Travel became awkward and uneventful.

They had stopped spending much time in towns at all - not only was the Sky King still after them and a risk to the places they went, but their experiences with Windstream hadn't left them with a very good impression of ponies around here. Sure, most were friendly, but clearly not all. It pained Pinkie and Myrrh, but it was best if they just moved towns quickly. After they'd found the technician, they might mix that up but for now...

Speed was of the essence.

Every town they entered was named in a similar way. Ser'mu'ze was one of the first, then Ser'mu'io, and on and on until the names blended together. They stopped being distinct, blurring together in a mess of ponies and buildings... The days wore on, and the moons changed positions with each other constantly.

"You could stay behind, you know," Pinkie told Crypt after they were preparing to leave Ser'mu'ka, having learned that the Technician passed through just as wordlessly here as everywhere else. "They'll be looking for me and Myrrh's Prowler. You can settle down."

Crypt didn't respond. He so rarely did. He talked to her even less now. Was he afraid of her? Had she done something wrong?

She didn't know. It haunted her. She was supposed to be the mare who made friends, and here she was, seemingly making things strained between them. Was it just because he was such a quiet person? ...No, that couldn't be it, she knew lots of quiet people, some really well...

Myrrh had stopped hitting on Pinkie too. Unlike Crypt, she was easy to read - she was scared of Pinkie. Sure, she'd laugh, she'd smile, but she'd also look at the pink pony with a wary expression every now and then as though she were some animal that might bite back.

"Myrrh, you don't have to be afraid you know."

"A-afraid? Psh, I'm not afraid, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Myrrh..."

One of her companions never spoke, the other would never tell the truth about how she really felt about anything.

Could she even really call them friends?

Crypt, maybe, though for all she knew he had some ulterior motive for being here. Myrrh wasn't here by choice since she needed protection from the Sky King. Pinkie provided that, at least somewhat. More than anything else.

"Hiiiiya!" Pinkie shouted, decking a large beast with a dozen horns in the head with her hammer. It wobbled back and fell into a river. "Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

It whimpered.

So did Myrrh.

Pinkie would often sit up alone during the nights, making her watch longer than the others. She would look up at the stars, a twisting feeling in her heart that something was wrong.

She needed her friends. She needed them with her. She needed them badly. She couldn't lean on Crypt or Myrrh, not by a long shot, and the way they were going along they weren't likely to make many new friends. And they already had enemies. She had seen pegasi overhead a few times.

She had never seen a single pegasus living in a Ser town. They were always spoken of as outside. Other.

On one hoof that was depressing. On the other it let her know the Sky King was still watching.

"Where are you?" She asked the air, getting no response.

"What are you?" the thing in her dream asked.

"Why don't you come and find out!?"

She'd wake up breathing heavily. She knew the thing couldn't harm her, not in her dreams. But its continual visits were taxing her mental fortitude.

"You've been through worse, Pinkie," she told herself. "Farpoint. Zhui..."

You've never been separated from your friends this long.

She gulped. "I need to find you..."

She had started talking to herself a lot. Much more than was healthy.

With a sigh, she looked forward. The sun was high in the sky, and before them was their first actual city. Ser'ka'om. It was about time they got to an actual city - the unfortunate direction of their path had been along the western edge of the lands of Ser, ensuring that they encountered towns almost exclusively. The only cities on the direct southern route were Ser'ka'om and Ser'ga'pi. She hoped the Technician would stop before leaving the border.

It would be difficult to move through the dense jungle to the south. Already she could see patches of it that reached along the south-western edge of Ser, taunting her with mists, immense trees, and the sounds of exotic animals.

How she would have loved to jump off the Prowler just to see what was in there. But she couldn't. She couldn't abandon these two... acquaintances of hers.

She focused her gaze on Ser'ka'om, forcing a smile. This was a city. There would be more ponies, more culture, and more chance to find out what was going on. There might be an actual library, some politicians who actually knew something... They could stick around for a while. The Sky King wouldn't dare attack something this far away from his borders and so well defended.

There was hope.

"You look like you're in a good mood," Crypt said, emotionless.

"Yeah... I am," Pinkie said. A moment later she realized she didn't know if she had been telling the truth or not.