//------------------------------//
// Black Forest Bears 
// Story: Teardrop 
// by KidatHeart5 
//------------------------------//

	“Rainbow Dash, are you sure you’re reading that right?” Twilight asked. Rainbow held the map Trail Mix gave them as she hovered above the ground. “Of course I am, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “I’m probably the best navigator in all of Equestria!” “Well, excuse me, Miss Navigator,” Discord grabbed the map from her. “You’re looking at it upside down.” He turned it right-side up and looked at it. 
He rotated it upside-down again and said, “But you know, I think you’d do better with upside-down directions.” He gave it back to Rainbow Dash and she only glared at him. Applejack said, “Hey, y’all. Let’s stop standing here and get a move on, already.” “I agree,” Discord spoke up. “We must find the sorceress so she can lead us to Teardrop.” 
As he marched forward, the Mane Six exchanged stunned glances. Twilight asked, “Have you ever seen him so determined like this?” The rest of the ponies shook their heads.

*****

It was getting close to sunset and the group could not find Rose or the foot of Foal Mountain. There were trees without end and the darkness crept in the surroundings and the group. Rainbow Dash remarked, “Boy, if Trail Mix gave us these directions, he’s sure living up to his name.” Fluttershy shook, “Oh…If we don’t find Rose or get out of the woods soon, I fear the bears will get us.” 
Discord scoffed, “Oh, Fluttershy. There’s nothing to worry about. Look, there’s some bit of daylight left. We should make to Rose before the BFBs get us.” Twilight said, “I hope you’re right.” 
But as what little light they had in the woods began to disappear, the group (Discord included) could only feel fright start to spread in their souls. They became cautious so they could not accidentally trip on anything. They huddled closer together and slowed down.
Then, they heard a frightening growl.
Soon, more growls followed. The group gasped as they tried to see what the sources of the sounds were. All they saw were pairs of deep scarlet eyes peering through the dark. Those eyes slowly emerged from the woods and Discord and the ponies saw that the eyes were attached to snarling bears! The bears had dark fur with striking resemblance and feeling of pine needles. Their sharp claws could cut through the hardest wood. Their teeth could gnaw a tree in half in just a minute.
Several of these ferocious beasts closed in on the ponies and Discord. Twilight blasted her magic at them and repelled a couple of them at a time. Discord joined in and created a magical wave to blast the creatures away. Soon, most of the ponies (except Fluttershy, of course) fought against the bears. Rarity used her magic to grab…a twig. Discord raised his eyebrow and sarcastically asked, “Really?” 
He snapped his fingers and the twig became a club. Rarity found this hard to hold with her magic. She wobbled with it and accidentally hit a BFB with it. Rainbow Dash cheered, “All right, Rarity!” Discord cried, “Hey! I deserve some of the credit here!” 
They continued to fight off the BFBs, but they began to see that there were too many of them. They were surrounded by the vile bears and they huddled together. “Well,” Discord shook, “any last words?” Most of the ponies shouted, “Discord!” Fluttershy said, “Um…yes.” But she couldn’t bring herself to say them as the bears edged closer and closer to Discord and the ponies. They braced themselves for what would be the end.
“Habet arcere!” a voice rang out.
Suddenly, a blue light blasted several bears away from the ponies and Discord. They looked up and though they saw nopony, they heard the voice cry out, “Oremus!” Immediately following that spell, a blue force field surrounded the friends. They were gaping at what they were seeing. As soon as they saw that the bears were being defeated by continuous blasts of blue light, Rarity jumped up and down and shouted gleefully, “Oh, we’re being rescued! It’s a miracle!” 
Pinkie bounced higher and cheered, “Hooray! We’re saved!” Twilight stopped the ponies and said, “Now, hold on. We don’t know if the battle’s won, yet. Let’s just wait and see.” Though they couldn’t hear the conflict, they saw the bears being effortlessly defeated and soon driven away by the caster of the light blasts. 
The force field then came down and Discord and the ponies stepped forward to meet their savior. Twilight hesitantly said, “Hello? Are you there? We would like to say ‘thank you’ from saving us from those bears. So, please come out and let us see you.” There was silence for a few moments until the voice spoke out, “You’re the Princess Twilight Sparkle. For what purpose have come here?”
Twilight answered, “Well, we are looking for a sorceress. Her name is Rose. Have you seen her?” The voice replied, “You already found her.” The pony to which the voice belonged stepped out of the brush and revealed herself. She had a cloak over her pink coat, red and blue streaks in her mane, and blue eyes behind her glasses. She said, “I am she.” 
The ponies were stunned, Discord especially. For a moment, he thought he’d seen her kind of eyes before. And that voice…Oh, where did he hear that voice before?! Rainbow Dash said, “Wow! You sound really young for someone like you!” Rose chuckled, “Trust me; I’m older than I look or sound.” 
She turned and said, “Come; I’ll take you to my home, where we will discuss the matter of your arrival.” She lit her horn as she walked into the brush and the ponies followed her. Discord, who just snapped out his thoughts, called out, “Hey, wait for me!”