Everfree 1

Everfree 1
Chapter 3

Perception Filter’s Hotel Room, Canterlot City
The Morning After...

Perception Filter groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, and was struck by a mind-shattering headache. He threw his hooves up in a futile attempt to shield his eyes as Celestia’s newly risen sun struck him head on. Quickly grabbing his comforter, he pulled it over his and and fell to the floor. Groaning in pain, he started crawling over the floor, inch by agonizing inch to the window. Reaching out, not daring to look, he tried to find the string that lowered the blinds.

After hours (minutes) of fruitless searching, the pegasus finally managed to grab ahold of it and lower the blinds in place, plunging the hotel room into blissful darkness. Crawling out from under his makeshift blanket covering, Perception Filter started to walk—very unsteadily—to the restroom. With the room so dark, he bumped, smashed, and stumbled into most every piece of furniture the room had; yet he dared not face the sun again. It’s burning touch was too much to bear.

Eventually though, he managed to make it to his destination. He flipped on the light switch and was greeted by a... thing. He jumped slightly in shock before he realized it was him.

“Heheh,” he chuckled humorously, but groaned and clutched his head again as his headache worsened. “Ugh, what happened last night?”

“Hey, why is it so dark in here?” came a familiar voice from his room. Without warning the blinds that he had only just closed flared open, heralding in the blinding white sunlight.

“AGHHH!” Perception Filter shouted, and he fell over as the light struck him like a giant hammer.

“Are you okay in there?” the voice sounded again. He looked up to see the filly with the green mane and white coat from last night rush in to help him. He could vaguely recall that her name was White Lily. Then a horrible thought occurred to him.

“OH CELESTIA! WHAT DID I DO LAST NIGHT?!” he yelled, then curled up into a ball as his own voice pounded in his ear.

“Do?” White Lily asked confusedly. “What do you mean....” she trailed off as she caught Perception Filter’s meaning. “OH NO! That’s sick!” She jumped back away from him, and backed into the room. “What is wrong with you?!” she screamed at him.

“Ohh, Celestia, my head.”

“Why would you even think that?!” White Lily was completely revolted, and she was still screaming at the pegasus writhing in pain on the ground.

“Please stop,” he groaned. “My head, ohh.”

“Ugh! I’m leaving!” White Lily yelled one last time before she sped out the door.

At last, blessed silence. Sweet, sweet silence. Perception Filter nearly laughed when the noise was finally over, but he caught himself. Kicking the door closed, he crawled into the shower and turned on the water to ice cold. The water hit him like he was jumping into a frozen river, and he howled in pain as his head screamed at him. Eventually, the pain subsided and he climbed out and toweled himself off— his headache still there, but less intense than before.

He exited his room, making sure to close the blinds in case he came home drunk again, and headed off. His next destination was the Royal Palace. He was hoping to talk Celestia into letting him borrow a few guards for security. She had already refused his request, but he had to try. He was not going to go scavenging on the street again.

He trotted past few ponies in the street, for it was still relatively early, but he nodded politely to whomever he saw. Soon, he reached the Palace. Celestia had really let the place go in the past few years. The once perfect and gleaming white stone was now cracked and smeared with a layer of dirt.

However, the guards remained as resolute as ever, and as he approached the giant door, the guards crossed their spears and stopped him dead in his tracks.

“State your name and business,” they said at the same time, in a way that made Perception Filter shiver. He never got why they talked like that.

“I’m Perception Filter. I come from Magitech Inc. and I need to speak to the princess about business matters.”

The guard nodded to the other one, and they withdrew their spears and opened the door.

“Move along.”

Perception Filter nodded gratefully and trotted forward as quickly as possible. The interior of the castle was in the same state of disrepair that the outside was. The once graceful and bright rugs that adorned the floor were filthy and stained. He kept his gaze forward and tried to ignore the guards with spears that lined the halls to the throne room. He knew that if he twitched the wrong way, he would be attacked without hesitation.

He reached the throne room and heard shouting within. The guards posted at the door held out their hooves.

“You must wait until Celestia is finished with her current audience.”

Perception Filter nodded wordlessly and held his ground. The shouting inside the throne room was emanating from the ‘princess’ as she explained in great detail what a pompous fool some pony named “Blueblood” was. After a few minutes, the doors slammed open and a white pony with a golden mane ran out crying. He looked up to see Celestia upon her throne with a devious smile.

“Come in,” she said, keeping her evil grin the whole time. Perception Filter smiled nervously and gulped. He took a few steps in and the doors slammed shut behind him. He jumped in the air and let out a rather feminine squeal before he composed himself.

“Hello Perception Filter,” Celestia said, still grinning.

“H-hello your majesty,” he replied, bowing before the princess.

“Rise. So, what is it that Magitech needs this time?” she asked with a sigh, leaning on her hoof.

“W-well we are s-still looking for some help with that Everfree expedit—”

“Did your superiors not hear me last time I spoke to them?” Celestia interrupted, with an angry tone.

“W-well yes b-but—”

“Then you know that I will never have anything to do with that damned forest ever, again.”

“Y-yes your majesty,” he said with another bow, hoping to keep her calm. She sighed and leaned on the edge of her chair.

“If you are so adamant in this, talk to my security advisor Pen Knife. It is his choice whether to help you or not. Either way, I do not want to hear anything about this ever again. Am I clear?” Her tone was very hostile, and Perception Filter quickly promised he would never mention it again.

“Good, now if that is all, I would ask that you leave me. I have more of these pesky nobles to... converse with.”

“Yes your majesty,” he bowed one last time and scooted out of the room and took a sigh of relief. He asked directions to where Pen Knife was from the nearest guard and had to traverse the lengthy hallways once again before he came to another door, this once much less grand than the one to the throne room. He knocked on the door and it opened at his touch. He peeked in to see what he assumed were guard barracks. They were mostly empty, save for four ponies sitting at a table playing cards. He walked in warily, and was about to speak up when a brown pony held his hoof up, and pushed a large amount of poker chips into the center of the table. Perception Filter casually glanced at his hand and saw he only had a pair of tens. One of the other three ponies folded, and the other two matched his bet. He then pushed the rest of his chips in, and one pony folded.

It was just him and the other guard now. The other guard matched his bet, and laid down his cards. He had a pair of nines. The brown pony smiled smugly and laid his hand down. All the other ponies groaned as he raked in the cash.

“Alright men, breaks over. Back to your posts,” he said, and the others saluted and trotted off.

“So, Perception Filter,” said the brown pony—whom, the pegasus noticed, had a broken-off horn—as he pushed the poker chips into a bag.

“You know who I am?” Perception Filter asked, surprised.

“Celestia informed me you were coming. She didn’t tell me what you needed though.”

“Well,” he began. “I need some guards for an expedition into the Everfree forest. We lost contact with our base and are mounting an expedition to see what went wrong.”

“How long ago did you lose contact?”

“A few months ago, but weather conditions were preventing any mounting of searches.”

“Well, first off, you should know that I am Pen Knife, if you haven’t guessed already. You should also know that the men at your base are probably dead.”

“Yes, we assumed as much. However, we still have to know what happened.”

“I guess I can see that. Alright, I’ll help ya.”

“Really?” asked Perception Filter in shock.

“Yes, I’m tired of working for Celestia, and I’m sure a few of my men are too.” Pen Knife was now moving around the room, straightening things up.

“Alright then... Here, take my card, you’ll need it to get in touch.” He procured another of his business cards and handed it to Pen Knife. “Also, one last thing before I leave.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know any Cartographers or pleasent journalists?

“Why?”

“Well,” he said, “My superiors want to map as much of the forest as possible, and someone to document the journey. They’re always looking to get the most of their money.”

“I know a journalist who isn’t too much of a pain, but she’s really sad all the time. Her name is Drifting Facade.”

“Do you know where she works?”

Pen Knife gave him the address and trotted outside, giving him a half-hearted wave goodbye.

~~~~~

FoB Post Offices, Canterlot City
A Few Minutes Later...

Perception Filter looked at the building before him. It was brown and black and looked like it was infested with every kind of parasite ever. Still, this was the address that Pen Knife had given him, so...

He walked up to the front door and entered warily, looking everywhere in case something should jump out and try to eat him. With the state that the building was in, he wouldn’t—couldn’t— put it behind him.

He came up to a rotting desk and saw a mare sitting behind it, singing something under her breath. She had a gray coat, and messy blue hair. Perception Filter walked up to the desk and tapped it lightly, for fear that it might fall apart. The mare looked up, and took a small glance at him.

“Yes, something you need?” she asked, not unkindly.

“Are you Drifting Facade?”

“That’s me,” she said, getting up onto her hooves. She held one out and Perception Filter took it, shaking it softly. “So, what do you want?”

“Well, I was told that you were a journalist... And I was hoping that...” he trailed off a little.

“Yes?”

“Could you help document an expedition into the Everfree forest?” he asked, and Drifting Facade shrugged.

“I don’t see why not. What’s the expedition for, and how much are you paying?”

“Well.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “We can guarantee at least 500 bits up front, and when you get back, another 500 bits. We’re mounting this expedition to reestablish contact with a base we lost over the winter. We figure that most or all of the workers are already dead, but we have valuable tech in that base.”

“That sounds reasonable I guess. When’s all this going down?”

“In a few days, if things permit.”

“What things?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well,” he began, “I’m still looking for one more pony to take with us. We need a cartographer.”

“Why would you need a cartographer? Don’t you already know where the base is?”

“Well yes, but my bosses are always looking for ways to maximize profit and minimize money loss. To do that, they intend to map out as much of the forest as they can.”

“Well, there’s one pony, but she’s kinda....”

“Off?” Perception Filter suggested.

“No, she’s kind of a bitch.”

“Oh...” he paused, at a small loss for words. “So, ah, what’s her name?”

“Shadow Clock. She’s brown, with a brunette mane, and some of the weirdest eyes you’ve ever seen. You can’t miss her. You can usually find her down by the Drunken Stallion. You know where it is?”

“Yeah, I might’ve been there once or twice.” His memory flashed back to the previous night, when he was getting smashed on whiskey and every kind of conceivable alcohol. He shook his head vigorously, and got rid of the memories.

“Thanks for the help, I’ll be in touch.” They shook hooves, and Perception Filter gave her his card.

~~~~~

The Drunken Stallion, Canterlot City
A Few Hours Later...

Perception Filter entered the seedy bar, glancing around. Compared to last night, this place was packed full. The tables were packed with stallions playing cards, and there bar was completely jammed with all kinds of intelligent species. There were a few griffons and diamond dogs even.

Shrugging mentally, he trotted into the bar, keeping an eye out for Shadow Clock. Despite what Drifting Facade had said, if Shadow Clock was here, she was not standing out at all. Squeezing past some shady figures, who growled at him as he moved by, he approached the bartender and tapped the polished wood to get his attention.

The pony looked up and raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’m looking for Shadow Clock!” Perception Filter shouted over the harsh din that assaulted his ears. The bartender didn’t respond, but instead jerked his head towards the back. Perception Filter squeezed back between the shady figures again and started to maneuver his way to the back, avoiding the haphazard maze of chairs, tables, and ponies.

As he approached the back, a pony that fit the description Drifting Facade gave him became apparent. She was leg-wrestling with a large, green, burly stallion. They both had determined expressions on their faces. Shadow clock licked her lips and grinned, while the stallion had a worried expression on his face.

They sat there, legs locked in embrace for several seconds, and time seemed to stop around them. Then, without warning the atmosphere shifted and Shadow Clock slammed the stallion’s leg down on the table with a large crack. The stallion screamed and pulled back his leg.

“My leg!” he yelled. “You broke my leg! You bitch!”

“Get over it,” Shadow Clock said, taking a shot of whiskey. Her voice was rough, almost like a stallions. Several ponies were lined up, unhappily giving her several bits. The stallion glared at her, and got up.

“This isn’t over. I’m going to find you and—”

“And what?” asked Shadow Clock, standing up abruptly, knocking her chair over. Everypony froze. The stallion started stuttering as he slowly backed away from Shadow Clock. He turned tail and ran out of the bar, dragging his limp leg on the ground. Shadow Clock smirked, fixed her chair, and sat down as if nothing had happened. The bar went back to normal, with all of its yelling and shouting.

Perception Filter approached Shadow Clock warily and gently tapped on the table to get her attention. She grunted, but didn’t look at him.

“Whaddya want?” she growled.

He cleared his throat nervously, and spoke up, trying his hardest to sound professional.. “Well, I am here as a representative of MagiTech Inc. and I want to—”

Shadow Clock interrupted him by shooting up out of her chair and slamming a knife on the table; where she had procured it, Perception Filter had no idea. He did, however, flinch back in shock.

“What do you want?” she asked hostilely, and he started stuttering as he tried to back away. “I asked, what do you want?!” Perception Filter kept stuttering without fail, and Shadow Clock pulled the knife out of the table and held it up threateningly.

“OH CELESTIA DON’T KILL ME!” he screamed, covering his head with his legs in a futile attempt to shield his face. After a few seconds of him not dying, he tentatively looked up and saw Shadow Clock holding the knife up, glaring at him.

“Who are you and what, do, you, want?” she said through gritted teeth.

“I-I’m P-P-Perception F-Filter, and I-I’m here to ask for your help, and please don’t kill me!” he pleaded. Shadow Clock lowered the knife slightly, and motioned for him to continue.

“I-I’m h-here from MagiTech Inc. and w-we need s-somepony with y-your skills.” He was shaking furiously, and when he realized he wasn’t going to die, he noticed the stares that everypony in the bar was giving him.

“Somepony get this guy a drink,” Shadow Clock called. She sat down and sheathed the knife by her leg—where he now saw she had a small leather strap that held the sheath. A few seconds later, a random pony came over and handed him a beer bottle. He looked at it and saw that it was one of the weakest kinds you could buy.

“Uhh,” he started, but with the look the stallion gave him, he knew he would be pushing his luck. “Nevermind. T-thanks.”

“So, why does MagiTech need me?” she asked, calmly, taking a swig of beer as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Perception Filter forced himself to take a deep breath and calm himself. To a degree, he succeeded, but he was still shaking minutely.

“I... We, need a cartographer for our expedition into the Everfree forest. We lost contact with a base, and we need to find out what happened.”

Shadow Clock gave a loud, humorless laugh and slammed her drink onto the table noisily. “Nopony has contacted me with a job to do with my actual profession in years!”

“W-why?”

“I’ve been too busy with other shit. So, how’s they pay?” Perception Filter brightened when the subject turned to money. He had her snared, all he had to do was pull her in. He was in his element.

“Well, we’re offering an advance payment of five-hundred bits, with a follow-up of another five-hundred.” Shadow Clock gave him a different look, and raised an eyebrow.

“That sure is a lot of money,” she said. “Is it hazard pay?”

“Well, mostly. The Everfree is dangerous, and you’ll be gone awhile. In the event of your death, all of your bits will be forwarded to the closest living relative, or whomever you decide to give it to..”

“So, what happens if I don’t have any relatives?” she asked, taking another drink.

Perception Filter shrugged. “Nothing. There’s nopony to send the money to.”

“Alright,” Shadow Clock said, with a smile. “You got yourself a deal.”

“Excellent! Now, if you would just—”

“Ab-bup-bup! First off, I have one condition,” she said, her smile not faltering.

“Which is?”

“You don’t tell your bosses who I am. If you do, I’ll kill you, in the dead of night. It’ll look like just one more accident in the forest. Got it?”

Perception Filter gulped and shakily held out his hoof, and Shadow Clock shook it.