Twilight ponders the current situation as she packs a few things for the night in the Everfree Forest, a move she deemed very unsafe. Regardless, Tim urged that they do for the sake of his own wishes. But little did she know, this trip would reveal the information she wished to know, and some she wish she hadn't........................................
Spike was grabbing a few of his things for the expedition into the Everfree. Twilight had asked him if wanted to tag along and he accepted the offer, as the prospect of retrieving a bunch of human artifacts sounded somewhat interesting. However, he found it strange that his older sister didn't seem nearly as interested. When he finished gathering his belongings, he turned around to look at Twilight who had a very nonchalant expression on her face. Noting that something was off, he asked the question.
"Hey Twilight, what's wrong?" Spike asked with sincerity.
"Huh?" said Twilight in a very confused manner.
"I asked what was wrong."
"Why would you think anything is wrong, Spike?"
"Twilight, you'd usually be jumping on all hooves over an opportunity like this. But you just seem kinda lifeless about it. What's up?"
"Sorry, I was just thinking to myself, I'm fine, and I am excited, just, think of all the things we'll find." she said with a not-so-convincing smile.
Spike raised an eyebrow to that claim, as it was evidently clear that wasn't the case.
"Uh-huh................so what were you thinking about?"
"What?"
"I asked what were you thinking about?"
Twilight opened her mouth as if she was about to speak, but the silence only prolonged. Spike definitely knew something was up by now. Twilight never made a habit of hiding things from him, and when she did it was clearly noticeable. Keeping a secret wasn't necessarily her forte. She refused to tell him what had happened last night and she seemed to be continuing the same trend now.
"...............It was nothing important.............just some last minute things I needed to take into account before we leave." said Twilight.
"Yeah, okay."
Spike decide to leave it at that, for now at least. If her behavior was still like this well after they left Ponyville, then he'd be worried and press the issue again. Spike grabbed his bag and tightened it across his back.
"You ready to go, Twilight?" he asked.
Twilight turned to the bed where she had been packing her saddlebags. She brought her notebook where she'd been keeping tabs on anything relating to Tim and humans, a few field instruments, a camera, a sleeping bag, and a few extra gems for Spike, in case he ate through his own reserve he packed and got hungry along the way. She double-checked everything one last time before closing the flaps on her bags and laying them across her back.
"I am now." Twilight replied.
The two left the room and headed towards the front door of the castle where Tim was waiting.
Celestia had everything prepared for the little excursion that had been set up. It had been quite awhile since she wore a saddlebag, a couple good centuries at least. It felt awkward to wear one again after such a long time.
Odd, I don't remember it being this heavy. she thought to herself.
However her main concern as of now wasn't with her bag, but rather with the captain of her personal guard, Stout Shield, and putting his worries to rest.
"Your Majesty, please I beg you reconsider this." urged Stout Shield. "The Everfree is no place for a royal."
He was worried that the Princesses had been too trusting of this human, and that Tim was leading them into some sort of trap. Celestia was fond that he was concerned of her well-being, but she made it all the more clear that she and the others had made up their mind about it.
"Stout, I understand your concern, but you have nothing to fear. I'm certain Tim wishes us no harm." said Celestia.
"How can you be so certain of that, your majesty? He suggested that neither you nor Luna take any of your guards with you, why would he suggest that? I think he wishes to see you without any sort of security because-"
"He explained why, saying it would gain too much attention to ourselves, and considering how the Everfree is dangerous, it's best we not run into any trouble along the way."
"But if you were to get into trouble, then wouldn't it be best to have the necessary protection?"
"I trust Tim's advice on this matter, Captain, he seems to be trained in this sort of thing. If anything does happen, I'm sure my sister and I can handle it. Now, I should get going, stay here with the rest of the guard and wait for our return."
Before he could add any more input onto the matter she had already left the room, leaving the Captain to his duty. Celestia made her way down the hallway. As she trotted along she saw that Luna had walked out into the hallway from her bedroom with her saddlebags all packed. Judging from the way she was constantly turning around to tuck and pull at the straps, it seemed as if she was similar difficulties as Celestia. During the whole adjustment process, Luna looked up at her sister who had approached her and then proceeded to continue what she was doing.
"Hello sister." said Luna, using her aura to tighten some of the bag's straps. "Tell me, I haven't used these things since before I was..............away. We're they always so loose? It feels as if it keeps slipping, but I'm not entirely sure if I'm wearing it correctly."
Celestia cracked a smile and a light chuckle, as Luna's attempt to adjust to the object seemed more dire than Celestia's.
"Here, let me help you."said Celestia.
Celestia used her magic to fit the saddlebag properly on Luna. Luna then took a moment to get a feel for the appropriately tightened bag and found it to her liking.
"Is that better?" asked Celestia.
"Well, I guess so? Was it always this heavy?" said Luna.
"Seems like we both need to adjust ourselves to these things." Celestia chuckled.
"I'd say so, It's been awhile since we did anything like this. Going out into who knows where to find some lost relics."
"Not since we were young mares, but who knows, maybe a return to an activity such as this will prove to be fun.......or at least relieve some of the stress from...."
Celestia and Luna were now silent, as they both consciously knew what she was referring to. The human condition was ultimately depressing. They both came from a world in which society was mostly peaceful, and when trouble emerged to threaten that peace it was usually resolved by magical and benevolent means. But when they heard of Tim's world and just how different it was, it came across as unfathomable. This was a world where everyone was thrown into a scenario they never asked for, and suffered greatly because of it. As he told Celestia, everyone resorted to desperate measure to cling onto life and Luna got a full picture of how this world scarred him in the heated night prior.
But something told Luna that wouldn't be the case for long. Celestia had whispered into Luna's ear right after Tim told them how many humans were left. She told her that they needed to discuss some things in privacy when they had the chance. Unfortunately it was looking like that wouldn't be anytime soon, as they were about to accompany Tim, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie into the Everfree to find the materials they needed to construct a portal. For what Celestia wished to discuss, Luna couldn't say, only that it was of the utmost importance.
Tim stood leaning against the front door of the castle, waiting for the others to regroup so they could leave. Some of the dread that had been weighing him down the last couple of days had seemed to have been relieved. Despite revealing some very important information that he didn't wish to share beforehand, he wasn't as troubled by it as he thought he'd be. He began to recollect on the time he had spent in Equestria, and came to the consensus that he was probably more of a danger to them than they were to his kind. He was still under the mindset that he needed to be the example, prove humanity needed a second chance.
Tim couldn't help but think he was deceiving them just a little, even though he hadn't done anything that could remotely make anyone believe that. He had been honest with them, answered most of the questions, and when he didn't he explained why. Perhaps his old troubles had been replaced with new ones, and that this was some sort of sick joke fate decided to play on him. Tim grew frustrated a little and cleared his head of the concept, he was tired of thinking about it. It was in the nick of time too, as Twilight had come into view, along with her assistant, Spike. Both of them wore packs on their backs which lead Tim to believe that Spike would be accompanying them as well.
"Hey princess, you ready to leave?" Tim asked.
"I am." she replied.
"Hey Tim." greeted Spike.
"Hey Spike. You coming too?"
"Yep." Spike said eagerly.
"I hope that's alright." said Twilight. "I know you said we needed to stay within a small group, but I felt I should at least ask him to come along."
"Well, he's small, so he's probably not going to be all that noticeable, but are you sure it's a good idea bringing him along? If this forest is as dangerous as you say it is, bringing a a youngster along is probably the last thing you wanna do."
"Hey, I'm not too young, the Everfree doesn't scare me!" said Spike.
"If he were by himself I'd be worried, but as his guardian I'll be watching him, plus with you, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and Pinkie Pie around I'm sure he'll be perfectly safe."
Tim knew better than to argue with her, he was her guardian after all. And for the Everfree itself, he didn't think this forest was all that dangerous, considering where he came from.
"Okay." said Tim. "Now all we have to do is wait for The Princesses to show up and we can be on our way. You pack everything you need?"
" I think so, what about you? Do you have everything?" she asked.
"Everything I own is on me, so I'm ready to roll."
A few seconds afterwards, Celestia and Luna had turned the corner and came directly into view.
"Hello again Mr. Berfield, and a hello to you as well Miss Sparkle, and.........Young Spike?" said Luna.
"He's coming too." said Tim.
"Very well."
"Well, now that everyone's here, we can head out. Everybody have what they need?" asked Tim.
"I suppose, though it would have helped if you had specified what we should have brought."
"Oh, well damn I didn't even think about that, sorry. Guess I'm just used to working with people who are prepped for about anything."
"Well, no harm done I suppose." said Celestia. "We only brought what we felt was necessary, after all, we do have a task to attend to."
"Right, if this place is as dangerous as you say, we probably need to get going now, we'll need as much daylight as possible if we're gonna make it there before nightfall." said Tim.
The group all seemed to nod in agreement. Twilight used her magic to open the doors to her castle and the five stepped outside to begin their mission.
As the group walked through Ponyville, the residents seemed to bow in respect to Celestia and Luna, while Tim still received mixed results. Tim focused on following Twilight to the gazebo in an attempt to ignore the many looks he was getting. As they made their way through the town, Tim couldn't help but overhear some of the whispers from bystanders.
"* That thing is still with her?*"
"*I saw it yesterday, what's it doing with the princesses?*"
"*I guess it's friendly if it's with the princesses.*"
"*It's so weird-looking.*"
"*What in Equestria is it wearing?*"
"*What's that thing on its back, some sort of tool?*"
"*Are those its claws, they're not even sharp?*"
"*You know, it's not really that intimidating, is it.*"
"*Its beard is really hairy.*"
The comments about him were endless, but none of them warranted Tim worry. He noticed that many still didn't know exactly what he was, and he would've liked to keep it that way, for fear of any rumors starting. Thankfully, the dreadful feelings he got from yesterday's walk out into town were absent. Twilight did say that with time these ponies would be a little more friendly towards him. He wasn't entirely sure if that would ever be the case, and he probably wouldn't stick around long enough to find ,but perhaps there were signs that it may be true. For one thing, he noticed that the townsfolk didn't necessarily look frightened whenever they saw him. Some even stepped in a little closer to get a better look at him. If he had a word to describe their behavior, it would've been curious. Whether or not he was taking a step in the right direction, he was just glad that he wasn't scaring the townsfolk anymore. But then again, this difference that may have been due to the company he was currently with.
After a sharp turn and a short-distance walk, they arrived at the gazebo on the outskirts of town Tim saw that Pinkie Pie was already waiting for them. However, he let out an irritated sigh upon seeing that the rest of Twilight's friends who he had met a few days earlier would be tagging along for the ride, with saddlebags, sleeping bags, and a small carriage.
"Hey, what took you so long?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"Well, we can't all be as fast as you I'm afraid." said Twilight.
"Hello Princess Celestia, Hello Princess Luna." greeted Fluttershy.
"It's good to see all again." said Celestia. "I assume you will be accompanying us?"
"Sure as the sun shines, Pinkie told us what y'all were up to, thought y'all might need a hoof draggin' that stuff back to Ponyville so I pulled out the wagon from the barn." said Applejack.
"So much for a small group." said Tim.
"Okay, I maybe I went a little overboard with the amount of friends I invited, but I had to ask, we're friends, and it's always best when we do things together!" said Pinkie Pie in defense.
"Yeah, and there's no way we're letting you take our friends somewhere without us." said Rainbow Dash.
"What she means to say is that we thought it be best if we travel together." said Applejack.
"We promise we won't get in the way." said Fluttershy.
"Tim, it's just four more ponies than last time." said Twilight. "No big deal."
Tim placed his hand on his forehead and let out a sigh. Part of him told him that he knew this was coming. Pinkie and her ability to twist reality made it evidently clear that she was going to do something unexpected.
"Kind of defeats the purpose of what we were trying to accomplish, but I can also see that y'all made up your minds. I'm gonna get started on retracing my steps."
Tim started to circle around the gazebo, trying to jog his memory to get a feel for which direction he came from. The others started to chat amongst themselves.
"You sure he's going to be able to find his way back through the Everfree on memory alone?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"He said he was trained as a scout." said Twilight.
"So is he a soldier? Like the royal guard?" asked Rarity.
"Well he is a soldier, but I'm not sure I would compare him to our royal guard." said Twilight.
"Yeah, I'll say, he doesn't even resemble what a guard should look like." said Rainbow Dash.
"I wouldn't be so quick to assume Miss Dash." said Luna. "When Miss Pie surprised us in the library Mr. Berfield displayed an incredibly fast reflexive defense. I don't think I've seen somepony pull out a knife so quickly."
"OH! So that's what that was for, I thought he pulled it out to so he could cut himself a slice of cake. Although, now that I think about it, I don't think cake knifes are seven inches long and have a serrated blade." said Pinkie.
"Wait! He pulled out a knife on Pinkie?!" asked an alarmed Rainbow Dash.
"Oh dear..." gasped Fluttershy.
"When did this happen?!" asked Rarity.
"Why didn't you tell anypony, Pinkie!?" asked Twilight. "Tim!"
Tim was momentarily taken away from his work by the sudden outcry. He turned to see the whole group was now looking directly at him, and all had either an angry or worried look on their faces.
"Uh, Yeah?" he asked.
Before any of them could stop her, Rainbow Dash turned and flew over to Tim, hovering right in front of his face.
"Hey, what's up with you pulling a knife on our friend?" asked Rainbow.
Tim recalled the moment that had happened earlier. He didn't see why they were making a big deal over it, Pinkie Pie didn't even see remotely vexed or threatened when it happened. Luna the first to come to his defense, as she was the only other one there when it happened.
"Miss Dash, I believe it wasn't his intent to do harm to Miss Pie. Once he knew who startled him he sheathed it immediately." said Luna.
"Sorry about that, usually when something out of nowhere pops out in front of my face it has the intent of ripping it off." said Tim. "Call it an impulse."
"Impulse?!" said a perplexed Rainbow Dash. "Why would anypony react like that, towards Pinkie Pie no less!?"
"Tim's world is an unforgiving place, Rainbow." said Celestia. "The remaining populace has taken up a survivalist lifestyle just to stay alive, so his response was appropriate. But Tim, I hope you realize that what you did isn't acceptable behavior."
"Appropriate or not princess, I hope you're aware that we don't ever want it happening again!" said a stern Rainbow Dash to Tim.
Tim could tell that Rainbow Dash still perceived him as a threat, despite her being absent for the last couple of days. Tim hadn't seen any of Twilight's friends since the second day, but even after all that time, Rainbow Dash still seemed to have it out for him. Maybe it was out of fear, or maybe it was out of uncertainty.Though after a moment of thought, Tim did see things her way, and understood why she was angry.
"Y'all gotta realize that I tend react to what happens around me, and sometimes I react violently, especially when I don't know what's going on. But in retrospect, I suppose it was kind of a dick move on my part. Sorry for pulling a knife out on ya, Pinkie."
"Aww, no problemo Timeo! You can't help it if you're scared all the time!" exclaimed Pinkie.
"Now hold on I never said I was scared." said Tim in defense.
"Then why did you scream when I surprised you?"
By now the group of ponies in front of him were trying to hold in from snickering, Luna and Celestia included, to which former got a displeasing look from Tim, considering how she was just as caught off guard as he was when it happened. Tim grunted, rolling his eyes in the process.
"Alright, alright, I said I was sorry, no need to make mock as well." said Tim.
Tim turned back around to recall his course from the first day he came to Equestria. His day ended when he slept on the bench, and before he had been interrupted by the ponies, he was trying to think back on where he had approached it from. He took a quick look around and remembered that he had to go downhill from his little vantage point from that night. In the span of a few short seconds, Tim had a trial to follow, remembering the exact manner he came from. He turned to the group."
"It's this way." Tim announced, pointing his finger in the direction he deemed correct. "I remember coming downhill and approaching this thing from the front, y'all set to go?" he asked them.
The group was caught by surprise from how short he was able to retrace the events from three nights ago. After a short session of confounded looks, the group answered in a simultaneous yes.
"Okay then, make sure everybody has everything they need and fall behind me." Tim announced. "I'll be leading the way from here."
Each member of the party performed a quick double check of their things to see if they had everything they needed. Once they were done everybody formed a staggered column behind Tim. Applejack strapped herself into the wagon's harness and began pulling it along. Tim led the group on a slight uphill for about 200 yards until they came upon the spot Tim had used to survey the town three nights prior. Tim recognized it from a few distinct visual surroundings and from the building layout of Ponyville, with every structure in the same position as it was the night he surveyed it.
"This is where I scouted out the area." said Tim.
"Okay, where to now?" asked Twilight.
Tim took a good look around the area, taking the minute details of the environment into account. He was getting no leads, until he spotted the stream he followed through the branches of a small tree standing a few yards away from him. It was day, so he was able to spot it clearly.
"That stream, I followed it down for a ways to get here. Guess we follow it again."
"And where would that be exactly?" asked Rarity.
"Well, I'll have to spot it out." Tim replied.
"Well, that's assuring. What's your plan, keep walking until something looks familiar?" said Rainbow Dash sarcastically.
"Oh, I'm sorry, do you wanna lead the way?" said Tim in a sarcastically spiteful tone. "You of course would know the way I came."
"Come on guys, no fighting." said Twilight. "Tim, Rainbow does have a point, can you recall anything about where you found the stream leading into town? Anything that might tell us where you started from?"
"No, but trust me when I say I'll know it when I see it. Now come on, we need to cover as much ground as possible if we want to make it before dark."
"And if we get lost?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Tim then pulled something out of his backpack. The group leaned in to see what it was. Out he pulled a thin metal rod, sharpened at one end and with a bright orange strand at the end hanging off to the side. He took it and jabbed it into the ground.
"Uh, what is that?" Twilight asked.
"It's a marker, a way to keep track of where we've been. In case we do get lost or lose the path we can use these markers to follow." said Tim
"Hey that's actually pretty handy."
"Yeah, we use em' out in the wastes a lot. Usually they indicate a safe path towards an outpost or fortification, but in this instance we'll use it to find our way back."
Tim continued on, with Celestia and Luna pressed onward. Twilight looked to her friends, who in return looked to her for guidance. Though Rainbow Dash doubted Tim's abilities, Twilight had a strong sense that he knew what he was doing. The way he had been recalling how he came into town that night was precise and exact, and the fact that he was now tracking their movements with markers left little room for doubt.
"Come on girls, we best get moving." said Twilight.
The group followed their friend, with Rainbow Dash vocalizing her discontent with the decision.
"Fine! Let's go." said Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow dear, whatever is the matter, why do you hold this grudge against him?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah, RD, the way you're acting is cause for concern." said Applejack.
"He still makes me uneasy, and that whole pulling a knife on Pinkie Pie is still bugging me." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Geeze Dashie, it's not like he did it on purpose!" said Pinkie Pie.
"You mean to tell me that you weren't the least bit frightened when he pulled the knife out."
"Not really, Tim doesn't strike me as the scary type, I don't think he was looking to hurt me."
"Twilight, I meant to ask, has he done anything..........you know, dangerous?"
"No, Rainbow, he hasn't. But I have found out a lot about his kind." said Twilight.
"Like what?" asked Fluttershy.
"Like the princess told you every other human in his world took up a survivalist lifestyle and Tim told you how bad his world was. But what we didn't know until this morning was just how desperate their condition is."
"How desperate are we talking?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"The Conflict killed billions like Tim said, only 50,000 managed to survive."
The group all gasped out of shock at the morbid revelation, with Rarity almost fainting in the process.
"Oh my goodness." Fluttershy said sheepishly.
"Sweet Celestia, Cloudsdale has a population at least three times that size!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"All those humans! Just gone!? How's that even possible?!" yelled Pinkie Pie.
"What in Equestria did they do to each other!?" asked Applejack.
"Twilight,.....is.....that what you were hiding from me?" Spike asked.
"HEY!" yelled Tim. "What's the holdup!?"
Tim had heard a commotion from behind which inclined him to turn his head. He saw that the mane six and Spike were lagging behind by a solid fifty feet. They seemed to have stirred quite a commotion as all of them were speaking sporadically in raised voices. The group just stood silent and looking at Tim. He was too far off to get a good look at their expressions and was thus oblivious to the faces of sympathy he was receiving.
"C'mon, we've wasted enough time already!" he yelled.
As he and the two Alicorn sisters resumed their course, the mane six slowly resumed as well, now speaking in hushed tones.
"He keeps telling us that it was the war that killed his people, but even if his race is extremely violent, it would have taken several centuries to kill that many." said Twilight. "If I recall, he said it only lasted a few decades."
"You think something else could have been responsible?" Fluttershy asked.
"No, but I think it was a weapon they used, but I can't say for sure." said Twilight.
"What makes ya say that, Twilight?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, and another thing, how we know if he's telling the truth. I mean, I'm not trying to call him a liar or anything, but what if parts of his story aren't completely true." said Rainbow Dash.
"I don't think he's lying. When Princess Celestia and Princess Luna arrived last night they brought one of Starswirl's journals. Starswirl apparently traveled to Earth with the mirror portal Celestia used to see King Sombra, Tim, he, broke down when he read it, so I have to say what he says is true."
"Really? What was it like? What did he say?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"It's as inhospitable and dangerous as Tim says, but at a much worse time in history. I definitely think he traveled to Earth during the prime of The Conflict. In it he described something that essentially wiped out everything in sight."
"How's that even possible?" Applejack asked.
"It never explained how it exactly functioned, but it did explain what happened. A massive cloud of fire and ash that raised well over a hundred feet in the air and a shockwave soon forming afterwards, It incinerated and killed anything in its path."
The description of this feat of killing power left the group uneasy and wondering what could have done something of that magnitude.
"It couldn't have been a magic spell, could it?" Rarity asked.
"I don't think so. Like Tim said, his world is devoid of any sort of magic, and with the way he's been reacting to mine it's clear he's never seen it before."
"Maybe it was something else that did it." suggested Rainbow Dash. "Did humans have any enemies? I mean, we're always odd at either changelings or some other sort of creatures that want to pick a fight."
"He made it clear that humans destroyed each other, so I 'm led to believe that humans were the ones that made it. He pointed out to me that his species' has a knack for creating technology."
"You mean to tell us some whacko actually built it?" said Pinkie Pie.
"Why would anypony want to build something like that?" asked Spike.
Twilight couldn't come up with an answer for that. Perhaps it was just in their nature, or perhaps the idea of creating something that intentionally kills was just foreign to ponykind. Either way, Twilight was desperate to find out what it was, and whether or not it still existed. Tim said many things were lost to the war, hopefully whatever this weapon was, was lost as well.
"Perhaps we should ask." stated Twilight.
"Yeah, I'm with Twilight on this one, we should get the information out of him now!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Not now, Rainbow, we still have a mission to attend to. Maybe once we've reached the spot Tim came into our world from, then we can ask."
"Pfft, if we reach the spot he entered from." Rainbow scowled.
Twilight and her friends picked up speed in order to catch up with Tim. The route they took took them by the right side of the stream and into the outskirts of the Everfree forest.
After about an hour of walking and another marker placed, Tim slowed his pace and started spanning his gaze towards ground level. Twilight had no doubt that he was looking for clues or any sort of evidence as where he first encountered the stream. Twilight inched forward next to Tim, as she was curious as to how he performed his search. He was very methodical about it. Looking at about a 45 degree angle down and spanning at a radius of about 60 degrees. He rarely blinked and and followed his method at a repeating interval of at least 15-20 seconds. Twilight was about to pull out her notebook to write down her findings, when Tim stopped dead in his tracks.
"Stop!" he ordered.
The group came to a slow halt. Tim was silent, still looking to his surroundings.
"Um, Tim, why did we stop?" Fluttershy asked.
"I think we're close."
"You think we're close? Or do you not know where we are?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Tim let out a disgruntled sigh. He was growing tired of being at odds with Rainbow Dash.
"Look, I really don't need you second guessing me on every one of my decisions. So if you would be so kind, why don't you try to have just a little faith in me." Tim said in an irritated tone.
Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes as Tim continued to survey the stream shore in great detail.
"Right there, by the bank." he said pointing at the spot.
Everypony peered over to look at the spot in question which stood about 21 yards from where Tim was standing. On the muddy shore, were the faint footprints left from Tim's combat boots.
"These prints come out of the woods and face towards the opposite side of the stream. Guess that would be the place where I found it alright."
"Good eye, Tim." complemented Celestia. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said you were trained as a scout."
"Have to have a good sense of direction where I come from, last thing ya wanna do is get lost. It can mean life or death in most cases." said Tim.
Tim placed yet another marker down and walked over to the footprints and faced himself in the opposite direction of where they faced. Tim looked up at eye level and saw the endless stretch of the Everfree before him.
"Alright, everyone file in behind me. Should be a straight shot this direction." Tim announced.
The ponies did as he instructed and formed behind him. Tim turned around to see if everyone was accounted for. As soon as they were, he took the first step forward into the wild forest from which he came.
"Are we there yet?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"That's the fifth time you've asked said Tim.
"Well, are we?"
"No." Tim scowled.
"You sure?"
"Do you see crap littered all over the ground?"
"Uhm, no."
"Then we still have a ways to go."
Pinkie and the others all gave disgruntled sighs. It had been two hours since they departed from the stream and they had been walking for about two hours straight without any sort of rest. Tim had thankfully been keeping constant at placing down his markers, so getting lost was the least of their worries. It was boredom that was the real issue.
"How did you not die from a lack of interest, Tim? This is so boring!" Rainbow Dash complained.
"I will agree with Miss Dash, it has been a rather tiring and uneventful journey thus far." said Luna.
"Well maybe for you, but it wasn't boring for me. First time I ever seen a natural growing tree in my life, let alone a whole forest full of them, so walking through this place was like a dream come true."
"Gosh, if this is how you perceive walking through a forest, I'd hate to know what walking through your world is like." Rainbow Dash scowled.
"Walking through my world is like a constant game of life and death, things get tense and dreadful, not boring. Besides, didn't y'all say this forest was like the scariest thing ever. I sure as hell don't see anything that's scary about it."
"The Everfree is dangerous for sure, but I will admit, after two hours of just walking, I'd say things have been pretty dull." said Twilight.
"Makes you wish that we'd come across something." said Spike.
"Well, y'all can look forward to where we're headin'." suggested Tim.
The group gave that some thought. They found it strange that after all this time, they hadn't even once asked a question pertaining to what they might find.
"Alrighty then, so what will we be looking for?" Applejack asked.
"Well, when I came to all I saw were papers." said Tim.
"So we're walking out into the middle of the Everfree to retrieve some litter? That ain't really exciting."
"Whether it's exciting or not isn't the issue, paper alone may not be enough material to create the connection for the portal." Luna stated.
"Well, like I said, that's just what I saw, I was focused on finding my hat cause' lost it on the way in, but there may be bigger objects that got thrown a ways back." said Tim.
"And what leads to believe that may be the case?" Celestia asked.
"Think of it this way, if that portal was strong enough to suck me in, I'm sure it was strong enough to pull literally everything lighter than me in as well."
"Alright, fair point."
"So besides paper, what else may be there to find?" Twilight asked.
"uh.......I dunno..........mementos, desk decor, a clipboard....."
The objects Tim was listing didn't particularly sound unique, as these were common items that could be found in Equestria.
"Oh, and probably a fair share of electronics."
"Elec-whattas?" said a confused Pinkie Pie.
"Electronics, small little portable devices that run off electricity."
That item in particular aroused a common interest within the party.
"What do they look like." Twilight asked.
"Pfft, shit, they all look different, but if I had to summarize I guess I'd have to say they're like small metal or plastic boxes with buttons all over them."
"What do they do, necessarily?" Rarity asked.
"A bunch of things, some play music, record video, you can play games on some.
"Hey that sounds pretty cool." said Spike.
"Although I personally don't get a hold on em' for too long. They gotta be shipped back home for Preservation to store, catalog, and then distribute."
"Were they common back before the war?" Celestia asked.
"I'd sure say so, we sure seem to find a lot of em' when we go scavenging, I think it's because...."
The conversation was abruptly ended when a sudden and bone chilling growl came from the trees. Tim immediately slung his gun around and switched it to semi-auto. The sudden abnormality caused a stir within the party. Spike, Rarity and Fluttershy darted their heads in various directions, most likely attempting to get a glimpse of what made the noise. Applejack and Rainbow Dash took up defensive stances. Twilight, Luna, and Celestia had their horns glowing ready to cast if needed. The group as a whole was ready face whatever was to be thrown at them.
"Well, I guess the trip just got more eventful?" Tim retorted.
The rest of the party gave him distasteful looks.
"Not the time Mister Berfield." said Luna.
A rustle in the foliage caught Tim's attention, and he took aim towards it. Soon enough the others took noticed and focused their attention towards it. Out of the brush, came something Tim had never seen before. It was canine like creature that stood about 4 feet tall. The creature was entirely composed of wooden trunks and branches. It looked right at the group with its snarling wooden fangs bared and its eyes glowing a florescent green.
"What the hell is that?" Tim asked.
"It's a Timberwolf. Everypony, be on your guard." said Twilight.
"Guessing from the dog-like appearance, I take it they're pack animals?"
"Yes. But I think he may have lost his pack, they're usually together when they attack."
"I highly doubt he's alone."
Tim knew this behavior all to well. Back home, a variety of mutants used pack numbers and would develop clever tactics to take down their prey. Skags, Watchmen, Screamers, Spikers, Deathhounds, and numerous others used similar strategies. This Timberwolf was probably no different, bait the target's attention with an intimidating display while the others attack from an unseen position.
Tim turned around and looked behind to see if anything was coming their way. The group, confused as to why he took his attention off the Timberwolf in front of them, was puzzled as to what Tim was doing.
"Hey genius, the Timberwolf is front of us!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"And there's probably more just watching us. If they're pack animals, that means there's always more than one."
Another rustle from the foliage line in front of him would soon serve as a confirmation on his suspicions. As Tim focused in and saw six pairs of glowing eyes appeared from the shadows of the woods ahead. Tim had his gun raised ready to fire as one of the now seen Timberwolves charged at him, with two others following in pursuit.
"We got three coming in from behind!"
Luna was the first to respond to his callout. Quickly turning she saw the three Timberwolves were in fact rushing them at top speed. Quickly she attempted to cast an attack spell aimed for the one closest to them, but not before one of the others screamed. Distracted she canceled out her spell and turned around to see that two more had emerged from their left and tried to attack, but not before Celestia casted a shielding spell over all of them, Luna and Tim included.
Tim dumbfounded as to why everything in sight took on a golden hue. He looked around to see that Celestia had conjured some sort of barrier. He was actually amazed at the fact that this was possible and that their magic went further than just opening doors and making things disappear and reappear.
"Damn, wish I could do that." he said.
"This should keep us safe for a time." said Celestia.
The 6 Timberwolves in sight now began encircling the golden dome, one tried to lash out at Tim, but only hit the exterior of the dome. Regardless, Tim became increasingly alert.
"Well ain't you a mean motherfucker." Tim said.
"Is everypony okay?" Twilight asked.
"I think so, but this trip just took a turn for the worst." said Applejack.
"Okay, stay calm, so we're trapped by six Timberwolves-"
"Nine, three more are hiding in the foliage ahead of me." said Tim.
"Oh dear, how did this happen?" Fluttershy cried out.
"My guess is that we were the big catch for the day, I told y'all that a small group had less chance of getting noticed."
"Coming from the guy who said we wouldn't need any guards." noted Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, sure, don't bring the guards along, what a great idea! It's not like we would need them at all in case of a Timberwolf attack."
"More people would make this situation even worse, now quit your bitchin'. Now's not the time for the time blame game, we'll need to take em' on ourselves." he said.
They all looked at Tim like he was insane. With the exception of Rainbow Dash, who was somewhat surprised, yet satisfied with his solution.
"Hm." she said, with a face that said, now you're speaking my language.
"You're kidding, right?" Twilight asked.
"That's crazy!" Spike yelled.
"Tim, I feel like that's a very dangerous move." said Celestia.
"Dangerous or not, we really don't have much of a choice, now do we. Unless y'all want to wait until they leave, which I highly doubt they will. They got all the time in the world."
"Tim's got a point, I've had my fair share of Timberwolf encounters, and they're persistent to say the least." said Applejack.
Seeing that they really didn't have any other ideas, it only seemed fitting to go forth with Tim's plan.
"What do you have in mind?" Twilight asked.
Tim started the gears in his head grinding for a plan of action. He surveyed his current surroundings. Unfortunately, there was nothing that gave him any distinct advantage over the Timberwolves without him losing an arm in the process. No high ground, no cover, and very little to slow them down. He assumed that they would be able to keep up with him easily, so he'd have to avoid and evade, even fire his gun if one got too close.
Tim was actually hesitant to that for a multitude of reasons. He wasn't sure how the leaders of Equestria would react to how a gun works and what it does, and more importantly, he wasn't entirely sure if his gun would have any effect on the Timberwolves. Last thing he wanted to do was waste his limited ammo supply. They were clearly made of wood, which means they probably lacked any sort of vital organs for a bullet to damage. But maybe they did, after all they seemed to be actively hunting them, which only occurs when something is hungry.
Tim shook his head and try to stay focused on the task at hand. He went over countless maneuvers he and his squad had performed against mutants in the past, trying to find something that he did then that could help him now. Then he recalled a moment which would prove to be useful, but he's would need someone else working with him in order for it to work.
"Let me out of the shield and I'll lure them away from ya'."
"Wait, what?!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Are you crazy?!" Pinkie Pie yelled. "You'll be Timber food!"
"Not if I can evade em', plus I'm not entirely defenseless." he said shaking the rifle he was holding.
Guess we'll finally see what that thing does. Twilight thought to herself.
"Okay, say you do manage to evade them, then what?" Twilight asked.
"While I'm distracting them, The of you rest of you can try picking them off with your spells. When they start following me, start from the rear of the pack then work your way towards the front."
"Well, that might work." said Twilight. "But are you sure you want an entire pack of Timberwolves chasing you down?"
"Yeah, about that." said Tim. "I'm gonna need one of you to help me, we need to split the pack up if this is going to work. Which means, someone else needs to act as bait with me."
The group was looking to each other to see who would be willing to aid Tim in being bait.
"I'll do it." Rainbow Dash announced.
That made Tim bat an eye, as he would have marked her as the last person, or pony, who'd want to volunteer to help him.
"Wait? Really?" questioned Tim.
"Yeah, I'm always ready to do things the hard way." she boldly claimed. "Besides, taking on a pack of Timberwolves has always been a fantasy of mine. They don't call me Rainbow "Danger" Dash for nothing."
"I thought your middle name was Jennifer?" said Pinkie.
Tim snickered at the jab to Rainbow's bravado. Rainbow just rolled her eyes.
"Then it seems we have a plan. I can open the portal briefly to let you two out. Tim, it's your call,when you're ready, say the word and I'll open it." said Celestia.
Rainbow Dash took a stance as if she were about to dart out in a flash. Tim took one that looked like he was about to breach and clear a room, calculating the right moment to initiate his course of action. Unlike Rainbow Dash, he didn't have the luxury of flying, so he's at a much higher risk of becoming lunch.
"Not yet." he said quietly. "Wait for my mark."
The pack was too bunched up together for him to make an effective run out of their reach. He waited for about ten more seconds before he saw his opening. He was ready.
"NOW!"