The professor blinked several times, battling to see past the shadows as he made his way through the Everfree Forest. A thick canopy of leaves towered above him, choking all light save a few thin rays of sunshine that managed to slip through the barrier. The professor's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness- only to be overwhelmed once more by the almost infinite shades of green. Moss clung to the sides of trees and rocks, vines draped down from the crown of branches, leaves cluttered the ground, and tiny seedlings broke through the earth, claiming what little light could reach them.
It was hard to believe that a place like this, so wild and tangled with life, existed just outside of Ponyville. In the town it seemed almost nothing was left up to chance. Everything from the thousands of apple trees that amassed Sweet Apple Acres to the daily weather was carefully planned and meticulously cared for. Yet nopony ruled this forest. The weather was not scheduled, the trees never pruned. Everything here was independent, untamed, and unpredictable. Truthfully, a part of the professor was fascinated by it, this place so untouched by ponies. What secrets did it hold, what signs of life were preserved in its depths? Perhaps he could come back here someday and explore it more thoroughly. But for now he had to focus; it was a dangerous place to daydream.
Professor Neighton weaved around a patch of brightly-colored ivy. The ground level foliage and fallen debris of plants now completely obscured the ground, until there was no longer any path to speak of. The professor tried to distinguish landmarks among the mass of life to mark the way he came, but it all seemed deceptively similar.
Of course, plants were not the only source of life in the Everfree forest. Occasionally the professor would see the dark outline of a tail or the gleam of an eye a moment before it disappeared into the shadows. But these sparse glances were nothing compared to the creatures' sounds, the rustling of their movements and the echoes of their cries which resonated throughout the forest. The soft crunch of scattered leaves and fallen twigs beneath the professor's hooves quickly drowned in the noises of creatures unseen. The professor's ears turned left and right, sifting through the cacophony of noises, though for what he wasn't sure.
Finally the answer came to him. A soft wind lazily stirred the leaves below him; it carried with it the faint, shrill sound of a scream.
The professor hounded after the noise, ducking under branches and pulling through brambles, lest he lose his trail. And yet the scream sounded strange; it was shrill and persistent, but it seemed to almost waver as well. And, as Fluttershy had said, there was something distinctly unpony about it. The professor pressed onward, jumping over a clearing, when suddenly he stopped. Now it sounded like the scream was coming from behind him. He stepped back into the clearing, turning his ears to and fro. There was no mistaking it- the scream was coming from this clearing. But why did it still sound so soft? And what was making the noise?
As the professor stepped backwards he felt the smooth coolness of metal beneath his hoof. He turned around and took a closer look. Tucked within the fallen leaves was a small device, copper in color and perhaps a dozen centimeters in length. It had a cylinder form with a few small holes cut through the body of it, vibrating slightly as the breeze passed through it. Was this tiny device what Fluttershy had been hearing? The professor bent down, placing his ear to the object. This was the definitely the source of the "scream." But what was it, and what was it doing out here?
The wind slowly died down, silencing the device. The professor stood up, the sounds of the forest quickly returning. He tensed. Among them was a new sound: A deep, guttural noise from directly behind the professor. Neighton slowly turned to meet it.
A beast the size of a wolf snarled, baring its teeth at the professor. The professor had never seen a creature like it. Its head was that of a fox, with burning yellow eyes. Its chest was thin but muscular, like a greyhound, but its feathered forearms ended with razor-sharp talons. Its stomach was large and golden, but the fur quickly faded into gray hindquarters. The tail of a wolf lashed behind it.
An enfield, the professor suddenly realized. He had seen images of them before, engraved in heraldry and temples. They were said to symbolize leadership and honor; he almost didn't recognize it from the gold-embroidered images and the stiff, regal poses beside grandiose house words. /*See below for heraldry puzzle */. The true creature possessed a far more dangerous air.
The enfield crept towards professor Neighton, its growl deepening. The Professor slowly took a few steps back, when he heard the snap of a twig behind him. He whirled around; more enfields, identical to the first, had emerged from the shadows. The Professor stiffened, looking around. Six enfields now surrounded Professor Neighton, their voices joined in a dark chorus of growls.
The professor's mind raced as his eyes darted from each of the enfields. Perhaps he had encroached on their territory, or perhaps was just the target of their latest hunt; either way, he'd have to be quick and careful if he wanted to escape unscathed.
A sharp bark came from behind the pack. The six enfields turned, quieting their calls as their heads lowered in reverence. A seventh enfield stepped among them. He was enormous, towering over the other members of the pack. Scars completely covered his face and body; one cut across his left eye, leaving it a milky white. He stood straight, his head held high. He paced the inside the circle of enfields, his yellow right eye never leaving the professor. He finally turned to his pack- they watched him eagerly.
Suddenly he bellowed a series of loud, deep barks. The others joined him in an eruption of howls. He continued passionately over the noise; as his calls strengthened, so did the response. The excitement of the pack only grew as the enfields joined in a cacophonous chant; the only pauses came in vicious glares and snapping snarls towards the professor. Finally the leader of the pack turned back to the professor, a menacing growl under his breath. It stood before him, braced to attack, just waiting for the professor to make his first move.
Luke's eyes slowly opened. He yawned, blinking out the sleep as he looked around the room. Where was he? One moment he had been chatting with Fluttershy's chickens, and the next thing he knew he was… well, some bed somewhere. He pushed away the butterfly comforter, stumbling out of the bed to retrieve his saddlebag and hat (somepony had taken it off and placed it on a dresser, he noted with some annoyance), and walked slowly down the stairs. At the bottom he saw Fluttershy curled up on a long green couch, talking with her bunny Angel. She turned as she heard the young colt approaching.
"Oh, Luke!" she exclaimed softly, sitting up to greet him. "I didn't think you'd be up so soon."
So this must be the inside of Fluttershy's cottage, Luke thought, looking around. He turned to Fluttershy, confused. "Where's the Professor?"
"He left a little less than an hour ago. He asked me to look after you." Fluttershy explained, glancing up at a purple clock. She looked back at Luke with a small smile. "Did you sleep well?"
"Wh-what? He 'left'?" Luke said, shock driving away his drowsiness. "What do you mean he 'left'? Where did he go?"
"He went into the Everfree Forest to look for clues." She said, turning her head to the window. She looked back at the young colt. "Luke, are you alright?"
The apprentice didn't say anything. He tightened the strap of his saddlebag with a determined expression, making his way to the door.
"Um, Luke?" Fluttershy said nervously, stepping down from the couch. "Luke, where are you going?"
"To the Everfree Forest." He replied, not turning around. "I'll need to leave now if I want to catch up."
"Luke, no! You can't go in there alone!" the pegasus exclaimed. She was already in front of him, barring the door with a fearful expression. "The Everfree Forest is far too dangerous."
"Then why didn't the professor take me with him?!" Luke snapped. "He's alone too right now." The colt hung his head, his anger slowly dissipated into dejection.
"Why didn't he take me with him?" he said. "I'm his apprentice. We're supposed to be in this together."
"I'm sure he just didn't want you to get hurt." Fluttershy said, bending down and smiling sympathetically "Besides, you needed to rest."
That did little to comfort the colt; if anything, he now seemed even angrier at himself. "So," he said, somewhat shortly. "am I supposed to just wait for him here?"
"Professor Neighton said you could meet him at the library, if you finished resting before he got back." Fluttershy replied. She noticed the bags under Luke's eyes and placed a careful hoof on his shoulder. "Maybe it would be best if you slept for just a tiny bit longer. You still look a little tired."
"I don't need any more sleep." Luke retorted, turning away from Fluttershy's gesture. He regretted it immediately, guilt seeping through him at the pegasus's hurt expression. "I mean, thank you Fluttershy. But I think I'll go ahead to the library."
Fluttershy nodded, eyes still downcast. "Do you want me to walk there with you?"
Luke sighed, now thoroughly frustrated with himself. "Thank you Fluttershy, but… no. I'd rather go alone." The last statement wasn't entirely true- but it also wasn't something Fluttershy could help with. He pressed on the wooden door, muttering a few awkward goodbyes, before stepping down on the dirt path that led to town.
After he had left the sight of the cottage he stopped. In the distance he could see the Everfree Forest, a mass of dark green against the bright blue sky. Did the other path go all the way through the forest? Is that the way the professor went? His eyes traced the other path until it was swallowed by shadows…
The colt shook his head, shifting his gaze back to the town. He took a deep breath and continued down the main dirt path with a slow, downbeat trot. He couldn't bring himself to believe that his mentor was in any real danger; the professor was too clever for that. Still, he hoped the professor would be back soon, and they'd be able to go on adventures together again.
Professor Neighton quickly examined the massive enfield, resisting the urge to take a step back. He had fenced for many years; he understood dueling well, and was fairly strong and quick on his hooves. But this was different. He had little experience in unarmed combat, especially against such an unusual opponent. He returned his gaze to the larger enfield's expression. His thoughts went to Emmy, his old assistant; she was a fighter. What would she do?
He studied his opponent once more; he would have to move quickly. Even compared to the professor the creature was huge, with a large and powerful jaw. Its razor-sharp talons curved inwards, cutting into the earth. Its two eyes, one white and one yellow, watched him with interest. The professor met the enfield's gaze, taking a step forward. It lowered its head slightly before lunging forward to attack.
The professor ducked, immediately lowering his stance; the creature's teeth clenched the air centimeters away from him. The enfield was large, but the professor could use size to his advantage. He stayed low, just out of range of the creature's jaw. The enfield swiftly retaliated, switching his attack with a slash of his talons. But fortune favored the professor- the curved talons, while deadly, were designed for a strike from above, not a ground-level attack. It was those single moments of delay that allowed the professor to weave between the whirls of attacks.
But the professor couldn't just evade- he would need to attack as well. He snuck to the left, invisible to the enfield's clouded eye. For a moment the enfield would be confused as to where he was. He shifted his stance, prepared to seize the moment with a sharp kick to the enfield's side.
Then he heard it, barely audible over the commotion; the quiet, shrill of the metal device. The breeze had picked up, but the device had warned him too late. That creature foxlike sense of smell would be able to detect the professor upwind.
The enfield whirled around, pinpointing exactly where the professor was, and knocked the him back with backhanded talon. The Professor's stance had left him unbalanced, and he fell to the ground. Professor Neighton scrambled to get back on his hooves, but the enfield was already on top of him. Its talon dug into his chest, pinning him to the ground. It leaned forward, its jaws seconds from tearing out the professor's neck.
"Stop! Desist!" A voice cried out. "What's the meaning of this?"
A ripple of noise came through the pack. The larger enfield looked up, narrowing his eyes at the interruption; the professor twisted his neck to see. A zebra stepped forward. She was pony-like in appearance, even bearing a cutie mark of a spiraled sun; despite this, the enfields seemed to recognize her, and had not yet made any move to attack. She walked up to the Professor, looking at him with a look of grim understanding before turning to the leader of the pack. She dipped her head; the leader returned the gesture, though his expression was one of quiet warning. She stood up straight, glancing one last time at the professor before meeting the enfield's eyes.
"By the honor and chivalry that befits your pack," She said, her voice ringing through the forest. "I must ask that you cease this attack."
Howls of outrage rang throughout the pack; the leader's eyes burned at the zebra's impunity. She raised her voice over the noise, eyes never leaving the leader.
"I mean enfields no disrespect," She continued. "But when fear clouds ideals you've sworn to protect-"
A harsh bark from the leader silenced her. His talon still rested on the professor's chest, and his fur bristled in outrage as he snarled at the zebra. A deep growl grew, commanding the zebra not to continue. The other enfields joined with barks and snarls.
"Is this the sign of enfield's might?" She shouting suddenly, angrily pointing at the professor. "Killing ponies out of spite?"
She turned to the pack, passion burning in her eyes. "What of protecting the forest, of oaths long ago? Of never striking a weaker foe? This pony's done nothing to earn this fate! This is not your justice; it's the product of hate!"
She turned back to the leader, meeting his eyes. "And if only blood can end this disgrace," She said, stepping forward. "Then I will stand in this pony's place."
A hush fell over the enfield pack. The leader was silent for a moment; the passion had left his expression. With his low growl he warned the zebra of the consequences of her actions; with his eyes he silently urged her to step down. She lowered her head, not moving from her spot.
"I'm sorry for what has been done." She said quietly. "I know as well as anyone. But will killing this pony bring back those lost? Is the betrayal of code an acceptable cost?"
She met the leader's gaze once more. "For the honor to which you and your pack acclaim, save judgment for those who are truly to blame."
For a moment the forest seemed completely still. The enfields glanced between the professor and the zebra, expressions flickering. Finally the leader made his decision; he took a step back, lifting his talon from the professor's chest. He dipped his head to the zebra. She returned the gesture with a grateful smile. He turned abruptly to his pack, barking three times. All seven of the enfields disappeared into the trees.
The zebra watched them leave before turning back to the professor. He slowly pulled himself onto his feet, examining the marks where the talons had dug into his chest.
"Are you alright, unlucky offender?" She asked, eyeing his wounds. "The leader of enfields is no weak contender…"
"Minor injuries, but I should be fine, thanks to you." The professor replied. He dipped his head gratefully. "I owe you my life. You were incredibly brave."
The zebra shrugged off the compliment. "There are worse foes to face." She replied with a small smile. "At heart enfields are a reasonable race." Her expression clouded. "Though recent events have frightened the pack. It clouds their judgement and hastens attacks."
"Recent events?" Professor Neighton asked. Did the misfortunes of Ponyville reach even this place?
The zebra nodded. "To the forest, I fear you're an unwelcome guest. Many creatures blame ponies for this unrest."
"Is that right…" murmured the professor. He looked up at the zebra. "What do you think?"
The zebra pondered over this question. "At all to blame, I cannot say." She finally replied. "But I believe there's a much greater force at play."
The zebra looked into the shadows of the forest, as if scanning for some invisible enemy. Her expression hardened. "And now you should leave the forest, stranger. Within it lie creatures of very great danger."
"That's why I'm here." The professor quietly replied. He pulled out his worn photograph, the cloaked figure worn against the folded creases. "I'm looking for this… individual. Can you help me?"
The zebra's expression darkened with recognition. She took the photograph in her hoof, staring wordlessly at it. Finally she looked up at the professor.
"Understand the risk of that which you seek." She said gravely. "Its crimes make the enfields' anger seem meek."
"I understand the risks." The professor replied. "But this creature is a danger to Ponyville, and must be stopped. But in order to do that, I must learn as much as I can about it." He lowered his head. "Please."
The zebra sighed, meeting the professor's eyes. "If you know what it is you do… I have some things which may help you."
"Thank you." The professor said, smiling gratefully. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Professor Neighton."
"And mine Zecora, Professor Neighton." The zebra said with a turn. "Now come with me- there's work to be done."
Luke slowly trudged through the streets of Ponyville. The bright sunlight seemed to mock him as he walked. His hooves fell heavy with each step, and the thought of what had happened still hung in his head, his unsettled frustration latching onto every thought. The professor hadn't taken Luke with him. Luke wasn't even awake to insist on it. Why did he need to insist on coming every time? Hadn't he proven himself to the professor? Didn't the professor trust him?
His burst of indignation sputtered into disappointment, and he hung his head. He couldn't stay angry at the professor, and his frustration always seemed to turn back onto himself. Maybe the professor didn't trust him. After all, he couldn't even stay awake long enough to defend coming along. Why did he have to go and fall asleep? Why couldn't he have held out a little while longer?
"Hiya!"
Luke looked up-a bright pink pony was standing in front of him, her face inches from his. The colt stumbled backwards, startled. The pony hopped in place, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hiya Hiya Hiya!" She repeated, her smile widening. "It's so great to see you!"
"Um, hello." Luke slowly replied, trying to remember ever having seen this pony before. He felt like he would have remembered. "Um, have we met?"
"Nope! Never! That's what makes it so great! " She chirped, as though it was obvious. "Because making new friends makes everything better!"
"I guess that makes sense." Luke muttered. The pink pony continued to hop around him; just watching her made Luke tired. He cleared his throat. "Um, let's start over. I'm Luke."
"I'm Pinkie Pie!" The pink pony replied. "And you can call me Pinkie. Or Pinkie Pie. Or Pinkamena Diane Pie. But most ponies just call me Pinkie."
"That… also makes sense." Luke said. He wasn't sure what else to say to this pony, though she seemed interested in talking. "I, uh, really haven't been in Ponyville long. The professor and I-"
"The Professor!" Pinkie Pie gasped excitedly. "I haven't met him either!" Her eyes shined at the prospect of making another new friend that day. "Where is he? Is he over here? How 'bout here? Under here?" The excited pony darted to and fro, checking alleyways, peering past corners, and lifting up Luke as if to find the older pony hidden beneath him.
"He's not here." Luke said shortly. He looked away, struggling to keep the hurt out of his voice. "It's just me right now."
The pink pony stopped, looking at the young colt with wide eyes. "Are you… lonely?" She whispered, as if the very thought agonized her. Luke turned away once more, embarrassed.
"No, it's not. I mean…" Luke sighed. "I just feel kind of useless."
Pinkie Pie knelt down to eye-level with Luke with a surprisingly sympathetic expression. Perhaps she couldn't stand to see a friend of hers upset. "You don't look useless to me." She said. Suddenly her eyes lit up, her excitement returning tenfold. "That's it! You can help me!"
"Huh?" Luke said, looking up in confusion. "How?"
"At Sugarcube corner! Mrs. Cake is cleaning out the bakery, which means she has a bunch of leftover cakes and pastries that need eating." Pinkie Pie explained. "That's where you come in- you can help me eat them. You look like you'd be a grade-A cake eater!"
"Well, I do have a pretty big appetite." Luke said with a small smile. It was true- everypony said that Luke eats as much as two ponies. It was nice to think of it as a talent.
"Yay!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Sugarcube Corner is right over there! Come on!" She turned and bounded towards a bright pink and brown Bakery.
Luke looked to his right. In the distance he could see the library, its branches poking above the roofs of houses. But Fluttershy said that he had woken up earlier than she thought he would. That meant he had a little extra time, right? Besides, Pinkie Pie needed his help. And wasn't it the duty of every gentlecolt to help a lady in need?
"Wait up, Pinkie Pie!" Luke said, laughing as he trotting after her towards Sugarcube Corner.
Chapter completed!
Past me: Hey! You know that character that only speaks in rhyme and meter? I should have them monologue! Oh, what fun that'll be to write!
Yeah. Past me was a genius. Besides, she probably won't have any extensive lines again…
Anyway, so ends this section of our story. You guys should know that in the next couple chapters I'll be dealing with memories- that will mean hinting at plot points for some of the games. I plan on keeping the memories pretty vague to avoid spoilers, particularly for the newer games. That being said, if there are any games (including Azran Legacy) that you want to avoid even possible spoilers for, let me know and I'll cut out the references to them.
Anyway, thank you all so much for your wonderful comments! I know that I don't post as often as I ought to, so thank you for sticking with it and being so supportive. To everyone reading, enjoyed this chapter, and feel free to leave a comment, critique, prediction, question, or anything else!
/*
heraldry puzzle:
Carved upon the house are the following words:
I am born in fear, raised in truth,
and I come to my own in deed.
When comes a time that I'm called forth,
I come to serve the cause of need.
To what do these words refer?
Answer: courage
*/