A Difference in Odds

Chapters

I :Dawn a New Day
II: Visitors
III :Departure
IV: Company
V: A Psychological effect

I :Dawn a New Day

One

A sharp rapping startles me from my sleep.

“What in the sam heck?” groaning as I throw the pillow off my head.

Sliding from my bed I walk lazily towards the front door in my kitchen. Rain rattling on the roof as my hooves tap across the hardwood floor. Whoever is waiting is getting more and more impatient by the second. This time the banging is harder, but less frequent.

“I’m Comin’! Quit yer’ fussin’!” I yell.

Fixing and blowing the hair out of my eyes I open the door to see the local mailmare standing there on my porch.

“Yeah?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.

She’s shivering and soaked to the bone in rainwater.

“M...M..M..Missus Autumn Darlin’?” she asks through the screen door.

“That’s me.”

“I got a couplea' l..letters for you, there’s more in the p..post office. Couldn’t get it all.” she continues, opening up her saddle bag and pulling a small sealed envelope out with her teeth.

Opening the door she drops the letters in my hoof.

“And its miss. Not missus honey.” I tell her, looking at the envelope.

“Oh... sorry. Did...d..did I wake you up?” she asks apprehensively.

“Nah, Its fine. Its about eight thirty... needed to get up anyhow. You wanna come inside and warm up a bit?” I sigh.

“No. I’ve gotta get going.”

“You’re shiverin’.”

“My boss’ll have my hide if I don’t.”

“Alright, safe travels then.”

“Thank you.” she says backing off the porch.

Closing the door I shamble on over to my couch. I slump over onto the cushions and hold up stack of letters.

“Bank, bank, bank...” I flip through the many notices from an ever-eager-to-take-my-house Neighagra falls first bank, who has warned me of foreclosure not long beforehand. I stop though, as I find a smaller letter with a seal.

“Dad?” I mumble while looking at the wax seal of the letter. I thought after four whole years I was all but forgotten. Four years since mom passed.

Upon opening the letter I soon realize that the family back home in dodge Junction hasn’t forgotten about me at all. It seems that they did indeed send something else in the mail. A picture frame apparently of the whole gang. The rest of the letter is the signatures of my father, two brothers and sister telling how much they love and miss me, wishing for me to come home. I left as soon as I was legally allowed to. When mom died I think I just had enough.

“Better go pick that dang thing up.” I say to myself, rolling off the couch.
Grabbing my coat and stetson I push my way out the door. The first step I take off my front porch lands me hoof-deep in a puddle.

“Aw fer Celest... Dangit.” lifting up my now muddy hooves.

I soon forget about it as I head out my front gate and down the two rut road that leads onto the main roadway towards Neighagra Falls. A young voice speaks up as I trot down the road.

“Hi miss Autumn!” my neighbor’s kid yells from the ditch on my right.

“What the heck are you doing down there red?” I ask looking over the shoulder of the road at the small colt with a shovel.

“Mamma’ an’ told me to be making sure nothin’ floods our fields!” he says leaning on a muddy shovel. The mud isn’t just limited to his shovel, almost looks like he swam in it.

This kid has had one heck of an upbringing. He ain’t too bright, but the boy’s got a good head on his shoulders. His mother is accredited to that, Missus Oak is one of the smartest mares I know. And it doesn’t come from any type of college let me tell you that.

“You’ve got that handled?”

“Sure do! Thank you miss!”

I give him brief smile and continue on my way down the road. Looking back occasionally until the early morning fog totally encompassed the crest of the road behind me. It was a decent walk north towards Neighagra falls, once I got to the thoroughfare anyways. As always in every town I’ve seen, except for Canterlot that is, everyone smiles and tips their hat as I walk by.

Canterlot was a strange place among strange places. Not too often do you see people dressed up they way do that every day of every stinkin’ year. All frilly and expensive looking. The main reason I went to Canterlot at all was to take the train Neighagra falls when I was first thinking about homesteading around here. Normally I thought it would be nothing special. I had apparently never been to Canterlot before. So many people in their suits and tall, fancy hats staring me down. I felt so out of place it was almost unbearable. But that was years ago, and the place I’ve settled myself in is much more comfortable.

The post office was a small two story building overlooking the falls and river. A quaint little spot for a post office. The heavy rain begins to fall even harder as I walk up the steps. The elderly unicorn working the counter greets me with a smile.

She greets me cordially. “Good Morning.”

“A little too rainy for me.” I chuckle.

“Pegasi probably think it's been too dry lately.”

“Ah reckon they’re just bein’ lazy.”

She gives a brief laugh.

“How can I help you?”

“I'm here to pick up a package?”

“Alright, can I have your name? Address? ” she says walking to the back, adjusting her spectacles with her magic along the way.

“Autumn Darling, One two six seven five. Elk Road. ” I say, leaning slightly trying to see what she’s doing.

She begins to file through numerous boxes and shelves.

“One two six seven five...one two... Ah! Here we go.”

She slides a slim package out of one of the shelves and sets it on the counter.

“That’s it. Nothing else up there.”

“Thank you.”

I turn the package over looking at the address.

“Good old dodge.” thinking to myself.

Faded memories of my childhood begin to resurface as I open the seal and find a framed picture of me as a young mare along with entire family posing in front of our old two story house. The goofy little kids I call my brothers and sister using me as a jungle gym as my mom and dad try to keep their composure.

“Family?” The Postmaster asks warmly.

“All back home in Dodge.” I sigh.

“Well, they say home is where the heart is.”

“Might be right. But we got our own lives to live now don’t we?”

“Yeah, well... it doesn’t hurt to feel homesick now and again.”

“That’s true.” I respond.

“You... you didn’t by any chance happen to see anything walkin’ into town did you?” she asks worriedly.

I shake my head “...Naw. Why?”

“The guards where talkin’ this morning across the street about some stray dogs or... wolves they heard last night.”

I look out the window next to me to where she said. Two blurry pegasus guards in golden clad armor stand across the street talking to one another under an awning.

“Wolves?” I ask, surprised. As we don’t get any of them around her as far as I know.

“I... I didn’t hear them exactly. I was in a rush to open up shop and get out of the rainstorm. I guess it’ll only be a problem to people on outskirts.”

“I live about three miles out actually.” I say, still looking out the window.

“Oh my. Do you get ferals out there?”

“No. But the neighbor dogs tend to wander a bit.”

“Oh, be careful then.”

“Thanks.”

“Have a good one!” she says as I walk out the door.

I pause before heading down the steps, Wondering and worrying about the so called dogs or wolves that she spoke of. I try to pull myself away from the subject as I walk down the street, but my curiosity gets the better of me like it always has. I trot across the street and up to the guards. One of them jabs the other in the ribs, he seems surprised but stands at attention.

“Ye...yes?” one of them says. Shaking in his armor.

“I heard something about wolves?” I ask.

“Well we think-”

“Whatever they are, they’re killing livestock.” the other guard says over his friend.

“Really?”

“Four dead chickens and three butchered hogs.” he continues.

“Where at?” I ask, now scared out of my mind.

“Couple miles to the south. Not too far.” the first one answers

“Around Elk road or...?”

“Around Fawn road.”

Fawn road is a private drive that is the first left before Elk coming from Neighagra.

“I live pretty close.” I say.

“Oh... well if you see anything-”

“Dude” He cuts him off again.

“What?!”

“When was the last time you dumped the awning?”

Both their eyes widen. I hear a sharp rip as the awning they stood under splits and dumps a massive amount of water on their heads.

“That was your fault.” he says, water streaming off his face.

“I...I better get going...” I say, backing away.

Walking down the street I hear them bicker back and forth to each other.

“You always scare them away!” one of them says angrily.

“ME? YOU forgot to make sure the awning wasn’t FULL!”

“I pull rank, its your fault!”

“Oh would you just shut UP!”

I turn the corner to the road out of town and their ramblings begin to fade out into the rain. Making my way out of town and back towards home. Laughing to myself discretely over that occurrence, not too often do occurrences arise where you can actually be happy before returning to your daily routine.

Author's Note

Like it? That's cool.
Hate it? That's alright too.

II: Visitors

Two

As soon as I turn onto the road that I lived on, something struck me as very wrong. There are freshly made tracks going onto the narrow route. They’re too big to be wolf or dog tracks, to be honest they’re about four or five inches across. Moving faster now that I have those huge paw prints to think about. I begin to look frantically left to right, searching for what I thought was inevitable. But something makes me stop. A small shovel on the ground and little smeared hoof prints in the midst of the bigger paw prints leading to one of the birch trees that lined the road. Looking up see that the little brown colt has got himself clinging to a swaying tree branch.

“Oh my... Are you okay?!” I yell at him.

“M..m...miss Autumn?” he squeaks.

“Red! What happened?!”

“B...big dogs!”

“How long ago?”

“Right after you left! Are they gone?”

“I don’t see em’. Come on down and I’ll take you home!” I yell to him. To which he gives a hesitant nod.

He shimmies down to the base of the tree branch and slides down the trunk. About halfway down he slips and falls into the mud. Landing on his back. He rolls onto his side, coughing up a lung. I help him onto his hooves as he begins to cry.

“Ah shoot, kid.” I sigh as he runs into my arms with tears streaming down his face.

“Here,” I say quietly. “Let me look at you.”

As soon as I look at his back it occurred to me that these animals aren't targeting livestock anymore. A large scratch draws down his left hind leg, no blood is drawn but it's swollen up, whatever it was took a good swing at the poor colt.

“When did this happen?” I ask quietly.

“When... when I tried to climb the tree.” he sniffles.

“Let me get you home then. The culvert can wait.”

I sweep my arm under his legs and lift the shaky colt up. I then look leftwards at the fencing and gate behind the thin treeline. Right beyond the gate lied the Oak’s property and corn fields. To our wondrous luck, it’s November, corn is in full swing.

“Is there any other road that we can take?”

He lifts his head up. “No...”

A sense of fear that I’ve not had in a long time returns to me.

“They’re probably gone by now...” I say trying to reassure myself

He looks at me, worried.

“Don’t worry Red. We’ll be fine.”

As we approach the gate I notice something dart into the cornfield. I whip my head around look towards where the corn stalks moved. The tips and stalks of the ripe corn loose their momentum seemingly as soon as I glance at them, dry silence consumes my thoughts as it does everything around me.

“What is it?” he asks.

“Nothing...”I mumble as the gate creeks open and we walk into the corn rows.

I decide to ease the tension with some small talk so Red doesn’t pop a gasket.

“So what’s the family up to these days?” I ask nervously.

“Tryin’ to make the property look nice.” he says, obviously playing along.

“How’s your mom?”

“She’s fine.”

The corn stalks begin to shake again. I can see the tops jerk left to right as something makes their way through them. I hold the kid close as whatever it is makes a B line towards us. Red buries his head into my shoulder.

“Hello?” I yell.

The corn stalks cease moving.

“Someone there?”

A large, rain soaked lab bounds out of the corn stalks wagging its bushy tail profusely and smiling at us. Red immediately lifts his head again.

“Ali!” He says as the dog gives him generous licks.

“...” I sigh. “lets get you home.”

It was a fun little walk back to his house. Picking up a decent stick every so often and chucking it down the road for Ali to fetch and bring back to us. The rain begins to clear up as well.
His house quickly comes into view and so does a Dark green stallion sitting on the front porch.

“Red?!” his dad hollers, getting up from his chair.

“Dad?”

He comes running down the steps and over to us.

“What the heck happened to em’?” he asks as I transfer his son into his arms.

“Dogs, wolves, I don’t know.”

“Thay ain’t wolves! Ain’t dogs neither!” Red says.

“Well then? What are they son?” Mr. Oak asks.

“They went around on two legs. But sorta stood on their arms too.”

“What the heck is he talking about...?” I say, confused.

“Son, that ain’t very helpful.”

His mother comes running out of the house with fear for her child painted.

“What happened?!” she yells, coming down the steps.

“Something chased the poor kid. I found him in a tree when I came back from the post office.” I explain.

“Is he okay?” she asks.

“He’ll be fine. Ah' just gotta get him inside.” his father says urgently.

He rushes back into the house with his son and their dog in tow. Missus Oak looks back at them and then to me.

“Thank you for bringing him back to me Autumn.”

“Aw heck... It was nothing. Just glad Red’s okay.”

“Celestia only knows why you never became a mother Miss Darlin’.” she says smiling.

“I guess I jus’... jus' never thought about it before.”

“Ah’ personally think you’d make a great mother.”

“I ain’t in much of a position to have a family you know.”

“Well ah’ wasn’t neither, but ah’ made it work.”

This woman is about as stubborn as she is sensible, to a certain extent of course. But what she said made me think that, if there was a stallion in my life things would be a heck of a lot happier than it is now.

“Ah' hope someday you'll know the blessing of a child, Autumn.” she says warmly.

Our heart to heart is cut short by Mr. Oak hollering for his wife out the window.

“Honey? Can you come in here please? I need some help with this.” her husband calls, poking his head out their door.

She turns to him. “I’ll be right there!” then back to me.

“I’mma have you take the path over there back to the road.” she says putting her hoof on my shoulder and pointing to a small path down past the far end of her house, trailing alongside the cornfields.

“Wheres that go?” I ask.

“Should get you out farther down the road. Don’t want whatever chased Red to come after you, now do we?”

“No we certainly do not. Thank you.”

“You get on home safe now.”

Leaving off on that small adventure I begin following the path that skirted the outer fields and back to the road. Sure enough, about a couple hundred feet down the side of the fields, the road and the birch treeline surrounding it spring up over the corn stalks. I made myself a mental note to tell the Oaks that they needed to fix up their fencing. Most of it is starting to look dilapidated. More than I could really say for my own fencing, but as they say 'Do as I say, not as I do'.Something told me that the harvest this year aren’t going to be too happy sitting in a foot of rainwater.

The day began to settle down as I brought firewood from the shed behind my house storing several cords of wood. There is nothing I love more than a cool evening, sitting next to my quaint little fire while the night drags on. All of this seemed so much better than that of the life that I actually lived, for I knew that waking up the next morning meant back to the horrible hours of my dead end job tilling fields and picking local crops. It had begun to rain again some time after I got home.

A soft tapping comes from my door.

“Gotta be kidding...” I groan, getting up.

Opening the door once more I discover that the company that was about to attend my house was in fact, much taller than I. Four of them, standing on two legs wearing robes and cowls. A smaller member of the group is looking nervously from side to side. One of them was carrying a small bundle in their arms.

“Uh...hello?” I ask apprehensively.

The one in the very front pulls back his hood. Revealing a very unexpected face. At first I thought that this is the worst joke that a pony can pull... Dead wrong. As the hood slides off his head it reveals a long face, resembling a dog. Green eyes, mottled brown fur, and an absolutely exquisite collar with a small green jems.

“Don’t be alarmed.” he says in a smooth tone of voice.

I almost immediately jump back, screaming, and try to scoot away.

“There is nothing-” he tries to calm me down. Disregarding this, I keep screaming.

He finally gets fed up with this and puts a very large paw over my mouth, effectively shutting my screaming up..

“Thank you” he says pulling back his paw, relived.

“What do you want?!” I yell.

“To talk!” he growls.

The slimmer one walks up to him, and hands him the bundle. "You were never good at socializing." She says to him after she pulls back her hood.

"Wh...what is going on?..." I mumble, trying to find the right words for this kind of situation if any.

She bends down and gently helps me back onto my hooves. Nothing has ever had me more confused then this moment right here.

"Who are you?" I ask them, shaking in my place.

One of the group begins to look worried as the female contemplates answering me.

"Should we tell her? She can't-" he is stopped mid-sentence by the female holding up a finger in his face. Ordering silence. She fixates her eyes on me with a dead stare, but speaks to her group.

"You will do as I say. Nothing more, nor less." she says, monotone.

After she utters these words, the room is silent. Apart from the dwindling fire. She hasn't taken her eyes off of me, which sends shivers down my very spine.

"I do believe we can act somewhat civilized and sit down perhaps?" she asks.

I nod rapidly, not even questioning the fact that bi-pedal dog creatures just barged into my home. All of them take their seat, the two who could not find one pulled up stools from the kitchen counter. The female is sitting directly across from me. She gazes to her comrades, then to me.

"You are curious? No?" she asks.

"Kinda, yeah...." I say cautiously.

"Well... it is no secret. We are what your kind calls 'Diamond dogs'."

Diamond dogs... I've only heard about them on warm summer nights by the campfire when I was little. And those stories never turned out well...

"Our little group we have is the last of our family line. You are looking at what is left of the once great Anaki'iri bloodline. The respectable portion anyways. I am Nakara, and my husband Naz'ar." she says, pointing to the dog she just handed the bundle to.

"I jus... I just don't understand."

"We are nobility from Strosu'uma." one of the dogs says.

"Strosu-ah what now?" I ask looking at him, in utter confusion.

"A city far to the south of your great desert." the woman adds.

"How come none of us ponies have ever heard of it?" I question.

They all look to one another.

"Do you not know how we live?" she says.

"No...?" I say.

"All of our towns, cities and villages are underground." one of the dogs says pointing downwards.

I stare oddly at him.

“Then why are you here?” I ask.

The smallest of the group pulls back his hood and starts in on the conversation.

“We're passing through really, our destination is much much more to the northwest if I do recall.” he says adjusting the small pair of glasses resting on his snout.

“Where to?”

“One of our cities.” He continues. “North of Vanhoover, as you call it.”

“Wait...” I say as my mind connects the dots.

“What?” they say in unison

"Are you the ones who chased my neighbors kid up the tree?"

"Chase? We do not chase... We especially do not go after ponies..." she says.

"Then what on Celestia's green earth walks on two legs and looks like a dog? Other than you?" I angrily object.

Naz'ar leans over and whispers.

“You think they may have gotten fresh wind of our scent?” he asks.

“Impossible...”

I begin to grow impatient.

“Is there something you're not tellin' me?” I jut in.

He slowly looks to me.

“It's nothing to be worried about.” he says to me.

Nakara grabs his arm and pulls him down

“Naz'ar... I shall not lie to her. Neither will you...”

“We have already told her too much!”

“I will not put this one in danger!” she retorts.

His face contorts and he storms out the front door. She takes a deep breath, and looks at me with a miserable stare.

"Nobility is a very sought after possession in our culture. Some go to great lengths to ensure others do not lay claim to their rightful place..." Nakara continues

“And we so happen to have a claim to nobility. I've learned this only recently. My family has not had a very respectable past, by that I mean it is divided. Half took to being feral nomads due to their disagreement with living under pony kind, what is left the other half is what you see here. Dysfunctional as it may be, it is civilized at least. ”

“What happened?”

She pauses for a moment, gets up with the small wrappings in her arms and moves over to the blinds. Parting them and staring at her husband on the front porch.

“When the family split, both sides desired regency. We are extremely familial you see. No matter what position you are in, if the blood of a noble runs in your vanes, you are a noble. Now that it has been revealed that we may have these ties the ferals have been hunting us down nonstop ever since we stepped foot outside the stone door of our city.”

“Wait wait wait... What is they're after?” I ask.

“Our family gem... Every family has one, mostly to differentiate from those of a lesser pedigree... I see why your kind has taken to the name 'Diamond Dogs'?”

“Guess so...”

Her husband comes back in through the front door.

“They're definitely out there... The air reeks of their scent...” he says.

“What are we going to do?” Nakara says.

“Do the neighborly thing Autumn... It's the right thing.” I think to myself.

“I got a spare bedroom...” I mumble.

They both turn to me, surprised.

“You could stay until tomorrow.” I continue.

“No. We-” He is stopped by his wife jabbing her arm in his side.

“-would love to stay for the night.” correcting himself.

I nod towards the stairs behind them.

“Up the stairs, first room on the right. Bathroom is to the left.”

The shuffle to the other side of the room and begin to climb the stairs.

“Thank you... I never caught your name?” she says.

“It's Autumn Darling, Just don't go about makin' a mess? Please?”

“I will keep them in line. Goodnight.”

“G'Night.” I say as she makes her way into the guest bedroom. As soon as they are out of sight I fall face first of the couch and pass out.

Author's Note

Yes, there are grammatical errors.
And no I don't have anyone to proof-read it.

III :Departure

Chapter Three: Depature

The very next day I feel a paw on my shoulder, shaking me awake as the morning dawns. I roll over, scared as to what I might face this early in the morning.

“What the?” I groan.

Nakara is standing there.

“Could you not make it to your bed?” She asks.

“Nope...” I say rolling off the couch and onto my hooves.

Her husband once again comes through the front door.

“Well, their wretched stench is gone. I think they've passed on...” He says, stretching.

“Very good.” She says sitting down on the couch. Me doing the same.

“I'll go wake up the rest of them...”Naz'ar grumbles, walking up the stairs.

My curiosity is sparked once again by the small rags she carried so closely in her arms.

“Whats in the rags?” I ask Nakara.

She smiles as she pulls back the cloth. It reveals a small, Diamond Dog child. If I were to make any sort of judgment on its age... I'd say about six months at most. The young Diamond Dog opens its eyes, looks at me, then promptly buries its head in its mothers chest.

“Boy or a girl?” I ask fondly.

“Girl.” She responds.

“Huh...”

I immediately notice the small, egg shaped, dark green gem with purple streaks spiraling down its sides hanging from her collar.

“Shes got an amazing collar.” I say, admiring it in the morning light.

Nakara unties the leather collar from her daughters neck and holds it up.

“Remember what I said about our family gem?” She says as she holds it up to the sun.

“Pretty... What is it?”

“Jade. Its only found in the rock beneath the great desert...”

I think for a moment.

“Is that what they're after?” I ask her in an inquisitive tone.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She puts out her paw.

“Give me your arm.” She says.

I cautiously extend my arm towards her. She takes the collar and wraps it around my forearm. Pulling it taught, she lets go.

“Watch...” She says pointing.

The seemingly tight straps loosens its grip and slides off my arm and onto my lap.

“What...?” I say scooping it back up and giving it to her.

She wraps it around her baby's neck again.

“Each of our collars have but one enchantment; Only the blood of the family can wear their collars. Otherwise they just slip off. The ferals want this one in particular.”

“Why that one?”

She cradles the gem in her paw, under her daughters head.

“You see the purple? Surrounding the gem?” She says running her claw down its creases.

“Yeah?”

“It signifies the leadership of a family. If they get a hold of this, and my daughter, all the while presenting it to the familial regent in Kilmayah and prove they wear the mantle... It will be written in stone that they are the one true heirs of the family name.”

“Where the heck is Kilmayah?”

“North of Vanhoover. In the hills. 'The city of the iron door' as some of our people have come to labeling it.”

Her husband and the two others come down the stairs in an orderly fashion.

“Are we off?” He says in a hearty manner.

“I do believe so.” She responds

He walks over and opens the door.

As they begin to file out Nakara stops and puts her paw on my shoulder.

“You have been a very gracious host, thank you.” She says.

“Its was nothin'.” I say humbly.

She begins to walk forward, only to run into the back of her husband. He stood stiff, ears perked toward the yard. His green eyes were wide with some level of fear. As soon as she looks around him she assumes a similar position.

I peer out of the blinds. “Whatcha' lookin-” I stop mid-sentence, for there is a group of a good twelve burly, raggedly dressed Diamond Dogs spread out across my lawn. The prints clearly visible where they trekked through the morning dew.

I am pulled away by Nakara, her face ashen.

“Are those-” I begin to question.

“You must get out of here!” She says urgently.

“Wait, what? Why?” I say, freezing in haze of confusion.

She looks around, going from window to window. Pulling back the blinds and looking from side to side before moving onto the next one.

“They don't know where the gem is yet. It's only a matter of time. You must go with my-”

One of her compatriots comes back through the door.

“We need to go!” He says.

“Take her and get out the back! You are not safe as long as they have your scent!” She says pushing me towards the kitchen.

“But but but but!” I desperately try to get out.

“No time! Head Northeast, towards Vanhoover! We will draw them away and meet you near Hickory Bluff on the twenty ninth outside of the city!”

She grabs my coat and stetson almost instinctively and hands me them.

I Slip them on while glaring out the window facing the back yard, she gives me a tap on the shoulder

“I don't even... Why me?” I begin to ask.

“You are in as much danger as we are now. We'll will try to lead them away as much as we can. But you must hurry!”

Picking up her child she offers her to me. I reluctantly extend my arm and cradle the young dog close to my chest.

“Now go. Please keep her safe.” She says opening, and pushing me out the back door.

Running through the yard and the many close lines I have up, I can only help but listen to the intense verbal argument on my front porch. I enter the treeline, bounding over a fallen log and weaving through multiple trees. My hooves kicking up soggy fall leaves as I run. The child begins to stir, all the commotion is waking the poor thing up. I briefly look back towards my house, which quickly disappears behind the growing mass of trees. I can feel my heart beating inside of my chest, what in the heck did I just get myself into? I come to a sliding halt. A steep gully blocks me from making anymore progress. Knowing that if I keep holding the poor thing in my arm and try to navigate it all at the same time I'll fall flat on my face. I wrap her tightly and clench the cloth in my teeth. I step off and slide down, making sure to keep my balance.

I use the momentum to get a running start and bolt off. The idea of them being right behind me enters my mind, and my hair stands on end with fear. Moving faster and faster, and trying not to look back. I dart through the forest. As I sprint, a small water droplet lands square on my nose. I gaze skyward to see the dark storm clouds moving in again. It seems that someone decided we weren't soaked enough. The treeline stops after a good minute or two, and breaks into a large clearing. A short, dilapidated stone fence stands before a cobblestone road, and wheat field bordered by a white farm fencing beyond that. I slow down to a trot and catch my breath. Nearly slumping over on my side in the process. I look back squinting. Scanning the treeline for anyone, or anything for that matter, who might have followed me.

It appears I had ran at least a mile, the closest wheat field belonged to a rich family who's name I can't quite put my hoof on, but their farm was far away from home. Moving through one of the breaches in the fence, I sit down on the other side with my back against it. Taking a moment to examine myself. My hooves are covered in mud, and my coat does not fair much better. I also notice my hair is all in a frizzy mess. I tilt my hat over my face in frustration, how could I act so impulsively? Now I have to take care of some overgrown dog's kid, somehow get to Vanhoover, while being hunted by insane ferals. As I loose myself in my thought, thunder rips throughout the valley. The little bundle jumps and a small canine pokes her head out. Her ears perked down the road. My eyes narrow on the small pup.

“Aren't you the cutest thing I ever saw?” I mumble, a small smile growing on my face.

She gives a long yawn and curls back up in to her ball. Pulling the cloth back over her head I give her a gentle pat. I take my hat off and set it next to me, fixing my ponytail before trudging onward. I pull myself back up onto my hooves and start to stumble down the road. The storm I saw as I fled through the forest wasted no time at all catching up with me. It soon turned into a downpour, turning the next few miles into a horrible mess. The little one was doing fine though, little trooper that she is. To top it all off the wind began to kick up to. Blowing the rain almost completely horizontal. As I pushed my way through the misty storm a couple hours later, a small sign appears a short distance down the road. Standing defiantly erect in this awful craze. It appears to have some sort of berry depicted on it. A farm!

I round the corner to find a surprisingly bustling farmyard. No one seems to notice me as they dart back and forth from their chores. An older pony sits in an equally old chair on the deck of the farmhouse. I calmly walk onto the property, looking side to side to see if someone has taken note of my presence yet. Slowly, I approach the deck.

He takes a firm look at me, his eyes widen as he gets up. “Oh my... Are you okay?”

I take a deep breath and look down at the child. “No.” I say, sullen.

“Now you come 'n up here, have a sit.” He says, patting his hoof on the chair next to him.

I hop up the steps and make my way to the homemade thatch seat by his side. Rainwater streaming off my hat as I cross the deck. Sitting down with the pup in my lap, I take off my stetson and set it on the end table next to me.

“You got a name honey?” He asks.

“Autumn, Autumn Darling.” I respond.

“Nice to meet you, miss Darlin'. Folks 'round here call me Papa Cranberry.”

He adjusts himself in his seat.

“Now, What happened miss Darling?” He says.

“Great, I can't just tell him what happened. He'll never believe me.” I shamefully think to myself.

“Ah... Ah jus' fell down, that’s all. Ah was on my way to Vanhoover.”

“Vanhoover? Honey, that's a long ways to go. And the closest train station is up in Nieghagra.”

“Ah know. Ahm' jus' tired... Do have anywhere I could rest for a bit?”

“Well the house is full'a my own kin. And all the farm hands got their own livin' quarters n'such... But t's gettin' dark..Would you mind staying in the barn t'all would ya' now?”

“Oh... uh...Course not! Thank you.”

“It's my pleasure.” He stands up and hobbles over to the railing of his porch, propping himself up on the railing itself.

“Dusty!” He hollers.

One of the mules working in the yard turns his head.

“Yes suh!?” He yells over the rain.

“Come'n on over here fer' a minute!”

He quickly meanders over to the front of the porch and looks up at his boss.

“Yes suh?”

“Can you get this young lady right here some sleepin' accommodations in the barn? She's stayin' the night.”

“O'course suh.” He answers.

“Thank you kindly, Dusty” He turns to me. “It'll be ready in a bit, you hungry by any chance?”

“A little. Why?”

“My wife just made the most delicious apple cranberry pie.” He says vehemently.

“I would love some.”

He looks toward the diamond dog as he sits back down in his chair.

“What bout' your chillun' there, hungry too?”

“Oh it's fine, Ah fed her a bit ago.”

“Alrighty then. Honey?” He calls to his wife.

An older, gray haired mare pokes her head out the door.

“Hm hm?”

“Would you mind getting' our guest here some of the wonderful pie you baked today?” He asks in a kind tone.

“Course I can, just a second.”

She comes back out within the minute with a plate of a finely baked, and wonderfully smelling, cranberry pie.

“There you go sweetheart.” She says, handing the plate to me.

“Thank you.”

She stops for a moment as she makes her way back to the door, staring at me.

“Is that your daughter there?” She says, pointing to the bundle.

“Here we go...”

“Yes.” I quickly let out.

“What's her name?” Her husband asks.

My mind, upon hearing this, jumps back to the gemstone that Nakara told me about.

“J...Jade. Her name's Jade.” I say, somewhat nervously.

“Can we see her?” His wife asks.

A cold chill runs down the back of my neck.

“Sorry, no... I just got her to sleep.”

“Aw that's quite alright. I bet she's beautiful.” Grandma Cranberry says.

“Yeah...”

I hear the barn door roll open through the raging storm.

“Hey dad? Dusty's got them fixin's fer the guest all set!” A young voice yells from across the yard.

“That'll do son! Now git on back here before you catch a cold!” His dad yells to him.

I feel a sense of relief now that I can retreat somewhere.

“I think I should head off to bed, I have an early start in the morning.”

Grandpa rolls back his sleeve to look at his watch.

“I'd reckon you're right. We got ourselves an early start too. Cranberry harvest an' all that is tomorrow. Gotta dredge and clean out them lakes 'yonder.” He says jerking his head in the general direction of his crops.

I get up and stretch a bit.

“I see... Well... off to bed. Thanks again for letting me stay the night.”

“Anytime honey.” His wife says.

By this time the rain has completely stopped, and the setting sun is shining bright rays through the cracks in the clouds. I make my way across the bustling yard towards the barn. A testimony to architecture, almost looks older than the house. I stop, hearing a very intense argument.

“Ah keep tellin' you. Ye stupid mick! It's simple!”

A large clanking crash rings out of the barn.

“Do yer effin' job! Or else you'll have ta go back to breakin' coal!”

“Yessir.”

“Good. Git on out ma' sight.

As I approach the barn door a dark green earth pony with a gray coat rushes out, quickly tipping his gray tweed cap to me.

“Evenin' lass.” He says in a depressed, odd accent.

“Evening.”

Dusty walks out right afterward, continuing to to yell at him.

“AY! You know what? I changed my mind! You get ta make sure the irrigation ditch ta the cranberry field doesn't overflow tonight, ya' lazy harpie!” Dusty bellows.

I stop and glance back at them. Dusty is in his face, staring him down. And all he can do his let out “Yessir.” Then trots away.

“Stupid mick.” Dusty grumbles.

Only thoughts of pure disgust enter my mind, wondering why the seemingly nice mule was just cussing that pony out. Diverting my attention from the appalling behavior from the local foreman to the makeshift bedding laying quietly in the stack. A goose feather pillow, and two thick woolen sheets sitting on top of a short stack of straw.

I pull back the sheets with my teeth and set her down. I begin to wonder what her actual name is.
It's really too late to ask now. Looking at her collar again, the name Jade begins to appeal to me. Jade, such a pretty name.
I slip under the covers, hold Jade close to me, and drift off to sleep.

Author's Note

POOOOO-CRAAAA-STINATION

IV: Company

Chapter four: Company

I feel a thin stream of warm light streak across my cheek as the barns' door creeks open. I shoot up and look to the figure standing lengthways in the doorway.

“Ah, Sorry lass. I hadn't meant ta' wake ya'.” In a young, weathered, scared voice. His ears pinned back.

“It's quite alright.”

“'Tis?” He raises his eyebrows.

“Ah needed to get going anyways.”

He walks in.

“Dusty canne' get enough of bitin' me head off fer this sorta thin'...”

“Why's that?” I say, getting up from my ramshackle excuse of a bed.

“Well me bein' an Irestrian didn't help me none.” So that's where he's from, makes sense.

“He sounded like he wanted to jump down your throat.”

“More than ya' care 'ta think, the name's Lucky.”

“Just Lucky?”

“Aye.”

“Huh... so why is Dusty such a jerk to you?”

“The old goat seems ta think all us Irestrians are nuthin' but plastered idiots.” He says.

“Uh...Yeah.” I say, folding up the sheets/

“But I could chew ya' ear off on that subject. I heard ya' were on your way ta' Vanhoover?”

“Yes, that's right.”

“What fer?” He cocks his head. “Ya know it's an awfully long walk.”

“Uh...Family. Ah got family over there ah haven't seen in a while”

He raises his brow in obvious suspicion.

“Ah huh... I've always wanted to see Vanhoover.”

“Yeah?”

“Ah yes... If ye' been to one coast might as well see both eh? Would ya' mind if I tagged along?”

“Uh sorry... You got a job here don't you?”

“WHERE IS THAT DRUNK!?!” Someone screams from the yard.

His eyes light up and his head swivels around to the barn door, catching a glimpse of Dusty. Furious as any one pony, or mule, can be.

“Agh...I've hadit' wit' this old puss-face... Aye, he's hammered too, wonderful.” He grumbles to himself as he slowly walks to the door.

At this point I decide that now, more than ever, would be the best time to make a hasty departure.

Rushing out the door with Jade in my arm, I see that all who were originally sleeping are now up. Everyone is somewhat surprised at the foreman's current state. Dusty is rather drunk off his flank. As I dart through the yard I take quick glance at Lucky.

“Thar yew are. Ya filthy drunk!” Dusty ironically says, stumbling from side to side.

Lucky stops right in front of him. Looks at him, then rears up on his hind legs and comes down with a heavy blow to Dusty's cheek, knocking him out cold.

I stop, astonished at what has just transpired in front of me. Lucky turns around and makes his way toward me. I find myself unable to move until he is right beside me.

“Dead end job anyways.” He whispers jokingly to me.

“Uh...” Words, unable to form from my lips.

He continues for a couple feet until reaching the gate, then looks back to me.

“Come on then! Vanhoover's a long flippin way to go!” He says heartily. Unconcerned as to what just happened.

I quickly catch up as he rounds the corner.

“You just...”

“That stupid gobshite hadit' comin'.”

“Can't really say ah' blame you.” I say, looking back. “Are you really sure you want to come with?”

“Yer' kiddin' right?”

“Just askin'.”

“Ah it's fine.” He says, waving his hoof.

We continue down the road, crossing a railroad intersection and a couple farms. I become somewhat intrigued by his name as we head down the highway.

“So why the name Lucky?” I ask inquisitively

“Me name? Ah, it's a long story.”

“We got a ways to go.”

“If ye insist. You know about the immigrants from Irestra? ya?”

I give a nod.

“Well when I left me ma' n' da' I was no more than a colt. Fresh off the boat, after me ole' man decided Equestria was a far better place due ta there being no food t'all in Irestra.”

“Where are they?”

“Couldn't afford more than one ticket. Dad thought It'd be best for me ta go.... So I went, showed up in Manehatten completely confused. Wandered the streets for two days straight till the local pub tender' plucked me off ta' corner. Huh... wasn’t even old enough to know me name. So he jus' took ta' callin' me Lucky.”

The lull in the conversation grows to an almost dead silence.

“Wow...” I say, not really sure what I was expecting.

“Sorry, I don't really get to talk ta' people often. Jus' work work work... ya know?”

“Yeah...”

We continue on for a bit into a thick forest. Bristling with the vibrant colors of fall. The stroll was somewhat tranquil. Until though, he comes back around to the subject that I had feared.

“So why are you headin' ta Vanhoover miss... what was it again?”

“Autumn Darling. I told you I'm visiting family with my daughter.”

At this time, Jade lets out a shriek for no good reason other than to have bad timing.

His eyes widen. “Yer' daughter... she barks?” He says, smugly. He knew something was wrong all along, clever little bugger,,.

“Well... I guess she... There really is no good explanation is there?”

“Well?” He says, stopping and looking at me.

Not knowing what he'll do or how he will react, I quickly remove the topmost layer of the cloth. Cringing as I do so. His eyes widen, and he tips his hat back as he examines what I have just revealed to him.

“Would'ya look'it that.”

I pause, confused as to how he isn’t freaking out right about now.

“Dare I ask who's your husband?” He says, wryly.

“It's not my kid!” I say sternly “It's a diamond dog”.

“That a....a fancy Equestrian term fer a bastard?”

“No! Oh my... Ugh...”

I slowly explain to him as we walk down the road the hows and whys of my predicament, filling the small details as I go along in the cold fall afternoon. He seems confused at first due to the fact that there are no diamond dogs across the pond, but he slowly works it out in his head.

“So the kids' important to em' and they jus' up'an dumped em' on ya'?”

“I don't even know. But now there are diamond dogs that want to kill me for this poor kid. And I have to take him to a place called Hickory Bluff outside the town.”

“Well that's just a lousy thing' ta' do in'it?”

“...so...”

“What?” He asks, confused.

“You're fine with this?” Gesturing to Jade.

“A'course. Might make the trip interestin'.”

“Yeah.... Interesting... Right.”

“So wait...What about your home?” Lucky asks.

“What about it?”

“Aren’t ye' worried? T'all?”

“A little.” I say sulkily.

“Family?” He continues.

“I live alone.”

“Huh... You ain't ta' luckiest of mares. Ya know that?”

“Tell me about it.” I mutter under my breath.

As we make our way down the cobblestone path, a homely wooden covered bridge peeks around the corner. Fall leaves bumping and weaving in and around the old structure as it lazily hangs over the creek.

“Wonder how long this's been around...” Lucky says, gazing up into the rafters. A sparrow darts from one of the dark corners and out the opposite end of the bridge.

Going across, a glint of light catches my eye. I lean my head over the railing just enough that I can see. It's a picturesque scene really... A small creek gently flowing and reflecting the morning light that glints through the tree tops, gently caressing the rocks that help and guide it. The bank has clearly been eroded by the recent rainstorm.

“Lass? If what ye say about those Dogs is true I don't want to stay in one spot too long.” Lucky says urgently.

“Alright, alright! Jus' lookin'.”

About a mile down the road we encounter a narrow crossroads, with obvious game trails intersecting with it. Along with the intersection came a small, lonely wooden post with four signs pointing in the direction of each road.

“Ponyville...Vanhoover...Crystal mountains... Neighagra Falls...” Lucky lists, while circling it.

“Jus' keep on heading west I reckon?” I ask.

“You got it.”

He looks at Jade.

“How's the wee one holdin' up?”

Looking down at her. “Good.”

We continued through the quiet forest setting until the wind picked up, and it cleared away revealing the rolling grassy hills of the equestrian highlands. Lucky looks to his left, then double takes. Giving me a light tap on my shoulder. As I turn to him looking skyward I see Cloudsdale's massive bulk, floating far in the air against the calm, blue afternoon skies.

“You never seen Cloudsdale before?” I ask, puzzled.

“Never before in me' life... Have I seen such a thing...” He quietly says, looking upward.

The hills seemed to flow like waves under the soft pushing of the wind. As the hills pass, a lonely run down old school house reveals itself next to a large willow sheltering a broken swing set. Lucky stops at the neglected driveway of the schoolhouse, and pulls out a golden pocket watch that gleams in the sun. He squints at it for a second.

“What's wrong?” I ask, looking back at him.

He closes it and stuffs it back in his vest.

“Well... It's five... an' we only got a good two hours a' light left...” Pausing for a second, expecting a reaction out of me he nods his head back towards the house.

I give a dead stare. “Are you really suggesting we spend the night in a run down prairie house?” I ask.

“Do you suggest we try'n travel at night?”

I cannot believe I let this argumentative stallion tag along with me...

“Uh...”

“Exactly...” He steps aside. “Ladies first eh?”

I can only roll my eyes and trot onward to the house. Quickly hopping up the steps and peeking through where the door should be, it's clearly in a horrid state of repair. What was left of any form of furniture has rotted away, and dense foliage has sprouted from under the floorboards. Along with the fact that a large portion of the rooms walls have collapsed into piles of thick rubble.

“Any use?” He asks.

“As a house? no.”

“Aye, It did look a bit arseways... Hasn't been used in ages has'it?” He says walking in.

“Not in a long time...”

We begin exploring the confines of the schoolhouse, unimpressed by what we find. Lucky has his head stuck in an old, paint peeled trunk.

“Whatcha' looking at?” I ask.

He pulls himself out of the trunk with a book in his hooves.

“Books...” It crumbles apart as he lifts it, molded pages drop everywhere.

“I think...” He says raising an eyebrow.

I let out a little laugh, it was pretty funny after all. Right afterward he cringes in disgust.

“They stink ta' high heaven!”

Its not before long that the putrid odor reaches me. Making me gag and back away.

“I don't think we're spending the night in here.” I say coughing.

He looks to his left. Quickly walking out the destroyed wall. When I exit through the breach after him he has already found a spot to lay under the abundant willow.

“It's better than that stink hole!” He yells, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back.

As I approach the base of the tree I take off my coat, offering Jade to Lucky.

“Could ya hold her for a sec?”

“Yeah, sure.” He says, surprised.

Fixing my coat into a nest-like clump on the ground, I take jade back and nestle her in the center. Gently folding the edges over her.

“Safe as houses.” Lucky quietly says, leaning over and smiling.

I give a weak smile, short lived as it is.

“She's probably starving, ah' know ah' am.” I say sitting down against the willow

He sits up and looks off into the distance.

“How hungry?” He says, glancing back at me.

“Pretty hungry.”

He gets up and walks over to me.

“Ya wouldn't happen ta have any bits on ya?”

Nodding, I move over to my coat and pull out the pouch.

“I guess you do...”

He takes the pouch from my hoof and begins to walk into the fields.

“Where are you goin'?” I yell at him.

“I'll be right back!”

“Why!?!”

“Ya said ya we're hungry!” He yells back to me, cresting the hill.

“Wh...wha...the...ugh, whatever.”

It must have been an hour, just sitting there watching the sun go down. I fell asleep not too long after the sun escaped from view. Only to wake to the sound of a crackling fire next to me.

“WHOA!” I scream, noticing the bonfire before anything else.

Lucky jumps in his seat. Startled by my screaming.

“AGH! Deee-amnit lass! Ya scared me outta me seat!” He strains, covering his face in his hoof.

I breathe heavily, waiting for my heart to cool down after its nearly jumping out of my chest.

“What... What the heck did you do?”

“Well... I bought us some provisions.” He says smiling, holding up a lantern and a saddle bag. “Jus'a couple'a loafs of bread, lantern, canteen... Oh and a carrot. Jade seems ta love the things” Jade is sitting in his lap, gnawing on a ripe carrot. Orange bits all over her mouth,

It takes me a minute to process all of this. Not even trying to think how or why Jade is now in his lap.

“How do you know her name's Jade?” I ask.

“She told me. T'was a bit blustered though...”

I do a double take. I didn't even know that she was talking at this point. Let alone picking up on what I was calling her.

“Could ya' say it again sweetheart?” He says lovingly, looking down at Jade.

She looks back up at him from her ripe carrot, confused as to what he wants.

“Agh, she was doin' it a minute ago... Care fer' a piece of bread?” He asks, holding up a roll.

I fall back into the lump of my coat. Jade quickly hops off his lap and under my arm, finding a comfortable spot then falling asleep along with me. Don't really know how I managed to pull of a night's sleep on nothing but a coat and a tree root. The fact that the diamond dogs we're on our trail didn't seem to bother me as much either. The only thing I cared about, selfishly in fact, was going to bed. Hoping that I would wake up in my bed, and everything was back as it was. I find it hard to let go of the little things, as needless as they may be at this point of whatever this situation is.

V: A Psychological effect

Chapter five: A psychological effect

Bright and early the next morning Lucky is shoving my arm trying to wake me.

“What?” I miserably groan.

“Wake up. Wake. Up!”

“-Huh?” My hat falls off of my head and onto the ground. Lucky has closed up shop for the campsite. Some of the ashes still smoldering, giving off precious heat on this overcast day. Lucky himself seems to be freaking out while trying to wake me.

“I saw something wonderin' over by the treeline this mornin'. We need ta' go.”

Upon hearing this my heart skips more than a couple beats as I spring up and grab my coat. My mind goes into panic when I do not find Jade by my side.

“Where's Jade?!”

“I got er'.” He says as she pokes her head out of his saddle pack.

I almost forget my hat through the rush of it all. We sprint though the crumbling rubble of the schoolhouse, down the steps and off down the road.

“So where.... where did you buy all that stuff?” I ask between breaths.

“Over.... over the crest was a couplea' pegasi. Two of em' went up inta' the city to buy fer me'.”

“W...what? Really?”

“Little charm and couple'a extra bits'll git'cha far in life Miss Darlin'!”

We both come to a dead stop at a crossroads. It would've been an intersection had the signs not been bent into metal balls on the ground, and the post torn to scattered splinters. Lucky is speechless.

“Wha... what could'a done...this?”

“Where are we supposed to go?” I ask.

“Remember. Its west right? Keep going west.”

Following what he said, a screeching, almost deafening howl is heard ahead of us. Seemingly right over the hill, unfortunately, to our west.

“WEST?!?” I yell at him.

“Come on!” He yells back at me, grabbing my arm and bolting off with me in tow.

The howling grows angry. Louder and louder as we run along what I presume to be the northernmost path we could have taken. At this point I begin to realize something: He's going to get me killed....

“Do we even know where we're going?!” I ask quickly.

“We'll head north an' loop back round! It's too dangerous fer' us ta' go west anymore!”

We never did. We ran until snow laden evergreens began to seemingly sprout out of the ground around us. Until we were completely encompassed in a forest, still harbored by heavy winter snowfall. Miles away from anything that I would even remotely recognize, I begin to panic as I trudge through a thin layer of snow on the road.

“Why did I follow him? He's going to get us both killed.” I brazenly think to myself.

We approach yet another bridge, with a measly creek running underneath it. I stop on the cobblestone to catch my breath, and lean against the metal bar railing.

“Hey! Hey hey. We need to keep moving, get up.” He says.

“Give me a second...” I wheeze.

He looks up for a second, back the way we came. Shock printed on his face. I look too to see the diamond dogs trailing us, emerging from behind the trees. Though not close enough to see us, but enough to know where we are.

“Wh-” I look back to Lucky, who is not there.

“Lucky?” I croak.

Just as I say this someone grabs my leg and pulls me under the bars and into the river.

“Wha!” I land in the river, throwing water everywhere.

I get up and look at him, scowling. He has a look of utter frustration as he jerks me under the bridge.

“Lucky! what are you-” I try to ask.

“Shush!” He tersely orders as pulls me into his arms, holding one arm over my mouth and the other over Jade's.

He looks worriedly up as we lean up against the foundation of the stone arch. Icy water continuously sending shivers down my spine as it runs by. The scratching of heavy paws rings out along with the sound of a hand sliding across the railing comes right over us, I can feel Lucky's heart about to leap out of his chest behind me.

“They were just here!” One of them says, demonically deep and terrifying.

“You utter cretin! Do you know how much is at stake here?” The other roars, even more horrific than the last.

“I just saw them. I still smell them!”

We hear a sharp smack, and a yelp.

“We do not have time for- wait....”

Metal clanks and persons shift. To our horror, a huge diamond dog jumps right in the river in front of us. One by one they all jump over the railing and down after him, the rags that they wear long and draping over their thick armor. Miraculously none of them notice that we are hiding directly behind them in the shadow of the bridge, and they keep facing downstream. All of the diamond dogs fall in behind the first, he himself towers over them. Bulky and well weathered with scars across his back. He turns his cheek to us, it is obvious that his right eye is blind, pure white against a clear scar stretching the length of his face.

“What is it?” One of the lackeys asks him.

“The royals... They're close... Find them!” He points with his paw and his subordinates shoot off down the river. Waiting a second, he sniffs the air, cocks his head slightly, then begins to jaunt after his comrades.

Lucky lets go of me, peers down the river at the running diamond dogs. Without saying a word he shoos me along and we traverse under the bridge and up the riverbank.

“That was way too close.” He whispers.

“Way to close?” I say, mad as can be.“They would've killed us! If you hadn't gone and went north like you did we wouldn't be here!”

“Me? Lass, I chose ta' stay an' help you out of the goodness of me' heart. You damn well better be grateful that I just didn't pack up and leave last night!” He says, keeping a level of quiet about himself.

“But I stayed... I want didn't some stranger I just met ta end up dead just because I was feeling selfish!”

I look to myself, ashamed to have doubted him.

“Look, I.... I'm sorry.” He says putting a hoof on my shoulder. “I promise you that I’ll get us both through this. An' we can get on with our lives.”

I look up at him and give a faint nod.

“Okay, good.” He says softly. “Come on, the little one's getting stir crazy.”

Continuing up the stream until it connects to a large culvert going under yet another, but older, bridge. Jade hops out of Lucky's bag and onto my back.

“What the heck are you doing?” I ask, smiling.

She has a dead stare that she holds for a second before giving me a loving lick right on my nose.

“Fan-tas-tic! A road!” Lucky says happily.

I follow his as he mantles his way up the steep gravel incline to the road.

“I...uh...don't...” He says, the brief happiness wiped clean from his face. “Look I don't think this has been used in a long time, Autumn.”

I look around for a sign of some sort, finally finding one toppled over in a nearby ditch for whatever reason. As I try to pick it up it falls in half, thoroughly rotted through and through. Lucky runs over and picks up the metal sign off of the end.

“Wardview Drive?” He reads questioningly.

“Huh...” I let out, looking at it.

He looks up.

“If the road is the same direction as the one we....Uh... then it is....” He ganders over and down the road

“That way.” He says.

I look at him, unsure.

“I ain't a pathfinder. Give me some slack.”

I roll my eyes. “Lead the way then.” I sigh.

The broken road leads us to a blackberry bush covered wooden sign at a dead end. It resembles the one outside the Cranberry ranch. Unreadable though due to the years it has spent sitting there.

“Looks abandoned.” He says.

“Yeah.”

A faint howl is heard in the distance. I turn my attention to the woods, then look back at Lucky.

“I think we're going ta' have ta' make a visit.” He says jerking his head toward the property.

We take a turn up the driveway, and continue up the winding dirt path. Stopping before going any further though. The reason being that it wasn't really a ranch at all, and the roadsign had been all too accurate even though we had not understood it. What it really was is a run down, old sanitarium. “The Healing Hoof” Is printed in peeling letters on the concrete overhang of the front door. The structure itself is slowly being reclaimed by nature. Small shrubs spring out of the window along with various vines stringing down from the mossy rooftop.

“Wow... I didn't know you had these across the pond...” He says, wondering at the building.

“We used to about thirty years ago. Shut them down though.”

“No wonder.”

He slowly walks forward, approaching the building. The front door itself had been knocked off its hinges and was laying on the ground, as if it were kicked in. The rest of the facility looked ominous, eerily calm and looming with its many broken windows and cracked features. It confuses me as to why that, when they decommissioned these places, they didn't just tear them down.

“We're not going in there are we?” I ask, for I am terrified of these kinds of places.

He looks back at me, as if I we're crazy.

“... I don't see any other choice.” He says.

“You've got to be kidding.” I whisper under my breath.

He stops on the doorstep, looks back to me. “Are ye' comin?” He yells.

“Y....yeah...” I say as I slowly follow them into the building.

Glass crunches under my hooves as I walk through the small doorway. The entire lobby is dilapidated, paint is peeling off the walls, and the furniture all sits rotted. The lobby itself was a large room, two hallways connected to the wall behind the receptionists desk lead to the back patio. Two more hallways to the sides of the room connect to the rest of the building. Lucky and Jade are rummaging behind the receptionists desk. He pokes his head up at me for a second.

“There's a map over at the other end of the room.” He says.

“Alright.” I drearily respond.

As I pass one of the hallways connecting to the rest of the facility I notice something move out of the corner of my eye. I stop and give a quick, scanning glance down the hallway. Wheelchairs and stretchers line the entire hall. Giving me a strange, empty feeling. The room that was connected to the lobby almost mirrored it, having the exact same features apart from the front desk. A large map of the surrounding area, behind a layer of framed glass, sits idle between the doors leading to the back patio.

Carefully stepping through the rubble that lines the floor, I make my way to the map. At least six feet across, this thing didn't spare on detail, as old as it is. The map canvas clearly shows the sanatorium, Cloudsdale and most of the Crystal mountain range. Old roads like the one we were just on are spread everywhere, including one very small arrow pointing westward with the word “Vanhoover” above it. It takes a couple of seconds to click in my head that it was above a county road heading into the hills directly behind the facility. I space out for a minute while staring at the map.

“We might actually make it.”

“What'cha find?” Lucky asks, from right behind me. Startling me somewhat.

“Oh... well uh... Here.” I say planting my hoof on the glass, pointing to the arrow.

“If it really does go to Vanhoover then we should have no problem getting...” I stop as I look back at Lucky. Finding that he is staring at me rather fondly. He shakes the expression off as he realizes that I'm returning the start.

“What?” I ask, slightly confused.

“What? Huh? Oh n...nothing. Carry on.” He says quietly, stuttering just a bit.

“Uh huh.. anyways... we'll have no problem-” And yet another interruption by a loud crash emanating from the hallway that first caught my eye.

Lucky quickly dashes over and peeks around the corner, with me hesitantly following.

“What is it?” I ask.

Lucky, without a word, emerges and begins to slowly walk down the hall.

“Don't you dare...” I whisper angrily.

He looks back at me scowling. This is cut short by a white figure darting by from one room to the next across the hallway. Lucky jumps, his ears shoot straight up as he faces the room where whatever it was went.

“Hello?” He asks as he rounds the corner into the room.

I can feel my legs begin to shake, and my eyes well up in fear.

“...Lucky?” I whisper out of the silence.

I wait for five, ten, fifteen seconds. Stifling my lungs, and listening to my heart beating through my chest.

“Jus' a dog...” He sullenly responds from the room.

I let go a heavy sigh of relief, and shed a held back tear. As I peek around the corner I see Lucky standing next to a pure white shepherd.

“Poor girl...” He says.

The dog's coat around its hind leg is stained red from an open wound. Lucky puts his hoof on its head and slowly strokes down her back. Every breath the Shepard takes as she rests her head in the dirt and dust is a pained, sad, lonely whine.

“Ain't got a collar... And this cut looks real bad...” He adds as he parts it fur along the staggering lash up its side. He pauses for a second.

“What do we do?” I ask.

Lucky sighs heavily, and looks at me with regret filling his weary eyes.

“The only thing we can do.” He mutters, taking off his coat and hat.

I watch as he lays over the dog and twists the folds of his coat tightly over its muzzle. Frantically jerking and pulling in pain, the Shepard pushes at his embrace.

“I don't.... really think you want ta' watch this.” He says, looking back at me and Jade uneasily.

I give a nod and make a hasty retreat out of the room and down the hallway.

I can hear Lucky giving what comfort he can to it. “Shh... It's gonna be alright... shh..” But even though his soothing words help, they cannot drown out it's cries of fear. It's lonely echo of a voice fading through the halls into, in the end, nothingness. I look back down the hall moments afterward to see him emerging from the room, slipping his cap back on before making his way to me.

“Lucky... I-” I try to utter.

“Let's go.” He says shamefully, dust coating fine lines along his coat.

He makes his way through the back lobby and out onto the back patio with me close behind him. I quickly catch up to him.

He glances at me for a second.

“You going ta' be alright?” He asks in a low, concerned tone.

“Yeah... yeah I'll be fine.”

“You want me ta' carry Jade fer' a bit?”

“No... let's just get going.”

We utter no words after this for a while, not until we are far along the aged trail and the dirt turns to rock as the trees begin to clear into outcroppings and cliffs. Our hooves making headway toward our final destination. Mantling rock after rock, befallen logs and other obstacles until we are in a steep climb as the wind begins to pick up. I look back for a moment to barely see the very top of the asylum down in the valley below, shuttering at the thought, but continuing on. We are taken off guard as we climb one last rock to reveal a truly amazing vision of the Crystal Mountain range. I do a literal spin taking in the clear, breathtaking sight of the glistening peaks against the pure, blue sky. A small glimmer catches my eye, a faint tower protruding over one of the many mountain vistas. It immediately clicks in my mind that the spire poking over one of the hills is indeed the tower of The Crystal Empire.

“What is it?” Lucky curiously inquires.

It only takes him a moment to spot it.

“Aye... Isn't that the Crystal Tower?” He asks me.

“Yeah... Reckon it's bout a couplea' miles away though.”

He swivels around and looks back to what I presumed was west.

“If that map is correct, Vanhoover is just through that pass.” He says putting a reassuring hoof on my shoulder and pointing toward a gap in between two rolling hills not too far from where we stood. But to our dismay, the sun was already setting quickly.

“Come on, Let's make it a little farther before we bunk down fer' the night.”

“Right.”

After continuing down the mountain along the narrow ridge line we stop on a rocky clearing before making any more progress into our travel towards the pass. Volcanic rock strewn about provides precious shelter against the blowing wind, along with a jagged cliff face looming above a small alcove in the face of the mountain behind us.

“Alright... This spot's lookin' cozy enough.” He says, making rounds around our new campsite.

He drops his saddlebag and pulls the small lantern he purchased beforehand.

“We goin' to have a fire tonight?” I ask him.

“Nope... All the wood I used last time was from that shack of a house.” He says, absorbed in trying to to light his lamp.

“Damn...” I sigh.

The short moment of silence is abruptly broken by the crack of thunder in the distance. Lucky's head shoots up and he looks around, confused.

“I don't see any clouds...” He says getting up. “Hold on.”

He traces our earlier steps back up the trail. Just as he reaches the crest of the hill he comes to a sudden, dead halt. He glances back to me.

“What is it?!” I holler at him.

He quickly backs up and makes his way down the mountainside.

“There is one mean lookin' storm headed fer' us.” Him out of breath.

“How bad?”

“Like a monsoon or something.”

Thunder cracks the still silence once again, only much closer than before. Lucky examines our surroundings, then moves over to the alcove. I closely follow him over.

“Well?” He says, looking to me for confirmation.

“It's better than nothin', Ah guess.”

We both take our seats in the small, cramped burrow, watching the outside turn a gloomy gray as the first drops of rain begin to trickle down. The light tapping of droplets on the flattened grass and rock outside of our temporary home becomes a soothing sound as the dusk turns to night. Lucky had the common sense in him to bring a small jar of extra oil for the lantern should the need arise, although it contained more than enough for the time being. As for Jade, she's playing out the last of her energy scampering around our small cave. She quickly settles in my lap, waking me from my nap as I lay with my back to the wall. I loose track of time as the rain begins to come down harder and harder, streams of drainage pouring off of the cliff above and onto the ground. Finding it impossible to even close my eyes with the incessant pounding of the storm, I peek out from under my hat to see what Lucky is doing. He is laying on his side next to the lamp, its faint light shining softly on his face. He seems to be preoccupied with the golden pocket watch that I saw earlier. I take off my hat and set it to the side.

“That's a nice watch.” I say, breaking whatever quiet the storm has left us.

“Aye... It's me father's, I can just barely remember him handing it to me as I boarded the ship.”

He grows a fond smile while gazing down at his father's watch, then looks to me as he purposefully changes the subject.

“You never told me where you were from Miss Darling.”

He catches me off guard with his somewhat random question.

“Where I'm from?”

“Yeah, we got time ta' kill, might as well.”

“If ye insist..” I say, horribly butchering the Irestrian accent.

“Cute...” He chuckles.

“Well... Ahm'... Not really even from around here, Ah' came from a place called Dodge Junction, Way way way to the south. Left as soon as I was old enough, thinkin' I would get my own farm.” I quietly explain.

“Maybe couplea' cows and chickens. Didn't really turn out the way I wanted it to, though.”

“What happened?”

“Oh...Uh... I'm just gonna say that the bank hasn't been too kind to me lately...” I say lamely, slumping my head a little.

“Loosing money?” he says concernedly.

“More along the lines of my house.”

“Eesh... That's one heck of a bad way Miss Darling.”

“Yeah...Oh... And call me Autumn...”

“Alrighty then, Miss Autumn.” He says, playing along with a small grin across his face.

I cannot help but give a faint smile back. His attempts to charm quickly growing on me. After a brief moment of emotion, he creates a new line of subject.

“Ya' know... in all my years I haven't seen a single Pegasi until last night?”

“When you went for the supplies?” I add.

“Yup. Say... Aren’t they responsible for the weather?” He asks, obviously referencing to the current downpour.

“Maybe...” I sigh.

“Well...” He says, pulling his saddle bag close to him. “I'm off ta' bed... You want the lamp fer' tonight or should I put it out?”

“It'd be best if we put it out... Don't really want to wake up to one of them ugly dogs looming over me.”

He quickly blows it out. “Me either... Night”

“G'night...”

“Good night...” A young, petite voice says.

I shoot up, Lucky startled by the commotion.

“What's wrong?” He asks.

“Who said that?”

“Jade...?” He responds.

I look down to her, I can make out a small smile as she innocently blinks. Gently leaning back again I attempt to get some sleep. No such thing is achieved, every time I would close my eyes it felt as if something was creeping around on me and I would jerk awake. Having no other option, I stayed up just listening to the rainfall, again seeming peaceful. It stopped around one or two in the morning, the moon shining brightly on the countryside. At this point I confided within myself to muster up the courage to close my eyes for more than a minute, and gently fall asleep.