“Hiyah!”
THWACK
The loud noise reverberated throughout the orchard and was soon joined by the sound of raining apples filling baskets.
“Easy there, pardner,” Applejack chuckled. “You trying to uproot the whole tree?”
“Ah… Sorry AJ… Didn’t mean to go at it so hard,” Rainbow sheepishly apologized, examining the slightly crushed bark on the side of the tree.
“You’ve been going at it pretty darn hard all day… What’s eating at you sugarcube?” Applejack asked, putting down her baskets and walking to Rainbow.
“Just a bit frustrated, I guess… Haven’t had a good workout in a few days.”
“Well, what’s been stopping you? As far as I know, there hasn’t been any hard weather work you’ve needed to be doing, just clear skies as far as the eye can see.”
“Mmmh… I got used to the morning routine at the academy, flying with a wingpony… Sky feels empty now, when flying alone.” Rainbow kicked the ground, ears half mast. Applejack smiled encouragingly and patted Rainbow on the back.
“You’ll get there someday, Sugarcube.”
“Mmh, yeah.”
The two friends sat down to take a break from the work, overlooking the hills filled with apple trees and allowing the wind to cool their bodies.
“Plus, I totally haven’t had a chance to show off all the new tricks I learned at the academy,” Rainbow continued after a while, feeling more upbeat.
“I reckon it has been a couple of busy days,” Applejack admitted.
“I was going to show them to Scruffy, because he didn’t get to visit me at the academy, but the doofus hasn’t been to town ever since the princesses’ visit,” Rainbow explained, her tail flicking against the ground a couple of times.
“Still? I’m gettin’ right worried that we haven’t seen hide nor hair of him for so long now…” Applejack sighed with clear worry.
“It is a bit strange, I guess,” Rainbow agreed, her brows furrowing. “I mean, I don’t think that ever since we met him, there’s been more than two days in a row that he hasn’t visited us.”
“I hope nothing bad happened.”
“Nah, he’s a grown stallion...eh, whatever he is. He can take care of himself,” Rainbow replied, yet a slight hint of worry crept in.
“I hope you are right with that one.”
********************
“How about this one? ‘Around the Equus in 80 days’, written by Jolly Verse.” A book grasped in Twilight’s magic levitated down from one of the many shelves in the library, allowing a petite earth pony filly with a golden brown coat and hazelnut mane inspect it closer. “Azure Twinkle, a unicorn mare, takes on a bet to prove that it’s possible to travel around the whole of Equus in just 80 days. On her journeys, she’ll meet many new friends and have exciting adventures,” Twilight explained while the filly was looking at the characters on the front cover.
“Aah, that book. I remember reading it myself when I was little,” the filly’s father said, a smile coming to his face.
“Really?” the filly looked up to her dad, and when he nodded, she turned back towards Twilight. “T-then I want to read it too!” she declared rather timidly.
“Great! I’m sure you’ll love it,” Twilight said back with a bright smile and led the filly and her father to the reception desk. “Just sign this card here so I’ll remember who I loaned the book to.”
The filly wrote her name down on to the card with rather blocky but clear letters and once done, enthusiastically hugged the book.
“Thank you so much miss Twilight,” she said.
“You’re welcome. Happy reading!” Twilight wished, and the two ponies left the library.
“And that’s another happy customer,” Spike said from the doorway leading to the kitchen, mimicking ticking off a box with his claw.
Twilight shook her head amusedly, “You sound like a salespony when you say it like that, Spike.”
“I’m just saying, I don’t think there’s been anypony who hasn’t been happy when they’ve left the library.”
“I’d certainly hope so. I wouldn’t be a very good librarian otherwise.”
As soon as Twilight finished her sentence, Spike’s cheeks bulged, and he burped out a green jet of flames. A scroll materialized in the middle of them, which was snatched by Twilight’s magic as soon as the flames died out. Spike climbed on to Twilight’s back so that he could read over her shoulder.
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like Princess Luna has had any success…” he muttered.
“No. I suppose whatever it is that’s interfering with her dream walking is still stopping her whenever Scruffy is in the Everfree forest. Oh, I wish we could have made the amulet smaller and comfortable to wear at all times. I’m sure if he wore it, it would lead Luna to his dreams,” Twilight lamented.
“I don’t know Twilight. If I had a necklace or something, I wouldn’t wear it to bed, no matter how comfortable it was.”
“I know Spike… I’m just a bit worried.”
“It’s okay, Twilight. Maybe he’s just busy with something else?” Spike offered and patted Twilight’s crest. They both turned towards the front door when they heard it creak open.
“Um, hello?” Fluttershy asked from the doorway.
“Hey, Fluttershy! Come in,” Twilight beckoned. “What brings you over?”
“I wanted to ask if you’ve gotten any news yet?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.
“I’m afraid that Princess Luna didn’t have any success contacting Scruffy during the night.”
“Oh…”
“Aww, cheer up you two!” Spike said, hopping down from Twilight’s back. “I think both of you are making too much of a fuss. Scruffy is able to take care of himself. I bet it’s just some other stuff he has to worry about, and that’s why he hasn’t been around the last couple of days.”
“But it’s been five days, Spike! Surely he would have informed us if he was going to be absent for almost a week,” Twilight argued back.
“Maybe it was something urgent?” Spike replied with a shrug.
“W-what if something bad happened? What if he got hurt while traveling here? The Everfree is full of, of scary m-monsters afterall. Maybe he encountered some timberwolves, or a manticore, or what if he twisted his ankle and can’t get anywhere because of that!” Fluttershy blubbered in escalating dismay, while Spike resisted the urge to bury his head in his claws.
“Even if he hurt his leg or whatever, that doesn’t mean he can’t get back to here or his home! Sheesh. He’s a tough guy, but you act like he’s a puppy or something…” Spike frustratedly exhaled.
“L-let’s not jump to conclusions, Fluttershy,” Twilight reassured her friend. “Scruffy told us that he has never had any trouble walking through the Everfree forest, so it would be unlikely that he has had any now. But if he’s had an accident and hurt himself, that could be bad. He was feeling a bit woozy on the day the Princesses visited after all…”
“So, what? Are you saying that we should go check up on him or something?” Spike asked, shrugging noncommittally.
“Spike! That’s an excellent idea!” Twilight turned towards him. “Not only could we go check to make sure that everything is alright with him, but we could see what kind of conditions he lives in, what other mysterious gadgets he might have, or maybe even meet others of his kind!”
“W-what…? But I didn’t mean-”
“That would be wonderful!” Fluttershy agreed with Twilight, her attitude having completely reversed. “I’d really love to visit his home actually, and meet other...um, ‘Scruffys’.”
“But we don’t even-”
“Then it’s settled! We’ll go visit Scruffy to make sure that he’s okay. We’ll have to go get the others. I’m sure they’ll want to come too,” Twilight chattered, and the two mares left the library in joyous excitement, contrary to the usual dread associated with a trip to the Everfree forest. Spike stared at the door the two had just trotted through, trying to find some word to say.
“Drat…”
********************
Nearly an hour later, the six mares were trekking through the Everfree forest, followed by a rather grumpy looking Spike. They had gathered a few essential supplies in Applejack’s saddlebags, including food, a compass, and some parchment, incase Twilight needed Spike to contact the Princesses. Knowing Zecora’s familiarity with the woods, Fluttershy suggested that the secluded, rhyming mare could guide them through the forest to their destination, helping them find Scruffy’s home quicker.
“My friends, I’d be happy to help you!” Zecora replied rather enthusiastically once the entourage had reached her hut. “But first, please allow me to finish my stew.”
Once Zecora had finished her meal, the group of eight continued their way deeper into the forest. Since they knew the rough trajectory from which Scruffy usually came, they could pick a direction to go towards.
“Do not balk, these paths are like a gentle breeze; so while we walk, you may be at ease,” Zecora said to the others when she noticed their constant vigil and wariness of their surroundings.
“I ain’t never gonna feel easy walking in these woods…” Applejack muttered, her tail flicking from side to side.
“What’s the matter, AJ? Sca-” Rainbow taunted, but a loud crash from somewhere deeper in the forest cut her off, causing the entire group to flinch.
“Erm...Might I suggest we put a bit more pep in our steps, everypony?” Rarity proposed, to which nopony complained.
“So how are we gonna find Scruffy’s home anyway?” Rainbow asked once they were sufficiently far away from whatever caused the noise.
“I’m not really sure…” Twilight answered. “Based on what Scruffy has told me, his house must be on the western edge of the Everfree forest, somewhere. He says the walk from there to Ponyville isn’t too long, and if he takes it almost every day, I’d say it can’t be more than an hour or so.”
“Hmm, for safety, circling the forest edge would be the best. But, since that is his pace, we could follow the river southwest,” Zecora piped up. “There are many good paths here that I know. Our friend must heed them too, for he is not so slow.”
“That sounds plausible. With how many times he has walked the forest, it’s likely he knows several good routes too,” Twilight agreed with a nod. “Once we are getting closer, I can use my magic to, hopefully, sense the magic amulet Scruffy has and lead us the rest of the way. But, since Princess Luna hasn’t been able to find him, I’m not confident I can either,” she said with some chagrin.
“Then it is settled. Onward we move, so try not to be nettled,” Zecora smirked to Applejack and Rainbow, who were itching to get going.
“It’s a good thing that Zecora is here! I bet she can sniff the trail right to Scruffy’s front door. Kinda like Winona,” Pinkie said, garnering a bemused look from the zebra in question as they headed out again.
“There’s no need for that. Once we get there, I can just fly up and see where his home is,” Rainbow boasted, flapping her wings for emphasize.
“But if his home is in the forest, you won’t be able to see it through the canopy,” Fluttershy pointed out.
“We don’t know where he lives. For all we know, he could live in a...in a tree house or something,” Rainbow shrugged.
“Now that’d be something,” Applejack smiled.
“I bet it would be fun to live in a tree house! Imagine the view you’d have,” Pinkie said with an excited giggle.
“In any case, I think it’s too early to think ‘bout any of this. Once we get there, we’ll sort out how to find his house,” Applejack said.
“I agree. Let’s focus on getting out of this dreadful forest first, and finding our friend’s home later,” Rarity nodded in agreement. After they continued on a few paces, she kicked some dirt from her hooves and muttered, “I do hope he has plush carpeting.”
********************
It was an hour and a half later when the ponies and one dragon approached the western edge of the Everfree, having nearly passed through the arm of the forest that bordered Ponyville. Once the chatter of beasts had quieted, the group settled into a relatively peaceful pace, filling the silence around them with conversation and stopping once when Fluttershy wanted to make friends with some hedgehogs they met.
“Hey, I think we’ve made it!” Spike suddenly announced, causing everypony to drop their conversations. Up ahead, they could see bright sunlight peeking through the cracks between tree trunks.
“Finally!” Rainbow cried, spreading her wings and launching herself through the canopy and in to the sky. Applejack and Rarity seemed to be in a hurry to get out in to the sunlight as well, trotting faster, while the rest hung back with Zecora.
Once they had all reached the open and were basking happily in the warm sun, Spike asked, “So what are we gonna do now?”
“Now we need to locate Scruffy’s home,” Twilight began. “I did try to sense his amulet while we were walking, but I didn’t get any results,” she shook her head, before turning towards her pegasi friends. “Rainbow, Fluttershy, could you two make a sweep of the area. See if you can spot anything from above. Even if it’s hidden in the forest, like Fluttershy thought it might be, perhaps there’s a smoke trail from a chimney or something?”
“Sure thing, Twi!” Rainbow acknowledged and headed north, while Fluttershy headed south.
“I’m going to focus my magic again and hope to sense his amulet somewhere in the forest, but if neither search method yields results, then we’ll just have to find it by hoof.”
********************
“Anything?”
“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, meekly kicking the ground. “I didn’t see anything that could have been Scruffy’s home…”
“It’s okay, Fluttershy,” Twilight consoled. “There wasn’t anything on Rainbow’s side either, and I failed to divine the amulet’s location too. I feel like there must be some sort of magic at play here,” she continued, pacing back and forth. “I worked on the amulet’s enchantments together with the Princesses. I should be able to sense my magic in it, but I haven’t felt even the slightest spark! Whether it’s because of something caused by Scruffy or his people, or because of the Everfree, I can’t say,” Twilight pondered, rubbing her chin.
“Well, then it’s time to do it the old fashioned way,” Applejack concluded with a determined stomp of her hoof.
“I suppose that is the only course of action left for us to take,” Rarity sighed apprehensively. Hoofing it and blindly searching musty, muddy woods for the home they came to visit wasn’t how she had planned this outing to go.
“Heh, cheer up, sugarcube. I reckon with us all here, it should be an easy enough job for us to find Scruffy’s home, especially if’n we split up.”
“S-split up?” Fluttershy whispered.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, darling?” Rarity pensively objected.
“There’s a lot of ground to cover, and I’d like to be back at the farm before nightfall. I don’t fancy the idea of trotting through the Everfree forest in the dark,” Applejack countered. All the ponies and one dragon shuddered at the idea, Zecora looking only mildly bothered by the prospect.
“Y-yeah, hadn’t thought about that,” Rainbow agreed.
“Besides, we ain’t needing to go too deep in to the forest, if he’s supposed to live close to the treeline?” Applejack confirmed with Twilight, who nodded. “We could go in pairs, with two pairs heading one way, and the other two pairs heading the other. Put a little bit of distance between the pairs, and we can cover a wide area. We can meet up back here in two hours or so to say if we found anything.”
“Then what are we waiting for? I’m dying to see Scruffy-Wuffy’s cool house and all the neat things he probably has! Let’s go already,” Pinkie complained, hopping back and forth.
The group split up in to four pairs, with Twilight and Pinkie together with Applejack and Fluttershy going north, while Rarity and Zecora headed southwest with Rainbow and Spike. Rarity and Zecora stayed near the forest edge, keeping it in sight as they peered through the trees, while Spike and Rainbow went a little ways in to cover more ground.
********************
“Celestia’s flank, all this walking is boooring,” Rainbow yawned when they had been walking for approximately 25 unbearably exciting minutes.
“You’re telling me. I still don’t think we needed to come all this way to check up on Scruffy. Don’t get me wrong, it’ll be fun to see him and I want to find out if he has any other cool gadgets like that ‘teeliibhuune’ he always carries around, but Twilight and Fluttershy act like he’s one of Elizabeak’s chicks who’s wandered off,” Spike shook his head.
“That’s what I was saying to Applejack. Scruffy’s a tough guy, he can take care of himself,” Rainbow agreed with a nod.
“I bet he’s just busy with something else, and that’s why he hasn’t been around.”
“Hmm...maybe. Or maybe he’s got something cool planned.”
“Like what?”
“I dunno...uh, maybe he has some kind of super device that’s he’s gonna bring to Ponyville, and, it can fly through the air. Or something,” Rainbow shrugged. Spike stared at her with one eyebrow raised.
“Where did that come from? Sounds more like something Pinkie would say.” A gust of wind blew past them, and Spike could swear he heard a girly sneeze in the background.
“Eh, Scruffy promised to show me something a while back. Said he had something on that thingy of his that I might like to see. So I just thought it would be something to do with flying, you know?”
“Oh… You don’t actually think he has something that flies, do you?” Spike asked after a while.
“Honestly? That would be wicked awesome, and if he has cool stuff like that tiny device of his, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had something like that too,” Rainbow said, and giggled at the idea of Scruffy flying in the sky with some weird contraption.
The pair kept walking forward, occasionally glancing towards the forest edge to make sure that they hadn’t drifted too far or too close to Rarity and Zecora. They could occasionally glimpse their white coats poking out amidst the trees and foliage.
“I’m gonna go check up on Zecora and Rares. Be back in a minute!” Rainbow suddenly declared and zoomed off towards them without giving Spike a chance to reply.
“Hey…” he said to the empty spot next to him, and groaned. “Great…” Though feeling more wary of his surroundings now that Rainbow wasn’t there, Spike nevertheless decided to keep on marching forward. Rainbow would catch up to him easily enough, and he was in no mood to wait around for Dash. The sooner we find Scruffy, the sooner I can prove it was a waste of time worrying about him.
Just a short walk later he found a pond with a flock of small birds drinking from it, which took flight when they noticed him approaching. As Spike strolled past the pond, he came upon a raised ledge blocking the path, tall enough that he couldn’t easily climb it. Seeing nothing to aid him in getting over the ridge, Spike circled around instead, taking a path under a tree. The majestic timber was bent at an odd angle, one heavy branch laden with sprigs and leaves leaning over and resting against the ridge to form an archway beneath. The tree looked sturdy enough that it could withstand a hydra trying to use it as a back scratcher without a hitch. Perhaps it had.
“Woah. That’s pretty cool, but not as cool as me and Twilight’s home,” Spike said in awe to the tree, patting its trunk, before going through the archway. As he did, a shiver went through his dragon spines, causing him to stop in his tracks and shudder. “U-u-u-uhhh… What was that?” As the tree didn’t reply, he continued on the path, leading him past the ridge.
Looking around him, Spike noticed that the terrain seemed to have changed somewhat. It wasn’t as grassy anymore and sported more moss and an incredible amount of lingonberry patches. It must have also gotten brighter, because everything looked...different, somehow. He couldn’t quite put his claws on it.
Hesitatingly glancing around, Spike noticed that even the ambient sounds of the forest had ceased. At least, until Spike heard a single bird call coming from somewhere in the canopy. All around him, it didn’t feel like the Everfree forest anymore, what with the leafy trees of the Everfree having suddenly changed to spruces and pines instead. If not for the trees, Spike would have been sure he was in the sunny Whitetail woods right now.
“Uuh...Rainbow?” Spike called out, quickly starting to feel unnerved by the abrupt change, but no answer came back. “Rainbow!?” He called out again, to no avail. “Rarity? Zecora? ... Anypony?”
With no answer coming back, Spike wrapped his claws around himself as his uneasiness grew and started to hurriedly walk towards the edge of the forest. Maybe the other’s just hadn’t heard him, or maybe they had drifted apart a bit more than he realised.
“Hello?” he called out again, with only a gust of wind and the gentle rustle of trees as his answer.
When Spike emerged from the treeline, he found himself in a wholly unfamiliar place. It wasn’t just that the forest had suddenly changed, but everything else had too. He was on top of a small hill, overlooking farm fields and another smaller forest some ways away. He saw what looked like a small town, which shouldn’t exist as far as he knew, to the southeast with strange buildings. There were also many sounds he couldn’t recognize coming from that way, and there was a long gray stone road snaking through the fields and trees.
“...Where in Equestria am I?”