Unrelenting

“Ugh,” Synth groaned sitting up.
Synth’s back was killing him; the couch hadn’t given him enough room to move. He got on his hooves and felt his legs almost give out. He stretched his front legs and heard multiple pops. When he stretched his hind legs, he felt his left leg pull something. He sat down and looked over the injured leg. He massaged it for a few seconds, and felt the pain go away, although it grew numb.
Synth didn’t worry about it, and tried walking. Although it felt a little awkward, as long as he didn’t put much force on it, he could walk. When he finished examining the rest of his body, he decided that nothing else was wrong. He put on his cloak and necklace before rolling his head around. It was feeling a little heavier than normal.
‘Can we get going now?’ Shade asked.
‘Go where?’ Synth asked.
‘The library, remember? You need to get that book,’ Shade said.
‘Oh yeah, just give me a second, I can’t just leave Vera here,’ Synth said.
Synth grabbed one of the recent letters and turned it onto the back. He wrote a quick note.
Vera,
I’ve gone to the library, I’ll be back soon.
Apples in the fridge, help yourself.
Your brother,
Synth

Synth grabbed an apple from the fridge and ate his fill. It tasted like it was freshly picked, not at all like it was a week old. Applejack sure knew how to make apples.

‘Okay, let’s go,’ Synth said leaving the note on the couch.
On his way out, Synth took the empty saddlebags with him to hold the book. He opened the door and walked outside. He breathed in the fresh scent of the town. Back in Canterlot that could kill you, but here in Ponyville it was healthy. He looked around to find the sun slowly appearing over the horizon. It was too early for most of the ponies to be awake, but late enough for the nocturnal animals to sleep.
Synth walked into the town with the idea that he’d walk around town a little before finding his way towards the library. Shade would have been against that idea, so he pretended that he was just getting lost. When Synth had walked by Sugarcube Corner for the fifth time, Shade had enough.
‘Look, if we want to make it to the library before nightfall, you need to ask for directions,’ Shade said.
‘And who do you think I should ask? The entire town is still asleep,’ Synth said.
‘Well then let me look for it, you’ve been walking the same streets the past hour,’ Shade said.
‘No, I’m sure I’ll find it eventually,’ Synth said.
‘Well if you actually paid attention to-,’ Shade said.
‘What?’ Synth asked stopping where he was walking.
‘You actually found it, I’m surprised,’ Shade said.
‘What?’ Synth looked up to find the tree that held the library directly in front of him.
Synth was surprised that his zombie like walking took him down a random street. Somehow he found his way to the only place he didn’t want to go. Although, now he could give the excuse that the library doesn’t open this early. His hopes were dashed though, when the door opened and Twilight stepped out.
‘Now’s your chance, before she leaves,’ Shade said.
Synth was going to respond but Twilight dashed towards the other way into town. She was out of sight before Synth could wonder why she was in a rush.
‘Now there’s only one option,’ Shade began.
‘Follow her into town?’ Synth asked.
‘Nope, we go ask Spike about the book,’ Shade said.
‘Oh, yeah,’ Synth said walking towards the door.
Synth reached the door to find it partially opened, whatever Twilight was doing was obviously important. He pushed it open the rest of the way and peered inside. Spike was nowhere to be seen, but he figured that an open door meant open for business. He walked inside and looked around. Going straight to the books, he looked for a section that could fit the book he was looking for.
Synth looked from the Old Ponytales section to the medieval section and couldn’t find anything about the Everfree Forest. He was about to walk to a different section, when he noticed something. In the Geography section, there was a space next to Ponyville’s History that made Synth think it should have been there. He heard a belch of fire coming from upstairs and backed away from the books to look towards the stairs.
Spike came down the steps and almost tripped over the bottom one. He was carrying a rolled up scroll with a midnight blue seal on it. He stopped when he saw Synth watching him.
“Hey, you’re back! When’d you get here?” Spike asked.
“Yesterday, but what do you have there?” Synth asked.
“It’s a letter from Luna, I didn’t read it yet. Did you see Twilight?” Spike asked.
“Oh, she ran out in a hurry. I’m just looking for a book, any ideas where it might be?” Synth asked.
“If you can’t find it on the shelves, check the log book. I need to give this to Twilight, mind watching the library for a second?” Spike asked.
“Yeah, sure. Thanks for the help,” Synth said.
Spike ran out the door without closing it, so Synth closed it himself. He looked around and found the book Spike was talking about. There was a bigger brown book that was opened on one of the desks in the room. He looked inside and found page upon page of checked out and checked in books. Synth was surprised so many ponies in this town actually read frequently.
Synth started from the recent entry and flipped back to older pages. He looked at which books were being checked out, and didn’t see anything in the Geography section. He did notice that Rarity was a frequent customer. She had a few books checked out in the Romance section that she would check out on more than one occasion.
Synth made it to the very first entry and didn’t find what he was looking for. He sighed and turned back to the most recent entry. Turning away, he walked back to the Geography section and looked more closely at the names of the books. He found one on almost every city he’d been to, and some on cities he never knew existed.
Synth looked at every book but didn’t find anything on the Everfree, although he found a few on other Forests he’d been to. He had the idea that he could come back here later and read some of those, especially if he was ever going to go back. His thoughts were stopped when he heard the door open. He turned around to face the six he’d met in Ponyville, although Spike was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Synth asked.
“Hey girls, Synth’s back!” Pinkie said jumping in front of Synth.
“Hey Synth, nice to see yah again,” Applejack said.
“About time you showed up,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Your cloak looks fabulous,” Rarity said.
“Wait, I don’t think this is really Synth,” Pinkie said lifting her hoof up to Synth’s eyes.
“Um, it is me Pinkie. And I’m glad to see you all again,” Synth said.
“Hmm, it sounds like Synth… but it doesn’t act like Synth. Girls, do you know what we have here?” Pinkie asked.
“A clone?” Rainbow Dash offered.
“A change in attitude?” Synth suggested.
“A Rhetorical question?” Twilight said.
“No, Synth’s obviously a robot,” Pinkie said.
“Okay then, now that that’s out of the way, what are you doing here?” Synth asked.
“To make it short, there’s a dragon that’s sleeping in a cave. If we don’t convince him to leave, Equestria will be covered in smoke,” Twilight said.
“And how do you plan to make him leave?” Synth asked.
“We’ll figure that out on the way up, right now we need to make it up there pronto,” Twilight said.
“What about me?” Synth asked.
“It’s too dangerous, Celestia said that dragons don’t like green unicorns,” Twilight said.
“She really said that?” Synth asked.
“Yup, it says it right in the letter,” Twilight handed him the scroll but Synth didn’t even read it.
“And you believed her?” Synth asked.
“Well yeah, she’s the princess. She wouldn’t lie if it meant saving the country,” Twilight said.
“Sure she wouldn’t… but I guess that means I’ll have to stay behind,” Synth said.
“That’s too bad, I wanted you to be there when I showed that dragon who’s boss,” Rainbow said throwing a few punches into the air.
“Maybe… he could go instead of me?” Fluttershy suggested.
“That’s alright, if the princess says I shouldn’t go then I’ll hold up the fort here,” Synth said.
“That’s the spirit,” Applejack said.
“Well now we can go up the mountain, everypony ready?” Twilight asked.
They all gave their agreements, except for Fluttershy. Synth noticed, but he didn’t think too much of it. He was still a little bummed that he couldn’t go. It’d be a great way to catch up with them.
“Oh Twilight, Spike was looking for you. He got another letter, one from Luna,” Synth said.
Almost as if on cue, Spike opened the door and stepped inside, out of breath. He panted for a few seconds before running up to Twilight. He handed her the scroll.
“Here’s… another… letter,” Spike said, panting in-between words.
“Thank you Spike,” Twilight said before taking the scroll and read it.
“Change of plans girls, Synth’s coming with us,” Twilight said.
“What?” Synth asked, confused. Twilight handed him the scroll which he read quickly.
Take Synth
-Luna
P.S.: Don’t forget to practice, Synth.

“Oh,” Synth said.

“Well let’s get going I guess, we should be able to finish faster with more ponies,” Twilight said.

Synth sighed and moved his back foot in circles. It was starting to agitate him. It was still feeling numb, but now his front left leg was starting to burn. When the others were busy looking at the map and talking about the dragon issue, Synth sat down and started massaging his leg.

“Are you…okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, yeah I’m fine. But what about you, you don’t exactly sound excited to go,” Synth said.

“I’m… okay, just a little nervous that’s all…,” Fluttershy said.

“If you say so,” Synth said.

Fluttershy walked away when Synth continued massaging his leg. It was starting to feel better, so Synth stopped and stood back up. He felt the same feeling that he got in the morning. Both his left legs were feeling numb, but he could stand and walk. Synth walked over to where Twilight was looking over the map. He looked over her shoulder and studied it himself. He could hear her mumbling to herself about routes to take, but he didn’t catch most of the words.

Synth turned away and back towards the bookshelves. He continued his search for the book, although he doubted it was in the library. He was looking at the adventure section, until he had a thought. He loved reading adventure, but never had the chance to check out a book on a daily basis. Now he was staring at a collection of adventure books by the same authors that he read all the time. Synth was sure that he was going to be coming to this library often, even if he didn’t find the book he wanted.

“Find what you were looking for?” Spike asked from right next to him. Synth jumped, not expecting him to be so close.

“Uh no, I thought it would be here but I guess it’s not,” Synth said.

“Really? Twilight said she had almost every book a pony could ask for, are you sure you looked in the right place?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I checked the log but no one ever checked it out and it’s not on the shelves,” Synth said.

“Well what’s it called?” Spike asked.

“The Everfree Forest: A Reference Guide,” Synth said remembering the name of the book.

“Oh that. I saw Twilight reading that a few days ago, you should ask her,” Spike said.

“Thanks, I’ll mention it on the way to the dragon. I think she’s a little busy right now,” Synth said, and sure enough, Twilight was talking out loud while she looked over the map. Synth noticed that Fluttershy was trying to have a conversation with her.

“Hey Synth, what have you been up to? You seem a little, different,” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Well, a lot has happened; I think I’ve gotten stronger though,” Synth said.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Rainbow Dash said offering her hoof in a hoof wrestle.

Synth was about to take the challenge just to humor her, but Twilight’s voice stopped them. “Okay let’s go, the faster we get the dragon to leave, the faster we can save Equestria,” Twilight said, starting her walk towards the mountain. The others joined in, and Rainbow took back her hoof and followed them. Synth took the rear, behind Fluttershy.

Synth only took two steps before he realized that today wouldn’t be his day. The numb legs would wobble when he took a step and he felt that his entire left side could give out. What made it worse was that his leg would start to burn for no reason and then suddenly stop a second later. He was regretting the idea to come along, but then again, the letter from Luna would have made him come anyways.

Synth could see the mountain up ahead, and he could already tell that his day was only going to get worse. They would no doubt have to walk up the mountain, and then face a hostile dragon to boot. Synth sat down when they stopped at the bottom of the mountain. He didn’t even pay attention to the others as he felt around his legs. He didn’t find anything wrong with them, except for the numb feeling. He stood back up and decided he wouldn’t stop because of one bad thing.

Synth took their lead as they started traversing the cliff wall. He didn’t even notice Fluttershy was missing until the others looked down at him. Synth turned around and found her hiding in a bush. They tried to coax her to come up, but he had his concentration on keeping his balance. The numb feeling was making it hard to stand straight, and on a cliff it was even harder.

Synth did hear the dragon roar though, and looked up towards the top of the cliff. He looked back down to find Fluttershy had been paralyzed in fear. He heard Applejack offer to take her up another way. Synth was tempted to go with them, but decided it was better to get there faster. That way, he could rest before going the rest of the way.

They continued walking, but Synth was finding it harder and harder to keep his balance. When he placed his right hind hoof on a rock jutting out from the cliff, he swayed for a second before his left hind hoof slipped and he slid down. Synth felt the rock cut into his chest as he slid, and managed to activate his traction spell on his right hoof to stop himself before he fell too far.

“Synth, are you okay?” Twilight asked, being the first to hear the rocks.

“Ugh, yeah. Just a scratch,” Synth said pulling himself into a better position, not letting the traction spell wear off.

“That sounded like it hurt!” Pinkie said, being the closest to him when it happened.

“It’s nothing…” Synth said panting. He felt something was off, but was more concerned on the pain on his chest than anything else.

“Oh dear, that doesn’t look good,” Rarity said, noticing the marks that the rocks made.

“I’ll live, let’s just get to the top, alright?” Synth asked, not liking all the attention he was getting.

“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash said, but she flew closer to the back than before.

Synth took a step forward with his left hoof, and realized what was off. The traction spell was supposed to cover all of his hooves, but only the right hooves were covered. His left hooves were burning even more than before too. He didn’t have much time to think about it though, as the others were climbing up the cliff again.

Synth had to walk slowly to make sure that one of the traction hooves were on the cliff at all times. The spell gave him enough of a boost to not slide down like he did earlier, although he had to keep casting the spell whenever it wore off. He could see the checkpoint at the top, and saw Twilight had just reached it.

Synth didn’t feel like he was weak, in fact he felt stronger than ever. It was his balance that was messing him up. He kept going though, and now he was about to reach the top. It was really steep now, and his legs felt like they were going up a 90 degree angle. He reached up with his right hoof to grab the edge. His right hind hoof slid out from underneath him, and Synth cursed his short spell castings.

Synth saw the cliff edge get farther and farther as he fell into the air. When his foot slipped, he reached out to the cliff edge and instead of grabbing on, only managed to push himself farther. His ground was gone now, and he was suspended over air. There was a part of the cliff that wasn’t steep, but now he was headed straight towards it. And it wouldn’t be a soft landing.

Synth was too surprised to react at first. He was so close, but now he was so far. He would have fallen to his doom, but he was knocked out of his shock when he saw the figure of Rainbow Dash flying to get him. Synth knew that she wouldn’t be able to catch him in time, so he smiled and cast his magic. It felt like Déjà vu, when he saw the determination in Rainbow Dash’s face. It reminded him of when Fluttershy had saved his life back in the Everfree.

Synth cast his Endurance spell, and focused it on his back and hind leg. He closed his eyes as he waited for the sound of impact. He heard the wind rushing in his ears and the calls of his friends from above. They would ask for an explanation, that’s for certain. So Synth kept his smile up as he fell. Rainbow continued to fly after him, but she was flying at about the speed that Synth was falling. He couldn’t tell her to stop; in fact he couldn’t say anything. The rush of the wind would take the breath away from him.

Finally, the impact came. He heard the breaking of rocks and stones. He saw chips of rock flying in every direction, and heard the cliff wall crack. Synth felt himself carve into the wall. He increased the spell to cover his right front hoof and slammed into the rock. After a few hits, he managed to make a hole big enough for him to squeeze out. When managed to get out and roll on his back, he felt the magic wear out.

Synth didn’t hesitate to stand up and look himself over. He made sure that his front right hoof didn’t take the impact, before looking up to the others. Other than Rainbow Dash, they all had their mouths open. Synth stayed quiet to see what their reactions would be. He didn’t get the reaction that he expected.

“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash said stopping her descent in front of him.

“Synth, are you hurt?” Synth heard Twilight yell down from the top.

“I’m fine, I’ve had worse falls,” Synth yelled back, dusting some rock debris from his back.

When he tried moving front leg forward, he found it unresponsive. Looking down, he found his leg was bent to the left a few degrees. He couldn’t feel anything though, so he forced it back into place. The others didn’t seem to notice, so he shrugged off the injury. He looked up to the cliff wall that he just fell down. It wasn’t that far of a fall, but walking up wouldn’t happen any time soon. His leg was already starting to burn from standing up.

‘There is another option,’ Shade said.

‘I was thinking the same thing,’ Synth said backing up a few steps.

“Race you to the top,” Synth said activating his Traction spell on his hooves. Again he felt his left hooves get no effects of the spell.

“What?” Rainbow Dash questioned when Synth sprinted up the slope.

Synth ran up the cliff as fast as he could. He moved his front legs first, then his back legs. That way the Traction spell would always be working. Although he felt his left legs hit rocks, and his Rise was delayed. He wasn’t even halfway up when he noticed the air coming up next to him. It was Rainbow Dash, and she was catching up. Synth wasn’t one for competition, but it distracted him from worrying about the spell running out again.

He reached up for the edge of the cliff, grabbed on with his front hooves. His left one slipped before he could pull himself up, but the spell hadn’t worn off yet. Before he could get his hind legs over the edge, he heard the air brush past him. As soon as he pulled himself over, his magic wore off. He was panting from the exertion, but glad that he made it up.

“I’ll beat you next time,” Synth said panting in-between words.

“I doubt that, no pony is faster than me,” Rainbow said.

“What was that?” Twilight asked.

“Friendly competition,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Not that, I’m talking about how you survived that fall,” Twilight said.

“Didn’t it hurt?” Rarity asked.

“Not any more than I wanted it too. Which was none at all,” Synth said.

“I knew it, you are a robot!” Pinkie said prodding his left leg.

“I’m not a robot, it was a spell,” Synth said shuffling away from Pinkie’s reach.

“That’s what a robot would want us to think,” Pinkie said.

“Deary, I don’t think Synth could possibly be a robot ,” Rarity replied. They started a discussion on why Synth was obviously/doubtfully a robot.

“Ok then… so anyways, what now?” Synth asked trying to get away from the center of attention.

“Do we have to wait on the other two? Can’t I just take a quick peak?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, we need to go up there together. We’ll just wait here until then,” Twilight said.

“Ugh, wake me when they get here,” Rainbow Dash said lying down on the ground.

Synth looked back down to where they came, and then regretted it. He could see the spot he landed, and it was only halfway from the entire cliff. If he fell all the way, he might not have made it back up.

Synth looked over to Twilight to see her drawing something in the sand. He thought it was childish, but decided that there was nothing else to do. Synth grabbed a nearby rock and started slicing the ground. He started with a circle, and then eventually gave it ears and eyes. He finished the face and started working on the body. Instead of the body he wanted it to have; it came out fat and pudgy. He erased it and gave up on the body. Instead, he drew a cloaked figure.

He adjusted the head to add a hood and a hat. Then he redid the eyes and made them more sinister. His picture went from a fun time, to an evil looking pony. He frowned, it wasn’t at all how he wanted it to look, but considering he already made it, he wasn’t going to erase it. Synth looked up from his drawing to find Twilight looking at him puzzling.

“Who’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Nopony, it’s just a doodle,” Synth said.

“Well it’s pretty good, considering you’re drawing it in dirt and all,” Twilight said.

“Well what’d you draw?” Synth asked.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“I saw you drawing in the dirt earlier, what were you drawing?” Synth said.

“Oh, I wasn’t drawing. I was planning what we’d do when we got to the top,” Twilight said.

“That makes more sense, I guess,” Synth said.

“Well don’t let me distract you. You look like you’re having a lot of fun,” Twilight said gesturing to the drawing.

“But you don’t,” Synth said subconsciously.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.

‘You done messed up now,’ Shade said.

“Nothing… it’s just. You’re so preoccupied with the dragon, you should really take a moment and enjoy yourself.

“I do enjoy myself. I enjoy the feeling I get whenever I save Equestria. And that means I have to focus on the mission at hand,” Twilight said defensively.

‘Pride much?’ Shade commented.

“Not now,” Synth said to Shade’s comment.

“Now is the perfect time to plan things out. Even in my spare time, I need to be preparing for the worst and best outcomes,” Twilight said.

“Right…” Synth said caught off guard from the statement. He forgot to think his response to Shade.

“Well since you understand, maybe you could help me,” Twilight said.

“Um sure, with what?” Synth asked not understanding.

“I’ve been working out how we could deal with the dragon, but I can’t find anything that you can help with. Is there anything that might be helpful that you can do?” Twilight asked.

“A little hurtful, but I guess that makes sense. Well there are some things I can do. Like see in the dark or go invisible-,” Synth felt his mouth go warm and numb. A part of him was being forced back, and he could feel Shade violating his space.

“I can also make these funny sounds with my mouth. Want to hear?” Shade said.
Without waiting for a response, he made farting sounds. Synth was starting to feel embarrassment for Shade’s deeds. Synth reached up with his left hoof and stuck it in his mouth to stop Shade. Twilight was looking at him with raised eyebrows. Synth forced back control of his mouth, and inwardly cursed at Shade.
“Um, forget that last part… So yeah. I can see in the dark and go invisible, that’s about it,” Synth said.
“Well, is there anything else that could help us get rid of the dragon?” Twilight asked.
“Now that you mention it, there is one thing…” Synth said.
“What is it?” Twilight asked.
“Let me show you,” Synth said.
Synth activated his magic and a green light came out of his horn. The light hit the ground a few feet away, and started to form. What came out was exactly what Synth expected. His Timber wolf formed itself sitting down next to Rainbow Dash. Instead of standing up and walking over to him, it laid its head down and went to sleep.
“Oh Sh-,” Twilight started. Synth quickly covered her mouth before she could continue.
“Shh, you’ll wake him up. He needs his rest,” Synth said, although he was interested by the Timber wolf’s behavior.
Twilight nodded and Synth moved his hoof away.
“So, is he friendly?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, just don’t make him cranky. Otherwise he might violate-,” Synth started.
‘Just stop right there,’ Shade said.
‘What, it was your fault for messing with him,’ Synth replied.
“He might what?” Twilight asked.
“He might leave. I don’t have full control on the spell. But at least he hasn’t attacked anypony yet,” Synth said.
“Yet?” Twilight asked.
“Well you never know…” Synth said.
There was a startled scream coming from the Timber wolf’s direction. Synth looked over to find Rainbow Dash gripping a rock. She was looking at the sleeping Timber wolf with a confused look. She had her rock ready, but her hooves were trembling and her grip wasn’t tight. Synth used his magic and lifted the rock out of her grip. He brought it towards him so she’d look their direction. It worked, and when she saw them, she quickly flew towards them without taking her eyes off the Timber wolf.
“What is that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It’s a Timberwolf,” Synth said.
“I know that, but what’s it doing on the mountain?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“He’s sleeping, and you almost woke him up,” Synth responded.
“Then let’s get out of here, we can meet up with the others later,” Rainbow Dash said.
“It’s okay, I summoned him. He’s not hostile,” Synth said.
“Wait, you summoned him? What were you thinking?” Rainbow Dash asked, now that she stopped shaking.
“Well there’s not exactly much to do up here. I was just showing Twilight a spell I learned,” Synth said.
“Well show her somewhere else, I don’t want to wake up to that face again,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Okay then, you can go back to your nap,” Synth said.
Rainbow Dash nodded and went to get a cloud. She brought it over the cliff and went to sleep. Synth looked back to the Timber wolf to find it stretching and yawning. Apparently they’re heavy sleepers.
“Okay, so now that he’s up, how useful would he be against a dragon?” Synth asked Twilight.
“Well, considering he looks like a fully grown Timber wolf, I’d say he could make a good distraction. Dragon’s aren’t exactly friends with them,” Twilight said.
“Well how about it? You up for a dragon hunt?” Synth asked the Timber wolf.
‘Fuck that,’ Synth heard the leader say before vanishing into smoke and returning into his horn.
“Well I guess that’s a no,” Synth said.
“Wow, they really do have a mind of their own,” Twilight said.
“So, do you have an idea to what I can help with?” Synth asked.
“Well, you could be there if something goes wrong, but that’s all I got,” Twilight said.
“Maybe he can throw the dragon into a different country?” Pinkie asked from behind Synth.
“And how would he do that?” Twilight asked.
“With his super robot strength, duh,” Pinkie said.
“I’m not a robot Pinkie,” Synth said.
“Sure you aren’t…” Pinkie said before turning back around and continuing a game of tic tac toe with Rarity.
“Well now that that’s cleared up, can we get back to the problem?” Synth asked Twilight.
“We can only hope that Fluttershy will convince him to leave, and if not, we’ll need your help to find another way to make him leave,” Twilight said.
“Alright, I guess that’s a plan,” Synth said. “So, if we’re just waiting on the other two now, I wanted to ask you about something.”
“Sure, what is it?” Twilight asked.
“I was looking for a book earlier today, and Spike said he saw you reading it. But I didn’t find it on the shelves,” Synth said.
“Which book was it?” Twilight asked.
“The Everfree Forest: a Reference Guide,” Synth said.
“Oh that one. I left it in my room, I think. I wasn’t reading it, but I guess it would have made sense to take it out of the system,” Twilight said.
“That explains why I couldn’t find it,” Synth said
“Why do you want that book, anyways?” Twilight asked.
“No reason, I just want to know how to stay safe from something that’s in my backyard,” Synth said.
“I see, well its better if you stay away entirely. The forest isn’t very safe,” Twilight said.
“I’ll take your advice into consideration,” Synth said.
“Good, last thing you want is to be chased inside by Timber wolves,” Twilight said playfully.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that to happen…” Synth replied.
“So, now that you successfully got my mind off the mission, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?” Twilight asked.
“Not really, I’m out of questions right now,” Synth said.
“Okay, well I have a few of my own,” Twilight said.

Twilight asked questions about how his stay in Canterlot went, and if he still found Ponyville more enjoyable than his hometown. Synth answered the questions like he was actually there for a vacation; although, he couldn’t find a way out of her question about his parents. He drew a blank when she asked about what their argument was all about.
“Well you see…” Synth started.
“Yes?” Twilight said.
“We never really got along and…” Synth continued.
“Some families don’t,” Twilight countered.
“They tried to pretend like normal parents,” Synth continued.
“Because there was a guest in the room,” Twilight said.
“You’re making this really hard to explain…” Synth said.
“I’m sorry, go ahead,” Twilight said.
“Um, okay. Well, they tried to tell me that I didn’t know what I was talking about, even though I knew everything. They tried to lie to me, and I couldn’t take it anymore…. so yeah, that’s about it,” Synth said.

“If you say so… but then why’d your sister want to see you?” Twilight asked.
“She was a little confused, but I managed to clear things up,” Synth said.
“Confused about what?” Twilight asked.
“Well she didn’t know that she was my sister… at least until I showed up at her house,” Synth said.
“Wait, they didn’t tell her that she had a brother?” Twilight asked.
“Now you see why I was frustrated with them?” Synth asked.
“Well I could see why you got mad, but why did you storm out?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Synth said.
Twilight didn’t say anything. Synth took the opportunity and remembered what happened that night. How much anger he felt at his parents, and how he’d left Twilight at their house. The only good thing that happened that day was that Twilight had brought Vera to him. Which reminded him, he’d have to explain to Vera why he was gone for so long when he got back. His thoughts were interrupted when Twilight spoke.
“So what’s the situation with Vera?” Twilight asked.
“Well she’s going to be staying with me for a while. I was glad to have the company in Canterlot. She’s an alright kid, and I hope that she doesn’t pick up on too many of my bad traits,” Synth said.
“Nonsense, your only bad trait is thinking you have any. Your sister is lucky to have a brother like you,” Rarity said from the ground nearby.
Now that Synth looked towards her and Pinkie Pie, he realized that they’d been playing tic tac toe to pass the time. Although it looked like the X’s were winning each game. Pinkie was getting the next game set up, and Rarity had been overhearing their conversation.
“Really? I didn’t think I was the brotherly type,” Synth said.
“You aren’t, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t try and be a good brother,” Rarity said. “My sister and I are always getting into fights, but in the end she’s still my sister,” Rarity said.
“Me and Vera have actually been getting along. She’s just like me,” Synth said.
“See? You already have something going for you,” Rarity said.
“Ooh, you have a sister? Where is she, I want to meet her!” Pinkie said.
“She’s probably walking around town, I left her a note that I was going out, but I guess I’ll be taking longer than I thought,” Synth said.
“Can’t a pony get some shut eye around here? I need my rest,” Rainbow Dash said.
“They should be here any second now, we should get ready to set out. We need to get refocused back on the mission,” Twilight said.
As if on cue, Applejack came into view on a path that led them up. Synth chuckled at the way Applejack had literally dragged Fluttershy up the cliff. Although they probably had a lot safer travel, the cliff was a lot faster. Synth subconsciously looked to his left legs and found them not as green as before. They were a duller green than the rest of his coat. He couldn’t resist a small itch on his back leg. He felt the familiar burning sensation again, but this time only on his front left leg.
“We… made it,” Applejack said.
“I told you it was going to take them forever,” Rainbow Dash said to Twilight.
“We’ve lost a lot of time, so we need to hurry,” Twilight said.
The others nodded their agreement and continued down the path leading to the top of the mountain. Synth looked back to the drawing he made in the ground, and felt like there was something he wasn’t seeing in the drawing. He never meant for it to turn out like that, it just did. He didn’t think too much about it though, because the others were already farther along the path.
They followed the path further up, and Synth took his position in the back behind Fluttershy. He would look in the distance at times, and he saw the Everfree Forest stretching as far as he could see. He could barely make out the town below and the buildings inside.
‘Hey I can see my house from here,’ Synth said.
‘And?’ Shade asked.
‘Well, it looks so tiny,’ Synth said.
‘Enough with the sightseeing don’t fall off the edge,’ Shade said.
‘Well you’re being really precarious all of a sudden,’ Synth said.
‘Well we don’t want you falling off any more edges. It could ruin your face even more, if that was possible,’ Shade said.
‘Nothing bad even happened that last time,’ Synth said.
‘You almost went splat,’ Shade said.
‘But I didn’t, it’s not like there’s any more edges I could fall off,’ Synth said.
Synth looked down before he took his next step to find his hoof hovering over open air. He retracted his hoof and looked up. He saw the others had jumped across and were now waiting on him. They didn’t even say anything, and Synth was glad he hadn’t taken the step forward. He also noticed that Fluttershy was still on his side of the cliff.
“It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump!” Pinkie said jumping back onto their side.
‘Hop, skip, and jump? Aren’t those all the same things?’ Shade asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Synth said.
‘Maybe you should cross too,’ Shade said.
‘Did I ever tell you I’m scared of heights?’ Synth asked.
‘You’re not,’ Shade said.
‘There’s a first time for everything…’ Synth said.
‘Just jump across, you’re not setting a good example for the pony who actually is scared of heights,’ Shade said.
‘Oh yeah,’ Synth said.
Synth jumped across the gap that separated him from the others. Fluttershy was still on the other side, but Pinkie was continually jumping across from one edge to the other. Shade was hoping that she’d slip and fall down. Synth was hoping the opposite. When Fluttershy finally gained the courage, she attempted her jump.
‘Don’t look down,’ Shade said.
‘That’s a dick move, if she could hear you,’ Synth said.
“Don’t look down!” Twilight yelled to Fluttershy.
‘Ha-ha,’ Shade said.
‘Why do people say that?’ Synth asked.
Synth was interrupted from his thoughts when he was tackled to the ground by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. He didn’t realize he was in the way of the gap. They’d managed to pull Fluttershy away from the gap, and he had collided with them into the wall.
“Oops, guess I forgot to jump,” Fluttershy said.
‘The most important part of hop, skip, and jump,’ Shade said.
‘Give her some slack, she’s trying. I think,’ Synth said.
Synth pulled his legs out from under them before getting up. He was stopped by a numb feeling in his neck. It was only on the left side of his neck, but when he tried to swallow some saliva, there was a tingling sensation.
Synth rubbed his neck, and then the rubbing turned into itching. When the itch subsided, he checked the rest of his body. His front left leg was burning again, but he didn’t feel anything in his back left leg.
‘Okay seriously, why are you getting all touchy with yourself lately?’ Shade said.
‘You mean you can’t feel it?’ Synth asked.
‘Feel what? I don’t feel anything,’ Shade asked.
‘Oh yeah. Well, it’s like a numb feeling in my left side. My legs are burning and itching, and now my neck is starting to itch,’ Synth said.
‘Sounds like you’re having a rough time,’ Shade said.
‘Yeah, it feels so weird, and it makes it hard to walk,’ Synth said.
“We better hurry, we’ve still got a lot of mountain to cover,” Twilight said when everyone was up.
‘Have fun,’ Shade said.
Synth followed in the rear again, but made sure to keep an eye on his surroundings this time, although he couldn’t keep his concerns out of his mind. Something was wrong, and he didn’t know what it was. After what felt like hours of walking, they reached something that looked differently than the path they were following.
“Be very quiet-,” Twilight started.
‘I’m hunting wabbits,’ Shade joked.
‘Shut up, I didn’t hear what she said,’ Synth said.
“What-,” Synth was about to ask.
“Shh!” Applejack put a hoof to her face to tell him to be quiet.
“I just wanted-,” Synth started.
“Shh!” Applejack put her hoof on Synth’s mouth now to make him be quiet.
Synth looked up to notice a leaf floating down. It was weird, there were a lot of small trees and bushed on this mountain, but the mountain was above the clouds. He wondered how they stayed hydrated. This mountain was so close to the Everfree Forest, he wouldn’t be surprised if that had something to do with it. Synth noticed that Fluttershy was shaking slightly, and was about to ask another question, but the leaf landed on her back before he could get a word out.
“Avalanche!” Fluttershy yelled.
‘That must be what Twilight was talking about,’ Synth said.
‘Think so?’ Shade asked.
Synth looked up to the walls around him. There were no rocks falling down, and no sound that anything was happening. Synth heard the others sigh with relief at the quiet landscape around them. Synth was about to join in with his own sigh, but he saw something at the corner of his eye. A rock was falling down from the top of the wall. It knocked another, bigger rock downhill. The sound of the rocks dislodging each other added to the amount of rocks falling from the edges.
Synth was too busy watching the rocks fall to notice the others had run away. He caught sight of a boulder twice the size of him that was falling toward him. He felt the right side of his body go numb as his vision shifted slightly. Synth watched as his body dodged the approaching boulder. He was sliding, but the slide turned into a stumble as his leg caught something.
‘What’s wrong with your legs?’ Shade asked.
‘You’re asking me?’ Synth said.
‘This must be what you were talking about,’ Shade said.
Shade dodged another boulder and then turned to face another that was bouncing toward him. Instead of moving, Shade activated his magic. Synth watched as Shade broke the boulder into pieces. Shade was inspecting his left hoof and then his right hoof. He was sitting out in the open, with rocks still falling down.
‘This is so weird,’ Shade said.
‘Look out,’ Synth said, seeing another boulder coming in his direction.
Shade turned around to face the boulder. Directly in front of him, was Twilight who was dodging the falling rocks. She weaved around Synth right before the boulder could hit her. Shade swung his hoof at the boulder before it got too close. He made direct contact and shattered yet another boulder. The debris showered him and went into his mane. Shade turned to face Twilight who stopped when she heard the explosion.
“Wow, thanks for saving me,” Twilight said.
“I wasn’t-,” Shade was starting to say.
“Look out!” Twilight said pointing behind Shade.
Shade turned around quickly. He didn’t turn fast enough, though. He caught a glimpse of the boulder before it made contact with his left side. Shade was sent rolling into a wall. He didn’t get up. Synth slowly regained control of his body. Shade was quiet, and Synth felt a throbbing in his head. He tried to get up, but his front right leg was caught in something, and he didn’t know where his left leg was.
Synth did manage to move his head enough so he could hear and see more clearly, although his eyes were slightly blurry. He saw dust being pushed up, with rocks piling up in a central spot. Although most of them broke on the way down and turned into more dirt and small debris. He was quickly covered in rocks of various sizes.
Synth heard the noise of the rocks falling get fainter. Soon, he couldn’t see rocks falling anymore. He moved his head some more to look down. On top of his front right leg was a rock that was twice the size of his leg. He tried to move it, but it was caught underneath that rock and many more. Synth moved his front left leg and found it wasn’t caught on anything. He tried to move the rock with his free hoof, but he couldn’t push it. He heard voices now, and his eyesight was getting better. All around him, the rocks made a small coffin with small openings that let air in.
“Is everypony alright?” Applejack asked.
“Thanks to you and Synth I am,” Twilight said.
“Where’s Synth?” Applejack asked.
Synth tried to talk, but there was dust in his throat. He could barely breathe, let alone call out for help. Synth moved his free leg to try and move the rocks to no avail. There were some rocks in front of him, and he could only see Rainbow Dash’s tail and parts of Rarity’s mane. He decided that trying to get their attention like that would be useless. Instead, he tried using his magic. He concentrated, and now that his head was clearer, he thought of how to get out.
Synth cast a spell and directed it in front of him a few steps. He sent it out and saw it forming in front of him. The figure that appeared was a Timberwolf. Synth smiled, so far so good. He directed it to move the rock, but the Timberwolf had a different idea. He squeezed out of a hole near the top. He made it out of the coffin of rocks and came out on top of the rocks that cut him off from the others. He barked like a dog, and Synth saw from the small gaps in the rocks, that he got their attention.
“Stand back girls, we’re not safe yet,” Applejack said.
“What’s a Timberwolf doing on a mountain?” Pinkie asked.
“Wait, look at its eyes,” Twilight said.
“They do look quite dazzling, don’t they?” Rarity commented.
“Now’s not the time for that,” Rainbow Dash said.
“No, I mean they’re green,” Twilight said.
“And?” Applejack said ready to fight.
“They’re supposed to be yellow. That’s not a normal Timberwolf,” Twilight said.
“So it’s a modified hybrid Timberwolf? That sounds bad,” Pinkie said.
“No, you don’t understand. That’s Synth’s Timberwolf,” Twilight said.
“Waddya mean Synth’s Timberwolf? They don’t make the best pets,” Applejack said.
“But look at it. It’s acting strange,” Twilight said.
The Timberwolf barked, but not like he was warning them. He would bark and then look down towards Synth. When they weren’t coming, he started to make the action that a dog would for digging. He paused every few seconds to see if they understood.
“I think he knows where Synth is,” Twilight said.
“Then don’t just stand there, let’s go help him,” Rainbow Dash said.
Rainbow Dash hovered over the Timberwolf who backed away from atop the rocks. He pawed at the ground and then barked again. Rainbow Dash turned to the others and found them getting closer to the Timberwolf. The Timberwolf took a step back from the others and pretended to dig again.
“What if he’s trapped under the rocks?” Fluttershy asked.
“Then let’s move ‘em,” Applejack said.
The group proceeded to move the rocks, although both Rarity and Twilight used their magic. Fluttershy took the smaller ones, while Applejack kicked most of them out of the way. The Timberwolf offered no help, other than standing atop the pile and looking down at Synth from the hole. Synth watched as the light that was being let in grew in size. Soon, the top was cleared and the blue sky was easy to see. Synth saw a familiar blue head poke in the hole.
“Hey, I found him!” Rainbow Dash said to the others.
The hole was once again covered, but this time not by rocks. Seven heads were looking down the hole. The Timberwolf wasn’t saying anything.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
‘I’m just peachy,’ Synth said.
The Timberwolf barked to the others, and then took his head out of the hole. The others resumed their digging, apparently taking the Timberwolf’s response as an answer. Synth only heard rocks moving and shifting for the next few minutes. His view grew in size, until his coffin was no longer there. When they took the last rock away from his hoof, he stood up. When he tried to put pressure on his right leg, his hoof had a stabbing feeling in it and he took it back.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
Synth tried to reply, but the dust was still in his throat. He coughed and wheezed for a good minute before turning back to Fluttershy.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Synth said. He tried to take a step forward, but his hoof caused him to cringe when he tried to step on it.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Rarity asked.
“Of course, I couldn’t be better,” Synth said.
Synth felt a tingling in his right leg now, and looked down at it. It was slowly starting to fade from its normal green tinge. He tried taking a step again, and this time he didn’t feel any pain. In fact, he couldn’t feel anything at all. He activated his Traction spell on his hooves, and saw that only his back right hoof was coated. Something wasn’t right, but they were watching his movements, so he wasn’t going to look like any more of an idiot than he already was.
“So, are we there yet?” Synth asked.
“Almost, we just need to turn this corner, and follow the last path to the top,” Twilight said.
“Great, let’s go,” Synth said.
Synth walked back to the pile he had just escaped from. Then he looked up to the pile they would need to climb. If his leg wasn’t numb, he would have given up just then. Instead, he trudged on ahead, this time following behind Twilight. The hill wasn’t as bad as Synth thought. His left legs were still burning, but he endured it and reached the top. Going down was a lot easier, and he was glad they were almost at the top.
‘What happened?’ Shade asked.
‘Look who’s up. Did you sleep well?’ Synth asked.
‘No, what happened?’ Shade asked.
‘Well that boulder got you. Next time you should pay more attention to your surroundings,’ Synth said.
‘I didn’t see any boulder, and either way it shouldn’t have done that much damage to me. It was a fluke,’ Shade said.
‘Excuses, excuses. Just be glad we didn’t die,’ Synth said.
‘We’re about to,’ Shade said.
Synth looked up to the cave appearing around the corner. With the view of the cave, he saw the smoke pouring out. A huge roar added to the menacing view. Synth stopped and looked at the others. He had accidentally walked ahead of them. Twilight had stopped and was talking to them about something.
Synth walked up to the cave and peered inside. Other than some bright gems surrounding the walls, he couldn’t see anything else inside. Deciding he wanted to have a look before going in, he activated his Night Eye and walked farther inside. Instantly the darkness was gone and he could make out the figure of a huge dragon. He was resting atop a large amount of gold and gems.
Rarity would have fainted at the amount of gems inside. All around the walls of the room, Synth could see even more bright gems. They were lighting up the inside enough that he could make out the sharp talons and rough scales on the dragon. He looked like he was sleeping, but dragons weren’t known to be the heaviest sleepers. Synth backed off and turned around.
The light from the cave entrance hit his eyes while the Night Eye was still in effect. He closed his eyes from the pain they were receiving. He blindly walked forward and felt the sun hit his body. Synth released his spell and sat down. He rubbed at his eyes until the burning died down.
When he cracked his eyes open, the light wasn’t as painful as before. He opened them a little wider and let them adjust to the light. He looked up to the path and found the others approaching the cave. Synth stood up and joined them.
“We’re about to find out,” Twilight said.
“Rainbow Dash, you’ll use your wings to clear out the smoke,” Twilight said.
“Mhm,” Rainbow Dash replied heading into the smoke.
‘But we can walk under the smoke, can’t we?’ Shade asked.
“Rarity, Pinkie Pie, you’ll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get a little hairy in there,” Twilight said.
Pinkie Pie pulled out a rubber chicken and began shaking it in her mouth. Synth felt confused for a second, but that confusion was meant for the dragon. Rarity didn’t respond other than pointing to the randomness that was Pinkie Pie.
‘Great, she’ll have Pinkie Pie do all the work,’ Shade said.
“Applejack, you’re ready with the apples in case he decides to attack,” Twilight said to Applejack.
Applejack nodded and threw her apples into the air. She bucked them into a nearby tree and created a work of art. Red and green art that looked like apple guts. He was wondering what damage apples would do to the scales of the dragon, but he didn’t think too much of it.
‘Oh shit, she’s got apples. Oh wait, those were her last two. Wasn’t a very good idea on her part, now we’re going to starve on the way down,’ Shade said.
“But it shouldn’t come to that. Because between Fluttershy will do what she needs to wake him up. And between the two of us, we should be able to get him to understand why he needs to go. Is everypony ready?” Twilight asked. There were cheers of agreement from four of them.
“Synth, you come with us. We might need some help if he doesn’t come to reason,” Twilight said.
“Sure,” Synth said.
‘You’re going to be the decoy,’ Shade said.
‘I’m pretty sure you’re right,’ Synth said.
“Okay then, we’re going in,” Twilight said walking into the cave.
Synth followed and activated his Night Eye when he felt that the dark was too much. About halfway through, he heard Twilight ask a question.
“So, what is the best way to wake up a sleeping dragon without upsetting him?” Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
Synth turned around back to the entrance, after shielding his eyes from the light, he noticed Twilight had left him alone in the cave. He could hear voices, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Instead, Synth turned back to the dark cave so his eyes wouldn’t burn. He decided that he’d wait at the dragon’s lair. He took off his Night Eye when he reached the large room.
Looking up, Synth could see the form of the giant red dragon. His scales shone with color from the gems surrounding him. His nose was letting out a black smoke and his scales looked sharper than a blade. The mouth was long and curved. His eyes were amber yellow with black slits.
‘Wait, eyes?’ Shade asked.
Synth looked to the dragon and found it studying him. He opened his mouth, in what Synth interpreted as a yawn. He could see the sharp and long pointed teeth that the dragon barred. Its neck stretched out and Synth realized just how large the dragon was. The cave was just tall enough for him to stand.

The dragon looked over at him again, and this time leaned in further. Synth expected to be eaten. In just one bite, he’d be a goner. He didn’t say anything, and the dragon didn’t say anything either. The dragon looked into his eyes, and he felt them boring into his soul. When the dragon pulled back, he closed his eyes and laid back down on the gems. His nose once again let out more smoke.

“He probably just doesn’t know what he’s doing, right?” Synth heard Twilight say from the entrance of the cave. Looking back at the dragon, Synth waited for Twilight to get closer.

“Synth, you shouldn’t go on alone, it could be dangerous,” Twilight said.

“Nothing bad happened yet,” Synth said.

“No matter, we need to wake up this dragon,” Twilight said.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Synth asked.

“We introduce ourselves,” Twilight said.

‘Like he’s going to care who you are,’ Shade said.

“Mister dragon?” Twilight asked.

The dragon’s eyes shot open. He wasn’t a very heavy sleeper. He opened his mouth and breather directly onto Twilight. Synth didn’t get the full impact, but he could smell some of it. He could make out the scent of fish and pig. And he could also heavily smell glass in there somewhere. Twilight coughed from the foul stench and tried to continue.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, and Synth and I are residence here in Equestria. Ponyville to be exact. And we came here to ask if you could find another place to take your nap. It’s just that you seem to be doing an awful lot of snoring. And every time you do, you send out a terrible cloud of smoke,” Twilight said.

The dragon snorted the smoke into Twilight’s face. She coughed from the smoke, and Synth had some of it caught in his throat.

‘Isn’t that second hand smoke?’ Shade asked.

‘Shut up,’ Synth said.

“You understand, don’t you?” Twilight asked.

The dragon stood up like he was ready to leave. He stretched his arms moved his limbs around. Then he fell back atop the pile of gems and gold. Synth couldn’t say he didn’t see it coming. But what he didn’t see coming, was the dragon blowing even more smoke in their faces. Synth had to get out of their before he would suffocate. The smoke wasn’t very good for his breathing apparently. Synth found his way to the exit and led Twilight out as well. He made it out and the smoke started to clear up by the wind.

‘C’mon Rainbow Dash, you had one job…’ Shade said.

‘Just be glad he didn’t breathe fire…’ Synth said.

‘Well so much for persuading him,’ Rainbow Dash said.

“Obviously this situation calls for a little, pony charm, allow me girls,” Rarity said.

Synth was too interested in what she’d try, to even think about stopping her. He watched as she strolled in like she owned the place. After she saw all of the gems, she might just own it. But Synth didn’t watch what she was doing, because something caught his eye. He looked over to the edge, and found a light blue flower sprouting. He checked for any other nearby flowers before picking it. It was all alone on this mountain.

Synth held the flower up, and recalled what he knew about it. They were usually found on mountains and volcanoes. They were resistant to heat, but were weak to the cold. It was ironic that it was called Chillroot, because of its appearance. Although it didn’t have many uses, it did make a makeshift heat pack in the cold. The plant was not what was important. It was the pedals that it produced. This plant could regrow its pedals depending on the temperature. They could be rubbed together and used to start fires.

Synth put the flower in his bag, and looked back to the others. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. Pinkie was in a weird birthday suit, and they were all looking into the cave. Synth pieced it together.

‘She didn’t…’ Synth said.

‘I think she did,’ Shade said.

Synth’s fears were answered when he heard a screech coming from the cave. He walked more to his left and looked into the cave. There was something speeding towards him, but he couldn’t make it out. He only saw Rainbow as the ball of color smashed right into him. He didn’t have anything to stop him as he was knocked off the edge of the cliff.

Looking up, Synth saw the ball of color uncurl and Rainbow Dash appeared. She flew back atop of the mountain, oblivious to the falling object. Synth looked down towards steep surface that he was approaching. He turned his body to his back and closed his eyes. His magic activated at the last second. He heard the familiar sound of the earth shattering.

Synth didn’t stop there though, his body started rolling down farther off the cliff. His momentum was stopped by a rock protruding from the cliff. He was breathless when he opened his eyes. Looking around, the first thing he saw was the blue around him. This side of the mountain was covered in them.

Synth stood up, making sure he wasn’t in danger of falling any farther down. He eased his way over to the largest group of flowers he saw. He began to pick a few of them. He only picked the ones with the largest pedals. After he gathered enough to fill up one side of his bag, he looked back up the cliff. It was quiet now.

Synth felt a burning sensation in his legs again; All of them. He looked toward his right back leg. It was currently stepping on one of the Chillroot flowers. He took it away, but he noticed that his other legs were burning too, even though they hadn’t touched the flowers. He looked back to his right back hoof, and found the burning sensation being replaced by a tingling. He watched as his last hoof lost its light green color. It turned the same shade as the others.

Synth felt off balance now. He couldn’t take a step without almost tripping. Also, the other three hooves were still burning. His back left leg was itching, too. Before he could scratch, he noticed red dragon fly away from the mountain. He heard a voice coming down from above. Looking up, he could barely make out their faces looking down at him.

“Synth, are you alright?” Twilight asked.

“More or less, but I’ll manage,” Synth replied looking down at his hooves.

“That’s good to hear. Fluttershy managed to get him to leave, so we need to get home and tell the princess,” Twilight said.
“Oh, okay. I’ll meet up with you girls at the bottom,” Synth said.

“Will you be able to find your way down,dear?” Rarity asked.

“I’ll be okay. I’m already half way down,” Synth responded.

“If you say so,” Applejack said.

They turned away, and Synth took a better look at his surroundings. There was no path as far as he could see, and he was on the wrong side of the mountain to slide down. It would explain why the flowers could grow in peace, but right now he wondering how he could get the rest of the way down.

Synth looked higher up the mountain and found a ledge he could grab onto. Above that was dent in the mountain. He could use it to find his way onto the other side of the mountain. Making sure he could still control his legs effectively, he started his climb towards the ledge. After a few slips and slides, he managed to reach the ledge.

Reaching out, he grabbed the ledge and pulled himself over. Taking a breather, he looked into the sky. He watched as the red dragon was still in view from the cave. He was flying away from the city, and towards another cave in a different country. Synth did notice that it didn’t look like he’d taken his gold and gems with him.

Synth was tempted to take a detour and look in the cave if that was true. But the possibility that the dragon would turn around to get them was blocking out most of the temptation. Instead, Synth looked back up to the dent in the mountain. It was a shorter climb than the ledge, but he was already exhausted.

Synth got up and started yet another climb. It took him a few tries, and along the way, his legs started to burn again. It came and went, and once again, his legs were getting itchy. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t resist it for long. When he made it to the dent, he felt that if he could feel his legs, they’d be on fire.
Synth didn’t stop to rest though, and instead walked along the dent towards the front of the mountain. He could see the city now, but no sign of a path. He made it to the edge of the dent, and he could see where they had first climbed down.

The others were probably taking the longer and safer route, so he looked for an easy way down. He couldn’t find one. Synth measured that the ground was probably a good ten to twenty feet, and decided that it wouldn’t hurt too bad if he fell. He left the indent in the mountain and ran down the mountain. Using the gravity to his advantage, he was on safe ground fast.

Synth was glad he didn’t trip. He also didn’t keep the others waiting. He managed to find his way somewhere without getting lost. Synth turned towards a path coming from the other direction he just came from. The other six were just approaching the bottom. They looked at him when they reached it. Synth waited for them to continue walking.

“You look awful,” Rarity said.

Synth looked down at himself. There were brown and grey streaks in his coat, and well as rocks and dirt in his tail. He could only imagine what was in his mane.

“Falling off a cliff, what can I say?” Synth said.

“Oh, sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash said. “I thought I hit a rock or something. So I didn’t try to help,” Rainbow Dash said.

“It’s alright, everything ended okay,” Synth said.

“Great, we need to get back to Ponyville,” Twilight said. “I need to inform the princess about the dragon.”

“Actually, you girls go on without me. I need to do something first,” Synth said.

“Well alright, see you around Synth,” Rainbow Dash said.

Synth waited until they were out of view before taking a different path into town. He walked by the Everfree, and made sure not to get too close. When he made it, the sun was already going down. He walked past his house and further into the town. He found his way to the hospital, and opened the doors.

‘What are you doing here?’ Shade asked.

‘I wanted to get something checked out,’ Synth said.

‘Gross,’ Shade replied.

‘Shut up, I was talking about my hooves,’ Synth said.

Synth walked up to the desk. He tried his best not to look nervous. The room had that hospital scent to it. He was already regretting he came. The nurse at the desk smiled at him.

“What can I help you with?” The nurse asked.

“I was wondering if the doctor could see me,” Synth said.

“Absolutely, but it’s almost closing time now. You’ll need to make an appointment for another date,” The nurse said.

“Sure, when is he available?” Synth asked.

“Anytime, we’re not very busy these days,” The nurse said.

“Okay then, tomorrow please. When are you open?” Synth asked.

“Earliest time is ten, is that okay?” The nurse asked.

“Perfect, but I have a question…” Synth asked.

“What is it?” The nurse asked.

“Does he do house calls?” Synth asked.

Author's Notes:

Had fun writing this, is that a good thing? It wasn’t my best work, but I’m proud of the way I wrote it. Anyways, these are the kinds of chapters I like to write. So plan to see more of them soon.
Are there any mistakes or errors? I blame the editor =P.
Next Time: Look before you Sleep, because ponies might walk in and try to get you to leave your cave.
(Something might be wrong with the 'Paste' I don't see the indents... I'll have to look into that.)