Whitetail Woods
The soft rays of the sun shone through the canopy of the forest. The air was filled with the sounds of buzzing insects a rustling leaves. Apart from the sounds of nature the soft creak of wood could be heard by the lone unicorn pulling his cart. The feel of soft dirt on his hooves and the smell of spring in the air called Pepperjack’s nerves.
The blissful sounds of Whitetail woods always filled him with a sense of euphoria. It was almost like he wasn’t pulling a heavy cart filled with precious spices. Spices his family had spent the last year growing and drying, grinding and mixing, and preparing for the coming year. It was almost like he wasn’t pulling a cart with his family’s livelihood.
Except he was, and it WAS heavy.
Some unicorns would have you believe that pulling a cart is work only suited to earth ponies and pegasi. Such unicorns could be found in Canterlot living a life of finery and opulence. Canterlot unicorns like to spend their days talking down to other ponies and claiming useless titles and whatnot, or that is what Pepperjack was taught.
Things like that didn’t concern him though. Pepperjack was not a Canterlot noble, he had never met a unicorn outside of his own family, and if he could help it he would try to avoid them.
Though snobbery aside they were rich and well appreciative of exotic spices to change up their high society diets. “Give a stallion good spices and crackers and he can eat happy the rest of his life, Give the same to a noble and they will be bored in no time.” A famous quote from great uncle Bleu.
The cart bumped a rock knocking Pepperjack from his pleasant daydreams.
This was his first circuit out into the world and while he was eager to see the rest of Equestria he was hesitant to say the least. His father Red Pepper told him stories of the outside world as a foal and brought books back for the family. Knowledge was a power that he greatly respected and he would let none of his foals become ignorant shut-ins like some of the other families in Whitetail woods.
The stories floated into his mind as he walked ever onwards. Stories of the Lunar Pegasi, changelings, griffons, dragons, and the celestial beasts that roamed the Everfree Forest.
His destination was Ponyville and it lay to the west of Whitetail woods. It was the closest village for most of the Wood’s residents and so was also a very important stop for our wayward unicorn. He had never been there before but his father often spoke of wonders that could be seen in the small town. It was the residence of Princess Twilight Sparkle who recently saved Equestria from a demon and was rewarded with her own crystal castle.
Her own castle, the thought itself just rattled his brain. He had heard of a few of her and her friends grand adventures and now he was heading to Ponyville. He was nervicited (nervous-excited) beyond belief and he wanted to see the famous Golden Oaks library.
He always imagined it to be huge. A library inside a tree the thought alone made him excited. Pepperjack loved trees and he loved reading and he was hungry for knowledge. Especially on since his father did not bring back any books from his travels, which struck Pepperjack as odd.
He had asked his father about it, but was met with a grim face and silence. It was an unusual reaction to say the least.
A strong breeze blew through the branches filling the air pollen and the smell of the earthy forest floor. There was no other smell like it and Pepperjack knew he would miss it on his journey.
The weary unicorn stopped at the edge of a meadow. He had been walking for a day and a half now and he needed a short lunch break. Using his magic to take off the heavy sweat laden harness and brought out his picnic blanket and a couple of apples.
After carefully laying out his red and white plaid blanket and setting his grey Stetson down beside his little trio of lunch apples. Pepperjack did what any sensible unicorn stallion of his stature would do.
He flopped down on the blanket and rolled onto his back flailing his legs in the air and laughing. “HA eat that cart. I can go whenever I want to and you’re just stuck there.”
Carefree as ever, and a LOT of apples short of a full bushel, Pepperjack indulged in a little lunch adding spiced bread and peach jam to his little trio of apples. He was very contented as he munched, back legs tucked beneath him and front legs folded out in front of him. The cool breeze drying up the sweat that had gathered in his grey coat where the harness had been.
The apples and peach jam were sweet and Pepperjack being the most graceful of eaters got a good amount of jam on his lips. He wiped his mouth with a white fetlock. He liked his fetlocks where his legs met with his hooves. They were white and liked to grow a little over his black hooves. His napkins he called them and they were one of his favorite features.
Which some ponies had one colored coat and a two tone mane Pepperjack was a pony true to name. He had a large white spot that covered most of his flank and speckled out across his mostly grey coat. His mane was cut short around his head and had a streak of dark red in it.
His cutie mark was a salt and pepper shaker, but instead of black pepper the said shaker held a reddish spice that matched up with the streak in his mane. It told him that like the rest of the family he was a pony who was destined for spicy greatness.
Pepperjack awoke some hours later cursing himself. He had decided to take a nap that had progressed a little farther. It was night now and he could see Luna’s night sky from the meadow he was in.
The sky was beautiful. Stars and constellations captured his gaze. He had always like the night sky.
Snapping back to reality the grey unicorn was again reminded that he could not travel at night and had wasted a half day’s travel napping. He set about gathering some wood from around the tree line for a campfire. The nights in the woods where often cold and moist and he did not want to catch a cold so early in his journey. After gathering his tender he focused his magic and summoned a flame to start his campfire.
As soon as it grew the starlight that lit the night faded from his vision as the firelight grew brighter. It was always disconcerting to him how the night seemed more dark and dangerous under the flickering shadows of firelight.
Shadows crept in the tall grasses and leapt in the trees and something in the night air felt wrong and dangerous. It was times like these that made Pepperjack wish he had brought a tent.
Clever ideas sprung to mind. Pepperjack gathered some stones and put them around the fire. He grabbed the largest of the stones and drew a rune on its surface. His father had shown him this simple enchantment. As long as the stones circled the fire it would not spread to anything else not touching the physical mass of the fire.
It was a good safety device and a good trick too, because when you put your hooves into the fire the protection magic would activate and you wouldn't get burned.
Having enchanted his fire he pulled his cart closer to the fire. He lifted the tarp and stared moving around his various tools and wares making himself a nice space to snuggle into. He folded his blanket to make a nice cushion to lay on and pulled the tarp over himself and the cart.
And thus the great tarp-cart-fort of Whitetail woods was made.
Pepperjack smiled with foalish glee at his cunning ingenuity. The warmth of the cart and the sounds of the night making a sonorous lullaby making the grey unicorn feel sleepy again.
Slowly he slipped into the dreamworld that only a beautiful night and a warm fire could provide.
Hooves pounding furiously into the dirt as he ran. Red cape billowing in the wind. Sweat sticking on the inside of his…luchadore mask? The masked unicorn skidded to a stop as he realized he was wearing a ridiculous mask. “Why am I wearing a mask and why am I running?” He puzzled aloud.
A cackling maniacal laugher filled the air and echoed on the cave walls.
“Fool, have you finally decided to face me?”
Concerned, but ready to play the part of hero, Los Jalapeño answered his sworn enemy.
“Show yourself count!! So that I may teach you a spicy lesson.”
Standing tall Los Jalapeño braced himself for his hated enemies entrance. Though unnoticed in the background a blue alicorn sat eating popcorn and occasionally drinking soda.
The sound of thunder filled the air as smoke rose from a rocky ledges taking the form of a pony. As the smoke cleared the menacing form of Vlad Peckish also know as Count Snackula.
“Why have you lured me here Peckish? Was your defeat at the Á La Modé not evidence of your weak hunger?”
Swiftly grabbing his black and red lined cape Vlad drew it up to hiding his body with exception to his fierce red eyes. He his in distain at Los Jalapeño.
“It was a dirty trick to serve me vanilla and habanero ice cream, but soon I shall claim the delicious lifeblood of your sweet SALSA!!!”
There was silence…
Awkward silence.
Jalapeño finally broke the dreaded awkwardness.
“I'm not into Stallions.” He declared blankly.
“RRRaagh, NO.” The Count bellowed in frustration.
“SALSA!!!”
An explosion of pyrotechnics and a cloud of smoke rose from another ledge near the count revealing…
Nothing…
The Count screamed in rage and fished a remote from his pocket with a big red button. He pressed the button furiously.
Finally with a crackling rumble a figure tied to a post rose up from a trap door.She wore a red and yellow luchadore mask with a matching cape. A gasp rang out from an unknown audience followed by a intense look from a certain alicorn who swallowed her popcorn loudly.
“La Salsa!! You monster unhand her.”
The cackling villain just leered at Los Jalapeño with his slitted red eyes and spoke his dreaded monologue.
“You fool did you not think I would discover your dreaded weakness. Your love for this girl and…Your fear of FANGS!!”
The Count bared his fangs the sight of which cause Los Jalapeño to fall to the ground in fear.
“NOOOOOOO, they are so unnatural, they are not meant for eating only for causing nightmares and wet beds….not that I would know. Curse you bat pony!!”
The resulting spit take from an alicorn caught enough distance to catch Los Jalapeño on the back of his head. Suddenly all eyes where on Luna followed by questioning glances and exclamations.
“A henchmare come now Count now your paying for company.”
“Don’t play dumb with me hero she is obviously with you. Just look at the cheese on her flank she is obviously one of your allies.”
“I didn't know being a creature of the night made you blind and dumb Vlad that is obviously the moon.”
“ENOUGH.” The royal canter lot voice shook the cave with enough force to loosen a few stalactites that crumbed on impact with the ground.
“Pepperjack Saltbane Spice, I will not have thine slander upon my ponies of the night. Yes thou may make a villain from one, but do not mistake one for all. I think I have the perfect fix for your ignorance.”
The world warmed and turned and all went dark. . . .er.