Fluttershy and Meadowbrook trotted along the swampy paths of the bayou; the ground between them squelching with each step. It gave the illusion that the ground was strong and firm, but also weak and malleable at the same time. Neither pony minded the feel, though. Fluttershy’s wings kept her from exerting too much force on the ground, while Meadowbrook had grown accustomed to the swamp, having lived there herself.

As the both of them trudged through the unstable ground, they came up to a large overgrowth, with grassy walls coating the path ahead. With how thick it all looked, it seemed like only a pegasus could see past it unless the grass was cut down or pushed aside.

“You want me to help you fly over?” Fluttershy offered a hoof to Meadowbrook. “Who knows what kind of creatures could be on the other side of that grass? Maybe something poisonous or deadly...”

“You’re awfully kind, Fluttershy, but I think I’ll be fine.” Meadowbrook was still smiling as she lowered Fluttershy’s offered hoof. “Starswirl and the others were such sweethearts when it came to protecting ourselves. If there is something deadly through here, they should be worried about us. Not the other way around.”

“You’re not... worried about them?” Fluttershy lifted a brow. “Not even if there were flashbees through here?”

“Flashbee stings do hurt, don’t get me wrong. But I came up with a number of potions, tonics, and cure-alls back before I met the Pillars of Equestria.” Meadowbrook patted the mask atop her head. “That, and when you live on a bayou full of nasty critters, you tend to learn a thing or two about how they behave.”

“I guess.” Fluttershy nodded meekly, but knew deep down in her heart that it was true. Considering that she had talked down dragons before, she shouldn’t really have even had doubts in the first place. “But it’s still prety dark in there. And we’d have no sense of direction with how big this grass is...” She gave it a gentle brush.

“It’s completely fine, Fluttershy.” Meadowbrook pressed on, walking through the hedgy wall that stood between her. “I’ve been down this path dozens of times. Why, I know it like the back of my hoof now.”

“But I’ve never been this deep into the bayou before.” Fluttershy flitted above the grass, her hooves just barely brushing against the tips of the long and all-consuming grass. “There could be all sorts of mean animals out here.”

“If there’s any dangerous creature here, I’ll let you know how to handle it.” Meadowbrook was completely invisible, save for the long blades of grass that shifted as she moved through them. “But I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Not many creatures ever come to the Glittering Garden Glade anyway.”

“Glittering Garden Glade?” Fluttershy asked, trying to find Meadowbrook in the towering shrubbery. Or, at least, the mask atop her head. “What’s that?”

“It’s only the most wonderful place in this swamp, Fluttershy. All kinds of plantlife grows there, from nighthowlers to swamp fever plants.” Meadowbrook finally made the effort to step down on a huge clump of grass, revealing herself to the winged mare. “It’s so far deep into this place that not many other ponies dared to enter. But they’re all missing out on quite a treat. The plants here aren’t something you see every day, with some plants native to other parts of the world growing as well. It’s like a botanist’s dream to come here!”

“So... did you come here often before you met Starswirl and the other pillars?” Fluttershy tilted her head to the side.

“Oh, yes. Dozens of times, actually.” Meadowbrook nodded. “I was able to cure a heck of a lot of sicknesses with the plants here. Silverblooms for the trots, Hyper Hydrangeas for lethargy, I was even able to come up for an alternate cure for the white blight when that ran rampant across Equestria.”

“White blight? Isn’t that the terrible disease that almost wiped out ponykind?” Fluttershy asked, recalling her study session of diseases when she tried to save Zecora. “I heard that, if it wasn’t for you and the potion, ponies might not have even existed today!”

“The ponies back then called it the Elixir of Evermore. Though, I don’t really think medicines should have some big fancy-schmancy name.” Meadowbrook shook her head, assaulting even more of the colossal grass with her mask as she did so. “Naming it doesn’t really do a whole lot. At least, for me it didn’t.”

“Well, Equestria’s changed a whole lot since the Pony of Shadows incident.” Fluttershy pushed her front hooves together. “So many new cities, new ponies, and big events went down while you were gone. It’s almost like the Equestria you knew is gone forever.”

“Well, we know all about that.” Meadowbrook took the mask off and held it to her chest. “Ma and Pa and all the other ponies I called family are gone now. I’m sure that all the other pillars must be devastated too. Especially Rockhoof. The Mighty Helm was his own family, and that’s probably disappeared too.”

"I can imagine..." Fluttershy looked up into the sky, the thoughts of all the Pillars' loved ones still hanging heavy on her. She hadn't really been one to cope with loss; especially after she had been tasked with caring for Philomena. But the fact that almost nobody from Old Equestria was still alive today was unavoidable; and she could feel the heartache from Meadowbrook and the others a mile off. "I can't tell you just how sorry I am for all your losses."

"You're very kind, Fluttershy." Meadowbrook nodded. "I suppose that's why your Element of Harmony was kindness."

Fluttershy just smiled, and moved forward, deeper and deeper into the swamp.

"Aha! Here we are!" Meadowbrook galloped forward and burst through one final wall of grassy blades, landing in a small, yet cozy clearing. Nothing but the sound of gently rippling water could be heard; even if that water was heavily muffled and drowned out by how deep the two ponies were into the maze of flora and water. "Fluttershy? You might wanna check this out."

Fluttershy flapped down into the clearing and landed by Meadowbrook's side. She looked out towards the center of the clearing, and saw a variety of flowers of all shapes and sizes. There were small ponds with aquatic flowers drifting silently on the surface, and ground-based flowers growing in formations around the clearing. All had various patterns, shades of colour, and even unique stalk shapes and thicknesses.

"What is this place?" Fluttershy lifted a brow.

"This, Fluttershy, is the Glittering Garden Glade." Meadowbrook stepped forward towards the first cluster of flowers in her path and patted their leaves, sniffing the aromas shortly after. "Lots of different plants grow here that are used to make medicines, remedies, and cures for all sorts of nasty diseases. And if there's any new plants that can fix ponies up, a good gardener makes the trip out here so they can plant more of the flower and keep the species alive.

"That's good to hear." Fluttershy brushed her hoof against some of the flowers, making sure not to bend them too much and snap the stalks. "So, um, why are we here, actually?"

"Right before I left, I wanted to see if there was an alternate cure to a sickness I'd already cured a long time ago, but wanted to revise for this newer Equestria I'm in," she said. "Times might have changed, and ponies might have some immunity to the stuff by now, but I just need to make sure that there's another way to fix them up for those who can't afford a good vaccine."

"I see." Fluttershy watched as Meadowbrook knelt down and held one of the petals of one of the flowers up into the sunlight. "And what sickness are you working on an alternate cure for?"

"Why, the dreaded swamp fever of course." She said, looking out to the very plants in the aquatic section that caused the sickness. "I've always been meaning to find another cure for that. Flashbees are incredibly violent, and some ponies can't even make the cure in time because of those nasty things." One look at the trees was all of the emphasis she and Fluttershy needed before a chill ran up both of their spines. "All I need is a plant that can block the scents and toxins of the swamp fever flower, as well as act as a counter for the symptoms as a whole. But the right concentration could be hard to come by without the right mixture of flowers. So, we're just gonna take a couple plants from this grove that can counteract smells and toxins that can seep into the pores. Then, it's back to the house so we can make our own potions."

"Are there any specific names of flowers that we should be looking for? Or is it just the ones that stop swamp fever from getting into our systems?" Fluttershy asked as Meadowbrook was already picking flowers from the glade.

"Well, we're gonna need a little bit of Nightguard, some Silver Ears, Teller's Bells, and some Skywings specifically for the actual scent of the swamp fever flowers themselves, but as for some skin-guarding flowers, we could do with some Metal Sunshine, Morning Gold, Afternoon Dusk, Magic Swallow, and some Stone Stem Sapphire." She put the flowers into her mask and put it down on the ground, using it as a bucket. "If you need any help with the flowers, I'll be glad to point them out to you."

"Oh, okay." Fluttershy looked down at some of the flowers, with each and every one of them painting a number of mixed signals. Even after Meadowbrook had listed off nine specific breeds of flower for her to find, she still had absolutely zero idea what to pick up; especially given that flower names weren't even coloured after themselves or stayed true to their characteristics most of the time, and were just titles given to make them seem special.

Fluttershy picked up one flower, before taking a look at Meadowbrook and how swiftly she was picking the flowers. She was even humming a little tune to herself as she tossed the flowers into the mask and went back for some more. All Fluttershy had in her hoof was one little flower, and it didn't even vaguely resemble anything Meadowbrook was picking.

"Maybe I'll just let you pick all the flowers, Meadowbrook." Fluttershy put the flower back into the ground and coated the bottom with soil. "Not that I don't want to do work, but I'm not really much of a flower pony myself. I'm more into animals myself. Plus, I don't really know what half of those flowers even look like without your help."

"Trust me, Fluttershy. I understand perfectly." Meadowbrook walked over to Fluttershy and patted the back of her mane tenderly. "I don't want you to do anything that you don't feel comfortable with. I get it if you don't wanna pick the flowers with me."

"Oh, I do. I really do." She nodded quickly. "I really do like you and all the stuff you've done. And I'm loving hanging out with you. But forgive me if I really don't know what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to be collecting."

"It's no trouble at all, Fluttershy." Meadowbrook pulled her in close for a sideways hug. "Y'know, most of the Pillars don't even know the flowers I pick either. Heck, aside from me, only Starswirl himself knows for sure, and that's just because he's the leader of the Pillars of Equestria." She let out a little chuckle. "I can't even begin to tell you the number of times Flash Magnus got me the wrong flowers and I had to give him a picture for next time."

"Oh, I can imagine." Fluttershy gave a small grin as she watched Meadowbrook pick up another few flowers.

"But anyway, I think that these should be enough." Meadowbrook finally returned to the mask, which had been stuffed full of the flowers she plucked from the earth and laid meticulously so as not to break them. "Let's head on back to the house. It's time for me to break out my old mortar and pestle. Let's just hope I haven't gone rusty in a millennium..."

"Would you like me to help you with the mask?" Fluttershy trotted up towards it. "It looks like you haven't got anything to carry that with. And if you try putting it on your head, it's just gonna dump all of the flowers over your head."

"Oh, that'd be just as sweet as honey, Fluttershy." Meadowbrook hoofed the mask over to her and gave her a tender pat on the back. "Y'know, not many ponies would wanna do all this for a swamp-dwelling doctor like myself. You're such a sweetheart, through and through."

"Thanks." Fluttershy cheeks flushed a bright shade of red as she looked into Meadowbrook's eyes. "I just do what I can to help. No matter who it is or whatever problems they might have."

"You know the way back to the house, right, Fluttershy?" Meadowbrook took one visual sweep of the glade and saw the massive grassy walls that surrounded them. "I mean, this place might've turned us both around a fair bit. I can find my way home fine, but... can you?"

"I just have to follow you back out the way you came in and just fly forward from there. Easy-peasy." Fluttershy opened her wings and took to the skies, graciously lifting the flower-filled mask up with her. "You lead the way back to the swamp, Meadowbrook. I'll get the flowers back for you."

"Alright. Let's head back home." Meadowbrook left the flowers behind her, and pushed on through the tangled mess of greenery, shoving it out of her way and stumbling the overgrowth, with Fluttershy hovering above her the whole way.

Eventually, Fluttershy and Meadowbrook arrived back at Cat Tail's house, with Fluttershy flapping in with the mask—though it might as well have been downgraded to a flashy-looking bucket with how many flowers were in it—and setting it down on the table nearby.

"Fluttershy. Meadowbrook. You're home sooner than I thought!" Cat Tail came over and gave them both a gentle pat. "You want some lemonade? You must've been working pretty hard out there at the Glittering Garden Glade."

"That's mighty kind of you, Cat Tail, but we don't want the flowers to wilt before we can properly crush them." Meadowbrook nodded. "But we'll take the drinks all the same. If you could just leave 'em right here, that'd be delightful."

"Sure thing." Cat Tail set two glasses of lemonade down. One at Fluttershy's seat, and the other one at Meadowbrook's "It's just how your family used to blend it, Meadowbrook. Not too sweet, but not too sour either."

"It's a pretty complex recipe, Cat Tail." Meadowbrook took the glass up in one of her hooves. "Ma and Pa had to make extra special care not to overuse any of the ingredients, otherwise, they'd taint the drink."

"I know. That's why I dug out the recipe especially." Cat Tail rubbed the back of his tail. "Since you're back in our world, Meadowbrook, I thought it'd be nice if you had a little taste of home. Just to help you get settled back into this crazy new Equestria."

"Actually, Cat Tail, can you do one itsy bitsy, teensy-weensy favour for me?" Meadowbrook looked down at the drink again.

"Sure. Anything for you, Meadowbrook." He nodded.

"Do you might happen to know where my old cauldron is? I kinda need it for the little experiments I'm gonna be cooking up with these flowers." She rubbed the side of her mask, tenderly, making sure that it didn't fall off of the seat and spill the contents. "And don't worry about the weight. Me and Fluttershy can help if it's a little bit too daunting for you."

"Oh. Well, I know where the cauldron is, but I don't really know why you'd want to use it again..." He went off to another part of the room. "I mean, Equestrian medicine has advanced quite a whole lot in the past thousand years or so..."

"We're trying to make an alternative cure for swamp fever. Since flashbees are so aggressive, that is." Fluttershy took a small sip of the lemonade, licking her lips as it trickled down her throat and into her belly. "Ooh! This lemonade's actually really good!"

"Just a little something cooked up down here." Cat Tail chuckled to himself. "I'm glad that you like it, Fluttershy. Means the world to know that there are still some ponies left in this world who like something made in swamps like these."

"Ma and Pa always did have good taste." Meadowbrook smiled and took a small sip of her lemonade, feeling a flood of memories resurface as her drink dove down her digestive tract. "Especially when it came to lemonade. How Cat Tail was able to recreate their recipe like that, I may never know. Not that it's a bad thing or anything, just that it's really, really good. I haven't had a good lemonade like that since I left home to join the Pillars of Equestria."

"Hmm. There really is no place like home." Fluttershy smiled and took another drink of the lemonade, almost forgetting entirely about the flowers in the mask beside her.

Both Fluttershy and Meadowbrook passed the time with sips of lemonade, letting the rest of the world and its' problems melt away with the heartwarming drinks. The way that the lemon juice had been balanced out with just the right amount of sugar, nullifying the sour taste entirely yet still keeping the zing that homemade lemonade was known for, it was as if a drink from heaven had tumbled down and landed before them. They were so enraptured with the drink, that they didn't even notice Cat Tail walking back into the living room with a large, dusty cauldron with a few spiderwebs hanging from the edges.

"Well..." Cat Tail grunted as he pushed the heavy cauldron across the ground towards the table. "Here it is, Meadowbrook. Still sturdy after all this time. I hope you put it to good use."

"Thank you kindly, Cat Tail." Meadowbrook winked and blew him a kiss, stepping away from the table and taking the mask with her. "Now, Fluttershy? Can you fly up to my room and find my mortar and pestle? It shouldn't be too hard to find. Look for a tiny bowl with a little rounded stone cylinder in it."

"Right away!" Fluttershy shot off out of the seat and dashed up the stairs, leaving Meadowbrook with the rest of her drink and the flowers in her mask.

"You sure that there's another cure for swamp fever, Meadowbrook?" Cat Tail asked, looking as she picked the mask up and set the flowers down on the table. "The last time Fluttershy came to try and fix her friend, Zecora, she nearly ended up turning into a tree herself!"

"Which is why I don't want anypony cutting it that close ever again." Meadowbrook nodded and lowered her brows. "Just think, Cat Tail. If I were able to find another way to fix swamp fever, then we could finally have a way to vaccinate everypony without them having to get their friends to risk life and limb for it."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Meadowbrook..." Cat Tail watched as Fluttershy came back down with the stone mortar and pestle in her hooves. "And good luck in doing it." He smiled and headed off. "If you need me, just holler. I'd be happy to oblige."

"I'm sure I will." Meadowbrook took the mortar and pestle from Fluttershy and set up the first flowers as Cat Tail walked off. "Now, Fluttershy, let me show you how we used to make medicine back in the old days..."