Beyond the Forest

by SparkofLightning

Chapter 2

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle have been wandering around the Everfree Forest all day. The sun was about to set and they had lost all hope that they'd get home.

"I don't think they're going to find us," Sweetie Belle said.

"I guess you're right..." Apple Bloom agreed. The moon was rising and there was nobody else in the forest. The two crusaders decided to sit on a boulder and just think.

Ah can't believe Ah got us into this mess...If only Ah'd shut my trap and listen to Sweetie Belle for once, we wouldn't be in this situation...

Who was the girl that made Apple Bloom angry? Did she live in the forest? Why was she so confused when we talked about going home? I've never seen her before, and none of the towns or cities in Equestria are in that direction...Where'd she go?

"Ah'm sorry, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom told the small unicorn. "If I hadn't convinced you to go into the forest with me then we wouldn't be lost."

"It's okay, Apple Bloom. Besides, we have each other! Who knows what would've happened if we were alone." Just then, they heard growling behind them. They turned around and saw a drooling manticore staring at them like they were his dinner. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom became pale and were frozen in shock and fear.

ROAR

The two girls screamed as loud as possible and ran in a random direction side by side. They dodged rocks, branches, and other animals as they ran for their dear lives. They couldn't seem to lose the manticore, but luckily, it never caught up to them. They ran around a giant boulder and a few trees in hopes of losing it, but their trial failed as the manticore swung at them. Luckily, he missed and they kept screaming and running.

After screaming for what felt like forever, a lasso was thrown around the manticore's neck, and Applejack appeared on it's back, pulling the rope back to slow the beast to a stop. The girls were surrounded by a blue aura and were levitated to Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Applejack still struggled with the manticore who was now bucking the air and jumping around like a bull.

"Yeehaw! Ah haven't went bull ridin' like this in a long time!" Applejack shouted. After Rarity got the crusaders to a safe spot, Twilight used her magic to put the manticore to sleep. Applejack jumped off and walked over to Apple Bloom.

"Ah'm sorry, Applejack! Ah didn't mean for this to happen! Ah thought that-" Applejack cut Apple Bloom off with a hug.

"Just make sure you don't ever do something like that ever again!" Applejack broke the hug and looked at Apple Bloom with teary eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? Ya'll have made it so far into the forest, Ah had started doubting that we'd make it in time."

"Ah'm sorry," Apple Bloom cried into Applejack's embrace. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and Rarity simply cried. No words were necessary. After the sisters finished crying, they all headed back to Ponyville, unaware of the pegasus watching them from a tree.

---

Ponyville's that way, huh? Once the coast was clear, Scootaloo flew back to Pegasopolis to get some rest. She and her sisters were going to have a long morning tomorrow.

~Hours later~

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo got up half an hour before sunrise. They decided to get breakfast later and flew straight to the edge of the forest and onto the same tree branch.

"So what did you want to tell us, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well...Yesterday, when I was looking for a place to put the bunny, I came across two people-"

"WHAT?!" Fluttershy and Dash exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know! They weren't pegasi! It was so bizarre!" By now, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were giving Scootaloo all of the attention that they could possibly give.

"Did they do anything? Did they use magic? Were they complete jerks?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Did they attack you? Did they hurt you? Did they say anything?" Fluttershy asked.

"Guys! Calm down! It went like this..." Scootaloo explained the whole story about meeting Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to her adoptive sisters. "...and then I flew back home, but last night, I did find out that their 'Ponyville' place or whatever was directly across the forest from the entrance to Pegasopolis! Maybe we should tell some spies to check it out," Scootaloo suggested.

"Do you really trust the Spies with something like this? They'll just start yet another war and everything would be terrible for us! There's no special reward for reporting the new place anyway. Why don't we enjoy it for ourselves?" Rainbow Dash said.

"I agree with Rainbow on this one," Fluttershy announced.

"Alright then," Scootaloo agreed. "Do you guys have training today?"

"Nope," Fluttershy answered.

"Perfect!" The three pegasi put on their hoodies and jumped off the branch. Scootaloo turned around to face the forest as the sun started to rise. "This way!"

---

~Two hours later!

Twilight and Pinkie Pie stood outside of the Everfree Forest, debating whether or not they should check for any danger again. They decided to check and headed into the safe zone.

"There just has to be something we're missing! I just can't figure it out! Ugh!" Twilight complained.

"Maybe you're overthinking things. That happened with Discord and the elements, right? I mean, he took away Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, and Magic just by hiding them in a book! Of course, he took away the other parts of a friendship, too, but those were the base parts so everything just crumbled with it," Pinkie Pie rambled. Twilight just stared at her. "What?"

"Wow, Pinkie...That actually makes sense!" Twilight then got back on the previous topic. "But it doesn't help this situation much. Even if I am overthinking things, there's still something missing." They reached the end of the safe zone and sat down. "Hm..."

"Hey, Twilight! Look!" Pinkie Pie pointed to three figures in the distance that walking near them.

"Who's that? Don't they know not to go into the forest?" Twilight thought out loud.

"HEY! OVER HEEEEERRREEE!" Pinkie Pie shouted. The figures seemed hesitant and whispered somethings, but ended up walking up to Pinkie Pie.

---

"HEY! OVER HEEEEERRREEE!" The girl with the extremely puffy pink hair and tail screamed.

"She's one of the people who showed up to help the other two. So is the unicorn next to her. The unicorn can knock things unconscious, but I don't know about the other girl." They walked over to the two girls. When they came into a comfortable range of the puffy haired girl, she shook their hands so quickly and forcefully that their whole bodies moved with her hand.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie and over there's Twilight!" Pinkie Pie pointed to the unicorn. "What're your names?"

"I'm Rainbow Dash."

"Scootaloo."

"Fluttershy"

Twilight walked over to the group. "Nice to meet you all! If you don't mind me asking, why were you guys in the forest? Didn't you know that the safe zone was over here? You could've gotten injured, you know." Twilight got a closer look at them and realized they didn't look like the average pony from any cities she's been to. She completely forgot about her previous question and asked, "Where are you from? I haven't seen you around in the cities I've been to. Then again, I could've just not been in the same area."

"Uh...yeah...That's it...You just didn't notice us..." Rainbow Dash trailed off. Despite herself, Twilight let not having her question answered slide.

"Anyway, how about we head to Ponyville?" Pinkie Pie suggested. Dash and Scootaloo smirked mischievously, but quickly replaced it with a polite grin similar to Fluttershy's.

"Sure."

---

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were lucky that they weren't stuck in their houses all day. They did have to do more chores than usual for a month, but they got to go outside and hang out at least. Right now was one of those times, so they decided just to walk around Ponyville.

"Ah wonder if we'll ever know who that girl was," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said. "Something's off about her. I mean, she didn't even know where Ponyville was! Also, she didn't seem so fond of us or letting us stay with her until we found a way home."

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she's hiding something in the forest that she doesn't want anyone to see."

"Maybe..." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked around and thought about the mysterious girl for about five more minutes before they heard Pinkie Pie in the distance.

"Here we are! Back in Ponyville! Do you guys want a tour? Or maybe we can start setting up your welcome party right now! Or we can meet everyone in town! Or-"

"Pinkie! You really need to break that habit." Twilight and Pinkie Pie got closer to where the crusaders were with -you guessed it- the mysterious girl and two other people. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's jaws dropped. After moments of shock, the girls ran over to the girl from the forest.

"It's you!" They shouted.

---

"Hehe...hi?" Those girls from yesterday found me already? That was fast! Still, not as fast as Rainbow Dash, of course.

"You know her?" Twilight asked the two girls.

"Yeah! We ran into her when we were lost in the forest and-" The one with the bow started.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie! How about meeting everybody?" Scootaloo asked over the girl's explanation.

"Sure thing!" Pinkie did find it odd that Scootaloo suddenly spoke over the explanation, but she decided not to question it. "These two are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They haven't gotten their cutie marks yet, so they made the Cutie Mark Crusaders club to find them!"

So they get marked as well...but why are they called cutie marks? Scootaloo thought.

"Come on, guys! Let's go meet their sisters! Then we can go and-" Pinkie rambled on about who they'd meet as she led them to the Carousel Boutique. Scootaloo's sensitive hearing allowed her to hear Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle tell Twilight that she wasn't from around here, and that she might not even be from Equestria.

So much for laying low. They might as well know that I'm a pegasus as well.

---

"What do you mean that you saw her in the forest?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I did find her, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy in the forest as well, but there's no possible way that they would've even made it that far without being chased by the creatures in the forest." Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Twilight were currently sitting in the library so no one heard their conversation.

"Well, that's where we found her. She was being a little rude, but-" Sweetie Belle started.

"A LITTLE RUDE?! She was so grumpy and cranky at us for no reason, and then wouldn't even help us! That was SUPER mean!" Apple Bloom argued.

"That's not the point!" Sweetie Belle shot back.

"Girls!" Twilight exclaimed, gaining the attention of the two children. "Listen, even though I find it very hard to believe that you found her that far in the forest, my friends and I will keep an eye on Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy." Twilight scrunched her eyebrows and put her fingers up to her chin. "Now that I think of it, those names are kinda odd for regular people..."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at each other worriedly. "Um...Twilight?" Apple Bloom asked. Twilight looked at Apple Bloom.

"Yes?"

"Doesn't the word 'flutter' mean to...well, fly?"

"Well," Twilight started, "I was thinking the same thing, but there's no possible way that they could be..." she trailed off.

"Be what?" Sweetie Belle asked, but Twilight was too lost in thought to acknowledge her.

I should contact Princess Celestia once she gets back from the royal meeting in Saddlerabia next week. That'll give me plenty of time to find out if they actually are living mythical creatures. I mean, they waltz in from deep in the forest, avoid talking about where they're from, and not to mention Scootaloo -I think that was her name- interrupted Apple Bloom when she was explaining where they found her. They are either really dumb or they've underestimated our intelligence. Either way, I think we found this out way too quickly...Did they even think about what could've happened if they just suddenly showed up?

"Twilight?"

Did they want us to know something? Why are they here?

"Twilight!"

Maybe they actually are regular people and I'm overthinking things...Then again, there is more evidence saying that they're suspicious characters...

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom took a giant breath.

"TWILIGHT!"

"Huh?" the screaming and ringing in her ears snapped Twilight out of her thoughts.

"You kept staring at the ground and wouldn't answer us," Apple Bloom told her.

"Oh, uh...Sorry about that. What was the question?"

"Well, we wanted to know what you meant when you said that the new people couldn't be something," Sweetie Belle explained.

"Oh...well..." Should I tell them? I don't know if those girls really are who they portray themselves to be, but then again, they couldn't be pegasi. They're just myths, and I'd be wasting my energy on trying to figure out if those girls were mythical creatures. That's ridiculous! I can't believe that I thought that in the first place! Ha!

"Twilight?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Not again..." Sweetie Belle commented.

"Well, girls. I just had the stupidest moment! I thought that they were pegasi at first- I mean, can you believe that?- but then I realized that that was impossible!" Twilight laughed. "Whew...That was hilarious!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at each other.

"What's a 'pegasi'?" the confused 10-year-olds asked.

"The singular version would be 'pegasus', and they are mythical creatures who are the evilest of them all," Twilight explained. "Have your sisters not told this story to you before?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shook their heads. "Maybe it's because it would've scared you or something," Twilight figured.

"Can you tell us, Twilight?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Sure. It all started when a ten-year-old boy ventured into the Everfree forest..."

"I'll be completely fine. There's nothing in the forest anyway!" The boy told himself aloud. He had been dared to go into the Everfree at night and stay there until daylight to prove his manliness. His goal was to travel all the way across the forest and come back before daylight, so he rushed deeper and deeper into the forest. Eventually, he ventured so deep into the forest that he lost all sense of direction.

"I'm not lost!" he told himself. "I just...went too deep..." The little boy turned around, planning on going back, but what stood before him was the ugliest being ever. It had long, dirty claws on its hands and feet, long, sharp yellow fangs that stuck out of its mouth, slit pupils, red eyes, tangled hair, a tangled tail, and worst of all: wings. The vile beast drooled and looked at the boy. It liked its lips with it's lizard-like tongue.

"What do we have here?" the beast gurgled. "Food?"

The boy backed away slowly. "I-I'm not food! I don't taste good at all! I need to go home!" He rushed away and made a u-turn while the monster chased him down. It's super strength gave it the power to claw at everything in sight. Trees were split in half, the animals were killed, and the beast even left visible dents in the ground with its feet.

"COME HERE, LITTLE BOY!" It shouted.

"Leave me alone!" The boy had seen the sun start to rise and the monster stopped chasing him.

"I must hide!" It gurgled. Alas, the monster was too late. The sun rose and the beast started to turn to ashes. The last thing it had said was, "I'll be back for you! And I'll bring all of my pegasus brethren, too! You'll paaaaaay!" With that, the monster turn to ashes, and the boy ran away, thanking Celestia for the sun.

"The end. I still can't believe I thought that they were pegasi! Ha! I mean, they didn't even burn, but they did come from a very far part of the forest. Oh well, there's way more evidence that pegasi aren't real! They're just normal people who just so happened to be deep in the forest," Twilight concluded.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said their goodbyes after Twilight mentioned something about a book. Nobody cared about that stuff anyway; it was just Twilight being Twilight.

"Pegasi don't exist, do they?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"No. Ah think it's just an old story and nothin' more. Besides, wouldn't it have attacked us by now if it was real?" Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, you have a point, but let's find that girl again and find out where she's from just in case."

"Sweetie Belle, you don't have to worry about a thing. If she was actually a pegasus, Ah could kick her hindquarters and make her go back to the Everfree where she belongs!" Apple Bloom punched the air for emphasis. "But I guess some more crusading wouldn't hurt."

"CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS INVESTIGATORS, YAY!"

Author's Note:

Not my best work, but it'll do. I just needed to get passed this part so that the rest of the story made more sense. Tell me of any errors please and I'll try to fix them. Thanks.

Comments

[Mares-a-Mares]

Yay, you updated~! I'm curious about how things are without the hood. XD What's the pegasi life like at night?

[Saris Daddy]

Like the story so far... Although I have to say that your dialogues need some work... It feels kinda unnatural and forced also you don't describe enough. Tell us what the characters do while they speak. What kinda expression do they have? How to a smaller hair intonation and so on...