My Little Pony: Forever Stranger

In five years I'd gone from rising star to flake, and I couldn't be a teacher's assistant forever. Switching subjects, switching classes- it didn't matter. I could've taught better than all of them put together, and if I had to sit through one more dim-witted lecture, I was going to hurl myself through a window...

I was still popular with students, at least. But their attention gradually just became insulting. At the end of the day, these colts and fillies cared more about chasing grades or each other. I withdrew to my office. Maybe I was obliged to grade their poorly-written papers, but not to listen to them, as they quoted textbooks with one breath and gossiped with the next. Truth was, they were only one step apart from the current generation of pretend-scientists...

That was until the day I met Whirring Gear and Topaz Tide. My two young unicorns were taking an advanced course I happened to be co-teaching, the only one I still had the stomach to attend. They both were typically quiet, but I never saw them fail to raise their hooves for a question, or answer correctly when called. Their written work shined, too. Every formula, every statistical analysis, applied flawlessly, effortlessly...

They knew that science isn't a matter of 'which equation do I use?' or 'is this the right answer?' They, like me, were beyond worrying about those things. They appreciated the struggle as a whole, and how its essence boiled down to only one question: what don't I know yet? We understood each other.

After much prodding, I told them what I didn't know in the form of my notes, from before and after the expedition. They showed up at my office one evening, after the semester ended. They didn't need to say anything. I opened the door, and they just stood there, smiling. And for the first time in over a year, so did I.
Ivory Slate, The Scientific Mind

Day came at the point of a spear. The pressure against his neck jolted him awake.

"You're on the wrong mountain, pony."

The voice was deep and earthy. It steamed from a wide, brown muzzle which towered over Gale in his sitting position. He had never seen a buffalo, but they who surrounded him were not far from how he'd imagined: stout and shaggy, swirling horns flanking a pair of beady, inkblot eyes.

One of them pulled the spear away. The creature in front of him extended a hoof and spoke, "I am Steel Summit."

'We expect you to be careful and discreet...'

Gale said nothing and looked away. The spear holder growled as she lowered her weapon again, but the one who spoke- the leader, presumably- raised his hoof. Like the rest he had a brown-black coat, though his hairs were streaked with white. A thick, tiled saddlecloth draped his back, and burgundy coated the tips of his bugle-sized horns.

"We mean you no harm, pony. But staring is not going to get rid of us." He spoke like a grandparent, but there was a sag in his eyes that age didn't quite account for.

The sword's pummel nudged his ribs. "Gale...my name is Bearing Gale."

"Are you here to hurt us, Bearing Gale?"

"No."

"Good." Summit offered his hoof again. Gale took it and stood. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm passing through."

"Please."

"It's the truth."

"We saw your tracks under the snow. Why were you heading for the mountains?"

"I can't tell you."

Steel Summit rolled his eyes. "And why is that, Bearing Gale?"

"I was told not to."

"Do you not make make your own decisions?"

He bit his tongue. This guy was teasing him open like a lock. Not for long. "I answered your questions. Now I want to ask you mine."

Summit cocked his head. "Shoot."

"Who are you? Where am I?"

Summit gestured as he looked outside. "Welcome to Bovaria, Bearing Gale. As for who we are, others up north call just call us 'the ox.' Our particular tribe has lived here for as long as we can remember. Not the easiest place to live, but home is where the heart is, as you ponies say."

Gale had long forgotten about his mission, his career, and the trickling hours of day. These ox weren't civilized ponies; there was no telling what they would do with him. Take his sword and supplies then drag him back to camp for questioning. That's what he'd do.

"Did Slate bring you here?"

Tongue was getting sore. There was no keeping secrets from the oxen or, at least, Summit. He stowed his plan to use a stun spell. If the oxen knew about Slate, then they could be useful. "No," Gale answered. "We thought he disappeared. A few days ago we received a message we didn't understand. But it had to be from him. I was sent to investigate."

"What was the message?"

"Nothing changes. I still wait. In the Stone Heart beyond the sea."

That seemed to satisfy Summit, who turned away and began pacing from wall to wall. The other oxen's eyes followed his every step. Then one, the jump-happy spear, shook her head and scoffed, "Candy-colored liar."

"He told the truth, Flint."

"Sure..."

"Flint." Summit studied Gale as a parent did before letting their foal outside. "He made the journey by hoof," the old bull said matter-of-factly. "He knows his way around a fire- without magic." He rubbed his chin. "And he's loyal. Stubborn, but loyal."

"So?"

"Well, at the very least he's different."

The cave was silent until one bull spoke out, "Let's get some of his food, at least. We're already behind today because of him."

"No. We are not stealing from him." Summit turned away and snorted. "Even if he is a pony."

"So what do we do with him?" asked another.

"He could be useful-"

"Enough!" Summit barked. "Let him do what he wants." He turned to Gale. "It has been years, Bearing Gale, since I set hoof in the Stone Heart, or saw Ivory Slate. You are heading in the right direction, as far as I know." He poked the remains of the fire. "But it is a long climb, and you won't last long like this. Bovaria is not the garden you are used to." He beckoned, and the oxen all turned to leave.

Gale raised his hoof as he went after them. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Summit twisted his head back. "To look for food. Winter is far from over, and we are needed back at our camp."

"If you've lived here for so long, why do you need to look for food?"

Summit called as he walked away, "Nothing to do with you."

"Steel Summit! I still have questions I need answered!"

"And I have other responsibilities! I have neither the time nor desire to chaperone you, Bearing Gale. But you are our guest, and I won't tell you what to do. Try and do the same, please?"

The sled gave a rattle as Gale yanked it towards himself. "What are you hiding? What was Slate doing here?!"

The oxen entered the labyrinth of the foothills, slipping behind the curtain of a craggy crest. Gale took a step as if to follow them, but Flint stopped him short with her spear before she too disappeared. On his left the Stone Heart's spires snatched his attention once more. They swirled the bleached hills around them like spindles, a new downpour falling where their tips punctured the sky.