As evening falls over the forest Sereb spots a small clearing ahead.
As evening falls over the forest Sereb spots a small clearing ahead.
“We should make camp for the night.”
Dinky does not look over. “I’d like to go just a bit further.”
Apple Bloom frowns. “It’s hard enough to see as it is.”
Sweetie Belle nods. “That and we might not find another nice spot like this.
Dinky sighs. “Fine.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle get to work pitching the tent. Sereb forages for food as Dinky leaves to gather wood for a fire. Apple Bloom turns to Sweetie Belle.
“I’m getting a little worried about Dinky.”
“You too?”
Apple Bloom nods. “She’s been really hyper-focused on this whole thing.”
“Clues don’t find themselves, you know.”
“I guess not. But she hardly said a word all day.”
Sweetie Belle sighs. “This can’t be easy on her. Losing her dad, and then finding out his death wasn’t what everypony thought it was has to be really hard to take.”
“Do you think there’s anything we can do to help?”
“Other than what we’re already doing?”
Apple Bloom appears hopeful. “Yeah.”
“Just sticking by her side is the best thing for her right now. That and… I really want to find the truth too. For Rarity’s sake.”
“So do I. Remember, my sister was head over fetlocks in love with him too.”
Sweetie Belle groans. “I just feel so… powerless right now!”
“Something wrong with your magic?”
“No, no! I mean powerless to help Dinky.”
“I wish we had some help right now.”
“We could always go back to Ponyville and get our sisters and their friends.”
Apple Bloom frowns. “You know they wouldn’t let us come along though.”
“Probably not.”
Meanwhile, Dinky picks up sticks with her magic. Holding them aloft she grumbles to herself.
“We could have kept going. No reason in the world to stop now.”
A familiar voice rings out behind her.
“They are merely concerned about you.”
Dinky whirls around, dropping the sticks, and turns to face the voice. She sighs as Sereb steps out of the foliage.
“You following me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not THAT far from camp, you know. Not that there’s anything out here that could really hurt me.”
Sereb nods. “That may be. But if Arc were here, he wouldn’t want you to allow yourself to be lured into a false sense of security.”
“I know. But I can’t live my whole life in fear.”
“Nor can you let yourself be consumed by your task.”
Dinky raises an eyebrow. “Gathering wood?”
“Searching for your father.”
“We’re just following a trail of clues like my dad used to.”
“Yes, I know. But to what end.”
“What are you talking about, Sereb?”
“This forest does not smell of danger. However, who is to say our travels will not lead us somewhere… less than safe?”
“But we won’t know if we give up! Are you saying we should just stop now and go home?!”
“I am not.”
“Then what ARE you saying?!”
“Ultimately, I advise you not to let your emotions guide your decisions, lest they lead you and your friends to disaster.”
Dinky sighs. “I…! I’ll try.”
“That is all anyone can ask for. Come now. Let us return to the others.”
Dinky follows Sereb back to their camp. The tent is pitched and a firepit built. She drops the sticks in a pile and allows Apple Bloom to stack them properly. Sereb steps forward with a couple logs. Soon a roaring fire burns before them. They sit around it and eat the various nuts and berries Sereb found earlier. Sweetie Belle looks around nervously.
“It’s a good thing we got this fire going when we did.”
Apple Bloom turns to her. “Why’s that? It’s not like it’s cold, or anything.”
“Maybe not. But these woods are creepy at night!”
Dinky looks around. “I guess they are. Truthfully, I hadn’t really thought about it.”
Sereb sniffs the air. “Fortunately this area is fairly safe. At least as far as forests go, that is.”
“Well, I still think it’s scary out here.”
Apple Bloom giggles. “Don’t worry. Heck, Sereb’s probably the most dangerous thing out here.”
A voice rings out behind them.
“No. That would be me.”
They whirl around to see a figure in a navy blue cloak walking toward them. Sereb growls menacingly as he positions himself between the fillies and newcomer.
“What do you want, Wiseman?!”
“Nothing much. I saw your fire and thought I’d check on you four.”
He looks to Sweetie Belle.
“And don’t worry about the woodland creatures out here. They’re all tame, Sweetie Belle.”
Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”
“I am, yes.”
Sereb bears his teeth. “Get to the point or go away!”
Dinky steps forward. “Calm down Sereb. Just who is this anyways?”
Apple Bloom turns to Sweetie Belle. “Yeah. I wasn’t aware there were any other humans in Equestria.”
Sweetie Belle squints. “Um… is that you Mister Frank?”
“No, Sweetie Belle.”
Sereb shakes his head. “This… individual has presented himself to your father on numerous occasions, Dinky! Do not trust him!”
“Oh, that’s not very fair, Sereb. After all, I’ve helped Arc several times now.”
“You and I have very different definitions of the word ‘help’ then!”
Apple Bloom cautiously steps forward. “Did you… need something, sir?”
“Just a bit of company. As you said, the forest is quite dark and foreboding at night.”
Dinky gestures to a spot in front of the fire. “Have a seat. Are you hungry?”
“A bit.”
Sereb walks behind Wiseman and crouches down as the man sits. Apple Bloom tosses him an apple.
“Here you go. It’s not as good as the one’s we grow, but…”
“At Sweet Apple Acres?”
“Y-yeah. How did you…?”
“I’ve been there before.”
Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “Really? I’ve never seen you around.”
“I keep to the shadows. How’s Applejack holding up?”
“Um… okay, I guess.”
Sweetie Belle frowns. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”
“I’m just concerned for her mental well-being.”
Sereb scoffs. “That is unlikely.”
“Hopefully she is able to stay strong. Or at least appear strong. Like Sweetie Belle’s sister, Rarity. How is Rarity these days?”
“Well… honestly at first, not too good. After Arc’s death she didn’t hardly leave her room for three days. Twilight and her friends had to come by and take care of her for almost a week.”
“She’s quite fond of Arc, that much is certain. Just like you three I would imagine.”
Sweetie Belle nods. “Yeah. We wanted him to be our dad.”
“Then we could have been sisters.”
“My dad was kinda thinking of marrying them and my mom.”
“And how is Derpy doing, Dinky?”
“I think… she handled it the best out of everypony.”
“Do you know why?”
“Not… really.”
“Because she didn’t allow herself to dwell on such a sad event. Rather, Derpy focused on the good times along with keeping herself busy.”
Sereb rolls his eyes. “Are you saying the others handled it poorly?”
Wiseman shakes his head. “Not the word I would have used, certainly. More like… differently.”
Dinky turns to him. “Wiseman, can I ask how you know so much about stuff like this?”
“I’ve… lost many friends over the years, so I suppose you could say I’m no stranger to the pain of losing someone you care about.”
Apple Bloom appears hopeful. “Can you tell us about it?”
Dinky frowns. “Apple Bloom! He JUST said…!”
“Worry not, as it’s been quite some time. Now then, to understand what it means to lose someone you care about you also have to know what it feels like to lose an enemy.”
Sweetie Belle appears confused. “An… enemy?”
“Imagine someone you don’t like in the least. Now how would you feel if they died?”
Dinky grits her teeth. “I wouldn’t really care!”
Apple Bloom looks to her friend. “Dinky?”
“Diamond Tiara would have finally gotten what she deserved!”
“Really? You wouldn’t be sad in the least?”
“NO!”
“Then let me tell you a little story.”
Sereb rolls his eyes as Wiseman clears his throat.
“Many years ago, I met someone whom I viewed as my greatest enemy.”
Apple Bloom gasps. “Were they mean?”
“Oh, very. At least that’s what I thought at the time.”
Sweetie Belle draws back. “What did they do?”
“Well… they were always telling everyone how they thought things should be done. But at the same time doing nothing to help them when the time came. I viewed them as self-righteous and a blowhard.”
Dinky nods soberly. “Kinda like Diamond Tiara. I bet you were happy when they passed away.”
“Actually… no.”
Sereb grunts. “That’s surprising.”
“As I got older and looked back at their actions I came to realize that they had only been doing their best to help those around them achieve their goals. That and their advice, in retrospect, was actually quite good. Brilliant even!”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “Then why were they your enemy?”
Wiseman sighs. “Truthfully, at the time I thought I knew better than they did. Looking back, at that time it was I whom was truly naïve. I couldn’t see how everything fit into the big picture as they did. And my inability to do so caused so much pain to others.”
Apple Bloom gasps. “To whom?”
“My old friends, long gone now.”
Wiseman looks to Dinky.
“You would do well not to fall into the trap that ensnared me many times in the past.”
“Huh?”
“Think things through rationally, not emotionally.”
Apple Bloom grins. “But Dinky’s the smartest filly in our class!”
Sweetie Belle giggles. “Right! She always thinks things through!”
Wiseman chuckles. “Intelligence and wisdom are seldom combined.”
Dinky nods. “I’ll… remember that. Thank you, sir.”
Sereb clears his throat. “In any case, might I recommend we all turn in for the evening? It would be best to make an early start.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty tired.”
“Me too.”
Dinky stands up. “Let’s get to bed. You coming, Sereb?”
“I believe I’ll stay out here with our… guest.”
“Suit yourself.”
Wiseman turns. “Dinky?”
“Yes.”
“Your father loves you very much.”
Nodding, Dinky steps into the tent. Sereb growls at Wiseman.
“Can’t you just fade away like you usually do?!”
“I suppose I could. Would that make you feel better?”
“Yes!”
“Very well. See you tomorrow, Sereb.”
Wiseman stands and walks into the woods. Before long he leaves the range of the campfire’s light. Sereb frowns and lays down in front of the tent as he muses to himself.
“Wiseman would do well to heed his own advice.”
As the first rays of dawn stretch across the land Derpy and the others are flown to the eastern base of Canterlot’s mountain. They look to one another as the chariot flies away. Rainbow Dash frowns.
“I don’t like this!”
Fluttershy appears confused. “Then why did you come?”
Rainbow Dash shakes her head. “No, no! I mean Twilight staying with Princess Luna!”
Applejack groans. “Admittedly that whole lover idea is really out there.”
Pinkie grins. “I think it’ll work!”
Derpy sighs. “Work or not, we need to focus on the task at hoof.”
Rarity looks to the woods. “Right. Applejack, Derpy, and myself will head into the Foal Forest and search for any sign of the fillies.”
Applejack frowns. “How will we know when to stop though? I mean, assuming they really aren’t there, that is.”
Rose pulls a map from her pack. “The Foal Forest ends at the town of Filly Delphia. If you reach it without incident they must not have been there. You can stop and gather supplies before heading south through the Baltimare National Forest. Myself, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie will follow the river to the Hayseed Forest and explore the woods north of the train tracks. As previously agreed upon, we will meet in Baltimare at the Four Seasons Hotel. Princess Luna has already made reservations for us, so we just need to check-in at the front desk.”
Pinkie nods happily. “Where to from there?!”
Applejack sighs. “If we meet up at the hotel and neither group has found anything, we’ll follow the train tracks out of town and explore the southern Hayseed Forest.”
Rarity shudders. “It’s quite a bit bigger, so we’ll need to stay together to traverse it.”
Derpy looks around. “Wouldn’t it be best to split up? We could cover more ground if it came to that.”
Fluttershy’s eyes dart around nervously. “That might not be a good idea. The beasts that live in that forest are very… territorial.”
Rose nods. “Sometimes the larger animals from the Hayseed Swamp can be found in that forest.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “There’s strength in numbers!”
Applejack nods. “Right. Now everypony be sure to keep your eyes open and watch each other’s backs.”
Rainbow Dash puffs her chest out proudly. “I’ll make sure we get to Baltimare safely. You just take care of your group, Applejack.”
Rose rolls her eyes. “Actually my scanners will be doing most of the safekeeping.”
Fluttershy forces a smile. “Take care, everypony.”
Rarity nods. “You too.”
Derpy waves. “See everypony in about a week.”
They part ways as Rainbow Dash leads her group across the river to the southern bank. Applejack, Rarity, and Derpy begin walking on the northern shore. Meanwhile, Dinky and her friends rise and eat their breakfast around the smoldering remains of last night’s fire. Dinky turns to her friends.
“Did anypony else hear anything last night?”
Sereb shakes his head. “Negative. There was just the rustling of the leaves and the occasional owl hooting.”
“I kinda remember hearing… something though.”
“Really? I thought that was just a dream.”
Dinky frowns. “So did I. But I wanted to run it by you two just to be sure. Do either of you remember what it sounded like?”
“Kinda like wind chimes to me.”
“Right. But it was more than just random notes though.”
Dinky nods. “Yeah, it felt… intentional. Like somepony was making a tune. You sure you didn’t hear it, Sereb?”
“Indeed not. And I’m a very light sleeper.”
“You think it was something dangerous?!”
“All the way out here? Not likely. But what should we do?”
“Keep going and see if we can find the source, I suppose.”
Packing up their camp and dousing the fire the fillies mount Sereb and continue on their way. Dinky pricks up her ears.
“Let’s see if we can find the cause of that sound.”
Apple Bloom grins. “Good idea.”
Sweetie Belle looks at the river bank. “But what about looking for clues?”
“We’ll do that on the way, of course.”
Sereb shrugs. “That and who’s to say this isn’t a clue itself.”
Apple Bloom turns to him. “Do you think Arc’s there?”
“It is unlikely. However, he may have been drawn to it as you were.”
Dinky nods. “Worth a shot. Let’s go!”
Walking for several hours, they eventually come to two life sized statues of what appears to be ancient pegasi. One faces south while the other southeast. Apple Bloom gasps, clearly impressed.
“That’s really cool!”
Sweetie Belle turn to Dinky. “How do you suppose they got all the way out here though?”
“No idea.”
Sereb looks them over carefully. “Perhaps they were carved in this very spot hundreds of years ago.”
Dinky frowns. “But by whom. And why?”
Sweetie Belle narrows her eyes. “Regardless of where they were carved, somepony went through a LOT of trouble to put them here. And nopony does something like that without a REALLY good reason.”
Apple Bloom looks around. “Pegasi statues in the middle of the forest. Could we be standing in the middle of what used to be a town?”
Sweetie Belle shakes her head. “I doubt it. There isn’t anything else here to suggest that.”
Dinky’s eyes grow wide. “Wait a minute… those aren’t pegasi! Let me try something.”
Channeling her magic, Dinky pulls a small cloth from Sereb’s saddlebag and carefully rubs away the moss, leaves, dirt, and bird dropping from one of the statue’s wings. Sereb gasps.
“It looks to be of an early Lunar Guard. The wings are like those of bats, not feathery like a pegasus.”
Apple Bloom nods. “They kinda remind me of Arc’s squad.”
Sweetie Belle sighs. “Really? Which one?”
“None of them in particular. Just the general form.”
A voice rings out behind them.
“You’re close.”
Turning, they see Wiseman walking toward them with a burlap sack over his shoulder. Sereb frowns.
“I do not believe we require YOUR help!”
“Oh, maybe you do. Or maybe you don’t. But I was just passing through on my way to… somewhere.”
Dinky nods. “What’s in the bag?”
“Apples, potatoes, carrots, and a head of lettuce.”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “Hungry?”
“Not particularly. But I believe all of you are.”
Dinky sighs. “We ran out of food yesterday.”
“Yes, I saw Sereb here foraging for your supper.”
Apple Bloom looks to the sack longingly. “Maybe we can trade for some of what you have.”
Sweetie Belle grins. “Yeah! I’d love to make a vegetable soup for lunch today!”
Dinky smiles. “Me too!”
Walking over to Sereb, Dinky opens his saddlebags to reveal their possessions.
“Take a look. Maybe you’ll see something of interest.”
Apple Bloom sighs. “We don’t have much that Sereb didn’t forage for us though.”
“Sure, I’ll take a look. And while I’m doing that why don’t one of you go through my bag and see what you want.”
Sweetie Belle trots over to Wiseman as he sets down the sack. Dinky watches the man as he proceeds to look through their things.
“Nothing in that purple parcel though. That’s… um… my treasures.”
“Very well. I wouldn’t think of taking anything that’s important to you.”
A few minutes later Sweetie Belle holds up several perfect vegetables.
“This’ll make a wonderful salad!”
Apple Bloom frowns. “Not a very big one though.”
Sweetie Belle nods. “I’d like to take more. But we don’t have much to trade for it.”
Wiseman pulls out Sweetie Belle’s saddlebags.
“How about I trade you for this?”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “You want all my stuff?”
Wiseman shakes his head. “Oh no. Just the bag itself.”
Apple Bloom frowns. “An empty filly’s saddlebag?”
“Yes. If you’ll give me this, I’ll trade it for the entire contents of that sack.”
Sweetie Belle gasps happily. “Really?!”
Sereb growls. “Wait, Sweetie Belle!”
“What is it, Sereb?”
“He offers you vegetables, but requests your jewel-encrusted saddlebags in return! How is that a fair trade for us?!”
Wiseman nods. “You are correct, Sereb. So I’ll throw in some very special information and practical knowledge to even the trade.”
Apple Bloom appears skeptical. “You’ll teach us something?”
Dinky nods. “What?”
“How about these statues and their secret?”
Sweetie Belle appears interested. “A secret?!”
“Yes.”
Sereb shakes his head. “This is not wise.”
Dinky sighs. “We need the food anyways. The information will just be a bonus.”
Apple Bloom looks to Sweetie Belle. “Won’t your sister be upset that you pawned off your custom made saddlebags for some vegetables?”
“Given the circumstances, I think she’ll understand.”
She turns back to Wiseman.
“Deal. Just let me get my stuff out of there and I’ll give it to you.”
Wiseman nods as Dinky and Apple Bloom begin transferring the vegetables to Sereb’s saddlebags. In a few minutes Sweetie Belle’s saddlebags are empty. She holds them out to Wiseman.
“Here you go.”
Wiseman chuckles as he accepts the saddlebags. “A pleasure doing business with you.”
Sereb growls. “Now what is the secret behind these statues?!”
“These aren’t Lunar Defenders at all.”
Dinky frowns. “They’re not?”
“No. Take a look.”
Rubbing his hand on the statue’s muzzle for a few moments reveals a row of razor sharp teeth protruding downward. Dinky gasps.
“What has teeth like THAT?!”
“A Crimson.”
Sweetie Belle looks around, clearly frightened. “But those are just a myth!”
Apple Bloom nods. “Right! Something to scare fillies and colts around the campfire!”
“Real or not, these statues are magical in nature. They have the ability to call out to those whom have the innate ability to harness their energies.”
Dinky appears hopeful. “So they’ll give us… power?”
Wiseman shakes his head. “Not directly, no. But if you can activate them, you’ll be spirited away to the corresponding statue.”
Sweetie Belle frowns. “Where do these lead?”
“The statue pointing south will take you to the Southern Hayseed Forest. While the one pointing south-east will transport you deep within the Hayseed Swamp. I don’t recommend exploring the swamp. A lot of… humorless creatures there.”
Apple Bloom sighs. “So only powerful ponies can activate it?”
“Normally, yes. But if the three of you focus your energies, I’m sure it’ll work.”
Dinky looks Wiseman in the eye. “But why tells us all this?”
“Because your father, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is not here.”
“You… you know where he is?!”
“Yes.”
Sereb seethes. “Then tell us!”
“He was taken by someone to this statue where they were spirited away.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes grow wide. “You SAW them?!”
Wiseman nods. “I did.”
Sereb groans. “Then why did you not STOP them?!”
“Because Arc was badly injured at the time. Any delay in getting him treatment would have resulted in his death.”
Dinky grins. “So he’s alive?!”
“Yes. And doing much better these days I hear.”
Sweetie Belle gasps. “Where?!”
“That you will have to discover for yourselves.”
Wiseman steps over to one of the statues and puts a hand on it.
“Simply put your hooves here and focus your energies. The statue will do the rest. Take care of yourselves and say hello to your father when you find him, Dinky. Oh, and do be careful in the Hayseed Forest. While it’s not nearly as dangerous as the Hayseed Swamp, you should be wary of your surroundings at all times there.”
He vanishes from sight as the three fillies look to one another. Apple Bloom turns to Sereb.
“Do you think he was being honest?”
“Most likely not.”
Sweetie Belle sighs. “Well, we’ve pretty much explored this entire forest and haven’t found anything.”
Apple Bloom nods. “Other than Arc’s knife on the riverbank. But that proves he was definitely here, so he had to go SOMEWHERE!”
Dinky looks at the statues. “Maybe Wiseman’s right, and the one whom rescued him took him through this portal to help him.”
Sereb growls. “Or maybe it’s just Wiseman manipulating our actions again!”
Sweetie Belle sighs. “That is possible, yes. But why would he do that.”
Apple Bloom turns to Sereb. “Has he ever lied to Arc before?”
“I… don’t really know for certain. Just understand that Arc was very adamant that he not be trusted.”
Dinky frowns. “Well, I don’t really know about that, as we just met him. But it seems like we don’t really have any other leads.”
She turns to the others soberly.
“I need to do this. If you three don’t want to come though, I understand. I’ll help by opening a portal back to my mom’s house for you before I go.”
“Are you kidding?! We’re with you, Dinky!”
“Yeah! What are friends for?!”
“I will accompany you as well in honor of my previous Life Pact with your father. He would not want any harm to befall any of you.”
“Thanks everypony. Now let’s see if we can get this thing to work.”
They each put a hoof/paw on the statue. As the fillies concentrate, the statue’s eyes glow red as an eerie glow is cast from its base. Before anyone can say anything they vanish from sight as the statue returns to its previous state. For many hours all is silent. As evening falls Wiseman reappears and walks over to the statue.
“I knew you three could do it. Now there’s just one last thing to do.”
Looking down at Sweetie Belle’s saddlebags in his arms, he smiles and runs a gloved hand across its gleaming surface.
“Rarity really did a fine job on this bag. It’s a shame I have to do this…”
Grabbing the straps that hold the two bags together, Wiseman pulls. The sound of tearing fabric echoes through the trees. Taking one bag, he puts a hand on the same statue Dinky and her friends used. A portal opens and he tosses the bag through before carefully tying the strap to one of the statue’s hooves.
“There we are. Now that the pieces are in place, all that’s needed now is for them to be found by the proper individuals.”