See Not With Your Eyes

>Hours later, I'm awoken by the prodding of Hidden Glimmer.

>"It's time to get up," she says as she rocks my shoulder.

>I nod my head and slowly rise out of my comfortable spot in the corner.

>Once confined by the warm embrace of my blanket, a rush of cold air hits me as soon as I stand.

>I shiver immensely upon contact with the freezing open air and wrap myself in my blanket once more.

>Cherenkov Light as roused Able Tome from his clumber as well.

>As the second shift went to sleep, myself and Able took our posts on the front porch.

>You would think we'd get a bit of conversation going.

>In reality, we just sit there and say nothing.

>We can't even look at anything.

>A dense fog has rolled in, obscuring almost everything around us.

>And now we wait for the sun.

>Then maybe we can get out of here.

 

>"What the..." Able starts.

>He pokes me in the side to get my attention.

>"Blue, you see that?"

>I look over at him and follow his pointing into the fog.

"No. What are you looking at?"

>And then I saw movement.

>Stepping momentarily out of the fog was the shadowy figure of a pony.

>A single, bobbing lantern was held aloft by a stick held by the spectre.

"What the hell is that?" I inquire.

>"Not sure, but it's definitely not a good sign. Perhaps we should wake up the others?"

>We watch the apparition expectantly.

>It slowly walks through the town, never straying too close to the house we were at.

>As if trying to get us to come to it.

>A shiver runs up my spine.

>"So what do you think?"

"I'm not sure," I reply with a shake of the head.

 

>Able rises to his hooves.

>"Wake up the others. I'm gonna get closer."

>I look up at him with a "What the fuck?" look on my face.

"And do what?" I ask.

>"Why, check it out, silly," he said with a grin as if he hadn't a care to give. "What do you think?"

>He trotted after the apparition.

>I watched him go, following the figure until they disappeared behind one of the houses.

>When they were out of sight, I rose to my hooves and went back inside.

>Careful to open the door, I siftly kick the first pony I see.

>"Guys," I say as I kick Quicksilver. "Wake up."

>Quicksilver jumps startled and sits right up.

>"What? Where? Who?" she asks quickly.

>"What the hell?!" follows Chinook.

"Shh!"

>"Fuck you," muttered Fine Grind.

"At the window," I whisper.

>Chinook shook his head.

>"And I was having such a good sleep, too..." he groaned.

>I continue walking around, kicking the rest awake.

 

>Quicksilver creeped over to the window and poked her eyes over the edge.

>"What is it, Blue?" she asked.

>I walk up beside her and look out into the street.

>There's nothing to be seen.

"We saw someone outside. Or something, rather."

>"Where's Able?" asked Chinook.

>Quicksilver walked over to the door and nudged it open, peering out for a better view.

"He decided to follow it."

>I walk over to the door and open it wide.

"They went this way," I said as I started walking. "Follow me."

>Quicksilver, Chinook, and Cherenkov follow close behind.

>The rest are still waking up and file out soon after.

>"Move quickly," says Quicksilver. "We have to find him."

>Moving to where I last saw them last, I poke my head around the corner of the house.

>The others walk past me and stand in the open.

>We can see the dim light of the lantern, Able Tome's silhouette against it.

 

>"Able!" calls Quicksilver, galloping forward to meet him.

>"Wait up, you crazy unicorn!" calls Rain Drop as she and Chinook chase her down.

>Cherenkov and Lucyne follow as well.

>"Too fucking early for this..." mutters Fine Grind as he trots after them.

>Binbags, Hidden Glimmer, and myself instead choose to walk after the group.

>The others cause a commotion as they berate Able for wandering off and then stand in awe at the ghostly figure standing silently before them.

>When we finally catch up, Able Tome is making a mention of a large building standing behind the spectre.

>It's like a large castle, but this certainly wasn't here before.

>Quicksilver holds out a hoof towards the ghost.

>"Um... Hello?" she calls out to it.

>The shade responds by moving farther away from the group towards the castle.

>"It won't answer, Quick," said Able Tome.

 

>If this is real, it must be some kind of curse.

>Able certainly seems to think so.

> "It is merely guarding something...some secret," he ponders.

>"I doubt that Able. This isn't a fantasy novel," says Lucyne. "But then again..."

>"It isn't Lucy...but the metaphore still applies"

>I step back and shake my head.

"Yeah, I don't do ghosts."

>Chinook looks back.

"Oh man. You should've seen what happened to Rain last time, Blue."

>Are you serious?

>This has happened before?

"Do tell," I prod.

>"One word. Possession," answered Chinook.

>Well ain't that fucking fantastic.

 

>Cherenkov makes the decision to follow the creature's lead into building.

>The rest of the group follows them, despite having misgivings that it is a trap.

>Fuuuck that.

>I sit my happy ass down on the cobble road and wait.

"Well, you guys wanted treasure, right?" I call after them. "What's a few bits to coffers of gold and jewels?"

>One by one, they disappear into the shady castle.

>And I'm left by my lonesome in the cold, swampy air.

>Screw killing myself over some useless coins.

>I just came along for the sake of adventure.

>Sure, it would be great to take something back, but there's nothing here of particular interest to me.

>So now I wait.

>After several minutes, a thought comes to mind.

>Why am I just sitting here freezing my tail off, when I have the means to light a fire to stay warm?

>I just need to grab my lighter...

>From my pack...

>That's still back at the house...

>Damn it.

 

>A hollar catches my ears, prompting me to look off into the fog.

>After listening intently for a bit longer, another cry is heard.

>It's a call for help!

>I look back at the castle the others went into as I consider what to do.

>Another call from a second voice makes my decision easier as I bolt off into the fog.

>Several other voices are heard as I race to what I believe to be the river bank.

>Upon arrival, I spot Fine Grind standing on the river bank as he shakes the water off.

>I run up and interrogate him.

"What the hell happened!?"

>"That fucking ghost tricked us! We fell into the river!"

>A bright flash of light catches my eye farther downstream.

>Cherenkov curses in the distance.

>Chinook, Lucyne, Able Tome, Quicksilver, and Rain Drop arrive from the castle to meet the two of you on the river bank.

>As it turns out, Cherenkov Light, Hidden Glimmer, Binbags, and Fine Grind were lost to the shadow's illusion.

>Fine Grind has managed to pull himself ashore, but the rest are still stuck in the current.

>A rescue attempt starts with Able Tome running downstream to help Cherenkov and Chinook flying over to save Hidden Glimmer.

>Fine Grind takes initiative and runs off to find Binbags.

>Down river, Able Tome, with an impressive light show, is able to magically drag Cherenkov from the water and onto the river bank.

>A bit crude, but at least he's safe.

>Chinook's plan doesn't work out as well and I watch as he gets pulled down into the water with Hidden Glimmer.

 

>Acting quickly, I run and dive into the water after them.

>The water is bone-chillingly cold and the current is swift.

>Only now do I realize that despite still being fairly new to this body, I can't swim for shit.

>Not even as a human, and I doggy paddle as best I can towards the now useless pegasus and the unicorn he was trying to save.

>I can't really grab anyone, so I swim up to Hidden Glimmer and nudge her along towards the shore.

>She can keep herself up, but she's tired from fighting the current for so long.

>My assistance helps her swim to shore, with Chinook right beside us.

>Hitting the bank, we crawl onto the bank soaking wet and shivering like mad.

>Rain Drop races over and pulls Chinook up by the scruff of his neck.

>He then proceeds to shake himself off, dousing everyone around him.

>"I... Hate... Water..." stammers Hidden Glimmer as she lies on the bank.

"You and me both..." I say through chattering teeth.

>Not long after, Fine Grind pulls Binbags to the safety of the shore.

>Able Tome and Cherenkov walk up as well.

>Ten count.

>The group is all here.

 

"Anyone have any wood?" I ask.

>Quicksilver is already in the treeline and calls out to us, "Someone come help me out here!"

>The group splits, searching the nearby area for any bits of dry wood.

>If we don't get this fire soon, we're going to freeze to death.

>With a decent pile starting to form, I order everyone to bring it inside and throw it in the fireplace.

>"Blue. You got a fire steel, right?" asked Rain Drop.

>I'm already digging through my pack to find it.

"Right here," I say as I brandish the twisted piece of metal and sharp rock.

>Walking over to the fireplace, Quicksilver is standing there, her horn pointed at the wood.

>A few measily sparks sputter out from her horn.

>"Well... That's embarassing," she says.

>We don't have time for this shit.

"Get out of the way, Quick," I tell her.

>Without even giving her a chance to move, I push her aside and set the flint down by the fireplace.

>Wielding the steel piece between my teeth, I strike it hard against the flint, chipping the rock slightly, but creating a shower of sparks to rain over the dried, dead sticks.

>It caught easily and, after piling on a few good logs, had the fire roaring good.

 

>The group huddles around the flames, trying to dry off and warm up.

>Not even a minute goes by before Rain Drop shouts out.

>"Dah crap!"

>Everyone looks up to her and then follows her gaze to the front door.

>The trickster spectre was hovering in the doorway of the house.

>Everyone jumps up at the ready.

>"Oh look, he returns," said an unenthused Able Tome.

>"Piss off, faggot!" shouts Hidden Glimmer.

>Quicksilver throws a rock at it, but it phases right through.

"Stay inside this time!" I shout over them. "I swear, if you guys follow it again, I'm not helping!"

>Seriously.

>If they make the same mistake twice, that's on them.

>Rain Drop leaped forward to confront the ghost, but fell straight into the fire pit.

>"HOT HOT HOT!" she shouts as she scrambles to escape the heat.

>Quick to react, I pull her by the hoof out of the fire and pat out the tiny flame that had caught on her flank.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" I shout in anger at her.

>Unbeknownst to anyone but her, she had thought the room shifted, with the wisp now where the fire used to be.

>"Okay, I can see why everyone wants that ghost dead now..." she said embarassed.

 

>An idea comes to mind.

>Primitive, but whatever.

>In theory, it's better than throwing random shit at it like the other have been doing this whole time.

>I reach into the fireplace and try to grab a stick out of the fire to scare the ghost off with.

>Imagine my shame when I did the very thing I just chastised Rain Drop for.

>I almost burn my face by biting the wrong end of the stick.

"Ah!" I shout, and look around.

>I don't think anyone noticed.

>And then I remember a certain box we found before.

>Reaching into one of their bags, I find the box of found coins and hurl it at the ghost.

>The box opens and the bits just scatter over the floor.

>Binbag's eyes go wide as his spoils roll and bounce across the floor.

>"Blue! Why would you do that!?"

>I shrug.

"I thought the ghost might want the money we took from him back!"

 

>Bin flips out and bites the leg off the skeleton pony from before and hurls it at the ghost with a raging shout.

>He hits the lantern, the flame inside giving off a fleshy smack.

>"Huh... Did anyone else hear that?" asked Chinook.

>With a burst of random knowledge, Lucyne speaks up.

>"Oh shit! That's not a ghost! That's a Will-O'-Wisp!"

>Only half of the group seems to understand.

>The other half, myself included, have no idea what that means.

"What do you mean 'Oh shit'? What's that? A forest spirit or something?"

>"It's like a strange, mutant swamp fairy with a terrible sense of humor," explained Lucyne.

"And that's worse than a ghost... How?"

>"Well how the fuck do we kill it?" asked Binbags.

>"The lantern is the creature," continued Lucyne.

>"Just kick the lantern until it breaks!" finished Hidden Glimmer.

>Digging into their bags, several of them now wield various weapons in their mouths.

>Mostly small or rusty knives.

>They circle the creature as it's illusions begin to faulter.

"Fuck this."

>Deciding not to help anymore, I just back away and sit by the fire.

>Something always goes wrong when I do.

"You do realize that this thing never actually attacked us yet, right?"

>"Did you miss the part where it nearly drowned us, Blue?" asked Chinook.

>I shake my head.

"No, I was there. And IT never did anything to you."

>They followed it, they fell for it's tricks.

>The others try to attack the wisp, bucking more rocks and trying to slash it.

>Someone eventually gets a cut in, and the creature starts behaving more erratically.

>I watch as it holds still for a moment, and glows brightly.

>I can feel a sharp pain in the back of my head.

>It's almost as if my very concience is being assaulted.

>My vision suddenly goes blurry, and I black out.

 

>The proceeding nightmares are hardly worth recalling.

>It pains me just to think about them.

>Like being stabbed repeatedly in the gut.

>An annoying prod in my side brings me out of my little coma.

>I try to open my eyes, but the morning sun being so low in the sky floods through the door of the house im in and right into my eyes.

>I have to squint to avoid going blind, but peeking over to my side, I can see my little bother.

>Quicksilver was crouching low beside me, staringly intently at the spot she kept poking repeatedly with her hoof.

"Please stop," I beg.

>Quicksilver stopped and looked up at me with a smile.

>"Oh! You're awake!" she said as she stood up. "Hey, we're about to leave. We almost forgot about you."

>Well it's great to know someone cares, even if just enough to not leave me behind.

"Really? Already? We're not searching the rest of the town?"

>"Oh. We already did that!"

"Wait, what?"

>I rise to my hooves to be level with her.

"When did this happen? How long was I out?"

>"A few hours," she explained. "First we found a boat, then a wolverine, and some giant ants, and-"

"And nobody thought to wake me up for all of this!?" I shout.

>Quicksilver seemed a bit taken aback.

>"Well, you looked like you were having a good sleep," she said.

>Okay, so not only have you done absolutely nothing this entire time, now you probably won't get anything out of it either.

>Equal work for equal pay.

>This turned into more of a hassle than a fun adventure.

 

>I exhale a deep sigh.

"Just let me grab my stuff."

>Quicksilver nods and trots outside to meet the others who were all happily mingling about.

>I couldn't make out their chatter, but it sounded like they had a good time.

>I pack my flint and steel back up, re-roll my blanket, and get my pack onto my back.

>The sun was a lot brighter outside as one might expect.

>The air had warmed considerably since I last remember.

>Birds and other small critters go about their business.

>If it weren't for the events of the previous night, this would be a nice little place to visit.

>Now I just want to get the hell back home.

>That actually brings another disheartening thought to mind.

>I don't have home.

>I have a tent and a spot on the ground.

>Hardly worth considering to be little more than a place to sleep at night.

>I should probably look into who I need to talk to about getting a plot of land for a permanent residence.

 

>"He lives!" calls Chinook.

"Yup," I say with a low voice as I walk up to the rest of the group.

>Looking over at Rain Drop's wagon, I can see just what they found.

>Some clothes, weapons, a few tools and other miscelleneous items, and several boxes full of money.

>I really missed out.

>I suppose I deserve it considering my negative attitude throughout this entire thing.

>My expectations were way beyond of what I originally thought.

>I just wanted a fun hike to explore this supposed village.

>Not prankster ghosts and... apparently giant ants and a wolverine.

>Cherenkov Light's body was also in the back of the wagon.

"What happened to him?" I ask.

>"He got knocked upside the head," explained Rain Drop.

"He's not... dead, is he?"

>"Nope. Just unconcious."

>I give Rain Drop a nod and await our next move.

"So that's everyone, right?" asked Lucyne.

>She proceeded to recount the group, including Cherenkov's unconcious self.

>"And... that's all ten," she said with an approving smile. "Lets move out!"

 

>Cherenkov awoke soon after leaving the village, much to Rain Drop's relief.

>That's just that much more weight she doesn't need to carry.

>I just listen in as they recall their adventures with the various creatures they had fought.

>Dog and pony-sized ants?

>They're fucking insane to think that was worth sticking around for, no matter what they found.

>And a wolverine?

>Last I checked, those bastards will tear you and your soul to shreds and not even Hell would provide sanctuary from it.

>That was just plain stupid to confront.

>Yet they managed to beat it down.

>It must have been very young or something.

>Hesitant.

>But it's whatever.

>It's all said and done, and they got quite a bit of gear from it all.

>I suppose it was a successful expedition, but you can bet it'll be a while before I do something like this again.

 

>The group passes by the canyon known as the "Big Hole" once more.

>It sparks repeated discussion of it's name, purpose, or cause of it's formation.

>It's ignored for the most part and we pass right by without an issue.

>Enter the plains known as the Hunting Grounds.

>Excessive boredom was beginning to sweep the group.

>I guess they ran out of stuff to talk about.

>Lucyne suggested someone sing an adventuring song to boost the mood.

>"I got one," said Chinook. "It's an old army song used for ruck marches."

>Oh, this will be good.

>"Repeat after me," he said as he cleared his throat.

>"When I was young and had no sense"

>"I caught my balls on a barbed wire fence"

>"Off to hospital I did go"

>"Balls and all I had to show"

>"Nurse came in with a ten foot lance"

>"Stuck it up my arse and made me dance"

>"I gave her a shilling, she was willing"

>"Gave her half a crown, her pants came down"

>"I gave her a smack, she opened her crack"

>"And I stuck in my hairy jack"

>"OI!" He sang in finish. "Rest in piece Grandad, you magnificent bastard," he said solemnly.

 

>Regardless of the obscenity of the song, it was pretty funny.

>Being at the back of the column, no one saw me smiling and marching along to the cadance.

>A real motivator, that guy, I admit.

>That would explain most of his actions from yesterday.

>Perhaps I should make a note to exchange some cadance with him.

>The group sang loud and proud as we continued our hike to town.

>"Fuck you, Equestria! We're humans!" they would shout at random intervals.

>All the way into town they sang, drawing attention from any and all citizens nearby.

>Back in front of the Meeting Hall, they decide to divvy up the loot.

>Most have laid claim to most of the loot already, so a fair split was far from possible.

>Even most of the cash was unevenly passed out to the group.

>I was about to walk away from it all when I was confronted by a certain purple pegasus.

>"Hey," said Rain Drop. "Here."

>She set a small dagger onto the ground in front of me.

>I raise an eyebrow and open my mouth to speak, but then she places a small bag on top of it as well.

>"It's only fair," she said with a smile. "Have a good night, Blue."

>She turned back to her wagon, shouting when she saw several trying to run off with the some spears.

 

>I stand dumbstruck at why anyone would be willing to split the loot with me.

>I've literally done nothing this entire time.

>Taking both the handle of the knife and bag in my mouth, I make my way back to Tent City to go to bed.

>It wasn't too terribly late, but all this travel has worn me down considerably.

>I notice that several houses had ben completed while we were gone, and several more starting to be built.

>They were little more than run-down sheds, but at least they were solid.

>Somewhat.

>They look like the wind would blow them over at any point, but hey, it's gotta be better than a tent.

>That reminds me of my previous thought from earlier this morning about finding my own house.

>It's just going to have to wait.

>Getting my tent set back up, I place my pack inside along with my blanket and the gift from Rain Drop.

>Opening the little bag, I empty it to find ten bits inside.

>A paltry sum considering they found like 250, but I'll take what I can.

>Despite turning it down earlier, I need every bit I can find at this point until I can fully support myself.

>And it's only fair in terms of what I actually did.

>I'm surprised they gave me anything.

>And I didn't even thank them for it...

>Crap.

>Placing the dull knife and coin purse in my pack for safe keeping, I decide to turn in for the night.

>Hopefully things start to get better for me.