Search for Cutie Mark! Sort of. [Everfree Quest]

[Fade]

SKYLIGHT;

The young pegasus had decided to go on ahead of the others. Mostly because his limited flight abilities allowed him faster travel, and he wanted to check out the place before the girls showed up. Although he was physically weaker than his "big sister", he wasn't sure about how strong this Midnight Light unicorn was. He felt like acting all macho.

Not that Skylight could really be macho. He was too timid. He stood on the path that entered the Everfree forest and just stared into the mysteriously dark depths. He had heard rumours that the seasons changed on their own, the plants grew without assistance and the animals took care of themselves in this forest. It was strange, and frightening for the colt.

He shuddered and turned around, to look the other way so that he could watch for Red Light and Midnight Light. He hoped they would arrive soon. He felt very exposed and vulnerable out here. Nervously, he looked back at the pearl strung in his tail, and for a moment it calmed him.

So, he waited.

[Batty Caufield]

"it's not like you to beat me to the punch, little brother. I'm honestly surprised."

Red, whether or not she may have been, certainly didn't look the part. Her voice was even and controlled, her eyes half-open and relaxed. Only the hint of a smile around her lips betrayed her presence, and even then it was difficult to distinguish this from a smirk.

Still, this made Red Light happy. Though she would never even consider admitting it to anyone else, she was a bit nervous about going into the everfree forest. i mean, it's not like there would be anything that would actually HURT her...nothing could stop her, and if something tried to hurt sky she would deconstruct it down to it's base components and reassemble it into a deck chair.

mentally, Red added "carpentry?" to her list of cutie mark possibilities.

coming to a halt near skylight, Red calmly waited for midnight light to show up. it probably wouldn't be long now; the unicorn seemed rather eager to go on an adventure, after all...

[autumn!]

The sound of small hooves rapidly pounding the poor excuse for a "path" could be heard distantly, and it was only a few seconds before Midnight Light appeared. "Sorry everypony!" she panted. "I just had to make sure I had packed anything. Man, that run has me hungry. Apple bundt cake?"

With a flash of her horn, the white filly opened up her saddlebag and brought out three miniature cakes and distributed them amongst the ponies. "I had the sous-chef make these specially. The apples are imported from a newly established orchard far, far away on the Central Plains. They're great!"

Midnight bit into her own cake then, gobbling it in just a few bites. She shook herself off and looked at the Everfree Forest, wide-eyed. "So this is where the adventure begins," she murmured to herself.

[Fade]

SKYLIGHT;

Skylight was instantly relieved when Red showed up. "Haha, yeah. I wanted to see what it looked like!" He probably meant the entrance to the forest, or the path in front of the forest. It was hard to tell with him sometimes.

Then the unicorn showed up, and offered treats. Skylight's stomach growled in appreciation as he scarfed down the delicious pastry. Being an orphan meant fighting for scraps and occasionally having to steal an apple or two. Pastries like the cakes Midnight Light had given them were rare. The pegasus finished it off by licking his lips. "Thanks!" It was a miracle he hadn't choked by eating it so fast.

He turned back towards the woods and tried really hard to hide the shaking in his wings. "Well, here we go!" Skylight said boldly. Without waiting for the girls, he charged right into the Everfree Forest.

[Batty Caufield]

Red's eyes widened in abject and utter disbelief as she was handed...such a delicacy! such a wonderful treat! An object of such rarity, that displayed such craftsmanship...

She knew nothing about what it was, or what went in it. but OH, did she ever WANT for it. When midnight distributed the cake to her, she practically fainted.

but...she couldn't just take the cake, any foal could tell. Midnight had gone out of her way to bring...such a delicious looking treat... to them and she couldn't just take it like a greedy guest. Surely, Midnight was expecting something in return...

"um, thanks!" Red Light said, bearing a smile that was half cheerful and half terrifying. "as it, uh, turns out, i got something for you, too! let me check..."

Red buried her face in her pack, trying desperately to find something of approximate value. the smoke bombs? nah, too greasy, she'd hate those. The fold-a-glider? but what would she need to fly for, if she had magic - aHA.

"mwoilah!" Red declared triumphantly, as she pulled a long string of cherry-red firecrackers out of her pack. They were one of her most precious dumpster finds, a wonder...but it was worth it, right? she couldn't be indebted FOREVER. hopefully, this would cover her brother, too; she wasn't sure she had anything else good enough to cover for him. Tenderly, she deposited the string at Midnight's feet, then tenderly took the cake between her teeth...

...and when she woke from her sugar-induced fugue, the cake was gone and her fool of a brother was SPRINTING INTO THE WOODS?!?!?!

"Hey, Skylight! come back!" Red bellowed, but it was half-hearted at best. Begrudging herself a small, impatient sigh, Red charged into the forest after her brother.

Hopefully, Midnight light wouldn't be TOO alarmed by how things were going...

[autumn!]

Midnight Light stared, eyes wide, as both ponies devoured their cakes in what seemed to be seconds. "Wow, it's like you guys have never seen cake before," she remarked, and then stared some more as Red Light procured a gift. Midnight wasn't too familiar with whatever-that-was, but it did look like something the royal pyrotechnicians used on special days to start fireworks shows. In any case, it would be rude of her to turn a gift into a bartering session, so Midnight shook her head. "No, no!" she said emphatically. "The food was meant to share. Don't worry about it!"

Midnight Light took a deep breath, staring determinedly at the Everfree Forest. There could be any number of creatures in there: dastardly dragons, massive manticores, wyverns that sought nothing but blood... We've got to do this! For Equestria... or something-- huh?"

Midnight was startled out of her reverie by the pounding of hooves. Suddenly, Red Light and Skylight were both gone. With nowhere left to go but forward, Midnight Light too charged after her new companions.

[Fade]

SKYLIGHT;

The little blue pegasus didn't make it too far into the forest. He was actually at a complete stand-still, which caused his racing sister to crash into him. And yet, Skylight didn't budge.

He was staring, terrified, into the darkness of the forest. There were strange sounds coming from the depths, and the plants looked as if they just got stranger and stranger the further into the forest the ponies went. Skylight was even shaking slightly.

"I cant do this." he whimpered, just noticing that his "sister" had crashed into him. "What if there's a...."

The poor colt couldn't even bring himself to say the dreaded D word.

[Batty Caufield]

Red's crash into skylight was spectacular; the red pony flipped head over heels on impact, cartwheeling through the air like a released stretch armstrong. Eventually, she was brought to a standstill by the gentle stopping force of a nearby tree.

"Why in tarnation did you just stop like that?" Red snapped at her (rather larger) little brother, rubbing a dark-red eye with a forehoof. She was quickly brought to the explanation of exactly why by a cacaphonic milieu of assorted growls, rumbles and roars.

and then skylight made it infinitely worse by speaking.

"I can't do this. what if there's a..."

"DON'T!" Red yelped, in abject fear. Regaining composure, she continued. "...Don't say it. There AREN'T any...of them in here, okay? We're just gonna do a little bit of looking around, and then we're gonna..."

Red looked around. Hopefully, Midnight wouldn't find any of this too weird or uncool.

[autumn!]

Midnight Light wasn't exactly unfit by pony standards, but being a palace unicorn meant that she definitely wasn't up to the physical fitness standards of an earth- or pegasus pony. By the time she caught up to Red Light and Skylight, she was gasping for air.

"Didja... See anything yet?" she choked out, pupils widening to adjust to the dimmed light of the Everfree Forest. "It's kinda dark in here, isn't it? I can probably help you out with that though!"

She closed her eyes for a moment, puffing up her chest as her horn immediately began to glow brighter and brighter. There was a burst of light, and then Midnight opened up her eyes again. The tip of her horn was glowing brightly, lighting up the immediate area.

Not that the light calmed her down any. Now that she could see better, the paranoia was beginning to sink in. Anything could be lurking... well, anywhere! "W-well, I guess we should get going. The path over there seems to be a bit lighter and safer... or we can just go straight into the deep forest," she said, motioning with her horn, which was making an excellent substitute for a lantern.

Without warning, a deafening crack! sounded in the bushes behind Midnight. "Oh!" She reared up on her hind legs, nostrils flaring, and didn't even bother to look behind her or at her companions. Midnight Light took off immediately on the path leading deeper into the forest, fear governing her mind completely.

[Fade]

SKYLIGHT;

Skylight made a rather pitiful sound and seemed almost to shrink into himself when his "sister" yelled at him. He couldn't help it. Hadn't they been close to this forest when the dreaded incident had occurred? He had heard that this place was home to hundreds of different creatures, there was always a possibility of one of those particular creatures living here.

The sudden light from Midnight Light's horn made things a little less dark. Skylight stood up a little more and looked around. He listened to what the filly had to say about the paths, and was about to suggest they take the safer-sounding path, when a sudden loud cracking sound made him flinch.

However, the sound appeared to have made Midnight Light run off. And she had their light. "Hey, wait!" without really thinking about it, Skylight took off after her. "Come on sis, we need to catch her!"