Storm of the Season (Pilot Episode 1 Part 1) (RW)
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville as Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were sitting at a local restaurant, enjoying a few grass seed bun dandelion burgers and hay fries. While Rainbow munches down on a few hay fries, Twilight turns to Rainbow holding one of her burgers. "You know, I've always wondered what a dandelion burger was." She mentions as Rainbow swallows a big bite. "Aren't they awesome? I wonder why no ones ever told us about these sooner?" With that, Rainbow chomps the last of her burger and chews with a big grin covered in crumbs.
"Uh Rainbow, you got a little..." Twilight points a hoof at her mouth trying to be subtle. Rainbow only responds with a clueless gesture, "Hm? A thwittle whaht?" Rainbow asked with a mouth full of the burger. Twilight sighs rolling her eyes, "Ugh, nothing..." Twilight suddenly perks up as something catches her eye. "Hey Rainbow, isn't that one of the weather ponies you work with?" she pointed as Rainbow swallows her burger and turns. There stood a panicked pegasus pony with a light tan coat, thick red mane and tail, green eyes, and a blue star on his flank. "Hey yea, that's Cool Star, better go see what the emergency is." Rainbow hopped down off the chair and was starting to leave, Twilight followed her with a slightly confused look. "Um, what makes you think it’s an emergency?"
"Cool Star is usually a chill pony, it takes a lot to make his mane go in a knot like that." Rainbow responds as she and Twilight catch up to the frantic pony. "Hey Cool, what's going on?" Rainbow calls out causing Cool to turn to Rainbow panicking. "Rainbow! Thank Celestia I found you! There's a class 9 storm headed here!" Rainbow gasps at this while Twilight looks at them. "A class 9 storm? How bad is that?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow turns to Twilight with worry in her eyes. "A class 9 storm is bad, very bad! It has winds that topple trees, lightning that can cause big craters, and rain that can flood within seconds! A class 9 storm can destroy Ponyville within seconds!" Rainbow franticly explains meeting Twilight eye to eye. Twilight stares back, as Rainbow backs off. Cool then continues, "Thankfully it hasn't fully matured, there's still a chance for us to handle it before it causes some real damage!" Rainbow let out a small sigh of relief as Twilight started to turn away looking back at them. "If it’s that bad then you two go ahead. I'll try to find other pegasus ponies to send. Where is it now?" Twilight asked. Cool looks to twilight. "Currently its over the Everfree forest. Send any pegasus pony you know is on the weather team. Ask them to keep an eye out for others on the team as well." Twilight nods while the pegasi fly off. Twilight starts to gallop while muttering under her breath "Good luck guys."
-( On the way to the storm Rainbow and Cool find other pegasus ponies headed to the storm. Winds start to pick up as they near the forest. )-
Rainbow leads the other ponies above the forest before coming to a stop to give the plan. "Ok team, we have a rogue class 9 storm coming in! I need everypony to split into teams of three. Start to disperse the clouds to calm the charges and lessen the rain and winds. Cool, you and Cloud Kicker are with me." Everypony nodded and split into the teams. After everypony was ready they all nodded to Rainbow and her team. "Ok, lets go!" Rainbow yells charging ahead leading them into the storm. The winds really started to pick up as the air soon turned to static filled rain. Noticing this Rainbow yells out, "Everypony watch your selves! The charges are stronger than normal. Its being carried through the rain!" most acknowledged this as they all started to pick apart the storm. Lightning strikes every few seconds as the pegasi start to dwindle the massive storm.
Cloud Kicker spotted a group of pegasi heading towards the storm. She then turns to Rainbow. "Hey Rainbow! I spotted more pegasus ponies heading here from Cloudsdales direction!" Rainbow turns to Cloud Kicker, "Good! Go tell them the plan! Cool and I'll manage till you get back!" With that Cloud Kicker nods and flies back out of the storm to meet the arriving pegasi. Rainbow Dash turns back to the storm only to see a flash of lightning strike her on the side.
"AAAAAAGHHGG!" Rainbow yelled in agony from the shock and went limp, she started to fall towards the forest. Cool didn't see nor hear what just happened being distracted by the noise of the storm. Rainbow fell towards the trees, barely conscious, thinking to herself *oh man, that was a big hit! I can't move!* She closed her eyes tightly as the trees came whisping by her. She went through a few leaved branches and landed on a patch of grass knocking her unconscious...but not before she sees a shadowed creature approaching her.
-( Rainbow Dash has been knocked out cold. Time passes until she started to come to )-
Rainbow Dash slowly starts to come around as her head was throbbing. "Ughn, wha- where?" She looked around with one eye seeing she was in a bed in a room with scrolls and various objects used in exploration and research on one side of the room, and shelves of books lined the other side. There was a fireplace giving the room a warm glow to the room. A voice emanates from one of shadowy corners, "Ah! I see you are alright. Thank the elements." Rainbow turned her head to the corner to see a dark grey unicorn coming around one of the bookshelves. The pony has red eyes, red tips on the spikes on his black mane and tail, red hooves that swirled into his dark coat, and a strange red symbol with a red quill writing on it for a cutie mark.
"Who are you?" She started to try to sit up but cringed under the pain of her injuries. The gray pony rushed to her side with a bucked of water and a cloth. "Please! Don't move. You suffered major injuries from the fall you had, You must rest. I am Lore Venture, and I brought you here to my cottage, This is my personal library. You were banged up really badly when I found you not far from here. Might I ask what your name is?" He asked as he uses his magic to wring the wet cloth and lay it on her forehead. "I-I'm Rainbow Dash. Thanks for rescuing me." She smiles as the warm rag started to fell good.
Lore smiles contently, "Not at all. I couldn't leave another pony stranded in the Ever Free forest, especially after taking a dive like that. Erm, might I ask what you were doing out here?" Rainbow gasped as eyes shot open as she quickly sat up and cringed, hurting herself in the process. She laid back down tenderly as Lore looked at her worried.
"UGNH. I remember now! There was a massive class 9 storm brewing and headed to my town. The other pegasi and I were coming out here to handle it. I was struck by a bolt of lightning and passed out. I'm sure you know the story from there. How is the storm? Has it been taken care of?" Lore gave a nod with a smile. "The storm was taken care of by the other pegasi. Now you need your rest, I'll be in my study if you need me." Lore smiled and turned towards the door as Rainbow looked back at him, but gave a smile back before falling back asleep.
-( The next day )-
Rainbow starts to wake up, feeling the warm rays of the sun beeming through the window. "Mmmh, what a night! Haven't slept like that in a while." She sits up, tenderly rubbing her shoulder. "Man, I am stiff. Need to stretch out a little." With that she sits up, starts to get out of her bed but tumbles out and hits the floor.
"Omph! Ugh, Still sore... Well, I better walk it off. I wonder what Lore's up to?" She ponders putting a hoof on her chin. She gets up and starts to head through the room and into the main part of the cottage. The living room is filled with stacks of books that reached the ceiling. Many sheets of paper litter the walls with drawings of many creatures, most Rainbow didn't recognize. A warm fire in the fireplace and a few candles lit the room as Rainbow looks around.
In awe at the many papers and books, Rainbow makes her way through the room. "Man, Twilight would have a hay day in here! So many books and scrolls, she'd hate the mess, but dang!" She looks around the room until she spoted Lore hunched over in a stool, sleeping on his desk while drooling on a few parchments he was writing on. Rainbow giggled at the sight, "He MUST be related to Twilight some how, he studies till he falls asleep." Rainbow looked around and found a blanket. She took it and covered Lore while he slept, he gave a small smile. Rainbow smiles at this and sets off to the rest of the cottage to explore seeing so many rooms. "For a cottage, this place is pretty big. I wonder why there are so many rooms around here?" She wondered out loud. With that she heads to a door and opens it to see another pegasus pony laying on a bed sleeping, looking pretty banged up as well. Rainbow immediately recognizes the blue pegasus, "Hey! it's Blue October, she must've been hurt from the storm as well... I wonder how many others were hurt?" She proceeded to close the door and go through the other rooms.
Most of the rooms were empty bedrooms, a few were used as storage with many books lining the bookshelves on the walls. Rainbow found three other pegasi, Cool Star, Firefly, and Derpy Hooves all asleep and shown signs of damage from the storm. Rainbow starts to walk down the hall in thought. "Wow, five pegasi, that's better than usual. But I wonder how Derpy got involved, she's not a weather pony, she's a mailmare." Rainbow ponders about this but decided to shrug it off and ask later when they all were up.
Rainbow's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low growling coming from her stomach. "Heh, that storm made me hungry. Hey! There's an idea, I can thank Lore for his help with some breakfast." She smiles at the thought and sets out to find the kitchen. “Aha! Here it is. Now to cook up something yummy for Lore." She smiles looking at a big kitchen, surprisingly kept clean compared to the rest of the cottage. She looks around and finds a cookbook and starts to cook up some breakfast.
Lore starts to stir as he is awoken by a strange smell. "*sniff* hmm? What's that? *sniff* Smells like...is something burning? *sniff* Doesn't smell like burning wood... more like *sniff**sniff*...like...” Lore gets up to follow his nose towards the kitchen and opens the door to see Rainbow Dash over the stove reading a cookbook while some hash browns start to burn on the stove. "Um, Rainbow Dash?" Lore calls out making Rainbow turn to him and smile. "Oh hi, sleep well?" she asked as Lore approached her slightly confused. "Um, yes. Might I ask why your burning hash browns? They are done when they turn brown, hence the name." Rainbow looks at the stove and noticed them burning. She quickly grabs a mitt and removes the pan from the stove placing it on another mitt.
Rainbow looks at the burnt food and laughs sheepishly, "Eheh, um... well, I wanted to thank you for helping me and the other ponies, so I thought it would be nice to cook you up some breakfast as a thanks." She smiled while glancing at the extra crispy hash browns then looks down slightly. "Guess cooking isn't a strong point for me huh?" She and Lore chuckled a little. Lore tosses on an apron and a chef hat.
"Don't think so, and don't worry, I'm just happy you all are alright. Seeing your smiles is enough thanks for me. The others might be waking soon, I'll start up some breakfast, care to greet the others as they come?" Lore asks as he started to open cabinets and pull out spices and ingredients.
"Sure thing! By the way, out of curiosity, why is this place so big if you’re the only one living here?" Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. Lore started to knead some dough. "Well, this used to be an inn a while back, placed here for travelers to rest their hooves. It closed down due to lack of business. Then I came across it and bought it for myself. I love to go on adventures just like my foalhood hero Indiana Pones. So since this is the Everfree forest, there is always a new adventure around here, which is why I bought this inn. Plus I help the occasional traveler who needs a place to stay for the night." Lore finishes explaining as he started to cook up some eggs.
Rainbow looks back to him and smiles, "Wow! That's so cool that you manage to survive out here. Must be hard!" Lore looks back at her slightly confused as he was boiling some eggs. "What do you mean by that? It's not that hard." He notes as he turns back to the fresh hash browns he just placed while Rainbow looks at him slightly confused. "Um, it’s the Ever Free forest. It’s dangerous out here." Lore gave a chuckle at the comment as he places some hay seed biscuits into the oven.
"It's not all that bad, you just have to know how to survive in places like this. Where to go and not go, what plants to avoid. It’s simple for adventurers like me." Right then they hear hooves clopping in the hallway above them. "It seems some others came around. Could you see to them Rainbow Dash?" Lore asked as he flipped some carrot pancakes. "Oh yea, sure thing!" She nodded as she left the kitchen and headed to the hallway to see that Cool woke up looking slightly groggy. "Hey, morning Cool. Sleep well?" Cool turns to Rainbow and gives a small smile. "Yea, sort of. My head hurts slightly. Know where we are?"
"Yea your in an inn within the Everfree forest. A unicorn pony downstairs, Lore, he owns this inn. I'm guessing you were knocked unconscious by that storm too huh?" Cool looked around before responding. "Uh, not really the storm that knocked me out. I ran into another pony head first." He looked back at Rainbow who was smiling as she was relieved to know he wasn’t struck by lightning. She turned and headed towards the stairs to the living room/study as Cool followed. "Yea, well a total of five pegasi were hurt. Including Derpy the mailmare, not sure how she got involved. But we have Firefly and Blue October sleeping here as well. Come on, I'll show you to Lore." Rainbow beckoned showing Cool to the dining area.
Lore was placing food across the table and six places for him and his guests. Lore looked up as Rainbow and Cool enter the room. "Oh, it's good to see you’re alright, a bump on the head like that could knock out a pony for a few days." Lore sighs as Cool looks at him, then to Rainbow who looked back at him. "What? He's cool, he found us in the forest and brought us back here to help us recover." Cool looked back at Lore, "Ah, thanks... I guess. How did you manage to carry both of us back to Ponyville?" Rainbow and Lore looked at him slightly confused.
"Cool, are you feeling ok?" Rainbow asked him while he stared at her blankly. "Um, yea, I guess... where are we?" Rainbow stared at him really confused now. "I've told you, we're in an inn run by Lore in the middle of the Everfree forest." Cool, stared at her confused. "Ok, how did we get here?" He stared at her as she stared back. Lore looked at Cool concerned. "He hit his head harder than I thought. He seemed to develop a case of short term amnesia. Hopefully it isn't permanent."
Rainbow looks back at Cool now really worried. "He was fine a minute ago, he told me how he was knocked out too." Lore looks at Cool's lump and responds to Rainbow. "It must've just developed then." Rainbow didn't like this at all as she stomps a hoof. "Aw man, he's one on my best weather ponies too! Do you know how long until he recovers?" She looks at Lore with worried eyes. Lore only shakes his head. "It's hard to say, amnesia like this is very unpredictable. It could last for one night to even years." This caused Rainbows eyes to shrink. "Years! Isn't there anything you can do?" Lore looks back at her, shaking his head slowly. "Unfortunately no, my medical skills aren't enough to help in cases like amnesia. He will need a hospital to help speed up his recovery. Unfortunately the closest one is in Ponyville which is a 3 hour walk from here."
Rainbow Dash looks back at Cool, who was looking around. "I can fly him there. It'll be much faster and I know exactly where it is since I live there." She suggested as Lore looks back at her with a raised eyebrow. "You both are still hurt, are you sure you’re able to fly?" Rainbow flaps her wings a few times. "I can, they aren't hurting any more so I can carry him there. I'm a very strong flyer. I can get him there in no time." She and Lore looked at Cool who looked around with a worried confused look on him.
Lore gave a small sigh, "Ok, just be careful. Be sure to be back before sunset. That way I know you two made it safely." Rainbow nods and lead Cool into the living room/study where they found Firefly and Derpy having an idle conversation. Firefly was the first of the pair to notice Rainbow and Cool come in. "Huh? Hey Rainbow, Cool, Thank Celestia you’re safe. What happened?" Rainbow stops to greet them. "Hey Firefly, Derpy, We all were knocked unconscious from the storm last night and Lore, the unicorn who owns this place, found us. Cool here was hit on the head pretty hard, now he has short term amnesia and I'm taking him to Ponyville for help. By the way, Derpy, how did you get caught up in the storm?"
Derpy looked at Rainbow with her crossed eyes, "Oh, I got lost and was sucked into the winds of the storm. I couldn't keep steady. Eventually the storm wore me out and I collapsed from exhaustion. But not before my leg is sprained, I hit something in the storm with it really hard." Rainbow looks at Cool for a second then back to Derpy. "I think I know what you hit. Cool was hit on the head pretty hard, which is what caused his amnesia. Don't worry he'll be fine."
Derpy gasps and turned to Cool. "Oh my, Cool I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Cool just responded with a blank and slightly confused stare. Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Uh, Derpy, he has amnesia. He doesn't remember it. *sigh* Come on Cool, I need to take you to the hospital." But Cool looked at Rainbow confused "Why? I feel fine." This caused Rainbow to facehoof as she grumbles, "ugh, it's going to be a long day." She turned to Firefly and Derpy, "There's food in the dining room where we just came from. Lore should still be in there. Blue October is upstairs still asleep it seems." Rainbow explained tugging Cool along while Firefly and Derpy headed to the dining room.
Cool turns to Rainbow before she reached for the door, "Hey Rainbow, I’m not too sure what's going on, but I'm hungry myself. How about we eat before we leave?" Rainbow nods forgetting she was hungry herself. They head back to the dining room where Lore, Firefly, and Derpy were already chowing down. Lore looks up noticing them come in.
"Hm? Rainbow Dash? I thought you were headed to the hospital with Cool?" Rainbow Dash and Cool sat down as she turned to Lore. "Yea, until I remembered how hungry I was. Can't fly on an empty stomach you know." She winked as Lore chuckled. He nodded and proceeded to serve their plates with pancakes, hash browns, eggs, all sorts of food as the two pegasi sat at the table licking their lips. Lore placed the plates in front of them and Cool and Rainbow chowed down until their bellies were full. Rainbow patted her stomach letting out a satisfied sigh, "Ah, now that was awesome. Thanks a bunch Lore. I'll be back soon. Come on Cool." Rainbow said as she hopped down from the stool with Cool in tow. Lore called out to them as he waves them off. "Good luck, stay safe!" he calls, Rainbow waves her hoof as she and Cool fly towards Ponyville.
As they flew off Blue October finally came down and Lore began explaining to her what has transpired the night prior, right after they both started to chow on some breakfast.
-End of Episode. 1 Part 1: Storm of the Season
Author Notes:
Quite a storm that was. Poor Rainbow getting hurt like that, luckily my pony was near by or who knows what could've happened?
I've started this fic mostly to introduce my OC pony Lore. He is part of a different story I am writing on dA and various other sites. You can find it on my dA: Skellitor301.deviantart.com. I couldn't figure a good plot to start me out until I saw a pic on dA, linked below, that gave me the idea for these first few chapters.
I rewrote this chapter because I finaly got a full pledged computer with a copy of Word. I've gone back and gave it a full revision. I hope you guys enjoy!
http://rizcifra.deviantart.com/gallery/31020403#/d3ekrqx
All ponies used are either official, background ponies (mlp wiki has a list of these), or created by yours truly...which is really only Lore.
The Blossom (Pilot Episode 1 Part 2) (RW)
Lore was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes from the lunch he made earlier for Derpy, Firefly, and himself. Blue October left earlier after she recovered and flew home. Lore gazed out his window as the sun was getting ready to set. "Come on Rainbow, let me know you made it." He sighed as he looked out at the empty forest skies. He started to put the dishes away to try and keep himself occupied while he waited. Bowing his head, he let out a sigh. He put the rest of the dishes he had back into the drying rack. "All right." He grunted, turning to exit the kitchen, into the living/study room where Firefly and Derpy were talking.
Derpy and Firefly fell silent as the watched Lore start to pack his saddlebags. Derpy was the first to speak up. “Um, Lore? What’s going on?” Lore finished strapping the bags on his back and reached for his hat. “Rainbow Dash has promised she would return before sunset. It’s running late and I can’t relax unless I know she and Cool Star are safe.” Derpy and Firefly immediately started to rant about how unsafe the idea was and about the unnatural occurrences that plague the forest, like growing trees and self moving clouds. Lore headed for the door, “I know you are worried about the forest, but I have been living out here for a very long time. I know what dangers lay from here to Ponyville and the surrounding areas.” Lore grabbed the door as he was getting ready to dash out to the forest. “I’ll be back as soon as I-”
He didn’t see where he was going and bumped into something, surprising him to the point the weight of his gear knocked him back onto his flank. “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry!” a female voice called out. “No no, It’s my fault.” Lore looked up, “I wasn’t pay-“ he stopped as eyes went wide and his mouth dropped seeing Twilight in his doorway as the sun set behind her. She looked back at him slightly confused and with a hint of uncomfort. “Um, are you ok?” She asked, he only replied with the same awe struck stare. He didn’t notice that the rest of the pony gang was behind Twilight, Rarity started to get impatient. “Can we move along? It’s impolite to leave a lady waiting outside.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and invited them in. She then looked at Lore confused as the others passed by the petrified pony. “Hello? Lore? You there?” she waved a hoof in front of his face. Lore still didn't move which made Rainbow frown. She then started to clop her hooves together next to his ear causing him to flinch. "Huh? What? Oh Rainbow! You made it back, thank the Elements! I was getting worried you and your friend didn't make it."
Rainbow looked back at him slightly confused, “Um, yea, I got Cool to the hospital. The nurse told me that he will be fine, and he's lucky too. Another few hours and he would've gone into a coma because of the lump on his head." Lore sighed a breath of relief hearing the good news, completely oblivious to the group of ponies having small conversations around the fireplace behind him. "But out of curiosity, what took you so long to get back?" Lore continued the conversation. Rainbow gave a small smile, "Well, I when I left the hospital, my friends were outside waiting for me all worried. I told them how you saved me and Cool, and how awesome you were for living out here. Seriously, we only know of one other who lives out here, but she isn't a pony and we figured she lived in a place like the Everfree forest where she came from. Heck, we thought she was the most civil being that lived in this forest." This caused Lore to look at Rainbow with a hint of curiosity, "And who is this, erm, being that lives in the Everfree forest?"
"Her name is Zakora, the zebra, at least that’s what Twilight calls her." Lores eyes lit up at the mention of the name. "Ah yes, Zakora! She and I swap notes from time to time about our findings on the creatures around here." Lore continued, "Your friend, Twilight, sounds smart to know what a Zebra is, and you can tell her that's something to be proud of because I rarely say that about anypony I've helped in the past." Lore gave a smile as Rainbow smiled looking past him. "Well, you can tell her yourself, she and my other friends came to thank you for helping me." She winked and pointed a hoof towards the others who were too deep in conversation to notice Rainbow mentioning them.
Lore smiled and started to turn "Ah, ok the-" he stopped dead and gave the same awestruck look he had earlier. Rainbow looked at him slightly annoyed and gave him a nudge, "Hey! Lore! What's gotten into you? You're starting to worry me." Lore looked at Rainbow and replied weakly, "I-I don't know. I keep on getting this feeling every time I see your friend. It’s really weird." Rainbow looked at him very confused, then to the others.
Suddenly a light bulb goes off in her head, "Lore, this feeling. Where is it?" He looked back at her and placed a hoof on his chest. "Around here, it feels so strange. It causes me to freeze up." Rainbows eyes really lit up now and smug little smile found its way onto her. "I've never felt anything like it." He continued, "What if I'm getting sick?" She gave a small giggle as he looked at her confused. "Don’t worry, I think I know what your feeling. But tell me, which one of my friends did you say made you feel like this?" She looked on at him with an anxious and excited stare. Lore pointed a hoof in Twilights direction. "The purple unicorn made the feeling the strongest."
This made Rainbow grin from ear to ear as she leaned into his ear. "That unicorn, her name is Twilight Sparkle, and this feeling, is called love." Lore shot his eyes wide open and his face turned a dark red. "Uheh, um, I must. Um... Excuse me everypony!" He bolted out of the room leaving Rainbow giggling to herself and everypony having looks of confusion
-( In the Library )-
Lore was franticly pacing around muttering to himself. "Love? That's what it feels like? I've never felt this way before, not even towards mom and dad. I love them, but they are the only ones I've ever loved as parents. I've never felt that way towards anyone else... Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." His heart started to flutter thinking about her, and what he was told about her, and- "Lore? Are you ok?" He turned around quickly snapping out of his thoughts to see Twilight standing in front of his door. His heart raced as he tried to scrounge up something to say.
"Uh, hehe, Yea, I'm, uh, g-good, uh, T-Twilight. Eheh" he started to sweat as she approached him. She looked into his eyes as if she was reading him like a book, looking over his expressions and reacitons. "That’s good. anyway, I wanted to come by and thank you properly for saving my friend Rainbow. She may be thick skulled, but she is very resourceful at times that still amazes me." She smiled as Lore gulped, "P-Properly?" He asked weakly.
She smiled and nodded "Yup!" With that she walked up to him and hugged him around his neck causing him to freeze up. She smiled while nuzzling him, "Thank you very much. I don't known what I would do if I lost a friend." She whispered in his ear causing him to smile weakly not knowing what she was going to do next. "And don't worry Lore, I like you too." She gave him a small kiss on the cheek and trotted back out the door to the commons area to meet with the others winking as she closed the door behind her. He stood there for a short while holding a hoof up to his cheek, "She...Likes me...too!" He an ear to ear smile appeared on his face as he started to jump around happy she felt the same way he felt for her.
Little did he know, Rainbow was looking on through the key hole with Twilight right outside his door. "See? Told ya didn't I?" Rainbow whispered as Twilight turned to her. "You did good Rainbow." Twilight proceeded to hum a happy tune down the hall towards the commons area with Rainbow in toe.
- End of Episode 1 Part 2: The Blossom -
Chapter Notes:
I was originally going to end this chapter as a cliff hanger and reveal the feelings Lore has for Twilight next chapter making this a three chapter pilot. Three things stopped me from doing this:
1. During my initial writing I lost all my progress from not saving. This pissed me off so much I was about to not write it again until a few days later. But I decided to continue right then and there.
2. The part about the sun setting behind her and Lore awestruck was a big give away.
3. I wanted to, at this point, try to follow the show and stick with the first two chapters as pilots.
Also, I want to point out that Twilight isn't my top pony. My tops are currently, as of this post; Fluttershy, Rainbow, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and AJ. The reason why I didn't stick with this is because I don't want to do the whole alicorn thing going around. I'm sticking with the only alicorn characters being the princesses. So Lore, being a unicorn, wouldn't match up with my top two, so I picked Twilight. Plus they are a better match than any of the other 5. There was even a subtle, and unintended, hint of this in chapter 1. Unintended because I didn't think of this until after chapter 1 was posted. The rest of the chapters are going to be 1-2 chapter plots, so when chapter 3 rolls around don't expect to pick up where left off. The plan is to run plots like the show.
I’ve rewritten this chapter as I recently got a computer with Word. I’ve fully revised this chapter and the previous one. I hope you guys enjoy!
Episode 2 PT 1: Mix and Match
Lore’s Tales
Episode 2: Mix and Match
Early morning dew covered the Everfree Forest as Equestria was blessed with a miraculous morning, Celestia rose the sun to warm the lands as she always has. The sunlight washed the trees with a warm radiant glow, and they reached the windows of a particular colt sleeping in his cottage. The sunlight landed on his face causing him to stir from his restful slumber. He opened his eyes, and gave a big, hearty yawn. He jumped out of his cot and started his day with eggs and a blueberry muffin as he has done most of his mornings. After breakfast he washed up and groomed his mane with a brush using his magic.
“Let’s see where I feel like exploring today.” He wondered over to his study, picked up a dart, and headed over to a large map on his wall that was labeled as “The Everfree Forest”. He closed his eyes and with his magic, he threw the dart towards the map making a low ‘thunk’ sound. He opened his eyes to see where he landed and was completely satisfied. “Alright! I haven’t been there before. I wonder what secrets I’ll uncover.” With a planned direction, Lore started to pack his expedition gear; a tent, kindling, small hatchet with a blade below the handle, some quills, ink, scrolls, rations, and climbing gear. He knew he could carry more than this, ‘but where’s the fun in that’ he thought as he strapped on his saddlebags. “Ok, looks like that’s everything!” he exclaimed as he looked himself over making sure he had everything he needed. Satisfied he headed out the door and locked up the cottage. He put his key in one of his pockets as he heard the sounds of a set of hooves lightly clopping, and approaching him.
“Um, excuse me, Lore? Um… Hi, it’s me, um, Fluttershy…” Lore turned to the shy mare, he couldn’t help but smile at her shyness towards other colts. “Greetings Fluttershy, What brings you here?” She tried her best to look at him but her head hung slightly causing her pink mane to cover most of her face. “Well, um, Twilight wanted me to come by and, um, let you know to keep an eye out for anything… strange.” Lore raised an eyebrow at this. “Strange? As in what way?” She looked towards him slightly gaining a little more composure as the conversation continued, “Well, I’m not sure if you remember the new pony which started living in Ponyville a few months back, um, I think his name was Smokey?” Lore shook his head having heard of the brown pegasus. “Well, apparently, um, one of his friends from Germareneigh, he, um, he recently appeared around the Everfree forest, like Smokey, but unconscious. He’s fine now, but um, Twilight wanted me to ask you to, um, keep an eye out for strange things like that.” Lore pondered at this for a short while, “Well, I haven’t seen anything like that lately. Where exactly was his friend found?”
“Oh, um, it was not too far into the forest, just to the side of the mane path. Maybe less than a minutes trot from the entrance.” Lore couldn’t wrap his head around this as his puzzled expression grew. “Hmm, normally monsters never come that close to the entrance especially this late in the year. Is there anything else about this that may explain him being unconscious?” Fluttershy only shook her head, “Not much else, it’s like he just got there and passed out.”
“Well, I’ll keep an eye out for any other ponies, Thanks for the heads up Fluttershy. Erm, by the way, what’s the colts name?” Fluttershy looked up to him and smiled, “Um, I think his name is Ticks. Well, I need to go Lore. Good luck on your expedition.” Lore nodded as Fluttershy flew off towards her cottage, leaving Lore to check over his map. “hmm, well, on the way to the area I’ll check the major paths for any signs of such ‘strange’ things. Maybe Zecora has seen something, she’s also on the way.” He pulled out a quill and ink well and made a few adjustments to his planned route. Once he finished he rolled up the map and put everything back in his saddle bags. He noticed where the sun was now and groaned “Aw horsefeathers, its almost 10 in the morning, I’ve wasted enough time, lets go!”
He broke out in full gallop into the Everfree forest. It was a few hours before he reached Zecora’s hut where she was found brewing a strange potion, as usual. “Greetings Zecora, I hope you are well?” he asked as he came in. She looked up and gave him a welcoming smile as he sat on one of her chairs. “Ah, Lore, It is good to see you, I am well, in every way. I see your on another expedition today.” Lore gave a small chuckle to her rhyming accent amused at her ability to speak in rhyme so easily. “Yes, I am headed to a new area I’ve yet to travel to.” He smiled as he pulled out his map showing her his planned destination. “Ah, So deep into the forest most avoid because of fear, you are a very brave pony, Lore, to travel to Green Sneer” one of Lore’s ears popped up at this, “Green Sneer? You mean this place has been named?” Zecora gave back his map and walked to her cauldron to continue her brew. “Why yes, there is a bit of legends that hold ties to that place. Tales of such dangers makes a pony’s heart race. Rumors of treasures long forgotten, protected by traps that grow weary and rotten. Tales of spirits that haunt those which trespass, but now are all gone as time took pass. Be careful my friend Lore, even though the spirits are no more, the area still holds many hostilities, even for a pony with your abilities.”
Lore gave a hearty chuckle, “I appreciate the words of warning and wisdom Zecora. But I’ve handled many dangers in my life time. I’d doubt a rundown ruin would give me too much trouble.” Zecora shook her head “Oy Lamie, Lore your just as proud in your abilities as any other, but being too proud is my bother.” Lore only grunted at this comment. “Zecora, have a bit of faith in me. After all, I am the one who mapped more of the Everfree than any other pony.” Zecora shook her head and opened her mouth to continue the argument until Lore raised his hoof to stop her. “There is another reason why I wanted to stop by. Apparently a new pony is living in Ponyville, Smokey apparently knows this colt. Ticks is his name and he is from Germareneigh like Smokey. The thing that makes this odd is he was found near the path to the entrance of the Everfree forest unconscious. Not much else was noted about this, like he just straight up passed out heading out of the forest. Now, I’m not a doctor, but ponies don’t just pass out for no good reason. There were plenty of rest sites along that path so it couldn’t have been exhaustion. Can you keep an eye out for anything strange that might relate to this? I’m not sure exactly what this is all about but… it just seems too familiar to ignore.” Zecora stopped what she was doing with eyebrows raised. “familiar? As in what way? This happened to you before? Is that what you say?” Lore shook his head. “No, I’ve passed out before, but it was normally when I was in trouble or exhausted from a long day. Plus, I can’t help but… never mind, forget that last part”
Zecora walked up to the table and sat with Lore, very interested in this. She never heard Lore speak like this before. “Lore, is there something on your mind? You can tell me, talking to a friend is easier than hiding, you’ll find.” Lore looked away, he wanted to tell her, but he also didn’t want her to think he was crazy either. “Well…” he began “…I never tell anypony this. It’s too weird I’m afraid others may think I’m crazy.” Zecora leaned in with a ‘try me’ look on her face. Lore let out a sigh; he had to tell somepony about this, might as well be Zecora who may know a thing or two about this. “I’ve had a weird feeling every time I head through that entrance. There’s something about that area that strikes me as… Off. I really felt it when Smokey came around, and now that Tick’s came around I can’t shake this feeling to save my life! Like a sort of Déjà vu, this whole situation. I don’t know, what do you think Zecora?” the zebra was deep in thought about this, she seemed to him like she never heard anything like this before. “Perhaps, Lore, you and these two ponies share a connection of some kind. What kind of connection is up to you to find.” Lore sighed, “Perhaps.” Lore took notice of the time and got up quickly, “Oh! Sorry Zecora, I’d better head off before it gets later than needed.” Lore was about to head out the door when Zecora called out to him, “Here, take this container of herbal mix, It is for when you need a quick fix. From infections to a broken limb, this will fix any pony up on a whim.” Lore took a small gourd that had some sloshing liquid inside. “Thanks Zecora, I may need this.”
Lore set out towards the area as he planned, he kept on trotting through the forest until the sun started to set. He took notice of this and started to set up camp. After he finished pitching his tent and lighting a small fire he began to set up a small circle of torches around the campsite to ward off any predators that might’ve wanted to visit him. Satisfied with his work he wiggled into his padded blanket and started to lull into a deep sleep.
Lore was suddenly awoken as he heard something crashing into his campsite. Alarmed, Lore quickly tried to cast his QT spell (he calls it a Quick Thinking spell. Mainly because it speeds up his perception, reflexes, and thought process by about 10x to that of an average pony). But he couldn’t cast it in time as something shot a net over him pinning him down, but it didn’t just hold him down, it gave him an electrical shock which stunned him. Unable to move or use magic he just laid there and watched as an equine figure approached, but something was off. This wasn’t a normal pony, it wasn’t a pony at all. It was completely made of metal with green glowing eyes. Lore watch on in awe and horror as the mechanical equine approached. Lore winced as it started to speak. “Intruder detained. Intruder class recognized; OC Pony. Initiating OC Pony capture sequence.” Lore felt a rush of that familiar feeling as soon as the mechanoid said OC. He’s heard of OC before, Why does it seem so familiar? He couldn’t put his hoof on it, well he couldn’t put it on there before he was shot with a dart. He felt woozy and the night sky started to fade from his vision. The last thing Lore remembered before passing out:
“What is an OC Pony?”
End of Episode 2 Mix and Match; Part 1
Chapter Notes:
Strange things are happening in the Everfree forest, as always.This time Lore is in hot water as a mysterious device has captured him! Will he survive? What is planned for him? Who are Smokey and Ticks? Find out in the next part!
As for Smokey and Ticks, Some of you may think that they sound familiar, and there is a good reason for that 
For those who missed it, they are from one of my friends fics called Life as a Pony. Go over to his fic and see what's up with Smokey and Ticks. 
