Promise the Girl
"Adrian, did you feel that?" asked the gap-toothed woman, who had stopped in her vegetable-cutting duties to glance around her abode warily. "There was an influx of magic, localised in this room." The man in question grunted, continuing to remove the flesh from the rabbit, his dark eyes never leaving its current objective. The woman got to her feet, and she began to poke her head around, trying to feel out where the residual feelings were at their strongest. She began to put her palms out and squeeze her fingers as if trying to pull a thread from a needle's eye.
She felt a small tug of very intense magical energy, similar to the ones she had felt during her times in the pony nation down south. She continued to try and grasp onto it, aiming to find its source but lost her grip. She pouted as she sat back down on a wooden chair, crossing her arms as she puffed some hair into her bangs.
"Don't be dramatic, Mai. Ain't no one looking for us out here." Adrian grunted, finally able to dig his blade under a stubborn piece of meat. "Even if they were - it don't matter none." Maisie stared daggers at her younger brother.
"That's an oxymoron, you idiot." Maisie huffed, continuing to look around the room, trying to discreetly probe at the unseen string again - causing her brother to stop his cutting to look her in the eyes. To the untrained eye, they wouldn't look related. For starters, they were completely different skin colours, one being a pale white, littered with freckles and luscious golden locks, while the other was a light-skinned black man, with a big unkempt black beard resting atop his face, with his hair cut short to his scalp. Their general shapes were wildly different too, Adrian was bulky, but a little short compared to his older sister, who had a good few inches on her - a fact he would always be begrudgingly reminded of whenever they stood side-by-side. Maisie was also very lean, with subtle indications of muscles underneath her skin - a result of her many years surviving in the wilds.
"Mai, seriously, don't worry. I'm sure it was just some curious peeper trying to find strong sources of magic in the area. Probably got the fright of their lives seein' us," The man continued, trying to soothe his sister's worries before it got out of hand. "If you're that worried, I'll call in a storm. No one's gonna come lookin' with lightning striking nearby."
Maisie released a breath she didn't realise she was holding and tried to let go of the tension in her shoulders. "No, don't bother. I'll set up some feelers nearby when you go back home." Adrian shook his head, growing restless from the woman's antics, but knew better than to fight with her like this.
Truthfully, they only saw each other once a week, Maisie lived in the mountains, away from scrying eyes and the various different species around, while Adrian resided a few miles away, near a griffon settlement - a place he had been welcomed into with open appendages when he first delivered a week's worth of hunting.
It was a routine stew night, a little delicacy the two delighted themselves with - Maisie would supply the vegetables, while Adrian brought forth the meat and bones for the stock. It felt like home, working together to cook a dinner, though it missed one critical element.
Adrian looked at the plaque upon his sister's wall, reading over the three different names. His parents, and his eldest sister. He missed them all greatly, but years had tamed his grief, and he had reluctantly settled into acceptance. Maisie, on the other hand, still prayed for them all. They weren't much of a religious family, but she had adopted it into her lifestyle shortly after their arrival in these lands. She would clasp her hands together and whisper into them to pray to a god that they were all ok, and together.
They continued their cooking in silence, the occasional grunt of exertion from cutting a rogue tough root vegetable, or an uncompliant tendon within a slab of meat. The night ticked on as their fire crackled and popped, spitting up embers as the logs within released a little moisture from within.
Soon enough, Adrian was on his way, drudging down a dirt path with a pouch around his waist, filled with various spices and magical potions his sister had gifted him. He wouldn't admit it to his sister - who was much better at feeling any strange occurrences, but he had felt a shiver run down his spine shortly before Maisie had declared anything. He had almost heard a voice yell out to him, as if it was calling him home from the porch.
The blonde woman looked around her abode once more now that she was alone, and realising that whatever remnants of magic in the air had faded, decided to head to the woods, drawing odd shapes into the air as she pushed forth some energy - constructing a sort of fence which would alert her of any interlopers containing a strong magical presence.
Everfree had hastily scribbled out a note and placed it between the two sleeping sisters. She saw Starswirl's journal on the desk as she searched for some paper and a quill, and curiosity got the better of her - if only for a moment. Various writings about the woman, how she had been an annoyance and an obnoxious know-it-all, but how he wished deeply to bring her the same level of comfort as she brought to the two young fillies in her care.
Everfree smiled, she knew the two didn't exactly get along eye-to-eye, but there was an unspoken bond between the two. It warmed her heart to see that he had been searching for a way to let her see her home again. Shaking her head, realising the more pressing matters at hand, she finished her writing, opened the balcony door, and flew off into the night - heading straight for the heart of the forest.
It was nearing midnight by the time she arrived, and she called forth every nocturnal creature she could - summoning them in leagues. They varied from owls, and wolves, to even little mice, united in their goal of helping their guardian, letting any carnivorous desires fall to the weighside for now. They all stood at attention as the woman issued a task, promising bountiful rewards for any leads.
"Outside this forest, there are two others like me. I need to find them, it is of utmost importance. Inform others, and spread this task to all who will hear it, I need to find out where they are, nothing more." Everfree yelled to the crowd of animals in front of her, which had all saluted (which was a very bizarre sight, but one she had grown accustomed to) before either running into the underbrush or flying to the skies.
That night was a cacophony of noise, hoots and howls, squeaks and squarks, the stampeding feet of woodland critters fulfilling their duty. The human did not stand idly by, and took part in the investigation, taking the form of a massive bird - one she had seen in some old mythology books from her homeland. A native-American beast, which's wingspan was easily over five metres in each direction. Thunder rumbled over the forest as she took flight, beginning her search.
Fluttershy's home was in a real state of disarray, she woke up in the early hours of the morning, as the sun started its ascent. Animals were running all over the place, ones that usually wouldn't get along were nodding to each other as they probed each other for information. Bewildered by the sight, she went outside, seeing Discord gleefully clapping at the chaotic nature of her garden.
"Discord, w-whats happening?" she asked, her eyes bouncing around at the various animals racing around her hooves.
Discord looked away from a bunny and a bear which were hilariously sharing notes, "I have no clue, Flutters! But isn't it wonderful?" Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply but felt a huge shadow pass overhead. As she looked to the skies, she gasped as the biggest bird she had ever seen blotted out the sun. Its wings flapped, causing dust to kick up off the ground as it gracefully landed a little ways away from the cottage, ensuring it didn't accidentally crush any animals which weren't paying attention.
No longer silhouetted by the blinding rays of the rising sun, she saw how the bird was a translucent white, its eyes glowing a magnificent golden yellow, the feathers ending in puffs of white fog. It slowly shrunk in size, leaving in place a familiar woman. She was wearing a mask this time, however, and it caused Fluttershy to 'eep' and hide at the creepy horned figure.
Everfree paid her no mind, quickly jogging up the draconequus, which bowed at her approach. "Sir Discord, I have a job."
"Say no more, Milady. Let us go." Discord snapped his fingers, suddenly appearing in a metal suit of armour, holding a flag with the same mark as Everfree's Alicorn cutie mark. The two marched off into the forest behind the cottage, leaving the pastel-yellow pegasus alone.
"What... What just happened?"
Celestia was troubled, she was exhausted from last night's magic usage, and awoke to a scribbled note that read;
Girls,
Thank you so much for the gift last night, while it may seem like it was bad news, it was anything but.
I must find them, I need to know they are alright, I will return as soon as possible to inform you of the happenings
Yours forever,
Everfree Mum
She had shaken Luna awake, shoving the note into her sister's muzzle, who read it a handful of times before looking away, a troubled look in her eyes. There weren't many times they saw the lady so determined, but the times she was, Tartarus hath no fury like a woman scorned.
They both wished for only good tidings to come, but a small part of them dreaded that their mother would not find what she was looking for, and they hoped they wouldn't have to face the consequences. Luna had discovered that the woman was broken, she had pieces missing, or out of place. Maybe this venture could help solve the puzzle, or perhaps it would just introduce more pieces to further complicate the picture.
Celestia had been pacing back and forth as she expressed her worries to her sister, who begrudgingly listened as her tiredness threatened to knock her out. Luna, fed up with her sister's antics, and wanting to be alone in her room, simply said that they must have hope in Everfree and that she knew what she doing.
Ever the worrier, the white Alicorn left the room continuing to stress. She put on a face of calm complacency for most events, but the human's manic actions filled her mind with doubts - she didn't know those other two, would they be happy to see her? Or would they reject her, yell into her face - pushing her into a deep depression? She didn't know the answer, and it gnawed at her like a ravenous beast.
Knowing there was nothing she could do for the moment, as her magic reserves ran dry, she had to sit in her day court, fidgeting with anxiety as the day seemed to slow to a crawl.
Everfree and Discord had been flying side-by-side over various mountain ranges on the borders of Equestria, trying to pinpoint a log cabin surrounded by pine trees. Their efforts continued until the evening, as the draconequus began to pant from exertion. Noticing her partner's ragged breaths, the woman decided that she could continue alone. Flapping her mighty wings to come to a halt, her friend stopped beneath her - preparing for the woman to shift back into a form she could speak from.
Dropping from the sky into Discord's awaiting arms, Everfree was human once again. "That's enough for today Discord. Head home, I'll continue from here."
"But, Lady Everfree, have you slept? Surely we should both get some rest and continue tomorrow?" he pleaded, realising that she was wearing herself thin. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she seemed to tremble in his grip. She shook her head at him,
"I won't be able to rest until I find them, go home. I need to do this." She stood firm, the weight of her words not faltering even though she had to stare up at the bizarre mishmash of creatures which held her in his arms. He looked upon her with sad eyes, realising that he couldn't convince her otherwise. He nodded, and threw the woman into the air, allowing her to shift once again into that colossal beast.
Discord watched as she flew off, hearing how the clouds below seemed to crash together, erupting deafening cracks of thunder. He shook his head, snapped his fingers, and vanished.
Everfree scanned the ground from above, splitting any clouds apart with a mighty gust of air from a flap of her wings. She wouldn't admit it, but she was really missing that cosy Canterlot bed right now. Circling a mountain several times, before a frustrated shake of her head, she shot off in a different direction, heading deep into dragon territory.
Continuing to push herself, her tired eyes threatened to close on her, but she forced them open, she couldn't allow herself to sleep while her brother and sister were out there. It had been over one thousand, seven hundred years since she saw them last. Over one thousand, seven hundred years since she held them within her arms. She had to see them again.
So, she pursued her goal ever further, fighting off her urges to eat and sleep as she surveyed the land below.
The evening turned to night, and night turned to morning, but this did not falter the woman's persistence - what did, however, was her suddenly plummeting from the skies as she finally drained herself of all her energy. 'Landing' in a mighty crash, the huge bird was sprawled out in a crater.
She tried to pick herself up, but couldn't find the strength within her, and her head dropped. She lay unconscious for hours, as some teenage dragons managed to find the knocked-out ethereal bird. Looking at each other with wide eyes, they decided this was a matter best suited for an Elder to figure out.
Everfree awoke to see a huge gold dragon looking over her. Realising she must've reverted to human form, she tried to pick herself up but was pushed back down by the reptile who scolded her. "No, my Lady, you are unwell, you must rest." the woman growled in response as she barred her teeth - which managed to have an effect as the dragon took a step back.
"There is no time for this, let me go, now!" she demanded, her head vision swirling as she stood up - and then promptly plummeted back down as blood rushed out of her brain.
The dragon carefully picked her back up, and placed her back on the bed, one that was far too large for the human - and was most likely her doctor's own. "Lady Everfree, you are to remain here until you have at least slept and eaten, I will hear no more of it!"
Everfree huffed, trying to ward off her dizziness. Realising she was in no state to take off again, she submitted to the doctor's orders. Silence filled the room for a while before she finally spoke, "Lady... why Lady?"
"You jest, Lady Everfree, surely." replied the golden-scaled giant, "You are basically royalty here."
"Oh, right. That." She grumbled to herself, recalling how the dragons had regaled her with fame and treasures after her visits in the past. She restlessly fidgeted, feeling worthless being able to not get up. Trying to pass the time, she called up to her new companion, trying to gain his attention. "What's your name, young one?"
"Cinder Cone, and it's been some time since I've ever been called 'young'," he replied, plopping himself on the ground to sit beside the bed, his large snout close to the human. She felt her body warm up in its presence and cooed at the sensation.
"Sorry, Cinder, a force of habit. In all fairness, you're all young to me," Everfree yawned back, blushing a bit at her choice of words.
Cinder Cone nodded thoughtfully, puffing some warm air onto the woman, "I did not say I did not like it, it was nice to not be seen as ancient by another. We met before when I was just a hatchling, you know."
Everfree's eyes widened, and she sat herself up, looking at the giant behemoth in front of her. "No, you're that Cinder Cone?! Oh how much you've grown! I remember you holding tightly to my leg when I was telling the rest of your clan fables from my home."
A deep crimson blush grew across the dragon's face, thinking that the woman would have surely forgotten that embarrassing memory. "Yes, Milady, that was I. We still spread those tales down through our young." The two began to speak about their lives since their last encounter, Everfree's frustration melting away as she heard about the dragon's various antics.
Cinder Cone grew sorrowful as he heard about the woman's mission to find her siblings, realising why she had been so determined. "I know I do not know the feeling of wanting to reunite with a brother or sister who I have not seen in lifespans triple my own, but once you are well - and only when, us dragons will aid you in your task."
Everfree smiled for the first time in two days and rested a palm on the giant snout in front of her. The dragon sighed at her touch, as insignificant as her hand was compared to this large creature, to be touched by this woman felt like a treasure few could even wish to have.
They continued to chat, about their lives, their children, almost anything. Food had been delivered by a small pink hatchling, who meekly popped her head in to witness this fabled figure. A selection of different salads, which had been bought from a nearby pony settlement via a teenage dragon wanting to prove his worth to Everfree.
The woman expressed her deepest wishes to thank the teen, and before she started to devour the food in front of her, realised the little pink dragon was still watching her from behind Cinder's foot. Everfree smiled at her, gesturing for her to come over. The hatchling looked up at her elder, who nodded and helped her get to the top of the large bed.
"And who might you be?" Everfree asked, patting a spot beside her, indicating the hatchling to sit.
"M-Moti," she replied, her eyes sparkling as she realised she was able to meet the person behind all her favourite stories.
"Well, hello Moti, my name's Everfree. It's a pleasure to meet you." grabbing a mouthful of salad, she started to chow down, happily cooing as she tasted some red peppers - her favourite vegetable. Moti giggled at her bizarre noises. Cinder Cone watched in delight as he experienced the sight of a young one being in the presence of the spirit.
Finishing her three different bowls of salad, Everfree patted her full stomach. Feeling much more refreshed, but knowing that she still could use some more rest. Looking at the pink dragon next to her, she picked her up, placing her on her lap. Moti laughed as she was lifted with ease, and snuggled into the warmth of the arms enveloping her. Everfree was happy to have what was essentially a hot water bottle on her stomach.
"Hey Moti, do you know what I like when I've had dinner?" she asked with mirth in her eyes, gesturing for Cinder to come closer.
"What is it, Miss Everfree?" she asked, looking up with her big beady eyes.
"I love a good story, do you want to hear some?" Moti squealed, and Cinder had to stop himself from doing the same, oh it had been so long since they were graced by this woman's stories. "Hey Cinder, what say we gather the clan, and relive those old days, huh?"
The golden dragon nodded furiously, quickly calling outside his large cave for everyone to gather around.
The floor beneath the bed filled with adult dragons, as the bed swarmed with hatchlings and teenagers - with the one who had gotten Everfree her salads having the privilege of sitting right beside her as she scratched his back. All eagerly anticipating whatever fables flowed from their Lady's mouth.
"Have I ever told you about the story of Toothless the Dragon, and his human companion?"
Celestia and Luna were now suitably worried. It had been two days since Everfree had left and they hadn't heard anything. No messenger, no news from Ponyville, nothing. "Luna, I knew something was wrong! She's pushing herself beyond her limits, and we've seen before how poorly that goes!" Celestria cried out to her sister, who was sitting atop the bed in the white Alicorn's chambers.
"I know, sister. It was foolish of me to think she should be left to deal with this on her own. Perhaps we send news to Twilight to request her aid?" Luna asked, wanting to take flight there and then to track down the spirit.
"Maybe it's for the best, we could use all the help we can ge-" Celestia was cut off by the sudden poof next to her, a familiar chaotic god materialising in front of them. Instead of this usual smug face, he wore a serious and tired expression - one which informed the two that this was business calling.
"Tia, Lulu, any news from Everfree?" he asked, looking between the two with a hint of desperation in his voice.
"No, Discord, nothing yet. Did she recruit you for her search?" Luna asked, remembering that the draconequus and the human had a tight-knit friendship.
"That is not the news I was hoping for. But yes, Lulu, she requested my aid but sent me home after a full day of searching yesterday. I've not heard from her since, and none of the animals at Fluttershy's cottage can tell us anything," Discord pulled at his goatee, "It's like she vanished."
Huffing at hearing the pestering little wyvern call her by her nickname, Luna looked out the window, her wings shuffling as she lost herself in thought.
Celestia turned to the patched-together collection of creatures, "Where were you closest to when she sent you home?"
"We had finished searching a mountain close to the Dragon Lands border, but seeing as I am not allowed entry due to their deep hatred for me, I haven't been able to ask around," he explained, again pulling on his goatee, little grey hairs being pulled out from this incessant plucking.
Celestia's eyes widened, 'yes, of course!' she thought, 'the dragons share a strong history with Everfree, they would surely aid us in our search for her,' She stood tall, feeling her resolve return to her after days of lacking it. "Discord, return to Ponyville, and make sure any messages from the animals are documented, Luna, I need you to stay here to ensure duties are continued, I will head to the Dragon Lands."
"But-" Luna started and was swiftly cut off by her older sister.
"No buts! I have the most sway with the dragons, and we cannot both leave the castle again. The Canterlot nobles were hard enough to bear with our last absence." Celestia shuddered at the memory.
Luna grumbled but saw sense in her sister's words. Discord gave a salute and poofed back into nonexistence as he returned home. Celestia packed a small bag of essentials, and flew off into the night sky, teleporting short distances to conserve her magic reserves.
Maisie hummed to herself as she collected various berries, depositing them into a homemade satchel which dangled from her waist. On any which radiated a stronger magical presence, the woman kneeled in front of them and pinched the air slightly away from the fruits. Carefully pulling away to extract their turbulent, almost spiky, strings of magic.
They were poisonous, and Maisie made sure to throw any away and to clean her hands. Not that it would really affect her - but trying to follow in her younger brother's footsteps, she wanted to gift some to the local griffin settlement, raise her standing a bit. Giving them a whole bunch of toxic food would surely not be a great first impression.
She continued on her trek, trying to hunt down any raspberries, or anything similar. She had the idea of baking some pies, thinking a sweet treat might show off her usefulness. Of course, Adrian would suggest some meat pies, but Maisie could never quite wrap her head around the savoury pastry.
A nice strawberry crumble or apple pie - it reminded her of home, smelling her mother's or Winry's baking on the rare occasions they would cook one up. She drooled a bit, remembering their taste as she devoured them in her youth. It was bizarre what she could and couldn't remember. Their cooking stayed firm, but the colour of her parent's eyes? That was lost to time.
Suddenly kicked out of her stupor as a branch whacked her in the face, she whinced as she held her nose, making sure it wasn't bleeding. Sniffling a bit, she concluded the rogue tree limb didn't do any real damage, and decided to make it pay for its actions. She gripped it and tried yanking, pulling it off the trunk with ease.
She grumbled as she waved the branch around, with a little modification it could make a decent enough fire poker, so she tied it to the back of her satchel's strap. Realising all the noise in the area had suddenly gone deathly quiet, Maisie lowered her body to the ground. A quiet forest didn't mean much, but a silent one? That's danger calling.
She looked up into the trees, trying to see if any birds were in the area, and took a deep intake of air as she realised there were many - but they were all staring at her. They didn't make any noise, they didn't even move, they just stared at the human with big wide eyes. She looked into the forest and saw that various other wildlife was doing the same.
Unnerved and feeling her heart about to erupt from her chest, she yelled out, "What's the big deal!?" She saw a deer turn its head slightly to knicker towards a rabbit, which then squeaked to a squirrel, who chirped to a bird, which then squawked to no one in particular. And then, like an eruption, all the animals began making noise - and various birds flew off, all in the same direction. South.
'Oh, screw this!' Maisie thought, as she sprinted back to her log cabin, not wanting to be caught in whatever the hell that was. The most unnerving detail about it was she felt no strong magical aura in the area - that was, apparently, a natural phenomenon.
Shaken from her experience, she tried to divert her attention to her collected berries, pouring them all out into a wooden bowl. Not wanting to look, but feeling like she had to, her eyes shifted to her closest window. Looking back at her were several birds, and the same deer from earlier, and they all had what looked like... joy on their faces. How a bird managed to look happy with their beak was a question she couldn't answer, but it really did not make her feel good.
Shakily raising her hand to her blinds, she closed them, closing the cabin from the outside light. She sighed to herself, her breath shuddering at the bizarre occurrence. She concentrated inwards, bringing the palms of her hands to her chest, and once she found what she was looking for, gripped her open hands into fists - pulling an invisible force out of her chest, gesturing in the direction of her brother's house, and opening her hands again.
"Adrian, can you come over? Something weird is going on..." Maisie whined into the air, her arms falling to her side. Her brother never liked her telepathic ability, he would always say it felt obtrusive and rude - nevertheless, Maisie heard a loud crackle of thunder, and saw a bolt of lightning strike a few miles down the dirt path. An indication he had received her message, and was heading over.
Celestia panted as she rested atop a rocky hilltop deep in the Dragon Lands, ahead of her she saw the evidence of a nearby clan, but all the dragons were seemingly absent. Curiosity getting the better of her, she trudged on as she flew over, hearing various oos and aahs from within a nearby cave.
Feeling energy surge within her as she noticed that her goal was within reach, she landed on the rocky ground, scarred with various scorch marks and craters, and as she approached the cave, she soon realised its entrance was being blocked by the backs of various older dragons - who all seemed to be humming or playing the drums on their stomachs - a sort of musical backing number.
The white Alicorn tried squeezing through, but finding no place to fit through on the ground, took flight to look over the shoulders of the giant reptiles. Once at head level with the large creatures, she finally saw what the commotion was - on a bed large enough for a woman ten times her size, was Everfree, surrounded by dragons of all different shapes and colours, all of which were entranced by a story she was currently telling. Celestia let out a breath, finally knowing she could relax, and instead of butting in, decided to listen.
"And Toothless let out a mighty roar! The dragons all around him bowed their heads, before responding with their very own!" The various viewers all let out their own cries and roars in response, "Toothless was their alpha, not by size, but by sheer power- and tenacity. Hiccup the human watched with pride, as his mother took his hands," Everfree began to imitate an accent from a foreign land, "'You're father, would be every bit as proud as I am.' Hiccup, ever grateful for his mother's return, thanked her, 'I'm really glad you're here mum' he said, tears welling in his eyes." Everfree took a moment to gaze upon her crowd of onlookers, seeing a distinctly non-dragon-shaped creature at the very back of the crowd. Her eyes sparkled as she looked directly at her, "'And here I'll stay.'"
Deciding to cut things short, she allowed the music-making dragons in the back to finish their swells and allowed the whoops and hollers to die down. Moti, sitting atop her lap, asked with her eyes filled with that wonderful curiosity children have, "But what happened to Hiccup and Astrid?"
Everfree rested a hand atop her head, scratching her scales, and regrettably informed her that she would have to finish the story at a later time, she had to relieve herself for some fresh air. The crowd all moaned, before Cinder hushed them all, and gestured to the exit, leading everyone out. He thanked the woman for such a wonderful story, and his eyes lit up as she informed him there was more to come.
Celestia dodged out of the way of the oncoming traffic, flapping her wings to look over the clan, all of which discussing what could happen next to their heroes. Eventually, one of the larger dragons took notice of the flying pony above its head.
"Princess? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice deep, and booming, which caused others to look over.
"The Princess?"
"A pony, here?"
"Why is she here?"
Murmurs from the crowd. Celestia blushed, realising she had wanted to make a proper entrance instead of just showing up. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by a familiar voice calling out.
"It's ok, everyone she's here to talk with me," Everfree stated, exiting the gave, gesturing for the Princess to land beside her. A couple more grumbles, more to do with the fact that their time with the spirit was being stolen by the pony than anything else, but the woman paid them no mind, smiling warmly as she hugged Celestia.
Realising why she was here, the pony pulled back, fixing the woman with a glare, "We have been so worried about you! You can't just leave like that, we only just got you back!" Everfree's expression faltered, knowing this was coming.
"I know, Tia. I'm so sorry - I was so wrapped up in emotions and information that I pushed myself, but I learnt my lesson, my old friends here reminded me to sit down and relax. I promise next time I get the inclination to run off, I'll tell you and Luna," she explained, her voice sorrowful and low.
"Just... Be careful, we're here with you now, you don't have to charge headfirst into things," Celestia stated, bringing Everfree back into her embrace, "we love you, you know that, right?" The woman shuddered, her breath hitching as she tightened her arms around the pony.
"I know, and I love you too, Tia, you and your sister," fighting off the tears, as she didn't want to cry for another consecutive day, she dug her face deep into the pony's neck, "My baby brother and sister are out there, and I wanted to make them know I didn't abandon them."
"From what I saw, they're hardly 'babies' anymore, mother," Celestia replied, her breath catching in her throat at a sudden gasp from behind her. She slowly turned around to see a dragon who had been happily listening in on their intimate conversation. Everfree smiled, realising the immediate comeuppance her daughter was about to receive after her little comment.
"Mother?!"
"Celestia was hatched from Everfree?!"
"Mommy, how are babies made?"
"Wait, you guys didn't know?"
"The Princesses are the Lady's offspring!"
Celestia brought a hoof to her face as the crowd began chattering amongst themselves, groaning as the human wrapped an arm around her nape loosely. "You know, for Princesses, the both of you have some real difficulties choosing your words."
After the clan had calmed down, Everfree had everyone seated again, and she wove the threads of the ending of Toothless and Hiccup's story, talking about a 'Light Fury' and an evil mastermind who enslaved dragons. Celestia was entranced, she had wished for a night like this since she reunited with her mother.
As time marched ever forward, some in the group began to yawn, and after she wrapped up the story, mentioning a fabled 'secret world' as she gestured around her, the clan decided to put the hatchlings to bed, and the spirit decided it was a good time for her to do the same, inviting Celestia along.
Mounting the seriously huge bed, Everfree panted as the winged pony looked at her with a smug expression, which was responded to by the woman sticking her tongue out in her direction. Still feeling the aches from her crash earlier, she had chosen to remain human for the time being, much to her own dismay.
"Come morning, let's return to Ponyville, see if my animals have dug anything up, and if they haven't, then I guess we wait," Everfree said, lying down atop the warm surface - which was thankfully loaned to her by Cinder - who was currently sleeping with the unhatched eggs.
"That sounds good... my Lady," Celestia cheekily replied, snuggling in close to the human beside her - who groaned out loud.
"Not you too..."
Feeling revitalised after their slumbers, both the pony and the human left the Dragon Lands with their full potential back, Everfree saying her goodbyes to the dragons as Celestia rose the sun. She hugged Cinder as tight as she could, considering the size difference, and gave Moti a little kiss on her forehead.
As the two walked off, they both waved behind them, seeing the various sizes of dragons return the gesture. Everfree smiled, and that expression didn't leave their lips until Celestia prepared to teleport the both of them back to Ponyville. Now that her powers were all stocked back up, she realised she wouldn't need to make short conservative jumps, and instead was able to just go straight there.
They had materialised just outside Fluttershy's cottage and witnessed Discord jotting down notes on a notepad, wearing glasses far down his muzzle, as he interviewed various animals. Seeing the appearance of the two, he waved them over, keeping up his professional nature.
"Any updates, Sir Discord?" Everfree asked, resulting in Celestia raising an arched eyebrow, "I'll tell you later."
"Yes, Milady, quite a few," The draconequus flipped through several pages, reading through them in a monotone voice. "Chester the Chipmunk believes that Rodrick the Raccoon stole his winter rations, Marlene the Mouse felt intimidated in the presence of a barn house owl, there have been multiple reports of an 'Everfree-like-figure' to the north, just inside the griffin border, and that Felix the Cat wants to be fed again."
Celestia blanked, almost beginning to tune the chaos god out, and suddenly tuned back in. "Multiple sightings? How credible?" she asked.
"From the sounds of it, very, Tia." Discord replied as he loomed smugly over the Princess.
"Alright, then this is it, we'll get prepped and head there soon. Discord, meet us at the balcony you first spoke to me at a few days back." he nodded in response, as Everfree began to pet the various critters running around her feet. "Celestia, let's grab Luna. I will meet with them alone, but I may need the moral support." The Princess smiled, the woman had actually learnt a lesson.
Everfree looked over Ponyville, gazing in the general direction of the Hooves' household, but figured it would be best to come to them when she had the full story to tell. 'I miss Dinky' she thought to herself, her mouth beginning to drool as she began to look forward to her next picnic.
With a crackle, Celestia teleported the pair back to Everfree's chambers, and they both began to chuckle as they saw a sleeping Luna atop the human's bed, tightly hugging a pillow. Slowly creeping up to the dark Alicorn, the human ran her hand down her back, whispering into her ear, "Get up sleepyhead, time for school."
"Fah moah minutes..." she groggily replied, swatting at nothing in particular. Unfortunately, Everfree was a persistent creature.
"Lunaaaa~" she sang out, beginning to mount the bed, crashing her body against the sleeping Princess, which Celestia continued to giggle at. Jolted awake, Luna shot up, sleepy delirium clouding her memory before she laid her eyes on the biped next to her, and tightly hugged her.
"Mother! Don't do that again! We were so worried!" she exclaimed into Everfree's chest, who began to brush her ethereal mane with her hand.
"I know, I know, I already got an earful from your sister, but I am sorry, and I'm here with news," she replied, her chin resting atop Luna's head, narrowly avoiding the huge horn sprouting from it. The lunar Princess pulled away, looking into her mother's eyes. "To the north, we believe, a mountain on the inside of griffin territory."
"Then let us go! We meet with your siblings - our aunt and uncle?" Luna asked, a quizzical expression on her face as she pondered what familiarity bonds she held with the two strangers. Everfree laughed out loud.
"We'll decide on family dynamics later, but first, let's discuss how to approach this," She gestured a hand to Celestia, inviting her to sit on the bed with the pair. Once she planted herself down, Everfree continued, "I will meet the two alone, while I want nothing more than to have you both with me, my first reunion must be just us 'Everfrees', but before that, I want to get some information out of them, while being incognito. I'll call out to you two and Discord to introduce yourselves when I know they aren't going to kill me."
"Is that a possibility?" Celestia asked, eyes growing wide, Everfree faltered, a worried smile on her face.
"I... I really don't know Tia."
"Must that obnoxious wyvern come with us? You know my feelings on him." Luna stated bluntly, huffing into her mane at the thought of having to share moments with him.
"Hey now, you two might not like it, but he's my friend, and honestly, if he asked to be my son like you two did to be my daughters, I would find it incredibly difficult to refuse." Everfree laid out, wincing slightly at the shocked expressions she got in return, but deciding to stand firm. Choosing not to say more, she nods her head firmly with a 'harumph'.
"...Well..." Celestia picked up the conversation, "As you said, we'll discuss the family dynamics at a later point. let us go forth."
The obnoxious wyvern in question knocked on the balcony door three times, and when hearing a 'Come in!' from inside, entered, his eyes glancing around the paintings on the walls, the same ones he and Everfree would inspect back in their olden days. He smiled a true smile this time, not one laced with smugness or with an impending joke at someone's expense, drinking up the sights of this room which seemed like a sort of time capsule.
"So, let's go over this one last time..."
Maisie was currently biting at her nails, a nervous habit she had ever since she was little, as Adrian walked around her cottage. A storm raged outside, one by choice to scare off the various critters which were interrupting his sister's and, by proxy, his peace. Lightning struck down in several places, causing the final few onlookers to flee into the woods surrounding the lonesome cabin.
"Alright, Mai, they're gone, you mind telling me what the hell that was about?" Adrian asked, grunting as he flexed his fingers, feeling little jolts of electricity running through them.
"Adri, I... I really don't know, there was no magic, no external forces, they were just... staring at me! It was like one of those old horror movies we caught Winry watching!" Maisie panted out, her fingers still close to her mouth, muffling some of the words.
"Well, that certainly ain't normal, might be best if you bunk with me for a few days." Adrian offered, continuing to look out the window at the hard-hitting rain. His hand moved to a nearby candle, raising it to his reflection. He stared at his face for a moment, "Damn, I need to shave." he muttered under his breath. Lowering the light source, his breathing halted as he spotted two spiralling eyes staring at him from a fair distance away in the trees. He turned his head slightly, never letting his eyes leave the ghastly visage. "Uhh, Mai, maybe we speed up our moving plans?"
Her voice was full to the brim with terror, "Adri, what is it? what's out there-" A huge shiver ran down her spine, and several strong tangents of magic appeared in her vision, "Oh no," she whispered. Adrian quickly turned to his sister, suddenly feeling like two scared kids again.
"What's happening?" he harshly whispered, choosing to duck beneath the window. Maisie shakily looked towards him, her pupils like pinpricks.
"S-something very powerful just crossed the threshold." Her breathing accelerated. Adrian warily peeked over the countertop, trying to spot the glowing eyes from before, but they were no longer in the last spot. He cursed under his breath, calling forward a deep energy, causing crackles of lightning to run through his fingers. He crawled to the front door, looking back at his sister, and nodded.
He stood to his full height, which granted, wasn't all that impressive, but his intimidating build should hopefully do enough. He yelled out into the storm, as lightning crashed down nearby, "WHO ARE YOU?"
A tree directly in front of the house shuffled, and he raised his hands in preparation for an attack. His posture faltered as a feminine human frame pushed apart the branches, revealing herself. Her skin was light-skinned, similar to his own, but her face was covered in a wooden mask, which looked almost tribal. It had two glowing white spirals as eyes, which faintly span as the figure tilted her head, long wooden horns sprouting from the top. Other than her legs and arms, which were both barren, the rest of her body was wrapped in some very ancient-looking robes, - she looked a bit like a shaman, all things considered.
"I... I know you," Adrian stuttered out, causing the figure to freeze. "I've had dreams... visions... of you," his resolve strengthened as he gritted his teeth, raising his electric palm back up, "Last time, who are you?"
The woman in front of him raised her hands, her voice muffled behind her mask, "I come in peace, no harm, I promise!", she yelled through the storm making it incredibly difficult to decipher her words. Adrian growled slightly, commanding her to remove her mask. "Let's do that inside, out of the rain? With the other." The figure's raised hand pointed towards the currently cowering woman inside, she lowered her body slightly, trying to not appear as such an imposing figure.
Unfortunately, her looming just sold the image of an unnatural creature, and the young man's eyes flashed with various emotions. He called out behind him, keeping his palms and pupils locked in the direction of the intruder.
"Mai, this guy wants to come in, any input on this?" He yelled.
"Do we have a choice?!" The woman shouted back. Adrian looked at the spirit expectedly and was discouraged when they gave a brief shrug of its shoulders, arms still reaching for the sky. He sighed, lowering his hands, his electricity dying out. He entered the cabin and gestured for the weird creature to follow.
Its eyes seemed to curve, as if cheek marks were being pushed into them. 'Was that a smile?' Adrian thought to himself, as he closely inspected the figure as they got closer. On closer expectation, he realised that they were huge, now, Adrian wasn't the tallest fella, not that he had many others to compare to, but this masked humanoid was at least a foot and a half taller than him.
"This is a lovely home, you two. Live here together?" it asked, curiously exploring the insides with her creepy eyes.
Maisie opened her mouth to say no but was quickly cut off by her younger brother, through gritted teeth "Yes, we're here together. Watch each other's backs." The figure nodded its head, not quite listening as it already knew the answer, having seen the other house further down the dirt path.
Its eyes planted themselves on the plaque above a fireplace, staring at it for a long time. The two siblings shared a look of unease and watched as it slowly got closer to it, it raised a barren hand to touch its surface, and right before they made contact -
"Hands off," Maisie growled, "That's no business of yours." There's that familiar bite. The spirit stopped its approaching hand, looking towards the girl who had stopped cowering and was now in a more battle-ready stance, with her hands in a claw shape. The humanoid raised its hands up in a sign of peace again, a gesture that was really starting to irritate Adrian. Maisie continued, feeling a fire in her heart, "What exactly is your business?"
The spirit brought a finger to its chin, or, where Maisie assumed its chin to be under the mask. "In all honesty, my business is you two, you're quite an oddity in this land." Adrian snorted, knowing that whatever this was, was also something freakish, "Considering I saw sparks come out of Adrian's hands, and that you, Maisie," the humanoid pointed directly at her, "just radiate something strong, you've both got quite the pair of powers, huh?"
Maisie chewed on her lip as her mind raced, but her younger brother stepped forward, "Yeah, and what's it to you?"
The figure leaned close, her mask almost touching the young man's forehead, and whispered, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." A sudden jolt shot through the man's mind, that voice, that antagonistic teasing whisper - he knew it. He opened his mouth, but couldn't comprehend the words to spit out, and just as he found the perfect string of syllables and vowels, Maisie interjected.
"How did you know our names?" she whispered. The figure leaned back from the man, who was now connecting the dots, strolling a little closer to the smaller blonde-haired woman. "I never said Adrian, and he only called me Mai, how do you know our names?"
"C'mon, girl, I know you're smarter than this." The figure whispered into her ear, and just like that, the two adults were stunned.
Coming from behind that mask, was her voice. A bit older, more aged, but it was certainly hers.
"W-Winry?" Adrian asked out, practically begging. The middle sister, however, was not so polite.
"Take that mask off. NOW!" she yelled, almost leaping at the tall figure in front of her.
"Hey, hey! Settle down, young lady." the only response the masked figure got was another animalistic growl. "Yeech, that's what that looks like? No wonder it gets the reaction it does."
"Enough games, take off that mask!" Maisie gripped an edge of the mask and pulled, only succeeding in yanking the spirit's whole head down with it.
"Careful, you little brat! This thing's connected to the back of my head too!" The spirit yelped out, wincing as their hair was pulled.
From behind, Adrian could see various tree roots exiting the rear end of the mask, growing around the back of the figure's head, and going deep into her hair. It was like it grew around her, and he watched in half fascination, half disgust as the roots slowly slivered back into the bark like a snake.
The figure stood to her full height, towering over the both of them. Adrian must have been about the height of her collarbone, while Maisie stood to reach her chin. As she gazed down upon them wistfully, her mask's glowing eyes faded slightly, and a hand reached up to grip the bottom of it, and she slowly pulled it back, letting the two see her face.
They gasped, and little sister Maisie, with tears in her eyes, reached out to hesitantly touch her cheek. Baby brother Adri, well, he didn't bother with the subtlety. He immediately brought her into a vice-like grip, holding her in a tight embrace.
"W-Winnie?" Mai squeaked out, looking upon the face of her big sister. She gave an awkward grin, trying to breathe as her baby brother made it incredibly difficult to do so.
"T-The one and only."
Discord was currently chewing on an apple obnoxiously loud right into Luna's ear, as the three hid behind a tree spying on the log cabin ahead of them. The dark Alicorn grit her teeth as she fought the urge to punt him to the other side of the continent.
Celestia side-eyed the both of them, before resuming her duties, a pair of large binoculars on her muzzle as she watched Everfree unmask herself, and smiled warmly as she saw the smaller of the three hug her, and the blonde-maned woman reaching out to her cheek.
The moment was short-lived, however, as Discord, ever persistent in pushing his luck, burped directly into Luna's ear, which was the beginning of the chaos.
"Oh, that is IT!"
Celestia sighed, as Luna tackled the draconequus, and gasped as she saw the same blonde woman slap Everfree with as much force as she could.
"What the hell were you thinking, Winnie?! That was so scary!" Maisie yelled, pushing her sister away with a shove, causing Winry and Adrian to topple to the ground, but gasping for air as the wind was knocked out the two of them.
Winry, gasping for breath, managed out, "I... Thought it would be... funny?"
A vengeful face of blonde freckled anger leapt onto her.
"Discord, I'm going to kill you!" Luna yelled, chasing the laughing chaos lord with a large stick she had found.
"Not if you can't catch me!" he joyfully shouted, skipping through the air. Luna reared her stick back, and swung it as hard as she possibly could, aiming for the impossibly hard-to-miss target - and unfortunately hit the other impossibly hard-to-miss target. Celestia's rear end.
Dropping her binoculars with a cry, the white Alicorn span around with a deep fury in her eyes, and Luna and Discord decided that maybe there was a bigger fish.
"You little s-"
"Mai, get off of her!" Adrian yelled, now jumping onto his middle sister, which further caused Winry to lose oxygen with the height of two people on her chest.
"Oh, of course, Adri, always the mama's boy!" Maisie snarled back, throwing a bench in his direction.
"I'm not your MOTHER!" Winry screamed from below, grabbing a fistful of the braided hair above her, and yanked as hard as possible. The younger girl cried out in pain, before throwing a slap in her direction, and due to the height difference, landed the hit on her right breast.
"D- did you just slap my boob?" Winry asked, bewildered.
"Y-Yeah! I did, what are you gonna do?"
Celestia held the two squirming forms in front of her in her magic, glaring daggers at the two. Discord snapped his finger, and a custard pie apparated out of nowhere, aimed directly at his captor's face. Luna managed to grab a pine cone off the floor and threw it at her sister - which somehow managed to hit her right in the eye.
She screamed as her vision was part cream, part cone, and instantly dropped the two from her hold. Now free, Luna continued to chase the annoying vermin, hurling other pinecones off the floor in his direction.
Celestia wiped her face with her foreleg and turned around to see the pair were running directly at the cabin, as horror and dread washed over her face - with a little hint of custard.
As Luna skidded to a halt, she watched Discord dance ahead of her, directly in front of the cabin's door. "You can't get me, la la la la lalala!" His teasing stopped as Luna lowered her head, and gave a warning swipe of her hoof at the ground, threatening to charge. "Y-you wouldn't."
Luna charged.
Just as the two were about to connect, the front door of the cabin slammed open, a ball of human limbs kicking and punching at one another. Maisie was atop Winry Everfree, slapping her face and throwing punches at every limb she saw, she grinned as she heard her sister wheeze when she hit her right shoulder - evidence of a sore spot.
Celestia began to close in, wanting to break up the fight, but witnessed Discord get thrown over the two fighting humans, screaming bloody murder as Luna galloped after him. She decided to just give up and sat on her haunches in the midst of combat.
Adrian snuck out of the cabin, seeing that there were some newcomers. Recognizing one of the calmer ones to be one of those rulers from down south. he carefully avoided the punch pile, and sat down next to her, and they shared a look.
"So, siblings, huh?" Adrian asked.
"Siblings." Celestia nodded.
"I better break this up before they draw blood." the man said, as he continued to just watch.
"Probably too late for that, let's just rest for the moment."
Winry was pushing at her sister's face, trying to force her off, and yelped in pain as she felt teeth bite down on her fingers. "You little gap-toothed bas-"
Discord was in a tree, sending a barrage of different cream-filled pastries down upon his attacker, Luna tried to flap her wings to get up to him, but every time she got some air, she was struck by a stale doughnut, knocking her back to the ground. "When I get my hooves on you, I'll rip you limb from -
Having caught their breaths, Adrian nodded to the pony alongside him. He charged into his middle sister, slamming his shoulder into her side as they tumbled into the wet mud together. Celestia charged at Luna, preparing to catch them both in magic, while also erecting a shield around herself.
Now free from her attacker, Everfree looked around at the scenes in front of her. Her youngest brother, now a bearded stocky man, was currently pinning her sister down, who was a lean, mean, punching machine. She gazed at the other side, witnessing her two daughters glare daggers at each other as they magicked up various debris to lob at one another, as her pseudo-son rained down chocolate milk above the two of them, drenching them in the liquid.
Looking down at herself, she was absolutely caked in mud, feeling like she was more dirt than flesh at that moment, she took a deep breath, and put her palms into the ground below. Unleashing a torrent of energy, she focused on the five figures around her.
Thick tree roots shot up from the ground, all wrapping between the individuals, tearing them off one another. Their limbs were pinned to their sides as they were trapped in mid-air. Everfree panted, but yet, she still heard the various parties yelling insults at one another.
Unlocking a deep memory for everyone involved, Everfree yelled "STOP."
Like magic, there was silence. All five remembered different moments in their childhood when the woman had yelled at them, Adrian playing with a metal fork near an electrical outlet, Maisie trying on one of her sister's dresses and putting her foot through the wrong hole - ripping the fabric, Luna painting her sister's room a dark black, Celestia almost breaking the mask of the spirit, and Discord's various shenanigans at the expanse of the woman.
Everfree gave them all the stink eye, glaring daggers at anyone or anypony who dared to open their mouths. She ran her hands through her tangled muddied hair and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "We're done, alright? This is done now." Luna opened her mouth to complain that Discord started it, but the words died in her throat as she received a death glare from her mother.
The rain had stopped pouring shortly before their fights had begun, but the storm left a cold chill in the air. "You either come inside with me, peacefully, or you stay out here, in the cold. Do you understand?" The others all nodded with wide eyes.
Flicking her wrists, all the tree roots returned to the ground, freeing their trapped prey. Everfree limped over to the cabin, inspecting the door. Not broken, just slammed open. She stood in the doorway as she scoured the queue of people, ponies and draconequus which entered, heads all turned down as she glared at them from above.
Realising they Maisie didn't want mud all over her furniture, she gestured the various creatures to the sink to scrub off their grime. A small giggle broke out as she watched Luna try to function a human-made appliance. Before long, everyone was laughing, at silly things, or little moments from their fights.
"So you throw pies, huh?" Adrian asked Discord, a large toothy grin on his bearded face as the god of chaos nodded, summoning one such pie in front of him, and instead of pelting it at the nearest pony, sharing its slices amongst the group. Everfree watched from the doorway, her scowl not leaving her face as she headed to the sink to wash herself off.
"You ponies are ravenous, you know that?" Maisie said, snorting at the memory of various artillery-like pinecones which had come dangerously close to her during the tussles with her own siblings. Luna looked at her with pride in her eyes, pointing her muzzle to the ceiling as she did a fake bow.
"I saw the moves you were doing on Everfree, now those were certainly more wild," Celestia retorted seeing the gnawing of teeth and scratching of nails.
"Oh, Everfree, huh? She claim that one all for herself?" Maisie began to joke but was shut down by a firm voice coming from the kitchen behind her.
"Don't start," Winry said, finally washing the final piece of muck off the back of her thighs.
The group fell into an uneasy silence, feeling that a lecture was coming in at any moment. The Equestrian side of the party looked up at the plaque on the wall, and Discord let out a small chuckle. "Loving Sister? Feel like changing that one?" Adrian opened his mouth, his own grin forming-
"Discord! Don't. Start." Winry firmly shut down the matter.
The group remained in silence, quietly eating a custard pie as the adult woman stood in front of them all, standing in front of the fireplace. From the others' perspective, her head was perfectly in between her mother's and father's names. Her face was cold.
"Firstly, Maisie, what the hell were you thinking just attacking me? Yeah, I get the joke was stupid and in bad taste, but Jesus, H. CHRIST! A little warning next time?!" She turned to the ponies and the draconequus. "And you three, what the HELL happened out there? I said I would make a signal when it was all clear, and instead, you three are FIGHTING? I raised you better."
Adrian cocked an eyebrow, 'raised?'
Maisie spoke up first, some challenge returning to her voice, "A little warning? Do you know how long it's been since we've seen you?! And you play a prank!"
Everfree rushed over to her, gripping the handrests of the chair she was sitting in, looming over her sister, baring her teeth. "Not. A. Single. Day. Not a single day goes by without me thinking about how long it's been! I thought you were dead! I thought I was the only human on this PLANET! I wanted to have a fun moment with my baby brother and sister!" she practically screamed into her face.
"It wasn't fun," Maisie replied with a huff. Everfree let go of her grip on the chair and sighed.
"Alright, I know, I'm sorry. It was stupid." The adult admitted. She stroked her sister's face, wiping away some of the dirt she didn't clean off properly. Maisie unconsciously leaned into the touch, soaking up the feeling.
"You three," The spirit span on her heels, heading towards her adopted children, who all reeled back at her approach. "What happened?"
"W-Well, you see-" Discord began, being cut off by the oldest Alicorn sister,
"Luna and Discord, they -" the youngest of the trio chimed in, cutting off her sister,
"Discord was being annoying!" she yelled, pouting her lips.
"Ignore him! You've been doing it for centuries, gods, by now you need to just learn to get along, both of you!" She turned to Celestia, "And what were you doing, were you trying to break up the fight or escalate it?"
Celestia blushed as she turned away, not having a good answer to say, and instead resorted to; "I'm sorry, mother."
Adrian's eyes shot up, 'raised, mother? Something's not adding up.'
"Uhh, Winnie?" Adrian meekly asked, raising a hand.
"What?!" Everfree said on instinct, realising that the boy hadn't really done anything other than actually break up the fight and hold his sister down. She calmed herself, "Sorry, Adri, what?"
"How long have you been here?" he asked, and his sister next to him looked at him curiously, before realising his train of thought - they were always good at that as kids, knowing what the other was thinking.
"...How do you mean?" Winry asked, her anger melting away as it was replaced with confusion.
"Well, that Princess, there," he gestured to Celestia, "called you mother, and earlier you mentioned you raised those three. I ain't well-versed in Equestrian history, but I know for a fact that those three, they're old. So, how old are you?"
Winry Winters Everfree's mind lurched, she couldn't comprehend what her brother was saying. "... how do you mean?" she parroted.
"Ugh, Winnie, how long have you been here?" Maisie asked bluntly, growing impatient with her sister's ignorance.
"Uhh, I lost track some time ago but it's near the ballpark of two thousand years, give or take a couple hundred," Winry stated, the Equestrians behind her knew she was old, but never was given a concrete number, and shared looks and quiet gasps.
The Everfree siblings all stared at each other with uncomfortable expressions. Adrian's eyes were wide as dinner plates, and his bearded mouth dropped open. Maisie's eyes shrunk to pinpricks, and she instinctually brought her fingers to her mouth to gnaw on.
"...Adrian, why? Is that not the same for you?" Winry asked, she got closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders as she shook him back and forth. "Adri, how long have you been here?" She turned to her sister, "Mai, answer me, please, one of you!"
"Twenty years."
Winry's eyes shot to her brother, begging him to repeat himself.
"We've only been here twenty years, Winnie."
A skull-splitting headache ruptured through Everfree's brain as she collapsed to the ground.
Deep in Everfree's forest, in the thick of some of the densest cursed foliage, a deep ravine opened up, threatening to swallow the trees.
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