered over leaning branches of bamboo. For a moment, Roads was inclined to stop and find an easier path inland, but Chief simply crashed headlong through the plants, a thunderous snapping noise announcing his entry into the forest.

Roads turned to see Summer following closely behind the earth pony, hacking and slashing with magic at anything green in her path. With a sigh, he trudged over and began to plod along behind the two, walking hesitantly in the trails they left.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked.

"To find fresh water. If we find any near the middle of the island, that's where we're setting up camp."

"How are we supposed to find it? By just cutting our way through the jungle until we come upon a stream?"

"Nope. There's water about a klick north of here," Summer replied.

"How do you know?"

"Freshwater detection spell. One of the only advanced spells I ever bothered to learn."

"Not big on magic?" he asked.

"Not big on anything that requires reading. Too stuffy. I'm more of the outdoorsy type," she said, tearing her way through a particularly dense fern. "If you hadn't noticed."

"Never would've guessed."

As they progressed, the jungle grew darker. Roads looked up to see that massive tropical trees had formed a dense canopy far above them. The foliage here thinned, choked by the lack of light.

What was left, though, was massive. Flytraps with gleaming white pods towered over them, hanging above gargantuan hoya flowers. Still larger were the wide-fronded ferns that fell before them, crushed against giant habisci. Roads wondered if the size of the vegetation had something to do with the innate magic of the island. It was disturbing. The size of the flora made keeping track of their surroundings difficult. He felt lost, disoriented, anxious.

The feeling wasn’t helped by his physical discomfort. This place was nothing like the Everfree—it was hot and muggy, so humid Roads wasn’t breathing, so much as he was slowly drowning in the open air. His legs burned from walking, and every so often he would step through a patch of brambles or sawgrass and feel the plants cut into his calves.

Before long, he realized the blood from the cuts attracted mosquitoes. That, or the parasitic bugs just found his shins excruciatingly appealing. Roads heaved a sigh as he slapped away a swarm of the flies. This wasn’t what he had expected at all. He had hoped for more people, and less jungle. Or, at the very least, to be able to actually do the research he came all the way out here for...

Eventually, the party made its way into a depression cut between tall, craggy ridges. They opted to travel through the gorge rather than climb over the steep hills.

The ground here was soft and soggy, teeming with pale mushrooms and verdant mosses, nothing to impede them. Before them stretched a path that was several hundred meters long and nearly ten wide, isolated from the rest of the jungle. For a moment, the trio stopped to catch their breaths and take a break.

As they rested, Roads began to get the uncanny feeling that he was being stalked. He shook it off.

It was probably nothing.

"That stuff's thick," Summer said, panting.

"Seen worse," came Chief's reply.

He unhinged himself from the makeshift sled, drew out a few strips of bandage, and set to work covering the scrapes and cuts left on his chest and forelegs by the thick underbrush.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Roads asked.

"Used to it," Chief said as he patched himself up. Suddenly he stiffened and glanced around, head swiveling, eyes wide. "We're being watched," he growled to Summer.

Roads felt the blood drain from his face. Summer didn’t even blink.

"I know,” she said, her tone even. “They can't tell we've seen them, though. Where?"

"What are you talking about?” Roads butted in. “What's going—"

"Shh," Summer said, cutting him off. "Chimeras, they're—"

"What?!" Roads shouted.

"Shut up!" Summer hissed. "Don't let them know we’ve seen them yet. Chimeras prefer to ambush their prey, they won't attack yet—unless they know we're on to them. Act like you don't know they're there."

"Chimeras?!" Roads' wings flared open, ready for flight. He could barely force himself to stay on the ground.

"What? You're surprised to find predators on an island this big? Really?" Summer asked.

"Well..."

"They're all over these islands," Chief said. "Clever little beasts. Always trying to get the jump on the prey. Probably hunt in this gorge all the time."

"Where?" Summer asked.

"Two on the ridge, two in the front, two behind. Hiding for now." Chief replied.

"So we're trapped?" Roads asked.

A few beads of cold sweat trickled down his neck. He had read about survivors of chimera attacks. He had read even more about those who had died in them. The only thing they liked more than jungles was the taste of pony flesh. They were lion headed, snake tailed, dragon middled, fire-breathing beasts that stood almost as tall as Summer and only left behind the mangled bones of their victims.

"Don't worry. I've seen 'em on islands like these before,” Summer said. “Haven’t been eaten yet. Just back up, real slow, against the wall. Don't make any sudden movements yet. Try to keep your eyes open, and either me or Chief in between you and anything with pointy teeth. You're just a spec, so don't try to get in on the fun of chimera wrestling just yet.”

Roads gulped as he backed against the wall, eyeing Chief and Summer as they faced opposite ways down the path, moving slowly and carefully with a confidence and grace he utterly lacked. His knees knocked as he waited; he could feel the eyes of the beasts upon him.

He remembered reading a book about how predatory animals always targeted the weakest of a pack first. What was the example again? Something about lions picking off the sickly gazelles in the savanna. He'd always felt pity for them, unable to defend themselves against their impending doom...

"Alpha, leading down the gorge on this side," Chief called.

"It's starting.”

"Yep."

"I'll make the first move," Summer said.

Roads took a panicked breath, and shut his eyes.

"I see the first one from this side. I'll take it in three... two...”

The sound of rocks falling echoed through the gorge.

“He's down!" she shouted.

Roads’ eyes jerked open when he heard a feral roar. He twisted his head to see one of the chimeras fall to the ground, trapped under a boulder Summer had magically ripped from the canyon wall.

All at once, predators descended on them, some leaping down from the ridge, others sprinting down the gorge. He barely saw the beasts rush down at him, howling and screeching, before panic enveloped him.

His vision grew tight—he panicked. He felt death closing in at all sides—adrenaline pumping through his system—taking to the skies—leaving behind Summer and Chief. The roars of the animals filled his ears—visions of their massive teeth and claws tearing at his flesh—shooting out of the gorge like a bullet—flying faster than he ever had before. A sick feeling welled up in his stomach as he barreled away from his companions.

_________________________________________________________

Far below him, Summer had already dispatched two of the animals. One lay on the ground, unconscious after being thrown into a wall; the other was motionless, trapped under the boulder. A third leapt at her, teeth bared, mouth gushing flames. She barely had time to erect a magical barrier before the beast reached her. The chimera crashed into the enchanted wall and it folded in, shattering. The animal fell onto Summer, stunned from the collision, but still very much alive.

Meanwhile, Chief had already downed his first attacker, one of the smaller, more foolish predators who had charged him only to have its skull crushed by a massive hoof. Now he faced down the two remaining chimeras. The alpha and his mate. They kept their distance, lashing out with claws and flames, though Chief stayed well out of range. Eventually, the smaller one got too close, and found itself tackled by the earth pony. His back hoof crushed its snake headed tail, and as it tried to bathe him in flames, Chief collapsed its windpipe with a blow to the throat.

Still, the beast found purchase with its draconic claws and raked his underbelly, opening wide gashes as the pony grunted in pain. Chief thrust himself off of the animal as its companion charged towards him, opening its jaws for a fatal strike. The crushing bite met only air. Chief dodged away from the attacker, bashing its side as he retreated. Ribs broken, the thing roared in pain as its underling gagged and hissed on the ground, trying desperately to breathe again.

The alpha male charged him again, flames pouring from its mouth. This time Chief darted into the fire, head down, baring the brunt of it with one shoulder. He winced as his coat singed away, but quickly caught the chimera around the throat. Momentum carrying him into the air, he pulled the animal off the ground.

For a moment the two hung almost still, the chimera clawing at his legs as he crushed the life out of it. After a second, the two hit the ground, Chief on top as he slammed its head into the dirt. The thing hissed and roared, its venomous tail pinned underneath it, desperately slicing with its foreclaws at Chief. He beat its head once more into the ground and the beast ceased its struggle.

Chief rose, and, seeing the other chimera trying to rise, ended it with a swift kick to the head. As roars and shouts echoed across the canyon walls, he turned to see Summer struggling with the last animal. She lay on the ground underneath it, desperately pinning the serpentine tail with her rear legs as she held its head away from her. Fortunately for her, its two foreclaws were pinned beneath her back, harmless beneath their combined weight.

Sprinting over to her, the earth pony bit down on the back of the chimera’s neck, and with a flick of his neck, hurled it away. With a sickening thud, it smashed into the rocky wall and fell motionless to the ground.

He helped up Summer, who, with but a few mild burns and gashes, seemed only slightly worse for the wear. Trudging over to the boulder-trapped chimera, he leaned down and quietly brained it with one hoof.

"Sweet Princess, Chief, doesn't that hurt?" she asked, looking him over.

He glanced down to see that his right shoulder was burnt to a crisp, and his coat was stained red with blood.

"Used to it," he grunted.

He found the first aid kit he had been using earlier, handed it to Summer and eased himself into a sitting position to let her bind his wounds.

Thank the Princesses for stitches and burn salve...

"You gonna be alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. You?"

Summer shrugged. "I’ll survive." She patched the major wounds, then looked up and realised something.

"Hey, Chief? Where the hell is Roads?"

"Flew off," he growled.

"I’m going to kill him," she growled.

Chief grunted in agreement.

_________________________________________________________

Panic. Distress.

His heart beat loudly in his chest—louder than the wind in his ears. His mouth was dry, his eyes wide—flying frantically across the island—heading for the beach. Behind him, the roars of the chimeras faded. His terror remained. Every shadow between the trees was a predator; every cloud a bird of prey, swooping in to devour him—everything fading into a haze of hysteria and terror.

Finally, he reached the beachfront—fear passing slowly—near where their camp had been the night before. He wasn’t sure why he had come here—he could be attacked on the sand as easily as anywhere else. Nowhere else to go.

Folding his wings, he landed hard. He whirled around to stare at the jungle, breathing heavily with aching lungs. For a moment, he thought he would be sick. Eventually, though, his fear began to subside, fading away as he gazed into the forest. Roads tried to collect himself and his thoughts, but his mind continued to race.

Princess alive, they're going to be pissed that I left them there! Was I told that I had to stay? I think it was implied—they'll skin me alive when they see me again! Unless the chimeras got them... he gasped as a second bolt of fear ran through him.

What if they're dead? What if I left them and now they're dead? What will Celestia think? How will I even get back home? I can't pilot a zeppelin, and I sure can't survive by myself out here long enough to be rescued. Even if I could survive I'd never get rescued; no one even knows where we are! I'll have to go find them...

He dreaded returning to the gorge, but he had to know if he was going to be alone on the island. Unfurling his wings, he took off once more.

It took him a while to find the canyon; he had been so terrified before that he could hardly recall where he had been flying. Finally, though, he located the twin ridges that formed it and dove towards the gorge. As he flew closer, he noticed two spots, brown and blue, moving below him.

They were alive, thank Celestia! Perhaps they wouldn't even notice he had left them. What was he even supposed to do anyway? He was scrawny and helpless, utterly unsuited for combat. How was he supposed to defend himself? Surely they would understand that he had simply recognized that he couldn't further the situation, so he removed himself from it. Fear never entered into it. Never. He was just doing what was logical.

How he hoped Chief would see it that way.

When he landed, he was greeted by an icy smile from Summer. Perhaps she didn't mind his absence.

"Oh, Roads, so glad you could join us."

Perhaps not. Her voice was cold and malicious, burning with a disgust only thinly veiled by a disturbing pleasantness.

"Oh, uh, hey. Good to see you're alright. I see the chimeras have been dealt with..." he said, looking over the bodies of the predators. He attempted a grin, but could manage only a sheepish grimace.

"How nice to see you're concerned with our well being. Have a nice trip?"

Her voice dripped with sarcasm and her eyes bored into him. If she could kill with a glare, Roads would've died then and there.

"Um, yes, well, sorry about that."

He could not meet her gaze.

"Oh, quite alright. The penalty for desertion is normally death, you see, but—"

"—desert? I never deserted! What could I have done? I was just leaving to let the two of you—" he tried to explain, but Summer cut him off.

"Stop. Stop right there. You’ve screwed up once already, don't you dare feed me an excuse!” Her voice rose with unbridled wrath, a cold fury that left Roads feeling tiny and insignificant, an ant about to be crushed. “You will take responsibility for your actions on this expedition. No excuses. Am I clear?" All pretenses evaporated. Her false smile was gone, leaving behind a burning scowl.

"Y-yes," he said with a gulp.

He was not sure she was right, but he was not going to make the mistake of voicing that particular opinion.

At that, Summer restrained herself once more, and when she spoke again, her voice was lowered. "Good then. As I was saying, the penalty for desertion is usually death. That's how I wanted to deal with this. But you got lucky. Chief was in a particularly merciful mood today, despite being charred nearly to a crisp. Isn't that right, Chief?" she turned her head to look at him.

From his seat on the medical stretcher, Chief gave an affirmative grunt as he brushed dried blood off his face. "So," she continued, "instead of being beheaded, you've only been demoted."

"Demoted? What do you mean?! You can't do that, I just—"

"Shut up," Chief growled. "You left your team. Coward. At least take your punishment like a stallion."

Take it like a stallion... Roads had heard those words before. They echoed loud through his mind. All of his explanations and excuses faded away as he realised just how wrong he was. Something sank in his chest, and he hung his head, not willing to look Chief in the eye.

"Where was I? Oh, yeah. Demoted. Right. Anyway, since you've made it very clear that you can't handle being a spec, you've been field demoted. And you might ask, in your ignorance, 'but Summer, what station could possibly be more degrading and base than that of a lowly spec?'

“Well, I'm glad you asked, Roads, because I've an answer for you: pack mule. Here's how this works: you carry our stuff—all of it—wherever we go, and in return, we don't tie you to a stake in the middle of this gorge and leave you to rot. Maybe if you work hard enough, you can get re-promoted. Or not. That's up to you. But—listen carefully, I’m only saying this once—if you ever even think about pulling shit like this again, you're done. Over. Capisce?" Summer asked.

Roads nodded his head, feeling a sudden pressure on his shoulders as Chief strapped the sled across it. The other two tossed their bags onto the sled, and their weight ground it into his back. Roads gave a small sigh.

I deserve this, he thought. His mistake was clear to him now, burning in his mind, all of his excuses replaced by a seething self-loathing. His father had been right the whole time. He didn’t belong out here, or even deserve to be on the trip in the first place. He was weak. And now Summer and Chief knew, and now they hated him. Wonderful. He’d had something perfect going, and it had only taken him twenty-four hours to blow it.

Great job, Roads, bang-up job, he thought. One day into a research job and you already alienated your coworkers and got yourself demoted. Fantastic work.

"Ready to go?" Summer asked, eyeing him.

"Sure," he sighed.

The two turned to leave, and Roads struggled to follow them. It took him a few tries to get the sled moving, and once it did it dragged heavily across the ground. Under its weight, he had to strain to move at a pace just slower than walking.

Chest heaving, he managed to walk all the way to the end of the gorge, where the ground steeped into an incline, merging with the flattened ridges. Halfway up the slope, though, he could pull it no farther.

"Can you help me out?" He called to Chief, "I can't move this."

"Don’t tell me you won’t. Just move."

"I didn't say I wouldn't, I said I couldn't!"

"Same thing." Chief glared at him and turned away.

Roads sighed. Seemed he would be on his own on this one. Gritting his teeth, he pulled as fiercely as he could. Slowly, the sled began to move, inching its way through the mud as he clawed his way to the top of the hill. After nearly a minute, he had moved fifty feet to where the incline leveled off. He stopped for a moment, panting, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Let's go," Summer said, "daylight's burning."

With a shrug he moved on. As they moved away from the canyon, the foliage thickened once more, and Roads was forced to follow the narrow paths left by Chief as he struggled to drag his new burden. Legs aflame as he pressed on, all Roads could think was 'I deserve this.' Periodically, Summer would look back to make sure he was keeping up with the group.

Each time she did, his face burned with shame.

They walked farther and farther, making their way to a lake Summer estimated was only a half-mile away. As they moved, Roads’ breath grew ragged and heavy, his back aching, his neck sore. He wondered if he could make it all the way to the new campsite, but he knew he could not give up. Even as his body threatened to collapse, he pressed on, muscles exhausted, mouth dry, silently desperate to prove his worth to himself and to his colleagues. The weight of the sled was nothing compared to total humiliation.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the party came upon a wide, steady stream. They followed its bank a ways to the north to find a small, glistening lake. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing Roads had ever laid eyes on.

Cool and clear, the trees around it thinned into a rocky shore that lined smooth, glassy waters that sparkled under the sun. On one edge, the bank was interrupted by a series of asperous cliffs that jutted from the water, towering over the rippling pool. By the time they reached it, Roads felt as though he was on the verge of passing out. His legs wobbled underneath him. He couldn’t get his eyes to focus, and he was beginning to gag on his own tongue.

"We done?" he asked Summer, his voice slurred from exhaustion.

"Not yet. I figure it'd be best to set up camp on the other side of the lake."

He couldn't tell if she actually meant it, or if she was just tormenting him. He groaned inwardly, but made an effort not to give off a sign of his despair.

"Alright then."

Had he been less delirious, he might have noticed Summer studying his reaction, but at the moment, he was having trouble even standing up properly. If she was satisfied with his answer, she didn't show it, instead turning around and continuing around the lake. He followed her to the opposite bank, stopping where the shoreline met the cliffs. After Roads moved next to one of the stony outcroppings, Chief unhinged him from the stretcher and he collapsed. Dragging himself a few feet to the edge of the lake, he drank greedily from the fresh, cool water.

Having drunk his fill, he got to his hooves and staggered back to the new camp, where Summer and Chief had already unpacked their things and arranged the tents against the cliff. They stacked the now unloaded cargo around them, forming a circle around a firepit Chief had dug and lined with large stones.

Roads made his way into the camp and collapsed onto one of the rocks, his legs numb and weak from the trip. He closed his eyes as he lay against the stone, resting. It was cool and smooth, comfortable against his aching limbs. He was just getting settled when he felt a hoof nudge his ribs.

"All right, we've got more work to do, I've got an island to map, and you've got some herbs to pick. Ready to be a spec again?" Summer asked.

"I guess," he said, opening an eye to look at her.

It seemed his punishment was over. Somehow, it didn't feel over. He still cringed with humiliation under Summer's scrutiny, chest tight with shame.

"You guess?" she asked, eyeing him closely.

"Yeah."

Summer looked down on the pegasus, who seemed to shy away from her words like a dog expecting to be hit, and gave a sigh.

"Alright, then. Let's go. We've got a good bit of area to cover. Check the crates for sampling equipment and our ecological journal, then let's head out."

Roads nodded and struggled to his hooves. He rolled out his sleeping bag and emptied the contents of his pack onto it. After making his way to the cargo, he found an odd assortment of clippers, vials, mounting pastes and papers, and a miniature plant press. He shoved them in his pack and heaved it over his aching shoulders. Groaning as the newly filled sacks weighed on his back, he tottered over to Summer. She stood at the edge of the lake, marking down a series of numbers and illustrations as she peered through what looked to be a small, tripod-mounted telescope, replete with a complex array of tiny knobs, levers, and levels.

"What's that?"

"Theodolite. Measures horizontal and vertical angles so I can get precise information on distances and such. Makes mapmaking easy."

"I see." He didn't.

After a moment, Summer pulled away from the 'theodolite,' and her horn began to glow, casting a translucent blue aura around her eyes. She stood still for a few seconds, staring at something Roads could not see, then turned abruptly.

"This way," she said.

Chief, who had been assembling a makeshift barrier around the camp out of logs and sharpened sticks, heard her and rose from his work to meet her at the edge of the forest. Summer marched confidently off into the jungle, levitating a sun compass and the theodolite behind her. Fortunately for the now heavily bandaged Chief, the jungle was thinner here. He and Roads were able to easily follow Summer as she made her way through the trees. Every so often, she would stop, set down her equipment and take a few minutes to mark down illegible scribbles onto one of the sheaves of papers she carried with her.

Whenever she did this, Roads found himself free to scout out the area for anything green, interesting, and unusual. He did so silently and compliantly. It was hard to feel entitled when he was so busy kicking himself for screwing up.

It helped that he found the job not entirely dissatisfying. As he worked, he came across a wide variety of enchanted plants, most of which were not uncommon. Every so often, he would come across an herb he didn’t recognize, but for the most part, the magical plants here were similar to those in the Everfree—though larger, and much more potent.

He found this especially true when the group was forced to circumvent an entire field of dark brown flowers that grew almost to the height of his chest and gave off a foul, rancid odor. Chief cracked his neck and stepped forward, ready to thrash his way through them.

“Stop,” Roads called out, grabbing him by the tail.

“What?” the earth pony grunted.

“It’s baneweed. Walk through it, and you won’t be able to keep food down for three weeks.”

“Roads, that’s not baneweed,” Summer said. “I’ve seen that stuff before. Baneweed flowers are tiny and grey, nothing like this.”

“Maybe in some places, but in the Everfree, it looks and smells just like this. Only smaller.”

“See? ‘Smaller.’ Stuff’s not baneweed.”

“Have you noticed that every plant on this island is about twice as large as it should be? You think the poisonous stuff is going to be any different?”

Summer narrowed her eyes. “Fine. Better safe than sorry. Let’s head around it, Chief.”

He noticed her mark a few coordinates on her papers along with a large 'X.' He carefully took a sample of the plants, then the three moved on.

They worked for hours, following Summer as she wandered across half the island, stopping frequently to work on her map. Roads did his job as quietly as possible, ego still smarting from his punishment. He tried to draw as little attention to himself as he could, and was happy his two colleagues were virtually ignoring him.

After a while, he had nearly filled his bags with samples of magical herbs. The size and potency of the plants intrigued him. Roads wondered if it could have something to do with the powerful magical properties of the land itself. He was hesitant to make any judgements, however, as his Attunement potion had long since worn off, and he was unable to tell anything about the magic of the island.

Still, one couldn't help but wonder...

The island did seem to have plenty of places suitable for nexi. As he followed Summer through the green overgrowth of the jungle, they came across numerous geological aberrations. The unicorn seemed to sense the presence of grottos and springs and craggy fissures; she led them to numerous areas where the grass and trees appeared to have been cleared by magical forces.

Finally, Roads had to ask.

"How are you doing that?"

"What?"

"Finding landmarks like that. Stumbling across them is one thing, but you're leading us straight to them."

"It's called an eagle eye spell. Lets me see nearly the whole island from above."

"I've never heard of it."

Roads was not an expert on arcane magic, but in his reading he had still come across almost every type of spell imaginable.

"Figures you wouldn't have. It's not exactly useful to your average unicorn, so it doesn't get brought up that much outside of cartographical circles."

"Huh. Still, I should’ve at least heard of it."

Roads made a mental note to look up the spell later. Summer just shrugged and went back to work.

Eventually, after the three had covered nearly every inch of the island on one side of the volcanic mountain, the sun began to dip slowly across the horizon. Summer declared them finished for the day, and the group turned to make their way back to camp. Trekking across streams and fallen trees, they came upon a strange grove they had not discovered before.

Here, rows of squat trees grew in perfect lines, each of them covered in odd yellow flowers. The trio moved into the grove slowly, perplexed by the unnatural pattern of the flora. Besides grass, no other plants grew along the bases of the trees, which were each spaced almost exactly five meters from each other, creating a perfect grid.

Summer immediately pulled out her papers and began to scribble down notes across them. Moving tensely between the trees, Chief stalked about the grove like a tiger, scowling as he searched.

"Something's not right here," he said, measuring out the distance between the trees and finding it even. His eyes darted this way and that, head swiveling at every sound. "The trees didn't just grow. They were planted. Cultivated."

"This island is uninhabited," Summer replied. "It wasn't even on the map."

That did little to ease his tension.

Roads, on the other hoof, didn’t share his companions' apprehension. As they discussed the grove, he turned and lurched away from them, inspecting one of the trees. Approaching it, he reared and grabbed one of the branches, bending it down to inspect one of the flowers.

It appeared to be a sort of lotus, round and yellow, the tips of its petals open wide, circling around a gleaming white core.

That's strange, he thought, lotuses don't grow on trees. I've never seen anything like it.

Dripping with a strange nectar, the flowers gave off an odd, sweet scent that made Roads' stomach growl. Some of them had borne fruit. He picked some of it, suddenly intensely hungry in a way only the mysterious pome could satisfy.

Ordinarily, he would never have eaten anything off of a strange tree growing on a magical island, but the longer he held the fruit, the harder it became to think straight. The inhibitions faded away as his brain became increasingly addled.

Before he could think to stop himself, he stuffed half of the fruit into his mouth, chewing voraciously. The fruit was sweet and juicy, better tasting than anything he had eaten in months. The sensation was surreal, and as he ate, a warmth and contentment spread through his body. Hunger sated, he walked back over to Summer and and Chief. Sitting down next to them, he swallowed, an odd euphoria washing over him.

"...it's not natural. We aren't alone here," Chief was saying to Summer.

"Hey, guys..." he said, his voice slurring, a strange smile spreading across his face as he took another bite of the lotus-fruit.

Summer turned to him, and was about to reply, when her eyes grew wide.

"Roads, what are you eating?"

"I dunno," he said, swallowing the last of the fruit, "I found it on one of the trees. It's really good, you should try it."

"What?" Summer leapt to her feet. "You ate Apathy Lotus? What were you thinking?"

"Is that what it's called?"

Roads couldn't understand her alarm. Why yell? Everything was so wonderful. He felt enveloped in a warm, content glow, and as he looked around him, his surroundings seemed softer. Hard lines disappeared, dark colors tuning into bright, happy hues. He wanted to stay on this island forever. It was so pleasant here.

"Idiot," Chief said gruffly.

Roads turned to look him. Such a nice pony. He'd never really noticed before just how charming Chief could be; he had such a way with words. So handsome, too. Those scars really complimented his physique. He couldn't think of anypony who could possibly be a better friend—he was always ready for conversation, always ready to listen. Roads was glad they were conversing. It was just... nice.

"Thank you," he said with a smile, his eyelids drooping.

Chief gave a dismissive snort.

"Roads, that fruit you ate was magical. It causes delirium and euphoria. And total, utter, uselessness. But then, I guess that wouldn’t be much of a change," Summer said.

He looked over to her as he laid down on the soft, cushy grass. Wow. She was so beautiful. He hadn't caught that before. With her partially matted, uncombed mane, and stiff, efficient movement, she was the essence of feminine grace. So lovely.

“That’s okay. Everything’s okay.” He stared at her and smiled. “You’re really nice. I’m glad we met.”

She buried her face in her hooves. That was cute. She was cute. She probably had to beat the stallions off with a stick back home. He'd never really met a girl like that. Except for maybe Ditsy. And also, Chelsea. And everypony. Everypony was just so great. He really liked everypony.

"You know what I'd like to do?" he asked his companions.

They didn't ask what he would like to do, so he continued.

"I'd like to give the world a hug. I mean it. All of it. I just wanna hug the whole world, and everything in it. Starting with you, Chief." Roads made a slow, unsteady movement towards Chief, forelegs wide, and was bowled over by a hoof to the face.

"Close enough," he said.

He smiled euphorically up at him from his spot on the ground. He tried to stand again, but all of his muscles seemed so loose. Like gelatin.

He liked gelatin.

Summer slipped a foreleg under one of his and lifted him from the ground. "Let's get you back to the camp," she sighed, steadying the pegasus as he swayed on his hooves. Chief nodded as Summer magically lifted Roads into the air and draped him over the earth pony’s back.

"Why thank you," he said, giggling from his spot on Chief.

Summer was so helpful.

"Hey Summer?" he asked.

"What?"

"You wanna go with me to the ball? I don't have a date yet."

He tried to flash her a winning smile, but his lips didn’t seem to be working properly. The end result was a lopsided rictus grin. Good enough.

"What are you talking about?" she asked flatly.

"The island ball. Where all the islanders dance. At the ball. On the island."

How had she not heard? He thought everypony had heard. He'd most certainly heard, though he couldn't remember when. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember much of anything. Oh well. It wasn't anything to worry about. Nothing was anything to worry about.

"No," Summer replied.

"Okay then. Suit yourself."

"Why couldn't he have eaten something that would shut him up?" Chief grumbled.

"Eaten what? Do we have food? Can we stop? I'm hungry. I think I'd like a hamburger," Roads said. He had very suddenly found it difficult not to say whatever popped into his head.

"You'd like a what?" Summer asked.

"A hamburger."

"What's that?"

"I dunno."

Summer sighed. For a moment, they walked in relative silence, only the sounds of the island birds and bugs breaking the stillness. Then another thought occurred to Roads.

"Hey, guys, did you ever think about birds?" he asked, eyes wide.

"...no?"

"Because I was just thinking... like, what if there were birds that could talk? Did you ever think about that?"

"...no." Summer said flatly. "Don’t talk so much."

"Okay." Roads nodded sagely, then stared off into the distance, eyes unfocused, lost in his own mind.

Summer eyed him as they walked. She supposed it wasn't his fault that he had eaten hallucinogens—he didn't know any better—but that didn't make him any less annoying. Though she supposed it was entertaining to watch him get under Chief's skin; at the moment, the earth pony was nearly trembling with suppressed rage and frustration. She chuckled at him for a moment, then looked up to see that they had reached the camp.

"Home!" Roads babbled excitedly.

Chief shrugged him off of his back, dumping the pegasus into the dirt.

"Got anything that'll fix him?" he asked.

"I don't think Roads can ever be fixed—but I do know a way to reverse the effects of the lotus," she said with a smile.

Her horn glowed, and Roads was enveloped in a blue aura. The magic lifted him off to the ground and sent him sailing into the lake. For a moment, the water was still, then Roads burst through the surface of the pond, hacking and gagging.

"What the hell?!" he cried between coughs.

"Well, that was easy," Summer remarked to Chief.

He gave a dismissive grunt and lumbered over to his tent.

"What's going on?" Roads shouted from the water as he paddled to the shore. "What happened?" His eyes grew wide as memories from the past twenty minutes made their way slowly back into his brain. "Oh, no. No, no, no... What was I talking about?!" he asked in dismay as he climbed out of the lake.

"No idea," Summer replied, sitting down to start a fire.

"I'm an idiot," he said, drying himself off. "A grade-A moron."

"Yeah, well, that's what Chief kept telling you. I believe you said something along the lines of 'thank you.'"

"What was that stuff?"

"Apathy Lotus. Grows occasionally on islands in the Triangle, and never anywhere else."

"I'd never heard of it, I swear!"

"Well, I figured."

Summer popped open a cargo crate and began cooking dinner. Moving over to the fire, Roads sat back against a rock, resting aching legs, and sighed.

"It doesn't matter though. They say ignorance is no excuse for stupidity."

Summer looked over at him, unspeaking, and cocked an eyebrow. She had figured something like this would be coming.

"And that's all I've done today, isn’t it? Act stupid and drag your stuff around," he paused for a moment, pressing a hoof against his forehead.

"Geez, I mean, it was just one thing after another. First desertion, then I nearly passed out walking to camp, then this? And I never even got any real work done. Never did what I was sent out here to do. Never mind that I was supposed to be picking herbs—I mean, I didn't even do that right! I got high off the plants I was supposed to be taking samples of.

“It's stuff like that that makes me wonder if I should even be out here. I mean, it's obvious I don't belong out here, on an island. And, really, I don't belong with you guys."

He looked up at Summer, who stood next to the fire, cooking dinner. He wasn't sure if she was listening, but he continued. Talking put him at ease, loosening the tightness in his chest.

"It's just like Chief is always saying, you know? I'm 'soft.' Not all outdoorsy like you two, just a soft, squishy race-traitor who never should've left the library. I don't fit in out here, and you guys hate me for it. I mean, really hate me. And why shouldn't you? I'm a screwup. Have been all my life..."

He stared pensively into the fire. He was quiet for long enough that Summer finally looked up at him.

"Oh, is that it? Done feeling sorry for yourself? Is the pity party over, or should I wait a bit longer? Do you want confetti?"

Roads just shrugged. Summer sighed.

"Look, spec, you're right. Mostly. You've spent most of today messing up this expedition, and that kinda ticks off me and Chief. But no, we don’t hate you. That’s stupid. Up until right now, I thought you might actually be able to hold yourself together on your first day, which I thought was kind of decent. Obviously, I overestimated you, but that's irrelevant. Catch my drift?”

Roads shook his head. Summer sighed again.

“Look, what I'm saying is, you gotta get over yourself. If Chief and I are tough on you, that's only because we think it'll help you out. Because in case you haven’t noticed, we need you to be on your game out here. There’s only three of us when there should be six or seven. That means we can’t carry your weight.”

“Neither can I,” he mumbled. “Too soft.”

“Yeah, Roads, you’re soft. Really, no denying that. But honestly, if there're two ponies in all of Equestria that can get you to get over that, it's me and Chief. I mean, if we didn't care, we wouldn't even bother, now would we? You might just have a shred of potential, spec, and it'd be a shame if you wasted it by going around moping.”

He looked at her, confused. Potential? Him?

“So, if you're done being all pathetic and whiny, then the food's ready. I'm about to crack open some booze, and you're free to join me. Otherwise, roll over, go to sleep, and I'm just gonna hope you wake up tomorrow morning with your head on straight."

Summer stood and offered him a bowl. He looked up at her, simultaneously insulted and complimented by her speech, and, after a moment of reflection, took it.

"You're right, I guess. And thanks, it really helps to hear that you c—"

"Alright, whatever, spec. Don't be getting all sappy on me just because a beautiful woman tossed you a compliment for the first time in your life," she said with a grin.

"I don't really think 'beautiful' is the right word—though you do have a sort of rugged, masculine appeal that some guys might find attractive. Y'know, if they're into that sort of thing."

"I oughta slap you," Summer said.

"You wouldn't dare.”

A magical blow knocked him off the rock he was sitting on. Groaning as he stretched sore muscles, he pulled himself back up just in time to catch a flask Summer tossed him.

"What's this?"

"Rum. I'm not the best cook, so that's what you get to wash your meal down with."

“You? A bad cook? Really?”

“Just drink it, spec.”

Roads took a sip. "Huh. Not bad. Pretty strong."

"Yep. Try not to give yourself a hangover. Splitting headaches and tropical climates do not mix well, trust me."

"I see." He turned to Chief, who was emerging from his tent to get his nightly fill of D-ration bars. "Ugh. How do you eat those things?" he asked.

"Tastes good,” he replied. “Like a boiled potato.”

"Suit yourself, I guess," he said. He raised the flask. "Want some?"

Chief turned and glared at him, suddenly scowling heavily. Summer's eyes grew wide, though Roads didn't notice.

"No. Never. It's weak. Stupid. Don’t need it." He spat the words, voice dripping with derision.

"What are you talking about?" Roads cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"Can't deal with the world on your own. Need alcohol. Stuff gets ponies killed," he growled almost incoherently.

"What? What is he talking about?" he asked, turning to glance over to Summer.

"Drop it," she said tensely.

Roads turned around to look at Chief, who was still glaring at him.

"Never mind," he said, dropping his gaze.

"That's what I thought," Chief replied. He turned and stomped back to his tent, muttering something about 'distractions' and 'escapism.'

"What was that all about?" he asked, shocked.

"Long story, really personal. He'll tell you when he's ready. Or when he thinks you're ready. Or never, most likely. Don't worry about it, just remember that Chief can get touchy about alcohol."

"Touchy? That’s 'touchy'? He was furious! I didn't even do anything!"

"Try not to think about it."

"Fine." He sat quiet for a moment, eating and drinking as he tried to think of something to talk about. Finally, something occurred to him.

"So, how long have you been doing this, anyway?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Just about forever, it feels like. Something around eight years—that's when I left vocational school."

"Vocational school?"

"Yep. Enrolled after I got this," she said, gesturing to her cutie mark, a red and blue compass rose.

"How’d you get that?"

"It's kind of a long story, but basically, there were these woods out by this one house I lived in for a while, and whenever I got bored or felt like being alone for a bit, I'd head out there and explore. Got to where I knew just about every inch of it within a mile of the house.

“One day, though I decided to see how far out I could go. I ended up getting lost for two days straight. Had to live off the land, all that jazz. Anyway, it took me forever, but I finally found my way back, as soon as I did, I realized something. That this was how I wanted to spend my life. Out, where no one had ever been, just finding my way around. Just... surviving. By the time I made it back in town, this had appeared.”

"No one noticed you were missing for two days?"

"Ehh, my folks weren't the most attentive bunch. What about you, how'd you end up a magic expert? Not exactly common for an pegasus, is it?”

He gave a bitter laugh. “No, not really. It’s... it’s a long story."

"What, you think I’ve got somewhere to go?" she asked. “I mean, the island ball isn’t for another few days...”

“Island ball? What are you—oh. Right. Hilarious, thanks.”

“Any time, stud. Seriously, though, I’m curious. What’s your story, spec?”

"Okay," he said, wings ruffling as a nervous pang worked its way through his stomach. "I'll just, uh, give you the short version. So, when I was younger, I used to spend all my time reading. I read just about anything, really, and never exactly thought a whole lot about it. I just sort of picked up whatever was available around the house.

“This one day, though, my mom took me to the Cloudsdale library and I stumbled across this book on magic. It was the best thing I'd ever read, and after that, I spent all my time studying magic at my house instead of practicing flying like the normal—like everypony else.

“That's basically how I spent my childhood, really. Locked up in my room studying because my parents—because I didn't have any reason to come out. Anyway, eventually, the local librarian took a notice to my habit and penned a letter to the Princess.

“Apparently she found out there was some program at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns for those who were considered 'gifted' but not... well, unicorns. I ended up getting really, really lucky and getting an audience with the Princess herself. After passing an oral exam, she let me into the school. I studied hard, graduated, and went into the only field I thought I had a chance in. Ley magic," he finished, out of breath.

"That's the short version?" Summer asked.

"Yep."

You don't know the half of it, he thought, contemplating how much he had managed to omit.

"Well, good for you. I'd been meaning to ask about that, by the way. The whole race-traitor thing. What's with that?"

"What, you’ve never heard about that?”

“I thought people stopped saying that years ago. Before we were even born, you know?”

“Nope. It’s definitely still a thing. At least where I’m from. Read a magic book as an pegasus? Race-traitor. Tend a crop as a unicorn? Race-traitor.”

“And if you work in a weather factory as an earth pony?”

“Not a race-traitor. Because no one’s gonna call an earth pony who can cast a cloudwalking spell any names.”

Summer laughed at that.

“So, you’d really never heard anypony talk about that?” Roads asked.

“Not in a long time. Not since I heard you say it just now. If you work where I work, with the ponies I work with, you find out pretty quick there’s only one thing that’s important: how well you can do your job. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pegasus, a unicorn, an earth pony, hell, even a zebra. No sweat.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. In our world, you can’t afford petty differences over stuff that doesn’t matter. That stuff, that’s for folks who don’t have to worry about survival.”

"Huh."

"Yep."

They sat in silence for another moment, dinner finished, each taking small drinks from the flask. Another thought popped into Roads' head, one he might have felt silly for asking, but now the alcohol was beginning to take effect.

"Hey Summer, do ponies really sing campfire songs on trips like this? You know, out in the woods... drinking and singing..." he asked.

"No. That's just a stupid cliche."

"Oh. Right."

“You read too many books.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

"I mean, why would anypony ever do that?"

"I dunno.”

“It's silly, really. If you think about it."

“Yeah. It’s dumb. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Silence fell over both of them once more, until Summer, taking a large gulp from the flask, spoke again, softly.

"Mockingbird... fly away now..."

"What? Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"...You have no cause to stay around me now..."

“Are you—?”

She her voice was louder, now, and more musical. She must have had more rum than he thought. Roads smiled. On the next line, he joined in.

"...Mockingbird... fly away..."

Her voice was loud and clear now, lilting as it easily carried the tune. It was actually rather nice, in an odd sort of way. Fortunately, it drowned out much of Roads' tone-deaf drawl.

"Tomorrow... he could hear you...
He’d rise and see you there in the morning light
Mockingbird... fly away”

Their drunken voices intermingled, full and rich and slurred with alcohol.

"There’s no time... you should go now...
Take his gift and soar away from here
Mockingbird...
Fly away..."

“I love that one,” Roads said as Summer let the last note die.

She glanced over at him, a strange look on her face. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s a good one. I haven’t heard it in a long, long time...” she said, staring into the fire.

“Really? I used to hear it all the time back in school.”

“Yeah,” she said, almost absentmindedly. “It was popular around then, wasn’t it? Guy I used to know taught it to me, back when they first wrote it. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time...”

Roads stared at her. Her brow was furrowed, hooves rubbing at the stone beneath her. She was still staring pensively into the flames.

“Uh...” he started to say.

She glanced up at him. “You know what?” she asked. “I think I’ve had a bit too much rum for tonight, I’m gonna go ahead and hit the hay.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yeah, me too...”

“Good night, Roads,” she said as she wandered off to her tent.

“Yeah,” he said, laying down in his sleeping back. “You, too.”

That was strange. That was definitely strange. But really, the whole day had been strange. Hell, the whole island was strange.

Strange islands, strange ponies... There was so much he didn’t understand, so much he didn’t know. He had hoped the journey would bring answers, but instead there were only more questions.

He turned over, his eyes fluttering shut. The rum was making him drowsy. He felt himself drifting off to sleep.

Maybe... he thought as his mind raced to darkness. Maybe tomorrow will bring an answer. A small one, just one. Maybe...

Author's Note:

I’d like to give a very special ‘thank you’ to my editor, Secondaryspine, for his hard work, dedication, and good humor.

I would also like to thank Secondaryspine’s liver, for not giving out after all that whiskey. Shine on, you crazy organ.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Glassed]

Aaww, on the inside Summer is just a real nice gi*Summer puts knife at throat* ahem... A total BADASS! *gulp*
I've asked it before and I'll ask it again; why doesn't this have more views!?
-Glassed

[secondaryspine]

Best chapter yet. Can't wait to tear it apart.

[Truth_Seeker]

If I didn't know better I'd say that Summer's dad had a chocolate-themed cutie mark.

This story is awesome, keep it up!

[Bugsly]

Seriously, keep writing this. It has inspired me to right and really is a excellent read. Thanks for getting me more into fan-fiction.

[websterhamster]

"Figures you wouldn't have. It's not exactly useful to your average unicorn, so it doesn't get brought up that much outside of cartological circles."

Found another one. Cartographic circles, I believe you mean.

I'd just like to say, this chapter made me really angry. => If I could have reached in and brutally murdered Summer and Chief Smile HD-style, I would have. It'll take a big change of heart on their parts for me to stand down.

[Rosencranz]

3785054

When I get home from work I'm just going to go through every chapter ctrl+f-ing "cartological." I'm getting really annoyed at past me for using so many words that aren't actually words.