Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Three: Morality

Moods had not improved the following day. They'd not eaten very well, then slept on cold dirt, so Fluttershy wasn't expecting much, so when she came back from her early awakening with an armful of tree nuts, the main thing on her mind was the fact that she would soon be unable to ask the little squirrels for help. They would likely be out of Equestria by the end of the day, and Belicos was not known for being a host to lots of animals. Trees were rather scarce, grass was even more so. She hoped they'd be able to survive on cacti for as long as they needed to be there, however long that would be.

"I'm sorry," said Nik, cracking open a nut halfway through breakfast. "What I said yesterday... I was just scared."

"We're all scared," responded Twilight, gently brushing her tail with her hoof. "The world depends on us doing this right, and we can't really be sure that we're on the correct path."

"We're trying," answered Fluttershy, significantly softened from yesterday. "That's what matters. We may not be doing the right thing, but we think we are, and at least we're doing something. For what it's worth, I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday."

"No, you were right to snap," nodded Nik. "I was being a real arse. Thinking back, I'd have left me behind were I in your shoes, so I suppose I'm glad that I'm not just wandering alone." There was a minute of silence where no one spoke again, broken once more by Nik. "Oh, and I'm sorry for your loss. Kai probably wasn't as bad as I made him out to be."

Another minute passed, and it was Fluttershy's turn to break the silence. Not with words, but with quiet sobbing. She dropped the rest of the nuts on the ground and curled up. She'd been trying to put Kai out of her mind to keep her emotional state more stable, but Nik bringing him up filled her head with thoughts of how he'd been there beside her ever since he'd joined their mission. He'd been their problem solver, he'd been there to calm them, to direct them, and had always been the first to jump forward and volunteer for work. For all of his faults, he'd carried all three of them for weeks on a broken shoulder, and he was still wanting to keep going. He was a good stallion, and she loved him.

And now he was dead. The fear she'd felt the morning before had, for the most part, turned to hope. There was still some fear, as she didn't know what the future would bring, but if she was right, something she'd dreaded yesterday would be something worth celebrating in the future, if they had one.

Twilight moved over and placed a hoof on her shoulder, gently rubbing between her wings. "It's going to be alright," she whispered. "As long as we all stick together, as long as we cover each other, and as long as we keep trying. We'll pull through, and we'll make it back to Ponyville for a nice, relaxing bath. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Fluttershy nodded and wiped away her tears. Though she was a sensitive mare, she wasn't lamenting on the journey. She wasn't wishing she was back at home, snuggled up with Angel Bunny, enjoying a mug of hot apple cider next to a lightly crackling fire. Certainly, that would be nice, but it wasn't what she really wanted at this moment. She wanted Kai. She wanted somepony who would fight until the bitter end for her. She wanted somepony who knew what they were doing, and where they needed to be going. Sure, Twilight could try, and she certainly would, but she just felt safer with Kai around. She'd come to rely on him.

They packed up camp, which consisted of piling the rest of the nuts into Nik's pockets, and continued westward. They'd found a river to follow, reasoning that it must connect at some point to the river that served as the border between Belicos and Equestria. After all, it was headed the right direction. At any rate, they would need to stay close to the river, as it was their only source of fresh water.

Sure enough, more than halfway through the day, their branch led them to the main river that separated Equestria from its neighbor. "So, how do we cross?" asked Nik, looking at the rushing water. "I don't think I'm a strong enough swimmer, but I also don't want to sit on a block of ice again, even if we could direct it to the correct shore."

Twilight looked down the river. "I'm pretty sure that there's a border town nearby. If we keep going, we could probably find a bridge or something."

"I thought towns were too big of a risk?"

"Towns known to be swarming with enemies is too big a risk," answered Twilight. "If we arrive before they do, we should be fine."

"We don't have to decide yet," added Fluttershy. "We should find the place, first. We can scope it out, and if it's safe, we'll sneak through after dark."

Twilight smirked. "When did you become so brave, Fluttershy?"

"I'm not." Fluttershy shook her head and shivered. "I'm just more afraid of those ponies in cloaks than I am of crossing the border into Belicos. I'll survive an angry official. I can't recover from death."

With a nod of approval, The group followed the river south. Just as the sun was beginning to set, they moved around a cluster of trees, and a tiny town came into view. On the Belican side, there were only six buildings total. The Equestrian side had fifteen. The two sides shared one building, a bridge that crossed the river.

"I'm going to go see if I can find a map," said Twilight, turning back to the others. "You two find a place to lie low. I'll be right back."

As Twilight disappeared behind a bend, Fluttershy tucked into the woods. "We should find a place out of the way, but close. If you're looking from this exact spot, you might see us, but otherwise, you'd be lost."

"How about here?"

A large tree had some roots sticking up out of the ground, creating a small amount of cover. There was just enough space for both of them, though it would have been a bit crowded.

"Why don't you take that, and I'll find a tree branch?" smiled Fluttershy.