Photos of Fillies

The bicycle creaked and groaned at my side, the tiny spokes of its wheels rattling as I led it back down the hill towards Ponyville. The sad tick, tick, tick and the crunching of the tires against the gravel were the only meter in the silence to my thoughts.

There were birds chirping in the distance—I thought for a moment the blue jays had followed me, but they whenever seemed to get any closer; just a small din in the background, a backdrop to the nature that surrounds.

I was still fuming, lamenting the loss of my handlebars: Though I’d been able to reattach them, however best I could with my limited knowledge of engineering and metalwork, I couldn’t for the life of me tighten the nuts at the base, and one them had even gone missing—I could picture a poor mailmare somewhere down the line leaning over to take a snack just to crack her crowns on a rusty hunk of metal—My bicycle’s missing nut.

The break-lines, too, were cut, which stretched the limits of this being nothing more than an accident. There was no way the entire thing could have failed in the short time I’d left it. Absolutely. No. Fucking. Way.

It had to be those fillies again. I knew it.

Either they were following, or they had some lackeys trailing behind to cause some trouble. I bet they were behind the blue jay incident as well. However unlikely that might be, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that even the simple fillies must have some kind of magic at their disposal.

I was grinding my teeth—the pain in my jaw muscles reminded me—and my hands were clenched so tightly that they were beginning to sweat under the heat of the sun. Another of those annoying itches cropped up on the back of my head and I scratched at it with a free finger—then another on my elbow. What was happening with all of these itches?

I scratched them away and then stretched my hands out behind my back, pulling the muscles taught in my shoulders as I pulled both hands out, and reached into the sky above. There was a very definitely clack, and crackling of tendons rippled down my back and shoulders as the tension left my muscles.

Finally, breathing a sigh of relief, I let my arms back down. I let a thin smile show as I looked out over the view in front of me.

The canopy of the Everfree forest had been long left behind, now broken and sparse with only the occasional tree and shrub to fend off the sun’s heat. The ground had levelled out as well, so I pulled to a gentle halt at the top of the hill overlooking the rest of Ponyville and took a breather.

Equestria was still as beautiful as ever. That was something I just couldn’t get used to. No matter how much time had passed since my...arrival, I could always find something to amaze at, whether it be the fantastical way they managed the clouds—Pegasi could literally kick the weather into submission—or just the astonishing landscapes.

From up here I could get the full lay of the land: Flowers and trees, thatched roofs dotted the landscape, with gentle rolling hills leading off into the distant horizon where the towering fortress of Canterlot overlooked it all. Beyond there, even further, were the misted mountains of the North. I was told even more distant and strange kingdoms lay beyond, but I failed to imagine what could be more amazing than what was right over here.

Nopony seemed to pay it much attention but Ponyville really was something special. It was a quaint little town, an island of normalcy in what I could only describe as an ocean of land right out of Lord of The Rings. Dragon, monsters, hydras, and here we were, cloistered in the middle of a small forest, one train station, and no worries other than what was for sale at the Sunday market.

True, there was the Princess’ castle, but from my perspective it was behind me, far out of sight. Without it, this was nothing more than a normal town. The only point of interest was the bright red of the schoolhouse—which stood out like a beacon in the earthy colours right beside the central park.

Leading up from there, over a short bridge and dipping with the incline of the various hills, were a narrow stretch of dirt trails heading up my way. There were a few ponies trotting its length, though I’d imagine most wouldn’t be out this early in the morning—Mondays were always a slow day in Ponyville.

Most of them were heading into town, though there were still two figures trotting up towards the Everfree. I had to squint and get onto the tips of my toes, shielding my eyes from the sun’s light to get a better view, but all I could really make out were rough shapes of a stallion and a mare.

The sun reflected off of them as they crossed of the bridge, revealing a metallic, almost orangish glow, or some metallic surface, though before I could make anything else out, something rammed into my side.

“AH!” I yelled, clasping a hand over my shins as I pulled away.I almost stumbled into the bicycle and had to catch myself to keep from falling.

“S-S—” I heard a small voice yelp below me, and in the confusion I saw a light and dark blue blur jump out from beside me, as if deflected off of my shins. Something clinked against the ground as he dropped whatever he was holding. He let out a squeal—“Sorry”—But he suddenly went silent, biting his lip.

The colt was a deathly pale and shivering. My hand, instinctively, had gone to the satchel at my side and he was watching it like a hawk. I reached a hand out. His wings were flared, and he took a step back, away from be. Before I could say anything, though, he piped up again:

“S-Sorry mister!” he chirped, then turned tail and ran.

“Hey, wait—” My eyes widened—I didn’t mean to, but somehow my eyes were drawn to his backside as he cantered away from me. His tail was hiked, and I saw something trailing from behind him. Maybe it was my imagination, but I could have sworn I’d seen his sheath dropped.

My cheeks started burning on the spot.

What had he been doing all the way out here? I asked myself.

What would any colt be doing out in the middle of nowhere, alone, with nopony watching?

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

It couldn’t be, I had to tell myself. Yeah. Maybe he was a mailcolt? Did they have those sorts of things? He did seem to be carrying something...

I glanced back at the bicycle—that accident had unfortunately damaged it further. Thankfully the handlebars were still attached, but they were hanging at an odd angle, and were looking like they might snap off at any moment.

I reached to readjust them when another sound had my interest peaked.

The birds were chirping, as before. The wind was gusting, but still, my ears pricked to the sound of something else. Something unusual. Something close.

The bushes were rustling nearby, and between them might had been.. No, there was a voice.

There was a small parting in the underbrush across the path from me. Not much, but just enough for a small animal to fit through; a deer, or a young pony. Maybe even a little colt...

My mouth was getting dry, and the sun on my back had started me sweating again. Swallowing, I wiped the beading sweat from my forehead.

The rustling continued, though—now I could see it. The bushes were moving, and there was something—“Ah...” —No someone was in there.

Again, another sound came: “Ah...”

It was faint. Soft enough that nopony might ever notice unless they knew what they were looking for. My mouth began to water. In between the rustling of the leaves were the tell-tale sounds of a filly’s voice, barely-perceptible little gasps and pants that tickled my ears.

I licked my lips.

Did I dare do it, though?

We were basically out in the open here. Sure, she might have been hidden by the brush, but I was a lot larger than filly, and there weren’t any thick trees to hide my movement either. We were on the top of a hill, right by the main road. Outside of town or not, if anypony were to look up right now, they’d spot me in an instant.

My eyes went back to the countryside below. The path was just as deserted as ever, less so than I would want it to be. There was still the one couple I’d spotted from earlier. They were progressing slowly from the bridge, trotting up the hill at a steady pace. I still couldn’t make out who they were, but no matter what, I couldn’t let them find me up here doing... You know what.

If it was Fluttershy, at least I’d have an alibi. But what if it was Rainbow Dash, or a townspony? The Royal Guard, the Mayor, or even The Princesses!?

I laughed. Okay, admittedly—I had to stifle the giggles I was giving myself to keep from alerting whoever was in the bush. What were the chances of any of those things happening? I was probably safe, but I had to be careful.

A deep breath and I steadied myself. Easy; I was taking photos, and I happened to find her. I thought she was hurt, so I came to help—simple as that.

With the details worked out, I was finally able to relax a little. My shoulders slumped, and I exhaled, letting the air leave my lungs—and a cool, deep inhale, followed by one last, slow, calming exhale to steady my nerves.

Seemingly the decision was made, but there was just one thing holding me back: The spokes of the bicycle rattled as I pulled my legs away from it. The entire frame seemed to slump against the ground, and I sighed.

The bicycle. “Dammit,” I swore. I couldn’t leave it out here, not like this, but at the same time—An extra loud, almost guttural sigh emanated from the bushes, causing the hairs to stand on end at the back of my neck.

She was getting louder.

I frowned, looking at the broken handle-bars and the bike. The satchel on my shoulder was getting heavy, and the sun was making my skin sticky with sweat. My heart was starting to race slightly. I had to make a decision, and fast.

Leave her, or...?

Dropping the bicycle, I dropped to my haunches and ducked towards the other side of the trail—I’d have to think of that later. Now was the time for action.

Still, I couldn’t help but grimace at the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I encroached into the bushes. The sound of the filly’s voice was getting closer, more detailed, and more desperate. It was stuck somewhere between crying and laughing, sneezing and a cough. At this point she was making so much of a noise of the leaves I didn’t even have to care about how I entered the bushes.

So long as she didn’t see me, I was in the clear...