You begin your explanation while your friend brings you inside and helps clean your bloody nose, which she seems amazed that you’re completely ignoring.

When you finish, it looks like she doesn’t quite believe you. But she’s known you for a while, and knows when you’re being serious. She goes so far as to offer her help!

You ask if she has a lockpick by mistake, but quickly correct yourself to ask about a toothbrush. After giving you a funny look, probably as much about the lockpick comment as the toothbrush one, she says she doesn’t have an extra to lend.

You hold the tears back and tell the crowd about your legendary sighting. When you get to the part about its worth, everypony starts to look around frantically. You get ready to blame somepony for pushing you and then run away crying when the pony you were going to blame helps you up. It’s an old foalhood friend of yours. She escorts you away from the crowd, savvy to your misdirective ways, and hoofs you a peppermint stick. Before asking how you really are.

It’s been a while since you two spoke. A year or so at least. Nothing bad happened to drive you away. Time just has a way of slipping by.

Your nose is still bleeding.

Wouldn’t that be a rag? A wash rag? A napkin would get all fragile and could easily rip during the assault. To that end, you could just use the towel you have. That way you don’t have to waste space!

Either way, you aren’t sure where you’d find chloroform.

Lets see… Why a toothbrush… Well, there’s the obvious applications if you also brought toothpaste. You could use it to scrub something if it’s dirty. That second one seems likely, seeing as you’re wondering around a bunch of ruins. You hold your hoof to remind yourself to get a toothbrush.

…

Is… Is that a beetle? It is! It is a beetle! Oh wonder of wonders! There it goes! You take two steps in pursuit before falling face-first into the ground, because you were still holding your own hoof.

That really hurt! You check your nose only to find that you’ve begun bleeding! You feel pretty stupid and embarrassed as ponies crowd around and ask if you’re alright.

You’ve managed to take your first bit of damage on this little adventure. Not quite in anyway you could have imagined, though.

You’d leave right now to head up the mountain, but the ponies surrounding you are blocking your way. Plus your vision is blurred from tears.

You are definitely not going to forget that toothbrush!

Oh! What’s that to the west!

…

Nothing that confirms that particular hypothosis. Nothing of any real interest, really. Some ponies going about their business, a few storefronts and venders.

…

What were you just thinking about? Oh well, probably nothing important.

Hugs aren’t something that take up space. This is silly.

You’re also almost positive that Princess isn’t actually a princess. Princess isn’t even her real name!

…

At least you assume it isn’t…

Your right forehoof twitches. Even if time wasn’t short and ponies lives weren’t in danger, you would never do such a thing in front of your mentor! In a way, his opinion is more important to you than even your family’s! The day he accepted you as his apprentice was the best day of your life! It was vindication for everything that had happened to you since the day you got your cutie mark. Maybe even before that! You would literally rather die than embarrass yourself in front of him.

Certainly, you love your family more, but your sister wasn’t exactly pleased to hear about you moving away. And despite his support, deep down you think your brother was hoping you’d fail so you’d return home to the farm.

You promise your master you’ll do your best, which he doesn’t seem to know how to answer to. He still may not believe you. You say your goodbyes and he wishes you well before you leave.

You head to the gardening store to pick up a spade, getting strange glances from ponies as you march about loaded down like you’re preparing for the apocalypse. You use some of your money buying the spade, which fits neatly into one of your bags.

You pause for a moment, alone, standing around the center of town and still getting some awkward glances because of all the bags you’re carrying. You still feel unsure about heading back up the mountain, but that might just be fear.

Bag 1: Smithing Tools+Multitool/(3) Blankets.

Bag 2: Ample Food/Ample Water.

Bag 3: Scarf+Lighter+Towel+Spade+Small Space/Rope.

You begin to sing the classic foal’s song immortalized by ponynet shenanigans. Unfortunately, those are the only words to the song you know, so you don’t get very far.

Then you start explaining about butterflies, but quickly realize your teacher has already grown annoyed with your antics.

After that you sigh and tell him the truth. Minus the voices in your head part, because that makes you sound crazy. The mountain, the two ponies, the shadows, and how they can’t leave. As you could have predicted he doesn’t believe you, which isn’t fair! You’re an honest pony when things get serious! He seems insistent on this being the product of too much television, video games, or internet before bed.

Distraught and out of ideas you… you hug him and begin crying. You say you love him and that you’re scared for the two ponies you met. He pulls away from you and looks deep into your eyes. He seems to find something earnest deep inside because when he turns away, it’s to grab the rope again and hoof it over to you.

You hug him again and thank him. He replies only by telling you to be careful with whatever it is you’re doing. He doesn’t want to have to start training a new apprentice.

Obviously you can’t do anything about it right now, but you make a mental note for later about bringing a digging utensil. A shovel will be too big to carry, but a spade should do nicely.

It could be useful! Obviously not for that reason, though.

You dismiss such a horrible thought on the grounds that it’s not lupus. Also known as there has to be something you can still do to help.

You begin your shenanigonal trick and grab the rope. But before you get two steps, you find yourself on the ground, having tripped after your master yanked the rope out of your mouth. You quickly remember that he doesn’t put up with your playful disposition. After a short scolding, he asks what you needed the rope for.

While you search for an answer, you think about the possibly of recruiting some other ponies to help in your mission. Or rather, what arbitrary limitation would stop you from doing so.

…

…

…

You can’t think of anything that would stop you.

Oh Celestia, no! It’s true! This town is filled with violence and sex! You have to get out of here!

No wait, none of that sounds familiar.

You hug your master without warning, remarking that you’re glad to see him. You contemplate stealthily grabbing the rope you need, but it’s hanging up on the other side of the room and out of reach without a step ladder. Oops. Your master seems confused, but says it’s nice to see you too.

A toothbrush! That’s what you were forgetting from earlier! You make a mental note to remember to get a toothbrush.

…

But you know you’re going to forget again.

You aren’t exactly a fancy pony. You’ve never been much for hats; your bow has always got the job done.  You do own a scarf, though. Everypony does since that chocolate pony made it a fad way back when. You consider bringing your snow boots, but those would be loud when walking inside, and take up a lot of room to carry around in your bags. The blankets you packed should keep the cold off well enough.

You pack some duct tape and a towel, but rather than buy rope, you decide to be cheap and get some from the smith where you work.

Your master is surprised to see you at the forge. He reminds you that you don’t work today or tomorrow.

Not sure how to proceed just yet with your rope acquisition. You pause to take inventory. You have:

Bag 1: Smithing Tools+Multitool/(3) Blankets.

Bag 2: Ample Food/Ample Water.

Bag 3: Scarf+Lighter+Towel+Half Empty/Empty.

Metaphysical Bag: Full of hugs.

You are a good pony from an honest upbringing. You refuse such selfish thoughts and vow to return as soon as possible! But in your righteous fury, you forget that part about a toothbrush. Oops!

This might be your only chance to get supplies from town. You have to make sure you’ve thought of everything before going back.

There were fires lit in the main hall and the armory, so you assume one of the two have a means to produce a fire. But just the same you pack a camping, extended-neck lighter. No particular reason why that model, it’s just the only lighter you own. You aren’t sure how to make a torch, and being that it’s the middle of summer, no idea where anyone would be selling wood outside of hardware store, building-grade lumber, which is a little outside of your price range.

Unfortunately part of living in a utopia is that weapons, even just models, are strictly regulated. Most guards don’t even carry any. It would take you weeks to get a hold of even one, and and would likely cost more than you make in a month.

That last thought gives you pause. Sure, if you had to be there you’d likely be better off with Princess and Amy. But you don’t. You technically have no reason to go back. You were asked to scale the mountain, and you did. You didn’t receive any further orders.

Your breathing becomes forced. You begin to worry that maybe you’re trapped here too and you just don’t know it yet. You ask if it would be alright if you left now to get some supplies. Princess nods and signals for them to head back outside. Amy glances up to you, seemingly on the verge of tears, but says nothing. She appears sorry.

Along the way you try to explain that your tools will come in handy when you come back. And you’ll be sure to bring food and blankets. Whenever you make eye contact they nod, but otherwise show no sign of response.

The three of you return to the hall where you first met. You notice now much warmer it is in here by contrast. Still cold, but not dangerously so. You leave your gauntlet, bow, and arrows on the table, to lighten your load. You tell the two ponies you’ll be back as soon as you can, and even leave the food and drink you had left with them.

They both wave and lie down on the rug surrounding the table while you head for the exit. Amy still seems to be fighting back tears. You wish you could console her, but you’re somewhat frightened by what happened. You’ve seen enough horror movies to know that it’s entirely possible these two aren’t actually on your side.

After leaving the building, you turn around and look back until you’ve passed the still opened gate and can no longer see the building’s doorway.

…

That was two hours ago. You take one last step and find yourself at the end of the mountain’s trail; back home in town. The moment you stop your head floods with thoughts, not the least of which is troubling…

Back at your home, you grab two more sets of saddlebags. You fill one with your smithing tools and three blankets. Another with an ample supply of food and water. You have one empty saddlebag with two compartments that you can still fill, along with a few bits you had lying around to possibly buy something.

It’s roughly four in the afternoon.

You make your humble suggestion to Amy, but she turns away and hides her face. At first you think maybe she’s crying, but when she turns back, she looks angry. She stares into your eyes with a frigid hate that chills you more than the cold. She repeats, in a very harsh tone, that she can’t leave. Neither of them can leave until they get back what was stolen.

When Amy breaks that horrifying gaze, you shiver.