//------------------------------// // Unwanted Quests // Story: Echoes of the Old World // by Ultima75000 //------------------------------// Chapter 13: Unwanted Quests "Never ask someone to do something important if you’re not going to do it. You want something done right, you must do it yourself. Changing hands can either make your life easier or worse. Especially when your job puts your life on the line…” The sun had barely risen above the mountains when Scootaloo awoke in bed. She couldn't sleep for the last few nights since inducting Babs Seed as their newest member. She was restless; excited and eager. The Cutie Mark Crusaders we're expanding to Manehattan! How awesome was that? She jumped out of her bed and shook her messed up mane away her face. Despite everything all four of them we're nowhere closer to getting their cuties marks than before. Digging underneath her bed Scootaloo pulled out a large box full of things including: paper, lots of pencils, her helmet and dozens of little trinkets that she collected over their crazy attempts. Scootaloo wasn't an egghead. She wanted to be an awesome world class athlete like Rainbow Dash. She found her cutie mark by doing a Sonic Rainboom! How many ponies can say that? Scootaloo wanted to find her cutie mark in the coolest way possible; even if it means going through an entire books worth of paper to do so. Poking through the bottom of the box she pulled out a long list comparable in size that of Princess Celestia's. Written we're the many chores, duties, tasks and otherwise attempts to find a cutie mark. Those that had failed had been crossed off with an 'X' but many more still remained and even more empty room below that was available. Scootaloo took a pencil and scribbled off the last two acts she did with others yesterday. Sledding and Snowboarding. Both activity attempts failed since none of them could find a suitable patch of snow and even when they asked Twilight to help the snow melted before they got down the hill. It was more or less 'dirt' boarding than anything else; Scootaloo scanned down below the two and found that there was very few activities left on her current list. Before thinking of some more she heard a knock on her bedroom window. "Scoot? You in there?" Applebloom's voice sounded from outside. Sweetie Belle was with her, towing what seemed to be a giant tool box. "Hey guys." Scootaloo opened her window to talk to them "What you'd bring?" "Babs sent us this Adventuring Kit all the way from Manehattan!" Applebloom said gesturing to the large red metal chest behind her. Sweetie Belle untied the rope around her neck before opening the chest. "You gotta look inside!" she said. Scootaloo leaped through the window and got a good look at the contents. The kit itself contained flashlights, helmets, backpacks, water bottles, first aid kits and a binocular. As a bonus the Cutie Mark Crusader insignia was emblazoned on all of the items, even the chest itself. "Wow this is amazing!" Scootaloo said trying on the helmet. It even had a light on top. "I know!" Applebloom was playing with the binoculars while talking "Babs said she thought we may need this since we're not in a big city like Manehattan." "What should we do first with these?" Sweetie Belle asked putting on one of the backpacks. "What this kit is meant for!" Scootaloo said putting on the entire set. "An adventure?" Applebloom looked at Scootaloo funny. "Not just any adventure... an adventure to find our Cutie Marks!" Scootaloo declared pointing her hoof to the skies above her. "And just where are we going?" Sweetie Belle asked "I have no idea..." Scootaloo dropped her hoof "Whats a good a place for an adventure?" "Apple Acres?" Applebloom suggested "Nah, it all rows of apple trees. We need more variety." Scootaloo shook her head. "The school yard?" Sweetie Belle suggested "No, way too small." Scootaloo shook her head again "It has to be big! It has to be mysterious... somewhere where we have not gone before!" "Manehattan?" Applebloom guessed. "Cloudsdale?" Sweetie Belle guessed in addition. "No! Think closer!" Scootaloo said "There is one place we almost never go too!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle gave each other worried looks. "You don't mean the Everfree Forest do ya?" Applebloom asked the orange pegasus. "We've never gone in there without our sisters" Sweetie Belle added "That's why it's an adventure!" Scootaloo put her hooves around them "Just think about it; The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventures through the Everfree Forest! Where no pony has gone before!" "And for good reason!" Applebloom shook off Scootaloo's hoof "The Everfree Forest is dangerous! Applejack, Big McIntosh and Granny Smith always told me to never go into that forest alone." "Rarity doesn't even want me remotely near the place." Sweetie Belle said "Come on Crusaders!" Scootaloo hopped in front of them to keep their attention "We've done everything we can to get our Cutie Marks in town already. There's almost nothing left for us to try here." Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked down at the ground for a moment depressed. She was right. After every single thing they did in or around Ponyville their flanks we're still blank. "But we're going to need someone to come with us right?" Sweetie Belle asked looking up "Are you kidding?" Scootaloo looked at the little unicorn funny "We have to do this ourselves, the adults will never let us go there period." "At least lets tell somepony like Twilight." Applebloom pleaded "Oh alright..." Scootaloo said unable to convince the other two. "But we're only telling Twilight..." The trio emptied the entire kit and geared up before heading over to the library. When Spike opened the door he was more than mildly surprised. "You three look like your going into a warzone!" Spike said looking at the three fillies "We're going off on an adventure!" Scootaloo said "We just wanted to ask Twilight something." Applebloom continued "Twilight!" Spike called, the purple unicorn appeared a short moment after "Hey you three." She said "Why you all dressed like that?" "We're going on an adventure Twilight." Applebloom answered "We're you going then?" Twilight asked "Oh just right outside of Ponyville..." Scootaloo said "In the Everfree Forest..." Twilight dropped the book she was holding "What? The Everfree Forest... but that's dangerous, does your families know about this?" "Yesss..." Scootaloo said rather timidly "It alright we're not going deep in!" "Yeah we're going to visit... um Zecora!" Applebloom quickly put out "We we're going to adventure around with Zecora!" but "We we're?" Sweetie Belle said a bit puzzled, Scootaloo nudged her a bit and she fell silent. Twilight looked that the three young fillies who all gave her sweet innocent smiles. They we're certainly equipped for it and it looked they we're quite serious. Still she didn't want to take any chances. "Alright then. I guess it is okay, but don't you three go far from Zecora!" "Thank you!" They all cried before zooming away from sight faster than both Twilight and Spike thought possible. "You let them go?" Spike looked up at Twilight wondering what she was thinking. "No... I didn't" She said still gazing outside the door "I'm going to follow them, and I'm not going alone..." "I didn't think that Twilight would let us go like that!" Scootaloo said gathering her things including her scooter. "Well we did say we we're going to meet up with Zecora." Applebloom said packing treats into her pack. "How did we involve Zecora in all this?" Sweetie Belle asked "Well she does live in the forest, maybe she can help us out. She helped us out before." Applebloom replied zipping up the stuffed bag of food. "That time your sister shrunk to the size of an apple and Rarity had a very bad hair day." Sweetie Belle said "Well she's helped me out before too when I got the Cutie Pox." Applebloom responded "I'm sure she wouldn't mind." "She shouldn't, she helped Twilight when that unicorn Trixie took over town!" Scootaloo said strapping on her helmet "Only one way to find out" Applebloom said putting on her own helmet over her bow. "Let's go Cutie Mark Crusaders!" "Yeah!" "She is doing what?" Rarity's mouth dropped wide open. "What in zap apples is Applebloom thinking?" Applejack said angrily "She knows shes not supposed to go into the Everfree Forest alone!" "I don't really see what the big deal is" Rainbow Dash said "I thought they we're going to meet Zecora?" "That's what Scootaloo told me, but Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said they already told you." Twilight explained "She absolutely did NOT tell me!" Rarity huffed "Didn't hear nothing from her." Applejack confirmed "So where too then?" Rainbow Dash asked "I wanted to follow them; make sure they actually do reach Zecora safely. Alone it's dangerous yes but Zecora will keep them in check. She knows the Everfree Forest better than anyone else." Twilight said The other three ponies nodded their heads in agreement. "We better hurry, they've probably already went ahead of us!" “Are we there yet?” Sweetie Belle asked trudging through the thick woods of the Everfree Forest. “We’ve barely been in here for ten minutes Sweetie Belle.” Applebloom said hopping over a bunch of tall roots. “I doubt there we’re even close to Zecora’s place; that is if we are going there right Scootaloo?” The young orange pegasus pushed herself through half a dozen bushes without answering. Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had to double their original pace to keep up with her. “Scootaloo slow down! Where are you going?” Applebloom yelled through the leaves and branches. “Trying to find an open spot!” Scootaloo cried back, still crashing through. “But we’re getting further and further off the path too Zecora’s!” Applebloom screamed out to her but the pegasus still pushed on forward. “Wait… I think I see an opening!” Scootaloo re-doubled her efforts and lunged herself towards the opening. Passing through the bushes she found herself at the very edge of the Ghastly Gorge on the verge of falling over. “Woah!” she hollered flapping her small wings as fast possible to not lose balance on the edge. Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle grabbed her backpack and pulled her back towards safety. “I told you to slow down!” Applebloom said to the panting pegasus “This place is dangerous!” “And now we’re way off the trail!” Sweetie Belle said looking behind her. “I can’t even tell how far we are.” Scootaloo caught her breath before standing back up again. The backpack she brought with her felt much heavier than when they first started. Even Applebloom and Sweetie Belle started to feel the weight and fatigue their supplies we’re beginning to give them. “Maybe we should have a lunch break?” Scootaloo smiled at the others. They both agreed dropping their loads onto the dirt. Applebloom took out a bag full of apple slices for them to snack on while Sweetie Belle got packs of hay chips from her sack. “Where did you get those?” Scootaloo asked being passed one of the packs. “Mom and Dad send them too Rarity a lot but she rarely touches them. There were a lot of them stored in her kitchen.” Sweetie Belle said. The unicorn searched for another pack which she promptly handed over to Applebloom. As the crusaders began chewing down on their food, Scootaloo opened her survival kit’s water bottle and took a short sip before placing it down next to her. “Wants some more apple slices?” Applebloom asked the pegasus “Sure.” Scootaloo answered. She raised her hooves as Applebloom tossed them over Sweetie Belle. Catching the bag of apples the water bottle was knocked on its side which proceeds to roll its way down towards the cliff’s edge. Scootaloo barely caught it in time before in went over. “That was close…” Scootaloo said picking the bottle up to clean the dirt off it. As she looked through the bottle’s transparent body a twinkle of light reflected itself from the other side. Moving the bottle out of the view, the light source was revealed to be a reflection of something definitely metallic at the bottom of Ghastly Gorge. “Hey Crusaders look!” Scootaloo cried to the others pointing at the singular shining object “What do you think that is?” “It’s definitely shiny.” Sweetie Belle examined trying to get a better view of it. “But it’s at the bottom of the gorge.” Applebloom said looking down. It was a very long way down. “How can anypony get to it without flying?” Scootaloo leaped over to her bag and started to shovel away for a certain item inside. The pegasus pulled out a large roll of rope before tossing it to the other two and tying the other end to a tree. “This should do the trick.” She said “Are you sure that’s long enough?” Applebloom asked throwing her end down the gorge. Sweetie Belle herself also looked over the edge. “That is a very long way down.” “The kit said it went at least 100 yards.” Scootaloo said double checking her knot to make sure it was good and tight. “Who wants to go first?” “Not me” Applebloom shook her head “No thank you.” Sweetie Belle said moving away from the edge “I’d rather stay up here where it’s safe.” “Don’t you want to know what’s down there?” Scootaloo asked the two ponies in front of her. “I’d like too if there was a set of stairs…” Sweetie Belle replied “I wish we actually had Zecora with us.” “Sweetie Belle is right. I’m not going down there in that dark and creepy canyon without an adult. Who knows what’s down there?” Applebloom said Applebloom’s question was answered as a terrifying roar akin to that of a lion’s sounded nearby. With it came a screaming female cornflower blue unicorn that bolted out from the bushes wearing only a light purple mantle and a pointy witch’s hat. “Hey isn’t that…” Applebloom started but she never finished as the older unicorn stopped right in front of them tripping over on her face. “Trixie…!” Sweetie Belle finished off for Applebloom. Trixie lifted her head to find at three fillies glancing at her funny. “What are you foals doing here? Do you know the great and powerful Trixie does not like being bothered when trying out new magic tricks?” she said rather impudently. The monstrous roar sounded again only this time it was much louder and accompanied by the crashing of trees and branches. “What we’re you doing?” Applebloom asked Trixie quickly “I was trying to conquer a creature in the forest; since then the Great and Powerful Trixie would once again be known across all of Equestria!” Trixie declared ignoring the incoming rampage behind her. The group turned their heads as half a dozen trees including the large one the rope was tied too was knocked over like domino blocks revealing the unicorn’s pursuer. “What is that!?” Scootaloo said as the lion like creature approached them lashing its scorpion stinger tail. “A Manticore!” Applebloom said much to the surprise of everyone else. “Applejack said they lived in the Everfree Forest but I didn’t think they we’re this big!” The manticore took another step towards them causing the ground beneath their hooves to shake. This manticore was much bigger than the one Twilight and her friends met in the past; much bigger and meaner. Nearly twice the size of the original and with a scarred left eye to add to it’s already menacing appearance. Everypony backed away nearly scared stiff as the manticore prepared what looked to be a lion’s pounce. “Didn’t you learn your lesson the last time?” Sweetie Belle said looking at Trixie with a disgruntled look on her face. “Well it’s not an Ursa Minor…” Trixie snapped back “Oh I sure wish we had Zecora with us… or Twilight!” Applebloom said still moving backwards. Taking one more step she nearly slipped over the edge. “We’re trapped!” Scootaloo said “Stand behind me foals!” Trixie cried putting her self in front “The Great and Powerful Trixie shall protect you!” The manticore roared at the upstart unicorn before mauling the downed tree trunk it had knocked down earlier. Flying like a thrown twig Trixie barely had any time to react using her magic to stop its trajectory just inches away from her. For a brief moment the unicorn sighed at her luck but a sudden cry of “Look out!” from the Cutie Mark Crusaders opened her eyes as the manticore’s scorpion tail lashed over the nearly took her head off. Instead it pierced right through her hat. “Hey you know how many bits that cost?” Trixie yelled. But the manticore cared little. Swatting the tree truck again, the rope Scootaloo attached to it tangling up in both of their legs as is fell down the gorge. First Trixie felt the pull of the rope around her hooves, then the manticore and then both of them we’re bracing the floor trying to get a grip before they we’re pulled down. The manticore lost its grip and toppled down the gorge nearly taking Trixie with it, but all of the Crusaders had grasped the other end of the rope hold both the unicorn and the manticore from falling. They couldn’t sustain the weight long. An adult pony was heavy enough but the mass of the giant manticore in addition to its crazed thrashing through the rope took its toll on the Crusaders, slowly beginning to lose their grip and their balance. “Trixie…” Scootaloo said stressing to keep the rope from slipping through her hooves. “Climb…!” “We can’t hold on…” Sweetie Belle said nearly losing her footing. Trixie did not get the chance to climb as the angry manticore’s thrashed about it smashed the underside of the cliff causing the entire ledge to crumble to pieces. The Cutie Mark Crusaders fell as the floor beneath them crumbled into nothing. All three of the crusaders screamed as they descended down towards their gruesome deaths. Trixie concentrated as hard as she could amidst the screaming fillies. Come on… come on… come on…! She slammed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as she focused on surrounding herself and the 3 fillies in a light blue bubble which slowed their fall to the pace of a floating feather. The manticore was not as lucky; tumbling down the gorge as the ledge collapsed on top of it. Trixie landed all of them atop the pile of rubble that buried the manticore leaving only it’s tail sticking out. “The Great and Powerful Trixie prevails again!” She said “Ahem…!” The Cutie Mark Crusaders grunted at her. “With some help from the local schoolgirls…” She added Scootaloo was about to scream her lungs out at the arrogant unicorn that nearly got them killed until she noticed what was making the bright reflection at the bottom of the gorge. “Look…” Carved into the side of cliff was an etched silver tablet no wider than a book. Despite all the dirt, moss, and rubble all around the tablet itself seemed untouched by neither the recent avalanche or time itself; as if was just recently placed into the rock just yesterday. Scootaloo took a step towards it and rubbed off the moss that was growing over it revealing a symbol very similar to the Alicorn amulet only with a yellow carved rock instead of the red jewel. “That’s the alicorn seal…” Trixie said looking at the icon closer. “They’re almost identical.” “Like the crazy necklace you wore the last time you visited town?” Sweetie Belle gave her a mean look. “Hey, the Great and Apologetic Trixie said she was sorry…” the unicorn snapped glaring back at the smaller filly. Applebloom moved next to Scootloo to get a better look at the tablet. “These symbols” she said scraping off more of the moss. “Can anyone read this?” None of them we’re able to decipher what the runes meant. As Trixie cleaned herself off of the rest of the dirt the scorpion tail twitched. Suddenly the pyramid of collapsed rock violently shook and erupted as the large manticore broke free from its prison. “That thing still alive?” Trixie gasped with her mouth open. She barely got out of the way of its stinger attack. The entire group was backed to the wall. There was no where to run or jump off this time. “Stay behind me…” Trixie said “The Great and Powerful Trixie will-“ her speech was interrupted as the agitated manticore swatted her into the wall, knocking her to near unconsciousness and tearing apart her cloak and mantle. “Trixie!” Sweetie Belle cried but was silenced out by the manticore’s roar as it reared in on the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Get up Trixie!” Applebloom screamed nudging the wounded unicorn. “You have to get up!” “Look out!” Scootaloo cried as the manticore drew itself closer raising its claws preparing to strike. Applebloom shut her eyes as it swung at her. But she didn’t feel anything. For a moment she stood there waiting for the blow but she didn’t feel it. The other two crusaders gasped and Applebloom forced her eyes open for a peek. The manticore has stopped midway during it’s swing as a very familiar pony was standing between it and herself. “Atom?” “You know very well you shouldn’t be here…” He said “I’m sorry… I should have-“ “Applebloom… he’s not talking to you.” Scootaloo poked the young earth pony. Applebloom looked back at Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and the still downed Trixie before returning her view to the male alicorn. “This is not the place you should be.” Atom said firmly addressing the manticore in front of him. It grunted and growled at him, huffing puffs of steam from its nostril. The scorpion tail coiled back behind it as if ready to lash again but as it readied it self to attack Applebloom could have sworn she saw the tail trembling as if afraid to attack. “Get lost you punk!” Atom roared The fillies behind him all dropped their mouths. He didn’t just call that huge manticore a punk did he? Almost predictably the manticore drew its tail up ready to catapult launch it stinger straight into the stallion. It twitched in mid air for a long minute and then finally dropped itself onto the pile of rocks. Growling with anger the manticore slowly turned its head away and walked down the opposite direction. As if admitting defeat he snorted at the stallion before almost forcibly turning away from the alicorn’s gaze. “That’s what I thought” Atom grunted at the retreating beast “Now as for you four…” He turned his sights on the Cutie Mark Crusaders who we’re standing over next too Trixie. Applebloom couldn’t help but quiver as her own eyes met his. He wasn’t like this when she first met him. Back then he was relatively nice enough and didn’t seem like one for violence. But this time was different, almost like a different pony; there was no sense of peace behind his gaze, no trace of any sort of the polite stallion she first met. The serious look on his face and the intense glare from his eye made him seem less than a pony and more akin to a warrior. Or a monster… “Move aside…” He said sternly. The crusaders followed without question allowing him to stand directly over the wounded unicorn. Trixie’s mantle was torn and her pointed hat was punctured, the pony herself was partly unconscious with a nasty looking claw mark along the side of her left cheek that stretched down to the lower jaw and upper neck. “Do you three have a first aid kit?” Atom asked “Yeah but it’s buried underneath all the-“Applebloom started “Find it quickly!” Atom interrupted tending to the wound. Not wanting to be reminded Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo began digging for their supplies under the pile of rubble. It took a few moments but gradually they found a majority of their things in tact with the exception of whatever was out of the bags. “So this is the stallion you told us about?” Sweetie Belle said dusting off the dirt off her pack. “He’s different than what you told us.” “He wasn’t like this before, he was actually really nice!” Applebloom explained as she bucked over a larger boulder to the side “Of course during that time we didn’t have a giant manticore after us.” “Did you see what he did to that thing?” Scootaloo asked glancing back at the alicorn “He completely told it off! Why didn’t that thing fight back? It was easily twice his size!” “Being perfectly honest about that… I think that manticore was scared of him.” Applebloom said rather under her breath. “How could that monster be scared of a stallion?” Sweetie Belle said now herself giving glances at him. “I don’t know. But that beast was twitching a lot.” Applebloom replied putting a hoof on her chin “It looked like he wanted to buck him up good but it seemed to be more afraid about what would happen if it did.” “So it simply gave up and left?” Scootaloo sarcastically remarked “I guess…” Applebloom shrugged. By this time Sweetie Belle had finally found the oversized first aid kit and pushed over towards Atom. Looking over at Trixie the little unicorn found that her wound had been closed up though she was still out cold. “Thank you.” Atom said taking the bandages and wrapping them around Trixie’s next over the wound. “What did you-” Sweetie Belle tried to get a look but Atom had already covered the healed cuts. “I’m no healer so this will have to do.” Atom answered before she can finish. As he finished bandaging up the unicorn he took a glancing look at three fillies before approaching the embedded tablet on the wall. He placed a hoof over one of the symbols and started pressing them like a keypad, each one glowing different color. Trying different combination for a few minutes the stallion cussed to himself before sitting in front of it. “Of course it requires a certain pass code…” He grunted “Excuse me Atom?” Applebloom bravely approached him from behind “I want to thank you for saving us.” “What are you doing here?” Atom asked without even turning to look at her. “Well we we’re trying to find our Cutie Marks and uh… we got lost?” Applebloom said nervously backing away from him. Atom thought for a moment before trying a different combination. The instant he lit the last rune the wall shifted itself, splitting the stone walls apart opening a tunnel through the gorge and deep into the earth. He sighed in relief and then turned himself around to face the Crusaders. “That’s much better. I see you brought friends with you this time around.” “Yep, this is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.” “Hey there!” Scootaloo said waving at the stallion weakly. “Hi ya!” Sweetie Belle tried to smile as wide as she could to hide her nervousness. “Cute. Who’s the unicorn?” Atom asked gazing over them. “That’s Trixie…” Applebloom said giving a rather sad glance in her direction “She a show off magician that messed around in Ponyville. Applejack and the others don’t like her very much.” “Rarity absolutely loathes her…” Sweetie Belle added still giving the downed unicorn a look of scorn. “Thinks she’s so great when she messes with other ponies…” “She did just project us just now.” Scootaloo nudged Sweetie Belle a bit causing her to change her perspective for a moment. “And got swatted like a rotten apple…” Appleboom replied “What are you doing here? I thought you left for Canterlot?” “I did. I’m just back here on certain quest.” Atom answered pointing back at the open cave entrance. “Though I wasn’t expecting three fillies and a unicorn to be here of all places.” “Look she’s waking up!” Sweetie Belle cried as the body of the light blue unicorn stirred. Trixie groaned as she finally grasped consciousness again and her vision once again became clear. She rolled on her side and forced herself up with great effort. “Where am I?” She asked moaning from exhaustion and pain. She placed a hoof on her next and felt the bandages for the first time. “What’s going-“She finally put her sights upon the three fillies and the stallion beside them. “Who are you?” She gasped looking at the stallions features. If she had the strength she would have jumped at noticing both his horn and wings, but the pain along her upper next kept her from doing more than sitting up properly. “You mauled by the manticore” Atom said ignoring her previous questions “I fixed up what I could but you need proper rest.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not need to rest…!” Trixie defiantly declared trying to stand up. Her legs wobbled and her body shook in the attempt. She barely stood up straight for half a breath before nearly falling over the side. “It’s just a minor setback…!” It took a while for Trixie to get her bearings on the ground again and even longer to even walk properly. Her body felt weak and brittle as if something had broken half of the bones in her body. With shaky legs she finally was able to walk without major issues. “See? The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need to rest!” “Good luck climbing back up the gorge.” Atom sarcastically said “Though it may be better for you to follow me.” “Follow you?” Applebloom said looking at the stallion. “In there?” Sweetie Belle said looking at the cave. “In the dark?” Scootaloo said also looking at the cave. “You can’t see anything in there!” Trixie said trying her best to stand without wobbling “Why should anyone us listen to the likes of you when you got the Great and Powerful Trixie here?” “Considering that none of you climb up gorge and the fact I just saved your manes from a manticore I would think all of you would have the common sense to listen.” Atom said coolly keeping a stern tone in his voice “Besides I wouldn’t want to be stuck here in the gorge at night with whatever is out there…” The four ponies looked at each other nervously and didn’t answer back. The sun was already beginning to set and between getting lost again and going into a dark cave, the choice seemed obvious. They followed him and they didn’t look back. “We should have met up with them by now Twilight! I don’t like this one bit!” “Don’t worry Applejack.” Twilight said trotting down the muddy road through the Everfree Forest “I’m sure they’re all probably at Zecora’s.” “Zecora had best had stop those foals from doing anything rash!” Rarity gasped as she ducked underneath a branch. “I cannot bear to think that my sister is here in the horrible place!” “So long as they stayed on the road then nothing should have happened.” Rainbow Dash said comforting Rarity. “I see Zecora’s hut.” Twilight said pushing aside some branches. “But no three little ponies…” The four ponies walked to the front door and knocked which was promptly opened by their zebra friend Zecora. “Hi Zecora, sorry to bother you but have Applebloom, Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo been here lately?” Twilight asked “No I have not seen those three” Zecora replied Rarity nearly fainted only to be caught by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “But why do you ask me beneath the trees?” Zecora continued “I was afraid of this…” Twilight moaned “We think they might have gotten themselves lost in the Everfree Forest in one of their crazy ideas to find their cutie marks.” “This is not good.” Zecora said “Returned home they must, for the darkness of this forest they cannot trust.” “But the sun’s already setting!” Applejack said holding Rarity “There’s no way we can find them in time!” “I can fly over the forest no problem!” Rainbow Dash said ascending higher before being stopped by Twilight “Wait, we need a plan before splitting up!” Twilight said “There are a lot more dangerous creatures awake in the forest during the night.” “We don’t have time to make a plan Twilight! Sweetie Belle and others are out there probably scared half to death or being chased by Celestia knows what’s out there!” “Zecora!” Twilight screamed before anyone else could open their mouths “What should we do?” “Sometimes the best thing to do is to wait for as the sun dies in comes another moon rise.” Zecora said “What the hay is that supposed to mean?” Rainbow Dash asked puzzled. Twilight’s eyes opened as she got an idea. “Moon rise… Princess Luna!” Twilight said the other ponies looked at her weirdly “Princess Luna is the guardian of the night in all of Equestria! I’m sure she can find those three as easily as Princess Celestia could!” Twilight explained “But if we wait for the moon the rise then-“Applejack started but Twilight put her hoof up and she stopped talking. “Applejack it’s that or we go about searching blindly in the Everfree Forest.” Twilight said to her. The earth pony nodded her head slowly in agreement. “So how are we going to send a message to the Princess?” Applejack asked “Zecora you know how to magically send a message?” Twilight looked back at the zebra. “Come inside and see.” Zecora answered with a smile allowing the four inside her home. Author's Note This took longer than I expected since I got myself a second 'backup' proofreader since my one and only proofreader still hasn't recovered from his incident. On another note I realized I'm nearly broke and I'm barely making ends meet as it is so commissions for art are out of question so I'm trying my hands on the artwork myself. Hopefully I can make a decent version of the one the more important OCs but expect another few chapters long before I am confident enough to post any type of photo/pic. Will try to post a double/possibly triple update soon! With finals 66% of the way done I'll have plenty of time to fix up the juicer chapters awaiting curious readers.