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Bad Decisions, Bad Directions [Closed: KaityKat]


Flooberoid

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Hawthorn groans and rolls out of bed, staring up at the moonlight outside. After days of searching, he thought they just needed to accept it: The Featherroot isn't growing in that forest, at least not this time of year. Still, he can't convince himself of that, which was why he finds himself sleepless and agitated tonight. It feels like he will never sleep until he finds it- a sentiment somepony else doesn't seem to share. He gives a sidelong glance at Pinecone sleeping away in his little straw-lined bed by the windowsill. The little critter probably can't be dragged out for an expedition at this hour, and he was the stallion's only guide through that confusing forest... It might be for the best that he just go back to sleep. Hawthorn lays his head to rest and closes his eyes, drifting away to sleep...

to sleep...

to sleep! Argh!

He rolls over and out of bed for the fifth time tonight, and that's when he's had enough! A silly plant isn't going to get the better of him! It must be studied! Hawthorn slings his satchel over his back and sneaks out the back door, careful not to wake anypony (or anychipmunk). On the way out, he grabs a small lantern in his jaw and, as soon as he is out of earshot of the house, starts galloping away at full speed. 

 

His pace slows to a stop, however, when he's staring at the entrance to the Everfree Forest. With a gulp, he psyches himself up... On his trips with Pinecone, nothing had ever jumped out at them. It always seemed as though the little guy knew all the safest paths, all the twists and turns that led them to safe glades and open water sources where they could take a break. Still, he flips to the back of his field notebook and studies the crude notes he's made there. Turn left at the big boulder, hug the treeline on the right until you see a face in the great oak, then turn sharply right. Run three times around the stump in the glade- he never did really understand that part- then take off westward toward the dangling vines. The list went on for pages, which is why he had it written down. As long as he stuck to this trail, he should be fine, surely! He takes a deep breath, forces a smile, and trots into the dark forest.

 

"...along the river until a tuft of grass tickles your left hind leg, then trot fifty paces east..." he mutters to himself. "Come on, Featherroot, I know you're here somewhere..."[/b] He yawns and wipes the sleep from his eyes as he trots obediently fifty paces. Twenty-six, twenty-seven... or was he at thirty now? He was distracted momentarily as the lantern began to flicker. "Shucks, looks like I'd best head back soon if I don't wanna be caught in the dark..." He chuckles and turns around, trotting back thirty paces... thirty-one, thirty-two... Wait, was this the right way? Thirty-thr-

Hawthorn's train of thought is interrupted as he walks right over the edge of a cliff, earning a nasty scrape on his front legs and a knock on the head from the hard dirt floor. He abruptly finds himself much more awake, and irritably pats the soil for his lantern. When he doesn't find it, irritation rapidly turns to anxiety as his breathing quickens...

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Compass-Rose.png

Rose yawned noisily, stretching the day's sleep away. Tonight was the night she'd decided she'd start exploring and mapping the Everfree Forest. She wanted ponies to want her services, and hopefully pay her for maps and a guide. It certainly wouldn't hurt if she also made friends while she was at it. She sighed. Nopony ever came to her new shop. In fact, she was sure nopony knew it was there. She never got to see anypony because they were all asleep all night. She'd go out in the day, but the sun is just so bright, she can't stand it very long. Anyway, she thought if she was able to map out the Everfree Forest, anypony who heard would be so impressed, they'd have to come visit.

 

She took a mango slice out of the fridge, and held it in her mouth. It was a small breakfast, but it'd have to do. If she was getting any significant amount of mapping done, she'd need as much time as possible. She packed a couple more slices in her saddle bag along with the parchment and quills she always had with her, and headed out the door.

At the edge of the forest, she paused. For some reason, tonight, she felt like was going to be a good night.

 

As Rose flew through the forest, she looked around for any defining features she could find. Using her usual technique for mapping. She had thought about flying high above first, like she likes to do before getting a more detailed view near the ground, but with a forest this dense, she doubted she'd see much of use. After about an hour of flying, she decided she'd better record the few landmarks she'd found. Some little bodies of water --she gave each of them a temporary name, in case she found out a real name for them later--, some unique trees, and one particularly large tree with a face on it. She called this one the "Elderwood" because it reminded her of an oldenpony with the way its bark made lines in the face.

 

As she drew on her parchment, she heard a noise. She quickly packed her things back into her saddlebag. "Oh, I hope that isn't one of those Timberwolves. I don't want to have to postpone my map." She quietly snuck in the direction of the noise, using her bat-like wings to help with her stealth. Slowly, she approached the face of a small cliff (which she made mental note of, of course), and flew down silently.
 

She saw a pony at the bottom, rummaging through the dirt, obviously very nervous. She honestly didn't think anypony was out at this time of night. Let alone in the Everfree Forest. He seemed to be looking for the lamp which rested just a couple feet from his hooves. She figured she'd help him out, so she came down and picked up the lamp.

"Here you go, sir. Is this what you're looking for?" she offered "I couldn't help but notice you were having a bit of trouble."

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Hawthorn jumps and spins around to find the source of the unexpected voice. He reaches a hoof out in her direction cautiously, then feels his lantern. He takes it from her with a smile. "Ah, thank you kindly! Didn't expect to see a friendly face out here at night!" Well, 'see perhaps wasn't the right word, not yet anyway. He lights the lantern with what little fuel is left to see his rescuer properly. It is then that his smile fades and he backs up against the cliff face. "A-A bat pony?" The frightened stallion clears his throat nervously and tries to adopt a natural-looking posture. "Yes, well, um, thank you for helping. I'll be on my way now!" He takes a moment to study the scrawled notes in his notebook, trying to find his place in the elaborate process he'd written down. Should he try to find the river? Or perhaps the three-humped boulder? There must be some kind of landmark nearby. He trots around in circles but only seems to be wasting energy as well as lantern fuel. 

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The light from the lantern temporarily blinded her as it shined in her eyes. She immediately regretted giving it to him, a little. She put a hoof over her eyes to protect them from.the light.

His reaction to her was disheartening, but not wholly unexpected. She was about to make her exit when he righted himself and thanks her.

"You're welcome." She responded. She stifled a giggle at his frustration with directions "Did you need help, Mr...." She let the sentence trail to imply a question.

"Here, lemme see your directions."  she requested

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Though a bit apprehensive, Hawthorn turns around to face the bat pony. She didn't seem hostile, but what if that was a trap to gain his trust? "Hawthorn... that's my name." He reluctantly shows her the haphazard chicken-scratch that is his disorganized guide to the forest. To try and calm his nerves, he attempt to make conversation. "So, uh, what's your name? I haven't seen anypony like you around Ponyville..." He leaves the meaning of "like you" up to interpretation, but it's quite obvious what he means by that. In the dim glow of his lantern, he looks the strange pony head to tail. Surprisingly, she actually had a cutie mark, and a rather unique one at that. He had always assumed bat ponies couldn't earn cutie marks when they were only really good at sneaking around and stealing food.

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//omfg, this whole time, I've been waiting, and it was on me! I'm so out of it. sorry//

 

"My name is Compass Rose" she answered taking a look at the directions. The hoof-writing was near impossible to read, but she could glean one our two things, from it. "You mean 'bat ponies'? Oof, it's a wonder you found anything at all with these directions. Were you taking them from a dog?" she joked. noting the part about circling a tree. "Oh, yes. I know that tree." she pulled out her freshly drawn map and showed it to him "Here's that tree with a face your directions mention. it's actually not far from here, just up the cliff and to the north a bit." she gestured. "If you want, you can tag along with me, and maybe we'll find whatever it is you're looking for. We can wander in the general direction of that tree. Or perhaps I've seen it. What were you looking for, anywho?" she wondered aloud to him.

His trepidation around her certainly did sting a bit, but she couldn't really blame him. He'd probably never seen an Aerion, before. Most ponies had a lot of preconceived notions of them. It was kind of sad, really. and something Rose hoped to rectify. At least as much as she could.

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"Compass Rose? Lovely name, but you mind if I call you Rosa? We call my little sister Rose." Hawthorn explains when she gets around to criticizing his directions. "Not a dog! ...A chipmunk, actually." he admits a bit sheepishly. How is it she knows this forest so well? It seems nopony else is brave enough to go in here alone, but this mare is mapping the place at night? She's either fearless or out of her mind, Hawthorn thinks to himself.

Then the strange pony suggests wandering the forest together for a while. It's true he still hasn't found the Featherroot yet... "Um, if ya don't mind..." It isn't easy asking favors of somepony he's probably offended, but he does need her help. "I'm looking for a rare plant called the Featherroot in these woods. It only grows in magical places and only during the week between spring and summer. It's this beautiful golden yellow color, a bit like a stalk of wheat but it looks like the feather of a griffon's wing. It can be used to make a poultice that-" Hawthorn catches himself rambling and wraps it up, embarrassed. "A-Anyway, I really want one and I haven't had any luck with it so far..."

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"Oh, I can certainly understand doing things others think are stupid for something you're passionate about. Why, most ponies, like you said, wouldn't come in this forest. but I heard that it was mostly unexplored and that no maps exist, and.... well, I couldn't resist." she gestured down the way along the cliff "This way is an easier way up the cliff" she explained as she started walking, leading Hawthorn to the way up.

"So," she started, trying to make conversation "you're a botanist? Or perhaps an herbalist."

"I'm a cartographer.... I make maps. I'm also s guide if need be."

Then she started thinking about his reaction to her appearance, and thought quietly for a moment. "You know, we're really not just scary creatures of the night who.... do whatever it is you're afraid I'll do." she looked at the moon for a moment. "I mean, technically we are creatures of the night. but I promise. Most of us aren't scary."

she chuckled warmly "And we're not actually called 'bat ponies'. Tho, I kinda like that name, myself. We're called 'Aerion'. If you want, I could answer some questions about us. I'm an open book."

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Hawthorn takes a moment to digest everything Rosa was saying. She was really talkative, possibly feeling she needed to take advantage of any opportunity she got to talk to other ponies. "Well, I prefer the term 'apothecary,' but I suppose that's just splitting hairs. Herbalist is perfectly accurate." As for her job... a cartographer in this day and age? By now, most places already had staggeringly accurate maps... "It must be tough making a living as a mapmaker in modern Equestria... I hope you're not putting yourself in too much danger mapping the obscure corners of our world..." Hawthorn didn't know whether he was worried about her or just chiding her for being reckless, but it quickly occurred to him how much of a hypocrite he was being. If she hadn't showed up tonight, he would probably be plant food. He shakes off the frightening irony and hesitates for a second before addressing Rosa again. 

With a small sigh, he speaks up again. "Listen, Rosa, I know your kind can't all be bad... I was reacting from a... fear of the unknown, I guess." Hawthorn explains slowly, choosing his words carefully. "It's just, the only bat ponies- excuse me, Aerion- that visit us normally are the bad ones. Seeing one usually means you're in for a fight or the town could be facing famine. So I apologize if we started off on the wrong hoof." With that off his chest, he gets his confidence up a notch. He smiles to her, but with a faint hint of playful mischief on his face as he adds, "Now, if you'd like to answer some questions, I suppose you could start with what you like to eat?"

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She laughed "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She gave him a look "as long as you do, too. You know, there may be maps of a lot of places, but I'm pretty confident that my maps are still very valuable. I've mapped a pretty good portion of this forest in the hour or so I've been here. With a little more close observation, I can get one of the most accurate maps ever made of it." She paused a second, realizing she sounded pretty conceited "I mean, I know I sound full of myself, but I'm just very confident in my abilities. Also, Cartography isn't all I do. I can also be a guide or I sell adventuring equipment. Whatever a pony might need when they go out." 

 

When he changed the subject back to her race, she frowned "I know that we can be intimidating, sometimes. And I certainly understand the fear of the unknown. I don't blame you for being afraid of new things. It's an instinct. Hard to overcome, sometimes. But you know that we 'bat ponies' are just like everypony else. We've got good ones and bad ones, and some of us are scared of you. My parents were always worried about ponies. They tried to keep me away from you, because they thought you were dangerous. I just wish the Aerion hadn't gone into hiding after Luna's banishment. It's the real reason for the problems we face today."

then he asked about food. She laughed "Well, you can never go wrong offering us a mango. That's for sure." She pulled one out of her saddle bag "Never leave home without one. But yeah, mostly fruit. We eat a lot of fruits. Or if we're in need of protein, then bugs. I know it sounds gross to you ponies, but to us, it's about as normal as grass is to ponies." She made a face at the thought of eating grass. No matter how many times she thought about it, she still couldn't understand how ponies could like grass.

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"Fruit? I suppose I should have guessed that. Ever tried it fried, maybe grilled?" He thought of all the recipes he knew for fruit-based dishes. There were quite a few, particularly apple dishes. After all, it was easy to get high quality apples out of Ponyville. "I happen to be a pretty decent cook, if I may say so myself. And I feel like I've got to do something to thank you properly after we get out of here."

Hawthorn then trips on a root and barely catches himself before he hits the ground. Suddenly, he's reminded of why he came here. He quickly looks around, hoping they didn't miss a Featherroot while they were focused on their conversation. "Say, um, how's your map coming along? Still a decent amount of ground to cover?"

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Rose was pleasantly surprised that this point was willing to go out of his way to show his appreciation for her efforts. More so that he'd do that at such a late hour. She was a little concerned, tho. "Isn't it a bit late for you? I wouldn't want to impose on you that much. Besides, I love meeting new ponies, and I  kinda needed a little break from scanning the forest, anywho." She laughed. Normally, this would be about the time she'd be chatting with herself over a mango or two. She was glad for the change of pace.

"See?" she could just about hear her friend from Canterlot saying "I told you Ponyville was great for making friends."

she smiled.

The pony had asked about her map of the forest, and she remembered why he'd said he was there. "Oh, yes. your flower. Hey, maybe if you describe your flower, or where it likes to hide, maybe I've seen it somewhere! I'm pretty good at remembering things. I could tell you the exact place a certain stone laid in a stone street I saw for ten minutes a decade ago." she exaggerated proudly. Tho it was a bit exaggerated, she had yet to meet a pony who's power of memory rivaled her own. She felt a certain degree of pride in that fact, and she wasn't afraid to express her pride.

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The other pony acts as if she didn't basically save his life back there, and Hawthorn meets this with a frown. "Ah, I'm actually a bit of a night owl anyway. Besides, can't reckon I'd get any sleep tonight after all that's happened at this point. I actually love sharing a meal with new friends, too, so it's really no problem at all. He hopes it isn't presumptuous to call her a friend already, but he already feels quite comfortable with Rose's presence. Given how often he goes out at night, he is surprised that they've never met before now.

"Sure you ain't boasting just a tiny bit much there, Rosa?" Hawthorn chuckles. "Well, the biggest conditions for a Featherroot to grow are height and magic. It's a tall yellow flower that resembles a pegasus feather. Finding high places shouldn't be a bother, but it's the magic requirement that worries me." Hawthorn sighs and explains. "There is a lot of free magic in the Everfree Forest, that's for sure... but most locations with a high concentration of it, the plants are mutated into monsters. I can't get close to 'em, so I've just been explorin' on the safe trails Pinecone picked out for me." He gestures to his satchel where the journal is, remembering how much of an embarrassment his notes were compared to her talent for cartography. 

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