Pony Adventures: Quest for the Lost Relic

Phoenix had not wanted to see her descent into the forest below, so as soon as her companion shoved her off, she closed her eyes and prepared for a hard crash. However, the crash never happened. As the unicorn went over the cliff edge, she felt strong forelimbs wrap around her middle and hold her close. Then she was flying. Flying in the air, her back hooves grazed the tops of trees, and the wind whipped through her long mane as she went along. It was a miracle--- she had been saved! But how was this possible? Phoenix may be named after a bird, but that did not mean she could fly like one. Also, what was that strange creaking sound?

The unicorn opened her eyes very slowly, still afraid she may see herself plummeting to her demise despite the unlikeliness. Phoenix saw the sky before her and the treetops just beneath. Satisfied with the sights, she looked to where the strong forelimbs were still securely wrapped around her midsection. They looked like Sparky's. That would mean the cloaked mare is holding the unicorn up, which means she is the one flying. Phoenix risks turning a little to get a quick peek at the other and, from the corner of her eye, catches a wing. Phoenix had assumed the cloaked mare was an earth-pony, but the truth was that Sparky was, in fact, a pegasus.

The unicorn was mentally reeling from the revelation. How had Phoenix not realized this sooner? Easy, the other mare never took her cloak off. But why hide the fact in the first place? The unicorn knew of others in her race that belittled pegasi, thinking of the winged race as airheaded sky clutterers, but Sparky had to have known that she was not one of those kinds of unicorns. Right? Plus, the cloaked mare hid her wings while at home as well. Did her mother make her wear the cloak out of shame for having a pegasus daughter? Unlikely, Goldie did not seem like a mare to do something so cruel. So, why hide?

Phoenix continued to go over the many reasons she thought Sparky would have for hiding her wings when she remembered another thing that had puzzled her while her eyes were closed. The unicorn had heard a creaking noise and still heard it as they flew. Where or what was that noise coming from? Phoenix shut her eyes again, thinking it might help her hone in on the sound, and listened more intently. The noise seemed to have a rhythm that matched Sparky's wing flaps, for with every flap, the unicorn heard a creak accompanying it. It also sounded as if the noise was only coming from the right, likely meaning that something had caught onto the cloaked mare's right wing when they went down.

Coming to an adequate explanation of where the creaking was coming from, Phoenix shifted in the other mare's forelimbs again to confirm her theory to be true--- and tell Sparky she had something stuck to her wing. However, upon turning her head, she was speechless by the sight that graced her vision. The creaking was not because something was on Sparky's wing but because of the wing itself. The cloaked mare's right wing was made entirely of bronze metal, and the creaking had been the wing's flaps. Phoenix could not believe it, mainly because she did not even know they made prosthetic wings for pegasi.

"It's rude to stare, dumb-butt," said Sparky, who had felt that the unicorn was unusually quiet and glanced down to see why.
"Also, stop squirming. It makes it harder to hold on."
"SORRY!" said Phoenix, much louder than needed.
"Don't shout either. I'm close enough to hear ya without it."
"(Whispering) Sorry."
"I think the manticore stopped chasing us--- because of its size and how much a manticore needs to eat to maintain enough energy, it can only fly so long before tuckering out. It probably felt like a long flight wasn't worth such a small meal."
"So.., we're safe now?"
"Yup."
"That's great! We can land in the forest and get back on track."
"We could...if I could stop my right wing from flapping."
"Why wouldn't you be able to stop it from flapping?"
"Because the crystal that powers it won't turn off no matter how much I tell it to turn off."
"But that means we're stuck flying around, and if we're stuck flying around, we may end up off course."
"Phoenix Flame."
"And if we end up off course, we might end up further away from the Dragon Lands!"
"Phoenix!"
"And if we end up further away from the Dragon Lands, it could take us two or three times as long to get there!!"
"Nix!!"
"(In a whisper) Yes..?"
"I've got an idea on how we can stop."
"Really, ho--- AAAHHHH?!?!"

Sparky tucked her left wing into her body while her right one continued flapping, and the two mares began to spiral down to the forest below them. The cloaked mare knew if she stopped moving her real wing, they would not be able to stay up and crash into the ground, and a strong enough crash might be the thing to stop her other wing's movement. Sparky had thought about telling Phoenix the plan but decided it was funnier to let her figure it out. Was it a cruel trick, making the unicorn feel she was falling to her death for the second time today? Yes, but the cloaked mare felt that Phoenix deserved a little punishment after gawking at her prosthetic like a circus freak sideshow--- she was not a freak!

The two had not been exceedingly high up, given that Sparky's prosthetic only allowed her to fly a limited height, so their descent was not as painful as one would assume. That is to say, the two mares were not injured but very sore. When falling, the cloaked mare's wing managed to bang into a tree, which caused its flapping to cease. This would have pleased Sparky had it not caused her to lose her grip on Phoenix, sending the two and their items tumbling in multiple directions. Everything they brought spread across the forest floor in a jumble of papers, hiking equipment, snacks, and other supplies. Meanwhile, the two mares lie flat on their backs, their limbs pointing skyward and groaning with pain.

"Sparky," called Phoenix, being the first to speak after several minutes.
"Yes," responded the cloaked mare with a long groan.
"Please tell me no more of your ideas involve falling. I don't think my heart could take another scare."
"Hopefully not."
"That's good."
"Nix."
"Hm?"
"How long are we lying here until we pick up our stuff?"
"Our stuff?! Oh no, my book!!"

Phoenix shot up like a firework at the end of a festival and immediately began collecting every scrap of paper she saw. While the unicorn trotted anxiously around the area, Sparky took her time sitting up and forcing her prosthetic to fold back underneath her cloak--- the fake wing had gotten jammed during the fall. By the time the cloaked mare got it folded in, Phoenix had everything packed safely into their bags. That is everything but the leather-bound book she loved. No matter how many times she checked the area, the unicorn could not seem to find her treasured possession anywhere, and the thought that it could be lost forever brought her to tears.

"Finally, the dang thing is back in--- Phoenix?" Sparky said, cutting herself off when she noticed tears forming in Phoenix's eyes. It caught her off guard seeing the usually chipper mare cry.
"It's gone," the unicorn said, beginning to hyperventilate.
"It's gone.., and I will...never see...him again."
"Easy there, breathe. I'm sure we can find whatever it is somewhere."
"He's gone.., and...he isn't...coming back."
"Phoenix, you're not making any sense. He? Who's he?"
"I'll...never...find him."
"Phoenix, can ya hear me? Nix!?"
"Excuse me, but is this what you were looking for?" came a sweet voice behind a tree.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Okay, if I am reading this correctly, it should only be another couple of miles until I'm at her house," said a sweet-voiced mare to herself.

The mare was a short pegasus with a light yellow coat, short tail, and choppy bob mane in multiple shades of pink. Tied to the back of her mane was a bright red bow that matched her equally bright red eyes, and every step the short pegasus took was bouncy and full of joy. Due to her small stature and bubbly attitude, anyone passing by without looking closer at her features would have assumed she was a child recklessly wandering the forest. While young, she was no child and was not reckless--- the short pegasus had been very careful to avoid any trouble on her 2-month-long journey. However, unbeknownst to her, trouble was about to find her in the form of two mares falling from the sky.

The short pegasus had observed Phoenix and Sparky crashing through the trees with the force of a cannonball, their collective belongings scattering the forest floor chaotically. It had happened so quickly for the short pegasus that she had no time to react before a leather book soared at her and struck her in the face. The book hit her forcefully enough to send her body falling back behind a tree, and she lay there for a few minutes wondering what had hit her so dang hard. Although in a daze, the short pegasus could make out the sounds of the two mares that had crashed. She could hear one of them complaining about "This stupid hunk of metal" while the other was noisily trotting around the area. The short pegasus could also hear when the trotting stopped and been replaced with crying.

The short pegasus hated hearing others cry, and listening as Phoenix began to weep caused her to shoot up like wildflowers in the spring. The fast motion made her feel dizzy, but she was too focused on the mare's words to care, more worried about a stranger's well-being than her own. She heard an "It's gone" a couple of times and concluded that one of the mares must have lost something important. With a deep breath to help focus, the short pegasus scanned the ground around her, thinking that maybe what hit her might be whatever was missing. That was when she noticed the book--- it had bounced off her face and landed a couple of feet away. Very carefully, the short pegasus scooped the old-looking book into her hooves.

"Phoenix, you're not making any sense. He? Who's he?" said Sparky, confused by the unicorn's words.
"I'll...never...find him," Phoenix said, not seeming to hear the cloaked mare.
"Phoenix, can ya hear me? Nix!?"
"Excuse me, but is this what you were looking for?" cut in the short pegasus.

Sparky immediately took a defensive stance as if she was expecting to fight the pony that, in her mind, appeared mysteriously out of nowhere. Meanwhile, the unicorn was still sitting on the ground, rapidly breathing and mumbling repetitively how she would "never find him."

"Phoenix, I need ya to pull yourself together," said the cloaked mare over her shoulder, still trying to get her travel companion to snap out of her stupor.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to surprise you," said the short pegasus, her voice sweeter than honey.
"I was in the area when you two had that nasty fall, and it just so happens that on your way down, this big old book hit me in the noggin. So, I thought maybe it was yours."
"Book!?" Phoenix shouted, starling the two pegasi mares with her.

Phoenix sped past Sparky, who was confused about what was happening, and she headed straight to the short pegasus. The smallest of the mares found herself wrapped in a hug by the unicorn that was as warm as summer sunshine.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Phoenix said joyfully.
"You have no idea what it means to me that you found my book. Thank you! Did I already say that? Never mind, even if I did, you deserve to hear it again. Thank you."
"You're welcome, hon---," the short pegasus begins to say before being cut off.
"Oh, my goodness. How rude of me? I just trotted to a stranger and hugged them without asking if I could or even introducing myself. I'm soooo sorry. My name is Phoenix Flame, and the annoyed-looking pony in the cloak is Sparkling Shield."
"Hello, I guess," pipes in Sparky, definitely appearing annoyed now.
"It's just Sparky, and before you ask, she does talk this much most of the time."
"Well, it's lovely to meet you two. My name is Ca---"
"Thank you again for finding my book. It really means the world to me. Also, sorry for hugging you without asking. I know you must have felt weird getting a hug from some---"

Phoenix's ranting is cut off when the short pegasus shoves a strawberry cake pop into her mouth. Any other pony would have found the action alarming, but it was not the first time the unicorn had a pony forcefully give her food in exchange for her silence. Plus, the treat had to have been the most delicious thing she ever tasted. The cake was light and moist but not in a way that made it mushy, and the whole treat was coated in creamy white chocolate topped with strawberry-flavored sprinkles. The second it touched her tongue, Phoenix thought she had entered a secret paradise within her mind--- the cake pop was that perfect.

"Nix, you okay?" asked Sparky, seeing her companion's oddly relaxed expression.

"I think I've discovered what happiness tastes like," responded the unicorn.

"Don't worry about her," said the short pegasus, hoofing over the book to Phoenix and giving her a pat on the shoulder.
"She's just experiencing the best treat she has or will ever have. I would offer you one, but sadly, that was my last cake pop, and I don't have the resources to make more. However.., if you follow me to my friend's home, I could bake you a fresh batch. You two look as if you could use something to sweeten up your day."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Listen here, shortstack. We appreciate you finding Nix's book, but we're on a tight schedule and do not have time to stop for sweets. Also.., we have no idea who you are! Do you expect us to follow a strange pony deep into a forest in the middle of---?"

"Oh my goodness! That is sooo sweet of you. We accept," said Phoenix in the middle of the cloaked mare's dismissal.

"What!?!"

"Wonderful! You two won't regret this--- I make the best treats in Equestria. What are we waiting for? Grab your stuff and follow me."

Phoenix instantly went to grab her bag, gently slipping her book inside, while Sparky stood there for a minute in astonishment. They were going to follow a stranger into a forest in the middle of nowhere. Not only that, but the unicorn had agreed to take a break from their quest. Phoenix would get antsy if Sparky took too long in the bathroom but was completely fine with stopping for pastries. What was in that cake pop? A spell that made Phoenix more relaxed? The unicorn got nervous every time something took them off course, but apparently, the exception to this was sweets. Sparky swore the longer she was around Phoenix, the less she understood her.

"Sparky, hurry up," said Phoenix, snapping the cloaked mare out of her stupor.
"We don't want to keep---. Oh! I just realized we never got your name. Sorry."
"(Giggling) No worries. My name is Cake Pop, but you can call me Cakey."
"Right, we shouldn't keep Cakey waiting. Come on."
"Okay. I guess we follow a random pony into the middle of nowhere. How fun," Sparky sarcastically said as Phoenix hoofed over her bag and grabbed her by her cloak strings with her aura.
"(Mumbling) This is going to end badly. I know it."