//------------------------------//
// Ch2: Something Reeks in the Forest of Everfree 
// Story: Odds and Ends. 
// by Redstargazer 
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Another day dawned beneath Celetia’s sun and the town’s librarian prepped for coming scheduled tasks: alternating library organization between the Dewey decibel and other systems, working on her twelfth thesis paper, stocking up for an expedition on the Everfree outskirts to study categorize the flora and fauna. The purple unicorn sighed in contentment. How could the day get any more relaxing?

Her number one assistant would likely have some choice retorts to that question.


“Seventeen times, Twilight? Really!?!” Spike huffed in exasperation as he balanced on top of a shelf latter, “Just how many times do you have to reorganize the library before you’re ‘settled in?’ I’ve lost track of how many ponies walked out of this building shaking their heads in confusion because the sections are never in the same place for more than a day!”

“Forty-two.”

“Missing the point, Twilight,” Spike said flatly.

“Sorry, Spike,” Twilight sighed, “I know you are right of course. It’s just that, with this new mission Celestia gave us, I need a way to relax and pull myself together.”

“Most ponies try hobbies. Have you considered stamp collecting?”

“I’m serious, Spike! The Princess is counting on us to find the source of the disturbance from the Everfree! How many times can we expect to get a personal mission from the Princess herself?!”

“Honestly? I’m surprised we haven’t been offered ‘employee of the month’ packages like I see Filthy Rich offering at his general store.”

“Spike!”

“Come on, Twilight!” the little Dragon groaned as he strained with an encyclopedia on the top shelf. “It’s been over two months since that weird noise! Nopony has heard a peep since! Whatever caused it is either gone or so deep in the forest that the Princess would never consider sending us in without a legion of guard ponies. You ask me? I give it a day before some disaster comes to Ponyville and this whole thing blows over. I wouldn’t be surprised if everypony already forgot about the ‘Everfree voice’ by now.”

“I KNOW THE SOURCE OF THE EVERFREE VOICE!!!”

The sudden shout from outside forced a startled yelp from Spike as he tumbled from the top of the ladder along with an avalanche of books. The little dragon came within an inch of slamming headfirst into the ground before being caught in a violet aura. After opening his eyes, he directed a sheepish look toward his friend.

“‘Give it a day’ huh?” she said dryly to Spike who only shrugged in response. “Well, we might as well see what this is about.”

They made their way through the front door to find a flurry of activity at the town center in response to the shout. Somehow, in the short time window between the shout and the duo’s exit from the library, ponies had left their houses and stalls to form a massive crowd around the town square’s fountain. Twilight could only guess at how bored these ponies must be to gravitate toward any sign of activity that quickly.

After taking a moment to scan the crowd, Twilight spotted Applejack near the edge and made her way toward the orange mare. “Applejack! What in Equestria is this about?!”

The farm pony looked over and nodded, “Hey, Twi. Seems like Lrya’s on the rampage.”

“You mean the crazy one that lives in the basement of Bon-Bon’s shop?”

“Spike!” Twilight chided.

“I’m not normally one for speaking poorly about other ponies,” Applejack nodded, “but she does tend to act a few apples short of a basket. And yes, that’s the one. She was actually picked up from the edge of Everfree by one of the weather team that spotted her. Says she has some ‘evidence’ about the ruckus a couple months back.”

All of them looked up at the pony in question. At the moment, she stood on the fountain edge seemingly prepping for a speech. The lime-green unicorn’s mane had twigs tangled in it, her coat was matted, and she was wearing a manic grin as her left eye twitched. A damaged, instant picture magi-camera was hung about her neck and she regularly switched between scanning the crowd’s faces and checking something in her saddle bags. Her roommate, the Candy store owner Bon-Bon, stood to the left alternating between giving nervous looks to the crowd and exasperated ones to Lyra.

“Well,” Twilight said as she shrugged uncomfortably, “I suppose it can’t hurt to hear what she has to say…right?”

“Everypony! Can I have your attention please?” the crowd hushed and turned toward Lyra who nodded when she could see that all attention was on her. “Thank you. During what the Crown plays down as the ‘incident’”-Lyra bent her front hooves in quotation-“my horn suffered from magic feedback resulting from a trans-dimensional occurrence. In order to confirm this, I made arrangements for my own expedition into the Everfree by the end of the first month and returned today. It was during that expedition that I encountered a majestic and elusive being. A creature I’m sure you will be shocked to hear of. A creature-”

“Let me guess. HUMANS!? The same thing you’re always trying to ‘point fingers at,’ for every time a tree shakes or the leaves fall? When you aren’t bemoaning your finger envy, of course.”

“Alright, who said that!?” Lyra scanned sniggering audience members before finding and glaring at the source. “Oh, ha ha. You amuse as always, Smart Ass.”

“Eh, I do my best,” said the town donkey.

“Anyway, sarcasm aside,” Lyra continued irritably, “it was, indeed, a human. BEHOLD MY PROOF!” Her horn flashed and a photograph was pulled from her saddlebags along with a slew of other photos that slid to the ground in front of the fountain.

“Oh, the horror! The horror!” came a dramatic cry from one of the Flower Sisters as she fell to the ground with a hoof across her forehead.

The sibling to the left looked doubtfully between the pictures and her fallen sister. “Really? You’re going to faint at a photo that looks like our aunt’s fruitcake left over from last year’s Heart’s Warming celebration? Honestly, we saw more drama at the bunny stampede.”

“Meh. I figure it’s good to stay in practice for next disaster,” the fainting sister said nonchalantly as she stood up and brushed dirt from her coat.

“Like wha-? No!” Lrya said angrily, “no, this is a picture of the human I encountered. More specifically, it is a Wooly Mountain Man.”

“A Wooly what?” came a confused murmur from several audience members.

“A Wooly Mountain Man. It is a subspecies of the common human. Look here,” Lyra began pointing excitedly at several parts of photo, “note the additional growth of fur over its normally hairless abdomen. It is an adaptation for the harsh conditions in its cold, high altitude environment. And here! It is wielding the artfully crafted mining tool made for digging up precious metals to replace fallen teeth.”

“Question!” Smart the donkey called holding his hoof in the air. “If that is a Wooly Mountain Man, then why is it mucking about in a forest instead of, I don’t know, the peaks of Dragon Spire? You know, the only unoccupied mountain for leagues around?”

“Well, you see…um, that is…” Lrya trailed off as she considered that little conflict for the first time.

“Well. Looks just like that time with the panic about ‘Royal Secret Police,” Smart said in a bored voice.

“HEY! The Secret Guard is real! They just snuck into my home at night and took the evidence before I could go public. After the failed attempt at drugging my previous meal, of course.” Bon-Bon faced hoofed at Lyra’s rebuttal.

“Indeed,” Mayor Mare spoke up doubtfully before turning to the crowd, “you heard it everypony. Just another false alarm. Please go about your business.” This brought an annoyed groan from the audience as they dispersed while Lyra looked back and forth in panic.

“Wait, what!? No!! The Wooly Mountain Man is out there! We just need to start an exploration party and-”

“Give it a rest Lyres,” Bon-Bon said tiredly. “You can try again after you find solid proof,” she looked over the photos doubtfully, “maybe work on you photography skills while you’re at it. For now, let’s go home and-”

“NEVER! I can’t give up now that I’m so close!” Lyra pointed toward the forest line, “THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE BONNIE!! It-mmmph?!”

Lyra’s rant was interrupted when Bon-Bon shoved something in the green mare’s mouth. “Yes, yes I’ve heard it before. If that’s the case, I’m sure the truth will be there in a few days after you’ve rested from this latest adventure. For now though, eat your sunflower seeds and let’s go home, Lyra.”

Lyra reluctantly followed after Bon-Bon, growling through a mouthful of sunflower seeds, as the rest of the crowd moved on leaving Twilight Sparkle and her assistant standing where they were at the beginning. The purple unicorn put a hoof to her muzzle in thought as she considered following after them. The claim of ‘magic feedback’ had caught Twilight’s attention as something similar had happened to her that day. After witnessing the rest of that little display though? Twilight finally shrugged and made her way back to the library to go back to organizing instead.

The town square was left deserted. No trace of the morning’s meeting was left aside from a pile of blurry photos in front of the fountain. Everypony had left without showing a hint of belief or interest.

Except for one.

A lone mare walked from the shadows of the nearby buildings where she stood avoiding the collective gaze of the crowd during the meeting. She wore an old-style dress, thick reading glasses, and wore her mane in a piled bun. Altogether, the ensemble gave her a quaint, almost motherly look. A few ponies might have recognized her for her fictional books series. Even fewer knew just how much truth those books actually contained. In all of Equestria, however, only one mare knew her real job. Well, maybe two after that little royal reunion.

The motherly mare picked up one of the pictures and studied it uncertainly. A year-old Heart’s Warming fruit cake? She could definitely see that. Or maybe a pole-vaulting badger if viewed the right way. In all likelihood, this was just the ranting of a delusional conspiracy hound. Then again, that same conspiracy hound’s antics nearly threw a wrench into a hidden government branch’s workings. For the longest while, they debated whether said conspiracy hound should be ‘recruited’ or killed. Fortunately for the crazed little unicorn, it was decided to simply keep a closer watch on her.

The mare dropped the photo to reach into the folds of her dress. She pulled out what seemed to be a rusted compass with a cracked crystal. Unlike a normal compass, it only had one arrow. That arrow was currently twitching in the direction of the Everfree Forest.  She looked from the compass to the forest and back again with pursed lips. Obviously, there was something in there. Could it even be…?

Giving a shrug the mare, known as A.K. Yearling to some, replaced the compass and pulled out a safari hat in its stead. Whatever the case, she thought wryly, I should at least find new material for my books.
 
 
 
Airspace above Everfree Forest
 
 
 
Princess Luna was flying over the Everfree Forest while in one of the foulest moods she had been in centuries. Her search for answers in the Archives over the last two months had found nothing. Not even in the forbidden sections! And after all the time she had to spend meditating, preparing safety guards and counter curses just to enter that infernal place!

Did the increased activity in her Night Court help? Certainly not! As it turned out, the new influx of petitioners were nobles bringing convoluted tax schemes. The best part of it? She wasn’t their first choice. They were hoping to sneak crooked legislation by the ‘naïve, younger princess’ after they were turned down by Celestia.   

Oh, and Celestia! By Faust! If the uproar by Luna’s…less than graceful arrival into Canterlot via hot air balloon wasn’t troublesome enough, Celestia had spent the last two months planting little reminders and pranks around the palace: models, poster photos of her waving her forelegs in panic(she still had no way of knowing how she got those pictures), insurance packets. There was even a brochure for a balloon pilot training camp; one intended for training foals!

That latest prank had been the last straw! Luna was so infuriated that she stormed out in the middle of her night court to visit her viewing cloud. When this angered, taking time to focus on her night sky was often the only way she could calm herself. After this latest fiasco though? She was thoroughly tempted to arrange some constellations to a pattern fittingly embarrassing for her prank loving big sister. Like an illustration of Celestia during her special cake night, perhaps?

She chuckled darkly and looked up preparing to move her stars around only to blink in confusion. It was still the middle of the day. She couldn’t have stormed out of Night Court. Thinking about it, she couldn’t really remember her flight out here. Looking around, she also noticed that she had overshot her viewing cloud by several miles.

Luna stopped into a hover and quickly shook her head in an attempt to shake the haze from her memories. What had angered her to begin with? The nobles and disappointing research results were nothing new. The pranks weren’t that annoying. Some of them were rather amusing in fact. So why..?

The princess turned to fly back to the palace and consult her sister…only to freeze midair as a powerful surge of magic immobilized and held her in place. She tried summoning her own magic, but the foreign energy managed to suppress it. Mists formed and darkened into massive, frothing swirls of storm clouds. What could be doing this? What is powerful enough to-!?Her mind’s processes froze at a sudden thought. This is the same magic emitted by that ticket!!

Before Luna could attempt to act on that revelation, the storm clouds dissipated as every jolt of their combined energy formed into a lance of electricity that stuck her horn. She screamed in pain and helplessly entered a free fall as the magic holding her vanished as quickly as it had formed. Her last sight before losing consciousness was the rapidly approaching tree canopy of the Everfree.
 
 
 
 
Everfree Forest- late evening
 
 
The beastly form of a manticore trampled through the underbrush and managed to shatter several saplings unfortunate enough to be planted in its path. It stopped in a clearing, glaring at its surroundings and sniffing the air. Unlike its lesser cousins dwelling in the forest edge, the manticores native to the heartlands of the Everfree Forest were more aggressive, smarter, and sported fur colors ranging from blood red to pale white with the latter being the worst, likely because of having to survive with a coat color that clashed with its environment. This happened to be one of those pale brutes. It sniffed the air for a few minutes before finally roaring in frustration and charging out of the clearing.

The clearing remained silent for a few minutes until the smaller animals decided the predator had cleared enough distance to consider the area safe to move in again. One bush along the clearing edge rustled as a wounded, brown Pegasus emerged while struggling with a load carried on her shoulder.

Daring Do was currently up to her neck in horse apples.

Daring’s mission briefing had warned her that the native wildlife of Everfree got meaner, tougher, and smarter the further in one traveled. That wasn’t a problem for her. Her wing had been sprained, possibly even dislocated, effectively grounding her. That proved annoying, but it was nothing she hadn’t dealt with before. The source of her difficulty came from the dead weight she was dragging along with her.

The explorer glanced back at the unconscious alicorn currently tied to her back. Somehow, the nocturnal monarch had charred her horn and badly singed one of her wings. Thank harmony for the small mercy that Luna was a tad smaller than her sister at least! But what was the Princess of the Moon even doing here?! Shouldn’t she being getting beauty rest or something?

Her thoughts went back to when everything went south as she started trudging back toward Ponyville. The mission had been going smoothly for the most part. That was, at least, until the bucking Princess of the Moon came crashing through the canopy and directly onto Daring. When Daring failed to rouse the Princess, it became pretty clear that the original mission parameters would have to be abandoned in favor of getting Luna to safety. Interesting tidbit though? Carrying somepony two to three times your size while injured made navigating a deadly forest a lot harder.

Oh, yeah. There’s also the fact that the Princess’s little crash landing attracted the attention of every bloodthirsty predator in the forest.

The hours since the crash were a desperate fight for survival. It took all of Daring’s skill, tenacity, and every trick learned in her adventures to keep out of a mouth full of sharp teeth. And it wasn’t enough. By her best estimations, Daring expected they wouldn’t make it out before night fell. While carrying an unconscious Princess? Odds weren’t good on making it out at all after that point.

As if the universe decided to express its agreement, a series of rumbling growls resounded around the pair. Daring sighed and looked around tiredly taking in the sight of eight pairs of glowing eyes belonging to ebony colored, briar riddled timber wolves bigger than most cows. By this point, Daring’s bag of explorer tricks was used up. It seems like this might be the-hang on!

Daring glanced around quickly in hope only to sigh disappointedly. Well, with the sheer number of timber wolf packs in Everfree, it was probably hoping for too much to find a pack with a cedar pug or something to rush past. In correction to her earlier assessment, that was the last from the bag of tricks.

Daring exhaled once more before taking in her surroundings with a drained expression as a bleak thought came to her mind. This is it isn’t it? This book won’t be getting a happy ending.

Gently slipping the unconscious form of Princess Luna to the ground, Daring spread her legs apart and snorted in challenge. Well, she ended one career in a blaze of glory. Why not do it again?

The last stand of Daring Do was interrupted as a whistling noise filled the air, followed by a dull *clunk* as a clay sphere bounced into the clearing. Both the wounded mare and timber wolves stared at the ball for an instant in confusion before it exploded in a flash of light and clouds of powder.

Daring coughed from the powder and rubbed her eyes trying to recover from the odd flash bomb. All around her, she could hear growls, yelps, and some whistling noise. When she was finally able to look up again, her mouth dropped in amazement. Where eight timber wolves stood ready to tear her apart, only five remained locked in combat with some bipedal being. Whether it was hallucinogenic effects of the flash bomb or some form of magic, the figure seemed to be surrounded by streaks of silver and orange light. Everywhere those streaks were directed, timber wolf parts went flying or burst into flames.

In a bloody fight that might have taken ten to fifteen seconds of dodging, strikes, and parries, the clearing was riddled with piles of ash and wood chippings. Only the biped and a single timber wolf remained. While the adversaries faced one another, Daring took the opportunity to get a better look at the new fighter. It wore a fur robe made from red manticore fur and held some sort of pole arm in its right grip. Whether it was magic or some trick, the fan-shaped blade at the end flickered with fire. Well, that explained the silver and orange streaks. But the fact that an experienced brawler like Daring only managed to see streaks in the first place? That made her nervous. The two enemies glared at one another before the wooden predator snarled and darted away.

“Don’t let it get away!” Daring called out, not bothering to worry whether Mr. Biped McSlashy was friend or foe. If that fungus ridden mutt got away it would spread its enchantments to other flora and come back with a pack twice the numbers faced earlier. Any other day, Daring wouldn’t have cared what it did and would’ve let bygones be bygones. Circle of life thing and all. Now, while she was weighed down by a wounded Princess? She couldn’t afford the risk.

McSlashy took the hint. Twirling the pole arm in a flourish, he cocked the weapon back and threw it like a javelin. The weapon flew twenty feet before finding its mark and pinning the hapless, brushwood canine to the ground. The initial impact got a yelp from it and it started yelping in earnest as whatever gimmick that lit the blade set the creature ablaze. It went silent after the flames left nothing but a pile of ashes with the weapon stuck into the ground, seemingly untouched by the flames.

With the adrenaline rush thoroughly burned out, Daring fell tiredly back on her haunch. The explorer had been in enough situations to know that the lights were going out for her at any moment, but she intended to fight unconsciousness until she could get a good glimpse at this thing.

Could this-? Could this be a human? It didn’t seem possible. Aside from the fact that humans aren’t supposed to exist in Equestria, what Daring did know indicated that they shouldn’t have been faster than an eye blink or able to throw a spear with the accuracy and power of a ballista. The human, if that is really what it is, stood with his back to her slowly moving his shaggy, auburn haired head left and right as he scanned the area. Satisfied that there were no more threats in the area, he slowly turned around giving Daring her first good look at his face. His skin was pale and half his face was covered in a thick, scraggly beard. His cool amber eyes stared back into Daring’s shocked magentas. After a few minutes of staring, he opened his mouth to speak softly.

“Fedora.”

Just enough breath remained in Daring for her to utter a clever retort before passing out. “…the buck?”

Smooth, Daring. Real smooth, she thought dryly as unconsciousness took her