Author's Note

I’m sorry this took so long. This chapter has a lot of layers to it. And even now I am not wholly satisfied with it. It is the only chapter where I wrote a bunch of it, then had to demolish it and start again.

Swings of Control

Neither Strawberry or Rocky brought up the idea of herding together with Katie again. Things settled down Strawberry would leave for the mornings and afternoons, and Rocky would leave for the evenings and nights to look after Cafe Harmony. There seemed to be somepony with her at all times. Rocky and Strawberry slept in the same room and Katie got the spare bedroom, which was starting to look more like her’s everyday.

On the second day Katie balked at the attention. Rocky was hovering around her, she turned and snapped at him. “I don’t need you guys hovering around me every minute, I’m fine I can look after myself!”

Rocky leaned in and whispered, “Says the little filly who went wandering in the woods alone, and almost got eaten by a shrub coyote.”

“You really care don’t you?” she replied looking up at the stallion in genuine astonishment.

“Of course I do little bit!” Rocky answered just as surprised at the statement. “I’ll tell you what, let’s go for a walk together, I’ll carry you on my back. I know you like the forest, we can go together. It’s less scary when somepony is there to shoo away the monsters.” He winked in a playful manner. This was the start of a daily ritual for the two. Every morning after breakfast was cleaned up, Rocky had his coffee, and Strawberry left to work, the two would go out by the kitchen door, and walk towards Hay River.

The day after Strawberry’s altercation in the town hall Katie and Rocky we’re heading out of the house. Katie lay quietly resting between Rocky’s ears, she was still half asleep enjoying the rocking movement and smells of the stallion.

“You awake up there princess?” Rocky asked walking into the clearing.

“No,” Katie mumbled sleepily.

“Didn’t sleep well, something on your mind?”

The sound of long grass hissing in the wind carried between them. “Yeah actually there is," she paused struggling with sharing her thoughts. “What happened to Strawberry last night? She wouldn’t say anything but I know there was something wrong.”

“Oh that, don’t worry about it. It’s not something little fillies should worry about.”

“Roooocky!” Katie whined slightly, “don’t be that way. I’m not a little filly you can tell me."

Rocky chuckled to himself his body reverberating his mirth. Katie felt it carry into her own body making her smile. More silence settled between them. Katie was waiting for a response, Rocky was enjoying the morning with no intention of sharing. “Fine be that way,” Katie spoke with a pout. “Rocky?” She added seeing if the stallion was still listening.

“Yes little bit?”

“What do little fillies worry about?”

They entered the forest path the sunlight being cut into shimmering pieces on the undergrowth. Rocky was taken aback by the question. It seemed such an odd thing to ask, and yet at the same time it was a very Katie like question.

“Oh I don’t know, school, friends, playing, parents getting on their backs, getting their cutie marks. The foolish ones think popularity is a thing. Why do you ask?”

“I’m sorry Rocky,” Katie replied with a playful tone. “That’s not something stallions should worry about.”

A small animal scurried near by, Rocky felt Katie stiffen dramatically on his back, nearly falling off when she turned to see where it came from. “Relax little bit nothing going to get you, I'm here.”

“I am relaxed, I’m fine,” Katie protested.

“Umm hmm,” Rocky rolled his eyes in subtle amusement.

Normally the two followed the path to a bench near the river, but today Rocky veered in a different direction. As soon as he trotted to the right at the fork they always went left on Katie began to fidget on his back.

“Where are we going Rocky?” Katie asked agitation and worry dripping from her voice.

“I figured we’d do something different today. I’ve been very proud of you for coming back out into the forest, given what happened to you. I thought today we’d do something a bit more fun and instructive.”

“I don’t know Rocky, your and my idea of fun is quite different.”

“Relax little bit, just trot with the herd. Let go for a little bit, yeah?”

“Ok.” Katie put her head down to rest a moment, listening to Rocky’s hooves crunching gravel, and watching the trees slowly slide by.

The path seemed to go on for quite some time. It followed the river then jutted back in towards the town suddenly. It opened up to a small building which had a playground in front of it.

In front of me was the biggest playground I had ever seen. I hope Rocky did not intend for me to play on it. First playing was not in my skill set, and second the apparatus were so enormous I would fear the fall. As we approached it became clear this is exactly what Rocky thought would be fun. “Rocky why are we at the school playground,” I asked pointedly.

“Don’t worry all the other colts and fillies are in class, they don’t get recess for a least another hour,” Rocky replied missing my point completely. He tended to do that purposefully from time to time, it was his way of avoiding having to explain things. My hands dug into his soft coat as I held on. The large powerful body moved under me, and I suddenly felt a wave of unreality. Occasionally it would come sweeping in, where everything felt so out of the ordinary it would send me into slight shock. From that day under Strawberry’s desk to today the aftershocks still arrived.

Without warning I was grabbed, my stomach flipped and the world spun. Before I could figure out what had happened I was placed into a contraption like a child’s swing. It was meant to hold a foal, but it held strong and secure. “Jeez Rocky, I’ve told you a million times, tell me before you throw me around like that.”

“Sorry little bit, didn’t know you were gathering clouds,” Rocky replied, trotting in front of me.

“Get me out please, I don’t want to be in this thing,” I asked with tension in my voice, and my anxiety rising.

“Why? You think I’m going to let you get hurt?” He asked me.

“What? No!” I replied with genuine anger and confusion in my voice. “Rocky just let me out right now,” I added with increased firmness.

Rocky leaned his massive head in towards me, I thought he was going to grab me. Instead he took hold of the swing with his mouth pulled back and let go.

“Look little bit you need to let go. Let me tell you a story.” The swing undulated lazily with me stuck inside. Rocky idly pushing and speaking, I tried to focus on him even though I was very upset.

“There was once a colt, his name was Garnet Fields. He was a brilliant young pony, put all other foals his age to shame. This is good and all but you see when you are very clever, you can get used to deference and getting your way. Sometimes you can even convince others of things, even though you don’t really care.”

“This story have a point Rocky?” I interrupted rudely. “Are you going to let me out?”

Rocky pushed the swing with some strength suddenly and I yelped in fear as it went very high with speed. It came crashing down towards the stallion, I closed my eyes, he caught me deftly in his hooves, upon opening them his enormous muzzle was very close and his large eyes took up way to much of my vision. It made me look away, seeing them up close like that. I was shaking and the harmony magic was pushing down uncomfortably. The swing began its lazy oscillations again.

“It has a point, all I need from you is just to sit and listen,” Rocky replied.

“Anyway Garnet, all his life felt on top, in control, nothing was beyond his ability to do. And his parents they watched as little Garnet figured things out. They felt they had nothing to teach. But of course they always have things to teach, cause teaching isn’t just about knowing stuff you know. Sometimes it’s about feeling stuff. Well so Garnet Fields he soared upward to this point, to a place of stunning beauty. But you see this is where things go wrong, it was a place where he was no longer in control.”

“Like Icarus?” I blurted out.

“What did I say about listening little bit?”

“Fine!” I grumbled to myself crossing my arms over my chest feeling completely mortified at being trapped in a foals swing, but also somewhat enjoying the feeling.

“Garnet had never been taught to accept that sometimes things don’t go your way. He crumpled like tissue paper. All his cleverness meant nothing because he didn’t learn one of life’s biggest lessons. You are not always going to be in control.” Rocky stopped the swing and leaned in his enormous head to nuzzle me. I flinched at it, but having nowhere to go I was nuzzled. He whispered near my ear while doing so.

“You are too clever by a half, and you need to learn to let go. Especially given the situation you find yourself in, if you keep trying to take everything in hoof by yourself without trust, it is going to be very hard.”

I laughed a bit in nervousness as he pulled away. “Did you just make that story up now?”

Rocky looked sheepish as he gave the swing a quick push with a hoof. “Yeah was it that obvious?”

“Can you let me out now?” I asked again.

“Look little bit, I’m teaching.”

“What are you teaching Rocky?”

“Ok so we go to Vanhoover in a few days, Strawberry and I said we’d only do this if you agreed to mind us as if we were like parents to you. That is a big city and you my princess are an oddity. Things might get difficult. So what am I teaching?” he lifted a hoof to his muzzle looking up at the sky in thought. “That you like Garnet need to learn to accept that sometimes you are not going to be in control of what is happening. Kind of like being in that swing.” He gave the swing another big push and I could not help but squeal again.

“So tell me, who is Icarus?”

The two walked back quietly towards the house through the forest, retracing the path they took to get to the park. Katie was quite and thoughtful, Rocky was equally so. The stallion was worried about the trip to come and what had happened with Strawberry the night before. She told him everything of course and it worried him. There was no telling what the city’s reaction might be at having this little human arrive by train. Rocky was unhappy at the prospect of going so soon, he did not think the girl was ready. Strawberry had as always cut through the whole thing, “Well is she ever really going to be ready?”