A Dream Once Lostby RegicideChaptersYou don't have to be a hero to save someone.Surprise Encounter!Giving to the...unworthy?You don't have to be a hero to save someone.Pine Bark ran through the forest for all he was worth, ducking and weaving as obstacles attempted to block his path. He couldn’t see it, but he could hear the thundering steps of the creature chasing him. He was still a few minutes away from the village; could he outrun it for that long? No, it was not a question of if he could or not, he had to outrun it. The death on his heels did not allow for failure. A minute passed. He hadn’t slowed at all, but the creature seemed to have a harder time going through the brush and low-hanging branches. He could make it. Another minute. He could still sense it, but his distance from it hadn’t changed. One more mi- In a blur of motion and pain, he crashed snout first into the roots spread out before him on the forest floor. No. No no no no. His brain could barely process what had just happened. His vision swam as he looked down at his legs. His right hoof had become tangled in a loose clump of roots, likely dug up by some small animal foraging for food. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all, but the only sound that escaped his lips was a pitiful whimper. He would never see his parents again. He would never see his sister again. Only a handful of breaths had passed since he had fallen. Plenty of time for the creature to catch up. He turned to look at it, mind going numb with fear. He had often been told stories of monsters like these by his parents. Fairy tales, involving gallant stallions that faced off against dark creatures in order to rescue the fair mare from her cruel fate. He knew what this was. Timber wolf. But this was no story and he was no gallant stallion. A young colt couldn’t hope to win against such a feral beast. Knowing that its prey was trapped and out of options, the timber wolf approached the young pony. Its maw hung open, revealing rows of disgustingly sharp, yellow teeth; saliva dripped from its tongue like blood might pour from a wound, anticipating the taste of the meat before it. Pine Bark closed his eyes and tried to prepare for the pain. He wasn’t prepared, however, to hear the timber wolf yelp in what sounded like…pain? His eyes shot open, full of hope, to see who could be trying to save him. As his eyes landed upon the form of his savior, he felt both elation and absolute terror. Maple. Unbeknownst to Pine, his sister had suspected that he was planning something. She didn’t know what, but she was the older sibling, so she felt that it was her responsibility to help take care of her younger brother. Her father had even praised her, saying that she was capable of protecting Pine; she didn’t want to let him down, so she had followed her brother out into the forest, hoping to keep him out of trouble and get him home safely. Maple shadowed him all the way to his hideout, staying hidden on a small hill that overlooked the area in front of the root cave. It never crossed the filly’s mind that things could go so wrong. She had expected him to scuffle with the owl a bit and then to return home, either victorious or with a bruised ego. But that… As soon as she saw Pine freeze while looking into the cave she knew something was wrong. When he ran off moments later, followed swiftly by a blur of wood, muscle and teeth, her fears were confirmed. She raced after them as fast as she could, pure adrenaline coursing through her veins. She had to help him. She had to. How she could help him had not yet crossed her mind. She was still a filly, only two years older than Pine, but such a thing seemed irrelevant at the time. Her brother needed her. That was all that mattered. When she caught up with them it looked as if Pine had tripped. He sat on the ground, breaths coming in short gasps, eyes closed in preparation for the teeth that were even now getting closer to him. A split second of panic was all it took for her to assess the situation. Scooping up a mouthful of loose dirt, she charged at the back of the timber wolf, making as much noise as possible in hopes that it would turn around and ignore her brother. Her wish was granted as the timber wolf perked its ears and spun around at her approach. It leveled its hungry, yellow eyes at her. At the same time, she sucked in a deep breath through her nose and spat the dirt she carried in the wolf’s eyes with as much force as she could muster. The beast yelped as the unexpected attack made contact with its vulnerable irises. As it pawed at its face, Maple used the time to run past it and help her brother. His eyes made contact with hers and she saw both the fear and the hope there. Her eyes probably looked similar at the moment, but she didn’t even stop to consider it as she finally reached the young colt. He wasn’t stuck too badly; it took only a moment and two bitten roots to free him. However, in that precious time, the timber wolf had regained its sight and twisted around to glare at the source of its pain. Maple positioned herself between the wolf and Pine. “Pine, I need you to listen to me,” she said, her voice steady despite her growing fear, “I’m going to try to lead it away from you, so you have to run back home and get dad.” But how could he leave her like that?! He was about to protest when she cut him off. “Pine! Please!” The desperation in her voice made him shut his mouth. Unable to trust his voice, he simply gave a nod. He knew that she had a better chance than he did, but that knowledge did nothing to relieve the disgusting feeling of guilt welling up inside of his throat. All he could do was send a silent prayer to the Princesses that Maple would be safe. On some unseen signal, Maple dashed quickly to the left, hoping to distract the timber wolf while her brother slowly backed away, never letting his eyes fall from the monster. The ploy worked. The wolf seemed to ignore Pine completely in favor of the meat that had caused it pain. While Maple’s eyes locked with those of the wolf, Pine took the chance to turn around and bolt home. If he was fast, his father could be out here in ten minutes. As long as Maple could hold it off… Shaking his head, he stopped thinking. There was no need for thought now. If he had time to think, he wasn’t running fast enough. The timber wolf was the one to break the staring contest between the two as it began to advance on the small filly. Maple knew she had to come up with something, fast, or she wouldn’t be around long enough for her dad to save her. However, with her brother gone, her courage was draining quickly. Think, think think! Time for her to formulate a plan ran out as the beast lunged at her. With a yelp, she managed to dive out of the way just in time to avoid instant death, but the wolf’s jaws didn’t stop; they continued snapping at her while she kicked her hind legs at the ground desperately to stay out of reach. Through sheer luck, she happened to kick a rock that ricocheted off of the wolf’s teeth, causing it to flinch backwards for a second. That second was all Maple needed to get up and start running. She had no idea where she was going, having lost all sense of direction in her struggle to avoid those monstrous teeth. But it didn’t matter as long as she could stay away from the wolf. She heard a frustrated growl behind her as the wolf began a new chase. Much like her brother, she twisted and wove through everything that might impede the timber wolf. Anything to slow it down. However, it seemed that all of her efforts were for naught. Even now, she could still feel its breath getting closer to her tail, its loud panting grating away at her. She ran for what felt like hours, though it could have been minutes; exhaustion was steadily gaining on her, and if it caught her, her death would be assured just as if it was the timber wolf itself. She stumbled for just a moment, but the filly managed to catch herself before she hit the ground. However, her delay was plenty of time for the wolf. With a throaty growl, it closed in and bit her hard on her right leg. She cried out as its teeth sunk into her flesh, causing her to fall forward due to their momentum. She knew then that she was done, but she wanted to hold on just a second longer, so in a last ditch effort to prolong her life she kicked out with her left leg at the wolf’s head. Celestia must have been smiling upon her, because her kick connected solidly with the wolf’s left eye. She felt it crunch underneath her hoof as the wolf half yelped, half howled in pain, letting go of her right leg in the process. She got up, trying to limp away from the wolf, but she was pitifully slow. The timber wolf was approaching a blood rage. The meat had injured its eye again. It glared up at the meat that was trying to limp away. Oh, how sweet it would be. The fear in this meat would only make it more delicious when it was finally dead. However, fate seemed to be against the timber wolf that day, as the limping filly suddenly vanished. The beast, unable to understand what had happened, ran forward to see where the meat had disappeared to. As it stuck its long snout through the low brush, comprehension flooded it. The meat had fallen down a cliff. The wolf scrambled for a moment, trying to get down to where the meat had fallen, but it was nearly a vertical drop. It grunted in anger before it started to circle around in an attempt to get down to where its prize waited. Maple Bark was floating in and out of consciousness as she lay at the bottom of the cliff she had fallen off of. It was a miracle that she had survived. The drop must have been over a hundred feet; it was the brush growing off the side of the rock that had saved her life. She had been just light enough that it slowed her fall when she crashed through it. If a fully grown mare had fallen in the same way she had, the mare would have been dead without a doubt. In her daze, however, she realized that she needed to get to safety. The wolf would probably try to find a way to get to her. She managed to drag herself to her hooves using willpower she never thought she had. Broken, bleeding and semi-conscious, Maple followed the only thing she could think to, which happened to be the smell of smoke from a fire. Duke had traveled as far as he could before darkness overtook the land. If he knew his location he might have been willing to travel by night, but as things stood he felt that he was better served by resting until the sun came up in the morning. He had managed to gather a small supply of fruit and berries that appeared edible while traveling, so once he found a suitable clearing to camp for the night, he simply gathered enough firewood to keep him until dawn. He had only been in this place for a maximum of ten hours, but already he felt sure that this was not his Terca Lumireis. While there were a few familiar ones, he had never seen the majority of the plants he encountered that day, and he recognized little of the fruit. The biggest indicator, however, was the lack of monsters. Terca Lumireis was populated with a great variety of monster species and so far he had seen nothing in his travels aside from ordinary animals. He was gazing at the fire while sifting through his thoughts, when a sudden rustling caught his attention on the western end of his campsite. He did not get up, but he moved his right hand to cover the handle of Dein Nomos. His eyes widened as the creature stepped out into the light cast by the fire. It was something that he had never seen before. It looked almost like a very small pony, but its coloring was a far-cry from what he was used to and its facial structure was different. Its eyes were much larger than a normal pony’s, and its snout was much shorter. However, the most striking feature of this particular creature was the fact that it was on death’s doorstep. It was covered in blood, had several clearly broken ribs, and from the way it wobbled it was likely concussed as well. It must have followed the scent of the fire, because it had clearly lost most of the function in its eyes at this point. He stood up to see if he could help the poor thing, and as he did it looked at him. His surprise at his visitor multiplied ten-fold with what it did next. In a small, quivering voice, it spoke just a few words to him, before it sagged to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. “Please…help me…” Surprise Encounter!As Pine Bark reached the edge of the forest, his heart soared. It wouldn’t be long now until he made it back home; once his father was told of the situation, he would take up his axe and set off immediately to rescue Maple. He had faith that his sister would be able to stave off the wolf in order to buy them all the precious time that was needed. She would be alright. He had to repeat that thought to himself over and over as he ran through the village, clinging to it like a mantra to repel the fear that lurked ever closer, threatening to drown him in its embrace. Finally, he reached the front steps of his home. He burst through the door, causing it to slam loudly into the wall off to his right, but he didn’t even register the noise as he charged towards his parent’s room. He barely managed to skid to a halt and avoid slamming headlong into Steel Bark, who had jumped out of his bed in order to see who had thrown his door open in the middle of the night. Emerald was close behind him and, after avoiding a near collision, they both went wide-eyed at the sight of their battered son, panting like he had just escaped from the depths of Tartarus. “Dad! Hideout, timber wolf, Maple’s in danger, you have to hurry!” he gasped out. Despite the jumbled manner of his son’s message, he had understood two things well enough. Timber wolf. Maple. His blood froze in his veins for a fraction of a second before he exploded into motion. He didn’t stop to question why a timber wolf would be out here so far from the Everfree as he charged out to the shed in order to grab his woodcutting axe. Emerald and Pine were coming up on his heels as he turned around towards his son. “Where is she?” “The hideout where the owl was today, I’ll lead y-” He was cut off as his father raised a hoof for him to be quiet. “No,” said Steel, “I know the spot, stay here with your mother.” Pine was about to protest but Steel ignored him and faced his wife. “Emerald, I need you to sound the warning bell and get everypony together to form a search party.” He told her. Emerald wanted nothing more than to charge out into the forest with her husband and help rescue their daughter, but she knew that alerting the village was important. The faster they could get more ponies out there looking for Maple, the higher her chances of survival would be. Choking down her instincts, Emerald gave Steel a curt nod before she ran off toward the bell tower in the center of Hoof Fall, Pine Bark in tow. Steel had managed to cross the village and get into the forest in record time, carrying his axe in his mouth all the while. It had taken Pine, in his adrenaline fueled dash, close to ten minutes to get back home from where the wolf had almost killed him, but Steel covered the distance in five. The longer he took, the less likely his daughter’s survival became. As he was nearing the cave that he knew Pine often visited, he noticed something ahead of him and brought down his front hooves, skidding to a halt. He had never been more grateful for a full moon, the light of which managed to illuminate the small clearing he was standing in and allowed him see the signs of the struggle that had occurred here recently. Two small pony tracks and one set of tracks that could only belong to the timber wolf. One set of pony tracks lead back in the direction that he had come from. The other set, however, was intermixed with those of the wolf, and lead deeper into the forest. Steel followed the trail as fast as he could, but he was forced to slow his pace significantly by the lack of proper light. While the glow of the moon made the tracks visible, the nighttime shadows spread thickly among the branches of the trees, obscuring the areas where they fell. In some spots, he had to tread forward blindly, hoping and praying that the two he was following hadn’t taken any sharp turns. It was agonizing, being unable to get to his daughter faster when she needed him, but if he lost the trail and was forced to backtrack, the situation would only grow worse. Finally, after about two hours at a steady trot, Steel Bark ran across something other than the same, volatile tracks he had been following up until that point. It was not what he had wanted to find. Blood. His daughter’s blood. Steel bit the handle of his axe so hard he thought it might break in two; the wolf had caught her. Powerful emotions threatened to overwhelm him where he stood. Anger. Denial. Sadness. Hopelessness. He fought to keep them back as he surveyed his surroundings. The signs of a struggle were clear, even in the branch-filtered moonlight. Something had enabled the wolf to catch up with Maple. Perhaps she had finally reached her limit and exhaustion had claimed her, perhaps the wolf found a hidden pocket of energy in itself and managed to speed up to grab ahold of her, or perhaps she had simply tripped over one of the many gnarled roots in the area. Regardless of the reason, the result was absolute. Maple was dead. Closing his eyes, Steel turned around and began his long trek back to the village. As he walked with heavy hooves, and a heavier heart, he thought about how he could tell his wife and son that he had been too late. If he had been in a more coherent state of mind, Steel Bark might have given the area where his daughter had fallen a more thorough search, and in doing so he might have found that the tracks continued on just a little bit further, through some dense brush that hid the edge of a cliff. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t. So he proceeded home, thinking his daughter dead, while thoughts of vengeance tickled at the fringes of his mind. The forest was alive with the sounds of animals as the midmorning sun shone down on the land. As they awakened, each creature, large and small, announced their joy at the beginning of another new day, ready for the challenges that lay ahead of them. It was those sounds that caused consciousness to return to Maple Bark after her taxing night of fleeing from the clutches of death. Her eyes cracked open slowly, revealing that she was lying in a small clearing in the forest, upon a bed of leaves and moss. The smell of an extinguished campfire lingered in the air. Confusion reigned in her head for just a moment before the memories of the previous night returned to her in a flash. Following her brother, distracting the wolf, the chase and also her two near misses with death; the wolf’s bite as well as the fall from a cliff. As soon as her body was able to catch up with her mind, she leapt to her hooves and looked to examine herself. She clearly remembered the pain of each of her injuries, yet now, looking at her body, there was no evidence left of her flight. There were still pangs of soreness in spots, but all in all she appeared entirely healthy. It was after this that her final memory caught up with her. There had been somepony in the forest camping out. They must have helped her. Finally lifting her gaze away from herself, Maple looked around the make-shift campsite where she had spent the night. Almost immediately, her eyes landed on another being sharing the space with her. However, it was not a pony. She had never seen or heard of anything like it. It was sitting down on a fallen log looking at her. Even sitting down, it was taller than she was. Its face was much flatter than a pony’s, and its long mane was a bright white, falling down its back and ending in multiple curls. Judging by the fact that it wore a set of elegant looking red clothes, she assumed it to be intelligent. Perhaps it had been the one to help her? However, even as these thoughts processed through her mind, her body was already reacting in its own way. She stared at the tall figure in front of her like a cow caught in the middle of a group of hungry snakes. Duke was calmly observing the small ‘pony’ that had just woken up. After it had stumbled into his camp and collapsed, he had carried it over to the bed of plants that he had made for himself and deposited it there. After assessing its wounds, he had tapped into one of his more potent healing artes to help the creature recover. Although there wasn’t any ‘Aer’ here, whatever had replaced it functioned in much the same way. He had tested it out as he walked the day prior, using small artes and comparing the effects with what he was used to. It appeared that the overall power of his artes had dropped by about twenty percent, however, in exchange, his casting speed was faster than it had been before. He assumed this was likely due to the lightness of the substance that surrounded him now. The pony, after a brief moment of orienting itself, looked around and its eyes quickly landed on him. It froze, a flash of fear in its eyes. However, the fear lasted only a few moments, before it seemed to take control of itself. Duke met its gaze with a neutral expression, a slight curiosity present in his eyes. The pony was the one to break the silence. “H-Hello?” It stuttered. She, Duke corrected. And young, too. He hadn’t noticed the night before due to the hoarseness of her voice, but this small pony’s tone had a clearly feminine ring to it. “Greetings, little one,” he replied, “You’ve finally come to. You were injured quite badly last night. Do you remember?” “Yeah,” she nodded, seeming to regain some of her bravery now that she knew he could talk. “Were you the one who helped me?” “Yes. You surprised me when you came into my campsite looking the way you did. If it had been a half hour later, I’m not sure I could have healed you.” Maple gulped upon hearing that. She had felt so close to death, felt it in her bones, but it was still disconcerting to hear it said out loud by somepony else. There was a pause before she responded, “Thank you, mister. For helping me.” Duke gave her a steady nod. “You’re welcome. Now that you’re awake, perh-” He was unable to complete his sentence as a loud rumble filled the small clearing, apparently having emanated from the young filly before him. She blushed slightly as her empty stomach made itself know. A ghost of a smile tugged at Duke’s lips. “Perhaps we should have breakfast before we go on.” Maples ears flicked at the mention of breakfast, but she made no other move. Seeing that she was still rather nervous, Duke slowly reached for the small pack of berries, fruit and nuts he had gathered the previous day. Opening it, he took out an apple and held it towards the filly. She held back a moment more, but then slowly began trotting towards his hand. Tentatively, she reached out and took the apple in her mouth. Shuffling back a few steps, she sat down and watched Duke for a moment. Ignoring her gaze, Duke took out another apple and began to eat. On his second bite, he heard the clear sound of someone else taking a bite out of something, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the pony begin working at her apple with gusto. Maple finished her food first. Her eyes strayed towards Duke’s pack for a second, but then quickly shot away. However, Duke had caught the look, and after taking out another apple and a few nuts for himself, he passed the rest of the pack over to her. Upon receiving it, she didn’t hold back for a second as she set to satisfy her empty belly. After the ordeals she had been through it was no surprise that now, in safety, she was ravenous. Several apples, blue berries, strawberries, nuts and even a few roots later, Maple finally leaned back and let out a contented sigh. Duke, having finished eating several minutes ago, started up the conversation again. “So, do you have a name, little one?” he asked. “Maple,” she responded. Having lost most of her fear of the creature in front of her, she stood up and made her way to sit near him, leaning her back against the log that he was sitting on. “Maple Bark. What’s yours?” “My name is Duke.” He responded. “Duke…” she echoed. “Weird name.” Something in the back of her mind was screaming at her as she sat there, but she couldn’t identify it. Was she missing something? She paused for a moment before asking a question. “I’ve never seen anypony like you before, what exactly are you?” Duke frowned slightly. “I am a human.” Maple gave a curious tilt of her head, never having heard the word ‘human’ before. Meanwhile, Duke floated in his thoughts for a moment. He may have given Brave Vesperia a chance to change the future, but that didn’t change the fact that he cared little for humanity as a whole. Humans were generally greedy, destructive creatures that cared for nothing but themselves. However, if the filly’s question was any indication, this place may not have a sizable population of humans, if any at all. It was a thought that stirred a strange feeling of bitter peace inside of him. He might be the only human here. Elucifer…what if… No. He cut off his line of thought. It wouldn’t do for him to wallow in what-ifs and could-have-beens; Elucifer was gone, and despite all of his wishes, nothing could change that. His mind back on track, he decided that it was about time he figured out more of his situation. The filly in front of him would likely know enough of this world to give him some idea of where he had arrived. “Now that you know what I am, perhaps you could tell me what exactly you are? And what the name of this place is?” They spent the next thirty minutes talking to one another. Well, for the most part it was Maple doing the talking as she told Duke the majority of what she knew about Equestria. She told him of the two princesses who ruled the land, of the different pony races, and of her home, Hoof Fall. Duke only spoke up to ask questions, preferring to listen silently otherwise. He was rather pleased with some of the stories that Maple told him. These ponies, they were such a selfless race. If only humanity could have been like these creatures… As they were nearing the end of their conversation, Maple finally managed to ask Duke a question. “So where did you come from anyway? I can’t believe that ponies there have never even heard about Equestria!” Duke replied without missing a beat. “I come from a land very far away. The reason we have never heard of Equestria is likely because there are no ponies like you there.” At his response, Maple silently mouthed the words ‘no ponies,’ it was such an alien thought to her. Were the rest of the creatures all like Duke, then? She was about to ask him when another thought suddenly struck her. The thought that had been out of reach just a short while ago. It was such a glaringly obvious thing; she was both surprised and disgusted that she hadn’t noticed it before. Why was she sitting here talking to Duke? Why, when her family must still be out looking for her in the forest? When they didn’t know that she was safe? She quickly jumped to her feet and started running towards the woods, looking back at Duke as she ran. “I-I-gotta-go-find-my-daddy-he-must-be-worried-sick-looking-for-me-I-” She promptly tripped over a small root. Her hatred for roots grew. As she was picking herself back up, Duke stood and walked over to her. “If you wish, I will accompany you back to your home.” Duke told her. It would serve both of them if he went back with the filly. He would be able to get his first glimpse of pony civilization, while Maple would have a travelling companion. But regardless of the potential losses and benefits, he would not let an innocent child wander alone into an obviously dangerous forest. Even a human child would have received his protection in such a situation, but it went doubly so for this young one. If her stories of ponykind were true and if there were really no other humans here…Then this might be the closest he had ever been to the world Elucifer and he had wished for. Maple looked up at Duke for a moment before nodding her head. “Which direction is Hoof Fall in?” he asked. “Uh, I…” Maple looked around desperately, “I don’t know.” She finished, her shoulders slumped in the realization that she had no idea how to get home. Her desperate scramble to get away from the timber wolf, combined with the concussion that she had gotten from her fall, had left her thoroughly unable to remember where she had come from. “Then, perhaps we could try going the direction that you wandered in from last night.” Duke suggested, beginning to walk towards the bushes that the filly had previously made her introduction through. Maple gave a small squeak as her shoulders unslumped themselves and she quickly trotted after Duke. They walked at a steady pace. Although she was young, Maple was able to keep up with her human companion well. Four legs were faster than two, after all. In short order, they came upon the cliff that Maple must have fallen down the previous night. The filly could only gulp as she looked up at it. She looked off to both sides to see if there was an easier way to get up, but the same, bare, face seemed to stretch on and on in both directions. But she needed to get back now! The gears in her mind were still turning as Duke bent down and placed a hand on her head. Her thoughts interrupted, she looked up at him questioningly. Just as she was getting ready to ask him what he was doing, the world suddenly compressed around them. It was a very strange sensation, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She felt sick for a moment before it suddenly stopped, and the world was normal once again. She wobbled on her hooves, taking a few steps back, afraid that she would throw up. “W-What was that?!” she half yelped, half asked. “Teleportation.” Duke responded, “You seem surprised, yet you said that unicorns are able to do similar things.” He could use magic! So then that was how he healed her. It wasn’t a huge surprise, considering how badly she had been injured, but it was still strange to see somepony so different from a unicorn using magic like that. Also, she didn’t see a horn anywhere on his body, so how could he do it? Stowing away her own questions for later, she responded to his. “I-I’ve just never been teleported before. It feels really weird.” Another thought then dawned on her, “So if you can teleport why can’t you just teleport us to my house?” she asked hopefully. “I am not capable of long range teleportation.” Maple was a bit downtrodden at his curt answer, having thought that she might have found an instant solution for her problem, but she perked up again as Duke began walking away from the cliff through some thick shrubbery. She followed steadily behind him. She didn’t have time to mope, she had to get home to her family. Despite her resolve, the sight that she found a moment later made her want to turn and run. Bile rose in her throat. It was different from the feeling brought by teleporting; this urge to release the contents of her stomach had nothing to do with a physical sensation, it was purely mental. In front of her, sprayed across the ground in a thick, dry puddle, was a dark red substance. It was so dark that it was nearing black. She hadn’t realized how much blood she had lost. For the third time that day, she thanked Celestia that she had survived, and this time she also silently thanked Duke for having been able to heal her. Duke, having spent the majority of his life out in the embrace of nature, had no trouble finding their way through the forest. He traversed easily through each gully and over each root, like he had walked through the Darkgreen forest many times before. Neither of them spoke as they walked, Duke simply preferring to keep his thoughts to himself, while Maple was quiet due to her nerves. They followed her initial trail for about an hour before something broke the silence. It was a voice, but it did not belong to the human or the filly. It was feminine, but sounded as if it belonged to an adult. Duke stopped immediately so that he could hear better. Listening closely, he could detect several other voices as well. They all spoke the same language that he did, but he couldn’t make out more than a few words here and there. He thought to himself as he stood in place. Should they avoid this group? If they had come from the village then they might be able to help them find their way, but what if it was just a group of travelers? That would likely delay them when they should be focusing on getting to Hoof Fall. His decision was made for him when Maple gasped and took off galloping towards the sound of the voices. He watched her for a second, but as she gained distance from him, she called out one word that made her reaction understandable. “Mom!” Duke heard the voices go quiet for a moment, before the first one he had heard responded to the filly’s shout. “M-Maple?” It sounded like the speaker couldn’t believe her own words. Maple called back to her mother, and shortly after she ran out of Duke’s line of sight, he heard the clear sound of a gasp and then multiple voices cheering. Duke began walking slowly towards the sounds of celebration. “Oh Maple, Maple, Maple, Maple!” Emerald cried as she hugged her daughter close, “Where in the world have you been? Your father came home last night and said that y-you were dead!” She rambled on a few moments more, not even giving the young filly she was squeezing a chance to think about replying. As much as she enjoyed the attention from her parent, it was getting harder for her to breathe. Finally, with a squeak, Maple managed to maneuver herself out of her mother’s grip. “Mom, I’m okay! A stallion named Duke found me and h-” she was cut off suddenly as her mother grabbed her and pulled her back behind herself. Emerald then stood to glare at the creature that had just walked out of the trees where her daughter had come from only moments ago. The rest of the ponies in the area also shot looks at the creature, readying their weapons in their mouths and settling into stances that would allow them to move quickly towards the beast. Whatever this was, it wouldn’t get them now that they had found out that Maple Bark had survived. While the ponies got ready for a confrontation, Duke simple observed them. It was no great surprise that he would be met with initial hostility. It was his hope, however, that these ponies would be more open to his presence once his situation was more widely known. Still, while they shouldn’t present any real threat to him, he placed his hand upon Dein Nomos regardless. In the unlikely event that he would have to draw his sword, he wanted to be prepared. The tension on the pony’s side was growing thick, and just as it seemed that one of them would make a move for Duke, a small, angry bundle of fur jumped between them. “Everypony quit it!” Maple shouted at the top of her lungs. Duke’s expression never wavered. The ponies, on the other hand, were surprised; but Emerald quickly collected her wits. “Maple, what are you doing? That creature could be dangerous!” She tried to reason with her daughter, but by Maple’s expression, she would be having none of it. Maple turned towards Duke and began trotting up to him while the ponies all held their breath. Once she reached his legs, she firmly plopped herself down next to his foot and turned to face her mother. “Mom, this is Duke. He found me after I got away from the wolf and healed me.” She said. Emerald’s eyes shot from her daughter to the now known ‘Duke’ that stood next to her filly. “Is that true?” She asked her daughter. “Indeed.” Was the answer she got, and it made her and a few other ponies jump slightly. For it was not Maple that had answered the question, but Duke. His voice was surprisingly deep; even deeper than her husband’s. “You can talk?” asked one of the stallions in the crowd shakily. Emerald just rolled her eyes. Some stallions. As if the creature hadn’t just spoken. Of course it could talk. Emerald turned her gaze back toward Duke, observing him, but this time her malice was replaced with a cautious curiosity. He seemed to be ignoring her daughter, who was still planted firmly by his boot, in favor of returning her gaze. It lasted a moment more before Emerald broke their staring contest. She approached Duke at an even pace, her nerves steady. Her next move surprised the ponies, Maple included, and caused Duke to raise an eyebrow. She positioned herself in front of Duke, then raised her fore hooves and enveloped him in a brief, tight hug. “Thank you for helping my daughter.” She whispered. He was released from the hug a second later. If this creature was the reason that she had her daughter back, then she would give him her trust. It was an instinctual thing, though logic did not desert her entirely. To find an injured filly far out in the woods and take care of her spoke of his character. It would have been so much easier for him to abandon Maple, yet he had not. He had chosen the more difficult path and not only healed her daughter’s injuries, but also chosen to accompany her on her way home. As such, Emerald Bark felt that she was justified putting her faith in this ‘Duke.’ Emerald then turned to speak with her daughter, but was interrupted as the filly gave her mother a hug of her own, bright smile locked firmly on her face. The group settled in to take a break where they were, giving them all a chance to come down from their emotional roller-coaster, and also providing Duke with a chance to interact with the ponies a bit. There were one or two who were still reluctant to get close to him, but the others all warmed to him well enough. He spoke with the stallion who had been the closest to attacking him earlier. He learned a few things: the stallion’s name was Strong Light, he was a blacksmith by trade, and that this was not, in fact, a search party out looking for Emerald’s lost daughter Maple. It was a hunting group. After Steel Bark had returned the night prior with news that his daughter had not survived, he and several other stallions had set about organizing four hunting parties, each ten ponies strong, to track down the timber wolf. For Steel, it was likely a matter of vengeance, while for the others it was fear for their own families that drove them. Regardless of the reasons involved, the four groups had set out earlier that morning in an attempt to locate the renegade wolf and put an end to it. Duke wanted to ask Strong about the different pony races, since Maple had never gone deeply into it, but the chance was taken from him as Emerald called for the group to get up and prepare to head back to the village. Once there, they could sound the bell to call back the other groups and let them know that Maple was alive and well. Author's Note: This took a bit longer than I would have liked, partially because I was being indecisive, and partially because I really just want to write about the Mane 6 right now. But I will carry on. I was having a little trouble deciding where to put Duke in terms of power. I don't want him OVERPOWEREDOHGODWHAT but at the same time, he's Duke. The final boss, ya know? I'm not about to make him a weak little nobody. That would be heresy. I've got it figured out now, though, so no worries. Giving to the...unworthy?He…had lost. For the sake of saving the world that he loved from both the Adephagos and humanity, he had revived the ancient weapon Tarqaron. His intention had been to sacrifice all human beings on the planet, including himself, in order to power the weapon and finally put an end to the nightmare that was the Adephagos. This would have ensured not only the immediate survival of Terca Lumireis, but also provided protection for its future. Despite the life that the planet provided them with, humanity would eventually destroy the balance of nature and in doing so would kill this world. He could not allow such an outcome, not only for his own sake, but also for the sake of his most treasured friend. He would protect Terca Lumireis no matter the cost. And yet, even though he had poured every ounce of strength that his body possessed into the final confrontation, that group calling themselves Brave Vesperia had managed to defeat him. Their goal was also to destroy the Adephagos, but they would not use Tarqaron. Instead, they had altered the Entelexeia to use against it, giving them new forms and new names. These creatures they called Spirits. The Spirits alone would not be a match for the monstrous Adephagos, but in the same way that he had intended to use human lives to fuel Tarqaron, Brave Vesperia intended to use every blastia on the planet in order to provide the necessary power to the Spirits. It was a desperate plan that left much room for failure, and guaranteed a future full of difficulty and strife. Yet they were determined to see it through, saying that it was the decision that humanity had come to. To live and face the future that they would create, regardless of what that may entail. Could they…be right? Should humanity be given this chance? Even after the humans’ betrayal, would his friend still have agreed with Yuri and his group, and become a Spirit for the sake of protecting them? His thoughts continued along that path as he watched the four Spirits gathering the strength of millions of blastia from across the world. It was a breathtaking sight to behold, like countless shooting stars flowing across the evening sky, all gathering in an area not far in front of him. However, regardless of its beauty, it still did not have the required strength to overcome the Adephagos. It was not a large lack of power, but it was enough to ensure failure. He could provide the remaining energy that was needed, but it would come with a cost. “Entelexeia…Spirits…Humans…” he spoke softly as he gazed upon what he knew would result in either the end of Terca Lumireis or the beginning of an uncertain future, “Elucifer… Can this world truly change?” Perhaps… His decision made, he stepped towards the Spirits and raised his sword, Dein Nomos. Yes… This is what Elucifer would want. To give them…a chance. With that final thought, he began channeling energy into Dein Nomos. For a moment, it swirled around his blade like a crimson breeze; then, after a few heartbeats, he aimed it at the energy that the Spirits had gathered and released it. Red vortex met blue in a surge of power. His addition proved to be enough to make up the difference between the Spirts and the Adephagos. The torrent of energy was held aloft for a second more before it was finally brought crashing down on the Adephagos, rending it apart in a massive clash of power. As the Adephagos was vanishing, however, something unexpected occurred. Out of its disappearing form fell thousands upon thousands of small lights, appearing almost similar to how the blastia had been gathered together by the Spirits. Each of those lights could only be… “Spirits…” whispered Estelle in awe. All of the Entelexeia that had been consumed by the Adephagos were now being released, and thanks to the energy from the blastia, they had been changed into Spirts. The members of Brave Vesperia all looked on in wonder as these newly created Spirits spread themselves throughout the world. Finally, after the last Spirit had descended, Yuri turned around. “So, Duke…” he began, but stopped himself short when he realized that the man he was addressing was no longer there. “Now where did he?...” “Don’t worry about it Yuri, I’m sure he’ll pop up again somewhere! He did decide to help us in the end, after all.” said Karol. “Ah, that sour-puss probably just wanted to escape before we started partying.” added Raven with a shrug. Rita perked up at this, “Speaking of which…” “Let’s go party!” They all chimed in. With the threat of the Adephagos finally eliminated and a difficult future ahead for all of them, tonight was a night that they would have to enjoy to the utmost. They had a lot to celebrate, after all, and judging by the flashing lights that could already be seen off in the distance, the rest of the guilds agreed with that verdict. Darkness was the only thing that greeted Duke as he opened his eyes. He felt a brief moment of confusion before it gave way to surprise. Was this….death? If so, it was rather strange. He had expected many things when he gave the entirety of his life energy to the Spirits in order to defeat the Adephagos, but his current state was not one of them. To be able to see Elucifer again had been his wish, but falling into some manner of worldly collective or simply ceasing to exist had also crossed his thoughts. He glanced around in an attempt to locate anything else that might be in this darkness. While he didn’t succeed in that regard, he noticed something particularly odd given his situation. He could still feel his heartbeat. Shouldn’t his heart have stopped when he died? Was it simply his mind remembering what his body was like and projecting the feeling of flesh and blood? Or, perhaps, he wasn’t dead at all, but rather in some sort of comatose state? But that sho- He was pulled out of his musings by the sudden appearance of a light off in the distance. In comparison to sunlight, it looked quite dull, but the remaining darkness framed the light and caused it to appear much brighter than it would otherwise. Duke squinted slightly as he observed it. It seemed to be getting closer. Perhaps, then, this place was just a mid-way point between life and death; A final stop before the ultimate end. It took a brief time for the brightness to reach him, and when it finally did, his mind was at peace before his consciousness was consumed by the light. The sensation of being in a forest filled him. The transition from the light that had enveloped him to his current state was not a sudden one; rather, it felt as if he had been standing in a forest the entire time without having realized it. His vision was blurry at first, but after a few moments it began swimming back into focus. Slowly, as if he hadn’t used his eyes in a long time, the forest around him began to take form. He was surrounded by tall evergreen trees which reached toward the sky, towering at more than ten times his own height. The undergrowth around him was minimal and felt almost controlled, but it was vibrant and healthy. There was enough for the local wildlife to survive and shelter in, but not enough to impede any passing travelers. He couldn’t hear any water nearby, but a forest radiating life such as this likely contained several smaller streams, if not a full river somewhere. But it was strange, the forest appeared so full of life, yet the Aer here was… The Aer! Duke had always been more in tune with the Aer of the world than other humans. His natural bond with Aer, combined with the abilities of Dein Nomos, put his ability to sense and manipulate the Aer around him on par with even the greatest Entelexeia. Yet what he felt now was fundamentally different from what he had known all his life. It felt wrong. Aer had a thick, almost oily feel to it. It saturated every pore of Terca Lumireis, providing life to some and death to others. In lower quantities it wasn’t particularly harmful, but high concentrations of Aer were a poison not only to living creatures, but to the planet itself. What he felt now was more akin to a light mist than the oily sensation he had become accustomed to. It was completely alien, yet it felt somehow…gentle. It lightly caressed his body, providing a comforting feeling, so different from the oppressive feeling instilled by Aer. Whatever this substance around him was, it was not Aer. But he had ventured to every corner of Terca Lumireis in his time and he had never felt anything resembling this. His mind flitted briefly to the members of Brave Vesperia. Did their Spirits do this in defeating the Adephagos? No, such a thing was impossible. The Spirits were never meant to manipulate the world in such a way. Then…could it be that this wasn’t Terca Lumireis? It was a thought that stirred many conflicting emotions in him. If he was truly no longer in the world that Elucifer and he had protected, then what was he to do? What meaning was left for him without his mission? As his thoughts drifted, he didn’t even notice the approach of a small creature on the ground until it made its way up his jacket and onto his shoulder. It chittered at him in a quizzical manner, wondering about his presence so near its home. As Duke’s eyes found the squirrel perched on his shoulder, his thoughts relaxed. He would not find his answers by standing around and worrying. His priority for the moment should be to ascertain his location. It would be getting dark within a few hours. Survival would not likely be an issue, he had always been at home in the embrace of nature, but this place was still unknown to him; it would do no harm to tread cautiously. Having taken a second to collect his scattered thoughts, Duke replied to the Squirrel’s earlier question. “It seems I’ve just gotten a bit lost, little one, I apologize for intruding upon your home. I will take my leave momentarily.” The squirrel, seemingly satisfied by his explanation, jumped off of him and skittered back towards the hollow of a nearby tree. It gave Duke a final glance before it ducked into the darkness of its nest, leaving the human to stand alone beneath the canopy of trees. Duke looked up at the remaining sunlight filtering through the branches of the forest in order to gauge his position. Although the Aer was vastly different, there was still a possibility that he was on Terca Lumireis. With his orientation in mind, Duke began walking west. He would set up camp once night fell, and continue on in the morning. If this was his home, then he would eventually reach the shoreline and be able to travel north from there to Capua Nor. And if this was not his birthplace of Terca Lumireis... then he would have to find out just where he had ended up. Another beautiful day in Hoof Fall was slowly coming to an end. Hoof Fall was a small logging village located a few days travel south of Detrot. The village, though lacking in size, was rich with history. It had been founded nearly two hundred years ago by a stallion named Golden Axe, a lumberjack of distinguished skill and incredible strength. It was said that, in order to obtain the land the village now occupied and the trees surrounding it, Golden had to fight off a fierce dragon that had made its home in the nearby mountain range. Few believed such tales, for no pony aside from the Princesses themselves could hope to best a dragon in combat, but still Golden Axe’s legacy continued on. Though he had passed away one hundred and seventy years ago, the massive axe he had used to clear the ground where Hoof Fall now stood was still kept in the town hall, where it served a special purpose for the colts and stallions of today. Beginning with the generation after Golden Axe’s passing, it had become a tradition that any young stallion wishing to become a true lumberjack would take up the founder’s axe and use it to fell a single, towering tree in the local Darkgreen Forest. That tree would later be used as a central support beam for the stallion’s house, which would be built for him and his bride by the community after he was married. However, as many would guess, everypony did not participate in this tradition. Some thought it a waste of time when their skills did not even lie in lumberjacking, while others were simply unable to carry out the task due to the sheer weight and bulk of the ancient axe. Those who did not claim their own tree were not ostracized or belittled in any way; they were a rather significant majority of the population, after all, but there was a difference in treatment for those who succeeded. The few who managed to prove themselves were treated with greater respect than any others in the village; they were given priority when it came to seasonal crops in the marketplace and their opinions would hold more sway in matters that concerned the wellbeing of Hoof Fall. To an outsider, such a practice might seem unfair, but to the citizens of Hoof Fall, it was an integral part of their heritage. Even those few ponies who cared nothing for the tradition itself still considered the act of taking up Golden’s axe and felling a tree to be impressive and warranting of respect in its own right, simply due to the physical prowess necessary to do so. One such stallion, and the most recent addition to those who could proudly call themselves ‘true’ lumberjacks, was an earth pony named Steel Bark. He had claimed his place a little over eight years ago, being the only stallion of his generation to take up the axe. There were one or two young colts in the current generation that would likely follow the tradition as well, but it would be several more years until they were old enough to try. Steel Bark lived in a large house in the southern corner of the village with his wife Emerald Bark and their two children Pine Bark and Maple Bark. They were the very picture of a happy family, spending their time together laughing and enjoying the simplicity of existence in the presence of those one cares for. It was one such evening that Steel Bark gratefully returned to after having worked out in the forest all day. Before entering, he set his axe down outside near the shed and then made his way up to the front door. “Emerald, Pine, Maple, I’m home!” he announced as he opened the door and stepped into the small foyer. His voice was met almost immediately by two smaller voices. “Daddy!” “Dad!” Maple and Pine both came galloping to the front door and threw themselves at Steel, causing him to laugh and pull them both close in a hug. As the kids were letting go, Emerald Bark came walking around the corner out of the dining room and approached her husband. They shared a quick kiss, causing both of their kids to look away while making various sounds of disgust at the sight of their parent’s unappealing behavior. The two older ponies chuckled at that, until Emerald ushered them all into the dining room so dinner could begin. As they ate, they all shared stories of their day. Steel had run into some trouble with a particularly knotted tree, while Emerald commented on the increasing prices in the local market. Maple told her parents proudly about she had ‘saved her little brother from a big, mean owl’ that had taken up residence in one of his play areas. Needless to say, Pine wasn’t exactly thrilled about having such a story retold; it wasn’t his fault that the owl had decided to try nesting in his favorite hideout. He just wasn’t expecting it that was all. The worst part was that after Maple chased the owl away, it made its way straight back to his hideout! His father found the story extremely amusing; he even commented that he was proud of Maple for taking the initiative and protecting her little brother on her own. That bothered Pine a bit, he didn’t want his father to think he was unable to take care of himself, but he didn’t let it show. He had a plan for revenge, after all. That owl messed with the wrong colt today! He would get his hideout back and make his dad proud all by himself. Maple seemed to catch a glimpse of what was going through Pine’s mind, but she just shot him a quick glance and didn’t mention anything more. After everypony was fed, they all helped tidy up and then spent the remainder of the evening enjoying each other’s company. Pine seemed slightly on edge, but his parents chalked it up to his experience with the owl. Such an event could be hard for a five year old. He would be fine after a good night’s rest. As the clock in the living room struck eleven, there was a shuffling of blankets in a certain young colt’s room. It was time, he though, everypony should be asleep by now. Ever so slowly, so as not to alert the rest of his family to his plan, Pine Bark crept from his bed, through the hallway to the living room and towards the back door. He might get caught by a neighbor if he went out the front, but he was smarter than that; he would sneak out the back and make his way into the edge of the forest, from there he could circle to his hideout. Pine was so caught up in his planning that he failed to notice the curious eye of his sister upon him as he left out into the night. So far, so good. He had made it into the cover of the trees and circled around to the animal trail that lead to his hideout in less than twenty minutes. He couldn’t see too well, but the steady glow of the moon provided enough light to navigate with. Besides, he had been here many, many times. He could probably find it blindfolded. Several more minutes passed before he finally made it to his most treasured hideout. In front of him stood a very large tree, considered so even by the high standards of the lumberjacks. Its roots dug into the ground in such a way that some of them formed small caverns, big enough perhaps for a fox or a rabbit to seek shelter in temporarily. However, ignoring these small openings, he circled around the tree and laid eyes upon a much larger cave hidden in the roots out of sight. This was where he always came when he wanted some time alone, a place that only a few other ponies knew about. It made him swell with pride that he knew of such a wonderful place. As he neared it, however, he noticed something that hadn’t been there during the day. There were many feathers strewn throughout the area. Approaching one of them, he leaned down to try and get a better look at it. It was an owl feather, that much was certain, even in the dim light. But these hadn’t been here during the day. Was the own molting? Did owls even molt? He didn’t know. He crept closer to the entrance and peered inside. No movement. He couldn’t hear anything. Was the owl gone? It must be! He grinned happily as he realized that his hideout was all his again. The grin faded instantly when he heard it. The growl of something monstrous. As cold fear set in, he saw something ahead of him in the darkness of the cave. Two yellow orbs hovered in the blackness, staring at him with frightening intensity. You’d understand if you’ve ever been gazed at by a wild carnivorous animal. Blood shot eyes paying attention to you, filled with neither good will nor malice. A shockingly hot gaze…appetite. Eyes looking at all that you are, your past, present and future, considering it nothing more than meat. The eyes inched forward and Pine Bark couldn’t even scream. He just scrambled backwards, nearly tripping over himself, before he turned and ran. Desperation to survive fueled him as he bolted off into the direction of the village. He didn’t, couldn’t, turn back to see those orbs following him. Author's Note: Yo, this is my first attempt at fan fiction, so we'll see how this goes. I just wanted to cross something nifty with MLP FiM, so after thinking a bit I was like, why not use my favorite Tales character? Alright. idk if anyone else will like it, but that's fine too. That aside, I'm going to try to stay away from most of the stereotypical stuff that tends to happen in so many fics. I don't particularly dislike it, but I've read it all so many times, I want to try something at least some-what different. There will still be some stereotypes, of course, because I am not a hipster genie. But I will try my best to make them enjoyable. I just kind of type these up and call it good, so there will probably be errors. By all means correct me, I'd appreciate it. A few points just to go over real quick, though: I won't have Duke meet the Mane 6 for a little while. Don't worry, it won't take THAT long, but I want to get him solidly into Equestria before I introduce them to each other. There will be pony OCs for stuff like this chapter and the following few, but there are also plenty of ponies outside of Ponyville for Duke to meet. Duke will never be a pony. Nope, no sir, no way, no how, no no no, nadda, nein.
You don't have to be a hero to save someone.Pine Bark ran through the forest for all he was worth, ducking and weaving as obstacles attempted to block his path. He couldn’t see it, but he could hear the thundering steps of the creature chasing him. He was still a few minutes away from the village; could he outrun it for that long? No, it was not a question of if he could or not, he had to outrun it. The death on his heels did not allow for failure. A minute passed. He hadn’t slowed at all, but the creature seemed to have a harder time going through the brush and low-hanging branches. He could make it. Another minute. He could still sense it, but his distance from it hadn’t changed. One more mi- In a blur of motion and pain, he crashed snout first into the roots spread out before him on the forest floor. No. No no no no. His brain could barely process what had just happened. His vision swam as he looked down at his legs. His right hoof had become tangled in a loose clump of roots, likely dug up by some small animal foraging for food. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all, but the only sound that escaped his lips was a pitiful whimper. He would never see his parents again. He would never see his sister again. Only a handful of breaths had passed since he had fallen. Plenty of time for the creature to catch up. He turned to look at it, mind going numb with fear. He had often been told stories of monsters like these by his parents. Fairy tales, involving gallant stallions that faced off against dark creatures in order to rescue the fair mare from her cruel fate. He knew what this was. Timber wolf. But this was no story and he was no gallant stallion. A young colt couldn’t hope to win against such a feral beast. Knowing that its prey was trapped and out of options, the timber wolf approached the young pony. Its maw hung open, revealing rows of disgustingly sharp, yellow teeth; saliva dripped from its tongue like blood might pour from a wound, anticipating the taste of the meat before it. Pine Bark closed his eyes and tried to prepare for the pain. He wasn’t prepared, however, to hear the timber wolf yelp in what sounded like…pain? His eyes shot open, full of hope, to see who could be trying to save him. As his eyes landed upon the form of his savior, he felt both elation and absolute terror. Maple. Unbeknownst to Pine, his sister had suspected that he was planning something. She didn’t know what, but she was the older sibling, so she felt that it was her responsibility to help take care of her younger brother. Her father had even praised her, saying that she was capable of protecting Pine; she didn’t want to let him down, so she had followed her brother out into the forest, hoping to keep him out of trouble and get him home safely. Maple shadowed him all the way to his hideout, staying hidden on a small hill that overlooked the area in front of the root cave. It never crossed the filly’s mind that things could go so wrong. She had expected him to scuffle with the owl a bit and then to return home, either victorious or with a bruised ego. But that… As soon as she saw Pine freeze while looking into the cave she knew something was wrong. When he ran off moments later, followed swiftly by a blur of wood, muscle and teeth, her fears were confirmed. She raced after them as fast as she could, pure adrenaline coursing through her veins. She had to help him. She had to. How she could help him had not yet crossed her mind. She was still a filly, only two years older than Pine, but such a thing seemed irrelevant at the time. Her brother needed her. That was all that mattered. When she caught up with them it looked as if Pine had tripped. He sat on the ground, breaths coming in short gasps, eyes closed in preparation for the teeth that were even now getting closer to him. A split second of panic was all it took for her to assess the situation. Scooping up a mouthful of loose dirt, she charged at the back of the timber wolf, making as much noise as possible in hopes that it would turn around and ignore her brother. Her wish was granted as the timber wolf perked its ears and spun around at her approach. It leveled its hungry, yellow eyes at her. At the same time, she sucked in a deep breath through her nose and spat the dirt she carried in the wolf’s eyes with as much force as she could muster. The beast yelped as the unexpected attack made contact with its vulnerable irises. As it pawed at its face, Maple used the time to run past it and help her brother. His eyes made contact with hers and she saw both the fear and the hope there. Her eyes probably looked similar at the moment, but she didn’t even stop to consider it as she finally reached the young colt. He wasn’t stuck too badly; it took only a moment and two bitten roots to free him. However, in that precious time, the timber wolf had regained its sight and twisted around to glare at the source of its pain. Maple positioned herself between the wolf and Pine. “Pine, I need you to listen to me,” she said, her voice steady despite her growing fear, “I’m going to try to lead it away from you, so you have to run back home and get dad.” But how could he leave her like that?! He was about to protest when she cut him off. “Pine! Please!” The desperation in her voice made him shut his mouth. Unable to trust his voice, he simply gave a nod. He knew that she had a better chance than he did, but that knowledge did nothing to relieve the disgusting feeling of guilt welling up inside of his throat. All he could do was send a silent prayer to the Princesses that Maple would be safe. On some unseen signal, Maple dashed quickly to the left, hoping to distract the timber wolf while her brother slowly backed away, never letting his eyes fall from the monster. The ploy worked. The wolf seemed to ignore Pine completely in favor of the meat that had caused it pain. While Maple’s eyes locked with those of the wolf, Pine took the chance to turn around and bolt home. If he was fast, his father could be out here in ten minutes. As long as Maple could hold it off… Shaking his head, he stopped thinking. There was no need for thought now. If he had time to think, he wasn’t running fast enough. The timber wolf was the one to break the staring contest between the two as it began to advance on the small filly. Maple knew she had to come up with something, fast, or she wouldn’t be around long enough for her dad to save her. However, with her brother gone, her courage was draining quickly. Think, think think! Time for her to formulate a plan ran out as the beast lunged at her. With a yelp, she managed to dive out of the way just in time to avoid instant death, but the wolf’s jaws didn’t stop; they continued snapping at her while she kicked her hind legs at the ground desperately to stay out of reach. Through sheer luck, she happened to kick a rock that ricocheted off of the wolf’s teeth, causing it to flinch backwards for a second. That second was all Maple needed to get up and start running. She had no idea where she was going, having lost all sense of direction in her struggle to avoid those monstrous teeth. But it didn’t matter as long as she could stay away from the wolf. She heard a frustrated growl behind her as the wolf began a new chase. Much like her brother, she twisted and wove through everything that might impede the timber wolf. Anything to slow it down. However, it seemed that all of her efforts were for naught. Even now, she could still feel its breath getting closer to her tail, its loud panting grating away at her. She ran for what felt like hours, though it could have been minutes; exhaustion was steadily gaining on her, and if it caught her, her death would be assured just as if it was the timber wolf itself. She stumbled for just a moment, but the filly managed to catch herself before she hit the ground. However, her delay was plenty of time for the wolf. With a throaty growl, it closed in and bit her hard on her right leg. She cried out as its teeth sunk into her flesh, causing her to fall forward due to their momentum. She knew then that she was done, but she wanted to hold on just a second longer, so in a last ditch effort to prolong her life she kicked out with her left leg at the wolf’s head. Celestia must have been smiling upon her, because her kick connected solidly with the wolf’s left eye. She felt it crunch underneath her hoof as the wolf half yelped, half howled in pain, letting go of her right leg in the process. She got up, trying to limp away from the wolf, but she was pitifully slow. The timber wolf was approaching a blood rage. The meat had injured its eye again. It glared up at the meat that was trying to limp away. Oh, how sweet it would be. The fear in this meat would only make it more delicious when it was finally dead. However, fate seemed to be against the timber wolf that day, as the limping filly suddenly vanished. The beast, unable to understand what had happened, ran forward to see where the meat had disappeared to. As it stuck its long snout through the low brush, comprehension flooded it. The meat had fallen down a cliff. The wolf scrambled for a moment, trying to get down to where the meat had fallen, but it was nearly a vertical drop. It grunted in anger before it started to circle around in an attempt to get down to where its prize waited. Maple Bark was floating in and out of consciousness as she lay at the bottom of the cliff she had fallen off of. It was a miracle that she had survived. The drop must have been over a hundred feet; it was the brush growing off the side of the rock that had saved her life. She had been just light enough that it slowed her fall when she crashed through it. If a fully grown mare had fallen in the same way she had, the mare would have been dead without a doubt. In her daze, however, she realized that she needed to get to safety. The wolf would probably try to find a way to get to her. She managed to drag herself to her hooves using willpower she never thought she had. Broken, bleeding and semi-conscious, Maple followed the only thing she could think to, which happened to be the smell of smoke from a fire. Duke had traveled as far as he could before darkness overtook the land. If he knew his location he might have been willing to travel by night, but as things stood he felt that he was better served by resting until the sun came up in the morning. He had managed to gather a small supply of fruit and berries that appeared edible while traveling, so once he found a suitable clearing to camp for the night, he simply gathered enough firewood to keep him until dawn. He had only been in this place for a maximum of ten hours, but already he felt sure that this was not his Terca Lumireis. While there were a few familiar ones, he had never seen the majority of the plants he encountered that day, and he recognized little of the fruit. The biggest indicator, however, was the lack of monsters. Terca Lumireis was populated with a great variety of monster species and so far he had seen nothing in his travels aside from ordinary animals. He was gazing at the fire while sifting through his thoughts, when a sudden rustling caught his attention on the western end of his campsite. He did not get up, but he moved his right hand to cover the handle of Dein Nomos. His eyes widened as the creature stepped out into the light cast by the fire. It was something that he had never seen before. It looked almost like a very small pony, but its coloring was a far-cry from what he was used to and its facial structure was different. Its eyes were much larger than a normal pony’s, and its snout was much shorter. However, the most striking feature of this particular creature was the fact that it was on death’s doorstep. It was covered in blood, had several clearly broken ribs, and from the way it wobbled it was likely concussed as well. It must have followed the scent of the fire, because it had clearly lost most of the function in its eyes at this point. He stood up to see if he could help the poor thing, and as he did it looked at him. His surprise at his visitor multiplied ten-fold with what it did next. In a small, quivering voice, it spoke just a few words to him, before it sagged to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. “Please…help me…”
Surprise Encounter!As Pine Bark reached the edge of the forest, his heart soared. It wouldn’t be long now until he made it back home; once his father was told of the situation, he would take up his axe and set off immediately to rescue Maple. He had faith that his sister would be able to stave off the wolf in order to buy them all the precious time that was needed. She would be alright. He had to repeat that thought to himself over and over as he ran through the village, clinging to it like a mantra to repel the fear that lurked ever closer, threatening to drown him in its embrace. Finally, he reached the front steps of his home. He burst through the door, causing it to slam loudly into the wall off to his right, but he didn’t even register the noise as he charged towards his parent’s room. He barely managed to skid to a halt and avoid slamming headlong into Steel Bark, who had jumped out of his bed in order to see who had thrown his door open in the middle of the night. Emerald was close behind him and, after avoiding a near collision, they both went wide-eyed at the sight of their battered son, panting like he had just escaped from the depths of Tartarus. “Dad! Hideout, timber wolf, Maple’s in danger, you have to hurry!” he gasped out. Despite the jumbled manner of his son’s message, he had understood two things well enough. Timber wolf. Maple. His blood froze in his veins for a fraction of a second before he exploded into motion. He didn’t stop to question why a timber wolf would be out here so far from the Everfree as he charged out to the shed in order to grab his woodcutting axe. Emerald and Pine were coming up on his heels as he turned around towards his son. “Where is she?” “The hideout where the owl was today, I’ll lead y-” He was cut off as his father raised a hoof for him to be quiet. “No,” said Steel, “I know the spot, stay here with your mother.” Pine was about to protest but Steel ignored him and faced his wife. “Emerald, I need you to sound the warning bell and get everypony together to form a search party.” He told her. Emerald wanted nothing more than to charge out into the forest with her husband and help rescue their daughter, but she knew that alerting the village was important. The faster they could get more ponies out there looking for Maple, the higher her chances of survival would be. Choking down her instincts, Emerald gave Steel a curt nod before she ran off toward the bell tower in the center of Hoof Fall, Pine Bark in tow. Steel had managed to cross the village and get into the forest in record time, carrying his axe in his mouth all the while. It had taken Pine, in his adrenaline fueled dash, close to ten minutes to get back home from where the wolf had almost killed him, but Steel covered the distance in five. The longer he took, the less likely his daughter’s survival became. As he was nearing the cave that he knew Pine often visited, he noticed something ahead of him and brought down his front hooves, skidding to a halt. He had never been more grateful for a full moon, the light of which managed to illuminate the small clearing he was standing in and allowed him see the signs of the struggle that had occurred here recently. Two small pony tracks and one set of tracks that could only belong to the timber wolf. One set of pony tracks lead back in the direction that he had come from. The other set, however, was intermixed with those of the wolf, and lead deeper into the forest. Steel followed the trail as fast as he could, but he was forced to slow his pace significantly by the lack of proper light. While the glow of the moon made the tracks visible, the nighttime shadows spread thickly among the branches of the trees, obscuring the areas where they fell. In some spots, he had to tread forward blindly, hoping and praying that the two he was following hadn’t taken any sharp turns. It was agonizing, being unable to get to his daughter faster when she needed him, but if he lost the trail and was forced to backtrack, the situation would only grow worse. Finally, after about two hours at a steady trot, Steel Bark ran across something other than the same, volatile tracks he had been following up until that point. It was not what he had wanted to find. Blood. His daughter’s blood. Steel bit the handle of his axe so hard he thought it might break in two; the wolf had caught her. Powerful emotions threatened to overwhelm him where he stood. Anger. Denial. Sadness. Hopelessness. He fought to keep them back as he surveyed his surroundings. The signs of a struggle were clear, even in the branch-filtered moonlight. Something had enabled the wolf to catch up with Maple. Perhaps she had finally reached her limit and exhaustion had claimed her, perhaps the wolf found a hidden pocket of energy in itself and managed to speed up to grab ahold of her, or perhaps she had simply tripped over one of the many gnarled roots in the area. Regardless of the reason, the result was absolute. Maple was dead. Closing his eyes, Steel turned around and began his long trek back to the village. As he walked with heavy hooves, and a heavier heart, he thought about how he could tell his wife and son that he had been too late. If he had been in a more coherent state of mind, Steel Bark might have given the area where his daughter had fallen a more thorough search, and in doing so he might have found that the tracks continued on just a little bit further, through some dense brush that hid the edge of a cliff. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t. So he proceeded home, thinking his daughter dead, while thoughts of vengeance tickled at the fringes of his mind. The forest was alive with the sounds of animals as the midmorning sun shone down on the land. As they awakened, each creature, large and small, announced their joy at the beginning of another new day, ready for the challenges that lay ahead of them. It was those sounds that caused consciousness to return to Maple Bark after her taxing night of fleeing from the clutches of death. Her eyes cracked open slowly, revealing that she was lying in a small clearing in the forest, upon a bed of leaves and moss. The smell of an extinguished campfire lingered in the air. Confusion reigned in her head for just a moment before the memories of the previous night returned to her in a flash. Following her brother, distracting the wolf, the chase and also her two near misses with death; the wolf’s bite as well as the fall from a cliff. As soon as her body was able to catch up with her mind, she leapt to her hooves and looked to examine herself. She clearly remembered the pain of each of her injuries, yet now, looking at her body, there was no evidence left of her flight. There were still pangs of soreness in spots, but all in all she appeared entirely healthy. It was after this that her final memory caught up with her. There had been somepony in the forest camping out. They must have helped her. Finally lifting her gaze away from herself, Maple looked around the make-shift campsite where she had spent the night. Almost immediately, her eyes landed on another being sharing the space with her. However, it was not a pony. She had never seen or heard of anything like it. It was sitting down on a fallen log looking at her. Even sitting down, it was taller than she was. Its face was much flatter than a pony’s, and its long mane was a bright white, falling down its back and ending in multiple curls. Judging by the fact that it wore a set of elegant looking red clothes, she assumed it to be intelligent. Perhaps it had been the one to help her? However, even as these thoughts processed through her mind, her body was already reacting in its own way. She stared at the tall figure in front of her like a cow caught in the middle of a group of hungry snakes. Duke was calmly observing the small ‘pony’ that had just woken up. After it had stumbled into his camp and collapsed, he had carried it over to the bed of plants that he had made for himself and deposited it there. After assessing its wounds, he had tapped into one of his more potent healing artes to help the creature recover. Although there wasn’t any ‘Aer’ here, whatever had replaced it functioned in much the same way. He had tested it out as he walked the day prior, using small artes and comparing the effects with what he was used to. It appeared that the overall power of his artes had dropped by about twenty percent, however, in exchange, his casting speed was faster than it had been before. He assumed this was likely due to the lightness of the substance that surrounded him now. The pony, after a brief moment of orienting itself, looked around and its eyes quickly landed on him. It froze, a flash of fear in its eyes. However, the fear lasted only a few moments, before it seemed to take control of itself. Duke met its gaze with a neutral expression, a slight curiosity present in his eyes. The pony was the one to break the silence. “H-Hello?” It stuttered. She, Duke corrected. And young, too. He hadn’t noticed the night before due to the hoarseness of her voice, but this small pony’s tone had a clearly feminine ring to it. “Greetings, little one,” he replied, “You’ve finally come to. You were injured quite badly last night. Do you remember?” “Yeah,” she nodded, seeming to regain some of her bravery now that she knew he could talk. “Were you the one who helped me?” “Yes. You surprised me when you came into my campsite looking the way you did. If it had been a half hour later, I’m not sure I could have healed you.” Maple gulped upon hearing that. She had felt so close to death, felt it in her bones, but it was still disconcerting to hear it said out loud by somepony else. There was a pause before she responded, “Thank you, mister. For helping me.” Duke gave her a steady nod. “You’re welcome. Now that you’re awake, perh-” He was unable to complete his sentence as a loud rumble filled the small clearing, apparently having emanated from the young filly before him. She blushed slightly as her empty stomach made itself know. A ghost of a smile tugged at Duke’s lips. “Perhaps we should have breakfast before we go on.” Maples ears flicked at the mention of breakfast, but she made no other move. Seeing that she was still rather nervous, Duke slowly reached for the small pack of berries, fruit and nuts he had gathered the previous day. Opening it, he took out an apple and held it towards the filly. She held back a moment more, but then slowly began trotting towards his hand. Tentatively, she reached out and took the apple in her mouth. Shuffling back a few steps, she sat down and watched Duke for a moment. Ignoring her gaze, Duke took out another apple and began to eat. On his second bite, he heard the clear sound of someone else taking a bite out of something, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the pony begin working at her apple with gusto. Maple finished her food first. Her eyes strayed towards Duke’s pack for a second, but then quickly shot away. However, Duke had caught the look, and after taking out another apple and a few nuts for himself, he passed the rest of the pack over to her. Upon receiving it, she didn’t hold back for a second as she set to satisfy her empty belly. After the ordeals she had been through it was no surprise that now, in safety, she was ravenous. Several apples, blue berries, strawberries, nuts and even a few roots later, Maple finally leaned back and let out a contented sigh. Duke, having finished eating several minutes ago, started up the conversation again. “So, do you have a name, little one?” he asked. “Maple,” she responded. Having lost most of her fear of the creature in front of her, she stood up and made her way to sit near him, leaning her back against the log that he was sitting on. “Maple Bark. What’s yours?” “My name is Duke.” He responded. “Duke…” she echoed. “Weird name.” Something in the back of her mind was screaming at her as she sat there, but she couldn’t identify it. Was she missing something? She paused for a moment before asking a question. “I’ve never seen anypony like you before, what exactly are you?” Duke frowned slightly. “I am a human.” Maple gave a curious tilt of her head, never having heard the word ‘human’ before. Meanwhile, Duke floated in his thoughts for a moment. He may have given Brave Vesperia a chance to change the future, but that didn’t change the fact that he cared little for humanity as a whole. Humans were generally greedy, destructive creatures that cared for nothing but themselves. However, if the filly’s question was any indication, this place may not have a sizable population of humans, if any at all. It was a thought that stirred a strange feeling of bitter peace inside of him. He might be the only human here. Elucifer…what if… No. He cut off his line of thought. It wouldn’t do for him to wallow in what-ifs and could-have-beens; Elucifer was gone, and despite all of his wishes, nothing could change that. His mind back on track, he decided that it was about time he figured out more of his situation. The filly in front of him would likely know enough of this world to give him some idea of where he had arrived. “Now that you know what I am, perhaps you could tell me what exactly you are? And what the name of this place is?” They spent the next thirty minutes talking to one another. Well, for the most part it was Maple doing the talking as she told Duke the majority of what she knew about Equestria. She told him of the two princesses who ruled the land, of the different pony races, and of her home, Hoof Fall. Duke only spoke up to ask questions, preferring to listen silently otherwise. He was rather pleased with some of the stories that Maple told him. These ponies, they were such a selfless race. If only humanity could have been like these creatures… As they were nearing the end of their conversation, Maple finally managed to ask Duke a question. “So where did you come from anyway? I can’t believe that ponies there have never even heard about Equestria!” Duke replied without missing a beat. “I come from a land very far away. The reason we have never heard of Equestria is likely because there are no ponies like you there.” At his response, Maple silently mouthed the words ‘no ponies,’ it was such an alien thought to her. Were the rest of the creatures all like Duke, then? She was about to ask him when another thought suddenly struck her. The thought that had been out of reach just a short while ago. It was such a glaringly obvious thing; she was both surprised and disgusted that she hadn’t noticed it before. Why was she sitting here talking to Duke? Why, when her family must still be out looking for her in the forest? When they didn’t know that she was safe? She quickly jumped to her feet and started running towards the woods, looking back at Duke as she ran. “I-I-gotta-go-find-my-daddy-he-must-be-worried-sick-looking-for-me-I-” She promptly tripped over a small root. Her hatred for roots grew. As she was picking herself back up, Duke stood and walked over to her. “If you wish, I will accompany you back to your home.” Duke told her. It would serve both of them if he went back with the filly. He would be able to get his first glimpse of pony civilization, while Maple would have a travelling companion. But regardless of the potential losses and benefits, he would not let an innocent child wander alone into an obviously dangerous forest. Even a human child would have received his protection in such a situation, but it went doubly so for this young one. If her stories of ponykind were true and if there were really no other humans here…Then this might be the closest he had ever been to the world Elucifer and he had wished for. Maple looked up at Duke for a moment before nodding her head. “Which direction is Hoof Fall in?” he asked. “Uh, I…” Maple looked around desperately, “I don’t know.” She finished, her shoulders slumped in the realization that she had no idea how to get home. Her desperate scramble to get away from the timber wolf, combined with the concussion that she had gotten from her fall, had left her thoroughly unable to remember where she had come from. “Then, perhaps we could try going the direction that you wandered in from last night.” Duke suggested, beginning to walk towards the bushes that the filly had previously made her introduction through. Maple gave a small squeak as her shoulders unslumped themselves and she quickly trotted after Duke. They walked at a steady pace. Although she was young, Maple was able to keep up with her human companion well. Four legs were faster than two, after all. In short order, they came upon the cliff that Maple must have fallen down the previous night. The filly could only gulp as she looked up at it. She looked off to both sides to see if there was an easier way to get up, but the same, bare, face seemed to stretch on and on in both directions. But she needed to get back now! The gears in her mind were still turning as Duke bent down and placed a hand on her head. Her thoughts interrupted, she looked up at him questioningly. Just as she was getting ready to ask him what he was doing, the world suddenly compressed around them. It was a very strange sensation, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She felt sick for a moment before it suddenly stopped, and the world was normal once again. She wobbled on her hooves, taking a few steps back, afraid that she would throw up. “W-What was that?!” she half yelped, half asked. “Teleportation.” Duke responded, “You seem surprised, yet you said that unicorns are able to do similar things.” He could use magic! So then that was how he healed her. It wasn’t a huge surprise, considering how badly she had been injured, but it was still strange to see somepony so different from a unicorn using magic like that. Also, she didn’t see a horn anywhere on his body, so how could he do it? Stowing away her own questions for later, she responded to his. “I-I’ve just never been teleported before. It feels really weird.” Another thought then dawned on her, “So if you can teleport why can’t you just teleport us to my house?” she asked hopefully. “I am not capable of long range teleportation.” Maple was a bit downtrodden at his curt answer, having thought that she might have found an instant solution for her problem, but she perked up again as Duke began walking away from the cliff through some thick shrubbery. She followed steadily behind him. She didn’t have time to mope, she had to get home to her family. Despite her resolve, the sight that she found a moment later made her want to turn and run. Bile rose in her throat. It was different from the feeling brought by teleporting; this urge to release the contents of her stomach had nothing to do with a physical sensation, it was purely mental. In front of her, sprayed across the ground in a thick, dry puddle, was a dark red substance. It was so dark that it was nearing black. She hadn’t realized how much blood she had lost. For the third time that day, she thanked Celestia that she had survived, and this time she also silently thanked Duke for having been able to heal her. Duke, having spent the majority of his life out in the embrace of nature, had no trouble finding their way through the forest. He traversed easily through each gully and over each root, like he had walked through the Darkgreen forest many times before. Neither of them spoke as they walked, Duke simply preferring to keep his thoughts to himself, while Maple was quiet due to her nerves. They followed her initial trail for about an hour before something broke the silence. It was a voice, but it did not belong to the human or the filly. It was feminine, but sounded as if it belonged to an adult. Duke stopped immediately so that he could hear better. Listening closely, he could detect several other voices as well. They all spoke the same language that he did, but he couldn’t make out more than a few words here and there. He thought to himself as he stood in place. Should they avoid this group? If they had come from the village then they might be able to help them find their way, but what if it was just a group of travelers? That would likely delay them when they should be focusing on getting to Hoof Fall. His decision was made for him when Maple gasped and took off galloping towards the sound of the voices. He watched her for a second, but as she gained distance from him, she called out one word that made her reaction understandable. “Mom!” Duke heard the voices go quiet for a moment, before the first one he had heard responded to the filly’s shout. “M-Maple?” It sounded like the speaker couldn’t believe her own words. Maple called back to her mother, and shortly after she ran out of Duke’s line of sight, he heard the clear sound of a gasp and then multiple voices cheering. Duke began walking slowly towards the sounds of celebration. “Oh Maple, Maple, Maple, Maple!” Emerald cried as she hugged her daughter close, “Where in the world have you been? Your father came home last night and said that y-you were dead!” She rambled on a few moments more, not even giving the young filly she was squeezing a chance to think about replying. As much as she enjoyed the attention from her parent, it was getting harder for her to breathe. Finally, with a squeak, Maple managed to maneuver herself out of her mother’s grip. “Mom, I’m okay! A stallion named Duke found me and h-” she was cut off suddenly as her mother grabbed her and pulled her back behind herself. Emerald then stood to glare at the creature that had just walked out of the trees where her daughter had come from only moments ago. The rest of the ponies in the area also shot looks at the creature, readying their weapons in their mouths and settling into stances that would allow them to move quickly towards the beast. Whatever this was, it wouldn’t get them now that they had found out that Maple Bark had survived. While the ponies got ready for a confrontation, Duke simple observed them. It was no great surprise that he would be met with initial hostility. It was his hope, however, that these ponies would be more open to his presence once his situation was more widely known. Still, while they shouldn’t present any real threat to him, he placed his hand upon Dein Nomos regardless. In the unlikely event that he would have to draw his sword, he wanted to be prepared. The tension on the pony’s side was growing thick, and just as it seemed that one of them would make a move for Duke, a small, angry bundle of fur jumped between them. “Everypony quit it!” Maple shouted at the top of her lungs. Duke’s expression never wavered. The ponies, on the other hand, were surprised; but Emerald quickly collected her wits. “Maple, what are you doing? That creature could be dangerous!” She tried to reason with her daughter, but by Maple’s expression, she would be having none of it. Maple turned towards Duke and began trotting up to him while the ponies all held their breath. Once she reached his legs, she firmly plopped herself down next to his foot and turned to face her mother. “Mom, this is Duke. He found me after I got away from the wolf and healed me.” She said. Emerald’s eyes shot from her daughter to the now known ‘Duke’ that stood next to her filly. “Is that true?” She asked her daughter. “Indeed.” Was the answer she got, and it made her and a few other ponies jump slightly. For it was not Maple that had answered the question, but Duke. His voice was surprisingly deep; even deeper than her husband’s. “You can talk?” asked one of the stallions in the crowd shakily. Emerald just rolled her eyes. Some stallions. As if the creature hadn’t just spoken. Of course it could talk. Emerald turned her gaze back toward Duke, observing him, but this time her malice was replaced with a cautious curiosity. He seemed to be ignoring her daughter, who was still planted firmly by his boot, in favor of returning her gaze. It lasted a moment more before Emerald broke their staring contest. She approached Duke at an even pace, her nerves steady. Her next move surprised the ponies, Maple included, and caused Duke to raise an eyebrow. She positioned herself in front of Duke, then raised her fore hooves and enveloped him in a brief, tight hug. “Thank you for helping my daughter.” She whispered. He was released from the hug a second later. If this creature was the reason that she had her daughter back, then she would give him her trust. It was an instinctual thing, though logic did not desert her entirely. To find an injured filly far out in the woods and take care of her spoke of his character. It would have been so much easier for him to abandon Maple, yet he had not. He had chosen the more difficult path and not only healed her daughter’s injuries, but also chosen to accompany her on her way home. As such, Emerald Bark felt that she was justified putting her faith in this ‘Duke.’ Emerald then turned to speak with her daughter, but was interrupted as the filly gave her mother a hug of her own, bright smile locked firmly on her face. The group settled in to take a break where they were, giving them all a chance to come down from their emotional roller-coaster, and also providing Duke with a chance to interact with the ponies a bit. There were one or two who were still reluctant to get close to him, but the others all warmed to him well enough. He spoke with the stallion who had been the closest to attacking him earlier. He learned a few things: the stallion’s name was Strong Light, he was a blacksmith by trade, and that this was not, in fact, a search party out looking for Emerald’s lost daughter Maple. It was a hunting group. After Steel Bark had returned the night prior with news that his daughter had not survived, he and several other stallions had set about organizing four hunting parties, each ten ponies strong, to track down the timber wolf. For Steel, it was likely a matter of vengeance, while for the others it was fear for their own families that drove them. Regardless of the reasons involved, the four groups had set out earlier that morning in an attempt to locate the renegade wolf and put an end to it. Duke wanted to ask Strong about the different pony races, since Maple had never gone deeply into it, but the chance was taken from him as Emerald called for the group to get up and prepare to head back to the village. Once there, they could sound the bell to call back the other groups and let them know that Maple was alive and well. Author's Note: This took a bit longer than I would have liked, partially because I was being indecisive, and partially because I really just want to write about the Mane 6 right now. But I will carry on. I was having a little trouble deciding where to put Duke in terms of power. I don't want him OVERPOWEREDOHGODWHAT but at the same time, he's Duke. The final boss, ya know? I'm not about to make him a weak little nobody. That would be heresy. I've got it figured out now, though, so no worries.
Giving to the...unworthy?He…had lost. For the sake of saving the world that he loved from both the Adephagos and humanity, he had revived the ancient weapon Tarqaron. His intention had been to sacrifice all human beings on the planet, including himself, in order to power the weapon and finally put an end to the nightmare that was the Adephagos. This would have ensured not only the immediate survival of Terca Lumireis, but also provided protection for its future. Despite the life that the planet provided them with, humanity would eventually destroy the balance of nature and in doing so would kill this world. He could not allow such an outcome, not only for his own sake, but also for the sake of his most treasured friend. He would protect Terca Lumireis no matter the cost. And yet, even though he had poured every ounce of strength that his body possessed into the final confrontation, that group calling themselves Brave Vesperia had managed to defeat him. Their goal was also to destroy the Adephagos, but they would not use Tarqaron. Instead, they had altered the Entelexeia to use against it, giving them new forms and new names. These creatures they called Spirits. The Spirits alone would not be a match for the monstrous Adephagos, but in the same way that he had intended to use human lives to fuel Tarqaron, Brave Vesperia intended to use every blastia on the planet in order to provide the necessary power to the Spirits. It was a desperate plan that left much room for failure, and guaranteed a future full of difficulty and strife. Yet they were determined to see it through, saying that it was the decision that humanity had come to. To live and face the future that they would create, regardless of what that may entail. Could they…be right? Should humanity be given this chance? Even after the humans’ betrayal, would his friend still have agreed with Yuri and his group, and become a Spirit for the sake of protecting them? His thoughts continued along that path as he watched the four Spirits gathering the strength of millions of blastia from across the world. It was a breathtaking sight to behold, like countless shooting stars flowing across the evening sky, all gathering in an area not far in front of him. However, regardless of its beauty, it still did not have the required strength to overcome the Adephagos. It was not a large lack of power, but it was enough to ensure failure. He could provide the remaining energy that was needed, but it would come with a cost. “Entelexeia…Spirits…Humans…” he spoke softly as he gazed upon what he knew would result in either the end of Terca Lumireis or the beginning of an uncertain future, “Elucifer… Can this world truly change?” Perhaps… His decision made, he stepped towards the Spirits and raised his sword, Dein Nomos. Yes… This is what Elucifer would want. To give them…a chance. With that final thought, he began channeling energy into Dein Nomos. For a moment, it swirled around his blade like a crimson breeze; then, after a few heartbeats, he aimed it at the energy that the Spirits had gathered and released it. Red vortex met blue in a surge of power. His addition proved to be enough to make up the difference between the Spirts and the Adephagos. The torrent of energy was held aloft for a second more before it was finally brought crashing down on the Adephagos, rending it apart in a massive clash of power. As the Adephagos was vanishing, however, something unexpected occurred. Out of its disappearing form fell thousands upon thousands of small lights, appearing almost similar to how the blastia had been gathered together by the Spirits. Each of those lights could only be… “Spirits…” whispered Estelle in awe. All of the Entelexeia that had been consumed by the Adephagos were now being released, and thanks to the energy from the blastia, they had been changed into Spirts. The members of Brave Vesperia all looked on in wonder as these newly created Spirits spread themselves throughout the world. Finally, after the last Spirit had descended, Yuri turned around. “So, Duke…” he began, but stopped himself short when he realized that the man he was addressing was no longer there. “Now where did he?...” “Don’t worry about it Yuri, I’m sure he’ll pop up again somewhere! He did decide to help us in the end, after all.” said Karol. “Ah, that sour-puss probably just wanted to escape before we started partying.” added Raven with a shrug. Rita perked up at this, “Speaking of which…” “Let’s go party!” They all chimed in. With the threat of the Adephagos finally eliminated and a difficult future ahead for all of them, tonight was a night that they would have to enjoy to the utmost. They had a lot to celebrate, after all, and judging by the flashing lights that could already be seen off in the distance, the rest of the guilds agreed with that verdict. Darkness was the only thing that greeted Duke as he opened his eyes. He felt a brief moment of confusion before it gave way to surprise. Was this….death? If so, it was rather strange. He had expected many things when he gave the entirety of his life energy to the Spirits in order to defeat the Adephagos, but his current state was not one of them. To be able to see Elucifer again had been his wish, but falling into some manner of worldly collective or simply ceasing to exist had also crossed his thoughts. He glanced around in an attempt to locate anything else that might be in this darkness. While he didn’t succeed in that regard, he noticed something particularly odd given his situation. He could still feel his heartbeat. Shouldn’t his heart have stopped when he died? Was it simply his mind remembering what his body was like and projecting the feeling of flesh and blood? Or, perhaps, he wasn’t dead at all, but rather in some sort of comatose state? But that sho- He was pulled out of his musings by the sudden appearance of a light off in the distance. In comparison to sunlight, it looked quite dull, but the remaining darkness framed the light and caused it to appear much brighter than it would otherwise. Duke squinted slightly as he observed it. It seemed to be getting closer. Perhaps, then, this place was just a mid-way point between life and death; A final stop before the ultimate end. It took a brief time for the brightness to reach him, and when it finally did, his mind was at peace before his consciousness was consumed by the light. The sensation of being in a forest filled him. The transition from the light that had enveloped him to his current state was not a sudden one; rather, it felt as if he had been standing in a forest the entire time without having realized it. His vision was blurry at first, but after a few moments it began swimming back into focus. Slowly, as if he hadn’t used his eyes in a long time, the forest around him began to take form. He was surrounded by tall evergreen trees which reached toward the sky, towering at more than ten times his own height. The undergrowth around him was minimal and felt almost controlled, but it was vibrant and healthy. There was enough for the local wildlife to survive and shelter in, but not enough to impede any passing travelers. He couldn’t hear any water nearby, but a forest radiating life such as this likely contained several smaller streams, if not a full river somewhere. But it was strange, the forest appeared so full of life, yet the Aer here was… The Aer! Duke had always been more in tune with the Aer of the world than other humans. His natural bond with Aer, combined with the abilities of Dein Nomos, put his ability to sense and manipulate the Aer around him on par with even the greatest Entelexeia. Yet what he felt now was fundamentally different from what he had known all his life. It felt wrong. Aer had a thick, almost oily feel to it. It saturated every pore of Terca Lumireis, providing life to some and death to others. In lower quantities it wasn’t particularly harmful, but high concentrations of Aer were a poison not only to living creatures, but to the planet itself. What he felt now was more akin to a light mist than the oily sensation he had become accustomed to. It was completely alien, yet it felt somehow…gentle. It lightly caressed his body, providing a comforting feeling, so different from the oppressive feeling instilled by Aer. Whatever this substance around him was, it was not Aer. But he had ventured to every corner of Terca Lumireis in his time and he had never felt anything resembling this. His mind flitted briefly to the members of Brave Vesperia. Did their Spirits do this in defeating the Adephagos? No, such a thing was impossible. The Spirits were never meant to manipulate the world in such a way. Then…could it be that this wasn’t Terca Lumireis? It was a thought that stirred many conflicting emotions in him. If he was truly no longer in the world that Elucifer and he had protected, then what was he to do? What meaning was left for him without his mission? As his thoughts drifted, he didn’t even notice the approach of a small creature on the ground until it made its way up his jacket and onto his shoulder. It chittered at him in a quizzical manner, wondering about his presence so near its home. As Duke’s eyes found the squirrel perched on his shoulder, his thoughts relaxed. He would not find his answers by standing around and worrying. His priority for the moment should be to ascertain his location. It would be getting dark within a few hours. Survival would not likely be an issue, he had always been at home in the embrace of nature, but this place was still unknown to him; it would do no harm to tread cautiously. Having taken a second to collect his scattered thoughts, Duke replied to the Squirrel’s earlier question. “It seems I’ve just gotten a bit lost, little one, I apologize for intruding upon your home. I will take my leave momentarily.” The squirrel, seemingly satisfied by his explanation, jumped off of him and skittered back towards the hollow of a nearby tree. It gave Duke a final glance before it ducked into the darkness of its nest, leaving the human to stand alone beneath the canopy of trees. Duke looked up at the remaining sunlight filtering through the branches of the forest in order to gauge his position. Although the Aer was vastly different, there was still a possibility that he was on Terca Lumireis. With his orientation in mind, Duke began walking west. He would set up camp once night fell, and continue on in the morning. If this was his home, then he would eventually reach the shoreline and be able to travel north from there to Capua Nor. And if this was not his birthplace of Terca Lumireis... then he would have to find out just where he had ended up. Another beautiful day in Hoof Fall was slowly coming to an end. Hoof Fall was a small logging village located a few days travel south of Detrot. The village, though lacking in size, was rich with history. It had been founded nearly two hundred years ago by a stallion named Golden Axe, a lumberjack of distinguished skill and incredible strength. It was said that, in order to obtain the land the village now occupied and the trees surrounding it, Golden had to fight off a fierce dragon that had made its home in the nearby mountain range. Few believed such tales, for no pony aside from the Princesses themselves could hope to best a dragon in combat, but still Golden Axe’s legacy continued on. Though he had passed away one hundred and seventy years ago, the massive axe he had used to clear the ground where Hoof Fall now stood was still kept in the town hall, where it served a special purpose for the colts and stallions of today. Beginning with the generation after Golden Axe’s passing, it had become a tradition that any young stallion wishing to become a true lumberjack would take up the founder’s axe and use it to fell a single, towering tree in the local Darkgreen Forest. That tree would later be used as a central support beam for the stallion’s house, which would be built for him and his bride by the community after he was married. However, as many would guess, everypony did not participate in this tradition. Some thought it a waste of time when their skills did not even lie in lumberjacking, while others were simply unable to carry out the task due to the sheer weight and bulk of the ancient axe. Those who did not claim their own tree were not ostracized or belittled in any way; they were a rather significant majority of the population, after all, but there was a difference in treatment for those who succeeded. The few who managed to prove themselves were treated with greater respect than any others in the village; they were given priority when it came to seasonal crops in the marketplace and their opinions would hold more sway in matters that concerned the wellbeing of Hoof Fall. To an outsider, such a practice might seem unfair, but to the citizens of Hoof Fall, it was an integral part of their heritage. Even those few ponies who cared nothing for the tradition itself still considered the act of taking up Golden’s axe and felling a tree to be impressive and warranting of respect in its own right, simply due to the physical prowess necessary to do so. One such stallion, and the most recent addition to those who could proudly call themselves ‘true’ lumberjacks, was an earth pony named Steel Bark. He had claimed his place a little over eight years ago, being the only stallion of his generation to take up the axe. There were one or two young colts in the current generation that would likely follow the tradition as well, but it would be several more years until they were old enough to try. Steel Bark lived in a large house in the southern corner of the village with his wife Emerald Bark and their two children Pine Bark and Maple Bark. They were the very picture of a happy family, spending their time together laughing and enjoying the simplicity of existence in the presence of those one cares for. It was one such evening that Steel Bark gratefully returned to after having worked out in the forest all day. Before entering, he set his axe down outside near the shed and then made his way up to the front door. “Emerald, Pine, Maple, I’m home!” he announced as he opened the door and stepped into the small foyer. His voice was met almost immediately by two smaller voices. “Daddy!” “Dad!” Maple and Pine both came galloping to the front door and threw themselves at Steel, causing him to laugh and pull them both close in a hug. As the kids were letting go, Emerald Bark came walking around the corner out of the dining room and approached her husband. They shared a quick kiss, causing both of their kids to look away while making various sounds of disgust at the sight of their parent’s unappealing behavior. The two older ponies chuckled at that, until Emerald ushered them all into the dining room so dinner could begin. As they ate, they all shared stories of their day. Steel had run into some trouble with a particularly knotted tree, while Emerald commented on the increasing prices in the local market. Maple told her parents proudly about she had ‘saved her little brother from a big, mean owl’ that had taken up residence in one of his play areas. Needless to say, Pine wasn’t exactly thrilled about having such a story retold; it wasn’t his fault that the owl had decided to try nesting in his favorite hideout. He just wasn’t expecting it that was all. The worst part was that after Maple chased the owl away, it made its way straight back to his hideout! His father found the story extremely amusing; he even commented that he was proud of Maple for taking the initiative and protecting her little brother on her own. That bothered Pine a bit, he didn’t want his father to think he was unable to take care of himself, but he didn’t let it show. He had a plan for revenge, after all. That owl messed with the wrong colt today! He would get his hideout back and make his dad proud all by himself. Maple seemed to catch a glimpse of what was going through Pine’s mind, but she just shot him a quick glance and didn’t mention anything more. After everypony was fed, they all helped tidy up and then spent the remainder of the evening enjoying each other’s company. Pine seemed slightly on edge, but his parents chalked it up to his experience with the owl. Such an event could be hard for a five year old. He would be fine after a good night’s rest. As the clock in the living room struck eleven, there was a shuffling of blankets in a certain young colt’s room. It was time, he though, everypony should be asleep by now. Ever so slowly, so as not to alert the rest of his family to his plan, Pine Bark crept from his bed, through the hallway to the living room and towards the back door. He might get caught by a neighbor if he went out the front, but he was smarter than that; he would sneak out the back and make his way into the edge of the forest, from there he could circle to his hideout. Pine was so caught up in his planning that he failed to notice the curious eye of his sister upon him as he left out into the night. So far, so good. He had made it into the cover of the trees and circled around to the animal trail that lead to his hideout in less than twenty minutes. He couldn’t see too well, but the steady glow of the moon provided enough light to navigate with. Besides, he had been here many, many times. He could probably find it blindfolded. Several more minutes passed before he finally made it to his most treasured hideout. In front of him stood a very large tree, considered so even by the high standards of the lumberjacks. Its roots dug into the ground in such a way that some of them formed small caverns, big enough perhaps for a fox or a rabbit to seek shelter in temporarily. However, ignoring these small openings, he circled around the tree and laid eyes upon a much larger cave hidden in the roots out of sight. This was where he always came when he wanted some time alone, a place that only a few other ponies knew about. It made him swell with pride that he knew of such a wonderful place. As he neared it, however, he noticed something that hadn’t been there during the day. There were many feathers strewn throughout the area. Approaching one of them, he leaned down to try and get a better look at it. It was an owl feather, that much was certain, even in the dim light. But these hadn’t been here during the day. Was the own molting? Did owls even molt? He didn’t know. He crept closer to the entrance and peered inside. No movement. He couldn’t hear anything. Was the owl gone? It must be! He grinned happily as he realized that his hideout was all his again. The grin faded instantly when he heard it. The growl of something monstrous. As cold fear set in, he saw something ahead of him in the darkness of the cave. Two yellow orbs hovered in the blackness, staring at him with frightening intensity. You’d understand if you’ve ever been gazed at by a wild carnivorous animal. Blood shot eyes paying attention to you, filled with neither good will nor malice. A shockingly hot gaze…appetite. Eyes looking at all that you are, your past, present and future, considering it nothing more than meat. The eyes inched forward and Pine Bark couldn’t even scream. He just scrambled backwards, nearly tripping over himself, before he turned and ran. Desperation to survive fueled him as he bolted off into the direction of the village. He didn’t, couldn’t, turn back to see those orbs following him. Author's Note: Yo, this is my first attempt at fan fiction, so we'll see how this goes. I just wanted to cross something nifty with MLP FiM, so after thinking a bit I was like, why not use my favorite Tales character? Alright. idk if anyone else will like it, but that's fine too. That aside, I'm going to try to stay away from most of the stereotypical stuff that tends to happen in so many fics. I don't particularly dislike it, but I've read it all so many times, I want to try something at least some-what different. There will still be some stereotypes, of course, because I am not a hipster genie. But I will try my best to make them enjoyable. I just kind of type these up and call it good, so there will probably be errors. By all means correct me, I'd appreciate it. A few points just to go over real quick, though: I won't have Duke meet the Mane 6 for a little while. Don't worry, it won't take THAT long, but I want to get him solidly into Equestria before I introduce them to each other. There will be pony OCs for stuff like this chapter and the following few, but there are also plenty of ponies outside of Ponyville for Duke to meet. Duke will never be a pony. Nope, no sir, no way, no how, no no no, nadda, nein.
