//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - A Magical Path // Story: Radius // by Seismology //------------------------------// "Ugh I can't believe that idiot would just leave his van out at a campground!" "Miss, we've checked it, and besides some odd instruments; we couldn't really find anything that would connect your brother with anything going on around the mountains. "Yeah... I know. He was just adventurous and look where that got him." "Well, he's one of twenty-four travelers and hikers who went missing yesterday, and the radius of these disappearances is spreading at a growing rate. I shouldn't be telling you this... But..." "But what?" "We expect that these occurrences will start happening at the base of the mountain in two days' time, we're petitioning for an emergency evacuation of the east side of town." "My god... I hope Harry will be alright, I hope Parker will be alright..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 - A Magical Path Harold felt something prodding at his side, something large and hard. He swatted it away and grumbled something about, "Leave me alone, tryna sleep." Yet, the prodding continued. Angrily, he growled and sat up to confront the offender, and instead found a sheepishly smiling Ocean Breeze. Alarmed, he patted himself down, then hung his head and sighed. "Are you okay, Harold?" Ocean said, cautiously trotting closer to him at his eye level. "Mmmm no. Decidedly not okay. Thought this whole shitshow was a dream, guess not." Harold sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. Ocean Breeze opened her mouth, reaching a hoof out to touch Harry's shoulder, then sighed and retracted her hoof. Choosing not to say anything to him nor touch him. "Well... It's daylight. Celestia's risen the sun." Harold nodded his head. "Yeah, sun's up, any sign of the wolves?" He looked around as he used his knee as a support to stand up, bending down to grab his pack and rifle. "Nope, they went away after you fell asleep. Fire keeps them away, and they don't have the patience to stick around for daylight." The pony said matter of factly. She stood up and stretch her withers and haunches, bones cracking as her cerulian fur glistened in the sun. Harold stared, she really did look like a caricature of the ocean, the name was fitting. He shook his head and shouldered his belongings, kicking the dimming embers that remained from last night's fire. "Well, we better get on then. Glad those suckers slinked away." He fished out a cigarette from his front jacket pocket, sticking it between his lips and sparking his old zippo lighter to light it. Ocean gave him a cautious look. "What are those things you humans use? Why do you inhale smoke?" Harold snrked, "CIgarettes-" He coughed and beat his chest a few times, "-Ack, bad for you, never try em." Harold spit out a glob of phlegm as Ocean watched with a mixture of fascination and disgust. "Yeah. Um. I think I'll steer clear, thanks Harold." The blue pony turned away and began to survey the general area. "No problem, now, were we going to head south?" He said as he sucked down the toxic smoke. "Yeah, south! This way!" Ocean began to trot in the southern direction, and Harry soon followed suit as he crushed the cigarette beneath the step of his boot. The two marched from the clearing into the thick of the woods, walking along the stream that seemed to be their guide. After all, where there is water, there is civilization. They walked through the surprisingly light underbrush, being wary of any timberwolves that might jump into their path, but none seem to come. Not even a howl emanated from the relatively dark and dreary forest. "Despite the wolves, this almost feels like home!" Harry chirped, soldiering on behind the blue pony leading in front. "Home for you, maybe, your forests were just awful! Nothing like Hollow Shades!" Ocean replied back with a scowl, though Harold couldn't quite tell. "Hollow Shades? Is that the name of your town?" He asked tentatively. "Yeah, but it's more of a village... It's named after the woods that surround it, though those woods are completely tamed! Not all twisted and evil and ugly like these!" Ocean shouted out, then squeaked as a falling branch plowed down in front of her, slightly blocking the path. The two cautiously walked and trotted around it, looking up for more falling branches. "I wouldn't insult these woods, y'know, just in case there's any spirits around." Harold remarked, looking back at the branch that had just fallen in their path. "Spirits? In the Everfree? I haven't heard of any- Oof!" Ocean stopped as she bumped into something. She turned her head back around as Harold gaped at something ahead of her. Ocean's eyes squinted against the glow of something new blocking their path. "He's right you know!" Piped up the offending blockage. Ocean's eyes cleared enough to see what lay before her, and she began to gape as well. Harold rubbed his own eyes, it was a tiny little pony with wings. It had a whitish-blue glow about it, almost like this world's version of TInkerbell. "My god..." He started, "Is that a fairy?" The interloper squinted her eyes at him, buzzing up above Ocean and getting directly in Harold's face. "I just said you were right! Spirit! Duh! And you call me a fairy?!" The little thing practically shouted indignantly. "I- Um- Well..." Harold rubbed the back of his neck, looking away, unsure as to what to say. "Hmph! No! I am a spirit! Of the Everfree!" The tiny white pony pointed past them, down the path they had just come. "That branch, that was me, duh!" The pony crossed her hooves and shook her head. "Honestly, you... Whatever you are, but you!" She pointed at Ocean. "M-M-Me?" Ocean pointed to herself, unsure. "Y-Y-Yes you!" The little thing mocked, "You should know better, duh!" The alabaster... Spirit... Squeaked. "What's your name, little one?" Harry approached the spirit-pony, who looked him up and down. "I'll tell you... If you tell me what you are!" She zipped around his head, making Harold dizzy, before stopping directly in front of his eyes and grabbing his nose with two tiny hooves. "So weird! So hairless!" Harry coughed, sending the spirit flying backwards. The poor creature righted herself and coughed herself. "And so smelly! Ew!" "-Ack, I'm a human, from Earth." Harry choked out between coughs. "Earth?! I've never heard of that! Or a human! Ooh, is that an island! Are you from an island?!" The creature got into Harold's face again, smiling widely. "N-no, spirit, but a deal is a deal, you tell me your name." Harold stepped back away from the little spirit. "Hmph! Fine, my name is Leshy, guardian of the Everfree! What's yours, hyooman?!" The loud little spirit asked with an accusational tone. "You're not going to steal my name and use it, are you?" Harold asked in turn, eyeing the spirit who seemed to now glow red with anger. "I'm. Not. A. Fairy! Duh!" Leshy kicked Harold's nose, which was more like a boop given the force behind it. Harold sneeze and wiped his nose, once more blowing the spirit back. Leshy wiped herself off in disgust. "Ew ew ew! Nasty!" Harold wiped his nose with his sleeve, "Well, my name is Harold, and this is Ocean." He motioned to the bemused pony in front of him. "We're trying to find our way to a town called Ponyville, maybe you can help?" The spirit lit up with a soft green glow, buzzing around the two hapless adventurers. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ponyville! I know where that is!" "So you can take us there?" Ocean piped up among the cacophony that the spirit was making, tapping her hooves together nervously. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Follow me!" The spirit buzzed off in the direction that they were already heading, her now greenish glow lighting the way. "She's a loud little beast, isn't she?" Harry remarked as both he and Ocean began to trod after the spirit. "Spirits tend to be that way, it's just how they are." Ocean replied, rolling her eyes. "I heard you! I hear everything in the forest!" The spirit shouted back at them. Harold mocked zipping up his lips, and throwing away the zipper to Ocean, who was looking back at him. Ocean nodded and made the same motion. Together, the trotted onwards as the spirit rambled about how the forest was dangerous for travelers, how they could easily be killed, how there were many monsters in the forest. "But I'll keep you safe!" She said, "Leshy never lets anypony fall behind!" She prattled on as the two travelers marched on after the zany forest spirit. Leshy sure was a hyperactive spirit, but that wouldn't bother Ocean nor Harold. The three soon came across a proper dirt path, and Leshy bit her lip. "This is as far as I'll go! Too many ponies down the path, and a Zebra! Yuck!" The spirit mocked dry heaving, and then zipped around Ocean and Harold. "Hope you two travel safe! Just go down the path! You'll be in Ponyville in no time at all! No time at all!" Before the two could safe their farewells to the forest spirit, she zipped off and above them, heading to God knows where. "Hyper little creature." Harold said. "Yep, she sure is." Ocean agreed. Ocean and Harold continued on their trek down the proper path but didn't see heads or tails of this Zebra that Leshy had mentioned. They figured the Zebra must be somewhere around Ponyville, and so they continued onward. The travelled past some odd looking trees that seemed gnarled with faces on them. Horrific faces that would scare any normal passerby, but not Harold. "H-Harold, those trees look awfully mean, don't they?" Asked a frightened Ocean Breeze, who shivered as she walked. "They're just trees, c'mon, let's keep on going." Harold reassured the scared little blue pony, and so they walked on past the trees. As they walked, they came upon a patch of blue flowers that looked and smelled divine. Harold was tempted to go over and pick a few, just to keep, but before he could walk off the path towards the flowers, Ocean stopped him with a hoof. "Hey, what gives?" He complained. "That's poison joke, it's really dangerous, probably even for a human." Ocean replied sternly. "How is it dangerous?" He asked, eyeing the flowers curiously. "Well, if you touch the flowers then they will play a joke on you, nopony knows how it works, but it's some strange kind of magic. It's better if you don't go near them." She explained, nodding her head over to the flower patch. "Like cigarettes?" Harry joked. "Yeah, sure, like cigarettes." Ocean sighed, and they kept on walking. They trotted past the poison joke and continued down on the path, the trees seem to get slightly less thick, and the gnarled faces from before transitioned into normal tree trunks with no signs of evil faces. Not that it ever bothered Harold, but Ocean seemed slightly less perturbed now. They walked past a hut of some kind, but the lights were off, so it seemed that nobody was home. Nonetheless, the two were spurred on by this, as it seemed they were inching ever closer to civilization, and thus Ponyville. Even though Harry couldn't actually go in to Ponyville, he could still stick around the thicket and observe from afar. Being in a new world was exciting enough for him, far more exciting than just kicking the can around his home all day. His spirit seemed to wilt as he thought about home. What would his sister think of him running from the police. Would they think he was eaten by some kind of animal? Would the police think he eloped with this strange creature? He panicked as he thought about it some more, beginning to hyperventilate. Would the federal government get involved when he came home? Maybe they would vivisect him for clues on these alien interlopers, maybe- "Harold! Are you okay?" Ocean practically shouted at him, shaking him out of his stupor. He blinked and breathed in deeply, then breathed out. "Yeah, just doing a lot of thinking." Ocean eyed him up and down, "Well, try not to think too much, we'll get you home soon enough." "Yeah... Home. Alright, let's keep on going." Harold shivered as he thought about home but tried not to dwell too much on the idea. He continued onward with Ocean as the trees seemed to thin out more and more, and daylight shone through the underbrush. The two could tell that they were oh so close to reaching Ponyville. What was the plan when they reached the outskirts of the town? Harold never asked Ocean. Though up ahead the path started to shine clear with daylight, he could tell that they were about to leave the forest. If what Ocean said was true, then he shouldn't be spotted. Sure enough, a blob of black and white color could be seen entering the path just ahead, and Harold dove into the brush before Ocean could say anything. Ocean turned to shout in protest, but then she saw the approaching figure as well and stayed where she was, tapping her hooves nervously. Soon, the striped black and white figure was upon them, seemingly carrying a large amount of flowers and roots in bags she had slung over her neck and back. Gold rings adorned her neck and ears as well, it seemed that this was the zebra that Leshy had warned them about. Harold observed as the zebra said something to Ocean. "Good morning young friend, have you come to meet the forest at its end?" The zebra asked, oddly in a rhyming fashion. "Ah... Yes! I"m from um, Hollow Shades, just looking to get a scroll from the school of friendship!" Ocean said hurriedly. The zebra chuckled, "A magical scroll is what you're after? I hope that your fate won't be one of disaster." Ocean coughed, "No, no, it's for a friend of mine." Harold facepalmed, why'd she have to mention a friend. "Well, lucky for you and your friend, Ponyville is just around the bend." The zebra continued. "Yes, well, I must be going now! You have a good day Miss..." "The name is Zecora, and whom are you with so pleasant an aura?" Ocean blushed, "Well thank you, but my name is Ocean Breeze." "Ocean Breeze, I will let you travel on, as you please. Have a good day, and from this path do not stray." Zecora finally said, carrying on with her travelling. Likely back to that hut that Harold and Ocean saw earlier. Once Zecora walked far enough down the path, Ocean motioned for Harold to come out. "C'mon, she's gone!" Harold crawled out of the underbrush, covered in little twigs and leaves, along with a few scrapes taken from diving into the bushes. "Ugh, I'm covered in this crap." Ocean laughed softly, "Yeah, but at least she didn't see you. Creatures would flip out if they saw something they weren't familiar with." "Huh, sounds like back home." Harold mused. "What's that?" Ocean asked. "Oh, nothing, best not to talk about it." He quipped, choosing to carry on down the nearly ending path. "Okay... So! The plan is for you to wait around the edge of the forest while I get another scroll from the school of friendship-" Harold chuckled, trying to hold it in, "-And just stay quiet, stay low, try not to get discovered. Got it?" Harold let out a breath, "Yeah, got it." "Good, now... Wait in the bushes over there! I shouldn't be more than an hour." Ocean pointed over to a series of well placed bushes that seemed like they were there just for this occasion. "Alright, sounds good to me!" Harold cracked his knuckles and began heading to the bushes, he turned and said, "Good luck." To Ocean as he crouched down. "Thanks, you too." Ocean replied as she craned her neck trying to spot Harold. She couldn't, and so with that matter taken care of, she marched out of the forest and onward towards Ponyville. Neither Ocean nor Harold hoped that they were discovered in their plans.