Equinox

When Jingle Jangle woke up she was lying in the ground again. The clearing around her had disappeared, and instead a world of trees had absorbed everything. She tried to look around, but her sight was impeded a couple of feet away because of the spell. Everything she could do was lie there, breathing for as long as she could…

"Okay now let's see what the damage is…" she suddenly heard a male voice.

     Jingle tried to move, but her coordination had also been heavily damaged. The only thing she could do was squirm as she tried to order her body to recover its functions.

"Clam down, will you?" she heard as that curious hand once again took her and held her still. "This is going to pinch just a little-"

   And suddenly, just as he finished his phrase, Jingle became overwhelmed once again when all her perceptions were reestablished. Her sight became clear again, and her ears returned to their full functionality. The tension in her muscles returned, and a strength that she didn't know she took her up in a single leap.

"AGH!" Jingle screamed as she tried to gallop away.

"Hey wait!" two arms suddenly wrapped around Jingle's neck, and stopped her in her tracks. Jingle tried to struggle, but her captor held her firmly. "It's okay" he said, though his voice somehow was still blurred. "You're safe now!" Jingle tried to hold still, though it was difficult to calm down. Yet her captor had her firmly, and only when her breathing normalized and her pulse became steadier the stranger finally let her go. "That's it" he sighed in relief. "Now go take a stroll or something. You need to reactivate your legs or you'll get cramps."

     Jingle Jangle stood up for a moment and looked to her savior. The human… Like creature wasn't taller than a normal pony, and when he walked his backward-knees and white tail jumped to the fore. His face was covered by some sort of white mask, and from the back of his head a set of long ears displayed along with a black mane, tied in a curious arrange that strongly resembled a pony tail. He was wearing a white kimono, and his feet had sandals despite the snow. Immediately after releasing her, the stranger walked to Mittens, who was still apparently baffled from the explosion, but somehow still as a series of needles shone over her fur.

     Jingle blinked a few times. Though many things crossed through her limited conscience, her sense of understanding was almost instantly picked by the most obvious of them.

"Who are you?"

     The being was bending over the mare, taking one by one the needles out of Mittens's body, but rose again when he heard her voice.

"Didn't I told you to stroll?" he questioned, a little annoyed. Jingle puzzled from his answer, but the stranger didn't let her respond. "Whatever. It's your body tanin."

     And then, without saying nothing more, he took out another needle and inserted it in the middle of Mittens's forehead.

"Okay now, if you run I'll be very mad at you" he whispered as he pulled the last one out.

     Mittens suddenly rose up, and as Jingle released a loud gasp before the being rapidly closed her nuzzled with his hands.

"Seriously hosu, you're making this very difficult for me!" he groaned as he struggled with the strength of Mittens, far more than Jingle's.

     It seemed as if he would say something else, but before that could happen Mittens suddenly pushed him away with her frontal hooves.

"Air!" she panted and inhaled deep, then focused on the strange being, who was lying on the ground. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she changed to a more aggressive mood, assuming guard stance.

"Why the anger?" he tried to stand up, but Mittens pushed him back down. "I thought you hosu were friendly!"

"Guess again, pal" Mittens pressed more on her hoof. "Now, who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"What's a 'hosu'?" asked Jingle following up.

"What's a hosu?" he turned to Jingle. "What kind of stupid question is th-" and stopped when Mittens's hoof pressed against his throat.

"Our questions first" she said threateningly.

"Okay, okay, you win!" he tried to articulate chokingly. "Just… Let me breathe!"

"Fine" Mittens retrieved her hoof, but still lied on top of him. "But you better answer me, or else…"

"Can you cut the threats out, please?" he retorted. "We still have plenty of day ahead of us, and I would like to eat something before night-" he stopped again when Mittens heavily stomped her hoof aside his head. "My name is Takai, from the Hohige clan, what is yours?"

"Why would you care-"

"I'm Jingle Jangle, from the Snow Ponies" the filly stepped in. "Nice to meet you!"

"Jingle!" Mittens scolded her. "Don't give away your name just like that!"

"But why?" she whinnied. "He gave us his. The least we could do is present ourselves, Mittens."

"Mittens?" asked Takai, trying to conceal his amusement. "Your name is Mittens? Seriously?"

"You shut up!" Mittens focused on him again. "And prepare to explain yourself if you want to see the rest of today."

"Hey, lets hold our tongues back, specially on the people who save you!" Takai exclaimed defensively. "…And I thought we Kitsune had trust issues, jeez!"

"Saved us?" Mittens puzzled. "What?"

"That's right, hosu, or have you lost your mind too?" Takai didn't move, but it was clear that he was smiling under his mask. "Try ask your friend there. I'm sure she can tell you how we got here."

"My…" Mittens frowned in disengagement, but her confusion didn't last long. "Breezes!"

     A few yards away, Chilly Breezes was lying on the ground, still baffled while more metal needles showed in her coat. Mittens jumped from over Takai to reach her, and tried to move her until she discovered the apparent trance state in which she was.

"What did you do to her!" Mittens turned to where Takai had already stood up.

"Don't touch those!" he almost screamed when he saw her. "It's what I've been trying to do with you! The spell was too strong for you to handle, so I was healing your physical forms and putting you back to shape!"

"Healing us? With these?"

"Yes! It's called acupuncture, you're welcome tanin."

"Tanin?" asked Jingle again.

"Never mind" Takai dismissed her and turned to Mittens again. "So, you are going to let me do my work or not?"

     Mittens stared back at him with a stern look for a moment. It seemed as if she were going to refuse.

"Can you help her?" she asked, finally.

"If you don't stomp on my head…" Takai shrugged. "I can make her snap for starters."

     Another second passed before Mittens changed that stern face into a more compliant one.

"Good" she sentenced. "But I'll be watching you, so no funny business!"

"Okay, but don't rush me!" he retorted while he walked down to her. "This has to be done with care, or else I could stop her heart or something" one by one, he started to take out the needles. "Let's just hope that your friend is more understanding…"

Two minutes later…

"Dammit mares, are you all mad!?" shrieked Takai as he brushed the dirt off his kimono. "These things are not easy to clean!"

"Well woe for you!" Chilly Breezes walked, more limped, backwards as much as her stiff leg allowed her to. "That was for treating a mare so insolently! And thank your gods that I'm not on my fours, because if I were-OW!!!" she almost fell when she tried to lean on her hurt leg.

"Are you alright?" asked Jingle when she noticed the pain drawn in her face.

"You should try to lie down" Takai continued to brush himself off, a little more calmed this time. "That leg doesn't look very well."

"And what do you know-AGH!" Breezes tripped when she tried to walk again.

"Breezes!" Mittens reached for her. "What's wrong?"

"My leg…" she panted in pain. "I think it's broken."

"Well you hosu have turned bitter, haven't you?" Takai folded his arms. "I used to hear stories about the greatness of Ponyland, but I'm starting to think that so many time in the open has made you all crazy!" he diverted his look. "…I guess Mariel was right after all."

"Who's Mariel?" asked Jingle Jangle again, still curious.

"My partner" he shrugged. "She's the one that saved the three of your flanks."

"Your partner?" she puzzled. "You mean the unicorn?"

"Yes, that one" he let himself sat down, still with his arms folded and remained silent for a moment. "…Which reminds me, by the way, that by now she should be-"

"…Back" spoke another voice. "And in one piece, fortunately."

     All eyes turned at once and focused on the newcomer. The unicorn mare that'd just appeared from the woods was standing in the edge of the scene. She was wearing a black silk cape, mostly covered in dirt along with other small pieces of nature.

"And who are you?" asked Mittens, more collected.

     Mariel looked at her, but her expression left whatever was passing through her mind unknown.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said, before coming into sight. "I'm this little kitsune's ride."

     As soon as she came closer, Jingle saw in detail what she could of the mare. She had a grayish green color fur and purple eyes. Two stripes of the same color ran across the sides of her face and over her eyes, and turned into purple hair lights in her platinum mane, that was carefully tied into a half ponytail.

"Hello there Mariel" Takai bowed his head. "How did it went?"

"The ogre should bother us no more" she simply said as she passed him.

     This, nonetheless, didn't just passed by for the rest of the presents.

"Wait a moment, did you've just said that you vanquished that monster?" asked Mittens, cutting her path. "But… How!?"

     Mariel stared unshaken at her and remained like that for a moment.

"Ogres are pretty clumsy in nature" she shrugged and stepped back. "I lost him in the cliffs that stretch east from here" her horn suddenly began to glow and her cape came off her body, revealing the rest of her person as well as her sword, strapped to her shoulders in a black sheathe. She had a slender build, though it seemed more due to bad alimentation rather than anything else, and a cutie mark of two purple pentacles overlapped that created a ten pointed star. "…But if I were you I wouldn't venture there by myself at least in over a week or two. Chances are, he'd still be looking for some snack" she shook her cape in the air of its dirk and put it back. "That's better."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Takai from the rear.

"Right…" Mariel levitated from her cape two black sheathes of katana blades and gave them to the kitsune. "Sorry for taking them" she said as he took them as strapped them to his belt. "I figured that way you wouldn't do anything stupid."

     Takai stood up to this in fake disbelief.

"Me? How would I?" he glared to the mares. "It's not like I wouldn't have anything to be upset towards…"

"You owned it" Breezes looked away in the same tone.

"Putting away misunderstandings" Mariel spoke again. "It's too risky to be here in the open" she turned to Mittens. "I'd recommend you to look for a place to spend the night."

     Mittens was about to speak, but Takai beat her to it.

"What about our camp" he asked. "I mean, they have a little hosu here, and our base is safe enough…"

"It's too far away" Mariel turned to him. "We wouldn't reach it before night with a crippled member" she slightly diverted her look to Chilly Breezes, still on the floor.

"Hey, who says I'm crippled!" the mare retorted as she tried to stand, but fell in pain after a moment.

"I'm just pointing things out" Mariel said, still unshaken, then looked at Takai. "Tend her leg."

"Give a step closer and you're dead, fiend!" Breezes shrieked at the kitsune.

"I wouldn't recommend you threaten me!" Takai immediately reached the hilt of his sword.

"Would you two stop that!?" yelled Jingle Jangle, finally blowing up. "Breezes, these people are trying to help us, so why don't you just accept it? It would be a lot easier if we just stick to one another instead of pushing them away! …And don't give me the 'you're too young to understand it', Mittens, because all this journey I've been nothing but obedient of you two, and ever since we left Dream Valley our life has been nothing but trouble!!!"

     When Jingle closed her nuzzle and opened her eyes she realized that she'd been screaming almost at the top of her lungs. All the others were looking at her with blank expressions, save for Mariel, who still had that unimpressed look on her face. Jingle, again, didn't know what to do about it, but after a second her embarrassment began to sink… And then Mariel smiled at her.

"Well… I guess we haven't handle things pretty well these last weeks" Mittens finally gave in, then turned to Mariel. "We need to get to safety and soon, would you be so kind as to lend a friendly hoof with it?"

     Mariel rose an eyebrow, then looked briefly at Jingle.

"It would be my honor" she smiled sideways.

"Good. Where should we begin?"

"By splitting up. We can't take the risk of carrying Breezes around with her… Hurt leg. Not at least before Takai has attender her."

"I'll do my best" the alluded shrugged.

"And regarding the filly, we could meet some trouble up ahead. I don't think it would be the best to bring her."

"Okay, so it comes down to you and me" completed Mittens.

"And you are a traveler?" asked Mariel, turning to her again.

"I'm a ranger, I know how to map terrain" she said, eagerly.

"Good, that should help us" Mariel turned to the rest. "We're going to search for shelter, then we're going to get back here and take you there, understood?" the remaining three nodded. "Fine. Takai, you tend her leg. See that she can walk again by the moment we come back, and if you encounter something dangerous, hide wherever you see fit. We'll seek you when we get back."

"Understood" Takai nodded again. "I will make sure we make it until your return."

"Then off we go" Mariel turned and walked away with Mittens. "Now at least I hope we can get some place to sleep before dark…"

"Well, I guess that solves our problem" said Takai when they left, then turned to the mare.

     Chilly Breezes stared back at him with an unfriendly look on her face, but then sighed when Jingle struck an even sterner look to her.

"Fine" she conceded, stretching her leg. "But don't try anything funny."

"Don't worry, I'm just getting you to walk here" Takai knelt beside her. "…And besides, tanin, you're not my type."