POV:???-First Person

As I trudge through the forest, carrying my charges through bush and branch, my calm expression belies the veritable storm of thoughts crashing and spinning around in my mind.

Why did I do this? Why did I stick my neck out for these ponies? I had swore to myself and to my dearest friend that I would never again make my existence known to them, my powers and the Ring frightened them, and they had attacked me before...so why did I help?

Because it was the right thing to do. They're children, they are not responsible for the sins of their fathers...

...After all I've been through. Freefall, old friend, would you really still say that?

With that pleasant thought out of the way, I look down to my precious cargo. The unicorn filly was already sleeping, the pegasus filly was nodding off, her adrenaline was probably wearing off, and the filly with the crooked red bow was fast asleep as well, exhausted by today's events. I look around at my surroundings, and I notice a familiar landmark, I was almost home. Good, I just hope that I still had enough soup left to feed them all...

POV: Cutie Mark Crusaders-Third Person

The fillies were sound asleep, snoring away dreaming of better things. When suddenly, they all find themselves in a white void, an endless space in the dreamscape. The three little ponies look to each other in confusion, wondering what was going on. Their thoughts are interrupted by the entrance of a night blue alicorn, wings spread in a regal fashion, horn alight with arcane energies.

"Princess Luna!" exclaimed the crusaders.

"Hello little crusaders, we are relieved that we finally managed to find thee." said Luna with a motherly tone, "when thou did not come home this afternoon your families came to us for assistance."

"We're sorry princess." said Applebloom, "we just wanted to get our cutie marks." The three fillies bowed their heads in shame.

"Thou will have to make it up to thine families when the time comes, however, where art thou? Art thou still in the Everfree?" asked Luna with a worried expression.

"We are, but we met someone!" replied Scootaloo.

"Who? Zecora?"

"Not exactly, princess..." said Applebloom.

"He looks a little weird, but he's nice, and he saved us from the timberwolves!" interjected Scootaloo.

"He was taking us to his home, but I think we fell asleep on the way there?" added Applebloom

"Well, this is odd, we have never heard of another pony living in the Everfree other than Zecora." mused the Princess.

"But that is a matter for another time, it seems the three of you are waking up," Looking around her as the dreamscape began to shine brighter and brighter, "I will inform your families about your whereabouts, and we shall wait for you at the entrance of the forest tomorrow morn. Good luck, and stay safe." As the dreamscape became blindingly bright, there was a flash, and then, nothing.

The three fillies struggled to raise their leaden eyelids, still shrugging off the effects of sleep. As they yawn and gaze around curiously, they notice that they had been placed on a couch. But this couch was enormous, twice the size of a regular one! Looking around the cozy little living room, their noses catch the scent of something savory, making their little bellies rumble and complain with hunger. Following their noses, and looking over to their left, they see a hallway leading into what sounded like a kitchen, with a faint cloud of steam hanging on the ceiling threading its way through and into the living room. Again, their hunger was made known by another thunderous rumbling of their bellies.

A voice called softly from the kitchen, "Sounds like someone is hungry, its a good thing I still have enough soup for dinner tonight. If your feeling well enough, why don't you three head over to the dining room and take a seat? I'm almost done with dinner, just head through the door."

After a small pause, the three fillies clambered down from the oversized couch and tentatively made their way through the door, as they made their way to the table infront of them, they noticed that almost all of the furniture in this home was much bigger than usual, and the only exception being the table as it was uncharacteristically normal sized for the fillies and they were able to easily climb onto their respective chairs and look to the kitchen, where their host was standing next to a stove with his back to them, stirring a pot with a wooden spoon. Each stir of the spoon sending out another wave of savory smells to assault the three hungry fillies.

"That smells good, what is it?" inquired Sweetiebelle.

"Its a vegetable soup I made yesterday using my garden, Im just reheating it for tonight's dinner." replied the host

After a moment or two of silent stirring and the bubbling of the broth, the host let out a satisfied grunt and set aside the wooden spoon. Taking up a carved wooden ladle, he pours the soup into three wooden bowls, then after putting the ladle into the pot, he walks over to the table and sets down the three bowls infront of his guests, putting a carved wooden spoon into each bowl to finish.

"There, eat up. Oh, and be careful, its hot."

The three fillies chorused their thanks and picked up their spoons to eat...

10 Minutes later

With a loud and reverberating belch, Scootaloo leaned back on her chair, copying the postures of the other crusaders. The soup had been wonderful, and they had of course asked for seconds, thirds, and fourths(Scootaloo had asked for fifths).

"I take it you enjoyed my cooking?" Asked the host as he sat down with pipe in hand, puffing out wonderful smoke rings as intricate as they were complicated.

"Yeah! I don't think I can eat another bite." murmured Scootaloo, and with a yawn added, "Im kinda sleepy now..."

The other fillies nodded and also yawned with her, their full bellies and warm surroundings lulling them to sleep. The host picked up on this, and as he returned from putting away the dishes, wiping his hands on a cloth, he then picked them up without a word and carried them to the guest room, tucking them into the bed gently.

"Sleep well little ones, tomorrow I'll take you back to Ponyville. That I promise you." said the stranger, with firm and reassuring voice.

"Thanks mister, say, I never heard your name. What is your name?" asked Sweetiebelle with another drawn out yawn.

The stranger looked at them with a warm smile, "Farren, my name is Farren." he whispered.

"That's a weird name, what does it mean?" the little unicorn asked, her eyelids already becoming heavy, her mind drifting off to sleep.

The last thing they heard before the land of dreams took them was a quiet reply, "it means, 'Wanderer...'"

Author's Note

So... I just wanted to say that I recently revisited a story I haven't read in a while: The Chase

Its a very, very lengthy story, near to 1000 chapters with 2000 words between. Please consider showing Kudzuhaiku some love for their stories.

The read is worth it.

And I finally named our mysterious character! Hooray!
But....That name is not his own....