[Everfree Forest] Camping in the Everfree Forest - (Sign-Up in OOC Thread)

[Vanillapop]

 

As Vanilla Pop trotted down the dusty path leading from the train station to the Everfree Forest, he couldn't help but wonder if he was making a mistake. He was far away from home, far away from everything he knew and loved --- and while he was a well traveled pony of the world, he couldn't help but feel a little home sick for once. Maybe it was the fear talking. After all, he had never set hoof nor hide into the Everfree Forest, and he couldn't recall having ever made the train ride from Canterlot to Ponyville short of the occasional layover he'd encountered when switching trains to go elsewhere. Yup! This was all a new experience to him, and despite his initial excitement, he couldn't help but feel concerned that something was wrong.

With a sudden stop, Vanilla came to the end of the marked pathway. The dusty road turned to grass, untamed and unloved for what must have been a very long time. A short distance before him rested the Everfree forest, in all of its magnificently creepy glory. The young stallion felt his body sink underneath the weight of uncertainty.

"It's certainly ... Cheery. Isn't it?" He'd said to himself with an uncomfortable laugh.

The unicorn's golden eyes darted from the mangled mess of trees, to the ground beneath his hooves. His horn glowed a faint green as he opened up his saddlebag, lifting out the flyer he had picked up from his home town. With the flyer hovering before his face, he checked to make sure he hadn't been imagining the whole thing.

​

To all ye brave ponies in search of excitement,

 

Are you bored? Are you looking for a little adventure in your life?
Well look no further! I am organizing a camp out in the Everfree Forest,
Where only the bravest ponies would ever dare to go.

It'll take place on the night when the moon is full for the last time this month,

and it is said a creature who lurks within the depths of the forest shall awaken.

Should you choose not to come, the monster that sleeps in the Everfree Forest will wake up,

and spend its days searching Equestria for you, because it knows who read this!

So be there!

 

-Anonymous

 

PPS: Bring your own tent and sleeping bag!

 

Vanilla had to admit that the flyer sounded far-fetched. It seemed like the sort of thing a young school filly or colt would write to prank their younger schoolmates. Nevertheless, Vanilla was so desperate for something to do. When he had encountered the flyer advertising a camping trip in the Everfree Forest, it was on old and tattered, weathered paper. The vaguely threatening composition had left much to be desired, but ... Despite all of his anxiety, he had to admit that he was desperate for something new to experience. Running the soda shop in Canterlot was plenty fun, his dream and destiny --- but it had been months since he'd experienced something other than the onslaught of customers, or the brewing of the same old fizzy drinks he'd made since starting the shop. The camping trip was just the excuse he'd needed.

Standing before the overgrown vines and grass of the entryway to the forest, Vanilla couldn't help but sigh. What did it matter whether the trip were true, or how far away from home he was? He was already there, already in front of the forest, with his saddlebags packed, and his shop closed for his vacation. Even if it was a prank, he supposed it was up to him to make the most of the situation he'd entered. Besides, how horrible could it possibly be?

​

 

Posting Order

Vanillapop

PyroBlaze

moonshineTheleocat

TwoBits

Tacobob

Elderflower

Zeig

Eris

Moonshine

RedCedar

[PyroBlaze]

Well, this was a first. Not the fact he was going to be heading into the Everfree Forest, as he had done that multiple times before, but that he was going in there for a camping trip. It was kind of strange, actually. His last trip into the forest had been to help transport books from the old castle to Twilight's castle, and now he was going camping.

The fiery unicorn shrugged to himself as he continued on, making his way through Ponyville. He had been to the town plenty of times as well, as it was easy to get to when he had free time and he liked it. Sure, Canterlot was great and all, but it seemed he preferred the smaller town feel he got from Ponyville. Plus, there weren't so many snobby ponies like what seemed to make up most of the rich ponies in Canterlot. He really didn't like them.

Pyro growled lightly under his breath, pushing those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time for that, now was the time to focus on this camping trip. As he came to the entrance of the forest, he found another unicorn standing there. He stopped next to the other male, looking at him from behind his sunglasses for a couple moments.

"Hey, you going on this camping thing too? My name's Pyro Blaze." He said, still looking at the male.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Well, this had most certainly been a delightful change of pace for Java. After spending a night in jail over one nasty brawl, going to a village that was being plagued by dark “ender ones” magic, and the other near death experiences that he had in such a short time frame. He was pretty sure that a camping trip in a forest known for malice would be a breather compared to the rest of that. Maybe... it was not as safe as it was back in his own home in Canterlot. But it definitely was a refreshing break from the madness that is plaguing his life recently!

 

And... to keep him company in his tent, he had brought along his trustworthy feline companion, Sine. A tall and lanky desert serval. She was all too eager to join her caretaker for this journey. This was displayed by her affectionately jumping onto her master's back, batting playfully at his knoggin like it was a drum, and quickly hopping off before he was given a chance to react.

 

The engineer found this to be a delightful distraction from his own thoughts. That was till he found the others who were waiting at the edge of the forest. It was fair for him to draw the assumption that they were here for the same reason, as all three of them carried near identical supplies.

 

“Oi! What are we waiting for,” Java chimmed out in a lilting tone. His companion was now riding on his back, with her fore paws resting in his mane. Her ears flicked from side to side as she curiously eyed each pony on the scene. He pulled out the flyer from his waistcoat, and read it over. "We're supposed to be..." He flipped it over with a frown. "Actually... Did this thing even give instructions to where the camping grounds are?"

[TwoBits]

Normally, when there was something important going on the next day, Nightflight made it a point to get to bed early and rest up. Normally this involved (reluctantly) staying in and not running off into the night in search of a new adrenaline rush, like she usually did every night.

...Normally, she didn't get too excited to sleep, stay up practicing her moves, and then spend the next morning so weary she ended up falling asleep again on the way to wherever she was headed. Normally.

As it stood, Nightflight was still too groggy to recall exactly when or how she'd ended up in that tree, but whatever the process had been, the result was that she was now sleepy AND sore from spending a few hours draped over a branch. Thus she ended up doing a lot of wincing and grumbling as she glided her tired, weebly-wobbly way along the outskirts of the forest.

It took a few minutes for the under slept pegasus teen to recall exactly what she was suppose to be looking for. Right...camping...some sort of...right, there might be other ponies coming for...whatever the thing, at the place, had said...maybe she should look for other ponies, for starters.

Distracted by a prolonged, jaw-cracking yawn, Nightflight very nearly missed the few stallions gathering some ways below, and by the time the sight had registered with her brain she had to clumsily backpedal and double back to where she could land at a (hopefully?) acceptable distance nearby.

"Morning," Nightflight intoned dully, her near-closed, puffy eyes apparently explaining her failure to properly grasp that it was most likely noon or later. "I'm looking for, uh...is this the thing with the...the camp..." Another yawn intruded on her attempts at building a complete sentence, and for a moment afterwards she continued to just stand and stare forward in blank fatigue, almost seeming to nod off again right then and there.

[tacobob]

 

Oh, how Pocket Change was a very happy pony today! He soon would be stepping hoof in the creepy, danger-filled Everfree Forest! And not only could a brave pony find danger, intrigue, mystery and horror in the ancient woods, one could also find ADVENTURE. Which the unicorn enjoyed so much! From the very day he began his very first adventure by falling into a spooky hole as a colt, Pocket loved to seek out adventure! This time, he would be going on adventure with one of his oldest friends from Canterlot, a pony named Nocturne Wisp.  His old friend spent his days, traveling the world tracking down and studying magical anomalies. And the Everfree was filled filled to the woody brim with magic and anomalies!

 

During the train ride from Canterlot to Ponyville, the white coated stallion made sure to retell the epic story of his previous adventure in the Everfree with members of the Spellbound mages guild. He seemed to be more interested in going into details of the three very gorgeous mares that accompanied him during their trek through the Everfree to the ruins of the 'Two Sisters' castle. He also wondered if the castle was ever fully restored, or was simply forgotten about. As always he spoke about his very special marefriend Moonwalker and how horribly clever she was during the trip, along with being incredibly gorgeous.  Presteza, who Pocket always admired for her spunkiness and bravery was there as well, along with the adventurous and mistress of defense spells, Silver 'Trekker' Spark. A girl that was on the top of his 'Mares Nocturne Should Date' list.

 

He also pointed out how Nocturne would have been of great use to their trip, as the unicorn was highly skilled in pyrotechnic magic, which was something the Timberwolves feared more than anything. The foursome had faced an small army of the wooden golems, which grew in number the more Pocket told his story.

 

The young stallion was surprised to find a strange flyer stuffed in a small pile of mail his sister had left for him on his desk. He assumed it was for an simple tour through the woods. Or maybe a themed rave? There was also a chance it was one of those horrible presentations for time shares. He would have to listen to some guy drone on and on about the joys of spending large amounts of bits on the chance to stay at hotels from all over the world.

 

Whatever it was, it was a trip to the Everfree, and Pocket Change wanted to do one thing. Go on an adventure with Nocturne Wisp! The two would spend time chatting about their own adventures, but they really never had gone on one together, and this needed to be fixed! So he rounded up two sleeping bags, some very essential and miscellaneous gear and an pop-out tent, threw them in a taxi, and managed to convince his old friend to come along. Once at Ponyville, he made sure to pick up some rations, filled waterskins, and even a assortment of boxes filled with chocolate, marshmallow and graham crackers for the very important S'mores!

 

Once they arrived at the entrance of the Everfree at the allocated time, the white stallion took note of those who arrived ahead of the pair. There was an cream coated stallion that Pocket was very sure he had seen working at a Soda Pop café in Canterlot. After catching sight of his cutie mark, his assumption was confirmed. It also put him in the mood for an dandelion float. Or a crème soda. Or an Black Cow. Mmm. The stallion let all those tasty images float from his mind. He needed to be careful! There were monsters not that far from here that wouldn't mind enjoying him between two very large buns and maybe a tall mug filled to the brim with a root-beer float. Mmmmm!

 

He also noted a colt, which worried the unicorn until he caught sight of his flank-mark, which was of an fireball! Those pesky Timberwolves wouldn't stand a chance with two fire-using spellcasters in their group. His ears perked up as the sounds of yawning could be heard from the branches. After glancing around one particular tree, he spotted a pretty little Pegasus who had stopped to take a nap. She was also rather young, but appeared to be older than the colt. He silently hoped the two kids went with the soda-pony. He really hated to be stuck playing foal-sitter.

 

And finally, there was Pocket's friend, Javasun! The shaggy stallion was a member of his guild, and was also his 'Game Master' for their occasional round of O&O. An roleplaying game sent in a fantastic world filled with magic and monsters. Which was basically the same type of world he lived in. "Hey Java!", he called out to the Engineer.....

 

 

 

(OOC: Mister Zeig (and anyone else), please feel free to insert any interactions where you see fit. )

[Elderflower]

 

Bunny’s career seemed like it was progressing way faster than she ever could have anticipated. With the success of Sailor Mare growing much more rapidly than she could have dared to dream, there were a lot of eyes on her these days - and the work kept piling up. She had tight deadlines for Sailor Mare to be met every month, invitations to attend conventions and signings, and a deal worked out for a series of one-shot stories to celebrate the anniversary of a beloved comic book publisher for older fillies. There was a lot on her plate! And yet here she was, slowly making her way towards the Everfree Woods, her saddlebags full of sweets, camping gear, and drawing materials.

 

After all, the first of her one-shot stories revolved around romance formed during a courage test, and lacking any real experience with tests of bravery or daring, Bunny felt it necessary to do field research! So even though her bags were heavy and she fell asleep once or twice already on her way to the meeting point, the mare was determined to join in on the adventure! Her one regret was that she was going in more or less alone, without Sky Sailing there to help make things a little less scary. Beasts and danger and meeting new ponies...all of those things were scary!

But this was no time to be discouraged! The rainbow-maned mare tapped her cheeks lightly in order to amp herself up for the inevitable awkwardness of meeting new ponies, because not far from where she was, she could see a small gathering of strangers. But...what was that? She blinked her large, lavender eyes a few times as a familiar and well-loved scent tickled her nostrils. Did these ponies have coffee with them? Normally she wasn’t a fan of bitter flavours, but coffee mixed with cinnamon sugar was one of her vices - it had gotten her through many all-nighters during the race to meet deadlines, and she just so happened to have some cinnamon sugar in her bags…

She picked up her pace a little, following her nose until she was standing before a brown stallion, one she was certain she had seen somewhere before. Then she noticed the serval on his back! Right, he had been one of the ponies at the Animal Adoption Fair!

“I know you, hello. And hello to you, kitty. Do you have-”

She had intended to ask him in that flat, bored tone of hers if he had brought coffee with him, since the scent of roasted beans was coming from him. She had intended to share some of her sweets with him if he shared coffee. Making new friends required sharing things, right? But instead she had fallen asleep mid-sentence, snoring very softly where she stood.

[Zeig]

 

He didn't care how hard Pocket Change pouted at him.

He'd be thrice-cursed in Tautarus before he put on a matching ADVENTURE jacket.

Aside from that little confrontation, preparations for this campout had gone relatively smoothly. Despite the awful and ridiculous premise that had fronted this entire outing to the outskirts of Ponyville, Nocturne had only debated it briefly before deciding to attend with Pocket Change. Scary stories and nighttime monsters were fine and dandy for the ridiculous little foals that let themselves get scared by their own shadows, but the location of the campout had been the major selling point for the unicorn.

After all, he didn't get too many chances to venture into the Everfree Forest.

As its name clearly suggested, the very nature of the forest screamed magical anomaly, and he'd made several tips into the area on his own for collection and observational research. It was, however, getting more and more difficult to find the time to make the trek to the forest from Canterlot, with his research lab and studies growing by the month. Plus, despite his own magical prowess that had - so far - kept him safe, Nocturne was not so headstrong as to believe himself invincible. Studying magic in a dangerous and wild place like the Everfree was always best done in pairs or groups. Annoying as it was to work around others, even Nocturne could admit to safety in numbers.

Though, he amended privately to himself, he was starting to wonder exactly how much research he would be able to get done on this little trip.

The thought had first begun ringing warning bells into Nocturne's brain when Pocket Change had pretty much accosted him into a taxi that had sped off to Ponyville, with several supplies - none of which would be exactly useful for his line of research. Which still left him with plenty to observe…or so he'd thought, until the white stallion had rushed off in Ponyvile to buy even more supplies. Namely, sweet provisions that set Nocturne's teeth on edge just looking at them. Soon enough, visions of a large group of ponies roasting marshmallows around a campfire and singing at the top of their lungs had filled up his entire train of thought, effectively putting an end to Nocturne's ideal of a quiet and practical evening of research.

"We'd better not have to suffer a rampaging unicorn tearing down the forest tree line," he'd had just enough time to demand, at some point during the whirlwind shopping spree, before they were bustling off towards the forest itself.

As it was, Nocturne was left with his own small bag of quite a few less supplies - practical things, like a compass, supplies for recording and documentation, water, first aid, and a generous bag of trail mix, sans chocolate. He'd trusted Pocket Change when the other unicorn had stated an arranged tent and sleeping bag situation, though a small blanket pillowed the rest of his materials just in case. In all honesty, the dark-colored unicorn felt rather ridiculous, decked out as if he were a small foal pretending to go off on a grand adventure in his parents' back yard, and it was almost enough to have him turn right back around.

If only Pocket Change would stop smiling at him, maybe then he could get some peace of mind.

Nocturne Wisp stayed silent as they made their way towards the edge of the forest, Pocket Change making an immediate beeline towards the group of ponies milling about the area. A scowl settling onto his face, but he managed to stay perfectly cordial - that was to say, he managed to keep completely quiet - as his friend greeted a pony he obviously knew. For himself, Nocturne couldn't say he knew any of the other ponies assembled, which was just fine by him.

He did take note of another unicorn, however - and in fact, it was rather difficult not to take note of her as she came walking up to the brown stallion. The unicorn fairly spewed out pastel and rainbows, so bright against the muted backdrop of the forest that Nocturne almost felt the need to shield his eyes. The scowl on his face deepened further as he moved to stand on Change's other side, a buffer against the other body, and let his pale gaze roam back towards the forest.

Let Pocket Change make the niceties. He was here for only one thing, after all.

 

[Solaria]

Fateful Accord thumped a hoof absent-mindedly against the back of the train seat in front of her, the knocking sound against the wood drawing the smallest of wry grins to her lips.

Three, two, one... she thought.

On cue, the chubby earth pony stallion occupying said seat peeked over the back, jowls aquiver. His narrowed eyes followed the motion of Fae's rear hoof, watching as it reared back to thunk again against his seat.

"Excuse me miss," he warbled, a tiny thrumming vein easily visible on his balding head. "You have been kicking my seat for the past forty-five minutes now." He visibly steadied himself. "Do you mind?"

Instantly the mare froze her leg, studying the pony as a dragon might a particularly tasty morsel. Just when the silence was dragging into the uncomfortable zone, she smirked.

"Of course I don't mind love, the sound is actually quite soothing to me. And it's been fifty-two minutes, but who's counting anyhow?" she crooned in her most charming Trottingham accent.

As her unfortunate companion's brow began to knit in anger, she held up a hoof and even managed to look slightly contrite.

"Hey, hey now," the unicorn soothed. "Don't get your mane in a wicket, it doesn't look like it can take much more of that anyway. Now deary, if we let bygones be bygones I'll make it up to you."

Chuckling at the suspicious yet curious look on the earth pony's face, she leaned forward to rest her hooves and chin on the back of his seat as her horn began to glow with golden light.

"Just tell me something you've always wanted, and we'll see what we can do eh?"

Moments later she walked off the train as it pulled smoothly to a stop, her foreleg swinging her new pocket watch by its chain before she neatly deposited it into the pocket of her trench coat. After all, the stallion had practically insisted after her magical pact had granted him a full, luscious mane. She had failed to mention that he very likely wouldn't get to keep his flowing locks, but she figured it didn't matter much anyway when in the next instant a random swarm of parasprites swept in and devoured the pony's hair in the blink of an eye. The next second they were gone.

"So strange!" she called as the train began to pull away with its sad, bald passenger weeping out the window. "One can never predict a parasprite strike! Crazy little buggers!"

As the sound of the train engine and bawling disappeared around the bend, Fae reached into her pocket to retrieve the crumpled piece of parchment that had brought her all the way out here in the first place. Something about a monster, the full moon, superstitious ponyfolk... With a soft tch she dropped it in the nearest refuse bin and sauntered confidently down the path toward the main entrance to the Everfree. After all, Lady Luck was always on this mare's side.

Not long after she spotted a growing throng of what appeared to be campers huddled at the treeline. Taking her sweet time, Fae trotted to one side of the chattering group and dropped the one item she had brought, a hammock. She grinned at the nearest thrill-seekers.

"'Ello lovelies," she intoned, winking at a young unicorn with shades. "Suppose I found the troupe eh?"

She glanced over at two ponies that were either asleep or just this side of it. What, they couldn't even stay awake at the edge of the Everfree?

"Oi! Poppets!" she shouted with a twinkle in her eye. "Wouldn't want them timberwolves to wander out to find their snacks all curled up and ready for chomping!"

[Monochrome]

Mud Pie walked along, a saddlebag at his side and a sleeping bag in a sack dragging behind him. He smirked as he thought of his sister - this would show her. She had made fun of him after a recent thunderstorm, when she had found him cowering under his bed with his hooves covering his ears. His family was visiting Ponyville from his hometown of Trottingham, and today he had happened to come across a strange old flyer advertising some sort of spooky camping trip, and thought it was the perfect way to show everyone how brave he was. Admittedly, it had been difficult to sneak out without being caught, but he had managed to get out; however, he had to clean himself to do it, so he wouldn't leave a trail of muddy hoofprints behind him. He took the muddiest trail possible to his destination. It was a fairly long walk, but soon the again mud-covered pegasus colt saw the dark silhouette of the Everfree Forest up ahead, with a group of ponies gathering at its edge. He brushed a piece of his green-tipped dark brown mane out of his eyes with his hoof before quickening his pace. He had soon reached the group. Not a very talkative colt, he squeezed into the group and waved, smiling. He fluttered his wings a little in excitement, splattering the ponies he was closest to with mud. Mud Pie gave an apologetic glance to each.

[RedCedar]

Red Cedar cinched his saddlebags around his waist securely once he was safely off the train with all his gear. Trotting out of the train station, with his camping supplies, he looked about at the quaint hamlet of Ponyville and smiled at its near-idyllic scenery, so much cleaner and brighter than some parts of his home town, Stalliongrad. Best of all, the small town was surrounded by trees and trails and wonderful camping spots on virtually all sides, making for one of the perfect vacation spots for a pony like him.

 

After taking in a breath of much fresher air, he started to make his way down the streets towards his destination. A week of camping and hiking through the Whitetail Woods was just the thing to shake him from his usual doldrums that came from too long spent in one place working away, even if it was in the forest that he loved.

 

So, it was a bit of a surprise when a wayward piece of paper on the breeze struck him in the face. Ponyville was not known for its litter, at least, not unless there had been a massive festival the night before. Somehow those always resulted in large amounts of confetti piled into drifts at the sides of the roads like snow. Still, after taking it from his face, he happened to glance over it.

 

Red raised an eyebrow, intrigued, as it seemed he had come just in time. As experienced an outdoorspony as he was, the Everfree Forest was not something he had ever tried to tackle a night in on his own. With a group going on this outing, however, there may have been a better opportunity to see it while having others to help in case of trouble.

 

Whatever the flair for the dramatic the camp organizer had, Red had to admit, this was a golden opportunity to see inside the Everfree for himself. Folding up the flier and putting it in his saddlebag, he trotted in the other direction towards the entrance to the Everfree Forest. As he approached, he saw that he was not alone, either, and there was already a good turnout of prospective campers. "Hello," he called to nopony in particular. "Is everyone here going on the camping trip into the Everfree forest, too?'

[Lux]

Sorry for the wait. I didn't realize the thread was active.

 

 

 

Carrot Top was looking for a change of pace in her life. Although she was happy being a farmer in Ponyville, the mare wondered what else Equestria had to offer her. Granted she wasn't going to just sell her home and become a wandering pony doing odd jobs while seeing the world, but maybe she could do some more exploring, starting with her backyard! She saw much of the town, but there was a place that few ponies dared to go and where stories about what lay within spread about the town: the Everfree Forest. She wasn't an easily frightened mare like some who would bolt at the even mentioning of danger, and Carrot Top believed that most of these stories were made up like some scary tale taught to foals to encourage them to go to sleep or brush their teeth. 

 

Well the opportunity came with a strange note offering a camping trip to the mysterious forest, and Carrot couldn't refuse. She came to the meeting spot with her camping gear and especially her diary that she would chronicle her journey. For a moment she thought there would be only a few ponies daring enough to be there or worse this had all been a prank and she would be waiting alone, but to her surprise there were ten other ponies! 

 

"Wow, I didn't think there would be that many going on this camping trip. You're all here for this trip to the Everfree Forest, right?" 

[Vanillapop]

 

As Vanilla began to take his first step towards the Everfree Forest, the sound of hoof clops echoed within his ears. He paused, setting his hoof down --- and, with a quick jolt, he turned to the paths behind him. All at once, the initial apprehension he had felt regarding the trip faded, making way for a broad grin.

One by one, ponies were arriving down the path --- ponies of all stripes and walks of life. It filled his mind with excitement. After all, the crowd was exactly what he had been hoping for when he had taken the train from his home. It was precisely the kind of break he needed to refresh his life and break the monotony of, well, routine.

Turning to Pyro Blaze, Vanilla tried to stand tall. His petit frame only allowed so much leeway, however, and he supposed he looked rather silly. With a wide, sheepish grin, he chimed: "My name's Vanilla Pop. Man, am I happy to see some faces here. I was starting to think I might have fallen for a school ard trick when I got here."

His eyes narrowed towards the ground, and his front legs crossed. "... I suppose it was silly to expect anything from an odd little flyer lying around town. I'm just happy to know that I'm not the only one who came all the way out here for this."

The young unicorn inhaled a deep breath. His golden eyes glanced around at the crowd. He was willing to bet that each and every one of them had an amazing story to tell, and he knew he couldn't wait to hear them. That was, until Java mentioned a peculiarity Vanilla himself had entirely missed. Where were the camping grounds?

He turned to Java, a quizzical look on his face. "Come to think of it... I don't think this thing ever did mention where everypony was going to be camping."

Vanilla took a hard look at the musty old flyer he'd been holding. He scanned every line, searching for some sort of answer to this sudden mystery. How odd it was that anyone would put out an advertisement with no direction...

Finding no use in the flyer, he returned it to its safe space in his saddle bag, tucking it amongst the necessities and pleasentries he'd thought to bring along. His head cocked to one side as the nagging apprehension began to build within his stomach once more. Certainly, he was no coward --- but uncertainty had never been a casual experience for him either.

Vanilla looked to Pyro and Java once more, another weak smile crossing his face. "I don't suppose either of you have any idea where other ponies might be camping in a place like ... This." He gestured towards the forest.

Inhaling a deep breath, he gave the crowd of fresh arrivals a good look. His small frame sank, though his chin lifted high. "In fact..." He cleared his throat.

"I don't suppose any of you were the ones who sent out this flyer, were you?" 

​

 

 

[PyroBlaze]

Well, it appeared he was just the second of many to arrive. Given the location of the camp out, he had not expected quite so many ponies to show up. Unfortunately, there were none he recognized, save for the brown stallion he had seen during Hearts and Hooves day... Wait, did he have a cat on his back? A large one at that. Was that his pet?

Pyro sighed slightly, shaking his head with a light chuckle while mumbling something to the effect of "some ponies" under his breath. Speaking of those more... Interesting individuals, there was a mare with a strange accent that had just winked at him. He hoped she didn't expect anything to come of that, he didn't even know her.

He turned his attention back to the one that had been here before him as the male introduced himself as Vanilla Pop. Pyro gave him a nod in greeting, though he raised an eyebrow as Vanilla appeared to be trying to make himself bigger. What was this, a competition? Or was he just putting on a brave face? Either way, Pyro supposed it didn't much matter, so he let the matter pass without comment.

"Hmm... I guess we'll have to find our own spot then unless we get some additional instruction now that we're here." Pyro said, giving a little hum after responding to the news that there was no instruction as to where in the forest to camp. "Well, I've been in the forest before, but never for camping." He added after Vanilla's question to him and the brown stallion. He should probably learn names, but that could wait until they figured out this little problem.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Well things were most certainly beginning to grow... odd. Apparently who ever sent this camping invitation was certainly not in this group. And was probably not even likely to show up. Well that was most certainly dandy! No point in turning back now... he had promised Sine he'd take her back to the Everfree forest, and darn it that's what he was going to do!

 

But it wasn't all that bad at least. A few familiar faces were arriving on the scene, which would at least make this trip less boring. Or at least himself less alienated. Sure! He went on plenty of adventures that required a lot of survival instincts as a foal, and adventures that almost got himself beheaded as a stallion. But that still did not make him an expect! At least Pocket Change might be able to assist in that area... he at least looked the part with an adventure hat and shirt.

 

“Nyeh hey! Pocket! Good to see you again!” The stallion chimed moving closer to the stallion and offering a hoof out to bump the other's.

 

Then came another voice. The stallion slowly turned around, spotting what could be described as a mare whom decided to dye her mane and tail inside the vats of Rainbow juice in Cloudsdale. No seriously! What in the world!? It didn't help that her body was an acidic yellow that Java could have sworn... no wait... yes she is! She is practically glowing!

 

But in a way she was familiar to the stallion. He curiously looked over her. He recognized her from the animal adoption fair. But... that wasn't quite it. It was... OH! She's the author of the Sailor Mare series! Fantastic! Not... that... Java... was a fan of it or anything. It was meant solely for mares heh.... heh. OK that might actually be a lie. But no way in tartarus Java planed on letting any pony know that so publicly!

 

“I know you, hello. And hello to you, kitty. Do you have-”

 

… Do I have what? Java thought to himself. His expression was the epitome of dumbfounded. He could relate to being that tired closer to the end of the week... but... she seemed wide awake just a moment ago. Guess it's best to let her sleep for now, the pony thought to himself as he slipped his head under the mare's body. His body followed in toe till she was tanding right over him.

He lifted with a light grunt, pushing the mare off of his feet, and carrying her in a fireman's carry on her back.

Sine on the other hand, had hopped off long ago, happy with the trade off it seems. She was quite busy being frisky with the mare's braided tail.

 

 

Though... he had to admit... he never actually carried this much weight on his back before. Usually he just pulled it inside of a cart or something and it was a piece of cake. Even if it was a train! But now... he kinda felt like he was reaching the point of being an overburdened packmule. Hope no pony drops a feather on his back. He just might fall over.

 

“RIGHT! Er! So... looks like we have no earthly clue where we are heading. But! No point in getting confused! I might not know where the other campers are! But! I'm sure we can find a better place to be. I suggest the Castle of the Twin Sisters! It might be loaded down with some playful traps, and evil spirits. Buuuuut, I'd wager chancing -that-, then Timber Wolves, Dire Wolves, cloakers, and Giant spiders! “

[TwoBits]

"Oi! Poppets! Wouldn't want them timberwolves to wander out to find their snacks all curled up and ready for chomping!"

"SnflrWUHH," was Nightflight's incredibly coherent answer as the shout cut through her near nap. The dark Pegasus blinked owlishly at the group for a moment, before suddenly blurting out, "Wait, where did you all come from all of a sudden??" She could have sworn there were only two a moment ago! Or...maybe she'd miscounted? It wouldn't be the first time fatigue had messed with her brain, after all. To Tartarus with it, she needed to wake up anyways--maybe a snack would do the trick.

"Apple. Apple, apple apple where's that apple," she muttered as she stretched around to dig into her saddlebag for a moment. She belatedly thought to stop and shake the mud off her hoof--when had that gotten on her bag?--before it could get smeared over her breakfast, nudged the apple out to the top of the bag's contents and gracelessly chomped it up whole. But at least the chewing seemed to be keeping her awake for now...maybe soon she'd improve to actually acknowledging the other ponies with a whole sentence?

[tacobob]

 

Pocket Change studied the newcomers and never lost his smile as he did. Then he noticed his old friend was looking rather uncomfortable. He started to open his mouth to ask what was the problem, but then it simply dawned on him. This pretty young mare was nearly the exact opposite of his friend,  and now she was sleeping...On her hooves...”Poor thing must have narcolepsy.", he whispered to Nocturne, "Or we're up past her bed time."  The unicorn made a mental note to help wake up the colorful unicorn as soon as the group started to move. Thankfully, from what he could see, the majority of the group were ponies of a friendly nature. Pocket had nodded off during an party not that long ago, and had awoken to find himself covered with all sorts of markings, bored partygoers had drawn on him while he napped. None of them were of the pleasant variety.

 

He was disappointed Nocturne Wisp's roommate, Dazzle Dawn was unable to attend the event, as she was en enjoyable pony to hang around, and she just knew what buttons to push when it came to their shared friend. Maybe she made his friend a little uncomfortable due to their similarities. One had a moon on their side, while the other had a very happy little sun.  Pocket almost felt like he had seen the now sleeping mare before..But where? Was it a book signing, or a convention?

 

"In all seriousness, I dragged you along mostly  to watch you work, something I've never really have had to chance to do before. And while this trip is not really a 'job' and it's just a little bit of fun, I'm sure, going where we're going, there's an incredibly good chance we'll stumble across an magical anomaly of sorts. Just hope they don't try getting into the old sister's castle. It's an interesting place, but it's mostly an old castle that somepony has been trying to restore for the last year or so. Just lots of old walls and scaffolding."

 

The stallion finally lost his smile as he realized that there was yet to be a pony who claimed to have organized this event. Was he late? They couldn't just drift about the Everfree. A friendly 'hoof-bump' from Java stopped him from having these thoughts for a moment, "This is Mister Nocturne Wisp. An old friend, and fellow magic hall guild member.". The brown stallion might not have recognized the unicorn, considering he had suffered a rather painful head injury during their last big guild event. While he also wanted to ask him about the rumors he had heard about the engineer DATING another good friend of his, an mare named Presteza, but that would be a question better suited to ask another day.

 

His ears perked up as the soda-stallion started to ask questions. "I have a feeling we need to wait for the organizer of this event.", the stallion added, "We can't just go wandering into the woods."

 

[Zeig]

 

Pale silver eyes watched the various going-ons silently, customary glare fixed on his face. Nocturne Wisp was already beginning to regret letting his friend talk him into this little venture, it was glaringly - ha! - obvious that most of the participants were treating this as a mildly amusing adventure into the Everfree Forest. A fantastic little romp around one of the deadliest places known to Equestria, filled to the brim with wild animals and unbending trees and perhaps a deadly artifact or two.

…Which, well alright. He supposed that's exactly what had been advertised, some spooky-themed camping trip. And he could maybe conceded that most ponies did not approach a camping trip like a scientific endeavor. So perhaps his work-related mindset was, in fact, the oddity here.

Although, not as odd as…that.

That continued to lightly snore on her hooves, standing straight up and perfectly still. If he hadn't been standing somewhere nearby, Nocturne would not have even noticed. As it was, it was little difficult to not after noticing, blinking twice as Pocket Change confirmed that the painfully pastel Unicorn was, truly, sleeping.

Nocturne felt his ears twitch slightly as Pocket Change leaned in to whisper to him, turning his head away from the Unicorn's overly bright colors. If he knew anything about his friend - and he did - the white Unicorn was probably already making plans to be the other's escort, carting her around like a sack of potatoes. Hn. If Nocturne had any say in it, they could simply move the Unicorn back into Ponyville somewhere, rather than dragging a pony with a serious sleeping condition off into the Everfree Forest.

Somehow though, Nocturne didn't think Pocket Change would let him get away with shoving off to Ponyville, dragging a pastel Unicorn by her tail behind him.

The amusing image was momentarily stymied as the conversation abruptly shift, causing Nocturne to perk a bit as he turned to fully face his friend. "The entire forest is a magical anomaly," the dark colored Unicorn asserted, tone taking on just a touch of haughty arrogance that came with a sense of I know what I'm talking about. "Its very essence defies traditional magic, reshapes it, sometimes even overpowers it. I have ventured inside the Everfree several times, Change," he continued, voice rising slightly with enthusiasm and knowledge, "and never once have I left without finding something. In fact, it is more difficult for me to find new anomalies than any at all." A brief huff of laughter left his lips, low and soft, remembering the various nights near wandering in circles, only to stumble back onto the same tree or ravine.

Indeed. The Everfree Forest was, without a doubt, a gold mine for his research.

Luckily, Nocturne was saved from further rambling as a vaguely familiar brown Earth Pony suddenly appeared next to Pocket Change, causing the dark colored Unicorn to abruptly snap his mouth shut, nose wrinkling slightly as an overwhelming smell of coffee invaded his sense. The annoyance only grew as the Earth Pony, who'd obviously stopped by to greet Pocket Change, didn't even bother to glance over at himself, instead ignoring the introduction in favor of something or other. An aggrieved flick of his tail was all Nocturne allowed himself, though the annoyance proved to be short lived. Nocturne wasn't all that keen on making small talk anyways, especially with a pony that boasted such an obvious odor.

"I take it I'm not the only rude friend you have," Nocturne Wisp stated dryly to his friend after the brown Earth Pony had left, half-exasperate and half-fond in a rare moment of self-awareness. He left it at that however, once again falling silent as various other ponies began speaking up, many asking obvious questions such as, are you all here for the camping thing? As if the various sleeping bags and supplies weren't any indication. Nocturne steadfastly ignored all of them, instead fixing his gaze on the cream colored Unicorn Pocket Change was speaking with.

Honestly, he was getting tired of waiting, but his friend was correct in his thinking - a group of hapless ponies aimlessly wandering about the Everfree was a recipe for disaster.

[Vanillapop]

 

It seemed a little odd to Vanilla that the Flyer sender wasn't among the group of early arrivals --- then again, the whole trip was starting to sound more and more like a bad idea. He felt conflicted regarding his decision to make the trip, but he certainly didn't want to appear frightened or intimidated by a little forest. He was a Canterlot stallion, and despite his generally good-natured personality, he was too proud to back away --- perhaps that was why he felt so inclined to stand tall. He was just so nervous. It had been such a long time since he'd seen anyone outside of his usual customers that he didn't want to appear ... Well. Small. 

 

The various suggestions and conversations of the other ponies mingled within his head. He hadn't been prepared for a night of heavy thinking or concentration, but he couldn't help but try --- feeling as though whatever decision was ultimately made in this situation was going to be integral to how the evening was going to go. 

 

Vanilla's ears perked up at the mention of the Castle of the Twin Sisters. He could have sworn he'd heard about such a castle, and it sounded like an adventure. He'd never ventured that far into it, given it was far from his standard fair of interests. "I almost forgot there was a castle in this place!" He smiled broad. Even if it were largely old and decrepit, he could only imagine what sorts of secrets it could hold. Maybe there were old spices, or syrups in the kitchen --- things no one had tried in years and years. It certainly added a bit of renewed vigor to his worried mind. 

 

... But Pocket Change had a point. A bunch of campers wandering in a place as fierce and notorious as the Everfree Forest wasn't exactly a wise idea. They could easily be lost, or attacked by the wild life ... Or the weather, or the plants. He'd heard of a zebra who lived inside the forest from some of the local folk of Ponyville, and he wagered if they could have found her home, they may have had a better chance --- but he couldn't even recall her name. "You have a point. As amazing as a castle sounds to explore, this forest is pretty dangerous. I can't even think of where it's safe to camp inside with all of the crazy beasts in there." 

 

Vanilla had seen his fair share of hazards and unpredictability, but the Everfree was ... It was a different level of unpredictability. "It's getting late, though. I wonder if this was just a prank." He turned his head towards the trees leading into the woods. 

 

His ears folded flat, and his eyes squinted as he stared into the distance. What looked like a piece of paper was pegged to the trunk of one of the trees. "Was that there before?" Vanilla lifted the piece of paper with his magic, drawing it close enough to get a good look at it. 

 

... It was a map. A crudely drawn map.

​

[Lux]

It seemed that no pony knew why they came here or for that matter who sent the flyer. But Carrot's thoughts drifted towards an older filly who fell asleep standing up for some time before waking up suddenly and reaching for an apple in her bag. 

 

"Hey there," Carrot said trotting over, "Are you ok? I have some carrots in my saddlebag if you need something to get you going." 

 

As she waited, Carrot heard the tales of the Everfree Forest and how things were dangerous. Living in Ponyville she saw first hoof those dangers with Timber Wolves, Paraspites, and even an Ursa Minor! But just as soon as she began to think herself out of this idea Vanilla found a map tacked to the tree. 

 

"So somepony put out these flyers and a map but isn't even here. I don't like this. Much as it would be fun camping, I wonder if this is some trap to lure us into danger." 

[Zeig]

 

A fine use of his time, to be sure.

For all his indulgence for Pocket Change's wishes, there was a limit to the amount of time he could stand idly by doing absolutely nothing of import. There was an entire forest filled with spectacular, miraculous, and even deadly magical anomalies to be discovered and studied - and aside from that, a supposedly haunted camping trip that boasted fun times for anypony that cared for such a thing.

And yes, the surrounding stallions and mares seemed completely content to simply stand about and ask each otters questions. Fair enough. Nocturne, for one, held no such compulsions, and the expression of his face surely said as much as he turned back to face his friend.

"I'm going on ahead," he declared in his usual tone - not loudly, not proclaiming. Celestia knew he didn't exactly want random strangers following in after him. "I'll meet you sometime later." Even as he said this, a pale blue wisp, tiny and near insignificant, formed from his horn, fluttering to and fro before eventually coming to hover delicately around Pocket Change's left ear. Such guiding wisps made it easy for Nocturne to use his magic to locate them, though they would dissipate with time. Still, they were entirely useful for setting markers in unfamiliar territory, helping him relocate anomalies or points of interest.

Or wayward friends.

Waypoint set, Nocturne Wisp gave his friend a quick nod, before hoisting his pack more firmly across his back and trotting into the forest, no light or glow to lead him onwards. One would be needed later, but for now, it was far easier to traverse without blinding himself with glowing lanterns or fire magic. Not a thought was given to the ponies left behind, save one, as Nocturne Wisp made his way onward into the forest, the strange and familiar both pressing heavy on all sides.

The Everfree Forest was, after all, ever changing.

 

 

 

[[ Exit ]]