Chapter 1

So there I was, driving down the road in the middle of the woods. Long and winding, trees on both sides with the odd grassy clearing or bridge over a small river occasionally passing by my side window. Another Saturday of work done, although it was only 12:30pm, since the shop I work at closes at noon on Saturdays. The drive home everyday is a long one, but I like it. It gives me a chance to have an enjoyable drive and think to myself.

There wasn’t much I had going on this weekend, so I kept the cruise in my truck set at a nice low 70km/h. I love this truck. I’ve had it for twelve years now: a mid 90’s Dodge pickup, with it’s Cummins diesel rattling along the highway as I drove. It’s like music to my ears. To be perfectly honest, at this point in my life, this truck is the only thing I really cared about; the closest thing to a friend I had.

Life has been quiet and uneventful these past half-dozen years, which is fine with me. I’ve had a bit too much excitement in the past, to say the least. I moved out here several years ago to settle and have some peace and quiet. Not much goes on around here in the mountains of western Canada…other than some talk of some weird happenings at a camp a few dozen miles from here. Everfree I think it was called? Supposedly there were some similar things going on at a local High School, but I don’t know much about any of it. Probably all rumors, you know how urban legends can get. I guess it all went down a year or two before I moved here.

I had been left a property pretty far out in the woods, just off one of the roads. Luckily it does have hydro and plumbing, but not much else. It’s basically just a barn. Well, maybe 'barn' is a bad word…it's more like a shop or a warehouse. I spent a few years making it liveable, and brought in what I need to be comfortable.

Normally, I'm not the type who really cares what people think, but the few locals I see on a regular basis think I’m kind of a weird loner who’s around twenty-five to thirty-ish years old, although the customers where I work seem to like me, and I talk to them like friends and I’m honest with them about their cars. I take pride in being a good auto technician, and some of the old guys appreciate that I’m very knowledgeable, even with old classic cars.

My mind was just lingering on the urban legends, thinking about how such stories get concocted and spread around when I rounded the bend and saw them. Their was a car pulled over and two young women were standing outside of it.

One was leaning on the passenger side door, and appeared to have a cell phone held to her ear.

"Good luck," I thought. "Coverage out here is pretty spotty. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes not so much."

The other woman was standing in front of the car. She had her arms folded and was standing with her weight on one leg, not looking very impressed.

Car trouble.

As I rounded the bend, they both turned in my direction. The one with the phone only glanced, then took the phone away from her ear and held it down at her chest to look at the screen. The other girl suddenly put her arms in the air and waved to get my attention.

“Shit,” I said out loud. “I’ve spent all week working on cars, fuck these two. They’ll be fine.”

As I got closer, I could see the one with the phone had a long pony tail that was rainbow coloured. She had a blue complexion and was wearing a darker blue collared shirt over a white t-shirt. The other girl who was waving at me had milky white skin and indigo-coloured hair which was styled like she was going to the prom or something. She was wearing a purple skirt with a silvery coloured, loose fitting shirt.

I gritted my teeth as I drove past them, trying not to feel guilty about leaving them there. As I passed, I sighed my relief out as I continued on to my free weekend.

That is, until I made the mistake of looking in my right hand mirror. The purple girl had her fists at her sides and was stomping her foot in the dirt next to her car. She appeared to be yelling something. The other girl hadn’t moved, she was still holding her phone and looking down at it. Except now, she was only holding it with one had and the other hand was holding her middle finger up towards me as I drove away.

“Shit.” I shook my head and stopped the truck. I put it in reverse and backed up to where their car was, parking in front of it on the side of the road. I waited a few seconds, letting the engine idle a bit before turning it off, feeling the familiar jiggle as the big diesel stopped running with the accompanying chirp of the fan belt that goes along with it every time.

I turned to open my door, but was startled to see with purple girl’s face just inches from my window. I felt a small jolt of butterflies go through my stomach and chest as I realised how attractive she was.

“Glad I stopped now…” I thought to myself.

Her face was one shade darker than white and her skin was flawless. She had very nice makeup on, almost as if it was her wedding day or something of that nature. Her eyelids had a vibrant shade of blue eye shadow on them, under which sat a pair of shiny sapphire eyes with many long, thick lashes surrounding them, and her dark, indigo hair was very nicely styled and swooped down one side of her face. She spoke, her voice muffled through the glass: “Can you help us?”

I pulled the door handle and my door popped, and she backed up so I could swing it open and get out.

“Sorry to bother you, darling, but my car has left my friend and I in a bit of a jam,” she said. She walked next to me as I approached her car.

“What happened?” I asked.

“We were just driving along and it started acting funny, like it was shutting down; the dash went crazy and it just stopped here.”

“Dead battery,” I thought to myself. I opened her driver’s door and was hit with a gust of vanilla-scented perfume that seemed to permanently flood the car's interior. I Looked to see if her keys were in the ignition, which they were. I tried to start the car, but the dash lights were dim and there was only a faint click when I turned the key.

“Your battery’s dead,” I said as I popped her hood.

“So what now?” she said, flustered.

“It’s no big deal, I have booster cables in my truck. I’ll just turn it around and get you going again,” I said as I opened her hood and set the prop rod.

I quickly got in my truck, fired up the engine and turned it around, pulling it up nose-to-nose with her car. I noticed her scrunching up her face as the strong smell of diesel exhaust filled the air.

I got back out, carrying the booster cables with me.

By this time, the rainbow-haired girl had put away her phone and was standing by the front of the car on the passenger side.

“Hey,” I said, glancing at her.

“Hi, thanks for stopping to help us,” she said, with a surprising genuineness.

“Well, you really got my attention. Most people wave with all their fingers,” I said with a bit of passive-aggressiveness.

She snorted a bit and chuckled. “Haha, yeah. Sorry about that, I was just a bit frustrated with our situation and then you drove right by us…”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I hooked up the battery cables to both vehicles.

I walked around to her driver’s door and reached in, starting the engine.

The rainbow-haired girl gave a victorious nod, “That’s awesome! Thanks, bro.”

The purple girl clasped her hands in front of her chest, “Splendid, darling!”
“How the fuck do these two know each other? They seem so different: the blue one is some kind of sassy tomboy and the purple one is all lah-dee-dah, and sounds like she’s…British? I’ve known many Brits in my day, but her accent seems a bit…off.”

Then I noticed her car had a loud buzzing noise coming from the engine, I walked over and placed my hand on the alternator which was vibrating badly.

I looked at the purple girl and informed her, “You need an alternator. That’s why your battery died. Was it making this noise before?”

“Well, yes…off and on for the past few days,” she replied. “Is that bad?”

“Yeah, your battery will die again. Where are you headed right now?” I asked.

“To our friend’s cottage for dinner,” she answered.

“Is it very far?”

“About 25 minutes from here,” she said, as look of worry slowly crept onto her face.

“You might not make it. You’ll need to get that replaced,” I explained, shutting her car off again.

“Well how on Earth are we going to do that now? How much is it going to cost?” She seemed to panic a bit.

I calmly said, “There’s a parts place back the way I came, they supply the shop I work at. They might still be open…depending on how busy they are. It is Saturday after all.”

“Are you a mechanic?” she asked with hope in her eyes.

“Yeah, I’ll go see if I can get an alternator for you and change it here,” I said, giving up my free afternoon.

“Oh darling, that’s so sweet of you, thank you very much! This is simply marvelous,” she gushed, bouncing with joy.

"This girl is so animated…” I thought to myself. “Is she for real? It’s like she thinks she's the Queen of England or something.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” the rainbow-haired girl said, “What if you drive off and don’t come back and we’re stuck here?”

The purple girl waved at her dismissively, “Oh, pshh! Really, Rainbow Dash! I don’t think he’s the type to do something like that.”

“He almost drove past us in the first place,” Dash protested.

“But he didn’t,” the purple girl replied.

“Whatever Rarity,” Dash replied, seeming to give up and pulling out her phone again.

“How about this, I’ll go with him to get the parts. That way I can pay for it myself and I’ll know we’ll be back,” Rarity said.

Dash threw her head back. “WHAT? You’re gonna hop in a truck with some guy we just met and ride off into the woods? What are you, an idiot?”

I looked at the ground. Dash was being quite cautious, but she had a point. “Fuck, I should have just kept driving,” I thought to myself.

“Well, Rainbow Dash, you’re not leaving us with any other options. Our phones aren’t working out here so it’s not like we can call a tow truck,” Rarity said.

I finally spoke up. “Look, I have a tool kit in my truck. It’s expensive. I’ll leave it here with you along with my wallet and phone. Then I’ll have to come back. How’s that?”

Dash rubbed her chin. “Seems legit. That works for me.”

I walked over to my truck to unload the things I mentioned. I set the tool box on the ground and gave my wallet and phone to Dash. Up close, Dash was kind of pretty in her own way. She had very minimal makeup and I moticed mediately thy she had quite a well-toned body. She was actually quite small too, maybe about 5’5”, with a petite frame, but I would bet money that she could kick the shit out of the purple girl if she wanted to.

I got into my truck, shaking my head at the squabble I just witnessed between the girls. As I put the key in the ignition, my passenger door opened. I looked over to see Rarity trying climb in.

My truck is a 4x4, so it sits pretty high and she seemed to be having trouble getting herself up on the seat without being 'unladylike'.

It wasn’t working, evidently.

I could hear Dash outside, having quite a hearty laugh about it, which actually made me smirk a bit.

As she got into the seat and buckled herself in, she thanked me again and said: “now then, darling; lets go.”

I sat there looking at her, confused. “I thought you were gonna stay here since you know I have to come back for my stuff?”

“Darling, I insist. I want to pay for the parts and I’ll need to stop at an ATM to pay you for your time. Plus I could use a break from that Rainbow Dash.”

I Chuckled as she closed the door. “Don’t worry about paying me labour.”

“Oh, come now!” she insisted. “I-“

I cut her off. “Really, it’s fine.”

“Well, it is much appreciated,” she said after a short pause, followed by a smile.

I started my truck, and the loud engine made her jump. "Heh..." she chuckled, her cheeks flushing faintly as I pulled away from her car, heading back in the direction I had just come from.

“Good heavens, this monstrosity sure makes a commotion!” she said, loudly, so I could hear her. “And the smell!” she stuck her tongue out and made a gagging face.

This got to me a little. She was talking shit about my truck, and here I was, doing her a favour. “Hey," I said, "at least it moves.”

She looked at me somewhat stunned, realising she maybe had been a tad bit rude. “My apologies, darling. I’m just not used to these...types of vehicles.” She then continued, “My word, I have not properly introduced myself! I am...Rarity, and my companion back there is Rainbow Dash.”

I nodded. “Nice meeting you,” I replied, before returning my attention back to driving.

I noticed her looking my way still, so I looked over at her again. She had a half smile on her face still, then her eyebrows went up. “And you are…?”

“Oh sorry,” I said, suddenly realising my social faux-pas. “My name's Golden Arrow.”

“I’m delighted to meet you, Mr. Arrow,” she replied.

"Oh, Golds is fine," I said, glancing over at her.

"Golds?" Rarity cocked an eyebrow. "Not Goldie, or...?"

"Eh," I sneered a bit. "Goldie's a tad...flamboyant for my tastes," I explained.

"Ah," she nodded, giving her bouncy, swirled bangs a little flick. "I suppose that makes sense; what with this rambunctious-sounding truck and that scruffy-looking visage of yours."

I removed a hand from the steering wheel to rub my chin, creating an audible scraping sound as a my thumbnail ground its way through the rough stubble. "Who's scruffy lookin'?" I asked, giving her a playful smirk.

Rarity let out a giggle and waved her hand at me. "Oh! Hahaha! Well, it certainly isn't me darling!" she quipped, batting her long, thick eyelashes at me.

"No, I guess not," I replied. Noticing the flirtatious response I got, I looked at the road again as a light fluttering sensation rang through my chest.

"Not to worry," Rarity continued, "With a shower, shave and some fresh clothing, I bet you would look quite dapper; even handsome as a prince, I dare say."

I glanced briefly at the indigo-haired beauty, then returned my hand to the wheel and watched the road once again. "Hm."

After a short pause, Rarity spoke again. "Did I say something to offend you, darling?"

Unprepared for the question, I looked over at her again, noticing a rather concerned expression painted on her lovely features. "Oh," I replied, "no, you're good. I'm just a bit tired; I was on my way home from work when I found you guys pulled over back there."

Rarity nodded. "Ah, say no more," she said, followed by a gracious smile. "And I really do appreciate you stopping to help us, darling. It is quite sweet of you, giving up your Saturday afternoon for us."

I shrugged. "Think nothing of it. I've got all the time in the world."

We drove for a bit in silence, I went back to listening to the clatter of my truck until I passed the big mountain ridge to the west. I asked Rarity for her phone, saying: “Should be good reception here now.”

I called the parts place, gave the year make and model. They had one in stock, luckily, but the guy on the phone, who I was quite familiar with, told me they were closing in a few minutes.

“Come on, Al. I’ve got a little lady here who’s down on her luck. Can you stick around for a half hour?” I looked over at her for a moment as I listened to the phone. "Nah, she's finesse, bro," I replied, finally.

Rarity glared at me suddenly, raising an eyebrow as I began to laugh out loud at the reply I got over the phone.

"No Al," I said with a chuckle, "For fuck's sake, you know I don't really talk like that."

The indigo-haired girl smirked and looked down at her lap, realising I was just kidding around with the parts guy. Afterwards, she took to straightening her dress in a fidgety way as though she was flattered by what I said earlier; even though I said it in a douchey way, I had, intentionally or not, given her a compliment.

Al agreed to stay so we drove on. For the remaining half hour drive she started talking to me about different things. It turned out she liked clothing and fashion. A lot. She was talking about designers and fashion shows, and all kinds of posh shit, and after a while it became a bit like white noise. I was surprised, however, to hear she runs her own boutique where she designs and sells her own original work; she seemed quite young to have accomplished so much already. I didn’t want to ask her age, but she did end up mentioning her age in high school several years back, so I did the math in my head and figured she must have been about twenty-five or twenty-six.

At the parts store we got the alternator, which she paid for, and then we left. Al made sure to bat his eyebrows at me before we went, teasing me for bringing such a looker with me into the store. It made me chuckle to see Rarity there, looking like a fish out of water, surrounded by car parts and a few gruff male employees who hadn’t yet left work for the day. I’m betting they stuck around just to see the girl I mentioned to Al over the phone. Fucking perverts, I tell ya.

The drive back was about the same; she gaggled on like a rich school girl, and after a while I actually kind of liked her smooth voice and little accent. I started to think it wasn’t really an accent, but was just the way she liked to talk. It was the same as how she kept her hair and her make-up. All for image. The fact that she went to that much effort made me laugh a bit inside, but not in a bad way. She was very nice, after all.

Back at the car, Rainbow Dash was waiting, looking bored. She stood up from sitting on my tool box as we rolled up and parked. It was a pretty easy alternator to change; I had it done and started her car by about 3:30pm. After checking the instrument cluster to make sure the red battery light was off and listening to see if the new alternator was nice and quiet, I shut the hood.

“You’re all good,” I said. “You better get moving or you’ll be late for your dinner.”

“Oh we’re already late for that, darling. It was supposed to be an early meal,” Rarity said, “but, I’m sure they will understand.”

I packed the tools up in my truck and got my wallet and phone from Rainbow Dash, who gave a me high-five as a gesture of gratitude.

As I opened the door to get in my truck and drive off, I heard Rarity call my name. Looking back, I was met with the sight of her approaching me, saying: “Would you like to come along with us to our little soiree? Our other friends are there, I think you’d get along with them wonderfully. The young lady who owns the cottage is very quiet, much like yourself.”

“Fuck, there goes my whole day now…ah, what the hell. I’ll go. It’s been interesting so far, I’m actually kind of curious to see what the rest of these chicks are like,” I thought.

I must have taken too long to answer, because Rarity continued to speak. “It’s the least we could do. I simply must insist that you join us.”

“OK, lead the way,” I replied, then climbed in my truck and started it. I waited for her to head off down the road, then I pulled out and followed her.

Somehow -- and I don't know why -- I got the sense that following these girls to their little dinner was going to lead me into some kind of bizarre adventure.

Or maybe I just watch too many movies.

Either way, I was about to find out soon enough.