//------------------------------// // Part 6.1 // Story: Bearers of Nature // by TwinQuasars //------------------------------// Part 6.1         The train arrived at the Ponyville station a little before noon the following day. Trixie was the first to disembark. She wore a smile on her face, still happy over the impromptu performance she put on in the dining car. She ignored the near-mishap that was quickly doused by Soul, who was nearby with a pitcher of water. Rarity, who had noticed the potential disaster, was giving Trixie a firm glare as she exited the train after her. She quickly turned her head away as she went to go check on her luggage. Soul was the last of the trio to leave the train. He quickly noted Trixie’s whereabouts before trudging off to help Rarity with her luggage.         With the dress cases now void of dresses, they were much lighter, but they still proved to be quite heavy when all stacked up on Soul’s back. Though slightly encumbered by the weight, Soul was still willing to carry them back to Rarity’s boutique; He didn’t want to argue with Rarity at the moment, as his mind was on other matters.         Trixie is hiding something from me, Soul thought as the three ponies began their slow walk into town. There is more to her than just the attributes of Fire; Why this rivalry with Twilight? Is it really just a desire for power? Even if she did let me look at her soul again, I doubt I’d be able to see what she’s hiding past the element’s brilliance. He gave a sideways glance to Trixie, who was walking at his right side. I guess I’ll have to find out the hard way; the way everyone else learns about a pony’s secrets: make them open up.         Soul was busy thinking about how he was going to accomplish this when the sound of hooves pounding across a stone bridge rose from the background. He looked up just as Rarity called out, “Applejack? Where are you off to in such a rush?”         The orange mare stopped in front of them. She was a little out of breath “Rarity? Soul? Thank Celestia your back! We got ourselves a problem. I’m gatherin’ –“ Applejack froze mid-sentence as she finally noticed the third member of their party. “What in tarnation is she doin’ here?”         Trixie raised her muzzle at Applejack while flashing a small smile. “The Greater and More Powerful Trixie will have you know that she is playing an important part in the future of –“         Soul let out a loud groan. “We don’t have time for this!” His stern voice gathered everyone’s attention. “Applejack, Trixie is the Element of Fire, and whether you like it or not, she’s going to be staying in Ponyville for a while.” Applejack opened her mouth, but Soul quickly continued. “I’m not going to argue with you at the moment. Now tell us, what is going on?”         Applejack closed her mouth briefly before answering, “Scootaloo’s been kidnapped.”         “WHAT?” Soul yelled, his eyes failing to hide his anger as his mind immediately jumped to Everfree.         Rarity appeared equally mortified, but did not raise her voice. “Oh dear! That’s simple dreadful!” Her eyes widened as a new thought crossed her mind. “Wh-What about Sweetie Belle? Is she alright?” Rarity said with a tremble in her voice and a sense of urgency.         Applejack walked slowly over to Rarity to calm her down. “She’s fine, Rare. A lil’ shaken up, but fine.” She turned her head to face Soul. “I’m gatherin’ everypony at Twilight’s so we all know what happened, and we can figure out how to get her back. I was on my way to get Pinkie when Rarity saw me.”         Soul let out a deep breath as he collected himself. “Alright, we don’t have any time to lose. Go get Pinkie. We’ll drop off Rarity’s luggage and meet you at the library.”         “Gotcha!” Applejack shouted as she galloped off towards Sugarcube Corner.         Soul turned to face Trixie, who appeared to be preoccupied with a spot on her front hoof. “Trixie, I think –“         “Trixie is coming with you,” Trixie said over him without looking up.         “- you should go –“ Soul blinked as he processed what was just said. “What?”         Trixie looked at him, wearing a smirk across her face. “You are going to Sparkle’s house, right? That is exactly where Trixie was planning on going.”         Soul stared at her, his facing twitching to hide his severe disapproval. There is a missing foal and she is still thinking about her petty rivalry! Can she really be this callous? “Fine,” he eventually blurted out, “but you will stay out of the way. We’ve got a crisis to deal with first, and then I’ll deal with you, understood?”         Trixie shrugged her shoulders. “Trixie will wait until she can get Sparkle’s undivided attention.”         Soul turned his head away from Trixie and sighed deeply. “Alright, let’s get going.” He gave a nod towards Rarity, and the three galloped off towards Carousel Boutique. ********         When the trio arrived at the library, the scene inside was one of anxiety and tension; It felt like a group waiting for a big storm to strike. Rainbow Dash was hovering around the room – her forelegs crossed and brow furrowed – when Soul opened the door. Her forelegs quickly rose towards the ceiling as the door opened. “It’s about time!” She yelled, but quickly brought landed when she saw who had arrived. “Wait, when did you get back? Where’s Applejack and Pinkie?” RD’s eyes grew wider as she finally noticed Trixie. “And what’s she doing here?”         Twilight, who had been concentrating on a book, looked up when the door opened. “Soul?” she said, but she quickly picked up on Trixie’s presence. “Trixie?!”         Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had been sitting together with Fluttershy, who had been trying her best to comfort the two fillies. However, as soon as Rarity entered the room, Sweetie Belle began running to her shouting, “Rarity!”         Rarity met her halfway, embracing her as she ran into her forelegs. Rarity gave a dramatic cry, “Oh Sweetie! I’m so glad to know you aren’t hurt!”         Soul could overhear Applebloom commenting on a stallion with glowing eyes. He had kind of hoped they would have forgotten about that, but there was nothing he could do about that now. He first answered RD’s initial questions. “Applejack told us about what was going on before running off to get Pinkie Pie. They should be along shortly.” He gave a side glance towards Trixie, who was staring intently at Twilight and grinning. “As for Trixie, she will not be bothering us while we discuss the current situation.” He turned to face Trixie, giving her his own intent stare. “Isn’t that right?”         Trixie broke her stare and slowly began to wander over to the adjacent room. “I’m sure the Greater and More Powerful Trixie can find something in this quaint library to amuse herself with.” She entered the other room and closed the door behind her.         Everyone in the library had watched her silently as she entered the adjacent room, with the exception of Rarity and Sweetie, who were still embraced in their sisterly moment. As soon as the door was closed, Rainbow Dash floated down to Soul with a look of annoyance on her face. “No, seriously, what is she doing here?” she demanded.         Soul crossed the room and dropped his bag next to the basement door. He gave a heavy sigh before answering. “Trixie is the Element of Nature I was looking for in Canterlot.” He turned his head to address Twilight. “The Element of Fire, to be precise.” He then turned back to RD. “Unfortunately, that means she is going to be staying in Ponyville for a while.”         Rainbow Dash brought her hooves up to her face and let out a loud groan. “She’s gonna be unbearable!” Twilight also brought a hoof to her face, but she turned her head and gazed at nothing, as if deep in thought.         Before Soul could ask what was going through her mind, the front door burst opened and Applejack came trotting in. Pinkie Pie came hopping in behind her, wearing loaded saddlebags. “We’re here!” cried Pinkie’s usual cheerful voice, “and I brought snacks!”         Rainbow Dash quickly turned to look at her, squinting her eyes. “Pinkie Pie, this is serious! Scootaloo is missing!”         “Well jeez Dash, I know,” Pinkie retorted, “but we can’t very well be a search party on an empty stomach!”         Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, unable to argue against Pinkie. “Whatever, we’re all here now, so let’s get going!”         She was about to bolt out the door when Twilight called out, “Hold on, Dash! We can’t go rushing into the Everfree Forest without a plan!”         Rainbow Dash came to an abrupt stop, hovering inches off the ground. She turned to look at Twilight before blurting out a quick, “But-“. She stopped herself, and gave a quick look at AJ, who was nodding her head in agreement. “’Fraid she’s right, sugarcube.” Rainbow turned to look at Twilight again, this time with a disappoint scowl across her face. She let herself plop to the ground, sitting upright with her forelegs crossed. “Fine, let’s hurry this up. I’m tired of just sitting around here knowing that Scootaloo is still in danger.” “We’re all worried about Scootaloo,” Twilight said while casting her eyes towards the ground, “but it won’t do her any good if we run into our own troubles in the forest.” She looked up see that Rainbow Dash had averted her own eyes to the ground before turning to look at Applebloom. “Applebloom, could you tell us exactly what happened?” By this time, Applejack was sitting by her sister’s side. Applebloom slowly got up, giving a worried look at her sister, who nodded her head to encourage her. She turned to face the group. “Well… the three of us we’re headed t’ Fluttershy’s place –“ Sweetie Belle, still by Rarity, suddenly spoke up. “We knew Zecora was staying there.” Applebloom continued, “Right, and we were hopin’ she could teach us about certain plants and their uses –“ Sweetie Belle suddenly jumped up. “That’s when that big, nasty monster jumped out of the forest and grabbed Scootaloo!” Sweetie’s outburst riled up Applebloom. “It all happened so fast!” she yelled. “It wrapped her up with its pointy tail, let out a loud roar, and ran back into forest.” She closed her eyes tightly. “There wasn’t anythin’ we could do….” The big sisters wrapped their forearms around their younger siblings, trying to comfort them from recalling the event. Soul ran over the information in his head before turned to Twilight. “Judging from their description, the ‘monster’ was probably a manticore.” “Those mean, ol’ nasty manticores!” Pinkie exclaimed as she procured cupcakes for the young fillies. Twilight nodded her head and placed a hoof on the book she had open on the table in front of her. “I agree, but it doesn’t make sense. A manticore wouldn’t leave its territory to hunt, and if it was really hunting for food, it wouldn’t have carried Scootaloo off….” She quickly shook her head to get rid of the image she had created. Soul brought a hoof up to his chin. “In other words, the manticore acted with a purpose; like something else was controlling it.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “It seems my suspicions are accurate. Everfree is more than likely behind this.” Twilight’s eyes drooped as she sighed. “I was afraid of that, but you’re probably right.” Fluttershy, who had been sitting quietly between the two pair of sisters, suddenly spoke up. “B-but why take Scootaloo?” Applejack beat Soul to the response. “It’s ‘cause she’s one of those Elements of Nature he’s lookin’ for, remember?” Fluttershy nodded her head slowly. “But – I mean – why take her at all?” Suddenly, a thought donned on Soul. He can sense their presence…. He hit forehead with his hoof as he shouted out, “Idiot! Why didn’t I figure that out sooner?” Everypony was now staring at him with a confused – and in Fluttershy’s case, a startled – look upon their faces. They sat in silence, waiting for him to continue. “Everfree can sense the general location of the Elements, which means he already knew there was an Element in Ponyville. However, he also seems to be in tune with every inch of that forest; he was probably able to pin point Scootaloo as the element bearer when they got close to the forest. To make matters worse, I already knew about the Elements of Nature before I met him for the first time. He probably put the pieces together and figured out that I had already identified Scootaloo as one of the Elements before I met him. This whole situation is his way of showing his power.” Rainbow Dash quickly hovered into the air from her sitting position. “Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go teach that monster a lesson,” she said as she pounded her front hooves together, “Ponyville-style!” AJ shook her head. “Weren’t cha listenin’ Dash? Fightin’ him head-on ain’t gonna work!” “AJ’s right,” Twilight spoke up. “If we try to fight him, we’ll end up fighting an army. We would be overwhelmed.” Thoughts of the changeling invasion floated around the room as everypony considered the consequences. “Well, what about the Elements of Harmony?” Rainbow said. “Couldn’t we just zap him and be done with it?” “It’s not so much a zap,” Pinkie pointed out with her usual energy, “It’s more a sorta woosh or shoom!” Twilight shook her head. “You said so yourself, we don’t have time to retrieve the Elements from Canterlot.” “Besides…” Soul began to speak, “I’m not sure they would do anything anyway….” Once again, all of the heads in the room turned to face Soul. Twilight was the first to speak up, “What do you mean?” Soul lowered his head. “Well, from what I understand, the Elements of Harmony are designed to defeat beings that are threatening the harmony of Equestria. While Everfree’s methods may not be… harmless, I doubt his intentions are threatening.” AJ spoke up, “Uh, beg pardon, but he nabbed a filly from her friends – with a manticore, no less – that seems pretty threatenin’ to me.” Soul sighed. “You’re right, but he’s only trying to get back what he lost so long ago; what he was meant to protect. He’s desperate, and willing to do anything to fix what was broken.” AJ lowered her head and sighed. “I- I guess I understand that,” she said before quickly raising her head with stern eyes, “but he can’t just get away with what he’s done. What are we gonna do?” Soul thought for a second before he raised his head. “I can assure you that Scootaloo will be safe. He needs the element bearers if he wants to give their power back to nature. He also needs me to get the rest of the Elements back to him, so I’m also safe.” Turning his head away from the others, he continued, “That being said, it is far too dangerous for any of you to go into the forest at this point. I can’t guarantee your safety, and I will not let anyone else get hurt. Just let me handle this and –“ Rainbow’s frustration had finally reached its boiling point, and she let out a scream. “Enough! Just who do think you are telling me what to do!?” “Rainbow!” Twilight yelled in shock. Rainbow ignored her and continued shouting. “I barely know anything about you besides your weirdo power. I only met you a week ago, now you want me to just sit back and do nothing while Scoots is trapped with some monster!?” Rainbow quickly closed in on Soul, getting right up in his face. “There is no way I’m putting the life of that filly in hooves of a complete stranger! Rainbow then turned to face the others. “I don’t care what you say; I’m gonna go rescue her, and ain’t no monster gonna to stop me!” She zoomed out a nearby window before either AJ or Twilight could grab her. The verbal assault left Soul shocked, his mouth hanging open. He let his body drop to the floor. It wasn’t long before it turned into a frown, complete with downcast eyes. “Oh Rainbow…” Fluttershy said softly. “Dashie…” muttered Pinkie as her mane slightly deflated. Twilight approached Soul slowly. “Soul….” Soul slowly shook his head without looking up. “She’s right… You’ve all been so willing to trust me without really getting to know me,” he raised his head to look at Twilight, “especially you, Twilight. You invited me into your house – gave me a place to sleep – on the very first day we met! I’ve dealt with the kindness of strangers before, but this is far more then I have ever experienced in such a short time.” He lowered his head again, turning away from Twilight. “Perhaps it was a mistake to accept your generous offer; then maybe you wouldn’t be in this mess now.” Rarity stood up and slowly began to approach Soul. “You mustn’t blame yourself for this, darling. Scootaloo still would have been an Element of Nature, and Everfree still would have needed her. This would have happened eventually.” “She’s right,” said Twilight, “and we would have rushed in to save her without knowing what we were up against. Soul still kept his head down. “I only wanted to know more about the Elements of Nature. I thought… I thought this was my chance; my opportunity to find out what I’m really meant to do with my talent. Everfree needs me, and I’m just letting him use me… for my own selfish desire.” Twilight looked downcast. “At least your ‘selfish desire’ is for a worthy goal. To be honest, when I heard about your talent, I only thought about what a fascinating study you would make.” She looked up and gave a quirky smile. “I wanted to know how your power worked; you were an anomaly, and I wanted to know what made you tick… but then you discovered the Elements of Nature… a powerful source of magic like the Elements of Harmony, and yet so different….” Twilight’s sight drifted towards the ceiling, looking at nothing in particular. Applejack finally stood up and broke her trance. “I hate to break this up, but we do have two ponies now that are in the Everfree Forest. Soul rubbed his face with hoof before finally raising his head to look at the others. “I understand that I can’t stop you from trying to save your friends, I just wanted to make sure that nopony else got hurt….” AJ gave a faint smile. “We understand, and we trust ya,” she turned her head to look at the other mares, “ain’t that right girls?” Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy all slowly nodded their heads. Pinkie was beaming once again. “Why wouldn’t we trust a traveling fortune teller, especially one with a super mysterious power like yours?” she said with complete sincerity.   Applebloom slowly approached Soul. “Mr. Seer, are you really gonna save Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash?” Before he could answer, AJ put her hoof on her sister’s head and rubbed it gently. “Of course he is.” She looked back at Soul. “You just make sure y’all get back in one piece, ya hear?” Soul looked around the room at all the comforting faces looking at him. They really do trust me. Even if I have made a mistake, their counting on me to do what needs to be done here and now; I can’t let them down! He stood up quickly; his strength renewed. He looked towards Rarity and Sweetie Belle, then to Pinkie, then to Fluttershy, turned to Twilight, looked down at Applebloom, and then up to Applejack. A smirk appeared on his face. “You can count on it!” He said with conviction before bolting out the front door. Fluttershy’s smile began to falter. “Do you really think they’ll be okay?” Twilight turned to her, maintaining her reassuring smile. “I think Soul is right; he’s the only one that can deal with Everfree now. I’m sure they’ll be alright.”         A noise at the other end of the room made them all turn around. A door had opened, and Trixie was entering the room. “Now that your little crisis is being dealt with,” she said with a smirk, “you can give the Greater and More Powerful Trixie your undivided attention.”         The five mares looked at each other with worried looks as Trixie stared directly at Twilight. ******** Soul galloped non-stop until he reached the Everfree Forest. He slowed down as he entered only because the path faded into underbrush. “Scootaloo! Rainbow!” He called out, but was met with only the eerie silence of the forest. Everfree, if you did anything to hurt them… he thought before coming to his senses and activating his sight. It didn’t take long for him to see the two sparks he was looking for; their intensity easily made them stand out from the dull sparks of the forest creatures. There was, however, a lack of a greater spark he expected to see. I’m sure Everfree is behind, but where is he? He was also disturbed by the fact that neither of the sparks appeared to be moving. He quickly ran towards them without concern for the cluster of dull sparks he had seen before.         As Soul entered one of the rare clearings that allowed him to see the sky, he came across an odd sight: What appeared to be toppled statue of a pegasus was lying in near the edge of the clearing. The wings were outstretched –as if in mid-flight – and one was dug into the ground, keeping the statue propped up. When Soul moved in to get a closer look, he was shocked at what he saw. The statue’s face bore a look of terror with the eyes and mouth wide open. It was when he saw that the statue had a cutie mark that Soul realized what he was really looking at: a petrified Rainbow Dash.         The sound of rustling leaves penetrated Soul’s shocked state. He quickly turned around to try and locate the source of the noise, though in his mind he already knew what to expect. “Everfree!” He shouted, “Show yourself!”         Everfree slowly stepped into the clearing, scratching the back of his neck with his wooden claw. “I knew you would show up eventually,” he said nonchalantly, “but the pegasus was a surprise.” He pointed past Soul to Rainbow Dash. “I’ll admit she put up quite a fight,” he said as his smirk turned into a toothy grin, “but you can only avoid the gaze of a dozen cockatrices for so long.” He could see Soul was about to speak, but he quickly interjected. “Before you get all worried, she’s fine. She’s unconscious, can’t feel any pain, and is completely unharmed.”         This did nothing to ease Soul’s mind. “Where is Scootaloo?” He said with stern determination, aiming his steely gaze directly at Everfree’s eyes.         Everfree stared back, unfazed by Soul’s piercing eyes. “She’s safe, just like her ‘savior’ behind you.”         “Show me,” Soul said while maintaining eye contact.         “What, you don’t trust me?” Everfree replied with smile. They stood there for a moment in silence, staring at each other, until Everfree’s smile eventually disappeared. “Oh, very well,” he said as he rolled his eyes, finally breaking the impromptu staring contest. He turned his head towards the trees to his right, bore his teeth, and emitted a growl from his throat. A few seconds later, a manticore wandered into the clearing with a petrified filly on its back. It stopped about a quarter of the way into the clearing before shaking the stone pony off. The statue – which certainly appeared to Scootaloo – landed on her back. Her legs were spread out and her head turned back, as if trying to run away from something. “Satisfied?” Everfree asked after the manticore had left the clearing.         Soul turned to look at Rainbow Dash, then to Scootaloo, before returning his gaze to Everfree. “Tell me why you did this,” Soul demanded. “Tell me why you kidnapped Scootaloo.”         “To prove a point,” Everfree replied, raising a single finger from his right paw. His eyes momentarily dart upwards before he raises a second finger. “Two points, actually.” He crossed his arms behind his back and began to slowly pace around the clearing. “First off,” he said, quickly turning his head towards Soul, “I don’t like being lied to.”         Everfree watched as Soul quickly looked towards the ground. He grunted as he smiled. “You already figured that out, I see.” He went back to his pacing. “You already knew about Scootaloo being the Element of Air when we first met, and yet you failed to tell me.” Without looking, he waggled his finger at Soul. “Don’t try to come up with excuses; you were to inform me when you had gathered the Elements, and you purposely left out that you had already found one.”         Soul looked up at Everfree, who currently had his back turned to him. “How long have you known?”         “Oh, I’ve known for quite some time,” Everfree responded without turning to face Soul. “This was not her first visit to the forest, but that’s not the point.” He quickly turned to look at Soul, extending his serpentine body to get as close to his face as possible. “The point is that lying to me is futile; I will find out eventually, if I don’t already know.” He pulled back and began to stroke his thin beard with his paw. “On that note, do you have anything to report to me?”         “I have retrieved the Element of Fire from Canterlot,” Soul said without question. “She is currently in Ponyville and will remain there until I am ready to deliver the Elements of Nature to you,” He added with a hint of defiance.         Everfree smirked. “Of course. Now, on to point two,” he said as he restarted his pacing. “Though losing the elements so many years ago weakened me, I am far from powerless. The creatures of the wild follow my every command,” he said while swinging his arms out, “and I’m not afraid to send them out of the forest to get what I want.” He crossed his arms in front of his body and stared down at Soul. “So, if you ever even think about crossing me, remember this,” he said with a sinister growl, “Ponyville is not far away, and manticores are the least of your worries… Do you understand?”         Soul lowered his head in submission, but quickly raised it again, his brow furrowed. “I understand my place,” he said with conviction, “now understand yours. You need me to gather the elements for you, and technically, there is nothing stopping me from leaving now –“         “- Except your sense of duty and your search for a purpose,” Everfree added matter-of-factly.         Soul continued to stare at him. “You have left me with little choice but to do as you say, but I do ask for some answers in return.”         Everfree thought for a moment, tugging at his goatee. He eventually said, “I suppose that’s fair. What do you wish to know?”         “I know the legend involving the Elements of Nature as it is written in a book,” Soul began. “I know about your arrangement with the alicorns, how Discord came to our world, and how the Elements were lost. What I don’t know is what happened after that; what happened after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeated Discord? Why didn’t you go to them for help?”         For once, Everfree’s face wasn’t smug or angry. His eyes drooped and his smirk turned into a frown. “Is that what you think?” he said with a half-hearted chuckle. It was quickly followed by a sigh, after which he continued, “When I heard that Discord had been defeated by a couple of alicorns, I thought that they had returned; the alicorns I had made my arrangement with. When I went to find them, however, I instead discovered your ‘royal sisters’, Celestia and Luna.” He said the princesses’ names with a slight growl. “Unlike their predecessors, they decided to live amongst your kind as rulers. Still, I explained to them my situation; about the agreement and the loss of the Elements. I asked for their assistance in restoring nature’s power,” he leaned in close to Soul at this point, “and do you know what they did?”         Soul looked passed Everfree’s head to see his paws clenched tight. He shook his slowly and in silence.         “They ignored my pleas for help,” Everfree shouted,” And instead handed over the responsibility of nature to you ponies!” He backed away from Soul, but continued to stare at him. “Discord may have ruined this world, but your princesses did nothing to restore it! They took advantage of its broken state and remade it in their own image.” Everfree swung his arms around, gesturing at the forest around them. ”You ponies fear this forest because you believe it be ‘unnatural’, when in fact it is the only natural place left in all of Equestria!”         Everfree breathed heavily through his nostrils. He closed his eyes and brought his paw up to his forehead. Eventually his anger subsided and a smug appearance returned to his face. “No matter. Soon nature’s power will be restored, and this world will be fixed at last.”         Soul stood staring at Everfree, deep in thought about what he just heard. Is it true? Did Celestia and Luna really just cast him aside? Celestia said she knew little about the Elements of Nature, but if Everfree’s story is true, she at least knew about him. Had she forgotten… or did she purposely not tell me about him?         Everfree roused Soul from his daze. “You’ve wasted enough time asking your question. It’s about time you go looking for the next element.”         I don’t have much of a choice, Soul thought. For now, I have to continue on. I’ll just have to get my answers later. “And where is the next element?”         Everfree smirked. “Curiously enough, there is another element residing in Ponyville: The Element of Time. Unfortunately, that element’s bearer has shown no interest in exploring this forest.”         Soul furrowed his brow in confusion. “If there was a second element in Ponyville, why did you have me go to Canterlot first?”         “I wanted to get the element out of Canterlot as soon as possible,” Everfree responded with a growl.         “What about Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo?” Soul asked, gesturing towards the two statues.         “I will release them as a sign of good will,” Everfree said as he turned his back to Soul. “As long as you follow my orders, we can keep this peaceful.” As he began to walk back into the forest, he snapped his fingers and said, “Don’t disappoint me, Soul.”         The trees around the clearing rustled with activity. As Soul looked around to see what was moving through the trees, he noticed the stone around Rainbow and Scootaloo begin to recede. As soon as Scootaloo’s head was completely free, the air was filled with the scream of a filly. Soul pressed his ears against his head before quickly moving to Scootaloo. “Scootaloo, calm down! It’s going to be OK. You’re safe now!”         When Scootaloo turned to looked at Soul, it did little to calm her down. However, she stopped screaming and instead launched into a tirade of questions. “What happened? What’s going on? Where are we? Where are those cocka-thingies?”         As Rainbow Dash became un-petrified, she began asking her own questions. “What hit me? Where did they go?” As she turned around, she tripped over her own legs, still stiff from bring encased in stone.         “Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo shouted as she caught a glimpse of her idol. Now that she was completely freed from stone, she flipped herself upright and ran towards Rainbow, ignoring Soul.         Scootaloo ran straight into Rainbow Dash, who was still picking herself up off the ground. The collision knocked her off balance again, but she managed to keep herself upright. “I knew you’d come to save me!” cried Scootaloo.         Rainbow looked up and noticed Soul. “Yeah, of course,” she said with a weak chuckle, “but Soul helped save you too.”         Scootaloo turned around to look at Soul. “The fortune teller with the glowing eyes?”         That left quite an impression on them, Soul thought. He tried to smile at the filly, but the combination of embarrassment and annoyance turned the smile into an awkward grin.         Scootaloo didn’t seem to notice, as he mind jumped to a more pressing thought. “What about Applebloom and Sweetie Belle?” she said with a slight gasp, “Are they alright?”         “They’re fine,” Soul responded, “It’s because of those two that we knew the manticore kidnapped you.”         “But why would it do that?” Scootaloo asked, her youthful curiosity getting the best of her.         It can’t be helped, Soul thought. She has to know the truth. “It’s… complicated,” Soul sighed, “but it’s about time you learned about something that makes you very special.”         Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” she asked. Her voice had a slight tremble of confusion and worry.         “Can we get out of here?” Rainbow Dash spoke up, stretching out her wings. “This isn’t the best place for a chat. Besides, we don’t want to keep the others waiting.”         Soul nodded his head in agreement. “Come on Scootaloo, I’ll explain everything on the way.”         The three of them started their trek out of the forest. Scootaloo stayed close to Rainbow Dash, who had decided to fly slowly just a few feet from the ground. As they walked, Soul began to talk, “So, you know about the Elements of Harmony, right?”