THE ADVENTURES OF PLISTRY AND ZAP: Escape from the Everfree Forest

by Plistry

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 18201

Join Plistry and his friends as they escape the Everfree forest

Deep down the Everfree forest, a pony named Plistry with his pet parasprite, Zap, join forces with two other ponies they meet to get out of the forest for good.An adventure of a lifetime, all in three days!

----------------------------------------------------
Written for the NaPoWriMo event. Sadly, I could only reach 18000+ words because the whole fic was written in ONE week. The other days were too busy with exams and projects at school (I'm 15), and the only chance I had to write this is when I had a cold which lasted for a week.

Published 2012-10-03 12:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-03 12:50:01 UTC

The First Day

1: The Hut in the Forest

As the sun rose from the east, a certain hut in the deep, unexplored part of the Everfree Forest was lit with sunbeams that passed through its glass windows. A single ray beamed in the closed eyes of the pony who slept on the bed made of hay covered with cloth. It took a second for the light to wake him up. He opened his eyes steadily, monitoring the surroundings. There was a bookshelf full of ancient books at the corner, with a flower vase which contained a tulip on top. A table was set before it, scattered with papers, ink and a top hat. He rose from the bed and reached for that top hat with grogginess. He stretched a bit then slacked while walking out of the room. Everypony called him Plistry. He was the earth pony who lived in that old hut where nopony in Equestria knew. His brown mane blew with the wind gracefully, with his top hat swaying on his head. His coat was light brown, which looked messy if you inspect it at a closer angle. He had a four sided spark which looked like a compass for a cutie mark. “Plistry, breakfast is ready!” a small, high-pitched voice called out from the kitchen. “Coming!” he replied to the voice. As he entered the kitchen, a humble meal was set on the dining table: Hay served with extra hay and a bunch of apples from last week’s lunch. The source of the voice came from a blue parasprite who was flying on top of the table. It had deep, green eyes that somewhat enchant those who looked at it. Plistry greeted the parasprite with cheerfulness, which was returned with a smile. They both gathered on the wooden table, ready to do their usual morning talk. The two would always talk about their dreams, their ideas, or mostly how to get out of the forest. It has been a year since they first got lost in the forest. Zap, who was in charge of the food supply, remembered something he should have said a day ago. “Um, Plistry?” he said with heaviness. “Yeah?” the oblivious pony replied while toying with his hay. “We…are out of food,” Zap said. The blue parasprite then went to the cupboard and opened it, revealing the shelves which contained nothing. “Well then, should we again travel to the other side of the forest where the food is bountiful?” the pony suggested. Zap frowned. Last time they looked for food, they got lost for a week or so, only relying on their gathered food for survival. Plistry noticed Zap’s frown, so he gave him an encouraging look. “Don’t worry, I made a map!” he exclaimed. He ran to his room and dug out a crumpled paper beneath the stack of papers full of scribbles and lines. He came back and showed it to Zap. The parasprite slapped his face, knowing how bad he was when it came to cartography. If he couldn’t map his own room, what more a gigantic forest? Plistry’s map was a mess: it was pure chaos wrapped in a web of deception tied with a string of lies. “It looks HORRIBLE!” Zap remarked with disgust. The pony defended his work. “It’s better to have a map than none at all.” “Well, with your map, we’ll get lost far worse than last time,” Zap replied. Plistry sighed, giving up the fight between Zap’s sarcastic remarks. “Let’s finish this food before it gets cold. Wait, it IS cold!” Plistry laughed at his own joke. He ate his food slowly, but Zap rapidly finished the apples in one quick bite.

Finishing their breakfast, they prepared themselves for an arduous journey to the forest. Plistry got his makeshift map, a “Survival 101” book, a rope, some coins, some cloth, and some guts. “Are you ready?” he asked excitedly. Zap nodded, and flexed his legs. They both took a deep breath before stepping out the hut. Plistry took the first step out, cautious of the dangers outside the hut, with hydras, manticores, ursas and dragons everywhere. He was careful in each step, alert in every movement in his surroundings. After he was completely outside, he tucked his top hat on his head and smiled nervously. Zap followed him outside, now carelessly flying and unmindful of the surprises that await them. Plistry started to narrate the journey. “And thus the adventure begins!”

“So, this is the huge, penguin-like mountain, right?” Plistry asked nervously. They have been looking for food for about 2 hours, yet failed miserably. They were somewhat lost, all because Plistry couldn’t recognize the penguin-like mountain that looked more like a giraffe. Zap was frantic; he complained about following Plistry’s map the whole time. Now, they were truly lost. “Which way is north? This way? Or that way? Do we even have a compass?” Plistry asked simultaneously, getting confused about his own creation. Zap was about to lose his mind. “Why did I even trust you about directions!” They kept looking for food and landmarks from the map, though they knew that their efforts were in vain. Trying to relieve the tension, Plistry tried to pull out a quick joke. “Hey Zap, what’s ugly and totally wrong?” The cheerful colt asked. “You and your stupid map!” Zap shouted, now very annoyed at him. Plistry kept his mouth shut, regretting his attempt. Well, in a way, he’s right, he thought. They continued walking, now mindful that the whole place was getting darker and darker. Not because it was already getting late, but because the trees were getting thicker and thicker. “We never went here before, that’s for sure,” Zap said. Plistry noticed the wind getting colder and colder. “I hate cold environments!” Plistry complained. They walked for about another minute, until Plistry caught something with his eyes: A pillar of smoke than seemed to come out from nowhere. He smiled, showing Zap the peculiar occurrence. “Hey Zap, don’t you suppose the ponies living here are friendly, right?” he asked. As the parasprite saw it, the first thing that came into his mind was the danger that it may bring to them.

Or maybe it was just a campsite full of annoying fillies.

2: Dawn of the Morning

The source of the smoke was another hut. It was bigger than Plistry’s, and it was more conservative at most. The duo came close to the door with caution, unmindful of the future host. Gathering enough strength, the earth pony knocked the door twice. They waited for a while, which was more like a year for them, until the door suddenly opened. A unicorn stood out of the door. Her mane was neat and blue that looked like the night. Her light violet coat was perfect with her magnifying glass cutie mark. She looked like the librarian next door with her half-moon reading eyeglasses that was slightly crooked. He was sure that he was taller than she was, even without his top hat in his head. “Whoa, I didn’t expect visitors in a forest,” she said with shock. “We’re raccoons!” Plistry replied jokingly. Zap pushed Plistry aside and continued the introductions. “I am Zap, a parasprite. And he is-” “-Plistry at your service,” the earth pony inserted. “We live, um, somewhere here.” Plistry grabbed his map and tried to give a specific address. Sadly, he failed to do so. Disappointed, he kept the worthless map in his saddlebag. “I didn’t know there were indigenous ponies and furballs in the Everfree,” she said curiously. “Hey, we don’t belong here in the Everfree Forest!” Plistry defended. She looked at them closely, and then sighed heavily. “I can’t believe I’m doing this!” she said to herself.

If Plistry was impressed with the exterior design, he was in awe when he came in. Everything was carefully designed, from the art hanging on the walls to the books lined up in a neat and orderly manner in the shelf. She offered them a seat on the living room, and went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. When she returned, Plistry was busy reading the Reference Guide to the Elements of Harmony, while Zap occupied himself with the lava lamp on the table. She inquisitively looked at them like specimens in a jar. “Tell me, how did a pony and, um, a parasprite, end up here?” she asked. Plistry grabbed his top hat from his head and dusted it. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know how we ended up here.” She looked at them quizzically. “What do you mean?” He tried to recall and straighten the events from the past. “It was like this. Zap and I had this crazy idea of walking into this forest. Sadly, we followed MY directions, which lead us to be trapped here in the center of the forest.” He stopped to calm himself. Her curiosity grew. “Why don’t you guys just retrace your steps or something. You know, like a landmark you saw? ” Plistry smiled as he returned the hat to his head. “We did that a hundred times, but somehow we magically return to this place,” Plistry said with glee. After a moment of silence, he started to ask the questions. “So, what’s your name?” She smiled and tried to sound formal. “I am Morning Dawn, a researcher from the Magical Research of Equestria.” Plistry was puzzled. “So, how does a researcher end up in a forest?” he asked. “Simple. Princess Celestia gave me a silly research about something I’m sure you wouldn’t understand six months ago. For me to finish my research in peace, I confined myself in this forest.” She went for her notebook at a table nearby and showed it to him. “I’m actually done here already. I’m just waiting for the right time to go home.” Suddenly, she realized something. “Why am I even saying this to you?” Plistry smiled his biggest smile. “Because we’re friends!” Dawn stared at him intently, still careful with the newcomer. He sighed, thinking he’d lost the chance of having a new friend. Plistry glanced at Zap, who was still in the lava lamp, when the lamp shook violently. “This is normal for lava lamps, right?” Zap asked Morning Dawn with surprise. Then, out of nowhere, a pillar of green smoke was released at its mouth. The smoke gathered at one point, and burst out a letter. “That is the coolest lava lamp in the history of lava lamps!” Plistry commented. Dawn laughed, who was about to believe that these guys are just another crazy group who lived here. The blue-maned researcher levitated the piece of paper and adjusted her reading eyeglass. She then read it out load:

Dear Morning Dawn,

It has been a long while since I’ve heard of you. I’ve received reports about how well you have managed the research I gave, and I am very pleased with your unceasing efforts. I hope for the best that its outcome will be fruitful. As you know, you will be presenting your argument in three days short, at the Conference of Magic. I wish you the best.

Yours truly,

Princess Celestia of Equestria

“Oh no, the Conference of Magic will be held after three days? I am SO dead.” She said to herself. “Um, what is this ‘Conference of Magic’ you speak of?” Plistry asked, clearly not understanding what the letter contained. The unicorn cleared her throat. “You see, Plistry, this ‘Conference of Magic’ I speak of is only the most important conference for anypony interested in magic and its development. The reason I am here now is because I was preparing for that day, researching about a special topic in magic. Whoever gives the best report will be the princess’s personal researcher. If I win, I’d be the best researcher ever, a position I’ve dreamed years ago.” “Okay, okay, we get it. Right, Zap?” Plistry nervously smiled, trying to show Dawn that he knew what she was talking about. “This means that I need to leave this forest immediately. Do you two want to go with me?” That question livened Zap, like waking up from an eon of sleep. “Finally! Somepony who actually knows the RIGHT directions!” the parasprite shouted triumphantly. “I know the right directions, I just don’t know how to use them,” Plistry inserted. The duo both danced around, like two fillies who just got their cutie marks. Dawn just smiled at the corner, being happy for the two. After a while, she cleared her throat, catching the attention of the two. “I want to reach to Canterlot as soon as possible, so we’re leaving today. Grab your stuff, and meet me in an hour.” Plistry patted his saddlebag. “These are all the things I ACTUALLY need. So don’t worry, everything’s all set.” Zap nodded along, excited about the thought of leaving the forest. “Okay, if you say so,” Dawn replied. Plistry smiled as the parasprite landed comfortably on his top hat. The unicorn smiled back at the two. “I’ll gather my stuff. It’ll just take me a minute.”

3: The Wind in the Bush

Plistry waited for an hour until Dawn packed all her stuff, which was a notebook, a pen, some papers and the map that would lead them out. She levitated the map in front of her, trying to remember where to go. “Come on, I believe this is the right direction.” Plistry tried to entertain himself by getting the Survival 101 book. “Okay, it says here that when walking in the forest, we should be cautious of the things around us.” Dawn snickered. “Don’t worry, there’s no danger in this parts. I’ve been living here for six months, so by now I have already mastered this area.” Plistry shrugged. I hope so, he thought. Zap’s tummy rumbled. “Do you have any food?” He asked Dawn. “Well, duh! This is a FOREST, for your information. There is food just around the corner, like blueberries and stuff.” Zap made an okay, whatever you say gesture and started looking for a bush. He luckily found a blueberry bush in the corner, much to his delight. The parasprite carelessly ate the blueberries with ease, trying to relieve his hunger. Out of nowhere, the blueberry bush started to shake on its own. “BIG HUNGRY PREDATOR!” He surprisingly shouted, catching the attention of the two ponies. Zap dashed to Plistry, seeking protection from the so-called predator. Plistry and Dawn cautiously approached the bush, prepared for anything that would leap out. “Should I look for a stick?” Plistry suggested. The mare shrugged his suggestion, leaning on a more reasonable approach. She held her breath and went closer to the bush, raising it cautiously. “AHH!”Plistry shouted with a high pitch. “Will you shut UP!” Dawn scolded. Instead of seeing a razor-sharp animal, she surprisingly saw a young Pegasus pony with goggles on. He seemed unconscious, his wing noticeably damaged. His blue coat and yellow mane was heavily stained with dirt. His cutie mark was three wind lines. “Plistry, do you have a cloth?” Dawn asked. He nodded attentively and got a piece of cloth from his saddlebag. The violet pony got a firm stick nearby, and carefully tied it to his wing to give support and stop any movement. The pegasus groaned with pain, though still unconscious. “Wake up, filly!” Plistry shouted, trying to wake him up. He opened his eyes steadily, only to see two strangers and a flying thing with him. “Who are you?” he asked with difficulty. A spasm of pain shook his body, causing his to black out again.

When he woke up again, he saw himself sleeping in a fine bed. “Oww…” He said with agony. As he tried to stand up, he felt his back burn. A unicorn came near him and gave him soup. “Thanks,” the blue-coated pegasus replied kindly. He finished it rapidly, probably from dehydration and over-the-top hunger. After a while, a brown earth pony approached him. “What’s your name, little filly?” he asked curiously. “I was taught to never speak to strangers,” he replied. “Oh, come on! I’m not an evil pony. My name’s Plistry, short for Plirazeto Aperdaneto Tartera Qualagetrotry Fleyas. Now you know me, I’m not a stranger anymore,” He said with glee. The unicorn raised her eyebrows. “Is that your name?” she asked. “Yeah, but that’s not really important,” he replied. These ponies are very awkward, the pegasus thought. “Okay, back to the topic. What’s your name again?” Plistry asked. “I’m Wind, a pegasus pony from Cloudsdale.” He replied. “But how did you end up in that bush?” the unicorn curiously asked. Wind sighed, finally trusting the ponies who helped him. “If I’m not mistaken, it was like this…”

4: Mission Disaster

Three hours before the incidents, the weather factory in Cloudsdale was bombarded with problems. There wasn’t enough rain sent in Manehattan, causing a massive draught in the area. Appleloosa, in the other hand, received TOO much rain, causing flood all over the apple orchard. It was complete chaos for everypony who worked there, even for the fillies who worked as junior weather assistants. Inside the main office, the head supervisor, Mr. Wingblast, was filled with stress and problems. He was seated on a swinging chair, tensed with the turn of events. He scratched his messy hair, looking for anypony available in this confusing problem. “Rainbow Dash is fixing the problem on Ponyville, with the strong winds that seem to blow out of nowhere,” he mumbled. “So the only one available is…” He stopped when he saw the name of the only pony who had no job of any kind: Wind. He grunted, knowing that this junior weather assistant was the worst possible recruit of the weather factory. The job at hoof was very delicate, for it concerns sending a special letter to Princess Celestia. The pegasus scanned the whole paper a hundred times, wishing that he had just missed a name. Mr. Wingblast has personally missed the troublesome pony, for he knew that Wind was never responsible for anything except problems. Last winter, he deliberately tricked his workmates that there were Windigoes in the area, causing chaos to the whole factory. He tried to consider doing the job himself, but then nopony would take care of the factory. He tapped his hooves on the table, thinking. Well, better trust on the filly’s abilities. You’ve seen what he can do. After a few minutes contemplating on the consequences, he finally grabbed the microphone from his desk and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Wind! Come to the office right now!”

“What does Mr. Grumpyblast want now?!” The rebellious filly complained. It has only been three hours since he was given an assignment at Trottingham, and now the mean supervisor was calling him to the office. “Have you been messing with something again?” His friend, Summersky, softly asked him. Summersky’s lovely yellow mane bounced as she rocked her head. Her coat of orange reflected the image of summer, warm and accepting. “Hey, why won’t you trust me that I’ve never been connected with any trouble since last month?” Wind replied. They both were on the cloud production area, with Summersky assigned to help with maintaining the area’s organization. The two fillies sat on the cloud bench, as bestfriends always are. “Windy, if I were you, you’d better hurry up and go to Mr. Wingblast right now,” she warned. “Or what?” “Or he’ll kick you out of your job.” The blue filly widened his eyes. “Bye Merski!” he said as he rapidly dashed to the office. Summersky waved at her friend, wishing him good bye. His job was very important to him. Even though he sometimes hated working in the factory, there was still a part of him who loved to help Equestria, even in a little way. As he finally reached the front door, his whole body tensed. Since he and Mr. Wingblast weren’t really on the same frequency, he rarely calls him to the office. He even noticed that he never gave him an important job, like leading a group of fillies. So why would he call me in office? He wondered. Opening the door, he saw a very grumpy Mr. Wingblast. “Yes, Mr. Wingblast?” He confidently asked. “Come on in, and close the door,” he sneered. Wind could feel the tension in the air growing. He obeyed his orders and sat on a chair. “Can I trust you?” Mr. Wingblast seriously asked. He decided to play safe. “Yes,” he replied. Mr. Wingblast started to smile, which looked awkward. “Wind, this job I will give you is very, VERY important for Equestria.” Wind looked at his supervisor, wondering what was going on in his mind. “Follow this instructions carefully. First, go to Appleloosa. They’ll give you a letter when you reach there. Then, go to Canterlot.”

“What kind of letter are you talking about?”

“A special letter for Princess Celestia to use the sun to evaporate the water up and use it for Manehattan.”

“Um, Mr. Wingblast, what’s evaporation?”

“Too complicated for you.”

Before the filly could ask more questions, he pushed him away to the door. “Listen to me, kid. You CANNOT fail this mission. Please, even just this time, take this seriously.” Wind gazed at his supervisor’s trusting eyes. “Yes, sir. You can count on me.” “Now hurry up, and good rid…I mean luck.” As Wind walked out of the door, he saw Mr. Wingblast’s hopes for him in his eyes.

Wind prepared his saddlebag for the journey. There was that determination in his heart. It was rare that somepony trusted him with a very big job, especially Mr. Wingblast. He secured his things in his saddlebag then double checked everything. Wind reasoned out that leaving as soon as possible would be best for everypony. “Are you sure you want to continue this mission?” Summersky asked with concern while helping him prepare his stuff. “What do you mean?” Wind asked curiously. “Well, you see, after going to Appleloosa, you’ve got to pass above the Everfree Forest to reach Canterlot. So it is possible that you could fall down there,” she replied. Wind laughed at her suggestion. “Me? Fall down? Ha, they don’t call me Wind for nothing. And don’t worry, I’ll be extra careful,” he said with confidence. “I wish you’re right.” After a few minutes of preparing, Wind was ready for adventure. He faced out in the open blue, the wind blowing his mane gracefully. He always loved the sky, where freedom is at its peak. “Take care!” he heard Summersky shout at the back. “You to, Merski!” he replied. Wind took a deep breath, wore his goggles, and jumped of the cloud. He dived towards the earth, using its gravity to gain speed. Seconds before hitting the ground, he opened his wings and flew up to the sky.

Or so he thought.

It has been an hour since he started flying. Wind already went to Apleloosa with ease, getting the letter from the sheriff himself. “Thanks, sheriff,” he thanked enthusiastically, loving the hospitality of the ponies. “No problem, kid. Just make sure that you give the princess this dandy letter.” The pegasus left the place immediately, every second important to him. Now, he was above the forest of the Everfree. Although most of the things he saw were trees, there would be times when he passed through a river, an abandoned castle, and other peculiar objects. When he got bored, Wind would do some tricks in the air. One of his favorites was continuously making barrel rolls, which gave him the feel for flight. “This is getting boring,” he said to himself. He wanted to stop and rest, but he didn’t want to land on the forest. After a minute or so, he noticed the winds growing stronger. “So this is what Merski was trying to warn me.” Concentrating on his balance, the blue pegasus tried to counter the winds. Then, out of nowhere, a blast of wind struck him. “Whoa!” he shouted. He was frantic to regain his pace, though the winds prevented him from doing so. “I think I should land now. One more hit like that and that and…” He wasn’t able to finish his words when a stronger blast of wind knocked him out of his consciousness and caused him to crash land in the forest.

5: An Adventure for Four

“…And that’s all I remember.” Wind finished his story. “Whoa, that’s pretty deep,” Plistry commented. Suddenly, Wind remembered his why he was here at the first place. “Where’s my bag?” he nervously asked. He searched through the bed, only to fail. “You mean THIS bag?” The unicorn raised a saddlebag stained with dirt. “Oh, thank you, Miss…” “Morning Dawn.” Wind grabbed the bag and searched for the letter. When he saw the letter undamaged and safe, he felt relief rush in his mind. He packed everything and tried to leave. “Thanks for helping me, but I’ve gotta leave.” As he flap opened his wings, the burning sensation at his back intensified. “OUCH!” he cried in pain. “Now hold on there now, little filly. Your wing’s not fully recovered yet,” Dawn said. He laid the pegasus down the bed carefully, not wanting to add to the pain. Wind quizzically looked at her. “What do you mean by not being fully recovered yet? I’ve got a mission for Cloudsdale, and they’re counting on me to accomplish this.” Dawn sighed. “Well, by the looks of it, it’s impossible for a filly like you to venture all alone with a broken wing. It would take weeks, or months, for you to fully recover.” Wind felt his heart fall into a thousand pieces. This can’t be. Mr. Wingblast trusted me, and now I failed him. Plistry tried to help the depressed filly. “If you want, you can join us on our quest to escape this dreadful forest. And besides, you still have three days, same with Morning Dawn and her silly conference.” Dawn looked at Plistry intently. Zap butted in to break the tension. “What do you think, Wind?” “Really? All right!” he exclaimed. “Awesome! Now, we’re four!” Plistry happily announced. Wind carefully got out of the bed and wore his saddlebag. “So, how exactly are we going out of this forest?” he curiously asked Dawn. She levitated the map in her saddlebag to him. “This is how we are going out. The shortest way to Canterlot is heading north to the nearest town located here. Then, we ride a train going to our destination.” Plistry looked at the map intently. “And the nearest town here is…” Dawn closed the map and returned it in her bag. “Ponyville, of course,” she replied.

Before leaving Dawn’s hut for good, they prepared themselves more for a hike. Plistry made hay sandwiches, Zap helped Wind gather berries in the perimeter, and Morning Dawn plotted the path they should cross. Finishing their jobs, they sat together on a circle to hear Dawn’s proposed way. “Okay, I’ve charted the grounds we have to pass,” she started. “Since there’s a huge ditch if we go straight north, we’ll detour to a much longer path. First, we’ll pass a river by crossing a bridge. Then, we spend our first night in the Ancient Castle of the Royal Ponysisters.” Plistry, Zap and Wind nodded simultaneously, who seemingly didn’t get anything. “I’ll tell you the next plan there.” The earth pony tried to ask a question. “Um, how long will our adventure last?” Dawn thought for a while. “According to my calculations, it’ll take us at most 3 days to finish our quest, just exact for me to reach the Magic Convention and Wind to give his letter. That 3 days include the worst case scenarios, including manticores and ursas.” Wind stood up, stretching his legs. “That’s an interesting plan,” he said. Plistry suddenly jumped from his sitting position to stand up. “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

6: Flower Power

The afternoon sun blazed up in the sky, scorching the ponies who traveled in the huge forest. Not even the trees can shade them from the heat of the sun. Minutes have passed since they started walking, but Plistry was already exhausted. “This is taking TOO long!” he complained. Dawn was in front of the group, being the pony who knew the map well. Wind was at the back, sluggishly walking along with them. Zap was on top of the earth pony, getting all the comfort. “The map says…turn left,” the researcher announced. They all followed her every turn, trusting the pony who supposedly knew the way out. “So,” Wind started. “How far is it ‘till the first land mark?” Dawn cleared her throat. “If you’re talking about the river, it’s still an hour of walk.” “What!?” Plistry butted in. The parasprite above his head laughed. “Why Plistry? ‘Aint used walking distances?” The pony with a top hat grunted. “Easy for you to say,” he replied. “Hey, look!” Wind shouted, pointing at a bush. It was an ordinary bush by any means. The only thing that made it special was that it had a flower sticking out of it that looked like a red tulip. “What the heck is that?” Plistry asked. Dawn studied the plant, until she remembered. “Oh no, this is bad,” she said. “And why is that?” Zap asked. Morning Dawn took a step backward, clearly scared at the powerless plant. “I’ve read about that plant in one of my books. Apparently, it’s called a ‘Fire Tulip’. They have the ability to spout fire from its mouth.” Wind looked at her quizzically. “Is that even possible? I’ve never heard of a plant like that before,” he said. The strange flower swayed a bit, causing the four to freeze like statues. The flower then rose up high with its stem growing longer by the time. “I do SO not believe this,” said Plistry whose legs and hooves were now shaking. Wind got terribly irritated. “I’m not gonna let this namby pamby plant get in my way!” Feeling brave, Wind charged the Fire Tulip. Dawn tried to stop the reckless filly. “Wind, don’t!” The Fire tulip suddenly noticed the commotion and fired a fireball straight at Wind. Luckily, the fireball missed by an inch, sending the filly backwards. “Sorry, guys,” he apologized. The flower was furious; there was smoke coming out of its mouth. Out of nowhere, Plistry had a brilliant idea. “Dawn, Wind, distract the rampaging flower. Zap, come with me. I’ll be right back, I promise,” he said, then ran away from them. Zap was curious, but followed him anyways. “Where are you both going?!” Dawn shouted. She had no reply. “Do you think he’ll leave us?” the pegasus asked. “Well, duh!” she replied. Dawn saw a tear in his eyes, as well as hers. The tulip spouted another fireball at them. “DUCK!” the unicorn warned. The ball of fire nearly hit the two in their heads. Dawn didn’t have to tell Wind. They both ran away for their lives. Unbelievably, the plant moved towards their direction. “Plants can move?” the filly asked her while running. “Probably not.” The plant spouted a third fireball, barely hitting their backs. However, the shock blasted them to the edge of a cliff. “It’s a dead end!” Wind informed. Dawn looked around, wishing that there was something that she could use to defeat the plant. “What are we gonna do?” Wind Asked. Dawn was now sweating. It was only a matter of seconds until the flower reached them. “This can’t be happening. I wish Plistry was here,” the blue pony said. “Me too.” The Tulip charged its fire inside its petals. They both could see smoke envelop the flower. “Never fear, your friendly neighborhood Plistry is here!” A voice shouted. Morning Dawn and Wind stared with disbelief. They both saw Plistry and Zap carrying a bucket of water while charging at the flower from behind. The Fire Tulip turned to them and fired a fireball. “Whoops!” Plistry said as the fireball missed an inch from his side. With Zap helping carry the water, Plistry dashed to the plant. The flower repeatedly fired fireballs at them, but it was never enough for the agility of the earth pony. “Go Plistry!” Wind cheered, who was clearly hyped to see the action. Suddenly, he stumbled on a rock that was on his path. The bucket flew towards the bush where the Fire Tulip was attached. The water drenched the whole bush, causing the plant to go wild. It shot fireballs above rapidly, until it suddenly stopped. The Fire Tulip shrunk along with the bush. After a minute of shrinking, all that was left was a small red seed. Dawn, who was still surprised by the events, stared at Plistry. “You…came back?” Plistry slowly walked towards the seed, still exhausted by running. “I promised you both that I’ll come back…” He paused to catch his breath. “…So that’s what I did.” Dawn smiled genuinely. Plistry got the red seed and placed it inside his saddlebag. As he was about to fall from exhaustion, Wind jumped at his back. They both tumbled on the dusty soil, rolling around for several times. “That was AWESOME! How did you know what to do?” Plistry chuckled at the filly. “Actually, I thought of splashing water on the flower, but I luckily stumbled on a rock.” Zap joined their discussion, wanting to explain Plistry’s earlier action. “When Plistry saw a rusty bucket hanging on a tree branch, he planned to fill it with water and pour it on the Fire Lily, since it had a ‘Fire’ in its name.” Dawn laughed at Plistry. “It doesn’t mean that there’s a ‘Fire’ in its name that it can be defeated with water. If you poured water at the plant directly, it’ll grow bigger.” “At least I tried,” the brown pony replied. Wind, who was still at Plistry’s back, stared at the bucket. “Where in Equestria did you fetch some water?” He scratched his head, then pointed at a river with a very strong current. “That’s where.” The unicorn levitated the map in front of her, studying it intently. “This is it, everypony. The river, our first landmark.”

7: River Quest

As the four came closer to the river, they felt the air blow in their faces. The supposedly still water raged on, which seems to have no source. It was also very wide and assumingly deep. “Wait, why is the current so strong?” Plistry curiously asked. Zap looked both ways of the seemingly endless waters. “Something’s wrong here,” he replied. Morning Dawn pushed the map aside and started to monitor the surroundings, looking for the source of the peculiar phenomenon. “Now what?” Wind asked. Dawn instinctively threw a stone to the river, which was crushed by the strength of the waves. “So, we can’t cross the river,” she announced to the group. “Well, duh,” the parasprite sarcastically replied. Without a warning, Morning Dawn quickly grabbed the map inside of her saddlebag. “According to this map, there should be a bridge here somewhe-” “-There’s a bridge!” Wind interrupted, pointing at a long hanging bridge not far from where they stood. “What luck,” Dawn said, who actually was rather sarcastic. As they went closer, the unicorn tested the strength of the bridge by tugging its ropes. “If I remember it right, it was just as strong as my last crossing here.” Plistry smiled with trust in his eyes. After all, she was an expert on these kinds of fields, right? Zap glared at him. “Um, why don’t we let Wind test Morning Dawn’s hypothesis? He’s a pegasus, so he can just fly if there’s anything wrong.” The earth pony didn’t mind his suggestion and confidently laid a hoof down on the first wooden board. He stomped on it for several times, making sure that he wouldn’t fall for nothing. Contented on his simple assessment, he happily trotted on the ancient bridge. Before he could step on the fourth plank, the board where he was stepping broke to pieces, falling to the raging river. Plistry grabbed the ropes, luckily hanging for his life. “Hold on!” Dawn, Wind and Zap shouted simultaneously. A piece of rope uncoiled from the other end of the bridge, bringing him closer to his end. The three looked at each other, thinking what to do. Surprisingly, the researcher was able to keep herself together, despite of the not-so-surprising accident. “I’ve got it!” Dawn exclaimed with a plan in her head. Wind looked at her, trying to get what the hay was she planning. The unicorn snapped at Zap. “Furball, look for some strong vine in the forest. Wind, better help him too.” “Yes ma’am!” They both said. The two dashed back to the trees, disappearing on the thick jungle. Another rope uncoiled, this time making Plistry barely touch the waters. “This is a nice death,” he said discouragingly. “Just hold on!” Dawn shouted back, trying to give him hope. After some moments of waiting, Wind and Zap came back with OPPOSITELY what they were assigned to find: A thin vine that would be only useful for sewing dresses. Dawn stared at them both, trying to relay a message that says what is the meaning of this!? “Hello? Are you still there?”Plistry reminded his friends who seems to have a misunderstanding. Dawn grunted. “That will have to do.” “Okay, so what’s the plan?” Zap asked her. “It’s like this: Wind will fly to the other side of this bridge holding an end of the vine. While he’ll tie it in the post there, I’ll tie the other end here. We’ll use the vine for support as I’ll try to levitate him away.” Another rope uncoiled. Plistry could feel that won’t be long until the remaining rope won’t be strong enough to support his weight. “Faster guys!” The unicorn tried to keep her concentration. “Zap, you assist him as a levitate him. I’m not a master of neither levitation nor teleportation, but I’ll do my best.” The two simultaneously nodded, agreeing on her profound plan. The rope he was hanging on suddenly lowered itself, adding to the panic of the bronze colored pony. “Okay, this seems to be getting… out of hoof.” he let out a small smirk, even if his own life was hanging. As Zap went to Plistry’s side, Wind positioned to launch himself while biting a vine. As soon as he opened his wings, he immediately blasted himself to the other end with a strong flap, wasting no time. Sadly, he wasn’t a good rope tier; every rope he tied would one way or another be loose with a single thug. But that doesn’t matter right now. There’s a friend in danger, and you’ve gotta do your best! He got the piece of vine and started doing random turns around the sturdy post. With stability and precision, the pegasus secured the vine to its spot. “I’m done!” he shouted, giving the signal to Dawn that everything on the other side is good. The amethyst pony then did her part on the rope tying. She swiftly used her magic to tie the vine, then arranged herself for some levitation. Sure there were other ponies whose magic was exceptional, but she wasn’t one of them. She was a researcher, not a magician. And magic was not always favorable to her. “Get ready Plistry! You to, Zap!” Upon hearing her call, the parasprite and the pony prepared for whatever consequences they may face. Dawn’s horn flickered bright with blue lights that would have been a spectacular nights display. Out of nowhere, Plistry’s whole body was covered with the same glow as her horn. The earth pony released the rope and quickly grabbed the vine, using it to guide himself to the other side of the bridge. This made things a lot easier for Dawn. All she has to do now was let him float and he’ll do the directions. Even though at this setting, it still took her 3 minutes to safely transport him to the other side. “Whoa!” she exhaustedly exclaimed. Plistry, on the other hoof, felt very dizzy on the whole trip that he literally barfed everywhere. Wind started flying all around. “Hooray! My knot was good! And you’re now safe! And everypo-” “-ny is now safe,” Dawn inserted as she rematerialized after teleporting from the other side of the bridge. “Good thing I still have a dab of magic in me.”

8: The Castle Ruins, Part 1

“Oww…” Plistry groaned as the four walked along. The sun was about to set, and looking for a shelter was their priority. The earth pony didn’t yet recover from the levitation sickness, which gave Wind the opportunity to open a topic. “So Plistry, what’s the feeling of being levitated?” “I DON’T want to talk about it.” As the ice blue filly continued bugging him, Zap and Morning Dawn bothered looking for their shelter. “Hurry up, ponies. We better find that castle before night falls. Who knows what creature we may meet at night?” Dawn said with haste. Zap glanced at the map, trying to help with the search. “Wait, how do you know east from west?” He asked curiously. The unicorn pointed up on the sun, which was going nearer to the horizon. “You see, the sun rises at the east and sets at the west.” “Well, that’s nice,” he remarked. “So you mean it’s your first time being levitated away?” Wind and Plistry’s chat at the back continued. “Well actually, no. But the worst feeling is being teleported.” Just saying that sent shrills in the pony’s spine. “Really, it was awful. It rendered me sick for 5 days!” Wind was amused with Plistry’s never ending stories. Dawn stopped and looked at both sides. She stared at her map for a second, then smiled. The unicorn pointed on the ruins that looked like a castle. “Okay everypony, there it is. The ruins of the Ancient Castle of the Royal Ponysisters.”

Everypony went inside the dimly lit castle with a little guilt. “Shouldn’t we, like, you know, tell the princess about staying here?” Wind asked Morning Dawn. The unicorn used a light spell to illuminate their way.She then looked at him with genuine care, trying to give him a little confidence about their stay. “Oh come on, it’s just one night. And besides, we have no way of communication with her.” That didn’t encourage him a bit. He still had that feeling that they mustn’t use anypony’s property, especially if it’s the princess. Plistry, noticing the filly’s disheartened state, tried to cheer him up. “If this really matters to you, why don’t we just tell her when we reach Canterlot?”

“Really?”

“Well, duh!”

The pegasus smiled, feeling relieved. Dawn, somewhat having a background knowledge of the place, led them to the high tower, one of the safest place in the whole castle. Zap, who was still on Plistry’s head, started to yawned. His bright green eyes suddenly shut, being tired of today’s adventure. “Good…night…everypo…” He was already in deep sleep before he could say anything else. The remaining three sat in a circle, nopony showing a sign of fatigue or discomfort. “Hey guys, I’ve got an idea,” he said with excitement. The two looked him in the eyes, knowing that the earth pony had something in store for them. “What, adventure the whole castle?” Wind suggested. “Sleep to our heart’s content?” Dawn added. “No, sillies. Why don’t we tell stories to each other?” That created a spark everypony’s mind. “Yeah, why didn’t I think of that?” the filly said. “We should probably do that. And besides, I’m still wide awake.” Plistry and Dawn nodded, agreeing that it’s not yet sleeping time for them. “”Can I go first?” Wind pleaded the two. “Go for it, kiddo,” the top-hatted pony encouraged. “Okay then, my story is all about how I got my cutie mark!”

9: A Windy Adventure

“It was a fair day in Cloudsdale, and everypony was at peace. All except one little pegasus who was forced to go with our school’s field trip: me. Yup, it was a great day in flight school, full of action and suspense. “Okay class, today we’re going to have a field trip,” Miss Fireleaf, our yellow coated teacher, announced to all of us. Most of the class cheered, while the rest just groaned. I belonged to the fillies who groaned. It was rather boring, knowing that she would just take us to some crappy sculpture garden, or worse yet a trip to Manehattan. Why can’t they go somewhere adventurous like the Ghastly Gorge? I knew there was nothing I could do, so I just sat on my chair silently. “Don’t worry, my little ponies, we won’t be traveling far from here. Prepare yourselves for a trip to the weather factory!” She said, trying to impress the whole class. There was an ohhh… in the group. I was unsure if they were excited or were just playing along with the teacher, but it wasn’t that exciting for me. Sure, I’ve never been to the factory itself, but how different can they be from the rest? I mean, really? I’ve heard stories that the weather factory was just full of clouds and stuffs. “Wait, Miss Fireleaf, what are we going to do there?” Summersky asked. In case you didn’t know, she was my very best friend at school. We’d usually hang out together on the clouds, talking about random things at random times. “Well, you see little filly, some of you here may one day work there, so it’s better if you’d have some knowledge about the factory,” she explained thoroughly. “Hooray! This is sure to be another awesome trip!” I mockingly cheered. Noticing me, Miss Fireleaf tried her best to convince me that the weather factory was fun. “The weather factory is one of the most awesomest place here in Coudsdale, in fact. Wouldn’t it be nice to know how we pegasi make the weather?” Suddenly, a spark came into my wild imagination. I showed her the biggest smile I could do. “On second thought, I’d love to see the factory!” She smiled back, thinking that her efforts weren’t in vain. “Good then. Okay class, shall we?” If only she knew the brilliant plan of mine.

As we entered the weather factory, I revealed my plan to Summersky. “Wait, so you’re planning NOT to stick with the group and venture the whole place all by your own?” I winked, confirming whatever she heard from me. “But won’t teacher get angry at you?” she asked with concern. “Haha, you underestimate me too much, my friend. She’ll only get angry at me IF she finds out. But what’s the point of going here if you don’t learn to the extreme?” “One day, we may work here, so it’s better if-” “Yeah, yeah, whatever she said. But that’s not enough. I need something more exciting than watching everypony making clouds.” We both continued walking, still aware of the group we followed. “And that one, over there, is where they make the rainbows,” Miss Fireleaf said like a professional tour guide. As everypony was amazed by the colorful spectrum of lights, I put my plan into action. “Well Mersky, my time has come. Wish me luck!” I whispered to her, careful that the teacher won’t intercept anything at all. “Me too,” she mumbled, to scared of my ingenious brilliancy. I silently walked outside of the room, hushing every step I make. As I glanced back for the last time, I saw Summersky’s worried looks.

There was only one backfire in my plan: I had NO absolute idea where the hay was I going. Like what I’ve said before, I have never been anywhere inside the factory. I’ve turned two lefts, one right and went up a stairs that led me to another room. I’d sometimes pass a few pegasi, but they were too busy to mind a lost filly. Some of them held stacks of papers, while others carried none. After minutes of wandering, I suddenly bumped into a brown colt. The first thing I saw was his thunder cutie mark. “What are you doing here, foal? Get lost!” he shouted, then scurried back to where he was supposed to go. He seemed to have a problem, which made me more curious. I secretly followed him, cautious of his every move. After a few twists and turns, he immediately went inside a big room. Luckily for me, the door wasn’t entirely shut, which gave me the chance to eavesdrop. As I peeked inside the room, I saw ponies gathered on a table talking about something. I leaned nearer, trying to get what they were talking about. “…then the winds of the Frozen North may affect us all,” one pony said. “IF nopony takes action. Those winds will come north from Equestria, so all we have to do is to assign a pegasus to turn those winds back.” “But there’s nopony available on the job. Everypony’s busy preparing for summer. And with the Summer Sun Celebration coming up, I’ll doubt if we can get somepony early enough.” “So what, are we going to tell this to the princess?” “No, idiot. She’s too busy preparing for the celebration that she must have no time thinking about trivial things like this. This is our job, not hers.” “What about the Wonderbolts?” “Same with the princess.” Their bantering continued for a minute or so, until I decided to stop listening. Going for the nearest window, I jumped out of the building. Opening my wings, I flew with haste, going north.

I knew it was stupid. I knew it was dumb. But Equestria needs somepony brave enough to fight the winds from the frozen north, and I was the only one available. I trusted my ability in flying, which is rumored that have done since I was a foal. I felt the winds getting colder and stronger, letting me know that I was on the right direction. “Am I even strong enough to ward off those winds?” I’d say to myself. But I knew in my mind that I would have to think of that later; I would think of that when I reach there. I flapped faster, trying to keep up the pace. I snickered for a moment, thinking of what would Miss Fireleaf and the others think. Teacher’s gotta be VERY angry at me now, I thought. After minutes of flying nonstop, I finally caught a glimpse on the ice cold mountains. “Finally!” I shouted in victory. The proud mountains stood firm, covered in an eternal blaze of snow and ice. Now what? Should I wait for something to happen? Where are the winds? My troubled mind asked myriads of question, all unanswered. As I hovered above the ground steadily, silence was at its loudest. There were sounds of winds, but it wasn’t strong enough to even pose a threat to a flower, much less a kingdom. I should have thought this through before even considering this rash decision. I sighed with defeat, my mind being flooded of what Miss Fireleaf would give me for punishment. I also could imagine Mersky’s worried face, thinking where I could have gone. Oh well, this would make up a good story for her. I flew steadily away from the mountains, feeling the heavy weight of wasting all of your energy for nothing. As I continued my tantrums, I saw some pegasi come towards me, a group of maybe 5 or 6. I squinted, trying to get a better image. After a while, I quickly recognized who they were: The same ponies from the meeting. “This is bad,” I silently said to myself. Obviously, I was the first thing they noticed. “What the…why are you here, little filly?” An orange one asked me. Suddenly, the biggest one of them raised an eyebrow. “I know you, you’re the filly I bumped in the hallway! I bet you’re one the group who were having a field trip in the weather factory, right?” I nervously laughed, knowing that they would quickly bring me to the teacher and tell her how irresponsible I was, which would make my punishment worse. “Okay now, little rogue. Time for you to go back ho-” Cold winds came galloping towards us, pushing us all back. We all tried to fight it, but was too strong for us. “Too late!” One shouted. It was incredibly hard to fly with the winds trying to bring us all down. “Now everypony, use your wingpower to wade the winds to a different direction!” the colt who knew me instructed. They all tried to do maneuvers in the wind, but at some point would break. The winds billowed some more, not giving a sign that it would stop. They all fell down to the snow-covered ground, tired from their efforts. That left me the only pony fighting against the winds. “How the hay do I fight these winds!?” That sentence gave me the idea everypony in Equestria badly needed. If you can’t fight it, then why not join it? I gulped, knowing that if this plan fails, Equestria may be in jeopardy. “Here goes everything!” I let my whole body relax, letting the winds lead me wherever it wants. I streamlined my body, using the speed of the wind increase my velocity. The ponies in the snow saw me, finally getting what they should do. “Everypony, follow that filly!” one shouted. One by one, they flew up in the sky, following what I have done. I, having enough speed for my plan, suddenly turned to the right. The pegasi behind me followed my routine, making us all some kind of synchronized flying team. We made that for several minutes when the winds finally swerved. “Now, land!” The orange one shouted. They all gracefully landed on the snowy lands, while I crash landed on them like a bowling ball hitting all the pins. “Nice move there kid,” the pony whom I bumped on the factory complimented. “I’m Wingblast, the head supervisor of the weather factory.” He extended a hoof to me. I shook his hoof, accepting the compliment. “I’m Wind,” I said bashfully. The orange one gave me a playful punch. “Don’t need to be shy to us, little filly. I’m Speed Badger, your friendly assistant supervisor.” He introduced me to the others as well. “Wait kiddo, if you’re from the field trip kids, how come you’re here?” Wingblast asked. “Oh no, the field trip! Oh well, better get ready for some punishments.” They all looked at me awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. I’ve overheard your meeting, so I decided to help.” The brown colt had a shocked face. “But that doesn’t mean you’ve gotta help. And besides, it’s TOO dangerous wandering around on your own.” “I know. I’m so sorry.” “But ya know, I admire your bravery. Without you, Equestria may be blasted with chillin’ winds.” “Thanks.” He genuinely smiled at me with a warm, welcoming aura. “Want to be a junior weather patrol?” I curiously looked at him “um, what’s a junior weather patrol?” The orange pegasus quickly butted in in our conversation. “Those are the fillies who work as volunteers in the weather factory!” I thought about it for a while. This could be my one chance to make a difference for Equestria! “I’d love to!” Wingblast chuckled. “That’s just awesome. Oh, and love your cutie mark.” “Huh?” I was a blank flank, as far as I know. What if… I looked at my flank, and there stood the best cutie mark I have seen: Three wind lines. “Whoa, this is just FANTASTIC!””

10: The Castle Ruins, Part 2

“And that’s how I got my cutie mark.” He ended the whole story with that sentence. Plistry and Morning Dawn stared at him with awe. “What did your teacher do to you?” the earth pony asked. “Well, she forgave me. Considering what I’ve done, she should have given me a lollipop. But nah, not being punished was enough.” “That story was awesome. Coming from me, that must be really good.” Dawn inserted. She yawned a bit, feeling the night in her head. The researcher smiled, knowing that she was used in late night researches. But this time, it was different; there was no time pressure thingy, just three friends talking about their lives. Plistry looked at her, noticing her deep thinking. “Are you okay?” She snapped back to reality, as if waking up in a dream. “Oh…” The two ponies stared at her, wondering she had some mental disorder. “Yeah, um, why don’t I tell you my story?” she quickly said. The earth pony smiled at her. “We would love to hear it.” “Well, my story is all about how I ended up here, my research no. 36, Extreme Teleportation.”

11: Research No. 36

““You’ve got to be kidding me!” I exclaimed as I sat alone in a dark, cold room. The only thing that shone was the moon and a frail piece of candle, its light illuminating my table. In front of me was a wall full of notes and pictures. Towers of papers were stacked in my table, disorganized as always. The sound of the night ringed outside of my window with a ominous aura. “Why can’t I get this right?” Using my magic, I levitated my quill pen. It has been minutes, no, hours, since I started doing some research about time travel. It has already been done, but its true meaning disappeared along with its creator. I got the scrolls in front of me, the time spells from the Starswirl the Bearded wing, and studied every word. The thing I was studying about is how the iconic mage made the spells. Messing with the timelines is a very serious thing, and may result to its instability. The so-called time paradox. “So if Starswirl the Bearded made this spell in the pre-equestrian period, where did he get the idea of time travelling? Did his future go back in his past to tell him how time spells were made? That would be rather silly.” I stumped back in my chair, wanting to give up in this mental persecution. But that couldn’t be, I’m a researcher, for pony’s sake. And being one of those rare ponies, I must continue my research. My vision doubled, but I still continued to work. Before I could write another word, my whole body and mind gave up and fell to the table, putting me in a seemingly eternal slumber.

A blast of white light shook me from my sleep. After letting my eyes get used to the light, I slowly lifted my eyelids. Oh, just sunlight. I lifted my body, wanting to go to the kitchen and grab something quick for breakfast. As I glanced at my old antique clock, I discovered that it was already late in the morning. “What!?” I knocked my head, wishing that I saw the wrong thing. But the hands of the clock remained at its place, causing panic on my brain. I grabbed some peanut butter and bread from the cupboard then ate them all rapidly. I levitated my brush and started combing my hair while fixing the things on my table. Grabbing the scrolls and dumping them in my saddlebag, I ran rapidly outside the house. How could I have overslept? I looked like a mess, my hair still lacked hours of combing. My reading eyeglasses was still in my eyes, making my vision a bit blurred. I was now in the Canterlot streets, full of polished ponies walking with poise. But I had no time for poise; Princess Celestia will kill me if I don’t reach on the Canterlot Castle on time. Using all of my strength to run, I dashed to the castle with haste. I literally kicked the main door open, not having any extra time for petty things. Going straight to the meeting room, I tried to ignore the guards who looked at me. As soon as I reached the door, I stopped to regain my poise I have lost minutes ago. I took a deep breath, gave my best smile, and opened the door.

“Well hello there, Morning Dawn,” Princess Celestia greeted with a smile. The room was big, with a round table full of ponies, including the princess, gathered around. I bowed to show respect, then flooded her with contrite apologies. “I’m so sorry princess for being so late. I was just so busy that I overslept!” She gave me a warm smile, which may mean It’s alright or You’re fired. Luckily, it was the former. “Don’t worry. We haven’t started yet.” She gave me a seat besides the pony who caused most of my failures in research: My archenemy, Dr. Flare “I-know-everything” Shooter. He was an old unicorn braggart in his early 40’s. His grey coat didn’t fit his messy black mane, along with his diamond cutie mark. The only thing he cares about is his reputation to Princess Celestia and the whole Canterlot, which was rather stupid for a researcher. “What do we have here? Ah yes, our favorite mare researcher, Morning Dawn,” He introduced mockingly. Trying to ignore him, I sat on the seat with defiance. I placed all of my attention to the princess, who was about to start her speech. “I’ve called you all here for a matter which is very important for the very foundations of magic. Something called ‘Extreme Teleportation’.” Everyone in the room, including me, raised an eyebrow. As a researcher, we knew many topics about magic. And one of those topics was extreme teleportation. Extreme Teleportation is an ability that lets you teleport virtually anywhere without any rules. Anywhere AND anytime. “Princess, wasn’t extreme teleportation banned at the first years after Equestria’s foundation?” Starspark, my partner in research, said abruptly. She gave us all a stoic face. “Yes, for the first rulers of Equestria knew the dangers that comes with it. But just recently, I have intercepted a very strong bending in the fabrics of time and space. It was unlike any teleportation we have seen. Time and space were badly affected.” “So what do you want us to do, princess?” I asked with concern. “I want you to get as much information about it.” We all nodded along. “But princess, where should we start?” Flare asked. “That is for you to know.” After saying those words, she stood up and left the room.

“So Starspark, where should we start?” I asked my blue friend in a restaurant at Canterlot. He scuffed his violet mane, buried in deep thoughts. “I have actually no idea, which is very rare for me.” I sighed, wishing that the answers would be very easy to find. Suddenly, I realized something. “You know, Starspark, I was actually researching about time travel last night. Since time travelling is a part of extreme teleportation, we could definitely use that as our first step.” “So, what did you discover?” I grabbed my notebook in my bag and showed to him a page full of scribbles. “That researching about the topic was impossible.” He pulled out a sad face, going back to square one. Before starting another scientific topic, we ate what was served on our tables: Hay sandwiches at its finest. I ate it quickly, hungry from the events that happened. He, on the other hoof, ate it slowly, thinking about the research at every bite. After that delicious meal, we both bid each other goodbye. “See you tomorrow!” He shouted at me as he walked away. I smiled for a second, waving goodbye, then dashed to the Canterlot library. “That library is the most complete libraries here in Equestria. I’m sure I could find something there.”

“Nothing. Nothing on this book either.” I scanned every book pertaining extreme teleportation, but none gave me the answers I need. It felt like I have read a whole shelf, which made my eyes as heavy as they were last night. No, I mustn’t give up. Many information about extreme teleportation was extremely irrelevant. The nearest thing I got was that extreme teleportation started when Starswirl the bearded created time spell, but I knew that information already. I grabbed a pile of books from the last part of the shelf and laid them on my table. I repeated the process: Open, scan and throw. I seemed like forever, but every effort has its prize. I came across a rather odd book. Extreme Teleportation by the Use of Magic Bounding Spells. I opened the some pages and was shocked on the information it held. “The book says that the only way you could do extreme teleportation was to gather enough energy of that like the sun,” I said loudly. I flipped some more pages, going through every word in the book. Suddenly, a spark came into my scientific mind. “What if…” I quickly borrowed the book from the library and went straight to my house.

From the outside, my house was just a simple house from Canterlot. A little polished, some may say, but it was not enough to be called fancy. Reaching my home sweet home, I went straight to my desk. I pushed aside some papers, laying the book I borrowed from the library. I levitated my research notebook, and simultaneously flipped the pages of the notebook and the pages of the book. Reaching to my desired page, I sat on a chair and quickly analyzed the information. I levitated my quill and started taking notes. “Okay, Starswirl the bearded made the time spells in the pre-equestrian era. Extreme teleportation was created AFTER the time spells. Extreme teleportation needed extreme magic. If you concurrently teleport at a very far distance, let’s say, from here to another kingdom, and teleport from a very distant past, like the pre-equestrian era, then you would need energy like the sun.” Every single idea that popped out of my head was jotted down in my notebook, careful of every detail. The more I wrote, the larger my eyes grew. After writing the last thing I knew, there was one question left in my mind. “What event happened before the pre-equestrian era that would have been a good source of energy? It can’t be the Discord incident, for Equestria was already founded.” Then the answer popped in my head.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Celestia!” I shouted on the top of my lungs. I was rushing to the Canterlot Castle, anxious to see the princess. My saddlebag was full of papers that came from my desk. As I reached the castle, the first pony I saw was the princess, who was chilling out in the Canterlot Sculpture Gardens. “Princess Ce…” I stopped to catch my breath. “Les…” Another gulp of fresh air from the garden. After a few seconds of panting, I finally regained myself. “Tia. I have discovered something about-” “-Extreme Teleportation.” As I looked at my back, Dr. Flare walked to us, walking like those ponies from the Canterlot Elites. He levitated a piece of paper, clean and kept, and showed it to the princess. “According to my researches, extreme teleportation needs high amounts of magic, like those of Discord.” He then pointed at Discord’s statue, an emblem of pure chaos and misery. The princess looked at him with curiosity. “So you’re telling me that…” “Yes, Princess Celestia. Discord was the cause of the disturbance.” I had enough of his amateur tricks in research. I cleared my throat to get their attention. “You see princess, his argument is actually invalid.” Dr. Flare looked at me scornfully, trying to shoo me away from Princess Celestia. But I didn’t mind him, like what everypony does. “For one, extreme teleportation developed at Starswirl’s time, along with his time spells. If you studied your history, Starswirl existed in the pre-equestrian era, far before Discord’s reign. Like what was said in the meeting, extreme teleportation was banned when Equestria was founded, so the peak of its study was before Equestria.” I got my messy notebook from my saddlebag and gave it to her. “So the act was done before Equestria was founded, and must have ended reaching this place and time, which explains why the bends it created were very strong.” The braggart quickly tried to reject my proposal. “If what you’re telling us is true, what could he use as a power source? Volcanic eruptions, lightning stuff, some stupid natural event?” I could have laughed, if it wasn’t for the voice in my mind that was saying the princess is looking at you. “Nope, none of those. Ever heard of the ‘Elements of Harmony’?” I swear the air grew more colder when I said the word. I came back to my argument and continued my lengthy speech. “The Elements of Harmony may have been discovered by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but that doesn’t mean it was created at the same date. It is very possible that the force that forged the elements.” Princess Celestia spoke to confirm my hypothesis. “What she says is possible. I am not sure when or where the Elements of Harmony were created, so she has a point.” “But princess, that sounds absurd!” Dr. Flare complained. The princess thought for a second, then gave her final words. “Present your arguments at the Convention of Magic that will be held in 6 months. Gather more information to support you hypothesis, and if possible, specify what actually reached this place and time. Understood?” We could only nod at her decree. She then left the gardens, leaving us both. “Well, it seems you’ve gathered some irrelevant stuff.” Dr. Flare said. “Why don’t we just see at the convention?” I challenged him. He smiled crookedly, like that of a mad pony. “You cannot challenge me, idiotic equine. I am too powerful for you to defeat me.” I turned back and trotted away from the garden, leaving me behind. Before leaving the garden, I took a quick glance to the ancient monster. “That creature sure is creepy.”

I packed all of my stuff, including the books I borrowed from the library. “Are you sure about leaving this place?” Starspark asked. “Yeah. I already have the books I need, so there’s no need to stay here. I would think better if I secluded myself in place where nopony would disturb me.” Starspark looked a little sad. “Won’t you need my help?” I smiled at him, knowing that he really cared for him. “I can do this alone. And besides, you have a job at the Canterlot University, so you can’t spend all your time here.” The sadness in his face grew. “But where’ll you go?” I looked away from my window, seeing a small town called Ponyville from the distance. But that wasn’t where my eyes where focused. It was the forest behind it. “A place where nopony won’t dare to visit me.” He looked at me with doubt. “Ghastly Gorge?” I slapped my face, seeing that his suggestion was somewhat stupid. “No, silly. I’m going to stay at the Everfree Forest.””

12: The Castle Ruins, Part 3

“…after saying that, I quickly fixed my stuff, made a cabin, and stayed there for 6 months.” When the unicorn looked at her listeners, she was shocked to see the both asleep. “What the…you’ve been sleeping the whole time!?” She grunted with disappointment. She wanted to wake them up to let them listen and to let them understand her story, but ultimately decided not to. It was already late at night, and they had a big day tomorrow. And they probably didn’t understand her story, which was too complex for them to ponder. She sighed, letting sleep slowly seep to her head. It has been long since she have slept at this time, for she usually sleeps at early morning. “Good night guys,” she said before going to dreamland. The light in her horn gradually faded as she dozed off. “Good night too,” the earth pony replied suddenly, who quickly went back to deep sleep.

The Second Day

1: Morning Breaks

Splash! The cold water that was poured to him was enough to wake Plistry to death. “What the hay!?” The culprit of the crime was no other than Zap, who was hovering on top of him carrying a pail. “What did I ever do to you?” he asked. “Well, I’ve spend hours waking you up, but you seem to be immune to my tricks. So I’ve decided to just splash you some cold water.” The parasprite smile, trying to look innocent. The whole castle revealed itself in sunlight, its magnificence shone like the sun itself. Plistry shook his whole body, removing the droplets of water in his coat. “Where’s Wind and Dawn?” he asked while putting his top hat on his head. “Oh, Dawn and Wind are looking for breakfast, which is-” “-Fruits!” Wind inserted as both him and Morning Dawn entered the gigantic castle carrying an assortment of fruits. There were apples, pears, blueberries and some other stuff Plistry couldn’t recognize. As they laid the food on the floor, everypony’s tummy rumbled. “What are we waiting for, let’s eat!” The top-hatted pony announced. They all lavished the fruits, which tasted very delicious. Zap quickly ate most of the apples, much to Wind’s disappointment. “Hey, those were mine!” he complained. “Well, you can’t control a parasprite’s hunger. Good thing I’m not finishing everything.” Wind could do nothing but grunt, so he got the blueberries instead. Plistry concentrated on the pears, which he seems to be enjoying. Dawn got most of the peach, the fruit that Wind was planning next to eat. While they ate, Plistry snuck in some stories, like one of his random adventures at his stay here in the Everfree. “So you mean that there’s a manticore who has a grudge on you right now?” Dawn asked curiously. “It wasn’t my fault I stumbled into him.” The earth pony defended. “Zap and I were lost that time, so we tried to pass every path we could try.” Zap couldn’t resist but comment. “It’s still your fault. You were the one who told us to go right.” “Because the left was full of scary trees!” He replied. Their bickering continued until Dawn broke it. “Okay ponies and furballs, we better hurry if we want to reach our schedule.” After finishing the hearty meal, they packed all of their things and went out to the castle. “I would love to explore this castle more,” Plistry said. “Yeah, me too.” Wind joined Plistry’s sadness. Zap landed on Plistry’s head, resting in happiness while the others walked. “Don’t you worry. Maybe one day I‘ll bring you both here.” Dawn encouraged. “But for now, we have a more important thing to do. They set foot on the forest once again, ready to face a new adventure.

2: The Darkness in the Day

“…and that’s what happened to Elemenopy, the creature who lived somewhere between the land of Eytozi.” Plistry gave them a story about some weird creature to entertain them as they walked. “That was scary, especially when Elemenopi fought Quares and Tyuvi. I’ll never get that thing out of my head,” Wind said, with genuine terror in his eyes. “You never run out of stories, do you?” Dawn remarked. Plistry smiled at her. “Well, if you’re an adventurer extraordinaire, you’re always ready for some story.” Zap grunted on top of Plistry. “Tell me about it.” As they continued to walk, something very peculiar happened at the whole place. All of a sudden, the place became darker. “Well, this isn’t on the map,” the unicorn said with worry. The trees became thicker and thicker the deeper they went, until somepony shut the sun’s light. Darkness. All darkness. Nopony could see a thing, even the faintest of light. “Everypony, stay where you are!” Dawn commanded. There was a long shriek, then rapidly stopped. “Wind, Plistry, Zap, is anypony there?” she asked. Still no reply. Using all of her might, she casted a light spell, making a faint light at the tip of her horn. She looked around the dimly lit forest glowing in a feeble shade of violet. There were trees all around, but there were no signs of the three. “Come on, this isn’t funny.” There was a long pause of silence, with only her heartbeats echoing in the darkness. She knew there was something wrong with the place. Don’t panic. Use the information you know to solve the problem, she thought in her head. “Okay. One, the trees here are so thick that sunlight doesn’t enter. That’s kind of weird. Two, there was a shriek, probably coming from Plistry. It was the same shriek he made when he first saw Wind. I can assume that Wind and Zap are with him right now. So the most reasonable thing to do is to get out of this forest this instant.” She gulped, wishing that the three were safe. She followed the dirt road, not minding the ominous darkness engulfing her. “I can do this, I can do this,” she encouraged herself. She tried to make the light in her horn stronger, but did it in vain. “Never mind that.” As she continued walking alone, she saw a faint light from a distance. “Could that be sunlight?” She dashed to the source of the light. Indeed, what she saw was the exit. Her eyes took a long time adjusting to the change of brightness, but paid off as she saw the familiar view the forest. “Yes!” she rejoiced. Then, something hit her mind. “What about the others?”

“AHHHHH!” Plistry shouted as he dragged Wind and Zap along with his escapade to the dark-filled forest. Running so fast, they literally burst out of the dark forest. As they came back to the welcoming view of the forest, Wind tried to halt their exodus. “Wait, why are we running again?” Plistry looked at them both, with terror in his eyes. “I…I…saw a…a…a GHOST! It had dark, green eyes and a freaky blue body, and it was fly-” “-Hold on, idiot.” Zap stopped him. “Green eyes, blue body, flying…That’s me! What, you think I’m a ghost!?” After contemplating the events that just happened, he realized that the parasprite was right. “Now that you mention it, it actually looked like you…Well at least we’re out of the dark” Wind looked around, knowing that something, or somepony, was missing. “Hey, where’s Dawn?” “Oh no! We left her at the dark forest!” Plistry exclaimed with discomfort. “Should we go back?” Zap suggested. The earth pony thought about it for a moment, coming up with an idea. “Okay guys, I know this is crazy, I know this won’t end well, but I have a plan…”

3: The Rhythm of the Forest

“Plistry! Zap! Wind!” Morning Dawn repeatedly shouted. She has been turning around the forest for minutes, but she has never seen any signs of the three. “This is impossible…” She wanted to give up. She could escape, leave them be in this forest. Yet she knew that she can never leave a friend in need. “…but I must continue.” She got the map from her saddlebag and tried to device a scheme. “If they get out of the forest, they should just be somewhere in the perimeter.” She sighed, knowing that she already did that for 4 times. She looked up in the sky and saw the sun hovering just above her head. Well, it’s already afternoon. Suddenly, a spasm of pain hit her stomach. She realized that the fruits weren’t enough to last a whole day. “Better find something to munch on.” Luckily, she found an apple tree just beside her. Giving all of her strength, she bucked the apple tree. Not a single apple fell on the ground, much to her dismay. She then tried to pick them. Sadly, she wasn’t tall enough to reach any apples. “Oh, for the love of…” tot tororot tot tot tot tot. The familiar sounds of a trumpet could be heard. It was followed by different instruments, harmonizing as a single song. Trying to get a clearer resonance, she followed where the music led her. The closer she came to the source, the more she recognized the music. “Well, isn’t that jazz?” After walking at a reasonable distance, she found out where the music is coming from: An old shack. The music that played inside of the shack was rather inviting. “Like what Canterlot says, thieves rarely plays jazz.” She gathered up all of her strength, ready to approach the portentous shack. A “Music meets Magic” were the words that replaced “Welcome” in the welcome mat. The door was painted yellow, with a sign of rust and decay. Torot torototot tot tot tot went the trumpet as it was played in a jolly tune. She took a deep breath and knocked the door twice. The music suddenly halted. The wait was unbearable. The door sluggishly opened, and revealed 6 ponies holding various types of instruments, including Plistry, Zap and Wind. “What the…” “Well howdy, mah friend. Welcome to the Everfree forest jazzzz band.” A yellow colt with a slick orange mane greeted. His cutie mark was a trombone, similar to the instrument he was holding right now. Plistry came in to clear things up. “Rhythm, meet my friend Morning Dawn. Morning Dawn, meet my friend Rhythm.” Wind, who was holding a tambourine, quickly rushed to the unicorn and hugged her tightly. “I thought you were gone! Good thing Plistry’s plan worked!” Dawn looked at him curiously. “And WHAT was his plan?” Zap butted in to answer that question. “His plan was to play jazz all over the forest, so you can hear it. I can’t believe it worked.” A white mare came near Morning Dawn. Her blue mane was much more of a mess than Dawn, even with the challenges she faced She had a double bass instrument as a cutie mark. “So you’re the missing friend of Plistry? Bet you lost your way to the thick forest, eh?” The researcher quickly snapped at her. “I did not. It was them who…Wait, who are you?” The pony laughed. “Oh, I forgot to present myself. I am Harmonica, one of the jazz players here.” She extended a hoof to Dawn, which she gladly accepted. “Hey guys, why don’t we gather ‘round that table to talk?” Plistry suggested. “You’re right, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” Dawn replied.

“…And that’s about it.” Plistry explained everything starting from the “ghost” he saw to how he saw this shack from afar. He already also introduced the band to her. Rhythm was the trombone player while Harmonica was in-charged with the double bass. A blue stallion with a dark blue mane called Chord was the pianist of the group. Falsetto was a mare who was said to be an expert at the drums. She had an indigo coat with a cool yellow mane. “So, Mornin’ Dawn, if ah’m right, yah with Windy here needs ta get out of this blasted forest for some appointments?” Rhythm asked. Dawn nodded. “You see, it’s very important for us to reach there on time.” Plistry offered her some hay from the table. “You know what, I bet you’re hungry from your travel. Eat some hay!” The unicorn gladly accepted it and finished a whole plate quickly. Everypony joined her eating, hungry from playing all day. Suddenly, the earth pony stood up a stool. In his hoof was a trumpet which he spun. “Okay you guys, I’m gonna play a song!” The jazz band livened up and got their respective instrument. Chord went on the piano, flexing his hooves for another performance. “Let’s do this!” he shouted in a low baritone voice. Plistry smiled as he concentrated on his crowd: Zap, Dawn and Wind. “Since we’re in a forest, I’ll play the “Adventures of the Everfree” song!” Blowing his trumpet, he gave out a lively tune, which was then followed by the others. Torot torot torot torot went his trumpet as the merry band played with harmony. Zap danced along with the music, mesmerized by the wonderful song. “What are we waiting for, let’s DANCE!” Wind shouted as he dragged Dawn with him. Letting the music flow through her, the researcher swayed back and forth, following Zap. Wind danced all around, loving the music they played. Everypony enjoyed the momentary happiness in that old shack at the Everfree.

“Thanks for the food and the music again. It was fun,” Dawn thanked the band as the adventurers were in their doorsteps. “It was no problem. It was also fun for us to entertain a group for so long,” Harmonica replied. Wind was a little distraught that they were leaving. “You ponies sure you don’t want to come with us?” Rhythm smiled at the filly. “Don’t worry about us, kid. Ya’ll better be leavin’ right now if yah want to reach Canterlot on time.” Zap was at Plistry’s hat, tired from dancing. Top-hatted pony came near the trombone playerand shook his hoof. “Thanks for everything.” Rhythm went inside the shack for a moment then came back with a trumpet at his hoof. “Thank yah for playin’ with us. It was ah mighty pleasure for the band. And as a sign of our gratitude, we wanna give yah this trumpet.” “Really?” “We only give our instruments ta those who are rightful to have it. And we know yah are one of them ponies.” With tears in his eyes, Plistry gave him a big hug. “Thank you, my friend,” he said. Rhythm returned the hug and gave him the trumpet. “Now you ponies better get going. But don’t forget to visit!” Harmonica requested. As the four walked away to their destination, Dawn uttered a reply. “We sure will!”

4: Revenge of the Manticore

Going back to our main protagonists, they were back on their track. Morning Dawn was at the front of the pack, still in-charged of navigation. Zap was on top of Plistry, enjoying the view of the forest. Plistry continued telling stories to the group, which Wind enjoyed listening to everytime. “Okay everypony, the map says turn left.” Dawn led them to a jungle of trees, which was followed by a lake. “What’s the next location on the list?” the earth pony asked impatiently. Dawn giggled a bit then gave him an answer. “Nothing, actually. It’s just some more walks, maybe hours, till we reach Ponyville. We’re somewhat a bit early.” “That’s encouraging,” Zap said. As they continued walking, a bush in their side started to shake. “Oh please tell me it’s not another filly,” Dawn commented. Plistry looked around the place. “I guess it’s time for a stick.” Wind laughed for a second, but stopped when the bush shook stronger. They all waited for something to happen, like something jumping out of it. Dawn was half expecting another filly, coming from her experiences with bushes. All of a sudden, the shaking stopped. “Well, that’s odd.” Then, out of nowhere, a monster leaped out of the bush. It scared the living daylights out of Plistry and Zap, who knew who the creature was. Dawn looked fascinated, seeing it. “Well, isn’t that a manticore?” she said with excitement. The earth pony and the parasprite took some steps backward, trying to escape. The researcher looked at them and laughed. “Don’t worry, manticores are naturally passive creatures, only attacking if it is in hurt or you attacked it directly.” The both chuckled nervously. “Yeah, and that’s what we’re scared of.” As the manticore looked at them, its eyes locked on the two. Wind remembered a story Plistry told. “Wait, didn’t you tell us in the castle while eating fruits that-” “-There’s a manticore who has a grudge on us.” Plistry continued. “Sadly, you’re right.” The manticore was now preparing to attack the two, its nose flared every time it remembered the past events. “And since it’s our lucky day, it’s the same manticore we-” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence when the manticore charged on them. “Everypony run for your lives!” said Plistry while running away from the creature. Wind and Dawn ran in a different direction, but wasn’t followed by the beast. It roared as it increased its pace, going for the kill. “Faster Plistry, FASTER! Think of a brilliant plan!” Zap shouted as he flew with the pony. “Wait, how did we escape the manticore last time?” Plistry asked. The manticore was now closing in, much to Zap’s dismay. “We jumped to a lake!” he replied. Without a warning, the manticore jumped above their heads, overtaking the two. It was now at their front, trapping the two to move forward. “I’ve got it!” The earth pony announced. Zap was delusional; their situation was impossible. But he knew Plistry always had a plan in every adventure, which miraculously works most of the time. Now it was time to prove himself. The adventurer took a step forward to the manticore, though still cautious of the danger. The manticore was about to bash the pony when he quickly grabbed the trumpet from his saddlebag and played a song. It was a charming song which enthralled the beast, dropping its paw from attacking the two. Reaching the events, Wind and Dawn were surprised to what they saw. “What the hay is he doing?” Dawn asked curiously. Without uttering a word, Zap signaled them to just go along with the earth pony. “Well, okay,” Wind replied. He got two sticks and started beating a stone, using it as a drum. Dawn looked around for something to use as an instrument when she decided to just shut up and see the events unfold. Plistry and Wind continued to mesmerize the beast when Plistry signaled the others to continue waking away, including Wind. “What about you?” The filly asked. Zap came in to fill the question. “Don’t worry, he knows what he’s doing,” he whispered. As the three slowly went, Plistry gradually changed the song from a lively tune to a lullaby. It forced a yawn to the manticore, who slowly went to sleeping position. Come on, just a little more, he said in his mind. The manticore slowly closed its eyes, making Plistry lower the volume of the trumpet. After a while, it started snoring, clearly deep in sleep. The top-hatted pony gave a small sigh, then tucked his top hat. “Experience plus 5.”

5: Camp Cave, Part 1

“Why is he sooo long?” Dawn complained. “Don’t worry, he’ll come around,” Zap replied. As they continued waiting, Wind saw something at the tip of his eyes. “Hey, there’s Plistry!” Plistry was running to them, carrying a trumpet in his saddlebag. As he reached the three, Dawn congratulated him on his skill. “Whoa, where did you learn to play the trumpet like that?” The earth pony snickered, patting her on the back. “I learned this from my mother, who taught me this to waste time when I’m lonely.” Zap returned to his rightful place, in Plistry’s head. Wind suddenly jumped on Plistry’s back without warning. “Can you teach me how to play the trumpet?” he begged. “Well, sure kid! But let’s first concentrate in the task at hoof.” Wind nodded, then went back to the ground. Zap patted the earth pony’s head. “What did you do to that manticore?” “I played a lullaby that mother used to play for me. Works every time,” he replied. Dawn cleared her throat to catch everypony’s attention. “Okay, ponies and furballs, we’re closing in to our destination.” She looked at the sun’s glorious lights display as it started to set in the horizon. Time sure does fly fast, she said in her head. “Well, as you all know, we can’t travel in the night. So we’re going to camp.” Wind looked at her with worry. “Camp? But where? There seems to be no ancient castle for us to sleep on.” The unicorn placed the map at her saddlebag, keeping it for later. She looked around, finding a place with a roof, when she found a perfect place to stay. “Well, we’ll be staying at a cave!”

There was a gigantic cave just a few walks from them. As they stood at the cave’s foot, everypony felt a dab of shiver. “You guys sure you want to stay here?” Plistry asked anxiously. Zap knocked the pony’s head. “Oh come on, idiot. This is the ONLY place where we could stay.” Dawn nodded, agreeing with the parasprite. “Yeah, and what’s the danger in staying?” The adventurer laughed nervously, wishing that everything was just a joke. “You know guys, I’ve had experiences with caves. And every single experience was awful.” Wind butted in in their debate. “It’s not scary, it’s FUN going in caves. I’ve been taken in one once, and there were plenty of crystal and stuff.” Plistry snickered. “Oh, caves in a forest are a very different thing than caves elsewhere.” Dawn suddenly trotted inside the dark cave. “Well I’m going in.” Wind followed her, leaving Plistry and Zap alone outside. As the two looked at their backs, the gloomy aura of the forest sent a chill in their spines. It was already night, and most creatures in the forest are nocturnal. “Hey, wait for me!” said Plistry as the duo went inside the cave.

Using her magic, she illuminated a part of the cave. Even with all of her efforts spent, she couldn’t light up the whole place. “Well, sorry everypony. That’s the only magic left in my system.” Wind squinted to look further down the cave, but failed. “Now what?” he asked. Plistry sat on a rock, which was rather uncomfortable. “It’s still early. What should we eat for the night?” Dawn looked around, somewhat wishing that there was food just lying on the floor. “Um, do we starve?” the filly suggested. The unicorn tried to show them that there was still hope. “Don’t you worry. There’s always food in the jungle. We just have to look.” “But who’ll look for food?” he asked. As the winds grew stronger in the cave, everypony felt that if they don’t act fast, they’ll all freeze to death. Out of the cold-driven night, Plistry got an idea. He stood up and started picking up sticks in the corner, and placing them all in the center. After being contented from what he collected, he got two stones and started rubbing them. “Come on…just some more,” Plistry mumbled as he continued on his work. “Hey, I’ll help you,” Wind said as he also got two stones and followed the earth pony. Dawn heavily sighed, looking at the efforts of the two. “Watch and learn.” She went near the pile of sticks, pointing her horn at it. Giving all of her efforts, she deeply concentrated on her spell. Suddenly, a spark of fire came from her horn, igniting the sticks. It produced light that lit up the whole cave. Its heat radiated on them, acting as a safe haven from the cold, dark night. “Yeah, magic,” Plistry said at Dawn. Zap enjoyed the campfire’s heat, bathing himself from the warmth it gave. The parasprite then remembered something. “Hooray, there’s heat and light. But what about dinner? I’m starving.” The earth pony quickly stood up and raised his hoof. “I’ll volunteer to look for food. Zap, coming with me?” Zap quickly went at his head. “As always.” Dawn looked at them with anxiety. “Are you both sure you want to do this? I mean, you know it’s dangerous in the night.” Plistry stared at her with confidence in his eyes. “But danger is my, um, nickname. Plirazeto Aperdaneto Tartera Qualagetrotry Fleyas, aka danger.” Zap knocked his head. “Nopony calls you danger.” “Well they better start now.” Dawn slapped his face, wishing that he will take their situation seriously. The adventurer patted her back, ensuring her that he’ll be fine. “I’m an adventurer extraordinaire. I always have a plan. And that plan always works.” She sighed, giving up the fight against him. “Okay, you do it. But be careful.” Plistry, along with Zap, exited the caves, waving a hoof at the left party. Wind looked at the two go away. “Do I have to stay with the most BORING pony in Equestria!?”

6: Cockatrice on the Loose

The wind blasted a powerful gale, knocking the duo to stop. “So, what’s your plan?” Zap asked Plistry sarcastically. He replied with a dab of laughter. “To wait for a plan.” The parasprite grunted. As a crack could be heard from afar, the two jumped. “Okay, better start looking for food before it gets too dark.” It was somewhat impossible for them to look for food, as the feeble light of the moon only shone a part of their path. “I wish I brought some light,” Plistry said remorsefully. But they had no choice; they already took a step out, and it was irreversible. With his sharp eyes, Zap saw what they were looking for: a tree nearby that looked like an apple tree. “There! Food!” Plistry congratulated his partner. “Good going there, champ.” As they went closer to the apple tree, they noticed that it wasn’t a normal apple tree. Yes, they had the shape of an apple, but its color was spectacular. Except of being covered with a shade of red or green, it was colored with rainbows. “Is that…safe eaten?” Zap asked the pony. Plistry’s eyes glared with the fruit’s magnificence, being mesmerized by the display of spectrum. “I don’t care if it’s safe eaten or not, but I know that the rainbows never betray us!” He started picking up the fruits one by one, placing them all in his saddlebag. While picking the rainbow-colored apples, Zap noticed that something in the bush is moving. “Um, Plistry? We better get out of here. The bush is moving and I don’t think it’s a fi-” A very weird thing popped out of the bush. It was neither a filly nor a manticore, but a creature with the body of a winged snake and a head of a chicken. Zap wasn’t able to control himself. He laughed and rolled on the ground, thinking that the creature was a joke. “Wha…And I thought that finding a filly was funny!” The creature, unimpressed by the parasprite’s actions, stared at him. “What the hay are you doing?” All of a sudden, his body froze like stone. No, he literally was a stone. “Zap, are you okay?” Plistry asked. The statue didn’t reply. “Oh no! Zap’s a stone!” As the monster posed to attack him, the earth pony’s mind was rushing for an answer. “Can’t use a stick in this situation.” The creature now targeted the earth pony. What looked like impossible, he had a brilliant plan in his mind. “Hey, chicken snake, want some?” Plistry showed it the rainbow apple from his saddlebag. The creature stopped and looked at the apple with hunger in its eyes. Gotcha, he thought. “Yes, you want this?” He moved the apple to the side, which the creature’s head followed. “Can you turn my friend back to life?” The creature took that as command, quickly turning the parasprite back to his old self. “Uh…what happened?” he asked Plistry. The pony didn’t mind him, concentrating on the problem at his hoof. “Here, chicken snake. Now CATCH!” He threw the apple far away from them, making the chicken snake go for it. “Now Zap, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!” The duo ran away from the tree, going back to the cave.

7: Camp Cave, Part 2

“Hey…guys I’m…back in…the cave,” Plistry said while trying to catch his breath. Zap rested above Plistry’s head, dog tired from their escapade. “What happened to you?” Dawn asked curiously. “Do you have food?” Wind inserted. Throwing his saddlebag in the ground, Plistry revealed the rainbow apple. “These are Zap Apples, A special kind of apple that can be only found in sweet apple acres! The jam that is made from this apple is an Equestrian delicacy. But how did you get this?” The earth pony fixed his top hat, which was slightly crooked. “Zap found a tree which he thought was an apple tree. When we looked closer, they were with the colors of the rainbow.” Wind spread the apples on the floor. “Why don’t we start to eat? I’m starving, all because Dawn taught me something about donuts.” “Not donuts, Down months!” she defended. They all laughed as they started eating.

“Wait, you were attacked by a cockatrice?” Dawn asked the two who just finished their share of apples. “So, it’s called a cockatrice. I used an apple to distract it.” Plistry gave a yawn, sleepy from their adventure. “I guess it’s time for me to hit the hay,” he said as he quickly dozed off to sleep. Zap followed his partner, using his head as a bed. Wind joined the two, too tired from Dawn and her lectures. Using Plistry as his pillow, he did his best to feel comfortable. That left Dawn all alone in the dark cave. There were pieces of charred wood in the campfire, its flame all burnt up. “Well, I guess it’s time for me to sleep,” she said as she found a comfortable spot in the cave and slept like she has never slept before. “Tomorrow, everything is going to be perfect.”

The Third Day

1: Late Midnight Stroll

There was something wrong in the cave. Even though it was just faint, there was still that feel in the dead silent night. It was four hours after midnight, and you wake up with no good reason. That wasn’t normal. That happened to Zap, who had just a dream about Zap Apples. “What the hay?” Trying to wake up Plistry, the parasprite used all of his efforts to do so. “Wake up, Plistry. Wake up!” he said silently, not wanting to wake the others. “Not now, Zap…” the earth pony mumbled. Being tired of his simple efforts, he jumped on Plistry’s stomach, giving him a spasm of pain. “Okay okay! I’m freaking awake,” he said as he rubbed his eyes. “What now Zap?” The parasprite just told him to shut up and signaled him to adventure down the cave. “You sure?” Plistry asked Zap. He nodded, knowing that his senses were always right. Dawn and Wind were still asleep, tired from the happenings of yesterday. “Okay, if you really wanna.” He got his top hat and placed it on his head. Zap flew to Plistry’s side, ready for another adventure. “Let’s go.”

The cave was surprisingly deep. It had been minutes when they started to walk, and they were still on the track. “This is spooky,” Zap commented. As they saw the exit of the tunnel, there was a bigger room inside a cave. “Now what do we have here?” Plistry said as he surveyed the whole place. As Zap turned around, his eyes quickly filled with terror. The earth pony looked at him curiously, thinking if the parasprite had some mental problem. “Zap, are you fine?” He looked to where the parasprite was looking and discovered why he was that freaked out. On a wall, there were gigantic claw marks everywhere. “Whoa, this is interesting.” Zap nodded. “But from what monster could this be from?” As Plistry studied the claw marks, he recognized the only creature with claws this size. “Um, I guess we better start running away,” he said to Zap. Before the parasprite could object, he grabbed his wing and started running away from the room.

2: Running for your Life

“Guys, WAKE UP!” Plistry shouted at the top of his lungs. He shook both Wind and Dawn’s head, doing his best to awaken the sleeping ponies. “It’s still dark,” Wind said as he stood up. “What’s going on?” Dawn asked the earth pony. “No time to explain. Now let’s get out of here before it’s too late.” After packing up all stuff, the two groggily walked away from the cave. “Faster guys, do this for your lives,” Plistry pleaded Wind and Dawn. As they stepped out of the cave, he knew it was already too late. A giant THUD could be heard from afar, which was followed by another one. “What is that?” Dawn asked. Plistry took a big gulp as he signaled everypony to continue. Then, mysterious giant finally came into view. The researcher couldn’t believe her eyes. “Is that…an ursa major?” The Ursa Major stood tall, bigger than anything they have ever seen. As its footsteps grew louder, the monster went to the direction of the cave. As soon as it saw the four just outside of the cave, it gave a huge growl, which could be heard by all of Equestria. “This is bad,” said Plistry. The ursa ran for them, ready to swipe them with its claw. “RUN!” Zap shouted as they all tried to dodge. “Let’s go!” The four continued to run away from the cave. As they turned their backs, the Ursa Major followed their path. “Now what?” Dawn asked them. The ursa was gaining pace, its speed twice as of the ponies. “Plistry, I think now’s a good time to use that wit of yours,” said Zap. But Plistry was looking all around, planning a scheme. It was very doubtful, but the earth pony finally got an idea. “Everypony follow me!” he shouted as he turned the right. The ursa followed every twist and turn they made. After minutes of running, they reached a bog. “What are we doing here in froggy bottom bog?” the unicorn asked. Plistry didn’t mind her. Instead, he went up a mountain, ending up in a cliff. “Good.” The Ursa Major followed them up, now running at full speed. “Come on, you want to kill us, don’t you?” It was coming closer at them, making the filly terrified on whatever his friend was planning. Time seemingly stopped as the Ursa Major leaped for the four. “Run back to the bog!” The Ursa landed at the tip of the cliff with a boom, shaking the ground below. It gave a big roar, scaring the four. All of a sudden, the cliff shook with strength, the terrain underneath the gigantic bear breaking to pieces. This caused the Ursa to fall down below. “Come on guys, let’s go before he decides to attack again.”

3: Good Bye My Friends

As Luna brings down the moon the give way for the sun, sunrays from the sun hit all of Equestria. Celestia has done another good job. The Everfree was bathed with sunlight, which was glorious for the 4 friends as they saw the exit of the forest. It was a momentous occasion for them, for they knew that all of their efforts had a good result. Some trials they had face, but they didn’t use that as a hindrance for their mission. “I…don’t believe it! We actually got out of the forest safe and sound!” Plistry rejoiced on their job well done. “Quickly, let’s go to Ponyville. Today’s gotta be big,” said Dawn as she kept her map in her saddlebag, wanting to keep it as a memoir. Wind got the letter from his saddlebag, knowing that it won’t be long until he would fulfill his task. “That was the best adventure ever!” They continued walking out of the forest, heading to a place called Ponyville.

“So, where will you go, Plistry and Zap?” asked Dawn as she and Wind were in the friendship express. Both of them were going to Canterlot, so they took the first train that would lead them there. Plistry tucked his top hat and smiled. “We’ll be staying here for a while, then go out to someplace new.” Wind had a tear in his eye, who clearly will miss the stories of the earth pony. “Will we see you both again?” Plistry patted his back, comforting the filly. “Don’t you worry kid. Zap and I are adventurers extraordinaire, and adventurers always come back to the place called home. Being with you guys, I felt at home.” Seeing the pegasus still sad, he gave his final statement to them. “Both of you always remember this: Whatever happens to you, always remember that a friend will be there to help you. Even if your friend is miles away, the connection in your hearts will always bring you together.” As the train conductor signaled everypony who’s going to come aboard, the train engine started. “Goodbye, Plistry!” shouted the unicorn as she waved him a hoof. “See you again!” followed Wind. The train went farther and farther away, until it couldn’t be seen anymore. “Well Zap, what now?” Plistry asked the parasprite in his head. Zap laughed hard, audible only for him. “Another adventure?” Plistry followed Zap’s laughing, now knowing the answer of his question. “We’re adventurers extraordinaire, right?”