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Lurking Within the Shadows (Closed)


GoldenDaze

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The White Tail Woods standed as one of the prettiest places in Equestria. The trees of all shapes and sizes stood out from the blue sky, showing off their gorgeous deep green leaves. Their thick roots strung out from the ground, popping in and out of the short grass. Big bushes stood all over the landscape, as they too showed off their precious leaves and blooming flowers. The sun was going down at this point, rays of yellow, orange, and a rosy pink were shown through the darkening sky, creating a really pretty sunset. The stars weren't out yet, but it was getting dark quickly, as the sun flowed it's way down the sky. 

 

Camping was such a calming thing for most ponies out there, either to get close with their friends or family. Nature was at it's finest with the woodlands. Water in the distance, wind busheling through the trees, a nice sweet smell from the flowers that surrounded the paths. Most ponies felt at peace in this forest, as why so many ponies would come camp there. Too bad sightings of something big and dark captured all the news's stories, ponies hadn't stepped hoof there since then.  

 

But still, most ponies would take a look at this masterpiece of nature, thinking how amazed they are that such a natural thing in life could be so beautiful. The sunsets always had a beautiful view in the woods. A couple didn't care much about something so silly, just the sun going down. They could at least recognize the pretty colors the sky created. Some though, absolutely couldn't stand the hype sunsets get. That, or they were just a grumpy little sack of negativity and hated everything others generally loved. 

 

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Alizarin Fruits stood at the front opening of the forest's path, tapping her hoof impatiently. Her thin eyebrows furrowed in a glare, like she was going to murder anything that came across her path. The brown mare just wanted to be at home, cuddled up in her soft bed and staring at the stars. She loved the night more than the day. Ali liked the dark, as she couldn't see anything. She didn't like thinking about things, or looking deeply into things. It kind of scared her, but little ol' Ali didn't have feelings or emotions. Nope! She was as soulless as a vampire, or so she thinks. 

 

The short mare didn't know why she was here, carrying a little folded up tent on her back with some saddle bags filled with bug repellent and a sleeping bag. Her father read in a newspaper that day something was out taking animals, and he felt horrible about it. The mare's heart always killed over when her papa frowned. Of course Ali hated seeing her ol' Pop upset, had to be a problem solver and go out to see what's out taking the 'innocent little creatures'. Ha! They weren't bothering her, they weren't hurting her business. There was no reason to go out and 'help the precious animals'. Obviously the farm pony had a heart though, if she wanted to save the little buggers.

 

Ali was the first one to the scene, after her sweet Pop went and packed for her as she watered her apple trees. She got her chores done, with a frown, taking the saddle bags and getting the train to the woods. She had bags under her tired eyes, as she sat her little rump down in the soft dirt. The mare didn't want to head in first, but she did at the same time. The loner could've easily trotted in and left the other ponies, if there were going to be other ponies, behind. It's not like there was some group calling them to go save the creatures from the mysterious, scary, horrible, frightening, thing in the deep, dark, mysterious, scary, horrible, frighten- okay, you get the point. 

 

Anyway, the splotched mare sat there in silence, listening to the wind go through the trees and the birds tweeting. It was kind of peaceful for a moment, and Ali kind of felt at peace. It was quiet, soft, and the moment just felt like a dream. She felt asleep, but wasn't, as she could just sense the realness of her surroundings. Until she heard hooves stepping through the dirt. 

 

 

 

Spoiler

I hope this was a good starter! There will be a post order, which will be randomly chosen, so here it is:

 

Me, dragonofruin, Tacobob, SteelEagle, RainbowFoxxy

 

If any of you guys have questions, feel free to give me a note!

 

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After idly reading one errant newspaper, as his decision to even read the Equestrian news was sporadic at best, the mention of animals disappearing from the White Tail Woods had somewhat caught King Sombra's attention one morning. Animals, disappearing? It sounded unusual, especially for Equestria. The country was largely peaceful, ponies had no reason to hunt animals when they were herbivores (and possibly even opposed to animal pelts or leather as far as he knew), so why were the animals dwindling, and in White Tail Woods specifically?

 

Perhaps he was bored enough with his general life around Canterlot that he wanted to find out why, as eager as he was to collect more knowledge about this land he just might rule. After a few idle inquiries from different strangers, he gathered a few of what he considered just might be rumors they'd heard from others. Something about a large dark shape seen lurking about the woods, or a great dark shadow of some sort going after the animals.. There were a few others, but one thing seemed to be common among them: something big.

 

It piqued his curiosity. If he really thought about it, it might not be what he thought it would be, but who really knew? Nopony, apparently, and definitely not him.

 

Sombra wanted to be certain, though, in the slim chance it might be something deserving his attention. So, with a few small things of importance gathered and tucked away in a pair of saddlebags and a plainer dark green cape in place, the king set out, taking the train from Canterlot to the small White Tail Woods train station, where he'd heard ponies came to camp and enjoy the scenery. It took a few hours from the capital, but he soon arrived and stepped off of the platform with long, confident strides. The forest stretched out ahead of him, vibrant and green even in what little light remained. The canopy cast thick shadows, interlaced with fading rays of light from the setting sun. It looked to be a lovely place, and the scents of nature were thick, all around him.

 

The tall, dark stallion breathed it in and moved towards it, though he paused when something began to register in his view. The shape of a pony. His approach slowed to a halt and he eyed their back, wondering why they were just sitting there, alone before the woods. Waiting on somepony? Or.. afraid of the rumors? Sombra quietly scoffed.

 

He wasn't sure if he should bother saying hello.

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Now this was more like it!
 
After spending a few months as captain of the Twilight Guard, Fire Walker had an different assignment for a chance! The young mare decided to wear her old adventuring armor for a change. It was better suited for forest treks than her Royal Armor. She also brought along a saddlebag full of necessary items.
 
She was always happy to fulfill her normal tasks. She was there to make sure Ponyville residents knew what to do in case of emergencies. Usually through the use of training seminars. She also kept an eye on town to make sure nasties didn’t sneak in. There was also the occasional mundane task she would also take care of. But now she was leaving the safety of her sleepy little village to solve a mystery! Animals were vanishing and there was talk about the ‘Pony Of Shadows’. And so far everything lead to the White Tail Woods. A forest that shared the Everfree's beauty, but not the crazy.
 
Noted animal welfare expert Fluttershy was also tasked to join this little critter conundrum. Very few ponies in Equestria were as knowledgeable about creature confronts as the pleasant Pegasus mare. The red Captain also asked if her occasional adventure partner Applejack would be able to join them, but they ended up getting her little sister instead. How odd. Still, if the little Earth Pony was one percent as clever and brave as her big sister, things should go smoothly. Another mare named Alizarin Fruits was also tasked to join them. She assumed the young mare was a friend of Fluttershy's. After much assurance from her little sister, the Pegasus mare also brought along the family dog. Gumby. He could be of some use. Dogs were good at sniffing. Barking. Fire Walker always wanted a dog growing up and never got one. She was still slightly bitter about this.
 
Alizarin was also the first the good Captain could see. Waiting at the entrance. "Miss Fruits.", she called out as she slowly trotted her way. She was followed by a little dog.
 
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"Ralph!", the dog barked. The little critter stopped dead in his tracks. A strange scent crossed his nose. What could it be? He glanced in the direction of Sombra, but was instantly distracted when an butterfly landed on his nose. "RALPH!"
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Apple Bloom knew firsthoof the dangers inherent in letting a problem escalate when it could have been quickly and easily nipped in the bud. Allowing a critter whose agenda was concerned with lil' ol animals off in the woods to continue its ways might seem all-together natural to some, but it sure didn't seem that way to Apple Bloom. The frequency of it was all wrong. She lived near the Everfree and she knew what seemed right and what seemed wrong when it came to the ways of the wild, and the Whitetail Woods didn't operate that way normally. That meant this was a potentially serious danger, since if the Whitetail Woods could be brought into such dangerous waters, there was no telling what it could follow with.


It cried out for ponies to act and to act quickly with courage and conviction. Apple Bloom had the courage at least, though it wasn't uniquely hers. The courage of those who work the land is born of long days of laboring the hot summer sun and the cold winter wind. It is the courage of the land itself, driven through the bones of those who worked it. The land cried out for safety and protection and it would drive her protectors into it. Apple Bloom was ready to give what she could to the land that gave her so much. Of course, as an Apple she couldn't just sit on her haunches and do nothing. She was a protector of the land just like her sister. Her response was unquestioned and commenced without thought. Like blinking or breathing, responding to an alarm was quickly becoming an involuntary reflex as she grew older.

It wasn't always this way. Apple Bloom always had the stubborn pride and love of the land that was emblematic of her family like their other traits, but she was always cognizant of her size and her stature. She was a filly in a dangerous world of mares. But that was then. This time was different. She had her cutie mark. She was a growing pony. She wasn't a filly anymore, for land's sakes. She was a young mare. A young mare who was capable of anything she put her mind to, whether it was an extra hour of farm work without supervision, helping out ponies around town without needing to care about 'chores, or responding to calls to action. All she had done when she was made aware of what was happening was pack a bag, tell Big Mac what was happening, and gallop out of the door. Her sister wouldn't let situations like this come home to roost, so why should Apple Bloom?
 

Her travel to the meetup had been uneventful, even if her legs had been barking for a little while. Luckily she had forgotten all about that by the time she arrived, her farm-bred form seemingly immune to the day's travails. The assortment of ponies there to meet her told her that she wasn't alone in her concern and that her concerns weren't bred of some ill-conceived 'farmer's fright'. Here were Guards, former tyrants, a fellow farm mare, and of course Fluttershy- the pony who may as well have loved animals without fail or question. 
 

Sombra being there gave her a momentary pause, a freeze that she overcame quickly. Her fear wasn't ill-founded, but neither was her ability to move past it. He reminded Apple Bloom of something Granny once told her, when the filly had recoiled at the events of the royal wedding where she saw firsthoof what evil truly existed and as capable of. Granny had cautioned against damning them and Apple Bloom would prevent herself from damning Sombra as well with the same words. In this world of friendship and harmony, “even the shadows can inspire dazzling rainbows”. She nodded at him and kept an even smile. "Howdy," she said with a small tip of her mane, trying to be all respectful like.
 

Speaking of all respectful like, she didn't have to feign it or imagine cause to show it for Fire Walker. This was a mare she could get behind! She had known the guard for a little bit, all the way back to when Apple Bloom had been seriously injured in a Changeling attack during Nightmare Night. She was now a member of the Twilight Guard, which only heightened Apple Bloom's opinion of her- a hard task to accomplish. Applejack was moonlighting as a Twilight Guard so she knew Fire Walker had good taste. Task Force Suntrot had been Apple Bloom's closest association, and she had to admit- that felt pretty good. 

"Howdy, Captain," she said with a bow, then bounced back up. "Happy ta have you along. Ah'm sure whatever it is- OH MAH CELESTIA THAT PUPPY IS SO CUTE!" She said as she saw the little bugger, trotting over happily. She pulled out some dog treats she had with her- helped to be prepared- and offered them to the little fella. No dog would ever equal Winona, but that didn't stop some dogs from being almost illegally adorable. She pet him when allowed and generally allowed herself a moment or three of fillyhood before she recomposed herself and trotted towards the only other pony there yet, Alizarin Fruits.
 

Apple Bloom had been aware of the Fruits for most of her life but the family was more or less a mystery. It didn't take much to know how Ali functioned, though. She worked long and hard hours, sheltering herself from companionship, spending an hour with her workload for every minute she spent outside of it. Didn't mean Apple Bloom didn't admire her, though. It took a lot of fortitude and drive to succeed in this business and she had shown that in spades, and her turnout at the Iron Pony wasn't shabby either! She was known as a bit of a grump, though. Apple Bloom'd love to befriend her but she wasn't so sure she'd respond to her normal buoyancy. "Good ta see another farmer here, Alizarin. Ah'm here ta help."

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"Oh those poor creatures." Futtershy trotted around her cottage, fretting over the packing of her saddle bag. "Being taken from their homes and held against their will." She carefully placed a sachet full of animal treats neatly on top of her chosen camping supplies and snapped the saddle bag shut.

 

"Oh my!" She glanced to the side noticing Angel Bunny with his little paws akimbo, his hind paw tapping on the floor with impatience. "I'm so sorry Angel!" 

 

The kind to a fault pegasus filled the bunny's bowl with a carrot and a lettuce leaf and placed it neatly in front of her little pet. "There you go," She gave a small smile to the bunny. "Sorry it's a bit rushed Angel."

 

The bunny frowned at her, his eyes narrowing. 

 

"You know I have to go," She tried to pat his head but he moved to the side. "All those poor little animals need my help."

 

Angel took the carrot from the bowl and hopped to her saddle bags, planting himself on the top of them. 

 

"I wish I could take you Angel. But, it might be dangerous...in the...*gulp*....forest..." She trailed off meekly, not even liking the thought of what she was getting herself into. She'd have to be strong though. There were animals that needed her help and she'd rescue them no matter what!

 

Angel didn't move, no matter how much she coaxed the bunny so eventually the Element of Kindness left the cottage with a bunny poking his head out of one of her saddle bags. 

-----

 

As Fluttershy got closer to the designated meeting area she could feel her small amount of confidence fleeing. She didn't really know any of the ponies that were coming on this trip, except for Applebloom. Well, she knew one of the others but wasn't at all sure she wanted to interact with him. King Sombra made her want to run and hide not matter what his current intentions were. She had to remind herself as she trotted nearer that she was doing this to save poor helpless animals.

 

Fluttershy gulped, giving Sombra a wide birth and Firewalker a soft smile as she made her way up to Alizarin and Apple Bloom. 

 

"Oh hello there Ms. Fruits," She smiled at Apple Bloom after her introduction. "Good to see you Apple Bloom."

 

Then she spotted the little corgi dog who was at the moment intent on watching a butterfly. "Oh my! Aren't you the cutest little thing?" She called to Gumby, hoping he'd come over to say hi. "Who do you belong to little guy?"

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The farm pony sat there dozing off, in her own mind, thinking about anything and everything. The forest seemed to peaceful at this exact moment. The wind slightly moved the trees in what seemed like a dance. Ali couldn't help but sway along to the leaves on the trees. All that was there was the sound of birds chirping in the distance, and the sweet smell of pine. The splotched brown and cream mare had a soft spot for pine trees. It just reminded her of home, before her mama left. 

 

All sounds were ruined by a couple of hard steps, and it made Ali's face turn back to it's grumpy self. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes searched around behind her. "You must be Sombra," the mare mumbled, standing up quickly and making her way to the large dark stallion before her. She wasn't intimidated at all. She was never really scared of big dark beings lurking over her shoulder. Though she was a tiny pony, she had a lot of confidence and toughness in her. Ali was like a firecracker. Anypony could light her up and she'd go bonkers. It was easy to make her lose her temper. "Ah'm Alizarin Fruits." She lifted her little leg for a firm shake, trying to be polite. 

 

Not too long afterwards, a deep red Pegasus came marching through, and Ali clearly could recognize her. "Captain'," the mare said towards Fire Walker, giving her a confident nod. She kept a strong stature, as so far everypony towered over her. Ali just wanted to seem like the 'don't mess around with me or I'll bite your head off' type. Her eyes seemed villainous, yet soft in a way. The short earth pony just wanted to look like a tough nut, because nuts don't crack unless you apply pressure. "If that dog comes anywhere near me, ah'm gonna throw 'em." She said that kind of quietly, but meant it harshly.

 

 Next up was a slight surprise, as a little yellow filly came hopping along. At least now, she wasn't the shortest anymore. Ali had known the apples all her life, but never talked to them Her Pop-pop absolutely loved their family though. He'd always get after Ali for not sayin' hello, but that wasn't Ali's mojo. "That's the only thin' we have in common, bein' a farmer," she hissed at the little filly. "Apple Bloom, right? Mah Pop-pop talks a lot 'bout you. Got a lot of bravery comin' out here. 'Guess that's admirable." Shocking, the nicest thing to ever come out of Ali's mouth. Of course she thought of why a little filly was coming out here to find out some weird creature taking innocent animals, but she had to be nice and cooperate with these ponies so she can get out of here quickly. 

 

Last, but not least, was Fluttershy. Oh boy, Ali was gonna have a fit with this mare. Nothin' got more on her nerves than shy ponies. 'If you wanna speak, then speak,' she'd always say. Ali was a little ignorant though, and maybe a little closed minded. Ali just let out a "Miss. Shy," after the yellow Pegasus greeted her. The only good thing Ali could think of about Fluttershy was that she was good with animals. That was always a plus. 

 

As the ponies greeted each other, Ali cleared her throat. "'Kay everypony, I wanna get out of here as soon as possible. So let's get 'n here and get a move on." Her voice was raspy and deep, making it clear that she was takin' the opportunity to lead the group. She was firm and self-assured anyway. What could go wrong?

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It seemed he wouldn't have to say anything after all, she'd heard him coming. He also heard others' hoofsteps too, arriving on the scene shortly after he had. Were these others here to discover the source of the animals' disappearances, or just campers? A look at the ponies that'd arrived suggested the former, especially the red-coated mare in her plain grey armor. His eyes swept over each of them as they approached and gathered in a loose group. After the armored mare who didn't even appear to register he was there, there was a filly, who he was surprised to see here in a place that was presumably dangerous, but out of all of them she was the only one to offer him a smile and a greeting.

 

His resting expression softened somewhat. Sombra didn't have much of a soft spot for foals, but they were the only ones who were exempt from his hateful view and treatment of ponies; they didn't deserve, and had done nothing to deserve, his ire.

 

The last to arrive was a vaguely familiar mare of yellow and pink, who quite clearly was trying to ignore him. His scowl made something of a return, with the addition of a slight narrowing of his eyes as he tried to place where he'd seen her particular coloration before, as well as her overall appearance.. Until he gained some sort of clue, he'd have to set aside the question for now. The yapping of a little dog was distracting enough to keep him from delving too deep through his memories anyway, and he eyed the tiny thing with uncertainty; Sombra had never been around dogs before, much less had any experience with any other sort of pets. The filly, Apple Bloom, appeared to like it well enough.

 

Sombra's attention shifted back up to the first mare he'd seen, who the others addressed as Miss Fruits or Alizarin, when he heard her voice. He really didn't know what an Alizarin Fruits was, or if it was just one of the stranger pony names. He put it out of his mind, instead paying close attention as she approached to greet him first. The undaunted way in which she had impressed him, and he got the idea of some sort of fierceness lying under her stern and collected demeanor. There wasn't the slightest bit of nonsense about her. He inclined his head, approving, and even shook her hoof after a few seconds' consideration of her outstretched foreleg.

 

"I am," he spoke at last, his voice a smooth, deep rumble. "I've heard about what was going on and I thought I'd.. look into it. For my own curiosity, of course." He couldn't possibly look as if he was here to help.

 

He tilted his head as Alizarin moved off towards the other ponies, greeting each of them in turn; it was through this that he learned the others' names that he hadn't already heard, other than the armored pony who Alizarin just referred to as Captain. Sombra grunted softly, his tail flicking behind him. He'd learn her name soon enough, he felt, once this particular little party got moving. The mare taking charge of it was something he could appreciate and he took a few, casual steps towards the woods, making it clear he was ready to move, though he had no problem going in alone if it came to it. It likely wouldn't.

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The captain smiled broadly at the little Apple filly. She had been assigned to look after her older sister and her unborn foal during their little adventure in the Everfree. Now she was looking after the elder mare's  sister. Who finally got her cutie-mark. It almost matched the marks her friends also had. Was that something that had happened before? Friends getting uniform cutie-marks?
 
“That’s my little sister’s dog, Mister Gumby.”
 
The little corgi was rather grateful to receive early snacks! “RALPH!”, he happily barked as he did his ‘snack’' dance’. This consisted mostly of him shaking his chubby little corgi backside. Once the dance was finished, he gobbled up his cookie, gave the little farmer a very special ‘boop kiss’, which consisted of him standing on his back legs and giving the filly a kiss on her snout.
 
After noticing somepony very familiar to him, he rushed over to the Pegasus mare.
 
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“You might not remember him Lady Fluttershy...”, the Captain was starting to feel just a little odd...Like someone...or something was watching them. “My sister and father picked him up during your last adoption fair...event...”, she really hoped her silly father left the poor mare alone during her pet-event. Considering the mare was drop dead gorgeous and he still had a few sons that were unmarried. He might have tried setting her up with one of them. Oh the horror.
 
Their little party was shaping up rather well. A few farmers and the pet-whisperer herself. She made sure to nod  her head back at Alizarin Fruits. Name almost sounded like a drink. Maybe even a Sangria with extra red....red wine....pomegranate juice...Hmmm. Once she was finished with this little quest, she would have head over to the nearby pub and have them make up an tasty Alizarin Fruit!
 
Then she noticed somepony who really should not be there.
 
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"Sombra!", she growled at the shadow lord of lies. The former tyrant of the Crystal Kingdom. The dark wizard.
 
As she took in the form of the loathsome libertine, she instinctively stood in front of the filly. He would have to get through her if he dared to harm one hair on the farmer's sweet little head. She knew he was very powerful. and also dead. What's with that?
 
"Lady Fluttershy, didn't you and your companions..", oh wait, she couldn't say the 'k' word in front of the little farmer. "Illkay imhay eadday?", she wisely used 'pig-pony' to describe them putting an end to the shadowy scoundrel.  She also noticed Mister Gumby was still playing with Fluttershy. Normally, he would be in the middle of chewing the lord of larceny and master of malfeasance's face off. But something was wrong. This didn't look like the Sombra she had seen pictures of. He looked a bit sad. Like a poor copy.
 
"Sir, I really hope you are not a changeling hoping to play a prank on us...", she was ready to defend her new companions or give a pesky little shape-shifter a good talking to. Maybe it was Discord? He always liked to play pranks on ponies!
 
Spoiler

 

OOC: Hey old-Kids-who-are-legal-to-drink! Try a tasty Alizarin Fruit!
 
1 bottle fruity red wine
 
2 cups pomegranate juice
 
1/2 cup brandy
 
1/2 cup Triple Sec
 
1/4 cup simple syrup (equal amounts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
 
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
 
1 large orange, halved and thinly sliced
 
1 green apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced
 
1 cup red grapes, sliced in 1/2
 
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours before serving. Serve over ice.!

 

 

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Fluttershy was always a good pony to have around, and not just because she understood animals better than anypony else in the world. She was kind and supportive and you couldn't have somepony better to back you when the going got tough- aside from Applejack, of course. She didn't hang out with Fluttershy as often as she wished she had but this was just another reason why she was happy to be out and about today with her. She was guaranteed to learn something about animals, no doubt. “Howdy to you too, Fluttershy. Can't wait ta see what y'all have ta say about this here mystery. What sorta shenanigans do y'all think it's about?” Apple Bloom asked. If anypony'd have a basic guess about what was going on it would be Equestria's foremost expert on critters outside the norm.

Captain Fire Walker was on high alert because of Sombra, who for his part wasn't doing much to alleviate the situation- just by being there, really. What was that about mixing oil and water? Still, Apple Bloom wasn't a dumb filly and she had some common sense to dispense. Maybe it'd help? “Captain, Ah'd reckon its fine. If it wasn't, Ah don't think he'd be wastin' his time huntin' for some critter mystery in the woods. Plus, Princess Twi'd just show up with tha rest of tha girls. Ah'm sure Sombra's here for a good ol' reason and it ain't gonna be a problem. Ain't that right, Sombra?” She asked in a leading fashion to the former overlord of the Crystal Empire. Yeah it was strange he was here but that strangeness was partially why she felt fine.

Apple Bloom would have taken some manner of offense at Ali's attitude had it been anything short of expected, but if there was one thing she knew you could count on Alizarin to be, it was grumpy. Heck, her pa was a nice enough stallion who came around Sweet Apple Acres once in a while and was a pleasant enough sort yet you couldn't buy a smile or a grin on the young mare's face. Still, they weren't here to get Alizarin to smile or realize friendship was the way, but rather to solve this whole critter problem. She responded to Alizarin's small bite of venom in no way, and when the young mare decided to take charge and push on ahead as a leader, Apple Bloom lodged no complaint. She started trotting ahead, eyes sharp and excited as she gandered out at the woods around them. She had to make her presence worthwhile to her and everypony else. "Alright. Ah know these woods pretty well-" not the full truth but not a lie, either, "-so Ah'll take point," she said in her coolest manner possible. She certainly thought she sounded all adult and qualified as she went out ahead.

She was going to remain alert and was gonna try her best, but she knew her limitations. She wasn't about to start galloping here, there, everywhere at the slightest hint of a noise. If she had concerns or ideas, then boy howdy would she share them. She also wasn't about to cause a ruckus- she was their eyes and ears, but it was Alizarin who was gonna call the shows, Fire Walker who'd provide the protection, Fluttershy who'd lend her expertise, and Sombra who'd do...something helpful, hopefully. She was sure that they'd work together as a team and solve this mystery right quickly!

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"Well Applebloom," She gulped. "I'm not at all sure what's been happening with the animals. I've asked about but nobeast seems to know, not even the birds! I'm worried it might be some sort of..." She paused, not wanting to frighten Abby. Of course the things she said were quite unlikely to scare the farmfilly but Flutters was always the soft spoken and gentle pony. "Well some sort of not so nice creature taking them from their homes." She had wanted to say 'monster' and 'doing terrible things to those poor little creatures', but she just didn't even want to utter it!

 

Fluttershy turned from the corgi to regard the red pelted mare. He smile broadened a bit as she stood and trotted towards Firewalker, Gumby trailing at her hind hooves.

 

"Oh! Captain Firewalker! I'm so relieved to know you'll be coming with us!" She looked nervously over her shoulder as Ali readied herself to be on her way. "I-it's just the Everfree can be dangerous and with eep!...Sombra... here and Applebloom being just a filly," She checked to make sure neither Sombra or Abby had heard her. "You'll keep us safe. I'm sure." She relaxed just a little and knelt down to ruffle Gumby's fur.

 

The pegasus giggled. "Of course I remember you Gumby! It just took me a moment because you've grown so big I didn't recognize you, sweet puppy!"

 

A moment later Ali announced they were going in, Firewalker faced off with Sombra, and Abby began to trot right out into the forest on her own!

 

"Oh dear..." She shrunk away from Sombra, confused as to why nopony seemed to pay him much heed. The more she looked at him though, the more she had to admit he didn't quite look like the horrible monster that he had in the past. There was something different about him but she just couldn't put her hoof on. 

 

Fluttershy back stepped from the confrontation between the Captain and the former King, knowing Firewalker could handle herself. This was shaping up to be an odd trip. Abby had decided to go out from which made her stomach knot with tension. 

 

"Eeep!" She squeaked in fright as she made herself enter the forest. Angel bunny poked out of her saddle bag, scowling at her obvious timidness. Fluttershy sucked in a breath, willing herself to stay calm. She would do this! For the animals!

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Alizarin let the ponies have their ways with each other. She didn't really respond to the rest of them, just a simple head nod, eye roll, or huff would be enough to fill in the empty void in between conversations. The small mare just wanted to see the emotions and chemistry between each pony- to see if any of them had tension. Of course the sharp mare immediately noticed the spark between the red captain and dark stallion, mixed with the shy Pegasus. The little filly, or Apple Bloom, seemed to be brave enough to stay calm in the situation. How interesting. 

 

As soon as the meetings settle down, Ali took the opportunity to lead the group into the forest. By this time, the stars were starting to appear. Soon they'd have to rely on the light of the night sky, and the sounds within the darkness to lead them. Hopefully they'd find a campsite in time, so they can settle down. The pack on the short mare's back was starting to make her tired, and she just wanted to see where these animals were going. In her mind though, she thought she was the most competent of the five to lead the so called pack, as the others seemed to be mainly emotionally driven. Ha. Who needs emotions. 

 

The brown mare kept her attention on the small dirt path, listening to the sounds around her. Leaves rustled, but the wind seemed to relax as it got darker. No striking sounds yet though. Probably because it was still not completely dark yet. Her ear twitched when she heard the little yellow filly talking, so Ali cleared her throat, "Yeah? I grew up 'n these woods. Y'all can trust mah judgment." Her voice was deep yet truthful. Her Pop-pop would take her to these woods to see the wildlife. Even the plants. The duo would sit and watch the sunsets in a large tree that they climbed up. Sometimes they could see shooting stars after the fact. Ali's dad would always call 'em lucky. Ali thought they were a rare yet beautiful sight. Maybe that could also be her motivation: saving her childhood forest from the darkness. There didn't need to be an Everfree forest 2.0.

 

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The short farm pony led the group down a path that led to a small, secluded campground. Dark, large trees surrounded the perimeter. The mare trotted over to a blank spot and set her things down, getting ready to set up her little tent as quickly as possible. She honestly didn't think she'd get sleep that night, just because they needed to be creature watching. If the crowd got tired though, and if this took a couple nights, then the tent would be useful. Not the first night though. But anyway, she set up her tent in silence, soon speaking out to say, "Somepony light up a fire. It's gonna get dark here soon." She still had her grumpy voice. It seemed unamused more than anything. 

 

She entered her tent, setting down her sleeping bag then coming back out. Her eyes seemed to glow in the night, as she grew impatient with everypony already. Her face was scrunched together in a frown, as she was feeling already tired. Tired from what? Probably all the commotion. She wasn't used to talking to more than one pony at a time. The large group kind of set her off. "C'mon y'all, let's get a darn move on. We don't have all night- er day- er whatever." 

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The dark woods ahead of him would have to wait just a little longer. The one they referred to as the Captain seemed to have finally registered his presence there and blocked his path, to them, as well as to the loosely gathered group of ponies scattered in this open, moon-lit space. What snatches of conversation he'd heard were quickly set aside in favor of the one who'd grabbed his attention so thoroughly. Sombra met the armored mare's fierce eyes and couldn't help but be a little impressed by how undaunted she was when facing him, even challenging him.

 

The tug at the corner of his mouth that would've formed an amused smirk quickly faded as he took in what she said, and what it sounded like she was avoiding trying to say. The last part of it was nonsense, but he could figure out what it was she meant through both context and how that nonsense sounded; it wasn't hard. He most assuredly should've died that day, and yet.. he hadn't. Some small part of him had survived the magic that'd torn the rest of him apart, and it'd taken a few years for his magic and his body to re-form from what remained. In that time he'd been less than the meanest ghost haunting the frozen wastes, and once he'd finally awoken, it was as if almost no time had passed with what little he could remember of that disembodied experience. The Crystal Heart, he felt, must've at least done him the favor of smacking some sort of sense back into him after how he'd acted before.

 

His tail flicked. In unnerving quickness, he closed the gap between them with just a few short steps, using his height to loom over the mare. His eyes blazed and he lowered his head until his snout was mere inches from hers, lips peeling back from the monstrous teeth he bared at her.

 

"Go ahead. Say it." His voice was a low growl. "I can assure you I'm no changeling, no pretender. I'm the real thing, in the flesh~." The umbrum tilted his head as he met the Captain's gaze evenly, his eyes narrowing.

 

His expression changed upon hearing the filly, Apple Bloom, speak. Daring to break off his little staring contest, Sombra looked over at her and straightened up, his expression softening and his voice changing to a silky-smooth purr.

 

"As a matter of fact, I am. I've heard some rumors about it that has made it interesting enough to check out, with good reason. There won't be a problem at all." His red gaze flicked past Apple Bloom towards the fearful Fluttershy, who was already heading off with the filly, and back to the Captain. An eyebrow rose. The others were leaving while they were still having their little standoff here, and as much as he enjoyed the posturing (as if his anger hadn't flared at what the Captain implied with Fluttershy's friends), he'd rather get to the bottom of this mystery. He certainly didn't need Alizarin's insistence to get moving.

 

Flashing the armored mare a smirk, Sombra stepped around her and started after the others, following them into the woods to the campsite Alizarin lead them too. It was a nice little clearing with a rock-lined firepit at the center. After a quick look around, he picked a spot apart from the others and settled down, his magic brushing through one of the saddlebags under his plain cape to pull out something he could lay on. It'd probably be best if somepony else handled the fire instead of him.

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Fire Walker glanced over at the little filly. The old stereotype was that ponies were a very forgiving people was riding high with the little farmer. He might have enslaved an entire kingdom and later tried to conquer Canterlot with an army of mesmerized slaves, but that was like yesterday! The past! Move on! Don’t dwell there! Move on to the present! The present where the former king probably had another scheme to conquer all ready.
 
She trusted Sombra as much as she could throw Canterlot Castle. She would keep an eye on him. See what he really has planned. She doubted he was that concerned with a group of random animals. Maybe he was seeking out a mare or two to snatch.  She would not allow this. So now there were two mysteries at hoof. Find the missing animals and see what was going on with Sombra. Maybe he was really Discord. That silly serpent hadn’t bugged her in months. Maybe he finally found a girlfriend.
 
Gumby stood by the yellow coated mare. He would also protect her. “RALPH”, he barked with a slightly husky tone. He would be her guard-dog. Nothing would get by him. This lasted about a second as a little butterfly lured him away. “RALPH!” :Flutter:Thankfully it did not lead him away from the group.
 
Sombra was still there and still very cranky. Being an officer, she could not look weak and continued to look him in the eye. Something bothered her. In the flesh? Did Sombra have any flesh? What she had heard was that he was an Umbrum. A living shadow that was shaped into an pony form. He wasn't a real unicorn, but still very powerful. If he wanted to turn her group into mindless zombies, he would have done it by now. "Well, don't do anything evil, alright?" Maybe he was trying to earn some brownie points with the princesses. Yes, I did horrible things all those years, but I rescued some cute animals, so are we even?
 
The small group took time to set up their camp. This was something the officer was really good at doing. The tents would stand tall, and the fire was within regulation. Thankfully she brought enough R.E.A approved 'Fluffy Puff' marshmallows for everypony!
 
Young Alizarin appeared to be a tad bit on the grumpy side. She might have been worried about the animals. Worried that she might not be able to solve the mystery. Thankfully the officer had a flask of some of the finest Rockwington whiskey. She pulled it out with her wing and waved it at the worried farmer. Single Malt. Aged 30 years. A quick sip wouldn't make her drunk, but it would at least take away the grumpiness. Her offer was good to just about everypony, except Apple Bloom!
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Apple Bloom wasn't going to push the issue. If Alizarin wanted to take point and lead, she wasn't gonna argue it. Besides, that allowed Apple Bloom the greater luxury of observing the group. It was certainly a strange mix that had showed up to solve what appeared to be a small problem with animals in the woods. Fluttershy made sense. You could tell her that a single animal broke its leg in the seas near Neighpon and she'd feel the urge to go help it. And knowing her she'd probably succeed at it, too! The Captain had to be worried about such events so close to civilization. Keeping ponies safe was her calling in life. If there was a pony you could trust to keep you safe it was the sort of pony who kept Princesses safe. Alizarin...well she didn't know the farm mare well enough, but anything that could threaten the sanctity of the land was a threat to a farmer. That was why Apple Bloom was here, after all.
 

Sombra? Okay well he was a mystery. Her logic was sound, but that didn't mean she wasn't internally worried about why he would deign to care about what had to be small potatoes by his reckoning. Indeed she was worried about him, but the situation really neutered any fear. Why commit himself to such a small activity if there was honest malfeasance at play? Why tag along with a member of the Twilight Guard and one of the ponies who helped unmake you if you knew you had ill intent? It'd be a rather dumb thing to do and while nopony could say much good about Sombra, few would claim he was an idiot. And so, for now, Apple Bloom was willing to let him slide. Not because she trusted him or forgave him, but because frankly this was weird and she didn't know bad fellas to do weird things. Only bad things.

Helping out some animals sure wasn't bad. For him it was...strange.

They moved through the woods quickly and soon it was time to make camp. Apple Bloom had packed a small tent and a sleeping bag, but was only gonna pitch the tent if the weather was unpleasant. Instead it was a beautiful night so she brought out her sleeping bag, found a small log, and prepped. It took only a few moments and she was ready. Then she got to helping make the fire. Abundant branches and sticks, a nice rock circle- didn't take long to get a nice fire going. She pulled out a pencil, some work papers, and a small wooden board and sat on her stomach near the fire. In the light granted by it she would start doing some homework, not that she'd be much for it when the options came out from the others. She hummed to herself while doing so, back legs and tails swishing happily as she worked. It was soon that a certain smell.
 

It took her a few seconds to place it. It was only when her mental catalog ran into the hard ciders and drinks that her family made that the distinct aroma really caught her attention. Was that an aged malt? They made a lot of non-alcoholic malts but after she got her cutie mark Applejack had let into the family brewery so she could learn. She wasn't allowed to drink any of it but she had to know how it all worked, because soon she'd have to take on even greater possibilities. Point was, she sure did like their non-alcoholic malts. Maybe that was what Fire Walker had! It made her mouth water. She rolled onto her back to reach her bag and pulled out some drinks of her own. "Anypony want somethin' ta drink? Got mah family's cider right here, an' some juice. Got some milk from Arizona jus' tha other day. Ah also brought stuff ta eat, in case y'all get all hungry like. Apples, apple turnovers, apple bars, have some kinda mix for soups too!"

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As the sun sank behind the horizon and the shadows of night grew longer, Flutters grew more and more anxious. She had been glad of Gumby's protection, even though it had only been for a few moments. They'd have to keep a close eye on the doggie, what with all the animals going missing lately. She hurriedly pitched the one pony tent she'd packed in her saddle bags and moved the flap aside to enter. As soon as she was inside she felt a bit safer. She began to roll out her sleep bag when a tap-tap-tapping noise issued from behind her.

 

"Eek!" She squeaked in fright but then let her breath out in a sigh. "Oh Angel bunny, thank goodness it's only you!" The bunny's expression grew petulant and he laid back his ears in disgust. "Oh my, I'm so sorry!"

 

The pegasus turned to her bags and rummaged about until a bowl and a carrot were produced. "Here I am only thinking of myself when a poor animal is hungry for his dinner..." She set the bowl down and Angel sniffed the carrot with disgust. "Can you ever forgive me ?" He took the smallest nibbled and then thought things over. "Please Angel," She begged him. The bunny relented and gave her a small smile before turning to devour his carrot.

 

"This is all so stressful," She fretted as she readied everything in her tent. "And I certainly hope friendly bear, and raccoon, and all the others will be ok without me tonight." She stopped and shook her head. "Oh no, we can't go that way! We have to be strong!" She nodded. "All those poor missing animals need my help!" 

 

The short pep talk got her courage, what little there was of it, back in place. Flutterbutt trotted out of the tent to see what the others were up to. From what she gathered everypony had picked spots and were getting out food and drink. She reached back inside to her saddle bag and brought out her evening serving of apple oat clusters.

 

"The fire looks nice," She spoke quietly, trying to keep her mind on safe and happy thoughts. The mare moved closer to the small blaze as she noted the Captain trying to tempt Ali with what looked and smelled like something Flutters would never want to sip. She'd never liked strong drinks, they didn't sit well with her. She moved over to where Abby had set up her sleeping arrangements.

 

"Oh my, you certainly are brave Applebloom. Sleeping outside in these woods." She glanced around. "I-if you get scared Angel and I can always make room for one more." She glanced at all the nice apple foods the filly had brought along. "Those apple bars look delicious," She showed Abby what she'd brought. "I packed plenty of apple oat clusters if you'd like to share?" Flutters figured if she kept herself occupied she'd be able to keep from getting too scared.

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The sun seemed to disappear out of the sky as darkness loomed all around the group of ponies. The scenery matched Ali's mood quite nicely; dark, mysterious, and sharp. The trees seemed like shadows lurking over the campsite, and the farm pony really liked the feeling. It was like the trees were protecting her, shielding her from the outside forces trying to mess with her. She felt secure and warm, like the tall green pines were a blanket keeping her from the cold. It really felt like her own Pop giving her a nice tight hug. He'd hug her every time she was upset, or showed any negative emotion. She really only would let go around him. Otherwise, she was a brood.

 

Alizarin found herself a log opposite of the few who decided to speak to each other. She found herself closer to Sombra, which she didn't mind. He kind of seemed like an outcast to her. Everypony seemed to be really hostile towards him, but Ali knew why. She was a really good eavesdropper. That, or the group of mares were talking very loudly when they were off to the campground. Either way, Ali felt comfortable around him more than the others. They were both a little dark, maybe they had something in common more than the others. 

 

The warmth of the fire and everypony else settling down gave her the time to actually look through the group of ponies she was dealing with. She already knew her feeling on Sombra, but she was skeptical about the little yellow filly. Ali and Apple Bloom already had a huge thing in common: growing up on a fruit farm and being able to lead anything from their bravery. The short mare felt Apple Bloom was incredibly honorable, but she also though the little filly was too sweet. Too nice. She didn't think the young pony had a bad bone in her body. In Ali's eyes, that could be a huge disadvantage in what's to come in the future. The mare wasn't too nice anyway, so what could Ali know about being nice? Friendship and all that stuff wasn't her forte. 

 

Speaking of the kindness, the element of being kind was somepony Ali couldn't wrap her head around. What was such a shy, little frail pony doing in the middle of the forest? The yellow Pegasus was scared of everything. It really drove Ali up the wall. The earth pony thought you had to be brave in these kinds of situations, not be afraid of your own dang shadow. If the group ever actually found any clues to the disappearances, Fluttershy could easily drag the group. And if she ever did, Ali would probably blow up like a volcano- and not like a little one either. Lava would literally be running down her head, stinging the floor with it's heat. Ali guessed the only good side of the tender mare was her being able to talk to animals. Maybe that was a really good side. Ali could get her head around that. 

 

Suddenly, a nice big bottle of whiskey sat in front of the mare's face, making her scrunch her nose. The fruit farmer wasn't no stranger to some drinks, she'd always pop a good one with her dad from time to time. What surprised her was that the Captain was willing to share a little with her. She liked that about the brave mare. She respected Fire Walker the most. Ali knew she wouldn't get drunk, she was stronger than other ponies would think from her size. Normally when she took swigs, it made her relax a little bit. "Ah'll take a sip." Her tone was grouchy, but a little light and fluffy. She grabbed the bottle with her cream colored hoof and took a big swig of the drink, taking it like a champ. The mare shook her head, then smiled at Pegasus. "Thanks for the drink," is all she said with her country tune, and looked back around as everypony seemed to be eating or drinking. 

 

Everything seemed to be all good, with crickets in the distance and the sound of the fire sparking and snapping. Alizarin let the drink settle in her stomach. The night seemed peaceful then, until a sudden sharp sound was heard from the distance and everything goes silent. Then a large gasp. The mares ears perk up and she looks behind her, searching for anything off. That's when she spots a couple of glowing eyes...

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Don't do anything evil. He'd heard what the Captain had said when he'd been walking away, and it lingered on his mind as he settled down on the sleeping bag he'd brought with him; he likely wouldn't be doing any sleeping, but it was cushy enough to relax on instead of the hard ground.

 

He was neither blind or stupid. What he'd done in the Crystal Empire? It was horrendous, and yet he'd gone through with it anyway for his own reasons. Many of them selfish, and vengeful, as well as the intent to keep himself alive and to some extent, to protect himself. If ponies had treated him badly before, they would have done worse if they'd discovered his true nature before he had any chance to act. It was good he'd always been a step ahead.. Up until a point. Would he do anything.. evil.. here? He internally scoffed. It wasn't likely. This was just an investigation, unless somepony got in his way in one way or another.

 

Sombra rested his chin against a propped up forehoof, his elbow digging into the cushy material of the sleeping bag while he watched the group settling in to the campsite. Ponies set out sleeping bags or propped up tents, and soon food and drinks were making an appearance. He eyed what he could see, especially the bottle of something the Captain pulled out and soon offered to Alizarin. It hadn't escaped his notice that she'd set up near him, and he briefly met her gaze when she'd been looking his way. The growing firelight of the campfire Apple Bloom was building briefly reflected in his eyes as he watched, curiously, as Alizarin took a drink from the bottle the Captain offered.

 

From his spot, he could smell something strong, but couldn't place it; he wasn't familiar with Equestria's hard drinks. As curious as he was to try it himself, he hesitated, glancing away to look in on what the others were still up to. His eyes briefly lingered on Fluttershy, who was fussing over a small white bunny. His brow furrowed. Where had that come from? He hadn't noticed it before. No matter..

 

Sombra couldn't help making a mental note to ask the timid mare some questions, if he could, at some point, although what questions he could ask her he wasn't sure. Mostly curiosities like 'Were you at the Crystal Empire with a group of mares?' and.. well, he didn't really know what else he wanted to know yet.

 

His tail flicking, he turned back towards Alizarin and the Captain, dropping his hoof onto his sleeping bag as he straightened up in his spot. "I'd like-.." he began and was stopped short by a soft sound. His eyes followed the direction Alizarin's head had turned to a spot somewhere behind her, in the dark.. The sight of glowing eyes had Sombra on his hooves at once, his body tensed.

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And speaking of Apple Bloom.
 
She was a really good kid. Smart, brave and resourceful, she’d make an idea future candidate for officer school. And she was actually helping them set up camp.  And not just sitting there whining about the bugs or how she really would prefer her own bed over an sleeping bag. Oh, sweet Celestia, this was a kid she hoped to have one day. But would she? Little future kid would be raised in a mansion with al the things he or she could ever want. Would her kid grow up to be a spoiled brat? She dreaded the idea of having a "Little Lord Fauntlerpony'. A bratty little foal with a permanent sour look on his face and his mouth always ready to say...'I Want' or 'Wah!'.
 
“I would be more than happy to have a glass of your famous apple cider.” Her family made some of the best ciders one could find anywhere, and when cider season began, folk tended to flock to Sweet Apple Acres to sample the batch. The lines would stretch far and long and resemble lines one would find at the grand opening of a new Whinny World ride.  The little farmer’s food also looked better than what she had brought along. This was a small bundle of MREs or ‘Meal, Ready To Eat’ type meals. They were easy to put together and filling, but not very tasty. Fortified pastry. Eep.
 
Fire Walker caught notice of Fluttershy who had vanished into her tent for a moment. She was probably looking after that devious little rabbit she kept at her side.  The incredibly gorgeous mare was quick to offer help to the little farmer, but also turn down the officer's offer of whiskey. Oh, the red pony would pay ALL of the bits to see how she acted when tipsy. Thankfully Alizarin Fruits took up her offer. This was some good, primo stuff she had.

Feeling a rather heavy wave of positive energy, she also offered up a drink to Sombra. The thought of this actually happening blew her mind just a bit. Was he a real, living creature, or an animated shadow? He had an somewhat adorable little sleeping bag at his side. Did he purchase this? She almost wanted to see the whole scene. The dark lord visiting an local general store...Maybe an Cantermart....Him with his impressive figure and bloody red eyes and horn...Standing in line, patiently, waiting to purchase his little bedroll. Maybe he even had a coupon floating at his side. What was he looking at?
 
Both he and a few others were looking towards......She followed their eyes...To another pair of eyes...Ones that glowed in the dark....Probably belonged to an animal..."Can we help you?", she asked the owner of the eyes.
 
Mr Gumby quickly made it to her side and waited for his commands. 'Ralph', he whispered.
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Well, one pony taking her up on her offer was certainly better than none. The Captain came on by and wanted some cider and the filly obliged happily, pouring a small amount into a small, old goblet and hoofing it over. “Here ya go, cap'n! Drink up. What'd you bring, by tha way?” Apple Bloom replied as she poured herself a small goblet and started drinking. She felt awfully comfortable around Fire Walker. Ever since Apple Bloom had hurt herself helping free Celestia during the Nightmare Night attack a while back, she had learned and looked up to the Guard mare. Task Force Suntrot followed and it was only because of mares like her and Applejack that she had gotten through it feeling as great as she did about the experience. She was lucky to have a mare as great as her sister, a stallion as amazing as Big Mac, and the greatest Granny to ever live. But she had to admit, she thought Fire Walker was a heck of a role model herself. It was partially her (and Twilight Guard Applejack!) fault that Apple Bloom had taken several pamphlets and programs relating to REA Youth Programs, after all.

A soft voice stole her attention, though she didn't suffer any confusion as to who it was. Fluttershy didn't have to speak very loud to really be heard. In fact, it was when she was quietest that her words were heard the clearest by Apple Bloom. She liked the fire- well, of course. It was a nice fire if she said so herself. Most importantly Fluttershy gave Apple Bloom a compliment- calling her brave! Well, the big filly (little mare) certainly wasn't above taking compliments, and it was true. Maybe less because she was sleeping outside- that was just something she did to enjoy the nice night- and more because there was no good reason for her not be considered super brave, since she was super brave, and if you douted it you could just ask all her friends who would totally back that up without bias. She did offer Apple Bloom a place in her tent. Possibly tempting, but Angel was there. “Aww, Ah'm fine, Fluttershy. Ah go campin' all tha time. Want some cider? It's warm. Bring some of those apple oats an' maybe we'll get a soup on later. That'd be nice!” She said excitedly as she began to dig through her bag to find the soup mix.

As she did she felt the whole energy of the camp change and become charged. Instinctually she turned her head and saw a pair of glowing eyes. Alizarin and Sombra were already up, and soon the Captain followed. Apple Bloom's heart skipped a beat as she stopped looking for a soup mix and instead looked for her rope. Rolling the line over her shoulder, she stood up and took a few steps, taking a deep breath or two. The eyes- well, they weren't the right type for a cockatrice. Apple Bloom looked around- she didn't see more pairs of them, so it wasn't a Timberwolf pack circling them. That was good. Not knowing what it was exactly, however, was not so good. Apple Bloom positioned herself not far from the Captain, haphazardly in front of Fluttershy and along with the others as she stared at the eyes and tried to discern what they belonged to. “Howdy there fella. Whatcha doin' out here this time of night?”

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Fluttershy felt herself relax a little as Abby offered her some warm cider. "Yes actually, that might be nice. Thank you Applebloom." The pegasus was about to take a sip of the sweet drink when she felt a tingle go down her spine. She turned even before the growl was head and before the eyes were seen. Flutterbutt looked out into the darkness for a moment. She'd been trying so hard to avoid doing so but... something was out there. Something that was an animal. That much she knew as she'd sensed it like she always sensed where animals were when they weren't that far away.

 

This one though. She couldn't quite place how it was feeling. Nor did she want to. It was too darn scary out there. The blackness of the woods seemed like an open mouth ready to gobble her up! Flutters gasped when the eyes came into view. 

 

"Eep!" She squeaked and cowered down, hiding her eyes under her front hooves. After a moment she peeked up again only to see the eyes still there. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as members of the group began to try to engage with whoever it was out there.

 

"Oh oh oh..." She whispered. "Maybe it's not a good idea to talk to whoever that is without knowing who they are." She spoke to nopony in particular and she was far too petrified to do anything about this situation herself. But then she tried to think through why she'd come on this venture in the first place. She'd have to be brave to help any poor animals being taken against their will! Who knew what she'd have to face, but she'd told herself she'd do it for her furry friend.

 

Fluttershy made herself stand up. She gulped, trying to nerve herself. The quite "ralph" of Gumby served to comfort her just a bit. The poor dog was scared and she needed to be strong for him. 

 

"Um," She took a step closer to the eyes. "Um, excuse me?" One more step. "H-hello there. Do you need help?"

 

She waited to see how the animal would respond to her quiet inquiry. 

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Alizarin wasn't scared. Of course not. It was just a little creature chillin' behind some bushes, makin' their way towards- what they probably smelled- which was food on their campsite. The eyes sure looked creepy though, especially when all the ponies stood there glancing around it. Their shadows made the eyes glow brighter, and Ali kind of got chills. She wasn't scared though. No way. The short farmer was probably the bravest one here. Totally. 100%. She was the leader after all. 

 

Ali had a different way of approaching the animal. She really just stood there, staring at it with curious, yet, menacing eyes. Everypony, besides Sombra, was talkin' to it like it was a little puppy or somethin'. It kind of threw Ali off. Fluttershy said something about it not being a good idea talkin' to a stranger in the middle of the woods, and Ali completely agreed with that statement, surprisingly. "Ah agree with Fluttershy. We have no idea what that darn creature is, and y'all are fussin' over it like it's your friend." The farm girl was not convinced with the group's actions towards the creature. Yet, the animal kept sitting there, looking at them. 

 

The earth pony finally got the courage to step in front of everypony and stare it down. The eyes were smaller than a large cat, or dog, or whatever animal bigger than a house cat. She noticed that when she got closer to it. She understood why everypony was talking to it now, and just huffed and stepped closer to it. For the first time, the little creature moved, kind of violently, jumping right in front of Ali. The mare jumped back out of shock, almost hitting Fire Walker and Apple Bloom. "Ah!" 

 

What stood there, was a little fluffy squirrel. 

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Ali frowned, kind of embarrassed from being scared over a little rodent. The little animal just stared at the group, cleaning it's ears and fluffing up it's tail. Ali was mad now, her face turning a little red and she trotted to the squirrel, ready to start yelling at it. "Dumb squirrel! You know there's some creature takin' little rodents like you? Whatcha' thinkin'? If there even is a creature takin' animals." The little animal just stared at her, showing it's cute little eyes and tilting it's head. Ali growled, finally stepping back and pouting. Too bad the drink she had didn't kick in yet. 

 

Suddenly, a large shake hit the ground, making Ali fall over. She was kinda done getting thrown around emotionally and physically. They weren't even in the forest for a long time and there was already stuff happening to them. "Lemme guess, there is an entire squirrel army taking down the missing animals?" Ali was just joking, but the ground shook again. Something big was coming for them, but slowly. Then there was a yelp, probably a half a mile away from them. It was loud though, very loud. 

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The glowing eyes in the dark had him on edge, and it didn't help that most of the others were trying to talk to the owner of those eyes as if it would respond. It annoyed him. Whatever lurked in the bushes wasn't here to talk.. although Sombra was beginning to doubt it was dangerous. Despite the glow of the eyes, they didn't seem to belong to anything big.. He tensed as Alizarin was the one to make the first move and approached it. He had to fight himself not to move when she suddenly stumbled back..

 

.. and it turned out to just be a squirrel.

 

Dark magic flickered blackly around the curve of his horn and he scowled, briefly debating on lashing out at it just to scare it off. Despite his irritation, Sombra eventually decided against it and let himself relax. He didn't want to frighten the young filly, Apple Bloom, nor did he want to end up making Fluttershy more scared of him than she already was if he was to ever try to hold any sort of conversation with her later on; not if he was hurting animals. The others wouldn't have been as much of a problem. Alizarin and the Captain were the only ones that came off nigh unshakeable.

 

Sombra turned, ready to throw himself back down on top of his sleeping bag when the ground began to rumble underneath their hooves.

 

"Either that's the squirrel army or it's whatever must be in this forest causing trouble," Sombra replied dryly. His gaze returned to the shadowy treeline. He'd heard a yelp from something, deep out in the woods. He couldn't determine whether it had been a pony's frightened yelp, or perhaps a sound made by an injured animal.. only that it was a yelp.

 

"Did you hear that?"

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The red coated officer glanced into her pack. “Just some special R.E.A packaged meals I had in storage....Stuff lasts forever and does not require refrigeration. Tastes like s.....er...something not so great.”, she grinned back at the little filly. She had been called rather late for this little ‘mission and did not have time to get something tastier. The mare could not help but chuckle at the little farmer’s very old timey goblet. She could picture Granny Smith as she tried to find her missing family heirlooms. After taking in the cider, she could see why ponies waited hours for just an mug. This was good, but freshly poured cider with the head intact, that was probably like heaven.
 
After finishing the sweet, sweet cider, she cleaned the antique and passed it off to the filly. “Thank you Miss Bloom.” While she could probably go through a barrel of the stuff, she really didn’t want to spend the whole mission excusing herself to use the little girl’s room. There was now this creature that was giving her little group the eye. This needed to be taken care of before Fluttershy’s attack rabbit went into berserker mode.
 
Oh, it was a little squirrel girl. How adorable. Some in her party had quite the imagination. “I’m guessing she’s just a regular little squirrel. A rather common, but cute White Tail, Brown Tail Tree Squirrel. Probably checking to see who was making all the noise. Hopefully we didn't wake up her kids." She had already seen how cranky those furry little creatures could get without their necessary full night's worth of sleep. Lots of grumpy chittering and nut-littering.
 
Then there was not a ear-splitting shriek or an painful holler, but a yelp? That could still be something.
 
The officer's first instinct was to spread her wings and quickly fly over to where the noise was coming from, but it was always unwise to go alone. Unfortunately there was only one other pony in her group that could fly.
 
"Miss Fluttershy, could you please help me check on that noise...." That yelp of terror in the dark forest.....No, that was not going to work. "Which probably came from a poor little fuzzy animal in need of help?" The sweet mare was as over cautious as she was beautiful, but even the idea of a helpless little critter in need should been more of a push to get her to help.
 
IF Fluttershy refuses to come...
 
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Fire Walker will then ask Apple Bloom to come with her. While she could not fly, the officer knew she was both brave and swift like her big sister. She also needed somepony like Alizarin to keep an eye on 'Sombra'.
 
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....Fire Walker will lead <Insert Pony's name> towards the yelp...At swift speed!....
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                                                                                                  AppleBloomATTEMPT3final.png


As luck would have it, the terrifying critter and manufacturer of no small amount of fear and anxiety (Alizarin's backside flying back towards Apple Bloom spoke to that) turned out to be nothing more than a little squirrel. Aww, what a little cutie he was! Apple Bloom always liked squirrels. They had bushy little tails and cute little smiles and they were real energetic, too. She always liked playing with them and making sure Winona left them alone. If she didn't- well, Winona wouldn't leave them alone in several full meanings of the word. Poor little squirrels. And what about those reactions. Alizarin got all bent out of shape 'bout it, hiding her embarrassment and fear behind a lot of yelling. It wasn't the squirrel's fault- didn't seem right. Then again, Apple Bloom wasn't about to cast the first stone. She'd been the scaredy pony before too.
 

Sombra reacted in a similar, less scared fashion: Drawing on the images Alizarin had painted on for sarcastic impact, Apple Bloom was sure he was fine. He was some kinda shadow lord or whatever, of course he was fine. Captain Fire Walker stood strong as well. You could count on her having your back any day of the week, that was for certain. Fluttershy could probably handle the squirrel something adorable for sure, likely learn everything they needed to know about everything from it super quickly. Maybe her cider helped. It was said that two mugs from the Apple family and you could do anything! Of course that was normally talking about the harder adult beverages but that didn't mean a little of that can-do attitude couldn't filter on down to their humble family apple cider. Not that she felt the need to be humble about it, in any case.
 

Then a yelp shattered the silence, and it struck Apple Bloom's ears acutely. She didn't know many critters who yelped that weren't the family dog and timberwolves, but it sure didn't have the husky tinge of a timberwolf yelp, not even the throaty half-chortle of an Everfree Mimicker. Of course this wasn't the Everfree so chances were it wasn't one of any number of dangerous critters. It was, in all likelihood, just an animal in need. An animal that yelped. Like Winona.
 

The association was enough for her. She strained like a greyhound against the start for what felt like a full minute but couldn't have been more than a micro-second after Fire Walker spoke. She couldn't take much more than that before she slipped the bounds of whatever reason held her and she found herself galloping into the darkness in search of the creature who had yelped, bending down and grasping her saddlebag in her mouth as she did so. Come Tartarus or high water, she'd be damned if she came all the way out here to just not answer the call of some poor animal in distress. Cheek set hard and teeth firm, she galloped with wild abandon towards, desperate to find the source and save whatever animal it was!

 

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Oh oh oh! This certainly was frightful! That poor little squirrel was being disturbed by the group being there, Fluttershy just knew it! When Ali spoke harshly to it, the pretty mare's eyes narrowed to glare at her. This wasn't her normal response to most situations but she just couldn't bare seeing a poor forest creature spoken to harshly!

 

"You leave her alone!" Fluttershy trotted towards the squirrel. "She's being bothered by us, not the other way around!" She spoke over her shoulder to the farm pony before getting down closer to the squirrel. it was indeed a White Tail Brown Tail Tree Squirrel! "We're sorry little one! Also, we're here to help you and all the other little forest creatures."

 

The squirrel chittered a bit before relenting and loping forward a few paces to come eye to eye with Fluttershy. She reached a gentle hoof towards it. "What's that you say?"

 

The squirrel would have repeated itself if not for the terrible fumble and then the 'yelp'! The movement and noise caused the squirrel to hop forward, landing squarely on Futterbutt's back. She cowered away from the forest, closer to the rest of the group. Even Sombra seemed less scary than whatever was making that noise! "What is that!?" She whimpered, continuing to lower herself towards the ground in terror. 

 

A few moment later Firewalker was asking if Flutters would accompany her to check out the noise. It was of course a terrifying prospect but at the mention of helping the animals Fluttershy got a hold on herself. "Yes of course Firewalker!" She tried to sound more confident than she was feeling. "Do you want to come along?" She asked to the tiny passenger on her back. The squirrel wore a look of pure bravery and anger towards whatever had been making the rumbling. "We'll go with you!"

 

Flutters spread her wings and took to the air... about three feet while she waited for the brave Guard mare to come up next to her.

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