The Kingdom Hidden in the Forest

by Colombiaguy

First published 11th of June, 2015

Deep within the Everfree forest, there is a kingdom made from the trees and vines. The inhabitants fear what lies beyond the forest's edge. Except for one, who is learning that maybe the pony's beyond the forest's edge may not be so bad.

The deer of the Everfree forest have been hidden away for centuries. Their fear of ponies has kept them isolated from the whole of Equestria. Until one day when a buck encounters a pony that will change his perspective and maybe the perspective of an entire kingdom.

[On hiatus until further notice]

Cover Art by Dream of Serenity

Prologue

Deep within the Everfree forest, there exists a kingdom made from nature itself. The kingdom was populated by the deer of the forest that worked to maintain the forest and it’s inhabitants. For centuries, the deer were happy residing within the confines of the forest, their unique magic allowing them to create homes from the trees themselves and sustained themselves with the natural fruits and vegetation the forest offered freely.

However, it was not meant to last. One year, a year when the moon refused to fall. The beasts of the Everfree were called to action by an angry pony princess from a neighboring kingdom and the deer were unable to break the beasts from the princess' control. The forest was sent into chaos and fear gripped the hearts of the forest’s citizens. Eventually the princess was stopped and banished from the land. The princess' older sister met with the King of the Deer, King Elm, in an attempt to apologize for the actions of her sister. But despite her attempts, the king couldn’t accept her apologies. He was scared, just like his fellow kin. If one young princess could cause such havoc, what could an older, stronger one do?

King Elm took his people and sealed them away from everything and anything that existed outside of the Everfree. From then on, the deer of the Everfree stayed within the depths of the forest, believing that the pony’s that resided beyond its borders would only bring chaos to their forest and their way of life. So it was, for centuries, the kingdom in the forest was kept sealed away from the rest of Equestria.
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A lone female fawn sprinted through the forest of the Everfree. She jumped and bounded around trees and over bushes in a mad attempt to flee a yet unseen pursuer. Eventually she arrived at a clearing in the forest and began scanning the nearby bushes and tree line while she caught her breath.

“Lost him”, the fawn assured herself. Confident she had long outran her pursuer, she layed on her stomach to recover from her run. Unfortunately for her, she was unaware of the tall foreboding figure that had stealthily snuck up behind her and startled her with a simple but effective, “Boo!”

The fawn nearly propelled herself skyward, as the fright caused her legs to spring her to a standing position. Turning around, she was surprised to see a buck standing just behind her with a wide smile across his muzzle. The buck was easily two feet taller than the fawn, not including the added height given by his antlers. The buck was a light chestnut brown with a white patch across his barrel. His eyes were a piercing emerald green that matched the fawn’s and the tuff of his tail was a matching chestnut brown on top with white adorning the underside.

The buck looked to the younger deer and giggled. “Well done, Azalea. You are getting faster, but you can’t just run in a straight line. It’s too predictable”, The buck informed the fawn in a comforting tone and a warm smile.
Azalea was still surprised by her brother’s almost magical reappearance, but after a moment to catch up she was able to respond, “I-how? How’d you get ahead of me?”

The buck pointed to the tree line. “I used the canopy” he stated matter-o-factly. “If you can find a downed tree or rock you can get into the canopy and you can move a lot more freely. It can be a bit tricky but it allows for so much more free movement.”

The younger sibling gave a crestfallen frown as she mentally chided herself for not considering the obvious. The older sibling was quick to catch on and worked to reassure his little sister of her successes, “Hey, hey. You still managed to put some distance between us during the race. You’re getting better. You just need to be aware of what’s around you. Just remember to focus on evasion and once you’re past that it’s all about speed, which you have in spades. You’ll do fine.”

The fawn looked up to her brother with hopeful eyes, “Y-you think so, Thorn?”

Thorn put a hoof around his sister and pulled her into a light hug, “Guarantee it.”

Azalea’s frown turned into a smile before she declared, “Well, I’ll keep training and become the best runner for the competition.”

Thorn smiled, happy that his sisters determination hadn’t faltered. “I know you will, little sister. If you can keep spotting short cuts like that, I know you’ll be one of the best.” The buck then got a clever smile on his face as he knew the best way to reward his sister’s progress, “So, how about we head back to the willow and have a celebratory treat?”

The fawn’s eye grew wide with anticipation, partially knowing what her brother was about to propose. “You don’t mean-?” She asked with excitement in her voice.

Thorn nodded, “Yep, two juicy Everfree Mangos. Mother found some a few days ago and they should be just ripe enough to be perfectly sweet.”

Azalea was practically bouncing on air as she raced around her older brother in excitement, shouting, “Yay!” as she went. Thorn merely allowed himself the pleasure of knowing he had made it little sister happy. He started to make his way back into the forest and towards his home when Azalea called to him, “Thorn, wait!”

The buck stopped near the treeline and turned to his sister, giving her a quizzical look.

“Can you show me how to get into the canopy?”

Thorn smiled, “Of course.” With that the two took off into the forest and back home.

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Meanwhile in a secluded cave, a shadow danced along the walls. It laughed as it plotted it’s return. “I failed Mistress before...Not this time! Won’t fail...won’t fail! Sun will fall! Moon will rise! MISTRESS WILL LOVE ME!!!” The shadow wailed in a distorted laugh. With a twist of its dark form, the shadow shot off into the Everfree intent on finding a victim to do their bidding.

Author's Notes:

Cover art coming soon. In the mean time welcome to the story. I'm still getting used to writing in third person but I'm working on it. Please leave suggestions, comments, and criticism below. See you in Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Thorn and Azalea stood in the Everfree canopy. The two were perched on the thick branch of a tree that gave a clear path to the neighboring trees and their branches. Thorn reveled in moments like this, time spent with his little sister. Time when he could teach her techniques he had learned as a fawn himself. Now he was going to teach Azalea a skill he liked to call ‘canopy running’. It was a simple enough concept that used the thicker branches of the canopy as a means to traverse the forest much faster. The problem was that this technique required an extreme situational awareness, knowing where the next branch to jump to was and whether the branch was strong enough to support your weight.

While Thorn was concerned for his sister’s health, her constant progress in traversing the forest floor in the last three weeks had enforced the idea that she could handle the basics for now. Although, he made a mental note to tell his sister not mention this training session to mother, lest her wrath be brought to bear upon him for teaching his sister such a dangerous technique and for skipping out on his meditation under the Great Tree. However, with his sister’s competition so close he rationalized that anything he could teach Azalea to give her an edge would be worth one missed meditation and the scolding that would no doubt follow.

Until then, Thorn worked to find a simple path he could show Azalea that wouldn’t be too hard to traverse and would show off the basics of moving through the canopy. A few of the paths were traversable to him, but would be too difficult for Azalea. One offered a decent straight path, but a few of the branches looked a bit too thin to support two deer at once. With a little more searching he found a route that seemed to fit the bill. The path was between several trees with a decent amount of thick branches that wouldn’t give out with some added weight and had the branches close enough to each other that Thorn could quickly and easily help his sister if she slipped.

Content with the chosen route, Thorn gave Azalea a small nudge to get her attention and pointed out the route. “We are going to go to the that tree over there.” He said, pointing to their end destination, “I just want you to watch me and copy my movements. Okay?”

Azalea gave a nod and donned a confident smirk, knowing she was ready to face the challenge head on. “I understand.” she stated with with exuberance.

She definitely inherited father's confidence. The buck thought with an amused smile. Looking forward towards the trees he dropped his stance so that his haunches were compressed like a spring. Azalea watched him with undivided attention, taking mental notes. Aiming himself toward his desired destination he put a little bit of force into launching himself forward. He’d barely hung in the air for more than a second or two before he landed solidly on the second branch. After checking his footing quickly, he turned to face his sister.

Azalea was looking on with anticipation. Her hooves were stamping the branch she was occupying with excitement and glee. Thorn chuckled at her overall enthusiasm but knew that he needed Azalea to be focused and serious for this. He cleared his throat to get her attention and let his expression turn stoic. Azalea got the message and ceased her giddied stamping. With a few mental estimations, she focused herself and worked to replicate her brother’s movements. She assumed the same position that Thorn had before and put some force into her hind legs as she launched herself toward the branch Thorn was occupying. She managed to make it to the branch but missed her footing. Instead of landing squarely on her fore hooves, the hooves skidded over edge of the branch causing her chest to collide with the branch, knocking the air out of her lungs. Thorn winced, knowing the pain of having the air knocked out of his lungs, having experienced it many times before when he was learning to traverse the canopy. He quickly helped his sister to a standing position and allowed her recover. The fawn nursed her barrel and coughed as she worked to regained the lost air. "Not bad. You overshot it slightly, but, hey, not bad for your first time" The buck assured while rubbing the fawn’s back. "Do you want to try again?"

Azalea finished refilling her lungs and looked to the next nearest branch. She furrowed her brow recalling what she had done before and how to correct herself. "Yeah, but can you go first again?" She asked with determination in her words.

Thorn noded and eyed the next branch. Again, he assumed the position and kicked off with his hind legs. Within a second, he landed forehooves first before the back hooves met them, all the while Azalea watched with a discerning eye. She saw how Thorn had angled his hooves preemptively before landing so his momentum would allow for his weight to balance him once he landed and halt any forward movement. Azalea made some mental notes of how to adjust herself, and she got into the launch position and eyed her target. Replicating her previous jump she put some power into her hind legs and launched herself into the air and towards the next branch. Thorn was still turning around when Azalea landed directly next to him, landing perfectly without a slipping this time.

Thorn's eyes widened and his ears went to full attention. His heart nearly stopped at the fact that his sister had jumped without his supervision and dark thoughts of things that could have happened crossed his mind. He lowered his gaze to his sister who was happy that she managed to correct her previous mistake; however, her happiness was quickly extinguished when she caught sight of her brother’s obvious dissatisfaction.

“Don’t do that again.” Thorn said in a stern voice making it clear he wasn’t happy and Azalea visibly shrank under his gaze.

“I-I’m sorry. I-I just-” ,The fawn stuttered, realizing what she had done had caused her brother to worry. Tears started to well up in her emerald eyes and Thorn realized he may have overreacted. He knew his sister was gung ho with everything she did. He berated himself for not considering this and made sure to correct his own behavior before continuing with training. Once he had his fears and concerns under control he addressed the fawn in a calm but serious tone, “This is a very dangerous technique, Azalea. If you slip and I don’t have time to react, you could get hurt. Badly.” He lowered his head to get within reach of the fawn and nuzzled the side of her head. “I’m not mad. I just don’t want you to get hurt. So, from now on, I want you to wait until I give you the signal to follow. Okay?”

Azalea wiped away the tears in her eyes and nodded without saying a word.

Thorn smiled and gave his sister a nudge. He offered to continue the training and with a quick nod from his sister, the two deer resumed their practice within the canopy.
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Further into the Everfree, a large willow tree stood tall and isolated from the other trees. But unlike the other trees this willow was adorned with several windows, a balcony, and a simple wooden door. This was the home of Thorn and Azalea. Within the home, resided Venus, an older doe that had long entered her matrion years and it was visible on her coat that was a faded brown with areas of grey becoming apparent in some areas; however, the one area that had not faded was the white patch on her barrel that held the shape of a venus fly trap. Much like the thorny outlines on Thorn’s barrell or the flowery accent on Azalea’s it signified their unique connection to nature itself.

Currently, Venus was busying herself with chores around the willow she called home, as she awaited for her children to return. As she went about tidying up she mulled over how fortunate she was. Having an athletic daughter who was a potential contender for this year’s Chase and a son who was receiving training from the Druidic Circle and a senior Guardian so that he might one day become a Forest Guardian, himself. All-in-all she couldn’t be happier, except that she had recieved word from some of the local wildlife that Thorn had skipped his meditation training to help Azalea. While Venus didn’t disapprove of Thorn wanting to help Azalea become a better runner, she did have an issue with the fact that he was helping her when he was suppose to be honing his connection with the forest and the Great Tree. She knew she needed to reprimand Thorn and she had every intention of seeing it through, yet she couldn't bring herself to be angry. Since she, herself, was always busy tending to the willow as well as tending to the various carnivorous plants of the Everfree, she rarely had time to help her daughter with training for the Chase. The fact that Thorn had taken up the role of his own volition, eased her burden, if only slightly.

Soon enough, the sound of two sets of hooves on the wood floors marked the arrival of the siblings. Venus could hear some hushed voices coming from the living room and went to meet them. Thorn was clearly whispering something to Azalea when the mother doe entered the room. The second the two noticed their mother’s presence they immediately ceased any conversations.

“Hi Mom! We’re home!”, Azalea greeted with enthusiasm as she went to give her mother a hug.

Venus smiled and leaned down to hug the fawn and nuzzle her lightly, “So you are. How did your runner training go?”

Azalea smiled while her small tuff of a tail wiggled back and forth. "It went great! Thorn said I'm really improving!”

Venus looked to Thorn with an inquisitive look, “Is that so?”

Thorn smiled proudly, “Indeed, she actually made it to the clearing before me. Had to use the canopy just to catch her.”

Venus turned and gave Azalea a proud hug, as she squealed in delight, “Ooooh, my little flower! You’re going to be great! Just be sure to keep on training and doing those exercises I told you about, okay?”

Azalea giggled and flailed a bit as she was embraced but managed to give an affirmative, “Okay.”

Venus released her daughter and looked to Thorn with a playful smile, “I take it that she has earned a reward for her efforts?”

Thorn caught on to the suggestion, returned the smile, and nodded.

Azalea saw the gesture and began to bounce on her hoofs with a wide smile plastered on her muzzle.

Venus couldn't help but chuckle at her daughter's antics, "Okay, okay. How about you go get the mangos in the kitchen and cut them, while I talk to your brother. They should be in the bowl on the table."

"Okay!" the fawn replied as she bounced her way into the kitchen.

With the fawn out of earshot, Venus turned to her son. "Thank you for helping her, Thorn. I wish I could do it, I really do. It's just-"

Thorn stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder, "It's okay, mother. I know you're doing your best to help around the forest and it keeps you busy. I don't mind helping Azalea with her runner training. With all the training and meditation, it feels nice to spend time with her."

Venus sighed, "I know you do, and I am grateful. But you can't neglect your training. It's an amazing honor to be selected to be a Guardian of the Forest. You can't squander it."

Thorn flinched, he knew his mother would discover he had skipped his daily meditation, but he did not think she would have found out so quickly. "You found out about that?" He asked sheepishly.

Venus gave her son a knowing look, "Even in the clearing I can still tell what you two are up to. I thank you for helping your sister, but not at the expense of your training. Help Azalea but after training, not during. Understand?" She finished with a stern look.

Thorn couldn't bear to look his mother in the eye after that last statement. He chose to hang his head and nod, knowing he'd been caught, "Yes, mother. I understand."

Venus' stern look melted into a motherly smile. She raised her son's head with a hoof so his antlers were up high and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Thorn."

Thorn returned the hug, as Azalea returned with a plate of freshly sliced mangos balanced on her head. The rest of the day was spent with the three deer feasting on mangoes and telling of the day's events.
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Meanwhile on the outskirts of Ponyville, the resident animal caretaker, Fluttershy, finished her evening chores of taking care of the various animals around her home. She had just finished feeding the many birds that resided within the branches of her home when a lone Everfree Robin came to perch on her back.

Fluttershy noted the small bird on her back and greeted him with a kind smile, "Oh, hello Mr. Robin. How have you been?"

The bird responded with various chirps and chortles that seemed only intelligible to Fluttershy.

"Oh you spoke with the nice mare in the forest again? Good to know she is faring well. I can't imagine how she survives so deep in the Everfree. She must be very brave."

The bird again chirped in response.

"Oh, her children are doing well also? That's so nice. I'd love to meet them, but...I just don't think I could make the trip. Nopony has been that far into the forest." The lone caretaker shuddered a bit at the prospect of going so deep into the forest. "Anyway, I still have some seed left if you want some."

The bird nodded in approval and proceeded to feast on the remaining seeds until his stomach was full and plump.

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. While much of her work went unappreciated by other ponies, she always took pleasure in how every animal was always content at her cottage. She walked into her cottage with the robin to hear more of the strange mare and her two children who resided within the Everfree.

Author's Notes:

Taking my time with this story since it is my first story written in third person. Please leave comments and concerns below, I'm always looking to improve.

Chapter 2

Thorn awoke early in the morning as he always did so that he could prepare himself for the journey to Foraoise, the central city of the kingdom. He was always the first up before the rest of his family as he had to travel the furthest compared to his mother and sister. As per his normal routine he went to the stream that ran behind his home and washed the sleep from his face. With a silent goodbye to his sister and mother, he collected an apple and pear, wrapped them within a small sack and made his way towards Foraoise.

The journey would normally be a few hours but Thorn had long developed a route through the canopy that allowed him to make it in just under two. The trip gave him time to think as well as get in a nice workout. Thorn made his way into the Everfree canopy and began his trek. While he had just started teaching Azalea the basics of canopy traversal, Thorn had been using the technique for nearly five years. He was capable of bounding through the treetops with amazing ease. Using the simple concept of maintaining forward momentum and using more springy branches to give him access to various levels of the canopy.

As he made his way through the trees he opted to make a quick pitstop at a nearby lake. The lake was a common watering hole for the animals and beasts of the Everfree and tended to be a nice spot to rest as it was halfway between his home and capital. He got a few good sips of water in from the lake and took a moment to rest before he moved on. He took in the sights around the lake, noting the various birds and critters that were drinking or resting by the lake. A few ducks were paddling their way through the water and grazing on some of the marine plant life. He found the serenity of the watering hole quite calming. He also noted a few flowers on the lake, water lilies if he wasn’t mistaken, some were very vibrant and alive. However, he noted that a few seemed to be wilting or dead. Thorn saw an opportunity to try some of the new spells he had learned. He raised a hoof and placed it on the lily pad and put his focus into tracking the roots of the lily. Upon his magical scrying he found that ,somehow, the roots of the plant had been dislodged, causing the plants to be unable to draw nutrients from the lake bed.

Putting more focus into his magic, he encouraged the roots to grow and anchor themselves again. Once he felt the roots had gotten a more solid grip within the mud and rocks he removed his hoof from the lily. A simple problem, but a nice exercise. Thorn thought to himself. He took another sip of water and splashed a little on his face before resuming his journey.
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After another hour of travel, Thorn had reached his destination, the center of the kingdom, Foraoise. The city held the majority of the populous, and it was reflected in the many tree-homes that made the outer circle of the the capital. Many of them linked with bridges of vine or conjoining branches making it easy to get from one home to the other. The inner circle was solely occupied by a single immense tree that easily towered over every other tree within the Everfree. This was the life of the forest, the reason the deer were able to prosper within the Everfree forest for so long, the Great Tree. Thorn was always in awe of the Great Tree, besides it’s dominating size, it was always peaceful around it’s base and even to outlying areas. It was the base of the Tree where many aspiring Guardians went to train and meditate. Thorn set his eyes on his destination and continued his walk.

Foraoise, even in the early morning, was a full of life. Many of the street merchants were already setting up their stalls while some performers were already finding spots to play their various instruments. Within an hour, every deer would be up and wandering the city. It was another reason Thorn prefered arriving early, it allowed him to walk through the streets relatively unimpeded. The sound of the city waking encouraged Thorn to make his way to the training grounds and begin his morning routine.
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Fluttershy awoke just as the sun began to crest the horizon. She stretched her forelegs before giving her wings a few flaps to work them out a bit.She looked out her bedroom window to see sun coming over the horizon and smiled. It’s going to be such a lovely day!

She went through her morning ritual of feeding her animals and tending to the animals who she was treating. When she finished she checked her to-do list in her kitchen.

-Feed Animals in the morning

-Lunch with Twilight at 12, at Library.

- Tea with Discord?

-Feed Animals in the evening.

-Check birdhouses to see which ones can come down.

Fluttershy giggled at the middle item on her list. She often enjoyed her tea with Discord, but his sporadic behavior and random appearances made it difficult to determine when they would actually have tea...and often how they would have tea. The day she enjoyed a cup of hurricane tea was...interesting. Considering the tea was constantly swirling on the edges of the cup with a constant void in the center. It was delicious none the less, and she looked forward to her next meeting with the Spirit of Chaos.

She made a mental reminder to try and be home later in the day just in case Discord decided to stop by. She checked the clock in her living room. It read just after 9am, She had a few hours before she had to meet Twilight for lunch. She considered what to do in the meantime, before she remembered she had a novel she had yet to read and decided it could help her kill some time.
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Thorn arrived at the base of the Great Tree. The feeling of calm and tranquility he felt near the tree was like an open welcome every time he was near. With a content sigh, he made his way to a small platform that looked out over a lake near the base of the Great Tree. This was the meditation area, where Guardians and Guardians in training came to connect with nature and the Great Tree. Currently, the platform was void of any deer and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of birds chirping and tiny waves lapping onto the shore of the lake. Thorn figured he’d make up for the meditation he missed yesterday and took a position near the edge. Placing his bag to the side, Thorn sat down on his haunches and closed his eyes. He focused his breathing into deep inhales followed by long exhales. He continued his breathing as he put his focus into reaching out to the Great Tree, itself. It took some time but eventually he felt something connect with him.

A voice rang out through his mind. It was soft, and welcoming yet held no hint of gender. “Thorn, it is good to see you. You were absent yesterday. Is everything okay?” The voice asked.

Thorn smiled, “Everything is fine, Great Tree. My sister asked for my assistance in training for the Chase. I apologize for skipping training."

It wasn't obvious to any outside observers but the Tree's understanding was apparent between the two. "It's okay. Although, your teacher is none too pleased. I would advise you to expect some kind of punishment."

Thorn winced. If he knew his teacher like he thought he did, there was only one punishment he could expect, patrol duty. "Ugh...thank you for the warning." Thorn groaned mentally.

"Your commitment to your family is admirable. Stick to your training and keep to your morals, and you will make a fine Guardian. I’m sure of it." The Great Tree assured. "I can tell you are getting better. I saw what you did by the lake. It was small, but it is small things that are appreciated the most."

Thorn smiled, he hadn't thought the tree was watching, but he was glad that at least his efforts were noticed.

"I thank you for coming to me and taking care of the forest. I shall teach you the...Oh...Thorn, sorry to say, but your punishment has arrived a bit early. Good luck." The Tree stated honestly and with empathy.

"Huh?" was all Thorn could muster before a deep, gravelly voice interrupted his meditation, "Thorn...I hope you're ready to make up for what you missed yesterday."

Thorn immediately opened his eyes as his body went stiff. He turned to met with a scowling older buck. The buck was at least half a foot taller than Thorn and his antlers were easily more impressive. Thorn was a simple 5 point buck, but the buck in front of him was an impressive 14 point buck. There was no question who the buck was, it was Master Ironwood, Thorn's teacher, and at that moment his judge, jury, and impending executioner.

"M-m-master Ironwood...hehe...Good to see you this morning. How are you doing?" Thorn stated nervously. His casual greeting merely caused Ironwood's left eye to twitch a bit, "Oh, I'm fine. I am a tad curious." The teacher began walking toward the student. "See, I could have sworn a certain student was supposed to be here yesterday afternoon to meditate, and I find this odd as my student never misses out on his training....ever."

Thorn gulped, Ironwood could be a very kind and charismatic teacher, despite how hard he'd work Thorn ...except when he was angry. He was very, very scary when he was angry and this was no exception. "So, my student. I'm sure there is good reason for skipping out right?"

Thorn was sweating, he knew the Great Tree was understanding and would be more forgiving towards his absence, but Master Ironwood was a very stern and very hard to please. He questioned whether admitting what he was doing yesterday would placate his master or not, when his teacher made a deduction. "You were with your family, right?"

Thorn was caught off guard by this. How had he known? Did he follow him? Had he learned from one of the animals of the forest, like mother had? He couldn't determine how he figured it out, but nodded regardless.

Ironwood sighed, "Should have known." His features softened slightly, "Admirable. Commitment to your family is a good trait." He stomped his hoof into the ground, which made Thorn jump a bit, "But that is no excuse for missing your meditation. I expect a lot from you, Thorn, and I know you can deliver." He sat down on his haunches and let out a long sigh. His displeasure had been voiced and he knew Thorn had received it. Ironwood looked to his student and allowed his expression to become more gentle."You've never missed a meditation before, and you have been devoted to your training. I won't punish you as hard as I initially intended, but you are going on patrol tonight."

Thorn relaxed a bit, he knew this was coming. He's glad that his master's ire had subsided and he had given him some leniency. "I understand, Master Ironwood." Thorn said solemnly.

Ironwood smirked, "Good, now let's begin your lesson for today."

Thorn looked up and nodded, "Yes, Master."
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Fluttershy got done with another chapter of her book when she felt a light thumping against her side. She looked down to see a snow white rabbit beating his hind leg against her own. "Oh, hello Angel. Is something wrong?" She asked innocently. Angel's brow furrowed and he pointed to the nearby clock, it was 11:30am on the dot. Fluttershy gasped, "Oh no! I'm going to be late!" She quickly turned to the rabbit and gave him a small kiss on the forehead before dashing towards the front door. "Thank you, Angel. I'll bring you back some steamed carrots. Bye!" She stated as she ran out the door and towards Ponyville.

It took her a bit to arrive at the Golden Oaks Library and when she did she was out of breath. She ran most of the way, gliding occasionally to allow her small breaks. Despite being a pegasus she still prefered running, as it was much easier for her compared to flying. She wiped away some of the sweat from her brow and knocked on the library door.

"Just a second!" A young male voice called out.

Fluttershy waited until she heard the sounds of someone approaching the door. With a twist of the doorknob, the door was opened to show a small purple and green dragon standing in the doorway. The dragon looked to Fluttershy and gave a friendly smile, "Oh hey, Fluttershy! You here for lunch, right?"

Fluttershy gave a nod and Spike gestured for her to enter. Fluttershy entered and Spike closed the door behind her. "Hey, Twilight, Fluttershy is here!" The dragon called out.

"Ok, be down in a second!" Twilight called out from an upper floor.

Spike showed Fluttershy to the kitchen where he helped seat her and gave her some water, which she appreciated greatly. Spike went to work in preparing some sandwiches for the two ponies. Fluttershy finished her water just as Twilight made her way into the kitchen herself. Despite her recent ascension to alicorn status, she still made an effort to meet with her friends. Although, this was mostly just a friendly lunch, it was also a wonderful opportunity for her to tell her friends about the things she discovered with her new title.

In the recent days, Twilight had been given full unrestricted access to the many different libraries of Canterlot. With this privilege, she had been spending a lot of time in Canterlot, she was elated to be given copious amounts of new reading material and plenty of the new spells to add to her repertoire. What currently had her attention was something she had discovered in a ledger . The record book suggested that Canterlot used to be in contact with a civilization that existed within the Everfree Forest. Considering how often she had been told not to go into the Everfree, due to how dangerous it was, this intrigued her greatly. She attempted to find more information but couldn't find more than transaction records and few books that referenced the civilization. Twilight had attempted to ask Princess Celestia and Luna about it, but both either avoid her question or turned sullen at the mention of it. The latter coming from Luna more than Celestia. She figured if there was anypony who'd know if there was anything sentient within the Everfree it'd be Fluttershy or Zecora.

"Thanks for meeting me for lunch Fluttershy", Twilight stated as she entered the kitchen.

"Oh, it's okay, Twilight. How have things been since the coronation?"

Twilight smiled, "Well, for now it's been pretty calm. I've been given access to some new archives and the like, so I've been enjoying the reading."

Fluttershy chuckled a bit at that, "Sounds like quite the present."

Twilight returned the chuckle, "Yeah, it has been. There are so many books in the restricted archives, and it's interesting to see some of Equestria's untold history."

Twilight saw Spike returning with two daisy sandwiches and some tea on a platter, and held her next thought until the food was placed. Twilight thanked Spike for the food and offered him a seat at the table. Spike declined, as he much prefered to catch up on his most recent issue of Power Ponies. This left Twilight and Fluttershy to enjoy their lunch and continue their conversation.

"So anyway, I was reading through some of the archives and I came across a ledger that refers to a civilization that existed in the Everfree. I tried to find more about them, but almost anything about it is either so obscure that nothing can be discerned or the information has been removed entirely." Twilight stated, her curiosity about the mysterious civilization peeking through her words.

Fluttershy listened as she took a bite out of her sandwich. Something about what Twilight was saying was causing her to remember the talks she had with the robin that came to her. The mare from the forest couldn't possibly be part of some ancient civilization. Right?

Fluttershy swallowed her bite before stating her thought, "That is strange. DId you ask the princess about it?"

Twilight sighed as her ears fell flat against her head in frustration., "Yes, but both of them acted like they didn't want to talk about it."

Flutters furrowed her brow in thought. She mulled over whether to tell Twilight about the mare in the forest or not. She decided it couldn't hurt to let Twilight know, "Well...I'm not sure if it's related but... There is this mare who lives in the Everfree with her foals."

This comment caught Twilight's attention, "A mare in the forest? Where does she live? What's her name?", she immediately began to ask in a feverish manor.

Fluttershy shrank a bit, "Uh...um....I-I'm not sure. I've only heard about her through Mr. Robin. He lives in the forest and he stops by every evening to chat. He sometimes talks about the mare in the forest. I think he tried to tell me her name but I had a hard time understanding him. Her name has something to do with plants but I don't know what it actually is."

Twilight's mind started doing flips at the possibility of the mysterious civilization still being around. Part of rationality was quick to remind her that there wasn't any proof that this mare was part of the civilization. However, she had never of any pony being able to make a home in the Everfree (besides Zecora, of course) without encountering massive resistance from the many animals and beasts that resided within the forest. Especially timberwolves, they were extremely aggressive towards any settler who attempted to break ground within the forest, or anything that made an attempt to get deeper into the forest.

"Is it possible for Mr. Robin to lead us to this mare?" Twilight inquired, hope growing in her mind.

The pegasus in question was chewing on another bite of her sandwich, debating what to do. Mr. Robin had always seemed to be very open about the mare and he never seemed to be hiding anything. She was mostly conflicted about intruding on the mare. If she lived that deep into the forest, she obviously wanted to be alone with her children. Surely, she couldn't intrude upon her without her permission, but she also didn't want to disappoint Twilight either. She seemed so happy to receive this new information, if she denied her this she'd more than likely ask Zecora. Fluttershy didn't want to inconvenience Zecora but she also didn't want to inconvenience the mare in the forest either. She debated what to do for a minute or two before she decided it best to inquire first before just showing up at the mare's home.

"I-I think it...maybe...it might be best to ask the her first. Maybe...we could send her a letter?" Fluttershy responded hesitantly.

Twilight gave Fluttershy a confused look, "How do you plan to-" She stopped halfway when she deduced what Fluttershy might be thinking, "Oh, you think Mr. Robin would be willing to bring her a letter?"

The yellow pegasus nodded with a light hearted smile.

"Sounds like a good idea. Hopefully, Mr. Robin will be willing to cooperate." The purple alicorn gave Fluttershy an excited smile. "Thanks for the help."

"Of-of course. I am...glad to help."

The two friends continued their meal and continued to chat about how things had been around Ponyville. One hoping that she might encounter a member of an old civilization and the other questioning if she had made the right decision.

Chapter 3

As the day continued to pass, the city of Foraoise began to bustle with life. The deer moved about the streets going through their routines and chores. The city was alive and most of the citizens were perfectly happy with how the day was progressing. Within the Guardian Training Grounds, many aspiring Guardians dedicated themselves to physical, magical, and scholarly training as they worked with their respective teachers to prepare to defend their kingdom. However, while most worked through some reasonable manner, one Guardian-in-training was in the midst of his normal crash course training.

Two bucks were in the middle of Foraoise’s many dueling rings. A small circular pit that had long been given to nature to overtake. Several sides of the ring were covered in vines and parts of the ring itself had blades of grass growing through the breaks in the tile.On one side of the ring an older buck was standing calmly as he commanded a set of vines to assault a slightly panicky, younger buck.“I thought you said you weren't going to punish me!" Thorn yelled as he vaulted over an incoming vine swipe.

Ironwood merely huffed as he commanded vines to continue their assault on Thorn. "Who said you were being punished? Are you insinuating something, my student?", the older buck asked with a slight bit a mirth in his voice.

The student in question continued to dodge and weave through the onslaught, "No, Master. I just- GAH!" He gasped as he ducking under one vine. "I just thought- Whoa!" Barely stopping in time to miss a downward slam. "This feels a bit extre- Ooof!" The last vine came too quick for Thorn to dodge and collided squarely with his barrel, causing the air in his lungs to be forcefully removed. It was the third time it had occurred during the training, however; this one felt like it had hit a little harder than the last two.

Thorn laid on his side as worked to regain the lost air, his master allowed the vines he had used as his weapons to reattach to the nearby wall. After the vines were back in position, he went over to his student who was coughing as he attempted to refill his lungs.

Ironwood looked at his student with a stern look in his eyes, “I realize this is extreme, Thorn. But as a Guardian you must be quick on your hooves and able to react to any threat. Some you can dodge but at some point you will need to retaliate.” With that said, he gave extended a hoof to help Thorn back to a standing position. Thorn accepted, albeit shakily, and rose to stand before his master.

Ironwood gave Thorn a little time to recover before allowing his demeanor to change ever so slightly and take on a more sympathetic look, “Got your air back?”

Thorn nodded.

“You’re a smart buck, Thorn. You have other tools you can use besides dodging. Be aware of what’s around you and use it to your advantage,” The teacher informed his student. Ironwood gave Thorn a small pat on his shoulders. “Ready to go again?” he asked.

Again, Thorn nodded.

Ironwood gave a smirk. Thorn’s tenacity was something he always liked. No matter how tired Thorn was or how hard he pushed him, he was always ready to get back into the fight. Ironwood knew this would come to serve him well as a Guardian. With a small chuckle Ironwood returned to his previous position and faced his student again. “Alright, now this time I better see something besides dodging. Understood?”

Thorn shook off his weariness, took a few deep breaths, and put on his game face, “Yes, Master!”

With that affirmation, Ironwood used his magic to call out to the vines once again, and again the vines removed themselves from the wall. The like many green snakes ready to strike, they turned toward the student, waiting for the command to begin their assault. There was a tense few seconds before the vines started their assault again. Some were straight forwards attacks, making quick jabs and swipes, others went for more broad arching attacks. Between the two attack patterns the broad swipes were easiest for Thorn to avoid but the straight assaults were proving difficult. He knew he could only keep dodging for so long before fatigue would cause him to make a mistake. It was time for him to take his master’s words to heart and started to think. Thorn scanned the area for anything he could use to reduce or halt the barrage of vines. It took him a second but he eventually notices the small blades of grass growing through the cracks in the tiles of the arena floor. Thorn wasn’t sure how much good it would do but he figured it might give him some time to think.

After dodging yet another sweeping vine, he summoned his magic to make the grass around him grow. Within seconds the backside of the field was covered with thick tall grass, effectively hiding Thorn within. It was a temporary reprieve but it bought him some time to change his position and consider how to close the distance.

The vines halted their assault momentarily as the grass created a visual shield. Ironwood was interested to see what Thorn was planning. It was smart to obscure his view, it’d force him to use more broad attacks rather than the more direct strikes. However, Ironwood saw a flaw in this tactic. While Ironwood couldn’t see Thorn, Thorn couldn’t see him either. He had every intention of exploiting it. He lined up a solid wall of vines and sent them into the tall grass. Ironwood knew that this would forcefully shove Thorn out of his hiding spot. The vines made their way into grass and Ironwood expected them to continue all the way through, but they stopped a quarter of the way in and refused to retract for some reason. It was at that moment Thorn burst out of the grass at full sprint. Ironwood was unsure what Thorn had done but he had managed to stop his initial assault and was in the process of closing the distance between the them.

Thorn was feeling confident. His plan had halted the vines for a time and had opened up an opportunity to strike. However, he knew this wouldn’t last. The vines would eventually get loose and resume their assault, but if he could just get close enough it wouldn’t matter. He put his focus in getting as close to his master as possible. I can do it! I’m so close! Thorn cheered himself on. He was within twenty feet of his master, with a few more feet he could make a strike. He had it. His plan had worked out. He was going to be within striking distance in just a few more feet. He could end the duel in one fell swoop. At least, it seemed like it.

Ironwood didn’t looked concerned. He didn’t even look worried, he just stood at his end with an apathetic look on his face. Thorn’s confidence was slowly replace with apprehension. This was the closest he’d ever gotten to winning a duel against his master. Shouldn’t he be surprised? Impressed? Maybe just a little proud?...Unless....uh oh. Thorn made the realization a second too late. He was within ten feet of Ironwood when the older buck launched forward and vaulted over Thorn. Before Thorn could even change direction something swept his hooves out from underneath him and bound all four together. Thorn soon found his orientation with the ground inverted and his body suspended from the ground.

“Impressive work.” Ironwood said as he approached the hog-tied Thorn. “Obscuring your opponent’s vision forcing them to re-evaluate their attack. Very good thinking.” Thorn took the compliment to heart and was feeling a sense of accomplishment. He cherished it while he could. Master Ironwood was not one to give out compliments too often.“Unfortunately, that won’t be enough against a rogue druid. Common bandits, maybe, but utterly pointless against another magic user.” Ironwood called for the vines to release Thorn and the vines obeyed, lowering the buck onto his back before releasing their grip. Ironwood turned towards the tall grass Thorn has used earlier. The vines he had sent out were still stuck to something hidden within. Ironwood’s curiosity compelled him to know what he did. He moved to the side of the tall grass and moved it aside to find the vines intertwined with a second set of vines, however; these vines were positioned upward and were covered in massive thorns, effectively spearing Ironwood’s vines to Thorn’s.

While Ironwood wasn’t impressed earlier, he was by this. Thorn had infused his own special magic into the vines. His own revolved around infusing plants with the properties of ironwood tree bark. It’s wasn’t unheard of for some Guardians to be able give plants an infusion of their unique magic, but for a deer as young as Thorn to do so was rare or some form of dumb luck, either way it was impressive. Ironwood opted not to mention it lest it cause Thorn to focus on it too much. The master turned to his student he let a rare and ever so subtle smile grace his face. “Overall, an impressive improvement, Thorn. Still room to improve further, but still impressive.” Ironwood stated with a hint of pride in his voice.

Thorn was floored. He was complimented not once, but twice. The young buck started to question if he had really done something impressive or perhaps he was really really exhausted. Either way, he was overjoyed. “Th-thank you, master!”

Ironwood let the smile persist, “Your very much welcome.” He then looked to the sky to see the sun had begun to head back toward the horizon. It was getting later into the day, and while Ironwood barely broke a sweat, Thorn was pretty tired. Along with the fact he had relegated Thorn to patrol duty for the night, he saw no reason to continue their dueling session. He told Thorn to return to the Great Tree for spell training and then return home to rest up for patrol later.

Thorn bowed to his master and went off to do as he was told, happy in the fact he wouldn’t be getting hit by vines for a while. He was nearly out of the arena when Ironwood threw in a teasing comment, “Careful the Alicorn doesn’t get you in the night!”

Thorn groaned inwardly. As much as he respected his master, he lamented that he had ever sharing his fawnhood nightmares with him. It was Ironwood’s guilty pleasure to tease Thorn about his fear of ponies, even though he’d long since outgrown that fear years ago. The old tale of the pony that sent the forest into chaos was a common tale told to fawn’s to keep them from wandering the forest at night. Thorn opted not to rebuttal lest he give his master more fuel to tease him with, he simply headed off to the Great Tree to perform his meditation for the day.
______________________________________________________________________

Back in Ponyville, Fluttershy and Twilight had finished their lunch and were making their way back to Fluttershy’s cottage to speak to Mr. Robbin. Twilight was giddy at the prospect of possibly encountering a long lost pony civilization and was going over the many possibilities of why a such a civilization might have opted to disappear into the Everfree. Fluttershy on the other hand had tuned Twilight's ramblings out. Like most of her friends, she knew when Twilight was on a lecture rant there wasn't much that could break her out of it. Not that Fluttershy didn't like her lectures, just that she had something occupying her attention. She internally questioning if she was doing the right thing. Was it right for her to barge in on this mare’s life? She obviously wanted to be left alone if she was so far into the Everfree. It was well known that the deeper into the Everfree you went, the more hostile the creatures of the forest got. Fluttershy often went to Froggy Bottom Bog to assist the frogs, but it was one of the few times when she flew to a location to avoid the possible encounters with manticores, cockatrices, or timberwolves. The thought made her wonder how a lone mare and her foals managed to keep the creatures at bay. Even magic didn’t deter many of the creatures from assaulting wayward travelers who tried to use the Everfree as a shortcut. For a mare, regardless of pony type, to have lived as long as she had, must have a trick to protecting herself.

While she wasn’t as excited as Twilight, Fluttershy was beginning get just a little excited. Maybe she was an animal expert like herself...or maybe she was just a mare who wanted to be alone and she was about to intrude her secluded life. Oh, I really do hope she doesn’t mind us intruding. I wouldn't want her to be angry at me. Fluttershy thought to herself. But if Twilight asks...maybe she won't be mad? Oh I shouldn't pass the blame to Twilight...or assume her new status will give her special privilege. I'm such a bad friend.

Fluttershy continued to berate herself mentally for most of the trip, while Twilight continued to go through several probable scenarios that might have lead to the civilization isolating themselves. One scenario included the great banana catastrophe of 1337 CR.

After traveling the remaining distance to Fluttershy's cottage, the pair began their search for Mr. Robbin. "Oh is that him?" Twilight asked pointing at a robin perched on an erant branch of a tree.

"No, that's Ms. Sophia. She's here while her chicks learn to fly." Fluttershy responded.

"Oh, then...is that him?" Twilight asked pointing to yet another robin.

"Oh that's Mr. Gerald. He's been trying to get Ms.Sophia to notice him." Fluttershy giggled a bit, "He's making amazing progress."

Twilight gave her a deadpan look and facehooved. "Okaaay...do you know where Mr. Robbin is?” Twilight asked with a little bit of irritation.

Fluttershy blushed a bit and rubbed her front hooves together nervously, “Oh sorry, he likes to rest in the cottage. I’ll go get him.”

As stated, Fluttershy went into her cottage and retrieved the robin. Fluttershy explained the situation to the robin. The tiny grey and orange bird cocked his head slightly then proceeded to chirp something to Fluttershy. “Oh are you sure? We don’t want to be intrusive.” Fluttershy responded to the chirping. Mr. Robbin gave an affirmative nod and chirped something to Fluttershy again. Flutters seemed unsure and a bit apprehensive, “Well, I suppose if you don’t think she’d mind. It wouldn’t take long would it?”

Twilight looked to Fluttershy anxiously, only hearing half of a conversation, she was curious what was going on.“What is he saying?”

Fluttershy hesitated for as she considered what Mr. Robbin had told her. She understood what she had been told and she wasn’t entirely okay with it. However, one look at Twilight and how excited she was caused her to reconsider. She didn’t want to disappoint her friend and her self-created guilt compelled her to go ahead with what was proposed. “Well...he said he’d be happy to send a letter...but if we wanted to......he’d.....take us to her.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, “He’d...what?”

“He’s...willing to take us....to her.” Fluttershy squeaked out the second time, albeit reluctantly.

Twilight’s eyes widened in amazement, her lips curled into an ear to ear grin, and with a shriek that would have put Rarity to shame, she proclaimed, “REALLY!?”

Fluttershy and Mr. Robbin both recoiled at the sound. Fluttershy’s ears fell against her head while, Mr. Robbin was relegated to trying to halt the sound with his wings. Unfortunately, wings are not the greatest for blocking sound and the poor bird got a nasty ring in his ears.

Noticing the effect of her unintended shriek had on her friend and the bird, Twilight gave a sheepish grin and quickly apologized. “So...he’s willing to take us to this mare? Will it take long?”

Fluttershy shook her head, “No, he says it might take us maybe an hour or so. He promised he could get us there before sunset.”

Twilight turned around to see where the sun was in relationship to the horizon. If her estimation was correct it was somewhere between two or three in the afternoon. It wouldn’t get dark for a good couple of hours, so the trek didn’t seem so daunting.

Twilight turned back to Fluttershy with a more subdued smile on her face, “Alright, let’s get going then. This is so exciting!”

Fluttershy gave a half-hearted smile, she didn’t have a good feeling about this, and hoped that the mare in the forest wouldn’t be too mad at the intrusion.

Fluttershy informed the robin that they were ready to go and the bird took off into the Everfree with a butter yellow pegasus and purple alicorn following close behind.

___________________________________________________________________________

Thorn was on his way home, his mind absorbed in something the Great Tree had told him during his meditation. It was at the tail end of their session, when the Great Tree would talk with the student so they might reflect on what they had learned.

***

“I’m happy to see Ironwood wasn’t too mad with you.” The Tree had told Thorn.

“Yeah, but I think he may have gotten some it out during our training session.” Thorn replied through their connection, a bit sardonically.

The Tree had chuckled a bit at this. “He wasn’t mad, as much as he appeared to be. He was more disappointed than anything. Your master sees much potential in you.” The Tree said knowingly.

Thorn had been confused by this and inquired with a bit of sadness growing in his heart, “Did-did he tell you that?”

There was a shift in the Tree’s emotional state that was apparent in their meditative connection. Thorn felt it and could tell that his guess was fairly spot on. The Great Tree did make a correction to that line of thought, “He...didn’t state his disappointment directly. It was merely apparent that it was on his mind when we spoke last. I tend to agree with his assumptions. You have the potential to do great things and you will make a great Guardian, in time.”

Thorn had been humbled when Ironwood had complimented him but to get such a compliment from the Great Tree was an honor in and of itself. So honored was Thorn that he was unable to form a coherent sentence. The Great Tree chuckled and allowed him to be stunned. "I know you won't let either of us down." Then the Tree shifted its focus again, as if something caught it's attention. "I believe you will be tested very soon."

The comment had snapped Thorn out of his revelry and made him question what the statement meant. Was Ironwood planning to do something during his patrol tonight? Did the Great Tree plan to test him? What did that mean? Unfortunately, the Great Tree didn't give him time to inquire. "Why don't you head home and prepare for your patrol tonight. You don't want to be late."

Thorn had wanted to ask why the Great Tree was being so vague, but most Guardians and Guardians-in-training knew that the Great Tree was wise beyond even the King of the Forest and the Elder Druid Council. Whatever the Great Tree was referring to, it was going to be important.

***
Thorn arrived at the willow tree house and was happy to see his sister out front doing several leg exercises. Azalea noted the arrival of her older brother and quickly raced to embrace him. "Welcome home!" Azalea greeted.

Thorn wrapped a leg around his sister's neck and returned the embrace. He smiled as he broke the hug and lowered himself to eye level with Azalea. "How's the exercise going?"

Azalea put on a proud smile, "Great! I've been doing thrusts and push ups and the...the..." Her proud smile devolved into a bit of frustration as she couldn't recall the name of the other exercise. "The one where you run back and forth really fast and they really hurt when you're done."

"Suicides." Thorn said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Yeah, I've been doing lots of those!" she responded with renewed vigor.

With a warm smile, Thorn ruffled the fur on Azalea's head. "Mother teach you those?"

Azalea nodded, "Yeah, she did! She said the suicides would help with direction changes."

"That they will." Thorn stated as he got back onto his hooves. "I need to get my armor. I was assigned patrol for tonight."

Azalea frowned at the news and her voice turned a bit forlorn, "So...you can't show me teach me more techniques?"

Thorn froze as he looked back at his sister, Azalea's frown was the kind that came with big puppy dog eyes attached. They bore through Thorn's eyes and struck his heart with the precision of an arrow. He barely managed not to react to the assault on his heart but it didn't stop him from assuring his sister, "Don't worry. I won't have to go in for training until the evening the next day. So we'll practice in the afternoon when I wake up, okay?"

Azalea wasn't entirely thrilled that she wasn't going to get some training/ quality time with her brother, but he was willing to make it up to her ,like usual. She gave a slight pout before saying, "I guess so."

Thorn smiled at the cute little pout, "I got to go, little sister. I'll see you tomorrow." With that Thorn went into the home and into his room. It was still in the same condition he had left it that morning. His hammock ,composed of vines and thick leaves, hung in the back corner of the room suspended from the ceiling. A small wooden desk had multiple scrolls strewn across it so depicting druidic spells and others speaking of defense/assault tactics. Then in the corner was Thorn's destination, a small cupboard that held his patrol armor. Thorn opened it to find his helmet, a breastplate, and a set of leg guards. The whole set was composed of ironwood bark and had long been cured to make it doubly durable. It was common armor for Guardians and the Royal Family’s private guards. It took him a bit, but after a few minutes he was fully suited up. The leg guards covered from his hooves to his fetlocks, his breastplate cover his barrel all the way down his back, and the helmet cover the crest of his head and part of his muzzle.

Thorn made his way down to the living room where his mother was waiting for him. “You always look so dashing in your armor.” Venus stated with a melancholy smile. “You look just like your father.”

Thorn returned the same smile and gave her a small hug.

“So they gave you patrol duty for the night?” Venus stated as she broke from the embrace.

Thorn nodded, “It’s my punishment for skipping meditation yesterday. It shouldn’t be too bad.”

Venus knew Thorn was right, it was rare for anything to happen on patrols. Occasionally, there’d be small fights between animals or a feral beast to wander too close to the Kingdom. Then there were the fawns who attempted to go into the forbidden part of the forest.Other than that most deer complained that patrol duty tended to be very boring. Despite this, Venus’ motherly instinct compelled her to take a small precaution. “Wait here for a second. I have something for you.” Venus went into the next room and collected a small pouch.

“Take this with you, just in case.” Venus stated as she handed over the pouch.

Thorn took the pouch and felt the contents inside. They felt like small ovular objects, “Seeds?”

Venus nodded, “They’re droseras. Might help restrain any unruly deer or beasts.”

Thorn stored the small pouch on his armor and thanked his mother. He gave her a final hug, said his goodbyes and headed out for his patrol duty.
____________________________________________________________________________

Within the Everfree, a lone manticore ran for it’s life. It’s pursuer was unseen but no less there. “YOU! Yes, yes, you! You’ll help me!” the unseen pursuer yelled as he got closer to his victim.

The manticore continued to flee, attempting to use it’s bat wings to flee. However, every time he made an attempt to fly away the shadow would snap at the offending appendages. “No fly! No fly! Obey you will, serve the mistress. YES!” The shadow cackled as it continued its chase.

The manticore was scared, this thing was not of the forest. Its mere presence near him was unsettling. He wasn’t sure what would happen if the creature caught up with him, but he knew it would not be good. What was scaring him most was that he was tiring, he was slowing down.

It was inevitable, he was going to be caught. He knew it and the creature knew it.

The creature lunged at the manticore and enveloped it entirely. The creature began to subvert the manticore’s will, slowly but surely taking control. The manticore resisted, fought for all it’s worth to reestablish control over his body, but it was an uphill battle and he was losing.

Soon enough, all essence of the manticore was gone and all that was left was the creature laughing over his victory. “HAHA Yes! YES! This will do! Now to find those who hurt-”

The creature stopped as he heard something. Something flapping. Birds? No, too loud to be birds. He looked around to find the source until he looked up just in time to spot a yellow pegasus followed shortly by a purple alicorn.

A small deranged smile broke across the face of the possessed manticore. “Hehehe. HA HAHA! Fortune favors, Malum! YES! Vengeance shall come for the MISTRESS!”

The creature, Malum, followed the ponies with thoughts of malicious deeds and acts dancing in his head.
___________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy and Twilight had been flying for quite some time. Fluttershy’s less than adequate flying had caused Twilight and Mr. Robbin to take frequent breaks along the trip. However, they were nearing the end of their trip. They touched down in a small clearing and were taking some time to recuperate from their flight. Twilight’s inexperience at flying and Fluttershy’s lack of flying had severely drained the two of them.

“Well...that was...more than I’ve done...before. Rainbow Dash was right...I need to work out....more.” Twilight panted.

Fluttershy was panting just as hard and merely nodded her head in affirmation.

It took them a bit for them to get their breathing back to normal but eventually the two ponies continued their trek with Mr. Robbin leading the way. The little bird seemed to be quite proud of himself as he flew towards their destination. They were nearing their destination when a loud and startling sound broke the ambient noise of the forest. It was a loud crash of trees being knocked over and small shrubbery being squashed under large paws. The two ponies and bird turned to find a large manticore with a manic smile strewn across his face.

“FoUnD YoU!” The manticore said with a squeaking screech.

Fluttershy was too scared to even scream. She’d seen manticores before, she’d even helped heal a few before, but there was something off about this one. There was a palpable feeling of malicious intent. This manticore wanted to hurt her and Twilight.

Twilight was more astonished than horrified. How was this manticore talking? Why did it sound so...demonic? Then the most important question, why was it looking for her and Fluttershy?

“You hurt Mistress....You sent her away...now I’ll end you. FOREVER!” The manticore roared as he swiped one of his massive paws towards Fluttershy. It would have connected if Twilight hadn’t blasted the manticore in the face with a magical bolt, knocking it to the side but not doing much damage. Twilight didn’t like this, That should have knocked him out cold! This isn’t good. Twilight thought as she looked to Fluttershy who was frozen in fear. I don’t know why this manticore is after us but I need to get Fluttershy out of here so I can deal with him. “Fluttershy, run and hide! I’ll take care of him.” Twilight yelled to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy didn’t budge and the manticore was getting back on his feet. Twilight ran over to Fluttershy and shook her physically, “Fluttershy!”

The pegasus was snapped from her petrified state and looked to her friend. “You have to run and hide. I’ll take care of the manticore. Just stay safe, okay?”

Fluttershy’s mind was reeling. She knew she needed to do something. Would the Stare work on this manticore? If it did it might allow them to escape! But...what if it didn’t? It might get Twilight and herself hurt or worse, killed! What do I do?! Fluttershy mentally questioned.

However, she wasn’t given time as Twilight quickly enveloped the pegasus in her violet aura and tossed her out of harm's way, just as the manticore bashed Twilight into a nearby tree. The tree’s trunk buckled and splintered as the alicorn collided with it but refused to fall. The manticore pressed his advantage and charged the downed element. He rose his scorpion tail and prepared to bring it down upon the alicorn, but was interrupted when a yellow blur zoomed in front of him. His eyes met with two turquoise eyes that bore into his very being. He was frozen. The beast body refused his command. As much as he wanted to force it to move, it wouldn’t. The next words seemed to made the beast feel an immense guilt that the shadow did not. “HOW DARE YOU!?”
___________________________________________________________________________

Thorn arrived at his outpost and reported to the head guard on site. The outpost itself was a tall oak tree with multiple balconies that allowed sentries to be posted with varying vantage points. As it was, there were three guards on duty, including Thorn, made a total of four. The two guards on the balconies were barely staying awake due to boredom and the head guard was busy reading through various missives that had arrived that evening.

“Guardian-in-training Thorn reporting in for patrol, sir.” Thorn stated as he saluted the head guard, placing on of his hooves against his breast plate.

The head guard returned the salute half heartedly, barely taking his eyes off of one of the messages. Thorn dropped his salute and felt some annoyance growing in the back of his mind. He groaned inwardly and inquired about his patrol route for the night. Again, the head guard seemed more interested and sorting through his pile of messages, but the query did cause him to stop long enough to check what guards had been assigned what routes.

“You’re on the southern most route.” The guard said with a slight hint of life in his voice.

“Understood, sir.” Thorn stated as he turned to leave and get on his route, but he was stopped by the head guard, “Oh, something before you go.” Thorn turned to look at the guard who sounded like he was actually concerned since Thorn entered. “The animals have been really restless for some reason. If you encounter any deer trying to head into that area of the forest make sure you dissuade them or, if resistant, detain them. We don’t need any deer getting killed by a feral beast.”

Thorn nodded, “I understand, sir. I’ll be vigilant.” With that he collected his provisions for the night and made his way towards his route.

Thorn walked along his specified route, trying to keep his mind active and focused so he wouldn’t get bored. I don’t know what they were talking about. I’m nearly at the halfway point and I haven’t seen a-

“HOW DARE YOU!?” A voice rang out from the forest.

Thorn’s attention was suddenly on the source of the voice. That sounded like a doe...a really angry doe. Thorn let out a sigh. Don’t tell me some couple is having some kind of spat out in the feral part of the woods. Who does that? Well...better get them out of there before their bickering draws any unwanted attention.

Thorn quickly made his way into the forest, using a down tree to catapult his way into the canopy and headed towards the source of the outcry. He was getting close when he heard another sound ring out...a scream. A pain ridden scream. And it was close. Thorn doubled his efforts and quickly came across a clearing with an absurdly large manticore standing over something. A quick glance from his higher vantage point gave him glimpse of several purple and yellow feathers scattered about and the outline of an unconscious form laying on its side. He wasn’t sure where the feathers had come from or what had happened, but it was obvious the manticore was about to attack someone. He’d have to sort the matter out later, but for now he needed to stop this manticore before some bad happened.

Thorn turned as fast as he could and pulled out a small bag with little vines sprouting from the top out of his satchel. With a deft toss he threw vine ridden bag behind the manticore and let his magic flare.

___________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy was scared, the manticore had managed to break free of the Stare! The only thing to ever break free of the Stare was Discord, but he was the Spirit of Chaos! Was this manticore something on par with Discord?! It didn’t make sense! To make matter’s worse when the beast broke free from the Stare it went to swipe at her but Twilight had knocked her out of the way, and she ended up taking the brunt of the attack. Now she wasn’t moving, and the manticore was glaring at her with that wicked smile. He was going to kill her. “Help...Somepony, please help me.” the lone mare cried.
“Nothing here to help! No help coming for you! First you go, then her, then the rest, then Mistress will come back, then she will love me! Hahahahaha hehe!” the creature cackled as it raised one of its claws preparing to bring it down on the helpless mare. Fluttershy closed her eyes and cried as she prepared for the worst.

Then....nothing happened. There was no claw, no pain, no end. She dared a peek and was surprised by what she saw. Vines were wrapped around every appendage of the manticore and were pulling it away from her. Was Twilight doing this? No, she’s still unconscious...so where did the vines come from?

“I don’t know who you are but you need to get out of here while I deal with the manticore.” A masculine voice called out from the forest. Had somepony followed her and Twilight into the forest? Fluttershy broke herself of her questioning as the mystery stallion had a point, she rushed over to Twilight and pulled her into a nearby bush. Fluttershy hoped it would at least keep her out of way of danger for a bit. Twilight was still breathing, but she had a nasty gash on her head from where she was hit.

Meanwhile, Malum was struggling against the vines that were keeping him from going after the mares. He was tugging at the vine attempting to claw them off. Well, I’ve stopped him...but those vines aren’t going to hold. Think, Thorn, think!...Oh wait!

Thorn let the vines hold the manticore and started enacting his plan, staying within the confines of the canopy. As expected, the vines snapped under the manticore’s brute strength. “You! YOU! You stopped me! I’LL END YOU!” the manticore yelled. He then began to charge towards he heard the voice from before. With the power Malum was channelling into the manticore, he was easily able to snap the tree in twain. However, the only thing to fall out of the tree were twigs.

“Where!? Where are you!?”

“Over here!” Thorn taunted.

The manticore turned towards the voice and charged the source impetuously. Again the tree fell as it was snapped under the manticores might.

“Almost! I’m right here!” Thorn taunted again from another nearby tree.

“I’m going to MAUL YOU until there’s nothing but PULP!” the manticore yelled in rage.

The raging manticore again charged the tree but something stopped him halfway to his destination. Looking down he found himself trapped in a vibrant red flower with hundreds of sticky follicles. His paws were stuck to the follicles and the more he attempted to get out of the plant the more he got stuck. “What is this!? LET ME GO!! MISTRESS NEEDS ME TO FIX THIS!” The manticore yelled his ire at an all time high.

Thorn dropped out of the tree he’d been hiding in, “Gotcha. Now, you stay there and calm down. I’m not sure what happened to let you speak, but I’ll do what I can do help you. Just stay there while I check on those does.”

Despite the suggestion, the manticore did not stop thrashing. If anything he doubled his efforts but it only managed to get him stuck further in the sticky substance coating the flower.

“Hey, it’s safe to come out.” Thorn called out.
___________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy had been watching the whole ordeal, and now she saw her rescuer. What was he? He looked kinda like a pony, but he was way taller. He was easily as tall as Princess Celestia, if not a bit shorter. And he appeared to have... multiple horns? Did that explain how he was able to use magic. Maybe he could help her and Twilight get out of the forest...or find the mare they were looking for. She hesitated to come out, but she managed to speak up just enough to be heard, “W-w-we’re....over here.”

Thorn spotted the source of the voice. It was oddly soft. It hardly sounded like the angry and commanding voice he had heard earlier. Maybe the voice came from the other doe. Thorn shrugged it off and headed towards the bush. “You two want to come out? Your friend looked pretty hurt.”

“Um...I uh...yeah...she...she has a...small gash on her head.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound good. Why don’t you get her out here, I have a some salve that might help.” Thorn began searching through his satchel for his medical salve.

Fluttershy in the mean time carefully pulled Twilight out of the bush. Thorn was still fumbling with his satchel.

Eventually he found what he was looking he went to address the injury, a small wrapped leaf containing medicinal salve. It was at this point, when he finally got a good look at the two “does” he had rescued. He saw the small yellow pony with a pink mane and tail. Then he caught a glimpse of her friend and his heart nearly stopped.Thorn’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks and his heart rate jumped exponentially. She too was a pony...but she had wings and a horn. She was an alicorn.

No...that’s...not possible...It’s just a story told to fawns! They can’t be real! The buck thought as he attempted to rationalize what he was seeing.

“Um...hello? Mister? Are you...okay?” Fluttershy asked as she hesitantly looked at the buck.

“I...I...don’t...Wha...are...You...you aren’t real,” Thorn stuttered in fear.

“What?” Fluttershy asked. She’d seen this look before in many of her animals. Whoever and whatever this thing was, he was horrified.

“You...you can’t be real.” Thorn reiterated.

Fluttershy gave the buck an incredulous look, “What do you mean? You’re not making sense.” She slowly walked toward her rescuer. The deer visibly stiffened and most of his body locked up.

Fluttershy noted the reaction and attempted to calm him down, “It’s okay, I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to help my friend.”

Thorn looked to the unconscious alicorn, then back to the pegasus.“You’re friends with an alicorn, but you don’t want to hurt me? What are you trying to pull?”, asked a bit insulted.

Fluttershy looked at Thorn with a confused looked, “What do you mean? She’s the Princess of Friendship, she’d never harm anypony.”

Thorn’s fear subsided a bit as his mind attempted to process this new information. Princess of Friendship? That doesn’t sound like the Nightmare Alicorn...she must be trying to trick me...but she doesn’t look evil and her eyes are really pretty.....GAH, stop that! It has to be a ruse!...But...what if it isn’t? What if she dies because I refuse to help? Thorn’s mind raged in conflict. His fawnhood fear was being presented before him, he should do something, report the two.

“Uh...is it okay if...I could get the salve...if that’s okay with you?” Fluttershy asked pointing at the salve in Thorn’s hoof.

Thorn looked to the mare and realized he was still holding the salve. “Oh, uh sure, sorry.” He then handed over the small leaflet of salve. Fluttershy took the salve and applied it to Twilight’s gash and the wound stopped bleeding. The salve even seemed to close the wound entirely.

“Thank you. This is very potent.”

Thorn was unsure what to do. Everything he’d been told about ponies seemed completely erroneous at this point. They were supposed to bring chaos to the forest, to make things feral in their wake, but...this one didn’t seem malicious at all. If anything she reminded him of a mouse, meek and quiet. So...what should he do...wait, what were they doing here anyway?

“Um, Miss. What are you and your... ‘friend’ doing in the forest? It’s not the safest place at this time.”

The pony looked to the deer and realized for the first time she was alone (kinda) with a male. She immediately felt her nerves get the best of her, “I-uh-we were...uh...looking for...a mare in the forest.”

Thorn cocked an eyebrow, “Sorry, what was that last part?”

“We’re looking for a mare.”

Is she getting quieter? What’s up with her? “Uh, you’re looking for some deer?” he inquired

Fluttershy nodded before whimpering a bit.

Thorn stopped for a second and blushed a bit. By the Great Tree’s bark that’s adorable....WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!? Thorn thought as he shook his mind free of such a thought. She’s messing with me! She must be...right? Ugh, I need to do report this. I’m not sure how to handle this. “Ok, look I need to report this to my superior. So, I need you and your friend to come with me.” Thorn said authority.

Fluttershy whimpered a bit but agreed regardless.

Well...at least she’s cooperative. Now I just need to get the two of...Thorn stopped as he realized he need to get BOTH ponies back to the outpost. He looked at the alicorn then back to Fluttershy, then back to the alicorn again. Can she carry her? They are about the same size.

“Can you carry her?” Thorn inquired pointing to Twilight and hoping she’d say yes.

Fluttershy looked a bit uncertain, “I...suppose?”

That wasn’t very reassuring, he really did not want to carry the alicorn. The idea alone sent a wave of goosebumps through his body. Having his fawnhood nightmare on his back was not something he wanted to go through. Thankfully...or perhaps unfortunately, the alicorn in question began to rise from her unconscious slumber. “Uuuh...huh?”

Twilight looked up to find her friend right next to her and suddenly remembered what had caused her unwanted slumber. “THE MANTICORE! Fluttershy, don’t worry. We’re getting out of here!”

Thorn seized up as he saw the horn of the alicorn light up and envelope the group. Within seconds they were gone into a violet void leaving nothing but an enraged manticore struggling to free itself from an oversized drosera plant.

Author's Notes:

Sorry this took a while. I'm juggling my other story, this story, and some drama in real life. I hope you guys like this. Please leave critics, comments, and any grammatical issues in the comment section.
Also this is a Drosera

Chapter 4

It was late into the evening when the trio reappeared in the center of Ponyville. However, the three of them were in various emotional states. One was groggy due to a small concussion, one worried about the one with the concussion, and the third was having Equestria’s greatest panic attack. For the sake of understanding the third’s mental break down, we’ll focus on him.

“WHAT?! WHAT?! What was that?! Where are we?! WHAT DID YOU-” Thorn yelled in confusion. Unfortunately for him, his panic ridden state caused some unwanted attention from some of the residents of Ponyville. Several ponies redirected their attention towards the buck, and they locked onto him with no intention to deviate. Thorn was quick to take notice and his fears reached an all new high. There weren’t just three ponies now, there were...a lot. Looking at him.

His eyes shrunk to atomic levels, and his breathing was too erratic to be healthy. He was sweating buckets and his mind was barely maintaining proper levels of sanity. “P-p-p-p-ponies e-e-e-everyw-w-where...” he spat out before he started foaming at the mouth,his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and Thorn all but collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Fluttershy watched as the buck had a full and complete mental shutdown and couldn’t determine how to react. He’s...scared of ponies? Fluttershy thought to herself. For a moment, she felt a twinge of familiarity. Her fear of being the center of attention often limited her interaction with ponies. It wasn’t until she had met her good friend Pinkie Pie that she really opened up...gradually...very gradually.

“Fluttershy? You okaaaaaa- OH MY GOSH! What is that?!” A slightly woozy Twilight stated pointing to Thorn’s unconscious form.

“He’s the one who stopped the manticore back in the forest,” Fluttershy stated.

Twilight looked at her friend with widening eyes, her curiosity being peaked. “How? Did he fight it off? Did he trick it? Did he us-oh...whoa...feeling dizzy.” Twilight said as she started to sway a bit.

Fluttershy rushed to her friend and helped steady her, “Easy, Twilight. You might have a concussion. Let’s get you and...him to the hospital. They can take care of the both of you.”

Twilight nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that's a good idea." She looked to the buck,"How are we going to move him, though? He's as tall as Princess Celestia, and I'm not certain how stable my magic is right now."

Fluttershy considered Twilight's question. They could drape him over their shoulders, but with Twilight being as wobbly as she was, it wasn't viable. Putting him on her back wasn't going to work due to his height. Oh, if only Rainbow Dash or Apple Jack were here. They'd have no problem with this.

Fluttershy was gifted with one of her friend's presence, but not the one she was expecting. "Hey, Fluttershy! Whatcha doing out here with Twilight and..." The new arrival, Pinkie Pie, gasped as she spotted Thorn’s unconscious body. "Who is he?! I've never seen him before or what he is! OH OH, I'm going to have to throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and a ‘Welcome to Pony Society' party! YAY!"

Fluttershy was dumbfounded by her friend’s sudden appearance, “Pinkie, why are you out here? There aren’t any parties tonight.”

“Oh, some strange stallion with yellow eyes and black sclera told me I needed to be here to-

Pinkie! We talked about this! I’m not part of the story. Follow the script!

“Oh right, sorry. What I meant to say was, my Pinkie Sense told me that something new and unexpected was going to arrive in Ponyville, so I looked for where the signal was strongest and it was here, but there wasn’t anything here! So I waited in that bush until something happened and sure enough you and Twilight appeared right here with that guy!” Pinkie rattled off without so much as breaking for breath. “So who, and what is he and what kind of cake does he like?”

“We don’t know. He saved us out in the forest.” Fluttershy stated, before realizing a very simple thing she had neglected to find out about her savior. I never got his name. Although he did seem nice. Oh, I should tell the girls about his fear. “Um, girls, there was something...I noticed about him.”

Twilight and Pinkie gave Fluttershy their attention, “I...think he might be...scared of ponies.”

This perplexed both of the ponies in attendance...along with several other ponies who were beginning to crowd around Thorn. Twilight took note of the gathering ponies and turned her attention towards her friends, “Well, if he wakes up with this many ponies I doubt, he’ll be too willing to talk to us.” Twilight turned to face the crowd, “Okay, everypony, that’s enough. Please clear out!”

The ponies chose to heed the princesses words albeit, reluctantly and began to vacate the area. Twilight was still a bit woozy but she was glad that she was still articulate. “Okay, girls. Let’s get to Ponyville General. I’m really starting to feel a bit woozy.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie both nodded. With Fluttershy supporting one side of the unconscious deer and Pinkie supporting the other, they made their way to the hospital.
_______________________________________________________________________

“The Deer oppose us?! THE DEER!? They ran in fear of our mistress years ago, now they defy US? US?!” Malum screamed as he struggled against the sticky grip of his flowery prison. His rage continually causing him to thrash around only causing his body to get stuck more in the drosera. His rage had persisted for quite some time since being left and was slowly beginning to burn off, leading to more clear and focused thoughts, “Ponies not only problem....now deer...deer and ponies work together?...No, deer scared of ponies...Deer no help them...but a deer did help ponies.”

Malum didn’t like this train of thought. He could handle the ponies...but deer too? That’d complicate things. Getting rid of six ponies was no big deal, but if the deer got involved it would make it harder. “Need to think...need to search” He then made a note of his current predicament, “...need better body. Need to get rid of those six ponies. Bring Mistress back. Make her happy.” With a less than thought out plan set in mind, he pulled himself from the manticore leaving nothing but an empty shell with no consciousness less. Malum looked at what was left of his flesh puppet and sneered,“Worthless beast, find better next time.” With that done, he left the soulless body to wither, as he slunk into the forest to think out a better plan and find a more suitable body to take.
__________________________________________________________________________

Ponyville General Hospital was winding down for the night. It was rare for them to be too busy, aside from a few broken bones, the occasional strained wing, and on those very rare occasions a laceration. A young white earth pony mare with a red cross for a cutie mark was manning the front desk while she took care of some paperwork. She anticipated it to be a fairly quiet night as not much happened around Ponyville after dark. So it was a bit interesting when not only did the recently appointed Princess of Friendship enter the front entrance but was soon accompanied by Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie carrying an unusual creature with branch-like horns.

“Um...Can I help you, Princess Twilight?” the mare asked with a bit of uncertainty.

“You can just call me Twilight, no need for formalities, Nurse Redheart,” Twilight stated a bit sheepishly. “And yes, I need a cranial examination. I took a bit of a blow to the head and I might have a slight concussion.”

Redheart maintained her professionalism and made her way toward the Princess. “Well, let me take a look before we get a doctor.”

Twilight sat on her haunches and let the nurse do her cursory exam. It took her a few seconds, but the nurse did find a small fresh wound near Twilight’s temple. It was slightly open, but it wasn’t bleeding. The wound could lead to a concussion, Redheart went through the standard string of questions to determine a concussion before she was interrupted by a strategically placed cough.
Redheart and Twilight turned toward the source of the cough to find Pinkie and Fluttershy still carrying the unconscious buck. Redheart blushed a bit, realizing she had completely forgotten about the second “patient”. “Oh, hehe, sorry. What does he need?”, Redheart asked sheepishly.

“Oh...um...he saved Twilight and me in the forest. But he passed out when we arrive back in town.” Fluttershy informed the nurse.

Redheart gave the pegasus a quizzical look, “What caused him to pass out?”

“He’s...scared of ponies.” Fluttershy retorted.

Redheart’s quizzical look deepened, “Then why did he come into a town called ‘Ponyville’?”

This time, it was Twilight’s turn to blush. “Uuuum, he didn’t I...sorta teleported him into the middle of town.”, she stated with a bit of a nervous chuckle.

Redheart shot Twilight a deadpan look, face hoofed, and sighed, “Okay, we have a small isolated room we can put him in until he wakes. As for you, Princess, we’ll get you into an examination room and get your head examined.”

Redheart paged a few other nurses to come and help move Thorn, while Redheart took Twilight to an examination room.

____________________________________________________________________________

The night went by without much incident, aside from one soul within Ponyville Hospital. The lone deer had a horrid nightmare about a purple alicorn attempting to steal his soul with her evil magic. Just before he lost his soul, he awoke to find himself...strangely comfortable. His hammock never felt this...fluffy. Then there was something on top of him that was really warm and he felt compelled to wrap himself in its inviting embrace. And on top of all that there was this super fluffy thing under his head...Wait. I don’t own or know about anything like this.

This thought was enough to force the buck to sit up and realize three things. One, he wasn’t in his tree home. Two, he was in a strangely white room with a very shiny floor. Finally, he wasn’t alone in the room.

Across the room in a small chair, was a slightly familiar yellow pony with a pink mane and wings. Thorn immediately froze and looked at the mare as his eyes shrank. Suddenly, that nightmare was beginning to seem very real. The mare in question took notice of the bucks regained consciousness. “Oh, good morning...Mister.”, she stated hesitantly at almost whisper volume.

Thorn was planning his escape when he heard the greeting. He looked at the mare then back to the door he was planning to bolt for. “Uh...hi?” He responded.

The pegasus fidgeted a bit in her chair, avoiding eye contact with the buck. “I...uh...just wanted to...um...thank you for saving...my friend and me...last night.”

Despite the whispering tone, Thorn did catch part of what the mare said. She...thanked him. Was this a trick? She did trick him last night when that alicorn did... that magic...moment...thing. Now she was thanking him? Well, he did stop the manticore from killing her. So...maybe it wasn’t a trick? “Uh...you’re welcome?”, Thorn said with trepidation. “Where am I?”

The mare continued to avoid eye contact as she responded, “Ponyville General Hospital.”

“Why am I here?”

“Um...well, when Twilight teleported us here...you sort of...passed out. So, we, my friends and I, brought you here.”

Explains the nightmare. Thorn thought. He then returned to his escape plan and how hard it would be to get past his “guard”. “So, how long are you going to hold me here?”

The mare finally made eye contact with the buck, but she had a very confused look on her face. “What do you mean? You can leave anytime you want. Nopony is keeping you here.”

Thorn gave the mare a skeptical look as he slowly left his fluffy cushion of comfort. “So...I can just...leave? Just like that?”

The mare just nodded as the buck slowly approached the door. He slowly pushed the door opened and looked to the mare again. She made no attempt to stop him. He took a few steps out the door and down the hall. He then realized each step of his hooves reverberated through the hospital. He was used to wood floors that occasionally creaked, but they didn’t make this much noise. Then he realized the mare still wasn’t coming after him. Why? She’s not stopping me, she isn’t restraining me, and she isn’t even demanding anything from me. What’s going on here?

Thorn immediately turned around and returned to the room. As he entered he bumped into the mare in question, eliciting a small “eep!” from the mare. Thorn looked down at the mare and noted she had backpedaled after initial contact. “Why are you being nice to me?”,Thorn asked with all trepidation gone from his voice.

The mare again avoided eye contact but answered regardless, “Well, you helped my friends and me...so...it only seemed right.”

The statement was simple and held nothing illogical about it, yet Thorn felt oddly conflicted. Before him was a pony, the thing fawnhood nightmares were made of. Creatures that created chaos anywhere they went....Yet, here was one acting scared of him and showing him kindness. What backward madness is this?!

Thorn’s befuddled look inspired the mare to speak to the buck, “Um...why does that confuse you?”

Thorn turned to the mare again, “Because...you’re a pony! My entire fawnhood has told me that your kind is dangerous and evil!...But...You’re being nice and kind and...I’m just...confused.” Thorn said with as he rubbed the sides of his head.

The mare again looked the buck with an incredulous look, “Who told you that? That’s not what we are like at all.”

Thorn sighed, “Old tales. They said that long ago a blue alicorn came to the forest and threw it into turmoil. We deer are very connected to the forest, we try to maintain it and anything that can cause that much chaos is...horrifying.”

Fluttershy perked up at the mention of his species. She even raised her voice (to a regular audible range), “Oh, you’re called deer! Twilight was wondering about that. Oh, she’ll be so excited.”

Thorn cocked an eyebrow, “You didn’t know I was a deer?”

The mare shook her head, “No, we had no idea. We knew there might be somepony living in the forest but we thought it was a pony. No pony knew your kind existed.”

Thorn’s jaw hit the ground. His world view was being smashed. Part of him was questioning whether or not the mare was lying but...Something about her didn’t seem deceptive. Her innocent eyes, the submissive behavior, it didn’t add up. She hadn’t even attempted to restrain him. Maybe...the stories were wrong?

Thorn let out a long sigh, “I don’t know what to think anymore. Things aren’t making sense.”

The mare rubbed her front legs together as she made her first bold move of the day, “Um...by the way...my name is Fluttershy...in case you were...wondering” She finished as a blush came across her face.

Thorn averted his gaze for a moment as the sight was too adorable to look at directly. “T-Thorn. My name is Thorn.”

The two sat in awkward silence as the two attempted to determine what to do next...until it was shattered by a pink form appearing over Thorn’s shoulder. “HI! I’m Pinkie Pie! Who and what are you!?”

Thorn was definitely not ready and his first response was to flee back behind Fluttershy and scream very loudly.

Author's Notes:

Let the learning begin!

Chapter 5

Fluttershy found herself seizing up at the sensation of the Thorn (a male) suddenly moving behind her and using her as living shield. On the opposite side of the room was Ponyville’s resident greeter/party planner/ and randomness generator, Pinkie Pie.

“Wow, Fluttershy wasn’t joking. You really are scared of ponies.” Pinkie said with a half smile. The party pony made her way into the room stopping half way between Fluttershy and the deer.

Thorn was attempting to determine how the pink mare had managed to come up behind him, without making a sound on the noisy floor. Then realized exactly what he was behind and quickly increased the distance between himself and the pegasus. His heart rate was back to panic levels and the fact that the pink mare had somehow materialized next to him only added to his panic.

"I-I...How? Where did you come from?!" Thorn exclaimed, pointing to the pink mare.

"Well, when a mare and a stallion love each other-" Pinkie started before being interrupted by Thorn.

"Not what I meant! I mean how'd you get behind me without making a noise?"

"Oh! That's easy, I used the vents." Pinkie stated matter-of-factly.

Thorn cocked an eyebrow, "Vents?" He'd never heard that word used in that context.

"Yeah!" She walked over to a silvery metal grate and gave it a light tap, causing the grate to fall, and revealed a decently sized air vent. "See? Nice and spacious!"

Thorn was hesitant but he eventually summed up the courage to check the mare's claim. Sure enough what she had said was true, but what confused him was the cool breeze escaping the vent. "The air is cold in here, how is that possible? Winter is still months away."

Pinkie shot the buck an odd look, "It's air conditioning. You don't have that where you're from?"

Thorn merely shook his head opting to keep Pinkie in his sights. He was wary of this new pony, she seemed...odd.

"Weird. Anyway, what's your name?" Pinkie asked with a smile.

"It's Thorn" He answered slowly. He then remembered what he heard before being startled, "You said your name was...Pinkie Pie, right?", Thorn asked still keeping his eye on the mare.

"Yeppers! Pinkamena Dianne Pie. So, now that we're introduced, what kind of cake do you like?", Pinkie inquired with a wide grin on her face.

Again, Thorn was confused as this was another word he was unfamiliar with. "What is cake?", He asked innocently.

Pinkie's pupils shrank to near pinpricks as she heard the three words that assaulted her ears. At first, she assumed it as just a harmless joke, but as she looked at the buck's confused face and noticed how it wasn't switching to the "gotcha" look, she began to realize the horrid truth. She suddenly ran up to the buck and, despite the size difference, picked the buck up in her hooves and shook him vigorously. "HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT CAKE!?" She yelled as she shook Thorn.

"I doOoOon't knoOoOoOw!? We juUuUust doOoOon't have it!" Thorn said as his body was violently shaking.

Once again, Pinkie's ears were assaulted by another set of words that went against her perception of life. A place that did not have cake. The statement caused Pinkie to drop the now dizzy Thorn unceremoniously onto the ground.

The thump was enough to snap Fluttershy out of her stupor and notice the scenario playing out near her. She saw Thorn on the ground looking dazed and confused, while Pinkie looked like she'd been told something earth shattering. She attended to her friend first, "Um, Pinkie? Is something wrong?"

Pinkie slowly turned to Fluttershy pulled her close, "Bring him by Sugar Cube Corner around sundown! I have work to do!" And with that she took off at blinding speeds, once again leaving Fluttershy and Thorn alone. Fluttershy was still unsure what had happened but assumed Pinkie was planning a party for Thorn. She turned her attention to aforementioned buck as he got back to his hooves.

"Sorry, for Pinkie. She tends to get, um...excited when there are new arrivals. I hope she didn't scare you." Fluttershy asked in her usual quiet tone.

Thorn, to his credit recovered from his full body shake, although he was still seeing some stars. He shook off the rest of his disorientation before speaking to Fluttershy, "She...startled me, for certain. Is she...always that...uh...energetic?"

The pegasus mare gave him a sheepish nod.

This gave Thorn pause, and he hoped that maybe he might limit his interactions with the energetic mare. Something about her just seemed off to Thorn, and he didn't like how 'feely' she was either. He didn't like being around the ponies, period...Although...he felt strangely comfortable around Fluttershy. He wasn't sure why, but he wasn't as scared of her. He was wary of her sure, but he didn't feel scared in her presence. He was going to question what made her so different from the alicorn or the pink mare, but he remembered that he had an important objective that he needed to do: Get back home.

"Uh, Fluttershy, I...I appreciate you and your friends taking care of me, but I need to get home." Thorn stated in a calm, but serious tone.

"Oh, of course, sorry to have kept you." ,Fluttershy said while avoiding eye contact by hiding behind her mane. She was still holding a bit of a blush from being in close proximity to Thorn, but it had subsided to a mild pink. Why is that so...adorable...and why do I keep thinking that?! Thorn thought as he was suddenly working to hide his own blush of embarrassment.

"Ah, it's fine. Really. Now, I really should be going. My family will be worried that I haven't returned yet."

The mare looked up slightly with a bit of interest, "Oh, you have a family?"

Thorn nodded as he began to leave the room, "Yes, my mother along with my younger sister."

Fluttershy nodded in understanding as she followed behind Thorn. She was starting to feel a bit more at ease around Thorn and she was happy to see he was relaxing a bit around her too. At least, he seems like a nice pony... deer. A nice deer. It just seems odd that he's scared of ponies. Fluttershy thought as she followed behind Thorn. However, this train of thought shifted to another line of reasoning. Do...all deer think we're monsters? Oh, I hope not. I couldn't stand it if- "Oof" Fluttershy squeaked as she ran into something solid. She looked to see that Thorn had stopped in the middle of a hallway intersection. He was looking down each hallway several times, looking more and more confused.

"Um, Mr. Thorn...is everything...okay?" Fluttershy asked with concern.

Thorn's blush returned as he gave Fluttershy an embarrassed chuckle, "Hehe, uh...which way is the exit?...and my stuff?"

Fluttershy giggled a bit and took the lead, "The exit is this way. Nurse Redheart put your armor and bag in a storage bin near the entrance."

Thorn gave a sheepish thank you and followed behind the pegasus until they reached the front entrance. True to Fluttershy's word, Thorn's armor and satchel bag were in a locked storage bin near the front. Although Nurse Redheart had clocked out during the night, the on-duty nurse was able to return Thorn's personal effects, albeit while giving Thorn a curious look. Thorn managed to not freak out as much as he did initially. His heart rate still jumped when he saw the pony nurse, but he was able to keep his expression fairly neutral.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked timidly as Thorn put his armor back on.
Thorn turned to the mare as he put his helmet on. He was still struggling to determine how to feel about these ponies. She’s nice. The ponies here took care of me while I slept. Nothing adds up to the stories! Especially, this one. She’s timid, barely speaks above a whisper, and I could swear she doesn’t want to get within a few feet of me. It doesn’t match!...Although...the pink one might be up to something. “Yeah, just...trying to deal with...this.”, he replied while motioning to everything around him. His expression was a bittersweet smile and his discomfort was becoming apparent.

Fluttershy noted the bucks unease and she thought of something to help him relax a bit. “Um...you know there was a time...when...I was scared of other ponies...and I’m...still a bit scared of them.”

Thorn cocked an eyebrow in confusion, “Why’s that?”

“Well...when I was a filly...I was teased because of my poor flying. When I came to Ponyville, I assumed that...everypony would make fun of me. I learned that...not all of them are like that...but I still...get scared sometimes.”

Thorn wasn’t sure what to do. He understood what the mare was trying to do, but what he didn’t understand was why. Within the span of an hour, every preconceived notion he had about ponies had been put in a box, then put into another box, then mailed to him and summarily smashed with a comically oversized hammer. Why did the stories exist if they were wrong? Something wasn’t adding up. Maybe the Great Tree knows? It's been around for a long time maybe it knows something. Thorn made a mental note to ask The Great Tree when he got back. He then put his focus back on the mare. “I...I’m sorry...and thank you. I realize you’re trying to be friendly. I’m just realizing...my idea of ponies is...being put into question”, Thorn stated with some conflict in his voice.

“It’s okay. You...just seem very, you know, worried every time you see a pony. I...can...relate to that, so I just thought it might...make you feel...um...more...hmmm” Fluttershy tried to finished her sentence but she started getting nervous as she noticed Thorn focusing on her.

Thorn put on a light hearted smile. When Fluttershy got flustered like that she looked very cute. “Seems you are still working on those fears.”

“S-sorry, I still get nervous around new ponies...and deer” she replied with a growing blush.

The buck continued to smile, “It is fine.” He turned toward the door of the hospital and his smile dimmed slightly. Speaking of dealing with fears. The buck took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he approached the door. This was not going to be pleasant. He opened the door with a hoof and stepped out into Ponyville. He was thankful to find that there weren’t many ponies around, but the feeling was short-lived when he noticed his destination required him to travel through the town. The fates are conspiring to scare me to death. Thorn groaned mentally.

The buck started making his way into town when he heard Fluttershy calling to him. Thorn turned to find the mare nervously hiding behind her mane. “Um...Mr. Thorn...I know that you need to get home...but...um...Would you be okay talking to....my friend, Twilight? If you want, that is.”

Thorn had to think for a moment about who Twilight was, and upon the realization that this was the purple alicorn from the night before he began to feel his heart rate rise. He then forced himself to calm down and think. Ok, ok. My idea of ponies may not entirely correct. Maybe...Thorn gulped as the thought came into his mind. Maybe I should...at least talk to the alicorn.

Thorn slowly and reluctantly affirmed he would speak with the alicorn princess. If only to get some information on ponies and maybe quell his fears. A tiny smile graced the pegasus’ face, “Oh thank you. Twilight was very curious about you...but she was told to rest after she was healed last night. She should still be at the library. I can lead you there...if you want.”

Thorn gave her the okay to lead and the two made their way to the library; however, while Fluttershy was happy to be seeing her friend, she worried that Thorn might attract attention like he did last night. She didn’t mention it, as she didn’t want to inconvenience Thorn. She just hoped the town hadn’t fully awakened.

Unfortunately for both Thorn and Fluttershy, Ponyville was wide awake. To say the trip to the library was awkward would be an understatement. The citizens of Ponyville were well aware that there was something new and unexpected in Ponyville. Word had spread the night before about Twilight and Fluttershy arriving with an odd creature, but now that the aforementioned creature was clearly visible on the streets, there wasn’t a single eye that wasn’t looking in Thorn and Fluttershy’s direction. As the two moved through Ponyville, all sound seemed to give way to silence and nary a soul dared break it.

Thorn didn’t have to look to know that there were many eyes on him, and Fluttershy was just as aware. Even with the attention on Thorn, Fluttershy couldn’t help but shrink as there was an inordinate amount of attention partially in her direction. Thorn was feeling uncomfortable, but he was managing to hold his composure. For the most part, many of the ponies were staring with intense interest and others with general curiosity. The two continued their walk in a general silence, neither wanting to say anything that might garner more unwanted attention. However, fate didn’t see fit to allow the two to travel unimpeded.

As the two continued their trek toward the Golden Oaks Library, two words broke the silence and caused everypony’s focus to shift toward the source.

“LOOK OUT!”

Thorn turned a bit too late, as he turned to see an orange blur slammed into his side at full speed. The buck was knocked to the grounds and skidded for a few feet. When Thorn stopped, he looked to see what had hit him. He found a small orange pegasus filly laying on top of him. Although she was wearing a helmet, Thorn could see the purple mane hiding beneath.

“Ow ow ow. Sorry about that. Hope you’re oka-” The filly started before getting a good look at something that had acted as her brake. “Whoa...what are you?” The little filly asked with wide-eyed curiosity.

“I’m a-”

“SCOOTALOO! Where’d ya go?” Called out a new voice. Thorn and the now named Scootaloo turned to see two more fillies looking around for their friend. When they did spot their orange, winged friend, they also spotted Thorn. The two new fillies, an alabaster white unicorn with a two-toned mane and a yellow earth pony with a red mane and bow, saw their friend on top of some creature as tall as Princess Celestia but had branch like horns. The two looked at each other, then back to Thorn. Everypony around merely watched as the scenario unfolded, each wanting to see how the creature was going to react.

The two fillies slowly approached as Scootaloo slid off of Thorn. The buck got back on his hooves and watched as the fillies reunited. After a quick check to make sure their friend was okay the three turned to Thorn. Fluttershy watched as well, but she shook herself of her shock and went to check on Thorn and Scootaloo. “Are you two okay? That was a nasty crash.”

Thorn nodded, “I am fine. The armor took the brunt of the hit.” He then turned to the orange pegasus, “Are you okay?”

Scootaloo nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve taken worse. So, you didn’t answer my question. Who and what are you?”

Thorn lowered himself to the filly’s eye level. His heart was still pounding in his chest, partially to the initial surprise of the impact and that there were still a lot of ponies around him. He did his best to look calm and put on a small smile. “My name is Thorn. I am a deer of the forest.”

The three fillies all shared the same expression of awe as they looked over the deer. Then came a barrage of questions from the fillies in rapid succession.

“You live in the forest?”

“What’s it like?”

“Why are you here?”

“You have horns, can you use magic?”

Thorn was blown back by the verbal assault, but he found it oddly calming. Their questions seemed sincere and innocent. It vaguely reminded him of his own sister when she got excited about learning a new running technique. When he looked around he noticed that many of the citizens were sharing similar looks. They wanted to know about him...no ill intent...just curiosity.

The tales were wrong. They’re...not evil at all...yet my heart still threatens to burst from my chest. This is going to take some time. Thorn looked at fillies, who were still spewing questions in rapid succession. The buck cleared his throat to get the fillies attention. When their focus was on him, he made a modest proposal that might settle everything in one fell swoop. "How about this? Fluttershy is taking me to see her friend, Twilight. She has some questions for me as well. If you so desire, you may come along and I will do my best to answer your questions if you will answer mine. Sound fair?" Thorn proposed with a smile.

The three fillies nodded feverishly in unison and some of the most curious residents of Ponyville even seemed interested. "Very well then." Thorn nodded while holding his smile and turned to his escort, "Shall we continue?"

Fluttershy nodded as she attempted to hide a small blush on her face. When he smiles, he looks really sweet...oh my, what am I thinking? The mare nodded and began towards the Golden Oaks Library with a deer, the fillies, and a few curious souls, in tow.

Author's Notes:

So fear subsides (a little) Next time, Q&A.

Chapter 6

As the group made their way towards the Golden Oaks Library, Thorn did his best to answer some of the questions the fillies were asking him. He found them oddly pleasing as their energetic personalities reminded him of his sister. I hope she is doing okay. Thorn thought, Her and mother must be worried that I did not arrive this morning. Once I take care of answering the alicorn’s questions, I’m heading home.

“So, ya can use magic? What kinda spells do ya know?” The yellow earth pony filly asked. If he remembered correctly, she had introduced herself as Applebloom.

“Deer magic is what we refer to as Druidic magic. It focuses on plants and making them grow or change, that and communication with wildlife.” Thorn explained simply.

The white unicorn filly then chimed in with exuberance, “Hey, that’s kind of like Fluttershy’s special talent. She talks to animals all the time!”

Thorn cocked an eyebrow as he turned to look at the pegasus leading the group. “Is this true?”, he asked with general curiosity.

Fluttershy jumped a bit at the sudden attention causing her answer to be a bit more bashful, “Oh...um...yes...but it’s nothing special.”

This time, Scootaloo chimed in, “So not true! She takes care of, like, all of Ponyville’s pets and animals, plus the animals that come from the Everfree Forest.”

Thorn’s other eyebrow raised to meet the other as he had a new found interest in the pegasus mare. It almost sounds like she’s a deer. Definitely sounds like a warden that checks on the animals and beast near Foraoise.Must be some kind of coincidence. The buck rationalized.

“Oh really, it’s nothing special.” Fluttershy retorted with a slowly growing blush.

“I beg to differ.” Thorn countered. “As much as the natural order must be maintained, it’s cruel to leave any animal to suffer in any state. Caring for any animal is doing a great deed of kindness.”

The mare’s growing blush suddenly turned into a rosy glow from the praise. She wasn’t sure what was eliciting such a reaction but she definitely didn’t want anypony (or deer) to notice. As she strategically moved her mane to cover her face, Fluttershy started to wonder why such praise from Thorn was so much nicer than when Scootaloo had mentioned it. She pondered the thought in silence as the group continued on. Scootaloo mentioning that Fluttershy was just being very humble. After that, the questions continued as before but were halted when they made it to their destination.

While Fluttershy and the three fillies made their way to the library’s entrance, they noticed that the deer they’d been walking with had gone oddly silent. When they turned, they found Thorn sitting on his haunches staring dumbfounded at what he saw before him.

“Um...Thorn? Is...something wrong?” Fluttershy asked in concern.

Thorn didn’t respond audibly, but his mind was burning. That’s a treehouse...a deer created treehouse! Why is it here?! They don’t know about deer but they have one of our buildings? WHAT IS GOING ON?! Thorn continued to stare as his mind attempted to rationalize what he was seeing. However, his train of thought was derailed when he felt something poking his side. He looked to find the white filly unicorn, Sweetie Belle, looking concerned for the buck. “Mr.Thorn, are you okay? You were sort of staring at the library for a while.”

Thorn had to reassess his surroundings, he noticed that there were looks of concern and worry on both the fillies and the mare. He shook himself of his thoughts and put them towards something more productive than just sitting in place and asking questions he couldn’t answer. Instead, he’d focus on asking a certain alicorn the questions he couldn’t answer in the hopes she could.

“Yes, yes I’m fine.” He turned to look back up at the the library before him, “Just found another question I need to ask.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle had been having a rather uneventful morning. After being discharged with a minor concussion and receiving treatment, she went home and had written down a letter to her fellow princess and mentor, Princess Celestia. She hadn’t gotten far into the letter when Spike made her get some rest. However, her day took an interesting turn when she received a knock at her front door. To her surprise she found her good friend Fluttershy, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the creature from last night standing behind all of them.

Thorn’s calm broke as soon as he saw the alicorn. While he felt fine around the fillies and Fluttershy, he still felt anxious about the alicorn. Especially since she had a very large smile on her face that seemed to be focused particularly on him. However, it didn’t last very long as she shook herself of the smile and focused on her present company. “Hey girls...and um...uh...”, the princess trailed off as she wasn’t sure how to refer to her new guest.

“He’s a deer!” Sweetie Belle answered with exuberance.

Twilight’s eyes enlarged and a small twinkle could be seen in her eyes. However, remembering her position, she gave a polite cough and bowed before the deer. “Well, while I couldn’t say so last night, I’d like to properly say on behalf of Equestria and Ponyville I’d like to welcome you properly.”
Thorn was put off by the odd courtesy but offered his own bow. “I’m...uh, honored. Fluttershy informed me that...you...wanted to talk to me?”, the buck said with apparent trepidation in his voice.

Twilight wasn’t sure why the deer seemed so uneasy until she remembered Fluttershy mentioned he might have equinophobia. She wasn’t entirely sure why but she was a bit curious to find out. “I did. I was wondering if you’d be willing to answer some questions. As long as you feel comfortable, I don’t want to force anything upon you.” she stated in a very calm and nonhostile tone. Twilight was grateful that she received a bit of training in diplomacy and leadership. Seemed like it might come in handy today.

Thorn took a few deep breaths as he mentally tried to calm himself. They’re not bad...if anything they’re...extremely friendly. This alicorn...Twilight, seems just as nice as the others. If the fillies were anything to go by, she’s just curious about me. See what she wants, answer her questions, and see if you can’t get some questions answered yourself. With his nerves calmed a bit and a simple plan he addressed the alicorn. “I would like to speak with you as well. I feel this could be enlightening for both of us.” The buck still sounded nervous, but it seemed it had subsided a little.

Twilight stepped to the side and made a gesture for the group to enter. “Please come in, we can talk more inside.” The group obliged and once they were all inside, Twilight closed the door and went to join the group. The deer and Fluttershy were sitting to her left while the CMC were still investigating the deer. Twilight took up a position across from the group.

“So, I believe proper introductions are in order. My name is Twilight Sparkle, recently appointed Princess of Friendship.”

Thorn nodded in understanding and gave a bow, “My name is Thorn, son of Venus and currently a Guardian-in-training.”

Twilight got very interested at the mention of the “Guardian” title and pulled a piece of parchment and quill from a nearby desk. As she levitated the quill and parchment to eye level she addressed the deer with a growing excitement, “Would you mind explaining what that means? Sorry, just I’m very curious to hear about your culture.”

Thorn was still surprised by the ponies’ open curiosity, but he still couldn’t shake his anxiety of being in the same room as an alicorn. “It...it means I’m a defender of the forest. I’m charged with protecting the plants, the trees, and the animals of the forest. My ultimate charge is to protect the Great Tree and the royal family.” Thorn responded attempting to hold a calm demeanor.

Twilight listened and wrote as the deer spoke, but stopped at the mention of the Great Tree. “Great Tree? Is that your leader?” the alicorn asked with continued interest.

Thorn rub the back of his neck as he thought how best to explain the relationship between the Great Tree and the deer. “It’s...Well...Yes...and no.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow.

“The Great Tree is more like a teacher. It taught the first druids how to use their magic to heal and manipulate the foliage of the forest. King Fir and Queen Pine are our leaders.”

The rest of the group listens with undivided attention, Twilight was still scribbling notes when she remembered what the deer had said, “Wait! You can use magic?!”

Thorn nodded. “Guardians are trained in druidic magic, as well as physical combat. If we are to defend the forest we have to use everything at our disposal.”

A small glint appeared in Twilight’s eye at the affirmation of a new type of magic. This was going to be at least be worth a small thesis paper! Feeling giddy at the prospect of learning something new, Twilight had to mentally restrain herself from squealing. “Could...could I see a demonstration?”, Twilight asked with obvious glee in her voice and features.

Not that the deer minded, but...when this pony got excited...it was a bit scary. Thinking about it though, maybe he could use her exuberance to learn a thing or two himself. “I will oblige.” Thorn started. Twilight started to let out a small “Eeeeeh!”, when Thorn finished with, “on one condition.”

Twilight’s excitement quelled as she contemplated what the deer might want. What would he want? I don’t know enough about his culture to know what they value (other than plants). Diplomacy? No, he said they have a king and queen. They’d handle diplomacy if they’d even want to talk. If they’re like Thorn...diplomacy could be a bit complicated. Twilight tapped her chin in thought but ultimately surrendered to simply asking what the condition was.

“I’d like to ask you a question, Princess.”

Twilight blinked a few time, her ear folded against her head and she blushed in embarrassment. Of course, he’d have a few questions. It was silly to think he wouldn’t be curious about ponies as well. “Of course, but you don’t have to call me princess. Twilight is just fine. So, what do you want to know?”

“Ok...Twilight. I’ll be honest, I knew about ponies before I came here...” He looked a bit perplexed as he continued, “But since I’ve been here, my knowledge seems...off.”

Twilight, Fluttershy, and the fillies all cocked their heads. The five seemed to share the same thought, Off, how?

Twilight spoke first and addressed the question lingering in the ponies’ minds, “How is it off?”
Thorn let off a sigh as his ears folded back, the story alone was a bit sad to recall. “There is an old fawn’s tale about ponies. It tells about an alicorn princess that used her magic to force the animals of the Everfree to run wild. Deer have a deep connection with the forest and we care for the well-being of the plants and animals that reside within. The idea that we couldn’t help our friends...it’s a very disheartening. Despite our best efforts, the deer couldn’t call the animals. No spell could calm them, no vine could hold them, and even our best animal experts couldn’t break them of their trance. It was only with the help of a great force that the princess was banished and order was restored alongside her pony minions.” As he finished the tale, he looked around and gauged the reactions of those around him. Fluttershy and Twilight seemed conflicted for some strange reason, but the fillies seemed more pensive.

“Say, don’t that sorta sound like the stories ‘bout Princess Luna when she was Nightmare Moon?” Applebloom asked her friends, a little too loudly.

Thorn turned to toward the filly with a look of pure horror on his face. “A-a-are you saying...t-that the story...is true?”

The two older mares were a bit more cognizant of Thorn’s current state of fear and tried to stop the fillies from making it any worse. However, the three innocent fillies answered before either mare could intervene. “Well, yeah. But Princess Luna isn’t like that anymore.” Scootaloo added in.

“Yeah, she really really nice and cares for everypony just like Princess Celestia.” Sweetie Belle concurred.

Fluttershy and Twilight looked to Thorn, uncertain on how the buck would take the new info. By the look of things...not well.

“S-s-she’s...st-still around?” Thorn asked with his heart beating in his throat.

The fillies nodded innocently. “Is that a bad thing?”, Sweetie Belle asked.

Thorn put on an uneasy smile, “N-n-no. Of course not.” Internally, Thorn was attempting not to panic.

“Ahem, anyway,.” Twilight said in attempts to get things back on track, “What does this have to do with your question?”

Thorn blinked as he tried to remember his train of thought before it was derailed. He was glad to be off the topic of the other alicorn. He’d rather not know anymore about her lest his nightmares be fed more fuel. “R-right, sorry,” he said bashfully. “I assumed that ponies were a myth, but...I just noticed something that has some extreme implications. I’m hoping you could maybe elaborate.”
Twilight nodded, “I’ll do my best.”

Thorn leveled his gaze on the alicorn, “Where did you get this tree?”

Twilight flinched. What does that have to do with the story? Twilight looked to Fluttershy. Fluttershy shrugged before answering, “Um...this tree has been here long before Twilight ever arrived. I...mean...I’m pretty sure it’s been here for as long as Ponyville has.”

Thorn’s brow furrowed. It’s just as old as the town? That can’t be! That would mean deer helped to build this. WHY?!...Unless. He turned his gaze back towards the alicorn, having reached the only logical conclusion. “This treehouse...this is deer architecture. Deer homes look like this.” Thorn said as he motioned to everything around him. “If this treehouse has been here since the town’s formation, that means at some point ponies and deer must have intermingled.”

All present gasped at first before Thorn held up a hoof to silence everypony before he continued, “Unless, there is another reason this tree could have come to be here.”

The group was silent, hypothetical scenarios ran through each pony's’ mind. What was the library’s origins? There weren't many ponies alive who could attest to when the library was...wait. A small yellow earth pony filly had an idea of one pony who might know. “Hey! Mah Granny might know! She was here when Ponyville was founded! She’ll know when the treehouse was built.”

“Are you certain?”, Thorn asked the filly.

The little filly smiled broadly as she nodded, “Ah’m certain. She said so herself on Family Appreciation Day.”

The filly’s confidence left little doubt in the buck’s mind. “Might I meet your grandmother later?”

“Ah don’t think she’d mind. She really likes talkin’ about those times!”

Thorn gave his thanks and turned back to speak with Twilight, “I suppose that covers my questions, for now. As per our deal, I will show you druidic magic.”

Twilight beamed with excitement as she readied her parchment and quill.

Thorn closed his eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. His antlers began to radiate a pristine emerald green as he put his focus on the floor. If this was a home made by deer, then he should, in theory, be able to manipulate it. Sure enough, the home began to resonate with the sound of wood creaking and groaning. The ponies in attendance glanced around as they attempted to determine what Thorn was doing.

“EEEP!”, erupted from Fluttershy as the wood beneath began to rise and take shape. Small thick roots snaked into a flat bottom. From the base, larger and wider roots came out to connect with a rising backrest that came around to almost hugging the pegasus, but stopped half way around. When Thorn was finished, he let his magic subside. The product of his magic revealed a wooden chair with a half crescent backrest that had a slight incline to allow for lounging.

Fluttershy blinked as she observed her new chair. The Crusaders also observed the new furniture along with an ecstatic alicorn. “Oh...oh my. This is...quite nice, and comfy.” Fluttershy announced, eliciting a small smirk from the buck. He wasn’t aware why his cheeks felt so warm so suddenly, but the praise felt soothing to him.

“Th-thank you. I’m used to making chairs for my family. I’m glad you like it.” Thorn responded with a small smile on creeping on his face.

The Crusaders looked at the deer and mare with quizzical looks that soon turned into knowing smiles. they look at each other to confirmed that each member had deduced the same thing. “Y’all seein’ what Ah’m seein’?” Applebloom inquired.

“Oh, yeah. Too obvious.” Scootaloo concurred.

Sweetie Belle merely nodded with a smile, that screamed approval.

“Amazing! I’ve never been able to manipulate the library like that! You said you can do this with other plants as well?” Twilight interjected as she inspected every inch of the wooden chair and writing notes feverishly.

“Hey, Twilight! What the heck are you doing down there? You’re making a lot of noise!” a new voice called out from upstairs.

Thorn cocked an eyebrow as he looked toward the source of the voice, “Is there someone else here?”

“Yes, my assistant, Spike. I forgot that he was taking a nap.” Twilight responded a bit sheepishly, embarrassed that she had forgotten her assistant’s presence. “He’s probably going to be down in a second. Just a forewarning, though. He’s a dragon.” She stated as a precaution, before making a small correction, “A baby dragon, though he’s small..”

Thorn wasn’t sure how to feel about this information. He’d heard of dragons and their prized hoards of treasure, but he was long warned that so long as he left their treasure alone they’d leave him alone. Other than that he’d never actually seen one. Although, he did remember one time when a dragon took up residence in a nearby mountain and his snoring caused an awful smoke to billow out. That was a bit worrisome but otherwise not that bad. Compared to ponies, a baby dragon couldn’t be so bad...right?

Sure enough, a small purple and green scaled dragon came down the stairs, rubbing his eyes of sleep and yawning. “What is with *yawn* all the noise?” The dragon asked as he continued to descend staircase. When he reached the bottom of the staircase he finished rubbing his eyes he took note of the present company. “Oh hey, Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, Apple*yawn*bloom, Scootaloo.” Then he turned to the newest member, “Hi...uh.” He rubbed his eyes again and confirmed what he was seeing. His expression shifted to an incredulous look, as he looked to Twilight. “Twilight, I don’t think giving a pony more horns makes them better at magic.”

This caused a fit of laughter and giggling from the fillies and Fluttershy, but a bit of an annoyed looked from Twilight. Thorn rubbed his antler’s a little self-consciously at the comment, his ears falling back against his head a bit. They’re not horn sized at all. They are just the right size for my age. If anything five points is a little advance.

“He’s not a pony with multiple horns! He’s a deer.” Twilight corrected her assistant.

Spike turned back toward the new creature with a confused look, “A deer? Are they a type of pony?”

“No, Spike. If anything they’ve been here as long as ponies.”

Spike placed a claw on his chin and approached the deer with a discerning eye. He walked around the deer a full three hundred sixty degrees, inspecting the deer as he went. The dragon gave a few “Hmmms” and “Huhs” as he continued his investigation. When he finished going inspecting the deer he was standing in front of him with his arms crossed and a pensive look on his face. “So...he’s like a pony, but bigger horns-”

“Antlers,” Thorn corrected with annoyance in his voice.

“Uh, antlers, right. So like a pony, but a bit taller, thinner, and with antlers?” the dragon asked for clarification.

Twilight looked a little unsure, “In a way I guess, but I don’t know enough to be certain.”

Spike’s pensive look broke as he turned back to the deer again. With a small smile, he extended his clawed hand out to the deer, “Well, the girls seem to like you. So you must be a pretty nice guy. I’m Spike. Nice to meet you.”

Thorn looked at the extended claw and extended his hoof to meet it. “My name is Thorn. A pleasure to make the acquaintance of a dragon.”

Spike puffed his chest out a bit in pride as he shook the deer’s hoof. The comment having a wonderful effect on the young dragon’s ego. “Thanks. Soooo, what are you doing here?”

“I was...‘brought’ here by your friend, while on patrol last night. I had originally intended on heading home, but...some things I’ve noticed compelled me to answer some inquiries from the Princess, as well as have some questions of my own answered.” Thorn responded, causing Twilight to blush in embarrassment.

“In my defense, I did have a small concussion.” the princess defended herself.

“It’s...okay. It was a bit...nerve wracking, but...I can see no harm was intended from it.” Thorn said in a consoling tone. “Although, I admit, I still feel a bit...uneasy around ponies.”

The fillies were confused by this statement. “You’re scared of ponies? You didn’t seem scared of us.” Sweetie Belle stated.

Thorn smiled a bit at this. “It’s because you three remind me of my sister. I’m certain you are the same age as her.”

The fillies got an odd wide-eyed expression on their faces as they all asked in a unified voice, “Does she have her cutie mark!?”

The buck was blinked. This was a new set of words he’d not heard yet. “What’s a cutie mark?”

Before the Crusaders could balk at such a strange question, Twilight stepped in to explain. She turned to the side so her right side was clearly visible. She then motioned to a set small stars with a large central star that adorned her flank. “This is a cutie mark. It’s a representation of a pony’s special talent. Mine represents my love of stargazing and my magical abilities.”

Thorn nodded in understanding before looking at the small fillies who didn’t seem to have cutie marks. Then he looked at Fluttershy’s cutie mark, three pink and yellow butterflies. “What does your mark mean?” Thorn asked the mare. Again, the mare’s face turned a rosy pink as she responded, “Uh...it uh...represents my love of...animals and...uh... hmmm...could you please stop looking at my flank...please? It’s embarrassing.”

Thorn’s blush soon matched Fluttershy’s as he quickly averted his gaze and began to apologize feverishly for staring. Twilight blushed a bit herself when she realized she had asked a male to openly stare at her flank. She figured now might be a good time to progress the topic before it got too awkward. “Sooo...do deer have anything like cutie marks?”

Returning his gaze to the group, he pointed to the white portion of his barrel. “Well...we do have our patches. Most deer have a unique design on their barrels that usually is associated with their name or their abilities.” Thorn lowered his hoof and using some of his magic produced a small wooden twig from the floor of the tree. With a little-added magic, a multitude of thorns erupted from the twig. “My patch refers to my ability to produce thorns on any plant. My mother’s patch resembles the mouth of a venus flytrap, but she can’t use magic. However, she is an expert dealing with carnivorous plants.”

Applebloom added an additional question, “What about yer sister? She have her patch?”

Thorn chuckled a bit, “All deer are born with their patch. Sometimes it’s hard to determine what one’s patch is or what it represents, but it’s something that each fawn has to figure out eventually.”

“Sounds like a cutie mark in a way. Usually, it takes a moment of clarity or a revelation for a filly or colt to get their cutie mark.” Twilight said with a growing smile. “Ooooh, this is so exciting! A new species, new culture, and new magic! EEEEEH!”

Thorn giggled a little at the un-royal squee that came from the princess. By comparison, she was nothing like the king or queen. Maybe it was because she was so young or maybe her fervor for knowledge. He remembered the fillies mentioning another princess, Cele...Celesta? No, Celestia. He then found himself questioning who was the leader of these ponies. He was aware they had three princesses. Did they all rule at the same time? That had to get complicated.

“Well, if you want I’d be willing to answer more of your questions on our way to see the little one’s grandmother. I’m still curious about the origins of this library.” Thorn stated. “Once I have the answer, I’d really like to get back home. I’d like to ask the Great Tree about all of this.”

Twilight tapped her chin in consideration, “Sounds fair, I’m sure your family misses you.” Thorn nodded in affirmation. “But...could I ask another favor of you?”

“Uh...what do you want?”

“Do you think you could talk to the Great Tree about me...maybe...speaking to it?” Twilight asked with pleading eyes.

Thorn was caught off guard by the question. It was a bold favor to ask. His duty required him to protect both royal members and the Great Tree as well. Disregarding the fact that an alicorn walking through the kingdom would either spark outright fear or general worry, he wondered if the Great Tree would even speak with her. The Great Tree was a teacher for the Guardians and Druids, but it wasn’t unheard of for the tree to talk with regular deer who had questions or wanted to be trained in the Druidic ways.

“I...” the buck started with an extreme amount of uncertainty. “I...I can’t guarantee the Great Tree will agree...but I’ll...see if it is receptive to the idea.”

Twilight beamed with glee as she bounced on her hooves, “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!”

With that settled, the group with Spike now included, made their way toward Sweet Apple Acres to inquire about the origins of the Golden Oaks Library.

Author's Notes:

Hey y'all. New chapter is here! Thanks for reading and enjoying. I would like to ask a small favor though. I'm having doubts about my writing with this story, and I could really use an editor and/or co-author. If anyone is interested, please PM me. I need someone who is good at writing in the third person and can give input about the story. I want to ensure the story is at the quality it should be and supply you guys with a good story.

Finally, big shout out to Kelthan-Dragon for supplying the cover art!

Chapter 7

Thorn found himself in a peculiar situation. He was surrounded on all sides by ponies and had been the subject of a multitude of questions from a very curious alicorn. Something he never considered would ever actually occur, outside of a dream. Yet after only a few hours, his perception of ponies had been completely reevaluated.

“So what other spells do deer know? Do you know healing spelling?” Twilight asked as Spike dictated the questions and answers.

Thorn shook his head, “Not as far as I know. We mostly rely on herbal remedies and medicine. We do have a spell that can identify medicinal herbs, but I don’t know how to cast it yet. I’m still going through training.”

“Interesting,”Twilight said as she pondered her next question. “If you don’t mind me asking, what does it take to be a Guardian?”

A small nostalgic smile crept onto the buck’s face as he remembered the day he was chosen to become a Guardian. “You need to be selected. A senior Guardian usually takes on a pupil. The Guardian brings their pupil before the Druidic Circle who then judge the pupil to see if he can continue to become a Guardian-in-Training. The Guardian-in-Training then trains under their master until the Master believes they are ready, they are then tested by the Knights of Foraoise. They’re the top Guardians hoof picked to protect the King and Queen.”

“I see, what’s the test?” Twilight asked with glee. She was an ace at taking tests and wanted to see if she’d be capable of passing this one as well.

“I have no idea. The test is a well-guarded secret. Every Guardian is sworn to secrecy about what happens during their test. Talking about it to any deer, family, friend, or otherwise is grounds for instant loss of title. It’s considered a great dishonor to tell.” The buck stated seriously, “Some say it’s different for each deer. Others say it’s a type of vision quest. The ones who know, won’t say.”

“Wow, they really take that test seriously,” Scootaloo commented.

“No joke,” Spike added, as he dictated the information to parchment. "They don't give you any prep or advice?

“It’s a tradition and also a great honor to be chosen to be a Guardian. Even if the selected deer does not get approved by the Druidic Circle it is still an honor to be considered. Telling anydeer about the test devalues the tradition and tarnishes what it means to be a Guardian. Even those who have failed the test do not speak about it.” Thorn countered in a serious tone.

Twilight nodded as she cantered alongside the buck. “I can understand the reasoning. Cheating makes the test’s purpose completely pointless. I respect the integrity of any Guardian who doesn’t help their pupil cheat.” Twilight stated sincerely, before changing her tone to sound more appreciative, “By the way, thank you for answering all these questions. I’m sure this might still be a bit uncomfortable for you.”

The buck smiled nervously. He was getting comfortable around most of the ponies, but he still had some reservations about being so close to the alicorn. His heart pumped a little faster as she approached. His only counter was to smile nervously and hide his fear, “Yeah...I’m getting a more comfortable around ponies...but I’m still a bit...on edge.”

Twilight met Thorn’s nervous smile with her own sheepish smile, “Yeah, sorry for...uh... any undue stress I suppose.”

“It is fine...just takes some getting used to. Though I must thank Fluttershy for...easing me into things. She’s been very kind to me. I don’t think I’d be...” He stopped to search for the appropriate word, “As calm as I am, without her help.”

The mare in question was trailing behind the deer and alicorn, just within earshot. Hearing the comment, she couldn’t help but smile unconsciously. The words setting a small pink blush ablaze on the mare’s face. “Th-thank you, but I’m sure you would have-”

“Fluttershy, dear!” A new voice called out as the group rounded corner leading to the center of town. Thorn turned to see an eerily familiar alabaster white unicorn mare with a single tone purple mane. The way her mane was done reminded him of another mare, or rather filly, he’d met earlier. He looked to Sweetie Belle, who had been walking with Applebloom and Scootaloo, then back to the mare. Besides the mane, they look similar. Are they related? Best not to assume. Just because their coats match doesn’t mean their related. He returned his gaze to the white filly, who had come to investigate the noise, and asked if she knew the mare.

“Yeah, that’s my sister Rarity.” She replied with a smile, before running over to greet her sister.

Thorn mirthfully shook his head, Ok, maybe not always, but sometimes it does mean they’re related.

“I’m glad I found you, darling. I’ve been hearing the strangest rumor from my customers. Something about a tall creature with multiple horns. It’s truly absurd!” Rarity stated in her usual posh tone.

“It’s not as crazy as it sounds, Rarity. In fact, I’ve met him.” Fluttershy responded dismissively.

“Yeah, he’s right there Rarity.” Sweetie Belle added as she cantered up to her older sister and hugged her leg. She then pointed in Thorn’s direction, to which Rarity followed and spotted the aforementioned creature.

“Well...that’s...I...”, Rarity wasn’t quite sure what to say. She was used to bridle gossip. Sometimes it was just something somepony would say to stir things ups. Other times it turned out to be completely true. This being one of the times it was true was shocking to the fashionista, to say the least. With the description given, she assumed maybe her customers had been drinking a little too much cider, but sure enough, there it was. “Well...uh...Hello.” Was all Rarity could manage to get out.

Thorn, to his credit, was getting accustomed to the befuddled looks and slowly approached the two mares and filly. He stopped a fair distance away, gave a small wave, and a courteous, “H-hello.”

Rarity took a moment to compose her thoughts and banish her astonishment. After a dainty lady-like cough, she introduced herself, “A pleasure...Mister...uh...”

“His name is Thorn, Rarity. He’s a deer who lives in the Everfree Forest! He’s very nice, even if he looks a bit weird.” Sweetie Belle stated innocently.

Thorn shot the filly a playful glare. Sweetie Belle returned with a disarming smile and two emerald green puppy dog eyes. Thorn felt a twinge of longing. Those eyes were so similar to his sister’s. It made him want to head back to the forest. Back to his home in the willow tree, but his curiosity demanded answers. The library that the alicorn lived in was designed by deer...but both she and her friends seemed to have no idea of its origins. Applebloom seemed to offer the only clue to where it came from, and Thorn wanted to know. Once he found out what the filly’s grandmother knew, he’d make all due haste back to the forest....back to his family.

“Well, I would agree you are a bit...’different’, Mr. Thorn, but might I asked what you are doing here? Not to be rude, of course, it’s just I've never heard of or seen a ‘deer’ before. What brings you to Ponyville?” Rarity asked, attempting to hold her posh demeanor.

“That’s my fault, Rarity,” Twilight interjected sheepishly, as she approached the group with Spike and the remaining Crusaders in tow. “Fluttershy and I were investigating the potential of a civilization existing in the Everfree when we were attacked by a crazed manticore. I got knocked out and Thorn stepped in to save us.”

Rarity, along with the CMC, gasped at this statement. “My word! How...heroic. I’m happy to hear that you two made it out safely.” Rarity then turned to the deer. “And I must thank you for saving my friends, Mr.Thorn.”

Thorn rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, “I-I was just doing my duty, Miss Rarity.”

“My, so courteous and humble,” Rarity stated as she moved closer to inspect the deer, specifically the branching horns on his head. Thorn flinched a bit, which caused Rarity to stop. “What? Is something wrong?”

“S-sorry, it is a reflex...I am still a bit uncomfortable around ponies.” Thorn admitted. “Though I am getting better at being around every...pony, thanks to Fluttershy and the fillies.”

The comment caused a small blush to come over Fluttershy’s face and made the Crusaders smile proudly. The blush, however, was not missed by Rarity’s discerning eye. She raised a small eyebrow in confusion. Why is Fluttershy blushing? Could it be...? Hmmm, no it couldn't. She then dismissed the odd thought from her mind as she returned to the conversation at hoof, “Well, I hope you might eventually feel comfortable enough to enjoy your stay in our fair town.” She then adjusted herself before reattempting her approach, “Would you mind if I inspected your...uh, horns?”

Thorn nodded. “It’s fine, I suppose. And they’re called antlers, by the way.” He corrected, as he lowered his head down.

Rarity approached and investigated the antlers. She found them very fascinating. They looked similar to the bark of a tree near the base and slowly became smoother and more ivory as they went further up. “I say, I love the design of your antlers. It seems to resemble tree bark. Is that on purpose?”

Thorn smiled, “All buck antlers look like that. Although, I still have a bit of growing to do. Old tales say it’s because of our connection to nature, that our antlers grow much like the branches of trees and thus have a resemblance to bark near the base.”

“So...do female deer have antlers?” Twilight interjected, her curiosity being piqued.

Thorn shook his head, “No, does do not have antlers.”

“So does that mean does can't use magic?”, Twilight pressed

“No, they can use magic. It starts to show as they reach maturity.” Thorn replied as he motioned to his left foreleg. “They will usually start showing some signs of being able to use magic. They just channel it through their hooves rather than through antlers.”

Rarity got some ideas from the conversation and mentally started contemplating some dresses and gowns that could incorporate the design of the antlers and maybe how magic could travel through alternative mediums. However, she worried she might forget her bout of inspiration and asked to borrow some parchment and a quill from Spike, who obliged with a blissful look on his face as he swooned over the unicorn.

Thorn happened to noticed the dreamy look the baby dragon was giving the unicorn. It was obvious he held feelings for Rarity, but surely this was merely a childhood crush that would eventually fade. It wasn't possible for a dragon (especially one so young) be in a relationship with a being of a different species (and an older one at that). Were there no other dragons nearby? Was he really the only one of his kind in this town? The thought was enough to cause Thorn to ask Fluttershy. "Is Spike the only dragon in this town?"

Fluttershy nodded, "He is."

"And there are no other dragons around for him to befriend?"

She shook her head no. "Dragons don't come here. At least not after the last one that fell asleep on the mountain. It's a bit sad, but he doesn't seem to mind. After he participated in the Great Dragon Migration, he didn't really want to be around other dragons." She responded. "I can understand why. Most dragons can be very mean and rude. It'd be horrible if Spike grew up to be like those bullies. We treat him no differently than any other pony and he gets along fine with everypony. He plays with the fillies all the time."

Thorn mulled over the mare's words. I suppose that is true. If dragons live as long as I have heard, he has plenty of time to find a dragon mate. A fawnhood crush is perfectly innocent. "That is true." Thorn admitted bashfully,"I suppose it's still odd to be around other species that aren't deer. I, really, must thank you for being so helpful."

Fluttershy blushed at the kind words and thanks, "Oh, y-you're too kind. I'm just doing what any other pony would do."

Thorn shook his head dismissively. "I beg to differ. You watched over me when I was asleep, have been a guide to me, and you have been very supportive throughout this...er...'odd' day" ,Thorn explained before stepping in front of Fluttershy, stopping her forward motion. "I would hope one day to return such kindness, in full." He finished with a humble bow.

The gesture caught Fluttershy off guard and deepened her mild blush to a deeper rosy red. "Oh, th-th-that's not necessary, really! You don't have to-"

"But I do." Thorn interrupted. "It would be a dishonor to the Guardians if I did not return such a kindness properly."

Fluttershy's blush turned warmer and caused the mare to hide behind her mane. Oh...I can't stop blushing and I feel so nervous and why is my heart beating so fast?! She thought to herself, before looking back at the deer, who was looking at her with a bit of concern. Her eyes locked onto his for a moment and she almost felt drawn in by his emerald eyes. They were stunning...captivating...and strong. She felt like she could stare at them for hours, however; their appeal left her staring for a bit too long.

"Is everything okay?" Thorn asked in concern.

The comment caused the pegasus mare to realize she'd been staring. Her previous rosy pink blush quickly spread to the tips of her ears and most of her face, lighting it to a burning red. She quickly averted her gaze, before apologizing feverishly and attempted to get her flaming blush to subside.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group merely watched on as the scene unfolded...aside from Spike, who was too focused on Rarity to notice. The CMC all wore the same look of "Aaaw, how cute", while Rarity had a knowing smile and sauntered over. Twilight had a slightly confused look, as she wasn't entirely sure what was going on until she recognized the look on Fluttershy's face and it all clicked.

Thorn was confused by the mare's behavior. Why was she staring at my face so intently?...Was...was she ogling me? The thought made the young buck blush before he banished the thought. No...That's ridiculous,we just met. And she's a pony, she wouldn't be interested in a deer...right?

Rarity took that moment to pass her rough designs to Spike and cover for Fluttershy. "Thorn, why don't you, Twilight, and the others go ahead. I need to have a little...girl chat with Fluttershy. We'll be sure to catch up."

"Are you sure?" Thorn asked.

"I'm sure. We'll be along in a bit."

Thorn was a bit curious but opted not to question it. Growing up with his mother and sister, he knew not to question what two girls talked about in private. "Very well, see both of you at the farm." With that, the group continued their trek toward the farm.

Once the group was well out of earshot, Rarity made her way to Fluttershy's side. The pegasus's face was still a vibrant shade of red and her wings seemed to be twitching for some reason. "Fluttershy, dear. We need to talk." The mare didn't respond, but she did shift her focus towards her friend. "I've been noticing some things and, as your friend, I feel as though you might need some help."

"I-I'm not sure I understand, Rarity."

"Sweetie, that deer, Thorn. Does he make you feel nervous?" Rarity asked gently .

"Well...I...uh...I don't know. He just seems really nice and considerate...kind of...hmmm..." Fluttershy's mind flipped to an image of Thorn smiling at her and bowing to her as if she were a princess. She felt as though he was a little out of place, and dealing with an obvious fear, but he was also really brave and...kind of handsome. The thought of the buck in that manner caused the blush to regain some more of its heat and her wings suddenly popped open with an audible "Pomf", which elicited an "eep!" from the mare.

Rarity merely smiled widely, as she saw her suspicions confirmed. "You have a little crush on him. Oh, Fluttershy!" Rarity squealed in joy.

The pegasus mare balked at her friend's statement. "R-r-rarity, we just met...I-I-I and I, uh...hmmmm." Her wings reflexively came up to cover face as her blush and embarrassment halted any semblance of coherent speech.

"Oh, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's perfectly fine to have a little crush on somepo-er-deer, you just met. I'm not saying to just rush in and marry him. It just means you find him a bit attractive", Rarity explained with a smile. "I'll admit he is a bit of a looker. Tall and muscular, very athletic looking, and ,by the looks of the armor, a soldier of sorts. What's not to like?"

Fluttershy mulled over her friend's words, but she still felt unsure. She'd never felt this way toward anypony, especially a stallion...except Thorn wasn't even a pony. That little fact seemed to complicate matters even more. They were two different species. Would a relationship work between them, if she pursued these feelings? Would Thorn even accept them? What if he rejected her? That last question caused Fluttershy a bit of concern. She'd read about mares getting their hearts broken by unrequited love in novels. The idea of experiencing it herself caused her no small amount of trepidation. "What should I do, Rarity? I've never had a crush on any pony. I've only read about these sorts of things in romance novels." The pegasus asked in worry, as she let her wings return to their normal position at her side.

Rarity sat down next to her friend and draped a foreleg over her shoulder, "Just spend time with him. As you said, you only just met him. So if you spend some time with him and learn more about him you can see if your feelings for him grow. If not, then there's nothing to worry about."

The advice calmed Fluttershy down a bit, but she still couldn't shake a lingering feeling sense of worry in the back of her mind. She enjoyed the idea of spending time with Thorn...but she also felt nervous about pursuing these new feelings. She looked at her unicorn friend, who was giving her a reassuring smile, and gave a light hug. "Thank you, Rarity. I feel a little better now."

Rarity returned the hug, feeling as though she had done her good deed for the day. "Of course, dear. It's what friends are for." The two broke off the hug and looked toward where the group had headed off. "What's say we go catch up with the others then, hmm?"

Fluttershy nodded in agreement and the two went off to catch up with the others.

Thorn was once again stunned by what he saw before him. Apple trees, hundreds of thousands of apple trees as far as the eye could see. It was almost like a forest in and of itself, but more evenly spaced out and with apparent rows that had been placed purposely to allow for harvesting. But regardless it was astounding! His awestruck look was quickly discovered by Applebloom who felt a sense of pride in her family's namesake. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, Mister Thorn! Home of the Apple Family and the tastiest apples in Ponyville!" Applebloom boasted.

The buck was astounded. He knew of the various farms near the capital, but since there were so many trees it was difficult to have agriculture on this scale. Thankfully, deer were able to coerce fruit trees to bear large quantities of fruit to help feed the populace and there were scavengers who tracked down edible mushrooms and foliage...but this was on a whole different level. This put even their best efforts at agriculture to shame. Maybe there were some perks to living outside of the forest. "This is...amazing" Thorn finally stated in an awe-struck voice.

"Really? How so?" Twilight ask.

"We live in the forest. We can't produce large scale farms such as this. They’re smaller but there are a good amount of them to compensate. Our farmers would be hard press to replicate this.”

As Spike dictated the information given, Thorn approached a nearby tree. He eyed the fruit dangling from the branches. Most or all the apple were ripe and plump. With a bit of magical scanning, he could feel how strong the trees were, how interconnected they were to each other. Each tree was family to the next and that one to the other. They've raised strong and resilient trees. Their bark is hard and their connection with each other is solid...astounding.

Thorn turned to the earth pony filly, "Applebloom, would you mind if I tried an apple?"

"Course not! If ya want, you can wait here while I get mah sister and see if Granny is awake." The filly replied as she waltzed up to the nearest apple tree and prepared to buck it, but stopped when she noticed that Thorn was already eating an apple. She then noticed that the other members of the group had awestruck looks on their faces. Even Scootaloo was sporting an impressed look that was usually reserved for when Rainbow Dash did her stunts. “How’d ya get that apple?” Applebloom asked in apparent confusion.

“Oh my gosh, Applebloom it was so cool!” Scootaloo exclaimed as her tiny wings flapped in equal excitement. "Thorn is like a ninja or something! He ran straight up the tree and did a backflip and kicked the apple right out of the tree, mid-flip, and caught it on his hor-er-antler! It. Was. So. COOL!”

Applebloom watched as the deer continued to munch on the apple with a content smile. She then looked up at where the apples hung from their branches. The distance between the ground and the nearest apple was substantial, at least twenty plus feet high. Did he really scale it so easily? “Can...Can you do it again, Thorn?”, she asked in the hopes she could see the feat herself.

Thorn finished the last bite of his apple and nodded, “Sure, I do not mind.” He then turned to the nearest apple tree and got some distance. He then got into a low stance before taking off into a short but fast sprint. When he neared the base of the tree he arced his forelegs onto the tree. He then pulled down with his forelegs causing his cloven hooves to gain traction. Then using the additional traction brought his hind legs to meet the forelegs. Then pushing off with the back legs soared upward with surprising speed. At the pinnacle of his jump, he arced his body backward bringing his back hooves to follow the flip. The action caused the gap in his hooves to clip the stems of two apples. As he landed on his forelegs, he raised his head to catch the two apples on his antlers. Then with a small bow of his head, he offered the two apples to the filly.

"Wow" was all Applebloom could say, but she wasn't the only one. A similar comment came from a newcomer, an orange earth pony mare with a blonde mane and stetson hat. Applebloom turned around to spot the older mare and let out a gasp. "Heya, Applejack!" she exclaimed as she charged to meet her older sister. Applejack greeted her sister with a tight hug and a small noogie. "Heya, sugar cube." She then looked to the group. She recognized most of the members of the group but locked onto the tall deer with two apples impaled on his antlers. "Well, ya don't see that every day", the farm pony stated as she released her sister from the hug.

"That's Thorn, sis! He's a deer." the younger apple sister explained. Applejack merely looked over the deer, the wooden armor seemed a bit odd, but if the girls were hanging around with him, he must be an okay sort. "Well, pleasure to make yer acquaintance." She greeted with an outstretched hoof.

Thorn was hesitant but he removed the apples from his antlers and went to shake the mare's hoof. While the gesture was meant to be kind and welcoming, the execution had a...less than desirable effect. When Thorn wrapped his hoof around Applejack's, he immediately became aware of a vast strength difference between the two of them. Applejack had a vice-like grip on Thorn's hoof and with each shake, the buck felt himself being lowered and raised along with the shake. And of course, being shaken like that left Thorn plenty disorientated and dizzy. Are all of the mares this strong? He thought as he attempted to recover his composure. Applejack realized what she had done and properly apologize. "Sorry 'bout that. Yer a bit lighter than ya look."

"It is fine...you are...surprisingly strong." Thorn replied shakily.

Applejack smiled and nodded, "Well, thank ya. Me and my family work long and hard to keep the farm running."

"I noticed. The trees are very strong and prosperous. Your family has done well."

Applejack tipped her hat and smiled proudly, as did Applebloom. "Ah gotta say, that was some mighty fancy hoof work."

"Yeah, it was sooo cool! What's it called? Can you teach us?" Scootaloo asked in excitement.

There came a unanimous "No" from Applejack and Twilight. Thorn flinched and looked to the two mares, "Did I miss something?"

"Long story," was the reply from the two.

"Is there a reason why they shouldn't..." Thorn started until he realized the difference between ponies and deer. While deer had to occasionally flee for their lives from larger beasts and be able to navigate thick areas forest foliage. Ponies lived in open spaces, outside of the forest. They didn’t need to be able to traverse the terrain like Guardians or Runners did. “Never mind. I suppose it is unnecessary.”

This was countered by the three fillies voicing their disapproval, and the buck was, again, reminded of his little sister. “Sorry, but it is very dangerous and you really don’t need to know how to traverse the trees like me”, Thorn replied in a gentle voice.

The fillies’ moods didn’t change in the least, but Thorn was accustomed to it. "So what brings ya to Sweet Apple Acres?" Applejack asked, now that she knew that Applebloom and her friends wouldn’t be trying to run up trees.

Twilight took this moment to explain everything that happened the night before and part of the events that had occurred earlier in the day. She also went on to explain why they had come to the farm. "In short, we think that maybe deer and ponies may have co-existed at some point and Thorn identified Golden Oaks Library as being deer architecture. Unfortunately, we have no real record of when or how it showed up. We were hoping Granny Smith could be able to explain when and how the library showed up."

Applejack tapped her chin in thought, "Hmmm, well Granny's in the kitchen right now. If ya wanted to ask her, ya could, but why is it so important that ya know?"

Twilight looked to Thorn and he understood that this was something he should explain. He explained the old deer tale to the farm pony, from the blue alicorn to the chaos she and her minions caused. Applejack balked at the tale,but she couldn’t deny that tale was familiar...really familiar. She could see how the tale might stick around for a few...hundred years. “Well, Ah’m a might sorry yer kin had to go through that. Ah, can see why ya would want to know. Ah’ll see if Granny is up to answerin’ yer question, but just a fair warnin’, Ah’m not sure how Granny’s gonna react to ya.”

“I understand” Thorn stated plainly, as he and the group were lead to a large wooden house in the distance. It was painted red on the sides with white highlights around the edges. Several windows adorned the sides of the home and some of the second-floor windows even had small planted troughs hanging from them. While the building was quite inviting, Thorn found himself a little unsettled by the fact that the home was obviously made of cut wood. He opted to ignore it for now. He wanted answers and raising a stink wouldn’t get him any closer to them.
______________________________________________________

Within the Apple Family kitchen, Granny Smith was in the process of making one of her family's famous apple pies. It was one of the things she did to relax, and seeing others enjoy her creations always put a smile on her face. She was, however, caught off guard by the return of her granddaughter. "Applejack, yer back? Ah thought you were goin' to meet yer pegasus friend."

"Well, Ah was...but something happened, and Ah was wonderin' if ya could answer a question some...one has for ya," Applejack stated sheepishly.

“Well, Ah suppose Ah could. What’d this pony wanna know?”

Applejack took a deep breath and let it out slowly,“Well...they’re not a pony, Granny. They’re...well...”

“Ah, just spit it out. Ah ain’t some frail old geezer that’s gonna keel over at the drop of a hat!” Granny bark in an annoyed tone.

Applejack wilted a bit and called for Thorn to enter the kitchen. When Thorn came around the corner, Granny didn’t really panic, but she did jump a little. “Land sakes! Looks like somepony stuck an apple tree to that poor critters head.”

Thorn gave the old matriarch a half-lidded look. As much as he wanted to make a comment, his training demanded he simply take the comment and stay quiet. “Well, anyway what’d ya want to ask me, young feller?”

Seeing that he might actually get an answer, Thorn regained his composure and asked, “Your granddaughter, Applebloom. She told me you were present during this town’s founding, is that correct?”

“Yeup. Was here with mah Ma and Pa a long time ago.” Granny replied happily.

“Then, I’d like to inquire. That tree library...where did it come from?”

The question gave the green mare pause and she began to rub her chin in deep thought. Twilight peaked around the corner with the CMC, and Spike mimicking her. They were all hanging on the silence, waiting for an answer. After what felt like hours, the mare gave her answer, “Ah don’t know.” The sound of expectations-shattering was almost audible. Like the sound of six windows shattering all at once. Spike threw up his claws in exasperation, “REALLY?!”

Granny Smith then slammed her hoof down on the counter to gain everyone’s attention. “Oh, quit yer yammerin’! Ya didn’t even let me finish.” This silenced any and all groans and/or complaints and caused all focus to return to the matriarch. “Ah don’t know where it came all Ah remember was it was left in one of our apple seed bags. It had a little tag on it that said, ‘Plant me somewhere nice.’ We planted it in the center of town. We didn’t know it’d grow into that big ol’ tree house.”

“There has to be more to it that that! It couldn’t have just shown up!” Thorn retaliated in apparent frustration.

The old mare simply sat on her rump and crossed forelegs. “Ah’m tellin’ ya. Ah, don’t know how it-” She stopped suddenly without any foreseeable reason.

“What? What is it?” Thorn asked with some renewed hope.

“What is it, Granny?” The two apple sisters asked simultaneously.

“Just give me a moment. Ah’m thinkin’”, she retaliated.

Again the silence was palpable. Thorn was practically begging for answers and so was Twilight. Spike got his quill and parchment ready, the CMC got wide eyed and Applejack simply watched the scene unfold. “There might ‘ave been one pony who coulda put it there...but Ah don’t know why Princess Celestia would put there,to begin with.”

“PRINCESS CELESTIA?!” Came the unanimous call from all ponies in attendance. “Yes indeedy. She inspected our apple seeds before tellin’ us about the land just outside the Everfree”, Granny explained.

While the explanation put some things into perspective, Thorn was probing his memory for why the name sounded familiar. Didn’t the fillies mention that name before? She’s one of the leaders...right? When he turned, toward the group in the hallway. “Twilight”, Thorn called out. “Princess Celestia, she is a leader like you, right?”

Twilight gave the buck a sideways look, “Didn’t we tell you? Princess Celestia is THE leader of Equestria. She’s the one who banished Nightmare Moon all those years ago!”

This helped fill in some gaps, but the Nightmare’s banishment was a thousand years ago. How was there still a Princess Celestia?Hmmm...maybe it’s like a passed on name? Regardless, why would she give the seed for a home to her? Better yet, where’d she get the seed? Perhaps it was passed down?...Ugh, plenty of questions and not a single answer. Thorn rubbed his temples out of frustration. He had gained a single answer only to have several more sprout. It was starting to give him a headache. When he looked out a nearby window, he saw the sun beginning to make its way toward the horizon. Gah! I must have spent most of the day just wandering the town! I need to get home. He thought to himself. However, the thought also sparked another that he had neglected to consider. Mother is going to kill me...Actually, she’ll probably be mad....Master Ironwood will kill me. He groaned outwardly and hoped that maybe if fate was feeling kind, his explanation of the day’s events might sate his mother and master...until he realized exactly how unlikely and extremely unbelievable it sounded. I’m dead.

With a sigh, the buck thanked Granny and Applejack for their time. He then turned the group behind him and gave a courteous bow. “Thank you for...indulging in my curiosity, but I really need to get home. I...worry that my absence may be causing my family some undue worry.” Coming out of the bow, he addressed all the ponies around him. “This...experience, has been enlightening and I...I hope that maybe...when I have more answers...maybe I could...get to know you all better.”

The mares all gave an “Aaaw” and moved to give the buck a hug, but a quick flinch from him was enough to reinforce the notion that he still wasn’t comfortable around them. As they made their way to the edge of the forest, each mare and filly stated their hopes to see Thorn again. The CMC even suggested that Thorn bring his sister. The idea was a bit grating, but he didn’t dismiss it entirely. He gave a potential “maybe” and made his way into the forest. He stopped just short of the edge and gave one final request, “Could...Could you give Fluttershy my thanks for her kindness and understanding? And that I’ll be to make good on repaying it.”

They all nodded or affirmed it verbally, and with a small content smile, the deer bounded his way into the forest.

_____________________________________

The sun was nearing the edge of the earth and not all was well in the lone willow tree. Venus was pacing back and forth in the living room while Azalea sat on a nearby chair. The doe and fawn had been in a depressed mood all day. They had received word from Guardian Ironwood earlier in the day. Thorn had gone missing during his patrol and the only trace of him that could be found was a dead manticore encased in a large drosera. There was also an odd scorch mark not too far away as well, but no deer could explain what caused it. In hopes of comforting the two does, Ironwood offered to stay at the willow and let them know of any new developments.
While Azalea was in slightly higher spirits than her mother, she was still just as concerned. She cared for her mother and her brother equally, but the thought of being unable to spend time with him or...worse, never see him again, caused a pit to form in her stomach. Venus was no better. She was having horrible flashbacks and her growing anxiety was threatening to consume her. “Is there anything I can do to help out?” Ironwood asked.

The sudden appearance of the gravely voice caused Venus to jump a bit, but she quickly regained her composure. “Sorry. Ah, no. I’m just...just...” She turned to look at her daughter. The look on her face broke her heart. She knew that face and she hoped she’d never see it on her daughter. It was a face of worry and concern. She lowered the volume of her voice to a whisper as she spoke, “I’m just worried....Shouldn’t the other Guardians have found something? I know my plants and that was a drosera I gave Thorn. He couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air?!”

The older buck nodded. “I know, but other than the drosera and the manticore, there was nothing else.” His tone was just as low but leaked levels of understanding and calm. “I’ve spoken with the Great Tree to see if it knew anything. The Tree assured me that Thorn was fine and he would return, but it wouldn’t elaborate elaborate any further. Only to wait.”

The doe had to take some breaths to calm herself before speaking. If there was one thing you didn’t tell a worried mother, it was to wait to hear about the health of their child. “I respect the words of the Great Tree...but I need more than that. He’s my son! I want to know what has happened to him!” She seethed the last sentence out with tears threatening to break out.

Ironwood did his best to try and keep Venus calm, but his efforts were gaining little ground. He was preparing to say something else when the sound of the front door slamming open gained every deer’s attention. Azalea was the first to react, “THORN!” Within seconds she tackled the deer to the ground with a full sprint hug. The young buck barely had any time to react to the tackle, but he didn’t resist it. “It’s good to see you too, Azalea”, the buck said in a strained voice.

“I was worried you wouldn’t come back and that something had happened”, the fawn stated as her voice began to crack and tears started to flow. “I was worried you might be hurt or...or...”

Thorn began to stroke the back of his sister’s neck cooing as he spoke. “Hey, hey. I’m here. I’m okay. I promise not going anywhere. Your big brother isn’t going anywhere.”

As the fawn wept into the buck’s armor, the two older deer approached. Venus’s anxiety finally subsided at the sight of her son and rushed to embrace him. Ironwood was just as happy to see his pupil but was more subdued. He merely watched as the scene unfolded. This was sure to be an interesting and emotional evening.

Author's Notes:

Hey!
Sorry this took so long to get out. With school, work, and my other story, I've been very busy. I'm sort of doing this story and the other at the same time, but I'm doing my best to improve on the earlier chapters and follow through with the up coming chapters.

As always, leave any comments, critics, and suggestions below. I promise that I read them all.

Chapter 8

When Rarity and Fluttershy eventually made it to Sweet Apple Acres, they learned that Thorn had already departed, and they had learned that Princess Celestia may have been responsible for Golden Oaks Library being in Ponyville. Twilight promptly excused herself so she could return to Canterlot to ask the Princess about this and maybe get some more information. Spike made extra sure to give Rarity her designs before leaving. For his "valiant" efforts he received a peck on the cheek, ensuring he left with a smile. The Crusaders feld to their nearby clubhouse to discuss the possibility of new cutie marks and whether or not they might be able to convince Thorn to teach them how to be ninjas. This left Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy at the farm to discuss the day’s events.

“Why do you think Princess Celestia would give that seed to Granny Smith?” Fluttershy asked the group.

“I’m not sure, but she must have had a reason. The Princess doesn’t do anything without a reason.” Rarity offered.

“Ah agree with ya, Rarity. Ah’m sure Twilight will find out why she did it. Fer now, all we can do is wait”, Applejack finished.

The three nodded and prepared to head back to their respective homes, when an odd sound stopped them in their tracks.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIT!”

All the mares looked toward the source of the sound, and spotted a pink blur speeding toward them at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash feel inadequate. The blur sped past the group and reached the edge of the Everfree. “COME BACK! I MADE CAKE!!! LOTS OF CAKE!!!” The blur, also known as Pinkie Pie, yelled. Upon realizing that the buck was long gone, the hyper pink mare’s hair and overall mood dropped. “Aaaaw, he left before he could try his first cake.”

Fluttershy then remembered the task Pinkie had asked of her earlier that day and began her feverish apology “Oh Pinkie, I’m so sorry! I forgot to bring Thorn to Sugar Cube Corner! I’m so so sorry!”

Pinkie almost immediately cheered up as she turned to face her friend. “Don’t worry about it, I'm sure we'll meet again. If anything, I'll use the cake for Pumpkin and Pound Cake's upcoming birthday!"

The ponies just rolled their eyes at their friend's persistent optimism. It seemed like there was very little that could get Pinkie down. "Well, don't mean to be rude, but I need to skedaddle. Promised Dash I'd meet her in town. See y'all 'round."

The group said their goodbye to the farm pony, and eventually the rest departed to their respective destinations. Fluttershy decided to head home for the night so she could take care of her animals. When she eventually arrived, she went through the motions as she usually did...but found herself strangely distracted. Her conversation with Rarity was still fresh in her mind. She had a crush on a deer. The idea seemed so sudden...yet, she couldn't deny it. Just thinking of Thorn and how he treated her, sent her face aglow and made her wings twitch. But she quickly smothered those thoughts with Rarity's logic and her own. She hardly knew him. Plus what if he was just being friendly? Then she'd just be getting worked up over nothing. Of course this thought, then opened itself to the devil's advocate: What if he felt the same about her? What if he wasn't just being nice?

The pegasus shook herself of the thought, this was too much to think about. She decided it might be best to finish off her choirs and perhaps wind down with a warm bath before going to bed.

The willow tree was dead silent. Thorn had just finished explaining the events of his disappearance and what had followed after. Azalea, Venus, and Ironwood were sitting on a wooden sofa while Thorn sat on the opposite side in a chair he had conjured from the wood of the willow. The older deer were looking at the young buck with an extreme amount of skepticism, while the fawn just looked confused. "I understand it's a bit unbelievable, but I swear it is true!" Thorn defended. He knew this was going to happen, he had tried to think of a way to explain it to his family and master...but, Thorn came to a very apparent conclusion: It is hard to make an unlikely story sound believable. In the end he had hoped that if he simply stated what had happened perhaps, by a slim chance, they might believe him. This was clearly not the case.

"So, let's recap. You were on patrol, when you heard yelling" Ironwood started.

Thorn nodded.

"Upon investigation you discovered a rabbid manticore assaulting two unknown targets. You managed to subdue the manticore and proceeded to check on the two unknown targets."

"That is correct, master."

"Then upon identification, you discovered that they were ponies. Both female, one pegasus, the other an alicorn. "

Thorn gave another nod.

Ironwood was silent for a time, as he took in Thorn's debriefing.

"Thorn, I don't know what happened, but you do know that ponies aren't real?" Venus interjected.

Thorn had anticipated this question, but still hadn't determined a response...in fact he'd anticipated plenty of questions, the issue he was dealing with making his explanation sound believable. However, convincing others that an old fawn's tale was, in fact, true was becoming an uphill battle. Or it was until Thorn found the simplest solution, "They are real, and I can prove it."

This got everydeer's attention instantly, even Azalea, who was still confused by what was being discussed. "I can take you to where they took me," the buck proclaimed confidently.

The older buck looked to his apprentice with a cocked eyebrow. He wasn’t certain if he was bluffing or telling the truth, but his confidence suggested the latter. “How far away from here?” Ironwood asked to test his student’s confidence.

Thorn took a moment to think on it, before responding. “It was... a few hours run from here. Maybe longer if you don’t use the trees, oddly enough they’re just outside our patrol areas. If you start the halfway point from my patrol route, then..." He stopped for a moment to determine the appropriate route, using his hooves to retrace the path he took. "Then go perpendicular from there you'll find their town."

Again the buck’s confidence astounded him. He considered how long it took to travel to from this "town" and the route to get there. Was he really telling the truth? One more press should make or break him. "Can you take me there?"

Before the younger buck could affirm, a loud and defiant, "NO!" rang throughout the willow. All eyes turned to a small, crying fawn. "Thorn can't go! He just got back! He can't leave again!" Azalea yelled as she charged toward her brother and held onto him tightly. "He can't go!"

The adults all looked to the scene. The fawn was grasping onto the armored buck as if letting go of him would cause him to vanish into the air. Thorn held his sister back and stroked the back of her neck gently. He'd never seen his sister like this before. Normally she was very enthusiastic and not much seemed to concern her, even when he came back from patrols she'd usually greet him happily the next morning. This was the first time she was so...clingy. More than likely his mother's worry must have rubbed off on her. She was a very perceptive fawn. He looked to his sister then to his master and mother. His mother looked a pained and somewhat guilty for causing her daughter to worry. Ironwood held his standard stoic appearance but there were signs that the scene was tugging at his heart.

Thorn knew he had to do something about this. He doubted Azalea would separate from him without some kind of promissory note that he wouldn't "disappear" again. He didn't want to make his sister worry any more, but he needed to prove his story. As much as it pained him to do so, he had to put his hoof down. "Azalea, I'm a grown buck and I can take care of myself. Master Ironwood and I can leave in the morning and be back around afternoon."

Despite the buck's calm yet stern response, it did little to calm the fawn. "That's what you said yesterday...and you weren't here," The fawn retorted tearfully.

The comment struck the buck deep. It was obvious this whole matter had affected her just as much as his mother. He felt his resolve wavering, if he continued this conversation...it might end with more tears. He looked to his mother and master, before motioning to Azalea with his head and mouthing, "Help me."

Ironwood decided he might be able to help here, "Thorn, you're certain about this place...with ponies?"

"Yes, master. It is real. They are real," Thorn replied definitively.

Ironwood was impressed by his apprentice's confidence, but, despite that, he still doubted Thorn's story. Ponies? They were a tale told to fawns. They weren't real. He wasn't sure why his apprentice kept asserting they were the ones who took him, but if he could take him to where his abductors took him perhaps it'd shed some light on his reasoning. "Very well, Ms. Venus. If it'll put your daughter at ease, she can accompany us on this excursion. I can promise she'll be in Thorn and my capable hooves."

Venus was uncertain of how to respond. Her guilt compelled her to agree, yet her motherly instincts were strictly opposed to such a thought. She just got over the scare of losing her son, now she was being asked to relinquish both her son and daughter. She found herself uncertain about what to do, should she appease she daughter and let her go, or have her stay and let Thorn go with his master?

The older doe let out a long sigh. "I...I need to think on it. I'll let you know before you leave tomorrow, today has been a bit too much."

"Of course," Ironwood responded in understanding. He then turned to his apprentice as he got up to leave. "We'll be leaving at first light, Thorn. I expect you to be ready."

Thorn nodded and thanked his master for taking care of his family in his absence. Ironwood nodded and took off into the forest. Thorn let out a sigh and went back to his family, who were standing directly behind him. He took the moment to pull the both of them into a deep hug and whispered, “I missed you both.”

Venus and Azalea returned the hug, and the moment was enjoyed in relative silence. When they were done the family sat down to unwind after the day’s emotional event. After some time, the family of deer decided to retire for the night. Thorn left for his room and stored his armor away for later use. As he was about to get into his hammock, he heard a knock from his bedroom door. He turned to see his sister was waiting for him just outside his room. She had a question she had been wanting to ask.

“Thorn, what’s a pony?” Azalea asked, the question being on her mind since the topic had been brought up during Thorn’s debriefing. The fact it kept being brought up and not explained has caused her no small amount of annoyance. Now seemed like a good enough time to finally get an answer.

Thorn smiled at the question. Unlike him, his sister had not been told the stories about ponies or the blue alicorn. Venus has learned her lesson from Thorn's fawnhood and opted to tell more traditional, non-scary, bedtime stories. “Ponies... are like us... but shorter and they are... surprisingly colorful, in both meanings of the word”, Thorn responded.

“So they’re... just smaller deer?” Azalea retorted.

“Erh...in a way,” Thorn replied. “They are different. Some have only one singular antler that never gains additional points, some have wings to soar through the sky, and some don’t have any of those. That and they have long manes and tails.”

Azalea cocked her head and her ears perked in interest. The idea of a deer with wings or a mane seemed odd, yet intriguing at the same time. She was definitely curious. “Are they nice? Are there any my age? Do they talk to animals? Can they control plants?”

Thorn was smiling as he moved his hoof up and down to calm his sister down. “Easy, sister, easy. Yes, they are... very nice, no they can’t control plants...I think, and I met three young fawns...er...fillies. They’re around your age, I’m almost certain you’d get along with them.”

The fawn beamed with excitement. “Can I meet them?!”

Thorn rubbed the back of his neck in uncertainty. He wasn’t entirely sure when or if he’d be able to escort Azalea back to Ponyville. It’d be a long trek, and he knew she wasn’t skilled enough to traverse the canopy as quickly as he could. “I’m sure you’ll meet them, eventually.”

The statement made the fawn happy enough that her tiny tail did a little shake of excitement and she wore a even happier grin. “Yay! New friends!” she proclaimed in glee.

Thorn knelt down and rustled the fur on her head. “Yes, yes. But for now why don’t we just relax...it’s been a long day.”

Azalea nodded and went to her room. Thorn smiled as he shut his door and climbed into his hammock...he then wished he was in that comfy hammock back at the hospital. Boy, was that thing comfy. He laid there for a what felt like hours, wide awake. When he was certain his sister and mother were well within the realm of dreams, he donned a small leafy cloak and left the willow as silently as he could. He needed answers and he needed to hear them from the Great Tree, itself. He’d only be gone for a few hours and be back before anyone was the wiser...he’d just really have to rush. Thankfully, the moon was full and bright and made the forest illuminated in it’s glow. “I’ll be quick,” He told himself as he bounded into the forest.

Foraoise was mostly silent. The only sounds that echoed throughout the city were the sounds of the forest around it and the calming song of the night. Many of the guards were asleep, but a select few still patrolled the outside wall and within the city itself. However, for the lone Guardian-in-training, it was easy for Thorn to simply waltz into the city unnoticed. Once he was well into the sleeping city, he made his way to the Great Tree. The training area was just as deserted as the rest of the city. The many students and masters had long since left for their respective homes. If there were any students left, they were more than likely at the archives reading or in one of the many training ground, both, of which, were a ways away from Thorn’s destination.

The buck spotted his destination and checked his surroundings. Narry a guard or Guardian to be seen. He approached his destination and sat before the towering tree. He took some time to draw in a few calming breaths and let his magic reach out toward the ancient tree. It barely took a second for the connection to be made and the voice of the towering mentor to speak. “Ah, Thorn! So good to see you have returned safely. I hope you are doing well,” the Great Tree greeted the buck.

“It is good to see you as well, Great Tree. I am doing well,” Thorn responded in kind. “I apologize for my unexpected intrusion and my untimely arrival, but I had some questions I wanted to ask you. It relates to my...’disappearance’.”

A feeling of curiosity and interest swelled through the tree. The tree’s tone adjusted to fit the feeling and calmly asked, “What did you want to ask?”

Thorn collected himself, and remembered the two prevalent questions that were on his mind. “I encountered some...er...I...” he stumbled, but he took just a moment more to find the words he needed to say. “Take your time, Thorn. What did you encounter?” The tree asked understandably.

“Ponies, I found ponies...and not just a hoof full. It was an entire town, full of ponies and an alicorn!” Thorn said finally. He had to force himself to say it, but he said it. His family barely believed him and his master was skeptical. He knew what they were real. He knew he didn’t make it up, it wasn’t a dream, and it wasn’t a hallucination. Yet, the more he explained it, the more he felt like maybe it...could have been a dream. “I know it seems unbelievable, but-”

“I believe you.”

“I know, but-... wait, what?” Thorn had heard what the Tree had said, but he was certain it would have been as skeptical as his family and master. But the Great Tree believed him, and there wasn’t even a moment's hesitation. “Y-you believe me?”

“Of course, I do. I know you wouldn’t lie to me. Tell me what happened,” the tree continued calmly, allowing the Guardian-in-training to continue without interruption. Their connection hinted no doubts, only patience and curiosity. Thorn wasn’t sure what to say. This was the first time today someone had openly accepted what he said...,but it was completely possible the Tree was just humoring him.

“Well, while I was out on patrol I met a pegasus and an alicorn. They took me back to their town and there were... so many of them. I was scared. Scared they'd do something to me or harm me, ... but they didn't. They weren’t cruel, they weren’t vicious, and they weren’t destructive. They were kind, caring, and helpful.” Thorn’s features scrunched as he rattled off the differences. His mind was ablaze with questions. Why were the tales wrong? How were they so close without being aware of each other? How did this Princess Celestia get a hold of a seed that would build that library? He wanted to know. Were all those fawnhood nightmares for nothing?

The fire of questions were quickly extinguished by the Great Tree’s tranquil voice in his head. “I understand you have questions, Thorn. I will help as best I can. Ask your questions, and I will answer.”

Thorn had to stop as a thought crossed his mind. Did the Great Tree already know about the ponies? It didn’t seem at all sceptical and it’s strange understanding was beginning to give him pause. He decided to press forward. Before this night was over, he was going to have some answers. “Okay...first, is the tale of the Midnight Alicorn true? Did it happen?” he started. Best begin with where his phobia started.

There was a distinct creek from the Great Tree as it spoke. “It did,” it replied sullenly. “It happened thousands of years ago. Nightmare Moon came to the forest and amassed an army of beasts to assault her sister. She was angry and was feeling as though she wasn't receiving the attention she deserved. In the end, Princess Celestia was forced to banish her to the moon for a thousand years.” There was a distinct feeling of remorse in their connection. The rustling of the many leaves caused Thorn’s ears to come to attention. It was apparent this story was a bad memory for the ancient tree, but why the remorse? It wasn’t like it knew-... Wait.

“Great Tree...these Princesses...you didn’t...know them personally...did you?” Thorn inquired hesitantly. It couldn’t be possible. Well, time wise yes, but the Great Tree didn’t associate with ponies...right?

There was another creak, similar to a long sigh being released. “I did,” the tree responded. “We were good friends. It was fun to have them around...it saddens me that I have not seen them in so long.”

The tree’s response confirmed Thorn’s suspicions. Although, he is unsure how to feel about it. The implications were staggering and it suddenly gave some credence to the Apple matriarch’s statement, could the library have been a gift? If it was, it was an incredible gift. Being awarded or gifted a tree house would be a truly gracious gift.

“Then, what happened? If my experience is anything to go by, they’re not all that bad. What happened?”

Regret was the new emotion surging through the tree this time. “Fear,” was the lone response, before the tree elaborated. “After Nightmare Moons rampage through the forest and her subsequent banishment. The king of the forest, along with all the other deer, were scared. The magic ponies wield is stronger than our own. While deer have dominion over nature, ponies wield the arcane and elemental forces. Luna and Celestia, alone control the two celestial bodies that hang in the sky. That night, it was shown that they were the stronger force.”

Thorn hadn’t really considered this fact, but it was true. Twilight was able to move him, Fluttershy, and herself a vast distance in seconds. No deer could accomplish such a feat. And the idea of a single entity being able to control the...wait, what?! “Wait, did you say they control the celestial bodies?! You’re talking about the sun and the moon?! That can’t be possible!”

“Yet it is. Princess Celestia controls the sun and Luna has control over the moon and stars. They are incredibly powerful.” The statement was straight-forward and had no hint of sarcasm or joking. So much so, that Thorn felt his legs go weak. His fear was growing again within his mind, but it was quickly squashed by the Great Tree’s presence pressing into him. There was mild annoyance in his tone and it was clear that Thorn’s mindset had clearly offended the ancient deity. “Do not fear them, Thorn. Power does not make them better nor deer weak. I tried explaining that to King Elm a millenia year ago, but his fear, and the fear of his kin had already swayed him from logic. You have met them before you knew of their power, you know they aren’t a tour de force bent on destruction. I need you to keep that in mind. Can you do that for me, Thorn?”

The young buck felt some shame creeping in. He’d let his fear rule him and worse he’d shown his weakness before his spiritual leader. The deer hung his head in shame and apologized. “My apologizes, Great Tree. It won’t happen again. They are like us and should be treated as such.”

The tree produced a small root that patted the buck’s back gently. With their connection, the tree was not angry. It was never angry, he expected much from the young buck, and he still had much to do. “It’s okay. I just want you to keep that in mind. Now, you had more question?”

Thorn nodded, “Yes, I do. In the town, there was an oak library. It was clearly of deer design, yet they were unclear of where it came from. Only that it had a note attached to it that said, ‘Plant it somewhere nice’. Would you happen to know how they could have gotten that seed?” the buck asked in curiousity.
A sense of nostalgia sprouted within the tree as it recalled an old memory. It was a sad memory, but one that now blossomed with new hope.. “Yes, I do. I gave it to Celestia as a parting gift. I gave it to her in the hopes that maybe, one day, her ponies and my deer might be reunited.” The tree chuckled at the thought. “As it would seem my seeds of hope have come to bear blossoms and hopefully soon, fruit.”

Thorn opened his eyes and looked upon the towering ancient before him. The Great Tree had waited a thousand years in the hopes that one day, deer and ponies would be reunited. Such patience and hope was...inspiring. The lone deer was in awe, but also determined. Determined to make sure that such hope would not be left to wither and die. “I hope so too,” Thorn responded as he closed his eyes yet again. “I hope my visit to the town tomorrow will help bring our two races together. Then maybe you can be reunited with Celestia’s descendants.”

“Descendants?” the tree asked in confusion. “I’d much rather talk to Celestia, herself. I’m not certain if she has descendants.”

Thorn returned the confusion, “But...she can’t still be alive. It’s been a thousand years, nothing lives that long...unless-”

The tree saw the buck’s deduction coming forward. It let out a small cheery chuckle. “Yes, Celestia and Luna are like me. They are unravished by the passing of time.”

Suddenly, a lot of things made an unspeakable amount of sense to the buck. It also dawned on him, that when the fillies said Nightmare Moon was still around...they meant it. He really, really, REALLY did not like that, but if the Great Tree was willing to vouch for the two of them, then maybe the Midnight Alicorn...Luna, might be different now. Hopefully.

The Great Tree chuckled at the deer’s train of thought before composing itself, “Now, Thorn. It is late and you should get some sleep.” Thorn nodded and was about to leave, when the tree stopped him one last time. “Before you go, might I task you with a mission of sorts?”

“Of course, Great Tree. What do you desire of me?” Thorn replied happily.

Chapter 9

The sun was cresting the horizon on the dawn of a new day. For the Apple Family, this was the signal to begin the morning chores. With winter coming up, it was necessary to collect as much of their crop as they could before winter made growing crops impossible. Considering how much farmland they had, the process of getting all the crops down as expected to take some time. Applejack and Big Macintosh were in the process of bucking the apples out of the north western field. The siblings fully expected to be at work for most of the morning with maybe a few breaks in between to refresh and re-hydrate.

As the two were at work, Big Mac noticed two figures standing at the edge of the Everfree Forest. One of the figures was pointing toward Big Mac and the other figure just seemed to be standing still. Big Mac, himself, was confused, because both figures appeared to have branches on their heads. “Er...Applejack? Ya seen that?” Big Mac asked, pointing to the two figures in the distance.

Applejack halted mid-buck to look at what her brother was pointing at. When her eyes met the two figures she immediately deduced who at least one of the figures might be. “Ah think Ah might, Mac.” Applejack approached the edge of the orchard and put a hoof to her mouth. “Hey, Thorn! That you over there?” she yelled out to the figures.

One of the figures, Thorn, turned and gave a small wave. Not long after waving, Thorn bounded down to meet Applejack. Applejack quickly noticed something odd about Thorn...he had a really strange look on his face. It was like he was attempting to stifle some kind of giggle. “Y’all okay, Thorn?” Applejack asked in confusion.

Thorn bit down on his lips as he attempted to reply, “Yes....*snerk* just...saw something...*hurk* really funny.” He then looked over his shoulder and snickered again. He then smacked his muzzle a few times and took a few calming breaths. “Just a moment, Applejack.”

He turned to face the second figure, his master, and beckoned him to approach, “Master Ironwood! This is one of the ponies that helped me! It’s okay to approach!”

The second figure flinched at being addressed but he soon approached. Applejack noted that the other deer was obviously much older than Thorn, but she also noted that the older buck had way more points compared to Thorn. The second thing she noticed, was the oddly perplexed look on the older buck’s face. As he approached, Thorn had to avert his gaze and move away.

Applejack was still confused by Thorn’s behavior but did her best to be cordial to the other deer. She approached and offered a hoof to Ironwood. “Pleasure to meetcha. Ah’m, Applejack. The big feller over there is mah brother, Big Macintosh.”

“Eeeyup,” Big Mac replied as he gave a small head nod.

Ironwood approached hesitantly and took the mare’s hoof. Thorn turned to observe the hoof shake, a look of restraint on his face. With a quick up and down of her hoof, the Master Guardian was violently lifted and lowered with gusto. Thorn quickly left the scene to laugh uncontrollably behind a tree. It was like karmic justice. Delicious, sweet, karmic justice. All those training sessions. All the times he’d been tossed around like a rag doll, now his master was the rag doll and to make it better, his master’s knowing and hard wall stoicism had cracked the moment he laid eyes on Applejack and Big Mac. It was like an early birthday present. However, with all that in mind, he refused to be seen laughing at his master’s misfortune. He knew how to enjoy life’s little gifts, but he wasn’t one to encourage his own misfortune either.

Thorn finished his laughter just in time to see his master returning to his senses. “Erh, sorry ‘bout that. Y’all deer are lighter than ya look,” Applejack stated in earnest.

Ironwood merely stared deftly. His mind was hitting wall after wall of conflict. It didn’t make sense, it just didn’t make sense. They’re real. Thorn wasn’t lying, he hadn’t made the story up, and worse... they were only hours away. The implications were horrifying. The stories said that ponies contained an intense amount of magical power, and this lone mare just shook him as if it were nothing. How was Thorn so calm?!

“So, master. What do you think? They even have enough open space to plant this massive orchard,” Thorn stated happily, and motioned to the massive apple orchard.

Ironwood balked at his student. This required action, realistically, a retreat to warn the king. Yet, Thorn was fawning over their agriculture. The old buck took a moment to compose himself before requesting a moment to speak with his student in private. Applejack said it was fine, as she and her brother needed to bring what apples they had collected back to their barn. “When y’all are done, come meet us at the barn. Ah think we still have some fresh apple pie, iffn ya want a slice.”

The two ponies left the two deer to speak in private.

“What did you wish to talk about, master?” Thorn asked innocently.

“Thorn,” Ironwood started very seriously. “Why are you so calm right now?”

Thorn blinked a few times before answering, “Er...I don’t think I understand the question, master.”

Ironwood’s expression turned slightly annoyed. “Ponies are REAL! You’ve had a fear of ponies since fawnhood. HOW ARE YOU NOT SCARED?!”

Thorn didn’t flinch. He figured he’d encountered this conversation eventually, but he had honestly not expected it from his master. “Because they’re not like the old tales. They showed me amazing kindness, and understanding. We have nothing to fear from these ponies.”

Ironwood looked at his student with astonishment. What nonsense was Thorn speaking? How could he not see the threat before them?

“I’d like to ask you give them a chance, master. I promise you will be just as surprised as I was,” Thorn asked with amazing confidence and remorse. The strange turn of character was shocking. Where was this coming from? “Please, master.”

Ironwood looked to his student, then to the barn where the two ponies had gone to. Finally, he looked to the forest. He questioned what to do. On one hoof, there was a present danger. He’d need to report this to the king. Then again, why was Thorn so insistent on defending them? Had they manipulated him? The more he thought about it the more uncertain he became. I need to report this...but...I need to know the full extent of their power. And if they’ve done something to Thorn. The thought sparked a fire within the seasoned warrior. If they’ve done something to him...I’ll make them pay.

He made his decision. “Very well, I’ll reserve my judgement,” Ironwood said letting his expression soften. “However, we are leaving come midday, and regardless of what happens I will be informing the king.”

Thorn flinched but, ultimately, he knew that news of the ponies would reach the king’s ears. Best that any news that reached him, be as positive as possible. “I understand, master. Thank you for your understanding.” Thorn bowed out of respect and led Ironwood to the barn.

The two deer and three members of the Apple Family sat at a large dining room table. Granny Smith has welcomed the two with open arms and had cut each of them a slice of the family’s famous apple pie. Adjacent from the two deer, Applejack and Big Mac watched as Granny placed the two sliced before her guests. “Ah heard that y’all deer ain’t got much in the way of sweets,” Granny explained. “But Ah ain’t met a soul who didn’t enjoy a slice of mah apple pie.” Once she finished, she took her seat with her grandchildren.

Thorn and Ironwood just looked at the cooked pastries with a mixture of confusion...but also a little bit of desire. While they might not understood what pie was, their noses told them that the items before them were going to be delicious. Ironwood looked to Thorn and Thorn to him. Simultaneously, both took a tentative bite of their respective slices. The effect was instant. Both deer’s eyes enlarged to the same size as their plates. It was beyond anything they’d ever tasted. It was sweet, yet spicy. It was juicy, yet flaky as well. It was a delicious contradiction. It took every ounce of their training and strength not to consume what was left of their slices instantly. Instead, they slowly and politely finished their slices as their Guardian training demanded of them. When they finished they bowed their heads and gave their thanks.

Applejack decided to ask the burning question, “So what brings you two ta Ponyville?”

Ironwood answered with his best dignitary voice, offering a friendly tone and a slight smile.“My student informed me of his ‘disappearance’ the night before. Naturally, I was skeptical as your kind are considered legend and fairytales; however, it appears that my skepticism was unfounded.”

“Well, y’all are welcome to stay a bit if ya want. Ah know Pinkie really wanted to have Thorn try some cake before he left. Ah’m sure she’d be happier than a junebug if the two of ya stopped by,” Applejack replied with a smile.

While the comment was meant to be assuring, Thorn suddenly recalled his encounter with the bubblegum pink mare. He found it best to warn his master before they found her...or she found them. “Um, master? I think I should perhaps warn you about that particular mare.”

Ironwood looked at his student with a raised eyebrow. Thorn had sounded a little concerned when he talked about the pink mare. “What did you need to tell me?”

“Well you see-” was all Thorn could get out, before an inconspicuous potted plant began to shake. All in attendance turned to look at the plant as it shook. The plant wibbled and wobbled but in the end, it stopped. “What was that?” Thorn asked in confusion.

“Ah don’t know. Was mighty strange though,” Applejack said with a perplexed look on her face. “Well, if y’all want to travel around town, most everypony has been talking about Thorn’s visit the other day. Pretty certain ya’ll get a mighty warm reception.”

“We are grateful for your hospitality. My student will be showing me around town, and we will be leaving around midday. Afterwords, we will be returning to the forest,” Ironwood replied, maintaining his digentary attitude.

“Oh...well alright. Kinda wish Twilight was here. She’d probably be giddy to see the two of you around town.”

The older buck looked to his apprentice, “Twilight?”

“The alicorn I mentioned, master. She’s a ruling princess,” Thorn responded.

“Ah.” Ironwood nodded. “I see, well perhaps we shall meet her highness one day then.” He stood and bowed, Thorn stood and mimicked him. “We thank you for your time but we should take our leave if we are to see everything.”
The Apples seemed a little put off by the deers’ odd cordialness, but they did their best to return it in kind. The two deer said their goodbyes and made their way into town. Applejack and Big Mac went back to tending the fields, while Granny took a nap.

Thorn and Ironwood made their way down the path leading out of Sweet Apple Acres. Ironwood marveled at the seemingly endless rows of plump and bountiful apple trees. Thorn had informed him of their amazing agriculture but he now realized how mere words did not seem to do justice to how successful these ponies were. While Foraoise was never truly short on crops, it was a struggle to maintain what they did have during the more colder months. Just preserving what they had stored often became a challenge. If he could ascertain what they did to preserve such bountiful crops, it could be a great boon to the capital and the outlying villages. Perhaps on the way back to the forest he could probe one of the Apple family members for information.

Within a few minutes both deer arrived in Ponyville proper. Many of the citizens were just shaking off the effects of sleep and had started to go about their business. Thorn seemed a bit more comfortable passing through the town, but Ironwood, by contrast, was very much on guard. The Apples were indeed a nice family of ponies, but he was still wary. He needed to know more about them so he could give an accurate report to the king. Yet as he and Thorn walked through the town, his suspicions were given little foundation. Many of the ponies actively waved to them or even stopped to ask questions or even engage them in friendly conversation. The one thing that stuck both of the bucks as odd was that many of the ponies that talked to them highly recommended they stop by a place called Sugar Cube Corner. Eventually they got directions to the fabled building and were surprised by what they found. The building looked similar to the other surrounding buildings, but the roof appeared to be made of a different material. That and the fact that there was some odd white lining around the edges of the roof also set it apart from the rest.

The two deer approached and looked into the building, but as they approached they were halted by an invisible wall of sweet aroma. It smelt heavenly to the two deer and furthermore it was inviting. “What is that? It smells tantalizing,” Ironwood inquired with a small smile.

Thorn shrugged, “I’m not certain, but I’d like to know.”

The two agreed to investigate the intriguing smell and entered the building, only to find the interior quite dark. Before either of the two could say anything, the lights flicked on and both deer were assaulted by a small group yelling “Surprise!”. Both covered their eyes with a foreleg and prepared to defend themselves, when they noticed something odd sticking to them. It appeared to be thin multicolored pieces of paper. Upon daring a glance around them, they found several ponies around them holding a banner that said, “Welcome to Ponyville, Thorn and Ironwood.” In the center of the group was Pinkie Pie smiling widely with a small platter balanced on her back.

“What?” was the simultaneous response from Ironwood and Thorn. How’d she known they were going to be here? Had she planned this somehow?

“Bet that surprised ya, huh?” Pinkie started as she walked up to the two dumbfounded deer. “I mean it is a surprise party, so you should be surprised, but this was a special surprise party. I made sure that everypony sent you here, so I could welcome the both of you properly! So whatcha think? Do you feel welcome?”

The two deer just blinked in amazement. This pony had an impressive intel network. She knew both of them were coming, had planned a welcome party, then arranged for nearly each and every citizen of the town to direct them to this location. This was clearly a mare with impressive clout.

“Is this the mare you tried to warn me about?” Ironwood asked in hushed tones to Thorn.

Thorn nodded with an uneasy smile. While he was definitely more comfortable around ponies...this one was still something of an enigma. Her incredible randomness and strange influential abilities still gave the young buck pause. He knew Fluttershy trusted her, but he was just put off by Pinkie. For now he decided he did not want to insult her. “Yes, we were amazingly surprised. Thank you,” Thorn stated with a polite bow. Ironwood followed suit.

Pinkie smiled brightly at the fruits of her successful operation, there was only one left that needed to be done. Introductions to the wonders of cake! She turned around and grabbed two cupcakes from the platter behind her and then presented the two pastries to the guests of honor. One of the cupcakes was clearly vanilla with chocolate icing, while the other was chocolate with vanilla icing. Pinkie decided the opposing mix would allow the two newcomers to enjoy both flavors simultaneously.

Ironwood and Thorn accepted the small pastries gracefully and gave them a tentative sniff. The smell the deer got from the pastries confirmed that they were the source of the appealing aroma. “What are these?” Ironwood asked wanting to dig into the the object in his hoof.

Pinkie smiled widely as she’d been waiting for this since learning that deer, or at least Thorn, were unaware of what cake was. “It’s the glorious confection known as cake! It’s fluffy, moist, sweet, and perfect for any occasion!” She finished her pitch with a small motion of her hoof, encouraging the deer to partake. “Give them a try, bet you’ll love it!”

Again, the deer gave the new delicacies a tentative nibble, grabbing a part of the cupcake and icing in the bite. The flavor was intense for both of them. The subdued but sweet flavor of the vanilla mixed with the powerful authority of the chocolate. It was everything promised and more. The taste left behind by the deliciously sweet pastry alone demanded that they take another bite. The two consumed the pastries with tears rolling down their faces. It was a head above pie they had earlier. This was...bliss. Delicious, delicious bliss.

“It’s...it’s...glorious,” Ironwood stated, his normal stoic demeanor collapsing completely under the succulent taste of the pastry.

Pinkie smiled at the comment and turned to Thorn, who was just staring wide eyed into the distance. “Like it?” she asked.

Thorn nodded.

“Want more?” she asked with a knowing smile.

More nodding from the silent buck.

“Well help yourselves! I made plenty! And remember to have a good time!” With that Pinkie left the deer to mingle and partake in more of the prepared treats; however, the moment she left the two deer found several ponies wanting to either meet them or just chat. One pony in particular, a beige mare with a silver and grey mane, seemed particularly interested in greeting the two newcomers. The two deer answered what they could and continued to sample the various treats and snacks that had been laid out. The entire time Pinkie just watched with rapt attention from the sidelines. She made little notes about what the two deer sampled, what they continued to sample, and what they didn’t like. She did so discreetly and hide the notes within the void storage that was her frizzy pink mane.

The welcome party went well and eventually all those who had come to meet the deer left. Each pony that left gave the deer a proper welcome and wishes to see them in the future. Even the owners of Sugar Cube Corner came out to greet the deer. “We are grateful for such open hospitality, Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, Ms. Pie. Thorn informed me of the kindness and caring that your kind had showed to him, but to witness it first hoof has been something else entirely. Thank you,” Ironwood said gratefully with a small bow. Again, Thorn followed suit and gave his own bow.

Mrs. Cake was first to wave the whole thing off, “Oh deary, don’t worry about it. Pinkie does her best to make everyone who comes to Ponyville feel welcome, and everypony does their best to help.”

“She’s right. We don’t get too many visitors, the Princesses mostly, and the occasional passer by. Knowing you’re right next to us is quite the change!” Mr. Cake added. “Canterlot is a considerable distance away but the Everfree is right next to us. So, most of us agreed that we should greet you appropriately. Like neighbors, ya know?”

“Neighbors?” the guardian repeated under his breath. They saw them as neighbors. Fellows who lived within close proximity to each. How...odd. He had considered that maybe the greeting to be more of just a farce, but the way they acted and how considerate they were seemed to go against this preconceived notion. He found himself juggling with how to feel; however, his apprentice’s calm demeanor seemed to suggest that maybe there wasn’t anything to worry about. He reserved his judgement until midday came. “Well, I suppose that is the case in a manner of speaking.”

“So will you be staying in Ponyville for the day?” Mr. Cake asked out of curiosity.

“No, just until midday, then we need to return to the forest.”

“Oh, oh! You two should totally visit Fluttershy’s cottage before you leave!” Pinkie exclaimed happily.

“Who?” Ironwood asked.

“She’s the pegasus who... kept watch over me while I was unconscious, master,” Thorn explained with a slight blush.

“I see.” Ironwood turned back to Pinkie. “Why should we visit her?”

“Well she’s kinda like you and Thorn, but more shy and with wings.”

Ironwood’s expression showed he wasn’t entirely certain what the pink mare was talking about. Pinkie reworded her statement. “She’s really good with animals, she can even understand them plus lives right on the edge of the Everfree!”

Ironwood’s face scrunched up in thought. “That sounds like a warden,” he stated with a hint of interest.“I suppose we could make it our last stop. You said she lives on the edge of the Everfree, where on the edge exactly?”

“I can show ya if you want,” Pinkie offered with a smile. “It’s only a few minutes away.”

“Very well, but I believe my apprentice wished to show me a library within this town. Do you know it?”

Pinkie smiled and nodded, “Of course, that’s Twilight’s home. Everypony knows about it. I can take you there before we head to Fluttershy’s place.”

“I suppose, thank you.”

“Not a problem, Woody!” Pinkie finished with an innocent smile.
Ironwood gave an incredibly baffled look to the mare as she gave him a new nickname. Thorn excused himself to a corned to snicker quietly. The older buck decided not to question the new nickname, despite his qualms about the name sticking.

Ironwood turned to the Cakes and bowed politely thanking them for their hospitality. The Cakes gave a set of uneasy waves accompanied by sheepish smiles. The group then departed for their next destination, the Golden Oaks Library.

As the group walked, Thorn took the opportunity to see how his master was taking everything in. “So, master. What do you think so far? They are quite friendly, right?” the young apprentice asked tentatively.

Ironwood mulled over the question, his face going through a mixture of uncertainty and contemplation. “I’m... not certain yet. They are very kind and welcoming, but... this could all be a ruse. It is hard to tell. I’d like to trust them, but we cannot be so easily trusting, especially with their abilities. Their strength is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, the flight capabilities gives them unparalleled maneuverability, and I shudder to see what unicorns can do.” He shifted his gaze to their bouncing pink guide. “And I’m not sure what to make of her.”

While Thorn couldn’t deny the last statement, he was a worried about his master’s uncertainty. Thorn was doing his best to be calm and understanding with the ponies. To show there was nothing to fear from them, but ultimately he could not force his master to accept them. It would take time, but he’d have to make sure his first impression was his best. “I understand, master. I was just curious...and thank you for giving them a chance.”

Ironwood just gave the younger buck a small nod and continued forward.

It didn’t take long for the trio to arrive at the Golden Oaks Library. Ironwood was just as stunned as Thorn was to see such similar architecture amongst a sea of unfamiliarity. He couldn’t understand how this had come to be in the middle of the town and He inspected the entire structure from the outside and probed it with his magic. Thorn in the meantime considered going to see Twilight, only to discover a sign on the front door, “Library closed, please place any returns in the return slot.”

“Twilight isn’t here today?” Thorn inquired to Pinkie.

“Nah, she went to Canterlot to talk to Princess Celestia,” Pinkie responded. “I’m pretty sure she was going to talk about you.”

Thorn felt his heart jump at knowing that his presence was being revealed to another alicorn, especially one that was as old, if not older, than the Great Tree. “Oh... that’s... great,” Thorn responded attempting to not seem nervous.

“I know, right?” Pinkie said jubilantly. “Maybe we can have a big party welcoming all the deer with the princesses!” She then stopped as she tapped a hoof to her chin. “I’d have to do a lot of baking for a party that big. SWEET!” The exuberant mare than began to quick step in place at the very appealing idea.

Thorn watched Pinkie dance in place and let out a small giggle. Her strange antics seemed to put him at ease a bit as well. “You really like to make others feel happy, huh?”

“Well, yeah. Everypony needs to laugh or be happy every now and then. And who better to give them a little smile than yours truly?”

“I suppose so. You definitely have the personality for it,” Thorn said with an amused smirk.

Pinkie was about to say something else, but Ironwood had returned from his inspection. Ironwood was unable to deny that that building was of deer design, and after hearing Thorn’s explanation of how it came to be in it’s current location he got amazingly quiet. Thorn and Pinkie asked if he was okay, but he ended up asking that he be given time to think over the new information. Pinkie was going to press the issue, but Thorn halted her. “Just let him think. Master is going through what I did yesterday, he needs to think.” He then got a small smile on his face along with a light blush. “Maybe... we could go see Fluttershy? While master is thinking... that is.”

Pinkie shrugged and pointed down a nearby street. “Sure, just a few minutes that way. Follow me!”

Fluttershy’s day was going quite well today. She managed to take down a few of the bird houses and she’d gotten a few of burrows cleared out for the coming winter. She was just getting ready to prepare a light lunch for herself and her animals when a feverous series of knocks arrived from her front door, causing her to jump a bit.

“Uh...h-hello?” the startled mare spoke out barely above a whisper.

“Hey, Fluttershy! It’s Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie sang from the other side of the door.

Fluttershy release a small sigh of relief, she hadn’t been expecting company but she was rarely one to turn away a friend. However, when she went to answer the door she found more than just Pinkie Pie in attendance. She found Pinkie accompanied by Thorn and another older looking deer. Her mind immediately went into a tailspin. “Thorn’s back? So soon?! Oh... oh dear. I... I haven’t enough time to think on this! I... I...I’m not prepared to face him again.” The pegasus began to get incredibly nervous but managed to hold the smallest sliver of composure. “H-h-hello,” was the best she could squeeze out.

“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked in genuine concern.

“I-I-I’m fine! W-w-what are you doing here?” the mare asked hesitantly.

“Well, Thorn and Woody-”

“That’s not my name!” Ironwood interjected in an annoyed tone.

“You’ll grow into it!” Pinkie countered, “Anyway, they wanted to come visit you before they went back to the forest. Is it okay if they just look around?”

Fluttershy looked to the two deer and did her best to maintain an air of calm, but this was simply not going to happen. She was nervous and the unexpected arrival had given her little time to prepare herself, and now she had to work on her hooves to keep herself calm. “I-I... um... sure. I suppose...t-that is okay,” she said in a nervously hushed tone.

Pinkie kept looking at Fluttershy as she spoke. She knew Fluttershy was still very... shy, but she’d come out of her shell a lot since Twilight had come to town. Yet she was verging on locking up like she used to. Was it Ironwood? He did have a bit of a naturally angry looking face... but Fluttershy wasn’t looking at him, she was looking at Thorn and she was... blushing. Pinkie slapped her head with her hoof, it was so obvious! How could she have missed it? It’s because they were boys! Doi! Fluttershy was always extremely nervous around ponies but stallions always made her even more nervous. She pulled the two deer into a small huddle. “Okay, boys. I need to warn you. Fluttershy is very, very, very shy! Especially around boys! So be sure to go easy on her and whatever you do... Don’t. Make. Her. Cry!”

The extreme serious tone suggested that making the yellow pegasus cry was truly a bad idea, but it also begged the question. “Why? What happens if we make her cry?” Thorn asked worriedly.

Pinkie just looked up into the sky, seemingly looking at something that wasn’t really there. She then turned her gaze back to the two deer.“You don’t want to know,” she said in an unnaturally serious voice. She then turned back to Fluttershy and flipped to her more exuberant attitude, “So want to give us the grand tour?”

Fluttershy nodded without saying anything further and began showing the deer around her cottage.

As Fluttershy nervously showed the deer around her cottage, she did her best to try and calm herself. She remembered a book she read saying that immersing yourself in something you are good at could help relieve nervousness and to a degree it did help. When she spoke about the animals she cared for and their different personalities, she was able to create more coherent and articulate sentences. She did get a little nervous when some of the smaller birds in her care started perching on the deer’s antlers, but the two both stated that they didn’t mind. “Birds perch on our antlers all the time. We really don’t mind,” Thorn had stated when Fluttershy had gone to ask the birds to get off of their antlers. Fluttershy wanted to protest, but Thorn and Ironwood both seemed fine with their passengers, so she let it go.

As they continued the tour, Ironwood took some liberty in asked Fluttershy some questions. Most pertaining to what she did and about the animals she cared for. “Well... most of the animals are from the Everfree. Most are usually sick or hurt. So I take care of them and nurse them back to health... Some just tend to... stay with me after they’ve healed. It’s why there are so many around,” Fluttershy explained only hesitating occasionally when she made eye contact with Ironwood.

The older buck merely nodded as he took in the surroundings. The cottage didn’t look remotely similar to the houses. The roof appeared to be composed of a living tree branches with many nests and tiny houses within. Then there were many little burrows about the premise as well, whether they came from the many rabbits and ferrets or they were made by the pegasus was hard to tell. Finally, there seemed to be a pond out front the home with a copious amount of fish and plant life. If Ironwood didn’t know any better he’d swear this home belonged to one of the capital’s wardens.

Eventually the tour came to end just outside Fluttershy’s cottage. The sun hung at the very zenith of its arch, and the deer had seen all that they could. Ironwood looked to the forest edge, it wasn’t where they had entered but it shouldn’t be too hard to make their back. Turning back to their guide he prepared to bow, when he noticed the absence of a particular pink mare. “Uh... where did the pink one go?” he asked in general concern. She had been right next to him during the tour. When had she left?

Ironwood looked to Thorn and Fluttershy for answers but received odd looks from both of them. “What?”

Both pointed to where they were looking, slightly above him. He let his eyes wander upward and discovered an oddly puffy pink tail dangling above his brow. His expression turned to a new category of dumbfounded as he quickly deduced that the pink mare had somehow managed to nestle herself in his antlers and was now taking a nap. His bemusement quickly turned to annoyance as he gave his head a quick jerk and launched the sleeping mare from her resting place. Thorn and Fluttershy watched as Pinkie was propelled through the air and landed in the pond with a colossal splash. However, rather than sink, her body merely floated on the water and was carried away by the current of the river connecting to the pond.

Thorn and Ironwood just watched the whole scene and attempted to process the whole ordeal, but as most ponies are well aware: Pinkie’s logic and normal logic are very much like oil and water, they do not mix. Thorn found some processing power to ask Fluttershy a very common question associated with Pinkie Pie, “What just happened?”
Fluttershy giggled a little at the deer’s confusion, “Just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.” While that answered very little, Thorn took it as a hint not to think about the it too much. He got his master’s attention, despite the fact that he was so stupified that he could barely form a coherent thought.

“I suppose we should be going. Thank you for the tour, Fluttershy. You’ve been very helpful,” the young buck stated with a content smile.

Fluttershy returned the smile, feeling a pleasant warmth from her core. “O-oh it was nothing special.”

“Yet it was, more than you know.” Fluttershy blinked. What did he mean by that? Thorn didn’t elaborate, but he waved goodbye before taking his master back into the forest. The lone pegasus watched as the two deer were leaving and felt a small thought creep into her mind, “Maybe... I should ask him out?” The errant thought brought a blush to her face, she knew she should be assertive. Her training with Ironwill taught her as much, but this would be a new level of assertive. This would be... a date. The idea alone was pretty assertive, but actually voicing it... would he accept? Did he even share the same feelings? She looked to see the deer about to enter the forest. She had a split second to do something. Either speak up and stop them, or stay silent and wait for them to come back again, whenever that may be. More questions bounced around her mind. What ifs and various scenarios. They were right on the edge....

“WAIT!”

Thorn and Ironwood turned to see the yellow mare, her face and ears aflame in red. She was shaking vigorously and her eyes were dashing to every spot but in the direction of the deer. Thorn decided to go and investigate while Ironwood hung back at the forest’s edge. “Is everything okay, Fluttershy?”

The mare’s heart was pounding in her throat. She’d stopped them. She had Thorn’s attention... it was now sink or swim. She tried to summon her voice but it would not respond. Only unintelligible squeaks came out. “Sorry, didn’t understand. What did you say?”

“Would you...like to... have tea with me?” Fluttershy responded this time, having found her voice.

“Would I what?” Thorn asked again.

“W-w-would... you... l-like to have... t-t-tea with me?” She said with tears starting to form at the edge of her eyes.

This time Thorn caught enough to know what was said. “Tea...with Fluttershy? I suppose that would be... nice.” Thorn blushed a bit as he sat down in front of the blushing mare. He gave the mare a reassuring tap on her side, and she turned to face him. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I’d happy to have some tea with you, when I return,” Thorn said with an assuring smile.

Fluttershy looked up at the buck, she made direct eye contact and her heart finally come down out of her throat. He’d said yes. He actually said yes.

“I have to go, but I look forward to the tea,” Thorn finished before turning to meet back with Ironwood and took off into the forest.

Fluttershy felt a little smile growing on her muzzle. She had a date with her crush... or was it more a friendly meeting? She still wasn’t sure of Thorn’s feelings towards her. Did he see her as a friend? An acquaintance? Maybe she was thinking too much into this. Ultimately she wasn’t sure what to do... but she knew a pony who could definitely help. “I need to go see Rarity”

Thorn and Ironwood made their way through the forest. Thorn had a small content smile on his face. His mind returned to the conversation he had had with the Great Tree the night before.

“I want you to try and rekindle the relations between the Deer and Ponies.”

Thorn had blanched at the request. How was he to accomplish such a monumental feat? He was just a Guardian-in-training. He had very little status and even less influence. He wouldn’t get either until after he was a fully appointed Guardian. Thorn voiced these concerns to the old tree.

“I understand this is a big request, but you are in the best position to do it. Master Ironwood will want to know about these ponies. He will more than likely be skeptical up until he sees them himself. This will be where you will have the biggest influence. Make sure any impression he receives is positive.” The Great Tree paused as it turn it’s tone to a more sympathetic tone. “I’m aware that you have a fear of these ponies, but I need you to be brave. To cast aside your fears and help reunite our two kinds after a millenia of separation. Would you be willing to do this for me, Thorn?”

The buck went silent as he considered the request. This was a request directly from the Great Tree and its significance was all too important. Two species being reunited and maybe re-establishing diplomatic relations. There could be a lot of good that could come of this, but how accepting would the others be to meeting ponies? Would they be accepting of them? So many questions ran through the bucks mind, but one thought persisted no matter what he questioned. If the Great Tree trusted them, he should too. What would happen would happen, and he’d deal with them as they came. He gave the Great Tree his word that he’d do everything in his power to help reunite pony and deer kind.

With the day only half over, he knew that he’d made some progress in seeing that goal achieved. He made a note to drop off his armor at home before reporting his progress to the Great Tree.

Thorn and Ironwood separated at Thorn’s willow home. Ironwood heading off toward the capital to report his findings and Thorn heading inside to change out of his armor. He was quickly greeted by his little sister who was happy to see him returning at the time he said he’d arrive. “So, how was it?” Azalea asked curiously. “Did you run into those fawns you told me about?”

Thorn chuckled as he gave his sister a hug and headed up to his room. “Fillies. They’re filles. And no we did not run into them, but if things go as I hope they do, you might get to meet them.” He unlatched his breastplate and stored as he corrected his sister. Thorn internally questioned how his sister would do meeting the three energetic fillies.

“Really? Are they coming here?” She looked up to her brother with hopeful eyes and a wide smile.

Thorn finished placing his helmet with his armor in the designated cupboard and locked it. “Not necessarily. Maybe bringing you to them, but we need to see how things go. I need to talk to the Great Tree about what happened today, then we need to see how the king and queen deal with the news about the ponies as well.”

“Oh,” was the young fawn’s response. It was easy to see why the older sibling was uncertain about her meeting the new potential friends. “Do you think the Great Tree can help the King and Queen make friends with the ponies?” the fawn’s tone was low but hopeful. That youthful hope that saw little negativity in the world. Thorn got a little smile at the corner of his muzzle and got his sister into a tight hug.

“I’m sure the Great Tree will do what it can to make sure the King and Queen see reason.” He released his sister and made his way back down stairs. “Now I’m going to see the Great Tree. Can you let mother know where I am?”

Azalea rubbed one foreleg against another. “Well... Could I come with you?” The question wasn’t anything astonishing, but it wasn’t beyond him either. He saw no real issue with it. Plus, the Great Tree had a soft spot for fawns.

“I see no reason you couldn’t. Let’s leave a note for mother and we’ll be on our way.”

“YAY!” Azalea jumped for joy and ran outside while Thorn left a note for his mother about where he and his sister had disappeared to.

As the siblings entered the Guardian training ground in Foraoise, the younger of the two was enthralled by the sights around her. Various students and masters practiced magic and physical acrobatics and attacks. She was personally interested in the way some of the Guardians had different ways to dance about the training field. Some utilizing various quick snap techniques or had ways to use the terrain to their advantage. She made some mental notes to test some of them out next time she practiced traversing the forest. However, her attention soon shifted to the imposing tree that now stood before them. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. She’d heard Thorn talk about it very fondly, about how smart it was, and how it always seemed so in tuned with the rest of the forest. Seeing it in person... it seemed more than just that.

“Come, I’m sure the Great Tree would be happy to meet you,” Thorn said as he nudged Azalea onto the meditation dias. “Now sit.” Azalea did as she was told as took a seat next to her brother. “Good, now place a hoof on my shoulder and close your eyes.” Again Azalea did as she was told. “Now let your mind go blank. Breath deeply and exhale slowly.”

As the two meditated, a voice began to ring within both their minds. “Thorn, it is good to see you have returned again. And you brought your sister! A pleasure to finally meet you, Azalea. How are you this afternoon?”

“I-I’m fine,” the fawn responded out loud.

“No, no, sister. Speak it in your mind. The Great Tree will hear it more clearly,” Thorn corrected his sister.

“Oh. Ahem. I’m fine, Great Tree... sir... ma’am.” Azalea’s nervousness was very apparent in her tone.

The elderly tree chuckled lightly, “There is no need for such formalities here, young one. In truth, I have watched your progress as a runner for quite some time. You have amazing potential. I look forward to see how you perform at this year’s Running competition.”

Azalea found herself becoming very self-conscious and embarrassed at all the praise. “Th-thank you.”

Thorn then giggled to himself. It took a bit to silence his sister and the tree had done it with the same words he’d been using. Perhaps it was just the grandeur of the Tree’s presence. Either way he let his sister compose herself while he reported in. “I have come to report on Master’s interaction with the ponies this morning, Great Tree.”

A sense of mischievousness fill both deer’s minds and the Great Tree halted the buck before he could continue. “A moment before you continue, Thorn. I’d like to show you something. Follow the path around the dias and you should find a cave entrance covered with my roots. I will open it for you and your sister.”

Thorn opened his eyes and peered over the edge of the dias to see the path specified. Azalea looked to her brother she seemed confused. Thorn looked just as confused, but obeyed. He called for his sister to follow close and the two went down the path as instructed. Sure enough the cave opening was exactly where is was stated it would be and the roots covering it pulled away for the two. As they entered, the path they walked was illuminated by vibrant white flowers that seemed to grow out of the roots of the Great Tree. The trail looked mostly untraveled, but it was clear this path was created by the Great Tree. Both deer had the same thought, “Where does this go and why is it here?”

The first answer was soon answered when they arrived at a central chamber that was covered in many luminescent plants and flowers. They glowed in vibrant whites and greens that easily illuminated the entire room. However, what really grabbed their attention was the two figures already waiting in the center of the room. One was a violet alicorn pony with a multi purple hued mane and a taller alabaster white alicorn with a flowing ethereal mane. The moment the two noticed the two deer’s arrival they were greeted by the taller alicorn. “Oh, hello! You must be Thorn and Azalea. I am Princess Celestia. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Author's Notes:

Whoa, 17 pages! That's got to be a new record! Sorry for the delay.
As always please leave comments, criticisms, and suggestions in the comment section!

Chapter 10

It’s one thing to be surprised. It’s another to be stunned. To be both and scared is a terrible trifecta. For Thorn, this unholy trinity was his current state of being. Before him stood a physical embodiment of an immortal being with the power to push and pull the sun at will. He did not have enough time to prepare himself, but he trudge through his fear with the calmest composure he could muster. “I-it is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia,” he said very shakily and gave a polite bow. Azalea just looked at the princess with wide eyed fascination. Thorn nudged his sister lightly and motioned for her to follow his example. She looked at her brother then back to the Princesses. She quickly got the idea and bowed as well. When she finished her bow, she immediately went to the first question that had popped into her head, “Thorn? Are those ponies?” Thorn nodded deftly. Turning to look at the two princesses again, mostly focusing on Celestia. The fawn’s curiosity compelled her to ask the second question that was plaguing her mind. “Can I touch your... mane?” The question came out hesitantly, as the young fawn searched for the right word to describe the ever flowing, color spectrum that was Celestia’s mane.

Twilight and Thorn just stared in stunned silence. No pony was ever so forward or brave enough to make such a bold request, and here, a mere fawn, just asked to touch Celestia’s mane. Thorn was worried his sister had just insulted a demigoddess and was on the verge of a horrid punishment, however; the sound of an amused chuckle broke the older sibling’s train of thought and brought him back to the scene before him.

“Of course little one,” Celestia said with a motherly smile. She layed down on her stomach and gave her head a slight tilt so the fawn could get a good feel. Thorn let out a sigh of relief. Azalea hadn’t insulted the demigoddess, and noticed that she seemed almost motherly, at least based on her calm and understanding tone.

Azalea placed a tentative hoof into the flowing mane and was surprised to find that it was... warm. Like the warm embrace of a hug or the blanketing warmth of a summer day. Azalea suddenly found herself hugging the Princess out of reflex. “It’s so warm.”

Celestia chuckled and let the hug continue, “Thank you.”

Thorn looked at the scene and found himself relaxing even more. This alicorn seemed just a nice as Twilight... if not more so. The idea gave Thorn the additional courage to ask the question that had entered his mind the moment he had seen the two alicorns. “If I may be so bold? What brings the two of you here... or better yet how’d you get here?”

Celestia turned to Thorn, careful not to disturb Azalea.“Twilight informed me of your visit to Ponyville yesterday and I thought it might be nice to drop in on one of my old mentors and meet the first deer to set hoof in Ponyville, and as for how I got here, I believe my former student gave you a first hoof demonstration of teleportation the night before.”

Thorn blanched at the statement, not that the Princess and the Great Tree were student and mentor, but that she could readily enter and leave the capital whenever she pleased. The idea of an invasion force being able to appear right in the middle of Foraise at their convenience did not sit well with the buck. The only thing that kept him from panicking over the idea was that he knew that they had no intentions or want to invade. If they had, it was clear they could and would have done it long ago.

“It has been over a millennia since I have been here. It brings back many memories,” the solar princess stated with a nostalgic smile.

Thorn, Twilight, and Azalea all looked at Celestia with confused looks. Twilight was the first to question her fellow princess and former mentor. “Wait, if you knew about the deer all this time, why are you only now coming here and why didn’t you tell me when I asked?”

Celestia frowned as she patted Azalea with a wing and encouraged her to go back to her brother. “Because it wasn’t time to reveal them,” Celestia explained as she got back on all fours. “Long ago, deer and ponies had a strong alliance that helped to overthrow Discord’s rule. If it weren’t for the deer, we wouldn’t have the Elements of Harmony and things would not be as they are now.” Her features became more somber as she continued, “However, after Luna’s fall, the deer believed we were a threat. That we would turn our magical abilities on them. So they sealed the forest and placed sentries, wards, and other manners of deterrents to keep us out. I kept silent about them out of respect for their wishes. I even went so far as to warn settlers that the forest was a dangerous place and should be avoided.”

“Not that it hasn’t stopped many a wayward traveler from trying to enter,” the Great Tree interjected. “Thankfully, many of them were dissuaded from venturing too far in. Even now the wards around the kingdom continue to keep ponies from getting too curious.”

Thorn was surprised by this reveal. He had no idea there were wards protecting the capital. He voiced his confusion to both Celestia and the Great Tree. To which the Great Tree responded, “The wards are a long forgotten secret. Hardly anydeer, outside the royal family, know that the wards exist. Anything not native to the forest will be unable to cross the perimeter leading to the kingdom. Anything that gets within a certain distance will be unwittingly guided away. If they are persistent magically attuned timberwolves are sent to threaten them. Anything further and the forest will openly retaliate... with prejudice.” The tone in which the tree spoke was somber. As though the fact that such things were implemented was either distressing or otherwise saddening to it.

Celestia’s expression seemed to match the tree’s tone. Twilight could see her former teacher’s sadness and it pulled at her own heart. It was very rare for her to see Celestia so gloomy. The only times she ever recalled seeing her like this, was when she was warning her about Sunset Shimmer, Celestia’s former student, and anytime she recalled Princess Luna’s banishment. Twilight did her best to try and comfort the older alicorn with a wing hug. Celestia accepted and returned it with a ghost of a smile.

Thorn watched and part of him couldn’t help but wonder if the two alicorns were related. Aside from the wings and horn they didn’t resemble each other in any form, and he also remembered Celestia referring to Twilight as “her student”, so maybe it was just a very close student/teacher relationship. He shrugged off the thought and returned to another question, “You said our two species came together to beat someone. The Great Tree informed me of how we came to separate paths, but I am unfamiliar with this ‘Discord’. Who was he that he warranted a coup d'etat?”

Twilight broke her wing hug to explain, using her magic to produce an image of the amalgamation of parts and pieces that made the draconequus. “Discord is the Lord of Chaos. His power is unmatched and worse, unpredictable. His magic can literally cause everything and anything to happen. Cats could rain from the sky or... rivers could become grape juice. Anything you didn’t expect to happen could occur. Before his reform, he used his magic rampantly to amuse himself. Of course, his amusement came at the suffering of others,” Twilight explained.

Thorn flinched at this description. This sounded like a creature he’d never want to meet. He shuddered at the idea of encountering such a malicious being. “Well... I can see why such a that would cause some strife,” Thorn stated in a nervous tone. “You also mentioned something about the Elements of Harmony. What are those?”

“Well, the Elements of Harmony are essentially the guiding forces of friendship, a very powerful form of magic. Kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and magic come together to make a harmonious force-” Twilight explained as she produced a magically conjured images of each respective element. As she continued,Thorn and Azalea looked on, but Thorn quickly noted something about several of the elements. He noted that each gem seemed strangely familiar, almost like he’d seen them before. It wasn’t until Twilight has turned sideways during her lecture that it clicked.

“Wait... These elements. Why do they resemble your mark? For that matter... why do they resemble several of your friend’s marks as well?” Thorn asked curiously.

Twilight stopped mid stride and a small smile appeared on her face. “Well, the reason is because, we are the Element Bearers. We’re the only ones who can wield the Elements of Harmony. So each Element bears a resemblance to their bear’s mark. Mine is the Element of Magic” she stated pointing to the starburst shaped element. “Pinkie’s is the Element of Laughter” pointing to the balloon shaped element “Rarity’s is the Element of Generosity” pointing to the diamond shaped element.

“The apple I’d assume is Applejack’s” Thorn interjected having picked up on the pattern.

“Yes, she is the element of honesty,” Twilight affirmed.

“Then the butterfly would be Fluttershy’s.”

Twilight nodded, “Yes, she is the element of kindness.”

“Couldn’t have been more spot on than that,” Thorn mused to himself.

He then laid eyes on the last element but he hadn’t met anypony with a similar mark. “Who does that one belong to?” he asked pointing out the lightning shaped element.

“Oh, that belongs to Rainbow Dash. It represents the element of loyalty. I’m sure you’ll meet her eventually.”

Thorn nodded in understanding. Azalea looked on as well and came up with a question of her own. “So... what do they do? And if you are the only one’s that can use them, how’d you banish Discord? Your weren’t around one thousand years ago... right?” Azalea asked in hesitation. She felt she was on the right track, but was concentrating to make sure she wasn’t missing any details.

Celestia took the reins to explain this part. “You are correct, little one. Twilight and her friends were not present during Discord’s reign. It was my sister and I who used them, but...” she stopped as her expression turned to sullen recollection. “But they were only used twice. Once to banish Discord and again to banish my sister. Afterwords, they would not respond to me, or anypony else.” The solar princess quickly cast away her sadness before continuing. “It was later revealed to me that the Elements are... sentient. They are aware of who is using them and can either grant or deny the user access to their power.”

This elicited a look of confusion as the same question assaulted the two siblings. “Wait, then how did Twilight -er Princess Twilight and her friends know they could use the elements?” Azalea asked for the two of them.

“It was prophesied that in a thousand years my sister would return, and when she did the Elements would only lend their power to those who embodied the six aspects of friendship. I didn’t know who they would be until the day I met Twilight. It was when I met her, that I saw what the prophecy foretold. Oddly enough, the same day I met her was the same day she and the other elements were bound to each other.”

Both Thorn and Azalea asked to hear the story in more detail and both alicorns happily accepted. However, it was going to be a bit of a long story so the small group sat down and listened.

Fluttershy just made it to Rarity’s boutique. Spurred on by the idea of having an eventual get together with Thorn she had flown into town rather than walked. She made her way inside while calling out to Rarity franticly... but not too loudly. She didn’t want to disturb her friend too much.

“Just a moment, dear. I’ll be right there,” the voice of the shop owner called out. A few seconds later, Rarity appeared from a side room where she designed and made her dresses. “Now what seems to be the mat-” Rarity stopped mid sentence as she noticed something about her pegasus friend. For one her face was flushed yellow and red along with the tips of her ears, and there was a small yet distinct smile that didn’t seem to waver from Fluttershy’s face. Then she noted that her wings weren’t entirely folded at rest and seemed just the slightest bit ruffled. “Fluttershy? Did something happen?”

She nodded.

“Does it involve a certain deer from the forest?”

Another nod followed a brightening of red in her cheeks and ears.

“Well, what happened?” Rarity asked wanting to know more.

“Well... I... I....asked him...to join me for tea,” she replied becoming more embarrassed as she explained, causing the volume of her voice to drop at the end.

“You asked him to what?”

“I... asked him... to join me for tea!” she squeaked out rapidly, but with a smile still on her face.

Rarity’s eyes widened and her own smile quickly surpassed Fluttershy’s. After pulling her pegasus into a hug and squealing in delight, she ushered her friend into the kitchen where she put a kettle on the stove for tea and insisted that Fluttershy give her the details.“Do tell, darling! Oh, this is such a big step for you!” Rarity stated in a higher pitch than normal, due to excitement.

Fluttershy took a seat at the nearby table as she began to inform her friend of the events that had transpired.“W-w-well, Thorn was in town today... and he was with this other male deer. I think he was older. They visited my cottage on their way back into the forest... and... I gave them a tour. They seemed to find it interesting and I... felt...” She rubbed her two front legs together nervously as her smile grew a bit. “I felt confident,” she eventually said with a big smile.

“Good, good! Confidence is good. Then what happened?” Rarity egged her friend on.

“Um... well. After the tour, they were about to head back into the forest... and I just... I...I just sort of blurted it out. It-it was really embarrassing, but when he said yes... I was really happy.” Her blissful smile only seemed to grow as she recalled the feeling, but it quickly disappeared when she recalled why she had come to the boutique to begin with. “Oh! But I need your help! I don’t know what I should do. I mean... What tea should I make? Sh-should I wear a dress? Is that too forward? Oh, Rarity, I’m very nervous.”

Rarity titered to herself. “Being nervous is fine darling. If you weren’t nervous then you wouldn’t really care about impressing this deer. As for tea, I would suggest a nice herbal tea. Maybe something with mint?” She offered to which Fluttershy nodded in understanding. “As for clothing, I would guess by Thorn’s attire they don’t have a lot of the style of clothing we do. Which is interesting, in it’s own way, but I’d say something simple, and don’t worry about getting fancy.” She paused and slyly smirked, before adding, “At least, not yet. If it gets serious, we’ll work on your wardrobe. Until then, just get to know him.”

Fluttershy was stunned at how simple Rarity was making this seem, yet her worry persisted. Rarity removed the now steaming kettle off the stove and poured each of them a cup of hot water before adding the tea bags.“So, when’s the date?”

The pegasus waited until the contents of the bag had fully infused with the water. “He said, he’d like to meet for tea next time he was in Ponyville...but he wasn’t sure when that’d be.”

Rarity took a tentative sip of her tea as she digested the information. “Well, that does complicate things a bit.” Rarity pondered on what to suggest for a moment. She rarely had a stallion have her wait for a date, usually she did that. Of course, this wasn’t like most dates. This was a new species with different traditions and obviously different courting rituals (at least she assumed). In the end she found only one solution, “I would say you just need to wait. I’d suggest just trying to mentally prepare yourself, and, above all, try to relax. Thorn seems like a very calm and understanding sta... er-deer. Just be yourself, breathe, and try to have a good time.” Rarity finished with an assuring smile.

Fluttershy took a small sip of her tea as she listened and mulled over her friend's words.She was unsure how relaxed she could be when being around the buck seemed to send her heart into spasms. Although, she did remember how confident she felt when discussing her animals. Maybe if she could put herself into a similar position she could keep her nerves under control. She wasn’t sure how to do that, but it seemed like her best option. “I will try, Rarity. I’m just so nervous I’ll do something wrong.”

“Don’t worry about that. The more you worry about it the more likely your nerves will get the better of you. Like I said, relax, breathe, and you’ll be fine,” Rarity countered. “You have a wonderful personality and you are the kindest mare I know. If Thorn cannot see it, then he doesn’t deserve you.”

The yellow mare turned a bit sheepish at the compliment. “Y-you really think so?”

The confident look that crossed the fashionista's face said it all, but she voiced it anyway. “Of course, Fluttershy. Now, enough about that. When are you free for our next spa meet?”

“So we were unknowingly linked by Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom, and after the events of the Summer Sun Celebration we’ve been friends ever since,” Twilight finished, having explained the individual events of each of her friends gaining their cutie marks.

“It was also on that day I bore witness to Twilight’s immense magical potential. From there I did everything in my ability to prepare her to take on the role as the bearer of the Element of Magic,” Celestia added.

Thorn and Azalea listened intently without interruption. They had listened to the tale spun to them and digested it as they went. Thinking on the information Thorn found everything very coincidental. A singular event would link the lives of six individuals? It almost seemed clandestine. “This prophecy, where was it foretold?”, the buck inquired to Celestia.

Celestia was silent. She didn’t say anything for some time, but her features suggested she was contemplating something. The princess was debating what to say and how to say it. This was something she had planned to reveal this to Twilight, yet she wasn’t certain how to explain it to the deer. In the end she wasn’t entirely certain. She decided to side with the truth. “It was prophesized by the one who created the Elements of Harmony.”

“My sapling,” the Great Tree added, causing the two deer to go wide eyed in shock and surprise. It also caused a unanimous “WHAT!?” to erupt from both of them. “You have a sapling?!” Thorn yelled incredulously, which
was amplified by the enclosed space.

“Yes, I just said so. And watch your tone in here you two. It gets loud in here.”

The deers' ears folded under the tree’s scolding and both squeaked out a “Sorry”. The siblings then asked why both the Great Tree and Celestia had been silent about the sapling’s existence. Twilight was also curious, but opted to just to listen in... although she was regretting having not brought a quill and parchment.

The tree was as silent, but in contrast to Celestia there was a sense of fear within the minds of those within the cave.“Because, I was worried for her safety. She was my only seed, and our last hope to halt Discord. The Tree of Harmony is and will continue to be my little sapling, just as you and the rest of the deer are my little deer. I’d do anything to keep her safe.”

“The... Tree of Harmony? The Elements came from a tree?” Twilight inquired with a hint of curiosity and a dash of disbelief.

Celestia nodded, “The Tree of Harmony is the Great Tree’s one and only sapling. It offered it when we had nothing else. She became a tree like no other and produced fruit like no other. The Tree of Harmony saved Equestria twice and she has a gift. She is clairvoyant.”

“And a bit of picky on who uses her fruit. She foresaw your potential,Twilight Sparkle, you and your friends. She chose you and your friends to be the bearers of her Elements.” The Tree’s pride was sown into each word it spoke. It sounded like any parent that dotted on their child. “It is my hope that, when she awakes, she may continue to assist both our people.”

Azalea looked to her brother with a quizzical expression. “Does the Great Tree sleep?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“I suppose?” Thorn replied in uncertainty. He’d never found the Great Tree sleeping or even dozing. He knew normal trees tended to be dormant during the more colder seasons, but that was rarely the case with the Great Tree. It always seemed green and alive no matter the season. Was it’s sapling different in some way?

“Can we meet her?” Twilight asked with a small gleam in her eye.

Celestia looked to the roots above her. No audible words were spoken, but the princess and the wise tree seemed to have come to an unspoken agreement. Celestia turned to her former student,“Not yet, Twilight, but in due time. We must first see to restoring relations between ponies and deer. Until then, that meeting with have to wait.” She then turned to Thorn and Azalea. “Thorn, Azalea. I would like to ask something of both of you. Would you hear my request?”

The siblings looked at each other before looking back to the princess. Thorn spoke for them, “What is it you would ask of us?”

Celestia approached and kneeled before both of them, putting her just below Thorn’s eye level and at equal eye level with Azalea. She looked to the two of them and gave them a warm smile. “I’d like to ask that, no matter happens in the times to come, that you and your sister would be our friends.”

Thorn blinked. Friendship? She was asking for friendship?

“More than likely, negotiations will open between our kingdoms. It is unclear where things will go from there. It is my hope we can come to a peaceful agreement, but-” her expression turned dour as she spoke. “Should things not go well. I would appreciate your friendship and our gratitude for what you have done.”

The deer were hesitant to respond. The request was nothing that couldn’t be done, but coming from this alicorn princess it felt like it was something else other than the simple offer of friendship. “We... would be honored, your majesty,” Thorn responded with a bow, careful not to poke Celestia with his antler or bump her horn. Azalea followed suit, before quickly asking if she would be able to make pony friends. When the princess responded with a chuckle and a yes, the fawn began to jump around happily with a large eager smile.

With basic the offer given and accepted, Celestia brought herself back to all fours and went to stand next to Twilight. When she turned to face Thorn and Azalea, she had a small smile on her face,“Well, should you need to discuss anything, you can always tell Twilight and she will inform me or my sister. I want to thank you for your understanding and courage in this matter. Especially, due to your... phobia, Thorn.”

The buck in question became very sheepish at this and chuckled in an equally nervous tone. “Well... it was borne of a incident nearly a thousand years ago. Seeing ponies for as they are rather than how they have been portrayed has helped ease my fears a bit.”

Celestia chuckled and nodded. “Very true. Fear is often borne of misunderstandings. I would hope that in time your fear may eventually disappear in time. And I would guarantee the residents of Ponyville will always be willing to welcome you and your family. Right, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded with a smile that matched Celestia’s.

Fawn in the room looked to her sibling and she found herself surprised Thorn was afraid of something. She had always assumed her brother to be somedeer who wasn’t afraid of anything. Why was he afraid of ponies? They seemed nice enough, especially Celestia. She seemed really nice.

Celestia again bowed to the two deer before she motioned for Twilight to stand close to her. “Thank you again for your time. I need to return to Canterlot in case word comes in from the king. I hope the rest of your day goes well and I look forward to seeing you again.” Celestia’s horn flared in a golden radiance before it fully enveloped her and her former student and the two vanished in a flash of light.

Having seen the two ponies disappear, Azalea rushed to where they had been and began to inspect the area. She found no source of the ponies, but was no less impressed and astounded. “Whoa! They can teleport! COOL!”

“That they are,” Thorn replied still impressed to see the act he experienced two nights prior.

He patted his sister and motioned for her to follow her out. The two left the cave and made their way back up to the meditation dias. The Great Tree was waiting for the two of them. “I’m glad you both were able to meet Celestia. I just received word that the king is aware of our ‘neighbors’ and is on his way to seek my counsel. I would suggest the two of you head home. You may have visitors later today,” the tone was happy and heavily suggested they heed its warning. “Also your mother is a tad worried about you two.”

Both deer nodded, said their good-byes, and bounded off to their home.

After finishing their tea, Fluttershy and Rarity said their farewells for the evening and parted ways.

Fluttershy was feeling a bit more confident after her chat with Rarity and felt like she had some kind of game plan. She still wasn’t sure how she’d control her nerves, but maybe her animal friends would be willing to help her. Surely Angel would give her a helping paw. Until then, she decided to take Rarity’s advice to heart. She’d wait for Thorn to return and try to do her best to get to know the kind deer who saved her and was really nice... and had really nice- *Pomf*.

“Eeep!” Fluttershy’s imagination may have been a bit too vivid for her own good, as her wings flew open in a fit of excitement. She made sure nopony was around to witness the embarrassing sight and quickly got them under control. She then made a hasty retreat to her cottage and kept her mind strictly on pure, non-deer related, thoughts.

When she got home, Fluttershy investigated her kitchen for what teas she had. She had some apple spice tea, green tea with mint, orange spice, and some nice chamomile tea.
She figured each one seemed like a decent choice... but would he like those choices? What if he didn’t? What if.... She halted her thoughts before they devolved into more “what if” questions. “Rarity said to relax and I’m sure Thorn... won’t mind any any of these...” she thought to herself, attempting to assure herself that everything was fine. Although, her mind still kept finding negative possibilities to assault her with. In the end, she closed her cabinet and decided a good soak in a warm bath would be a good way to ease her mind. “I really hope that I can stay calm when this happens.”

The shadowy spirit of Mallum sulked through the forest. He’d yet to come across anything stronger than a manticore. He’d recently tried possessing a timberwolf, but their inert magic didn’t work well with his and he was ejected. To make matters worse for the entity, it seemed like the entire forest was aware of his presence. Animals seemed to scurry off before he could ever get close and all the bigger beasts were too well hidden.

He let out a frustrated groan as he continued to scour the forest. He’d been at this for a day and a half with no success. He was nearly tempted to grab a bug or something when he came across a something unusual, a castle. By the looks of it, it had been long since abandoned and was in an extremely dilapidated condition. The malicious spirit took in the sight of the castle, but was soon distracted by a familiar feeling. A horrid wretched familiar feeling. He felt harmony. He followed the feeling until he found a small cave just below the castle. Inside he found the source of his discomforting feeling. A blue crystalline tree with five branches and a large starburst image at the center. “YOU!” he yelled accusingly.”Because of you mistress is gone! Malum will end you!” The spirit launched itself at the tree with every intention to corrupt and wither it, however; when he got within killing distance he hit a magical barrier that burned and repelled him at the same time. He writhed and yelled in pain as he eyed the tree with disdain. Every fiber of his spiritual being hated this tree. It was the source of his pain, suffering, and solitude. He do anything to rid Equestria of its existence.

“We can help with that.”

Malum snapped to attention and searched for the source of the new sets of voices. From what the shadow spirit could see, it was just him and the despicable tree. “Down here, numbnuts!” The voices called out again putting the shadow’s gaze to the ground.

“Who speaks to Malum?...And how dare you insult Malum!” he barked at the voices.

“Oh geez, a third person speaker. That’s not going to get annoying,” the voices snarked.

The spirit was getting tired of being sassed,“Malum doesn’t need to listen to this! Either get to the point or Malum walks.”

“Okay, okay!” The voices said deciding to explain themselves before they lost their hope...although it didn’t stop them from throwing in one last comment. “Pushy prick”

“Look, we can help you get rid of the tree. We’ve been trying for a thousand years but we can’t breach her magic. We just need a itty bitty boost and your power could do it!” the voices explained. “And I bet we could even get your mistress back and punish the ones who sent her away. You want that right?” voices were sweet as they taunted Malum with his desires.

The shadow couldn’t deny that the offer was tempting but this seemed a bit too convenient. “What do you need Malum to do?”, he asked suspiciously.

The voices got very cheery. “The tree is a powerful force of harmony. We are pretty powerful ourselves, but we are just shy of breaking through her barrier. All we need is you to make us a bit stronger. We know you can do it.”

Malum’s suspicion grew. How did these voices know he could possess things? Had they been watching him? “Why do you want to help Malum? What do you gain from this?”

The annoyance made a return in the voices’ tone, “We were tasked with getting rid of the tree a while ago, but we’ve found her personal barriers fairly... sturdy.” The voices smoothly transition into a more tauntingly sweet tone as they continue, “Plus with the extra bit of magic we can extend our reach to get your precious mistress. We can give you what you want: your revenge, your mistress, and we can give you happiness. Isn’t that what you want?”

Malum mulled over the offer. While he suspected the voices had an alternative motive, yet he saw no reason for the two to collaborate. He’d been gone for a long time and if he could get rid of this tree, everything else would become much more easier. While partially unsure about the voices intentions, the offer seemed too perfect and having an ally would make his mission easier. He’d keep an eye on them in case they tried anything. If they tried to double cross him, he’d make sure they didn’t live long enough to do it again. “Fine. Malum will assist. What do you need Malum to do?”

The voices cheered collectively,”Wonderful! There is field a little north of here. You’ll find a black cluster of thorny vines growing there. Lend it your magic and then we start our fight. The tree is going to resist us, but she can’t fight us forever. We’ll wear her down until her barrier breaks... then we will rid Equestria of the Tree of Harmony!”

Author's Notes:

Made it just in time for Christmas Eve! Woot!
Hope this can count as a small gift for you guys. Happy Holidays and see you in the next chapter!

Chapter 11

The following evening was very different for Thorn’s family. Venus had been a bit concerned when she returned home to find Azalea missing, although the note she found put her at ease. However, that feeling of concern returned when both her children returned. Both looked like they had just completed a full marathon and both seemed very worried. This worry then spread to Venus when they informed her that the king was on his way to their home. This put her into a full-on panic and she immediately worked to make the entire willow tree presentable and the two younger deer went to make themselves equally presentable. Just as siblings had finished washing themselves in the river, a knock arrived from the door, followed by a decree from a very official sounding buck, “His Majesty, King Fir, demands an audience with Guardian-in-training Thorn!”

Venus was in the kitchen at the time of the decree, while Thorn and Azalea were finishing freshening up. When the two siblings joined their mother, they discovered four royal guards standing at the front door. Venus answered the door and was doing her best to greet the royal entourage while her son arrived. When Thorn did make it to the front door, Venus beckoned him closer. “Thorn,” she started with an extreme amount of tension in her voice. “The king would like a word with you.” Thorn could tell his mother was nervous and to be honest, he was too. Before him was a small group of royal guards, most of them much older than him and wearing much more elaborate armor than his. The guards were definitely intimidating, their features were hard set, and unwavering.

Thorn had only met pony royalty up to this point and he was barely able to hold his composure. Even though he’d just been with two immortal princesses just a while ago, meeting his own king put him right back into a nervous state. Considering he’d been helping to better relations between deer and ponies, he suddenly felt like he’d done something underhoofed. Like, maybe, he’d done something against his own people.

“You are Thorn, Guardian-in-training under Guardian Ironwood?” the buck at the front of the entourage asked.

Thorn nodded in response, his ears pinching behind his head.

The entourage, in synchronization, split down the middle creating a small walkway. The lead member of the group told Thorn to come with him and began to walk away from the willow tree. Thorn turned to his family, his mother looked confused and tense, while his sister watched from the stairway. It was clear she had no idea what was going on and it made Thorn feel all the worse. He owed her an explanation. Within the last day and a half she’d been subjected to quite a bit of drama with little explanation. He wanted to say something to Venus, something to comfort her; however, the combination of meeting the king and his mounting guilt kept him from saying a word. He merely gave his mother and sister an assuring smile before steeling himself and following after the lead escort.

The moment Thorn had cleared the guards, they had immediately turned to follow after him and the lead escort. There was no conversation and the only sound was that of the forest. Thorn was grateful for this. The rustling of leaves and the scuttling of squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits gave him something to focus on before meeting the king. It definitely helped to keep his nerves in check. After a few minutes of walking, the escort stopped Thorn and instructed him to wait. They were just outside what looked like a field encircled by trees. Two of the guards from the entourage had broken away from the larger group and now blocked the entrance to the field, the rest of the entourage entered the field.

Left to himself, Thorn began to wonder what the king wanted with him. Did he want to ask him about the ponies? Then again... what if his opinion was less than favorable? Had Master Ironwood’s report painted ponies in a negative light? That thought sent Thorn’s mind into a very dark place. One he didn’t want to stay too long in. The best he could do was to keep himself calm, try to be as articulate as he could when he eventually addressed the king, and above all, be honest. Nothing good could come from lying to the king and if he was going to vouch for ponies, he’d need some amount of trust. What happened from there would be the king’s decision. Thorn affirmed that he’d do his best to paint the best picture of the equines that he met and interacted with, and relegated himself to waiting until he was summoned.

After a couple of minutes, the escort from earlier returned. “King Fir, will see you now.” The escort’s tone was direct and without much sympathy. Thorn wasn’t sure if he’d merely been heralding for so long that he didn’t put much effort into announcements or that’s just how one “heralded”. Regardless, Thorn made his way toward the two guards guarding the entrance to the field. When he was close, the two guards stepped to the side and gave Thorn clearance to the field. Before him was a small field with a few flowers scattered about. Around the perimeter was nothing but dense foliage and trees, meaning it was impossible to enter or leave unless they used the entrance Thorn was standing in. “Or if they were to fly in,” Thorn mused to himself.

As Thorn’s eyes trailed to the center of the field, they came to rest on a large imposing figure. The figure was a deer, without question, but he was much larger. He was easily a twenty point buck and his barrell gave the impression he was immensely strong. The additional wooden armor with what appeared to be living vines as adornments, continued to add to the buck’s incredible presence. The topper was the crown that rested on his head. The crown looked to be composed of wood as well with the addition of leafy vines curled around it and the buck’s antlers. The way they snaked around his antlers, it seemed that he embodied the old folklore. His antlers could easily be confused with tree branches. This was clearly his king. He’d never seen another deer like him before, but his very presence screamed royalty. While Celestia may have been imposing with the power she wielded. King Fir was imposing in pure presence and he was looking directly at Thorn with piercing amber eyes.

Thorn thankfully had the presence of mind to bow his head and cross a leg across his barrel, the traditional salute a Guardian used to address their liege. He held the position until he was told to rise.

“You may rise, Thorn,” Fir eventually said, his voice deep and commanding.

Thorn did as he was told and raised his head. As he did he made direct eye contact with his king. Fir was just looking at him, appraising him. Thorn felt a rising knot in his throat and his heart beat nervously in his chest.

“Do you know why you were summoned?” the king asked.

“N-no, my liege. I do not,” Thorn replied.

Fir nodded in understanding. He looked off into the forest as he began to speak, “Not long ago, I was approached by Guardian Ironwood. He told me of your disappearance the night before, then of the excursion both of you took this morning. He informed me of his initial doubts, then of how what he saw and experienced. Ironwood was keen to tell me of how welcoming our... ‘neighbors’ were to the both of you,” the king stated casually and with no hint of how he felt about the matter. No anger, no joy, no worry, just facts. His delivery of the facts had Thorn worried.

“Ironwood also explained your actions during the visit. He said you asked he give them a chance before he came to warn me. Tell me, why is that?” Fir asked as he fixed his gaze on Thorn once again.

Thorn flinched under the gaze. “Why do rulers have to be so intimidating?” he moaned to himself. He worked to find the words to best explain his actions, yet the pressure of addressing his king’s inquiries and a small amount of guilt was clogging his mental faculties and knotting his tongue. “I... uh...uh... because...” When he was with Celestia, he understood how she was feeling and her demeanor helped put him at ease. Here, he had nothing. Was he in trouble? Was the King interested in establishing communication with the ponies? Was he mad that Thorn had found them? He didn’t know. “I... I just wanted to return their kindness...My liege,” Thorn eventually stated.

“Why is that?” Fir pressed.

“Because... they cared for me and... I was scared of them, but they never...”

“Scared? Why?” the king interjected with a cocked eyebrow.

“Er-... It’s uh...” Thorn felt his face inflaming at the question. He wasn’t sure he could answer that question...at least not to his king. “It was their magic, my liege. It was beyond anything I’d witnessed before. I was intimidated by what they could do,” Thorn explained, hoping his king would accept a half truth rather than a Guardian-in-training still having a fawnhood fear plaguing him.

Fir looked at Thorn and gave a low grunt. “Continue.”

“Uh...yes. I was scared, but they never gave me reason to be so. They... they took care of me and were openly willing to answer any questions I had. Never once did they threaten me, or demand anything of me. When Master Ironwood and I went back to Ponyville, I thought it would only be polite to see they received the same kindness they showed me.”

Fir nodded again, holding the stoic look he had since they started talking. For a moment, nothing else was said. Thorn said nothing and the King was equally silent. The king of the forest just looked off into the distance. “I have one last question, Thorn,” Forest king said, breaking the silence.

Thorn swallowed hard before nodding that he understood.

Fir began walking toward Thorn, never once breaking eye contact with him. Thorn didn’t move but he felt his heart in his throat as his king approached. Fir stopped a few feet from Thorn, his glare bearing down on Thorn. “Very often, I seek the advisement of the Great Tree, my own advisors, and my queen to help me decide the best course of action for the kingdom. So far, I have spoken to all of them. My advisors do not know enough to advise me correctly and they doubt both your’s and Ironwood’s story. My queen is equally skeptical. The Great Tree is the only one who believes your story and believes I should act. It was also kind enough to inform me of our kind’s past involving ponies. How they have immense power, as you stated, and that we hid ourselves away out of fear.”

This got Thorn’s attention. His king knew of what drove ponies and deer apart? Normally, he’d take the king’s unwavering demeanor as a sign that this didn’t concern him too much, but the fact that the queen and the advisors had dismissed his story had him concerned. Had the king come to confront him about the truth? Was he worried that Thorn was spreading lies? Thorn began to worry, this wasn’t looking good for him.

“So, I find myself in the position of having no real information to go on.My closest advisors tell me that one of my Guardians is telling me odd stories.” Fir paused to release a small huff of annoyance. “I rarely seek aid outside my council, but I am hesitant to believe that a guardian who has no record of lying is going to start now. So, I stand before you, the source of this story, and I have to ask, ‘Is this story true?’”

Thorn held his gaze on his king as he answered,“Y-yes, my liege. On my honor, I swear it is true.”

Fir’s expression finally broke at this affirmation. He looked a little relieved and even a small smile crossed his face. “I see. If that is the case, I would like to ask something of you.”

Thorn nodded, “What can I do for you, King Fir?”

“I need you to prove the ponies exist.”

Thorn blinked in surprise. “I-...I don’t understand. You don’t believe me?”

Fir shook his head decisively, “You misunderstand. A trusted Guardian, his protege, and the Great Tree tell me that ponies are real. On the other hoof, my trusted advisors and the queen, my wife, believe I am being told a fantasized tale about a race from fawn’s bedtime story. I feel that this would not have been brought to my attention if it was not important, but with the coming winter season, I cannot spare the resources to handle this. However, this started with you, thus it must be you to finish this. I am giving you leave of your training and giving you authority to act as an emissary on behalf of the kingdom. If your claims are true, return with an emissary from their kingdom and bring them to me.”

Initially, Thorn felt mildly insulted that his and, by extension, Ironwood’s claims were being considered lies, but a part of his mind reminded him that he was attempting to convince his king, queen, and a council of advisors that an old tale told to fawns was real and happened to reside just outside the forest’s boundaries. Thankfully, by that same token, his proof was only a few hours away. “I understand, my king. I apologize for any inconveniences I have caused,” Thorn stated with a polite bow. “And I promise,I will prove my claim and act with the kingdom’s image in mind,” Thorn finished as he came out of his bow.

Fir smiled a little more. “Very well. I have to attend to the collections and some other affairs. In two days time, I will be back in the court and my advisors will be in attendance. At such a time, you are to present your proof. Understand?”

Thorn nodded, feeling that he finally understood why he had been called and that the king wasn’t angry, he was only seeking the truth.

“I anticipate what you have to show,” Fir said with a tiny smile. “But do know, if you fail to produce any evidence it will reflect negatively on you and your master.” The final words came with a hint of warning in them. Thorn understood what the king was suggesting. He knew what he needed to do and he would not fail.

Thorn again nodded that he understood. King Fir nodded in return and gave Thorn permission to leave and do what needed to be done. Thorn bowed one last time before heading back to the willow. It appeared as though he’d be seeing Ponyville much sooner than he has anticipated.Hopefully, when he explained this to his mother, she’d be in an understanding mood.

Back at the willow tree house, Venus was in the middle of grilling Azalea for information.

“So, you just went to see the Great Tree? That’s it? Nothing else?” Venus inquired.

Azalea nodded feverishly, “Yes, yes! I asked Thorn if I could come with him to talk to the Great Tree, then Thorn introduced me to the Great Tree.” Venus looked on skeptically, letting her gaze burrow into her daughter. Azalea looked on seeing that her mother wasn’t quite content with that response. She continued, “So after Thorn introduced me to the Great Tree, we talked for a bit and then the Great Tree said that we needed to meet somedeer and he...she...er- it, showed us this secret cave underneath the platform we were standing on. So we went underneath and there were these two ponies waiting there!”

The comment about ponies got Venus’s attention. Her motherly glare broke and she found herself wondering why her daughter was now talking about ponies. She never told her any stories about ponies and as far as she knew she’d only heard about ponies the night before. Perhaps she saw odd looking deer and assumed it was a pony. “Are you sure it wasn’t just odd looking deer, sweetie?”

“No, mother. They were most certainly ponies. Alicorns, in fact,” a familiar voice stated.

Azalea and Venus turned to see Thorn standing at the front door. He looked determined
“We need to talk. It’s important,” Thorn stated keeping his gaze as close to his mother and sister as he could. He then motioned for the two of them to follow him into the kitchen. They followed, Azalea mostly wanting to hear what happened with the King, Venus wanting some answers to why ponies were becoming a recurring topic all of the sudden. When they reached the small wooden kitchen table they gathered around the small circular table in the center, Thorn sitting adjacent to his mother and sister.

Taking a few deep breaths Thorn explained what had occurred between himself and the king, as well as the arraignment they had come too. Both does listened without interruption and when Thorn finished there was a long silence. Azalea looked excited and a small smile was growing on her face.

Venus was more conflicted. Part of her felt compelled to say something, anything to keep Thorn from pursuing this endeavor. Yet, the king and his escorts were at the house, and the king wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important. She pondered on what to do, until Thorn spoke up again.

“I’m planning to go back to Ponyville. If I can talk with somedee-pony in high authority and see if they’ll send an emissary to talk with King Fir. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone,” Thorn explained.

This got Venus to act. “Thorn, stop. Just stop,” Venus exclaimed, attempting to give herself more time to think of what to do. “I- I...”, she stuttered. “I... I don’t like this idea of you leaving the forest for an unspecified amount of time. Who knows what’s out there.”
Thorn nodded. “I understand, but this is something I need to do. I’ve put both my reputation and Master Ironwood’s reputation in jeopardy. If I don’t do this... it’d be bad for the both of us. I just need to do this.”

Venus wanted to counter that concern, but Thorn had a point. If he didn’t prove his claim, he’d never be taken seriously, nor would Ironwood. They’d be considered liars. Venus couldn’t argue that fact. Thorn had worked hard for years with Ironwood and the druids, he wouldn’t throw it all away on something as foolish as a lie. She saw little choice in the matter. She gave her son a nod, “Okay, Thorn. Do what you have to.”

Thorn gave a small smile. “Thank you, mother. I’ll go collect my things.” He stood up and began to head to his room.

“Hold it,” Venus interjected.

Thorn halted and turned to face his mother. She had a stern look on her face and she was making direct eye contact with Thorn. “I have one condition. You are to send no less than two birds to me everyday you are gone with an update of how things are going.”

Thorn nodded, as Venus began approach him. “And if I don’t get those birds, so help me, I will come find you and drag you back to this willow using every plant in my disposal, and ponies or not you will stay in this forest until I say other wise. Am. I. Understood?”

Thorn wilted under his mother’s gaze and the intense aura she was exuding. She was serious and she wasn’t making a threat. She was making a promise. He nodded meekly and added a “Yes” for good measure.

Venus’ gaze broke and she pulled her son into a gentle, yet firm hug. “Be safe. We’ve had enough loss in our family as it is. I can’t bear another.”

“I will. I promise I will, mom” Thorn replied as he hugged his mother. Azalea joined the familial hug as well. “So does this mean I might be able to make pony friends eventually?” Azalea asked in hushed but rather hopeful tone.

Thorn couldn’t help but chuckle. “We’ll see, Azalea. We’ll see.”

Author's Notes:

Hey, guys! Sorry for being gone for so long. The new year has not been too kind and I've been dealing with a lot. I haven't stopped working on this though! It's a bit shorter than usual, but I needed to get this chapter out of the way before continuing on. Things are going to start moving from here. I'm also planning something bigger with this story. I can't say much just yet, but I really want to have some fun with Equestria.

Chapter 12

It was late in the evening as Thorn arrived at the edge of the Everfree forest. He had his chest armor on, along with with a moderately sized rucksack on his back. His helmet was stored in the sack along with his hammock and a few personal effects. So far, he’d made this trek twice today, but this trip felt more important than before. He was here to find an emissary. Who that might be, he wasn’t sure. Hopefully, Twilight would be able to at least get the ball rolling in that regard. He also hoped she was home. She could teleport, so it was possible she could be home at any time.

He took a glance across the forest’s edge to confirm his location. Based on the multitude of apple trees before him, he’d ended up at Sweet Apple Acres. He could see the red and purple farmhouse off in the distance, but all the lights in the farm looked to have been extinguished for the night. “Guess the Apple family is already asleep. Best not disturb them,” Thorn thought to himself. He went back to scanning the area. He found the path that led from the farmhouse and into the town. With a bounding leap, he made his way into the orchard and eventually onto the path into Ponyville. As he moved through the many apple trees, he began to wonder what might happen should things go positively. What would other deer do when they learned ponies were real? Would they be tolerant of their existence? Would they be scared? Shocked? He wasn’t entirely sure, but if the Great Tree had faith it’d work out for the best, then so would he.

As Thorn arrived in the town, he noted that there were few homes with lights still on. Considering the sun was just a barely visible on the horizon, it wasn’t a surprise that many of the residents were either in bed or preparing to head to bed. He hoped Twilight was still awake or that Spike was at the library. The actual idea that either might be preparing to go to sleep spurred him to move a little faster.

As Thorn darted through the cool night air of Ponyville, his mind flipped to a particular mare. He recalled her request for tea and... he couldn’t help but feel he should really take her up on the offer. While it wouldn’t fully repay the kindness she had shown to him, at least, it’d be a start. In fact, he began to wonder what the best way to repay her kindness would be. He didn’t know what she liked, what she was interested in... Well, he had a good inclination that she liked animals, but he wasn’t sure how he could use that. Thinking on it, he barely knew a thing about the mare. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to maybe get some information from her friends. Not like he was short on options. He sorted the side objective away for when he wasn’t in the middle of something important. Maybe if he could get ahold of Twilight tonight he could squeeze in a few non-intrusive questions. With that stored away for later, Thorn continued his way through the town.

After navigating the town more, Thorn came upon his destination, the Golden Oaks Library, and was delighted to see that there was still a light on. Better yet it seemed to be coming from the upstairs room. Thorn let out a relieved sigh, it would seem the fates were smiling upon him today. He made his way toward the library and gave a few light raps at the door. He waited patiently as he heard someone approaching the door, who it was, he wasn’t sure, but he secretly hoped it was Spike. No offense to Twilight, but his nerves wouldn’t let him remain calm when she was near him. He preferred to have some time to get accustomed to her presence.

Thorn was relieved when the door opened to reveal Spike. “Oh, hey, Thorn,” the dragon greeted. “What are you doing here?”

“Hello, Spike,” Thorn responded in kind.” I apologize for intruding, but I was curious if I could talk to Twilight.”

“Oh, she’s not in right now, but I think she should be arriving soon,” Spike replied with a cheerful enough tone. “You can wait inside for her if you want.”

“Well, at least it gives me time to prepare for when she arrives,” Thorn thought to himself before answering Spike. “If it is alright with you.”

“It’s no problem. Could I get something while you wait?”

Thorn prepared to turn down the offer, but a loud, gurgling moan spoke for him. Thorn looked a bit abashed by the rather undignified sound and got a little red in his cheeks. “Perhaps... a small snack,” Thorn requested meekly.

Spike waved it off as he began to head to the kitchen. “No problem. I think we got some chopped fruit in the fridge.”

Thorn cocked an eyebrow. “In a what?”

Spike turned from the kitchen doorway to give the buck an incredulous look. “Yeeeah. It’s the thing that keeps food cold.” The dragon’s tone suggested he was talking about something obvious, but upon seeing the deer’s perplexed look it dawned on him that Thorn might not actually know what a refrigerator was. “Have you never actually seen a refrigerator?'

Thorn shook his head dismissively. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. Can I see?”

Spike looked like he wasn’t sure how to respond, but shrugged anyway. “Um, sure. It’s in here.” He motioned for Thorn to follow him into the kitchen. The buck obliged and followed Spike to find him standing before a large white and metallic rectangular creation with two chrome handles on the front. Thorn watched as Spike pulled the door open and was greeted with a blast of cold air to the face. Looking on, Thorn saw that there were a variety of foodstuffs stored within, many of which were perishable, yet were still very fresh.

“Amazing. Such impressive technology,” Thorn said in an awestruck tone.

Spike smirked at the buck’s amazement over something as simple as a refrigerator. “Yeah, I guess it is pretty impressive.” Spike reached in and pulled out a small bowl filled with an assortment of chopped fruits. He took it over to a small dinner table and placed it on the table for his guest. Looking over the assortment caused Thorn's stomach to put in a formal protest for sustenance. Thorn was more than willing to oblige in his stomach’s demands. He offered his thanks to the dragon and placed his rucksack on the ground before he began to slowly pluck fruit pieces from the bowl.

As he took a bite out of a succulent piece of a granny smith apple, Spike asked a question that had been on his mind since Thorn arrived. “So what do you need to talk to Twilight about?”

Thorn finished the apple slice he had in his mouth before giving his response. “I need to talk to Twilight about meeting Princess Celestia. My king is interested in having words with an emissary.”

Spike perked up at this.“Whoa. Really?” He asked with an impressed tone.

Thorn nodded definitively. “Yes, however, I am afraid my time is short. As soon as I can talk to the princess, the better.”

Spike nodded in understanding. “Yeah,” he replied looking toward a clock hanging from a nearby wall. “Well, I think Twilight should be here soon. I don’t know about seeing the princesses, though. I’m pretty sure Twilight is on the last train from Canterlot until morning.”

Thorn frowned, both because it meant he still had to wait, but also because Spike had used another word he was unfamiliar with. “Oh... I see. Is it possible to get to Canterlot tomorrow?”

Spike prepared to answer but halted as something seemed to stop him. “Um,I’m not sure, but I think Twilight has a copy of the schedule around here. I’ll go get it and some parchment. I bet if we send Princess Celestia a letter, you could probably get an audience with her early in the morning.” Spike then took his leave of the kitchen to hunt down the previously stated items. This left Thorn to feast on a few more slices of fruit while contemplating how he was going to persuade the princess to assist him. While he didn’t think the princess was going to be against sending an emissary, she seemed like a very reasonable ruler, but he did not want to assume she would simply agree. He was still representing his kingdom and deerkind. He had to conduct himself in a manner befitting a Guardian. Thorn considered a variety of ways to present before the princess. He knew he had to be official and conducting himself in a similar manner to how he would present himself to his king would probably be a good template. She was a ruler and should be treated as such. He began to formulate some ways to best way to go about negotiations, when Spike reentered the room with one claw grasping a rolled up scroll. His left arm held multiple scrolls along with a quill and inkwell in his claw.

Spike put the writing materials on the table before handing the schedule over to Thorn. “I checked the schedule. The first train to Canterlot leaves at eight in the morning. So if the princess agrees to see you, you could probably have an appointment with her the next morning.” He finished with a confident smirk before quickly adding, “Give or take a few extra minutes to travel to the castle.”

Thorn let out a content sigh. “Thank you, Spike.” This would make things much easier, but he still had to make a good introduction as well. Best he made a good impression. Thorn took hold of the parchment and the quill Spike had supplied and began choosing his words very carefully. After a small amount of consideration and a little assistance from Spike, Thorn began writing his letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,
I would like to firstly apologize for the short notice of this letter. After our discussion under the Great Tree, things escalated quite quickly. King Fir came to me to inquire about my time spent amongst your citizens. After discussing my excursion, he tasked me with proving that your citizens exists. However, with the upcoming winter coming, there is a short period which he can assemble court to discuss anything. As such, my task requires a great deal of haste. If you are able, I’d like to discuss the potential of an emissary returning with me to meet with King Fir. My hope is that both our races may be able to come to some sort of agreement, in time.

My deepest thanks,
Thorn

Thorn finished his letter and looked over it carefully. He didn’t notice any real problems and he felt there was an adequate amount of professionalism and it sounded official. Aside from patrol reports, he didn’t really write many letters. He hoped that it was good enough for the princess.

With the letter looking as good as he thought it could be, he came upon his next obstacle. “How am I going to get this to the princess? If this palace is far away it’ll take time for it to arrive.” He looked to Spike out of the corner of his eye and another thought crossed his mind. “Their technology is pretty advanced... Maybe they have some sort of advanced mail delivery system?” It was worth a shot.

“Spike, is there a way to get this letter to the princess tonight?”

The dragon smiled brightly and puffed out his chest. “Sure there is, and you’re looking at him.”

Thorn blinked in confusion. “I’m not sure I understand.”

Spike kept his chest puffed out as he explained. “Well, you see I’m not like most dragons. I can send messages directly to Princess Celestia with my fire!”

Thorn blinked again, but this time in astonishment. “That’s... fortuitous.” He looked at the letter before him. “So... you can send this to her? Will it arrive quickly?”

Spike nodded enthusiastically. “About a minute or so, but yeah she’ll get it tonight.”

“Excellent,” Thorn responded as he rolled up his letter and passed it to the dragon. “Thank you for your help, Spike. I hope I can return the favor.”

Spike chuckled and gave a dismissive wave, “Don’t worry about it. Anything to help out.” With that he took a deep breath and exhaled, releasing a plume of vibrant green flames that devoured the letter. The remnants of the letter hung in the air for less than a second before flying out the nearest window. Thorn watched the spectacle with extreme interest and continued to watch as the soot flew off toward Canterlot at a remarkable speed.

“Amazing” was all Thorn could say about what he had seen. He turned back to Spike with a happy smirk. This was going better than he had expected. He assumed it’d take him longer to get an audience with the princess, but it looked like he might be able to speak with her the next day. “How long do you think it will take her to respond?”

Spike tapped his chin in thought, “Eh... a few minutes. The princess is usually pretty quick in responding to the letters Twilight sends.” Spike gave a reassuring thumbs up. Thorn assumed it was a positive gesture.

Thorn nodded and let out a sigh of relief, it seemed the easy part was out of the way. Now he just needed to wait. Thorn was preparing to say his thanks when he heard something from the lobby. “Spike! I’m home.”

The voice was familiar and Thorn immediately put a name to the voice. While he was okay with Twilight’s arrival, he was looking for her after all. However, his heart was less than thrilled. The minute he heard her voice, Thorn’s heart jumped and began to thump hard in his chest. “Calm down,” Thorn chided himself. “Just breathe and focus.”

Spike was the first to head out and greet Twilight, meeting her in the middle of the library’s foyer. Thorn lagged just slightly behind the dragon and held back in the kitchen doorway.

“Welcome back, Twilight,” Spike greeted along with a leg hug.

Twilight returned the hug with her free foreleg. “Happy to be back, Spike.” She broke the hug and took off the saddle bag she was carrying. “Anything happen while I was gone?”

Spike nodded before, “Yeah, we got visitor.”

Twilight looked curious. “A visitor?”

“Yeah, it’s Thorn.”

Twilight flinched at the unexpected news. “Thorn? He was here?”

“Actually, I’m still here,” Thorn interjected as he stepped out from the doorway.

Twilight looked up to see Thorn and she did her best to break her surprised. “Oh, hello Thorn. I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

Thorn chuckled lightheartedly at this. “Yes, I wasn’t expecting to return so soon either.” He approached slowly as he continued, “It would seem word traveled faster than expected. My king confronted me about your town and your proximity to the kingdom.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Twilight responded with excitement in her voice. “So, is he willing to discuss relations between kingdoms?”

Thorn shook his head, “I wish it were that simple.” Twilight’s expression shifted from excited to confused. “While my king has heard of my outing earlier today and our initial meeting, he wants proof that I am not creating a fantastical story to get his ear.”

“Wait, he doesn’t think you’re telling the truth?” Spike interjected in an incredulous tone. “Why would you lie about this?”

Twilight prepared to interject, but Thorn spoke up first. “It is because ponies have been long regarded as a myth or a tale told to fawns to keep them from venturing deep into the forest,” Thorn explained calmly. “While there are those who advocated for me, there are others who think I’m attempting to make a myth sound real. My king has not accused me of lying. He merely wants proof so he can make an informed decision.” Thorn kept his tone calm as he spoke. It was easy to see how such a thought could come about, but he also wanted the young dragon to understand why his king asked what he did.

Spike flashed a quick look of realization before swapping to a more bashful expression. “I... guess that makes sense,” Spike admitted. “Just seems ridiculous that somepo- er deer would try something like that.”

Thorn gave an uneasy smirk. “There... have been a few deer who have boasted about deeds or... said they’ve seen things that they couldn’t prove.” Thorn’s ear flattened as he continued, “The only reason King Fir is giving me this chance is probably because I have two significant figures backing me. Without them... I doubt I’d still be considered a Guardian-in-training at all.”

Twilight spoke up for this, “Who else supported you? I know the Great Tree seemed eager to reestablish relations, but who else offered their support?”

Thorn smiled fondly, “My teacher. Master Ironwood. You weren’t here, but I brought him here this morning to show him I wasn’t making up where I disappeared to the other day.”

Twilight blinked before flashing a small smirk. “He must be a good teacher.”

“I’d like to think so,” Thorn replied with a fond smirked and subconsciously rubbing his shoulder.

Spike prepared to add his own statement, but gagged instead. Thorn and Twilight both looked to the dragon in confusion. Spike let out another hurking gag before giving his chest a few whacks with his fist.

“Are you okay?” Thorn asked in concern.

“Yeah, just need to... *hurk*” Spike put a claw to his mouth before releasing a loud belch that was accompanied by a large plume of green flames. Twilight flinched slightly, but Thorn was caught off guard and jumped back into a defensive position.

Spike let out a short second blech before giving a quick apology, “Sorry, there was a slight hiccup there. Should have warned you.”

Thorn was partially confused until he noticed a small scroll resting on the floor. How the flames managed to not set the library on fire was a mystery to him, but based on how magical the flames were it was possible there was something he just didn’t understand. Either way, it was impressive. Twilight used her magic to pick up and unfurl the scroll, but after a moment of reading it, she stopped. She looked up from the letter and floated it over to the buck. “This is addressed to you, Thorn,” she stated in surprise. “You sent a letter to the princess?”

“Yeah, he asked for me to send it off earlier,” Spike interjected before coughing once more.

Thorn took the letter from Twilight’s magical grip. “My apologies. I just wanted to get in contact with her as quickly as possible,” Thorn stated solemnly. “As I mentioned before, my time is short and Spike was willing to offer his assistance in the matter.”

Twilight snapped back to Thorn and began to wave her hooves dismissively. “No, no, no! It’s fine. I was just surprised is all,” Twilight stated frantically. “I’m glad Spike could help get the process started.” Spike smiled pridefully at the remark. “So what does the letter say?” Twilight inquired while pointing to the letter in Thorn’s hoof. “I didn’t read too much of it.”

Thorn looked down at the letter and read it aloud to Twilight and Spike. “Dear Thorn, I am surprised to hear from you so soon, but I am happy to see that King Fir is willing to discuss negotiations. I understand that you have a short period of time to accomplish you goal and I would be happy to accommodate. I have opened up a slot for you tomorrow morning at 11am. We can discuss having an emissary return with you. I look forward to our discussion tomorrow. Present this letter to the guards and they will escort you to me. Princess Celestia.”

Thorn smiled. This was amazing, he was making surprisingly good progress. He still needed to meet with the princess, but so far things were going well. Now he just had to get on this... “train” and get to Canterlot... and make his way to the castle... through the capital.... of ponies. His stomach twisted into a knot and his heart regained speed. Before Thorn’s thoughts could corrupt him further, he forced himself to breath evenly and focus on what needed to be done. “When did you say the first ‘train’ left, Spike?” Thorn asked a little shakily. His heart was still thumping at an accelerated rate and it was clearly showing in his speech.

Twilight and Spike seemed to notice the buck’s odd tone and a new quantity of sweat on his brow. “It said the first train leaves at eight,” Spike answered, before he noticed Thorn’s odd state and asked his own question. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just had a rather... distasteful thought,” Thorn stated sourly. “There is no need to worry.”

Twilight and Spike shared a quick look, but did not press further. “If you say so,” Spike responded with a bit of hesitation. “The schedule said the first train will be leaving at eight in the morning.” Spike finished before he let out a deep yawn. Looking to the clock hanging above the kitchen door, he noted it was nearing close to eleven. “Wow, it’s late.”

Twilight and Thorn both took a glance at the clock as well. They both mutually agreed that it was getting pretty late... for Spike. Twilight excused herself so she could put Spike to bed. It was only a few short minutes later when Twilight returned. She apologized for her temporary absence, to which Thorn waved her off. “It’s nothing to apologize for,” he stated with a light chuckle. “It sort of reminds me of my little sister. She used to try and stay up with me during my night study sessions.”

Twilight smiled. She recalled when her own brother would put her to bed when she stayed up too late studying. “Well, good to know you are looking out for her,” Twilight stated sincerely before changing topics. “So... we should probably get you a place to rest for the night. I’ll get you a-”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Thorn interjected with a dismissive way of his hoof. He returned to the kitchen to collect his rucksack. When he returned, he opened it to reveal his hammock bundled within. Twilight was momentarily confused before she recalled Thorn’s demonstration the night before.

“Are you sure?” she asked with a little confusion. “I’d be more than happy to lay out a bed for you.”

“I appreciate it,” Thorn started before he shook his head. “But would not want to impose any further. I can set up outside.”

Twilight looked over the buck with incredulous scrutiny. Was he really planning to put up a hammock late at night and sleep outside? Based on the look on his face, it looked like it. “I really don’t mind you staying here, Thorn. You are more than welcome sleep here for the night. Plus I’d be happy to escort you to Canterlot,” Twilight offered again with a friendly smile.

Thorn prepared to counter the alicorn again, but realized it’d be better to stick with some...pony who knew the layout of the town and the capital. Plus, it’d be nice to know what a “train” looked like if he was to take one to the capital. “Very well, I am grateful for your hospitality. All the help has been a great boon in an otherwise hectic time. I am eternally grateful,” Thorn stated solemnly before giving a short bow of his head.

Twilight smiled nervously. While it was a nice, she still wasn’t completely comfortable with overly formal gestures. “Oh, that is really not necessary. If anything, I owed you for saving Fluttershy and me in the forest.”

“But it is necessary,” Thorn stated as he came out of his bow. His tone serious and unwavering “You and your friends have been so helpful, and even now you offer your help in ensuring I will not be dishonored... I owe you quite a bit of gratitude and more.”

Twilight hesitated momentarily before offering an outstretched hoof. “How about we just call it even?” she replied jovially.

Thorn looked to the offered hoof. His heart was still moving at an accelerated rate, but the casual conversation had been gradually bringing his heart to a more calmer level. He took the offered hoof and shook it, “Very well.” The buck gave a genuine yet slightly uneasy smile as he shook the hoof. “Thank you, Twilight. I really do appreciate all of this.”

The two broke the shake and Twilight offered to help set up Thorn’s hammock for the night. Thorn accepted and the two scouted out a small outcove in the library usually used for reading. The outcove held a small wooden bench that was attached to the back wall. With Thorn’s magic, the small reading bench was absorbed into the tree and two small, but thick, wooden hooks formed from the sides. This allowed for the hammock to be hung and Thorn’s sleeping accommodations were secured for the night.

While Thorn was perfectly content with his simple hammock, Twilight felt as though she should offer something a little more comfortable. “You know, we have a spare bed,” she offered politely. “I don’t mind pulling it out for you.”

Thorn prepared to offer a rebuttal when the memory of the hospital bed came to mind. The softness of the mattress combined with the warm sheets and the fluffy square thing were so nice, so comfy. The idea of experiencing that again was very tantalizing. “That sounds...-” Thorn shook himself, “That sounds like a very kind offer, but I will be fine with just my hammock. Thank you though.”

Twilight gave the buck a curious look. “Are you sure? Can I at least get you a pillow?”

Thorn found himself reconsidering. It’d be a bit much to ask his host to bring out a bed when he had his own... but a pillow... that wouldn’t be too much of a big request, right? Thorn hesitated a moment to weigh the decision, but ultimately accepted the offer for the fluffy head rest. Twilight nodded before heading off to collect the pillow from a nearby closet. When she returned she informed Thorn that they’d be waking up early the next morning to catch the train.

“That’s fine. I’m accustomed to waking up early. The trip from my home to Froaise is quite far,” Thorn stated as he took the pillow and placed it in his hammock.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “How far is it?”

“About two hours worth of travel for me. Closer to four if you use the trails,” Thorn stated with a nonchalant shrug.

The alicorn’s expression changed from inquisitive to shocked. “And... you just run that distance? Regularly?” Twilight asked incredulously.

Thorn shot Twilight a confused look. “Of course. How else would I get there?”

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. After a few moments of silence, she found the words she wanted to say. “It’s... just really surprising. Not many ponies could do that kind of trek on hoof, especially through the Everfree Forest. It’s very impressive,” she stated in amazement.

Thorn looked over Twilight and smiled slightly. “Thank you. I could say the same for your technology and magic.” Thorn chuckled lightly. “Even your strength and ability to fly is amazing.”

Twilight chuckled as well. “I’m sure we can learn a bit from each other, Thorn. At least, that’s my hope.”

Thorn gave a sheepish smile. “I hope so too.”

The two shared a quick smile before the two broke to get some sleep. “Good night, Thorn. I’ll be sure to set an alarm for tomorrow,” Twilight called out as she slipped into her bed.

“Understood. Good night, Twilight,” Thorn called back as he stowed his armor and snuggled into his hammock. After a few moments, all the inhabitants were neatly tucked into bed and preparing to be embraced by the thralls of slumber.

However, Thorn found himself unable to go to sleep immediately. His heart was still thumping in his ears and his mind was a cacophony of reoccurring thoughts and varying scenarios. He wondered how well the talk would go. He wondered what he would say when he met Celestia again. What good could come from this discussion. What could be. Then how the trip back to Froaise might go. For a while, Thorn just sat in his hammock and thought. Every possibility ran through his mind and rested him away from sleep. At some point, he became acutely aware that his thoughts were keeping him from falling asleep. Naturally, this caused Thorn to try and silence his beating heart and his racing mind, but both felt like an attempt in futility. However, after taking some deep breaths to slow his heart and forced himself to meditate to clear his mind, and he eventually slipped into slumber.

Thorn awoke after having a rather pleasant dream. Part of his mind wanted to return to slumber so that he might enjoy the fluffiness and comfort of the pillow. He could easily catch a few more moments of slumber. However, a reminder of what he needed to do today roused him from his hammock. He groaned as he got out, and spent a moment working out his joints. Once he was limbered up, he took a look outside. The sun was barely a glimmer over the horizon. “Huh... guess I got up a bit too early,” Thorn thought to himself. “I wonder if Twilight is awake.”

Thorn carefully made his way to the upper floor of the house and was quickly greeted with the sounds of light breathing and raspy snoring. Upon nearing the top of the steps, he saw Spike was hanging out of a small basket on the floor. Peeking a little to the right, he saw a large open area that held a small table with a vanity mirror and a bed with two small tables on both sides. In the bed lay Twilight, still sleeping.

He could awaken Twilight and Spike, but he felt that might be a bit unnecessary. “Maybe a nice run to -...” he stopped the thought when he recalled who he was meeting later. “Perhaps best to avoid sweating.” This lead to a secondary thought that prompted Thorn to do a quick sniff of his body. After a quick whiff, Thorn immediately determined what he needed to do ... bathe... or at least splash some water on his body. Just something to get the stink of body odor off of him. Only question was where to find a source of water to wash up in.

Thorn pondered on what to do. “Hmm, this home must be drawing from a water source somewhere. Maybe I can track the source through the roots.”

Thorn left Twilight and Spike to slumber, and quietly made his way to the library center and prepared his spell. He took a few deep breaths before closing his eyes and felt the room fall away from him. He let his magic flow from his antlers and through his hooves. Soon the magic began to sink into the tree and with each deep breath he felt his magic reaching below the ground and into the roots. He felt that the tree was pulling from something from deep underneath. Unfortunately, that didn’t offer any form of accessible water for him to use, but he did notice something peculiar. It seemed that there was something within the tree that wasn’t part of its anatomy. Whatever it was, it was cylindrical and long. It ran from a separate room of the house to location below the floor Thorn was on before exiting the home alltogether. “What is that?” Thorn wondered. “I’ll have to ask Twilight about that later.”

Thorn released his magic and let out a sigh. “So, no water nearby... hmmmm. Maybe, there is a stream or lake around here.” Thorn took another glance out the front door window. The edge of the sun was just setting the sky ablaze in orange. “Hmmm, it is still pretty early. If I can get to a high point I should be able to see if there is any water sources around.” With his new plan in mind, Thorn set out to scour the town.

Thorn made his way outside the treehouse, doing his best to close the door without making too much noise. The town was still in the throes of slumber, with the streets being completely empty and not a single light looked to be on in any of the homes before the buck. Although, he did smell a heavenly aroma wafting through the streets. What it was, he couldn’t tell, but it smelt delicious. Despite his curiosity, Thorn forced himself to stick to the plan.

Looking around, there didn’t seem to be any viable means to get a better vantage point, so he turned his gaze back to the Golden Oaks Library. It was a tree... as well as a house and municipal building, but a tree nonetheless. Surely, it had a few branches that could allow him to move upward. Looking around the tree it seemed like there was a path to move upward, but it looked risky. Not all the branches were within jumping distance and some of the branches didn’t look like they could hold his weight. Using magic was out of the question as that would easily wake Twilight and Spike.“Okay... lack of vantage points. What’s the next option?” Thorn pondered. “I can’t go before the princess smelling like this... actually, I really should have washed up before heading into Twilight’s home... ooooh! Her pillow probably smells! Argh!” Thorn face-hoofed at his own stupidity. “Need to think these things through.” With a quick sigh, he brought himself back to focus. He’d find a way to make amends later.

Thorn turned to look to the far side of town, toward Sweet Apple Acres.“Hmm, there must be a water source near Applejack’s orchard if it is doing so well, but that’s on the other side of town.” Thorn groaned in frustration as his options seemed to be dwindling. “Ugh, I need to find something to-” Thorn stopped mid-thought when he heard a peculiar sound emanating behind him. It sounded like flapping wings... but it sounded too big to be any normal sized bird. Given his current location, logic dictated the next logical answer. Thorn turned around and looked up to see a cyan colored pegasus with... a rainbow colored mane? “Okay... wasn’t expecting that... Why do I feel I’ve seen that color pattern before?”

Thorn looked at the pegasus, who seemed enraptured with Thorn for some reason. After a moment, Thorn gave a meek wave and a greeting. “H-hello?”

The pegasus landed in front of Thorn and began to look him over with an appraising look in her eye. The buck was immediately on guard. “What is she doing? Sizing me up?” Thorn watched as the pegasus continued to investigate him. She worked her way around him taking in the details of his form and more than once, glancing toward his antlers. “Can I... help you?” Thorn eventually asked in concern.

The pegasus looked up at Thorn after giving him a thorough look over. “Well, AJ said you were a bit strange, but you are so much weirder face to face.”

Thorn cocked an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure if he should insulted by the comment, but since he had been getting odd looks since his first arrival to Ponyville, so he let it slide. “I’ve been receiving that comment quite a lot recently,” Thorn responded with a nervous chuckle.

Not wanting to squander what little time he had, Thorn attempted to excuse himself. “Well, if you will excuse me I need to... make preparations,” Thorn stated with a cordial bow and began to head into town; however, before he got two steps forward, the pegasus shot in front of him at an impressive speed. So fast, that had Thorn blinked, he would have assumed she had somehow teleported.

“What kind of preparation?” the pegasus pressed. “You’re not up to something are you?”

Thorn flinched at the odd accusation. “Why would be up to something?...” Thorn halted his train of thought as he realized that the streets were still void of any life aside from himself and the rainbow maned pegasus. On top of that, the sun was just barely over the horizon. “Perhaps it makes more sense than I initially suspected.”

“I assure you I’m not up to anything malicious,” Thorn assured the mare. “I simply have an appointment with the Princess and... I’m... trying to make myself a little more presentable.”

“Really?” the pegasus asked with cocked an eyebrow. “So what were you looking for to make yourself ‘presentable’?”

“She’s very suspicious of me. I suppose my half answers aren’t the best.” He didn’t want to mare to suspect him of anything so he answered more truthfully. “I was just looking for something to wash up in,” Thorn replied with mild embarrassment in his voice.

This response caused the mare to look at Thorn with a perplexed look. “What?” Thorn asked reflexively.

“You’ve never heard of a shower?” the mare offered.

Thorn returned the look. “What does rain have to do with anything?” Thorn countered.

The Rainbow's perplexity turned to befuddlement. “Rain?... Wha?” She shook her head as if the shake the confusion from her head. “No, I mean like in a bathroom where you bath.”

Thorn’s perplexity broke as he began to realize what she meant. “Showers in the bathroom? They can do that?... Well, they can make rooms feel colder so, maybe it’s not that big a stretch... What magic lets it rain in the bathroom?.... Unless,” Thorn halted as he recalled the odd cylinder that snaked through Twilight’s home. They all led to a single room from the underwater source. “Oooh, that’s how they do it...” At that exact moment, Thorn realized his goal was actually closer than he initially expected. “I’m an idiot.” Thorn let out a long sigh of frustration. “I wasn’t aware that was possible,” Thorn reluctantly admitted.

The mare looked on at the buck for some time. “Seriously?” was a the word that finally slipped out.

Thorn rubbed the back of his head with a hoof in embarrassment. “I’m... uh.. not entirely familiar with pony technology. I thought you... meant rain... inside a home,” Thorn replied with a warm blush.

Rainbow just stared at the buck for a moment as Thorn did his best to avoid eye contact. Eventually, the silence was broken by a snicker that quickly grew into a hearty chuckle and ended in an uproarious guffaw. “Oh my gosh,” Rainbow exclaimed in between laughs. “You were serious! Ahaha!” The laughing fit was so strong that Rainbow Dash keeled over clutching her stomach.

The laughing did little to alleviate his embarrassment. “Is it really that funny?” Thorn asked with a hint of frustration in his voice.

“Yes!” Rainbow blurted out when she had room to catch a breath.

Thorn was half tempted to walk away from the laughing mare to pursue his hunt for a means to clean himself, but a new, yet not unfamiliar, voice called out to him. “Thorn, what are you doing out here?”

Thorn turned to see Twilight stepping out of the library and moving towards him. She was preparing to address him, when she noted the presence of a particular laughing mare. Her initial confusion grew as she approached until she eventually she inquired, “What is she laughing at?”

Thorn’s ears fell flat against his head as his annoyance became more apparent. “Me,” was his quick response, all agitation noticeable by tone alone.

“What?! Why?!” Twilight inquired incredulously.

Rainbow Dash attempted to explain her reason for laughing, but each attempt to explain only instigated another bout of laughing. What little Twilight could pick up between chuckles answered very little.

Thorn took a deep breath and did his best to banish what annoyance was lingering in his mind. He managed to banish a good amount of his annoyance and write off the whole thing as a humorous misunderstanding, but he couldn’t remove what annoyance he felt for having his ignorance mocked.

“Rainbow, stop laughing!” Twilight scolded the mare, stomping the ground with a hoof to accent her point. “It couldn’t have been that funny.”

Rainbow picked herself off the ground, wiping a tear from her eye. “It actually was pretty funny,” Rainbow replied with a final chuckle. “He thought that showers were rain storms th-that happened in bathrooms!”

Twilight scrutinized Rainbow before switching to Thorn, who had a look of both embarrassment and frustration. Admittedly, she saw the humor in it as well, but made sure not to laugh. “While it is a little funny, do you think it deserved that kind of reaction?” Twilight asked with disapproval.

“You had to be there, Twilight,” Rainbow replied. “His face was priceless!”

Twilight groaned, her disapproval being ignored entirely. She shook her head and asked Thorn to come with her so he could get cleaned up. “Oh, come on, it was funny,” Rainbow pleaded as the buck and alicorn began to walk away.

“It was still rude,” Twilight chided. “Thorn is basically a dignitary for his kingdom and he is going to be presenting himself to the princess very shortly.” Subtly, she noticed that there was a smell lingering in the air. While it wasn’t completely offending to her nostrils, she was able to easily identify it as perspiration. “I’m sure he just wanted to be presentable for his meeting.”

Rainbow stopped her chuckling as she noted the very serious tone Twilight had taken. “Wait, for real?”

“You thought I was joking?” Thorn chimed in.

Rainbow flinched slightly and gave a nervous chuckle. “Ah.. hehe... yeeeah. I kinda thought you were up to something shady.”

“Why?” Twilight asked in a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

“Well, he was standing in the middle of town, at the break of dawn, and looking around a lot. He looked shady,” Rainbow replied. “I mean, what would you think when you see...” she gestured to Thorn with a hoof. “Something that looks like him, standing in the middle of town looking around all worried, you’d think he was up to something.”

“I... Rainbow...ugh,” Twilight put a hoof to her face and let out a sigh. “Never mind, I need to get Thorn ready to see the Princess.” She turned her attention Thorn and resumed escorting him to her home. “I’ll show you how to use the shower.”

Rainbow quickly flew in front of two of them and requested, “Okay, okay, wait!” She held up her forehooves, begging the alicorn, and, moreso, the buck to stop for a moment. “Okay, look. I didn’t believe you when you said you had an appointment with the princess. I’m sorry. I kinda jumped to some conclusions, but...” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head as her eyes darted around in thought. “I’m sorry for assuming the worst. Can I make it up to you?” Rainbow offered her hoof to the buck.

Thorn was a bit surprised by the gesture. His initial impression of the mare was a little less than stellar, but Rainbow seemed genuinely apologetic and Thorn could somewhat understand how his ignorance could be construed as funny from her perspective. While the pokes were a bit annoying, he was here to build bridges, not burn them. There was no point in holding a grudge over something so petty. Thorn took the mare’s hoof and gave a small chuckle. “No hard feelings,” Thorn responded with a sincere smile. “I look forward to meeting again and under better circumstances.”

Chapter 13

The morning became quite the adventure for the young buck after his initial meeting with the final element of harmony. Twilight lead Thorn back to the library and showed him how to operate her shower. She offered him some soap along with some semi fragrant shampoo. Thorn had found the cleaning supplies quite interesting and made a mental note to find some to bring some back home.

After determining an optimum water temperature and washing himself to cleanliness, Thorn exited the shower and dried himself with a towel Twilight had left him. “How wonderful,” Thorn thought to himself blissfully, as he worked to carefully dry his scalp without puncturing the towel with his antlers. He felt amazingly refreshed and found the residual warmth of the water to be quite comforting. However, he had little time to truly enjoy the sensation, as Twilight had warned him that they needed to be at the train station soon.

The warning spurred Thorn to finish up and head down to his rucksack and don his body armor and helmet. Once he was armored up, he met up with Twilight who escorted him through town. “I’m sorry about Rainbow. She means well, but she can be a bit rash,” Twilight said apologetically.

Thorn waved it off. “I took no offense,” he replied calmly. “In retrospect, a lone soul alone in the middle of a town would look a bit suspicious to anyone.”

Twilight chuckled lightly. “Yes, I suppose so.” They proceeded through town until an odd building came into view. It was a small cobblestone building with a straw roof and multiple windows taking up part of the walls. Two signs marked the building, but Thorn couldn’t readily recognize the symbol. It was a long cylindrical tube with another tube at the front and dotted with multiple circles and lines near the bottom. “What is that? Is that what a ‘train’ looks like?” Thorn pondered to himself. The design was just bizarre, and the buck couldn’t understand how such a thing could whisk him and Twilight to the capital. Ultimately, his knowledge of pony technology was insufficient to determine how the machination operated and had to resign himself to find out.

Twilight sped up slightly to reach the building first and quickly approached a window with a circular grate and an opening near the bottom of the glass. She was quickly greeted by an earth pony stallion with a light brown coat and a grey mane. He was wearing a vest with a small circular hat with a short outstretched rim and both articles of clothing were marked with a similar symbol to the one marking the building.

“Mornin’, Princess Twilight,” the stallion greeted with a kindly drawl. “What can I do fer ya?”

Twilight produced some small gold coins she had grabbed prior to leaving the library and put them on the counter before adding, “Round trip to Canterlot, please, Time Clock.”

The stallion at the booth, Time Clock, gave a sheepish smile before putting his hoof on the coins. “Princess, ya know we don’t charge royalty for trips,” he replied with a chuckle as he pushed the currency back to the alicorn.

Twilight returned the smiled and pushed her own hoof against Time Clock’s. “I know, but this isn’t for me this is for my guest. He has business with Princess Celestia.” At this, Time Clock peaked around Twilight to see Thorn standing a foot away from her. Time Clock immediately switched from curious to surprised and seemed stuck there for a bit before the sounds of a loud whistle approaching broke his stare. “I... well... ahem, yes well. If ya want, we can include, uh, yer guest as a diplomate and we can waive their fee,” Time Clock explained with calculated hesitation.

Twilight blinked in surprise, “Oh, yes, that would be fantastic. Thank you, Time Clock.”

Time Clock nodded graciously as he pushed the two tickets back toward the princess, this time without resistance. “D-don’t mention it,” he said to Twilight, before turning to the strange accompanying guest. “Best of luck to you...um, feller, with yer business.” He finished with a polite tip of his hat.

Thorn replied with a nod before following Twilight onto the platform. Upon crossing the small turnstile, Thorn took notice of his environment. There were a few other ponies at the train station sitting on benches with their respective luggage. Some were in some kind of casual garb or generally unclothed. Some took notice of the duo’s arrival, most watching as the recently anointed princess casually walked onto the platform while others took note of the odd being following close behind her. Thorn noticed them watching, but he was more interested in the odd path that lie before the platform.

It appeared to be some sort of path made of two parallel metal rails with segmented planks of wood placed perpendicular to the rails. Looking along the odd path, it seemed to stretch off into the distance with no discernible end. Thorn pondered this bizarre trail and wondered what it could possibly have to do with the odd shape on the sign he saw before. They had to be related in some way... right? “Twilight, what is this path for?” Thorn asked when his mind couldn’t determine the correlation.

Twilight smiled and explained, “That’s the railroad. The train uses it as the path to travel, but only where the tracks go.” Once she was finished she noticed Thorn looking at the railway with scrutiny. As she began to wonder what was perplexing the buck so much, Thorn asked another question, “What, exactly, is a train?”

As Twilight was about to give the answer, THE answer announced it’s presence with a loud and sharp toot of its horn. The sound was enough to cause Thorn to whip around toward the source and was surprised to see the bizarre machination heading towards him. It was a large mechanical beast with a large plow skimming above the rails. A large tube on top of the machine spewed white smoke into the air as it approached. Additionally, it appeared to have multiple compartments in tow. And the sound it made, a hard chug that sounded as though it was moving with intense force and power. Thorn was boggled. He couldn’t even begin to consider how such a machine moved or operated. Animals and large beasts were one thing but this... train, was something far beyond him and none of his training covered any form of engineering this complex.

“That’s a train,” was Twilight’s giggly response as the train squealed into the station and eventually came to a complete halt, releasing a cloud of hot steam from the undercarriage. Thorn looked over the monstrosity with adherent curiosity. He looked over the various tubes and wheels that held the machine together. How everything worked, he was unsure, but he was interested in learning. However, it appeared such an exploration was not possible at the moment. A pony emerged from one of the many cabins attached the locomotive and proceeded to call for all those heading to Canterlot to begin boarding. This caused Thorn to temporarily give up his investigation of the train and follow Twilight onto the passenger car. She offered the pony the two tickets she’d purchased and he allowed both of them onto the train, with only a prolonged gawking glance as Thorn passed by.

Upon entering the traveling carriage, Thorn took a glance around the passenger car and saw two rows of bench seats going from one end of the cabin to the other, minus where the entrance was. Each bench was covered in a silky beige fabric and each had a similar green glass backboard. The sight was awe-inspiring for Thorn, as this seemed to be quite fancy. He’d never really seen something this fancy, at least not outside the kingdom’s palace. He’d never seen glass aside from some spots where dragons had roosted previously. But this was colored glass with swirling accents.

“You ride in something this fancy regularly?” Thorn inquired in awe.

Twilight chuckled at the statement. For a moment, she contemplated informing him of the royal cabin along with the first class and suite cabins, but thought it might be better to now push Thorn’s buttons too much. “Not always,” She explained as she made her way to her seat. “But this is the most common way to get to Canterlot.”

Thorn simply released a silent “Wow,” before following Twilight to a nearby bench and sitting next to her with a decent gap between them. Thorn watched as other ponies continued to board, many of them tossing a wayward glance toward Thorn as they passed, and noted how some of the boarding ponies were dressed in varying dresses, garb, and, what Thorn assumed, was formal wear. For some ponies, the outfits we as simple as a hat and a scarf or some odd thing that laid over their muzzle and covered their eyes, but some were more intricate. Some of the mares were wearing long dresses with fancy hats. The stallions were wearing... something fancier. It reminded him of something he’d seen some of the advisors in the palace wearing, but it seemed... stiffer, not as silky as the unique suits the advisors wore. These suits seemed pressed and sharp, and... they looked really uncomfortable. Especially, the various bows and hanging things from their necks.

While Thorn was curious of the different outfits, he put his thoughts toward his more imminent problem, how was he going to present his case to the Princess. He knew why he was presenting himself to the princess, but... how was he going to go about it? Formality was the most obvious, but he should at least present a valid reason for an envoy to return with him. What did he have to offer? What did his kingdom have to offer? Ponies seemed so advanced compared to deer. They had technology, advanced magic, even luxury. What did deer have to offer? Plants?... Wait, they did have herbs. Maybe medicine? Unless they have magic that is better than medicine.

Thorn groaned. What else was there? Maybe... maybe... “Oh no, I can’t think of anything!” Thorn thought in frustration. “What am I supposed to offer? Should I offer anything? Should I just-just say that the King wants to discuss a trade? WHAT DO I DO?!” Thorn was snapped out of his frustrated thoughts by a hoof on his shoulder and Twilight asking if he was okay.

Thorn turned to see Twilight looking at him with a concerned look on her face. “You looked like you were about to panic,” Twilight stated. “Are you okay? Oh gosh, are you getting motion sick?!”

“I- what? No, I was... I,” Thorn felt a hitch in his throat. Part of him felt ashamed that he didn’t know how to deal with this situation and anxious at the thought that he might embarrass himself and his king before the princess... not that he wasn’t doing so already. He considered his situation, he knew he was flustered and clearly it was messing with him. And ultimately his knowledge of the ponies was minimal at best and erroneous at worse. Both weren’t going to help him and his time was short. Looking at Twilight, he realized his best solution was the princess he could barely maintain eye contact with. With a heavy sigh, Thorn finished his statement, “I was...uh... thinking of how to handle my...um... appointment with Princess Celestia.”

Twilight’s concern quickly turned to understanding as she began to see where the worry had been coming from. “Oooh, o-o-okay. Well, maybe, I could help you prepare,” Twilight offered. “We do have a two-hour ride, so we have time.”

Thorn nodded with a smile, “I would be further in your debt if you would.”

Twilight matched the smile and offered her help. “Well, you are looking to request an emissary right?”

Thorn nodded in agreement.

“Okay, well, I doubt Princess Celestia will deny the request, but she will need to let the emissary know what to negotiate with,” Twilight explained.

“That makes sense,” Thorn conceded. “Sooo, where should I start?”

“Well perhaps-” Twilight began, just as the attendant called that everypony take their seat as the train was about to get underway. “Uh- as I was saying, if I know the princess, she may just question you for the information she needs, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to make a case. So... uh... would deer be okay working with ponies?”

Thorn was unsure. “M-maybe? Aside from Master Ironwood and myself, everydeer believes you're a myth. I’m not even sure how they are going to react if and when the emissary comes with me. I don’t even know what they’ll do!” Thorn was beginning to sound nervous. He had attempted to keep his mind off that thought, but with his meeting with the princess so close, it felt much worse. The whole plan would be pointless if he couldn’t get the emissary to the palace! Could he in good conscious walk a pony into the kingdom and cause a... wait. “Maybe... they won’t have know a pony was ever there,” Thorn responded thoughtfully.

Twilight blinked at him in confusion.

Thorn elaborated, “You and the Princess teleported into the cave under the Great Tree’s diaus. While it isn’t the closest to the palace, it does have a more obscured route and there will only be other Guardians there.”

Twilight’s eyebrows flashed with realization, but was quick to bring up a counterpoint, “Well, the princess could always fly you there too.”

Thorn blinked in confusion. “Fly us there?” An image of himself and a faceless envoy riding on the back of Princess Celestia, and her carrying the both of them to the palace within the forest.

Twilight nodded, “Of course, we have chariots that can carry ponies across long distances. They’re usually for more concealed entrances and exits.” The way Twilight said this made it appear that this was an everyday occurrence. To Thorn, the thought of flying seemed like a fantasy. The closest he’d ever come to flying, was some of his ventures in the canopy of the forest, but even that seemed a far cry from flight. Given the possibility of being able to take a flight from Canterlot to Foraoise, Thorn strangely found himself experiencing a hint of excitement amongst his anxiety and worry; however, it was short lived. The excitement quickly waned and soon his mind returned to facts and procedure. The idea of flight was well and good, but if he couldn’t present himself correctly and offer a good case for starting talks, it’d be pointless.

“Well, it is a viable option amongst the others,” Thorn conceded before moving back to the previous topic. “I will still need to present my case before the Princess before I can get there though.”

Twilight nodded in agreement and did her best to offer the best advice she could conjure. “Well, aside from deer and ponies interacting, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to explain your kingdom and the going on's of society. It could paint a good picture.”

Thorn nodded. It could be helpful if nothing else it could be a good jumping off point. At best, the princess could ask questions for clarification and it might offer her some ideas to give to the emissary. Given the situation, Thorn made a mental note to learn more about diplomacy and bargaining should things go well.

With that, Thorn began to recount everything he knew about life in the forest. What he knew of the kingdom and every resource he could recall. For the remainder of the long train ride, Thorn just talked to Twilight, and as time passed and the two exchanged ideas and advice, Thorn forgot that the individual he was talking to was an alicorn.

Along the long two hours, Thorn found himself idly slipping away from talks about his homeland and shifted to Druidic magic. Twilight was completely enthralled and was actively taking notes of spells she wanted to investigate later. Thorn capitalize on his enraptured audience and new found relaxation to get some advice on spells he had previously had an issue with. Twilight was, of course, more than happy to offer what advice she could offer. Their conversation had highlighted some vast differences between pony and deer magic, mostly that deer magic required that there was some source of plant, seed, or fungus present. Additionally, if the correct ingredients for sustaining the growth weren’t available, the spell would be useless. Compared to pony magic, which could warp or alter the world at will, deer magic seemed to have heavier restrictions. The concept was fascinating and made Twilight curious to test some spells to see if she could even perform some of the spells Thorn had described to her.

As Twilight mulled over the possibilities of Druidic magic, she noticed that the train was beginning to angle upward slightly and her weight was forcefully shifted into the back of the bench. Thorn, likewise, took notice of the odd shift and looked out the nearby window to see what had caused the change. He saw that the train had begun to ascend up, what appeared to be, a mountain. In the near distance, he could see the sprawling city of Canterlot. Looking at it, Thorn began to feel a growing sense of wonder. The city was immense and truly majestic. It was massive and seemed to touch the very clouds themselves. It was everything he associated with ponies personified in a city affixed to a massive mountain. Thorn would have continued to stare at the sprawling city, except Twilight intruded upon Thorn’s fascination. “It’s pretty impressive isn’t it?”

Thorn nodded dumbly.

“Well, we should be arriving fairly soon,” Twilight stated as she adjusted herself in her seat. “Are you going to be okay?”

Thorn broke out of his thoughts as the question truly hit him. He was walking into the pony capital meet their ruler. This caused his anxiety to spike, but he forced himself to maintain his composure. He couldn’t walk through the city verging on a panic attack. He took multiple deep breaths and forced his heart to calm down. By the time he found himself coming to a point of near normality, he hear a loud horn blare from the front of the train. When he glanced out the window again, he found that they had just entered a tunnel and the cabin went pitch dark. This did little to relax Thorn, but he made himself focus on his task. He took more deep breaths and released them slowly until the reached the station.

As the train came to a stop, Twilight let Thorn finish his deep breathing as she watched the other passengers leave the train. Some gave her a kind head nod and others stared at the odd multi-horned creature breathing deeply. Eventually, Thorn finished his deep breathing and stated he was ready to proceed. Both of them walked to the nearest exit and the moment they stepped of the train, Thorn’s stomach twisted into a knot and his previously decent heart rate began to accelerate again. “That’s... a lot... more... ponies.”

Before the Guardian-in-training and the newly appointed Princess of Friendship was the sprawling city of Canterlot. Virtually all space was covered with pony socialites, tourists, and citizens. Looking out over the city, Thorn began to realize that the trek to the castle was going to be significant-

“Princess Twilight Sparkle!” a voice called out from the crowd.

Thorn and Twilight turned toward the voice and spotted a well built white unicorn clad in golden armor. Twilight instantly recognized this as one of the Royal Guard that kept the castle safe. Thorn came to a similar conclusion based solely on his armor and the way he presented himself. “I was sent to collect you and your guest,” the guard stated curtly. “There is a carriage waiting.”

“Or this might be a little easier than anticipated.”

Thorn let out a small sigh of relief and followed the guard to the carriage. Just outside the station platform, an ornate closed carriage waited. In front of the carriage was another guard in similar armor. He watched as Twilight and Thorn approached, but he seemed more focused on Thorn. At first, Thorn wasn’t entirely certain why the guard was overly focused on him, but remembering he was wearing his own armor and following close to a princess of the land, he could understand their caution. In order to put the entourage at ease, he allowed Twilight to board first and offered a small bow to the guards before boarding himself. The gesture made the guards relax, if only slightly. Once they were both onboard the carriage, the two guards attached themselves to the carriage and began making their way into the city.

Thorn settled in just as the carriage began to move and found the benches more comfortable than the benches on the train. Additionally, he was enjoying the relative seclusion the carriage afforded him and Twilight. Which made him wonder if the Princess had sent the carriage to keep him hidden or if she was doing this more for the sake of his anxiety. While he couldn’t deny he appreciated the seclusion, but the idea made him feel extremely embarrassed. One way or another, he’d have to work on that.

For now, he took in the sights as they passed by. He watched as the carriage moved along a smooth paved path and the wide open space began to condense into a more narrower city with tall buildings bordering the street. Many of them were colorfully accented with a base alabaster white being the most common and reoccurring. While he couldn’t recognize what each building was, many of them were marked with signs that showed they were an eatery or some sort of clothing shop. A few of the clothing shops caught his eye as the clothes presented in the windows were different than the ones he had seen. The seemed more... elegant and varied. Some were long flowing dresses while others were... actually, some he couldn’t recognize. It seemed that some were too small to be a dress.

Additionally, he smelled the various scents that were coming from the restaurants. The smells were a mixture of sweet and savory with some having a unique spicy smell that he recognized, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. Regardless the smells had an effect on his stomach and his mouth. He felt his mouth beginning to salivate and his stomach began to gurgle and moan slightly. He did his best to keep the sounds subdued.

“Sorry, we ran out without really getting any food,” Twilight stated. “I can see about getting you something to eat once we get to the castle.”

Thorn’s stomach grumbled it’s agreement, but Thorn, himself, was more hesitant. Twilight had done so much for him thus far. Additionally, he suspected Twilight may have suggested the carriage. For now, Twilight’s offer would probably be a good idea. Even if it wasn’t a full meal, something in his stomach would quell the noises. Reluctantly, Thorn accepted and quickly worked to change the subject. “The city is truly astonishing. I would never have expected there was this much built onto a mountainside.” While he was trying to change the subject, he was being sincere. The massive span of the city seemed like it would be impossible to build. If a deer were to attempt it, it would be quite the struggle to get the right plants and roots to support something this massive.

Twilight smiled at the statement and beamed with pride. “Well, Canterlot was the culmination of efforts from all three tribes. The earth ponies helped clear the space needed, the pegasi supplied the unique building platforms and materials, and the unicorns used their magic to shape the city into its basic foundations.” She leaned over to point to the castle that was quickly coming into view. The large castle seemed to hang off the edge of the massive cliff, yet radiated a sense of importance and regality that Thorn had only experienced when talking to the king.

“Canterlot castle is the ultimate combination of all three tribes,” Twilight continued, revealing in her captive audience. “The castle has a signature of each tribe, the accents of the pegasus, the amazing stonework and architecture of the earth ponies, and the unique flourishes that the unicorns gave the castle. There are other unique signatures in the castle, but it would take awhile to actually go them all.”

Thorn fixed his gaze on the magnificent building again with a new sense of awe and understanding. This was very much an important place and it was more than just a place to house a throne, this was the center of pony culture... and their history. Thorn felt himself straightening up out of respect. “That is quite an accomplishment,” Thorn replied with respect heavy in his voice.

“It is an amazing accomplishment,” Twilight responded as the carriage pulled into the castle courtyard. Peering out the carriage window, Thorn could see the large entrance with large walls flanking both sides, and presumably, rounding the entire castle. The walls and gate were ornately decorated with golden filigree and accents. Additionally, a large drawbridge looked to have been lowered but could be easily withdrawn. Furthermore, he noticed two small towers flanking both sides of the bridge with slits in the center. “I suppose it’s not all appearances,” Thorn thought to himself. “It’s well-fortified too.” Thorn’s respect for the castle and the pony capital continued to soar as the guards detached themselves from the carriage and opened the carriage door. This newfound respect caused another reaction as well. Thorn felt his heart beginning to beat harder, but the feeling wasn’t like his usual fears. Something about this felt deserved, necessary. Thorn took a deep breath and waited for Twilight to disembark first before he exited the carriage himself.

The two guards called for them both to follow and began to lead them into the castle proper. As they made their way in, Thorn began to notice that there were more guards within the castle and he noticed there were other ponies wandering about as well. Some were wearing odd dresses while others appeared to be in some sort of attire he wasn’t familiar with but was similar enough to the other outfit that he assumed they were in similar professions. Thorn assumed they must be the castle caretakers. He also noticed the caretakers were the only ones taking passing glances at him and Twilight. Thorn did his best not to pay any mind to the wayward glances and focus on staying with the escorting guards.

Going further in, Thorn was impressed by the many stone pillars that lined the corridor. While masonry wasn’t unheard of in Froaise, most of it was either in the king’s garden or within the Guardian’s training grounds. Additionally, they weren’t to this scale. These pillars were as tall, if not taller, than some trees he’d seen in the forest and the more he looked, the more he was impressed with their unique masonry skills. Then, he was floored by what he saw next.

The two guards rounded a corner in the corridor to reveal a large opening, beyond the opening was an expansive open-air garden. The various flowers, trees, and ferns were stunning and to top it off, Thorn didn’t recognize them all. Based on how they looked, he assumed it was plant life that couldn’t survive within the confines of the forest. He was fascinated, but he was more fascinated when the two guards stopped outside the opening to the garden and motioned for Thorn to enter. “The princess will meet you in the garden. Please wait under the tree over there,” the guard on the left said as he pointed to a large oak tree with ample shade. Thorn nodded his understanding and made his way toward the designated location, but he realized that he was proceeding alone. He turned to see that Twilight had been stopped by the guards. “Sorry, Princess Twilight. Princess Celestia specifically asked that this be a private conversation,” the right guard stated. “She asked that we give you this task while she is in her meeting.” The guard pulled a small note from a slit in his armor and presented it to Twilight. She took it and read it over... then read it again... then again. Each time her face scrunching and becoming more and more incredulous.

“Is she serious?” Twilight asked in befuddlement.

The guard nodded without a moment’s hesitation. Twilight was clearly displeased with the task, but what it was that was causing her such agitation was beyond Thorn. Regardless, Twilight went off to complete the task given to her and offered Thorn the best of luck. Now Thorn was alone in the garden and the rapid beating of his heart was the only thing Thorn could hear at the moment. “I can’t stay like this,” Thorn thought to herself. “Having my nerves this high strung isn’t good.” He took some deep breaths and did his best to control himself. He took deep breaths and released them slowly until his heart rate began to relax. He did this while thinking about what he should say to the Princess. “Should I open with the potential we could gain from each other? Maybe how now might be the best time to rekindle our alliance. The princess and the Great Tree both seemed eager to do so.” Thorn smiled as he subconsciously nodded to himself. It was a good starting point. If all else, his previous encounter with the princess let him know that she was receptive to open negotiations and the great tree would be willing to offer it's supported as well.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. He felt better, the tightness in his body relaxing slightly. While he couldn’t say he was completely ready for this engagement, he did feel more confident. He had a plan, he had direction, and all he had left to do was wait...

...

...

...

“Why is the waiting so much scarier than the thought of actually talking to the princess?” Thorn groaned internally as he stood beneath the tree in the middle of the garden. Looking around he found the garden’s atmosphere calming. It was quiet and a gentle breeze rustled the branches of the trees and bushes to create an equally calming sound. He sighed contently to himself and continued to take in the surroundings until the sounds of hooves on grass caught his attention. He immediately turned to see Princess Celestia standing in the doorway he had entered through. She was in her regalia from before and she had the same caring smile she had worn in the cavern.

Thorn immediately straightened up and gave a bow. He waited for Celestia to tell him to rise, much like he did with his king. He had to do this correctly, and he had to make the best fir- second impression he could.

“Please rise,” an unexpected voice said. Thorn didn’t recognize the voice. It sounded slightly younger than Celestia, but it was also female. When Thorn raised his head, he saw something he had not expected and worse something he was hoping to avoid at all costs. It was a midnight alicorn with a night sky mane standing just behind Celestia. It was the Nightmare Alicorn.

Author's Notes:

New year, new chapter. Been a while. Sorry to have kept ya waiting.