"This is the hundredth time I caught you like this, Stop it,"
At the north-eastern edge of the Everfree Forest sat a camp. Where Fillies and Colts used to learn about the wilderness, climb trees, make campfires, and have endless fun!
Or at least, that's how the Camp was twenty years ago. These days, The cleverly named "Camp Everfree" struggles to keep itself running.
"But Brother! I think I figured a solution to all our problems!" The Camp was run by two Earth Ponies.
"I also have a solution, Sell the Camp! This entire place is prime real estate, Some rich bloke will pay us boatloads! We can easily start a new camp in the Whitetail woods, Where the Everfree Forest doesn't threaten to foalnap the children every night!" The younger Pony was tired of seeing his older sister wasting her life trying to find a solution to the Everfree's wild magic interfering with the camp.
"We are not selling the Camp! This place is everything to us, and to so many more Children! Selling isn't an option, so don't you try to bring it up again!" The older Pony was also tired of her brother trying to get her to stop her search. For months now she's been researching the Everfree Forest, from which Creatures one can find there to what Plants one might expect to encounter.
And almost like routine, the two siblings argued about how to deal with their failure of a camp before splitting off to do their own things for the day.
The younger brother went to his second job, where he can actually make a living.
The older sister went back into the forest, several notebooks and research papers carried along in a bag.
Usually, the Sister would search for a way to fix her problem, but no more. because just as she said, She found it.
The Heart of the Everfree.
A Magical Artifact hidden in the middle of the forest, whoever holds the heart has the power to control the forest itself. With it, she can make sure that the Everfree Forest never messes with her camp.
And then everything will be just like the good old days when the camp prospered and made memories of joy for ponies of all ages.
All Gloriosa Daisy had to do was find it.
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I felt a sigh escaping my lips as I stood at the edge of the giant cursed forest that covered a large portion of Equestria.
And when I say large, I mean Large.
If Equestria is the magical equivalent of the United States, then the Everfree Forest is the magical equivalent of a country the size of Belgium being picked up by God, turned into a cursed magical forest, and then dropped on top of the state of Missouri.
Maybe that's why the Deer decided to have their kingdom hidden inside that forest, It's basically the size of a country already!
Although the size of the forest is not the reason for my current sigh of exasperation.
"Tell me again why I should let you join me on this?" I asked the Pink Alicorn who stood beside me, also staring at the large forest.
"Because you're doing this to help Cosmos," Cadance said simply, and I let out another sigh.
"Fine," I told her, "But once we are inside the forest, you listen to me, I don't want to have to save you from every Monster that jumps out of the forest,"
"Of course, This is Your marefriend we're rebuilding here," Cadance said in a teasing tone of voice, which failed to work by virtue of her using the word Marefriend.
Just say Girlfriend, it fits every species anyway.
I just sighed at that, telling myself that even after half a year in this new world, I would never get used to this stupid dialect.
"Let's just go..." I tell Cadance and with a resolute look in my eyes and a calming rub of the necklace around my neck, I start walking into the magical forest, Followed by the Pink Princess of Love.
The moment we entered the shade of the trees, it felt as if a weight was placed on our backs, a pressure heavy enough to feel but still light enough to easily ignore.
It was... Weird to say the least.
The closest comparison I have to the feeling I can give was probably when I carried Starlight through the tunnel in Yakyakistan, where I found Cosmos all those months ago, a sort of primal understanding telling me that I was not somewhere normal people should be.
"I understand why most ponies keep out of this place," Cadance said as a shiver ran down her spine, her feathers bristling in discomfort, and I simply nodded to her words.
As we walked through the woods, the sounds of animals grew dimmer as silence descended upon us. I ignored the creepy atmosphere that the forest was trying to create as I focused on my magic, letting my hooves guide me.
It's really hard to explain how Cutie Marks work, each one is different, but for me? For Prince Blueblood? It's a really fascinating talent.
It's hard to explain how it works without using words like "Sixth sense" but simply put, I have a talent for finding things I'm looking for.
It could be something like finding where I put my keys, or it could be a bit more active, like how the grappling hook I threw back in Caninia found its way to the Ship, to even more active uses such as finding where Chrysalis was going to stand in order for my attack to hit her.
In other words, Letting my Cutie Mark guide me will eventually lead us to Thicket, in one way or another.
Because as long as I'm looking for something, even if I don't know where it is, I will find it.
Because this magical tattoo on my hip made it fate, or someshit like that, I really don't get how it works.
Even Clover the Clever never managed to really figure it out, he wrote down some theories of his in the book, but none of them were ever confirmed.
"Bluey, Did you bring food?" I'm once again pulled out of my thoughts by my new magical Cousin.
And isn't that a kick in the gut, I now have a cousin.
That's a good thing, I think. It's probably a good thing...
I haven't found a reason why Cadance being my cousin is any different than simply being a friend like Starlight is, but I'm sure the answer is out there.
Maybe Clover wrote it in a different book.
"Yes, Cadance, Obviously I packed food," I tell her as I step on a twig, hearing the satisfying snapping sound of wood breaking.
"AHH MONSTER!"
Nevermind then...
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Gloriosa was not ready to die.
She still had to find the heart of the Everfree! So when she heard the claws of a beast that must have been stalking up on her snap a twig behind her, she bolted with a scream.
She should have never ventured this deep into the Everfree, now she was going to get eaten by a Timberwolf! or worse, a Timberbear!
Her heart beat in her chest as she ran away, her hoofs making loud sounds as she tried to escape from the hidden beast.
Her breathing hitched as she heard it catching up to her, the flaps of its wings dragging it over the forest floor before-
"We're so sorry for scaring you! Please stop panicking!"
Gloriosa Daisy screamed.
The Pink Pegasus that stood over her screamed.
The white Unicorn that soon entered her vision watched with a blank face, a barely noticeable blue glow around his horn before it disappeared.
"Wait..." Gloriosa paused her screaming as she looked at the two ponies, "You're not monsters?"
"Of course, we're not," The Unicorn said as he readjusted his steel-blue hair into a sort of upwards-facing mane, reminiscent of a bird's head feathers.
"My name is Kingfisher, but everyone calls me King," The Unicorn walked up to her and helped her back to her hoofs before he patted the Pink Pegasus on the back.
"This is my Sister, Pattern Hearts, but everyone calls her Princess, they think it's funny,"
The Pegasus looked at her brother for a moment before a realization passed through her mind and she quickly nodded her head, "Oh yeah, Kingy and I have been by each other's side since we were foals, Haha!" She smiled wildly and pulled her brother into a one-legged hug.
Gloriosa took another look at the two strange Ponies, Seeing an image of a bird diving into the water on King's Cutie Mark, and a playing card with a Jack of Hearts as Princess's mark.
"Oh... Nice to meet you," Gloriosa relaxed once she realized that the two ponies were not in fact angry forest monsters out to kill her, "I'm Gloriosa Daisy, Director of Camp Everfree, But you two can call me Glori."
"I see..." Kingfisher said slowly as he looked at her before he stared into Patter Hearts' eyes, a silent conversation passing between the two.
"Well, We'll be off now, Keep yourself safe," Kingfisher then said once the two seemed to reach a conclusion to their staring talk.
And just like that, the two strange ponies walked back into the forest, leaving Gloriosa confused and alone as to what just happened.
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Somewhere else in the Everfree Forest, a certain Prince managed to escape his personal guard and sneak out of the walls that surrounded him.
Ready to explore more of the Great Big World outside of Thicket.
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Omake: A Very Good Boy.
Cerberus was a good boy.
For over one-thousand years he kept guard over the magical Prison of Tartarus.
Starswirl told him to do so, and so that's just what he'll do!
But Starswirl hasn't come to visit in a long time. And Cerberus was getting lonely.
Sure, he could talk to the other monsters in Tartarus, but they'll never be his friends, not like Mister Rockhoof and Miss Somnambula were.
But everything changed when a new Prisoner arrived. And not in a cage, but in a Glass box.
Cerberus was confused as he looked at the little box, Wouldn't the prisoner break the glass and escape? But his worries were for naught. Because the prisoner never tried to escape. She simply sat in her little box and read the books given to her.
Cerberus wants to read too, but he never learned how the funny letters work, so he can't.
Hundreds of years ago, He caught the stinky Red prisoner trying to escape by writing on the floor of his cage, so he shook him around until he couldn't move his hand anymore, and then he never wrote again.
Or at least Cerberus thinks he never wrote again... The Red one was always moving about in his cage, almost as if he was trying to hide something, but whenever Cerberus came to look, there would be nothing.
Cerberus didn't like the Red one, he felt wrong.
But none of that mattered because Cerberus wasn't lonely anymore! He got a new friend! Just like Mister Rockhoof and Miss Somnambula!
"Come here Pooch!" Cerberus let out a joyful bark from his three heads as he leaped down cliffs of black stone and sharp rocks before sliding to a halt in front of his new friend, laying on his back as he gave him belly rubs.
"Who's a good boy, Who's a good boy?" The White Unicorn told him as he petted him and rubbed him and showed him affection.
"I'm a good boy! I'm a good boy!" Cerberus yelled happily, three big tongues lolling out of his mouths as he looked at the Unicorn upside-down, still lying on his back, but all that came out were a series of loud yet happy barks.
Cerberus didn't mind that his friends never understood his words, they could still understand the meaning behind them.
"Of course you're a good boy, You're the bestest boy! Now come on! I brought food for everyone and I need your help carrying it,"
Cerberus barked happily as he rolled back onto his feet to help his new friend feed everyone.
"I hope he brought Steak!" His left head barked happily.
"I hope he brought Drumsticks!" His right head barked in joy.
"I hope he brought Ribs!" His middle head barked in affection.
His new friend was his best friend because he always brought good food and plenty of belly rubs whenever he visited.
"Oh look at you, Being all happy, Who's a good boy, Pooch, Who's a good boy?"
Cerberus was a good boy!
"Come here Pooch, Help me with this."
Cerberus was a good boy! And he would make sure Prince Blueblood would keep visiting him! Always!
He won't leave him like Mister Starswirl or Mister Rockhood or Miss Somnambula did!
Because Cerberus was going to make sure he was the bestest boy out there!