Rays of sunlight danced on the outer side of closed curtains; the room behind them still bathing in pleasant dimness.
Crowing could be heard from outside, resonating through the glass panes. It soared through the darkened room, right into the ears of a calmly sleeping alicorn. The princess’ ear twitched, and the mare mumbled a few incoherent lines into the plump pillow.
Another round of crowing burst into the room, sounding almost desperate this time. Luna abruptly straightened up, pulled out of her peaceful slumber. Light peering into the room in a few tiny columns stung her unfocused eyes.
Her pupils narrowed in horror as the realisation hit her. "Sunlight? The moonset!” She started scrambling out of bed, her hooves automatically groping for her crown. “Tia will be so vexed that I have overslept aga—" Her hooves grasped only air where her crown stand used to be. She froze, slowly rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
Taking in her surroundings, she fell back on the mattress. She was lying in a bed that wasn't her own, again. Truth be told, the previous evening it was a table with a furry blanket, but technically still a bed.
“That was a weird dream... Something about snow... and foxes?” Luna muttered, shaking her head to sort out her thoughts. She shifted, tucking herself in again, and turned on her side, only to face a pair of glistening orange eyes.
The creature sniffed a few times and poked Luna with its wet, cold nose. It extended its long tongue, giving the princess' face a proper bath. Then it gently bit down on her hoof and tugged. The princess eyed it through her half-lidded eyes bemusedly and simply rolled on her other side. A lance of pain shot from her wing as the weight of her torso momentarily rested on it.
There were a few more pokes to her back, accompanied by quiet squeaking and whining. The blanket slid from Luna and snaked to the floor. The little creature turned in the door to release an impatient bark, picked up the blanket again, and disappeared into the room. Luna just watched after its bright orange tail with white tip.
"Foxes." She groaned, shifting back and forth on the bed. Spotting that the pillow was generously sprinkled with red hair, she decided to get up.
With a sigh, Luna groggily rose to her hooves. Her legs wobbled for a moment and pain rushed from her left wing shoulder. To her delight, it was far more bearable than before.
The room she was in was similar to the one she found herself in yesterday. She froze. Hopefully it was yesterday. She shook her head and took in her surroundings.
The room was a smaller one with a solid wooden floor and walls made of layered wooden planks. In one corner was the now-uncovered bed, the curtained window adorned the opposite wall. A small desk, akin more to a lectern, rested under the window, and a cupboard filled with skulls stood just next to it. Luna winced and directed her gaze to the floor for a while. Luckily the rest of the cabinet held only a few tarnished medals and certificates, books, and some tiny trinkets. The only remaining furniture was a small circular carpet in the middle of the room, another closet, and wardrobe with a mirror attached to its side.
Luna strode straight for the mirror. From the reflection stared at her a mare with bags under her eyes, faded eye shadow, some scratches on her face, and a slightly dusty coat. However, there was something else odd about her. At first she wanted to blame that feeling on the absence of her crown and neckpiece, but then the realization hit her. It had been such a long time since she had such a messy bed head that she forgot what it looked like. Her limp mane stuck out in puffy and messy curls, and a few loose strands fell into her eyes.
Luna glanced into the wardrobe, but couldn't find a comb or a brush anywhere. How could she use such things without levitation anyway? How did earth ponies do it?
Shaking her head, she went for the door and cautiously poked her head inside the portal. It was the living room with the fireplace and a huge table. Luckily it was clean of postal owls and blanket-stealing foxes. Luna breathed a sigh of relief.
Passing through the room, she noticed the spotted animal fur lying on the ground. She glanced around warily, then kicked it out of her way in disgust.
She cantered past a stairwell into a small hall with an open door leading to another room. Pleasant smells of raspberries and frying wafted through the portal. Luna stuck her head inside, drooling slightly. Nopony and no food in sight, just a table with an empty plate, a pair of chairs, and a kitchen countertop. Luna headed back to the corridor, wiping the saliva from her mouth, annoyed.
Trotting to the edge of the stairs, she craned her neck and called into the space above her, "Is anypony up there?"
No answer. The princess shrugged and started to descend the stairs.
"Seems like every inhabitant of this house can just appear and disappear to their liking..." Luna muttered to herself, leaning against the wall to ease the pain pumping in her left side as the new terrain tested her sore limbs.
After what seemed like an eternity—which in fact was not that long for a pony who spent a thousand years on the moon—she arrived at a small balcony built between two thick branches. The warm morning breeze ruffled her fur and tickled her feathers, beckoning her outside. Light filtering through the leaves stung her eyes as she left the pleasant shade of the stair’s portal. With the creaking of boards under her hooves, she approached the railing. Not a bad view, if a little boring. Treetops and open skies simply couldn't best the view from Canterlot’s many spires. Shaking her head, she dropped back onto all fours. The only stairs leading from there were the ones snaking back up to the house between the branches. On the opposite end of the balcony was a pulley system connected to a small railed platform.
Luna cocked her head and trotted to it. She cautiously took a step forward, scouting it. It shook slightly, but seemed sturdy enough. Something cold nudged her side. She quickly turned. Her legs wobbled in a surge of pain and gave up. The platform swung dangerously under her fallen form.
The princess looked up shakily, spotting the fox from before. It eyed her curiously for a few seconds, a rope in its teeth. Luna was sure that a smirk escaped its lips before it tugged on the rope.
With an ear-splitting screech, the platform tumbled down.
"Gofcha!"
A small glistening insect found itself pulled out of water. It clung to the net beneath its legs, remaining in the same position as the surroundings turned upside down. Its grip loosened only after something big and green tapped on the other side of the net, sending the creature into a huge water-filled jar.
Hedvika's ears shot up at the screeching followed by a muffled thud. A few moments later a dazed blue alicorn stumbled from behind the large trunk of the tree housing their home. Swaying from side to side and tripping over small pebbles and her own legs, Luna faceplanted into the water right at her hooves.
"Goof morninf, Pfincef." Hedvika pulled the strainer out of her mouth and gently tossed it aside. Then she quickly picked up Luna's head and tugged her out of the small river.
"I'm sorry, but we don't use the lift much. I should probably check on the ropes and pulleys." Hedvika grimaced, rubbing her hooves against her coat.
As Luna's vision stopped swimming, she could recognize the silvery smears on the mare's fur. Apparently the rest of her eyeshadow was gone.
Hedvika drew away a few strands of mane from her eyes and continued, "I promised a local teacher to bring some wildlife to show at some festival. And since you were still asleep, I decided to leave you to Jester and get these prepared." She pointed a hoof at the jars. "The events of last night kept me from sleeping peacefully anyway."
"My apologies—"
"You don't have to apologise. Getting attacked wasn't your fault." Hedvika waded back into the water and ran her hooves over her legs, washing off the detritus from her coat.
Luna watched the water flow silently, eventually turning her eyes to the small shimmering waterfall nearby. "Hopefully not, but it made me forsake my duties. My sister may have taken care of the moonset, but I am the only one protecting ponies’ dreams from nightmares." She took a more regal stance, but lowered her eyes almost immediately. “The very nightmares I helped create.”
"That seems really interesting; can you tell me how it works?" Hedvika asked, throwing off a few strands of water-crowfoot tangling around her legs.
"I can try, but I am not sure if you will be able to understand." Luna started dusting herself off profusely.
Crawling out of the water, Hedvika narrowed her eyes.
Luna stepped back, Hedvika’s serious gaze still locked on her. "No offense, but it is really complica—"
"Don't…” Hedvika began, raising her hooves to the air, “...move." She sprung forward.
"Wha—ouch!" Luna jerked her head, pulling a lock of her mane free from Hedvika's grip.
"Finally!" Hedvika grinned at her hooves. There sat a needle-shaped insect with huge jagged front legs and a long spike on its abdomen. She shoved it in front of Luna’s muzzle. "This was the last one missing. Thank you for catching it. Now where did I put the strain—"
The princess glared at it, then raised her head and looked at the mare mere centimetres from her face. "Miss Gree—Hedvika, I understand you are possibly confused and sleepless, but please. Respect. My. Personal. Space!" The last word had some royal voice tinge to it as well as some hidden bitterness.
Her anger retreated almost immediately at the sight of the young mare backpedaling into the river, fear glinting in her eyes.
"I-I apologise, I did not mean to... I-I am grateful for what you did for me. It is just that... I am still a little tired and used to a different kind of approach." Luna rubbed her temples, forcing an unconvincing smile to her lips.
Hedvika gave her a wary look. With a sigh, the princess lowered her head to the ground again. "Can you please take a look at my mane to see if there are any more bugs from the filthy river?"
"Eh, sure." Hedvika approached her, still slightly deafened. She sprayed the bank with water as she jumped out of the stream. "Also, don't worry. The river of Erlot is not as filthy as it used to be, and it's still far cleaner than in the capital. Nearly the same could be said about Cant, if it wasn't flowing through the fields and pastures..."
"Pardon, Erlot? Should it not be larger at this point?" Luna uttered, watching the sun mirroring in the water. Small fish chased each other in the shallow stream, raising grains of sand in their wake.
"Part of it actually flows into the bogs just a few kilometers upstream." Hedvika gingerly ran her hoof through the wet dreaded mane.
It reminded Luna of the primitive monkeys from the Canterlot zoo. She just hoped the mare wouldn't eat anything she found in her mane.
At least this inferior act allowed the princess to make out more features of her host than did the scarce light of the hearth yesterday. Hedvika’s dark mane was actually purple with streaks of dusty orange. Her green coat, clear of any mud, now shone in the morning sun. A worn harness lined her sides, and the formerly white scarf around her neck was shortened and more of a reddish color, barely covering the injury. A trail of water with a crimson hue slowly dripped down her chest.
"Ooh, another one!"
Luna watched the bug fly to the jar and plummet into the water. Unmoving, it floated on the surface for a moment before swimming down.
"Anyway... When did I doze off yesterday?"
A chuckle resonated between the leaves above their heads. "It's no use asking her, because she doesn't know either."
Both mares looked to the branches overhead. Sev lay there, limbs and tail lazily hanging down. A huge sack filled with something sharp-edged sat next to him.
"Good morning, Princess." Sev bowed his head. "Did you sleep well?"
Not waiting for an answer, he glided down and tossed the sack into Hedvika's waiting saddlebag. The mare's legs visibly shook from the impact.
"Do you think it's enough?" Hedvika groaned.
Sev snorted. "If you think otherwise, go back to the mines yourself and find more gems."
"Okay, okay... I believe you." Hedvika scratched his chin, the dragon purring quietly.
"In the gemstone mines?” Luna stretched her back and her healthy wing, stepping closer curiously. “For what? Does he need such a large snack for one day?"
"Do you always ask so many questions at once? You're still better than Hedvika though. Her first words to the Dragon Margrave were 'May Windigoes bless Your Excellency, could you please explain how does your thermoregulation work?'" Sev knelt down on her head and bent his neck ceremoniously.
The mare just rolled her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle, blushing.
Sev straightened up, continuing with his innocent grin, "The gems are not for me and not for eating. Far better than a sapphire for breakfast would be a fresh fish. Just like the one that's impaled on your horn." He pointed a claw at the alicorn.
Quickly, Luna's gaze shifted upwards to a small fish hugging her horn with its mouth.
The princess screamed, trying to pull it off. Her hooves slipped on the slimy and wet creature, the fish sinking its tiny pointy teeth into her horn and flapping its gill covers angrily. Luna let out a howl of pain, her horn lighting up for a moment with blinding light.
"Fresh is good, fried is even better." Sev gingerly removed the smoking fish off her horn and began munching on it.
A few scorched scales still clung to her horn. The alicorn turned to Hedvika, disgusted.
The mare just put the jars and sack of gems in the saddlebags hooked to her harness, the old leather straining bravely. She didn't even try to close their flaps, buckles now hanging limply among the many outer pockets, loops, satchels and various tools attached to the main bag. Another two bags hung over her flanks, one filled with many round and, judging by its sagging look, quite heavy objects, while the other seemed moderately empty.
Luna chuckled, Hedvika reminding her of an over-decorated Hearth's Warming tree. However, she swallowed her planned remark, along with a complaint about the mare's choice of bag material.
"So, magic already returned?" The unicorn gave Luna an encouraging smile.
The princess eyed her horn for a while, then dusted off the remaining fried scales. She then focused on the strainer lying on the ground, calling on her magic. She squinted, beads of sweat forming on her brow. A single spark left her horn and blinked out of existence almost immediately.
The princess sighed, grabbed the tool with her mouth, and offered it to Hedvika. "Feemf like it if not," she mumbled over the handle.
Hedvika’s smile faltered. "I'm sure it will get better soon." She fidgeted slightly, adjusting her harness and saddlebags. "Now just one question remains: do you want to stay here or go with us?"
The princess let out a sigh of resignation. "What is safer?"
"Well, you'd be alone the whole day here, with only a few animals keeping you company. But if you go with us, we risk that somepony hostile might see you around Ponyville or Trottingham where we need to run a few errands. Though, I highly doubt that traitors to the crown would go to a festival for little fillies or such, but the possibility is still there. Either way, let Sev cast an anti-tick spell on you, there are hundreds of them around."
Luna looked back to the house sitting in the branches of the majestic crooked tree. An orange furry creature flashed past one of the windows.
"I think I will go with you. Just give me something to cover my wings and cutie mark, so that ponies could not recognise me at first glance. After all, I am a Princess of Equestria, I will not sit here like a coward and wait till my big sister solves everything!" She stomped her hoof and raised her chin to the skies. She huffed and trotted forward into the underbrush. A branch hit her squarely in the face.
"Ah, here they are!"
Luna nearly bumped into Hedvika, who abruptly halted and bent down in the middle of the forest path to pick a few plants growing near a puddle of water.
It was about the tenth time already. Stopping every few minutes just because there was something to be gathered. Luna glanced around and frowned. If at least the surroundings were interesting, say some unusual rocks, a vast sunny valley with a stream or two, anything. All there was was this gloomy deer path, shielded with overgrown bushes and trees. Luna was already tired from stumbling over the roots and tripping on brambles. It was only now that she realized how comfortable her horseshoes, still resting in her chambers, were.
The princess sighed, eyes rolling. "You really cannot use magic?"
Hedvika straightened up and carefully tucked the plants away. "No, Princess, I really can’t. Or, well… Sev, please keep watch for a moment."
The unicorn shut her eyes, sweat shimmering on her forehead. She twitched and strained as if trying to lift a whole wagon with the tip of her horn. But nothing happened. Not a single spark of magic left her horn.
Luna shifted around slowly, looking for anything out of ordinary. Bushes, vines, trees, eyes glowing in the darkness nearby… nothing unusual for the Everfree. She felt a slight tug on her ear. She turned to the dragon sitting on Hedvika’s back and she followed the direction his talon signaled.
There, on the ground, lay a pebble. It shifted haphazardly from side to side, as if an invisible foal was trying to pick it up with its mouth. Ever so slowly it rose above the ground, shaking wildly.
“I give up!” The pebble fell down, Hedvika nearly following in its wake. “Here...” she panted, “here you… you see why I... don’t use... it.”
Luna stared at the mare, completely dumbstruck. “But… how did you do it? There was no magic present around your horn or the pebble!” She gestured to the poor stone.
Hedvika calmed her breathing and slowly trotted down the path. Her coat was drenched in sweat. "Well, I used dragon magic.”
Luna gave her a confused look. Sev smirked.
“It most probably started when a freshly hatched Sev tried to touch my horn. From what I have seen, dragon magic is quite similar to unicorn magic, just more focused on molecule manipulation." Hedvika crawled through a bush, holding the branches out of the way and waiting for Luna to catch up.
"Similar to any pony, zebra, timberwolf or breezie magic, dragon magic has its roots in common Equestrian magic, derived in the creature's body to the specific type." She turned around, her ears swiveling wildly. A flock of birds flew above them, swarming the canopies.
“Breezies?” Luna gave her a curious look, shaking off a few leaves clinging to her coat.
“Rare and obscure fairy-like ponies. Some species have minor amounts of magic.” Hedvika cleared her throat, trotting by the alicorn’s side. "Dragon and pony magic can't mix under normal conditions as they are contained firmly in the creature's body. But when one of them is released, it can be sucked in by the other. When a creature is born or hatched, it can't control its magic, which flows freely around, half soaking into its bearer, half impatiently looking for another target. Just like electricity during a storm.
"And as I told you yesterday, I found Sev's egg in the plains of the Frozen North. I was a perfect target for the magic of a dragon hatchling.”
Reaching a small stream, they continued along its bank as Sev took the reins, continuing from Hedvika’s back, “If there was an adult unicorn, nothing would have happened, probably. Because, when these two magics meet, they are like water and fire. Which of them remains depends only on the amount… Oh!” Sev dove into the brook, his scales flashing in the waves.
Hedvika stopped and smiled. Luna settled beside her in the moist grass. “Another fish?”
“I think something far more special.” The unicorn chuckled, watching the dragon roll in the water. “Anyway, let’s finish before he is done. The magic of a regular unicorn foal was nothing against the free dragon magic. But somehow, it survived.” Hedvika stopped, placing a hoof against her chest. “It got stuck deep in me, tied by the dragon magic, yet simultaneously holding the dragon magic back. At least that's what one professor proficient in magic channels told me. To be honest, it seems believable.”
Luna slowly nodded. "That… explains a lot. Do you at least feel it?"
Hedvika gave her a questioning look, her hoof pawing at the ground.
"I mean, unicorns usually feel the magic even when not casting a spell. They know about their horn just like about a hoof or tongue."
"For me it's just a dead weight." Hedvika shook her head and looked away, her ears moving to the sounds of forest.
Luna stared at the stream, a slight frown on her face.
“No!” Sev hopped out of the water, a blur of blue and orange shooting away from the waves. “And there goes our kingfisher.” He growled, returning on the path, wings scraping the ground. The princess started after him, Hedvika in her wake. Silence settled over the group.
Luna stuck her head out of a tunnel cut through a bush. "So, where exactly are we heade—" She froze on the spot. Her form slumped back rigidly. A hoof clasped her mouth, nearly choking her. Her healthy wing flared up and waved through the air.
"Shh. Don't forget that you're not alone here. Pay more mind to your surroundings." Hedvika loosened the grip, the princess pulled against her shoulder. The mare pointed at the small clearing before them, where the ground was dotted with patches of moss and grass and deep claw marks running through the soil. The clearing was lined with dark and tangled trees, eclipsing all but a few faint rays of sunlight.
Luna turned her gaze in the direction Hedvika indicated. A pair of glowing eyes watched back, slowly inching nearer.
Hedvika stepped forward, leaving the princess behind. Her hoof slowly moved to her bag. The eyes seemed to falter.
The tip of her hoof nearly touched the flap. The eyes blinked. A quiet growl resonated through the trees. Luna skulked back into a nearby bush. Hedvika’s hoof dove into the bag.
A brown blur shot out at them. The princess froze in place, sealing her eyes shut.
With a wet chomp, droplets splashed all over her face. Quiet growling and crunching sounded nearby. She shakily raised her eyelids, ready to close them at first glance of the horrific scene. But there was no dead pony around. Just a huge creature made of wood, munching on something colorful.
Luna licked one of the little drops from her muzzle. "Juice?"
Hedvika turned, ears rapidly falling back. “Watch out!” she cried, her hoof moving back again.
A colourful smear dashed across Luna’s vision. It landed in the tunnel with a muffled thud. Luna watched the fallen zap apple with confusion. A smaller creature emerged from the shadows, snatching it.
It was barely bigger than a filly. A small timberwolf pup, rolling the colourful apple from side to side. Its twig-like teeth barely scraped the surface as its leafy tongue trailed around the fruit. Root-like paws with tufts of needles tried to hold it steady. The pup raised its head, the eerie glowing eyes giving Luna a curious, almost playful look.
Despite the bizarre sight, the princess smiled. Mesmerized by the small creature, she extended her hoof. Her ears flicked to a gasp behind her.
"Don’t you dare!" Hedvika tackled Luna to the ground and started dragging her away.
"But—" Luna wriggled in her grip, bending to avoid a few branches.
"I know, personal space. But please, Princess, listen to this. In the matters of nature, I don't care if you are royalty. Neither does the Everfree." Hedvika pushed Luna against a nearby tree, her tawny eyes turning ice-cold. She was almost muzzle to muzzle with the alicorn. Her lips curled up, revealing two rows of clenched yellowish teeth.
"Even though it might seem like it, I'm not controlling these creatures. I have been studying them for a long time, and they nearly accepted me as a member of their pack. Yet as you see, they always expect zap apples from me. Then I'm allowed to pass through their territory. Try to touch their young, and they'll attack you in no time, especially in times of feeding. Come here without zap apples, and you are dead. Because you'll be invading their personal space, their territory."
The alicorn’s ears drooped a little, yet she retained her composure, giving the mare a simple nod. Hedvika turned with a huff and a whisk of the tail and continued down the path.
Brushing herself off, Luna started after her. To her annoyance the pain in the wing returned, and her messy mane tangled into every bush. "So... What exactly are you doing here?"
"Biological research.” Hedvika's voice softened. “I hope to somehow bring Equestria to notice that the wildlife here is more than a bunch of monsters."
"But haven't you said before that these are not... pets?" Luna cocked her head to the side, jumping over a few roots.
Hedvika turned, her ears falling slightly aback. "Are there only 'pet' and 'monster' labeled groups of animals in your mind? Then I suggest adding 'the ones to respect' to the list," she said, holding a branch out of the way for Luna to pass.
"No, but... why are you doing this?" the princess inquired, fidgeting with the bandage running from her wing.
"Because nopony before me did such a crazy thing, at least not in this millennium. But mainly because I want to know how and why this forest works as it does. So I can protect it from ponies.” The unicorn stopped, pondering her words. “And maybe even ponies from it. Some ponies, anyway.” She stared off into space for a moment, then turned to Luna. “There should be a clearing ahead of us, let's stop there for a minute. I can see how you struggle with your wing."
Luna rolled her eyes, pushing through a bunch of bushes. "I think you should sort out your priorities."
"I have them sorted very well, Princess." Hedvika snorted. Entering the small clearing, she dismounted her heavier saddlebags, leaving on only the straps and pockets of the harness. Muzzle pressed to the ground, the green mare crawled away into the tall grass.
Luna wanted to lie down, but then a thought stopped her. "Can I sit down, or is this some kind of sentient grass that will mind my presence?" Noticing Sev had caught up with them and was now fluttering above her, she turned to him, her hoof pawing at the ground.
"Feel free to sit down, but say goodbye to your flanks. It can easily bite them off." He landed next to her, chuckling. "It's safe, don't worry."
She gingerly stroked the straws a few times, circled in the grass, and clumsily plopped down. Sev hopped up on a tree growing nearby, watching their surroundings.
Luna motioned to the purple and orange tail sticking from the vegetation. "Why is she picking all the plants?" she asked, turning to Sev. Her hooves worked their way through her mane, pulling out leaves, twigs, and even a stray feather.
"That's all for the festival. She believes that through teaching the foals, she can teach the parents. I know she'd hate to admit it, but she truly trusts only the little ones. I think she sees a part of herself in them." Sev chuckled to himself. "Though sometimes she goes a little overboard with what she expects."
"How could I know that they wouldn't be able to recognize the basics?" Hedvika stuck her head out of a huge tuft of grass.
"Because your basics aren't... everypony's basics." Sev groaned, rubbing his temple.
"Yeah, ignorance is bliss." Hedvika put down a large sheaf of plants, sorting them to smaller heaps.
"It was for that foal," Sev said, mildly aggravated.
Luna’s ears shot up. "Foal? What happened?"
"Nothing lethal…” Hedvika rubbed the back of her neck. “Also, I haven't thought that your mane would be so long when it's not all flowy. Don't you want to tie it somehow?"
"Do not change the topic that quickly, young mare.” Luna waved her hoof, her eyes piercinging Hedvika to the core. “Although, you have some ideas for what to do?"
"I'll get to it... eventually. Well, styling manes was never my field. I think I remember how to do a simple braid." Hedvika stared into the distance, moving a hoof through the air as she dug through her memory.
"Can you do it? I do not think my horn would be capable of such delicate movements right now." Luna motioned to her forehead.
"Like there was nopony else with the same problem... though I might have a handy solution." Hedvika looked down at Sev, giving him a devilish grin.
"...and that's when Zecora told us that three little fillies came begging for a bouquet of poison jokes. When she refused, they surely went looking for them by themselves. Luckily there are lots of patches of quite similar, yet harmless, plants called blue archer all around. We found the three before they managed to stumble upon the real joke," Hedvika finished, drawing out a blue flower from her saddlebag and presenting it to Luna.
"Why would somepony look for such a plant?" Luna cocked an eyebrow, examining the petals.
"They said it was supposed to be a 'gift' for some other filly in school. Luckily for her, they found the wrong species. See, nothing lethal. I proposed to teach them about plants, and since then I have them on my tail all the time."
"And their families are okay with it?" Luna cocked an eyebrow, ushering a few annoying louse flies with a hoof.
"They seemed quite relieved to get rid of them from time to time... aside from one mare boasting about how dirty they always return. As far as I know, anyway. I didn’t really bother asking them.” Hedvika rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. “But believe me, there is a far larger chance you'll get ran over by a wagon in Manehattan than eaten by a cragadile in the Everfree. All you need is aware—whoa—ness!" She hopped over something on the ground. "Sev, we have another one!"
A rustling of branches was heard as the dragon descended to the two mares.
"Is he... dead?" The princess took a few steps back, nose scrunched.
"With this slice through the throat?" Hedvika raised her eyes to Luna, then lowered them again. "Tsk, tsk. My dear, you should know that crowing in territories of others has consequences."
She poked the dead rooster with her hoof, toying with it from side to side. "Blow flies... nothing else..." she muttered, waving off a swarm of metallic green insects. "He's been dead for about half an hour or so. I doubt that the creature who killed him is still somewhere around here, so we don't have to fear it coming for us." She gave Luna a reassuring smile. Despite that, the princess backed against a tree, her eyes twitching around frantically.
Hedvika pulled out an empty sack and maneuvered the bird inside. "When there are chickens, it means we're not far from the forest’s edge. My lab coat should be enough to hide your wings, and I'll at least have some space for this guy in my saddlebags."
"You want to carry a dead rooster?" Luna said, disgusted.
Hedvika turned to Luna, her hoof rummaging through the bag. "I'm not doing research just on timberwolves. This one," she said, nudging the rooster in the sack, "was attacked by a cockatrice angered by his crowing. And when the intruder didn't seem like joining in the territorial stare-off, he was punished by a slash of talons. Right now I'm trying to find out if cockatrices aim at something in particular or not. That's why I’m taking this sorry one home to dissect him.
"Here is the coat, I hope it's big enough. And take these goggles too." Hedvika hoofed Luna a crumpled ball of off-white fabric and thick crystalline spectacles.
Luna clutched the cloth and pulled the goggles over her horn. "But what will the ponies think when they see me like that? Huzzah, the crazy forest scientist has been doubled!"
"Sorry, Princess, just multiplied by one and a half!" Sev interjected.
Hedvika tapped her chin with a hoof. "Hmm... with your coat color... Oh, when someone asks you, say that you are a marine biologist!"
"But I do not know much about seas. Except for high and low tide." Luna growled as she struggled with the strap around her head. With a sigh, she left the goggles resting on her forehead.
"Like most of those ponies know anything…” Hedvika sighed. “There are some constellations of fish and dolphins, right? Just talk about them in fancy. They won't recognize anything."
"And if they ask about the stains on the coat?" Luna said, rubbing the brownish-red blotches on the fabric.
Hedvika rolled her eyes. "You had hayfries with ketchup at Hayburger. Oh, and try not to rummage through the pockets too much. I’m not sure what I left in there."
Sev landed on Hedvika's back, his wings twitching nervously. "Let's go, I think I can already hear the little devils from here..."