A Mare in the Wilderness

by bkc56

Rating: everyone
Tags: Starlight Glimmer, Adventure, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 6087

You don’t find an unconscious mare in the wilderness, well, ever. So, why is she here, and more importantly, what is she hiding?

Two researchers find an unconscious unicorn mare, injured and bloody, in a field of boulders at the base of the Crystal Mountains. They save her life, but it will be a few days before they can return to civilization. As they get to know her, they begin to realize that she is not telling them the whole story of how she came to be lost in the wilderness.

This story is part of The Quicksilver Chronicles, a series of stories that follow the adventures of Quicksilver and Misty as they make their way through whatever fate throws at them.

Cover art by Calena.

Thanks to my pre-readers OConnerGT-R, mikemeiers, and FionaF. With a special thanks to my editor EverfreePony.

Published 2021-06-23 20:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-06-30 16:48:32 UTC

Chapter 1

Quicksilver and Misty were seated in front of a small Ponyville café. A pot of tea and a plate of shortbread cookies sat on the intimate table before them. They were not the only couple enjoying an afternoon snack on the warm spring day. A constant parade of ponies walked by the café occasionally stopping to look at a shop window or to chat with a street vendor.

Misty sighed contentedly. “You know, we need to do more of this when we’re home in Canterlot.”

Quicksilver tilted his head. “More of what?”

“Nothing.” She smiled. “We get so busy we forget to find a nice café or a park to just sit and do nothing together. It’s one of my favorite things.”

Quicksilver tilted his head. “But we eat out kind of a lot at home. We do this all the time.”

“This is different.” Misty paused as she took in the scene. “At home, dinner is a task we perform so we can get back to our labs. Here it's an activity we slow down to enjoy.”

“You’re right.” Quicksilver chuckled. “Sometimes it takes us going on a super busy trip to get a chance to slow down. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s how it seems to work with us.”

“Well, taking a little extra time to visit Maud here was a great idea.”

“I wanted to thank her for this latest site suggestion. She described it as ‘a promising source of interesting minerals’ and she was right.”

“I can tell how much you like her. Should I be worried, given how often you talk about her?” Misty snickered and took a sip of her tea. Quicksilver's mouth hung open. “I’m just kidding. I like Maud too. She’s a little, well, different, but she knows her stuff and has a delightfully subtle sense of humor.”

Quicksilver blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair. “I agree, on both counts,” he replied. “She’s really quite brilliant in her field, which you would expect given that she has a rocktorate.”

She chuckled softly. “It was fun watching you at the site. You were as giddy as a foal over all the ‘interesting dirt’ you found.”

He rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “You’re never going to let that dirt comment go, are you?” She shook her head. “Still, Maud has suggested three different sites to us over the years, and each one has been exceptional. Her focus may be on rocks, but she’s not bad with interesting dirt either.”

Misty let out a contented sigh and took another sip. Looking past her, Quicksilver noticed a unicorn with a lilac coat slowly approaching them. Their eyes met as she got closer.

She stopped a couple paces away. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but…” She lowered her head and shifted on her hooves nervously. “Do I know you two?”

Misty turned around. “Starlight!” She hopped to her hooves and gave the startled unicorn a polite hug. “It’s good to see you again. It’s been such a long time.”

Quicksilver sprang to his hooves. “Please, join us. Have a seat.” With a slight bow, he gestured to an open chair.

Starlight shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude. I just saw you here and thought you looked so familiar... “ Her forehead wrinkled as she closed her eyes for a moment. “I just can’t seem to place you.”

“I insist,” Quicksilver said, pulling the chair out from the table a bit.

Starlight stepped forward, but didn’t sit down. “I don’t want to interrupt your tea.”

“Nonsense. You really must join us. Can we get you something?” He raised a hoof to signal the earth pony waitress.

Quicksilver and Misty sat down as the waitress trotted over. “Yes, what can I get for you?”

“Uh, just some tea please,” Starlight responded as she also took a chair. She glanced at the couple again.

“Are you okay, Starlight?” Misty asked.

She shook her head. “I’m trying to remember… Misty?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.” She gestured to Quicksilver. “And my husband?”

Starlight stared at him. “Umm… Quicksilver?”

He nodded. “Correct. And do you remember where we met?” He paused. Starlight glanced to the sky for a moment, then shrugged and shook her head. “At a site we were camping at. At the edge of the Crystal Mountains, Northeast Equestria.”

Starlight’s eyes went wide. “Oh…”

Quicksilver and Misty had just finished setting up their camp at a site Maud Pie had previously used. The site was picturesque, located in a large clearing next to a lush forest. A rushing mountain stream ran along the far edge of the clearing some distance from the camp. On the other side of the stream lay a boulder field that led up to the face of a mountain.

Maud has set up a nice little camp during her time here which included a fire pit and accompanying table and chairs made of boulders. One thing missing was a place to sleep. That was easily addressed by running a line between two trees and setting up a hutchie tent large enough for two of them. It was rustic, but they weren’t a couple of pampered ponies. This would work just fine for a few days.

Quicksilver spread out a map on the makeshift table and oriented it so it was lined up with the topography on the far side of the stream. His view shifted back and forth between the map and the scene before them.

“Okay, Maud’s map shows this site all the way to the mountain.” He tapped the location on the map. “She’s marked all the caves she explored and numbered the top six that she suggested we look at. I can see a couple of them from here.” He indicated with his hoof. “The others shouldn’t be hard to find.”

Misty interrupted him, “What’s that? Over there, that little spot of color.”

He glanced at her to see where she was looking, then squinted. “Where? I don’t see anything.”

Misty stepped over, standing right next to Quicksilver. Lifting her leg, she pointed at one particular boulder on the far side of the stream. “See that big boulder right there?”

“Yup.”

She shifted where she was pointing. “Now look just a bit to the left and go back about halfway to the cliff. See those two boulders that are in sort of a V-shape?”

He nodded. “Uhh, oh, yeah, I see that.”

She shifted again. “Now go left again that same amount and look right at the base of the cliff.”

He squinted as he looked. “I’m still not… wait, I see it. A little splotch of purple, I think.”

“Yes, that’s it.” She lowered her leg. “That doesn’t look like flowers to me, or any sort of plant I’m familiar with.”

“Why don’t you fly over and take a quick look? Let me know if it’s something interesting I should come see.”

Misty extended her wings, took a few steps, and launched herself into the air. She flapped a couple times to gain some altitude and then started to casually glide towards the base of the cliff. Quicksilver sighed as he watched her fly. To him, few things were as beautiful as his wife in flight. Suddenly, she banked hard and returned to where Quicksilver stood.

”It’s a unicorn lying on the rocks. They’re not moving. I see some blood. Please hurry.”

She banked again and headed back towards the cliff, but didn’t land. She circled the area, her eyes probing for any hazards that might be present. She occasionally glanced at Quicksilver.

Quicksilver grabbed the first aid kit and galloped to the stream. Water splashed high all around him as he thundered through it. Slowing, he began the process of picking his way through the field of boulders. He winced as his wet hoof slipped off the smooth surface of one. “Take it easy,” he said to himself. “You really don’t need to twist a fetlock out here.”

Misty called down, “It looks safe, you can keep going.” He quickly covered the remaining distance to the pony. Misty flared her wings to slow down as she came in for a landing.

The pony--a mare, as they could see now--was sprawled out among the rocks, lying face down with her limbs at awkward angles. She was covered in cuts and scrapes, several of which were lightly bleeding.

“Is she…”

“No, she’s alive, I can see her breathing.” He glanced up at the cliffside towering above them. “She must have slid or fell down that steep face and landed here.” A few small pebbles sprinkled down around them. “We should get her back to camp, quickly.”

“Shouldn’t we tend to her wounds first?” Her brow furrowed as she looked at the mare, then at the first aid kit he held in his magic.

“I don’t want to hang around under this cliff.” More falling pebbles clattered off the boulders around them. He briefly checked the cliff face above.

Misty looked up and startled as a pebble bounced off her muzzle. “No, no, you’re right, fast is better.” Misty peered towards the camp. “It’s a clear shot to the camp from here.” She glanced back at Quicksilver. “Teleporting would be the fastest.”

He nodded. “And the most gentle. I’ll levitate her off the rocks, then teleport us both.” He waved towards the camp. “You fly ahead and get things ready for her. Here, take the first aid kit too.”

Misty took off, and Quicksilver’s horn lit up as he carefully lifted the mare off the rocks and positioned her next to him. Then he focused on the camp, and, in a flash of blue light, they were there. Misty was just opening up the first aid kit.

She pointed into the tent. “I laid out a bedroll you can set her on.”

Holding the mare in his magic, he rotated her around and into the tent. She let out a groan as he lowered her down. Quicksilver then enveloped the mare in a field of magic.

“I don’t sense anything broken. But I’m not a doctor, and I can’t tell about any internal injuries. She’s bleeding some, but none of it looks serious, and most of the bleeding has stopped on its own. I’m most worried about a concussion as those wounds to her head suggest she smacked something pretty hard.”

Misty and Quicksilver began working to stop any remaining bleeding and bandage up the worst of the wounds.

Misty asked, “Do you think I should fly for help? I can contact the E.U.P. and lead a search and rescue team back here.”

He glanced over his shoulder at the sun low in the sky. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that today. By the time you got there and they were ready, it would be dark. It would be too dangerous to fly out here at night, so they’d wait until tomorrow.” He glanced at Misty. “And I really need you here overnight in case I need help with her, not stuck in town waiting for dawn.”

As they finished tending to the mare’s wounds, she let out a groan and moved her legs around. Misty laid a hoof gently on her shoulder and leaned in close. “Shhh, shhh. It’s okay. You’re safe now. Just rest. Shhh.” The mare stopped moving and relaxed.

“I thought she might be waking up,” Quicksilver said. “I’d feel a lot better if she was conscious.”

“You think she’ll be okay?” Misty gently stroked the mare’s mane.

“I don’t know. Now I wish I’d taken a couple more basic medical classes.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s not knowing what to do. I hate not knowing.”

“We’re doing the best we can.”

“I know, I know. It just feels so... inadequate. If it’s a concussion, she could wake up at any time. If it’s something more serious, she might not survive the night.”

The couple moved out of the tent and stood at the opening, watching the mare. “We’ll know more in the morning. And I can be ready at first light to fly for help.”

Quicksilver put a leg around his wife and pulled her close. “Good plan. We may want to do that even if she does wake up during the night.”

She gave him a peck on the cheek. “In the meantime, I’m going to get some dinner started. You put the kit away and clean up all the trash?”

He smiled at Misty. “That would be great. I’m starving. We should stay close, but with the tent occupied, I guess we’ll be sleeping under the stars tonight.”

“Sounds like fun. Sure won’t be the first time.”

Misty cracked open an eye. The pre-dawn scene was awash in a low mist that clung to the ground. And it was cold. She realized Quicksilver was gone, and rolled over to see him tending a fire in the firepit. With a dry mouth, she squeaked out a soft, “Hi.”

He looked up and smiled. “Good morning. I can have some breakfast ready in a few minutes if you want to get off your rump and start moving.”

“I’d love to, but I think it might be frozen off.” She rolled onto her barrel and after a moment stood up. She walked over to Quicksilver, and they nuzzled briefly then she moved in close to the fire. “Ohh, that’s better…”

Quicksilver pulled a couple boxes out of a bag and held them up for Misty to see. “So, powdered haycakes, or powdered eggs?”

Misty grimaced. “I miss our kitchen.” She smacked her lips a couple times. “I think the haycakes would be the preferred provision for today.”

Once breakfast was done, they cleaned the dishes and were putting everything away when they heard a moan from the tent.

They trotted over to find the mare lying on her barrel. Her ears rotated forward at their approach, but her head remained lowered. She had her muzzle planted between her forelegs, eyes closed.

“You’re awake!” Misty exclaimed. “How are you feeling?”

The mare slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes just enough to peer out. She immediately squeezed them shut, moaned, and lowered her head again. “The world is spinning, and I think I’m going to be sick.”

Quicksilver fetched a canteen and walked over to the tent. “I think some of that may be dehydration. You haven’t had any food or water for at least eighteen hours, probably a lot longer.” He held the canteen in front of her. “Here, have a drink. But take it slow, not all at once.”

After several tentative sips of water, the mare cautiously opened her eyes. She slowly looked around the campsite. “Well, I give this hotel one star, at best.” She closed her eyes again for a few moments and then looked at the couple. “What happened? Who are you two?”

“I’m Misty, and this is my husband, Quicksilver. We’re researchers doing some field work. We got here yesterday late afternoon and found you at the base of that steep escarpment across the stream.” She pointed in the general direction. “It looked like you slid or tumbled down the incline and landed among the boulders at the bottom.”

Quicksilver continued, “You must have used magic to slow your fall or cushion the impact, otherwise you wouldn’t have survived. You still got pretty banged up, and I’m sure you have a concussion. You were out for a long time.”

She shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember any of that.”

“That’s fine. I’m not surprised. We plan to send Misty into town to get E.U.P. search and rescue out here to airlift you to a hospital…”

The mare bolted upright. “No, no hospital!” Quicksilver and Misty both took a couple steps backwards, eyes wide. “Oh, sorry, I mean, I just can’t go to a hospital right now. Just let me rest for a while. I’ll be okay.” She slumped down again.

“But why can’t you go to a hospital?” Misty asked. “Are you in some kind of trouble? You need professional care. You might have injuries we can’t see. What are you doing out here by yourself anyway?”

She looked down at the ground for a moment, then let out a little sigh. “My name is Starlight… Umm... Starlight Twinkle.” Quicksilver and Misty glanced at each other briefly. “I was the mayor of a small town on the other side of these mountains. We had a wonderful little community where everyone was equal, and we all shared in the responsibility of the town. It was a little different than your typical town, but we were content.” She paused. “Then this… unicorn, and her friends came into town. They acted like they were interested in joining the community, but it was all a plot. They took over the town and turned everypony against me. I had to flee for my life. I spent several days working my way through the mountains to this side, and then, well, then it gets fuzzy. But I know I need to keep a low profile. I need to get someplace safe where no one can find me.”

Misty and Quicksilver gave each other another cautious glance. Misty continued, “That must have been horrible. You need to be checked by a doctor, but we can’t force you.”

“I just need a day or so to rest, and then I can make my way someplace.”

“I’ll tell you what, Starlight. Misty and I were planning to be here for at least three days. We have enough extra food to handle all three of us. You can stay in camp and rest while we do our research. As long as you don’t get worse, we can skip getting official help. But if I see anything that suggests you are getting worse, all bets are off. Whatever trouble you had isn’t worth your life. Deal?”

Starlight nodded. “Okay, deal. It’s not like I have much of a choice, I guess. Thank you.”

Chapter 2

The sun was low in the afternoon sky as Quicksilver and Misty trudged back to camp. His saddle bags hung low from the weight of the samples he had gathered. It had been a good day, but a long one. They picked their way through the field of boulders. When they crossed the stream, Misty softly said, “I so want to just sit down and do nothing for a while.”

As they neared the camp, they slowed down. Ahead they could see Starlight hunched over the rock table, her back to them. The rage in her voice was clear even from this distance. She would shake her hooves in the air or slam them down on the table as she argued with some unseen opponent. They couldn’t make out the words, but the emotions were obvious.

“Hi, Starlight,” Quicksilver called from a short distance away.

She jumped to her hooves. As she spun around, one of her forelegs swept across the table, knocking a number of small stones to the ground. She turned to them with a wild expression on her face.

“Oh, back so soon?” Her eyes darted around, taking them in and scanning the surroundings behind them. “I didn’t hear you sneaking up on me.” She nervously swished her tail back and forth.

“Are you okay?” Misty asked. “We weren’t sneaking. You sounded pretty angry as we got closer.”

“What did you hear?” Starlight sputtered out. She slowly started to back away.

“Nothing,” said Misty, “we were too far away. Quicksilver only spoke so we wouldn’t startle you. Not that it worked very well.” She finished with a slight grin.

Starlight raised her head as her ears turned forward. “Oh, okay, sorry. I guess I was kind of obsessing about being run out of my town. I didn’t mean to worry you.” Her body relaxed, and she took a step towards the couple.

Misty casually walked forward while keeping some distance from Starlight. “It’s fine, please, don’t give it a second thought. You’ve had a few hard days. Why don’t you and I prepare dinner while Quicksilver deals with the samples we collected today?”

Starlight rubbed her neck. “Sure. I’m sorry, I probably should have started things while you were working. It’s not like I have a lot of other stuff to do right now.”

They shared an awkward chuckle that quickly faded away.

After dinner Quicksilver and Misty walked to the stream to fill canteens and wash the dinner dishes. Quicksilver kept an eye on the camp as they talked.

“So, Misty, what do you think about Starlight?” The canteen he held bubbled as it filled with water.

“When we got back to camp, was she arguing with a bunch of rocks?” She briefly glanced over her shoulder.

“That’s what it looked like. I’m a little worried about her. Perhaps it’s a side effect of getting banged up, or maybe she’s not the most stable mare in the paddock.” He sat the full canteen down and started to fill the next one.

“Should we be worried?” She began to scrub the pot they’d made dinner in.

“I’m not sure. Let’s make tomorrow our last day and start the trip home first thing the following morning. Starlight is moving better, so she should be able to walk out if we go easy.”

It was early evening, the sun was down, and the remaining twilight would soon fade to dark. The three of them were sitting around the stone table, drinking some tea. Quicksilver and Misty were doing most of the talking. Starlight sat quietly and listened, only occasionally adding a comment. The topics ranged from their life in Canterlot to details about their research.

Suddenly, Misty jumped off her stone chair and took a defensive posture with hooves spread and wings extended. Staring into the forest past the tent, she softly said, “We’re being watched.”

Quicksilver and Starlight glanced back at the forest, then stood up. They quickly moved to Misty’s side of the table. All three stared into the dark forest. Quicksilver's horn glowed blue as he charged his magic. Soon, they spotted a pair of glowing green eyes. Then two more sets appeared.

“Timberwolves,” Starlight hissed.

“I thought they were only in the Everfree Forest,” Misty softly exclaimed.

Looking at Misty, Quicksilver firmly said, “Misty! In the air, now!”

Misty spun around and jumped up with all her might. Her powerful wings propelled her almost straight up. Once she was above the treeline, she leveled out. She circled the camp, peering down into the darkness

Quicksilver whispered to Starlight, “We should slowly retreat towards the stream and get away from the edge of the forest.”

Walking backwards was slow, but they didn’t dare turn away from the threat. Step by cautious step, they kept their gaze fixed on the menacing green eyes. Starlight inhaled sharply as two additional pairs of eyes appeared.

Misty called down, “There are two to the north working downstream, and three more to the south moving up. The forest is too dark to see into. I can’t tell how many there are.”

“At least five,” Quicksilver called up.

Water from the stream dripped off Quicksilver and Starlight’s hooves. They stopped as they felt the first boulders behind them.

He glanced over his shoulder. “Starlight, we can’t cross the boulders backwards, and I don’t want to get trapped against the cliff. We should stop here.” She nodded.

The gentle sound of the burbling stream was shattered by a howl from the woods. Narrow green eyes closed in from three different directions. Quicksilver widened his stance and lowered his head. His horn flared with magic, and a spherical shield spell surrounded the two ponies. It shimmered in the dark.

The timberwolves charged. The shield flared with energy as it rebuffed the attack. They scrambled to their feet and howled in pain and rage. Quicksilver wiped a bit of sweat from his brow as the wolves crouched low. With glowing eyes fixed on the ponies, the timberwolves slowly circled the shield. The air rumbled with low growls. The occasional timberwolf would lunge at the shield, looking for an opening. Quicksilver grunted every time they impacted it.

“Can you hold the shield?” Starlight asked. She scowled as she met the gaze of individual wolves.

He nodded. “Yes, but move closer. I learned some time ago to keep my shield small in a standoff.”

“I don’t think this will take long.” She briefly glanced at the shield. “What type of shield is it?” Her eyes darted back to the wolves.

“It’s just a physical shield. Do we need something more?” He flinched as a timberwolf slammed into the shield right in front of his face. “I didn’t think about magic. Do we need magic too?”

She shook her head. “No, no. Don’t add magic resistance to the shield. I need to cast something through it.” She glanced up at Misty hovering above them. “Have Misty get to cover, fast.”

Quicksilver called up, “Misty, fly to one of the higher caves. Go in far enough so that you can’t see us and are protected from magic.”

“Okay, be careful.” She banked towards the cliff and climbed towards one of the cave openings.

He watched her disappear into the cave. “Okay, she’s clear.”

Starlight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her horn flared. A second sphere began to form just outside Quicksilver’s shield. It grew brighter as Starlight poured energy into it. The wolves stopped circling the pair and watched. There was a pause. Neither pony nor timberwolf moved. Suddenly, Starlight opened her eyes. The new sphere exploded, expanding in all directions.

When the spell hit the timberwolves, they instantly fell apart. The logs and branches they were composed of dropped to a pile on the ground. All that remained was a shifting green mist hovering silently over the heaps of dead wood. Within moments, individual bits of wood began to lift off the ground and float up to the mist.

Starlight didn’t wait. She fired a magical bolt at each reforming wolf with scary efficiency. As it was hit, the mist dissipated into the air. Any floating bits of wood dropped back to the ground. Within moments, they were all gone. Quicksilver gave her a sideways glance.

“What?” Starlight asked, twisting her head to glare at him.

He lifted a hoof defensively. “Nothing. That was just… I mean… Couldn’t we have just scared them off or something?” He scanned the area one final time and dropped the shield spell.

Starlight turned to face him. “Timberwolves don’t scare, at least not for long. They don’t give up. And they’d have killed us all if Misty hadn’t…” She tilted her head. “Wait... what did she do anyway? How did she know they were there?”

Quicksilver glanced up just as Misty glided in for a landing.

“I felt a magic-suppression spell go by, even inside the cave.” She looked at Starlight. “You?” Starlight nodded. Misty continued, “It looked like the fight was over, so I came back down.”

Quicksilver walked over to Misty. They shared a quick hug. Starlight stumbled as she turned to face them. “I guess I’m not back to one-hundred percent yet.” After a brief pause she continued. “Misty, you probably saved our lives with your warning.” She tilted her head. “How did you know they were out there?”

“I’m not sure. I got a chill. It felt like something was watching us, was watching me. It was cold, and scary. I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was there.”

“Well, we’re glad you did,” Quicksilver added. “I think we can go back to the camp now, perhaps have a little more tea to calm our nerves. Not sure if we’ll get much sleep tonight though.”

Misty was looking at the forest, her voice soft and concerned. “Do we need to worry about more timberwolves?”

Starlight answered, “I don’t think so. They travel in packs and are territorial. I’m sure we got the entire pack, and any other packs would not be close.”

“That makes me feel a little better,” Quicksilver said. “Perhaps we can get some sleep after our tea. It’ll take us a full two days to hike out of here. And that’s if we get an early start each day.”

The three ponies trudged slowly through town on their way to the train station. Their legs had remnants of dried mud on them, and their manes hadn’t seen a brush in days.

“That was a hard two days, I could really use a hot shower and a soft bed,” Quicksilver said.

“That does sound nice,” Starlight added.

“So, Starlight, where are you going to go next?” Misty asked.

“I don’t really want to, but I’ll probably stay here for a while. I need to earn some bits before I can go anywhere. But then I think I’ll go to Vanhoover. It’s about as far away as I can get, and I know some ponies there who can help me out, or at least give me a place to stay for a while.”

Quicksilver interrupted, “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to go check the train schedules. I’ll be right back.” He turned and trotted off.

After walking in silence for a bit, Starlight continued, “What are you and Quicksilver going to do?”

“Well, after a week of sleeping on the dirt, we’ll find ourselves an inn for overnight.” She looked down and tried to brush some of the dirt off one of her legs. It didn't help. She sighed and shook her head. “We can get cleaned up, have some real food, and sleep in a soft bed. Then sometime tomorrow we’ll catch a train for Canterlot.”

The two mares found a bench to sit on to wait. After killing time for a while, they saw Quicksilver returning. Using his magic, he passed a piece of paper to Starlight, who took it in her own magic.

She studied it for a moment, then looked back to Quicksilver with her head tilted. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s what you need right now. A one-way ticket to Vanhoover. And take these,” he levitated a small pouch to her. “A few bits for food.”

“I can’t take these. I won’t be able to pay you back. You’ve already helped me so much, no doubt saving my life. I really can’t…”

“Nonsense,” Misty interrupted. “We said we’d get you to safety, and that doesn’t mean abandoning you in some town with no money or transportation.”

“It’s not that much,” Quicksilver added. “But you wanted to get going, and this train’s leaving in about half an hour.” He grinned.

Starlight hugged him. “Thank you.” Then she hugged Misty. “Thank you both.” She stepped back and wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m not really good with long goodbyes, so… yeah.” She waved at the couple, then trotted towards the train station.

“We spent the night in the town and headed home the next day. We never heard anything more about you and wondered from time to time if you were doing okay,” Quicksilver concluded.

With the tale finished, Starlight sat quietly for a few moments. “They called it anterograde amnesia, or difficulty forming new memories after my concussion. It wasn’t bad. It mostly just made the events those first few days a bit… fuzzy. I could remember much of what happened, I just couldn’t recall your names until I saw you again today.”

She dropped her head, staring at her half-empty teacup. “I have a confession to make,” she started. “I wasn’t totally honest with you about what happened when you found me.”

“We know,” Quicksilver and Misty said at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Right. Of course, you know.” Starlight rolled her eyes.

Misty continued, “Yes. We knew there was more to the story than you were telling us. But you needed help, and it wasn’t our place to pry. So we did what we could to get you someplace safe and send you on your way.

“A couple of weeks after we got back to Canterlot, we heard the tale of the Elements of Harmony going to a small village to free it from a tyrannical cult leader.” She glanced at Quicksilver and then back to Starlight. “Oh, I mean, I’m sorry…”

“No, no, that’s pretty accurate,” Starlight added softly, looking down at her tea again.

Quicksilver spoke up. “Well, when we heard that story, it was pretty obvious that you were the exiled leader. That’s also when we learned your actual name.”

Misty snickered, “Starlight Twinkle? Really?”

Starlight shrugged. “Head injury…”

He continued, “We contacted Twilight Sparkle and let her know that we’d found you and helped you get back to town. She was very grateful for the help we gave you. We have no idea what happened after that.”

Slowly shaking her head, Starlight said, “Twilight never told me that. I had no idea she had tried to find me.”

She paused for a long time before continuing, “That fall down the mountain was just the first of a series of falls I took down to a very dark place. I was driven by anger and revenge to make Twilight pay for what she and her friends had taken from me. It was bad. It was destroy all of Equestria bad.”

“Oh, I don’t think it was that bad. I mean, it’s not like you can actually destroy Equestria, right?” Misty asked.

Starlight paused. Misty and Quicksilver glanced at each other and shrugged.

“You might be shocked to know what the wrong magic spell can do in the hooves of someone who was as unhinged as I was back then. Let’s just say it was really, really bad.

“But in the middle of my attempt at revenge, my enemy reached out in friendship. At that moment, I remembered another time when two other ponies, who had saved my life, also showed me friendship. It gave me the courage to accept what Twilight was offering me.

“So I took her hoof. Recovery hasn’t been easy, and I’ve made more mistakes since then. But I’m trying. Speaking of which, here.” Starlight set a pile of bits down in front of Quicksilver.

“What are these?” he asked.

“It’s to make sure you can get where you need to go, a one-way train ticket and a few extra bits for food.”

Quicksilver waved a hoof back and forth. “Oh, no, you don’t need to pay us back. We did it freely, as part of trying to help.”

“Listen. I’ve hurt a lot of ponies. I’ve gone back to as many as I can find to apologize and make restitution when it’s possible. Twilight has encouraged, even forced me to do that a couple of times, but there are others I’ve had to seek out on my own.” She glanced at Misty and then back to Quicksilver.

"As much as I tried, I couldn’t seem to remember your names. And it never occurred to me to ask Twilight about it. But now that I have found you, I need to apologize for lying to you and give you back these bits.” She pushed the bag of bits closer to Quicksilver. “It’s not about you, or even about the bits themselves. It’s about me dealing with my past mistakes the only way I know how. So, if you could please help me out just one more time and take this?”

Quicksilver glanced at Misty, who gave him a quick nod.

“Okay. You never really wronged us, but we’ll accept your apology and forgive you. We’ll also accept your bits and call it even between us. So, we’re good?”

Her eyes filled with tears, Starlight looked at Misty and then back to Quicksilver. In a voice tight with emotion, she softly whispered, “Thank you.”

After a moment and a deep breath, Starlight stood up. The couple also got to their hooves. Starlight gave Misty a long hug. Then she turned and gave the slightly startled Quicksilver a hug.

“Thank you for the tea.” And with a big smile Starlight added, “If you’ll please excuse me, I need to go find Twilight. I have a friendship report to give her about the value of friends you may not even realize you have.”

-- The End --