The tent had been easy to set up. Crypt had only had one thin sleeping bag, but Pinkie had claimed she'd be fine without one. Crypt decided she could spend a night freezing and learn the need for some kind of covering.

When morning came, her side of the tent was completely covered in brightly colored feather pillows.

What couldn't she pull out of that mane of hers?

"Not much," Pinkie said, sitting up suddenly. "But, unfortunately, I can't get us better breakfast, at least for now." She seemed depressed at this fact.

She really should learn to live with the nutritional value of food bricks. As long as he never ran out he'd never have to worry about getting a balanced diet. Though he knew as much as anypony that he had enough for a couple weeks, less with two mouths to feed.

They stepped outside. The sun had just barely risen, while the purple form of Endesque was setting on the opposite horizon.

They ate breakfast and packed up the tent, leaving all the pillows in a pile.

"Can't you just stick them back in your mane?"

Pinkie shrugged. "I like them here. It's our own little landmark on the world."

"They'll decay in a few months."

"That's good enough for me!" She pointed in the direction the Technician's symbol had indicated the night earlier. "ONWARD!"

It took a few minutes for Crypt to realize that he was following her. Put simply, this didn't sit right with him, so he trotted slightly faster, intending to pass her.

She picked up speed as well, managing to bounce forward like a spring on only three of her legs.

Crypt narrowed his eyes - and started trotting faster. Not quite a run, but it couldn't really be considered a walk. Pinkie responded with a giggle and started jumping faster.

She was challenging him. He ground his teeth and started galloping. With a delighted laugh, she turned around and started bouncing backward, a silly, dorky grin on her face. She managed to land flat on her three good legs without a single misstep, all the while having no visual idea of where she was going.

But she was still insisting on bouncing. He could pass her with a good gallop. All he had to do was focus on his hooves and keep his breathing steady, he could make it past her.

He could also fall right into a shallow river that Pinkie was able to jump right over. "Oh! Crypt! I'm sorry!" She stopped bouncing and helped pull him out of the water. "You okay?"

He grunted, checking his pack. None of it got seriously wet - though his stomach was seriously uncomfortable from the mud and sludge now on it.

"Lemme get that for you." She produced one of the pillows and tore off the casing, sending feathers everywhere. She dipped the casing into one of the clearer parts of the river, making a wet cloth. She picked up Crypt, forced him onto his back before he knew what was happening, and cleaned off all the mud with a magical swish of the pillowcase. "All done!"

He blinked. "...You win."

"Win what?"

Crypt shrugged, righting himself back on his hooves. "Maybe you'll find out one day."

Pinkie shook her head. "I really do have to take what I can get with you, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk." She took the lead once again, and this time Crypt didn't try to get ahead of her.

She had proven herself. He hated to admit it, but it was possible she was better at this than he was.

As they continued on, they rarely exchanged words - but Pinkie was so full of life it was hard to look at her and not feel like there was a conversation. She'd jump in puddles, rush to smell the unusual wildflowers, examine strange holes in the ground, and laugh at the simplest things. She was a happy mare, plain and simple.

She could speak through the way she moved that she found everything around her beautiful, in some way or other. This was mixed with the seemingly paradoxical feeling of having seen most of it before.

The only times he saw anything other than curiosity, joy, or amusement on her face was when she glanced at the storm clouds hovering behind the mountains they had left behind. The dramatic shift from cheerful to dark was jarring, even for Crypt, who had seen a lot of crazy ponies in his time.

She was so much different than h-

"OH! Look at that!" Pinkie was standing on top of a rocky outcropping, eagerly pointing ahead. Crypt walked up to her side and easily found what she was pointing at. Less than a mile away, there was a carriage of sorts, about the size of a small house. It had four wheels studded with flattened but large earth-covered spikes affixed to a rectangular exterior comprised of dozens of different metals, almost all of which looked like patch jobs. He wondered if the original carriage still existed under all that, or if it had been completely replaced.

There was thick, black smoke coming out of the back of the carriage, indicative of an inner fire. It must have been controlled somehow, which made Crypt curious. He also wondered why anyone would need a fire at this time of day - it was a little hot already, and it was still only morning.

He did not get his answer right away. What he did get was a glance at the creature pulling the carriage. It was a reptilian creature that stood on two of its legs, keeping the other two above the ground. It was maroon in color, a shade that covered it all the way from the tips of its leathery wings to the front of its angular, predatory snout. There was something metallic in its front claws Crypt couldn't identify.

"Sweet! A dragon!" Pinkie was jittering with excitement. "Let's go say hi to her!"

"That monster?"

"Psh, dragons aren't monsters, they're people! Come on!" She jumped off the outcropping and began trotting toward the dragon and 'her' carriage.

Crypt didn't budge from his position.