Guardian of the Everfree

The fact that I had taken up woodcarving as a hobby a few years ago was something that kept on paying off. I was able to trade one of my figurines -- a small replica of my idol's cutie mark -- for a new bar of soap. Once I finished, I felt oddly refreshed and relaxed, but at the same time vulnerable. My bath out of the way, I took up camp on the edge of the Everfree forest.

Just as I was settling in and had opened my book, I noticed a pair of colts going into the forest. I followed silently, waiting for them to stop before I approached. I was more likely to be spotted, so I had to be as careful as I could.

When they stopped, they were looking into a cave. I shuddered, knowing it was home to both minor and major Ursa. Before they had the chance to enter, I leapt down in front of them. From the surprised gasps, they hadn't expected me.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked.

"We're gonna get an Ursa major and watch Trixie vanquish it!" one announced.

"No, you're not. You're going home, and you're going home now." I picked them up by the manes in my teeth. The other one started yelling into the cave. Just as I was about to get going, I heard a rumble from in the cave. They'd woken something big.

I couldn't face that thing alone, and not with two kids to watch over. I broke into a sprint for Ponyville.

The showpony rushed out of her cart moments after I bucked the door off. "What did you do that for?!" She roared.

I dropped the kids at her hooves. "Thanks to these two, there's an Ursa coming for Ponyville. Are you gonna help me or what?"

"Yeah, Trixie, vanquish it!" one of the colts said just as I heard the beast's thunderous steps.

I could tell from the look on her face that it had found us. I stepped aside, urging her, "Go ahead then, vanquish it!" Her distraction would let me prepare my own attack.

An Ursa minor. I'd lucked out. It seemed oddly patient, as though it wanted an explanation for why it was woken up. This situation would have been so much easier if I could talk to animals, but all I could ever do was intimidate them.

The showpony's attempts to defeat the Ursa minor were pitiful at best. When she finished casting useless spells, I charged towards the bear, ordering the other ponies to get help. Having leapt onto its back, I bit down on a flare stick. Four yellow sparks shot into the sky and exploded into fireballs with deafening booms.

The sleepy bear was disoriented by the blasts, giving me time to tie its huge snout closed. It roared against my bindings and thrashed its head in an attempt to throw me off. I held on as tight as I could, and just when it stopped, a huge translucent paw was headed straight for me. I jumped off the Ursa and watched it smack itself in the face as I landed.

"Get off that Ursa!" somepony called. I looked back, seeing a purple unicorn, and backed off. She was clearly casting an immense spell, and I didn't want to be in the middle of it.

Music came from nowhere, the town's water tower was detached, and the rope I'd tied to the Ursa minor's snout came undone. The bottle-shaped container was passed through a cow farm, much to their displeasure, and given to the bear to feed it. Finally, it floated away into the Everfree forest. The crowd that had come was cheering, and I emerged from my cover.

"What were you doing on the Ursa minor?" the purple unicorn demanded. "Those are really dangerous!"

"I live in the Everfree forest, of course I know," I told her. "Protecting other ponies from animal attacks is my job."

Her eyes widened a little. "You live in the Everfree forest? Not near it, not next to it, but in it?"

A pink earthpony interrupted. "She lives in the Everfree forest? It's the evil enchantress! RUN!" She grabbed the unicorn and ran before she could protest, and everypony else fled the scene. I was left standing in a clearing, with no idea what had just happened.

"I'll never understand civilized ponies," I muttered on my way back to camp.