//------------------------------// // Encounter // Story: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Equestria // by Boxo-pony //------------------------------// In the midst of the Everfree forest, there were three wanderers exploring the dusky forest. "Are you sure about this Scootaloo?" asked Sweetie Bell nervously. "Well do you want to gain our Cutie Marks or not?" argued Scootaloo. "How exactly are we going to get our Cutie Marks here again?" Asked Apple Bloom. "By becoming brave adventurers of course!" Squeed Scootalo. "But in the Everfree Forest? Ya’ll know everypony tell us to stay away from it. There are a lot of dangerous critters around. Remember that time when we wanted to become chicken rescuers? We could have got done in by a Cockatrice if it wasn't for Fluttershy and her staring power..." argued Apple Bloom. "And what if we get in big trouble again?" asked Sweetie Bell "Geez! How are we going to get our Adventurers Cutie Mark then? The Everfree forest is, like, the only place to explore!" Scootalo snapped. "I reckon y’all have been reading those Daring Do books?" Apple Bloom asked cheekily. "Well yeah, but Rainbow Dash also reads them and they’re awesome! Think about it girls, we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and having something like an adventuring Cutie Mark would be so cool! Come on, you can't deny that's awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed enthusiastically. Apple Bloom sighed. "I think this idea sound too dangerous." Apple Bloom replied. "Uh girls..." started Sweetie Bell. "Well if you’re gonna be like that, why did you come?" Scootalo snapped angrily. "Girls..." murmured Sweetie Belle a bit louder. "Because I thought your idea was going to be less dangerous. You could have at least told us that we were going to the Everfree Forest in the first place!" shouted Apple Bloom. "GIRLS!" Sweetie Belle burst out. "What?" Scootalo and Apple Bloom both shouted, breathing heavily from their arguing. Sweetie Belle pointed to the faded path ahead. “If you’re done arguing, do either of you know where we are going?" she asked. Both two fillies looked at each other in confusion. Scootaloo looked around them at their surroundings and shook her head. Apple Bloom looked around as well, before the three finally realized that they were lost. Before any of them could speak, a harsh howl rang out from around them. Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened as she jerked. “What was that?” she asked, obviously unsettled. Apple Bloom noticed something moving in the corner of her eye and took a glance to see one of the mouthwatering creatures coming from behind a tree. They were already moving in on their prey. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in fear. "TIMBER WOLVES!" *** "Ouch!" mumbled Zuruna as she fell to the muddy ground again. "Stupid hooves, stupid forest, stupid hunger," she grumbled as she slowly got back on her hooves. She had been wandering around this forest to find the source of the cry but had had no luck. Not a single soul to be seen throughout the seemingly endless forest. "Well at least I'm not freaking out like that time when I first got turned into a Pokemon," chuckled Zuruna. Maybe I really did die. Perhaps I’ve been cursed to wander this forest for all eternity. Cursed in a new body and to never see my friends again, Zuruna thought to herself in a ruefully way. Zuruna’s thoughts were soon interrupted when a sudden noise of footsteps were heard in the. Despite the ground being muddy, each footstep she heard made a distinct splotch noise. Zuruna snapped out of her thoughts and quickly looked for the source of the footsteps. There was at least more than one creature judging by the noises each step made. The noise is definitely coming from behind those bushes. Whatever’s making it is headed in my direction. It's almost as if it’s walking to me - no, it's running to me! Zuruna’s thoughts were soon cut off when two small creatures ran out of the bush and pounced on her. She fell back on the ground from the impact of them running into her. "No! Help! One of the Timber Wolves got me, AppleBloom!" yelled the small creature who happened to be on top of the befuddled Zuruna. The voice sounds like a child, Zuruna thought. She took a look at her attacker, who happen to be a white sort of unicorn. It was definitely a little girl if Zuruna was judging by its looks and voice. She also appeared to have a cape on. "Wait, Sweetie Belle! That's not a Timber Wolf!" shouted the other one, who wasn’t too far away. The other one was another filly who had yellow fur, but lacked the horn her companion had. Her accent was different from the first, smaller pony’s, but Zuruna could still understand her clearly. She too also had a cape on. Upon closer examinations, Zuruna could see that both of them looked afraid, as if they were being chased down by a monster. Deciding to ask the most obvious and forward question, Zuruna asked in a friendly manner, "Who are you?" *** Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were just wandering around the Everfree forest and the next thing they knew they were running from three Timber Wolves through the dense forest, and now they had bumped into a mysterious pony. She was a unicorn who had orange and yellow fur but the weird thing is her tail was almost as if they were on fire. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at the mysterious pony who had just asked them a straight forward question. Sweetie Belle hopped of the pony and rejoined with her friend in utmost silence. The silence was broken when Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom cried out in shock "Your tail! It's on fire!" The mysterious pony could only stare at the shocked fillies and then chuckled with a reassuring smile. "Haha, it’s alright I'm a fire type Pokemon." She reassured with a suppressed smile. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stared with bewildered looks on their face. "Fire type?" They both asked in confusion. "You know, one of the eighteen types?" asked the pony as she slowly got back on her hooves. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at the pony as if she was an alien from another world. After another awkward silence, Apple Bloom finally decided to try introducing herself. "I'm Apple Bloom and this here is Sweetie Belle. We sorry about bumping into you, Mrs...?" "Oh, please, call me Zuruna and not ‘Mrs.’ That makes me feel old. And don't worry about it," Zuruna kindly replied. "Zu-ru-na? What a weird name you have there!" commented Apple Bloom. Zuruna gave a smirk. "Ha ha ha. Do I, now?" ~ "The name’s Kyle. So, what's your name?" "...Zuruna" "Zuruna? That's a weird name! You're a little odd. But you don't seem like a bad Pokemon. I’ll call you Zu for short!" "Great. I’ve turned into a Chimchar with no memories of my past and now I’m talking to a talking Treeko! I must be dreaming!" "What was that?" "Nothing." ~ "Come on, Kyle." "Huh?" "Let's go get back your treasure." "Wait! You really want to help me?" "Of course! Now let's go!" ~ "Thank you for your help, Zu! Say, do you want to become explorers together?" "Explorers?" "It is my dream to be able to become an explorer and discover the very mysteries of this world. I wouldn't have been able to get my treasure back without you Zu. I think we make a great team! So what do you say?" "Well since I can't remember why I'm a Chimchar, then I guess I team up with you. After all, you’ll probably never make past the first floor of a dungeon without me." "Hey wait a second..." ~ Zuruna had a heartfelt smile as remembered the awkwardness of her first encounter with Kyle. Zuruna quickly focused away from those memories and to the two little fillies in front of her. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and they say I have a weird name. Zuruna quickly noted in thoughts. "So what made you girls run? It looked like you were being chased. Also, what's a Timber Wolf? I heard you shout something about it when you landed on m-" Zuruna asked the two fillies but was interrupted when Sweetie Belle broke in. "Scootaloo! Where's Scootaloo?" blurted Sweetie Belle as she was looking around. "Zu-runa you’ve got to help us! We don't know who else can!" added Apple Bloom. "A bunch of Timber Wolves attacked us and now we’re separated from our friend." wailed Sweetie Belle. "Which direction did you just come from?" asked Zuruna. Apple Bloom pointed with her hoof in one direction past the bush and into a thicker part of the forest. "What are you going to do?" Sweetie Belle asked Zuruna. "I’m going to help your friend." Zuruna told her gently. The two fillies stared at the taller pony as she started making her way. "Let's go." Zuruna called back at them before tripping over a branch. *** The trio wasted no time as they dashed through the forest. All Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom could do was follow the determined mare and hope that Scootaloo was still okay. "So how are you going to deal with the Timber Wolves?" panted Apple Bloom as she caught up to Zuruna. That's right. How am I'm going to deal with any type of enemies right now? These Timber Wolves sound dangerous. Can I even use any of my Chimchar attacks still? Guess I'm going to have to wait and find out. Zuruna grimaced. "Wait, stop!" Sweetie Belle yelled suddenly. Zuruna skidded across the ground only to fall on her side. ...And how am I'm going to deal with these legs… Zuruna sighed. "What is it Sweetie Belle?" asked Apple Bloom. "Look," whispered Sweetie Belle with a worried expression in her eyes as she hold up a torn Cutie Mark Crusader cape. "No..." breathed Apple Bloom. "She can't be...If I hadn't argued with her in the first place, then maybe we would have all gotten away together...It’s my fault!" Apple Bloom started crying as her guilt crashed down around her. "Or maybe she got away and her cape simply fell off," suggested Zuruna, who was slowly walking to the doubtful duo. "Even so, how are we gonna find the Timber Wolves who are chasing Scootaloo?" sniffed Sweetie Belle. Zuruna looked at the ground. The ground was stamped with footprints on the muddy ground everywhere. Each footprint seemed to lead a different direction to the forest. An idea struck Zuruna. "Give me the cape,” she said. Sweetie Belle gave the cape to Zuruna, wondering if she gonna sniff it and find Scootalo scent. Zuruna concentrated and touched the cape with her rather muddy hooves. She muttered something that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle couldn’t make out. "Dimensional Scream..." The two confused fillies looked at Zuruna who was just standing there with her eyes shut. "Umm are you okay?" asked Apple Bloom. Zuruna didn't replied. "Okay this is a little weir-" Apple Bloom continued before being cut off when Zuruna suddenly collapsed on the ground. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" exclaimed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as they both went over to the collapsed mare. They heard Zuruna groaned as she got back up "Well I didn't remember using it to be that tiring and painful." "What just happened?" asked Sweetie Belle, her eyes wide. "That doesn't matter; I know where we can find your friend now." Zuruna looked off in the direction that her vision had shown her. "What? How?" Sweetie Belle asked doubtfully. "No time! C'mon!" Zuruna insisted as she began a full gallop to her vision. Let’s hope that was a future vision, thought Zuruna wryly. *** Scootaloo was running for her life. Timber Wolves were just behind her. She tried to outrun the Timber Wolves but they wouldn't stop until they got their prey. a lurking pack of shadows were hiding behind the twisted trees and were following the lost trio. One of them might be weak, but a pack of them make them a deadly force not to be messed with. A hungry pack of them make them piranhas on land, not stopping their hunt until they get their prey. Eventually she was going to run out of energy. Any Pegasus would fly away from this kind of situation, but unfortunately for Scootaloo, she still couldn't use her wings fully. Scootaloo finally gave in to fatigue and she collapsed on the ground that could very well end up as her deathbed. But she wasn't going to go down without a fight. The Timber Wolves easily caught up to Scootaloo now that she was on the ground. They circled around the tired filly so she couldn’t get away. One of the Timber Wolves licked its wooden rough yet sharp tooth. Scootaloo stared at the Timber Wolves. They’re so much bigger than me, she thought fearfully. No, she wasn't the scared type nor the wimpy type. She braced herself for a fight. The world seemed to move in slow motion for Scootaloo as a Timber Wolf lunged at her. They say that when you’re about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. This was certainly true for Scootaloo as hundreds of thoughts went flying through her mind. Is this the end? ...Rainbow Dash... Sweetie Belle... Apple Bloom... Scootaloo suddenly heard a faint shout in the distance and blinked as the Timber Wolf lunging at her was blown back in a blaze of fury. The Timber Wolf flew across the ground before shattering into tiny pieces of wood. Scootaloo just sat there with her mouth wide open, astonished at what she saw. Another shout quickly rang out and Scootaloo perked her ears up. This time, she heard it clearly. "EMBER!" Scootaloo blinked in confusion. She looked at the Timber Wolves and watched as another ball of flame came hurtling from a clearing in the bushes. A Timber Wolf turned around only to be hit by the fireball and shatter into more tiny pieces. The last Timber Wolf remained in its position before lunging at the bewildered Scootaloo. Its attempt was soon thwarted when a mare jumped right over the filly and proceeded to beat the Timber Wolf with her hooves and an uppercut that sent the agitated Wolf flying into a nearby tree, where it shattered into pieces of wood. Scootaloo had closed her eyes when the last Timber Wolf lunge at her. When she opened them again, she saw a mare in front of her with her back turned to Scootaloo. Scootaloo was suddenly tackled to the ground. She turned to her attacker to see two familiar faces. "Sweetie Belle! And Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo exclaimed gleefully. The two fillies wrapped their friend in a loving embrace. "Scootaloo!" sobbed the two fillies with tears in their eyes. Scootaloo wasn't the emotional type but she was relieved to see her friends. "I'm sorry for getting you all in this mess." Apologized Scootaloo. "It's not your fault Scootaloo. It's my fault." Apple Bloom sniffed. "Girls, it doesn’t matter who fault it is. At least we’re all together again." Sweetie Belle said optimistically as she wiped tears from her eyes. "You can all get on with your little reunion after we get out of here,” Zuruna cut in, still on edge. "Who's she?" Scootaloo asked. "We tell you later Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom replied after a slight pause. Behind them, the Timber Wolves were slowly forming into something much more frightening. When all the pieces were formed, all except Zuruna could see it. "Zuruna! Watch out!" yelled Apple Bloom. "What?" asked Zuruna with a raised eyebrow. Before Zuruna could react to Apple Bloom’s outcry, she was greeted with a much bigger Timber Wolf with some new features on its body charging right at her. She was ready doge the incoming attack but her new legs failed her and she slipped. The next thing she knew before cursing her new legs was that she was slammed by the massive body of the wooden creature against a nearby tree. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stared at seeing their friend being crushed by the King Timber Wolf. Despite the fear they feel, they knew what to do. They weren't going to cower in fear. "CUTIE MARK CRUSARDERS! MOVE OUT!" yelled Scootaloo with all her might. The trio all ran in different direction towards the King Timber Wolf. The ravage wooden beast turned its attention to the three little fillies charging right at it. It laughed at their attempt before lifting a wooden paw to smack them away like flies. However, every smack only served to fuel the Crusaders’ aggression. They learned from its patters, evading its attacks. Now annoyed, the beast roared where all living things in the Everfree Forest can hear it. "What do we do now?" shouted Apple Bloom. "Surely we can’t take that down!" panted Sweetie Belle. "Well let’s try to keep it distracted until..." muttered Scootaloo as she looked at the tree where the orange mare was laying. A huge pillar of flame burst from the spot where Zuruna was. The injured mare was getting up with flares rising from her tail and mane. "Hey...I'm not done with you yet..." she whispered to the oblivious Timber Wolf. Zuruna jumped in the air and lunged toward the creature. When the King Timber Wolf turned to the mare, it saw a massive heap of flames shaped as a ball heading right for it. "Flame wheel." The impact of the fiery blast was enough to blow away the King Timber Wolf in the opposite direction to the group of ponies. The body of the King Timber Wolf began to break down as it crashed through a row of trees until the once mighty King Timber Wolf was reduced to a single twig. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were astonished as they watched the battle unfold before their eyes. With the Timber Wolfs gone (for now), the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked over to Zuruna who was engulfed in smoke from the fire blast. Finally, Scootalo managed to say out loud in either amazement or fear "Who are you?" Zuruna took this moment as she emerged out the misty smoke cloud and shouted in triumph while striking a pose. "I am Zuruna! Explorer of Team Midori!" Zuruna felt that if Kyle was there to see Zuruna like this, he probably face palm, or face claw in his case. She looked at the three fillies to see them staring at her in admiration with big sparkling eyes. "No way! You're an explorer! You mean just like an adventurer!?" squeed Scootalo as she bounced around Zuruna despite the lack of energy she had felt earlier. "You also took a King Timber Wolf down with some amazing fire magic! How is that possible?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Well it was a little obvious. Fire type Pokemon beat Grass type Pokemon!" replied Zuruna to see the three fillies tilt their head in confusion. "Also, I have to thank you. You mustered up the courage and distracted the grass type creature away from me." continued Zuruna. The trio looked at each other with silly grins plastered on their face. "Well, we better get out of here in case the Timber Wolves come back." Apple Bloom looked at the other fillies, who nodded. "Yeah but how are we going to get out of here?" We're lost!" replied Scootalo. "It’s also getting dark. Judging the time we’ve already spent here, it’s almost midnight. How are we going to even see our way? Everypony must be worried about us..." added Sweetie Belle. "Wait," suddenly Scootalo blurted out. The two fillies walked over to Scootaloo. "Girls, I think we need to talk in private," whispered Scootaloo. Zuruna nodded and let them go whisper to each other in a little group huddle. I won't be surprised if they don't trust me still, thought Zuruna to herself. "Are you sure Apple Bloom?" whispered Scootaloo. "Well who else can we turn to?" answered Apple Bloom. "Even so, you know everypony tell us not to talk to strangers," whispered Sweetie Belle sadly. "Well this Zuruna, seems to know what she’s doing. It’ll be best to follow her because she seems capable of dealing with any monsters in the Everfree forest. She also did just save us from the Timber Wolves," replied Apple Bloom. "Yeah but that amount of power, it also almost makes her a little bit of a monster..." whispered Sweetie Belle. Zuruna was still watching the trio in a little group huddle whispering to each other. She waited until one of them, Scootaloo she believed, came up to her. "We want to say thank you for helping us, but would it be okay if you helped us get out of this forest?" asked Scootaloo with concern in her voice. "No worries. I’ll help you all get out of here. After all, being an explorer requires you to be a rescuer as well," Zuruna assured as her tail began to lighten up. "Cool~" Said all three of them as they stared at Zuruna lighten tail. "Ugh." Zuruna suddenly groaned as she leaned herself against a tree. "Are you okay?" Apple Bloom quickly asked. "Yeah, just my body acting a little weak then it usually is. Could be the Timber Wolf slam attack or my hunger," reassured Zuruna. "Hey when we get out of here, let’s head over to Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom’s family grows the best apples!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed suddenly. "That sound nice," said Zuruna with a smile. The group began to walk through the unforgiving forest. The darkness of the forest threatened to engulf them, but Zuruna’s tail warded it away and acted as a guiding candle. "I got a question Zuruna,” Apple Bloom stated suddenly. "What is it?" asked Zuruna with a hint of tiredness in her voice. "How did you exactly find out where Scootaloo was? You just closed your eyes and then suddenly you knew what to do. Are you psychic?" wondered Apple Bloom. "No. I’ll explain that later. It's a long story." Zuruna stifled a laugh at the look of awe on the small filly’s face. "I have another question, if that's okay." Zuruna just nodded. "What's a Pokemon?" she asked simply. Zuruna fell to the ground once again.