Chapter 5: The Trials of the Everfree
The shimmering full moon shone down from the bleak sky like an all-seeing eye, watching the intrepid six mares' every move as they wandered the Everfree Forest. Twilight and her friends had been walking for nearly an hour and yet the time remained at midnight, guided only by magic light from Twilight and Rarity's horns. Few citizens of Ponyville had ever ventured into the mysterious thicket. There was no set map to the lost Castle of the Two Sisters, or any noticeable landmark for that matter. Every which way seemed like the same curtain of trees obscuring any view of the horizon.
"Lansanks, this place gives me the creeps." Applejack said, staying close by the magic light. "Why did this darn ol' castle have to be in the middle of the woods?"
"What's the matter, AJ?" teased Rainbow, hovering overhead. "Scared of the dark?" She then flew straight into a high branch, clonking her on the head.
"No, but at least I watch where I'm goin'." Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Oh gosh," quivered Fluttershy. "I can only imagine what kind of spooky creatures lurk around here at night."
"What about raccoons?" asked Pinkie Pie, hopping merrily next to her.
"Oh except those, they're cute." Fluttershy corrected herself.
"And possums?" asked Pinkie.
"Well, possums are cute too."
"And bats?"
"I do like bats, yes."
"And owls? And ferrets? And deer? And skunks? And hedgehogs? And porcupines? And flying squirrels? And badgers? And koalas? And tarsiers? And golden marmosets? And silver-backed gorillas? And-"
"What I think Fluttershy means," interrupted Rarity. "Is that there might be monsters that inhabit this dreadful forest."
"Oh!" exclaimed Pinkie. "You mean like timberwolves? And hydras? And cragadiles? And Ursas? And cockatrices? And bugbears? And chimeras? And lions and tigers and bears and-"
"Please stop!" squeaked Fluttershy.
"Don't worry, girls," said Twilight, leading the way. "It looks like there's a clearing just up ahead."
Sure enough, the trees gave way to a more open space, as the mares pushed aside the overgrowth in their way. But as they cleared the edge of the thicket, expecting a wide field, they immediately stopped with a jolt. They found themselves overlooking a fragile cliff, dropping over a hundred feet into a rocky ravine. Only a tiny path between the edge and the trees circled its way to the left and around a steep mountainside.
"Okay, when this is over," Twilight glowered over the cliff. "I'm getting a hot-air balloon."
"Well, no use in stayin' here all cockeyed." Applejack started off for around the cliff. "Time's a-wastin'."
"Yes, I'm quite eager to get to this castle before facing certain peril again." Rarity remarked.
"Oh goodness, oh goodness, oh goodness!" Fluttershy shook as she inched along the winding cliff, struggling to keep herself from looking down into the ravine.
"Fluttershy, just use your wings!" said Rainbow.
"Oh right." Fluttershy sheepishly flapped her wings and rose into the air. But it was then that she glanced down over the cliff and gained a sense of just how high she was. "Oh goodness!" She quickly returned to the ground, clutching onto Pinkie's back.
"Ooh!" Pinkie looked down, cocking her head in curiosity. "Everything gets all wunky when you look down!"
On they skirted across the skinny cliff, over the fear of falling to their demise, save for Rainbow Dash who proudly flew over and led the way. The silence of the Everfree wilderness was only permeated by the sounds of a soft wind blowing down from the mountainside, and the ponies' careful hoofsteps. Despite the danger, all was still and silent on the mountainside, not even any movement from the bushes. But suddenly, as the mares made half way through the narrow pass, teh silence was gone.
A thundering crack roared up from somewhere in the ravine, and the world began to move. The mountain shook violently, causing boulders to tumble down across the path. The cliff began to crack and crumble away piece by piece.
"Earthquake!" shouted Pinkie.
"Back into the forest!" called Rainbow.
The ponies attempted to turn around and gallop back into the woods. But they barely even moved before the ground beneath them gave way. A large chunk of the cliff broke off, sending most of them tumbling over the edge. Rainbow quickly swooped in to catch Rarity as she fell over, and Fluttershy gently grabbed Pinkie before she could slip away too. But Twilight was still dangling by her front hooves, only being supported by Applejack, still on the cliff.
"Hang on, sugracube!" grunted Applejack, unable to get a good grip to hoist her up.
"Applejack, I'm slipping!" cried Twilight.
"Oh my goodness!" gasped Fluttershy. "What could've caused this?!"
...
Dark Star sailed over the top of the forest, far ahead of his brothers. He had decided that the three of them would go their separate ways through the Everfree in order to slow down the pursuing Elements of Harmony. Shrouded by the cover of night, Dark was now closer to the Castle of the Two Sisters than anypony else, scouting the area for his brothers to catch up. He hoped that the immense earthquake was enough to at least halter the six Elements.
After flying a considerable distance, he landed by a wide river and sat on the bank, letting his wings rest for a while. He lowered his head to take a drink from the fresh running water, wanting to keep his strength up. But as he relaxed, the river was disturbed by a huge figure rising from the depths. A rush of water sloshed against the banks as a gigantic reptile emerged from the river, reaching over fifty feet long with dark purple scales, a head of orange hair and a magnificent mustache. The monstrous sea serpent looked down at Dark, and gave a disgusted sneer.
"Good heavens!" the serpent spoke in an effeminate voice. "How dare you disturb my beauty sleep! Do you know how much work it is too look this good in such a dank place?!"
Dark Star stared back up at the serpent with a mouthful of water. He replied simply. "Who...the buck...are you?"
"Well if you so rudely ask," replied the serpent. "I am the guardian of this river, and not a soul crosses this river without my permission! And since you interrupted my rest, I shall have to ask you to turn back! I can't be bothered to deal with mere ponies! The stress alone will give me crow's feet!"
"Oh really?" scowled Dark. "So I guess it wouldn't matter to you if I said I was working for the almighty Nightmare Moon?"
"Honey I don't care if you're the mailpony," snapped the serpent. "If you want to cross this river, then talk to the claw!"
"And just how are you gonna stop me?" challenged Dark.
"Then I will be forced to insult you about every crime to fashion you have made!" said the serpent. "Starting with that ghastly manestyle of yours. Honestly, have you ever even heard of conditioner?!"
Dark rolled his eyes and flew up to pass the catty water dragon. "Get out of my way."
The serpent immediately blocked his path. "Don't be fooled by my glorious appearance!" he spoke. "I am not afraid to unleash my full wrath and give you such a...wrathing!"
For a moment, Dark simply gave the serpent a bemused stare. Then, in a fraction of a second, he darted directly upward.
"Hey! Come back down here you ruffian!" the serpent shook his fist. "Don't think just because you can fly means I won't-"
Just as quickly as he soared up, Dark plummeted back down and tackled the serpent straight in the chest. With tremendous strength, he pinned the sassy reptile to the riverbank, holding down his claws and staring him down menacingly. The serpent quivered in fright, preparing for a world of pain. Dark then raised his wing, attached with a pin-sharp blade, and prepared to bring it down into the creature's neck. But instead, with a quick swipe, he severed one half of the serpent's mustache. The serpent himself looked in shock at the fallen facial hair.
"You're not worth my power." Dark growled in his face before taking off again, continuing his race to the castle.
"AAAAAHH!!!" shrieked the serpent. "My mustache! My beautiful mustache! You foul beast! How could you!" He slumped on the riverbank, weeping dramatically over the scar upon his good looks.
...
Red Nova stalked through the forest further back, stomping in aggravation. He was disappointed in himself that the Elements of Harmony had somehow survived the violent rock slide he caused with his earth magic. It became apparent that he would have to think further outside the box in order to thwart the annoying mares.
Nova traversed the ravine ahead of where the Elements now were, and came upon a wide cave entrance. As he passed the cave, a pair of blaring eyes appeared from the dark opening. Before he could react, Nova was ambushed by a large creature, unusual to the known wildlife of the Everfree. A manticore, with the body of a giant lion, the wings of a bat, and the barbed tail of a scorpion, roared in anger at the trespasser in its territory and pinned him down.
Without fear, Nova dug his back hooves into the beast's stomach and kicked it off, sending it reeling back. The manticore huffed and came in for another pounce. But with quick reflexes, Nova slid out of the way and responded with a jump onto its back. The manticore roared and bucked madly, trying to whip off the stubborn pony, until it finally managed to fling Nova into a nearby brier patch.
"Damn!" grunted Nova, standing up to brush off the prickly thorns. Clearly, this manticore was no pussycat.
The beast turned around and instantly ran toward Nova, ready to sink its fangs into his flesh. But the mighty earth pony was not yet ready to stand down. He quickly wielded the hammer chained to his armor and stood his ground. Focusing on his earth magic again, he stomped his hoof into the ground, causing a wall of stone to rise up between him and his attacker. As the manticore stopped itself from running into the barrier, Nova leaped over the rock wall and gave the beast a harsh kick to its cheek.
The manticore roared with even more rage as it turned away, and Nova once again straddled its back. This time, he strung out the chain of his hammer and wrapped it around the creature's neck in a choke-hold. With howls of agony, the manticore thrashed and shook to free itself from the ensnarement. Then, after tying the chain all the way around its neck, Nova grabbed a firm hold of the crude leash and used his incredible strength to pull the animal's body side to side, disorienting it. Finally, with a mighty yank, he forced the manticore into the brier bush, immersing its body completely. As he slackened his hold on the chain, the manticore slowly crawled out of the brier, dizzy and covered in sharp thorns, a particularly large sliver dug into its paw. That's when Nova gained an idea.
"So yer hungry, huh?" he spoke. "I got some better prey for ya."
Nova procured something he had gathered after pursuing the Elements back in Ponyville. It was a few locks of fallen hair he gathered from the mares, which he planned to use to track them down. Carefully, he approached the wounded manticore and held out the piece of mane to its face. Out of curiosity, the manticore sniffed the blonde hair. Just as Nova planned, the predator began to associate the scent of the mares with the pain of the briers and quickly started to pick up the trail.
With a snarl and a roar, the beast tugged at the chain, wanting to run free. Satisfied that he was no longer the manticore's target, Nova released the chain and the creature stormed off down into the ravine, with the scent of the Elements piquing its appetite.
"Hmph, that should slow 'em down." Nova said as he lifted his hammer and continued into the dark woods.
...
Flying onward, Dark Star looked ahead toward the direction of the castle. Sure enough the sight of the ancient ruins were just on the horizon, with the black magic smoke of Nightmare Moon surrounding them above like a nightmarish dust storm. Dark congratulated himself, happy to make it to the castle first, and picked up his speed.
He sailed over a wide gorge, that descended into a bottomless pit filled with swirling fog. Only a rickety rope bridge connected both sides of the gorge, swaying and creaking in the cold breeze. Dark observed the perilous rift in the earth and thought back to the mares who were after the same place as him. Immediately, he lowered himself down to the exit of the narrow bridge and pulled out the supports keeping the rope in place. With a snap, the bridge slipped away like an exhausted snake and dangled along the other side of the gorge. But just as he finished with his little obstacle for the Elements, he realized a mistake.
"Hmm, oh well." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Neb and Nova will get over somehow." He paused. "Then again, those two pegasus mares could just fix the bridge. Maybe not that shaky yellow one, but that annoying blue mare definitely could. I gotta find a way to slow her down too. Think, Dark, think."
As he stood by the cliff pondering, something manifested in front of Dark. The black smoke emanating with his mother's magic stretched out to his location, as a spell was cast in deep purple light. Dark watched in wonder as shifty-looking figures emerged from the smoke. Three ponies, all pegasi, stood at the ready and grinned at him. They wore black coverall flight suits and matching goggles, and their manes were slicked back for speed. Dark's instincts told him that they were enemies, possibly minions of Celestia aiding the Elements.
"Who are you?!" he ordered, spreading out his bladed wings. "Are you working for Celestia?"
"Far from it, Dark Star." The middle pegasi spoke in a mare's voice. "We are the Shadowbolts."
"Shadowbolts?" repeated Dark with a sneer. "Never heard of them. What are you some kinda racing team?"
"We were." The stallion on the left replied. "Back before her banishment, we were the dark princess's personal exhibition team. Now we are no more than the spirits of the ponies we once were."
"You mean...ghosts?" Dark lowered his weapons. "Did Mother summon you?"
"Exactly." The stallion on the right answered. "She was kind enough to sacrifice some of her magic to bring us into visible form. We've been summoned to help you and your brothers defeat the Elements of Harmony."
"How's a bunch of ghosts gonna help beat the Elements?" Dark scoffed.
"The blue one with the multicolored mane," said the mare with a devious grin. "She is filled with desire for fame and glory. She wants only to be among the greatest champion flyers in Equestria, the Wonderbolts. Obviously, she is living a pipe dream. But we will tempt her desire by telling her we are the best flying team in the Everfree Forest. We'll tell her we want her to be our captain, because she is the greatest flyer in all of Equestria."
"What makes you think she'll fall for that crap?" asked Dark.
"She doesn't seem too bright to begin with." The right stallion replied. "She'll be easily tempted."
"Unfortunately, as spirits, we are unable to do physical harm to the Elements." The left stallion added. "But once we have swayed the blue pegasus to join us, they'll have lost their best flyer and muscle. If one Element falls, the rest will."
"Hmm, that seems like a long shot." Dark said. "But I don't think Nova would be smart enough to think of a plan like that. Alright then, you guys stay here in case the blue one arrives. I'll be in the castle."
"At once, guardian of the night," the mare bowed as they began to disappear in smoke. "We shall test the Element of Loyalty."
...
Elsewhere, in the denser region of the forest, White Nebula hacked his way through with a magically conjured machete. The prickly branches and thorn bushes were beginning to get on his nerves. He wanted badly to fell the entire overgrowth before him, but he knew that would only leave an obvious trail for the meddling Elements of Harmony to follow. Nevertheless, he pressed on through the brush, remembering the direction to the fabled castle, and ready to fend off any monstrous creature lurking in wait.
As he trekked through the dark trail, an idea came to Nebula. He knew full well from their first attack that the Elemental mares were easily frightened, especially the yellow pegasus. Hoping that they would cower away, Nebula used his magic to alter the environment around him. His aura enveloped the crooked trees, twisting and bending them into hideous forms and carving demonic faces into the bark. His plan was to turn the Everfree Forest into a land of nightmare.
"Who are you, stranger?" came a mysterious voice. "Do you not know this path leads to danger?"
Nebula spun around quick, alerted by the deep female voice. From out of the brush came an alluring creature, not a pony exactly, but exotic to him all the same.
"Why do you contort the trees into an ugly mass?" she spoke lyrically. "This is my home that you have trespassed."
"A zebra?" spoke Nebula with curiosity. "Mother taught me about your kind. I would've expected you to be dwelling in such a desolate place. Ponies of the bush, are you not called?"
The zebra glared at the pompous unicorn from under her hood, unamused by his judgement. "You see me as a witch, I presume?" she replied. "Like the rest of Ponyville who wrongly assume. What makes you brave enough to come all the way out here? Does my presence not grip you in fear?"
"I'm not afraid of anything in this savage land." Nebula sneered. "I'm a guardian of Nightmare Moon. Your voodoo is nothing in the face of my pure magic."
"A minion of darkness, you I find." The zebra spoke as she paced around him. "Yet darkness only makes the world blind."
"You don't know the extent of my power, witch." Nebula replied. "I am just one of three brothers who will help our mother Nightmare Moon guide Equestria to a new future."
"The fate of Equestria is not for you or me to decide." The zebra continued. "But your future, and your past, I can surely see inside. For me a simple witch you mistook, but rest assured my dear, I can read you like a book."
"You know nothing about me!" snapped Nebula.
"I know that you were of this earth," she said. "A unicorn of Canterlot, you've been since birth. You had a mother and father, and a sister as well. But later on in your youth, to the magic of night, you had been compelled. Your memory erased, no older than a boy, you soon became the dark princess's toy."
Nebula's temper flared as he levitated his machete, pointing it in her direction. "Enough of your foul tongue, witch!" he barked. "You're not the first one who tried to turn me by feeding me lies! I've defeated the traitor Celestia, and what I did to her will be ten times as effective on you!"
"My clairvoyance tells only the truth." The zebra said, turning away from him to collect a bundle of poppies. "But you refuse to accept it, my dear youth."
Nebula lowered his weapon and scoffed. "I don't have time to waste with you." He turned away to continue on the trail.
But the zebra immediately placed a hoof on his shoulder, seeming to be in a trance-like state. "I see it, the future you face." She spoke dismally. "A battle you will fight in a forgotten place. Between sons of darkness, and daughters of light. But only you will fall to friendship's might. And yet, out of the dust you create, you will be brought out from all of your hate. The lost sons will once again be home, and the lonely goddess will no longer be alone."
For a slight moment, Nebula stood in silence, contemplating the cryptic words of the mysterious mare. But once again, he refused to listen to her premonition, and wiped off her hoof. "I don't need to listen to the mad babbling of a witch." He grumbled as he walked off. "I've wasted enough time already."
"Take heed, Shining Armor, and beware," called the zebra. "The future ahead may be too much to bear."
Nebula stopped in his tracks and quickly spun around. "What did you call me?!"
But when he turned to threaten the zebra again, she was nowhere in sight. Not even a rustling of the bushes signified her departure, as if she had never been there to begin with. Nebula stood puzzled. The thought crept into his mind that maybe he had been hallucinating, or that perhaps it was a trick of the tail from the Elements of Harmony. Nonetheless, he quickly put these thoughts out of his head, and continued toward the castle, where the final decision would be made for the fate of Equestria, and his own.