Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

42 - Hide

They were enjoying themselves, chatting, snacking, and waiting for their arrival. Diamond, on the other hoof, was reading a newspaper held in her hooves. "They're already talking about it, and it doesn't sound good..." The others looked up to her. "What? You should all be checking this." She slapped the paper, making it flutter. "It's not a rift, like last time."

Apple Bloom hummed softly. "An' that's a good thin'... right?"

"No." Diamond slipped the paper around to show rows of what appeared to be Everglow soldiers of some kind. "Rifts are random and destructive. Bad, sure, but at least not actively trying to ruin your stuff. This is more like Everglow decided Equestria was a lot of free realestate."

Dry squeaked in horror. "I didn't do it!"

Silver hiked a brow. "I was pretty sure of that already. Why would you do that?"

"Um..." Dry worried his hooves. "I am an Everglow pony?"

Silver swatted at him. "Where you're born doesn't decide what you are. Last I checked, you are an Equestrian. You're dating an Equestrian and you like Equestria, don't you?"

"I do," he got out a bit weakly. "I do... I do a lot... Equestria is a good place."

"And you'll help us, right?" She hiked a brow at him.

"Of course!" He hopped up. "That's why I'm here... Them being Everglow doesn't change that. Um... I just thought it was less... sentient."

Scootaloo swatted him on the back. "Hello, fellow Equestrian!" The rest of the crusaders cheered in agreement.

Sweetie squinted at the picture. "Now I'm wondering if we shouldn't have brought the rest of the club we could get our hooves on. And Maud. She may not do magic, but she's faced Everglow threats before."

Diamond flipped the paper to lay flat on the ground in view of them all, freeing her to sit back. "Too late. We're already on the way. Think the guards learned any magic?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Ah doubt it. They ain't got nopony to learn it from."

Silver squinted at Apple Bloom. "You didn't have anypony to learn it from."

Scootaloo scoffed. "We had Twilight's book. That was a big help!"

Dry smiled with some amazement. "That was still a very incredible act. I don't think most people, of either world, would learn magic just from a book without any instruction. It wasn't even a book about learning magic."

Sweetie giggled at that. "You haven't seen a Twilight book. She was learning it herself, so she wrote it instructionally. Each part she figured out, she wrote down how she figured it out. It was very methodical."

Apple Bloom waved that off. "Sometimes too methowhatever. But we figured through it."

Diamond hiked a brow at the three. "Three different ways through it." She pointed at each of them. "From the same book! That's either a good thing for Twilight's writing, or a bad thing, and I'm really not sure which it is."

Silver wrinkled her nose. "I'm jealous... At least when you went to Everglow, you already had magic sorted, and you went with an adult! That's practically a vacation compared to how we did it."

Apple Bloom raised a brow with the skill her sister would appreciate. "Yeah... Grass may look greener on the other side an' all, but it weren't no fun field trip. Only ponies I heard that basically had a vacation in Everglow are the flower mares."

Sweetie burst into soft giggles. "I still can't believe that! They spent the whole time just setting up a new life in one of their cities and having a nice time. No monsters, no dungeons, just maximum chill."

Diamond snorted softly. "No offense to them, but I can't imagine they're as trained in it as we are if they didn't have to rely on it to not be squashed flat."

Dry rubbed at his cheek. "The flower mares are wise in avoiding trouble... But..." He couldn't finish his thought, struggling vainly.

Silver grabbed her boyfriend with one arm. "But sometimes you have to fight," she continued. "And if you do, knowing how is helpful."

"Yes!" There, his thoughts. He hadn't said them, but they had been said. About as good. "Um... I don't have a lot of practice."

Silver Spoon bopped gently at Dry's head. "You fought that demon, don't forget. Besides, you're a cleric. You don't have to charge up and fight things to be a huge help to everypony else. Support, heal, make them better at fighting, and stay away."

"Stay away..." He liked the sound of that part. "I have to keep you all safe."

Silver curled a hoof under Dry's chin. "So pick spells that will help do that, and stay safe. Speaking of that." She looked to the others. "Time to get ready. Everypony think about what you're bringing into this." She clopped her forehooves together. "It's adventure time, and there isn't an easy way out, just like Everglow. Don't think being on Equestria's gonna make it easier."

Apple Bloom whistled in solidarity. "Ya got it!" She began to dig out all sorts of potion-making supplies. "Time to get ready!"

Scootaloo dug out her spell book to join in the effort. "What about you?" She was looking at Diamond Tiara, who was still seated so calmly. "Don't you need to do something?"

Diamond tapped at the side of her head. "My weapon is right here. But... since you bring it up." She went to Scootaloo, eyes burning with a deep stare. "Let me help." She put a hoof on either of Scootaloo's shoulders. "Gonna help you move fast when you need it most."

"O-o-kay..." Scootaloo inclined her head at the intimidating approach, but it was over almost as quickly as it begin, Diamond looping about to return to her seat. "Is that it? What'd you do?!"

"Just a little trick." Diamond settled where she began. "You'll feel it if you need it. I actually hope you never do, but better to have and not need than the other way around, right?"

Apple Bloom pumped a hoof, the other working on concocting potions. "Right! Good attitude. Speakin' ah that! Ah'll be passin' out these." She waved one of her potions. "Best part ah bein' an alchemist. Once ah do the hard part, any ah y'all can finish it, just drink it!" She slapped a big label on one with a little drawing showing the effect. No reading required. "It'll be like Diamond's trick. Ah'll be there, givin' a hoof, even if we ain't next to each other."

Silver inclined her head at Apple Bloom. "Can I have some of those bombs? I heard you can make a pretty nice bang with them."

Apple Bloom flinched back. "Ah'd love to, but they're... kinda finicky. Ah don't want you hurtin' yerself!"

Silver folded her arms over her chest. "I am a warpriest. I know how to use a weapon or three," she assured with a little huff. "Don't treat me like a foal, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom laughed nervously at that. "We're all foals..." At least from some points of views. Little ponies, they were approaching adulthood, but hadn't quite crossed that line just yet. Still, Silver's words seemed to reach her and she put a few bombs in the pile that was going towards her. "The rest of you don't need it."

Scootaloo shook her head. "I can make my own explosions, but thanks for the thought!"

Dry swallowed nervously. "I don't need those." That he didn't want them would have been more truthful. "Use them to protect yourself." He sank to a lotus position, not entirely natural for a pony. "Princess Luminace, allow us to see what must be seen, to learn what must be learned, to have the wisdom to use that knowledge for ourselves and our friends, new and old. May our magic be enough, the lessons get us past this challenge, so more may be learned."

Silver joined him with a smile. "You became so, like, pious... I kinda like it." She fluttered her lashes at her unlooking boyfriend.

Diamond rolled her eyes and looked instead to Sweetie. "I don't see you doing much. You ready?"

Sweetie tapped her head. "I'm like you. My magic's up here. Reading or brewing isn't going to help me right now. I'm with Dry. We'll support everypony else so they can do better than their best, or give them a helping hoof if they get hurt."

Diamond shook her head. "Two healers. You know, you could get a job super easy. I bet the hospital would snap you two up the moment you offered."

Sweetie colored faintly, but didn't shrink away. "I'm a crusader first... That's my job. Um... I suppose this may sound selfish, and maybe it is, but I don't want to do that."

Diamond shrugged softly. "No no, I get that. Just because you can doesn't mean that's what you want to do." She looked back towards Silver and Dry. "Not sure what their excuse is."

Dry raised a hoof, eyes still closed. "I'm learning this world. There's so much to learn... Getting a job would not help. It would hurt... Um... I would be a poor physician, not knowing the life of a pony that came to me for help. No... No! I will learn this world first. Then after? Maybe."

Diamond blinked softly. "Wow. You actually thought through this... I'm impressed." She clucked her teeth and went to look outside. "Wonder how cl--" A great thump rocked the room. The train had stopped. Unfortunately, inertia carried all the ponies ahead at the rate they had been going. The walls screamed in agony, crumpling under the force of impact. Diamond slammed into the wall with the others, pained noises of surprise heard as the metal quieted. The damage had been done. "Ow..."

"The waft of a new book, invigorating the mind," urgently shouted Dry, his glowing hooves easing the agony of Silver Spoon. Her bleeding abated and her eyes fluttered open. "Are you alright?!"

"No." She stood up and shook herself out. "What, like, even happened?!"

Apple Bloom popped out a healing brew and chugged it down, banishing her own bruises. Perhaps a testament to earth ponies, but she showed little real injuries from the sharp impact. "How y'all doin'? That was some stop!"

Scootaloo shook herself, only to squawk. "Girls..." She tapped at the floor. "This isn't the floor." No, it was a wall. And that was the door to the next car. They were standing on the wall. They all scrambled away from the door, lest it give way beneath them. "This is bad!"

Sweetie drew a quick gasp of air. "The other riders!"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Alright. Ah got mah potions." She pointed to Sweetie, Dry, and Silver. "Y'all got magic. Let's see if we can't save some ponies!"

With a communal cry to action, they... went nowhere. The door refused to budge as Dry pulled and tugged at it. It was meant to slide to the side, normally, but the impact had damaged it, freezing in place.

Silver scowled at the obstruction. "Time to get a little, like, violent. Scootaloo, with me?"

"With you!" They raised their hooves together and slammed down on the door in one great clap, sending the door falling down several inches to knock against the next car.

Apple Bloom reached past and swatted the door to the side to get it out of the way. "Let's hope..." She pulled at the next door and, thank Celestia, it moved with only some rumbling and squeaking. "Anypony in there?!"

A chorus of distressed noises reached them. They were noises of pain, surprise, and dismay. None of the ponies involved had expected that. Apple Bloom hopped down, landing on the back of a seat. "We're on the way!"

Their adventure had begun before even reaching the station properly, but they were ready to lend a hoof to those in need of it.

Author's Note:

Onwards, to adventure!

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

Someones going to need an excessive application of Neighton. The CMC nearly ended up in Narnia.

[redmar]

The problems are clearly a lot bigger than expected but they might still be able to handle it.