Chapter 6
--- The Everfree ---
Trail looked over his shoulder one last time, seeing The School of Friendship in all its glory. He wondered what kind of day Comet would have, hoping to the princesses that it would be wonderful. She was a smart filly, and had been looking forward to this for months.
“I shouldn’t worry so much. She’ll be fine, she’s my daughter after all,” Trail said, shaking his head.
“You always talk to yourself, or do you have an imaginary friend I can’t see?” A mare said from in front of him, making Trail turn quickly.
“Oh it’s you, Vinyl right?” Trail asked the white unicorn with an electric blue mane.
The mare smirked behind her shades, “That’s right, but my fans call me DJ-PON3.”
“Yes, with an ego to match both of your personas,” Octavia said, coming towards them from the other side of the bridge that connected the school to the path to Ponyville.
"Well good morning to the both of you. I never expected to find big musical names like you two just walking around." Trail said.
“Yeah Tavi here is pretty amazing. I never miss a concert if I can help it. Plus being her marefriend means I get exclusive tickets. ” Vinyl said, moving to nuzzle Octavia and wrap a hoof around her.
“Yes Vinyl, and I do appreciate all your support dear. Even if you do tend to have a bit too much wine at the after parties. Also it’s a pleasure to see you again Trail,” Octavia said, smirking to the unicorn before giving Trail a respectful bow of her head.
Vinyl blushed, “Hey, I like a little excitement with music, cut me some slack Tavi.”
Trail chuckled at the two, making them blush red and slowly turn to him.
“I can see you two are very close. A cellist and a DJ, an unusual yet unique pair. But I reckon a mutual love for music is what brought you together,” Trail said, smiling at the mares.
Both smiled at him and each other, nuzzling for a brief moment.
“Yeah, I wasn’t all that into classical stuff, but meeting Tavi here made me open up a bit more,” Vinyl said, holding Octavia close.
Octavia returned the embrace, “Yes, while I originally thought her music was nothing but noise, it grew on me, as did she. We’ve been together for about four years now.”
“I’m happy for you both, truly looks like a match chosen by Princess Cadance herself,” Trail said, tipping his hat to them in respect.
Both giggled at the comment.
“So what about you Trail, got a lucky mare at home waiting for ya?” Vinyl asked, winking at the stallion.
Trail suddenly lost his smile and cheery demeanor, slouching a little as he hung his head.
“No, I’m single. Have been for a long time,” Trail said, his voice much more quiet.
Vinyl and Octavia quickly grew worried and separated.
“Oh geez, I’m sorry Trail, it’s just I saw you and your kid, and I just assumed the mom must have been somewhere else,” Vinyl said, rubbing the back of her head.
“It’s fine Vinyl. Let’s just say Comet doesn’t have a mother. Forgive me, but I don’t like to talk about it,” Trail said, hiding his face underneath his hat.
Octavia walked up to him, putting a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up at her and smiled, knowing she was trying to cheer him up.
“It must have been hard, raising a filly on your own. But from what I’ve seen in you, she must be an extraordinary filly if you’re her father,” Octavia said, lifting his spirits.
“Thank you Octavia, that means a lot. Comet is the light of my life, I’d do anything for her. That’s why we moved here, so she could go to this school,” Trail said, gesturing to the school behind them.
Both mares smiled and nodded to the school.
“Well, it was lovely seeing you again Trail, but I’m afraid Vinyl and I have a meeting with Princess Twilight. We should have lunch sometime, and if you ever want a ticket to my next concert, don’t be afraid to ask,” Octavia said before walking past Trail and heading to the school.
“Yeah dude, and if you want to have some fun, come hit up the club in town. I play every other night, and we rock all night,” Vinyl said, following her marefriend.
“I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Thank ya kindly ladies,” Trail said, tipping his hat to them.
Both mares waved at him and disappeared into the school. Trail smiled, knowing he just met two good ponies, and felt that he’d be seeing more of them in the future. But now was the time to get to work, so he turned and headed for home.
Having arrived back home, Trail went to his room and got his saddlebags, filling them with all the essentials he would need. Books, notepads, a compass, pencils, sample vials, etc. Now he was nearly ready to tackle the challenge that brought him to Ponyville. A place that even the Princesses dared not to enter unless the need arises.
The Everfree Forest.
After gathering his supplies into his saddlebags, there was only one more thing he needed. Moving to the other side of his room, he opened a footlocker near the foot of his bed, using his magic to lift the object it contained into his grip.
A bow, made from the black oak trees of the Smokey Mountains where he grew up. One of the strongest types of wood in Equestria, which many archers strive for. Trail’s father made it for him when he was young, it was one of his greatest treasures.
Placing it down next to him, he then pulled the quiver out of the foot locker, strapping it around his barrel. The quiver was custom made to have it positioned on his side, tilted to where it sat diagonally on his side.
Placing the bow around the quiver to hold it in place, Trail did a last minute check to make sure he had everything. After doing so, he made his way downstairs and out the front door, locking it behind him.
As he left the front door, he turned to see the forest not too far away. One of the reasons he bought this cottage was to be close to the forest in case Comet ever needed him, plus being so close to work never hurt. Though he wondered why it was a lot cheaper than the other properties up for sale.
Without further delay, Trail made his way towards the forest ready for whatever it had in store for him.
Upon reaching the entrance to the forest, Trail noticed a sign. Moving to inspect it, it read “Stay on the path. BEWARE OF POISON JOKE!”
Poison joke, that’s an odd name. It is a plant, or an animal? Taking out a notepad and a pencil, Trail started scribbling down some notes. After that, he turned back to the forest. The dense trees blocked out most of the sunlight, giving it an ominous appearance.
“Hmm, perhaps the trees absorb all the sunlight and distribute it amongst the other vegetation. Interesting,” Trail said to himself, scribbling more notes.
Trail then started into the forest, and immediately feeling the change in atmosphere. The air was colder in the forest, obviously due to the trees blocking out the sunlight. Yet, there was more to it. It felt like he was trespassing into somethings territory.
Trail’s senses were on full alert, eyes scanning for any sign of movement in the area as he walked down the marked path. Ponies must have built this path for a reason, but as far as Trail knew, no pony ever came into the forest. The elements of harmony would on occasion, but only when Equestria is in danger. So why would ponies need a path through the forest?
Trail kept moving through the forest, observing and writing down notes of things he saw. Plants he did not recognize, small animals, even running into a bear along the way. The bear did not seem to notice him as it walked away. So most creatures here seem to be ok with ponies, that’s good.
The path then turned to reveal a beautiful sight, a patch of blue flowers that seemed to glow in the small amount of light the trees provided. Trail had seen many types of flowers in his time, but these seemed special. Part of him wanted to bring one home for Comet, she loved drawing flowers. But the adventurer in him told him to examine it first, it could be harmful.
He walked carefully towards the flowers and picked one up in his magic, examining it with a careful eye. The petals seem to have pollen on them, and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, something was not right with this flower.
“I would be careful friend, or that flower could be your end,” A feminine voice said from behind him.
Trail jumped, dropping the flower in the process before turning to face whoever had snuck up on him.
Trail was surprised to see not a pony, but a zebra, dressed in a cloak. The voice was clearly feminine, and she seemed to come out of nowhere.
“Where did you come from? I didn’t hear ya at all,” Trail said, lowering his guard but still keeping an eye on her.
“Forgive me for being so sneaky, but to survive here you must be tricky,” She said, removing her hood, revealing a mohawk mane style and rings on her neck.
Seeing that she was not a threat, Trail relaxed and held out a hoof in greeting, “Howdy, Trail Blazer at your service Miss…”
Her eyes widened as she shook his hoof, “Zecora is my name, and I have heard of your fame.”
“Oh, I suppose you’ve read my books?” Trail said, rubbing the back of his head.
“They are quite the read, your advice ponies should heed,” Zecora said, making Trail blush.
“I only try to help ponies stay safe, being famous was never my intention,” Trail said, scuffing his hoof on the ground.
“Modesty is a great virtue, come you must have questions don’t you?” Zecora said, gesturing for Trail to follow her.
Trail nodded and they moved away from the blue flowers. Trail jotted some notes in his notepad about them, curious of why Zecora was so cautious about them. Moving through the woods, Zecora pointed out some important trails and paths for Trail to take that were safe from most predators. Her knowledge of the forest was impressive.
They eventually came to a hut, decorated with zebra tribal masks and objects. Trail had been to Zebrica on one of his jobs, staying there a whole year working on the book detailing the Zahara Desert. That was a hot ordeal.
Zecora invited him in for refreshments, and how could he say no. The inside was small, but cozy. A pot in the middle of the room, with shelves of herbs, vials and other equipment covering the walls.
“Judging by the equipment, I’d say you’re an alchemist” Trail said, looking back to the mare who had just removed her cloak.
“Your guess is correct, pray tell, is that familiarity I detect?” Zecora said, picking up some cups and a tea kettle.
“I spent a whole year in the Zahara Desert for one of my books. Plus I grew up with a zebra alchemist, so I’d say I recognize the setup,” Trail said, having a seat near the cauldron.
“So you know this zebra well, what are they like, pray tell?” She said, lighting a fire to boil the tea.
“Well her name is Zala, and she was born in Zebrica, but grew up in Equestria. She lived next door to my family and we grew close. She’s like a sister to me,” Trail said, smiling at the memories of him and Zala.
“Zala, this zebra I do not know, but your feelings for her makes your smile glow,” Zecora said, waiting for the water to boil.
“She is one of a kind, a tougher zebra you’ll never find. Strong willed, stubborn and knowledgeable in several types of alchemy. Potions, talismans, charms, you name it, she can do it all,” Trail said, a grin on his face.
“A mare with so much might, she must be quite a sight,” Zecora said, the kettle whistling at last.
Zecora added the leaves to the pot, pouring boiling water on them and leaving it to steep for the moment while she fetched two cups from a small cabinet on the wall of her hut. She placed the cups on a small table in the middle of the room and went to check on her brew. Seeing it was ready for serving she grabbed a pot holder and poured two cups of tea, offering one to Trail.
“Thank you, I was getting a tad parched,” Trail said, taking the cup in his magic.
“Tell us Trail, what does your visit here entail?” Zecora asked, before sipping her own tea.
“I wanted to get a quick look around, see what gave this place such a bad reputation. So far, nothing to terrible about this forest, except those flowers back there. What’s so dangerous about them?” Trail asked.
“Poison joke, a plant most vile, yet looks so docile,” Zecora said, sipping her tea ever so lightly.
Zecora then explained how poison joke worked to Trail. Hearing that the effects could cause transformations was a little scary, but he found it quite amusing how it only results in a joke. Trail wrote detailed notes as Zecora spoke, finding this new plant quite fascinating.
“So Zecora, what’s it like living out here in the Everfree? Ponies tend to avoid this place from what I hear,” Trail asked.
“At times it can be hard, you cannot truly let down your guard. But others it is peaceful, and at the best of times, tranquil,” Zecora said, looking at her window.
Just as she said, a loud roar came from just outside the hut. It startled them and both jumped. Trail moved to the window of the hut, looking outside to find the source of the roar. Not far from the tree line, two manticores were sizing each other up. Zecora soon joined him at the window.
“Seems you got some rowdy neighbors around here Zecora.” Trial said, gesturing to the manticores.
Zecora nodded, “Yes, normally nothing comes around here thanks to my insenses. What could make them so tense?.”
“Natural territorial instincts, doubt they even notice anything but each other.” Trail said, getting his bow ready and picks out an arrow from his quiver.
Zecora looks at the arrow and notices something odd about it. The arrow head had runes on it, and just below the arrowhead on the shaft of the arrow was a crystal, glowing slightly with magic.
“What are those runes? And that crystal that shines like the moon?” Zecora asked, a curious look on her face.
Trail turned to her, “a little something I learned from Zala. Just watch.”
Trail aimed out the window and pulled the arrow back. After a few seconds of aiming and a calming breath, the arrow was released and flew towards the manticores. But rather than hitting either of the beasts, the arrow landed in a tree in between them.
As the beasts looked at the arrow for a few seconds, they soon started to move away from it, roaring in pain. Zecora couldn’t understand what was bothering them, but she soon picked up on a small ringing noise in the air.
The manticores had enough and took off in different directions. As they left the clearing, Trail lowered his bow and made his way out of the hut. Zecora followed after him, still confused. As they reached the tree with the arrow, Trail pulled it out and removed the crystal.
“I imagine you’d like an explanation?” Trail said, giving Zecora the crystal for her to examine it.
“I would indeed, what caused them to flee with great speed?” Zecora asked.
“Creatures like manticores and others like them have sensitive hearing. The crystal you have there I infused with a sound spell that creates a wave of sound tuned to a frequency only they can hear. While it does hurt, there’s no permanant damage, so they will be fine.” Trail said, pointing to the crystal while he explained.
Zecora’s eyes widened, “Talisman magic that infuses crystals with spells that activate upon contact with an object, this I did not expect.”
Trail chuckled, “Zala taught it to me. She is quite amazing when it comes to talismans and alchemy.”
“I would say so, she sounds like a zebra I wish to know.” Zecora said, staring at the crystal with admiration.
Trail smiled, “I’m sure you two would get along quite nicely. If she ever visits, I’ll be sure to come and introduce you.”
Zecora smiled back, “I would like that, feel free to come by and chat.”
Trail and Zecora both shared a good laugh, and then Trail noticed the sun and checked the time.
“Wow, time sure does fly. Sorry Zecora, but I’m afraid I have to get back to town and pick up my daughter from school. Perhaps I could visit again and introduce you to her?” Trail said, offering a hoof to the zebra mare.
“Of course my friend, I would be honored for her to attend.” Zecora said, accepting the hoofshake.
Trail smiled brightly and turned to move down the path from Zecora’s hut to the outskirts of Ponyville.
Trail reached the school after dropping off his equipment at the house. He cleaned himself up a bit before returning to the school, removing twigs and leaves from his coat. He opened the door and found other parents waiting as well.
Not long after he arrived, children starting pouring into the main hall, finding their parents and moving outside towards their respective homes.
Trail waited to catch sight of Comet, and was caught off guard when somepony cleared their throat to his left. Turning towards them, he found the familiar form of the student counselor.
“Ah Starlight, good afternoon. How has the day been treating you? Trail said in greeting.
Starlight smiled back at him, “busy as usual. But nothing I can’t handle. I assume your waiting for Comet?”
“Yeah, I’m sure she’s had a long day. I hope she enjoyed the school.” Trail said, looking across the hallway in search of his filly.
“I’m sure she did. I passed by her a few times and she seemed to be happy with her new friends. She and Ocellus seemed to really hit it off in Twilight’s magic class.” Starlight said.
Trail chuckled, “Comet has always been interested in magic. I taught her most of what I know, but I’m no arch-mage.”
“I’m sure you did the best you could, I was mostly self taught when it comes to magic. Never went to any fancy school for magic. But I did learn a thing or two as Twilight’s student.” Starlight said.
Trail looked at her with shock, “I had heard Princess Twilight took on a student, but I never heard her name. You learned magic from Princess Twilight?”
Starlight rubbed the back of her head, “well, it was mostly for friendship lessons. But we had time for some magic practice. Twilight said I have a natural talent for magic.”
Before Trail could ask another question, he was tackled from his side by a filly sized cannonball.
“Daddy! This school is the best! Headmare Twilight is so cool, and all the teachers are so nice!” Comet said, hugging her dad’s neck tightly.
After he recovered from the tackle, Trail chuckled and hugged his filly back.
“I’m glad you had a good day sweetheart.” Trail said, getting back onto his hooves and putting Comet back on hers.
“I’m glad you enjoyed your first day Comet. Did you enjoy all your classes?” Starlight asked, moving to sit near the family.
“Thanks Miss Starlight. And yeah, they were all fun. Though from what Gallus and Smoulder told me today, I’m gonna be so worn out after Rainbow Dash’s class tomorrow.” Comet said, smiling to her counselor.
Starlight smiled back, “Yeah, she can be pretty tough, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. Well I have to get back to my office.”
“Thank you for looking after Comet, Starlight. Mind if I come visit every now and then? I’d love to hear about your magical studies.” Trail said, as Starlight walked past them.
“Totally, feel free to stop by my office. Or maybe we can do coffee sometime?” Starlight said, turning back to adress Trail.
“Coffee sounds good. Have a pleasant evening Starlight Glimmer.” Trail said, tipping his hat to her. Starlight waved goodbye to them both and walked off.
Trail turned to Comet who looked tired. Trail smiled and nuzzled her.
“Come on sweetheart, let’s head on home. I’ll cook up your favorite tonight.” Trail said, which perked the filly right up.
Comet gasped, “Alfredo, with garlic and parmesan?”
Trail laughed, “Only the best for my filly.”
Comet squeed and jumped in the air. She soon ran out the door and into the courtyard.
“Now, slow down there young filly. That pasta isn’t going anywhere.” Trail said as he laughed and ran after his filly.