The Wanderer's Wife

Chapter Three

It was a brief walk to the edge of the old forest, but it felt like hours to Sepia. She tried her best to block out Honeysuckle’s chatter, but the light and squeaky voice kept on finding ways to induce a migraine in her head.

“So tell me,” the yellow pony asked Starflash, “where are you going once you complete your swordspony training?”

The unicorn shrugged. “No idea. Without an actual trainer or master, I have to rely upon myself for practice. That puts me at a real disadvantage if I want to try out for a Royal Guard position.”

“Not to mention that you already have a job at the museum?” Sepia cut in.

“There’s no reason why he can’t do both!” Honeysuckle said. “Starflash… The monster-slaying, crime-busting, legendary astronomer!”

He gave a hearty chuckle while blushing. “Now that’s a pony to envy!”

The three arrived at the edge of the forest a couple of minutes later. The woods they had just emerged from ended at a cliff face, which divided it from the old forest below. Though it was still light outside, Sepia could still see how gloomy it was below the treetops. The vast expanse of dark green leaves below her seemed to stretch for miles, as far as her eyes could see. Looking back towards the face of the cliff, she immediately stepped back as her legs turned to jelly. Though it was only a few metres to the ground, Sepia’s eyes managed to convince her that it was a few miles. She jumped as Starflash prodded her on the shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Y-Y-Yeah. I’m fine,” she replied.

She looked back towards the cliff and saw that Honeysuckle was already beginning to descend using the protruding rocks. She practically bounded downwards with graceful hops, which made Sepia feel sick; to her, it looked as if the earth pony was plummeting to her demise. Once Honeysuckle had reached the bottom, she looked upwards towards both Sepia and Starflash, calling out to them.

“Well, are you two coming or not?”

“Just stick close to me Sep,” Starflash said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “We’ll be on the forest floor before you know it. I’ll go first, so just step where I step.”

She nodded and tucked herself into his body as Starflash moved first, and she repeated his making sure that she stayed on the side closest to the cliff face. With every step, Sepia gently planted her hoof on the rocks whilst looking back at Starflash, making sure that he was still close by to see where he moved. Their progress was slow but steady, and after a minute of careful climbing they planted their hooves on the grassy ground of the old forest. Sepia gave a hidden sigh of relief as Starflash smiled at her.

“I’m all right,” she said. “Just a little shaky.”

“Good,” he replied with a sigh. “Now, we’d better get moving before the sun goes down. I’m not very sure about what we’re looking for though. Honeysuckle, call out if you find your mushrooms. What do they look like again?”

“Purple caps, long stems,” she replied flatly and quickly whilst adjusting the basket hanging on her leg.  Sepia spotted her disdainful look as she walked into the forest, moving onto an old beaten track.

“All right then. Sepia, we’d better keep our eyes peeled too. Let’s hurry it up or we’ll be in trouble!”

Starflash began to trot just ahead of both of the mares, and Sepia began to follow. Before she caught up to Honeysuckle, she stopped. The earth pony had turned her head back to look at her with a furious glare before resuming her walk, which caught Sepia by surprise.

Woah… I knew I was a little slow coming down that cliff, but usually my hatred of heights gets a giggle or a comment out of her. What’s her problem?

The three ponies stuck together as they made their way into the old forest, the growing darkness making them become cautious as they moved. The sunlight was fighting hard to break through the thick masses of leaves above them, making the light much more sparse than the woods they had just came from. The ground was almost bare; few plants, save for some sprigs of grass and weeds that sprouted near the trees, covered the forest floor. The silence unnerved Sepia slightly, as there was no breeze to rustle the leafy treetops, nor were there any chirping birds to keep the three ponies company.

It was as if the forest had known that they had arrived...

After ten minutes of easy walking, the ground was starting to become uneven with gnarled tree roots and thick weeds, slowing the group’s pace to a crawl. The beaten track had largely disappeared, save for the occasional dirt patch. As he brushed past a cobweb-laden spot of grass, Starflash sighed while removing the sticky strands.

“I think we’ve gone a little too far in,” he said, turning his head about. He squinted through the trees, into the darkest depths of the forest, and used some magic to create a faint glow in his horn. “We should probably turn back.”

Honeysuckle sidled alongside him and brushed away the persistent strings clinging to the unicorn’s leg. “But this is the only beaten track, and we’ve come all this way anyway! We might as well go further in.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Sepia asked. She was lagging behind, taking care not to stray even an inch from the single file line that the three of them had been walking in before.

“Of course,” Honeysuckle replied, grinning at her.  “Unless you’re afraid that is?”

“There’s no need for that Honeysuckle,” Starflash cut in. “She’s right, it’s not a smart idea to start wandering about here. We could get lost, and then something like a goliath pony eating spider could—“

“I get it,” she said quickly, furrowing her brows. “Let’s just find whatever she’s looking for and go, shall we?”

Starflash stood still, slightly dumbfounded at her comment. He waited for Sepia to catch up before whispering to her.

“What’s wrong with her? Do you think she’s in a mood because we can’t find her mushrooms?”

“How should I know?” Sepia whispered back. She waited for Honeysuckle to storm away from them a little further before speaking again. “I don’t see why she should be complaining anyway. She was the one who offered to come with us, not the other way around—”

“When you’re done talking about me behind my back!” Honeysuckle yelled back at them. Starflash glanced at Sepia with wide eyes.

“I really hate those supersonic ears of hers,” he whispered.

Don’t we all... Sepia thought as she rolled her eyes and followed the earth pony deeper into the forest. She heard galloping behind her as Starflash shouted for her to wait.

12 Cobblestone Street

Vitus District

Piata

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you today to bring you wonderful news. I have decided to make a donation to your museum, and I promise you that this artifact will be of greatinterest to you and to to your visitors!

You see, for many years I was an assistant to an international explorer’s group. We travelled the world together, exploring the jungles of the east and the savannah of the south, braving the cold climbs of the northern griffon lands and the plains of the west. The journeys were long and often harsh, fraught with danger at every turn. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration. Then again, you’re probably looking for an artifact with a history of adventure surrounding it!

Well, after many trips and treks through the uncharted and unfamiliar lands, our perseverance finally paid off! The vast southern desert to the south, also known as the ‘Sea of Truth’ by the local inhabitants (zebras... strange folk, let me tell you!), had a rumour surrounding it. Many thought that in the very depths and hidden beneath the dunes was a cave filled to the brim with treasure. Absurd and cliché, I know, but the very thought of adventure excited myself and my peers greatly. We just couldn’t resist the opportunity for fame and, to a lesser extent, fortune!

And what a disaster that trip was. Five of us departed, and we were lucky that all five of us came back. The desert had not given us the most warm of welcomes: sandstorms, the loss of most of our food and water, and worst of all we had lost our sense of direction! As we wandered the barren landscape aimlessly, our hope slowly began to dwindle. How could we, five experienced explorers (well, four explorers and their assistant), become lost in a land that we should have known like the backs of our hooves?

But after four days of tiring trekking, we had found salvation. An oasis! We counted ourselves to be most fortunate, as it contained everything we needed: water, fruit and shelter. Once we had refilled our starving, thirsty bodies, we immediately planned our next move. The only problem was that getting into the desert was easy. Getting back out would be near impossible without guidance. As the trained explorers argued amongst themselves over the best course of action, I was busying myself by gathering resources for our impending departure. That was when I found it. The necklace in the pool.

I was preparing to fill several waterskins in a small pool of water, until I was distracted by a glinting light at the bottom. I thought nothing of it at first, thinking that it was just the sun reflecting from the surface of the water, but soon it became stronger as I worked. I decided to sate my curiosity and dip my hoof into the pool, just to see what it was. And wouldn’t you know it, it was the very necklace that you are marvelling at now! How it had reached such an odd place, I did not know. But what a find! Could this be a clue as to the location of the treasure we had sought?

I returned to my group, keeping my find close to my chest (literally!). The necklace remained hidden underneath my desert robes as my peers squabbled amongst themselves. It turns out that the only thing they could agree on was to get some rest for the following day, so that we would be well prepared for when we would attempt to find our way out of the Sea of Truth. I flopped into my hammock as the day drew to a close, and after a few hours of restless napping... I saw it.

My eyes shot open as I saw a figure, made of mist and moonlight in the shape of a unicorn, standing right next to my hammock! Falling from my bed, I rubbed my eyes once. Twice. Three times, and the figure was still there! It was just staring at something in distance, out towards the sands. I tried to communicate, first by speaking then by touch, but to my amazement my hoof went straight through the figure’s form! I woke my fellows and explained what I was seeing, and yet none of them believed me. It’s hardly surprising... I could scarcely believe my own eyes!

Then the figure began to move. First, it was a slow pace in the same direction it was looking in. Then, it broke out into a full-on sprint. Shouting to it, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me across the shifting sands outside the oasis. My peers following close behind, yelling at me to wait, I ran after the pony. I thanked myself that it was midnight; such a lengthy sprint would have spelled disaster in the heat of day. After an hour of following the mystery pony, I stopped dead in my tracks as it dissipated right before my very eyes! Poof! As quickly as it had appeared, it vanished without a trace.

I turned to my peers with a sheepish look on my face, blushing at my sudden and unexplained dash. Yet they were fixated on something else; they were looking at the edge of the desert, where we had entered! There was no mistaking it, for I recognised the small village that we had stayed at briefly before departing. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The five of us did not find treasure of fame, nor did we ever speak of this experience to anypony, but I found something beyond value: a curious little trinket that saved us all! Since then, the necklace has taken pride and place amongst my collection of medals, amulets and other memorabilia of my days in the explorer’s guild, but I have failed to discover the reason for the misty figure’s appearance. I tried wearing the necklace more often in the vain hopes that it would appear once again, but I had no such luck. Now, after many years, I am passing it onto your museum. Maybe you, or your researchers, can unravel the mystery of the ghostly pony!

I bid you the best of luck,

Mr. Wandering Blade

Fading Scroll finished reading the letter once more and pushed the crinkled piece of parchment on his desk away. He chuckled to himself again.

“Of all the bizarre stories surrounding some of the artifacts I’ve came across...”

He trailed off, looking outside his window at the setting sun, which had almost completely disappeared behind the hills.

“So bizarre that it may actually be true?”

He glanced at his wall clock. Half past seven. He prepared to put his jacket on, taking his keys and placing them in the pocket.

“Well Sepia,” he whispered to himself with a smirk, “maybe that same ghost will tell you what that necklace is all about!”

As the evening wore on, Sepia’s hooves began to ache as the three ponies trudged through the weed-choked labyrinth.

“Hold on you two!” she called out to Starflash and Honeysuckle, who were a considerable distance ahead of her. “I really don’t think that going any further would be a good idea! It’s getting dark, we should turn back!”

Starflash paused for a second and looked upwards. “I can’t tell what time it is, Sep! It’s way too thick up in the treetops to see the sky!”

Sepia rolled her eyes and unshouldered her satchel, letting it fall to the ground with a thud. She stretched her front legs, providing them with some relief. “Well I suppose that means it’s getting dark, wouldn’t you agree?”

Both Starflash and Honeysuckle trotted back towards her. Sepia sat on a thick tuft of grass, pulled out a small paper parcel from her satchel and handed it to the unicorn. She did the same for Honeysuckle and, finally, for herself.

“We should stop here for a minute or two,” Starflash said. “We’ve been walking for a couple of hours, so it wouldn’t hurt to take a very quick rest before turning back.”

Starflash opened his parcel magically to reveal a small sweet, and Sepia noticed his eyes light up at the sight of of glistening honey and crumbly, fluffy pastry. In mere seconds, he greedily devoured the snack in two swift bites, leaving a trail of sugary syrup dangling from the corner of his mouth. Honeysuckle, however, was less than impressed. She grimaced as she nibbled her own treat.

“Sepia, did you make these?” she said, placing the half-eaten snack back in the paper and nudging it away with her hoof. “I’ve got to say that they’re pretty awful! I mean they’re way too sweet, the pastry is sticky and greasy, and—”

“And I didn’t make them,” Sepia cut in, her face like stone. “I bought them, so there’s no need for you to criticize so heavily.”

So don’t try and get up my nose with that one. Seriously, what is your problem?! Have I ruined your day in some inexplicable way, Honeysuckle? Have I said something to offend you, making you act like a total jerk? Oh wait, what am I saying? This is just typical of you. Just the same old obnoxious, annoying, squeaky, sly and downright hateful bi—

“You alright Sep?”

Sepia blinked as Starflash nudged her on the shoulder. His entire mouth was coated with crumbs and honey, and he was busying himself by collecting both his and Honeysuckle’s empty wrappers. She shook her head to clear her mind.

“Yes, of course I’m fine. Why?”

“You were sitting there with an intense look on your face, that’s why! Like you were going to pounce on something.”

Sepia glanced at Honeysuckle, who was giving her a slight, smug smile. She cursed in her mind at how she had let the yellow menace get under her skin in such a sneaky way before preparing to pick up her satchel.

“I...I just blanked for a second. Now, shall we—”

Rrrrrrrrrrrr

She was silenced as a quiet, low growling reached her ears. Starflash’s and Honeysuckle’s ears both twitched, almost in unison, and the earth pony’s head snapped towards the trees.

“Well Starflash,” Sepia said, grinning, “it seems that you've got quite the appetite for those pastries, haven’t you?”

“Uh, Sep...” His brow was raised and his face straight as he turned back to Sepia. “I don’t think that was me.”

Rrrrrrrrrrrr

Honeysuckle jumped back from the spot she was staring at, and she rushed to Starflash’s side. Sepia moved closer to him as well as he drew his blade magically, surrounding it with a glowing, blue aura. As he levitated it towards the source of the growling, all three ponies began to tremble.

RRRRRRRRRRR!

The fierce, guttural growl tore through the fearful silence. It was followed by five pairs of dim glowing red eyes, which were beginning to brighten against the darkness of the forest. Slowly, as if they were stalking prey, came five hulking beasts on four legs, with gnarled hide of mossy bark and twisted, jagged wooden teeth. Rows of the splintered fangs occupied gaping, hungry jaws in drooling mouths that exhaled stinking breath, which Sepia could smell from where she stood a few metres away.

“S-S-Starflash,” she whispered, stepping backwards as the wolves advanced closer. “What do we do?”

He didn’t answer. He began to sweat as three of the pack had focused their attention on him. He was breathing frantically without rhythm, and his sword was wavering as he creeped backwards.

“Starflash,” Honeysuckle said whilst gritting her teeth, keeping herself close to his body. “Do something!”

All Starflash could do was point his blade at each wolf, but the beasts were not deterred by his threat. They drew closer and closer, one of them licking its lips in a seemingly mocking manner. He was sweating buckets now, his eyes darting back and forth between each of the snarling creatures. When the largest wolf at the front of the pack gave a snapping growl, Sepia flinched as Starflash flung his sword at it, and the blade landed just short.

“RUN!”

The three ponies turned tail and fled, the timberwolves barking and howling in unison as they began to pursue.

All Sepia could think about was the snapping of the jaws. That alone encouraged her to keep sprinting through the dank forest. Her aching legs and burning lungs cried for her to her to give in, but the thought of being meat spurred her on. She stuck close by to Starflash and Honeysuckle, both of them panting and glancing backwards.

Don’t look back,she thought.Look and you’ll fall.

She swerved past trees and darted through the choking grass, the timberwolves following her every move with swift strides. She tried feinting in one direction before dodging in another, but she could still hear the frenzied barking keeping a close pace.

Don’t look. Don’t.

“We can’t... outrun... what do?” Starflash wheezed, sweat dripping from his forehead. Sepia glanced at Honeysuckle, who was also dripping and whimpering as she bolted, and—

Left!

—she heard a voice. A mare’s voice. Her eyes shot wide; whose voice?! But instead of thinking about it, she instinctively shouted over the baying of the wolves.

“Go left!”

Without hesitation, all three ponies swerved to the sprint to the left, the timberwolves scrambling over themselves to follow after being fooled. Sepia could hear the growling become furious and bloodthirsty, and she used this as a cue to burn the last few ounces of energy she had. After what seemed like days of endless torture, she screwed her eyes shut before—

“Ack!”

—tripping on a tree root. After realising that she had hit the ground, she gave up. She had lost the willpower to flee, resigning herself to be the meal of the evening. She closed her eyes and trembled, awaiting her fate.

But there was nothing. No howl of victory. No splintered, gnarled teeth clamping onto her legs. Not even a growl. She slowly opened her eyes; they were gone? She remembered hitting the ground... the ground which felt softer and bouncier than before. She sat up and ran her hoof along it, stopping as she brushed a flower with pink and white petals. Then another.

Flowers? Here? But how can they—

Her eyes widening as she looked through the treetops; the moonlight was shining down clearly upon the scene, bathing it in a cool, dim glow. It was as if she had entered an oasis of calm in the middle of the old forest.

“Hurry up and get inside, you idiot!”

The voice rang clear through the scene, and Sepia’s eyes turned towards Honeysuckle, who was waving her hoof frantically, beckoning the pegasus to come in. But all she could do was stare at where Honeysuckle, and Starflash, were. They were standing in the doorway of a large, stone building with worn grey bricks and windows with rainbow-coloured glass arranged in patterns. It stood in a massive clearing amidst a sea of the coloured flowers, the moonlight illuminating the building like a beacon.

Sepia dashed towards the doors, Starflash moving inside as Honeysuckle screamed at her to move. The pegasus glanced behind herself, disregarding her own advice, and gasped as she heard a piercing howl. She turned back to the doors and charged at full speed, leaping through the open gap and immediately springing back to push one of them closed with her remaining strength, Honeysuckle handling the other massive wooden door.

With an echoing slam, they sealed themselves inside.

The ragged breath of the three ponies echoed throughout the massive room they occupied. their panting and puffing dispelling the silence. Sepia and Honeysuckle kept their backs to the doors, bracing themselves for the impending impact of the charging Timberwolves. But, after several panic filled seconds, they glanced at each other.

“They’re... They’re not attacking us?” Sepia asked in a whisper as she gingerly stepped away from the doors. To both hers and Honeysuckle’s relief, there was no reaction. Both ponies stood there bewildered before Honeysuckle spoke up.

“But why?” she said. “We were dead meat back there thanks to you and your clumsy legs!”

“Well maybe they...” Sepia shot Honeysuckle an irritated glance. “Well how often do you have to run from a pack of vicious, snarling creatures?”

Honeysuckle rolled her eyes at the question as Sepia looked around the grand hall. Rows and rows of pews stood in the main, lower area, all of which were facing a slightly raised platform with a font and an altar on it. Behind these was a great stained glass window, which was unblemished and even shining in the darkness. It depicted a light grey earth pony with pink eyes and a black mane, who was wearing a golden crown. Sepia recognised her instantly.

“Queen Octavius the Second?” she whispered to herself. She looked around at the other walls to her left and right, noting the figures that were depicted in the other windows. Although they were smaller than the grand picture at the front of the hall, they still looked as if they were still in perfect shape.

“But I don’t understand. How can a church here be in such remarkable condition after so long? It has to be at least... it’s over five hundred years old!”

She crept across the long, blue carpet that separated the two sets of pews on either side of the hall. The silence that had settled in was strangely calming to her, unlike the hostile and fearful silence of the old forest outside. It was also light on the inside, despite the lack of a torch or a unicorn’s glowing horn. She stepped towards one of the pews and ran her hoof along the wooden seat, furrowing her brow at the massive layer of dust that she collected. She remarked at how everything seemed to be untouched and in perfect shape.

“But who’s looking after it? Surely this place is abandoned? I mean, nopony in the world could live in a place like—”

She stopped as she spotted Starflash sitting on one of the pews near the front of the hall with his head bowed. As she moved closer to him, along with Honeysuckle, she noticed that he had a few tears running down his face.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” he said with a weak smile. “Here I am, your so-called bodyguard— the Royal Guardsman, hunter and crime-fighter extraordinaire— and I demonstrate my skills perfectly by throwing my sword away, running for my life and crying about it. I mean, have you ever seen anything so pathetic, Sepia?”

Both mares were stunned into into silence at his words. After several moments, Honeysuckle gently touched him on the shoulder.

“But... I don’t... You—”

“I almost got you two killed!” He shrugged Honeysuckle’s comforting hoof from his shoulder. “What was I thinking, bringing you two to a place like this? I’m nothing but a coward!”

Sepia watched Honeysuckle try to form more words, but the earth pony could only sigh and walk away as Starflash closed his eyes, his tears flowing faster. Once Honeysuckle was a comfortable distance away, Sepia placed both of her hooves on his shoulders.

“Starflash. Look at me.”

She looked directly into his teared-up, blue eyes and began to wipe them dry. “Now, I don’t know where all of this is coming from, but you’d better stop it. This isn’t the pony who I believed would protect me! This isn’t the pony who helped me to overcome my fear to get here! And this isn’t the pony who wanted to become a skilled swordspony so badly that he’d spend so much time and effort training by himself! You were willing to guide me through the old forest all on your own, even though you knew of the dangerous creatures in there. You did that for me, and I didn’t even ask you to! Does that sound like a coward to you? And what you did back there... it was five against us! If you had stood and fought, do you really think we’d be safe like we are now?”

Starflash stared into Sepia’s yellow eyes before closing his own. He sighed and smiled at her. “You’re right. I just... I’m not ready yet, Sep. I just can’t thinking about what could have happened. I’d never be able to live with myself if you or Honeysuckle were—”

“Then let’s not think about it anymore, shall we?” Sepia interrupted, her hoof wiping away the last few tears from his cheek. “We’re safe now. That’s all that matters.”

She gently placed her forelegs around him for a friendly, reassuring hug, and Starflash returned it while smiling at her. As Sepia looked over his shoulder, she noticed Honeysuckle standing by the front doors, who was staring back at her with a furious glare.

Now I get it...

(Sorry for this taking a little while, but I'm glad that's it's finished now. Thanks for waiting!)