Everfree Village

On the way back towards the healers hut, the Chief gave Stalig his orders. Strangely enough, he seemed thrilled to finally do something with the shiny rocks, even if it was something simple. In the hut, Rohan lay in the same place as before, though he was sweating profusely. The priest did her best to clear it away as much as she could, while interweaving her magic, same as the Shaman, but he didn't seem much better outside of the wounds themselves having closed.

"He doesn't look so good," Granite commented from the doorway. She gave it a bit of a thought, then firmly strode forward until she was right at Rohan's side.

With a glance at the two attending humans, she leaned in to give the hunter's face a good lick. "Don't you go dying on me, understand?!" the little mare demanded. "I'm not through with you yet!"

"Oh Tartarus..." Lodestone muttered, "I'm no medical pony, but I knew a mare that looked just like that a while back..."

He turned to face the Chief, looking worried.

"His wounds are sealed but he's burning up means he's infected. It's... complicated to explain, but if your magic hasn't helped yet, I doubt it ever will. He needs antibiotics - advanced medicine back in Ponyville - or he'll be dead within a week."

He seemed to droop as another realization hit him.

"...And it's not something we can bring back here. He needs to stay under medical care for the duration. I'll have to carry him there."

"Great... well that takes the discussion out of things."

The priest, having worked tirelessly with Rohan, excused herself as the shaman sat nearby.

"What be happenin'? Ya be taking him out trough da forest for help now? He die for sure if ya do!"

Shaking her head, the Chief took a breath and sorted out her thoughts.

"These ponies stumbled upon our home and came from outside the forest. They can get him to their village so their healers can do what we can't. Plus, we can trade with them and get the things we need."

Granite wasn't paying much attention to what the others were doing. She was focused on the poor, ill hunter and trying to give as much comfort as a pony could. In general that meant licking and murmuring soothing nonsense.

She heard what Lodestone had said and it sounded about right. The cowpony was starting to get quite worried. In the end she gave up and walked slowly back to the pegasus, ears flat, hooves dragging and tail hanging limp. She just hugged Lodestone and heaved a sigh. "He's not waking up," she admitted, as if it was her own failing.

"It's not your fault," he soothed, nuzzling the side of her neck. She probably knew that, but he guessed she needed some comforting all the same.

After a moment, he stepped up to the Chief and Shaman.

"Here's how I see it. I have to bring Rohan back immediately, I have to bring Granite back eventually, and I don't particularly want everypony's first meeting with your species to be a warrior on the brink of death, so I probably have to bring one of you along as well."

He paused for a moment to let all that sink in.

"Now I can carry all three of you for a little while, but not clear across the whole forest all the way to Ponyville, so we have two options. I can take Granite to a clearing just outside Ponyville where she'll be safe to wait while I come back and bring... whichever of you would be coming along to wait with Granite. Then finally, I bring Rohan with a harness and meet up with the others, carrying him the rest of the way to Ponyville. It would probably take all day and there'd be a lot of sitting around and waiting."

Again, he waited a moment to collect himself.

"Alternatively, I can carry all three of you as far as I can manage, land hopefully near the edge of the forest, Granite carries Rohan from there, and we walk through the remainder of the forest and into Ponyville. It's more dangerous, but much, much faster."

"We can't put his life in further risk, so I'd say let's get him his own flight there. I'll go to this other village, I'll even see if I can't bring some of that gold with me in case they ask to trade for whatever they use on him."

The Shaman, whose gaze is stuck on the man, waves a hand in dismissal and moves to the corner of the hut.

"Do what ya tink is right. Dats what da spirits want anyway. But I be warnin ya: If he dies, I put a curse on you all!"

Granite suddenly understood what Lodestone was proposing and she gasped. "Fly all the way across Everfree?!"

The notion was making her dizzy while standing on the ground. She swallowed and her ears fell flat. "There's no other way, is there?" she asked timidly. "Can, um- can we stay kinda low? I don't think I like heights. I'm not a pegasus..."

Lodestone couldn't help but chuckle, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Don't worry. Actually I think you'll like it after bit, but we'll go slow and gentle. I'll need to conserve my strength after all."

He looked around the hut but everypony seemed decided. Without much in the way of possessions, it seemed pointless to stand around and wait.

"Alright well, I guess we'll leave right away. Skalig should have at least one gold ingot cool enough to carry by the time I get back. Chief, dress for travel and bring an ingot," he remembered her gigantic battle axe and hastily added, "And please don't bring any huge weapons. Not only are they heavy but they'll also frighten other ponies."

Suddenly he became acutely aware of how commanding he had been and had to resist shrinking back as he turned toward the Shaman, but he took a deep breath to steady himself. It was probably too late to back down now... hay, maybe they would respect him for it.

"And Shaman, please arrange something that can carry Rohan and hang from my barrel without me having to hold it with my hooves or worry about him falling off. I'll be tired by the time I get to him, so try to keep it light - maybe lash together a raft of sticks or a net of ropes."

After each each agreed, somewhat begrudgingly, they set off in different ways to accomplish their tasks. Lodestone wasn't prepared for what he would see when he told the chief to "dress for travel" though. She soon came back wearing her own armor, much like what Rohan had before. At the very least, it did end up looking more formal than what she typically wore, but it would also easily show the difference in culture between the ponies and humans.

"How is this going to work, by the way? I can't see myself sitting on your back as you fly."

"Um, I think I'll go get the next crop started," Granite said, trying to put off the moment she'd have to fly such a distance. "That way there'll be food when we come back, okay?"

She gave the Chief a worried look, then shuffled past the woman and out of the hut.

He'd intended to already be in the air by the time the Chief got back, but there were minor delays and she was quicker than he'd expected. When she showed up armored as if for war, he sighed.

"Dress for safe travel, Chief. We're going to a town, not trekking through the dangerous forest. Wear something lightweight so I can carry you easier and try to pick something comfortable - it might be days before you get to change clothes."

He eyed her thick fur vest and helmet that looked to be made partly from bones.

"...and try to avoid anything clearly made from an animal, please? I know that's probably all you have, but just try to avoid exposed fur or anything with obvious body parts visible. Smooth leather and fur only lining the inside if possible."

Finally, he considered Granite's question. He actually hadn't thought about that... she was light enough to ride on his back and Rohan would obviously need a sling of some sort, but the Chief was in between the two.

"And uh... Hmm." he said as he turned to the mare, "I'm actually not sure the best way to carry you. I'll think about it while I'm flying back. If you have any ideas, I'll hear them when I return."

Lodestone's wings twitched in anticipation of the long flight. It had been days since he'd had any good airtime and he was eager to be off. He turned away from the Chief without waiting for a response, ignoring her faint grumbling, and was just in time to see Granite backing slowly out the open doorway, watching him nervously.

"Hey, get back here, filly!"

She let out a horrified 'moo' and spun around to flee, but he was already facing the right direction and lunged out the door, taking flight in pursuit. He scooped her up around the barrel and she let out a long, high scream that lasted several seconds before she finally realized Lodestone was just hovering there, holding her only inches above the ground.

"Put me down!" the mare demanded, struggling weakly. "I wasn't ready! You don't just pick somepony up, mister!"

If he wasn't careful, Lodestone would get a hoof in his belly for the trouble. Granite glared indignantly. "Okay, let's try this one more time," she demanded. "Land!"

After he did so, she awkwardly climbed up on his back, gripping as best she could around his withers and rump. "There," she said, suddenly sounding out of breath. "Y-You can g-go now..."

He chuckled gently as she ordered him around and was still grinning when she managed to get up onto his back.

"That's all I wanted you to do, girl. Now listen, earth ponies are almost always terrified of flying at first, so I'll go easy and talk you through it the whole way, alright? I'm gonna hover here first for a moment so you get the feel of being airborne without worrying about any movement, okay?"

She squeaked something that might have been an answer and he took off as carefully as possible, moving his wings softly, then slowly accelerating them to take more and more weight until finally they left the ground, bobbing gently in the air.

"Okay! Okay! I got this!" Granite squeaked, trying to convince herself more than the pegasus. Her grip tightened, threatening to cut off some important circulation. "Just take it s-slow, okay?!"

She gulped and pressed her muzzle against Lodestone's neck to shut out some of the worrisome sensations. "What do I do if I get- urk sick?"

Before responding, he wiggled his forelegs under hers and pushed her forehooves up until they wrapped around his chest, then he hooked his own forehooves around hers, further securing her. He knew the thing that scared ponies most was feeling like they might slip and fall at any moment.

"It's okay, and pretty normal to be honest. Just turn your head and try to avoid my wings. I'm going to start moving now, okay?"

He dipped his head slightly and began hovering forward, slowly picking up speed. He was staying close to the ground, not even above the rooftops, flying through the street and ignoring the humans' confused and curious expressions.

Granite seemed to be handling this well, so he accelerated a little more and raised just a short distance off the ground, barely high enough to clear the huts, but still sticking to the roads so they wouldn't have any near misses with rooftops. He turned his head back to check on the mare.

"You alright back there? We're about to start a slow upward spiral to tree level. You comfy?"

All Granite could give was a strangled moo, as the architecture seemed to rush at her and she squeezed her eyes shut, as if that would save her from smacking face-first into a wall.

"Crazy fly boys!" the mare shouted in lieu of an answer.

Truthfully, though, she was feeling a bit more secure and even dared to peek through her eyelids every now and then as they rose. It actually became easier when they were above the trees, because at least she didn't fear flying headlong into an obstacle anymore.

The mare even managed a question: "Why do you guys love this so much?! What's the appeal!?"

They may have been above the tree level, but Lodestone was not comfortable flying too close to the trees after the things he'd heard from the humans, so he was still simply circling the village, staying in the open air space. He'd always planned to do this, but now that it came to it, he felt nervous. If she panicked and fell, he could catch her, but she would be so petrified afterwards he'd have no choice but to carry her in his forelegs the rest of the way.

Lodestone responded to her question with a reassuring grin.

"I want to show you something, but you have to promise me something first: I'm going to do something that I know would scare you if your eyes were open so I need you to promise me you'll close your eyes and keep them closed no matter what until I say you can open them again."

He turned back to look her in the eye.

"Do you trust me?"

"NO!" Granite yelled and her grip tightened some more. If it went on like that, she would end up flying with two halves of a pegasus. Or he would suffocate if she kept compressing his chest like that.

After a moment's silence, Granite heaved a sigh. "Yes. Here, look at me..."

When he turned his head again, she gave him a light peck on the cheek and giggled. "I won't say I like it, but it doesn't feel as if we're gonna fall..."

Maybe it was his over-active imagination, but he could have sworn when she kissed the side of his muzzle, she had wiggled her hips against his back. In any case, he gave her a shy smile, then strained his neck around to look her squarely in the face.

"Promise me. Don't open your eyes until I say. Can you do that for me, Granite?"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise. Jeez. Now I'm starting to get worried," the mare replied. She squeezed her eyes closed and relaxed her grip a tiny bit. "Go on, do what you have to..."

"Okay. It's safe, I promise, but it'll feel really weird. Just relax. I've got you."

Suddenly he straightened and surged forward, accelerating toward the stony hill where the village mined. The stone was a dark slate gray and had been soaking up the sun all morning. The moment he passed overhead, the thermal updraft caught his wings and began lifting them powerfully into the sky. He resisted the urge to whoop with delight - he'd always loved thermal surfing - and squeezed Granite's forehooves reassuringly as they lurched upward, knowing it would feel strange and unnatural to her.

They ascended rapidly into the sky, the village almost immediately becoming an indistinguishable mass of stone against the tiny trees below. Lodestone turned to check on Granite.

The mare was pale, but she was true to her word and was keeping her eyes firmly closed. All the movement and the wind was making her worry a bit and her muzzle was scrunched up in fear.

Every now and then, especially if they lurched or turned, she let out a small, quiet 'moo', but otherwise she seemed to be holding up fine.

He smiled, pleased that she was keeping her word, and began surfing more seriously, trying harder to spot and ride the eddies within the updraft to rise faster and more efficiently.

Less than a minute later, Lodestone punched a hole through the cloud layer with a satisfying 'PUFF.' He heard a faint gasp behind him - to Granite it would feel like a cold mist against her face, but only a second or two later, they were through. He pumped a bit more, rising a bit above the clouds, then turned toward Ponyville and leveled out into a gentle glide.

Above them was a vast expanse of pure clear blue sky, like a perfect day in autumn. Below them, spreading out in every direction, was an endless mass of slowly curling white ocean. There was the occasional patch of Equestria far, far below, but the cloud cover was good today.

The first time a pegasus beholds the cloudy sea is a magical experience, and most unicorns and earth ponies felt the same sense of wonder and beauty when they first experience it, but rarely, maybe one time in ten, the pony would lock up in terror, realizing how far away everything was.

Lodestone took a deep breath and prepared to whip into a dive should Granite panic and slip from his back. He turned back to watch her expression as he spoke.

"Okay, Granite. Open your eyes."

The mare did, then blinked in the strong light. "Where the buck?!" she exclaimed, looking all around them. "Is that snow?"

She peered a bit closer at the cover until she spotted a hole and the land far below. The grip became like a vice and the mare gasped.

"Clouds?! UNDER US?!"

It looked for a moment that she would freeze up, but Granite just needed a few seconds to take it all in. Then she let her breath out slowly.

"Actually, it's kinda nice. Doesn't even feel as if we're all that high up. Is that weird? Everything's just so... peaceful."

Strangely, the mare seemed to be losing her fear. She even loosened her hold on Lodestone so she could point with a hoof. "Can you take us down? I wanna touch a cloud! What does it feel like?"

Relief flooded through Lodestone and he burst into laughter, a bright jovial sound that immediately released all the worry and tension he'd been holding for this exact moment. He swooped down and drew close to a particularly tall bit of cloud, then slowed to a hover just above it.

"Watch this," he said with a wide grin, and immediately tucked his wings against his side. Instantly they dropped like a stone but Granite barely even had time to gasp before his hooves struck solid cloud beneath them and then they were just... standing there. The sense of stillness and silence was more peaceful than anything Lodestone had ever known.

He was careful though. Every pony's first instinct when a pegasus tried this was to try and slide off to stand on their own. Lodestone kept one hoof wrapped around Granite's where it hung loosely around his neck and tightened his grip in warning, ready to spring out a wing on whichever side she tried to slide off.

Lodestone's instincts were correct. Of course Granite immediately tried to slip off and stand on her own, but she paused just in time. "Wait, wait, wait," she said quickly and gripped the stallion again. "Earth ponies can't walk on clouds, right? I remember that from school!"

Instead, she reached over to pat the wall of mist with a hoof. Of course it went right through. "How is that possible?!" she said, staring at the 'floor' where Lodestone was standing easily. "It doesn't make any sense! It's holding up both our weights, but if I went off I'd just fall through, wouldn't I? This is so weird!"

The relief about flying and height was apparent in Granite as well. She giggled a little and gave her pegasus friend a very friendly nuzzle.

Still feeling almost giddy with relief, he actually giggled in response. "You earth ponies have your strength and stamina... we have flight and this!"

Now that she understood, he released her hoof and stood on all fours, then pranced in place a bit. The cloud puffed out to either side and they sunk ever so slightly as he broke away some material. Then with another bright laugh, he scooped some cloud up with a wing and flung it at Granite's head. She flinched purely on instinct, but as soon as his wing stopped, the bit of cloud simply drifted to a halt and hung there motionless beside her head.

"Ass," the mare grumbled, but she was smiling. She tried to prod the cloud back, but all she did was disperse it. "It's still pretty weird. I mean- you guys can sleep on a cloud. How weird is that?" This time her expression went all wistful and pleading. "How does it feel like? Is it soft? I bet it's soft. Softer than a feather mattress?"

Granite looked around at the fantastical landscape around her and sighed. "If we end up dating for real, you'll take me up here sometimes?" she asked quietly.

He grinned and nodded. He felt as if he might burst with happiness - he loved the cloudy ocean, even more than most pegasi, and had been more worried than he'd realized that she would be the one in ten that hates it.

With an excited whinny, he shoved her to the side with a wing and simultaneously twisted underneath her so she shifted onto his side. She let out a little startled yelp that was almost a moo, then he wrapped his forelegs around her neck and squeezed her in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you like it up here too. Not everypony does."

"Well, then some ponies are crazy. It's beautiful," Granite replied. She seemed a little cross at being ponyhandled like that, but quickly forgave it. After all, it did bring their muzzles close together.

"Um..." she tried to say, but blushed a very vivid crimson. Then she closed her eyes and leaned forward, lips already puckering.

Of course she missed completely and ended up smooching Lodestone's nose before he could react.

The unexpected sensation made Granite squeak and jerk away. "Sorry! Sorry!"

Lodestone, overflowing with good feelings, grinned up at her and laid a hoof on the back of her head, then pulled her into a proper kiss.

Granite was really inexperienced. It was too obvious that this was probably her first real kiss. It was sloppy, wet, inaccurate, over-enthusiastic... but ultimately exhilarating. The mare was trembling at it and letting out small squeaks with each breath.

Too late she realized she was slobbering a little too much, so she tried to clean up, but all that did was end up with her licking Lodestone's muzzle all over.

At long last she gave up. "Sorry. I'm- not very good at this."

She wouldn't meet his eyes and her fur looked red with patches of dark brown, rather than its usual white.

Now he was blushing too and he smiled gently at her.

"I think it was wonderful."

There was a moment of silence while Lodestone just held her gaze, his smile fading to an expression almost of awe as he laid beneath her. Just as Granite was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his stare, he let out a faint whisper.

"How are your eyes even bluer than the skies?"

Granite quickly looked away. "Oh, hush," she said, trying to feign annoyance. To prove her point, she batted lightly at the stallion with a hoof. "Are all fly boys this charming? No wonder you get all the fillies. A view like this and some romantic talk..."

She gave Lodestone a sly grin. "It would make any young mare... damp."

It was an attempt to get him a bit unsettled as well and Granite watched curiously if it had worked.

Lodestone was so drunk on happiness he did something far more bold than he'd ever normally consider... he smirked and shifted slightly. That's all. It was a subtle movement and Granite might have even brushed it off as an accident had she not just said what she said, because his tiny wiggle made his thigh lightly grind between her legs.

"Eep!" the pony squeaked and her eyes grew wide and slightly frightened. "You're not- um... are we gonna-"

She swallowed and looked away. Her hind legs drew together and Granite moo-ed a little. "I don't think this is a good time to-"

The blush was legendary. It threatened to flash the cloud to steam. "-right now. Um, Rohan... we should get him to Ponyville quickly..."

Despite her fear, Granite seemed a bit sorry their cuddle-time in the clouds would end, so she added quickly: "I wouldn't mind coming back sometime. I'd like to practice kissing some more- eep"

She clamped her muzzle shut with her hooves and looked absolutely mortified at what she was suggesting.

With another bright laugh, he wrapped his hooves around her in a tight hug.

"You're so bucking cute, you know that?"

He relaxed and, more gently this time, slid her up onto his back with a wing.

"But no, you're right. We have important things to do right now."

As he rose to his hooves, he gave her a sly grin over his shoulder.

"I bet you'd love it even more under Luna's moon and stars though..."

Granite's eyes went large with wonder. "Ooooh..." she gasped softly, completely oblivious to them taking flight again. "I'd loooooove that!"

Her own enthusiasm made her laugh softly. "You know- if you get me up here in full moon, you might just, uh... get some."

Even that allusion was enough to cause more giggling. "I mean- they say you should only have your first time with a special somepony, but... buck if that doesn't sound plenty special to me!"

Just thinking about that was causing Granite a bit of discomfort and she shuffled a little. "Uh, Lodestone? We- we might have a problem," she said in a quieter voice.

He was about to ask if something was wrong when he felt something hot just above his tail, directly under her hips. In the silent gentle breeze that was almost constant up here, the heat quickly faded and became chill and damp... then he felt it warm again.

With a start, he realized that his attempt at courting had been far more effective than he'd expected and now he was blushing furiously, his ears flopping back. Sweet Celestia he could even smell her now, and it was doing things between his legs as well.

He realized there was only one way out of this now. They really couldn't take a buck in the clouds so his only choice was to distract her... and himself, to a lesser degree.

Giggling nervously, he immediately lurched forward, gliding down off the pillar of cloud he stood upon. Granite moo'd in shock and her hooves wrapped around his neck so fast he thought they would slam together with a thunderclap. Taking hold with his own, he banked down and accelerated rapidly toward Ponyville.

Granite was aware of it, and she knew Lodestone had to feel it too. It felt almost like a personal failing and she fell silent and a bit glum, almost half-expecting jokes about how 'easy' she was.

The sudden dive helped distract her and the mare was feeling almost her usual self by the time they were low enough to see the ponies in the streets.

"Um, can you drop us off there at the lake?" Granite pointed. She wanted a good wash before going into town, just in case. She didn't want everypony in the streets to smell her.

He nodded silently and swooped low over the trees before pulling up short. She slid off easily - almost like she was lubricated - and Lodestone stood there awkwardly for a second. He could tell she was incredibly embarrassed and he didn't want to leave without saying anything, so he shuffled his hooves and spoke quickly.

"Uhm... it's okay, Granite, don't feel bad. If anything, I'm flattered."

Then, his ears burning, he wheeled around and spread his wings to leave.

The mare mumbled something noncommittal as she walked towards the water. "Yeah... sorry," she apologized anyway. "I'll see you later today? I'll wait around the town somewhere...."

She didn't watch the stallion leave because she was getting herself in the water to wash up... again.

Lodestone froze mid flap and turned back to the mare, not meeting her eye.

"Uh... w-well, I figured you'd just wait here for the Chief and Rohan... but if you wanna go into town, I have a room at the Golden Pony Inn. Just... Just tell them you're with Flim Flam Mining."

He turned away awkwardly and rubbed his mane with a hoof.

"I won't be done carrying people for several hours anyways..."

She seemed to be waiting for him to leave so she could start cleaning herself, so without another word he flew off toward the forest.

The way back was a little harder as there were no convenient rocky outcrops with their powerful updrafts, but he found a couple of decent thermals before long and was able to spend most of the flight gliding comfortably toward the village. From here the forest looked solid and absolute, but he had taken careful note of the surrounding landmarks and knew close enough where it was that he should find it easily enough.

As he flew, he considered the problem of carrying the Chief. She was easily three times Granite's weight, but he doubted she would be content to hang beneath him in a harness of rope. Eventually he decided the best way would be to simply rest a thin wooden board along his back for her to sit on. He hoped they had a plank of the thickness he desired: thin enough that it would bend and conform to the curve of his back, but thick enough that it would still shift some of her weight away from his back and onto his stronger withers and rump.

When the pegasus arrived back in the village, the Chief was dressed in as little fur as possible. Of course this meant wearing practically all leather, not that there was much she could do in that department. She had with her something that looked like a net, lined with one of those fur blankets that he had slept under the night before. Waving her hand as he approached, the lady held it up for him to see.

"I thought of something while you were gone. Whatever we carry Rohan in should be tested out first. I'm not exactly the same weight, but it should be close enough for us to see if this idea will work and keep him somewhat comfortable. Once we have him safely at the outskirts of your village, I can carry him myself to wherever he needs to go to be healed."

Lodestone eyed the net curiously, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh... yeah, I guess that works. I figured you wouldn't want to hang in some kind of harness beneath me, but I guess it's fine."

He trotted over to the nearby river and took a long drink, then flopped down beside the stream and heaved a great sigh.

"Mind getting me a bit of food before we set out?"

"Go ahead. There are plenty of veggies for the next day or two, so feel free to scarf 'em down. Though, between you and me, I can keep a secret if you wanna try a bit more meat."

This time she would know it was supposed to be a secret. Of course, this time was fish and some type of lizard. At least one of the two would be considered more acceptable to be eaten. It wouldn't be like eating a fellow quadruped.

His ears folded back at her words but he remembered the taste of bacon and quickly caved.

"Well... alright. I suppose the protein will do me good."

He still felt hot from his flight so he stood up and waded into the cool water, then laid down again with a satisfied whinny so only his head remained above the surface.

It was a good fifteen minutes before a plate of food was brought over. This time the fish and vegetables were completely separate. The meat was on its own plate and the veggies were made into a kind of soup that would be filling, in case he didn't like the fish.

He waded out of the river without bothering to dry off and immediately lapped up half the soup. He had a small taste of the fish and decided not only did he like it, he also didn't feel guilty about it and quickly ate the rest. Licking his lips, he stood up and brought what was left of the soup back to the Chief.

"Thanks, that was perfect, but I don't want to eat too much before flying. Think anyone will still want the rest of this after I stuck my muzzle in it?"

"Ehh, I'm feeling a little hungry. Fork it over."

She quickly sucked up the rest of the soup like it was no more than a snack for her and wiped her lips with her arm.

"Phew, okay. So Stalig managed to make three full gold bars. Not sure how much that's worth exactly so I'll leave it up to you how much I should bring. It's all at the hut with that net."

Still dripping slightly, Lodestone stepped into the hut and saw three large, brilliant ingots of gold. He froze and gaped openly at the sight. The massive pile of dirty, raw gold ore was one thing, but seeing even a fraction of it pure and clean like this was stunning. One ingot alone was worth more bits than he'd ever seen in one place in his life.

He shook his head lightly and turned to the Chief with a weak smile.

"Ah... o-one ingot should be plenty."

How in Equestria would he even spend it? He'd probably have to trade it with Princess Twilight herself!

"Well ok then, guess that's settled. Stalig will be working on turning the rest into these bars to be stored. Let's get this trip going."

She laid out the net with the fur lining and laid down in it like Rohan would be. From there, Lode would be able to fly over her so the ropes could be attached to his barrel, and legs if he thought it was better. She was then tied to the netting so she couldn't slip forward or back. When she finally looked up, the Chief realized she would have a very nice view of the stallion for the whole trip.

"I think I'm good to go. Take us away."

"You, uh... how about you turn over instead? Flying is a pretty impressive sight and besides," he grinned awkwardly, rubbing his mane with a hoof, "You've already seen me, anyways."

When she didn't immediately move, he grimaced and continued more seriously.

"Also I don't want any serious distractions while I'm flying. Maybe once I've settled into a glide but it'll be a little while 'til we get to that point."

"Look, I'll turn my head, but I'm tied down to this now. Rohan will be much the same way and we have to make sure it will accommodate him laying like this. Or I'll close my eyes till you give me the go ahead."

She actually did both, just for him, though she was right. This was a test first and a luxury after. If her being on her side changed how the net handled weight, then she didn't want to be the reason it snapped mid-flight.

As much as he didn't like it, she was right. More annoyed that he hadn't realized sooner and said something before she was tied down than anything else, he sighed and slid the harness out of the hut, then looped it over his withers and rump. He took flight and hovered experimentally, making sure it wouldn't slip off in either direction, then accelerated and lifted the Chief into the air.

"Does it feel secure? Think anything needs to be changed before we go?"

"I-I don't think so! I'm not slipping, I don't feel like the net has any extra holes in it either. Go ahead and go!"

With her eyes closed, and tied down as she was, she was gripping the fur out of the fear of it possibly snapping. All she could do was trust that the net itself would hold.

Lodestone wasn't sure if she was scared or just being careful, but either way, he took care to keep in control of the swinging weight beneath him just like he was carrying a pallet of stone.

"Before we gain any real altitude I'm going to swing you around a bit to make sure it holds. If it's gonna break, we want it to happen now, close to the ground, not way up in the clouds."

He was pretty sure she wouldn't like it, so he didn't wait for a response and lurched forward, accelerating as quickly as he could manage. He aimed for a place where the river widened, then banked into a turn overhead, swinging her out to the side in the direction of the water. There were indistinct sounds of distress coming from the net, but he straightened and turned more sharply in the opposite direction, to avoid getting dizzy. He repeated this several times in tighter and tighter turns until he was sure the net was under much more strain than he'd ever have to put it under normally, then slowed to a halt and glanced down at the Chief.

"Sorry about that, but we needed to be sure. Should be pretty smooth from now on. You alright?"

"You ask me that after I grab my axe! Then we'll see who's alright!"

She was clutching the fur more tightly than before. It was a necessary part of testing, but it didn't mean she had to like it, just as her view was something the stallion might not have liked. Once she had a moment to calm down from the "near death" experience she endured, she managed a weak smile.

"I'm good now. I'm good. Go ahead and start taking us towards the village. If there are no tears in it when we get there, then we know for sure that Rohan'll make it."

He gave her an apologetic smile and nodded, lifting her above the rooftops and accelerating toward the same stones he'd used to rise before. This time he let out an exultant whoop of delight as he entered the thermal and immediately began swooping around, reading the wind to find the most vigorous updrafts. Not long after, he punched through the cloud just as before and oriented on Ponyville, far below him.

Lodestone settled into a glide and gave the Chief a wide grin.

"Smooth flying from here on out. You should try and twist around to see this, the view up here is spectacular."

She tried to look, but immediately regretted it when she caught sight of how high up they were.

"Nope, no thank you, nuh uh. Down. Down is good, I like it down where the ground is. Solid earth. Heck, I'd even be ok being dropped in the southern forest with the spiders! That sounds much, much nicer."

If lodestone were to look, he would see she now had her eyes screwed tightly shut. While granite may not have liked flying, the chief was definitely terrified of heights.

"Oh alright, I guess I won't show you my pegasus magic."

He chuckled and angled his wings in a bit, puffing the Chief's face with a burst of air.

"And here I thought Granite was gonna be the scaredy colt up here."

"I can still hear you! We still have to land sometime you know!"

She growled up at him and tried to shift to be more comfortable, only for that to cause the net to sway more wildly than she expected. The end result: she screamed like a child that was trapped in a room with a flying cockroach.

Lodestone quickly countered the swinging with a careful lurch, then decided she might actually appreciate seeing his 'magic' all the same. He swung down to an enormous flat section of cloud and gently lowered her into it. She gasped at the cold mist and looked like she was about to say something decidedly unladylike when he slowed to a halt and gently touched down, standing easily on the cloud surface above her.

As before, a sudden and intense silence settled over them. Lodestone had even carefully maneuvered her so that her swinging was almost perfectly nullified by the time he landed. The result was she was left hanging perfectly motionless in a sea of stillness.

As one final touch, he used his wings to scoop out a section of cloud underneath where he stood, creating an open space of air around her but leaving a sort of overhang for him to stand on. All she had to do was move her hand a bit to disperse the last bit of mist around her face.

For a moment, she dared to open her eyes in the hopes that she would be on land or close to it. All she could think of was getting untied and kissing the ground comically. How she would never, under any circumstances, fly again. Instead, she saw the sea of white and realized very quickly that they weren't just in the air. They were in the clouds. With that fact dawning on her, she fainted. Her head went limp and her body completely relaxed. With any luck, she would be out for the rest of the flight.

"Chief? You okay?"

He jiggled the net slightly and when he realized she had straight up fainted, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. He can't wait to tell Granite about this! This massive hulk of a mare fainting in fright over what Granite could hardly wait to try again... Oh yes, little Barbara had better not tease him now!

Still chuckling, he took flight again and flew more freely, having a bit of fun through the cloud formations and taking sudden dives to swoop down through a gap in the clouds, only to swing up again and through with that same satisfying 'PUFF' he loved so much. Eventually he neared the lake where he'd left Granite and flew in a steep downward spiral, leveling out with the net mere inches from the surface of the water. He neighed with delight as he zoomed over the lake. Being a strong and slow flyer, dives like this were the only time he got to experience true speed.

He hadn't seen Granite as he spiraled down, so as he bled speed from his dive, he approached the edge of the lake and pulled up right at the edge of the water. He then unceremoniously dunked the Chief in the cold water for just a split second to wake her up before quickly swinging her onto land and dropping the net with a light 'whomp'. He remained hovering in case she tried to chase him.

As she took in her surroundings, she found herself focused in on the stallion. Like he predicted, she took off after him, though he was easily able to out-maneuver her.

"You ASS! Get down here so I can choke the life out of you! I'll make you wish that the spirits hadn't called on you to help us!"

With no way to get to him, she pouted and sat on her butt so she could face the other way.

"You tell anybody and I will do whatever I can to make you regret it. Got it?!"

"Aw, come now," he teased, "Granite needs the confidence boost! Ya gotta let me tell her at least!"

"Nope, nuh-uh. Not even - no - especially not your little girlfriend!"

With her sitting down he landed some feet away and gave her his best sad eyes. After all, it's said no force in Equestria can stand up to looking at a sad poner for long. Hopefully she wouldn't notice the laughter twinkling in his eyes.

"I landed in the clouds cause I really thought you would like it!"

She was mad enough to not care about his puppy-dog eyes or a fake quivering lip. But it did manage to help her calm down somewhat.

"Not a word about it, okay? Think of it this way, I'm supposed to be a leader. If you told her and then she told someone else, then I would lose credibility as a leader. I would be a joke! So don't tell.

Now she had turned to fully face him proper and sat in a more relaxed way with one leg stretched out.

"Now what's the plan? Obviously you have to go get Rohan, but I can't just stroll into your village by myself. What if they think I am an intruder or something?"

Lodestone slowly lowered himself to the ground, the very picture of distress and lost hope. His head drooped so low he could hardly even meet the Chief's gaze.

"Well... I was just gonna bring all three of you in at the same time," he let out a long, weary sigh, "Use Rohan's obvious injuries to shove past anypony that asked questions until we got him to the medic..."

He could see he wasn't having much effect so he used his final weapon. He flopped onto his side and released his breath in a forlorn huff of disappointment.

"Then bring you to meet the Mayor and Princess I guess..."

"Guess that makes sense. I'll have to hang out here and hope none of the villagers come to the lake though. We probably shouldn't wait too much longer, we don't know how bad Rohan really is, right?"

She didn't understand even basic medicine like Lode might. For her, any symptom not curable by shaman or priest was death, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Without responding and without even lifting his body from the ground, he spread his wings and lifted himself up, hanging limply in the air. For all that though, he flew off quickly, knowing she was right. Rohan would likely be fine once he got some real medicine, but there was no point pushing their luck.

Lodestone had a bit more fun on the way back but he was beginning to feel the strain of flying for so long, even if it was mostly gliding, and he knew the last flight would be the hardest. Rohan was a big colt and it was getting late, so the stoney mountain will have cooled somewhat, robbing him of the powerful thermals he had relied on so far. He'd mostly have to power his way into the clouds this time.

When he returned to the village, the Shaman helped him secure Rohan's body to the net, warning him one final time of the curses she would bestow if anything happened to him. He had a bit more to eat and a long drink in the river, then a simple, uneventful flight with Rohan in tow. He didn't want to even chance the net tearing with him - he could certainly catch him with a dive, but the strain on his body might put him over the edge.

Finally, he glided lazily down to the lake and dropped Rohan carefully next to the Chief, shook off the ropes, and tucked his wings in before he even touched the ground. For once, he was glad to be back on his hooves. His sides ached and his feathers were frazzled. He needed a long bath and an even longer preen, but Rohan came first.