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The following days were somewhat quiet as they continued north, following the coast towards Birchwood. Each of them was left to their own thoughts about what had brought them so far along their path. Dusk’s mindset slowly deteriorated back to the feeling that his life was completely outside of his own control, being manipulated by others like it always had been. He occasionally found himself glancing sideways at Lex or Tara, wondering if either of them were going to betray him in some way, or if they already had. It seemed wrong to question them, but at the same time, he couldn’t shake the feeling. After everything that had happened so far, he was losing trust in everyone, even those he considered his closest friends. He could feel the wall around himself building up once more, although he felt powerless to stop it. After that night spent with Lex, he kept to himself, barely even talking to the man he longed for so terribly. As much as he wanted to give in, he knew the moment he did something would go wrong. It seemed better to be prepared than caught unaware.
On the ninth evening after the attack, after crossing the second river that week, the cart came to a halt at the peak of a low hill. Dusk turned to look, seeing a smattering of lights lying a few miles away on the edge of the sea. He felt a small smile come across his face. Birchwood was within their reach at last. All four of them breathed a collective sigh of relief as they looked down over the dark plain. On the northern side of the town the scrubby grass faded into pine forests that looked as if they never ended. In the distance mountains rose up behind them, blocking their view from going any further. Off to their left, silhouetted against the moon, was a massive mountain with a broken and jagged peak. It stood like a monolith thrusting up out of the ocean. Desolate and rocky, it was a menacing black shape on the horizon. Dusk knew that’s where they were headed and in the darkness, it didn’t look welcoming.
“We’ll make camp here for the night,” Tara said, climbing down out of the driver’s seat. “The horses are tired and I can’t see well enough to steer us to town safely. I still want to recoup some of our money when we sell the cart and the horses, so I’d rather we didn’t lose any of them now.”
Dusk hopped off the back of the cart and untied Maribel, leading her over to a spindly looking tree. He wished he had more apples to give her, but they had been out for some time and even if he had them, they would have been rotten. He patted her on the side of the neck, hoping she wasn’t too upset with him for making her travel even further across the continent than she already had. She’d probably seen more of the world than any horse could ever hope to. Walking back to the cart he pulled out a brush Meadow had given him and began to work his way across Maribel’s sides, giving her some well deserved attention.
“We’re gonna go look for firewood Dusk,” Tara called.
“Alright,” he replied, glancing back, surprised to see all three of them walking away.
Content and relieved to be alone for a few moments, Dusk turned his attention back to Maribel. After the footsteps faded away, he figured it was safe to talk to her without ridicule.
“Hey,” he said gently, patting the side of her face. “I’m sorry I’ve been distant. I haven’t really been taking care of you like I should. You’ve got so much dust built up in your fur.”
He continued to brush as she turned her head to look at him. Sometimes he wondered if she could understand him. Her eyes always made him think she knew more than she was really letting on.
“I know you’ve been here the whole time and you probably already know, but boy is there a lot going on. We’ve got so much to do and we’re being chased constantly it seems. Either me or now this princess we’ve picked up. Now Lex and the others think I’ve been chosen to stop Tiernan, which is ridiculous.” He chuckled to himself sarcastically. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned through all this, it’s that life doesn’t make any sense.” As he brushed the dust away, Maribel’s smell grew stronger. “I mean, just look at you! You were just some work horse on a farm in the middle of nowhere and now you’ve been on ships, to capital cities, on the run, and you’re even carrying a baby unicorn! You're as much of a criminal as I am now in two countries! How does any of that make sense?
“Meanwhile I’ve done nothing but go from bad to worse,” he sighed, leaning against her for a moment, his forehead resting on her side. “I can barely remember anything before being a slave, but I do remember starving in the streets, begging for scraps. Then only to be captured and enslaved for ten years.” He paused, sucking in a long breath through his teeth. “I really thought I’d be better off, you know? When I finally got away from that place and met Juniper, I felt so free... I felt hopeful.” Dusk pulled his head back and looked at Maribel who was staring back at him, her ears swiveled in his direction, listening. “And now all I feel is this aching sense of doom. Like something is counting down in the back of my head. Like I’m running out of time.”
Maribel blew through her lips, nudging him with her nose.
“I know, that’s pretty morbid. I’m sorry.” He went back to brushing, switching to Maribel’s other side. “You know, Juniper told me that I needed to stop living in the past. That I needed to move beyond it, whatever that means. But I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, right? All I know is what has happened to me, in the past. How do you move beyond that? How do you start to trust people when the world has proven that there are hardly any worth trusting?” He paused, stepping up closer to Maribel’s head and lowering his voice. “Even Lex lied to me. I’ve had some time to think and I know he was protecting himself mostly, but how do you trust people if you never really know them? I care about him more than I want to admit... but I don’t know if I really know him or how he became who he is. There’s so much of his life I can’t even begin to understand...” He looked up at Maribel. “Do you think that’s important to know? Am I just overthinking it too much?”
Maribel stared at him hard, as if trying to put her thoughts into his mind. Her scent was almost overwhelming in the breeze. He wondered how she could stand it. Then Dusk heard a strange voice fill the space around him.
“You are new to the world, like a foal that has not yet found its legs. You just need to keep trying and you will discover how to walk on your own. Or maybe even beside others in time.” Dusk froze in place as the smooth masculine voice paused, staring up at Maribel. “That is what she says anyway. It seems like wise advice to me.”
Dusk spun on his heel, putting a hand against Maribel to steady himself. He looked up to see a large, muscular horse who was stark white against the darkness.
“Hello Dusk,” he said, the words echoing in Dusk’s mind in a melodic baritone voice. The horse’s lips didn’t move as he spoke. “Maribel has told me much about you. You are the Apple-Giver and that is a grand title among my kin.”
Dusk stared up as the horse stepped closer. The silvery-white mane danced in the breeze, shimmering like starlight. The hooves were pitch black and cloven like a goat’s, unlike Maribel’s. His eyes were bright violet, almost glowing in the night and atop his head was a long ivory horn that came to a sharp point with a spiral pattern running down the length of it. He was unlike anything Dusk had ever seen. Although he’d caught a glimpse of him before, it was nothing compared to the radiance he saw now. The breeze shifted and the smell struck him again, like a field of wildflowers in full bloom on a warm summer day.
“Do not be afraid,” the unicorn said, nodding his head. “My name is Fayard. At your service.” He stretched out one leg, bowing his head down in Dusk’s direction.
Dusk was silent for a moment, eyeing the wicked-looking horn only a few feet in front of him, aimed squarely at his chest. “Hello,” he said timidly. “I... I’m Dusk.”
“Yes, I know,” Fayard chuckled, the sound oddly echoing inside Dusk’s mind. “I have traveled far and wide, following you on your journey. I believe you caught a glimpse of me in the forests south of Greencoast Port, yes? The magic you did to keep yourselves dry was most impressive and Maribel appreciated the break from the rain.” He nodded in Maribel’s direction, keeping his eyes trained on Dusk. “You went to Calendia for a while, a place I do not go near because of the queen, but then I lost you while you were on the sea. Thankfully it was not hard to pick up your trail again. Especially after you met my favorite human, Meadow.”
“You... you’re the one that saved her?”
“Yes, that was me. Regretfully I was not able to heal her completely, but she showed much gratitude for the little I was able to do. I gave her the gift of horse speech for her unwavering kindness towards me and my kin. She has repaid that gift many times over since I left. And now, because of her, you have kept my partner safe, and my child. Thank you.”
“Maribel is my best friend,” Dusk murmured, still leaning against her. “I would do anything to keep her safe, baby unicorn or not.”
“There are not many like you,” Fayard said, his head dipping low. “The past few years have been terrible for my kind and I regret to say that I’m the last unicorn that I know of. Thanks to the endeavors of Queen Lobelia to prove her false lineage, almost all creatures that possess the slightest hint of magical power have been removed from this content in a terrible fashion. That is why Maribel and her child are so important. And why I have come to take her away.”
“Take her away?” Dusk felt his heart skip in his chest. “Why?”
“You are headed to the mountain to see the dragon, also the last of its kind. Your journey is rife with danger and even now it is closing in around you. I cannot risk your continued relationship any longer. For her safety, I must take her away from here.” He looked to Dusk, his violet eyes catching the moonlight. “But I promise you, Apple-Giver, she will be safe.”
“But I...” Dusk choked, looking back at Maribel, the shock of that unexpected news making him feel like he’d just been plunged in ice water. “I don’t want her to go!” He walked around in front of her and put his hands on either side of her face. “You’ve been by my side all this time. What would I do without you here?”
There was a long pause as Dusk stared into Maribel’s deep brown eyes, trying to glean anything from them that he could. She shifted slightly, extending her neck forward to nuzzle him.
“She says it is time for you to learn to walk on your own two legs,” Fayard murmured from behind them. “She has watched you grow and she knows that you are capable. Even though there have been many struggles in your journey, you have proven yourself able to handle anything that comes your way.” He paused for a moment. “And she says that you have your own partner to watch your back, even if you are not yet ready to admit it. He is there for you regardless. She has done everything she can to protect you, but now you must run your own path.”
Dusk felt the tears coming to his eyes. At first, he didn’t believe Fayard was speaking for Maribel, but as she mentioned Lex, he knew it had to be her. She’d been there with him for so long and he’d always wondered if she really knew what was going on. He felt a strange sense of relief knowing that she understood and a stronger sense of loss, knowing she was going to leave him.
Dusk pulled Maribel into a hug, wrapping his arms around her neck as her head rested on his shoulder. He felt her nuzzle against him, pulling him a little closer. After a long moment, Dusk stepped back and Fayard came forward. With a single touch of his horn, the rope making up the halter disintegrated, blowing away in the breeze as little more than dust. Dusk wiped away a tear from his cheek.
“She will be well taken care of,” Fayard assured him as he nuzzled Maribel. “I will keep her safe and one day she will return to you. This is not goodbye forever.”
“You better not let anything happen to her,” Dusk sniffed, pointing a finger up at him.
“You have my promise.”
Fayard came forward, lowering his horn so that it touched Dusk’s forehead. He felt a small jolt as visions of endless green plains and beautiful lush forests filled his mind. It was as if he were galloping along at incredible speeds, witnessing the beauty of the paradise around him. He could feel the power in his body and the magic coursing through his veins. And off to the side, dappled white and brown, was a young foal with a short black horn catching the sunlight.
As Fayard pulled away, the visions fading with him, Dusk felt the sadness ebb away knowing she was going to such a wonderful place.
“When you come back someday,” Dusk stated, his voice still soft. “I want to meet the whole family.”
“Of course,” Fayard nodded. “Maribel would have it no other way.”
“Thank you,” Dusk replied.
He glanced over his shoulder, seeing that he was still alone. The other horses were staring at Fayard, unmoving as if they had never witnessed anything so strange. Maribel had moved a few paces off and was looking back, waiting expectantly.
“I am afraid I do not have much to offer you, Apple-Giver,” Fayard said, walking beside Dusk so that his flank was exposed. “But I can give you two small things. First, you should be aware that Birchwood is not a safe place to linger. The Circle is still on your trail and they know what you intend to do. You may have set them back, but this respite will not last forever. Make your way to the mountain quickly, only there will you have the time and safety to learn to control your power.”
Dusk nodded, knowing it was true. Tiernan would never give up until he had Dusk under his complete control. Getting to the mountain was their only chance of survival.
“Second, I have seen your fighting skills first hand, as I was there some nights ago, ready to step in if need be. However, your weapon is fallible and prone to breakage. Bring it to me.”
Dusk did as he was told, fetching his bow from the cart and bringing it over to Fayard. The unicorn touched the worn wooden bow with the tip of his horn and a silvery sheen rippled from where it made contact. It slid across the surface and under Dusk’s fingers, smoothing over the wear and tear on the wood. The limbs began to grow and curve more gracefully, making it look less like it was carved and more like it had been grown naturally. The arms curled backward into a scroll-like pattern. The bowstring pulled tight and snapped under the pressure, falling to the ground between them.
“This bow will keep your aim true in times of need. Now pluck three hairs from my tail and braid them for a new bowstring,” Fayard said, stepping forward so Dusk could take the hairs. “They will never break or lead your arrow astray.”
“Thank you,” Dusk replied, plucking the hairs and wrapping them around his fingers.
“If you had four legs and a horn of your own, you would not need such things. But since you are at a distinct disadvantage, I feel I must help.” Fayard turned around one last time and looked down on Dusk with his violet eyes sparkling. “We believe in what you are doing, Apple-Giver. You have already fashioned great change upon this world, even if you cannot see it. The path we travel may not always be clear, but chaos and order walk hand in hand. Embrace it and go bravely forward.”
With that, Fayard turned away and trotted off to the southeast. Maribel followed for a moment, but then stopped. She turned back and gave Dusk one last look.
“I love you,” Dusk said softly.
Maribel nodded, stamped her hoof in reply, and took off into the night.