private My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - The Seventh Element of Harmony

[Alex Night 870]

Link to OOC Topic: http://mlpforums.com/topic/30067-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-the-seventh-element-of-harmony/

Chapter 1: The Everfree Encounter

It was early in the morning, when Alex Night approached a huge sprawling forest. He could see that the trees were thick with vegetation. In the field that he was in, there were various different beautiful flowers scattered around. The red roses were mingling with daisies and the carnations. The grass was still damp from the morning dew. The sky above him was light-blue with a few small clouds spread out and the sun was beaming warmly. However, the same could not be said about the forest Alex was about to enter. The light was barely making it through the trees, making it impossible to see beyond 15 feet of him.

 

After a moment of observation, Alex entered the forest. "Ugh, it sure is dark in here." Alex said to himself. Alex was moving through between trees taking caution with each step, for each step could be riddled with some type of hazard. The trees around him were bent in eerie ways; Alex could swear that they look alive. "Get a hold of yourself, Alex. They are just trees." Alex thought. Alex still didn't let his guard down, though. Around him, Alex could see various types of flora. There was a patch of blue funny-looking flowers to his right. They were glowing with a sort of ethereal light about them. The bottoms of the trees were surrounded by green mushrooms that were giving off small spores close to them. Alex made a note to not get too close, less he wishes to experience the unknown effects of a strange mushroom. There was no sound of life around him. No birds, no crickets, no frogs, nothing. There was no sound except for the ones that Alex gave as he walked through the labyrinth of trees and darkness.

 

Eventually, Alex found a clearing through the woods after a half hour of walking. Upon clearing the trees, Alex has come up to a dirt road. At this point, the light had more of a presence than the area he just walked through. The sky was still clear with a few clouds overhead the canopy. Now, the sun was hanging directly overhead beaming down the forest. Both directions looked the same, which didn't help Alex in figuring out which way will take him to the town of Ponyville. After a minute of indecision, he decided to take the direction to the right. All of a sudden, there was a rustling through the brush on his left and Alex turned toward the disturbance, posturing up to get ready for whatever comes out of the brush. After a few moments, a small white rabbit jumped out of the brush and hopped in the opposite direction of the road. Alex let out a small sigh of relief and slowly turned back to the direction he was traveling.

[Opalicious 799]

Fire Opal yawned as he looked through the petite window facing the edge of the Everfree Forest and towards the small town of Ponyville. He watched as birds flew around, playful as always. The small hut was only a few meters into the forest, but it still gave off a dull feeling, none of the brightness or extravagance of the land in front of him shining on the small building. He headed away from the window towards his kitchen, taking another sip of his coffee and setting the cup on the counter after it was emptied of it's contents. He sighed again, not quite sure what he was to do that day, so he opened the door and headed outside.

 

He looked left and right, the long dirt path stretching in both directions. Ponyville was a few minutes walk away, radiating with happiness and joy, which he couldn't really say about the forest. He looked the other direction, where darkness lurked. Evil trees everywhere he looked, and the occasional sound from whatever animals lived in the Everfree. He started heading toward Ponyville, but as he began towards the small town, though big in it's own way, he though it would do him well to see what was on the other side. He turned around and headed the other direction, further into the Everfree.

 

Fire Opal trotted along, looking left and right, praying and wishing that the path would finally lead to it's end, but it didn't come. Though he never came to find it. He started to see a figure, and as he looked closer, he saw the blue color of it's skin, and he noticed it was another pony. He kept heading towards the other pony, and they came closer to each other as they went. He strained to see more exact features of the pony, or as he now knew, the pegasus. As they eventually grew closer, he wondered if this pony had been wandering from the other end of the Everfree, wherever that would lead. He stopped moving when he was around 20 meters from the pony. "Hello there."

[GEROMY 41]

Jet Stream stretched his wings. It's all he ever really bothered to do with them, anyway.

 

He sighed and shook his head. He'd just have to put his past behind him. He had to focus on the task at hand, which, sadly, he actually had no idea what it was exactly. He just knew that within Ponyville's neighboring forest, there would be a spark of inspiration... a story, for him to write.

 

-----

 

It wasn't long until he found himself lost. He plopped down on his rump and sighed. This was really helping his writer's block. In the end, it didn't matter. He was lost, Hoofrey would be be worried sick, and, well, he was hungry. He looked above him to see small beams of light glittering through the branches of the trees.

 

He smirked. The trees must have grown quite sensually, considering they're hugging each other so tight. He coughed, repressing his humor. He had to make it out of here before some beastie gets its claws into him. He COULD fly, try to break through the thick branches above, but he wouldn't shame himself by doing so. He hated the fact he was born simply for pride, to continue some legacy.

 

Jet Stream found himself getting worried. The forest was pretty intimidating, and he heard rustling all about him. He wished his humor would return to him, but he couldn't even make a cynical jab at anything.

 

The rustling continued, until it became very obvious that something was approaching him.

 

"Hello?" Jet Stream called.

[Ice Storm 1,020]

Everything was bright, sunny, dreamy. It felt like everything was being pulled straight from some fantisitical story from one of the many authors that stretched across the land. Ice found herself in a bright out field just outside of Ponyville, and everything seemed to be perfect. She looked around and Rainbow Dash had once again did a good job with the sky. There wasn't a single cloud to be spotted as far as she could see. If only it was like that at night. The starts were so much more beautiful here in Ponyville than they ever were in Canterlot. It was a shame that such views went wasted by most ponies.

 

She laid there enthralled by the sunlight around her. Even though she was an ice pony at heart and normally hated warm weather she had to admit that everything outside felt perfect. What a wonderful afternoon, It feels kinda weird though. Where is everypony? Normally I see somepony , usually Rainbow, in the sky at least...she thought to herself. She then felt everything starting to get colder, drastically colder. Everything started to get dark and she was unsure of what was happening until she felt all of her senses return to her at once.

 

"Ugg..." Ice groaned, rubbing her head. "What did I eat last night that made me feel so weird... I shouldn't be going through hot and cold plashes right now," she said to herself before realizing that the area was dark. "Odd.. I could have sworn..." she said looking around before her eyes went from thick irises to about the size of a pinprick when she realized where she was. "Really? How in the world of Equestria did I end up in this place? This better not be another one of Pinkie's Pranks? I mean I'm all for a good laugh but really? The Everfree is a bit much," she thought out loud. "Then again, this is the Everyfree Forest and Pinkie's pranks are never dangerous, if anything a bit elementary and over used. Whomever it was can't be anyone of importance though. Anypony that would dump a pony in a place like this is clearly too unsophisticated even for Ponyville's Standards..." She finished her thought hearing what she thought was voices. "Great, I'm not the only one this pervert caught," she sighed.

 

She pushed her way through the many bushes that were in between herself and the voices around and she came onto a small group of ponies. All three of them were male, and two of them were pegasi. One was a very deep blue and the other pegasi was a solid gray in color with the Unicorn was almost pure red. Okay... so apparently things aren't as they seem. I still don't know how I woke up here... "Excuse me... would either of you ponies know how I woke up out here. I had just finished closing my shop when I blacked out, and then poof, here in gloomville city. Much too dark and dreary in here for me personally so I'd rather not stay in this eye-sore of a forest for any length of time when I don't have too," she stated bluntly. For all she knew though it was one of them that had brought her to this place. If that was the case she knew they wouldn't be all that willing to let her leave. The fact that there were three of them and one of her, and two of them were much more mobile than her, she knew that things could get bad these ponies turned violent.

[SilverHeart 741]

It was a beautiful day as Silver Heart trotted along the path from Ponyville to the Everfree Forest. It was her first day off in over a week. She was ready for some quiet time. As she neared the Everfree Silver Heart started looking for a nice tree that was close but not too close to the sinister forest. A part of her mind was telling her that this was a bad idea, but she knew that if she wanted to feel like she was in the story then the ambiance had to be just right. She didn't want to stray too far from the path in case one of the infamous beasts of the Everfree tried to eat her.The only tree that was close was a bit too close to the intimidating forest than she liked, but it would have to do.

 

Silver Heart walked over to the lonely tree and pulled a blanket out from her saddlebags to lay down upon. After doing that she pulled out her book, The Complete Fiction of Love Colt and began reading what many consider his masterpiece, "At The Forest of Madness". She quickly became engrossed in the story. "I am forced into speech because of ponies science have refused to..."

[Parties like Pinkie 385]

Ali was on the ground, stretching her wings, preparing for the race ahead of her. The prize money from this race will be more than enough to keep Madame Marie's going for a week. She thought, standing up and beginning a slight jog around the room. Madame Marie's Charity for Orphaned Fillies was Ali's favorite charity to donate to. Having been an orphan her whole life, she knew what the little ones were going through, and wanted to help them in any way she could.

 

As she was jogging around the room, a yellow pegasus pony with a microphone around his head peeked through the door. "Five minutes until the race, Ms. Finish."

"Thank you Joseph," She said, turning and walking towards him. "And I've told you, call me Ali"

"Just trying to be professional, Ms. Fini- I mean, Ali." Joseph replied, slightly flustered, and retreated through the doorway.

 

Ali laughed slightly at his words, and walked outside, following the announcer pony. Immediately as she stepped outside and on the track, the crowd burst into a roar, cheering and whooping, waving flags and hooves, and some even trying to start up the wave, unsuccessfully. She blew a few quick kisses to the energetic crowd, as their cheering increased dramatically, and flew over to the starting line, where the other racers were waiting.

 

"Morning Ali." Said a light blue pegasus, jokingly. "Going to go for gold again today?"

She giggled, replying with "I'm only going to try my best, James." James was Ali's partner in the races. Every pegasus had a partner, and both partners raced under the same sponsor. Ali's and James' sponsor was Joe's Doughnuts.

"Yeah, well your best is usually gold anyways." He said, and joined in on Ali's laughing.

An overhead speaker boomed in the Announcer's voice. "Racers, take your positions, the races will be starting soon!"

 

At these words, all twelve racers went up to the starting line, wing to wing, waiting for the cannon shot.

While she was waiting, Ali felt there was something wrong about the Everfree Forest. When she looked up, however, the dark, portentous forest was as normal as it was every day. She shook the feelings from her body and turned her attention back to the track, right before the cannon was fired to signal the start of the race.

 

Ali spread her wings and took off, flying down the track, quickly taking the lead, as the crowds around her cheered her on. From that moment, it was only her and the track, and nothing could distract her from her race. However, as she rounded the last turn, she felt like she was being watched. Not by the crowd, but by something sinister. She glanced up to the Everfree Forest again, and saw a shadowed figure standing at the edge.

 

She couldn't tell what it's true shape was, but she could feel it's yellow eyes gazing straight at her... no... through her, with such a stare that she literally almost felt physical pain at the spot it's eyes bore in her skin. Suddenly, she felt colder, and she realized that all the crowd's cheering had suddenly subsided. She tried to look at them, to see what was wrong, but she couldn't turn her head. All she could do was stare back at the figure by the Forest's edge.

 

Ali closed her eyes, and tried to turn her head again. This time, it budged, and the cheering, ten folded, returned to her ears, making them ring slightly. When she opened her eyes, she saw she was across the finish line, standing in the dirt, with the crowds rushing out towards her. She felt herself being lifted up, and she was carried by the crowd to the pedestals, where a gold medal was hung around her neck. With her thoughts still on the mysterious being, she barely heard a reporter, standing next to her. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she said "I'm sorry, what?"

 

"What are you going to do with the prize money, Ali?" Said the reporter, pointing the microphone in her face.

"I'm going to give it to charity. Madame Marie's Charity, as a matter of fact." She replied, smiling into the cameras.

 

For ten minutes, reporters and bystanders alike walked up to her, wanting an autograph, a word, or just a hoof shake. Once they were done, and she was no longer surrounded, Ali flew back home, putting the medal inside a display case in her living room, as she always did. She then left, and began to fly off towards the Everfree Forest.

 

I don't know what that thing was, but whatever it could've been, it definitely wasn't good. She thought, flying over the Forest, looking down to the ground for anything that seemed out of place. I've got to find it, see what it is, and make sure that it doesn't do any harm to the ponies of Ponyville.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Parties like Pinkie

[NinjaCPU 270]

How many notepads? I would say fifty-one notepads used in all my cases. Every detail must be written, no matter how frivolous. Details are the things that make a case. Though it could just the pony itself, however their detail. Their eyes, their voice, their nose, a movement that tells something. Something that important is always in the details. In-between the lines. No one should ever forget details, that's what makes everypony different...

 

An earth pony walked around the streets of Ponyville. The name of Carrick Murphy. Carrick had remember that question. The question that was told to him by one of his superiors. It was a simple question, but one Carrick always remember. The small indentation on the grass, as some pony's hoof pressed hard here, Carrick thought as he was still in work-mode. The detective hasn't had a vacation since he's gotten his job as detective. He pulled out a notepad, an empty notepad. He slowly took out the pencil from the spirals from the pad.

 

Carrick realized what he had done. He chuckled and place the notepad back into one of his pockets. Why am I here again? To relax and enjoyed the simple town of Ponyville. Carrick remembered a peaceful time in Ponyville. You wouldn't have to worry about crime going down in Ponyville. Though, a little odd thing going down every now and than. Everything was peaceful...

 

Things had changed since then. The city had a vibe of idiosyncrasy after a while. Twilight Spark was the spark to it. She changed the whole vibe of the town. Still, the town was peaceful and the morning was no different.

 

He looked at the few ponies that walked by. The early morning was far different here than in Manesdale. The sunny skies and the scattered clouds really made it look like a beautiful day. A day where it shouldn't be wasted sitting home and reading notes he had read before too many times. He continued to walk, he didn't have a direction, but he knew he'll find something soon. Maybe a job to do or a pony to talk to.

 

Carrick's walk got himself to the outskirts of Ponyville. A strange tingle came through his spine. A feeling he had once before, he knew of this feeling. It was a feeling he'd get when a case was about to start. He looked around as he was around the edges of Ponyville and close to the Everfree Forest. The feeling grow as his whole body shivered when his eyes connected the forest. The forest was something most ponies would avoid. Many ponies didn't know exactly what was inside, but it was untold rule was to avoid the forest at all costs. Carrick at a young age, listen to the his elders. Now, he is one of a much older age and can make his own decisions. Whatever is inside there is getting my senses tingling. I better just go a take a look.

 

Carrick galloped inside. He quickly saw the darkness quickly enveloped his vision. He could see outlines of trees and plants, but was unable to get a clear vision. Carrick used more of his other senses.

 

The musky smell that attack Carrick's snout made the detective stop for a second. The touch of wet grass from the morning dew made Carrick uncomfortable. The detective was used to the pavements of the city. Carrick's ears could hear his own hooves as he heard nothing else in the forest. That's odd, he continued to walk once again.

 

His vision started to recover from the darkness. His pupils grew bigger so that any light would help him see. The outlines that he once saw started to have some detail. The curved paths from the bark of the trees. The green glow of mushrooms. The unique look of the blue poison joke that Carrick remembered from a certain case not too long ago. Some ponies have a weird sense of humor, Carrick remembered the laughter of the pony as the cuffed and sent him to jail. Carrick continued to trout along as his sense of adventure push him forward.

 

After walking for a while and getting adjusted to the area, as he took random directions. He let providence and luck decide on where he was going and fortunately, he found something. A dirt road, he could see that light started to beam forward by the sun's omniscient power. Like it was providence telling him to continue. His body started to tingle up once again. He took turn to the right. The light started to touch his trench coat. He heard the sounds of a conversation going on. It sounded like a group of ponies. Hmm, was this what my senses were telling me? A group of ponies? He walked closer as he saw a couple of ponies. A gather of some sort has happened here.

 

He heard the words of a mare. "Excuse me... would either of you ponies know how I woke up out here. I had just finished closing my shop when I blacked out, and then poof, here in gloomville city. Much too dark and dreary in here for me personally so I'd rather not stay in this eye-sore of a forest for any length of time when I don't have too," He was unsure of who this pony was or what she looked like. He still didn't past through the bushes and see anypony.

 

Carrick appeared behind he group as he interjected Ice's question, "Maybe it was providence that brought you here." His monotone voice came through. It was a habit that was hard for him to get away from.

Edited August 29, 2012 by NinjaCPU

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

It was just a merry merry day!

 

Tralalala~

 

The small tan pony grinned mischievously to herself and trounced about the dark grasses of the ominous forest. It was one of those days were everything was glorious! Such an uplifting mood had consumed her usually downtrodden or otherwise neutral soul, as she hummed quietly to herself. Her eyes were fixed upon a set of glimmering blue flowers which broadcast their soothing light into the bleak black of the beyond. These! She needed blue for her latest piece of art.

 

Quite carefully and gently, she picked up several of the cerulean flowers from the bush and placed them in the little ribboned basket around her neck. As per typical though, the bush ended up rustling her nose a little too much, and she let out a loud sneeze which was disguised by the rustling of the brush.

 

The pony was still somewhat cautious of the forest, and froze much more seriously for a moment, a look of stone wariness fixed upon her face. Several times, a few beasts had been awakened by the sounds of her sneezes. But she hadn't really seen anything too dangerous, so she was usually comfortable. Today, however... there were some noises from beyond her rustling and sneezing. The sounds of... voices, perhaps? Ponies in the forest today? How unusual. This didn't typically happen...

 

For the most part, this basketed pony would hide away in the various brush and trees, to avoid being spotted. She didn't much enjoy interaction with other ponies. An avenue to awkwardness and unnecessary small-talk, really. No matter how merry she felt on this day, she definitely was in no mood to speak to others still. It was the peace and solitude of this segment of the forest that made this part of her day more appealing, even if she had to be a tiny bit on edge due to its dangerous reputation. She moved into the bushes she had rustled, thinking she had gone away from the source of the voices... back up... back up...

 

...Bump!

 

She lightly bumped into what she thought was a tree, and then swiveled around to face it.

 

@,

 

"AAAH!" Her heart skipped a step and her reaction was automatic. Hot blood suddenly rushed through her veins and the flushed reaction upon her face became evident. A gray freckled pegasus, with bright butterscotch eyes, was staring back at her. This was definitely no tree! As she stumbled backwards to get her bearings straight, the small mare tried to shake off the momentary awkwardness and diffuse the situation so as to make him forget that she had just totally not been paying attention. Ponyfeathers, it was so hard to catch her off-guard like this!

 

"Um... erm... ah... eh... hi?"

Edited August 30, 2012 by Doggess Arylett

[GEROMY 41]

Jet Stream nodded. "Hello there... Are you lost too?" He asked. The awkwardness was heavy in the air, it was almost as though it were a thick, itchy blanket.

 

He tried to think of something, to change the subject, to do ANYTHING, but he couldn't help but realize he was wasting time to recover. Not to mention he was shaken up. The unicorn seemed nice though, she had a very friendly aura about her, so he wasn't worried any longer.

 

Eventually, he couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter.

[Opalicious 799]

Fire Opal looked quizzically at the new ponies. "Is it routine for ponies to appear on this trail," he asked sarcastically. He disposed of the first question by asking another one. "Are y'all headed to Ponyville, or are we to go in separate ways," he asked, beginning to turn around so he could head back to his hut. It was quite strange to so suddenly meet ponies in the Everfree, and he had set himself on returning to hit hut where everything stayed normal.

 

Fire Opal paused in mid-turn, considering the 4th pony's question. "What in Celestia's name is the providence," he asked, turning his head to look at the pony. He'd never heard of the name, and for it, whatever it was, to transport a pony from a store to the Everfree was quite mysterious.

[Klopp 2,050]

Darkness was everywhere, surrounding Klopp, the Ivory stallion wearing his fedora, and for some reason he had no idea where he was, how he got there, or why this place felt to empty. He looked around, and eventually spotted a nearby tree somehow illuminated in the darkness. A tree lacking any life, it's dead, jagged branches almost entirely naked, with but a few leaves struggling to hold on to it's branches by their weak and frail stems.

 

Klopp walked over to this tree, the sound of his hooves coming into contact with the floor echoing with each step, as he make his way over. Finally reaching the tree, he reaching out with his right hoof to touch it, and just as he does, a strange noise is heard from behind him. He instantly reacted, pulling his hoof back from the tree and quickly turning to face the opposite direction. He looked to the left, then to the right then back to the left again before spotting something, a faint yellow glow protruding from the darkness. Focusing his vision on this glow, the sharper image turned into a pair of bright yellow eyes. The ominous stare penetrating his very being, making him feel cold and lonely.

 

After staring for quite some time at this pair of soul-piercing eyes, he let go of his his gaze, shaking his head before bringing his attention back to the tree. It was strange, the tree appeared to be sitting in bright daylight while the rest of it's surrounding were untouched by any illumination, not even a small touch of moonlight. The stallion looked for a source of light, and noticed a pillar shining down from a small speck above. The solution was simple, all he needed to do to get out was fly up to this hole. He jumped up like any of the thousands of times he had flown in the past, but unlike before, he lost his battle with gravity and fell face first into the trunk of the tree in front of him. After getting back on his hooves, and a quick self-examination, he discovered that he was an Earth pony, and his wings were nowhere to be found.

 

"Where are my wings? What's going on here!?"

 

Shortly after this realization he heard that strange noise again. He turned to where the eyes were before, and they were brighter... no, just closer than before. They continued to approach, as Klopp stood there, unable to move until he felt a very strong, cool, breeze. He shut his eyes, as it was like he was suddenly thrust into a powerful hurricane and the cold wind irritated his eyes.

 

Klopp slowly began opening his eyes to find himself in his bedroom, within his cloudhouse, the only thing remaining of the past few minutes was the strong breeze.

 

"Ugh... That must have been a dream, but it felt so real!" he thought to himself, as he stretched and leaned forward, just in time to see his beloved fedora picked up by the strong wind, and thrown out of the open window. He jumped out of bed, as quickly as he could, which was terribly slow for a pony who hated waking up as much as he did. Finally getting on his four hooves, he went over to the window to see where his fedora had gone, and he could barely see it as it made it's way into the Everfree Forest. He made a note of where it appeared to land in his mind.

 

"How rude! That's the one problem with living in a cloud house; the wind tends to always find it's way in!"

 

He prepared to take flight and head down to retrieve his Fedora, but hesitated for a second to make sure his wings were attached, unlike in the dream. And indeed they were still attached to him, as they should be. "Of course they are still there... It was just a dream after all!"

 

He then proceeded to jump through the window, flying towards the location in which his fedora appeared to fall, doing flips and spins on his way for the sake of his own amusement. That was always his way of thinking; just cause something bad has happened, doesn't mean you have to take the fun out of the journey!

 

@, @,

 

Finally arriving at the top of the forest, he didn't hesitate to just force himself through the leaves, breaking multiple branches on the way. He went just a little too fast for his own good, and underestimated how near the forest floor was. Quickly crashing through and smacking headlong into the ground, landing nearby a tan coated cute unicorn, with some pretty glorious hair floofs, and a second gray pegasus, with a cutie mark that simply screamed 'Epic Writer'.

 

"Eeeeyouch... Eh, heheh... Either of you seen an awesome fedora come flying by here? Mine seems to have run off without me."

Edited August 30, 2012 by Klopp Wonka

[Parties like Pinkie 385]

As Ali continued to fly over the tree tops, she heard the scream of a mare, originating close by. She immediately thought of the sinister being she saw at the Pegasi race, and turned to the direction of the scream, quickly making her descent. As she breached the tree tops, she saw a slightly smaller, tan mare with long, flowing dark brown and red mane, and an almost completely gray stallion, with black streaks in his mane and yellow eyes.

 

The stallion was laughing, either with the mare or at her, and either way, she seemed to be slightly surprised, maybe a little off-guard. Ali swooped down, quickly landing in between them, facing the gray pony, a look of ire resonating in her eyes. She turned her head slightly, back towards the mare. "Are you alright, miss? I heard your scream as I was flying over, did this one hurt you?"

 

Almost Immediately after she asked the question, loud crashes could be heard from the left, followed by a huge thud, as a white pegasus pony landed on the ground beside them, head first. Too stunned to say anything, Ali just stood there, staring in curiosity at the newly arrived pegasus

Edited August 30, 2012 by Parties like Pinkie

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

So many stallions (and a mare) now were speaking to her. The mare had thought, maybe one would be enough! But neigh. Neigh, they said. In the state of this world, one was not enough! No! The world proclaimed that it must be two! Two more! A total of three... bah. She had better reply quickly instead of just standing there thinking and blithering like a raging idiot. Especially since one started laughing at her! The blush on her face only intensified, and that itchy blanket of awkwardness made her feel an urge to scratch herself. A lot. Stupid itchy blanket!

 

@,

 

But looking at his face, she began to chuckle a little herself somewhat awkwardly and averted her eyes up towards the treetops, not noting that the flowers bellow in her basket cast an eery azure light upon her neck and created a sort of odd face shadow.

 

"Hi-hi! YesI'mlosttoo!" All of her words suddenly stuck together... like some kind of... really sticky... gooey thing. She spoke to fast! Drat. Better try again. "I mean, erm... no. I didn't mean that at all... this is just routine for me! I'm always here." Oh Celestia, somepony please help her out of this situation. Because it only got worse.

 

@,

 

There was this other ivory stallion, and he just sort of came out of nowhere, asking a question about his hat. He was rather bulky, she observed... muscular... this was a very masculine pony. She wondered vaguely if this new guy could buck out her lights with a single dark hoof of his.

 

"No! I haven't seen your... fed... fedora," When would it be over? Why, Celestia, why? She sputtered, but at least her words weren't sticking with... sticky gel goo or whatever it was.

 

@@Parties like Pinkie,

 

"Can I help you?" was what she was about to reply back to this green-maned pegasus's inquiries. (So many pegasi all of a sudden! Was she some kind of flying magnet? Maybe the first pony laughed because he liked her... nah. That was ridiculous. Besides, she wasn't interested!) But... it seemed it seemed more like she wanted to help her. Oh dear. It was that loud noise of surprise she made... no! Ponyfeathers. It attracted attention.

 

"N-n-no! Everypony's fine. I was just... erm..." She gestured at the flower-filled basket around her neck, trying to find words. "I was picking these things right here, and I accidentally backed into this guy. Just really... startled me!" Her facial expressions were rather colorful as she spoke, the lights of the glimmering flowers still emphasizing the sharp lines of her face. She made an expression of shock, then a small little awkward grin, and shook her head quite vigorously in the entire time she had said her spiel to this blueish pony. The crimson upon her face only intensified again...

 

Ponyfeathers! Ponyfeathers, she thought.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Doggess Arylett

[GEROMY 41]

@,

@,

@@Parties like Pinkie

 

By now, Jet Stream shakily breathed in and out. This was just too much. Now Pegasi was raining from the sky. Oh, Celestia.

 

Either way, he was happy his humor had returned to him. The looks on the other two Pegasi were also priceless. The itchy blanket of awkwardness began to form into a relieving vent, spewing out his earlier worry and fear.

 

He felt a bit on edge with the pony standing in front of him, but a wry smile appeared across of his face. "Oh yes, indeed. I was going to hurt her quite badly, my laughing was quite maniacal," he joked as he turned toward the white, muscular one. "Your fedora, good sir? Yes, I believe I saw it. I ate it, though."

 

He began to laugh again, but noticed that everypony was growing edgier and edgier.

 

... They didn't take him seriously, did they?

Edited August 30, 2012 by NastyMann

[Ice Storm 1,020]

The fact that only one pony seemed to have answered her was rather rude, then again, if no pony knew the way out it was probably best that they didn't answer. After all to her no answer was a better answer that giving her a useless answer and wasting time. Still, at the very least a simple no would have sufficed. She was about to ask another question when more ponies started showing up. One was a tan unicorn that was bouncing off of the other gray pony, with another brown pony saying that it could have been Providence that brought her here. "Providence? Who in Equestria is that? Better question is why did all of us just happen to wander to the exact same spot in the forest? Something could easily be watching us and waiting for the right moment to attack," she stated.

 

She had heard all the rumors about the forest. Everything controls itself everything fends for itself and animals ate other animals there, it was all hearsay, but she for one wasn't interested in staying in the find out whether or not the rumors were actually true or not. Being something else's lunch was not high on her list of things to do today. In fact, she was very sure that it was not on her list at all. She then heard the tan unicorn say that she was in the forest almost all the time. "Hey, you been here here before right? Do you know how to get out of here? Like I said, A gloomy place such as this isn't really a place I wanna stay for long.... Um... No offense to those who like this place... if those ponies exist," she spoke to everyone as another pony came into the forest looking for a Fedora. "Really? You came into a place as dangerous as the Everfree Forest because you lost a hat!?" she was completely baffled as to what this pegasi's priorities were and it made her question his sanity. She let out a sigh. At the very least every pony here was alive. With any luck, they'd all stay that way.

[Alex Night 870]

Alex went on the road for some time now and the state of it all was disconcerting him. The forest around him made him feel uncomfortable like something was watching his every move. As if to answer his question, a voice called out to him.

 

 

He stopped moving when he was around 20 meters from the pony. "Hello there."

 

Alex turned his eyes away from the forest around him and looked ahead to see another pony addressing him. The pony was a very red unicorn with bright orange hair. The area around his mouth had a spot of dark brown and his flank had a cutie mark in the image of a flame. "I think I can figure out what the flame is for" Alex thought. "Is there something you need?" Alex asked the red unicorn. Before he got his answer, Alex heard a commotion in the bush. He turned to see a ice-blue unicorn trotting towards him and the red unicorn.

"Excuse me... would either of you ponies know how I woke up out here. I had just finished closing my shop when I blacked out, and then poof, here in gloomville city. Much too dark and dreary in here for me personally so I'd rather not stay in this eye-sore of a forest for any length of time when I don't have too," she stated bluntly.

 

This unicorn was a shade of light blue except for her hooves which were a deep shade of blue. Her mane as well as her mane were in a mix of deep blue and white and her eyes were blue as well. On her flank, he saw two shards of ice digging into a pile of snow. This statement from the ice-blue unicorn confused him. "Wait a minute. Is she lost out here?" Alex wondered to himself. Next thing he knew, he heard another voice attempting to answer her question.

 

"Maybe it was providence that brought you here." His monotone voice came through. It was a habit that was hard for him to get away from.

 

Next up was another pony, but unlike the others, he was an earth pony. The earth pony was brown with a short mane of black along with a black tail which was short as well. The most obvious point that makes him very different was his pair of large sunglasses , his black fedora, and a black trenchcoat. "Providence? What is that supposed to mean? What exactly is going on here?" Alex thought. Alex heard the fire unicorn ask whether they were heading to Ponyville. "Yes, I'm just passing through here to cut time to get to the next town for supplies before I can continue." Alex said to the red unicorn. Alex was about to address the ice blue unicorn about her question until he heard a scream from a distance. He saw the ice blue head toward the source of the scream. "Wait!" Alex yelled out to the unicorn, but it fell on deaf ears. Alex galloped after her. "If she is truly lost, I have to help her get out." Alex thought as he was running.

 

Alex breach through the treeline on the road and was in darkness again. Alex could fly to catch her, but it was too dark and too cramped around for him to maneuver. Luckily, the blue unicorn's color made it easy for him to keep track of her. When he went through the next brush he saw her go through, he was surprised to see more ponies all gathered around. He saw the ice unicorn along with a tan colored unicorn who Alex could guess was the one who screamed, a light-gray Pegasus who was laughing his feathers off, a white Pegasus who went on to ask if anypony had seen his fedora, and another Pegasus who had two shades of light green and dark green through her mane and tail. This whole thing seemed so strange to Alex. Not just the fact that the whole situation confused him as to why the tan unicorn screamed, but also the fact that an unusual number of ponies are here in the forest. This whole thing felt so wrong to Alex. He had to get these ponies out of the forest before something extreme happens.

"Hey, you been here here before right? Do you know how to get out of here? Like I said, A gloomy place such as this isn't really a place I wanna stay for long.... Um... No offense to those who like this place... if those ponies exist," she spoke to everyone

 

Now finally getting a chance, Alex walked up to the ice blue unicorn to answer her question. "Sorry, this would be my first time here. I don't even know what this place is. So, I'm afraid I can't be of much help giving directions. However, I'll be more than happy to help you find a way out and get you back to where you need to go." Alex said to the ice unicorn. He turned to the rest of the ponies. "Of course, everypony here is welcome to come along as well. Whatever is going on around here, I don't think that we should wait around here to find out." Alex said to the others.

[Opalicious 799]

The darkness of the forest seemed to be closing in on them, sounds escaping from the bushes from various directions. Even a few rustling sounds were heard. The sky was still bright as ever, but the joy of the light didn't seem to get to them. Turning to the pony he had met first, he replied. "You're right, it's best we get out of here."

 

Turning toward Ponyville, then back at the three ponies, he continued, "I'm on my way back home, which isn't very far from Ponyville. You're free to come along, but we'll need to pick up the pace if we don't want something to happen to us."

 

He turned once more and began trotting down the trail, his mind fizzling with thoughts. The other three ponies didn't seem to know where in Equestria they were, other than the obvious feature known as the Everfree Forest. As far as what he knew, he was the only pony who knew where he was headed. And there was one more thought, one that made him indistinctly shiver. Whatever "The Providence" was, he didn't want to meet it.

[NinjaCPU 270]

@@Ice Storm

 

 

Carrick shook his head, he adjusted his fedora than, explained, "Providence isn't a monster or beast. It's a higher power. Something you or I would never be able to control." Carrick rolled his eyes still to continued his speech, "I mean, look at this." Carrick pointed at the group of ponies. Carrick could of written a few pages on his notepad on each and every pony he saw, each of there details. Height, color...but he remembered that he was on vacation and his attention should be somewhere else. "Not many ponies come to the Everfree forest and here we are with a lot ponies in one specific place. It's improbable to call this some sort of coincidence. Providence could be behind this or maybe fate. Whatever you choose to believe." Carrick said.

 

@,

 

Carrick listen to this light blue peagsus. Carrick thought about sticking together. All of this happening, all of these ponies in the same place. It's improbab- nay! Impossible for this to fall under any type of conformity. Why were all of these ponies including himself all in one place? What has providence given Carrick this time? All Carrick knew was all of these ponies should stick together. He felt that if they stick together, that something interesting will happen. Carrick turned to Alex, "I agree. This forest doesn't have much vistors for a reason. There are some nasty monsters. It would be better to be in a group so no pony would 'fend for themselves." Carrick felt that it was the most logical reasoning as well. If some sort of beast came around to attack a pony. It would be big trouble for any type of pony. He rather not have to call the station as well for a missing pony or a dead pony...

Edited September 1, 2012 by NinjaCPU

[Parties like Pinkie 385]

@@NinjaCPU

@

 

Ali listened to the statements of both the Blue Pegasus and the Brown Earth Pony, silently agreeing with both of them. The absolute best thing to do was definitely not split up. The smaller a group was, the more likely it would not survive. However, a group as large as the current one might attract unwanted attention.

 

She quickly piped up on the matter. "I agree with you both. Splitting up is one of the worst things we could do, but wouldn't our rather large group of..." She trailed of to perform a quick head count. "...seven attract some unpleasant things?"

 

Her thoughts quickly flashed back to the yellow-eyed figure from earlier, and an ominous feeling set into her persona.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

She let out a sigh of relief and wiped her hoof on her brow. The itchy blanket had lost some of its itch as the pegasus mare completely took her attention off of her and went to speak to somepony else! Yay! Reverse ponyfeathers... um... earth pony... hooves? Yes, that was what she would now think whenever something went well. Earth pony hooves!

 

@,

 

The first one she had encountered had started to laugh like some sort of weirdo. The itching became worse and crept its way through her hooves. He... ate the fedora? For some reason, it was so awkward and nonsensical and itchy that she started to laugh along with him a little more hesitantly, then grinned with that uncertain usual smile of hers. He was an odd character, but he appeared to share her sense of humor. She decided to play along.

 

"May I ask... how it tasted? I've never had baked hat before... did you fry it? Did you... be.. bean it? Wait no, bean's not... I mean... cook! Cook it?" There were still some awkward edges in her acting, but she made a rather convincing false gasping expression of shock. "

 

 

@@Ice Storm,

 

...G-gaaah! There were more than she had noticed! Where in sweet Celestia's non-bearded visage did these ponies come from? This one had addressed a few more that had passed her attention. Since when had she become this inattentive? Today was not her day. This light blue pony had addressed her directly, however, and she felt it would be impolite to disregard.

 

"Yes... uh... well... but erm... I've... wandered from my usual collecting spot, so I'll admit... I'm a bit lost," her stammer became more pronounced as she frowned, and decided to address a little more. Why was this such an effort? Earth pony hooves were gone, and now it was more ponyfeathers! Ponyfeathers strewn all over the floor, covering her like a giant... chicken thing! She didn't think she'd make a good chicken. "For the record, I think... he looks strangely naked without any sort of headwear... I can see why he'd fly down here. This place... isn't as bad as ponies say."

[Klopp 2,050]

"Your fedora, good sir? Yes, I believe I saw it. I ate it, though."

Klopp could not believe his ears. His Fedora, his most precious possession, hoof picked by his beloved sister, and this pegasus... this pegasus had the gall to just haul off and gobble it down before he even understood the significance of such a glorious piece of head wear! He had become upset that his hat had been eaten, and becoming infuriated because this stallion was laughing at Klopp's expense, then suddenly the unicorn began laughing and making it sound as if eating hats was a daily thing for her! Of all the ways Pheddie could have been destroyed, it had to be eaten by some hungry pegasus, then laughed about as he stand there wondering whether to cry or not.

 

Finally, Klopp made up his mind what the best course of action was. He kept a perfectly straight face, stood up on his four hooves, walked to to the pegasus who gobbled up his hat, pulled his arm back, and then let it fly forward. His hoof coming into contact with hat-munching fool's cheek with just enough force for it to be considered a disciplinary slap. He then dropped his backside onth the ground and threw his arms up into the air with a few words to say to this-this... Feaster of Fedoras.

 

"Why would you do that!? I mean, come on! Who eats a hat? That thing meant a whole lot to me, and now it's just going to be... digested. And you!"

 

@,

 

He turned and pointed his Hoof at the cute tan pony.

 

"That's not funny! Hat-eating is a serious crime... or, it should be at least... But hey! That's so rude laughing about my-..."

 

A sudden realization hit Klopp, as he quickly quieted himself. Suddenly the thought of being hungry for headwear started to seem quite ridiculous, and was probably a very unrealistic possibility. The two were probably laughing... because it was meant to be a joke, and Klopp had now made himself look like a blasted fool. He lowered his head, turned a few shades of red, and his ears drooped straight towards the ground. His eyes shifted between the two who laughed at eating hats, and he gave them a nervous grin.

 

"Heh... You were... just joking, weren't you? Well, I betcha I look like a fool now!"

 

He facehoofed himself forcefully, while shaking his head back and forth, awaiting a response from one of the ponies.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Misso Klopp

[Opalicious 799]

Fire Opal twisted around as a scream emitted from behind him, the same 50 meters he had just traveled away from the ponies. His eyes tried to make out what had happened, but everypony still seemed fine to him. He galloped over to the other three, no, now four ponies.

 

Fire Opal knew it was safer to travel in a group, but the chances that they would all be traveling to the same place was slim. But he quickly changed his mind of going back home when he saw the amount of ponies that now stood there. What were the chances of them all encountering each other here, in the Everfree. Were they meant to do something? It looked like he was going to find out. He had decided to stay with them.

[GEROMY 41]

@

 

Jet Stream breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't take him seriously! He chuckled. This pony wasn't so bad, quite a sense of humor indeed. He began to giggle again, and then started to contemplate a witty remark.

 

@

 

Just as he turned to see the other pony's remark, instead of seeing a laughing Pegasus, white-hot pain flashed on his cheek as he turned to the side from the blow, bewildered. It didn't exactly hurt, he was more shocked if anything.

 

Looks like not everybody took it as a joke.

 

He was unsure how to react at first, but he then heard the Pegasus' statement about his hat. It must be very important to him. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure. Just before he began to speak, he heard the Pegasus realize that he and the unicorn were indeed kidding.

 

Jet Stream didn't know what to do at this point. The blanket of awkwardness came back, but it didn't just throw itself over him. No, it slammed itself into his unsuspecting face at a bewildering speed. He could see that the Pegasus was embarrassed as well.

 

He grimaced as he turned all about. He was so engaged in venting the awkward, that he didn't even notice that they were now a group of seven. How was...

 

Jet Stream slowly blinked his eyes. Focus. He was lost in the woods, a unicorn bumped into him, he started laughing, Pegasi fell from the sky, he made an uneccesaary joke, he just got slapped, and now there were ponies everywhere.

 

He knew what he had to do first.

 

Jet Stream stepped toward the white pegasus and bit his bottom lip. He looked around, anxiously, before finally taking in a deep breath.

 

"I'm sorry about your hat. I didn't know it was that important to you. If I had known this before, I wouldn't have joked about eating it. Nonetheless, my name is Jet Stream, and, if you would, I'd love to help you search for your hat."

 

Jet Stream blinked for a moment, and turned to the tan unicorn. "You'll help, right? Along with everypony else?"

Edited September 1, 2012 by NastyMann

[Ice Storm 1,020]

Ice looked around as a majority of the ponies made mention that it was their first times out here while the one that mentioned Providence originally claimed that it was a higher power. A higher power than the princesses? Not possible, she thought to herself in disagreement. She wasn't going to make mention of it because getting into a debate like that right now wasted time. Time they could be spending getting out of the forest. The one thing she did agree with though was the fact that their meeting was no coincidence. Something wanted this to happen, that she was sure of.

 

She turned to the tan pony that said that this place wasn't as bad as everypony made it out to be, and Ice wondered. "It sounds like you're out here often, though not in this particular part as you had mentioned," she stated as the blue pegasus spoke and said that he had never been here before either but he would gladly help her find her way out. It was then she heard the darker tan pony suggest them staying in a group. "I have to agree as well, but the fact that all of us have been drawn to this point in the forest, there has to be something here. I don't know about anypony else, but the more I think about it, I want to go deeper. Something brought us here for a reason. I wanna know what that reason is," she stated.

[Alex Night 870]

This whole situation wasn't sitting well with Alex and the answer that he got from the Earth Pony with the sunglasses uneased him further.

@@Ice Storm

 

 

Carrick shook his head, he adjusted his fedora than, explained, "Providence isn't a monster or beast. It's a higher power. Something you or I would never be able to control." Carrick rolled his eyes still to continued his speech, "I mean, look at this." Carrick pointed at the group of ponies. Carrick could of written a few pages on his notepad on each and every pony he saw, each of there details. Height, color...but he remembered that he was on vacation and his attention should be somewhere else. "Not many ponies come to the Everfree forest and here we are with a lot ponies in one specific place. It's improbable to call this some sort of coincidence. Providence could be behind this or maybe fate. Whatever you choose to believe." Carrick said.

 

@,

 

Carrick listen to this light blue peagsus. Carrick thought about sticking together. All of this happening, all of these ponies in the same place. It's improbab- nay! Impossible for this to fall under any type of conformity. Why were all of these ponies including himself all in one place? What has providence given Carrick this time? All Carrick knew was all of these ponies should stick together. He felt that if they stick together, that something interesting will happen. Carrick turned to Alex, "I agree. This forest doesn't have much vistors for a reason. There are some nasty monsters. It would be better to be in a group so no pony would 'fend for themselves." Carrick felt that it was the most logical reasoning as well. If some sort of beast came around to attack a pony. It would be big trouble for any type of pony. He rather not have to call the station as well for a missing pony or a dead pony...

 

"Lured here by fate? I doubt it, but this whole thing still seems strange to me. This pony seems to know about the dangers of this forest and it would be even wiser to get out while we still can." Alex thought to himself. Alex nodded to the Earth Pony with the Fedora in agreement.

@

"I agree with you both. Splitting up is one of the worst things we could do, but wouldn't our rather large group of..." She trailed of to perform a quick head count. "...seven attract some unpleasant things?"

 

"Maybe, but like you said, splitting up is a bad idea, especially in a forest such as this. That is something that we can't afford to do." Alex said to the Pegasus with the multi-colored green mane.

@@Ice Storm,

 

...G-gaaah! There were more than she had noticed! Where in sweet Celestia's non-bearded visage did these ponies come from? This one had addressed a few more that had passed her attention. Since when had she become this inattentive? Today was not her day. This light blue pony had addressed her directly, however, and she felt it would be impolite to disregard.

 

"Yes... uh... well... but erm... I've... wandered from my usual collecting spot, so I'll admit... I'm a bit lost," her stammer became more pronounced as she frowned, and decided to address a little more. Why was this such an effort? Earth pony hooves were gone, and now it was more ponyfeathers! Ponyfeathers strewn all over the floor, covering her like a giant... chicken thing! She didn't think she'd make a good chicken. "For the record, I think... he looks strangely naked without any sort of headwear... I can see why he'd fly down here. This place... isn't as bad as ponies say."

 

Alex just looked at the tan unicorn as she tries to change the subject back to the white Pegasus who claims to have lost his Fedora. "It does seem like almost everypony is lost in this forest. This definitely doesn't sound good at all." Alex thought to himself.

@

 

Jet Stream breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't take him seriously! He chuckled. This pony wasn't so bad, quite a sense of humor indeed. He began to giggle again, and then started to contemplate a witty remark.

 

@

 

Just as he turned to see the other pony's remark, instead of seeing a laughing Pegasus, white-hot pain flashed on his cheek as he turned to the side from the blow, bewildered. It didn't exactly hurt, he was more shocked if anything.

 

Looks like not everybody took it as a joke.

 

He was unsure how to react at first, but he then heard the Pegasus' statement about his hat. It must be very important to him. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure. Just before he began to speak, he heard the Pegasus realize that he and the unicorn were indeed kidding.

 

Jet Stream didn't know what to do at this point. The blanket of awkwardness came back, but it didn't just throw itself over him. No, it slammed itself into his unsuspecting face at a bewildering speed. He could see that the Pegasus was embarrassed as well.

 

He grimaced as he turned all about. He was so engaged in venting the awkward, that he didn't even notice that they were now a group of seven. How was...

 

Jet Stream slowly blinked his eyes. Focus. He was lost in the woods, a unicorn bumped into him, he started laughing, Pegasi fell from the sky, he made an uneccesaary joke, he just got slapped, and now there were ponies everywhere.

 

He knew what he had to do first.

 

Jet Stream stepped toward the white pegasus and bit his bottom lip. He looked around, anxiously, before finally taking in a deep breath.

 

"I'm sorry about your hat. I didn't know it was that important to you. If I had known this before, I wouldn't have joked about eating it. Nonetheless, my name is Jet Stream, and, if you would, I'd love to help you search for your hat."

 

Jet Stream blinked for a moment, and turned to the tan unicorn. "You'll help, right? Along with everypony else?"

 

Alex was stunned to see the white Pegasus slap the young Pegasus with the writer Cutie Mark. He listened on as the white Pegasus went on about his Fedora being special to him and the white Pegasus had the sudden realization of them just joking about the Fedora. Alex saw his face was beat red. "This certainly is the strangest bunch of ponies I have met in my life." Alex mused to himself. He listened on as the writer Pegasus apologized about making the joke. Alex looked back at the Earth Pony with the Fedora and black trench coat and wondered if maybe the fedora he was wearing belonged to the white Pegasus, but then decided it being unlikely since the white Pegasus would've said something about it earlier. The Writer Pegasus introduced himself as Jet Stream before going to say that he would help him find his fedora and asked the others if they would join them in the search. "That's not a good idea, since we don't know what might be in this forest." Alex thought to himself. Alex was about to give his answer to say no when he saw a pair of yellow eyes staring back at him in a brush. Alex got into a ready stance ready for whatever is coming out. His attention got interrupted when the ice unicorn spoke up.

"It sounds like you're out here often, though not in this particular part as you had mentioned," she stated. "I have to agree as well, but the fact that all of us have been drawn to this point in the forest, there has to be something here. I don't know about anypony else, but the more I think about it, I want to go deeper. Something brought us here for a reason. I wanna know what that reason is," she stated.

 

Alex looked towards the ice unicorn as she spoke for a bit and looked to where the yellow eyes were to find that they were no longer there. Alex narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the spot for a few more seconds before deciding to let the matter go. "This all sounds like a very bad idea, but I doubt that they'll listen." Alex thought. "Alright, if your fedora is truly that important to you, then I suggest we stick together. That way, we may also find the reason why we were brought here. However, I suggest we get back to the dirt road and head through it towards Ponyville. This place isn't safe to be lost inside of. Now, everypony follow my steps back to the road." Alex said, looking to each pony while speaking. Alex turned around to start walking back to the main road leading out of the forest and to Ponyville. Edited September 3, 2012 by Alex_Night