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[Whitetail Woods] Hang in there, old friend. [Closed]


Davroth

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The sun was setting, as Seeker walked onto the clearing. It was no use to continue the search in the dark, and this seemed like a good place to rest. In the fleeting light, he tried to get a fire running. "Good thing I collected some firewood on the way", he thought. Seeker heard a rustling nearby. The local wildlife started to wake it seemed. He wasn't afraid. The locals had told him that there were no really dangerous creatures in the Whitetail Woods, and he had traveled the outskirts of the Everfree Forest before. He just hoped that Blacky was alright.

After the Running of the Leaves, Seeker had spend hours asking around the other participants and the bystanders if any of them had seen his dog, but he only earned blank expressions. Oh sure, some of them remembered him striding around Ponyville, but noone had noticed anything past that. Without thinking to much, Seeker had bought food and water for a few days and had set out into the Whitetail Woods, looking for Blacky. This had been the longest they were separated for years, and Seeker was unusually worried at the moment. Blacky was smart enough seeking out a water source, surely, but just how long would he be able to sustain himself with just water and grass?

Seeker just couldn't get a fire going. Maybe he was to preoccupied with his worries to concentrate properly, or maybe the wood was too damp. The weather seemed to be stable, and he couldn't see a single cloud in the sky, but it was autumn, and naturally it was getting colder by the minute now the sun went down. It was times like this when Seeker most missed the deserts.

"In Celestias name, distracted again. I need to get this fire going!" he thought. And so he continued rubbing sticks together, silently cursing into the night.

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Radiant Steel cursed under her breath as she cantered through the Whitetail Woods. She was a proud member of the REA Garrison Forces, a guardspony in simpler terms. However, she wasn't even supposed to be on duty for another few hours. More over, the heart of the Whitetail Woods was a far cry from Canterlot Castle where she was actually supposed to be stationed.

That evening had gone down interestingly. A robbery had taken place on the southern outskirts of Canterlot. As it were, Radiant, off-duty as she were, was one of the very few guardsponies anywhere nearby at the time. Naturally, she had taken flight, desperate to bring any wrongdoer to justice. She found herself in hot pursuit of the criminal stallion as he galloped away from the city, but she had somehow lost him as he entered these very woods.

Now Radiant herself was lost. She had been forced to land and explore the forest on hoof. There was no sign of anypony in these woods and it was swift getting dark. Radiant was contemplating flying up past the tree cover and turning back, but the idea of letting a thief go unpunished set poorly with her. She pressed onward, hoping to regain the long cold trail.

That was when faint sounds caught the young pegasus mare's attention. They were coming from nearby. Radiant brought her speed down to a very quiet walk as she proceeded. She found a clearing in the woods; at its center there was a gray unicorn stallion with a brown mane who was trying to start a fire.

The thief had been dressed fully in black to hide his identity so Radiant had no clue what he truly looked like. All she knew is that he had went into these woods and this pony was here in these woods now. Her mind chose to fill in the blanks as simply as perhaps possible. She stepped forward readily.

"Stand perfectly still!" she commanded. "You thought you could get away from me by dropping your disguise, did you?"

Radiant laughed and to continued to trot toward the other pony. "It's time you learned the error of your ways, thief! You'll give back everything you stole tonight!" she raised her voice, ready to open her wings and pounce should the unicorn try anything funny.

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He was getting close, he could feel it. Seeker had started using his telekinesis to move the sticks now, and that had increased the speed significantly. He could almost feel the fire now, it wouldn't take much longer. Protecting his eyes with his goggles, Seeker had leaned in closer and his head almost touched the ground.

"Concentrate! Concentrate!", he thought, while trying to maintain the speed. He wasn't used to use his magic for this.

A Pegasus stepped into the fleeting light.

"Stand perfectly still!" she commanded. "You thought you could get away from me by dropping your disguise, did you?"

Seeker couldn't help but to take a slight look. Only for a split second, then returning to his sticks. "Curious, I think I've seen that kind of armor before," he thought "I wonder if there is a connection to the 'guards' I saw around Ponyville. They had similar armor, didn't they?"

The sticks moved slower and slower, while he tried to figure this out. The mare stepped closer, her hoof armor glistening in the moonlight, her pelt so white, it seemed to glow now.

Radiant laughed and to continued to trot toward the other pony. "It's time you learned the error of your ways, thief! You'll give back everything you stole tonight!" she raised her voice, ready to open her wings and pounce should the unicorn try anything funny.

Seekers concentration broke. His magic flared up for a moment, lighting up the clearing. The two sticks he had used in an attempt to make fire broke in half, and flung into the night sky.

"IN CELESTIAS NAME!!", he cried in frustration

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Radiant stomped even closer to the other pony. She couldn't believe this. He had hardly even acknowledged her. Was this thief so arrogant he thought he could ignore her?

"Hey are you even listening?!" she demanded, further raising her voice. "Give yourself up now or I'll be forced to take you back to Canterlot by force!"

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That was just too much for Seeker. The last hour had been very frustrating for him. And now he was getting accused of something? In the middle of the woods? 'I wont stand for this!' he thought, taking a defiant pose.

"I don't know what you are talking about! Who are you anyway?" he said calmly, but inside he was furious. Seeker buried his hoofs into the ground. He had fought off various creatures while he traveled the wilderness.'And I'm not about to be intimidated by a sole Pegasus.' he thought.

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"Oh? Playing dumb now are we?" Radiant started with a huff. "Don't even try!"

Radiant spread her wings and stared the pony down. He was a unicorn, which meant he had magic at his disposal, but she was unafraid. She was a proud pegasus, who had completed rigorous training. She was confident she could take this pony down. "I know you're the thief I've been chasing! I'll see that you get what's coming to you for your crimes!"

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"Oh, you know, do you?" Seeker said, and he couldn't hide the sneer in his voice. "Where is your proof?"

This was not a good situation. Seeker was used to protect himself from wild animals, but this time, he couldn't rely on Blacky to back him up, and he had never fought anypony. If it would come to a fight, he would probably loose. One the plus side, the pegasus probably wasn't used to fight ponies that fight animals, either.

He didn't thought that far at the moment, though. He was far too furious for that. 'The audacity,' he thought, 'calling me a thief, threatening me.'

"So? I'm waiting!" he said, tensing his muscles, just in case.

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"Where is your proof?"

This line stuck out to Radiant. She was often chastised by her superiors for jumping into things without the evidence to back it up. Did she really have justification to attack this pony? Could she say with certainty that he was her thief? Now she wasn't sure.

But he was in this forest and she had seen the thief go into the forest. What were the chances that she might run into another, entirely unrelated pony in a forest as big as the Whitetail Woods? Actually... thinking about it, they weren't exactly low... it was actually kind of silly to think with certainty that her and the thief were the only two ponies that could possibly be in the Whitetail Woods.

Radiant froze for a moment, now desperately confused. Was she over thinking things again? That said, this pony still could be the thief. She just wasn't positive of it now. She'd get in trouble with the lieutenant... and her father... if she screwed up again too. She needed to proceed more carefully.

"Um... how about you?" she demanded, not sure it was entirely appropriate. "Where's your proof that you aren't a thief?"

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Seeker relaxed a little. "Do you propose that I carried all that and whatever I supposedly stole here, just to camp here, in plain sight, while fleeing from a Pegasus?" he said, and raised his head slightly, pointing into the direction of a nearby tree, where he had placed his saddlebags earlier.

They were filled with food, some maps and his few personal belongings, the bronze object he had found as a child, his assorted tools, and an old photography of his parents.

"You can check the bags if you like" he said, "I've got nothing to hide."

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Radiant stopped to consider the pony's words. She looked at his belongings, then back at him, then at the clearing, then back at him once more. Her face became near as red as her mane. The circumstantial evidence seemed to prove without a doubt that this pony couldn't be the thief, didn't it? Had she made another embarrassing mistake? Thank Celestia nopony was here to see this and report it to her superiors.

"Umm..." she started in a low voice. "T-that won't be necessary..."

She gave a very long sigh and shook her head. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a pony dressed in all black carrying a large overstuffed bag on his back run by here, would you?"

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This change of tone hit Seeker by surprise. He relaxed even further, mustering the Pegasus in the light of the rising moon. She couldn't hide her embarrassment, which put him in a more appeased frame of mind.

"No, Miss, you are the first pony I met since I left Ponyville." he began, removing his goggles with his telekinesis, "But allow me to introduce myself. I am Seeker, of the desert nomads." he lowered his head, as it was custom in among the desert dwellers.

Raising his head again, he said: "And any other day I would have been glad to assist you," he placed the goggles back around his neck, "but there is a more pressing matter on my mind right now."

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Desert? Radiant blinked. Umm... why would a pony from the desert be her? Wait, where even were there deserts nearby? Radiant had never heard about any. What was he doing here in the Whitetail Woods? Was he en route to Canterlot, intent on causing trouble? It was a possibility. Yeah. Why else would a pony be so far out of their natural environment unless they were up to something? This pony might not be the thief, but he could still be up to no good. Maybe...

"Er..." Radiant started, still unsure. "And why would a so called desert nomad be here in these woods at this time of night?" she asked, scrupulously, staring at the other pony intently.

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"Oh, my parents are desert nomad. Me? not so much anymore. I left the caravans years ago." he said, conversationally. He wasn't really used to the concept of ulterior motives, and thought he would try his hoofs at some "small talk", which the ponies of the Heartland were so fond of. That, he didn't quite understood, either. "And I can't help but notice that you still failed to introduce yourself." he added, with a smile.

"As for why I am here, in the midst of night, deep in the Whitetail Forest.. No, I'm sure you have enough on your hooves already, with your thief. No need to burden you with my worries."

Seeker turned to his bags, rummaging around in search for something he could make fire with.

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Oh? Maybe this pony wasn't up to no good after all. He didn't sound like somepony bad at least.

"Private Radiant Steel of the Royal Equestrian Army Garrison Forces stationed at Canterlot Castle!" Radiant introduced herself in a stern voice, stiffening her posture.

She looked around. The trail was cold, she was lost and stopping to talk to this pony had surely put bounds between her and the actual thief, wherever he may be. As much as it pained her to admit it, it was probably a lost cause at this point.

"I've lost my thief," Radiant admitted in a weak voice. "It's doubtful I'll find him again in these sprawling woods, not in the dark."

"If these 'worries' of yours are pressing, I may be of assistance," said Radiant, shrugging. She still had a good few hours before she had to fly back to Canterlot for night watch duty. Helping a pony might improve her mood after losing a thief. "We of the REA exist to serve the ponies of this land after all."

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His head in one of the bags, Seeker gave this some thought. 'The Royal Equestrian Army' he thought, 'she says it like these words carry a lot of weight.' He emerged from the bag, using an illumination spell to light the clearing.

"I lost my dog, Blacky, somewhere here in the woods." he said calmly, "We have never been separated for that long, and I'm afraid something happened.." His voice trembled a little now, and the glow his horn emitted flickered for a moment.

He quickly composed himself, though. "Anyway, I was planning on camp here for the night and continue the search tomorrow, but with wings, you, Miss Radiant Steel, would be able to cover ground far quicker then me on hoof."

He unfolded a map of the Whitetail Woods in front of her. "From all I know, we are here now" he pointed at a location close to the mountain range. "Now, I'm sure that he will be somewhere close to a water source, and there are natural springs here, here and here." he said, pointing to different locations.

"It's the best lead I've got, I'm afraid." he said meekly.

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A lost dog? That was hardly a pressing concern that demanded REA attention. But... what if this was a really cute little puppy? Blacky was a cute name after all... Radiant would hate to have a cute little puppy remain lost in these forests all alone for so long. Yes! She'd save the cute little puppy and then she'd play with it. At the point of giggling girlishly, she forced out a cough. What was she doing? She was a a member of the Garrison Forces like her father now, she wasn't some excitable little filly. This wasn't how she should be acting.

She coughed again and stepped toward Seeker. "Well, I offer you my wings and my eyes then. I will do my best to see Blacky back to you unharmed." She nodded firmly and added. "As it is, my station is the nightly watch at the castle. My eyes are accustomed to darkness."

"Let's go and search all these springs!" Radiant spoke with passion.

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"Great! This will make things a lot easier." Seeker said, happily. He put his sattlebags on his back, fastening the straps.

"It's a good thing, too. Blacky has never been alone in the wilderness, and I'm not sure if he can find food all by himself." he said, "There!" Seeker finished packing, and stood up straight. He felt revitalized by the thought that he might be able to find his dog this night.

"Looks like that's all. Let's make our way to the nearest spring." he said, beginning to trot is it's direction.

Then, in a probably ill-advised attempt to make light conversation, he began: "So you said you live in Canterlot? That's where I was heading, before all this."

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"Alright," Radiant said. "Let's get going." The pegasus started to fly just off the ground.

She was actually a little surprised that Seeker was still trying to make conversation. Shouldn't they be focused on the rescue? She supposed it'd be fine until they got closer to the spring.

"Yes. I was born and raised in Canterlot. My family has been devoted to protecting Princess Celestia for generations," Radiant spoke in a proud voice. "What business do you have there?" she added calmly. She no longer had any reason to suspect this pony of anything. Him being so concerned about his cute little puppy made her confident he was a good guy. She was just curious what brought a desert pony to this region.

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"Well, I made an interesting discovery in my homeland." he began, his voice full of excitement. "Wall carvings unlike any I've ever seen. I theorize that it might be a traces of a yet unknown civilisation." He loved talking about his work, "And then there is that bronze object I found when I was a filly. I try to proof that it's all connected."

He had to pick up speed to keep up with her, as they made their way through the woodwork. They were getting closer to the first spring.

"As for why I'm on my way to Canterlot, I heard from the travelling merchants around the desert that there are extensive libraries in Canterlot, and I want to ask permission to search for similarities to my findings in there and probably exchange some knowledge." It occurred to him that not everypony would find that as interesting as he did.

He added: "But I probably bore you with that, we should reach the first spring soon."

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"It's no matter. Feel free to speak," replied Radiant readily.

"Canterlot is house to countless books. There is a library on practically every corner." And Radiant never visited any of them. She left that part out though. "And none is more grand than the one within the castle. It's truly a sight to behold." Although, again, Radiant usually beheld it from a distance. She was in charge of guarding the castle exterior, not the interior after all.

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The sound of rushing water indicated that they had reached the spring. Seeker concentrated as he increased the range of his illumination spell. In the cool light emitting from his horn, they saw it: A couple of rocks were loosely arranged here against a slope, and, steadily, water sprinkled down into a stream, flowing out of sight somewhere into the Whitetail Woods. Aside that, it was completely silent. 'The local wildlife probably already fled from the light', he thought.

"This is it", Seeker proclaimed, "the first spring."

He thought for a moment, then: "I think it would be best if you, miss, flew up to oversee the area while I try to call for Blacky.", he began, "That way you can look for movements around. We can't rule out that he is too weak, or..." he gulped heavily, "hurt to answer." He zoned out for a second, but caught himself.

"Well? What do you think, miss?"

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"At once," Radiant started stiffly. She then took to her wings and hovered above the spring.

She began to look around at the are below, but she wasn't seeing anything in the darkness around the spring.

"I'm not seeing much of anything so far," she called out. She then began to move to check the surrounding areas.

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"Blacky, come here, boy!" Seeker called out, pausing waiting for an answer. Then again: "Blacky!"

The gurgling water seemed especially noisy now, at night. For a moment there, he thought he heard a sound from one of the bushes. Although Seeker wasn't really sure, he went to investigate. "Can't harm to check." he said to himself.

The light danced around the trees and bushes as he made his way slowly to the bushes.

"Blacky!" he called again, "where are you, boy?"

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Radiant continued to fly around, checking behind each bush and tree, but she wasn't seeing much of anything. She noticed a few forest animals and such, but she wasn't seeing any dogs. After covering a large area around the spring, Radiant flew back toward Seeker, who seemed to be checking some bushes

"I'm not seeing anything around here," she said in a low voice. "Do you think we should check out the next spring?"

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Some small rodent took this moment to scurry out of the bushes and ran off out of sight.

"You are probably right. I didn't see anything from down here, either." Seeker said. "Let's make our way, then."

Pulling out the map again for reference, Seeker led the way to the next spring. "Thank you again for helping me, Miss Radiant Steel. This makes things so much easier." He marched on, now pulling branches out of the way via telekinesis, to keep up speed. He wasn't used to keep up with a Pegasus.

Seeker remembered about that 'light conversation' thing. 'Miss Radiant Steel is nice enough to help me,' he thought, 'the least I can do is respect their customs.'

"So," he began, "how is it living in Canterlot, so close to the exalted Celestia?"

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