Bones
Whether it was the forest’s general creepiness, or the fact that she felt as though she were being watched, Fault Line had yet to relax since she had first entered. Any time she thought of it, she would hear something rustling nearby, or see something moving past in her peripheral. She had been a part of a patrol watching the Everfree's borders, but they had gotten split up after a Manticore decided to join them. Her spear had been lost in the confusion, as well as her helmet(which she was ashamed to admit she had lost after galloping head-first into a tree)
Since then, it had been an hour or so of aimless wandering, and anxiously staring into the unnatural darkness of the forest. Now, however, it was getting even darker, to the point where even when she waved her hoof in front of her muzzle, she could only just see it. She had to find somewhere to sleep, as stumbling through the dark in this state was a worse idea than heading into the forest in the first place. As if I didn't realize that the moment we set hoof inside, she thought bitterly.
At least now I can confidently tell- Ow! Her thoughts were interrupted by a tree. Or a wall. Feels like a wall. She kept one hoof on her muzzle as she sat on her haunches, using her other hoof to feel the wall that had so kindly made it’s presence known to her. Knowing it could probably lead her to some form of cover for the night, she stood up and followed it in one direction, keeping a hoof on it so she wouldn't lose track of it.
Eventually, it started to curve slightly outwards, and her hoofsteps were no longer muffled thumps in the grass, but sharp clops as the ground changed to match the stone to her left. This is good. This means I could hopefully start a fire and not burn down everything around me. She stopped for a moment to rethink that plan. Should I let go of the wall? I don't know if that's a good idea… I doubt I'll be able to find it again in this cursed darkness. Damn it, I'm going to have to keep following it. I don't need a fire anyways, its not even cold. With that in mind, she kept going, hoping to find a back wall she could curl up in.
Which only took another minute or so. The wall now curved to her right, instead of staying on a straight path. She knew she was going to have to sleep here now, she had decided on that the moment it got dark, but she was not tired. In fact, she still felt relatively well rested. Her Earth pony stamina saw to that. Sighing heavily, she lay down, her head resting on the ground, and started doing her best to fall asleep.
Oh dear Celestia my back hurts, were her first thoughts upon waking up. Why did it have to be me to get picked for the damned patrol? I could be in the mess hall eating, or in my bunk sleeping like a normal pony, but instead I'm stuck in a damn cave.
Suffice to say, she was not a morning pony.
Slowly, she stood herself up, stretching her legs and popping her joints, all while ignoring the glaring fact that she had fallen asleep in her armor, golden shoes and all. I thought I learned my lesson a long time ago. Looking about, another glaring fact made itself known. She could actually see. She could make out her legs beneath her, and the smooth floor of the cave she was in.
I must be blind. Groaning in annoyance, she began walking to the source of it, noticing that the wall she had been following was shorter than she thought. Today is not my day… I must have been going so slow last night, the wall seemed to have gone on forever. With another annoyed groan, she sped up to a trot, deciding that leaving the cave now would let her forget her foolishness. Or… maybe it was caution. That sounds much better.
Nodding to herself, she emerged from the cave and into a tall field of grass. That explains why I didn't run into any actual trees. There were none. She could count that as a win. She managed to keep some dignity last night it seemed, if only by luck. Starting a merry whistle, she started to cut across one end of the field, last night's path made obvious by the trampled grass she left behind.
If I follow my own trail back, I can probably make it-Ow, damn it! Once more, her thoughts were interrupted, this time by her tripping and falling muzzle first over a rock. The only good thing that came out of this trip; no one is around to see me look like an idiot. Groaning, this time in frustration, she stood up and looked down to glare at whatever had tripped her, only to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
It wasn't a rock, but a skull that greeted her. At least its not a pony skull, she thought absently, reaching down to pick it up. But what did it belong to? She sat there turning it this way and that, before she realized the rest was probably there as well. Placing the skull down next to herself, she began combing through the grass, hopefully looking for the rest of the creature.
A few minutes later, she had a small pile of what she had collected so far. Several ribs, at least twenty vertebrae, a pelvis, what looked like a very long femur, and a shoulder blade near a couple of longer bones, as well as many smaller ones of varying lengths that reminded her of the few Minotaurs that had visited the castle. Their hands and arms looked similar to these, and she wondered whether she found some type of Minotaur ancestor.
I wonder if bones like these have been discovered yet… if they haven't, I could very well have stumbled on an undiscovered relative of the Minotaurs! Her eyes lit up at the thought. I wonder if I'll get paid for this… she trailed off as her armor let off a soft ‘ping’. Looking down, she noticed an odd glow coming from the blue star on her armor. Raising an eyebrow, she gently placed the bones down and tapped a hoof against the star.
The glow didn't stop, but she ping continued to sound every few seconds. I know the armor is enchanted, but what is this supposed to be? She tried to remember what she had been told about the armor, but kept getting distracted by the constant pinging coming from the armor. Just as she was debating whether or not to take off the armor completely, she finally remembered just what it was. A tracking spell! Thank Celestia! I can finally go home! With a quiet cheer, she sat back down and kept fiddling with the bones, keeping herself busy until someone arrived to get her out of the forest.