Few places in Equestria were threatened with as much arbitrary turmoil and chaos as Ponyville. There were, however, some remote towns and holdings where danger was always ready to rear its ugly head. Timberbane was one such town. Built more out of defiance than for any practical reason, the place was a mixture between a peaceful town and a fortress, surrounded by mighty walls and protected by potent magic.
Such measures were necessary when one settled within the Everfree forest. The beginning of something new, the architects and sponsors had claimed. The start of their conquest of the wildest woods. In the end, a lone soldier, standing defiantly in the darkness with a magic torch. To her, it did not matter how treacherous the area, the town had an audience. And it was her duty to entertain.
She had set up her stage in the shadow of the fort-town's dominant structure, a tower rising into the sky, radiating magical energy into its surroundings. Timberbane's torch against the darkness. A battle raged on her makeshift podium as two stallions clashed using fake, but nonetheless impressive magic. They were hyperbolic opposites, light and darkness, good and evil. Her audience, young and impressionable as they were, waited with baited breath. The sky-blue showpony sat at the edge of the stage, narrating:
"It was then that Quicksilver finally gained the upper hand," with a final blast of light, the hero knocked his opponent to the ground, "and it was time to end it!"
A proud, male voice sounded from the illusory stallion:
"You are finished, Dreadmor! Your evil will never taint Equestria again!"
"And with one final attack," a pillar of light rose around the shadowy construct and caused it to vanish, "lord Dreadmor was vanquished! Quicksilver could finally sigh with relief. Equestria, and the entire world, were finally safe."
Trixie got up and walked to the centre of her stage. Her other 'actors' appeared next to her and mimicked her movements as she bowed. The audience cheered and stomped, which made the sole performer smile:
"Thank you, thank you! The Great and Powerful Trixie was glad to entertain such a wonderful audience!"
"Are you sure you do not need an escort, Trixie? We have more than enough soldiers to spare."
She smiled at the charcoal mare in full body armour reassuringly:
"You need not worry about me, commander. I travel the Everfree frequently. You are the ones who never move from it."
"If you say so. And again, thank you for braving the way to us," she chuckled, "Blueberry loved the play."
"And that is all a showpony needs," though, the handsome amount of bits which weighed down her bag was a welcome bonus, "farewell. And do not worry, I will most definitely be back."
The gates were shut behind her and she marched into the shadow of the forest. She had braved its crooked paths many times while travelling. The place was dangerous, for sure, but circumventing it entirely could often cost several days of travel. Some traders had made an entire business out of transporting goods through the Everfree, faster than their more cowardly competition. Just as many such daredevils had lost their lives.
As always, it was silent, unnervingly so. Its denizens always watched from the shadows, waiting for travellers to stray just a bit too close to their domain. The air was always cool, since very few of the sun's rays actually managed to pierce the thick canopy. And then there was the horrid stench that... no, wait. The stench wasn't always there.
She froze and looked around. The forest was calm. Deceptively so. She grunted to herself as her horn started glowing. A sudden flash of blinding light filled the area and an irritated growl sounded to her right. Immediately, she broke out into a gallop. A howl sounded behind her and more answered from multiple directions. This was no idle run-in with a beast. This was a full-on hunt.
A blur moved at the edge of her vision and she made a sudden turn into the forest, dodging a vicious lunge in the process. Growls and barks seemed to multiply around her, and soon enough, she spotted two sets of glowing, green eyes in the shadows. The wooden mutts seemed to mock her, or perhaps her imagination was acting up. Whatever the case may have been, with a flash from her horn, one galloping mare turned to three.
The malicious gazes grew unsure, yet attacked all the same. Their claws swiped in a wide arc, striking all of the presented targets, only for the doppelgangers to dissipate into smoke. The wolves stood in confusion, before another flash above them attracted their gaze. Trixie landed on their heads hooves-first, taking them out of the hunt for a few crucial seconds.
The chase continued, however, and she soon entered what amounted to a clearing. Several massive trees stood close to each other, keeping sunlight all to themselves and not allowing anything but grass to grow bellow. She came to a stop in the middle and scanned her surroundings with all of her senses. Their stench was almost overpowering at that point, it must have been an entire pack. Grunts sounded from all around as more demonic eyes came into view. The simple, lingering question, 'Why?', took a backseat for a moment. The magician stomped her hooves and shouted at the timberwolves:
"Well, come on! What's the matter, afraid?"
She was quite sure timberwolves were not exactly the conversing type, but her tone seemed to get the point across. One of the wooden wraiths darted towards her. She turned, her horn already glowing, invoking magic she only seldom used. A bright, intense ray of light shot from her horn, swatting the wolf aside and setting fire to its mane of moss. It yelped in panic and ran off. The pack grew more cautious, circling the clearing, waiting for a sign of weakness. Unsuccessfully trying to mimic her panting, caused mostly by the chosen magic rather than the previous chase, she shouted once more:
"Hah, is that, oh, all? You mess with the, ah, wrong showpony!"
And then, they seemed to take a few steps away. The air rapidly grew colder and she felt a new presence close by. The smell of raw magic dominated the air as a thousand voices cried out in perfect unison:
"This one strong. Proud. Defiant," Trixie turned, only to immediately back off. The creature... was it even a creature? A cloud of smoke hovered in the clearing, with a single, discerning feature. A giant azure orb, probably as large as her head, floated in its middle. The voices seemed to emanate from the orb, "like us. Allow it to pass, but no other."
The wolves growled in response. A brief look revealed that their numbers had nearly tripled. Mustering what courage she had, she spoke up, her pride faltering at the last second:
"W-who or what are you?"
It seemed to gaze at her, it was hard to tell without any form of body language:
"Simplicity, child of Equinox," the name meant nothing to her, "we are the Everfree. Invader though it is, its qualities are undeniable. This day, it is spared."
At the mention of that, she regained her defiant tone:
"What are you talking about?"
"Its kin taint the Everfree. Our tolerance is gone, they shall be removed. It may go."
"Go? Hmph," she tried to stand proud, even as chills ran down her spine, "I don't think so."
"Defiance. Expected. This is for its own good."
"What a-are you," the orb suddenly turned purple. Immediately, her brain slowed down to a crawl, her entire body suddenly feeling centuries of exhaustion, "doi..."
With that, she collapsed into a seemingly peaceful slumber. The wolves closed in and sniffed her form. She giggled from her dream. The entity spoke to its children:
"Take it to cave. Ursa obeys, will keep safe. Then, prepare for war."
"Granny, I made it! I made it!"
A blue bolt of lightning darted into the apartment. It was all rather small, but it was home all the same. She made her way into the largest room, which served as both a bedroom and living room. A violet mare sat at a table, next to a sewing machine. She slowly got up from her chair and stretched her legs out just in time for the little filly to throw herself into tight hug. The mare looked down through a set of glasses thicker than her hooves, her lips curled into a wide smile:
"Och, I knew you would! Come on, show me!"
Trixie dug into her decorated bag, bought mere days prior for the occasion, and fished out a meticulously folded piece of parchment. Large golden letters were at the very top, followed by more common text:
"Congratulations to Miss Trixie Lulamoon for successfully enrolling at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns! Entrance exam grade: Excellent."
"Now this is a sight for sore eyes! I'm so proud of you, Trixie! And just because I knew you'd make it, I have something for you!"
"Ooooh, what?"
Rubbing her side, grandma turned to the table and picked up something beautiful. Covered in stars of all sizes and colours, the flowing cape and rather elegant magician's hat were amazing. Just like the ones she had found in the history books. She soon found out they were a few sizes too big. The hat engulfed her entire head, while the cape could have functioned like a tent. Lifting the stylish traffic cone off her face, she spoke again:
"Aren't these a little too big?"
"You'll grow into them, silly muffin," she started chuckling, but that was soon replaced by a few gasps. She clutched her side again, "och."
"Granny!"
The magician held her tightly and the mare smiled again:
"Don't worry, just these old bones, is all. I'm going to take a little nap. You behave until grandpa gets back from work, okay?"
"I will, don't you worry!"
She was among the living again, feeling returning to her limbs. Shakily, she rose. She was in some sort of cavern or cave. With a gasp, she realised her bag was gone. The only things around her were dirt, the cave's rocky walls and... light, at least in her immediate area. Without any torches. She looked down at her shadow, then turned, only to immediately suffer a minor heart attack.
The beast was massive, easily the size of a large house. Its fur was azure and shone with a strange, ethereal energy, illuminating its surroundings. The briefest look upwards revealed nothing but darkness, with no ceiling in sight. An ursa. Ursa minor, she added with an extra jolt of adrenaline in her veins. It was staring right at her, studying her every move, but did nothing else. She seemed to be in some sort of alcove, with the only paths out leading dangerously close to the giant. She took a step closer and shakily spoke:
"H-h-hello," it tilted its head, "ummm, I-I take it you understand m-me," a brief nod, followed by a monstrous yawn, "splendid. Well, I would very much appreciate if you'd just let me..."
She took a few steps towards the edges of the alcove and the creature slammed its paw in her way. Well, at least the answer was clear. Without another word, she just smiled at the ursa and sat down, her mind already racing, gathering all the information she knew about the super-sized bear and its kin.
Large, ferocious if provoked, deadly. Nothing helpful, nothing that wasn't completely obvious from a simple look. Then came memories of her first visit to Ponyville. The beast was eventually stopped by a... bottle. It was basically a giant baby. What did babies like? Oh, how she wished Fluttershy hadn't been so, well, shy during the slumber party. What did she like when she was little? Eureka.
She stood up and approached the creature, earning herself a growl:
"Calm down, I have something for you. Come down here," the bear looked... puzzled, she guessed? It did however lower its head. Gosh, it was bigger than her. With a sigh, she reached up with her front hooves, "just like that. Good boy."
She managed to reach just high enough to rub it behind one of its ears. The ursa emitted something that distantly resembled a purr, but on a monstrous scale. She could feel just how tough its fur and hide were. A direct attack wouldn't have even scratched the creature. She stopped for a moment and walked to the other side of the ursa's head to rub the other ear, an act she had never even considered likely in her lifetime. It whined slightly, then rolled onto its back without warning, causing a localised tremor.
Trixie smiled nervously as she approached its torso:
"What's the matter? Does baby want a belly wub," approved by DJ-Pon3. It whined again in response. She put all of her strength into it, and the bear approved, but she grew tired in mere moments, "okay, hah, plan B."
She slowly climbed on top of the now-puzzled beast and then lay down on its belly. Rolling from side to side, she managed to create the same purr from before and the ursa let out another content whine. Slowly, she got back up and walked up to its head, making sure not to lose footing on the uneven... terrain, she supposed. The ursa looked at her as she spoke:
"Listen, you were probably sent to guard me. I know it's important, but I have to get back to Timberbane. I've made friends there and they're in danger. I don't care if the entire Everfree forest tries to stop me, I need to go back to help. So, please, could you let me go?"
She put on her best determined look as the ursa continued to stare. Without warning one of its front paws grabbed hold of her and placed her gently onto the ground. It then lay down onto its belly and motioned towards itself. She did not understand at first, before it clumsily pointed first at her, then at its neck. Immediately, she smiled.
"Unicorns, I want fire and lightning on the big one, now! Earth, assemble beyond the gate! Pegasi, strike the back line! Timberbane holds!"
Her commands were complied with immediately and she looked at the state of the battleground. Dozens upon dozens of timberwolves circled the walls, eager to get in. Her pegasi made hit-and-run attacks on the wooden terrors, their speed and manoeuvrability too much even for the wooden wraiths. The big one, though, that was a problem.
It looked like a timberwolf, but on a much larger scale, built for brute strength, rather than the swift deadliness of its cousins, it continuously rammed its form against the main gate, which threatened to give way any moment. Worse yet, it seemed to shrug off the usual counters to a timberwolf, as if it was protected by foul forces. The situation was grim, and the constant howling wasn't helping her mind relax one bit. And then, suddenly, everything came to a halt, as a mighty roar echoed throughout the forest. Both sides froze in place, unsure as to what was happening.
Distant, barely perceptible shockwaves soon turned into proper tremors as a new form suddenly burst from the tree line. The bear-beast roared menacingly once again, turning towards the largest of the wolves as it did so. The siege wolf roared back, though it was obvious it was several weight categories below the ursa. And of all things that could be attached to a giant bear's head, the commander had not expected a mare in a fabulous cape. The showpony shouted:
"Ahah! You underestimated the Great and Pow-oaaaaaaaaaah!"
Her oversized companion lunged at the wolf, forcing her to hold on for dear life. It wasn't even a contest. With a single, mighty swipe, the large wolf was shattered into a thousand twigs. Those soon started reforming into individual smaller wolves, which ran as soon as they had legs of any sort. With a single look from the giant, the rest of the army got similar ideas and dispersed.
As the defenders cheered, she gave her mount another rub behind the ears. She jumped down onto the ground and looked up:
"Thank you, for everything," in response, she received an affectionate lick over her entire front, with a small puddle of slobber gathering along the edges of her hat. She wanted nothing else but to start spitting, but managed to speak, "you're too, ugh, kind."
With another whine, the largest friend a pony could have darted back into the forest. Her hat lit up from the inside as she used magic to remove the slobber. A charcoal mare in full body armour soon entered her cone of vision:
"Trixie, h-how, what?!"
"Those questions can wait. I am afraid we are not done here, yet."
"What do you have in mind? A counterattack?"
"No," she smiled, faintly, "diplomacy."
They walked in two lines, a stage magician and a handful of soldiers. Trixie and the commander walked at the very front, taking note of the watchers. Countless emerald orbs watched from the darkness, but did not yet act. She was not quite sure where they were heading, only that they needed to be deep in the forest. Finally, it came, the sudden chilling temperature. The entity manifested right before them, flanked by a dozen timberwolves. The troops grew nervous, but she stepped forward. They spoke:
"The children of Equinox taste victory. They seek vengeance. Folly." barks sounded in agreement.
"The only thing we seek is an agreement," the showpony turned to the commander, "all yours, Lucent."
"I'm not sure if I should be thankful," nonetheless, she stepped forward, "it is true."
A strange sound echoed from the creature, like a dialogue several miles away. Then, it retorted:
"They wish an agreement. Uncharacteristic. We shall listen."
She took a deep breath:
"I do not know exactly what you are and really, I don’t care. We have lived in Timberbane a few years now and only now you send your army," she motioned at the wolves, "against us. Why?"
"We lacked consensus," the orb pulsed a little, "some thought the forest would claim land back alone. Falsehood. Their taint kept it at bay."
"Our... taint?"
For the briefest of moments, the orb took on a shade of crimson:
"Yes. Their magic. Burns roots. Brings pain to children. Taint to the Everfree."
She considered her words carefully:
"Then we have an offer," the smoke seemed to draw just a little closer, "we are willing to disable the magic we possess, in exchange for a truce."
"They wish peace. Yet they still tame the Everfree."
"If it is war you want, fiend," the soldiers immediately formed up around Trixie and the commander, "know that we will fight to the last. Whaddaya’ say, ponies?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the troops shouted in unison.
There was a long silence before it spoke again, though it almost seemed like it was thinking out loud:
"Unity. Determination. Willpower," the orb changed colour several times, before settling back on its default azure, "we have reached consensus," the assembled ponies tensed up, “they are like us. For so long as their taint is gone, they may call the Everfree home. So we decree.”
After a slight cheer from the ponies, the commander spoke again:
“We shall remove it immediately.”
“They are wise.”
One of the wolves howled and the pack moved deeper into the forest. The guards bowed slightly, then hurried off. As soon as she tried to follow, the entity spoke up once more:
“Sorceress,” Trixie turned, “we have a request.”
“What is it?” her tone carried just a tinge of annoyance.
“Your name.”
The sudden change in pronoun caught her off-guard:
“Trixie Lulamoon.”
“Tri-xie Lu-la-moon,” it spoke syllable by syllable, “your stubborn involvement brings peace. Unexpected, though, we are grateful. The children are spared,” it suddenly flashed bright yellow, “the taint already recedes. Trixie Lulamoon, may you be known by all as Friend of the Everfree.”
Not quite knowing how to respond, she said only:
“It is an honour.”
“We know. There is one last matter,” a wolf suddenly appeared at its side, clutching something in its teeth, “this is yours.”
The wolf placed the bag at her hooves, producing a soft clink from the bits inside. Worn from her travels, the bag was her constant companion, the violet rose sown into its fabrics faded due to years of use. Its weight, resting on her side, was almost reassuring:
“Thank you.”
“Walk now, Trixie Lulamoon, with the blessing of the Everfree.”
She turned without a second thought and galloped to Timberbane. The orb glowed violet once more, before vanishing without a trace.
After deciding to stay the night at Timberbane, both to get some rest and join in on the predictable celebrations, she was again on the road. The forest was not silent. Chirps and groans sounded from surrounding creatures as she passed. Without warning, the menacing form of a timberwolf walked across the forest path, regarding her with a slight nod of its head before disappearing in the undergrowth once more.
She stood for a few moments, just taking it all in. This would take some getting used to.