• Published 18th Jul 2015
  • 1,915 Views, 71 Comments

Path of the Unforgiven - HeatseekerX51



An ancient northern kingdom lost to time and legend. A noble prince exiled by Celestia to never see home again. Fate and a mysterious stranger come together to save Equestria from a new era of peril when Chrysalis returns to exact her revenge.

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Ch 8: Trial Before the Elements

A few quick voice references if you're interested: http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/616482/voice-references

How could he know this new dawn's light
Would change his life forever?
Set sail to sea but pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure.

He could barely breathe as he opened his eyes.

Cough! Hack! Sprack!

He coughed-up the seawater and struggled to get air into his body. As his lungs cleared, he trudged through the sand and saw that he had washed-up on a beach.

Collapsing on his chest, he tried to dig his forehooves into the grit to drag himself forward, but with such little strength left in his body, he let himself go limp instead.

He didn’t know how long he lay there baking under the tropical sun, sleep came and went, and when he was conscious, he couldn’t tell want was real or a product of delirium. Days without fresh water, dehydration under a cloudless sun, and no food for a week had left him able to do little else but flail weakly in the pummeling waves when…. When the…

“What in Hel happened to me?” He wondered to himself. For however long he had been out, clear consciousness was hardly any more pleasant. Pushing himself up, the unbearable taste of salty sand in his mouth made him retch again. He had no saliva to spit it out, but before he could do anything else, he was determined to get this nasty feeling clean.

His eyes were encrusted with dried salt, and opening them was slightly painful. As his vision came into focus, he could see green things ahead of him, leaves, trees-

“Shade!” He thought. Scrambling forward, half crawling half dragging his hind legs, he bit down into a leaf about the size of his head. At first his idea was to use the moisture in the plant to help wash out the sand, but after so long without food, the temptation to swallow was too much, and mouthful after mouthful of plant/sand mush went to his empty stomach.

Finally hauling himself into the shadow of the trees, he gulped down his current mouthful, and grabbing another leaf with his magic, he used it to help wipe away the grit from his eyes. Now that he was able to open his eyes without sand falling in, he looked around and saw that the jungle beyond was fairly dense, and filled with all types of trees, flowers, and bushes he’d never seen before.

He rose to his hooves and felt the brunt of just how bad a condition his body was in. His joints ached, his face was sunburnt, and he had never felt as weak as he did now.

“If there’s this much vegetation, there must be some water here somewhere.”

Limping forward into the bush, he glanced about, wondering if any of the trees bore an edible fruit. He traveled for some time, keeping to the shade as best he could on his search.

Finally, he crossed by a depression in the landscape, where he saw the sparking of running water in the center. Barreling through the bushes in his path, he reached the edge of the water and fell to his knees, plunging his head into the cool pond. He remained like that for several seconds before coming back up for air, relieved by the taste of fresh water, he shook his head and mane back and forth like a mutt.

“Ohhhh, thank the gods…” he moaned in gratification.

For the next while he washed himself in the little pool, fed by a stream that flowed down from the hillside. Eventually his mind returned to food, his stomach twisted in a knot after so many days without proper food. He thought of finding some sweet, juicy, plump fruit growing from a tree, ripe and ready to fall. licking his lips as he looked around, he thought he saw something colorful in the trees on the crest of the ridge.

Poised under a tall tree, he stared at the tasty looking bit of exotic fruit that clustered near the top like a dog that had chased a cat up the trunk. He grabbed one of the bigger ones in his magical clutch, and plucked it, bringing it down to his salivating mouth.

He took a bite through the yellow and green skin, began chewing, and contorted his face. Part of it was delectably sweet, but the rind was bitter. So he forced it down, and made sure to peel some of the skin back before taking another bite, and this time, it was possibly the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

Taking another bite, he thought of all the tribulation he’d gone through over the past week, only to wind up here on some tropical paradise. A chuckle rose up from his lungs, and it grew in momentum to a full-on belly laugh. He put his forehead against the trunk of the tree, leaning his body onto it, and continued to laugh until his cheeks hurt.

He thought the sound of his laugh had gotten to his head, but as he came down from the craze, he realized that there was another laughter, and it wasn’t in his head. Startled, he closed his mouth tight, and listened carefully, and realized that a faint pair of voices were coming from the other side of the ridge. He dropped to his belly and crawled over to the crest, making sure to keep his body hidden among the plate-sized leaves.

Peering down, he saw two stallions sitting on a log of driftwood in the sand, a peach colored Earth pony with a brown mane, and an olive green Pegasus with darker brown hair. They were passing a bottle between themselves as they laughed, celebrating some hilarious joke. They both wore some bits of clothing, sun-drenched red bandanas, an old pale tunic on the Pegasus, and a belt and dagger around their waists.

“Pirates…” He whispered.

He raised his body slightly, not willing to give himself away just yet, and thought about what he should do. True, they could get him passage to somewhere civilized. But pirates were not known for their generosity, they were more know for being greedy, thieving, cutthroats. Then again, he could just wait until they left. Maybe spending the rest of his days on this little hideaway was the best thing for him to do. After all, there was nothing left for him anywhere else, not after Aquileia.

He crawled backwards slowly, careful not to rustle the leaves.

“Oi! What do we ‘ave ‘ere?!”

The voice came from behind, and as he turned to see who it was, he felt some thing strike the side of his head. He fell on his side, and as his world swiftly faded to black, he saw a set of hooves step in front of his face.
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Fillidelphia
Years Ago

Wanderlust awoke with a start, the morning light beaming into his face from the open curtain. He squinted his eyes in the blinding glare, and turning his head slightly, he was just in time to see the little filly Trixie lifting up the cover of one of his saddle-bags, peaking her nose inside. His eyes snapped open in alarm.

“No!” Wanderlust yelled, using his magic to yank her backwards and re-clasp the satchel. With a yelp she slid halfway across the room, shocked by the sudden outburst.

“You must never go in there Trixie!” He scolded her, jumping from his chair and throwing his bag to the opposite end of the room. “It’s very dangerous!”

As he stood over her, she cowered in his shadow, her whole body trembling and her face frozen in terror. She wasn’t frightened of the yelling, she was petrified of him. He’d seen a look like that before, and Wanderlust got a gleaming of why this little girl would be living on the streets.

The older unicorn lowered his posture, his face softening into remorse.

“Oh Trixie I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

She rose a little bit, her breaths as rapid as her heart beat must have been.

“There are things in that bag that are not for little fillies, things that could hurt you.”

Lowering himself nearly to his belly, Wanderlust tried to look as harmless as possible.

Slowly, Trixie let go of her fear, and circled around him back to the bed. She climbed back on top and snuggled into the blanket, finding comfort in the sheets, protection.

“I’m sorry I went in your bag.” came the little voice, half hidden behind a red fold. She kept her eyes on him, tears starting to well-up. “I was just curious.”

“I know Trixie, I’m not mad.” He strolled over to the bedside, and knelt his forelegs on the edge. “I just got really worried is all. Ok?”

She lowered her woven shield and looked up at him, “you’re really not mad?”

“Nope.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Trixie flattened the blanket in front of her, a smile beginning to break through.

“I was looking to see if you had anything to eat.”

Wanderlust lowered his head to her level, “Well then why don’t we get some breakfast then? There’s a nice place just around the block. Makes the best pancakes in Equestria.”

“Pancakes…” Trixie said, trailing off into thoughts of syrup and butter drenched deliciousness.

“Hop in the shower and we’ll head out when your done.” He told her stepping back from the bed, and pointed a hoof to where the little blanket still hung. “I washed your blanket, by the way.”

Trixie’s face lit-up at seeing it cleaned. “[gasp!] thank you Mr. Wanderlust!”

She leapt off the bed and began to scramble towards the shower room, but a glove of magic held her in place and spun her around to face Wanderlust. “But I need you to promise me something Trixie, you must promise to never go in my saddle bags, you understand?” He paused to gauge her, “Ever, okay?”

She nodded her head swiftly, the seriousness of his demand not lost on her. “Ah-huh. Stay out of the bags. You got it.”

“Go on.” He released her, and she ambled her way to the bathroom. When she had closed the door, he exhaled deeply, relieved that he had stopped her before she’d gotten too far in. He picked up his bags and set them on the bed, giving them a wary eye, they may look innocuous, but that was a lie. He open one of the bags and extracted a map, it was a local one of Fillydelphia, with several places notated in red circles. Thinking back to yesterday, he took out a pen from the same bag, and put red X’s over a few of them.

“That damn amulet has got to be here somewhere.” He said to himself. “I’ve traveled half the world looking for it. I’ve got to find it before-”

“Hey Wanderlust!”

The voice cut him off, and he stuffed pen and paper back into the bag. Trixie was poking her head out from behind the door, a few droplets of water falling from her mane.

“What is it kiddo?” he asked her.

“I was just wondering, Do you mind if I get blueberries on my pancakes?”

“Tuh.” he guffawed. “Sure Trixie, and strawberries, and honeydew melon.”

She let out a tiny squeal before closing the door in a hurry. Wanderlust merely smiled to himself.

“Kids.”
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CANTERLOT
PRESENT DAY

“I demand redress!” the aquamarine, orange-maned noble-mare cried out. Dressed in a flowing gown of pastel colors, she stood on the long red carpet that bisected the royal throne hall. On either side of her stood dozens of those of the similar social caste. Wealthy merchants, real estate speculators, financial moguls, and of course members of Canterlot’s deep-rooted noble classes. Descendants long removed from those who either founded southern Equestria or contributed to it’s budding success.

Long removed from any useful function. Celestia thought sitting in her tall chair. The daily court was usually burdened with the inane complaints and disputes from the aristocrats, diverting precious time away from the actual problems of the regular pony-folk.

Celestia stared flatly down at the be-jowled mare, who thought herself so high-and-mighty she didn’t even open her eyes as she bellowed on and on about some slight. Resting her chin on her wrist, the Alicorn listened.

“…That harlot Fleur Dis Lee has been parading herself to all the available bachelors in Canterlot!”

“And?…” Celestia asked unamused.

AND…” The mare accented for weight, “She’s throwing the curve for all the rest of us, more er,… conservative mares looking for a special somepony.”

You have got to be kidding me. The Princess screamed in her mind.

“So what are you asking from the court?”

“I am demanding that the court issue a royal decree that Fleur Dis Lee be ordered to put on some clothes that leave more to the imagination.”

Celestia let a breath go out through her nostrils slow and smooth, an imperceptible attempt to keep her anger in check.

“Sorry to disappoint Diamond Chandelier, but that simply isn’t something the Royal court can enforce on an individual. I’m afraid you’ll just have to appeal to stallions on your own merits. Good luck with that.”

Diamond Chandelier’s eyes popped open, and her aquamarine face turned red as she flustered and sputtered in indignation. A pair of guards who had been working long enough to know when a petitioner had worn out their welcome moved in and began to politely but firmly escort her out of the hall.

“Another petition Your Grace?” Celestia’s secretary Capulet asked, a slim unicorn mare with a dirty white coat and beige mane.

Stretching out her legs and back, Celestia groaned. “Not right now, I’ll resume after lunch.”

“After-” the mare checked her watch, and saw that it was indeed lunch time. But the princess never wore a watch… “How did you…?

Celestia tilted her head and tapped on her crown with her left hoof.

“Oh, right.”

Throwing herself down from the dais, Celestia sauntered to the center of the hall.

“Court will be taking a break for lunch. We will resume shortly.” she announced.

Turning abruptly, Celestia headed towards the door at the backside of the hall, the shortcut to her private chambers. “I’ll take lunch in my room Capulet. Aside from that I don’t want to be disturbed.”

Capulet jotted down notes on her clipboard as left her boss to her own devices. “As you wish Princess.”

Letting the door come to a slow close behind her, Celestia went to her bed and knelt down, tired from the mental taxation of the morning. Before the expected drudgery of the court hearings, the argument with Luna had weighed heavily on her mind. Try as she did to concentrate on her reading, her attempt at researching Thule for a talk with Twilight was more frustrating than fruitful.

She glanced over to the small collection she had retrieved from the library, several books on various topics about Thulian history and culture. She had tried to skim through a work on their century-long conflict with the federated yak tribes, but found it difficult to focus.

This was the most heated argument they’d had since that fateful night a thousand years ago, and every time they had some quarrel, no matter how minor, she felt a pang of tension. Since the history of this spat was related to Luna’s turn to Nightmare Moon, it was especially disconcerting.

Celestia took off her crown and placed it on a pillow, letting her own head down to rest on a satin cushion.

“I did… the right… thing.” She told herself. Discord, Tirek, Sombra, they had all been threats to Equestria, and she hadn’t hesitated to put a stop to them. Even her own sister had to be vanquished, all for the good of the realm. But Æclypse had been a threat of a different kind, he was going to reshape Equestria, everything they had fought so hard for.

Rolling on her back, Celestia reconsidered her approach to her faithful apprentice. Twilight doesn’t need me to teach her stuff she can read in the books for herself. What she needs is something personal, something only I can tell her.

That was a plan for another day, right now she needed to think of something to patch things up with Luna. Her sister had always been much more the introvert, and approaching her for personal matters was awkward, even for Celestia. This would require delicacy.

Her eyelids drooped, sleep last night had come in tosses and turns, worries about to keep a handle on things preventing a peaceful mind. A little nap won’t hurt, she though to herself letting her eyes close and muscles relax. Some rest with help me…{yawn} clear my head.

After a few moments of darkness, her eyes popped back open. Suddenly she was no longer in her room, but flank-deep in snow, howling northern winds around her, and the vista of a mountain top overlooking a range of shorter peaks. It was night, and the sky was absolutely filled with the stars and the clouds of the nebulae, a view not shared with those in the south lands.

She stood and shook the snow from her coat, glancing around to get a bearing on just where in Equestria she was. She knew she was in the northern hinterlands, but with no Sun or familiar landmark it could have been anywhere in the Crystal Mountain range, or even beyond.

Then a pair of giggles startled her, she turned saw two lights moving across the surface of the snow. They floated across her field of view from the distant left to the close right, towards the edge of the cliff. Voices came from the orbs, joyful and speaking to each other with affection. At first they were indecipherable, but Celestia could easily recognize the sound of Luna’s voice. But it wasn’t the tone she had become accustomed to over the past few years, this was the way Luna sounded millennia ago.

“…and so I told Star Swirl that it was Celestia who had licked the side of the cake!”

The pair erupted in laughter, and Celestia found that she remembered that day, when she and Luna were still fillies, and mischievous as they were they’d always blame the other for things they’d done. Star Swirl knew perfectly well that Luna had done it, but he liked to play along in their running game. Her punishment was to go out into the garden, and sing to the family of phoenixes that had nested in one of the trees. She had found Philomena that day.

“Oh Luna, you are quite the little mischief-maker aren’t you?”

The other voice, Celestia realized, “I recognize that voice!” Luna was walking with Prince Æclypse.

The lights coalesced into more complex shapes, growing legs, waving manes, and heads as they strolled near the cliff. Eventually they clarified, a young Luna, her mane a pale blue, not yet having reached the power level that would alter it to the starry mist. Beside her was the Prince of Thule as she remembered him, young, tall, and ruggedly handsome. For all that Celestia had against him, she could never dispute the reasons why her sister or any mare would be attracted to him.

I have my fun.” Luna said coyly, tilting her head away from him. Æclypse chuckled, his gaze not leaving the elegant neck of her younger sister. Celestia had never seen her flirt with anypony before, it was a side of her she found fascinating. With the exception of her clumsy attempt to reintroduce herself to the pony folk on Nightmare Night, Luna was typically very reserved, even severe at times. To see her giddy and cute with this stallion, was seeing her anew.

Speaking of your sister…” Æclypse started, biting his lip to gather his courage. “I still think you should tell her about us, I’d like to get to know her.”

At this Luna huffed and trotted ahead of him, “What’s the matter ‘dragon rider’? Am I not sufficient for you?” She pouted, but the twinges of a smirk could be seen at the corners of her mouth.

Æclypse smiled and cantered up to her side, nudging her neck with his muzzle. “Luna, you’re more than I ever dreamed of. But I will need to establish some relationship with her at some point. I am going to be King of Thule in a few years, and it’ll be a matter of state. I just… I think we should be friends, for the better of everypony.”

Luna turned back to him, her eyes delving into his, and she thrust her face to his, kissing him. Celestia was breathless, to see Luna flirt was unusual, this was mind-blowing.

Luna broke away from the kiss, putting a hoof up to his cheek. “I will tell my sister eventually, she has already noticed a change in my behavior. It will be difficult to keep it a secret much longer.” She gave him an impish smirk, “But for now I do enjoy having you all to my own.”

The two embraced, laying their necks across and resting their chins on each others shoulder.

I am all yours Luna, princess of my dreams.”

A tear fell from Celestia’s face, the wind having no effect on it’s plummet. As she stood there, some dozen yards from the pair, the world around them faded to black. The far away horizon, the stars, even the wind and snow dissolved until just the three of them remained under spotlights.

“This is how I remember him Celestia.”

The change in tone surprised Celestia, and she gasped to realize that she was now hearing her sister’s current voice.

“Luna?”

Æclypse himself faded into the void, leaving Luna to stand alone. Her mane sprouted into the celestial curtain, and her posture shifted. Before Celestia now stood Luna as she was today, and she turned to her with a pained expression.

“If only you cold have known him as I did sister.” Luna began sadly. “Seen him as he truly was, and not the torn, desperate, and angry stallion that you encountered.”

“Luna.” Celestia said, taking a few tentative steps forward. “I am sorry that I never knew him under better circumstances. It’s just not how things played out. For all our power there are things that remain out of our control.”

By now even her alabaster face had fallen, sharing in the grief.

“This was why I never understood, never understood why you had such hostility towards him. It was incomprehensible to me that two ponies I cared about so much could be at each others throats.” Closing the distance between them, Luna looked up to her sister’s eyes.

“For good or ill you have my reasons.” Celestia said, hanging her head a bit. “And he had his.”

Luna placed her hoof under Celestia‘s chin, “Show me what he was like to you sister, show me the good prince who refused to fight evil.”

“Luna I don’t think that’s a good-” The elder sister started, but was cut off when Luna’s face morphed from sad to determined.

“You forget sister, I am the mistress of the dreamscape.” Luna’s eyes ignited, and she levitated to loom over her sister. “And it is here that my will be done.”

“No! Please, Luna-”!

Celestia could feel her mind giving way to Luna’s will, the world around them transforming into a fire lit stone hall, and perched at the top of the dais on the throne sat a glaring Æclypse.

But suddenly she was awake. Her eyes snapped open and she craned her neck up to see that she was in her room. Peaking in from the doorway, Capulet was standing there holding a tray of snacks.

“Sorry to um, disturb you Your Highness, but your lunch-”

“It’s fine.” Celestia assured her, her face still damp from tears. “Just leave it on the table. I’ll be out to resume court in a little bit.”

“Okay.” Capulet avoided looking directly at the princess, and quietly placed the tray on a bedside table before letting herself out, and closing the door behind her.

“Thank you.” Celestia said to the empty space. She glanced at the food, a few half sandwiches and a bowl of berries, and though it looked good, and she was hungry, she just couldn’t muster the will to reach over and eat.

Instead she put her chin back down on the pillow, and let another tear wind it’s way down to soak itself into the satin.

“What have I done?” she muttered.


CAROSEL BOUTIQUE

Despite the season, it had become a rather warm day. As such, Rarity used a scrap of discarded cloth to dab at the sweat on her brow. She was going over the diagram for a new dress, pieces of fabric floating in the air like a foal’s mobile around her head. Hunched over her work table for hours, she paused to crank her neck side to side, and wiggle her back.

She stared down at her work, mulling on the fact that she was just using it to distract herself. Things had been going great last night until Trixie showed-up, bringing in some unpleasant facet of Wanderlust’s past with her. But the worst part was he had never come back, no apology, no explanation, just out the door, and gone all night. Part of her wanted to go find him and demand the truth, but part of her thought this was a red flag. She’d allowed herself to be charmed by a handsome stranger, and completely ignored her good senses to vet him better.

Plus, there were a few orders to get done, and concept designs for next year’s spring collection really should be worked on. A dainty yawn refused to be suppressed, and Rarity decided to take a break from work. Sauntering over to the window, she put her elbows on the sill and looked to see what the towns ponies were up to today.

With a sigh, she took note of who she saw. “There’s Mayor Mare and Lady Justice, probably going over the new zoning regulations. And there’s Filthy Rich and Press Pass, no doubt he’s trying to set the narrative on the recent troubles of his Manehattan accounting firm.” [sigh] “And there’s Twilight coming over to visit- OH Twilight!”

Her mood immediately lifted, Rarity was excited to speak with her friend, “Perfect timing, I have a friendship problem, she’s the princess of friendship, she’ll have some good advice.”

Trotting downstairs, Rarity came down the stairs just as Twilight was coming through the door.

“Hello Twilight darling, welcome back.”

With a quick hug, Twilight seemed just as eager to speak to Rarity.

“Hey Rarity. I came by because I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh really?” Rarity asked, a little off-put by feeling that her own question would have to be put on the back-burner. “What is it?”

Twilight blushed a tinge, visibly awkward, “Well, I understand you have a new friend, this Wanderlust guy.”

Rarity loosed a small gasp, “Yes, I was actually just about to talk to you about him.”

“Really?” the purple Alicorn seemed confused. “Well this conversation won’t be passing the Bechdel test.”

“The what?”

“Nevermind. Wanderlust came to see me today.”

“He did?” Rarity asked, the mystery around him only growing with time.

“Yeah, he came to me in my capacity as Princess, So I was all like ‘Really, cool! I get to do something official for once’.” Twilight mused.

“What did he want? He asked about your castle, but he never told me anything about any business he had with you.”

“Well, he had a really interesting idea. It seems he came to Ponyville with the intent of opening a new finishing academy for young ponies. Not an academic school, but a place where young Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns could hone their skills.”

“Really…” The idea stuck Rarity as, well, wonderful. A very generous thing to do.

“Did he say what the qualifications would be for this school? Some kind of aptitude test like Princess Celestia’s?”

“That was the best part.” Twilight said with delight. “It would be free to join, the only condition, was the student has to show a consistent dedication to improving their craft.”

“That’s a marvelous idea Twilight.” Rarity had to admit. “But why did he come to you about it? Seems like a private enterprise.”

“He said the training would be 100% hooves-on, very little expense after the start-up costs. Which he offered to pay out of his pocket. But the regular cadre would require some wages. To that end, he thought he could get a two-for-one deal by working with me. I would be the official patroness, of ‘Princess Twilight’s Finishing Academy for Young Ponies’, and throw a few fundraisers a year to supplement the cost.”

[GASP!] “Your own school Twilight! It’s just perfect!” The seamstress tittered.

“I know right?! Then he said he’d already purchased the land to build the facility, but I was so excited, I insisted that we use my big empty castle!”

Twilight squealed with delight, then brought herself down to Earth.

“But I had a few conditions of my own, One of them, was that trustworthy ponies had to vouch for him. So when he told me that you, AppleJack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie had already met him, I figured who better?”

uh-oh Rarity thought, it was precisely this vein that she needed help with, but with him needing a voucher for such a worth-while project…

“What ah… What did you need to know?”

“I understand you’ve gotten to know him the best so far. So tell me, what do you know about him?”

Twilight fixed her friend with a look asking for honesty, it didn’t help that she had just said the very phrase that had been on Rarity’s mind for the last day. Fluttershy had said it aloud, but it had been echoing in her mind, trying to elbow its way past the infatuation.

“In all honesty Twilight?” She warned.

“Nothing but.” Twilight assured her.

Rarity took a deep breath.

Outside a mother and her young filly were walking past the boutique, talking and laughing as they went. But as they crossed the building, a sudden loud yell scared both of them. Especially since they recognized the voice of their local princess.

“HE DID WHAT WITH WHO?!?!”


PONYVILLE ELEMENTARY

Sitting at her desk and concentrating on her math work, Sweetie Belle got the feeling she was being watched. After the scene at the party last night, she couldn’t really expect any different once the rumor mill started turning. Every now and then she caught her classmates glancing over to her. Some, like her friends she knew were probably curious to know how she was doing, Applebloom and Scootaloo pestering her all morning before class, despite the fact that they had been there. Others, like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon she knew were up to their usual track of making snide comments and condescension.

But most she thought, were just curious. They all knew her and Rarity had taken the stranger into their home, Sweetie had made sure of that with her bragging. Now, the whole town was gossiping about how he had run off into the night with a mare who had already put the town in grave danger, and tried to turn it into her own personal serfdom.

She cut her eyes to the left, and saw the same green earth pony from yesterday looking at her. As soon as their eyes connected he looked away. Odd, she thought, but not particularly out of the ordinary considering.

Glancing down at her paper, her math work had stalled half-way through the first equation. It wasn’t her favorite subject, but she had never had any problems with it. With a small exhale, she picked-up the pencil in her magic and tried to finish it.

Just as she touched the graphite to pulp however, the bell rang, afternoon recess.

Ambling out onto the porch, her friends closed in on her sides.

“You feelin’ alright sugercube?” Applebloom asked. “You seemed really distracted today.”

“Yeah, and not like yesterday.” Scootaloo added, “I mean, you didn’t have anymore of those weird berries did you?”

“No…” Sweetie began half-heartedly, trying to avoid making eye contact with the others as they went through the yard. “It’s just last night. I told everypony I was friends with Wanderlust. Now, the whole town’s talking about how he knows Trixie, and what he’s really doing in Ponyville.”

Scootaloo turned her focus to the sky, thinking something over. “Kinda reminds me of our Gabby Gums experiment.”

“Oh yeaaah…” the apple filly said, “I remember that.”

Sweetie bowed her head. “I guess now I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the scandal.”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

The CMC turned their heads to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon prancing over to them, both bearing the smarmiest grins they could manage.

“Your sister’s new colt-friend is some kind of conspirator with the criminal and maniacal Trixie, and now the whooole town knows you’re harboring a dangerous outlaw.”

“You don’t know if he’s an outlaw!” Applebloom yelled back at the bullies.

Scootaloo nodded her head, “Yeah, he’s just some really cool drifter that beats-up monsters and sleeps outside.”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon rolled their eyes at one another.

“Yeah, he sounds like a real trustworthy guy.” Silver jabbed, “How do you think he makes any money living on the street?”

“I bet he robs ponies on dark and lonely roads.” Suggested Tiara.

“I bet he’s got a whole laundry list of crimes and degenerate activities.”

“I bet that’s the only laundry he has!”

Both spoiled fillies erupted in laughter, draping a foreleg over their shoulders to stay standing.

The Crusaders pouted, knowing that the battle of wits usually went against them, and this time, the bullies kinda had a point. Still, they were only doing it to be mean.

“Even if he is a crook,” Shady Daze began, stepping up to the left side of the CMC, Rumble to the other, creating a five-foal front opposite the tormentors. “He’s still way more interesting than you’ll ever be.”

The young Pegasus colt nodded in agreement, “Yeah, if they wrote a book about him, it’d be as tall as me. You wouldn’t get a page in a pamphlet!”

Tiara scoffed, “As. If. I could just have daddy commission a whole movie about me. You however, will just be a sad little nobody the rest of your life.”

“You’re wrong Diamond Tiara.” Shady asserted, taking a step towards her. “I’m gonna be remembered by friends and family who love me. Are you gonna pay someone to miss you when you’re gone?”

“Maybe!” She spat, her lower jaw quivering.

Shady could tell he had gotten to her, so he stepped back to stand with the CMC.

“You can pay your little froggy here.”

The tension came to a dead stop, replaced by confusion. Rumble was the first to break the silence.

“I think you mean toady.”

“What?” Shady said, “Frogs are way grosser than toads.”

“No…I’m pretty sure it’s the other one.” Scootaloo confirmed.

Diamond Tiara shook her head in fury. “Whatever! I shouldn’t even be wasting my time with a bunch of blank-flanks anyway! Come on Silver.”

Silver Spoon was still reeling from the body-blow insults thrown their way, and hesitated to follow when Tiara turned, her chin raised in a show of superiority.

“Guess she must have important spoiled brat stuff to do.” Applebloom observed as the pair stomped off. “Thanks for the support guys.”

“No problem.” Rumble faced the rest of them as they turned and walked towards the currently unoccupied play house. “Us Blank-Flanks gotta stick together right?”

After a shared chuckle, Scootaloo gave him a high-hoof. “Totally.”

Hopping into the small play shack, Shady Daze leaned his forelegs out over a window sill. “So, have you guys seen Button Mash?”

The crusaders traded looks among themselves before shaking their heads.

“Sorry.” Said Sweetie Belle, “Haven’t seen him lately.”

Rumble lifted a fore-hoof as he spoke, “That’s the thing, no-pony’s seen him or his mom for the last two days.”

“We went by his house,” Shady added, “And saw a note on the door about some vacation to Baltimare. But when we looked in the window to Button’s room, all his game stuff was still in there. There’s no way he’d go on a trip without those!”

Applebloom rubbed her chin in contemplation. “That does sound like a mystery. What do you say girls? Cutie Mark Crusaders: Missing Ponies Bureau?”

“Sounds good to me!” Scootaloo said excitedly, buzzing a few inches off the ground.

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement, “Hey! You guys wanna join us?”

The statement caught all the others off-guard, and Sweetie found herself in the position to explain herself.

“I mean, why not? They don’t have their cutie marks either. So maybe they can…”

“Join the Cuite Mark Crusaders?” Came a shocked Applebloom, finishing the thought.

“Well, if they want to I guess.” Put Scootaloo.

Rumble and Shady Daze were a little taken aback. They hadn’t come to the girls to join their club, but if it could help find their friend...

“I’m in.” Rumble said, puffing up his little chest.

“So am I.” Shady agreed.

“Alright!” Applebloom cried as she bounced with delight. “The CMC is expanding! We’re gonna need to make a few more capes!”

“Add some new names to the roster!” The orange Pegasus chimed.

“Get a couch for the clubhouse!” A happy Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo and Applebloom paused to think about it, but the idea grew on them very quickly. “Yeah!” They cheered in unison.

Shady stepped between the girls to interrupt them, his serious face taking the joy out of the situation.

“First things first, we need to find Button.”

The girls all matched him with looks of determination, resolute that this would be their most important crusade yet.

Applebloom stuck-out her fore-hoof between the five of them, the rest following suit until they all had a share in the center.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, we’ve got a mystery to solve.”


OUTSKIRTS OF PONYVILLE
EARLY EVENING

Soaring high in the air, she could see him down below. Gliding on the invisible currents, Twilight Sparkle tried very carefully to not give herself away before she wanted too, making sure to keep her shadow out of his field of vision.

Strolling along on the ground, Wanderlust was keeping a parallel path to the edge of the Everfree forest, like he was patrolling it seemed to her. Unhurried in his pace, he kept an eye on the mysterious woods, watching it, his head twitching to any subtle movement.

After a series of very revealing conversations with Rarity and the rest of her friends, Twilight decided that she had to take a whole new look at this out-of-towner. No longer was he a philanthropist to her, but rather somepony who demanded a much closer inspection, a stallion who seemed to have much more to his intentions than he had let on.

For a pony who had only been in town for a few days, the account of his activities if not intriguing, was highly unusual. Fighting Timberwolves, buying property, charming Rarity, spending mysterious gold coins on flowers. Any one of these things would be merely interesting in isolation, but from one guy? One pony who consistently met questions with vague answers, and always seemed to know a little something about everything.

It was time to get some straight answers out of him if he wanted her help at all.

But not everything she’d heard about him was suspect. Apparently he was a generous spender, a gracious guest, kind to children, and evidently willing to risk his safety for others. He was also a talented minstrel she was told, a gift he was exercising at the moment. Twilight didn’t have the naturally heightened sense of hearing like a Pegasus despite the wings, but his singing voice was clear, and carried on the wind.

So you can press play to get the melody, but you don't have to follow along with the song for the story.

“Lips, ripe as the berries in June,

Red the rose, red the rose.

Fur, pale as the light of the moon,

Gently as she goes…”

It was a love song, Twilight realized, a sad one by the sound of it. He couldn’t be singing it about Rarity, that wouldn’t make any sense. This had to be some mare from his past, a very special somepony to be singing about her. The style of the song struck her as notable as well, it was sung like a poem, and she could imagine him singing it while plucking lazily on a lyre.

“Eyes, blue as the sea and the sky,

Wa-ter flows, wa-ter flows.

Heart, burning like fire in the night,

Gently as she goes.”

If it wasn’t about Rarity it was pretty close, pale fur and blue eyes. Maybe she reminds him of this previous mare, maybe that’s why he likes her. That was a thought Twilight decided she’d rather chalk that up as a coincidence.

“La, la la la la la la,

La, da da, la, da da.

Hm, mm mm mm mm mm mm,

Gently as she goes.”

He’d been singing the song over and over for as long as she’d been trailing him. Sometimes a little faster, sometimes a little slower, but he always lingered on the final line. No doubt because of some memory.

An interesting subject that she’d have to ask him about.
The others should be in place by now.” She thought to herself. “Time to bring him in.”

“Good evening Wanderlust!” Twilight touched down a few paces behind him, flashing a closed smile. He returned it with a surprised but hopeful gleam.

“Evening Princes-, ah, Twilight. Sorry, still not accustomed to addressing royalty by their first names.”

His apology seemed genuine she thought, points in his favor.

“That’s an interesting thing to know about you Wanderlust.” She said while coming up to his side as they walked.

“It is?” He asked, his voice betraying confusion.

Twilight smiled. “Yup. In fact, that’s why I came to find you. I’ve decided that if you and I are gonna do business, I’m going to have to know more about you.”

“I see.” Was all he could manage at first. He had heard that the princess was very curious pony, and he reflexively got a bit wary. “Did you speak to the others? What did they have to say?”

“Oh I had some very interesting conversations Wanderlust, ones that beg for further investigation.”

More questions?” He thought. “Well I probably shouldn’t be surprised. This whole town has been so curiously trusting, only a matter of time before somepony got around to asking some smart questions.”

“Whatever you need to know Twilight, I’m an honest stallion.”

“Excellent!” She chirped with a grin. “We’ll just head back to the castle then. The others will definitely have their own questions to as you.”

“The others?” he nearly gulped. “This is… potentially… not good.

“Yes, my friends that you’ve met already. Since they’re pretty much my royal council, and already know you a little, I figure they should be a part.”

She paused in her step, giving him a subtly probing look. “Unless of course, you’re not up to answering all our questions.”

This was a direct, indirect challenge, and Wanderlust knew it immediately. She was calling his bluff, laying a trap, drawing a line in the sand, giving him a chance to blink.

He gave her a bright-eyed smile. “I’ve got nothing but time.”

“Great! Let’s go.” Twilight stepped right up against his flank and lit her horn, covering them both in a bubble of her magic.

“Wait,” he said, “Are we gonna tele-”

In a flash of purple sparks they vanished.

TWILIGHT’S CASTLE

“-port… again…”

Appearing in the main hall of the crystal castle, Wanderlust made no pretense of his dismay. It wasn’t that he didn’t like being teleported, he was just irritated that it was a spell he didn’t know.

“I have got to learn how to do that Twilight.”

“Maybe I’ll teach you someday.” She said as she strolled ahead to the throne chamber. “In exchange for that fire spell.”

Damn, that might take a while. He thought to himself as he entered the room after her. The second he saw what he was getting into however, he came to a stop at the threshold of the circle of thrones.

Seated in each one, were all the element bearers, and each of them looking directly at him. Applejack and Fluttershy bore no explicit reaction to his presence, but the others were not so concealed. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious of his every move. Pinkie, oddly, seemed pleased to see him, giving him a casual smile.

Twilight plopped down in her chair from above, and appeared to wait on him appraisingly, the impartial judge. Spike sat in his seat adjacent to her, his arms crossed, his demeanor not accusing but skeptical. Rarity however, as stiff an upper lip as she tried to produce, he could still see the trepidation in her eyes.

She must feel like I played her for a fool. Wanderlust cursed in his mind.

“Please step forward Wanderlust.” Twilight said, “And I’ll begin the questioning.”

He took the few hesitant steps forward to stand in the center of the ring. Lifting his saddle bags from his torso, he set it on the floor behind him, an effort to show that he wasn’t hiding behind anything.

“First question Wanderlust. You told Rarity that you were from the north, so where exactly are you from?”

An expected question. “I know it sounds very evasive when I say that I am from all over, but it’s more true than you think.” He turned in place, addressing the council as he spoke. “I left home at a very young age, and have been traveling around the world ever since. I have called no place home far longer than I ever had one. But if you want a more precise answer, then I would tell you that I was born in Vanhoover.”

The admission was a bit startling for the girls. Of course they had heard of it before, but it was far to the northwest and none of them had ever been there before.

“From Vanhoover?” An eyebrow raised Twilight mulled over. “Is your family still there?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know.” Wanderlust let his head hang a little, a long since accepted pang of guilt still exercising some potency. “My departure from home was not an amicable one. My father and I did not see eye-to-eye on very much, and instead of a refuge, my foalhood home was often a battlefield.”

The Element bearers grew visibly dismayed by his story.

“Things only got worse when my older sister left home a few years before I, my father was a domineering pony, and as such was not too tolerant of things outside his control. So as soon as I could muster some resources, I got out of there myself, and then the road became my home.”

This seemed to pacify Twilight for the moment, she leaned back in her seat to consider his answer. When Wanderlust cast about to gauge the others, Twilight cast a quick glance over to Applejack who sat to her left, and saw that she was still watching him.
No indication yet…

“Next Question!” Rainbow Dash almost yelled at him, poking a hoof in his direction. “How did you know Pinkie Pie’s name before meeting her?”

“You yelled it at her while streaking over me.”

“That is true Dashie!” Pinkie confirmed in a happy voice.

Rubbing her chin for a moment, Dash wanted to trip him-up on something, but since Daring Do was still investigating the coin, she had to think of something else. “Alright… What are you really doing here in Ponyville huh?”

“I believe I already made that clear to Princess Twilight.” Wanderlust said, a bit startled by the softball question. “I’m here to open an academy for-”

“Cut the malarkey Wanderlust!” interrupting him, Rainbow Dash reared up. “You’ve been giving us a lot of convenient excuses. You expect us to believe that you’re in town for two days and you just happen to meet all of us? Huh?”

Wanderlust hesitated. Twilight leaned forward in her chair, and caught a flash of movement from Applejack, just a darting of the eyes.

“Wanderlust.” The princess cautioned, “If you have any other reason for being in Ponyville… Now’s the time to tell us.”

His mouth hung for a second, Alright… what’s the right play here

“It’s true.”

A series of gasps came from Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash got a look like a cat that had cornered a mouse. Only Applejack and Twilight remained stoic.

“It’s true.” He admitted a second time. “I do have an ulterior motive for being here.” He paused, taking a few breaths to decide exactly how he wanted to put this. “I came here for you, you bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”

Twilight sat straight up, this was unexpected. But in a way, it was familiar. Ever since she first became connected to the Elements, she had been worried about someone taking an undue interest in the primal powers that keep Equestria full of light. Only Discord had managed to pose a threat to the jewels or Tree directly, but after dealing with Starlight Glimmer, she couldn’t rule out a mortal pony being a potential danger. Especially not one as magically potent as he was supposed to be.

“What do ya mean here ‘fer us?” Said Applejack, “What do you want with us?”

“I wanted to know who you are. Of course all Equestria knows about you, you defeat some tyrant and save the world every couple months. But that doesn’t tell me who you are as ponies. I had to see the saviors of Equestria for myself.”

None of the mares quite knew how to take this revelation, they had never had a pony make a pilgrimage to them, and they weren’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. If this was the beginning of some kind of trend, Applejack wanted to nip it in the bud

“Ya do realize we’re just a bunch of normal ponies right? I mean, yeah we’re connected to the elements, but we’re just like anypony else.”

“All evidence to the contrary I’m afraid.” Countered Wanderlust. “To do what you have done once would be enough to make you legends. But after several times? Being avatars of a higher power makes you very different from regular ponies, and at the very least, worthy of investigation.

So I came here, to learn about you, see what kind of ponies hold the fate of Equestria in their hooves.”

There was silence from the gallery until Pinkie Pie raised her questions.

“Answer this for me stranger: What’s your favorite kind of party snacks?” She leaned back, watching for his answer behind steepled hooves.

He took a deep breath, “I’d have to say Saddle Arabian fig treats, Waka’Nakian baked berry pies, and soft pretzels with a cheese fondue.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes. “I find your answers acceptable.”

“I have a question… if it’s okay with, um, you guys.” Fluttershy’s timid voice emerged.

Twilight put a hoof to her forehead, “Go ahead Fluttershy.”

It took the gentle Pegasus a moment to clear her throat before she began. “Wanderlust?”

“Yes?”

“Could you, um, tell us more about how you know Trixie?”

Finally, the real elephant in the room, he thought with a sigh.

“As I’m sure Fluttershy told you all, I met Trixie when she was much younger. The simple truth is that I was a…” In the second he paused, he remembered his time with Trixie, the joy in her eyes when she learned a new spell, the dejection of failing, the way she grew into a beautiful young mare.

“I was a mentor to her, for several years.”

“Several years?” Rarity said aloud, the words dripping with disbelief. “You mean you’re the one who tutored her magic?”

“I taught her a few things. She was magically talented before I came along, she just needed some guidance.”

Rarity became indignant. “Hrmph! Some guidance you gave her!”

This genuinely struck Wanderlust as bizarre, “What are you talking about?”

“Last night wasn’t the first time Trixie has come here.” She snorted, “Her presence in our town has typically resulted in calamity, a repeated pattern of behavior. And as somepony who knows her patterns, I have to ask what you taught her that would lead her to the life of a charlatan and jealous tyrant?!”

Even her friends were off-put by Rarity’s accusation outburst. Wanderlust just stared back at her, reeling from the glare she cast in his direction. After a hard swallow, he started to talk slowly.

“I… don’t know what she’s been up to for years. The pony you’re talking about isn’t the one I knew, it’s not the one I left to pursue her own life and not…” Again he couldn’t finish the sentence without his face winching, “Not be stunted by having me drag her around Equestria.”

Wanderlust let his head hang, trying to figure out, remember anything he might have done that would cause Trixie to be the mare they were familiar with. She had been happy, healthy, and prospering when he left, what happened? he wondered.

Raising his face to Princess Twilight, he bit back his emotions and squared his jaw.

“Would you tell me, What exactly did Trixie do that was so terrible to garner such suspicion and animosity?”

“The first time she made a show of bragging how superior and powerful she was, humiliating several ponies and telling us that she had defeated an Ursa Major. And when a few of our… less sensible townsponies tried to get her to duplicate her feat, the whole town was endangered when she couldn’t stop an Ursa Minor.”

“She said she beat an Ursa?” Wanderlust’s questioned to himself.

“The second time,” Twilight continued, “She came here bearing an item that granted her power beyond that of a normal unicorn, but it also corrupted her mind, turning her into a despot that enslaved the town. Luckily I was able to get her to give the power up, and see the error of her ways.”

His mind raced at the implications, What she’s describing... It couldn’t be… that would mean that Trixie found…

“I’m sorry I can’t stand here and offer you some explanation for what she did. But I am sorry for whatever part I may have had in turning her into who she became.”

Twilight looked around to the rest of her friends, assessing the state of the committee.

“If there are no further questions-”

“I have one last question.” Rarity said, raising a hoof. “Wanderlust, do you love her? Do you love Trixie?”

“I watched her grow from a filly into a talented, beautiful young mare. I suppose I’ll always have love for her.”

Rarity stared at him wide-eyed before stepping down from her seat. She walked out of the chamber, leaving the rest to watch her exit with a small degree of astonishment.

Twilight broke the awkward silence, “I think that will suffice Wanderlust. If you don’t mind waiting outside the chamber, we have a few things to talk about.”

“As you wish Princess.” Wanderlust bowed as he turned, picked up his bags, and let the doors shut behind him.

“Well that was tense.” Applejack noted now that they were alone.

Fluttershy shivered. “Oh, I didn’t like that one bit.”

“I didn’t either.” A troubled Twilight agreed. “We shouldn’t have to take such measures with ponies who come for our help.”

“This is his own doing.” Rainbow Dash countered, “He kept himself shadowy on purpose, you heard him, he’s really here for us.”

Twilight stepped down from her chair and into the center. “Considering all we’ve done that’s not really surprising. And so what if he’s not comfortable coming out with his life story after knowing somepony for two days, I certainly can’t blame him for that.”

“He seems alright to me.” The unexpected voice came from Spike, who let his little legs swing back and forth over the edge of his seat. “He’s traveled all over the world, he’s bound to seem a kinda strange to us, we’ve spent our whole lives in Equestria.”

Applejack and the others joined Twilight in the middle “Now that’s a fair point sugercube. So there’s parts of his past he’s not real proud of; what’s he’s done in the present is rescue some fillies from going into the wood chipper.”

“And he can’t be all bad if he put up with Trixie for years.” Fluttershy said while looking down at floor. “If that’s not an act of kindness, I don’t know what is.”

With the majority opinion going against her side, Rainbow Dash pouted and crossed her forelegs. “I’m telling you guys, we need to keep a closer eye on him. At least until we get to know him better.”

Twilight twisted in disappointment. “I hate to say it Rainbow, but you have a point. I can’t give a stranger my endorsement, I was much to hasty to go along with his plan.”

“Right!” Dash agreed, “So I’ll keep tabs on him and-”

“Actually Rainbow,” the Alicorn cut her off, “I think Pinkie Pie is better suited for this. We’ve seen all the information she collects to get to know somepony.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie squealed as she jumped in between Twilight and Rainbow, “I’m the sneakiest pony in this berg. How do you think I got all those emergency party cannons installed in your homes?”

“Oh no.” A shuddering Fluttershy mumbled, imagining the scare waiting for her somewhere in her cottage.


A few minutes ago, Wanderlust glanced back as the doors closed behind him. With a sigh he looked around to see which direction Rarity had gone, and he saw the very tip end of her tail around the corner. Walking softly, he poked his head past the bend and saw that she was laying on a bench, her chin resting in the crook of her forelegs.

Forcing a hard swallow, he started to talk before he had anything to say. “Rarity?”

She lifted her face around to look at him, but without emotion set it back down.

“If you’re worried I’m going to call for you be run out of town, have no fear. I’m not going to lay Trixie’s misdeeds on you.”

Again, the mention of Trixie being a menace to the town stung at his heart, but that wasn’t something to be dealt with at the moment. He leaned on the edge of the wall.

“I admit I don’t quite know what to say. I thought things were going well.”

Rarity shifter her head, leaning her right ear more in his direction. “Soooo, when you came to town, you already knew about me huh?”

“Well, I knew of you, but I couldn’t predict who I would find when I got here.” Wanderlust stepped around the corner and laid himself down alongside her. “But I am glad to have found you and all your friends to be more than I…. well, how do I say this… With the Elements of Harmony in your care, I believe Equestria is safe.”

Rarity considered telling him that the Elements had been restored to the Tree of Harmony, and that their connection to them was questionable, but she declined.

“Happy we could exceed your standards.”

Her tone was displeased, but workable he thought. “Rarity, it’s not about me, it’s just… I’ve seen a lot of the world, a lot of bad and a lot of good. I’ve seen plenty of champions rise and fall, some because of a stronger foe, others from vice. So when I heard about a new Alicorn and her company of heroines emerge victorious over the greatest threats in Equestria, I just had to see it to believe it.”

For a while Rarity didn’t respond, she merely lay where she was. Wanderlust set his own chin down to rest, and for a few minutes they both sat in silence.

The sound of the chamber door opening caused them both to stir.

“Rarity! Wanderlust!” They heard Spike call, “They need you back in here.”

Rarity was the first to reenter the room, getting back on her chair as the others had already done. Wanderlust put on a stoic face and stepped before the tribunal. Twilight cleared her throat.

“Wanderlust, you have our blessing to stay in Ponyville.”

He visibly relaxed, but Wanderlust remained attentive to the not-so-great news that was sure to follow.

“However, I cannot give you my endorsement for an academy. As much as I like the idea, I just don’t know you well enough yet.”

Wanderlust nodded his head, accepting the verdict. “Very well.”

“So until such time, we advise you to be on your best behavior.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem Princess.”

“Then that settles it.” Applejack announced, regardless of the others. “Meetin’ adjourned, I got work needs doin‘.” Getting off her chair, she gave Wanderlust a passing nod as she headed out of the chamber.

One by one the others followed her out. Pinkie flashing a quick smile, Fluttershy seemed distracted, and Rarity strolled past him without a word. Rainbow Dash was the last to leave.

Figures. Wanderlust thought, Loyalty is a stubborn quality.

Dash glided around him on her way out, never getting closer than a few paces. All the while she fixed him with a look that warned him to abide Twilight’s condition.

When Rainbow had left, the doors were closed and Wanderlust remained with Spike and Twilight.

“Before you go Wanderlust, there were some personal things I wanted to ask you, that I thought you might not want to answer in front of a crowd.”

Here it is. He tensed. “Like what?”

“Well…” A sudden feeling of discomfort forced Twilight from her throne, and she approached him. “These are personal questions…” Glancing back at Spike, she gave her assistant the indication to leave them alone. He got the hint.

Spike hopped down from his seat and waddled his way to the door on the other side of the room. “Guess it’s time to finish the latest ‘Power Ponies’ issue.”

With just the two of them, Twilight bit her lip. “When I came to find you earlier, you were singing to yourself, and I’m thinking you weren’t singing about Trixie were you?”

“No.” He felt his gut churn. Knowing what the next question would be only served to make the situation all the more depressing. Unable to mask the anxiety building beneath the surface, he let Twilight finish her thought.

“So who was it about?” She asked.

“My wife.” Wanderlust conceded, “I was singing about my wife.”

The surprise apparent, Twilight kept going. “So you’re married?”

“I was, years ago.”

“But not anymore? You left her? You broke up? You- “

“They were taken from me.” He spoke the words with a grit of anger, almost through his teeth. “There was nothing I could do.”

“I see.” She wasn’t quite prepared for his answer, and clearly this was a touchy subject. “I hope I didn’t offend you by asking.”

“It’s fine.” He assured, casting his eyes to the floor. “The song is to remember her.”

“I just have one last thing to ask you, only because you’ve done so much traveling.”

This sounded interesting, and it served to break Wanderlust out of his slump.

“Show you something more accurately.” Twilight used her magic to reach into a satchel leaning on the side of her chair, and she extracted a book.

“Since you’ve seen so much, I was wondering if you’ve ever seen anything like this before.”

“I’ll take a look.” He said with small optimism. “Chances are I have, but I’m always open to new-”

The sight of the book stunned him, and he stared at it unblinking for a few moments before his mouth moved.

“Where did you find this book?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“I found it in Canterlot. It’s about the clothing styles in an ancient kingdom called-”

“Thule.” Wanderlust said, not taking his eyes away from the tome.

“So you have seen it!” Twilight smiled with excitement, “You wouldn’t be able to read it would you?”

His lower jaw hung in place, staring at the book like it was hypnotizing him. But he snapped out of the stupor with a shake of his head, and took it in his magical grasp.

“I told you my family was from Vanhoover, and I remember seeing something similar in our attic, in a box of my mother’s family heirlooms.”
He flipped through the pages one by one, taking in the contents with reverence.

“I asked her about it, and she said that her side of the family was a very old bloodline, and that it was the last of some relics the family had kept over the years. She couldn’t read everything in it, but her grandmother had taught her to read some of the older text.

Unlike this volume, the book we had was something of a family chronicle, started by some long-ago ancestor, with a contribution by successive generations. My mother even showed me where she had put her passage, telling about the family she had, and that my elder sister would inherit it.”

“Did your book contain any historical information?”

“In the oldest stuff if I recall correctly.” lingering on a portrait of a mare dressed in a flowing green gown with flowers along the trim, he tilted his head to marvel at it. “It mentioned something about the family starting the chronicle after they left Thule, and how many of the others scattered all across southern Equestria.

We couldn’t read all of it, parts were faded with time, some was so archaic it was indecipherable. The earliest part was about some prince being banished by, how did the book phrase it? ‘The Great Light of Equestria’.”

“Huh!” Wanderlust chuckled, “I’m so surprised I remember that. I haven’t seen that book since I was a colt.”

With the prospect of cracking this code and gaining access to a whole wealth of ancient knowledge, Twilight’s nature as a voracious student came to the fore. “Do you think you can help me translate some of this stuff?”

“Bits of it I’m sure, like, but I don’t know how much you plan to learn from a book on clothing.” Handing the book back to her, he noted the growing smirk on her face.

“Wanderlust, what if I told you there was a secret trove of Thule material.”

The idea confused him, “Then I would ask why it was a secret. Where is this trove?”

“That’s the secret I have to keep, but if I can get more, you’ll help me understand it?” Twilight floated to book back to her bag, where Wanderlust caught sigh of the other two.

He couldn’t tell what the other books were, but what he understood perfectly well, was that this was his path to getting the princess on his side. He planted his left foreleg, and curled the right underneath, touching his horn to the floor.

“I am at your disposal Princess.”


EDGE OF THE EVERFREE FOREST

Looking over her shoulder through the darkness, back to the lights of Ponyville at nightfall, a green unicorn mare skirted the tree-line of the ominous woodland. Her mane was a thick dark brown, with twin streaks of sky shade blue and green running down the length, and a single band down her tail. Big brown eyes magnified behind a pair of glasses checked once more to make sure she wasn’t being followed. The quaint lights of Ponyville at nightfall were picturesque, but the object of her focus lay within the forest.

Gentle Heart, as she was known in town, disliked having to come out to the foreboding wood, but necessity ushered her on. Seeing that she was indeed alone, the first steps into the shadows always scared her, but in she went.

Normally, going into the Everfree was ill-advised, and that was during the day. At night, it was downright reckless. All manner of beast and predator stalked the gnarled and thorny zone, and even today nopony had attempted to make a comprehensive study of it’s borders and topography.

But it was her timid exploration of the Everfree that led her to the discovery that stirred her tonight. Recently, more than a few ponies had remarked on some strange doings in and around the forest. Animals that usually were never seen outside the woods were causing trouble on bordering homesteads and villages. A Cragadile invaded a duck pond, a pair of wandering Manticores terrified a whole family into barricading inside their home, and just the other night a massive Timberwolf chased someponies onto Sweet Apple Acres.

She hoped that her objective would be able to shed some light on these events, aside of course from their typical routine.

Wading gingerly through the prickly underbrush, Gentle Heart kept a keen eye on the branches above her, her quarry was a savvy denizen of the forest, and could move without detection easily. So while stomping through briar bushes and mucky furrows wasn’t the favorite part of her week, it was worth it.

“Hey!” She half yelled-half whispered, trying to not alert anything she wasn’t here to meet.

A leafy bush behind her rustled caused her to freeze in place, and a charcoal rabbit bounced out and away from its cover. Gentle Heart allowed herself to exhale before carrying on.

“Where are you?” She called out, making sure not to scrape her leg on a thorn covered root, “If you’re trying to scare me…”

A smattering of muffled giggling from the shadows to her left and she drew a foreleg to her chest in instinctual protection, staggering to her right. Turning in place, she walked backwards to keep an eye on where the laughter had come from. But her focus prevented her from detecting the jutting stone as she backed into it, and she tumbled into a hedge of leaves, “WAHHP! She yelped, disappearing into the pale green mass.

A moment later her head popped out, a collection of small twigs and leaf bits stuck in her mane. With a face contorted in irritation, she spat out a dead stem.

“This forest-” She muttered. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of lean limbs slowly creeped down from an obscured position above.

“-Should be bulldozed and turned into a- YIPE!” The slinking limbs hooked under her forelegs and hauled her into the branches.

Gentle Heart opened her eyes to find herself seated on a wide branch, unharmed, and face to face with the smiling fangs of a scraggly haired bat pony sitting across from her in the window of moonlight.

“Paleo Search! You jerk!” She landed a punch into his shoulder, but he laughed it off. He grinned despite her pouting face, and leaned in towards her. Reaching his nose to hers, she turned her head to avoid the nuzzle. He tried to touch her again, and again she denied him. Finally he stared into her eyes.

“Come on Gentle, you’re a unicorn in the deep dark Everfree forest, and I’m a Nocturne.”

She stared back at him, waiting to see where he was going with this

“As if you could outrun me.” He said in a mockingly pretentious voice. “As if you could fight me off.”

“Oh shut up.” Gentle Heart told him before giving in and nuzzling her snout against his.

“You know we don’t have to meet out in the forest like this, you can come into Ponyville. They’re not going to chase you out with torches and pitchforks.”

Paleo Search stretched the membrane of his wings and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. “Yeah, probably, but I’m not much for crowds, or you know, lighted areas in general.”

“I’m just saying here are better places to live than the Everfree forest.”

“You know me G.H.,” He said putting his forehooves behind his head, “Like this place, I’m ever free.”

Looking out through the gap in the boughs to the moonlit treetops, she remembered the ‘ongoing troubles’ as some of he older townsponies had come to term the recent events.

“So what’s going on out here? There’s all sorts of strange things going on around the forest.”

This brought the nocturne out of his comfort, and with a sideways frown he explained what he knew.

“I have noticed some strange activity. Lot of the critters are moving out of their usual haunts, all in a general direction away from the center of the forest. I thought about checking things out, but I don’t like to go near the Thicket Kingdom, those deer are very territorial.”

“The Thicket?” Ponies in general were aware of the deer’s presence, but with virtually no contact, most simply forgot they even existed.

“Yeah, everything around their turf got outta dodge.” Sitting up, he pointed a hoof towards the deeper wood. “Which is the weirdest part, because those guys are shepherds of the forest, they foster the ecosystem.”

“Definitely sounds like something strange.” Gentle Heart turned herself about and threw her back into Paleo Search’s chest, where she snuggled into his fur. He folded his forelegs around her in embrace, and they lay in comforting silence for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the habitat.

“I’m totally gong to get you back for scaring me Paleo.” She told him.

“He-he, I’m sorry love. I just couldn’t resist the opportunity.” Paleo wrapped his limbs around her a little tighter, and rubbed his jaw into her mane.

“The creepiest part was when you giggled in the bushes.”

“Giggle in the bushes?” He asked.

“Yeah, you got around me for a scary laugh in the darkness.”

Paleo adjusted himself to face her, his demeanor dead serious. “Sweetheart, all I did was grab you and pull you up, I didn’t do anything else.”

Gentle Heart’s own face tightened with anxiety, “You mean that wasn’t you I was surrounded by?”

For a few tense seconds their embrace got a little stronger, as the unseen presence of something in the shadows began to close in on them.

Paleo Search gripped her around the shoulders, “Gentle Heart, we’re closer to Zecora’s cottage than the edge of the forest, I’d like you to go there and wait out the night.”

“Paleo, I-”

She tried to protest but the familiar sound of wicked giggling wafted through the branches. This time it wasn’t just one voice, it was several, and it was coming from all around them.

“We need to get out of here now.” Paleo nearly threw Gentle off when he got to his hooves. The laughter got louder by the second, accompanied by the sound of rustling of something, multiple somethings moving through the trees to converge on them.

“Run east! Go!” He hooked his forelegs around her and jumped from their perch, attempting to get her to the ground. He got halfway down when he was caught by something that caused him to loose his grip and drop her the small distance to the ground.

“PALEO!” she screamed in mid-air. Landing on her rump, she watched the last seconds of his panicked face as it disappeared into the leaves.

Now that she was all alone, the chuckling increased into full-blown laughter, the tormenting of the ponies eliciting from them the greatest of joy. As fast as she could she clambered to her hooves and made for the nearest open path, whether it led to the crafty zebra’s home or back to Ponyville didn’t matter in her fright, she just wanted to get away. Hampered by the limp in her hind leg from the fall however, she couldn’t get up to her full speed.

Her horn lighted the way ahead of her like a lantern, but the Everfree seemed to connive to slow her down with stabbing barbs, twisted roots, and walls of vegetation. Gentle Heart chanced a look over her shoulder, and with the slight aid of the moon saw the brush alive with furious motion, the pursuers hot on her tail.

Her foreleg hit an obstacle and she tumbled head over heels, and sprawled into a layer of algae covered muck. She stopped moving where she was, hoping that being so low to the ground would allow them to pass by her. Indeed wherever her eyes darted the brush was still, with not a rustle to be heard.

Gentle Heart took a few exhausted breaths and tried to regain her bearings. When she felt something clutch her back legs, she had only enough time to suck the air into her lungs for a scream as she was dragged backwards and out of the moonlight.

PONYVILLE

The day had been a long one for Wanderlust, and the peace and quite of the restaurant section of the town this time of night was relaxing. He sat outside of the local Café, a glass of a Ponyville attempt at a drink much too fancy to be made here in front of him on the table. The straw sticking out of it a giveaway of its humble origins.

The book Twilight showed him earlier had thrown him for a loop, seeing it brought back a whole cascade of memories of going through old books and manuscripts with his mother. It was from her he got his interest in studying history, and in the moment he remembered her soft voice over his head as she read to him. He looked at his drink and realized just how much he missed her.

The sadness on her face when I left home.

Wanderlust leaned his head down to suck another sip of his drink when something in the corner of his vision caught his attention. Sweetie Belle, her two friends, and two little colts hurried along, all five wearing little capes. The sight of the children scampering about brought him out of his melancholy, and roused a smile.

There’s one connection I haven’t wrecked yet.

He considered approaching them, to see what game they were up to, but he thought it best to let them be. Thinking back to a time when he was their age, he remembered how terrible a mischief maker he could be when he was a colt.

The Crusaders stopped or a moment, Applebloom addressed them and raised a hoof before they were off again. Watching them go by however, Wanderlust noticed something else. Skulking behind the corners of buildings and moving from one point of cover to another, a colt appeared to be spying on them.

Nervous in behavior, and making a concerted effort to not be noticed by passersby, the colt was a dull green with grey and charcoal shades in his hair. But it wasn’t just the behavior that piqued Wanderlust’s attention, there was something about him that was just… off.

Wanderlust got up from his table, used his magic to suck down the rest of his drink, flipped a bit into the glass, and proceeded to out-surveil the youngster.

For the next several minutes he observed the kid watching the CMC intently, always making sure to stay out of sight, always paying close attention to what they were doing. The group approached an apparently empty house, where they piled on one-another to look into the windows. The two boys made motions, trying to explain something, the girls nodded.

This activity seemed to trouble the little stalker, and he started to wring his hooves from his hiding spot, like he was worried what they might discover.

Alright, Wanderlust decided, Time to sort this little fella out.

He edged closer to the colts position, relying on stealth tactics he had honed years ago in a far away land. When he was only a few paces away, his nose tickled with a familiar scent. Wanderlust stepped back into cover, momentarily bewildered by the sudden stimulation.

Nooo… he thought, trying to make sense of it. It can’t be, I haven’t felt anything like that since… but if it’s true, then that…

Confusion and curiosity melted away, replaced by a reflexive, instinctive wrath. His whole body tensed and his pupils constricted, memories of torment flooding into his forethought. As Wanderlust craned his head around to see the colt again, his brow lowered into a glare and his mouth curled into a snarl.

When the Crusaders ran off, instead of keeping behind them, the colt started in a different direction, away from the town center and towards the Everfree.

“Hey!” Wanderlust yelled out, leaping from his cover. Stunned, the colt didn’t move, as if he were trying to avoid detection.

“I know who you are! And you’re gonna tell me what you’re doing here!”

The colt’s purple eyes widened in terror before he bolted. Wanderlust was after him in a flash, the little one was fast, faster than he should be, but he couldn’t lose the older unicorn.

Wanderlust knew he was making a b-line for the trees, and a burst of fiery magic shot ahead to lay a bulwark between them and the forest, cutting a swath across the ground. The colt skidded to a halt and almost rolled into the flames, but he saved himself and managed to skitter in between Wanderlust’s legs in the turn. Careful not to crush the smaller pony under his tread, Wanderlust made a split-second decision to throw his momentum through the fire wall.

Back in town, Twilight and her friends were sitting around a table at The Hay Burger. Rainbow Dash had just stuffed her mouth full of her sandwich when the orange glow of fire illuminated the hillside to their west. With her mouth still open, and bits of food tumbling out, she watched the light rise and fall. And she wasn’t the only one who noticed, all of them gaped at the sight.

Fluttershy quivered and shrunk in her seat, “What do you think that could be?”

Applejack spat out the twig of hey she’d been using as a toothpick, “We know anypony else who plays with fire?”

The girls were rushing to the site when a terrified colt ran past them in the opposite direction. They paid it little mind until Wanderlust came thundering after him like a hungry predator.

“DON’T LET HIM ESCAPE!” He screamed as he galloped through the parting they made for him. His horn ignited and Wanderlust launched a blast of fire that exploded a few paces in front of the colt, lifting him off his hooves and projecting him backwards.

But before he hit the ground, Wanderlust snatched him in his magic, and thrust him against the wall of a house.

“Tell me why you’re here!” He bellowed at the colt.

Catching up to the pair, Twilight and the others were aghast to see the traveler abusing a child. “Wanderlust, stop!” The Alicorn yelled.

“Just a minute Twilight.” Wanderlust growled through his teeth, “First I have to get this little creature talking.”

The colt whimpered, looking over to the mares with tears in his eyes to plead for help.

“Please help me Princess Twilight!” he whined, “He’s hurting me!”

“Don’t listen to him!” Wanderlust barked, “He’ll say anything!”

“Let him go!” Rainbow Dash collided into Wanderlust’s flank and knocked him away. They wrestled on the ground, though it was more Rainbow trying to wrangle a furious bull, until a purple aura engulfed them both and he struggled to move.

The colt got to his hooves, and with a glance in the direction of the mares, used what energy he had left in his body to scurry out of sight.

Wanderlust could only turn his eyes to watch his target “You don’t understand! You can’t let him get away!”

Rarity recoiled from the anger, Fluttershy and Pinkie stepping to her side instinctively to protect her. Applejack helped Rainbow to stand, who looked like she had gone three rounds with a Chimera.

Twilight approached the frozen but straining Wanderlust, her expression sickened by what he had done right in front of them.

“I can’t believe I was so wrong about you Wanderlust! I’ve never seen anypony do something so reprehensible!”

“Nrrr heeed da gerrr!” Was all he could vocalize without moving his jaws.

“You know what I think he’s tryin’ ta say Twilight…” Applejack said as she strode up next to the immobile unicorn.

“Goodnight.”

In one quick motion she pivoted around, tucked her hind legs to her belly, and drove her hooves into Wanderlust’s skull. His head bounced off her buck, and slammed into the side of the building in a ricochet. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Author's Note:

Oooooooooo k.

Not so slick anymore are we Wanderlust?

Special thanks to Tarbtano and Faith-Wolff for letting me cameo their Ponysonas, Paleo Search and Gentle Heart respectively. Check out their links and make sure to bookmark them, BOOKMARK 'EM I SAID! So you can enjoy all their fantastic work.
Faith-Wolff on DeviantArt or here on FiMFiction
Tarbtano on FiMFiction and on DeviantArt, and he also does the Tumble

Next time on Path of the Unforgiven:
The Cutie Mark Crusaders stumble on a plot much bigger than they imagined!
Luna and Celestia have more drama!
First Metal song for the story!
THE VILLAIN IS REVEALED!