Bearers of Nature

by TwinQuasars

Part 4

Excerpt from The Power of Nature: Elements and Aspects regarding the legend:

Long ago, before the founding of Equestria, the pony tribes lived in small settlements that dotted the vast wilderness. The alicorns observed the ponies in secret; assisting in their survival as unseen protectors. The wilderness was controlled by nature, and a guardian protected the Elements of Nature, the source of its power. The guardian and the alicorns had a standing agreement: The alicorns would tend to the needs of the ponies and make sure that they cause no unnecessary damage to nature. In return, the guardian ensured that the creatures of the wilderness would not harm the ponies or their settlements. Everything was well and good, until one day, when the alicorns disappeared. The guardian did its best to maintain its part of the agreement, but without the alicorns to maintain peace, dissension began to grow among the pony tribes. Their bitter emotions allowed a dark force to enter the world. It quickly learned of the Elements of Nature, and sought them out for its own purposes. The guardian fought against the dark force. In power, the guardian was stronger, but the dark force was cunning, and eventually managed to slip past the guardian to reach the Elements of Nature. Before it could claim them, however, the Elements vanished. The world began to change, as nature no longer had control over the wilderness. The dark force spread its influence across the unprotected land, changing it to its will. The guardian, weakened now that the Elements were gone, retreated to the sanctuary where the Elements once laid. The sanctuary still remained under nature’s control, as the Elements’ power had saturated the very land. There the guardian remained, bidding its time; hoping that one day the Elements of Nature could be restored…

********

“I have no idea where I should start looking!”

Soul was in the downstairs room at the library. His letter to the princess had been written and delivered via Spike, and he now had his muzzle buried deep into The Power of Nature. “The Elements of Nature have been missing for centuries. It was by pure chance that I happened to find the one in Scootaloo. I don’t want to go wandering aimlessly across Equestria in hopes of miraculously running into another Element after who-knows how long! I just wish I had a clue!”

“Well, then it’s a good thing I did my own research earlier.” Twilight wandered into the room, levitating a glass of water alongside her. “I thought you could use a drink,” she said as the glass landed on the table next to him.

He took a long sip and then let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, I needed that. Now, you said you had something?”

“You know the legend behind the Elements of Nature?”

“Yea, I was just reading over it…again.”

“Well, it talks about a sanctuary where the Elements once resided, as well as where the guardian retreated to after they disappeared. The sanctuary remained unchanged after the Elements vanished, apparently due to their power having saturated the land, and there is no reason to believe that has changed since then.”

“That certainly makes sense.”

“Well, there is only one place in all of Equestria that I know of where the land and animals are tended to by nature, and that is the Everfree Forest!”

Soul’s expression showed he was waiting for more. “…and that is where?”

Twilight seemed shocked. “I really expected you to know more than this. The Everfree Forest is just east of Ponyville, how could you miss it?”

He responded matter-of-factly. “When traveling, I observed ponies and the societies they live in. I never really took the time to study the land.”

Twilight shook her head. “The point is that the Everfree Forest must have some connection with the Elements of Nature, perhaps even a clue to their whereabouts.”

Soul thought for a moment. “It also means that the guardian is probably in there as well.”

“You think the guardian is still there?”

“It doesn’t seem like it would go anywhere else.”

“I mean, do you think it’s even still alive?”

“At least how the legend is written, it seems like the guardian could afford to wait.”

“So it’s settled then! Tomorrow, we investigate the Everfree Forest.”

Soul was surprised. “Now hold on a moment! For starters, I never said anything about you coming with me…”

“…and why not?” Twilight was suddenly serious. “You know nothing about the Everfree Forest and you are going to need a guide.”

He let out a sigh. “We’ll discuss that later. Secondly, I’m not about to rush into a potentially dangerous forest without doing some reconnaissance first.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I have a plan, but I need to test something first.” He quickly made his way to the main room. “Hey Spike, come here for a minute.” There was no response.

Twilight emerged from the downstairs room and called out, “Oh Spike…”

Spike appeared at the top of the stairs. “Yes Twilight?”

“Soul needs your help with something.”

A slight scowl appeared on his face as he descended that stairs. “Oh yea, and what’s that?”

Soul approached him slowly. “Ever since I met you, I’ve wanted to look into your soul. Now is the time.”

Spike’s eyes were wide, and he spoke with clear apprehension. “Uh…Twilight? This guy is freaking me out here.”

She reassured him. “Don’t worry Spike, it won’t hurt. Soul just needs to confirm a theory,” she turned to Soul, “right?”

“I’ve only ever looked at pony souls before; this is the first chance I’ve had to look at a dragon’s soul. I need to see if other creatures possess sparks or not.” He could see that Twilight was curious, so he continued. “In a pony, their spark is the essence of their special talent, which is represented by their cutie mark. Since other creatures don’t have such identifying marks, I’ve been curious to see if they have sparks, and what they look like.” He now turned back to Spike. “So, with your permission, I would like to look at the soul of a real dragon.”

Soul’s attempt at flattery did not go unnoticed by the young dragon, who puffed up his chest in pride. “Well, I guess it would be alright, but I should warn you: You may see some frightening stuff in there. I am a dragon after all, and we are known for our ferocity.”

Soul gave a quick glance at Twilight, who was holding back a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now, if you could just stand right there for a minute.” He backed up until he was about a table’s length away from Spike. When he activated his powers, Spike let out a little yell and fell back on to the stairs. “Oh, sorry Spike! I forgot about my glasses.” What he saw, however, was not as surprising. The young dragon did possess a spark, though it appeared dimmer then a standard pony spark. As he dug deeper, he could feel heat coming from the spark, and its essence was tough and scaly. He did eventually see images of ferocious monsters, depicting the dragons he had heard about from stories, but they were so deep and subdued that they more likely racial remnants then anything that actually defined Spike. Soul was satisfied and was about stop, when a mote floated into his field of vision that caught his eye. It was a strong emotional memory that appeared to feature a certain white unicorn. “Well, what do we have here?”

Spike appeared surprised and embarrassed at his comment. “What? What did you see?”

Soul stopped his powers and whispered to Spike. “No worries, your secret is safe with me.” He followed up with two quick clicks he made with his tongue.

Twilight appeared to ignore the preceding event. “So, what did you find out?”

“Well, he certainly has a spark. Fundamentally, it very similar to a pony’s soul, but with distinct differences: Mostly how it felt. More importantly, it confirms that other creatures can have sparks, which means I can move on with my plan tomorrow morning.”

“…and what does that entail, exactly?”

“Ideally? Getting a pegasus-eye view of the forest.”

Twilight gave a little smile. “How do you plan on doing that?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m going to sleep on it. Tomorrow morning I’ll have a fresh head and I’ll be ready to tackle that problem.”

“Does that mean you’re heading to bed now?”

Soul detected something in her question. “Yes, it does. Why, do you have something planned?”

She was quick to turn around before Soul could see her face. “Nope, nothing planned. Goodnight Soul. See you in the morning.” She quickly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom, with Spike right behind her.

Yea, that’s not suspicious at all, he thought as he went downstairs to his bed. He lay in his bed for a while, and he swore he heard a door being opened and closed at least once before he drifted off to sleep.

********

When Soul emerged from his room, it was late the following morning. He shuffled over to the table in the center of the library, and rested his head on it, thinking about what this day would bring. Out of nowhere, a voice proposed, “Muffin?”

He turned to see Spike next to him, carrying a plate that had two blueberry muffins on it. “Uh…yea, thanks.” Spike put the plate down on the table in front of him before going over the shelves with a feather duster. An awkward silence filled the air, forcing Soul to break it. “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I really didn’t mean to…”

Spike turned to face him, and Soul saw he had a slight smile on his face. “Eh, don’t worry about it. Just…don’t go around telling anyone else, alright?”

Soul replied with a smirk. “I may be nosy, but I’m no gossip. I won’t tell a soul.” He chuckled at his quip. Spike just rolled his eyes. Soul began to enjoy the muffins set before him when a thought came to him. “Say, where’s Twilight?”

“Beats me. She said she had an errand to run this morning.”

Soul let out a little grunt. “She’s up to something…”

“You’re tellin’ me! She always gets excited when she finds something new to study. Ever since you came back with that book, ‘The Elements of Nature’ is all that seems to be on her mind.”

“That’s why she’s so eager to help. She wants to be on top of any discovery I make. Still, I can’t say I blame her. Locating the Elements of Nature will be quite the feat.”

After finishing his muffins, Soul was ready to start the day. Alright, now to figure out how to view the forest, he thought as he headed out the door. He barely got three steps outside before he noticed an object floating in the sky. “Okay, you don’t see that every day.” What he saw was a hot-air balloon slowly descending towards him. As it got closer he was able discern the two ponies that were standing in its basket: Pinkie Pie and Twilight. Even from this distance, Pinkie’s voice was clear.

“Heya Soul, you look so small from up here! You look like I could squish you with my hoof. Not that I would do that; that would just be silly!”

“Pinkie, what are you doing up there? Whose balloon is that?”

“It’s my balloon, silly! Otherwise what would I be doing in it?”

He sighed. There was no point in trying to talk to her until she was back on the ground. He had to admit, Twilight was stubborn when she wanted to be, and she did know more about Ponyville and the Everfree Forest then he did. I guess I don’t have much of a choice, he thought as the hot-air balloon finally came in for a landing near the library. “Pinkie, why do you have a hot-air balloon?”

“Well, duh! I really love balloons! And this is just a really big balloon! Why wouldn’t I have one?”

He gave Twilight a look of bewilderment as she was leaving the basket. She picked up on the unsaid question. “Don’t bother trying. I gave up trying to understand Pinkie a long time ago.”

Soul just shook his head. “So this is your plan to help me examine the forest?”

She attempted to mock surprise. “Well now, I hadn’t thought of that. I figured we could just go for a ride, but it certainly could be used to get a pegasus-eye view of things…”

He smirked. “You are such a bad liar, Twilight. I appreciate the help you’ve been giving me, and I’ve realized that I will need guide.”

A wide grin appeared on her face. “So that means I’m coming with you, right?”

“Yes you can come with me…” Twilight let out a squee of delight. “…but first we need to figure out where we are headed.” He turned to Pinkie, who was still in the basket. “Pinkie, can you take us to the sky near the Everfree Forest?”

Pinkie brought her hoof to the side of her forehead. “Okey dokey lokey! All aboard!”

Soul entered the basket, followed by Twilight. With the three of them in, it wasn’t the most comfortable fit, but it was manageable. Pinkie wasted no time getting the balloon up into the air. She attempted to regale the two with a story, but she often broke into tangents that made it hard for Soul to follow. It wasn’t long before they were floating high above Ponyville, slowly making their way to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Pinkie was right: everything looked so small from up there. Soul began to wonder if he could even see any soul from this high up. He remained confident, however: If the guardian really was still in the forest, he doubted it would have a weak spark.

To the south he could see just how large Sweet Apples Acres was, but as they got closer to the Everfree Forest, what caught his eye was a large tree that appeared to have fenced-off section around it. Soul pointed out the tree to Twilight. “That’s where Fluttershy lives,” she responded.

“Why does she live all the way out here, so close to the Everfree Forest? Is she really that much of a recluse?”

“It’s not that, per se. She takes it upon herself to take care of the various woodland animals that live nearby. She may seem defenseless, but believe it or not, she can take care of herself.”

Pinkie’s sing-song voice broke through the conversation. “We’re here!” The sight that lay before them was a sea of trees, only occasionally broken by jutting rocks and space that designated either river or chasm.

Soul was awe-struck. “It’s massive! Even from this vantage point, I can barely see its borders. The canopy is so thick! I can only imagine how dark it is under all of that foliage.”

“Boy, I’ll say! I can get mighty spooky down there. I bet it would be great place to tell some nifty ghost stories though!”

After a few moments, Twilight nudged him a bit. “I thought you didn’t care to study the land.”

He replied with a smirk. “You can’t travel without learning how to appreciate it, though.”

“Still, we came here for a reason.”

“Right, of course.” He took a deep breath and activated his power. Though he was impressed with the forest, the sight he saw now was on a whole other level. “I really wish you two could see this. It’s like looking at the night sky.” He saw points of light all over the forest; slight variations could be detected among them. It was deep into the forest, however, that he saw what he was looking for; a spark that outshone the rest. Even at this distance it was bright, but it didn’t seem to possess any color. “That must be it,” he muttered to himself. Working his power over such a large area began to take its toll. He closed his eyes and let himself rest for a few seconds.

“So, did you see it?”

“I sure hope so. It wasn’t an Element, but it certainly was bright enough. I’d hate to know what other spark could be that intense.”

“Excellent! Then we know where we are headed. Pinkie, take us home.”

“Why don’t we just take the balloon?”

“You saw how dense that forest is. There would be no place to land. Besides, any pegasus would tell you that the air currents over the Everfree Forest are dangerously unpredictable.”

That figures, he thought, nothing can ever be easy. “Alright then, let’s get moving.”

Pinkie started to get excited. “Oooh! I’m not sure what you two are up to, but be careful, ‘cause I feel a doozy!”

Soul looked at Twilight, expecting to see her shaking her head, but he couldn’t help but a notice a flash of concern cross her face.

********

Upon arriving back in town, Twilight and Soul quickly packed some light provisions, and soon found themselves back at the edge of the forest, this time on the ground. From this angle, the trees cast an eerie darkness over the ground. Soul took note of the situation. “Hopefully we’ll be back before nightfall. I’d hate to see just how dark it could get in there.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine…” Twilight had her eyes fixed on the forest, and her voice didn’t carry any confidence it her words.

Soul exhibited concern. “Hey, are you worried about what Pinkie said?”

Twilight appeared shocked. “What? What do you mean?”

“When I first met Pinkie, she told me about how she dabbled in fortune-telling and about her ‘Pinkie Sense.’”

Twilight let out a sigh. “A gave up trying to understand Pinkie’s twitches. I can’t explain them, I just know that they always right. It’s impossible to tell what the ‘doozy’ will be, but given the circumstances…”

“…you don’t think it’s anything good.”

She nodded her head. “I’m just not sure if this is the best idea anymore.”

Soul was silent for a few seconds, and his voice carried a serious tone when he spoke. “Go back if you want to. I don’t want anyone getting hurt, but I don’t have a choice. I’m going in there, with or without you.”

She just shook her head. “Now I can’t tell if you’re being brave, or just ignorant.”

“It’s not about bravery; it’s about doing what needs to be done. No one else can see the Elements of Nature, and right now, the guardian is the only chance I have at finding them. I can take care of myself; no pony else needs to get involved.”

“It’s a little late for that, and I’m not about to let you go in there alone.”

A small smile appeared on his face. “Thanks Twilight, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

She smiled back. “I have more than a few magic spells in my repertoire that could come in handy should things get out of hoof.”

“Alright then. Now, if I use my power about every 15 minutes, I should be able to keep us heading in the right direction as well as keep track of any creatures nearby. We just have to keep our eyes and ears open.”

“We should stop by Zecora’s hut first.”

Soul looked slightly confused. “Who’s Zecora?”

Surprise quickly turned to embarrassment on Twilight’s face. “What? Oh! I’m sorry, I completely forgot! Zecora is a zebra that lives in this forest. She’s kind of an expert on a variety of potions, and I need to pick up some herbs for an experiment I’ve been working on.”

“Very well, but you should keep your visit short. We have a long trek ahead, and I would still like to be out of this forest before nightfall. Remember…”

“…I know; don’t tell her what we are doing. The less involved the better.” Twilight responded with a hint of mockery. Upon seeing Soul’s look of disapproval, she added, “I Pinkie promise,” crossing her hoof over her chest before bringing it up to her right eye.

Soul raised an eyebrow in curiosity before shaking his head. “I assume you know the way?”

“Follow me,” she said, and began heading down a path into the forest. He followed quickly behind her. It wasn’t long before they found themselves at a small hut made out of an old gnarled tree. Twilight knocked on the door, which was soon opened by a female zebra Soul assumed was Zecora.

“Well, hello Twilight,” she turned to acknowledge Soul, “and guest. Please do come in and take a rest.”

As they entered, Soul took notice of the unusual décor. Wooden masks adorned the walls and strings of herbs and bones hung from the ceiling. Much of the walls also had shelving carved into them, which held a few books, many different plants, and a variety of bottles that held colored liquids. While these surroundings slightly worried him, Twilight appeared to be comfortable.

“It’s good to see you again Zecora.” She pointed towards Soul, who was slowly walking around the room, keeping his eyes on the masks. “This is Soul Seer, a friend of mine. I’m sorry, but we can’t stay long. I just wanted to stop by and pick up those herbs I needed for my potions studies.”

“Ah yes, I hope your studies go well.” She turned to search for the herbs on her shelves. “Now, Soul, what brings you out here? Do tell.”

Soul cleared his throat and spoke with a professional attitude. “I’m conducting some research on the Everfree Forest. Twilight and I are exploring various regions of the forest.”

“Well, you’d do best to be quick and be wary. When the night falls, the forest can get quite scary.”

He gave a polite smile. “I assure you, we have taken the necessary precautions, and we plan to be done before the sun sets.”

Zecora eventually found the herbs and gave them to Twilight, who promptly put them into her saddlebag. “Thanks again for the help, Zecora, and don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

As they began to walk out the door, Zecora spoke these words: “I hope you find what you are looking for, and that you are unharmed when next you knock on my door.”

They had walked for a few moments before Soul decided to speak. “Well, Zecora is…” His eyes scanned the trees, looking for the right word, “…interesting.” He kept looking for a moment before he gave up, hung his head and sighed. “Please tell me you knew she spoke in rhyme.”

Twilight shrugged. “It’s just the way she talks. No one really questions it.”

Soul rolled his eyes and made sure his voice conveyed clear sarcasm. “Oh, well, that’s not weird at all!”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle. “You should have been here when we first met. Everyone in Ponyville was convinced she was some kind of evil enchantress. Pinkie Pie even wrote a song about her!”

Soul shook his head in disbelief. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? I only just met her about three days ago, but I could see her doing that.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to look into the tree tops. “A strange turn of events led us to find out what she was really like. Now we are good friends.”

“You would think out of anyone, I would understand that: You can’t judge a pony from the outside.” Soul stood still for a few moments, reflecting over these words. When he brought his eyes back down to ground level, they had once again taken on a serious appearance. “Alright, down to business.” No sooner had he said this then he was scanning the horizon with his power. When his eyes returned to normal, he merely pointed in a direction and said, “This way.”

Soul led the way, with Twilight staying close behind him. Twilight’s teleportation magic allowed them to easily overcome small obstacles, such as a river or chasm. They had only one small mountain they had to climb, but this only slowed them down shortly. They took only one break in a rare clearing to enjoy a sandwich and a view of the sky while they could. For most of the time they traveled in silence, broken only by Soul pointing out directions. After a while, Twilight finally ask, “It feels like we have been walking for miles. How long have we been out here?”

“It’s because we have been. I’d say we’ve been on the move for about three hours or so. Good news is that we are getting closer. It shouldn’t be too much longer now.”

Twilight was beginning to look weary. “I hope so. If we don’t turn back soon, we’re not going to make it back before sunset.”

Soul wasn’t paying much attention to her. “I’m sorry, but something else has been bothering me. Every time I’ve used my power, I’ve noticed other creatures around us, but we haven’t run into any of them yet. As I see it, there are only two reasons for that: Either they don’t know we are here, or they are purposely avoiding us.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Why would they be doing that?”

“I don’t know…” As he said this, a sound of rustling leaves came from nearby. He quickly looked around. “Shh…I thought I heard something.” They stood there in silence, quickly looking around to see if they could spot anything. Suddenly, before either of them could react, a rush of leaves led to a wolf, seemingly made of wood, jumping out of the forest landscape, pinning Twilight to a nearby tree. As soon as he saw what had happened, Soul cried out, “Twilight!” He quickly slammed into wolf, knocking it aside and freeing Twilight. Her horn quickly lit up and was aimed at the bush where the wolf had disappeared when a gruff voice came from the shadows.

“Now that won’t be necessary. I just wanted to get your attention.”

They both turned around to locate the source of the voice. What they saw was a creature that appeared to be a mish-mash of a multitude of creatures. It towered over them with its serpentine body and horse-like head, which I had two different horns growing from the top. It appeared to be observing its left paw, which featured stubby fingers and an opposable thumb. Its other arm, which was very similar to the wolf’s that just attacked them, was crossing its body. It sported a pair of miss-matched wings on it back: one that was leathery, and the other which appeared to be those of an insect. It stood on a reptilian leg on one side and an ursine on the other, and its scorpion-like tail ended in a vicious stinger.

Soul was the first to find his voice, though he stuttered a bit in his speech. “Who…what are you?”

Twilight, who was now standing beside him, replied, “He’s a draconequus, like Discord…”

The creature’s stinger quickly appeared very close to Twilight’s face. He growled angrily at her, bearing his sharp teeth. “Don’t you dare compare me to him! It’s his fault the Elements were lost…”

Soul’s eyes grew wider. “Wait…does that mean you’re the guardian of the Elements of Nature?”

The creature appeared to calm down, pulling his tail back behind him. “Indeed I am, and I’ve been waiting for the chance to meet you, Soul Seer.”

“How do you know my name?”

He chuckled a bit. “I make it my business to know everything that goes on in the forest.” His eyes slid over to Twilight, who was still in a defensive stance. “There is no need for that, Twilight Sparkle; holder of the Element of Magic. Even though you were unable to thwart the parasprite swarm, your skill in repelling the Ursa Minor was quite impressive…”

Twilight’s jaw went slack for a moment and her horn ceased to illuminate. She quickly pulled herself together and returned to a more relaxed pose.

He smiled a bit before returning his gaze to Soul. “…but enough of this. As you said before, let’s get down to business. You are able to see into the souls where the Elements now reside, is that correct?”

Soul had managed to collect himself, and now stood with serious composure. “Correct. I came looking for you in hope of learning where to find the Elements of Nature.”

“Then it seems we need each other’s help: You wish to find the Elements of Nature, and I want to return their power back to their rightful place.”

Soul’s eyes lit up. “Then you do know how to find the Elements.”

The guardian began to pace around the two ponies. “I can point you in the right direction. I’m afraid my senses are not as refined as yours, but I can hear the Elements calling out to me. It’s as if they knew they were being sought, but I can only detect their general location. It will be up to you to find the souls they are hiding in. Once you find them, you will bring them to me.” He quickly turned his head to look at Soul, bearing a toothy grin. “So…do we have deal?”

Soul brought his hoof up to his chin, stroking his goatee as he thought over the proposal. He turned his head up to make eye contact with the guardian. “I have one condition I would like to add, guardian”

He raised his left eyebrow in curiosity, and held out his paw upright, signaling Soul to continue.

“As I find the elemental bearers, I will gather them in Ponyville. Once I have found them all, then I will bring them to you.”

The guardian grunted. “May I ask why?”

“If you wish to return the power of the Elements to nature, you will need the cooperation of their holders. It seems to me they would be more agreeable if they have been gathered within civilized borders, as opposed to feeling trapped in the wilderness.”

The guardian looked up into the trees, combing through a tuft of hair on his chin with his wooden claws. His mouth wriggled and contorted as he thought. He then turned his head down towards Soul. “Very well; I accept your terms.”

Twilight, who had remained silent and out of the way so far, finally decided to speak up. “Do you have a name?” As the guardian quickly turned and lowered his head towards her, she backed up just a bit. “I’m mostly just curious, but we only really know you as ‘the guardian.’”

His eye’s closed slightly as he stared at her, before raising himself back up to full height. “I have never needed a name. However, if you must; since you have come to call this sanctuary the ‘Everfree Forest’, it seems you may call me ‘Everfree.’” He brought his head back down to her level. “Is that good enough for you?” He asked with condescension.

“Oh yes, that is just fine,” she said nervously, taking another step back.

Soul was staring at Everfree with scrunched eyes. His annoyance was conveyed in his voice. “Very well, Everfree. Now, if you’ll just tell me where to find the Elements, we’ll be on our way.”

Everfree smirked as he looked back at Soul. “An Element calls to me from the north…” his smirk dissolved into a frown, “…in that fortress of a city you call Canterlot.” Just then, a howl came from the shrouded surroundings, causing both of the ponies to quickly look around. Twilight became more nervous, as her eyes darted around and her breathing hastened. If Soul was afraid, it was hidden by the annoyance that still lay on his face. Everfree just kept on looking at the two, unfazed by noise. “You needn’t worry. Your safe passage will be assured,” a smirk returned to his face, “as long as you do as I say.”

Soul stared back at him. “And what about Twilight? Is she protected too?”

“The Elements of Harmony have their part to play. After all, they did imprison Discord…“for a moment, his face became distorted with anger, “…even though he deserves far worse.” He quickly became nonchalant and appeared to become occupied with a spot on his paw. “For that, they have my respect. I have no intention of harming them… “His eyes quickly darted towards Soul, “…for now.”

As the two turned to leave, Soul whispered to Twilight, “We have to warn Zecora. It’s not safe for her to stay in the forest, for the time being.” Twilight nodded her head in agreement.

They heard a quiet chuckle from behind them. “Do hurry back now. I’ve waited an awful long time for this day to come, and my patience is wearing thin.” With that, he disappeared into the woods.

Soul and Twilight moved as fast as they could, using the glitter of Ponyville’s souls as their guide. Even under the dark canopy of the forest, they could tell the sky was getting darker. By the time they reached Zecora’s hut, it was getting hard for them to see. Soul stood guard outside while Twilight went in to talk to her. She was reluctant to leave at first, but Twilight eventually convinced her that it was for the best. With the help of a simple illumination spell, the three managed to find their way out of the Everfree Forest. The sun had already set. Spike, worried when Twilight hadn’t returned, alerted her friends to the situation. When they finally got back to the library, the others were their waiting for them, and Soul had some explaining to do. Despite his hopes, it seemed they were all involved now.