//------------------------------// // Hidden in The Forest // Story: Tales of the Battle Foals // by Sirdubya //------------------------------// The Battle Foals waited patiently for the bandits to retire into their hideout. It had been about half an hour since the foals happened upon them when they finally did. Moving all of that heavy stolen cargo really took some time. During the time that they worked, a few more of them came in and out of the cave, but according to Kickback, none of them appeared to be their leader. “You think their head honcho might be nestled down in their lair, Kickback?” Fire Fight asked. Kickback nodded. “Reckon so. Prolly got their li’l deputies doin’ all the dirty work while he or she is planning their next move an’ managin’ their hauls.” “Seems reasonable, if our encounter with the Sand Vipers taught us anything.” Shadow Shroud said. “Bullseye, do you per chance know of any recent reports of bandits raids that our ‘friends’ here might be responsible for?” Bullseye shrugged. “Can’t say I have, not that I’d care anyway.” She said. “It didn’t seem like the locals of Trifectown were in unrest for any reason, so maybe they’ve never been bothered by these bandits.” Greensprout said. “I bet it cuz d’hey started rollin’ not too long ago. Prolly ain’t made a name for d’hemselves yet.” Turf War said. “Hmm….that could be. I bet that means they’ll be easy to deal with since they’re probably not too organized yet.” Spiral Galaxy said. “Even a parasite and its host have a relationship, Spiral Galaxy. Do not anticipate such an easy confrontation on that notion alone.” Zebota said. “But….what are we even going to do once we confront them? Surely they won’t repent by us simply beating them into submission.” Quantum Tech asked. “We didn’t expect to do that with the Sand Vipers, but we had to fight them anyway….if only because we had more of an incentive to.” Air Slash said. “And we have one here too. These guys got somepony killed trying to steal from them, and we’re gonna remind them what happens when they run away from their crimes!” Fire Fight declared. “MAKE ‘EM EAT FRIED HAY BURGERS SMOTHERED IN PINEAPPLE YOGURT ON A STICK!!” Crazylocks blurted. “Ehh…..exactly!” Fire Fight said. “I hope you mean to say that we won’t use violence right away. That would solve nothing.” Greensprout said. “I do, Greensprout. They probably won’t listen, but we’ll talk things out with them first.” Fire Fight said. “That aside, I think we should have a few of us wait outside at the entrance in case they try to retreat.” “Agreed. If we all go in guns and hooves blazing, we’ll only have control of the area where we can be cornered if they manage to slip from our grasp.” Shroud said. “I think our mystic duo should at least stay guard. That entrance looks a little too small for Shrapnel anyway.” “We would not be opposed to that.” Zebota said. Shrapnel grunted in agreement. “If that’s the case, then perhaps I should stay behind as well.” Quantum said. “I doubt anything down there would really warrant my insight seeing as our opponents this time are a mere group of ruffians.” “Everypony ok with that?” Fire Fight asked. They all nodded, and there were no further volunteers. “Alright then.” He ignited his gauntlets. “Let’s go derail these train robbers!” Without any hesitation, the participating foals charged headlong into the lion’s den with Quantum and Zebota wishing them luck. Within the Everfree Forest... Zecora continued to search her densely forested home for any sign of the figure. She might have been being more stubborn than usual, but something told her that whatever it was held some sort of significance, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she somehow knew what it was. “Hmm….There must be someplace I have not searched…” she said. She went deeper into the forest than usual in a last-ditch effort to finally discover her culprit. Her hike took her to an area a good ways beyond the ruined castle; passing by the condemned structure reminded her of their encounter with the lone, aggressive timberwolf. While terrifying, the very nature of the encounter was befuddling. Why was it alone? Not only that, but it seemed to be holding back for some reason, as though it simply meant to scare them away, but from what? Timberwolves held territories, but as far as she knew, none had marked the area around the ruins as their own. As she came across a clearing, her train of thought was derailed at an completely unexpected sight. “” Before her was an unmistakable Zebra-style hut complete with a garden of cultivating plants native to the forest and even some herbs she recognized as native to her homeland. “Wh-What!? Who lives here?” she called out. “Forgive my intrusion, but please make yourself known! I did not realize that I was not alone!” No response. Concerned, she decided to investigate the hut itself, and that’s when she then noticed the large shed next to it. It didn’t seem to house any sort of tools or anything, but it had a floor of grass and hay big enough to cradle a beast to sleep. “Hmm….” When she looked more closely at the hut, she noticed that it wasn’t very big, as if a foal lived there; she could barely fit herself through the front door. The interior wasn’t much different than her own hut, but looking around told her that whoever was here packed up and left for some reason. Something on a table nearby caught her eye though, an open book. When she perused its contents, she discovered that it was a diary of a zebra named ‘Zebota’. “Hmm….Have I heard that name before?” There were quite a few entries, and some of them described a friend he called ‘Shrapnel’. A few of the entries stuck out to her. “As I take my first steps onto foreign soil, I know that I will never take any more on my home soil. My dearly departed parents have blessed me with the gift of forbidden knowledge that has cast me out of the approval of my neighbors, and my only company is Shrapnel. He likes to remind me that I am now as a beast like he is and free to roam where I please. It vexes me to know end that he would care for my welfare considering what he has cost me, but his wisdom brings me some comfort. But this begs the question: where am I truly meant to go now?” “Oh, child….” Zecora muttered. Reading about Zebota’s parents tugged at her heartstrings. Whoever this ‘Shrapnel’ was seemed to have something to do with his misfortune given how angrily he spoke of him. But what was this ‘forbidden knowledge’ that he had, and what did mean by Shrapnel being a beast? She had her suspicions, but she decided to keep reading. “I have found this place the ponyfolk call the Everfree Forest. They say that it is fraught with unimaginable horrors, but for Shrapnel and I, these woods are a paradise- I have heard that ponyfolk can be hopelessly ignorant, but I certainly believe that I have found proof of such a claim. That aside, I wasted no time searching for the perfect spot to build a hut for myself and a shelter for Shrapnel- he lent me his strength as he always has. Surely we can live in peace here. The many spirits here have welcomed us with open arms.” “The ponyfolk are not ignorant!....just…….very quick to judge.” Zecora said. While she wasn’t exactly happy about the ponies fearing her very presence, she quickly forgave them when they learned to open up to her, and the residents of Ponyville became something like extended family to her. “But tell me, child. What drove you and your friend to live in the wild?” “Today, Shrapnel brought me something odd. He was carrying a plastic bucket filled with wheat that looked like it came from the nearby ponyfolk village. I scolded him for stealing from them, but he had already started devouring some of the wheat, so we could give it back now. I scooped out some for myself that he did not drool on.” “A plastic bucket?” Zecora wondered aloud. It was then she remembered Fluttershy telling her about the encounter with the abnormal timberwolf that stole a bucket filled with wheat-feed for her animals. Could that timberwolf really have been ‘Shrapnel’? She kept reading. “I was not expecting what I saw today. Within a foggy marsh rich with this forest’s mushrooms, I caught sight of another of my kind.” Zecora nearly jumped upon reading that first statement. Zebota saw her at that very same place where she saw……no…… “Could it be!?” She knew now. Those eyes, that small stature, those expertly harvested mushrooms that she didn’t pick up……it really was another zebra, and a foal no less! “Then……who is this ‘Shrapnel’!?” She continued the entry she just started reading. “I was certain that I was the only zebra here in this forest, but it would seem that I was sorely mistaken. Shrapnel has watched her from afar for me, and based on his observations, she has been here for much longer than I have; the nearby ponyfolk seem to view her as a friend and know her as ‘Zecora’- a fine name. We will have to make sure that we do not cause trouble for her. She must not discover me and chase me away for what I am. Shrapnel and I do not wish to leave our paradise.” Zecora’s stomach flopped. She had been stalked by this ‘Shrapnel’? She never noticed anything out of the ordinary aside from the lone, large timberwolf……could that really have been Shrapnel? Everything was beginning to add up. The last entry was the smoking gun. “As I pack my things to leave this place, I write one last entry in this diary. Ever since I was shunned by my people and forced away from my homeland, I truly believed that Shrapnel and I were meant to live out the rest of our years in exile, but a chance encounter with these ponyfolk foals has changed me. They too have exiled themselves from their own homes for reasons similar to mine, and thus, we have formed something of a bond. It is a bond that I only ever shared with Shrapnel and my parents before he slew them. We have now sworn our allegiance to Fire Fight and the Battle Foals. I have no doubt that my communion with nature and the might of an alpha timberwolf will prove quite useful aside from nurturing our camaraderie.” So many emotions spiraled within Zecora. Shrapnel was a timberwolf that killed Zebota’s parents, and yet they were still friends!? But more importantly, THEY WERE WITH FIRE FIGHT NOW!? And apparently, Fire Fight really did have a troupe of other runaway foals that now called themselves the Battle Foals. It then occurred to her that Shrapnel must have been the timberwolf that attacked her, Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy at the castle ruins! Could he have been protecting Fire Fight and the other foals!? Zecora took the diary without hesitation and marched out of the hut once she managed to squeeze her way out the door. “I must inform Twilight with haste! We cannot let this information go to waste!” But just as she was about to exit the clearing, she took one more look at the shed that Shrapnel apparently used as shelter. Something still felt off…..Forbidden knowledge? Shunned for it? What sort of secrets did Zebota know that allowed him to tame such a powerful creature?...............And then, it hit her. “Beastcraft!”