Prologue - Good Morning, PinkieView OnlineOur JourneyPrologue - Good Morning, PinkieTuesday morning. I wake up to the scent of freshly baked bread and the light of Her sun shining upon my face through the open window next to my bed. I feel the soft warm summer breeze coming in. I sit up and now the view outside through my window is clear. Fillies, colts, and human children play in the grassy field, their protective mothers close by. I smile, and inhale that scent again. I chuckle lightly to myself, for now I crave that bread I smell. I get up, and start the day with a warm shower. Even in the summer, I still very much prefer a nice warm shower. Its soothing to me. White shirt, jean shorts, I'm sure to comb back my short brown hair, then I put on my white ankle high socks, and finally my tennis shoes. I close and lock my bedroom window, grab my wallet and house key, and I'm out the door. The sun strikes my eyes again, but I don't mind. They adjust, and I make my way to the source of the scent. I walk to Sugar Cube Corner, greeting the friendly people and ponies that I pass by. I open the doors, and there she stands, already expecting me. "Good morning, Sven!", she cries out cheerfully as she skips towards me clutching a plate that held a fresh loaf of bread. She sets it on a table nearby and closes in, wrapping her arms around me and I do the same back. " Heh-heh, good morning, Pinkie", I say to her, and she breaks away, picking up the plate and holding it out in front of me. "Your favorite Sven! Fresh wheat bread", she gleefully says, and I take a peace, eat it, and savor the trillion layers of flavor that Pinkie can bake into a single loaf of wheat bread. "Sweet Celestia", I say to her, "please tell me this is going on the picnic with us". She nods and I smile. I help Pinkie Pack our basket for the picnic. From what I remember, I believe that Twilight Sparkle and Spike are going to help Applejack pack a basket of apples and other fruits. Rarity and Fluttershy were providing a large blanket for us to sit on. Rainbow Dash is bringing drinks from Cloudsdale. I've never had a Cloudsdale exclusive drink. Lost in my thoughts, I did not realize that Pinkie had already finished packing the bread and cupcakes on her own. "Oh, sorry Pinkie, I didn't realize you were done" She doesn't even mind. She looks up at me and smiles, "Its okay, you can carry it there". We walk out of Sugar Cube Corner, and make our way to the fields, the beautiful green fields at the north of Ponyville. Out into the grass now, and I see that familiar spectrum streak in the sky. It nears and waves towards it, breaking into a light run in that general direction. The spectrum bolt slows and lands upon the grass, revealing a cyan mare who's mane and tail mimic the rainbows in the sky. "Dashie!!", Pinkie shouts as she hugs her friend tightly. "Hey, Pinks", Dash says calmly. She turns to me, "Sup, Sven". I smile and wave my hand lightly to greet her. "Fluttershy and Rarity, already have a spot set up down by the river, north of here", she says, "You guys go head and start walking, I'm gonna go find the others". She soars into the wild blue, And our feet guide us along the soft green.
Prologue - Rolling HillsView OnlineOur JourneyPrologue - Rolling HillsWarmth. The sun shone upon us, our laughter filled the air, the taste of wheat bread in my mouth. All eight of us sat upon a red and white striped blanket in the glorious northern fields of Ponyville. My eyes always drawn to the horizon, and a smile on my face. What lies at that point is a place I have not been, and I want to go there. "Hey, Sven", one of my pony friends called out. "Huh, oh, yeah Dash?", I responded. "You've just been...zoned out this whole time. Is something up?", she asked in her usual tone. That tone only Rainbow Dash can speak in. I looked out toward the northern horizon once more. I sighed, "Have any of you ever been up north, past this field?" They all turned, their eyes contacting the kiss of blue and green at the edge of the earth. "Of course", Pinkie said in her gleeful tone, "We've been to the Crystal Empire in the arctic!" They all nodded. Spike stood up, his fist in the air, his head high, his foot in the potato salad. "I am know to all as a hero in the Crystal Empire!", he shouted stoically. "Spike, sit down, you're ruining the potato salad", Twilight said in an very monotone voice. The young dragon looked down at his feet, and an heavy shade of red washed over his face. Luckily for him there was a small stream nearby, of which he choose to wash is potato cover foot. None of us could help but laugh a little, and at that moment we knew it didn't help his embarrassment, but I caught him laughing just as much. "What is it about the north that draws your attention, darling?", Rarity asked as she pushed her rather small plate of potato salad away, disgusted with the recent event. "I've never been beyond Ponyville, or anywhere else in Equestria for that matter", I said. I looked out at the horizon once more, and it was then that i knew what this summer held for me. "Girls, tomorrow I'm heading north", I announced. They all gave me an awkward glance, well, all except Pinkie. "Ooh!, I wanna go! Can I go?! Please!!", she shouted loudly as she bounced up and down. "I'll go", Dash said, "There's nothing to do around here anyway". Twilight's ears perked up. "Hmm...perhaps spike and I can tag along. This can make for a great report to Princess Celestia". "Ah reckon ah can come along. Applebuckin' season's already come an' gon anyways", said Applejack. We all looked toward Fluttershy and Rarity. "Oh, no. I have a boutique to look after", said Rarity as she fixed her mane. "I have to take care of my animals", Fluttershy added. I feel bad that they cannot come as well, but perhaps they're right. They have very important responsibilities, and the six of us that are going our leaving ours behind. Tomorrow is today and I wait. It's noon, and soft fur presses against my cheek as I find myself caught in another one of Pinkie's famous hugs. She releases me, and the pack on my back weighs me down for a second. I packed some clothes, and my grooming tools, they shouldn't feel this heavy. Then again, I did pack quite a bit. My thoughts are broken, by the hand of another pony upon my shoulder. It's Applejack. She smiles at us and we smile back. We our soon joined by Twilight and Spike. The poor dragon carries a huge pack, containing both his and Twilight's belongings. I chuckle to myself a bit and look to the sky, and as I expected, the cyan blur with the spectrum trail of light fell from the sky and landed before us. "Hey, Dash", I said kindly as she stood up from her landing. "Hey", she answered back. "Well, we're all here", Twilight said. "Yep", Applejack agreed. We almost began our departure, but the voice of the mare we almost left behind ceased our movement. "You seriously don't plan to go without me, do you?", Rarity shouts as she walks toward us down the hill that separates the fields from Ponyville. Fluttershy follows just behind her. "I though, you said you had a boutique to run", Dash said as she hovered over the group. The white mare sighed. "As many bits that I know I'll loose from this decision, I've closed the shop until we return and sent Sweetie Belle to stay with your family, Applejack. As for Fluttershy, I helped her convince Zecora to look after her animals. The pale yellow pegasus nodded as she and Rarity completed the group. I was overjoyed. I turned and looked to the place where the sky touched the earth, and took the first step.
Prologue - Begining Our JourneyView OnlineOur JourneyPrologue - Begining Our JourneyAnd now it is Wednesday, two hours after the mark of noon. We make our way across this field, north-bound. The backpack I carry feels much lighter after the time we've spent walking. My eyes are drawn to a singular tree in the distance. It stands tall and strong upon the top of a green hill, surrounded by poppies and many other colorful floral plants. We don't stop, and our legs push on toward that tree, until we reach it's base and now stare of over a massive valley, and a deep blue stream the calmly runs across the center. The valley is adorned with hundreds of thousands of bright red poppies, and trees. At the other end lies what seems to be a forest, though obviously not part of Everfree, caution is always necessary. "It's gorgeous!", Rarity exclaims. "Couldn't of said it better mah self, sugarcube", Applejack responds. "Aren't you glad you came along now, Rarity?", I asked playfully. She shot a quick glare at me, although I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. I just laughed a bit, and promptly leaped from the side of the hill top, sliding on the soles of me shoes as I swiftly descended into the poppies below. Those six mares and the young dragon followed promptly, laughing all the way, and we proceeded. Pinkie picked the poppies as we moved along, skipping around us, joyously giggling, tossing pedals into the air. The way they flowed on the soft breeze reminded me of the cherry blossoms back in my homeland, dancing in the wind, glowing in the light of the Celestial sun, that sunk down into the west as we neared that northern forest. A cyan feather falls from the sky, and i gaze into the air to spot Rainbow Dash, just gliding lazily along, letting the wind carry her. Her feathers glowed in the sunlight like fire, that of burning phoenix of blue and multitude. I take her feather in my hand, and gently stroke along the soft bristles before pocketing it. I consider it a gift from a friend. She majestically banks to the left, and slowly descends in a circular motion as we approach the entrance of the forest, where she lands just ahead of me. "There's a path here...", Spike noted as we stopped. It wasn't a dirt path, but rather a grassy line the pierced through the trees of this forest that stood high above us. We were not scared, save for Fluttershy as she trembled upon following me into the plethora of trees and leaves. The light of the sun shone through, and lit the way. "It sure is might brighter than the Everfree forest", Applejack stated. "But just as scary", Fluttershy added as she whimpered and held on to pinkie, who giggled softly and stroked her mane. We came to a stopped when we found ourselves at the arriving end of an old stone bridge. It had no guard rails, no markings, just a slab of rock jutting from the earth and stabbing into the other end of the water filled chasm it stood over. Dash took the first step, cautiously walking along the center, her wings ready in case it collapsed. Inch by suspenseful inch, and she proved it safe. We followed her example until we were all on the other side. Spike was the last to cross, following closely behind Twilight. We continued on until the trees began to lessen, and a gravel path formed beneath us, my shoes and their hooves, crunching the ground. We stopped again and I can see want paused our progress. It welcomed us, and without hesitation we approached the village.
The Curse of Wolf Village - Part OneView OnlineOur JourneyThe Curse of Wolf Village - Part OneA village, here in the middle of this forest just past the rock bridge, and these mares that travel with me seem so confused. Twilight tells me that she has never heard of any settlement this close to Ponyville. The others agree. We approach the village from the south we came, and at first it seems desolate, but all is in order. There are a few scattered houses, all with dirty and dusty windows that, perhaps, have not been touched in years, and a stone well in the center. We keep close together and explore this ghost town. Although dust has collected on doors and windows of ever house, they all appear to be structurally sound, all of them. "This is just weird, guys", Spike muttered as he huddled between Twilight and Rarity. "It's as if anyone that lived here, just...left", I said. It was then that I heard a loud howl, like that of a dog or wolf. We stopped dead in our tracks. Poor Fluttershy dropped to the ground, her hands over her head, and tears forming in her eyes. We turned to her, all having mixed reactions to her actions. Dash was annoyed, Pinkie and Twilight tried to comfort her, Spike and Rarity stood by me, seemingly indifferent to the situation, and Applejack..., "Hey, AJ, what are you looking at?", I asked as I looked in the direction she stared. My question was answered instantly and the rest of the group turned to face the one amongst us who came in the form of a tall male wolf. He stood no less than ten feet from Applejack's position, staring into her eyes as she stared back, obviously in shock. He made no noise, he made no movement, he just stood there with an emotionless expression and his hands wrapped around himself. None of us dared to inch in any direction, and the current event had become a staring contest with a being that might as well of been our own shadow. In time, perhaps two minutes that passed as our eyes never left his, they left ours and gazed lifelessly to what ever may have been behind us. I dare not move, for I know not what this individual's intentions may be, but some of us were braver than the rest. "Okay, seriously!", Dash shouted, "What are you looking at?!" He slowly turned his head to look at her, before turning and running off into the forest. "Hey, come back here you--", Dash was cut off by Twilight who stopped her from going after him. "Wait, Rainbow!", she shouted. "Twilight, we can't just let him go knowing that there's some creep following us", Dash retorted. "Listen to your friend, sky pony". ... As expected, Fluttershy's sensitive nerves could not handle much more, and at the sound of a new unfamiliar voice that seemed to echo from nothingness, she fainted into Pinkie's arms. We were alarmed at first sight of these newcomers, and for good reason. Their numbers exceeded ours by at least thirty, and the one who first spoke held in his left hand, a dagger. Where they came from, I do not know, but apparently this village was not as lifeless as we had assumed. He spoke again, "Your horned friend is wise, young pegasus". He sheathed his dagger and walked to us slowly, kneeling down by Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, "He is quite deranged, ponies, and I pray he has not harmed your yellow friend". It was obvious who he spoke of, Fluttershy, who was still currently in a fear educed slumber, began to shuffle lightly in Pinkie's arms. "Who are you?", Rarity asked. The lupine looked up at the dress maker, and it was then that i noticed...his eyes contained bright and beautiful purple irises, but no pupils. "Forgive me", he spoke once more, "My name is White, pack leader of Wolf Village". He turned his attention to Pinkie, extending his arms out toward Fluttershy, "Allow me, we have a place for her to rest". Although she was hesitant, Pinkie lifted Fluttershy and gently handed her over to the white wolf, "Come friends, we have food and beds for all of you".
The Curse of Wolf Village - Part TwoView OnlineOur JourneyThe Curse of Wolf Village - Part TwoKind, gentle, caring. The wolves of Wolf Village were these and more, offering us food and shelter for the night. You would not expect such traits from a lupine, but one must not judge a book by its cover. They have much to offer us in terms of a meal, and sadly, only Spike and I are able to eat. Why? Well, because ponies are herbivores, and it consisted entirely of meat. Pork to be precise. We ate in a separate room, out of respect for the mares. I overheard two of the locals, both female, speak of retrieving fruit from the forest, so I was glad that the others would not have to miss out on eating tonight. The night was cold and I'm glad that we had found this place, for none of us had thought to pack tents or sleeping bags. Perhaps we're just lucky. The room we dine in is lit only by a single lantern at the center of the table. The small flame within flickers and waves hypnotically in every direction. That said hypnosis is broken by the sound of an opening door. Spike turns first to see who it is before I mimic his action. It is Chartreuse, a local female. She had mentioned her name before. I remember her saying something of owning this small house, or just living here, I can't remember exactly. Perhaps it was the first. She carried with her, a large pail that contained various multicolored berries. It was no doubt that those were Pinkie and the others. She didn't talk much, in fact she simply ignored our greetings as she pass through the door way into the other room to give the berries to the ponies. "Well that was rude", Spike stated as he returned to carnivorously tearing into his share of pork like a dragon of his age usually would. "Maybe she's not much of a talker", I replied, "kinda like Big Mac". He shrugged and continued eating. I was finished with my meal. I got up from the table, stretching my back and yawning loudly. Pork is a substance that easily induces weariness upon its consumer, that I knew. It seemed that spike was finished as well, already having devoured his plate's worth of food. Chartreuse's house did not have a facet, or plumbing for that matter, so washing up consisted of a small moist towel. We were returning to the room when the lupine, Chartreuse, had exited. One thing I noticed about her was that she always seemed to be in some sort of hurry. As we entered the room I turned and let Spike through first, peering back at the wolf, who simply and calmly sat down on a small mat in the corner near the front door. She looked back at me. "Yes?", she asked. Well what do you know, she spoke. "Nothing", I replied, "Good night". She nodded once and sat back against the wall, closing her eyes. I closed the door, and turned around to see that my friends were enjoying their meal. Fluttershy was still fast asleep though. "Golly, these berries are mighty tasty!", Applejack said enthusiastically. The rest agreed with her, although Dash did not partake in the consumption of the delicious fruit. "What's wrong, Dashie?", Pinkie asked. "Not hungry", she replied. Liar. I decided to get some sleep early on so I would be ready to go first thing in the morning. I laid down on the small mat that the wolves had kindly provided. I closed my eyes and drifted off into a nice, comfortable, deep sleep. Awake. I stand up quickly and look all around me at my current surroundings. Circular room, brick walls, water at my feet. "Hello...who's there?". A voice? I know that voice. I turn quickly and to my surprise I find none other than Fluttershy. "Sven?", she asked pathetically between sobs, "I'm so scared". I crouched down next to her and pulled her into a hug. "Fluttershy, where are we? Do you know?", I asked in a soft tone, not wanting to frighten her. She looked straight into my eyes with a most terrified expression. "He put me in the well". My eyes opened. I shuffled off of my mat and quickly crawled over to Fluttershy, mindlessly stirring up the rest of my friends in the process. "FLUTTERSHY!", I screamed as I shook her by the shoulder to wake her up. "Woah! What are you doing?!", Twilight screamed as she pushed me away from Fluttershy. "She won't wake up!"