Equestrian Chronicles: The Fated Ones

Chapters

Darkness in the Night
Ripples in Time
Eloquent Flaws
Pages in the Wind

Darkness in the Night

The Fated Ones: Darkness in the Night

The Everfree Forest: a place of many mysteries. The entirety of Equestria has explored only a measly five percent of the dark woods. More than a hundred documented flora and fauna have been recorded by civilization, and science estimates that is only .27 percent of the species hidden away. The Everfree Forest has a strange, twisted magic to it, being the place where Nightmare Moon released part of her soul to prevent being destroyed entirely. Clouds move on their own, the trees grow with no care and animals are self-sufficient. Even the occurrences in the woods are rare. Just like the explosion that begins our tale. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the show. I am Aithusa, your guide in this fantastical land. This is a tale of adventure, romance, and most of all…
The Fated Ones.

Let the show begin.

“Applebloom, pass the ball over here!” Scootaloo shouted.

A red ball came bouncing through the air and landed near an orange Pegasus with a cerise mane, who buzzed her small wings to reach it in time. A white unicorn with a pink and lavender swirled mane cheered her on.

“Wow, Scootaloo. That was awesome!” she exclaimed. Her delight was cut short, however, when the ball was sent flying towards her. She just barely caught it, using her manifesting magic to propel her to the ball in time.

“Sweetie Belle!” a yellowish pony with an amaranth mane called. “Yah just used yer magic!” she then fumbled backwards as the ball thumped her on the head.

“Well, she can finally do something!” said a snobbish voice from the fillies’ right. A pale magenta filly with a violet and white streaked mane mocked them with her grayish friend.

“Yeah, she was useless before,” the gray one remarked.

“Shut it, Silver Spoon!” Scootaloo shouted, causing some other foals to look their way. “Just because you two have your Cutie Marks you think you’re better than everypony else!”

“That’s because we are better than everypony else!” the pink one stated.

“Yeah, Diamond Tiara’s right!” Silver said.

“Shut up, Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara growled.

“What are you girls doing on this fine day?” a violet-pink mare with a striped mane asked as she passed. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon immediately feigned ignorance of the situation.

“We were just playing with our friends, Miss Cheerilee.”

“Liars,” Applebloom muttered under her breath. She and her friends soon left the playground to escape from the bullying fillies. It was a lot to handle, being a kid. She barely had any more time to go Crusading for her Cutie Mark, what with her homework, farm work, school and hiding from Diamond Tiara.

It’s just not fair, Applebloom thought bitterly. Ah don’t have any more time to have fun anymore.
“Ah don’t like goin’ ta school,” Applebloom muttered darkly. “It really messes with our plans.”

“Tell me about it,” Scootaloo said, zipping along on her trademark scooter. “I had this awesome idea to build a half-pipe and do some crazy tricks, too. Hey, maybe Rainbow Dash could help us?”

“Maybe,” Sweetie Belle put in. “I think Rarity would be happy to help us out as well.”

“Aw, come on!” Scootaloo retorted. “Your sister is a stick in the mud, Sweetie Belle! Besides, she hates doing anything that involves work.”

“She’s right, ya know,” Applebloom interjected. “Yer sister won’t even touch dirt unless it’s imported, and even then, she’ll tiptoe through the stuff.”

“Hey, Rarity is the best pony ever!”

“No, that’s Rainbow Dash!”

“Yer both wrong, it’s Applejack!”

The three friends continued to bicker as they headed steadily away from the school. The trio argued and argued, not noticing the fringe of trees that loomed over them. They were unknowingly heading straight into the Everfree Forest, and they immediately felt its effects. The debate grew more heated and sinister as the magic of the forest ensnared the three fillies. Eventually, the small argument turned to shouts, and each filly became more and more heated.

"Ugh!" Applebloom snarled, after over an hour of pointless quarreling. The triad did not yet notice their location, nor the looming threat that would soon overtake them. "You guys are jus' stupid!" She stormed off, leaving the other two in shocked silence. She stormed through the trees, anger blinding her. She only just noticed where she was a half-hour later, when her rage had finally subsided. She gulped as she noticed the unfamiliar trees.

"Um... gals?" she whimpered, shrinking from the dark shadows that the evening light cast.
Oh, ponyfeathers, she thought miserably.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were panicking. Their best friend had just stormed off the trail to who-knows-where in the Everfree Forest, and even they barely had an idea of where they were. The only indication was the faint trail that led back to where they came. Sweetie Belle just stared off into the distance, while Scootaloo buzzed around, quite frankly freaking out.
"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh ohmygosh!" she squeaked, pacing back and forth. "This is so bad! We don't even know where she is! She could be mauled by manticores, or frozen by a cockatrice, or eaten by timberwolves, or..." she trailed off as more horrid possibilities flowed through her mind. Sweetie Belle cringed when Scootaloo stopped; obviously, she was having the same thoughts.

"No!" she suddenly shrieked. Scootaloo stopped and stared at her. "We gotta go find Applejack and the others! We're obviously not strong or fast enough to find her without getting hurt, and the more we panic, the less time we have."

Scootaloo was stunned by Sweetie Belle's newfound responsibility. She liked to think that she was the most direct and responsible of the group, but in all reality, she was slightly envious of Sweetie Belle's ability to think under pressure. It was a sign that her idol, Rainbow Dash, had obviously inflated her ego to disproportional levels.

"A...Alright," Scootaloo said blankly. She fluttered her way to the edge of the path and sighed softly. "I hope you're okay, Applebloom. Crusading just wouldn't be the same without you." With another sharp whistle from Sweetie Belle, she trotted back onto the path and back to Ponyville, the sun descending on the treeline.

A white backdrop expanded for miles, illuminating everything evenly. The three figures sitting by a table seemed two dimensional in the flat light. One of them cracked a smile through the high collar of its tunic.

"All of the pieces are falling into place," it said in a decidedly male voice. He chuckled as he conjured up a small orb of crystal that revealed a small filly with an amaranth mane.

"Be careful, ______," the second figured said shortly. "We still don't know how she could affect our plans. The heroes need to be manipulated in just the right way to save prevent the future I foresaw."

"Calm yourself, __________," a third, female voice whispered. "If she refuses to join her friends and turn back, then she must join them on their quest. There is nothing we can change. We've already spent two millennia worth of energy just to bring them to this world. It is here where they must prove their worth, or die trying."

"They have all proven their 'worth' several times over in their respective times," the first one rumbled. "The only reason they are here is to defeat the evils located in this era." The voice stopped from beneath the collar. "The three greatest men in the history of the planet Terra Firma, coming together to correct Fate itself. This kind of thing has not been done before. While I agree that we need to 'go with the flow', as the mortals say, there is a certain precision required to it. Not even those self-proclaimed goddesses know of our existence, nor of anything beyond their species."

"This country seems to be a happier North Korea," the third one observed.

"Quite," the second agreed.

The three spoke together next, an eerie and displacing harmony. "To the safety of The Fated Ones." The three conjured glasses filled with a deep blue liquid and toasted, gulping down the fluid in quick gulps. A single splotch of blue spilled over.

The same blue that burned in a certain sorcerer's eyes, the fletching of a thief's arrows, and the signet ring of a great knight, all unconscious in a clearing near the Everfree Forest.

Ripples in Time

The Fated Ones: Ripples in Time

The sun had finally set over the Everfree Forest, spreading a thick layer of glimmering stars over the gleaming green canopy. The beauty of the situation was lost, however, on Applebloom as she slowly trotted her way through the woods. She could see quite clearly due to the starlight blazing through the trees, but every movement just pronounced her fear more. The combination of the Nightmare's lingering will, combined with the filly's natural fear of the dark, made her steps shaky and uneven. Every so often, she would bump into a boulder or tree, and jump at the sudden contact.

This place is way too scary, she thought with a frown. Sweat beaded down her neck from the effort of trotting for several hours. Why couldn't ah be stuck with Blossom Fall Woods instead?

A sudden rustling of the trees made her stop. Her heart pulsed rapidly as she scanned the area for threats. After several seconds, she allowed herself a small sigh. She thought of her family and began to cry as she wandered through the trees.

Scootaloo and Sweetie burst forth into the cool night air as they ran out of the Everfree Forest. The moment they exited the perimeter of the forest, their thoughts cleared, and nothing seemed so bleak as their current predicament.

"We gotta find Applejack!" Sweetie Belle said hurriedly. Scootaloo nodded and the two of them raced off towards the farm. as they approached the town, they realized just how late it had actually become. The town of Ponyville, which both of the fillies currently called home, was often bustling with life. Only in the latest hours of the evening did the rural town ever stop moving. The marketplace was devoid of any life, save the occasional bunny or raccoon, when the girls dashed past. A light flickered on in an extravagant-looking shop, and the silhouette of a styled mane poked through the window.

"Sweetie Belle!" it shouted most unceremoniously. "Where have you been? I want you in this house and ready to explain yourself this instant!"

Sweetie Belle's sister, Rarity Belle, was a figure that Sweetie both liked and disliked. For the most part, she idolized her sister, and was willing to do most anything if it meant being able to help her. At certain times such as this one, however, she found her sister to be a mild annoyance; a distraction from the task at hand.

"Sorry, Rarity!" she called over her shoulder. "I can't talk right now!"

"Can't talk?!" Rarity hissed in anger. "CAN'T TALK!" She was now fuming, almost literally steaming at the ears. The fact that her sister had just disobeyed a direct order without even explaining herself turned the valve that released the rest of her anger.

"SWEETIE AMELIA BELLE! GET YOUR FLANK IN HERE RIGHT NOW OR YOU ARE GROUNDED!"

Sweetie Belle, for her credit, did stop for a moment to admire the situation, but the shock and awe soon passed and she dragged Scootaloo farther along the lane. I'm in so much trouble when I get home, she thought.

The two fillies continued their race through Ponyville, the stars giving them the light to avoid any obstacles. Occasionally, a candle would flicker to life and the shadow of a pony would peek out a window, but for the most part, they stayed silent. Ponyville's long, twisting roads didn't hinder them nearly as much as they thought with the adrenaline and determination pouring through their system. The apple orchard soon came into view, a single light burning in a window and illuminating the courtyard beneath. A mare with a brown stetson was wheezing and leaning on a fence post.

"Applebloom, is that you?!" the mare asked worriedly.

"No, Applejack," Scootaloo said breathlessly, "But Applebloom's in trouble!"

the mare named Applejack immediately began panicking once more. "What kinda trouble are we talkin' bout here?" she asked in a worried, yet skeptical tone.

"Well, the three of us had just left school, and we were gonna go Crusading again!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Then we got into a little argument about which one of you guys was better. We accidentally wandered into the Everfree Forest. Applebloom finally got fed up with the two of us, and she stormed off the path!" There were noticeable tears in both of the fillies' eyes by that point.

"Oh, ponyfeathers!" Applejack cursed. She knew that her sister had been entering her slightly self-centered phase, where everything she believed to be important, she thought should be the law of the land. Applejack realized that with the combined stress of school, farmwork, and that bully Diamond Tiara, Applebloom must have finally snapped when she had the chance to relieve herself of her discomforts. "This is bad! You gals run along now and wake up mah friends. Sweetie Belle, get Rarity, Twilight and Pinkie Pie. Scootaloo, ah'd appreciate it if you could tell Rainbow and Fluttershy." The two fillies nodded, and the three of them raced off into different parts of the town.

Sweetie Belle took the time to avoid her sister's boutique,mostly due to the fact that she wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise. Rarity could be very aggressive when she was angry. This in mind, she immediately headed towards the closest establishment: the Golden Oaks library. When she got there, she shakily knocked on the door. She cursed at the time it was taking for somepony to wake up. She realized for the first time that Applebloom could truly be in danger. The Everfree Forest was a deadly place during the day, and she shuddered to think what kind of monstrosities would be prowling about at night. As tears threatened to spill over her eyes, the door finally opened, revealing a very frazzled lavender unicorn.

"Hello?" she asked, yawning tiredly. She then looked down and saw Sweetie Belle. "Oh, hello, Sweetie! Your sister has been looking all over for you. Have you told her you're here?"

"We don't have time for my sister, Twilight! Applebloom could be in some serious trouble!" At this, Twilight's tired face was replaced with one of concern. She wasn't especially worried about Applebloom; the filly was unnaturally mature and determined for her age, even if she was... lacking in some departments. What she was truly concerned about was Applebloom's family.

Applejack's parents had died in an orchard fire ten years before, when Applebloom was literally days old. It had devastated the Apple family, and Twilight didn't want to see her friend go through any more losses. What was more, Granny Smith was getting on in her years, and the way Big Macintosh was accidentally overworking himself, she estimated he would drop dead from exhaustion in the next fifteen years. no one, she thought, should have to have that much loss in so little time, especially not Applejack.

"Alright, Sweetie Belle. Why don't you tell me what's going on, and we'll figure it out from there." Sweetie Belle ran through the details in under a minute; no small feat, given the fact that she had several hours of experience to tell. By the end, she was shivering from fright again and Twilight had an almost absent look in her eye.

"Well, that isn't good at all," she calculated. "With this time, Applebloom could already be a good ways into the forest. Sweetie Belle, let's hurry. Even with Pinkie on our side, I don't know if we can find her in time." Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. Pinkie Pie was renowned throughout Equestria for her ability to defy not only logic, but physics. If Twilight was suggesting that Pinkie couldn't find a pony, then the odds that they were still alive were very slim.

"Well, Sweetie Belle, hold on tight. We need to get the girls, and fast." Sweetie Belle pressed against Twilight's side as the mare teleported, her horn blazing with violet light. The two flared into existence in a neighboring shop named Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie was currently renting room and board. The flash of illumination was all that was needed to wake the... well, pink pony upstairs. With an almost impossible agility, she jumped off the balcony from her room, landed outside on the first story window, and swung to the door. She stood on her hind legs and bowed as the two stared.

"Pinkie Pie... how did you do that?" asked Twilight disbelievingly. Pinkie giggled.

"Silly Twilight," Pinkie giggled out. "I jumped!"

Deciding not to question Pinkie's odd behavior, Sweetie and Twilight hurriedly explained the situation to Pinkie. As she heard more, her smile faded into an odd frown.

"Uh-oh," she said cautiously. "This is bad. I can't feel her with my Pinkie Sense at all. Either she's really far into the forest, or..." she trailed off as Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. Twilight ground her teeth together with impatience.

"Well, if she's in that much trouble, then we need to get going!" she almost shouted. Pinkie gave her a sheepish grin and held on to Twilight as she teleported once again.

Applebloom was by no means a fearless filly, but she had an unnatural resistance to her own reason. Right now, that reason was telling her that she should be running as far away from the forest as she possibly could. Only two things were keeping her from this solution, however: the fact that she had no idea which direction Ponyville was, and the small, barely noticeable trail she was following. Due to her brief time in Wilderness Survival School, she knew that something that made a trail this obvious was either trying to be found, or very big.

Or it simply didn't know what kind of forest this was.

Applebloom squeaked as a rose thorn got tangled in her side. If she wouldn't already be dead after her excursion into the forest, her sister would surely kill her for coming back home in such a mess. Sweetie Belle's sister was worse, but Applejack did take pride in her sister's cleanliness. another branch swiped at her as she passed, drawing a thin line of blood on her forehead. she tried to stay on even the least visible paths, hopefully heading in the direction of Ponyville. She knew that the sun set west of the entrance to the Everfree, but in the part of the forest she had just entered, the leaves only parted for moments. through the almost impenetrable darkness, the only light came from a soft, luminescent moss she had never seen before. She assumed that it was part of the 99.73% of the species of plants and animals that hadn't been discovered yet.

Navigating through the mossy trees, Applebloom walked for another hour before coming to her next surprise. A small clearing opened the deep foliage and cast a starry glow onto the grass. There was a carefully constructed ring of stones in the center, filled with blackened wood and ashes. As she explored it, she found a pile of crusted over fluid that smelled absolutely foul. She wondered why someone would have vomited in this place before she saw a dark red glint by the edge of the encampment. She wandered over to get a better look, and nearly retched when she saw it.

A manticore was cleanly gutted, its entrails spilling everywhere. half-congealed blood spurted from a slack heart. Applebloom's vision spun as she took in more of the sight.

"What the hay did this?" she whispered. Suddenly her jaw set, and she turned away from the grisly corpse. Whatever had done this, it was dangerous.

And she was going to catch it.

Eloquent Flaws

The Fated Ones: Eloquent Flaws

Applebloom was scanning the area beyond the clearing she had found. Only a soft green glow, along with the faint trail she had noticed earlier, showed that anything had come through before. She used the limited amount of logic her foalish mind could provide, realizing that if she decided to chase this creature, it could possibly mean certain death. The natural curiosity all sentient creatures had then set in, and she went off on a tangent again as she increased her vigor to find these creatures.

An odd chill set over the forest as she walked on, odd patches of hot and cold permeating the air. She winced as a stray branch stabbed into her blank flank. as she went deeper into the forest, she began to notice small details she had never seen before: a tree with shimmering leaves, flowers that gleamed like gems, even a tangle of vines with bright yellow eyes. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how beautiful the Everfree Forest truly was. With the grim, leafless trees ringing the outer edge of the forest, ponies were naturally scared of the forest.

Suddenly, Applebloom had a brainwave. During her visits with Zecora, the zebra would often give her cryptic advice. She had once told the filly that she chose the forest because it reflected her perfectly. Applebloom finally knew what she meant. Just like Zecora, the inner portions of the forest were much kinder than the edges, though there was the occasional danger.

The filly walked on, her curiosity and fear forcing her to constantly stop and jump at little noises and details. Small petals were noticed following the faint trail she was on. several clumps of flowers and herbs were occasionally found pulled up or devoid of life. The ripped earth became more and more frequent as she dragged on, guided only by the light of the moss. Then she heard the singing.

It sounded as if three ponies had just come out of the local bar, raucously shouting a sea shanty. This one was different, however. The voices had no trace of the drunked slurs those ponies usually had, and the song was more rough and deep. She cleared her throat, trying to make her voice as loud as possible.

"Hello?" she asked. the voices simultaneously halted mid-verse. "Is anypony there?"

Applebloom waited for a response, but none came. Finally, as she was about to turn around, there was a twang, and an arrow embedded itself in a tree an inch from her muzzle.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sweetie Belle nervously approached the edge of the forest with the Elements of Harmony and Scootaloo. Every few moments a vivid daydream, most of them involving Applebloom being horrendously mauled by a grisly creature, would cross her mind, and she shivered. Scootaloo inched closer to a confident-looking Rainbow Dash, who was punching her hooves in the air while her wings fluttered.

"Let me at 'em!" she shouted, buzzing in a tight circle just inches off the ground. "Whatever took Applebloom is gonna pay when it meets me!"

"Ah'm with you, Dashie," Applejack said fiercely. she snorted and pawed the ground. "If anything hurt mah little sis, they're gonna be sorry."

"Girls, you're forgetting the point that Applebloom might not even be in danger," Twilight reasoned, trying to calm the two. "Applebloom is unusually mature for her age, even though she can be extremely reckless. I'd wager a lot that she'll return safe and sound."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie agreed, bobbing her head. "Applebloom is super-duper smart, and funny, and cool! Any monster that would try to eat her would be a big meanie, and Applebloom doesn't like big meanies, but I taught her that if you want to make a meanie a nice-ie, then you just throw them a party, and-" Pinkie rambled on, confusing everypony else there.

"I'm still worried, Twi," Applejack shot at her. "Mah sis is the only family ah got that ain't gonna be dead soon, and ah'm not gonna lose her too." Her blatant anger at the thought genuinely shocked Sweetie Belle. Rarity was always rather protective of her, but the sheer disregard of danger that Applejack displayed surprised her. Sweetie wondered if her sister would ever display the same affection for her.

Girls, settle down," Twilight groaned. The tiara on her head glowed with crystalline white light, as did the amulets around each of the Elements' necks. the beams laid out a brightly illumined swath of forest mere feet from the group's hooves.

"Um, if I might make a suggestion," Sweetie injected, stopping the rant of both Rainbow and Applejack. "Why don't we actually go and find Applebloom? Every second we stand here is another second she could be dead."

Everypony stopped and stared at her for a moment, then they all sprang into action and leapt towards the Everfree Forest.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the library, a small violet and green dragon was poring over a letter. Spike had been getting larger ever since his "greed spurt", as Twilight liked to call it. While he was no longer small enough to be considered a baby, he still only surpassed the Cutie Mark Crusaders by a few inches. With quill in hand, he finally began to scratch out a note.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Something has come to my attention that I believe you need to investigate at once. Not hours ago, Applejack's sister, Applebloom, disappeared into the Everfree Forest. Now, this would be of much less importance, but I'm worried that if Applebloom remains missing, her sister will continue to be distracted by the event, and eventually lose hold of not only her ability to work, but also her responsibilities as an Element of Harmony. Her farm will eventually slip and go out of business, and nopony in Equestria will get apples, and everypony will starve, and Equestria will become a dead wasteland!

You know what, I think I've been spending too much time with Twilight. Her big words and overreactions are rubbing off on me. You might want to check up on her too. She's become much more... motherly lately. I think it has to do with me growing up.

But anyway, it would be great if you could send some help to search for Applebloom.

Your loyal assistant,

Spike the Dragon

Spike rolled up the letter and breathed on it, sending a glimmering field of green fire towards the parchment. As it made contact, the letter burst into magical smoke, which then drifted out the window and off towards Canterlot. Spike grimaced, then stared at the door.

"Hold on, Applebloom... we're coming for you."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Applebloom stared, speechless, at the still-vibrating arrow not an inch from her muzzle. Her instincts were conflicting; the curiosity she felt was only heightened, while some primal part of her screamed to run, to hide, to become the terrified prey it was in its deepest recesses. Thus Applebloom was standing, frozen to the spot and completely helpless. Then a voice snapped her out of her trance. It was the sort of shrill, deep voice that an adolescent colt was likely to adopt.

"What was that for, Robin?! You nearly shot the thing in two!"

"Hey, it'll make a good next meal," another voice responded. This one was craftier and more impish, as if it had spent its entire life as a thief or trickster.

"Probably shouldn't eat it," a third, slightly baritone voice rumbled. "I think it's sentient."

"Horses aren't sentient, Lance. They can't talk." Voice number two again.

"Well this one is certainly smart," the first, squeaky voice shot back. "Look at how it's composed. The eyes are massive, and fit in with the absolutely huge head. That tells us its brain is large, and it's likely sight-oriented. The bright coloring suggests it's either venemous, which I doubt it is, or it's at the top of the food chain. Given that the only thing we've seen since we got here are plants and that manticore, these horses should be pretty high up."

"I'm not a horse, I'm a pony!" Applebloom injected. a sharp stab of adrenaline rushed through her, and with it, confidence. "And mah name is Applebloom!"

There was silence for a moment, before the first and third voices said smugly, "Told you so." A figure emerged from the shadows, and Applebloom squeaked in terror.

The creature was huge; far bigger than anything she had ever seen before. It was wearing some sort of fabric around its bipedal body, leaving only its claws and head unsheathed. The head was suspiciously like a pony's. Its eyes, though small, faced towards the front, and its muzzle was little more than a small bump with two tiny holes. Its mouth was below that, and she could see sharp white teeth grinning down at her. A thick, short mane shot out of its head, which was constantly being ruffled by its claws. The claws themselves had no fur or scales, and were rounded off at the tips. As it moved, the shiny metal clothing it wore clanked and gleamed a soft, eerie green.

"Hello there, little one," it said, not unkindly. It then turned back to a small clearing. "Robin, Merlin! Get over here now and introduce yourself to the lady!"

Two more figures came out of the shadows. One was small and wiry, with little muscle and giant ears. The other was slender and corded with tight, compact muscle. A cloak shielded its body and most of its face from view, so all she got from its face were two bright green eyes staring at her with unnatural intensity. She squirmed away for a moment.

"Sorry about Robin," the tall one said apologetically. "He can be a bit... intense." The cloaked figure glared at the speaking one. "Anyway, These are Robin of Loxley," he gestured to the glaring figure, "and Merlin of Camelot." The smallest creature waved. "I'm Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table."

Applebloom eased up slightly. Though her instincts were still screaming at her to run, the creatures seemed to be benign, if not friendly. Her curiosity eventually won out, and she took a shaky step forward.

"Lance, Robin," Merlin said authoritatively. Applebloom was stunned at the automatic reactions. Lancelot immediately drew an unseen sword and leaned against a tree, his brown eyes flicking from tree to tree in an attempt to find danger. Robin bundled several logs in his arms, set them down in a hastily constructed ring of stones, and flung kindling on the fire. As he scrambled away, setting up sleeping rolls, Merlin chanted an unintelligible word, and his eyes flashed orange. A spark of fire lit the campfire brightly, and by the time it died down, a bonfire was crackling merrily in the night. Merlin whispered several more words, and a blue-violet glow surrounded the entire camp before fading with a pop.

"Alright, we should be safe for the night," Lancelot said. Already, Applebloom felt safer in the company of the creatures. The clearing was surrounded by darkness, while a warm, comforting fire flickered in front of her. Exhaustion pressed down on her like a heavy blanket. Without a second thought, she fell over, her last feeling being the smooth, cool steel and curved claws of one of the creatures.

Pages in the Wind

The Fated Ones: Pages in the Wind

Applebloom awoke slowly, the midmorning light rippling through the emerald and robin’s egg leaves. As coherent thought returned to her, she was once again mesmerized with the unnatural beauty that the inner Everfree seemed to radiate. She vaguely wondered where she was, then sat bolt upright. She remembered it all: the forest, the arrow, and the kind giant monsters.

“Well, well, look who’s finally awake,” a voice behind her said. She whirled. The man who had tried to shoot her the night before was stirring a pot that glowed cherry-red over a roaring fire. He held up a ladle, filled to the brim with golden brown liquid. “Want a taste? It’s even vegetarian.”

Applebloom pursed her lips, before tentatively taking a step forward and sipping from the spoon. The soup was delicious. A hot, heady spice filled Applebloom’s nostrils as a mixture of sweet and spicy covered her tongue. She groaned involuntarily as the blend washed down her throat, savoring the hot aftertaste.

“That was great!” she shouted, trying to stop herself from salivating at the thought of more. Robin, she remembered his name was, chuckled.

“That’s good. I have to feed a lot of people back home, so I’m familiar with herbs and spices. In this forest, though, I don’t recognize much. A tree here, a berry bush there, but that’s it.” He took out a small journal and lowered his hood. It revealed a creature much like the others, though this one was much thinner and bonier. A shade of jet-black hair sprinkled his jaw, and tufts of hair stuck up in odd places. He flipped to a page in the tiny book and turned it to her. The parchment showed sketches of various plants and animals, most of them she had seen during her trek through the Everfree.

“These,” he began, “are all of the plants that I can use in the forest. If you find any, bring them to me, okay?”

She nodded. There was a crunch of twigs at the outside of the clearing, following a grunt and a sigh.

“You’re stronger than you look, Merlin,” a deep voice rumbled.

“Obviously not as strong as you, you crazy tree-toting idiot,” the adolescent voice chirped back, though there was no real bite to his words. The two voices belonged to more of the monsters, Applebloom vaguely remembered. Marlin and Lancer? No, that wasn’t it.

“Merlin and Lancelot!” she exclaimed, drawing the attention of the two.

“So, you’re awake, little one,” Lancelot said. “What is it that you need?”

“Oh… not much, really,” she said shyly. “I was just tryin’ to remember yer names.”

“They can be a bit tough to foreigners,” Merlin quipped. “Well, both of ours are. I’ll never understand how Robin got the normal name.”

“That’s because I was born in the southern half of Albion, dumbass!” he shouted, knocking Merlin on the head with his ladle. Applebloom cringed at the profanity, but let it slide. After all, kids were never supposed to say that kind of stuff; at least, that’s what Granny had told her.

What did interest her more was the name “Albion”. She had never heard of a place like that, and she knew all the countries outside of Equestria’s borders. She scratched her head at the unfamiliar term.

“What’s Albion?” she asked, a note of innocent curiosity in her voice. The three monsters stopped and stared at her. She wriggled a little under the combined gazes.

“It’s a country a long, long way away,” Merlin said finally. “A country where magic is outlawed, and people get by with ever-advancing technology. The trees are made of gold, with leaves like gems and lakes of liquid crystal. The castles are made of silver, and they’re decorated by the finest artisans ever born. And the plains –they glitter in the sun like hills of diamond!” The three creatures knew that this wasn’t true, of course; it was just an exaggeration. Applebloom didn’t, though, and her eyes were wide with awe and wonder.

Merlin laughed as he continued. “There was a king in Albion, a king named Uther Pendragon. He was the one who outlawed magic – his wife had died when he asked a druid to save his son from miscarriage. His son, Prince Arthur, grew up to be an arrogant young man, always trying to prove he was better than everyone else. But then someone else came into the picture. A boy came to Camelot, intent on learning how to be a great healer from the court physician, Gaius. He met Arthur and… well, the two didn’t hit it off very well. He saved Arthur’s life in the end, though, and he became Arthur’s personal servant.”

“His name… was Merlin,” Lancelot finished. Applebloom’s jaw dropped. This Merlin was the servant of a king? It was a pretty big honor, considering only a few ponies were allowed by the Royal Guard to be servants of Princess Celestia. Ponies kept trying, even when they knew that Princess Celestia hated having servants.

“If you think that’s cool, you haven’t even heard Lancelot’s tale yet,” Robin joked. “Go on, tell her, Lance!”

“Oh, alright,” Lancelot said. “But first, we’ll eat. That soup of yours looks just about done.” The four of them sat, and Robin served the stew. It was hearty and warm, and it filled all of them with vigor. There was a hint of ale in it, and they soon felt their limitations leave them.

Once everyone was done and the bowls were set aside to be washed, Lancelot cleared his throat. “My tale,” he began, “is but a simple one. I was born as a peasant in an inconsequential village in the far north of Albion. I lived my childhood nice and easy, with my job as a farmhand. Then I heard that the Camelot Knights were looking for new members. I trekked across the country to get there, only to find out that it was reserved for nobles only.”

“A shame, too. He’s a right hand with a sword,” Merlin said jovially.

“So, I met Merlin after a day or two. He was kind enough to give me his lodgings, and helped me forge a false noble’s crest. He even wrote a full family tree and aged it with magic. I entered basic training, and I got very far in. I was elected for knighthood, and Arthur wanted to make me one too, but Uther discovered that my family tree and crest was fake. He and Arthur argued for a while, but Arthur finally gave in, and I was banished. Then, when Uther died and Arthur was made king, he brought me back and made me a knight on the spot.”

“My story isn’t really much to tell,” Robin said. “I was a thief, plain and simple. I stole from the rich, and gave to the poor. That’s it.”

“Wow…” Applebloom said, eyes still wider than plates. She was standing in front of a real, live knight, a healer, and a thief, just like in the stories that Granny told her at bedtime.

“Alright, where do you live, little one?” Lancelot said. Applebloom frowned, remembering that there were probably some ponies looking for her at that very moment.

“It’s a town called Ponyville outside the forest. Y’all know how ta get there?”

“I will in a minute,” Merlin said, closing his eyes in concentration. He whispered a few unintelligible words, then opened his eyes. They flashed gold, and he turned to face her. “I’ve found it. Now, let’s go before anything else tries to kill us.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Applebloom, where are ya?” Applejack shouted, her eyes brimming with tears. It was midmorning, and they’d searched through more than a mile of the Everfree Forest. Applebloom was nowhere to be found.

“Applejack, do you think she went farther in than this?” Twilight asked. “When a pony gets angry, they don’t really tend to focus on danger. She might be miles in by now.”

“Then we go farther in!” she shouted. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded sharply and dashed forward, shouting “Applebloom!” left and right. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy buzzed the treetops, their pegasus reflexes allowing them to flit through an area in record time. Twilight and Rarity were pouring all of their magic into a tracking spell that pointed farther into the forest. Meanwhile, Pinkie was being… Pinkie. She had refused to enter the search once they had reached the Everfree, adamantly stating that Applebloom would be fine and would come out of the forest at the end of the day with three new friends.

Applejack shook her head and sighed. Pinkie did some crazy things, but that was outright ridiculous.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lancelot led the group through a thick patch of glow-moss, as Robin had begun to call it (he was very creative with names). The tip of his sword was gleaming in the parched noon light, and his eyes flickered back and forth across the trees. Behind him, Applebloom trotted merrily, unaware of her new friend’s tenseness as she chatted idly with Merlin. Robin was watching the three with hawking eyes, his hood and cloak only showing his leather moccasins.

“I’m telling you, there’s something wrong here,” Lancelot insisted. “We haven’t been attacked in a good three hours.”

“So?” Robin said. “The better luck we have, the faster we get out of this thrice-blasted forest. I haven’t recognized nearly as many plants as I did back in Sherwood.”

“Ah’ve been meanin’ ta ask y’all about that,” Applebloom put in. Robin and Merlin looked at her inquisitively, while Lancelot’s ears perked slightly. “How come Merlin’s s’posed ta be the great healer when Robin knows so much about plants? It jus’ don’t make sense.” Robin stared at her in disbelief for a few moments, then, with clarity adorning his face, he barked out a laugh.

“I forgot that your kind don’t know who I am,” he chuckled. “See, back in Sherwood, everyone knew who “Robin of the Hood” was. I wasn’t a thief for nothing, you know. I had to know how to make sure my victims kept out of my business, but I never really liked killing ‘em unless they actually deserved it. I mixed up some paralysis poisons instead, and put them in their evening wine. Blessed thing, wine; it masks a lot of poisons if you mix up just the right amount.”

With that, Robin went off on a tangent, muttering to himself about the palates of the richer folk. Lancelot frowned while Merlin chuckled and Applebloom just looked confused.

Merlin’s face, as suddenly as it brightened, turned dark again. “Everyone back!” he shouted. Even Applebloom wasted no time complying with the order. The barely got clear of Merlin before a thunderous roar shook the treetops. A clearing several paces ahead of the group began to flicker red-orange.

Merlin ran ahead, the others following tentatively. Lancelot was scowling in a manner that reminded Applebloom of very serious injury, Robin looked absolutely bewildered, and she herself was shaking in her horseshoes.

The treeline broke to reveal a trio of enormous wyverns. Unlike their dragon brothers, they had no legs, lofting themselves on their armlike wings. Three bloody, blackened talons glinted in the firelight on each wing. Their tails whipped around as they circled their target, a dying sea serpent, floating in a shallow river.

“Eorðe, lyft, fyr, wæter, hiersumaþ me!” Merlin roared. His eyes flashed a pale orange, and energy coursed through him. The fire died as the air rent itself asunder, forming pockets that the wyverns could not fly through. They crashed to the ground while the earth curled up around them, pinning their wings and tails. The water split around the serpent’s body and rose to form very deadly-looking spikes around the lizards’ heads.

“Tell me why you have done this, beasts!” he bellowed. The voice, unbidden by his normal reservation, came out as a series of resounding snarls and roars. Applebloom was utterly lost, as was Robin, but Lancelot looked on in awe as Merlin conversed with the not-dragons.

The three wyverns, however, stopped thrashing and stared at Merlin with utter disbelief. They blinked and hissed, before sending a long jet of flame at Merlin. Applebloom screeched as the flames washed over him, and Lancelot and Robin instinctively drew their weapons flush with their targets. As the torrent of fire died, however, Merlin stood unharmed among a line of blackened ash.

“It is him!” they hissed as one. Applebloom raised an eyebrow. She thought that only dragons, griffins and diamond dogs spoke a coherent language.

“It is him!” they continued. “The true King! Praise be to the Last Dragonlord!” Merlin was surprised, but not overly so. Dragons didn’t exactly like Dragonlords, but he supposed that hate must have been lost on their relatives.

“So I am still the last Dragonlord?” he said. It was always a secret hope of his that some unknown relative bearing the same power had popped up, but it was a fleeting light. The trio nodded.

“After the freedom of our great ancestor, Kilgharrah, the Last Dragonlord set out on a quest to find another dragon egg. He found it and hatched it, and named it…”

“Aithusa,” Merlin replied sadly. Lancelot raised an eyebrow. After Merlin’s revelation of magic, he had begun to teach Lancelot, Elyan and Sagramore of Hungary the language of the Old Religion. Aithusa supposedly correlated to the light of the noonday sun –a strange name, but none more so than Lancelot.

“Yes,” the middle one snarled. “ After the Great Battle of Camelot, when good King Arthur died and Kilgharrah left with Aithusa, they birthed a new thunder of dragons. But we changed. We were unlike the false dragons that made their home here. We became true dragons, the overseers of the druids’ forests. We became the princes of our kind, the last and only defense of these most holy and sacred grounds.”

“You mean this is-” Merlin began.

“Yes, Emrys,” the wyverns hissed. It was somewhat disconcerting to hear them speaking simultaneously. “This is the Perilous Land, where the great Fisher King died, and where the earth was restored to its former glory.”

“That’s brilliant!” Merlin shouted. “Lance, Robin, Applebloom, guess what?”

“The dragons have decided not to kill us?” Robin asked hopefully. Merlin nodded.

“Not just that. I also know where we are!” he pointed to the noonday sun, the aithusa. “If we turn left, we’ll reach the Lake of Avalon, and if we stay on this path, we’ll be heading straight to Camelot! It’s brilliant!”

“If you say so,” Robin said. He nocked an arrow. “I still wanna shoot the dragons.”

“May we eat the hooded one?” the dragons asked politely. Everyone, even Robin, shared a good laugh.