Verve

A safe distance from the Castle, and with the Princess unable to move her tired legs - the group decided to settle in for the night. On top of this, Arin desperately needed to dry off, as the wet clothing had begun to chafe and suck the life out of him. It didn’t help that it was currently snowing, without a cloud in sight.

“Oh no…” Celestia whimpered, eyes locked to the sky. “Don’t tell me… we can’t sleep now. Nightmare Moon... she’ll find us again.”

“D’ohoho! Worry not, my overly unpreened friend! Vee-Ness, Expert Pegasus of all things sleep related, and insomniac of the highest level - has a solution!” She landed next to the tired looking Pumpkin, obviously not happy about the long journey without her broom - and gave her head a wing-pet.

Taking that as a sign, she gratefully dropped the overfilled backpack- flopping into the tall grass with a timid mewl. They had managed to scrounge up a small clearing nestled deep into the woods, just far enough away where they could possibly sneak by with a small campfire.

Fiddling in her purple bag, Vee withdrew a dozen small dreamcatchers, much to the confusion of the Princess.

“A… dream catcher.” She frowned. It almost felt like this was some kind of joke.

“Indeed!” Vee chirped, showing off the feathers dangling beneath. Purple feathers. Vee had made them out of her own preening trash, it seemed. Being the only individual with usable magic, she quickly hovered all six of the contraptions forward - impaling them on Celestia’s horn.

“That will be one hundred and twenty bits.” The Purple, as she was so eloquently called, stuck her hoof out. Celestia looked to Arin for help, but finding the Seraph at a loss, she turned back to Vee.

“Do you uh… take credit?”

“No, I take bits! What am I, a bank? D’ohoho~ Don’t worry. You can borrow them, just don’t touch those feathers. I snooted them off, and I’ll be feathered if you snoot them back on when I’m not looking! Can’t you see I have enough preening to do as it is?!” Vee flapped her wings about - scooping up the bag from the floor and finding a nice spot nearby to unceremoniously chuck it. A twirl of her aura gleaming hoof, and a much too large tent slid free of its confines, the Pegasus quickly setting to work ruining it. Pumpkin had to gallop to her aid, before she popped a hole in the tarp’s wall.

“Right. Arin, if you’ll start the fire - I’ll set up the tent. And… find a place to put… these.” Celestia lifted the relics off her head with a hoof - Arin snatching one out of the air before it could fall. With the bundle of dream catchers clutched in her grasp, the Seraph plopped his heavy bag to the floor. Tempest - who had taken it upon herself to gather wood - returned with a bundle of sticks tied loosely over her back.

“Here Tempest, let me help-” Arin began, but was quickly cut short.

“I can manage, Arin. I don’t require your assistance.”

“I’m just trying to show that I care,” his reply came, forcing the wine mare to reconsider his request. After several seconds of deliberation, she spoke.

“Very well. Though the connection to the Solar Plane is severed here; if you intend on using magic, use it sparingly,” she suggested, the Seraph nodding at the facts she gave.

“Yeah yeah, been there, hated that. I’ll handle this without magic. If you’d like, you can help Celestia set up for the night. Unless you happen to have a tent with you, you’ll find your options limited.” He motioned towards Vee and Pumpkin, Vee staring off into the distance as her assistant pieced together the tent haphazardly; reading the instructions over and over again to no avail. It seemed to be a combination of several tents patched together over the years, and stored in one misshapen bundle.

When Tempest cocked her scarred visage at Vee, the pegasus hiccoughed - a purple feather shooting from her muzzle to gently plummet to the lightly snowed ground.

“...Point taken. Very well. Though I can only hope the bedding isn’t soaked. And that you have a spare set of sheets for a third.”

“Oh no! The pillows and blankets are fine, Twilight must have helped enchant this hiking pack. It’s amazing. It’s sturdier than an oak tree,” Arin said, giving it a shake. A strap snapped at that, the contents of the pack spilling to the floor. He forgot to seal it before his demonstration.

“Er… Okay, maybe not the most healthy oak tree. I’ll uh… fix that. Later.”

Tempest rolled her eyes at the incompetence, joining with the Princess at their trusty camping supplies.

With the dagger from his quiver in hand, he began to sheer thin strips of a dry branch into a soft bundle. Within minutes, he had fine tinders ready to go. Reaching for a steel striker from his pack, he gave it a few flicks. A burning ember sprouted within the shavings of wood, and he quickly pumped air into it. Seconds later, a blazing star was born, fit enough to turn the tides against the darkness and stave off the night once again.

There was something primal about lighting a blaze; an emotion that called home to one’s ancestors. By now, they had made just enough distance east to cut the camp’s smoke through both tree cover, and the shortest mountain of Unicorn Ridge. With the snow falling above, hopefully it’ll have enough dispersal to mask their position from Canterlot.

At the moment, the mountainous town far above - and its train system - was simply not an option. Neither was Ponyville. In fact, anything close to Nightmare Moon should be avoided - if they were spotted by a pony with loose lips, it could take one nap to have their position revealed in minutes. For now, they had to make distance, and make it fast. She would have no clue where they’re going, at least - not from Luna’s memories. Unless Vapor had discussed Umbra’s kidnapping with Luna, which seemed unlikely.

For the time, they were safe. And with a fire formed, the shivering Seraph stripped his soaked clothing and dragonscale vest. Several sticks and a piece of loose twine from the supplies were all it took to create a drying rack, as he sat shaking in the freezing cold.

His spare clothes were kept in his side satchel; which was, unfortunately, soaking wet. Onto the rack it goes.

Vee approached the fire with a massive kettle, humming as she dropped it over the flame. Sparks shot up into the air in a cloud, as the burning wood shuffled to heft it.

“Vee, do you ever sleep?” Arin asked, a spare blanket from his pack keeping him safe and warm by the fire. For now, at the very least.

“When the coffee runs out, I like to pretend. But it’s bad for the feathers; the sheets get them all ruffled and the preening starts again. That, and dreams give me bad breath! That’s why I avoid eating them when I can. Makes the wings tingle, though.”

Dreams. This brought up something he wanted to talk about with her.

“Back at the waterfall, you said you… ‘entered the dream realm’, or something. What do you mean by that? I thought only Luna could do that.” The fire crackled as Arin spoke, the pony sitting by the fire’s warmth.

“D’ohoho~ I’m here, and I’m not! Purples like me tend to stick our snoots in places unsnootable. With just enough magic, and the help of a very preened friend - many things are possible! If only for a minute. Then it’s not possible. Probably. Or is! I don’t set the rules around here.”

The pot slowly came to heat, as the Pegasus stared straight ahead. Casually, Arin waved a hand in front of her face - no response.

“...Right.”

Celestia reappeared by his side, the tent in place behind them as chilly wings draped around the Seraph. Sitting down, her eyes fell to the fire.

“...I’m relieved we’re finally home, even if we’re… well, homeless,” she said to the slowly gathering crowd. Pumpkin gave up on the tent, leaving it an unfinished mess. Tempest - after inspecting their shelter like a military captain - found her cold and damp body by the fire. Vee… was, well. Vee.

Pumpkin scooched up to the still drying Seraph, the group huddled around the flame to warm their bones.

“If we’re lucky, we might be able to walk the train tracks west. Break off at the south bend, and push into the mountains. We can keep the Luna Sea north of us, and start scouting mountains for signs of touchdown or trash,” Arin stated quietly, his mild shivering coming to an end under the warmth of wing, blanket, and flame.

“W-Why not um… head towards Ponyville?” Pumpkin questioned. Arin was a step ahead - but Tempest was also well planned, and spoke first.

“Too risky. Right under the eye of Canterlot, and most likely the first place Nightmare Moon would search for us.”

“On top of that, she has the power to impose her vision on the innocent through dreams. One night’s rest could lead to a brainwashing nightmare, especially as her sphere of influence grows. While fused with Luna, she could simply view a dream here in Equestria - perhaps make an appearance or adjustment, but little else. Bathing in Lunar Magic gives her the strength to impose her own nightmares as she deems fit. So it’s safe to say that anypony under this dark sky is lost.” Celestia sighed, tilting her head to the side; resting her skull against Arin’s.

She adjusted her wing to cover Pumpkin as well, sharing the warmth. A gesture of kindness of the once lost ruler.

“I think the best course of action now is to keep pace west. She can only tear the Fabric of Reality so quickly. And if I could regain just a bit of power from the Material Plane, I could be useful again. In my long life, many explorers had given the western wilds up to the dangers that lurk there. It will be a perilous journey, but it’s our only option.” She used a hoof to paw at one of the packed rations spread out among the floor - pulling free a can of frozen chili. Cracking the lid, and with Arin’s help - it was soon resting on the fire.

“I hope you brought some food, Vee. We’ll be hard pressed once our stock runs low,” Arin asked the purple pegasus, who continued to stare blankly into the dancing flames.

“Bold of you to assume I eat food. But yes! I brought snacks. My snack is coffee. And pickles.” She spat a bent pinion into the fire, the flames briefly turning purple.

“...Just pickles. Okay, got it. We’re screwed, unless you’re all okay with eating wild game.” Arin rubbed his temples, Pumpkin chipping in.

“W-Well, if we can make i-it to the split of White T-Tail Wood, we could um… s-stop by our house? It’s s-still um… physically there.” The little mare offered, warming her hooves by the fire.

“Oho! You’re right, Small-fry. On my untaxed land! Wonderful. By the way, Sun-fry, how do I go about evading taxes on my shops?”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed, frowning. “You… don’t. That money goes to paying for roads, public areas, the police-”

“Woah Jerk-face! My money goes to the Fuzz?! I’ve got three warrants for public indecency! No thanks, Sun-fry. I’ll take my legal advice from somepony else, thank-you-very-much!” Vee blinked away her stare, turning to face Tempest.

“You used to be a sky pirate, right, Stern-fry? Mind giving me some pirate worthy advice?” Vee snatched the boiling kettle from the flame - unscrewing the mug to her coffee before quickly filling it. Finding the ice melted, she lazily plopped snow from a nearby branch into her cup, much to Celestia’s disgust.

Tempest facehooved, before making it to her legs. She swiped Arin’s bag after some quick shuffling to repack it, heading for the tent behind them. “I think I’m done for the night. I can only take so much insanity. I’ll speak with you all at dawn. Or… what would constitute as dawn, now that it’s been temporarily cancelled.”

A flick of the zipper, and she disappeared inside.

“I take it I touched a nerve, hmhmhm. I was never the best for sad, mopey conversations. Great at parties though! Whenever I don’t go to them. They never have enough coffee, and when they do - it’s nothing like what I can brew.”

With that, Vee’s wings gave several flaps - righting herself before approaching the tent. She blinked.

“Pumpkin, why is the tent floppy? I didn’t buy a floppy tent.”

“H-Half of the um… pieces are missing. And they’ve been replaced with other tent parts. None of them fit. And the instructions are for a blender.”

“Oh. That’s where that went! I still never used that blender. I couldn’t figure it out. Too many buttons.” She stared at the tent quietly, frowning. “Pumpkin, I believe you should sleep in Sun-fry’s tent tonight. I’ll take the first, second, and third watch. None may pass my impeccable perception, after all - d’ohoho!”

Arin helped retrieve the now boiling hot chili from the flame with the help of his blanket, setting it in quickly melting snow.

“Well, there goes any privacy for the night.” Celestia whispered to herself, just loud enough for Arin to hear. The dozing Pumpkin pony was left in the dark.

In reply, Arin’s hand slid up to scratch behind her ear. The pink-maned Alicorn leaned in to the touch, eyes slipping closed to embrace it. While her stint in the Lunar dungeon was torturous and painful, her body had time to catch up on much needed sleep - even if it was mentally anguishing. Now, as they dozed quietly by the fire, the bed was calling to them.

After the snow helped cool it down, Celestia soon finished the now cool can of rations. With that, the Seraph ran a hand through Pumpkin’s mane - as if saying ‘it’s time to go.’

Vee returned to the flames, Arin seized his clothes, and Pumpkin swiped spare pillows and blankets from Vee’s camping equipment. Piled on her back and feathers knocked free, she followed behind the duo before helping zip the tent shut.

Tempest had already stolen a pillow and sleeping bag from Arin’s supplies, but there were plenty more creature comforts tucked away within. Pumpkin, not wanting to be a nuisance - set up a small spot in the corner of the tent. Her orange hat resting by her side, a small plushie of a black cat against her chest. She pulled a purple blanket over herself, snuggling in alone.

Celestia helped situate the sheets and blankets, fitting the remaining pillows into a warm bundle for their heads. The tent was now much tighter than before, leaving only a few scant inches of space from her and Arin’s spot.

Arin blinked, realizing that once again - Celestia had made their bedding for two. “Tia, we talked about this.”

Her magenta eyes grew heavy in the dark, a frown tugging on her lips. “Please?”

“...Fine. But don’t push it.”

Her wing darted around him in a gentle hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. By now, he was just over it. Personal space wasn’t a right anymore. Celestia had decided he no longer needed it, and thus, he was enslaved to be a cuddle-toy for the overly needy mare.

Then again, it wasn't so bad. Being a life size plushie had its perks, after all. Luna would be understanding, when… if he told her.

He would tell her. Right?

Celestia soon led him to the sheets, a chilly wind blowing over their shelter. With the Seraph locked firmly in a fluffy, albeit still slightly bony hug - he had little options but to wrap his arms around her, and sigh.

What has his life come to? Even now, he had no say in anything. A pushover. That’s all he was. When the time came, and the world was once more at peace, he could finally make his choice. Celestia, Luna, Pumpkin, or even his own path. It’s not like any other mare he knew was going to throw themselves at his feet. Right?

His mind couldn’t help but sink back to the overly cheesy romance novels lining a certain witchy mare’s shelf. Did any of his potential relationships have any depth at all, or was he grasping at straws?

You know what? He needed a change of pace. Maybe he was looking at this the wrong way. What he needed right now, he had. Comfort, shelter, food, warmth. And just a bit of love. And that was all one needed to be happy, in the end.