Forest Treasure

by MirroredHawk

War on the background

As the pegasi approached the huts lumberjacks started to leave their covers. Fire stood up and stared at breathless Night. He couldn't believe what just happened. The light-blue pegasus with the violet mane and a Hippogriffe-Falls' pegasi wing badge on his chest approached Fire, “We're grateful for ya'r help, I'm captain of the Hippogriffe-Falls pegasi wing, Falling Tear,” he held out a hoof to Fire. Covering pegasus flew down from the roof.

“F-Fire S-Sense,” he shook the captain's hoof, trembling.

Door into the hut opened and March struggled to drag out the bound pegasus. “That's their canary,” she thrown pegasus in front of the porch.

“Thanks, March. Pity we couldn’t get here suuner,” replied captain, glaring at the moaning pegasus. Captive's eyes fell onto the breathless raider and he started thrashing trying to free himself. One of the pegasus flew close to him, hitting bound pegasus with the rifle stock, calming him down.

Sturdy came out of the hut with the students behind him. Captain complimented the lumberjack for great "shuuting". Students fixed their eyes on the body. All, except Byrk and Mistral backed down a bit.

“Is it over?” Mistral asked.

“Y'ah, now it's safe,” answered Falling and flew up the roof to speak with one of his pegasi. Byrk moved pass the body and found his damaged saw handle and a blood-stained chain. He turned his snout a bit, then magickly cleaning the chain with the snow and levitating all saw parts with him back to the students.

March walked over to Fire. “Thanks for help. It could've been much worse without ya',” she said looking at pony's body with Byrk walking past it again. She noticed Fire's frozen gaze on the corpse, “Don't feel sorry. They brought it upon themselves. Ya' saved much more lives than ended today.”

Without getting an answer, March headed towards the Castle Danger, but Fire suddenly spoke up, “I saw the Princess. She's the one, who stopped the storm.”

“Then we'll definitely see her later,” March replied calmly, making her way to the path.

Following the students to the Castle Danger, Fire heard captain talking, “Tell ma'am Seer our condolences.” One pegasus took off, flying past everypony towards the pegasi cloud.

---

A couple of days later Fire was in Whinnyapolis, sitting in his small room given by the university. He read the newspapers for the 15-17 of December, year 992 after Celestia's Banishment: "Cloudsdale disaster! Hundreds of thousand casualties!", "What waits Equestria?", "March Gustysnows appointed general secretary of Whinnyapolis", "P. Sullivan announced winter recruitment for the autonomous Governorate army". There was a small heater in his room with a natural fire inside it. He liked to use magical more, but after Castle Danger he felt drained out. Fire barely was able to use manipulative spells aside of levitation. There was no chance to use more complex spells, demanding concentration, control over emotions and thoughts. He felt as if his horn barely let through any magical energy.

During the tour days Celestians started the attack in the central area, capturing Ponyville and laying siege to Cloudsdale. All pegasi were evacuated to the Dale, quickly established "tent town" around the small village in the Canterlot valley. Siege resulted in the magical catastrophe that destroyed Cloudsdale and buried over three hundred thousand soldiers from each side in a magical storm. Any fighting was out of the question and both sides concentrated on dealing with the aftermath. Magical storm echoed throughout all of Equestria, from the feudalist Vanhoover to the Baltimare Kingdom. Slave raids from the Crystal Empire were pretty common, but during the onslaught they doubled in strength, and not all villages were as lucky as Castle Danger.

Fire lied on his bed, tired from checking student exams and projects. He couldn’t stop thinking about the events in the lumberjacks' camp. Now there was blood on his hooves. Not that it was anything special, constant wars and battles roared in all of Equus. In Crystal Empire thousands enslaved ponies were dying every day in the mines. It happened somehow on the background, but now he became a part of it. Fire closed his eyes recalling the events. He tried to remember the moment he fainted, when the Princess spoke to him.

How do you feel? she asked. Wait, it isn't what she said, Fire thought to himself, How in Equestria!? he shook his head. “Of course it is not. It was quite tense then,” her voice spoke again clearer than the last time. No, I'm sure I'm not hearing things, thought Fire.

“Princess?” he asked, his body was unable to move.

“Wanted to thank you for your help. If it was not for you than I would have to fly to Castle Danger in person,” suddenly a dark-blue alicorn mare appeared from the dark shroud on his left. Fire finally was able to move, but he couldn't find a solid ground as if everything around him was a black soft blanket.

Luna giggled. “Had to interfere with your dream a little. Such things tend to happen when I do it with the strong magical users.”

“I-I don't understand,” Fire started to rotate headfirst around the horizontal axis.

“Thanks to your magical skills I was able to use you as a catalyst for stopping the storm. It is complicated; thus, I will not elaborate on it just yet,” she approached rotating Fire and stopped him with her hoof. Fire's muzzle resembled total confusion. Luna smiled, “Do not be afraid, you should be intact,” she then thought for a second, “I hope.”

Her horn flashed and Fire felt a solid ground under his hooves, though nothing changed visually. “Thus,” Luna began, “First, I recommend you to use as much of spellcasting magic as possible in order to restore your abilities. You let through yourself gigantic amount of directed energy that day, therefore your horn is completely drained and out of sync with you. Try to start from simple directed spells and avoid using natural for unicorns manipulative magic such as levitation; you will harm your progress dulling your senses otherwise.

“Second, Byrk Pegin's and Frist Lighthoof's invention was noticed by some high scientific circles of Canterlot, hence you can be calm for them. Furthermore, I have sent Golden Robe an invitation to the school of talented unicorns in Canterlot. His talent for the enchantments was not left unnoticed,” she winked.

Fire couldn't believe this. Princess casually speaks with him; it was both frightening and fascinating. He knew, of course, that Princess visits ponies' dreams, but usually she does it imperceptibly. There were rumours that her foes get such nightmares that they have to deal with insomnia. Some even lost their minds.

Nevertheless, Fire couldn't be silent, “Your Highness,” he said.

Princess, abashed, interrupted him, “Merely Luna, royal etiquette is needless in a dream.”

“Princess,” Fire corrected himself, “These four students I looked after... They are close friends to each other. I don't think it's wise to separate them.”

“So that's why heretofore I haven't got a response from Golden,” she mumbled, as if Fire wasn't listening. Then Luna realised that she's not alone and smiled, “Indeed, I will take that into consideration. But it is not all, I am afraid. Recent events took many lives, with consequent lack of lecturers in the new school for talented unicorns. I hope, you will not object moving to Canterlot?” she asked with ambiguous intonation as if it wasn't a question.

“I haven't planned—” it's all what Fire could think of.

“Well, I advise to commence then. School opens in the start of next Autumn and personnel already prepares documentation.”

“I don't know... I've recently finished studies and—” Fire had no idea how to react.

“Do not force me to order you,” Luna said sternly, “There is one unallocated room in the Palace quarter,” she started to go up the invisible stairs slowly disappearing behind the veil. “Also, you will surely need help with your recovery and in Canterlot it will be way easier to receive it,” she winked again vanishing behind the veil.

Fire jumped in his bed. A letter with a royal seal lied on his table. It was an order appointing him as a lecturer. It certainly hasn't felt like an invitation. Equestria was torn apart by the civil war and rulers had no time for toying. All of Equus was in the flames of war and a famine was about to happen in the gryphonian North. The era of compromise was over after Celestia's return. Now the sword did what feather could not and there was no hope for it to end soon.