Rescue Process (13) (Patreon)

The group didn't sit around and wait to be discovered, no matter how easy that would've been. They still had to reach Salt Lick, even if they weren't as friendly as they hoped.

That wasn't so bad, even for Lin. Without the freezing wind all around them, and the threat of starvation on some horrifying upper slope, they moved at a much more reasonable, sustainable pace.

"Not so easy to hate this place when we aren't trapped in a mine, working every waking second of the day," Thomas said. The unicorn walked nearby, more or less keeping pace with her.

Just because they had all survived the trip down didn't mean they were in good shape. They took frequent breaks, stopping wherever they found enough shade or clean-looking water.

"It is pretty nice," Lin agreed. Not otherworldly, but neither was the mine. Vibrant green leaves, rolling grassland, and wildflowers. Birds chirped and sang, insects buzzed. "Could be anywhere in the countryside, maybe southern Missouri."

"Nah." Thomas stuck out his tongue. "Missing the constant airplanes overhead, or the power lines. No highway with cars rumbling from a few feet away. It's too peaceful here."

"Imagine if this was where we showed up," Ethan said, speeding up to trot past her. He still had his wings open, without apparent success flying. "Not slaves, not some dark cave eating hay. Out here in the sunshine... I might not want to leave."

"Families are waiting for us," Thomas said. "No matter how long we've been gone, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see us again. Once they learn we're alive..." But he didn't finish.

"I don't want things to be exactly the way they were," Ethan muttered. Quietly enough that most of those watching wouldn't overhear. But Lin could, and Thomas too. "I don't think you do either, Lin."

She froze for a split second, both wings opening halfway. She kept moving quickly, hopefully fast enough to avoid anyone noticing the delay. She could hope, anyway. But her wings stayed open; she just didn't have the concentration to close them on command so easily. "I just hope my life is still there to go back to. All my plants will be dead, the fish too. Glad I didn't have a cat."

The colt pushed her with one wing, forcing her to look up. "Sure, Lin. You have no idea what I'm talking about. Totally believe you." He turned his back on her, trotting ahead of her in the crowd.

"Smart kid," Thomas said, as soon as he was gone. "Seems damn sure he figured something out. What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing," she lied. "Not important. Must be kid stuff."

A familiar pair of wings crossed the path ahead, then Night swooped down to meet them. Her face was wild, breathing heavy from exertion.

Without a command from Shauna, the whole group stopped walking to look.

"Good news, I hope," Shauna said. "They know we're coming?"

The bat took a few seconds before she answered, heaving and panting from the effort. She must've flown pretty fast. "They had no idea. Telegraph never got here, so the whole thing was new. I talked to the constabulary, sent a message to Canterlot. They're expecting us now. Should be ready by the time we get there."

"No telegraph," Winston said, a few steps away. "So they lied? Tricked us so we would leave the village?"

The bat shrugged. "Maybe their message didn't reach. Maybe there's a line out and they don't know. But Equestria knows about us now. You'll see."

A few nervous looks passed between them, before attention finally settled on Shauna. Lucky for Lin—if she had to lead all these ponies, she wasn't even sure she could.

"Still feels like this is the best way," Shauna said. "We got burned, and it was awful—but that doesn't mean the same thing will happen again. This isn't some backward village in the mountains."

"Will it be any better?" Winston demanded. "What did they think about us, Night? Are they terrified because we're not from the same world as you?"

The bat didn't answer at first. Her wings opened and closed, and she pawed at the dirt under her hooves. "I was light on details about us. We escaped from a diamond dog mine, and we needed to see Princess Celestia right away. We have injured and the dogs took almost everything we own."

You think they'll react badly, just like in Motherlode, Lin thought. The bat didn't want to say as much, and risk scaring off a group that was already incredibly nervous.

"We don't have any other great options," Thomas said. "Maybe they lie to us, maybe they don't. But the only way for us to get home is by getting the princess to help us. That means we take the risk and cross our fingers she's better than the last ponies we met."

"Loads better," Night said. "Celestia wasn't always the best with other ponies. Her way of thinking about the country—might be where some of the old attitudes came from in the first place. But ever since Luna returned, she's been much more open-minded. She'll help you, promise. But to do that, we have to get to Canterlot."

"We go," Shauna said, a little louder. "I know we all have different ideas about what's smart and what isn't. We could sit here and argue about it until we're out of sunlight. Time to find out if all the stories we've heard about Equestria are true."

They set off again, a little faster than before. The expedition had a destination. Lin soon joined Night near the back. The bat seemed to want time and space to recover from the trip, which Lin was happy to provide. They walked in silence for another mile or two. The sun traced its slow way across the sky.

"How hard is it to learn to fly?" she asked, as soon as the bat seemed strong enough to talk again. "Like you can, I mean."

"Easy!" The bat grinned, apparently relieved to be discussing something more comfortable. "Fillies and colts learn way before they get their cutie marks, usually. Sometimes even foals learn, the same as they learn to walk."

"I'm not a filly... anymore," she said, only a little awkward. She could've taken longer to realize what she was saying, anyway. "What about for adults? Are there like... remedial classes?"

Night shrugged. "Probably. You hear about pegasus ponies born to earth pony families who never learned, sometimes. There must be a way to teach them."

"What about you?" she asked, opening both wings. "I wanted to practice when we were underground, but there was no time. And if I tried, the dogs would've..."

The bat walked on in silence for a few seconds. "This isn't me saying I don't want to teach you," she began. "I do. But your wings and mine don't work the same. See?" She held one out in front of them, extending it all the way. "My joints are different. And no feathers. We have to flap differently than you do. We're way more maneuverable in tight spaces. But we can't fly as fast, or as long."

"Nothing translates?" Lin asked, ears flattening. "Can't even give me the basics? Intro to aviation?"

The bat giggled, wrapping her wing around Lin's shoulder. "Somepony's excited. But why, Lin? Isn't the plan to ride straight back to Canterlot? If you had wings in your world, you wouldn't need me to teach you. Is it worth the effort?"

Lin nodded, insistent. "If I'm about to lose it, that's more reason, not less. When I go home, I'll never be able to fly again. But right now, at least something fun could come out of this."

The bat fell silent again. They followed a gravel road now, cutting a meandering path through wilderness and directly into the city of Salt Lick.

She could see it through the trees, if she squinted. The brown shapes of buildings, the distant murmur of voices, machines, and life. Part of her wanted to turn around and walk back into the wilderness, so long as she didn't go anywhere near the mountains this time.

That was a small part. Without food, without proper cold weather gear, and with a group filled with so many injured—it wouldn't be all that fun. Come back with the right people, though...

"Maybe I could help. If we had some reference material. There are books for foals with the basics. If we had one, we could read it together. Even if it's not the same thing, it's probably close enough. If you get off the ground, I could fly with you."

"That sounds great!" said another voice, startling them both. She turned, and found Ethan a few feet away, bouncing up and down in place. "I wanna fly too! The others probably do too!"

Night lifted both wings, defeated. "If there's time. Canterlot express should have us home in... a week? Maybe once we get there. Maybe it takes the princess a little while to get the spell to send you home. Then you could have some time to practice. Maybe Salt Lick has a bookstore with some damaged copies they would give us."

Before Lin could reply, someone's shouting voice stopped the group. A few ponies waited on the road—guards, in the same gold armor as the ones in Motherlode. But there were at least a dozen of them waiting just ahead, not just a few. Their armor actually fit right, glittering with a brilliant golden sheen.

"We got your message," one said—a unicorn stallion, with a gap in his helmet for the horn. "Victims of the diamond dogs made it all this way on your own hooves. You're the right number. And... condition. The trail wasn't kind to you."

"No, it wasn't," Shauna said, stepping forward in front of the group. "We have wounded. They were minor injuries when we escaped, but I think we have a few infections. Everyone here is weak from exhaustion, malnutrition, and probably ticks and mosquitoes too."

The stallion stepped forward to meet her. Every one of the guards was armed, with spears and swords and even a few crossbows hanging from their armor. None of them had their weapons drawn. That was probably a good sign. "Name's Sharp Command," he said, extending a hoof to shake. "I'm here to personally welcome you all to Salt Lick."

She took it. "I'm Shauna. My friends here... we're all curious if you got our message." She gestured through the crowd. "Night Spiral, she spoke with you a few hours ago. Did you manage to pass our situation back to Canterlot?"

Sharp Command nodded once. "No response yet from the court. But we don't need orders to make you all welcome, if that's what you're worried about."

"Salt Lick has some of the nicest folk you'll ever meet!" one of the other guards said, a little louder.

"Canterlot isn't always... quick to reply," Sharp admitted. "We're just one city, where almost nothing happens. That's a good thing, by the way. For every Salt Lick, there's a Ponyville, constantly getting turned upside-down by magic. Things are quiet here."

He took a step back, gesturing at the road behind them. "How about this. Any pony who needs a doctor, you go with Esprit. She'll take you to the hospital, see that you're taken care of. The rest, come with me down to the Mareiott Hotel. Owner agreed to put you up while we wait for Canterlot to send word. If there's any other arrangements to be made, I'm sure you all will feel much better making them indoors, with full bellies."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Shauna said. "Let's go, everyone. We finally found civilization."