Three days.
Three full days of those damn archives. For Twilight, it was just another study session and even opted to reschedule her meeting for interviews, something she hated doing dearly. For Silver, it mostly just exhausting. On top of having to keep to his regimen, he had to spend the rest of his hours in the archives.
And for the other four, it was hell.
So. Many. Paper cuts.
Page after page, book after book. Their eyes worked tirelessly as their brains attempted to connect events they read about to the ponies they'd discovered. Nothing seemed to stick though. No matter what they tried, the signer of the book remained elusive, and it's creator seemingly non-existent. The only connection they could find was The One Who Wanders, but even the fairy tale seemed to be lacking in information.
The wolf in the room sighed, “This is getting us nowhere,” he admitted in defeat.
“That's not true,” Twilight tried, “We've got....um, what have we got again?”
“Nothing,” Ruppy fired back, “None of these damn ponies can relate to the book and the only one that might is an incredibly far fetched story that might not even have anything to do with the book.”
“Okay then let's go with that,” Twilight proposed, “Far fetched though it may be, if we can't find any other leads then we might as well start with the little one we do have. So Ruppy, what have you found?”
Flipping her note book open, that Twilight had insisted she use, the pegasus went over her scribbles, “The tale of The One Who Wanders is about a pony who...well wanders. No one knows who, why or where he/she is headed. It appears to just show up through out history. The area near the valley was just one of many places it popped up in, but since it was also four hundred years ago, I figure maybe it had something to do with the book.”
“Wait a moment,” Twilight intervened, “Throughout history? Going how far back?”
“Um, farthest I've gotten is about nine hundred years, so almost an entire millennium. This story has been around for a while, which is why I find it weird and super annoying that there's no information.”
“Well if its been around that long, then I'm sure Celestia or Luna must know about it. We should ask them,” Twilight said, getting up from her chair to leave.
Silver raised himself as well, popping a few joints before heading out behind her, “You all stay here,” he called back over his shoulder, “We'll be back in a minute.”
Another choir of groans echoed from the room and down the hall, eliciting a laugh from both the alicorn and the wolf at her side. A few minutes later, they'd found themselves in front of Celestia's study.
Raising a hoof and knocking, Twilight waited for the voice on the other side to call.
“Come in.” Celestia answered, and the two outside pushed in.
“Oh, Twilight. Silver,” she greeted as they approached, “How is your research going?”
“Not too well,” Twilight responded, taking a seat on one of the cushions in front of the desk, “We've been looking for three days and haven't found anything.”
“Ah, so that's what that smell was,” Celestia mused aloud, causing the smaller alicorn to blush. Silver simply lifted a paw and whiffed....before reeling back.
Yeah, a thick coated wolf didn't smell like sunshine after three days of not showering, and coupled with the sweat from his workout...yeah, a whiff would kill a lesser pony.
“A-Anyway,” Twilight continued, “We did manage to find a small indication of a pony that may have come into contact with the book.”
Celestia set her work aside, now fully interested in what the two had discovered. “And who might that be?”
“Well, I say pony, but it's more a legend,” Twilight added on, “Have you ever heard of The One Who Wanders?”
The ivory alicorns violet eyes widened a bit in surprise, “My, I haven't heard that name in a while,” she contemplated, “What do you know of it?”
“Nothing really,” Silver answered with a sigh, “Everything we can find just says that he or she just walks around. Nothing else.”
“Hmm,” Celestia hummed, “Yes. In truth, that's about all I know as well. The One Who Wanders is just a pony who wanders Equestria. I believe I may have encountered it once, but I can't be sure. It was a very long time ago, and during a party nonetheless.”
“You met it?” Twilight asked with shock.
“I think. I was attending a ball for Hearths Warming Eve. Everything was normal and I went about greeting different ponies until a strange one came along. I remember I had stepped out into the garden for a moment for some fresh air, and a cloaked pony walked by. They turned, saw me, bowed their head and continued on their way.”
“Well why would you think that was The One Who Wanders?” Silver asked, “It could have just been a strange pony. Or an assassin.”
“Well yes, I suppose. But this was also seven centuries ago. Back then, one did not simply walk in front of a princess, bow their head and keep moving. It would have been considered audacious, even for the strangest of ponies.
“Besides, there was something off about them. Something that made my skin crawl the moment I saw them step out from the shadows. It was like the world ceased to exist the moment I laid eyes on them and then came crashing back once they left.”
“Sounds more like a school yard crush to me,” Silver teased, “But regardless, that doesn't help us. Maybe Luna knows more.”
“Probably,” Celestia confirmed, “Of the two of us, she was always more knowledgeable about legends, folklore and things that go bump in the night.”
“Well that's certainly helpful,” Silver said, getting up to leave, Twilight following behind him, “Thanks Tia. We'll see you later...maybe.”
Celestia giggled, “Of course. Oh! But if Luna can't help you, there may be some old books in the castle in the Everfree.”
“We'll give it a look,” Silver said as he closed the door behind them. A quick trot down the hall and the two found themselves at Lunas study.
Once again, Twilight knocked and waited.
...And didn't receive and answer.
“Princess Twilight?” the guard on watch called from behind, “Would you be looking for Princess Luna?”
“Yes,” Twilight nodded, “Could you tell us where she is?”
“She is in her bedroom Ma'am,” he informed, “It would seem she finished her work early.”
“Thank you for that,” Twilight said, turning and walking down the hall. Another trot later and they were at the bedroom of the midnight mare.
Not wanting to be intrusive, Twilight knocked and waited before Luna called them in.
It was Twilights first time ever seeing Lunas bedroom. So naturally, her first impulse was to examine all of her surroundings. The bed was what popped out to her the most. It had an odd crescent moon shape, but then again, it was Lunas bed, so it made sense. The next thing she noticed was the dark shades of blue that filled the room, which was barely noticeable due to the fact that the thick curtains had been drawn over the window, blocking out the sunlight.
It didn't give it a gloomy appearance, but actually made it rather cozy. It felt like a room you would go to take a nap in, and would serve no other purpose than that. Yes...a nice little napping room.....mmmmhhh.
The last thing she noticed was the mare sitting on top of the bed. What she was doing though....was strange.
“OH COME ON!” the mare yelled, “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT LAG ABOUT!?”
She sat on the edge of her bed, a controller in her magic and a headset on her ears. The cord to the controller lead up a box on a dresser, and along with it was a large, flat screen TV. In her hooves was a a variety of snacks and a drink.
Both the wolf and the alicorn that had entered the room was unsure of what to make of this situation.
“Uh, Luna?” the little lavender mare called, “What are you--”
“OH FUCK OFF YOU LITTLE PRICK!” the older alicorn shouted at the screen, “WHAT?! YOU CAN'T FIGHT ME LIKE A STALLION AND GOTTA FIGHT LIKE A BITCH!?”
“Lun--” Twilight tried.
“OH, YOU MAD? FUCKING SAY SOMETHING!”
“Luna--”
“I'LL SEND YOUR ASS TO THE MO--”
“LUNA!” Twilight shouted, startling the gaming mare and getting her attention, “Would you please stop shouting?!”
“Oh, T-Twilight!I um...-T-this isn't--” she stammered, blushing profusely having been caught shouting in such an undignified manner. Sure, it wasn't the worst side Twilight had seen of her, but it was certainly still embarrassing.
“Oh it's exactly what it looks like,” Silver cut off, “You've found the sacred treasure that is video games.”
“I—this--...UGH!” she groaned, quickly using her magic to shut off the game console and floating the headset, controller and food over to the dresser. She turned her head away and folded her arms, “I have no reason to explain myself,” she pouted.
“Oh? Really?” Silver said, “And if I were to tell your sister you told one of the citizens to 'fuck off' and they 'fight like a bitch'? Over a video game, no less.”
The mare on the bed gasped and looked back at the wolf, “You wouldn't dare!”
“...Meh, you're right. I wouldn't,” He said with a shrug, “But it'd still be funny.”
“Silver!” Twilight swatted him with a hoof, before turning to scold the other alicorn, “Now Luna, I don't know what that was but you really shouldn't be behaving like that.”
“Why not?” Silver asked, “It's not like she's hurting any pony, and she's doing it in her own room she's not being disturbing either.”
“That's not the point. As I see it, there was another pony on the other end of the microphone, so she still shouldn't have acted so rudely, especially over a game,” the lavender mare finished, being sure to voice her disappointment.
Lunas ears fell flat against her head, “But that colt was--”
“No buts,” Twilight said firmly, “You're a princess. You shouldn't be acting like a foal.”
“I am not!” she refuted, “I admit I may have been a bit upset, but--”
“Upset?” Silver chimed in, “I thought you were about to use your Royal Canterlot Voice.”
“Ugh!” she groaned again, this time diving under the blankets, “Just go away!”
The two visitors couldn't help but laugh a little. Their marefriend, despite being the oldest of the three, seemed to behave with the least maturity.
“Luna,” Twilight cooed as she approached the lump of covers, her laughter relenting, “Look, we're sorry for teasing. We didn't mean to upset you. Although I really do think you reacted poorly to that game.”
The comfort the smaller mare brought convinced Luna to show her face, “Well I didn't have much choice. That colt was spouting the most illogical of insults and besides...I...” it was here that her voice trailed off into a mumble, a clear blush appearing on her muzzle as her dark coat made it all too clear.
“Huh?” Silver asked, taking up a spot on the other side of the bed, “What was that?”
“I said...'mi-...two...'” she mumbled once more.
“One more time,” Twilight asked.
“I said 'I missed you two!” Luna shouted before retracting her head back under the blankets. Despite her cover, she was sure her blush could still be seen through it, “You two have spent the past three days locked in the Archives and I've....I've been here....all by myself. I found your games and figured they might help pass the time and maybe distr--”
Luna was suddenly cut off by a pair of lips pressing against her own. She wasn't sure how, but Silver had somehow managed to get his head under the blankets and stop her disheartening rambling.
Once the kiss broke, the lavender alicorn lifted the blanket off of the two of them.
“Now, now,” Silver said, giving her nose a tiny peck, “None of that. I know we haven't been around lately, but you know it can't be helped. And you know we're not leaving you alone because we want to, right?”
“Well...yes. But I still feel a little forgotten,” she moped, “Again.”
“Luna, I promised you the first night we met,” he reassured her with a nuzzle on her cheek, “I'll never forget about you.”
The midnight mare let out a sigh, “I know...” In truth, she had no idea why she felt this way. She knew that Twilight and Silver still loved her. She knew that researching the Zodiac Tome and it's signer was far more important than her feeling of abandonment. And she knew that she was just wanting some attention from the two of them.
She actually kind of hated acting like this, as if she were some sort of foal whining for it's parents. She was a millenniums old alicorn, and knew better than to act in such a fashion.
But still...even if she did know better, it didn't change the fact that she still felt everything. In their absence, she felt unloved. In their priorities, she felt forgotten.
“Hey,” Twilight said to the wolf, a small but bright grin on her muzzle, “Should we ask her?”
Silver smiled and nodded, causing Luna to look up and between the two, “Ask me what?”
“Well, Princess Luna,” Twilight said in an official tone, that small smile never fading, it's glow seemingly everlasting, “Would you allow us the pleasure to accompany us on a date sometime soon?”
Luna was, for some reason, surprised. After all, it was what normal couples did. In fact, it hadn't struck her before that they actually hadn't gone on a date. Not with each other or all together.
“I...” she fumbled, “I would love to!” She threw her arms around the two of them with a squeal, nuzzling them in the embrace, “Oh! Where are we going!?” she asked, not letting them go for a second.
“Well that's a surprise,” Silver said, “It may take a little while to get everything in order though. After all, having two of Equestria's four princesses disappear might cause a few problems if it happened too suddenly.”
“Which is why,” Twilight picked up, “We should make time in our schedules. I'll be sure to leave time for the date, so you need to make sure you do too.”
“Of course!” Luna exclaimed, “I'll clear the whole month if I have to!”
“Hehe,” Twilight giggled, pecking her marefriend on the cheek, “There's the Luna we know.”
“Ah, yes,” the midnight mare said, letting them go, “I'm sorry for the way I behaved too. Twilight, you were right. As a princess, I shouldn't loose it like that, especially over something as silly as a video game. And Silver, I know you two won't forget me.”
She wrapped up her revelation by giving them both a brief but loving kiss.
Of course, it was then that she realized something...
A very stinky something....
Luna reeled back, “Oh sweet mother of Equestria,” she exclaimed, waving a hoof in front of her nose, “Have you two smelt like that this whole time?”
The two accused of the stink chuckled a little with embarrassment.
“Uh,” Twilight started, “We um, kinda haven't showered in a few days, sooo...”
“Oh for the love of--” Luna complained with a roll of her eyes, “Do I have to go down there throw all of you into a bath myself?”
“But Luna we're in the middle of researching!” Twilight whined, only to remember the whole reason why they came to the room, “Actually, speaking of researching, we came here to ask you about something.”
“Oh?” Luna said, stiff wafting the smell away from her nose, “What is it?”
“Have you ever heard of The One Who Wanders?” Twilight asked, lighting up her horn and casting an odor neutralizing spell.
...Well it wasn't the first time she'd spent three full days studying...without showering.
With the smell cleared, Luna focused on the name mentioned, “The Drifter? What on earth do you want with a pony like that?”
“We think it may have come into contact with the Zodiac Tome,” Silver explained, “We've been looking but we can't find anything in the Archives. We even asked Celestia, but she didn't know anything either.”
“Yes, the story of The Drifter has always been rather elusive” the lunar alicorn continued, “I'm afraid I don't know it's identity, but I do know it's a very...peculiar creature. Where it goes, something always seems to happen.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight inquired, “Is The One Who Wanders evil or something?”
Luna shook her head, “No, I don't believe so. From what I can tell, it's more of a....well I suppose the only accurate analogy would be to compare him to the stories you see in the video games,” she explained, gesturing the console behind her, “The Drifter is like the lore in the back-story of games. It's been there from the beginning, and while it may not seem to play an important role, it's presence is always known in the places where major events occur.”
“So wait,” Twilight interjected. For once in her life, she was having trouble keeping up with some pony that wasn't Pinkie Pie, “Everywhere The One Who Wanders goes turns out to be a place of importance?”
Luna nodded, “Yes. The Drifter is like a signal for major events, be it natural disasters, uprisings, or anything of great importance. If it has come into contact with that book, I imagine the Zodiac Tome will be a part of something much bigger than we thought.”
“Oh joy,” Silver groaned with an eye roll.
Luna couldn't help but giggle, “Yes, I imagine things will be quite difficult in the future. But I have faith in the two of you.”
“Well as helpful as that was, I'm afraid we still need more,” Twilight said, “If The Drifter, as you call it, really did sign the book then we need to find it.”
“And how will you do that?” Luna asked.
“We're going to your old castle in the Everfree,” the lavender mare explained, “Celestia suggested we go take a look at some of the books there and see if they have any other information. All the stuff in the Archives is mostly official documents, so things like fables and fairy tails aren't in there.”
“Hmm, try my old bedroom,” Luna suggested, “There may still be some of my old books in there. They're hidden but I'm sure Silver will have no issue finding them, seeing as how he found my grimoire with such ease.”
“Alright then,” Twilight sighed, not looking forward to going back to the castle, “We'll go get the others and head out. We should actually be home back later tonight too, so we'll see you then.” She leaned over and pecked Lunas lips while Silver did the same to her cheek.
Luna simply hummed with affection for a moment, “Mhmm, don't be gone too long,” she said after the kiss broke.
“We won't,” Silver said back, lifting himself from his spot and walking over to the door with Twilight.
“And don't go threatening to banish colts to the moon,” Twilight scolded playfully before the two made their exit.
Once the door shut, Luna waited for a moment until she could no longer hear hoof steps before shutting the console back on and floating over her things from the dresser.
“No promises~” she said back.
A group of five ponies and a wolf stood outside the forest line of the Everfree. Of the ponies, three of them look on with curiosity, one with an annoyed stare, and the last with great trepidation.
“Um,” the tan pegasus of them began, “Remind me again what it is we're doing?”
“We're going to the castle in the Everfree to look at some new books,” Twilight explained, already beginning her trot to the woods.
“Oh, so suicide you say,” Ruppy said back, “That's fine, I was planning on killing myself tomorrow anyway.”
“Well if you'd like, you can go back to the Archives,” Silver offered.
Ruppy quickly fell in line behind the alicorn, “Alright troops! Move out!” she commanded, pointing a hoof to the trees.
Yeah, she'd really rather die than go back there.
The rest followed the two into the forest, the shade of the thick canopy quickly darkening everything around them.
“Honestly though,” Beats began, “Is this place really that bad? I mean, I've heard a lot of stories about it, but Scoots has told me about the times she and her friends went crusading in here, and they've all come out alive.”
Ruppy turned and looked back at the other pegasus, “Then your sister and her friends have a pair of brass ones on them. This place isn't just creepy, but literally everything is trying to kill you.”
“Weren't you a thug at some point?” Beats asked rhetorically, “Being in life or death situations shouldn't bother you that much.”
“Okay, A: those times were all when I was going against another pony, and B: being in a life or death situation is always scary! I just happen to enjoy it!” Ruppy exclaimed.
“Well then why aren't you enjoying it now?” he asked.
“Because I don't know how to fight a damn manticore, or a pony eating plant, or a cockatrice!”
“Hey!” Silver hissed loudly, “If you two don't keep it down, you're going to attract those things you're so scared of.”
Ruppy gasped and quickly shoved a hoof in her mouth.
Beats blew raspberries, “It was her being loud anyway...”
The accused mare quickly dove backwards and onto the accusing stallion, jamming her hoof in his mouth,“Beats, I swear to Celestia, I will murder you if you open your mouth again.”
“Mmph mmphkn mmph mmh mhhm mh,” he muffled.
“Huh?”
Ruppy removed her hoof and allowed him to speak, despite her previously spoken words.
“I said 'You're still making more noise than me,” he repeated.
Another gasp came from her before she jumped up and ran back to her spot.
A quiet giggling could be heard coming from the back of the group, and it's source was none other than Onyx and Sica.
“Is she always like this?” Sica asked, making sure to keep her voice to a whisper, though it was mostly to keep Ruppy from hearing.
“Ruppy just doesn't like anything cursed, haunted, or things like that” Onyx explained, “She has always been superstitious in that way.”
“Ooh,” Sica awed.
The walk continued for another few minutes. Ruppy and Beats managed to maintain their silence, and Silver had slipped up the the front with Twilight. Behind them, the other four followed.
All was well for a while as they tread through the dark forest. Even though it was still in the afternoon, there was an uncannily small amount of light coming through the foliage. If they didn't know any better, they'd think it was night.
As they walked, Ruppys eyes continued to dart around. She would watch for anything she thought might be a threat, which in her mind was everything. Perhaps it was because of this, or maybe her natural talent for noticing small things, but when her eyes fell to the dirt, she noticed something strange.
“Uh, guys?” she called, “Do we know where we're going?”
“Of course,” Twilight said back, “I've been to the castle plenty of times. Why?”
“Because we've crossed over our own hoof tracks,” Ruppy explained, her eyes staring at the prints in the dirt even as they continued walking.
Twilight did the same. She looked down and noticed that there were hoof prints ahead, and since they were the ones in front, there was no way it could be some one from the groups. And it couldn't have been from another group since there was also wolf prints in the mix.
So for reasons unknown to Twilight, they had been walking in circles.
The alicorn trot slowed until she paused in her tracks, “Oh dear.”
“Don't stop,” Silver said as he continued to walk, “Keep moving.”
“But Silver, we're--” she tried.
“Just do it,” he commanded. Twilight quickly hurried back to his side while the others steps became hesitant.
“I've taken us in a circle,” he explained, loud enough for the others behind him to hear, “We're being hunted.”
“Hunted?!” Twilight shouted in a hushed tone, “By what?”
“My ever so distant cousins,” Silver explained. It took Twilight a moment to catch on, but she eventually realized what he was referencing.
“Timberwolves,” Twilight said aloud, mostly for the ones in the back who didn't understand. While Silver may have never told her, she didn't exactly need him to explain it. She figured out long ago that they were of the same genus, but not the same creatures.
Much like Ruppy, the alicorns violet eyes began scanning for the bushes for any sign of the hunters.
“Don't look for them,” Silver said, “They'll notice.”
“Why haven't you said anything?” Twilight asked, turning her eyes to the front.
“I was hoping they would realize the group is too big for them to take down, until more of them showed up. By that time there were too many, so I may have nudged you into going in circles.”
“That's why you kept brushing against me?” She'd originally thought he was trying to be discretely affectionate; something she thought to be adorable, “How long have they been following us?”
“Since a few dozen yards after we came in,” Silver said, “So pretty much the majority of the time.”
“And how do you plan on getting rid of them?”
“Well I was hoping I wouldn't have to. If their hunting party is this large, I'd rather not risk pissing off the whole pack,” he said.
“And just how many are there hunting us?”
Silvers words were hesitant, “About a dozen or so.”
Twilight sighed, “Well we can't just keep going in circles, so we'll have to do something.”
“Well...” Silver began, “There is something I can do, but I don't think you'll like it.”
“Does it involve some pony getting hurt or killed?” She asked. Silver just shook his head, “Then you may do it.”
Silver suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, causing the ponies behind him to almost walk right into him. As they began to stumble around him, they felt something that caused they're bodies to go rigid.
It was a pure, animalistic ferocity that would make even the greatest of beast tremble. Its source was none other than the winged wolf that had just froze.
Said beast slowly turned his head to a bush, his eyes wide with what appeared to be rage. He stalked forward towards it, lowering his body like predator in the midst of a hunt. He growled and snarled, baring his fangs at the leaves. Even the fur on his neck stood on end, leading down his back and giving him an even more feral appearance.
From the bush he snarled at, a pair of sickly green-yellow eyes appeared. Soon after, a muzzle made bark and wood emerged from it's leaves, and following that, the entire head of a Timberwolf. It's whole body crept out, it's position mimicking Silvers.
The two snapped and snarled at one another, and soon the other dozen come from their hidding spots. Some came from bushes, others from trees and some seemed to come out of the shadows themselves. But not one attacked. While they were all in a crouch stance, ready to pounce in a flash, not one did. Instead, they seemed to circle the group, encasing them so that the ponies were in the back of the circle near the edge, while Silver and the other Timberwolf were more to the center.
“S-Silver...” Twilight called, “What ever your plan is, you'd better use it soon.”
Just as the words left her mouth, Silver lunged at the Timberwolf. The two collided and went tumbling across the dirt. After rolling around, Silver jumped up and off of it, only to have it jump back at him.
From there, the two fell into a blur of swipes and slashes, snarls and snaps. The two clawed and bit at each other, wrestling across the ground for dominance.
As they rolled around, Silver eventually pinned him down, and stood over the Timberwolf. He leaned down and placed his jaw over its neck. A sickening crack followed as it's body went limp and fell to a pile of wood, sticks and leaves.
Silvers wild eyes turned to the group surrounding them. He snarled and barked loudly, causing them all the cease their crouched stances and stand up. Another loud growl came from Silver, and they all back away, soon disappearing back into the forest.
Silver retained his beastly mode for a moment longer....then dropped it.
A loud sigh came from him as his appearance went back to normal, or at least as normal as it could be after wrestling with a Timberwolf, “Well, that was annoying.”
“Um...no...that was fucking weird...” Ruppy corrected, “In fact, what in the actual fuck was that?”
Silver sighed once more, cracking his neck and shaking himself to right his fur and get the dirt out, “It was a fight for dominance. That pile of sticks over there was the Alpha of the pack that was hunting us. I challenged him and won, so now I'm Alpha.”
“You're what!?” Twilight exclaimed.
“I told you you might not like my plan,” Silver reminded.
“So wait,” Ruppy interjected, “All that barking and growling; that was you communicating?”
“Well, did it sound like we were using words?” the wolf retorted, looking himself over for scratches. Twilight sighed and walked over to him.
“You know, I thought you said no pony was going to get hurt,” she said, helping him look.
“A: I'm not a pony. And B: I honestly thought that applied to everyone but myself,” he explained his reasoning.
For the second time that day, Twilight swatted her wolf with a hoof, “Of course it applies to you as well,” she scolded before turning back to look at a scratch on his shoulder, “Why didn't you just use magic? You could have avoided getting hurt.”
Silver shook his head, “Timberwolves don't recognize magic. They would have just thought I was attacking out of desperation, and the whole group would have attacked. They only understand brawling.”
Twilight sighed and stepped back, “Well, you're fine as far as I can tell, so if you're feeling okay we can keep going.”
“Yeah, I'm good,” He said, raising himself from his spot, “Let's go.”