The ever free forest was strange and exotic. The full moon shone through the branches as two pegasi flew lowly threw the canopy. One was a light and dark blue stallion. His main was quaff and in place, cut close to his head for his helmet. The mare was slightly smaller and a pale bluish green. The bat like wings, gave way to their belonging to the sub race of pegasi who specialized in the nocturnal world.
"Father, this place gives me a bad feeling. So let’s find this Cockatrice and get out of here!" The mare said picking up speed. She kept her "hooves" tucked in. Her talons would flex as she looked around, dark green eyes sharp with alert fear. The stallion chuckled.
"Blaze Relax! There is a cabin along the left path that we can stop at. The zebra is a friend of the Princess and the elements. We'll be in and out in a flash." This seemed to calm the female.
"Alright fine. I'll take the right path and see if it's that way. I'll haller." She said. Then they split apart, the one called Blaze made her way to a clearing, where she sat down and groaned. "Hello? Cockatrice? You-who?! I wana go home now." She called out with a sigh. She brought a for-"paw" to her face and brushed back part of her dark green and black mane out of her face. Around her left eye was a black and white fire like her cutie mark. This marking was like that of a griffon's and that would account to her strange appearance. "Gease, monster hunting is not what I thought I would be doing when my dad said we had a task." She groused.
Walking through the forest, another stallion, black in color wished that he could have used his wings, but no. He wasn't supposed to unless there was no other option. He had to keep them hidden with the spell that now cloaked his form. So it was walking everywhere for him now. Still, walking was a pain in the rear. Especially, when he didn't know where he was, or how to get to town from here.
He knew the transportation spell had worked. The air was cleaner, the wind still blew through the trees and he could tell there was life here in the forest. Pausing at the edge of a clearing, he tilted his head at the sight of the stranger. "Why are you monster hunting so late at night?" he asked as he walked out of the shadows, not seeming to have been heard by the female and seeming to appear from nowhere at all really. His bright neon green mane and tail, with that strip of white, stood out against the nearly black of his coat.
"Sorry but do you know the way to town? I'm sad to say I seem to have gotten lost in this place. I've been wandering around for hours." he said a bit louder as he came closer. He certainly seemed tired enough. The magic, even if he hadn't been the one to cast it, had taken a good amount of energy from him. Heck he was shocked no one else had seen the light the portal had created when he stepped through. But it was the middle of a forest after all. Maybe he had gotten lucky.
Blazefire turned slowly. She held her head high and she looked at the new comer. "Forgive me for my rudeness, but I've been trained to be skeptic. What town are you trying to get to? Why? Who are you? And why in all of wide Equestria did you decide to go through the Ever Free Forest?" She asked, opening her wings in a sort of defensive stance. Her foresty eyes were sharp and focused. She did not seem happy to have been spooked by the sudden appearance of this unicorn.
Thinking quick he looked rather unimpressed with the defensive she took. "What? So it's my fault for being chased in here by the Ursa major?" he asked as he sat down. "I was trying to get to Ponyville and I got chased in here alright? I don't know why the thing was on the road but I'm just lucky I ran faster than it could. The why of my trip is none of your business since it’s a rather private matter." he said after a moment. Not in a rude way, but in a way that said he clearly didn't like thinking about whatever it was, like it was a painful topic. "I didn't mean to scare you. You’re the first one I've seen for hours." he muttered after a moment. His head bowed slightly to imitate being embarrassed.
Blaze lifted her brow, interest peeked. "Ursa major? I wouldn't be surprised one moved in." She relaxed. "Name's BlazeFire, you?" She asked, her wings folding up on her back again. "And so you know, I'm lost as well. We can go meet up with my father and he'll be able to guide us back." she said calmly. Her claws plucked at the grass and she sighed in embarrassment for being caught without her concealing armor.
Nodding some the male relaxed and shook his head to clear his thoughts. Well supposedly clear his thoughts. His green eyes watching her pluck at the grass. Interesting he thought but he didn't do anything else for those thoughts. Instead he offered a small smile and walked over to her. "I'm Eclipsestriker. But, I have to ask, if your lost how are we supposed to find your father?" he asked slowly after a moment.
Blaze actually laughed. "Easy. I'll smell him out." She figured that since she was already exposed, she might as well be honest. "Griffons have an excellent sense of smell." She shrugged and turned. "Come on, I hate this forest." She then took off at a brisk jog. Her head was in the air as she walked, assuming the male was going to follow her. It wouldn't be long before the dark blue stallion showed up, obviously heading to rondevue with his daughter. "Oh hello there! I was just trying to find you.” she said before turning to look back to see if the male had followed.
Striker kept up with her rather easy. He was after all a fighter, so jogging for a while was nothing to bad. "Hello" he said to the stranger who was apparently her father. Odd, but he could see they were related at least. So he didn't say too much. "Sorry to follow after Blaze but she said you might be able to help with directions?”
Blaze's father looked at Striker skeptically. "And I am going to assume she gave you the interrogation?" The stallion asked subconsciously puffing out his chest defensively, his blue armor glinting in the moon light.
"Dad. I took care of it. An Ursa Major. We should let the Element of Kindness and the Princesses know about it." The two nod in agreement. "I'll walk with him. It would be un fair of us to leave him behind on accident." Blaze said decidedly.
Striker thought for a moment before he nodded a little. "Thank you both. I didn't think I'd see anyone else for a long time. I'm EclipseStriker by the way." he said as he offered a small smile. Oh if only he could use his wings to fly they'd all get out of here quicker. But he had to play along. "Is it really needed to tell the Princess and the others about the Ursa Major? Sure I got chased by one, but I'm positive I did something it didn't like by accident. It just chased me far enough for me to get lost in the forest."
The blue stallion nods. "I am Captain Nightguard. And I'm sure Blaze has introduced herself. Now come along." With that, the two pegisi head off.
“It is very important. If there is an Ursa Major about, then we'll need more support! The cockatrice is bad enough, but with an influx in timber wolves, a mated pare of hydras waiting for eggs to hatch, and whatever ells is out here, Ponyville and the towns around the other forest's sides are going to need help! This is the biggest influx of monsters of the past two centuries!" Blaze explained as she walked along, keeping an eye on her father as they did. She huffs a little, blowing her bangs out of her face again.
Strkier followed along behind them, He had to wonder if the spell had dropped him off in the time he was supposed to be. The influx was a bad thing. If it was the same one he was thinking of...
So distracted by these thoughts, he almost walked into a tree, tripped over a stick and got slapped in the face by a branch before he gave up and focused on following them. "Just how far is Ponyville anyway?" he asked after a moment, fighting the urge to rub his muzzle from the blow. He was trying to save a little face by not responding to the walking trouble he seemed to have in this forest.
Blaze leapt over a large knot of roots. She seemed to be having fun, excessively dancing about. "An hour as the Fluttershy flies." She said with a giggle. "I suspect it'll take us half that." She soothed, waiting on a stone. "I am going to guess you aren't used to a forest of any sort, I'm guessing Canterlot or Baltamare? Can't be Manehatten, don't have the accent." She said calmly. Her wings would open, lifting a branch out of the way for Striker to pass under.
Blinking at her words he offered a small smile as he ducked under the branch. "Is it that clear I've never been in a forest before? I'm from Canterlot. The closest we have to a forest there are parks." he said as he looked around after a moment. "Guess that’s why I got chased and lost so easy." he muttered before dropping his head. He didn't like lying to them, or at all. But it was something he needed to do right now. So there was really no choice.
Blaze chuckles. "No worries chum. Can't be good at everything. I can't ski to save my life." She admits to help her new comrade feel better. "So Canterlot eh? I grew up there. That is until I got tired recruited to Luna's guard." She seemed to be a bit of a chatter box.
Striker knew of Luna's guard. So he smiled brightly. "It hard to be part of Luna's Guard. Least that’s what I heard. What's it like?" The guard had perished long ago in his own time, so getting to learn more about them here and now was something he could be truly interested in.
Blaze nods vigorously. "Oh yeah it is. You first off have to me nocturnally inclined, that's why mostly bat ponies work there. Also the training regimen is hard. We are sort of like the ones who get sent out when things get really bad. Well used to be until Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Elements came about." She seemed a little disappointed as she leapt from one boulder to the next. Her ears briefly lower down before she perks back up. "You wouldn't be interested would you?" She gave a sort of smirk at that.
He nodded some as he watched her jumping around like that. "I know about the elements and about Princess TwilightSparkle. But I'd like to hear your thoughts on everything." he said with a small laugh. Learning about those here would help him figure out if he was in the right time or not.
Blaze slowed down and sighs. "Well you see, in the past few years, I've only been sent out on three big missions, the changeling attack on Chanterlot, when those strange plants moved out of this forest, and now this. It's kinda depressing. How am I going to rise in the ranks if we never get to do anything." Her steps were placed in precision now. "I mean come on. My special talent is protecting, and I never get to do it. Imaging if you can never do your special talent at all! It's such a dull experience."
He nodded after a moment as he followed behind them. "But what if they haven't found the right mission for you? Like one where just you can do what no one else can? If you were sent out on lots of missions, you'd be tired or hurt and wouldn't be able to take up those few missions where you were truly needed. If you train hard I'm sure you'll still rise up in the ranks" he reasoned after thinking, only to smile and nod a little. "I know what it's like to not be able to use my talent, so I know what you mean. I have to wait to use mine." he said softly.
Blazefire grimaced. Her father must have over hear cause he chimed in at that moment. "Blaze was a late bloomer so she's just a bit over zealous to do her job." He explained. Blaze just rolled her eyes. "By the way you two, the way out is straight ahead. Watch your selves. I'm flying ahead." Then he was gone.
Blinking a little he watched her father take off like that before he looked over to her. "Is he always like that?" he asked with a small laugh. But he trotted a little to get further ahead and turned to look at her. "Hey, umm. Is there some place in Ponyville I can stay where I won't be in the way? I promised someone I'd give this place a try and well I'd rather not break my promise."
Blaze nods. "My father and I are staying with my cousins. Technically it's his place, but since he's military we let them stay there. It's got plenty of room since Whiplash is out of town for work." she paused briefly before she considered something. "Do you mind music? Our next door neighbors are a bunch of missions and they have music battles. It's really quite fun to hear some times." Up ahead the light of the sleeping town was able to be seen through the branches. "Haza! There it is! Ponyv-" She was cut off as she was knocked to the side by what looked to be a cranky manticor. "Holly Celestia!"