//------------------------------//
// Of Darkness and Light (Orange Guardian 4, Black Guardian 3) 
// Story: Guardians of Many Hues 
// by TadStone 
//------------------------------//

Of Darkness and Light (Orange Guardian 4, Black Guardian 3)

The adventure trip had been great so far, showing them the deep and mysterious woods behind Sweet Apple Acres that were normally forbidden for them. Not as forbidden as the Everfree Forest, but still related to severe punishment for Scootaloo's two friends and a few scoldings for Scootaloo. There hadn’t been a place to be grounded to for her anyway, nor a pony to enforce the sentence, although she had wished many times to get any type of attention from a serious caretaker, positive or negative. But those times would be over, thanks to Rainbow.

The trees stood dense, leaving just enough room for a pony to pass between the mossy trunks and blocking out all sun rays with evergreen leaves. There was barely enough light left to navigate, the dark corners of the of the floor only highlighted by the meagre firefly lanterns Applejack had produced from her dusty store room. It was hard progress, the five of them stumbling over roots and herbaceous plants with every step.

Moving forward was based more on instinct and tactile sensing than visual information, transforming fumbling hooves into her eyes. The perfect location for being Cutie Mark Crusader Darkness Penetrators. Not their best idea for a name as was pointed out by the adults and flocks of birds fleeing into all directions from their high pitched screams, but it didn’t matter, they had already tried being Cutie Mark Crusader Name Inventors once and it had ended in being covered in tree sap. She couldn’t remember the chain of events anymore, however.

After an hour of crawling, both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had given up, resorting to the riding services of Aegis and Applejack. Only Scootaloo was still happily pressing on, needing constant reminding not roam too far ahead from the adults, as she would be lost without their guidance.

Another half an hour later even the little pegasus had slowed down considerately, having been attacked one too many times by hideous plants only existing to trip her, but her ego stopped her from fully giving up, burning muscles or not.

In the end it was worth the effort, as she was the first one to see the light again, like a manifestation of a bright spirit dancing in the forest canopy, forcing her to stop and shield her eyes before its beauty. Giant purple pupils shrunk to the size of pinheads, allowing Scootaloo to see beyond the last treeline where a beautiful meadow shone golden in the low standing midday sun.

Soft ripples moved through the field like waves in a storm-beaten dark green ocean, shaking the last flowers of the season that glowed in a pale blue, accentuating the scene.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Aegis had appeared behind the awestruck filly, with Sweetie Belle resting on his back.

“It sure is.” The voice belonged to Applejack who had just appeared at the black stallion’s side, pausing to marvel at the scenery as did her passenger.

“This is the picnic site, girls. how about ya set up everything?” the farmer pony broke the silence.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Picnickers, yay!” the fillies screamed all at once before Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom dismounted their carriers. The trio ran towards the clearing, only to come back a minute later with embarrassed grins, retrieving food and blankets from their caretakers saddlebags.

Aegis looked over to Applejack. “Are they always like this?” he inquired.

“Always. Y’all should see their sleepovers,” came the response combined with a wink from the mare.

“Oh my. What did I get myself into...” he joked, throwing up his hooves into air in an exaggerated gesture.

“Let’s go help the fillies,” he pointed over to the group, the trio tying themselves up in the blankets instead of placing them down properly.

Five minutes later, after struggling to free the foals of the captivating fabric, the group had assembled in a small circle, the fillies re-wrapped again in the warming blankets in a more orderly fashion than before to shield them against the cold air currents wafting over the meadow. Each of them had been given a hay sandwich with apples. Originally it had just been hay and herbs between the bread, but Applejack did not approve of apple-free dishes, forcing Aegis to change his long optimized recipe. It was great nevertheless, proven by the speed the food was devoured with.

Still chewing, Sweetie Belle began to speak, spraying crumbs in all direction: “You still didn’t tell us why you are here, Aegis.”

Aegis drew in a deep breath, thinking about the best way to begin the story, but he was interrupted by Scootaloo speaking up with her little high voice before he could start.

“This is a story for me to tell. It all started a few years back, when I was living in the Trottingham orphanage...”