Guardian of the Everfree

I brought both the earthpony and the idiot unicorn through the forest the following day. Fortunately, he didn't cause any trouble for us, but we ended up running into two earthponies and a Pegasus all trying to get to Brave. I took them to Ponyville and told them not to travel through the forest without me.

"But how are we supposed to ask you to escort us if we can't even send a letter to you?" one of them asked. "I tried sending three letters to you when my friend wouldn't write back, and they ended up telling me no more mail was going to Brave!"

"I'm going to work on that as soon as I can," I promised. "In the meantime, tell everypony you know not to try going through the Everfree forest. It's extremely dangerous, and if somepony riles up the animals, they might attack Brave."

"But how will I know my friends are safe?" another insisted.

"We can take care of ourselves. You'll have lots of time to write to them once the mail situation is sorted out."

When they finally agreed to go home, I rushed to my village. This was getting out of hoof fast, and we needed a solution. Skitters watched the forest while I was in Brave. Once I'd explained myself to the village elders, they promised a meeting would be held that night after dinner.

That evening, a horn sounded at the end of the communal meal, calling everypony who wasn't already there to the bonfire. The elders spoke once they were sure everyone was present. "Good evening, my fellow ponies. We have heard your concerns about the absent mailmare, and feel it is time we decided what to do."

"She's been gone for over a month," one pony said. "I can't get letters from my friends until she comes back!" Another with a saddlebag full of random items said, "How am I supposed to make my sales without her?"

"We hear and have heard your complaints," the elder repeated, "but we must get to the bottom of this." The elders turned to look at me. "Arva, guardian of the Everfree, you are the one closest to this mailmare. Do you know anything about what happened to her?"

I stood up. "She's never disappeared like this for more than a week. The last time I saw her, though, she seemed to have trouble walking. That may have something to do with it."

"You are the only one with the knowledge of the Everfree forest needed to travel safely. Can we trust you to find out what happened to her?"

"Of course."

"It is decided. Arva will find the mailmare and return as soon as possible with either her or news about her. We will defend ourselves in the meantime. So ends the meeting." Another horn, and everyone returned to their homes.

"Stay safe out there, sweetie," my mother said, giving me a hug. My father wished me good luck as I made my way back home. When I made it, I packed my supplies into my leather utility harness, making sure I included my ragged copy of Timeless Wisdom.