The Fated Ones: Eloquent Flaws
Applebloom was scanning the area beyond the clearing she had found. Only a soft green glow, along with the faint trail she had noticed earlier, showed that anything had come through before. She used the limited amount of logic her foalish mind could provide, realizing that if she decided to chase this creature, it could possibly mean certain death. The natural curiosity all sentient creatures had then set in, and she went off on a tangent again as she increased her vigor to find these creatures.
An odd chill set over the forest as she walked on, odd patches of hot and cold permeating the air. She winced as a stray branch stabbed into her blank flank. as she went deeper into the forest, she began to notice small details she had never seen before: a tree with shimmering leaves, flowers that gleamed like gems, even a tangle of vines with bright yellow eyes. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how beautiful the Everfree Forest truly was. With the grim, leafless trees ringing the outer edge of the forest, ponies were naturally scared of the forest.
Suddenly, Applebloom had a brainwave. During her visits with Zecora, the zebra would often give her cryptic advice. She had once told the filly that she chose the forest because it reflected her perfectly. Applebloom finally knew what she meant. Just like Zecora, the inner portions of the forest were much kinder than the edges, though there was the occasional danger.
The filly walked on, her curiosity and fear forcing her to constantly stop and jump at little noises and details. Small petals were noticed following the faint trail she was on. several clumps of flowers and herbs were occasionally found pulled up or devoid of life. The ripped earth became more and more frequent as she dragged on, guided only by the light of the moss. Then she heard the singing.
It sounded as if three ponies had just come out of the local bar, raucously shouting a sea shanty. This one was different, however. The voices had no trace of the drunked slurs those ponies usually had, and the song was more rough and deep. She cleared her throat, trying to make her voice as loud as possible.
"Hello?" she asked. the voices simultaneously halted mid-verse. "Is anypony there?"
Applebloom waited for a response, but none came. Finally, as she was about to turn around, there was a twang, and an arrow embedded itself in a tree an inch from her muzzle.
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Sweetie Belle nervously approached the edge of the forest with the Elements of Harmony and Scootaloo. Every few moments a vivid daydream, most of them involving Applebloom being horrendously mauled by a grisly creature, would cross her mind, and she shivered. Scootaloo inched closer to a confident-looking Rainbow Dash, who was punching her hooves in the air while her wings fluttered.
"Let me at 'em!" she shouted, buzzing in a tight circle just inches off the ground. "Whatever took Applebloom is gonna pay when it meets me!"
"Ah'm with you, Dashie," Applejack said fiercely. she snorted and pawed the ground. "If anything hurt mah little sis, they're gonna be sorry."
"Girls, you're forgetting the point that Applebloom might not even be in danger," Twilight reasoned, trying to calm the two. "Applebloom is unusually mature for her age, even though she can be extremely reckless. I'd wager a lot that she'll return safe and sound."
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie agreed, bobbing her head. "Applebloom is super-duper smart, and funny, and cool! Any monster that would try to eat her would be a big meanie, and Applebloom doesn't like big meanies, but I taught her that if you want to make a meanie a nice-ie, then you just throw them a party, and-" Pinkie rambled on, confusing everypony else there.
"I'm still worried, Twi," Applejack shot at her. "Mah sis is the only family ah got that ain't gonna be dead soon, and ah'm not gonna lose her too." Her blatant anger at the thought genuinely shocked Sweetie Belle. Rarity was always rather protective of her, but the sheer disregard of danger that Applejack displayed surprised her. Sweetie wondered if her sister would ever display the same affection for her.
Girls, settle down," Twilight groaned. The tiara on her head glowed with crystalline white light, as did the amulets around each of the Elements' necks. the beams laid out a brightly illumined swath of forest mere feet from the group's hooves.
"Um, if I might make a suggestion," Sweetie injected, stopping the rant of both Rainbow and Applejack. "Why don't we actually go and find Applebloom? Every second we stand here is another second she could be dead."
Everypony stopped and stared at her for a moment, then they all sprang into action and leapt towards the Everfree Forest.
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In the library, a small violet and green dragon was poring over a letter. Spike had been getting larger ever since his "greed spurt", as Twilight liked to call it. While he was no longer small enough to be considered a baby, he still only surpassed the Cutie Mark Crusaders by a few inches. With quill in hand, he finally began to scratch out a note.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Something has come to my attention that I believe you need to investigate at once. Not hours ago, Applejack's sister, Applebloom, disappeared into the Everfree Forest. Now, this would be of much less importance, but I'm worried that if Applebloom remains missing, her sister will continue to be distracted by the event, and eventually lose hold of not only her ability to work, but also her responsibilities as an Element of Harmony. Her farm will eventually slip and go out of business, and nopony in Equestria will get apples, and everypony will starve, and Equestria will become a dead wasteland!
You know what, I think I've been spending too much time with Twilight. Her big words and overreactions are rubbing off on me. You might want to check up on her too. She's become much more... motherly lately. I think it has to do with me growing up.
But anyway, it would be great if you could send some help to search for Applebloom.
Your loyal assistant,
Spike the Dragon
Spike rolled up the letter and breathed on it, sending a glimmering field of green fire towards the parchment. As it made contact, the letter burst into magical smoke, which then drifted out the window and off towards Canterlot. Spike grimaced, then stared at the door.
"Hold on, Applebloom... we're coming for you."
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Applebloom stared, speechless, at the still-vibrating arrow not an inch from her muzzle. Her instincts were conflicting; the curiosity she felt was only heightened, while some primal part of her screamed to run, to hide, to become the terrified prey it was in its deepest recesses. Thus Applebloom was standing, frozen to the spot and completely helpless. Then a voice snapped her out of her trance. It was the sort of shrill, deep voice that an adolescent colt was likely to adopt.
"What was that for, Robin?! You nearly shot the thing in two!"
"Hey, it'll make a good next meal," another voice responded. This one was craftier and more impish, as if it had spent its entire life as a thief or trickster.
"Probably shouldn't eat it," a third, slightly baritone voice rumbled. "I think it's sentient."
"Horses aren't sentient, Lance. They can't talk." Voice number two again.
"Well this one is certainly smart," the first, squeaky voice shot back. "Look at how it's composed. The eyes are massive, and fit in with the absolutely huge head. That tells us its brain is large, and it's likely sight-oriented. The bright coloring suggests it's either venemous, which I doubt it is, or it's at the top of the food chain. Given that the only thing we've seen since we got here are plants and that manticore, these horses should be pretty high up."
"I'm not a horse, I'm a pony!" Applebloom injected. a sharp stab of adrenaline rushed through her, and with it, confidence. "And mah name is Applebloom!"
There was silence for a moment, before the first and third voices said smugly, "Told you so." A figure emerged from the shadows, and Applebloom squeaked in terror.
The creature was huge; far bigger than anything she had ever seen before. It was wearing some sort of fabric around its bipedal body, leaving only its claws and head unsheathed. The head was suspiciously like a pony's. Its eyes, though small, faced towards the front, and its muzzle was little more than a small bump with two tiny holes. Its mouth was below that, and she could see sharp white teeth grinning down at her. A thick, short mane shot out of its head, which was constantly being ruffled by its claws. The claws themselves had no fur or scales, and were rounded off at the tips. As it moved, the shiny metal clothing it wore clanked and gleamed a soft, eerie green.
"Hello there, little one," it said, not unkindly. It then turned back to a small clearing. "Robin, Merlin! Get over here now and introduce yourself to the lady!"
Two more figures came out of the shadows. One was small and wiry, with little muscle and giant ears. The other was slender and corded with tight, compact muscle. A cloak shielded its body and most of its face from view, so all she got from its face were two bright green eyes staring at her with unnatural intensity. She squirmed away for a moment.
"Sorry about Robin," the tall one said apologetically. "He can be a bit... intense." The cloaked figure glared at the speaking one. "Anyway, These are Robin of Loxley," he gestured to the glaring figure, "and Merlin of Camelot." The smallest creature waved. "I'm Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table."
Applebloom eased up slightly. Though her instincts were still screaming at her to run, the creatures seemed to be benign, if not friendly. Her curiosity eventually won out, and she took a shaky step forward.
"Lance, Robin," Merlin said authoritatively. Applebloom was stunned at the automatic reactions. Lancelot immediately drew an unseen sword and leaned against a tree, his brown eyes flicking from tree to tree in an attempt to find danger. Robin bundled several logs in his arms, set them down in a hastily constructed ring of stones, and flung kindling on the fire. As he scrambled away, setting up sleeping rolls, Merlin chanted an unintelligible word, and his eyes flashed orange. A spark of fire lit the campfire brightly, and by the time it died down, a bonfire was crackling merrily in the night. Merlin whispered several more words, and a blue-violet glow surrounded the entire camp before fading with a pop.
"Alright, we should be safe for the night," Lancelot said. Already, Applebloom felt safer in the company of the creatures. The clearing was surrounded by darkness, while a warm, comforting fire flickered in front of her. Exhaustion pressed down on her like a heavy blanket. Without a second thought, she fell over, her last feeling being the smooth, cool steel and curved claws of one of the creatures.