//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Emerald Creek // Story: Somewhere Far Beyond // by Artimae //------------------------------// 1 It was Juniper's turn to pull the wagon. She followed a dusty path up through the foothills, winding over the ground like a massive serpent. The terrain began to become hostile - rocks jutted out from the path, forcing her to swerve around them. Some she missed, running over them with the wagon wheel, which caused her to scrabble for purchase on the loosely packed path. Cypress trotted around, gathering as many plants as she could find in the withering landscape. Her harvest was plentiful while they were near Bridlewood, but they had traveled for half a day up the base of a mountain. Green turned into brown, then into gray, leaving very little for Cypress to pick. Frowning, she looked around for any plant she may have missed. It was a futile gesture - she was meticulous in her hunt. Satisfied, she ran up to her sister, matching Juniper's pace. “How're you feeling, sis?” Cypress asked. The wagon was relatively light, by design, but it still must've been difficult for June. “Fine,” Juniper said, her light-blue eyes staring far off from beneath her flat-brimmed hat. “Got enough ingredients?” “Hopefully,” Cypress responded. “Enough for a couple potions, at least.” “It’ll do,” Juniper said. Cypress had always been an incredible potion-maker. Her special talent was botany, as denoted by the pair of roses forming an ‘X’ on her flank. She had managed to turn this special talent into apothecary, which led her to follow Juniper into the Canterlot Guard. While Juniper was a marksmare, Cypress became a medicine mare. That was the past, however. In the present, Cypress again followed her sister, this time into bounty hunting. She stopped only when Juniper left for a year, at which point she opened up a temporary apothecary. She had taken on an apprentice, teaching him about the plants and the potions they could create. Cypress turned over the shop to him once Juniper returned Similar to Cypress, Juniper’s cutie mark was also an ‘X’, though she wore crossbow bolts instead of roses. She was a born bowslinger - a special talent which led her straight into the Canterlot Guard. It had been a grand life, in a grand city… until the Sundering took it all away. Now she hunted criminals in her own way, with her sister. Only for a short while did she take off, wanting some time to herself, wanting to confirm some nagging suspicions. In its own way, this was also a grand life. She never did tell Cypress the truth about that year away. She never could figure out how, if she were being completely honest. It was only ever brought up once, right after she returned. “Did you find out what you wanted to know?” Cypress had asked. “I don’t know,” Juniper had answered honestly. They had left it at that. In the present, the Evergreens reached a flat plateau partway up the foothills. Juniper pulled the wagon off of the path, parking it in a dreary little clearing. The only sign of life was a small, babbling creek which snaked down the hillside. “We’ll camp here,” she said, shuffling out of the harness and chocking the wheels. “Light’s getting low.” “You gonna scout ahead?” Cypress asked, already working to set up a small campfire. They were downhill from the mine opening, putting them at a slight disadvantage which Cypress didn’t much like. “Aye,” Juniper said. “I thought I recognized this area. We’re near Emerald Creek.” “Emerald Creek…” Cypress repeated thoughtfully. She’d heard that name before, but she couldn’t quite place a hoof on it. “You really don’t pay attention sometimes, huh?” Juniper asked, her face stretched in a wide, playful grin. It was a rare treat when she got to tease Cypress - usually Cypress was the one doing the teasing. “Emerald Creek was a mining encampment some twenty years ago. Less a town and more of a group of tents with a couple of buildings. The mineshaft itself was closed when there was a cave-in. A dozen ponies were trapped for days, with no hope of rescue. Soon after, it was condemned by Hoofingstead and abandoned.” “Nopony bothered to try again?” Cypress asked. It was true - she didn’t pay particular attention. Truth be told, Juniper spent far more time in the saloons than she did. “No,” Juniper told her. “Bridlewood thinks the entire area is haunted. Surprised it took this long for Diamond Dogs to show up, honestly.” She shrugged off her duster, revealing her dark-brown coat. She flared her wings out, sighing as she stretched them. She placed her hat with her duster, setting both in the back of the wagon, spilling out her unruly black mane. She grabbed her crossbow, and grabbed only a hoofful of bolts - she wouldn’t need more than half a dozen for a scouting mission. She cinched the quiver to her flank, tying it down in a way which would keep it silent. “I’ll be back,” she said, taking off into the sky. Cypress gave a mock salute, putting her kettle over the fire. She gathered some water from the creek, and began to get to work. 2 The sun was mostly below the horizon now, blanketing the sky in a twilight glow. Juniper flew silently through the air, spotting the remains of Emerald Creek. Walking had taken almost a full day to get from Bridlewood to the plateau, and she figured an hour or so more to reach the mine proper over the weaving road. Flying a direct path, however, got her the rest of the way in only ten minutes. She settled onto a random cloud high over the encampment, trying to spot any signs of movement. Diamond Dogs preferred to live in the mines directly, building entire civilizations underground, but there was almost always a scout. If there was a scout, she would have to take care of him - if he smelled their campfire smoke in the air, he’d alert his pack. If the pack got alerted, their job would be exponentially harder. Perhaps even impossible. The Dogs in the mineshaft wouldn’t smell a thing, at least. She hopped off the cloud, gliding downwards in a wide spiral, crossbow at the ready. Her ear twitched as she heard a noise in the still dusk air. Snarling? No, snoring. So there was one, at least. Fallen asleep, probably bored out of his mind. She wondered if these Dogs would rotate scouts - if so, she may have a problem. She could kill this one, right in his sleep, and drag his corpse away. Would the next one become suspicious, or would they assume that their scout had simply abandoned his post? That was a risk she couldn't take. Diamond Dogs were many things, and loyal was one of them. They almost never abandoned their pack. One missing scout would surely raise the alarm. She bit her lip, running various scenarios through her mind. She and Cypress could forego the potions, and rush the mine right now. They were both tired, however, and had no information on the enemy. How many Dogs? What did the mine look like? Going into unknown situations with no preparations was simply suicide with extra steps. In the end, she reached the only logical conclusion - the scout lived for one more night. Juniper sniffed the air, noting that she could barely smell any smoke. Her olfactory senses weren't nearly as heightened as a Diamond Dog's, however. She would just have to hope that he wouldn't awaken. It was decided, then. They would deal with the scout at first light. She flew up again, heading back to her sister. At least they could strategize tonight. The Dog stirred in his sleep, but simply turned over. Only once during the night did his nose even twitch. 3 Everypony believed that magic had disappeared the day Equestria fell. Cypress thought that such a belief was silly - magic was still all around them, it just showed in different ways. Sure, there was nary a unicorn in sight, and Juniper was the only known pegasus for miles, but this was hardly proof. Instead, magic could be found in the plants that grew. They offered potent elixirs to those who could discover their potential. Magic was found in Bridlewood, with its many acres of farms, which fed both Hoofingstead and New Horseshoe Bay. Cypress worked some of her own magic now, filling empty bottles with various potions. She had managed to make half a dozen elixirs for health - these could treat minor wounds and temporarily restore stamina. Others she made gave ponies hyperawareness, at the cost of a deep crash afterward. These she reserved for herself and her sister, but never at the same time. Speaking of… “What'd you find?” Cypress asked aloud. Juniper blanched - she had been so quiet! Nevermind, there was business to discuss. “A single guard, sleeping outside the mine,” Juniper told her sister. Her demeanor changed, slipping back into the training she had endured so long ago. “Potential rotation. Unknown how many inside. Unknown how far the mineshaft extends.” “I see,” Cypress said, stirring her current concoction. She, too, fell into her old battle habits. Though she had been a medicine mare, she had still been a Guard, and fought just as devilishly as Juniper. Her choice of weapon, however, had always been a trusty sword. “Recommended loadout?” Cypress asked. Juniper frowned - this was the truly difficult part. If they could force the Diamond Dogs out into the open, it would be an easy fight… but she knew that was impossible. The crafty mutts had the advantage of their home turf, and they'd dare not give it up. “Horseshoes, knives,” Juniper said finally. “Your sword may be useless, depending on the width of the tunnels.” Cypress nodded. “Swinging it blindly and striking a wall would just break it. Or one of us. Can you use your crossbow in such close quarters?” “Mm…” Juniper clicked her tongue, considering the question. And it was a good question. “Depends on how high I can go. If I can fly with my hooves above your head, I can use it. If not, it's horseshoes for me, as well.” “Noted. Did you happen to kill this scout?” Juniper shook her head. “In the morning. If there was rotation, or if any of his friends checked on him, they'd know something was up.” “I gotcha,” Cypress said, giving her sister a big smile. “Good work, June. Go get some sleep. I got a few more potions to make, so I'll take first watch. We can't take any chances now.” “Understood,” Juniper said, settling into the back of the wagon. “Wake me as soon as you're done.” “Will do,” Cypress said, waving a quick salute at her sister. Everypony always asked her why she didn't simply stay at the apothecary, making an easy living and not risking her flank every day. She smiled to herself, because no matter how many times she was asked, she always gave the exact same answer. Because she loved June too much, and because it was just so damned fun.