//------------------------------// // Chapter Four- His own Agenda // Story: Legends Of The Everfree // by MLPxMaestro //------------------------------// Legends Of The Everfree: Chapter 4- His own Agenda: “Wow, vis is vome vood stuff!” Geronimo said, as he stuffed his face with juicy fruits of all kinds. The juices trickling down the sides of his mouth, along with the expression on his face made Dr. Terra giggle at him. “Still got the stomach you’ve always had, you haven’t changed one bit.” Dr. Terra added. “Nope.” He replied back, almost choking on a piece of fruit just then. Echo stared in amazement at how much fruit he was managing to eat in just a matter of seconds…literally. “…He’s weally hungwy.” She says to Dr. Terra, as those little eyes continue to be locked on Geronimo’s face out of amusement. “He’s been like that ever since we first met. He lets his stomach sometimes do the talking on how he feels.” Echo having no idea what that meant, began laughing at him. “He’s funny, I wike him!” she laughed, Dr. Terra noticing those cute tiny fangs in Echo’s mouth as she laughed out loud. Geronimo then stopped himself momentarily, realizing that Dr. Terra had made herself a new friend. “This a new friend of yours Pris? She’s adorable!” he smiled to Echo as he took another bite of one of the fruits. Having to slow himself down now or he’d end up getting a stomachache. “As a matter of fact yes Gero, she’s the youngest of the entire colony. Her name is Echo, say hi Echo…” “Hewwo mister.” She smiled, looking away a little bit out of shyness. “Oh wow, she’s not as afraid of us like those other younglings are. Perhaps she hasn’t been raised like they have?” he insisted. “Hmm…there’s that possibility.” Dr. Terra placing a hoof under her small chin hypothesizing. “Um…hey there Echo, Would you like something to eat?” Geronimo then pushes the fruit basket in her direction, but yet she’s still amused by his amazing art of eating apparently. Echo then approaches him a little closer, continuing to stare closely at him. They continue eye contact, making him lose focus and almost wonder in a hypnotic state. She kept getting closer and closer to him, and continues staring at him. She was now only a couple of steps away from him, and noticed he had a fruit in one of his hoofs. She then quickly snatched it away from his hoof with her mouth as she jumped back a bit, away from him. “Hey, that was mine! Give it back you little…oh forget it.” he pouted. “Oh ease up on her Gero, she just wanted to play with you is all. Though her putting you in a state of trance for her to get her way was very clever.” Dr. Terra then looked back over at Echo. She noticed her eating away at the fruit upside down in the corner, with both of her wings covering her body up to give her some privacy. “Is it good Echo?” Echo said nothing, but nodded back to her. Her wings opened up in front of her, revealing the fruits juices all over her mouth as she smiled and giggled. “Come one Gero…can you deny a face like that?” she pointed out to him. “Well I…” looking back at Echo again caused Echo to stop and look back at him. “Well Pris, I mean it’s just that…well maybe she’s…well how about…” Geronimo had nothing he could think of against his friends’ sadly superior intellect. “Give it up Gero, you can’t win with that face.” said Dr. Terra. “Yeah!” Echo added coincidentally, causing Dr. Terra to almost have an outburst as for how well timed that was. Their fun continued for the next hour or so, telling stories and jokes to each other. Echo not really getting what the two of them were talking about, but Echo seemed fascinated by Geronimo though. Perhaps it was just a special aura he had about him that made him likable to her? “Uh…Gewonibino?” “Pfft, Ha-ha-ha! No…it’s Ge-ro-ni-mo…got it?” Echo blinked at him with a pause, as she could care less. “You’re siwwy!” she giggled, as she sat right beside him. The naturally made bars preventing her from getting any closer to him. Just as she was about to say something else, her ears perked up again, signaling she was hearing something approach their cell once again. It was Targe, and he still had a bit of a puzzled look on his face as he entered. “Oh, your friend is awake, doctor.” He said. “Yes he is, but it was the food that got him up.” Dr. Terra turned back to him, noticing Geronimo had a poker face. “No it wasn’t, it was uh…” “Oh give it a rest Gero, this is important here.” She slightly smiled back to him. “Right, ahem…sorry.” “Yes, well anyways our leader, Moon Fang, wishes for you two to be lead around our colony. He wants to test you, though I believe it is unnecessary in my opinion.” “What? Test us, and for what reason?” “Relax Pris, what’s the worst that could hap-…oh wait never mind.” Geronimo then looks around him realizing he was still in the cell. “I’ll get you out of there sir, no worries. But it just doesn’t seem right for what Moon Fang is doing between you two and me. I don’t really know though, I’m still young as well, and that I have much to learn.” Said Targe. “Sometimes it’s always best to go with what your gut is telling you, I do that all the time.” Geronimo replied. “M-my gut?” “Absolutely…if you feel like it’s the right thing to do, then I say go for it. If however what he says seems odd or doesn’t sound right to you, then step up and take assertive action…you catch my drift?” Geronimo stated to him again. “Hmm…interesting point. We don’t really think like that down here in my colony, but…interesting point nonetheless.” Targe wondered. Later on that day... “Ah yes, this is what Bat Ponies do when they are wanting to conserve food for their colony.” Dr. Terra spoke up, noticing some of the colony rationing it. “That is correct ma’am.” said Targe, knowing that these two surface dwellers were legit and really knew their stuff. Even on the random questions regarding their races history, they answered them all correct. Moon Fang however continued to watch them within the shadows as they proceeded along the dimly lit cave systems. Echo was luckily following the three of them, and beside Geronimo no doubt. Targe seemed a bit jealous of the attention that Geronimo was getting from Echo, though curious at the same time. With hour after passing hour, Moon Fang’s patience was starting to now run a bit thin with the two surface dwellers. He had a firm grudge against them, though he realized that the past is the past, and that it may be time to move on. With this grudge, he however deep inside of him still very much wanted Dr. Terra and Geronimo to help the last of their race, but he didn’t know how to talk to them about it? He was afraid looking to others for help would make him not look like a strong leader anymore, and that he was afraid his leadership would go downhill after that for the colony. “Targe!” a stern voice called out from the shadows echoing, causing them and the few other Bat Ponies around them to stop in their tracks. “Uh, yes sir?” Targe replied. “Guide these two to my quarters…I’ve seen enough.” The voice was then heard with a break of silence from strong, fairly large wings flapping in the air. Echo looked off into the direction of the voice, thinking that voice sounded familiar. Though to Targe it was all too familiar. “I need to bring you two to somepony’s quarters. You will know recognize him when you see him.” said Targe, as he then began to lead them all the way on foot to Moon Fang’s home. “Who in Celestia was that?” Geronimo asked. “I can’t reveal that, though it is somepony you must meet with in private though. The way he said that he had ‘seen enough’…I’m not sure if what he meant by that was good or bad?” Targe wondered. Echo had been staying awfully quiet for some time now, and the other three wondered why exactly? She was always the one to ask questions or talk at her age. “Is everything alright, Echo?” asked Targe, but he then realized she was gone. “Oh no…where is she?!” he started worrying. “Wight here!” she poked her head out from behind Geronimo, making Dr. Terra giggle at her little body hiding so well and out of sight from Targe. One hour later... “Sir, here’s the two surface dwellers, Geronimo and Dr. Terra.” “Thank you Targe, you are dismissed.” He nodded back to him. Moon Fang with his back turned towards the two of them, and with nopony anywhere nearby the three of them…he had something to confess. “Now then…onto the matter at hoof. I have something I have been keeping back from you two…” His tone seemed hard to decipher on whether or not that meant something bad was going to happen, or something good was about to take place. Little did they all know though, that Echo had managed to follow them inside without any of them knowing. Echo had a clever and bright side to her if she felt like bringing it out, but would this time be the right time? With her own curiosity and thoughts going on in her head, she silently snuck up into a dark corner of the ceiling where she would remain out of sight.