Chapter 7
Sunlight streamed through the window on the other side of the room, illuminating a section of the floor. From where I was laying, it only covered my legs, but it was still a nice feeling. I stared at the ceiling for a moment, processing.
I was awake.
I was still here.
I could move.
I was still down an arm.
And I was still covered in mud.
With a grumble, I sat up, scooting over so I could bask more in the sun. As a result, chunks of mud that had dried over the night cracked and chipped off, and it would only get worse in direct light.
I sighed, “I’m going to need more mud.”
“You think?” A voice came from the side,
Looking over, Indigo was sitting on one of the beds, staring at me.
“Oh, uh… Good morning?”
“Morning,” she replied,
I smiled, it was a rare day when I could greet someone with ‘good morning’ and have it actually be morning. Standing up, I looked over the small piles of crumbled mud I was leaving behind, more of my natural luster was showing through than it was the night before.
“There’s got to be a better solution for this.” I muttered, sweeping what I could into a single pile. Some of the bark pieces had even popped off, so I gathered them up as well.
“You’re right.” Indigo said, “I can’t imagine a lot of ponies would be happy with you dirtying up every place you go.”
“I’m not either,” I stepped over to the chair and grabbed my cloak, shaking it a bit, a lot more dirt fell out, “But this cloak only covers so much. Thanks for it by the way.”
“Eh,” Indigo rolled her hoof, “It was old and running out of uses, I’m just glad to finally get rid of it so I can replace it with something better.”
“Speaking of something better…” I traced my arm with my stump,
“That’s still a little ways off, I’m afraid,” Indigo began, “I still need to find some good fabric to use, which won’t be cheap, and I’ll be making it from scratch, so it might not come out perfect. I don’t even know where to begin with boots though, I doubt you’ll wear shoes like ours, and you need it to cover most of your legs…” She thought for a moment, “but who would even make such a thing…? An armorsmith maybe? That would also be pretty pricey.”
“I was thinking of something more intermediate.” I rubbed off some more dirt, “Something that won’t dry out and crack.”
“That rules out a lot,” Indigo said, “If you don’t want it to dry out, then it’s not something you can apply wet.”
“Exactly, something like a powder.”
“Like that makeup thing you were talking about earlier?” Indigo asked, “I dabble a little in cosmetics, but I’ve never heard of a powder that will not only stick to shear surfaces, but won’t simply fall off or stick to anything else.”
“You can’t make it?”
“It doesn’t sound possible, but I’ll admit it has my interest, and could be a fun challenge. I do charge commission however.”
“So when I have money?” I asked,
“So when you have money,” Indigo answered,
“Alright,” I put on the cloak, “I suppose I’ll head out to go find some more mud.”
I looked around the room, now that there was actually light, I could see its complete layout. There were two beds, one in each corner, with a window on the wall between them. Indigo was laying on the one to the right, and at the foot was the chair I put my cloak on along with a few other items I assumed were hers. On the other side of the room, there was a small chest at the foot of the other bed, which was empty and unkempt.
“Where’s Fletch?”
“Probably out with the others.”
I blinked, “Where are the others?”
“Probably out in town.”
“Out on a job?” I gasped, “Are we missing out?”
Indigo snorted, “No jobs today. After a big one like yesterday’s, we’re usually set for a week or two. Of course we still have to look for the next one, but we usually just go off to do our own things during that time. Though I can think of a few that might be sleeping off a hangover right now.”
“Huh… So what are you doing?”
“Waiting here,” Indigo gave a smile that didn’t look very sincere, “Somepony has to watch over the newbie while they get acquainted.”
I grimaced, “Oh, sorry.”
“Don’t worry, you’re going to be helping me all day in return.”
“Uh, alright.” I was in no position to refuse after all. “Helping how?”
“I need to stock up on a few dye plants in this region, along with some other materials. We’ll be going back into the forest.”
“Okay,” I checked my cloak and legs to make sure I wasn’t too exposed. Since the cloak was made for a pony, it was actually quite longer in the back than it was in the front, and since I was taller than most, with only Maul meeting my eyes, I only needed to worry about the front where it barely covered my knees. “I’m ready.”
That being said, it also dragged on the ground in the back unless I was actively holding it up.
“Good, we were going to leave when you woke up anyway. Took you long enough.”
“Again, sorry.”
Indigo laughed, “You know I didn’t believe Fletch when she said you just laid down on the floor and went to sleep. Then I come up to turn in and lo and behold, there you are, laying on the floor like you had tipped over. I almost went to get the others to come see.”
“There weren’t any other beds to use,” I said, pulling my hood down a bit,
“We still could’ve given you a blanket or something! Something to keep you off the floor.”
“I didn’t mind it.” I said, “I’m harder than the floor.” I think,
“Warm then,”
“I don’t get cold.”
Indigo blinked, “Do you get hot?”
“I don’t believe so.”
Her horn glowed, and a flame sparked to life at the tip. It disconnected a moment later, floating over in front of me. I’ll admit I was curious as well, and I extended my hand to stick a finger in the fire. I held it there for a moment, then moved it upwards so the top was just below the tip of my finger. I could tell it was hotter than the environment around it, but it wasn’t hot to me, and I wasn’t getting burned.
“Neat.”
“Says the talking rock,” Indigo said, her horn stopped glowing, and the flame flickered out a moment later. “Let’s get going.”
“Right behind you.”
She adorned her robes, and threw a pair of bags across her back.
“Can I help carry anything?”
“With one arm?”
“Don’t you have like a backpack or something I could use?”
Indigo stared at me for a moment, then tilted her head back, “Saddlebags, and I’ve already got them.”
“Alright.”
She pulled open the door, and I followed her out as she closed it behind us and locked it. The inn looked just about the same as I remember it did last night, the hallway was bare, and the downstairs only had a few patrons mulling about. There was a new pony behind the bar, but we didn’t pay them any mind.
Out in town, it looked a lot different in the sun. Now that I could actually see a difference in color, it was rather drab, maybe even more so than it was in the night since it didn’t have the shine of the moon. There were ramshackle wooden buildings with thatched roofs, a dirt road that looked like a pain to navigate when it rained, and a strange abundance of garbage. There were rotted planks, broken barrels and crates, and various pieces of rusted metal littering the sides of the street. I suppose the average fantasy depiction was typically a bit cleaner than reality, but I wasn’t expecting there to be this much.
Once and a while we passed a house that had a tiled roof, or had stucco on the sides, and further ahead the street was actually paved with cobblestone. If I remember correctly that was the direction of Sir Manuscript’s manor, and with that came a general increase to the quality of the buildings.
“Are we in the… lower class of town?” I asked,
“If you want to call it that, sure.” Indigo replied, “The inns are cheaper in this area.”
“Makes sense.” I nodded,
With the sun came the hustle and bustle of day, and quite a few ponies were out and about. Some pulled carts or carried items, while others simply walked and talked, the rise of conversations simply becoming another part of the atmosphere. They minded their business, and we minded ours.
“What’s this place called anyway?”
“Emulwood.”
“Which is a part of…?”
“The Tungsten state.”
“And that’s a part of…?”
“Equestria.”
I paused for a second. That last name sounded really familiar, nevermind the fact that a country of ponies was named after ponies, I’m certain I’ve heard it before. Yet my memory eludes me, it was familiar, but not familiar enough to remember. I feel like I would be frustrated if I had a better grasp of its importance, but I didn’t.
Oh well, I was already a fictional character, so it wasn’t a stretch to assume I was somewhere from another piece of media I’d seen. Not knowing the details just meant I could learn them later.
Eventually we came to a junction of sorts, and Indigo turned away from the developing town. Continuing onward for a bit, we quickly found ourselves at the edge of the forest. It wasn’t where I had first arrived at town, but I could tell it was pretty close.
“What are we looking for?” I asked,
“A couple flowers, some roots, and a berry or two.”
I gazed into the forest, and spotted a few other ponies picking through the foliage.
“Do you think we’ll find a lot around here?”
“Only one of the plants is edible, and the others have limited uses, so we shouldn’t have to worry too much about competition.”
“Okay, so what’s first on the list?”
“A blue flower called Squill, they usually have six petals in a star shape and grow quite low to the ground in large patches. You can typically find them in slightly open areas.” Indigo described,
“How much do you need?” I asked,
“A lot,” Indigo dug in her saddlebags and pulled out a few pouches. She handed me two of them, “Just fill these with as many petals as you can.”
“Alright,” I grabbed the pouches, “Anything else I should be looking for?”
“Just focus on the Squills for now, but if you see any red flowers that are bell shaped, or green or black berries, bring a few back.”
“What should I do when I’m done?”
“Meet me back here.”
“And what will you be doing?”
Indigo’s horn glowed, and what looked like a garden trowel floated out of her bags, “Digging for Turmeric.”
“Gotcha.”
And without another word, I pushed past the brush and began walking into the forest.
“Oh wait!” I realized something, I turned back to Indigo just before she left my view, “What if I get lost?”
“There’s a simple solution to that,” She called back, “Just don’t!”
I opened my mouth to respond, but stopped, and with a huff began memorizing the trees and the direction I was heading in.
Searching the forest was… difficult. There was no straight path, and my cloak was constantly getting caught on random branches and plants. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for either, I mean I had a good idea, short blue flowers that grew in patches in relatively open areas, but what could be considered an open area in the forest? At least I had a color to look for, and I could see over most shrubs and bushes.
When there was no blue in one area, I moved onto the next, slowly combing the forest in search of blue flowers. Along the way, there were plenty of other cool things to look at, from the birds in the trees, to the occasional rodent scuttering across the ground, I think I even saw a fox at one point. If I didn’t have responsibilities elsewhere, I could probably sit here all day, just watching nature unfold around me.
I soon found myself standing in the middle of a large patch of blue.
“Aww, I found them already?” I gave a very half-hearted complaint, “Oh well, one activity to the next then.”
I knelt down and picked a flower for inspection. It was blue, had six petals, and looked like a star. If it wasn’t a Squill then I don’t know what else it could be. I quickly got to work, setting the pouches down and dropping the flower into the first. Indigo only needed the petals, but the flower heads themselves were pretty blue, and it wasn’t like I could easily separate them anyway.
One might imagine that picking hundreds of small flowers would be tedious, especially with only one hand, but I found it incredibly calming. I formed a rhythm, and began refining my method. By grabbing a flower right where it met the stem, I could pop its head off by just pinching my fingers, and if it needed more force, I could just push up with my thumb until it snapped. I could still only do one at a time, but I could harvest a bunch before gathering them up to stash away.
I finished the patch in what felt like no time at all, but it only partially filled the first pouch. Looking around, I spotted some more blue through the bushes. It was a smaller patch of flowers, but there was a third one even further ahead, which looked like just the right amount to fill the second pouch.
“Just my luck.” I smiled, then went back to picking, quickly topping off the first pouch,
Who would’ve thought that being a mercenary meant picking flowers. I began to hum a little tune to myself, trying to match notes in ways that were new or unique, but I ended up just reciting something I’ve heard before. At least it was a nice song.
There was a noise behind me, like a chirping insect, but it almost sounded like… a giggle?
I turned around to look, and something dashed into the leaves of a bush, rustling it slightly. Whatever it was, it was small, so it wouldn’t be like my encounter with the dragon. I relaxed ever so slightly. That didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous though, I was in a magical fantasy world, any number of mythical creatures could exist here.
I watched the bush for a moment, trying to see if anything would move within. My best option was probably to just leave, but I only had one pouch of flowers collected so far. What would Indigo say if I did sub-par work, or if she found out I was chased out of the forest by something that could’ve been a bird?
I slowly went back to picking flowers, making sure to keep the bush on the edge of my vision the entire time. Nothing else came of it, but as I cleared out the patch and moved to the next one, something followed me.
A bright green flash darted through the brush, I only got a glimpse of it before it disappeared under a shrub. I was liking this less and less, but so far whatever it was was only watching me, and there was only this last patch of flowers left. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I was beginning to feel excited as well.
As I collected more flowers, there was a similar sound to my left, while the one from before had yet to move from its spot on the right. There was another, I began to pick the flowers a bit faster. Both of them remained where they were, staying just out of sight, watching me.
There wasn’t enough to completely fill the second pouch, but it was pretty close, and upon pulling the drawstring closed, I abruptly stood up. There was a flicker of movement from the second creature, and I turned to look at it, only to make a swipe at the first.
“Eek!” The bright green light shot out from under the shrub before my hand even came close.
“You’re quick!” I complimented, bending over to gather the pouches, “But I’m leaving now, goodbye.”
There was the tiniest of gasps, before the green light flew in front of my face. I squinted at it, but could only discern the fluttering of insect wings.
“Follow, follow.”
I strained my hearing, but I could understand it. It wanted me to follow it.
“Can-will you promise that nothing will hurt me if I do?”
The other light left its hiding spot, practically bumping into the first as it flew over. They conversed for a bit, then the first one diverged from the second.
”Promise, promise.”
“Okay then, lead the way.” That was enough for me, time for a little side-quest.
The light jittered slightly, then began floating away. I reaffirmed my grip on the pouches, made sure my cloak was secure, and began following. I was glad I took the chance to see if they were intelligent, I had a hunch from the giggling, but now I knew this wasn’t just some wild animal. As for their intent, that was still to be determined, but a promise was a promise.
I tried to take note of where we were heading, but the light leading me was moving oddly, circling around trees and taking arbitrary turns and obvious detours. As we continued though, more and more lights like it began appearing in the air. The eerie giggling started to become constant, and every once in a while I could make out a word or two.
”...Mud…”
“...Flowers…”
“...Bark…”
“...Leaves…”
“...Vines…”
“...Arm…”
They were describing me, which only added a little to my anxiety.
Eventually, we reached a clearing with a large pond in the center. It was a beautiful scene, calm water, tall reeds, and vibrant grass. The canopy above only let so much light through, casting great beams of sun to scatter across the water’s surface. There were a bunch more lights fluttering around as well, they almost looked like fireflies.
The first one flew up to my face again. “Wait, wait.” It said,
“Okay, this place is gorgeous by the way.” I looked across the water, it was remarkably clear. “Do you mind if I use the pond?”
”Use, pond?”
“...Use…”
“...Pond…”
“...Use…”
“...Pond…”
“...Use…”
“...Pond…”
“...Use…”
“...Pond…”
“...Use…”
“...Pond…”
“...Use…”
“...Pond…”
“...Use…”
“...Pond…”
A cacophony of whispers echoed back the question. I was worried I made a mistake, but it didn’t sound like they were offended.
The light in front of me bobbed up and down, “Use, pond.”
“Thank you.” I bowed my head slightly, then stepped over to the water’s edge.
Setting down the flower pouches off to the side, I unclasped my cloak and took it off. I leaned forward, and for the first time since I got here, I got a good look at my reflection. As expected, the face was somewhat familiar, but definitely not my old one. Of course, it was still covered in mud, but the discernable features were still there. I had great big green eyes that seemed to sparkle in the light, a petite little nose, a narrow chin, and the most luscious eyelashes I’ve ever seen. I daresay I even looked-
“...Cute.” I said aloud,
Something pushed me from behind, and I tumbled forward. I only got a moment to gasp out before my head was under the water, and I continued to descend. The pond was a lot deeper than I thought, and I soon found myself completely submerged with no amount of thrashing slowing me down. I eventually settled on my back, a good amount of mud being kicked up from the disturbance.
Once the initial panic began to wane, I looked up, spying a refracted figure standing where I just was.
“Jerk.” I muttered, standing up under the water.
I already knew I didn’t need to breathe, so I wasn’t too worried about drowning, but that didn’t mean I was happy to find out this way. It was also good to know that I quite literally sank like a rock, I guess that crosses off any form of swimming from the list. Taking a step forward, my movements were slowed by the water, but the top of my head was already peaking above the surface.
Another step and my eyes were out, and I could see just who pushed me. It was a deer… I think. Cloven hooves, spotted fur, and antlers. The colors were correct, but they shined just a bit too brightly for the lighting they were in, and there were leaves growing from the antlers, which looked more like tree branches than actual bone. My ears were also out of the water, which allowed me to hear him laughing up a storm, enough to be doubled over and rolling on his back.
One more step and my mouth was out. I made sure to let it drain before speaking though.
“You’ve got some nerve!” I growled,
“Huh?” The deer paused, “You’re out already? Aww… You’re no fun.”
“Maybe not to you.” I continued forward, slowly rising out of the water. “What gives you the right to do that?”
“You’re the one trespassing, duh.” The deer rolled to his side and got up.
When he finally looked at me, his jaw dropped.
I waded out to my legs and placed a hand on my hip, “What?”
“P-Pretty…” He trailed off,
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
“...Pretty…”
I looked down at myself, all the mud I was wearing had been washed away. I was completely nude and my crystal was on full display.
“Great, now I’m going to need even more mud… and bark and leaves.” I listed,
“Buh- buh-” The deer shook his head and stood up fully, “N-Never mind that!" He cleared his throat, "So you’re the imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
“...Imposter…”
To Be Continued...
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TFTC, Impostor I am guessing due to her mineral nature.
That's because diamond is composed of carbon. So basically, a diamond is a super compressed piece of coal.
11939233
I'm thinking we found actual forest nymphs.
11939584
Same
By all that is holy this amazing. Great work!