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.