The Last In Line

A bulletin board stood outside the town hall. It was smaller than the two were used to, but significantly less cluttered; rare was the post that was pinned haphazardly over another, the papers yellowed and rendered unreadable by the sun carefully removed and disposed of. The registrator they had met their first day thoroughly rearranged the board so that every ad and invitation was perfectly legible, before pinning a poster that dwarfed the others in every dimension. A finer sheaf that would weather days of torrential rain before it broke down, its words scribed with the most patient of hands, adorned with seals and signatures that confirmed that it was indeed endorsed by The Exalted Lady.

“Our Holiness From Mount Celestia calls upon those who behold this declaration; those who are able shall embark on a divine mission into the Everfree Forest, discover the source of the Blight menace that recently assailed the town of Ponyville, and route this evil or inform Her Grace’s Army on how they can do the same. Those who fulfill their quest shall be compensated appropriately after proper documentation has been submitted and reviewed by the Canterlot Oversight Committee.”

Spike traced the palms of his hand, the feeling of that spell fresh in his memory. He and Twilight hadn’t left each other’s side in the three days since the attack, and while he had bristled at this in the past, the extra long stares he received made him wish she wore dresses he could have hid in.

By high noon the two had taken a copy of the poster to the Hunter’s Lodge, those that had been in the fight gathered around a table. Applejack thumbed the knot of her beard, puffing her pipe as she mumbled calculations.

“So, we’re doing this?” A wolfish grin rippled and warped the scars on Rainbow’s face, her eyes shining with excitement at the opportunity to get another.

“We can’t afford not to, them monsters’ll kill folks if they keep rampaging, let alone how many livelihoods they could ruin.”

Rarity was visibly uncomfortable, but said nothing, shooting glances at her new neighbors and their quiet anxiety.

But if she was uncomfortable, the druid was nearly inconsolable; Butterscotch quaked as he poured over a map of the forest, as he knew very well what kind of monsters that might find them if they weren’t careful, and the sidelong glances he gave his halfling friend he was taking that as a given.

If Pinkie was phased by any of this, dangerous quest in a forest that held host to the walking dead and other monstrosities or the jeopardy Spike had placed himself in by displaying his sorcerous ability in public, she did not show it. “We’re gonna kick so much butt! This’ll be just like that time me and Maud were in that cave only this time I don’t have Gummy or my sister and we’re going to a forest which is *not* a cave but I have six friends coming with me and it’ll be so much fun!” Twilight tried to tune her out, but Pinkie’s bubbly nature and aforementioned obliviousness had her hugging, shaking and otherwise touching Twilight regardless of how much she bristled at the contact obstructed that crumb of solace.

“So where are we going, and what is our route?” The dwarf said, having had her fill of sitting and worrying.

Twilight scanned the map once more. “We’re looking for someplace with lots of foliage and lots of latent magic,” she pointed to a spot about a mile from the old castle. “This patch isn’t mapped very thoroughly; what’s here?”

Butterscotch wrung his fingers. “That’s where the Planetar that was defending the castle died during the cataclysm. It’s not a short trip, getting there will take the better part of the day.”

“By all the dead divines why do we have to go camping…” Rarity moaned as she daintily massaged her sinuses with her pinkies.

“And what kind of asses am I gonna kick?”

“Manticores, hydras, zombies, rampaging elementals-“ He had visibly worked himself up until Rarity pressed her soft hand onto his shoulder.

“Or we encounter none of these horrible creatures because we avoid them?” She reached up to scratch the scruff of his beard. “After all, we do have an experienced druid to guide us~”

One could light a match by pressing it to the tips of his ears. He sunk into his seat, any response trapped behind lips that refused to move.

Twilight had gotten more than a little restless. “Alright; we’ll all meet here tomorrow at dawn. Bring a few shares of rations and your weapons. Who can spare camping gear?” Applejack raised her hand. “Perfect.”

The group departed from the hunters lodge, each going there separate ways. Applejack looked to the sky and frowned; she didn’t know how long she would be gone, and she knew it was too late to get half the work she needed to do done. But she wasn’t going to back down; her new friends got themselves into trouble by helping her, so it was her job to get them out of it.

She trudged her way back to her farm, arriving just after the sun had passed it’s zenith. Her brother spotted her return, but she beat him back to the house, and Granny Smith had beat him to the punch.

Granny was an old woman, even for a dwarf. At three hundred and thirty four years of age, she could barely walk, and only one of her hands still opened all of the way, but the ravages of time had left her lungs untouched.

“You just had to get the ‘nethers involved! Now you’re running off to abandon the farm and involve yourself in business that ain’t yours!” She yelled after her eldest granddaughter, hobbling on the second step of a staircase Applejack had cleared while Granny was struggling with the first.

“It’s a paying job Granny, and I ain’t going to be gone for more than a week.” AJ knew that her grandmother wouldn’t respond to the fact that the ‘nethers in question had gotten themselves in trouble because she asked for their help, and decided that fruitlessly appealing to pragmatism would be less painful.

Big Mac wordlessly offered his arm to Granny, half carrying her up the stairs as she continued to argue with his sister. She asked her if she didn’t care about planting season while she packed travel clothes, asked who was going to going manage the planting while she was gone, insisted that Applebloom was too young to do it and getting very huffy when it was suggested that Big Mac teach her as he carried Granny to the barn after Applejack.

Applejack knocked around for camping gear before loading it into a cart. “Granny; I’m going. There’s enough money to pay for food for the week, and there’ll be enough of my share to pay for farmhands to help us pick up the slack. Bloom is still learning the ins and outs of farming and Mac is more than capable of teaching her.”

With the final word, she brushed past them and went back into the house. Granny fumed silently, before commanding her grandson to carry her back to her chair. With her settled, it was his turn. “Go tell Bloom to come down and prepare dinner before you get back to work. And shave that beard! Her stubble is coming in and you can’t be showing her up!”

Big Mac wordlessly went up the stairs, but stopped by his own room first. He fished for an old chest in his closet before carrying it to the barn.

Applejack stuffed an old backpack with clothes she could stand to destroy and a pair of boots with life still in the leather. She made her way to the barn where her brother was loading supplies into a cart. She took a deep breath and smiled, “Thank you Mac.”

He nodded as he hoisted coils of rope and poles into the bed. “A ten foot stick doesn’t sound very useful in a forest bud.” He shot her a look and a small smile that said ‘you never know!’

After an hour of work, the cart was loaded with everything Applejack and her party would need, except for one last thing. She had a strong suspicion of what was in the chest, and was confirmed when he opened it. A suit of chainmail, meticulously cared for, sat in the chest, along with other things that had once belonged to their father. She pulled him into a hug and whispered a ‘thank you.’