The Children of the Earth

There’s my missing part!

The crystal filly stopped, suddenly, Applejack hesitating, frowning more at it; feeling it was up to something, and worried it was going to start glowing again like it had before. It took a few moments for her to note that the lights in its carved eyes weren’t ‘looking’ at her anymore; a second after, and it began moving again, but not quite directly at her like before.

Applejack hesitated at that, and moved out of its way as it neared her, feeling it wasn’t focused on her anymore for some reason. She watched it head past, confirming her suspicion, before she startled, spotting the plant filly again.

Blinking in surprise, she saw the plant filly pick up the fallen branch, and bring it close to itself. The wood wiggled, the rest making up the filly doing the same, and Applejack felt fairly uncomfortable, watching it all shifting so as to reintroduce the branch to the whole.

That’s better!

The plant filly looked at the crystal one heading towards it, standing still.

Hey, you caught up! There’s so much I have to tell you! I saw so many things I don’t have words for and that’s just counting the things these ponies, oof!

The crystal filly rammed into the plant one, pushing it back somewhat, before it stopped, the plant filly shifting only enough to stand steady and look at the crystal one before the pair went still.

Y, you, you dummy! I, I thought you were dead!

I’m fine! Got all my bits and nothing’s missing or broken or anything! And everything’s been great!

…W, why did that one have one of your branches!

Applejack, watching, saw the crystal filly vaguely gestures a hoof at her before it went still again. She cocked her head, confused, failing to understand just what was going on.

I guess it picked it up after I fell apart.

H, huh?

It picked me up when I was all relaxed and rooted and dropped me right into a huge bucket of water! Totally came apart.

…B, but why would it,

I think they were doing me a favor. The soil here is just great; way better than what I’d had before! I got to pull myself back together with it and it’s just, wow! I bet I’m going to blossom super good after this!

…And, and it walked off with one of your branches?

Well, my branch got here somehow, right? Weird of them, huh?

If, if it got away with,

But they didn’t, did they? You stopped them, didn’t you?

…Y, yeah.

Just like how I knew you would! I wasn’t worried at all when I noticed my branch was missing, because I knew you had it well in hoof! And you did, just like how I knew you would!

H, how could you have known that I’d,

Because I trust you.

An odd snap had Applejack startle, and crackling sounds came soon after; quiet pops and snaps. Uncertain, she crept closer, listening, and wondering if those odd sounds were the crystal filly breaking up or something, before stopping as the plant filly hugged the crystal one, the crackling fading.

It’s fine, it’s fine… I have all my bits, I’m not hurt, I wasn't in any trouble or danger or anything. You don’t have to cry.

…J, just promise me that you won’t run off like that again.

I promise. No more getting over-excited and rushing off! We’ll see everything together, from now on!

The plant filly stopped hugging the crystal one, and looked at Applejack, who hesitate das it did so, and tensed as it approached her, the crystal one slowly moving to turn in place to look that way itself.

Now that that’s done, who is this? What’s that you got on your head, and why does your flank have that extra color on it?

W, wait, that one’s dangerous! D, don’t get close!

Dangerous? Don’t be silly! They’re ponies, just super different than you or me! They look like rough stone, but they’re actually pretty soft; it couldn’t hurt me if it tried to!

…

Hm. The brown thing on the head is really weird, but the color on their flank is a picture! It’s a tree, with red blobs on the green. Hey, the trees nearby; they got a kind of reddish thing up in them! Do you think the picture is of them?

Applejack watched the filly stop near her, looking up at her. Then look at her flank, before shifting to look behind it to the crystal filly, which stood still a short distance away, the blue light in its eyes shifting between it and Applejack.

You know, there was a youngling from before that had a red thing on its head. Do you think the brown thing is the same as that?

I, I don’t know.

…What happened to the soil over here?

The plant filly moved away, stopping near the burned line of earth. It put a hoof on it, and then went still again.

I don’t remember this being here before…It’s super dry, and kind of hot too?

I, I don’t know how that happened.

Huh?

I just got really mad and there was this really bright light and it just sort of happened.

You did this?

…I think so?

Do it again!

H, huh?

Do it again! I want to see it! Please?

The crystal filly moved near the plant one, and stopped there. A moment after, it then oriented itself towards the burned line of earth.

I, I’ll try to. I think I remember how it happened…

Applejack startled a little as the crystal filly began to shine again, and backed away as that shine grew to a blinding glare once more. Just like before, that blinding shine left it, and drew another burned line into the earth.

After a moment, the plant filly jumped, just once.

WOW!

T, that… really heats me up.

Oh, bad thing?

…I don’t think so?

Then let me tell you that that was the most special, great, beautiful, wow, and all other goods words thing that I EVER SAW.

…R, really?

Really! That was even better than the light on the blue ceiling! I loved it! Come here, you!

W, wait, I’m very,

Ow, ow, ow.

The plant filly hugged the crystal one again, but recoiled near instantly that time, Applejack noting lightly toasted portions of wood as it firmly shook itself, producing a rustling sound.

Hot right now. Are you O.K?

Ow, y, yeah, just, just a little bark burn. You did get hot!

“Applejack!”

Applejack looked before flinching as Rainbow arrived in a quick rush, buffeting her with a strong gust as the pegasus stopped next to her, looking at the two odd fillies nearby for a moment before looking at Applejack, confused. “I saw it flash again, but what’s going on now? Why’s there a bush filly there?”

“Don’t specially know.” Applejack answered, noting a distant purple form coming closer. “Speakin short, th plant one was first. An don’t do anythin!” she snapped as Rainbow startled, the plant filly hurrying to her. “Pretty sure it jus wants ta stare at ya real quick, an th crystal one stopped attackin after it came back.”

Rainbow glanced at her, uncomfortable as she looked at the plant filly in front of her, worriedly staring at the green glow that at least seemed to be its eyes. She lightly flapped, ready to leap back and away at the slightest hint of danger, but, as Applejack said, the filly just stared at her, glancing at her flank before resuming staring at her.

That is the best group of whatever it is you guys got on you; just why is it so colorful! I love it! Got a touch of it on your flank too, right under that white patch; you’re so lucky, being that colorful! But what are those things on your back? And did I just see you drop off the blue ceiling up there? You’re the same blue, so, maybe?

Remember those other things we saw? The ones that made lots of sound up in the trees?

…Oh! Yeah! The things on this pony are a little like those other things, aren’t they?

Except this one wasn’t leaping, or dropping either; it was moving through the air.

…Really?

Yeah. Really fast too.

You call me really fast.

You’re as fast as a stone compared to that one.

…That’s fast. Oh, look, another one! They are moving through the air!

Twilight landed nearby, getting as far as, “Apple,” before the plant filly rushed to her, making her stop and stare at it.

“That one’s safe. I think.” Applejack told her as Twilight looked at the crystal filly, stepping a little closer before stopping a short distance away.

“W, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, noting the two burned line on the ground before focusing on Applejack, glancing at the crystal filly again. “Rainbow told me you were being attacked by a crystal filly?”

Why do you have that stalagmite on your head? You got the extra things o your back too! But what’s the picture on your flank supposed to be? Or is it just colors, like the big picture I saw back in the tree-structure? And oh, hey, look at their faces! They all got these cracks, and they open up and they’re red inside with these little white stones!

I see that.

“It was, afore th plant one came back.” Applejack told her, glancing at the crystal filly, her gaze drawn by the motion in its eyes; they flicked around, and odd as they were, seemed to mark where it was focusing, the lights seeming to be switching between the three ponies. “Seems it calmed it down er somethin; don’t rightly know how, but it did.”

See those long, colorful things on their heads and ends? Those aren’t vines at all! But they’re really stuck to them, and they’re super thin! There has to be, like, thousands of them to make up those masses!

Really?

I didn’t count or anything, but look at them! Thick as I am, but you can pick just one out and it’s as tiny as my littlest roots!

“Came back?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Right. Let’s me start where I did.” Applejack said, thinking. “I was sittin down relaxin after gettin th noonday work done when Applebloom comes burstin inta th house. Hardly turned ta ask her what she was doin, cause she n th girls went to th clubhouse not an hour ago, when she leapt atop th counter. Got her down, noticed th other girls weren’t with her, and I got her to tell me that they met some weird pony that she said had been joked ta not talk, and that she wanted ta cure em. So I got th cure we have on hoof, an followed her ta where Sweetie n Scoots were getting a bucket an this pony ready.”

That’s a lot of sounds from you. Are you singing or something?

You think it’s singing?

Well… if they are, they sound pretty bad. But the others made a lot of sounds too, just like this. It’s really weird that none of them has said anything yet though; they have to be really good at focusing to not let us overhear them this close. But I don’t think that they don’t want to talk to us; they just won’t for some reason I haven’t figured out just yet.

“Got there ta find th plant one, standin in a big wet patch next ta an overturned tub with Sweetie n Scoots nearby. Applebloom n th girls set th tub up agin while I stared at the plant one. Didn’t have those green lights on it when I saw it then, an I was unsure it even was a pony, but it weren’t movin so I figured ta jus go through with th idea n see what happened. Once th bath was ready, th girls told me it didn’t speak an ta jus pick it up n get it in, so I did. An it fell apart, jus like how a timberwolf woulda.”

…A cracked core can make somepony not be able to talk.

What?

It doesn’t happen to your kind, but it can to mine. I heard that making sound can make up for that, but you have to learn how to make the right ones and how to understand it too.

That, that’s terrible! You don’t think they all got hurt sometime before, do you? But wait… I talk to them a lot and they don’t respond at all. It still doesn’t make sense!

“Girls got a bit upset over it, cause they thought it were a pony, but I told em it weren’t, an it ain’t.” Applejack continued. “Grabbed a branch thinkin I could get it ta you n maybe you’d know more when I saw somethin shinin back by th farmhouse. Found th crystal one there, walkin real slow till it noticed me n th girls, n then made a sound like draggin a nail down a window, n it sped up.”

“I told th girls ta stay back, got ready ta buck it, jus in case it was worse n it is, bucked it, an it felt like I’d tried ta buck an anvil. Barely had time ta react afore it grabbed me, swung me around like I weighed nothin afore throwin me up inta th clouds! Thank Celestia Rainbow was there, and she got me back down safe, where it was going fer Scoots.”

Well… they can make these really loud sounds. They really surprised me a couple of times!

I can be really loud.

A totally different kind of loud; you have to hear it to know though. Maybe they’ll be loud so you can?

“One of the burns over there happened after I grabbed it.” Rainbow said, gesturing at the blackened earth. “I figured I could just pick it up, but it’s super heavy, and I couldn’t. I kept trying and then it got hot and really bright and then it did whatever it did to do that, and nearly hit Scootaloo.”

“So I told Rainbow ta grab th girls n go n get you.” Applejack said as Rainbow frowned at the crystal filly, recalling. “Since I figured you’d be th pony ta be able ta do somethin. Pretty sure I coulda kept it busy till ya got here, but moments after Rainbow left, it stopped. Then it hurried past me to th plant filly, back from fallin apart, picking up th branch I’d taken afore, an it put it back.”

“Put it back?” Twilight asked.

“I never saw wood wiggle n I never want ta agin neither.” Applejack half-answered, frowning.

So many sounds… The others didn’t make half this many sounds, and you’re still going. Don’t you ever get tired?

How it making all that anyway?

I think its their cracks. Every time it opens or moves, more sound. I haven’t gotten a good look inside one of them yet, but there’s more moving things inside it too. Oh, wait! You want to see their eyes!

Huh? I want to see their eyes?

Yeah! Come closer, and if they look at you again, look right at their eyes!

…Why?

And spoil a surprise? You’re going to love it, I promise!

“…So, when did it make that other flash I saw coming back?” Rainbow asked, wondering.

“Fer some reason, it up n did it agin.” Applejack told her, shrugging. “And afore I’m done, ya’ll should know that it pushed inta th plant one, th plant one hugged it, n it made these weird snappin sounds a little bit; sort of like peanuts when they’re being broke, cept not really. Plant filly also jumped after it did that thing agin, n it ain’t done anything bad since th plant one came back, cept burnin more ground. That’s all; think ya kin figure somethin out, Twi?”

“I’d think so.” Twilight said, eyeing the pair, both of whom stood near her, next to each other, looking up at her.

See it, see it?

…That, that… But, but it’s not crystal or water! H, how is it reflecting us!

I have no idea, but it’s just great, isn’t it? They got color in them too!

Y, yeah... I see that.

A moment passed, Twilight thoughtful, before her horn lit as she readied to examine the pair. The plant filly suddenly rustled as her magic moved over it, but to Twilight’s surprise, the same spell was reflected off the crystal filly; the same surprise ending the spell early, Twilight stunned by what she’d sensed.

Weird! What was that!

M, m, magic? It can use magic?

Magic? What’s that?

Something only my kind are supposed to have! But that stone on its head isn’t a crystal! How is it using that dull thing to use magic!

“Somethin th matter, Twi?” Applejack asked, noting Twilight’s surprise.

“…The crystal one reflected my spell.” Twilight told them. “Except, not really…”

“…Could you explain for those that haven’t spent their whole life learning magic?” Rainbow asked.

“Well… spell reflection for crystals is fairly uncommon, usually happening when a crystal has a large, smooth, flat surface.” Twilight told them. “In any case, the spell is normally perfectly reflected; think of it like a hoofball thrown against a wall; it bounces back.” As the pair nodded, Twilight continued, “That also happened here, except half the hoofball went into the wall while the other half exploded.”

“That don’t make any sense.” Applejack remarked, frowning as she and Rainbow imagined the idea.

“Well, maybe it’s more like the second half broke into many pieces and went everywhere instead.” Twilight sighed. “Magic doesn’t work well in a physical metaphor; short version is that my spell didn’t work at all on the crystal filly.”

“…An th plant one?

“Oh, right. Give me a second.”

Oh, weird, weird, weird!

What do you think you’re doing to my friend!

W, wait, wait, wait! Let, let th, them do, do it!

W, what?

I, I want to know more! And, and this doesn’t hu, hurt, it’s just, just oh, weird!

Applejack and Rainbow both stared as the plant filly rustled as Twilight focused on it. The whole thing visibly shivered, but so too did the tips of the wood making it up; most easily seen at its hooves, where they seemed to ‘splay out’, wiggling wood patting at the earth and acting almost like a worm.

After a moment, Applejack shuddered, looking away, disquieted, but Rainbow leaned closer, curious, but cautious. She lightly touched at its hoof, and swiftly yanked back as the wiggling wood there instantly reacted and moved towards her.

Then Twilight nodded, and the filly ceased rustling. It drooped a moment before firmly shaking itself, wood returning to its original, tightly bound positions, and looked up at Twilight again.

Wow that felt really weird. Like I was being poked everywhere, but not really.

You O.K?

Yep! It wasn’t bad at all! And I want to know more about this one! Let’s follow it!

…What if it goes into the air though?

…Hope they don’t.

“Alright.” Twilight said. “The plant filly is mostly comprised of wood and soil, with the wood forming a kind of shell for the earthen interior; which bears a striking resemblance to the soil here I should note.” She added, glancing at it before looking back to the other two. “Which seems to imply it… grew here, maybe?” she suggested, thoughtful. “Perhaps starting out as a small bush?”

“I’d think I’da noticed.” Applejack said. “It’s summer, but it ain’t like th orchard needs tendin anyway, n how’d anypony miss a bush wit white wood, or one that kin move?”

“Just an idea. Otherwise, there’s an underlying magic that helps to keep the soil comprising it all together; so it doesn’t crumble or fall out when its moving I think. The same is likely used to manipulate the wood on it.”

“…Mostly wood and soil, you said.” Rainbow remarked. “What else is in it?”

“I’m not sure, but whatever it is, its organic, moving, and stuffed with that same magic I mentioned earlier.” Twilight told her. “In fact, I’d bet that whatever it is, it’s the real ‘being’ of the plant filly.”

“What?” Applejack asked, confused.

“…It’s likely, maybe very likely, that something is ‘planted’ in the soil which is then supported by the wood, that is, in fact, the actual pony, while what we’re seeing is only the shape it decided to take. Since you said it ‘fell apart’ in water before coming back and taking back its missing branch, this is extremely likely. It’s really too bad you didn’t see it first starting to reform itself; that might have given us a real clue about its real nature.”

“…We could do it again, maybe?” Rainbow suggested.

“…That might be a bad idea.” Twilight said, glancing at the crystal filly. “At least until we get to know more about the pair, the crystal filly could turn aggressive again if we do anything that could be taken as bad to its friend.”

“What friend?” Applejack asked.

“The plant filly.” Twilight told her. As the confusion didn’t abate, she continued, “You said the crystal filly made a horrible sound once you first got close to it; it might have gotten mad because it saw you holding a branch, thought you’d hurt its friend, and attacked purely because of that. Once the plant filly came back, it realized it was wrong and wasn’t mad at you anymore.”

“…Suppose.” Applejack sighed, thinking. “But what are they exactly? Sides wood n dirt n crystal I mean. Figured that one could be a timberpony, but I ain’t never heard o a crystal pony.”

…It’s not doing anything but moving its head and making sound.

Oh, come on! Be interesting!

“…Canterlot archives might be the best place to learn something about this pair.” Twilight said, thinking before looking at the two. “Just off the top of my head, this particular pair is impossibly rare, but maybe something like them has at least been seen before, and hopefully studied. If I could get them into a lab, I could learn a lot more about them myself.”

“Well, they don’t speak n apparently don’t understand neither.” Applejack told her.

“And the crystal one’s super heavy.” Rainbow supplied. “Unless magic can pick it up despite that?”

“Heavy is heavy, magic or hoof.” Twilight told her, watching the pair. A part of her suggested the pair had been focused on her for a while now; after a moment, she tested, and stepped away.

And the two stepped closer, to her pleasant surprise. A few tentative checks assured her they appeared to be following her.

Finally, something else!

Why’s it keep looking back at us?

Maybe they want to keep us close too? Like they’re constantly checking to see if we’re still here!

Why would it?

…Because they want to know about us as much as we do about them?

As much as you do, maybe. I don’t like it.

“Alright, they’re following!” Twilight chirped as she moved, watching the plant filly easily follow her, and the crystal one slowly walk after it, Twilight herself keeping slow to better match the crystal filly. “With any luck, they’ll walk with me all the way back to my lab!”

“…At the speed of a snail.” Rainbow remarked, eyeing the pace the group was going at.

“It’s fine.” Twilight said, waving her off. “I have the time!”

“Think ya need help?” Applejack asked.

“No, I’m good! I’ll get back to you if I figure anything out! You should maybe go and tell the girls that everything’s alright now, though; don’t want them to worry.”

“Rainbow,”

“On it!” the pegasus assured, rushing off.

“…Welp, I got some chores ta do. Might come by later ta see how yer doin; what’s th chance I’m gonna find ya somewhere outside o Ponyville by th time I come lookin?”

“I’m not moving that slow, Applejack!” Twilight laughed, waving as she went. “I’ll be studying these two long before the sun goes down!”

…This is taking forever.

I’m sorry.

Wait, no, no, I’m not blaming you! It’s just that, wherever they’re going, it’s really far. If we were home, we would have gotten from the steamy stones all the way to the washing pools! Just how big is outside?

Twilight was starting to wear down, the young alicorn dropping as she slowly trudged along the path to Ponyville. It had never felt so long before.

The two strange fillies still followed her, and gave no indication they were about to stop. But in order to ensure they kept following her, she had to move at the same pace as the crystal filly, to ensure she didn’t leave it behind. She’d thought it would be alright before, but just as she’d started having doubts that it actually would, the filly had slowed down, adopting a pace that reminded Twilight of turtles. Old turtles.

Which had her taking one, slow, deliberate step at a time down the long, featureless path back to Ponyville. At that pace, the fields actually seemed endless, otherwise short distance appearing to stretch out, the hot sun above beating down like a curse despite the otherwise moderate heat of that particular day.

Ooh, what’s that!

The plant filly rushed a bit ahead to stare at a butterfly as it flew, Twilight sighing to herself as she saw it. Then she stopped, unwilling to keep going, and turned to look back at the crystal filly behind her. Then she paused, noticing something:

Rainbow had said the crystal filly had been incredibly heavy, but there were no hoofprints behind it; which there should be, even in dry earth, if Rainbow hadn’t been able to lift it.

What did you… it’s looking at me!

It’s fine!

It’s reaching for me!

Whatever they’re doing, let them! I wonder what they’re up to…?

Twilight reached for it, and gently tapped it; producing a surprisingly pleasant note from the crystal filly. She blinked, wondering, and tapped a few more times, each tap producing a very similar note, varying on how hard she hit and where she did so.

It’s touching me!

I heard! I bet they’re curious!

But, but,

Don’t worry. I’m right here with you; and they don’t want to hurt you. Just relax, and let’s see what they’re up to!

…

The filly didn’t move during the touches, though Twilight noted the lights in its carved eyes shifting; moving almost like pupils might in a real eye, Twilight noted. The plant filly came to stand nearby, and testing, Twilight lightly pushed against the crystal filly.

And completely unlike how Rainbow described, found it surprisingly light, even her gentle push enough to shift it.

It, it just bullied me!

Did you see how their leg moved? It’s like a mix between mine and yours!

D, don’t you care that it just pushed me!

I don’t think they mean it like you would. I mean, they’ve been super strange so far, and it’d be really weird if they suddenly wanted to bully you. They have to be curious: after all, they’re making you make sound, and they make lots of sound. And with the huge light up there, you’re glittering a whole lot! Oh, they’re doing something!

Taking a slight chance, Twilight sat down, and carefully readied to try picking it up, first touching and waiting for any rection. Other than the lights moving, there was nothing, so, carefully, she picked it up, stopping once it was reared up.

The motion had been surprisingly difficult to do, despite the light weight, and Twilight has stopped lifting due to concern directly caused by that odd difficulty moving. Wondering and curious, she leaned close, noting near invisible joints that allowed its motion, albeit very restricted and oddly slow motion; it was as if it didn’t want to move, and if she hadn’t seen it walking before, would have suspected that. But she knew that it suffered the same difficulty she was feeling.

I, I, I really don’t like this!

You’re fine, you’re fine! They’re just looking real closely, and they’re being nice and gentle too! Hey, while you’re up there, try and get a better look at that rock on their head; its right near you.

…It, it’s smooth and ha, has a, ah, ahh!

Twilight flinched at the sudden keening sound as she lifted more, the hind hooves leaving the ground for a brief moment before she put it back down quickly, checking for any hint of accidental damage.

Not good, not good!

Don’t panic, don’t panic! Did they hurt you?

…N, n, no, b, but,

Just relax. They don’t mean any harm. And you don’t understand right now, but they want to help you.

H, huh?

Just like the one that uprooted me and dropped me into the bucket! I didn’t get it at all until I realized how good the soil there was! I got to pull myself back together not just with great soil, but recently wet soil too! I never felt anything better! And this one is trying to be helpful too, I’m sure!

…B, but what if,

It’s going to be alright. Besides, its not like this one is stronger than you! They don’t have any hard points except maybe that rock on its head, and you’re way harder than some pointy rock! Just relax, and let it happen!

…Its not doing it again, though.

There didn’t appear to be anything wrong, Twilight noted; nothing she could see anyway. She got back to her hooves with a tiny relief that it was alright and a stronger sense of depression.

Do what they did before; maybe you scared them a little.

…Al, alright…

A moment after Twilight sighed again, beset by a very mild despair, thinking herself doomed to very slowly walk back to Ponyville, the crystal filly produced a harmonic sound, surprising her. She blinked, and watched as it made several more, beautiful, clear notes, before, to her greater surprise, it very slowly reared up before stopping, perfectly still if not for the lights in its eyes.

She stared a moment before she smiled at it; it’s meaning was clear then, and that it was behaving so indicated, if nothing else, that it did have like behaviors to normal ponies.

They’re showing you their white stones! I think it, it’s working, it’s working! Just relax, relax!

O, ooh…

Twilight carefully picked it up, treating it with extreme care that time; she heard a few quiet keening sounds, but they stopped once she got it onto her back. The filly was hard, but lighter than a filly its own size, and after a moment, gently held on to her, Twilight taking it as confirmation she’d understood it.

It’s carrying you! See, see, I was right, wasn’t I? It did want to help you!

H, how does this help me…?

You can just relax while it does the walking for you! Better, you can examine it closely! See if you can figure out what the not vines on its head are, why it looks rough but isn’t, and what those strange parts are one its back! Ooh, you’re so lucky!

A few testing motions told her the crystal filly wouldn’t slip off, and that it would grip harder if it might be about to. Once sure of that, Twilight gave a sigh of relief and brightened considerably, setting off at a normal pace, only hesitating long enough to ensure the plant filly was keeping with her, which it was.

Well? Anything?

…It, it’s really soft. And warm; why’s it warm?

I don’t know. I could maybe find out, but invading somepony else is really rude you know. I need permission to do that. How about the not-vines?

I, I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this.

The things on their back?

…They’re a part of it. They’re tougher than the rest of it; tough as wood, maybe, but they’re not wood. I think I feel something with my hind hoof; do you see any better?

You’re moving the stuff covering it. If you don’t feel it, then all that has to be like, super light! Anything else?

N, no. Sorry.

It’s fine! I didn’t figure anything out either! Why don’t you take a quick nap while you can?

I, I don’t think I can.

Sure you can! Just look at you, all laid out up there, and you even said they were warm, and you like warm. Isn’t it, like, super relaxing?

N, not really…

Well… Just enjoy the trip then. Fastest you’ve ever been, right?

Haha.

Haha!