//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Purple Heart 
// Story: Caverns & Cutie Marks 
// by TheColtTrio 
//------------------------------//

	The tall figure collapsed to the ground in a tangle of limbs after appearing far from where he and his compatriots had been standing. Blinking blearily, he took in his surroundings. He was lying in the center of a small clearing. Trees stood in a solid wall of branch and bark, like a prison. The ground was covered with healthy green grass, something the tall figure hadn’t seen in a long time. The youth groaned as he stood shakily on his four hooves. Wait… HOOVES?! The tall figure looked down and screamed.
“WHY AM I PURPLE?!” he screeched, frightening a flock of birds into flight. “WHY AM I-” The young man, now pony, suddenly became aware of the two mares looking at him in confusion from several yards away. He flushed red, realizing what had happened.
“Oh,” the purple stallion said, embarrassed at his peeved outburst. “Hello there.” One of the ponies stepped forward cautiously. A horn sprouted from her forehead and a pair of wings clung to her flanks. Her coat several hues of purple lighter than the tall (now somewhat short) pony’s own and had what seemed to be diamonds around a large pink gem imprinted upon her flanks. Her mane was a deep shade of violet with a streak of magenta in it.  Her companion was skyblue and had a multicolored mane, like a rainbow. She in turn had a cloud pierced with a rainbow lightning bolt on her flanks. The blue pegasus hovered several feet above the ground as if in spite of it. Both wore strange costumes like his own.
Hmm, the purple stallion mused. She must be Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Then I’m guessing that’s Rainbow Dash… Most perturbatory…
“Who are you?” Twilight asked cautiously. The purple stallion straightened and looked at the princess.
“My name is Purple Heart,” he replied. “I...” Purple Heart froze, reviewing what he had just said in his mind.. Then he gaped in shock and horror. Purple Heart?! Whose name is that?! Did Discord do-
“DISCORD!” Purple Heart roared, raising a hoof to the sky. “GAAAAAH!” Twilight and Rainbow Dash stared at the stallion as he darted around the clearing in a rage. Like them, he wore a strange outfit, probably courtesy of Discord. His chest and forelegs were armored in a hard material that was pockmarked with shiny studs. He bore no weapons and his hindquarters were covered in a skirt of the same material as his chest piece. Rainbow Dash wore a leather vest and a bandolier that held a quiver of arrows and a recurve bow in a holster. Twilight only wore a short, plain cloak of green cloth and a belt with several pouches on it.
Twilight watched with interest as the purple stallion darted around the clearing in a panic. She stifled a gasp of surprise when the pony’s skirt lifted just enough to reveal a blank flank. Her eyes wide with surprise and disbelief, Twilight tried to catch Rainbow Dash’s eye. Unfortunately, the blue pegasus was more interested in the amusing display Purple Heart was giving. After nearly five minutes of frantic bawling and cursing, Purple Heart calmed down. He took several deep breaths before turning to face Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
“Sorry about that” he panted. “Discord just caught me by surprise.” Rainbow Dash floated across the clearing to consider the stallion.
“Do you know why you are here?” she asked, slowly. Purple Heart frowned.
“Apparently to play Discord’s game,” he replied. “Like you two. I’m guessing he gave you wizard and ranger classes.” Twilight cocked her head.
“Classes?” she asked. Purple Heart nodded.
“Did Discord give you a book or something before he teleported you two here?” he asked. Twilight nodded.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, he did.” Twilight rummaged through her numerous pouches for a few seconds before pulling Caverns and Cutie Marks out and passed it to the purple stallion. It took a moment for Purple Heart to open the book, but when he did, he groaned.
“It’s almost a carbon copy of D&D,” he muttered, turning page after page. “Except for maybe a few changes.”
“What’s D&D?” Rainbow Dash piped up.
“It’s a role playing game me and my friends played back-” Purple Heart hesitated, not too keen on divulging his actual identity. Not that Discord’s spell would let him of course. “-in our home town. D&D stands for Dungeons and Dragons.”
“What are those blue stripes for?” Twilight asked, gesturing at several thick lines that spread across the stallion’s body. Purple Heart looked down, remembering the blue runes and swirls he had seen on his original two-legged body just minutes earlier.
“Carped if I know.” Purple Heart shrugged. “Comes with the outfit I guess. Now, I wonder what kind of abilities I have...” The purple stallion closed his eyes and fell silent. Twilight and RD looked at each other in confusion then back at their newfound companion. It wasn’t long before Purple Heart opened his eyes, recognition flashing across his face.
“Huh,” he murmured. “Punchifications… Shiny. Welp, now wat?” He looked around curiously. “How do we get out of here?” The trio of ponies looked at each other blankly, unsure how to continue. Rainbow and Purple Heart suddenly stared at Twilight expectantly, as if waiting for her to lead. Twilight noticed how the two ponies were watching her and shifted uncomfortably.
“What?” she snapped. “Why are you staring at me like that?” Purple Heart and Rainbow Dash shrugged. The purple stallion walked over to a tree and sat at its base.
“From what I remember, you have a habit of having the big plan,” he explained. “So, plan.” He waved his hoof airly at Twilight before closing his eyes. Twilight’s eye twitched as she glared at the purple stallion. She had never met him before, but he obviously knew of her. That irked her to no end. A sudden gust of wind sighed through the trees and a pair spindly arms sprouted from the tree Purple Heart was leaning on, reaching down to seize the snoozing pony at its base. Yelping in surprise, Purple Heart leapt away from the tree and turned to face it. Bark tore as a cruel face split the tree trunk and began to laugh a cold, high laugh.
“You have encountered a Wandering Pine” a voice that sounded remarkably like Discord’s boomed above them. “Combat is joined.” A grid of one yard by one yard squares appeared on the clearing floor. Twilight and RD were in squares adjacent to each other while Purple Heart stood six squares away in a box adjacent to the tree he faced. Two bars appeared above each pony’s head; one green, the other yellow. A blue bar was under Twilight’s green bar instead of a yellow one.
A list of numbers appeared in the middle of the clearing, the top one with ‘Rainbow Dash’ written in bold white letters beside it. Next was ‘Purple Heart’ at number two, followed by ‘Wandering Pine’ at number three, and ‘Twilight Sparkle’ at number four. 
“That tree just tried to kill me,” Purple Heart stammered, trying to slow his heart rate. Rainbow Dash and Twilight were frozen in fear.
“I can’t move,” Twilight whispered. “Why can’t I move?” Purple Heart inhaled slowly, his nerves settling enough for him to speak.
“It’s not your turn,” Purple Heart explained. “Rainbow Dash gets to go first.”
“Why me?” Rainbow Dash asked. The situation finally dawned on Twilight.
“Your initiative score was the highest,” Twilight replied, her voice calm. “It probably has something to do you with your class.”
“So you did read it,” Purple Heart acknowledged. “At least I won’t have to drag you two through this. I’m willing to supply advice, but you’ll need to learn how to fight on your own. For now, what kind of abilities do you have?” This last question was directed at Rainbow Dash who looked at the purple stallion with a confused expression.
“How should I know?” she snapped. “I’m still reeling over the fact you made a tree move!” Purple Heart ground his teeth in irritation and embarrassment.
“Not my fault,” he snapped. “I call Discord Shenanigans. As to why it happened, Discord wants us to at least know what we’re doing instead of sending us into this game blind.” Twilight snorted.
“I’m surprised he’s actually playing by the rules,” she grunted. “Discord doesn’t play nice often.” Purple Heart nodded in agreement.
“Aside from that, we should probably finish this combat quickly,” he asserted. “Welp, Rainbow Dash; what do you want to do? Attack, move, cast a spell, drink a potion?” The blue pegasus perked up at the word ‘attack’.
“And how do I attack?” Rainbow Dash asked. Purple Heart rolled his eyes.
“Declare a target, then the weapon you want to use to attack,” he explained. Rainbow Dash cocked her head to one side.
“What weapon?” she inquired. The purple earth pony slapped a forehoof to his face.
“I swear,” he muttered. “The weapon on your back, you dumpkoff! Unless you have different methods of ranged attack, I’d say that’s a bow!” RD looked over her shoulder in confusion and blinked. Sure enough, there was a bow and quiver strapped to her back, just behind her wings.
“Oh,” she said. “Right. Um...I attack the...Wandering Pine...with my...bow?” A red marker in the shape of a downward arrow appeared above the stationary Wandering Pine and a target reticule popped into existence and began moving across the enemy’s body.
“Uh,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Now what?” Purple Heart’s jaw dropped in dumbstruck awe.
“You draw your bow,” he snapped after retrieving his jaw. “And shoot! Preferably at that!” The stallion pointed at the Wandering Pine with a hoof.
“Ok, ok,” Rainbow Dash complained. “Yeesh.” The blue pegasus removed her bow from it’s sling and pulled an arrow from her quiver. Slowly, hesitantly, she placed the arrow on the bow and drew back to her cheek.
“Oh, just so you’re aware,” Purple Heart chimed. “The reticule shows where the arrow will hit. Maybe...I think...so...make it count.” Rainbow Dash glared at the purple earth pony before returning her attention to the moving reticule. The red cross-within-a-circle hovered lazily over the Wandering Pine. Rainbow Dash felt suddenly calm and collected for the first time during this fiasco. The blue pegasus breathed in slowly and exhaled, releasing the arrow as she did. The projectile whizzed across the grid at a steep angle.
Purple Heart’s eyes swelled to the size of saucers as he watched the arrow soar within inches of his snout before finally embedding itself in the Wandering Pine’s right knee. There was silence. For a long time. The Wandering Pine blinked and looked curiously at the arrow sprouting from it’s knee. Purple Heart opened his mouth several times, but never said anything. The wind blew softly in the grass as the purple earth pony breathed in slowly through his nose.
“...Do honestly you realize how funny that isn’t?” Purple Heart asked softly. “That joke got REALLY old REALLY fast...”
“Um...sorry?” Rainbow Dash asked. Purple Heart snorted derisively. A green bar appeared above the Wandering Pine only to shrink to 7/8ths its original length.
“Welp,” Purple Heart grunted, rolling his shoulders. “Better than nothing.” The list hovering at the center of the clearing blinked once and Rainbow Dash’s name moved from the top to the bottom. Now Purple Heart’s name was first.
“Lessee,” he muttered to himself. “What to hit you with… Ooh, that looks fun. I attack Wandering Pine with Rock, Paper, Hoof.” A bright yellow light suddenly blazed to life around Purple Heart’s right forehoof. The yellow bar above Purple Heart’s head shrunk significantly to half it’s original size. Twilight and RD stared as the light pulsed once before the purple stallion rammed it into the Wandering Pine’s midriff. The phrase ‘Critical Hit’ appeared above the Wandering Pine and a small fanfare sounded. The enemy tree screeched in pain as it rocked precariously to one side before regaining its balance. A look of hatred and pain was plastered on the Pine’s barky face. The green bar above its head shrunk rapidly to 2/8ths its original length. Purple Heart grunted and nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s better,” he grumbled. The list blinked again and now Purple Heart’s name was at the bottom. The Wandering Pine leered down at the purple pony. Purple Heart glared up at the tall enemy. A few seconds passed, during which the red marker appeared over Purple Heart’s head for an instant before the Wandering Pine smashed a large branch down on the stationary pony. Rainbow Dash gaped. Twilight screamed.
“Purple Heart!” Twilight called out. The purple stallion didn’t respond. Surely, he couldn’t have been defeated in a single blow?! The list blinked once more and Twilight’s name appeared at the top.
Don’t panic, don’t panic, the princess thought to herself. His name didn’t disappear from the list, everything is fine. Twilight flicked through the short list of spells she had at her command, but none of them seemed capable of felling the great tree. A rough voice startled the princess from her thoughts.
“Yeesh, you worry too much,” Purple Heart gibed. “Choose a spell and get this over with.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s jaws dropped. They couldn’t help it. Here they thought that the strange purple pony had been knocked unconscious. But somehow, he was still awake and on his feet.
“B-but,” Twilight stuttered. “You- I thought- How- Huh?!” Purple Heart rolled his eyes.
“Zap the beastie first,” he chuckled. “Then I’ll ‘splain.” Twilight hesitated then nodded. The Princess of Friendship fixed a hard stare on the Wandering Pine and considered her options. Rainbow Dash watched in silence as her friend chose a spell to cast at the Wandering Pine. After a few tense minutes, Twilight cracked a smile.
“I cast Lightning Bolt on Wandering Pine,” she said. Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow and Purple Heart snorted in amusement. Twilight’s blue bar shrunk. A ball of electricity formed at the tip of Twilight’s horn and swelled to the size of an apple before streaking across the clearing to hit the Wandering Pine square in the face. The Pine screamed as its health bar shrunk and disappeared. Then the Pine stopped and stood still. It cocked its head to one side, as if deep in thought.
“Hrooom,” it rumbled before collapsing to the ground in a crunching heap of timber. The three ponies stood in silence as the grid and list disappeared. A trio of glowing wisps rose from the Wandering Pine’s remains and hovered in place for several seconds before rushing towards the three ponies.
“Huh,” Purple Heart mused, shivering from the wisp’s impact. “We get to level up apparently. I wonder how much XP to the next level...”
“Ex-pee?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously. The purple earth pony ignored the blue pegasus and shrugged.
“Guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said nonchalantly. “So...now wat?” The three ponies looked blankly around the clearing, not sure what to do next. Then a mighty scream tore across the sky. The ponies flinched and stared in the direction of the scream’s origin.
“Uh...” Rainbow Dash hummed. “I’m not one to be cowardly, but could we move along now? That didn’t sound like a happy scream.” Twilight and Purple Heart nodded hurriedly in agreement.
“Quick question,” Twilight said. “How do we get out of here?” The ponies looked blankly around the  clearing again. The tree trunks were too close together for them to squeeze past and the branches were rather sharp and jagged, thus preventing climbing from being an option.
“We could fly,” Dash offered. Twilight nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s possible,” she mused.
“Ahem,” Purple Heart coughed. The two winged ponies turned to the purple stallion.
“Last I checked,” he grumbled. “I don’t have wings. So unless you two are content with carrying my sorry arse, think of something else.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared a bemused look that was wiped from their faces when they noticed just how hefty Purple Heart was.
“Any other suggestions?” Twilight asked quickly. The wind sighed, as if an irritated being was tired of waiting and a transparent, multi-colored scroll fell from the sky, landing right in front of Purple Heart. The purple earth pony glared at the sky and mumbled something under his breath as he opened the scroll. The two winged ponies watched in confused silence as Purple Heart read the scroll.
“Huh,” he concluded. “There’s a hidden lever on one of these trees that will allow us to travel to our next destination.” Twilight cocked her head to one side.
“Any clues on how to find it?” she queried.  Purple Heart considered the scroll again and frowned, nodding his head.
“It doesn’t seem helpful though,” he replied, holding the scroll out towards Twilight. The magenta alicorn and blue pegasus floated over to where Purple Heart stood and looked at the scroll.

One of these trees is not like the other.

The three ponies stared at the single line for a long while. Not a sound was made apart from the occasional scratch or shifting of hooves.
“Rather vague, isn’t it?” Purple Heart grumbled. Twilight and Rainbow Dash nodded.
“All of these trees are oaks,” Twilight muttered. “Do we look at the trunks?”
“I’d say look at the leaves,” Rainbow Dash chimed.
“Maybe it’s the roots,” Purple Heart murmured. The three ponies proceeded to examine and scrutinize each aspect of every tree they could see in the clearing. Almost half an hour of searching had transpired when Purple Heart suddenly stopped.
“You can’t be serious,” he groaned.
“What?” Twilight asked. “Did you think of something?” Purple Heart looked at the two ponies.
“What kinds of trees are these?” he asked, gesturing to the edge of the clearing.
“Oak,” Twilight replied, frowning. Purple Heart nodded.
“And what kind of tree is that?” he inquired, pointing a hoof at the fallen Wandering Pine. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were silent until realization hit them.
“You don’t mean...” Rainbow Dash whispered.
“One of these trees is not like the other,” Purple Heart repeated. “The hidden lever is somewhere on the Wandering Pine.” The three ponies scrambled towards the Wandering Pine’s corpse like excited foals. Within seconds, the hidden lever was found.
“AHA!” Rainbow Dash cried. “Found ya!” With giddy triumph, the blue pegasus cranked the lever and an opening appeared in the wall of trees. Cackling gleefully, she darted through the opening. Twilight and Purple Heart followed at a more leisurely pace but their excitement was difficult to contain. As they passed through the opening, Twilight cocked her head to one side.
“You never explained how you survived the Wandering Pine’s club,” she pointed out. Purple Heart chuckled.
“Eeyup,” he said. “I didn’t.” He kept walking.
“Well?” Twilight prompted. Purple Heart sighed.
“I dodged,” he stated shortly. Twilight twisted her face in annoyance.
“You do realize that if we can’t collaborate on a strategy with full knowledge,” she commented. “We won’t last very long.” Purple Heart rolled his eyes.
“Yes, mother,” he grunted cheekily, speeding up to a gallop to catch up with Rainbow Dash. Twilight narrowed her eyes at the purple earth pony. There was something he wasn’t willing to share. And being the inquisitive pony she was, she wanted to know. Particularly about his lack of cutie mark.