All the dogs refused to go out for their daily walks.
“Red, come on, you need your lead on if you want to go for a walk.”
“I’m having the same problem with Woody” Shining said, trying his best to calm down the aggravated dog.
“Maybe they’re ill,” Mystic said worriedly.
“If so than let’s tell dad maybe he’ll know, he is a vet after all,” Shining replied
“Okay, and for the last time it’s foster dad.”
So Shining Star hurriedly ran to get their foster dad.
“All right then let’s have a little look at them then shall we” Mystic’s foster dad said as he strolled confidently over to the huge pen the dogs stay in. A while later he could not find anything wrong with Red, or any of the other dogs.
“The only thing wrong with them is that they’re frightened of something, but what I don’t know.”
“Maybe will find something in the library, I once heard that there is a whole area just on animals” Mystic said thoughtfully.
“Well let’s go then” Shining said urgently.
“We’re here” Mystic Moon panted a while later.
After hours and hours searching in the animal section of the library the two children finally found what they were looking for, “I guess this is the one,” so Shining and Mystic turned the first page.
“Nope, nothing in here” Mystic said disappointedly.
Shining and Mystic restarted their search. After an unlucky day the two children returned home with solemn faces and nothing but bad news.
“Did you find anything” their foster dad said hopefully.
“No,” the children chorused.
“Well go to bed then, it’s late” said a worried foster mother. So the brother and sister snuggled down into bed wondering about what the next day would bring.
The next day Mystic awoke to find the sun smiling down at her through the window. Today was going to be a good day she could feel it. After a hearty breakfast Shining Star and Mystic Moon ran as fast as they could to the library.
“We’re here, again” Mystic panted, once more.
This time they had more luck.
“Over here, there’s an old book on strange animal illnesses” Shining Star called.
“Coming,” Mystic shouted back, receiving hundreds of ponies shushing her.
Shining Star and Mystic studied the book for hours. They learnt about a magical book that would grant you any wish and heal any wound, but the part about how was smudged. Although the book did mention the whereabouts of this magical book.
“The Everfree Forest, I’ve never heard of such a place” Shining thought aloud.
“Aye you wouldn’t know”
“What?” The siblings said in unison
“I said you wouldn’t know of the Everfree Forest.” It was an old stallion standing behind them, “And you don’t want to, it’s a petrifying, cold, dark forest always filled with misty ghosts blocking your path.”
There was stillness for a few heart beats. It felt like hours. Then Mystic Moon broke the silence.
“But we have to go, please tell us where it is”
“No, because if you two young uns don’t come back what would I tell your parents”
“We don’t have parents” Mystic gulped, she was very touchy about that.
“Sorry young uns, but you can’t change my mind”
“Please kind sir because if we don’t go the animals might die.” Shining said in the most formal voice he could muster.
“If it is a disease then you can go see a vet”
“But it is not a disease they are frightened of something”
“But why can’t you calm them down if they are so scared”
“We don’t even know what is terrifying them, so how can we calm them down”
“All right then, if you are so desperate”
“Yes, we really are”
“It’s 60 miles north from here, find it at your peril” and with that he walked of.
“We should go, we have to go” Mystic said determinedly.
“But it could be dangerous” Her older brother said, being cautious, as always.
“But, but what if Red and the other animals ran off, what if they injure themselves, what if-”
“I don’t know, anyway maybe they’ve calmed down now.”
“They haven’t, they haven’t, I checked on them before we left and they’re still wild”
As they debated over what to do the sun sank lower and lower in to the mouth of the horizon until it vanished entirely and the moon began its stroll across the night sky. The next day the two children argued some more and the next day and the next until they finally came to an agreement.
“So we’re going?”
“Yes. Of course we are”
“Then let’s make our plans”
So for the next few days the courageous twosome planed and planed until there was nothing left to plan.
“If we leave at around eight o’clock than we’ll have a little walking time before we find a place to sleep that night” Shining said, thinking carefully.
“Shall we leave in three or four days, I mean we need time to get ready and pack up” Mystic said.
“Come on then we don’t want to waste time.”
And with that they ran to their rooms to start packing their clothes and a few other necessities.
Tiptoeing silently down the stairs the two adventurers sneaked out the front door lying that they were going to see the animals, incase they were better.
“Well it’s a shame that Red and the others aren't better yet, I know Red would have loved to come along” Mystic stated.
“Well if they were fine we wouldn’t need to be going, and keep it down” Shining and his logic won again. They opened the gate. Walked slowly out. The gate was closed behind them. The journey had begun.