The next morning, after a shower, Skyblazer set out into town to see if he could find the zebra. She wasn't in any of the shops off the main street, so Skyblazer moved on to see how Twilight was holding up.

He arrived at the crystal castle and stepped in. His hoofs echoed in the glittering chambers. After getting lost in the twisting hallways for a while, he found Spike in the kitchen preparing lunch. Spike noticed him, and said,

"Oh, hi again Skyblazer! Twilight is doing better today."

"Great! Where is she, can I speak to her?" said Skyblazer.

"She's in the reading room, just like always. Hey, your name is pretty awesome."

"Thanks Spike!"

Skyblazer continued to explore a maze of twisty passageways, all alike, until at last he arrived at the cozy reading room. It had to be a chore trying to live in a place like this. At least Twilight had magic to help with the upkeep.

A fire was roaring in the hearth which Twilight sat in front of. The purple unicorn was curled up on a sofa with a blanket around herself and a mug of coffee.

"Morning, Twilight Sparkle," said Skyblazer cheerfully.

"Yes, morning," was Twilight's groggy answer.

Skyblazer took a seat next to her and appraised the room. It was every bit as lavish as the rest of the castle, but cozy chairs and sofas and a dining table here helped to offset that.

Rarity was here as well, putting up some delicate silk curtains on the shelves. When she was done, she used her magic to move a squashy chair over by the fire so she could sit by Twilight and Skyblazer.

She began by saying, "I don't believe we have met before. I am Rarity, your mother told me all about you. She's proud of you, you know."

Skyblazer nodded, "Yes, and it's nice to meet you. I've met all of your other friends."

"So sorry to always be away. I tell you, Haycart, when I'm not saving Equestria from some new form of nightmare or resolving 'friendship issues' from the magic map, I'm busy managing my boutiques. I've had very little free time lately," she sighed.

Skyblazer choked a bit on his coffee, coughed, and said, "Um, I'd rather go by my first name. I'm really only keeping the family last name for my mom's sake."

"Ah, but the thing is, I don't wish to upset your sensibilities and..."

"I've changed it to Skyblazer," he said gruffly.

"And what a lovely name that is! Skyblazer, then. One who tames the skies."

"Yes, exactly. I was kind of hoping to meet all of you," he put his ears down with a forlorn look.

"Yes, darling, but again we have been quite busy. I would say that all of us have our hooves full as of late. Did you hear the latest endeavor the map had for us?"

"I think so. Griffonstone?"

"YES. I mean griffons, really. What could we possibly have in common with those dangerous, bloodthirsty, rude brutes..."

The door to the reading room burst open as Pinkie and Rainbow bounced and flew into the room, respectively.

Twilight, who had been half asleep with her head on the arm of the sofa, snapped awake and slid to the ground. She fluttered back up onto the sofa, embarrassed.

"We're baaaaack!" sang out Pinkie Pie.

"Yes, I see that." intoned Twilight.

Rainbow flew a few laps around the room. She forgot to keep her air null active and the wind from her wings sent a few books to the floor, which Twilight and Rarity promptly levitated back up into their places.

Both of the returned ponies seemed happy and excited. Pinkie began to talk about their adventure at about the same rate of speed Rainbow could fly, and an annoyed Twilight put her in a magic shield bubble where they couldn't hear her.

"Any-ways," said Rainbow Dash with an askew smirk at her pink companion, "This old map sure knows what it's doing. We were just the right ponies for the job, and we actually made some serious changes in Griffonstone."

Twilight sat up now, more alert. Rarity also leaned in, setting down a doily she had been knitting via magic.

Skyblazer interrupted, "I'm looking for a griffon right now, maybe you two heard something about one named Cobalt?"

Rainbow shook her head no as Twilight released Pinkie from the magic bubble. Pinkie lie on the rug on her belly, smirking as always, while Rainbow said,

"Nah-uh, didn't meet any griffon named that. But we did help change their entire society, and that's just so cool! Wow, it's been years since we got to talk last, Haul-Ass."

"I'm Skyblazer now actually."

"That's more like it! With a name like that you can join me in the Wonderbolts."

"Haha--no. I don't think so."

"What? Ohhh-right. Lightning, your mom, I didn't think," she put her ears down and huffed, "I never think, do I?"

"It's okay, Rainbow. I didn't mean to interrupt, I'm listening."

"Alright. Now, Griffonstone is under the rule of these like, strict, awful leaders. Since we all just had this really crazy adventure dealing with a tyrant pony, we have some experience with stuff like that. And you'd think a smart pony like Twilight would make more sense to resolve something like this, but me and Pinkie were actually perfect!"

Pinkie Pie chimed in, a bit calmer now, "Yeah! Rainbow is all tough and bossy and I'm all like Pinkie Pie so I helped keep the peace."

"We convinced the griffons in charge that their whole town would do a lot better if everyone was happier and could have their own roles if they wanted to. It's made a big difference for them."

"And we made friends with mean ol' Gilda again!"

Skyblazer asked again, "But you didn't hear anything about a griffon with blue wings?"

"No, I don't think so," answered Rainbow Dash.

They all returned to the map room, where they were joined shortly by Fluttershy and Rarity.

A more sober Twilight explained the map to Skyblazer, "So this is all magic, this whole castle that is. It came from the Tree of Harmony--but you wouldn't know what that is."

"No, but it sounds cool," said Skyblazer.

"Well, I'm certain your mother told you about the Elements of Harmony. The ancient magic in those has the Tree as its source. Um, the tree was dying and allowing some more of the dark magic from Everfree to take affect, so we gave the elements back to it to restore its power. It flung a seed over to Ponyville and this crystal castle just grew from the ground, with the map."

Twilight teleported a cart of snacks and fruit punch into the room and began passing the snacks out to everypony. Fluttershy took over for her speech,

"We're calling it the Friendship Map. It lets us know whenever there is a very important conflict somewhere. Friendship is the strongest kind of magic, so Twilight thinks that improving friendship will keep the magic at its strongest."

Skyblazer had a question, "Wait, so you mean you can attack monsters with friendship or, like..."

Twilight answered after a drink of juice, "Not exactly. It's a powerful spell, which is fueled by the strength of our friendship. I believe that is why the elements chose us."

"So this map sends you places? How does that work?"

"Our cutie marks shimmer, and then appear over the location on the map where we're needed."

"Huh, so that means it must be the same kind of magic! That's really neat."

Twilight hadn't even thought of that, and was impressed. She said,

"You're every bit as observant as your mother is! Maybe our cutie marks do have something to do with whatever ancient magic it is in the Elements and Tree of Harmony. Speaking of which, I notice you don't have one yet?"

Skyblazer nodded, and asked, "Is that all that strange? I mean, my life has been pretty rural and isolated so far and I haven't met many ponies my age."

"Well yes, it really is a rarity."

"No, I'm a Rarity," said Rarity. Twilight began to speak again, but realized just how funny that was and burst out laughing.

Wiping a tear from her eye, she said, "Thank you, Rarity. I needed that. Now then, most colts get their mark before they become an adult. I've never actually met anypony who hadn't."

"Huh. Well, I didn't need a permanent hay bale on my flank anyways. Hated farming."

"It's not usually a family thing, it's what you are most passionate about. And it's not actually permanent."

Fluttershy spoke up, "Oh my, let's not bring that up please."

Applejack came through the door now, muddy and sweaty. She took a seat in her chair, which had a symbol on it matching her cutie mark.

Skyblazer said hello to her, and then said, "Well, I should be leaving. I'm going to find Zecora, and Everfree is no place to be at night."

"It's no place to be period!" yelled Applejack, "But if you're looking for the same griffon your mother was, the zebra is who you'd want to ask. Just stay away from any vines, they can attack you."

"The vines attack you?"

"Eyup. And the critters, the rocks, the trees, pretty much everything."

"Why would anypony live there?"

Twilight answered, "All that intrinsic magic is great for gathering alchemical materials."

"Right, well, I did ask for adventure then didn't I? Guess I'll be getting some of it."

Rainbow, who had been hovering above the map table, said in an annoyed voice, "I love adventure. Until all your friends almost lose their lives. Oh, and how about Ponyville getting thrown into chaos. Don't forget the changelings, hope to never see them again."

Rarity added, "And dragons, chimeras, hydras, dark magic, your run-of-the-mill wizards hellbent on power."

Twilight broke this up with a stunning flash of light from her horn and said, "Girls! Let's just take some time to relax right now and maybe not talk about all this? You know how hard it is for us to catch a break?"

"Right, sorry," said Rainbow and Rarity in unison.

After some more conversation about his mother and past events, Skyblazer left for the forest, but not without a gift of bits and snacks from the mane six.

He gained elevation over Ponyville with mighty flaps of his wings, and stared at the dreaded forest. He gathered his nerves, exhaled, and took off for the place. It was eerie how easy it was to access. No warning signs or omens of the dangers that lurked within, just a meandering river with a quaint arched bridge over it down below, and a fairly normal looking forest of deciduous and pine beyond that.

Out of simple curiosity, he did the exact opposite of AJ's advice and flew near a clump of strangely wiggling vines. They lashed out at him, and he dove for ground level with a yell.

The forest floor was serene enough by daylight. He walked for a ways, but he felt that something was very wrong and stopped. There wasn't any birdsong or squirrels in this part of the woods. He raised an eyebrow, and kicked a rock ahead. The leafy detritus of the ground suddenly parted, and a gigantic trap-door spider snatched the rock and was gone in an instant.

Skyblazer took off backwards so fast that his wings lost lift, and he skidded through the leaves on his back. He got up, shook the leaves and dirt off, and looked ahead in stunned disbelief.

Cautiously now, he flew at a moderate height between the viny treetops and the unknown dangers of the forest floor. Finding a solitary hut in a place like this could be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

There was a glimmer far below on the ground. Skyblazer circled like a vulture, not entirely okay with the idea of landing. It was just a small, shiny square of metal on a string, looped around a branch. He landed now, curious, and looked at his reflection in the mirror finish.

Glancing around for what, exactly, this might be for, he realized that there were other shiny spots further off into the woods. He flew back up, and scouted for more of these pieces of shined metal. They made a trail through the woods.

He paused to eat a lunch of hay, carrots, and dried fruit, and then followed the shiny trail markers.

After a number of hours flying at a slow pace past the rugged forest terrain and the many small branches and bushes that combed through his fur and feathers as he flew, the trail of shiny markers at last ended at a small hut composed entirely of material from the forest. The walls were logs, the roof mossy thatch, and a rock fence outlined an area of garden. The only signs of it being a modern and occupied dwelling were the glass windows and the smoke from the chimney.

Skyblazer fluttered to the ground and walked up to the door. He paused before knocking, realizing that a hermit alchemist in a cursed forest wasn't someone to sneak up on. He knocked with some trepidation.

The zebra he had heard about answered the door. Unlike the other ponies in Ponyville, Zecora didn't seem at all fazed by the present danger in their world. She was as calm and focused as ever.

Piqued by the rare occurrence of a visitor, she welcomed Skyblazer inside, offered him a chair and a mug of cider, and said,

"I am Zecora, an alchemist by trade. No doubt you already know this, to have come all this way."

"Ah, but I didn't come for alchemical supplies! I came here for, uh, friendship... advice?"

Zecora offered a chuckle, "You should have consulted Twilight in the comfort of her home, instead of traveling these woods where monsters roam."

"So I'm looking for a griffon, her name is Cobalt."

This name brought a warm smile to the Zebra's visage, and she said, "How curious you should know this name when few others do. May I ask your name, and if this griffon may know you?"

"I am Skyblazer Haycart, son of Lightning Ridge. Cobalt saved her life many moons ago."

"Was this during the return of Nightmare Moon, when Ponyville was threatened by an imminent doom?"

"How do you make all these rhymes on the spot? Yes, it was."

"Practice makes ease just as potions appease. Now please, I must ask: What is your purpose in pursuing this task?"

"My mom told me her story, and it sounds like this Cobalt hasn't had a lot of friendly encounters with ponies. I'd like her to meet my mom so she can be properly thanked."

"Cobalt has recently moved beyond Everfree, seeking sanctuary out by the sea. Some time to herself in Luna Bay, for peaceful reflection by the wind and the waves. She desires, more than anything, to cease being alone. But the fires are seething and she cannot find home. I fear her anger may result in bitter despair. Perhaps you could console her and tell her you care?"

"Luna Bay, where is that--let me get out my map," he did so, unrolling it on the coffee table where it stubbornly refused to lay flat, "Oh, on the east coast, at the south edge of the map. Pretty isolated spot, would take almost a week for me to fly there."

"Night will soon fall upon this place. You may rest here and avoid an early grave."

Skyblazer almost dropped his cider, "Yeesh, a bit harsh don't you think?"

She gave him a serious look, and then took a drought of a potion which was glowing in its bottle. After a moment, her eyes glowed and she said,

"Everfree is both cold and dark. Yet sunrise brings hope. Listen for the lark. Willow Park, by the sea. Can you see eternity? Find a place that should not be. Can you hear me? Skyblazer, can you hear me?"

"What? I mean, what?"

Zecora shook her head, and blinked a couple times, seeming unfocused, and her eyes stopped glowing. She said, "Pardon me. Prophecy, instilled by dark alchemy."

"O-kay then. Uh. I guess I'll stay here for the night, you seem to know the forest really well. Thank you for the hospitality, Zecora."

For the second night in a row, he slept in a cushioned easy chair. While he thought it might be hard to sleep with the howling of timber wolves and the strange sounds of some forlorn monsters unknown to him, sleep came to him quickly.

Skyblazer woke up curled on his side, half off the chair. He stretched and yawned, and noticed the zebra in her kitchen. She saw that he was awake, and said,

"There is coffee, fruit, honey, oatmeal. Come have a seat, and eat your fill."

Skyblazer happily trotted over to the table. With low supplies and little money, this might be the last hot meal he had for a while. This was a side to adventuring he hadn't really thought about.

It was a good thing his parents had taught him foraging for plants and mushrooms.

This line of thought brought him to dwell on his mother's warning. It really was a dangerous land they lived in, and it wasn't a surprise that most ponies resided in towns where they had strength in numbers and magic.

He asked, "Zecora, I want to explore Equestria. And then the world beyond it. Find adventure, treasure, secrets in the world. But my mother, the pegasus who Cobalt saved that night, she warned me that it's just too dangerous. So if Cobalt does want to be friends with a pony like me, I'd be all for having company. What do you think?"

Zecora held up a hoof and Skyblazer gave her a moment to think. She said at length,

"Your choices in life are yours alone. Let me tell you about Everfree, my home. Each passing year may be my last. Always on guard, survival is my task. For most, such a life may lead to loss of sanity. For me, beyond diurnal strife I find zen and tranquility. If you wish to see the nation, and face dangerous situations, I would suggest you bring a griffon."

Skyblazer smirked, and thanked her.

Zecora asked, "If you don't mind, may I just call you Sky?"

He shrugged, "Fine by me."

"Let us venture outside and get my cart. I'll show you the forest and show you my art."

Sky perked up his ears at that. They went to a lean-to shed behind the cabin, where he hitched up to the rickety two-wheeled cart. For the first time, he was happy to pull one.

Zecora and he enjoyed an afternoon stroll in the warm autumn weather. Despite this being Everfree, it was peaceful. The trees were full of fall foliage and beautiful. Many kinds of flowers bloomed, many of which Zecora warned meant "certain doom".

The only excitement was when they came across a cockatrice. It wasn't able to take them by surprise and Zecora was ready for it. She had pointed out the distinctive chicken tracks, and after poking around in the bushes for a minute, she had returned with a tiny stone lizard carving. Skyblazer quickly realized it wasn't a carving.

They had walked quietly and cautiously after that. When they encountered the bird, Zecora closed her eyes and flung the satchet of powder she had been carrying. It was a smoke bomb.

Zecora told Sky, "Go well around, stay on clear ground," and he did so.

Once they were a distance away, Sky almost risked a look behind him but Zecora stopped him. She said, "It is stunned for now but don't meet its gaze, or you may be a decoration the rest of your days."

Skyblazer shuddered and moved on.

They returned to her cabin with a wide variety of plants, mushrooms and minerals. The most difficult item to get was thornsap, which was a powerful base for rare potions but which came from a particularly spiky and violent variant of the animate dark magic vines.

Sky went through half a bottle of healing potion patching up a number of criss-cross cuts. Zecora had only been cut once by the vine, and it was a glancing blow.

This night was a more restless sleep, since Sky was sore and unnerved from the creatures they had encountered. The next day wasn't much better. He went on a tour of the woods with Zecora, out to the old castle and back, and learned all about various monsters. It was a very informative and wonderful time for him until they met a small dragon blocking their path.

"Great, one of these for goodness sake," complained Zecora, "Most dragons here are feral, corrupted by magic. The story is long and the history tragic. They are just as arrogant as their sapient kin, so we cannot be lenient and we cannot give in. Put up a fight and they always give flight. If you would be polite and resolve this tonight?"

Sky nodded as Zecora helped him unhitch from the cart. He cricked his neck and took off at the young dragon while doing a barrel-roll.

It growled at him and breathed a pitiful jet of fire. It if it was a grown one that might have been more dangerous, but Sky had no trouble dodging this and swung back around for a firm kick at the dragon's back. It whimpered, and as Sky closed in for another attack, the dragon retreated into the woods, puffing smoke to conceal itself.

He landed, breathing hard and steaming with sweat despite the coolness of the evening.

"This delay isn't right, we shouldn't be out at night."

They both hurried back to her cabin. Zecora and Skyblazer had to fight with hoof and potions against several timber wolves before reaching her cabin and slamming the door shut.

Sky slept quite well that night. In the morning, after taking off a gauze bandage soaked in healing potion to deal with a deeper cut, he contemplated his adventure so far over breakfast.

Zecora, who seemed surprisingly uninjured and cheerful, gave a mischievous smirk as she said, "You desired adventure, and I have given you a taste! Shall you seek it further, or retreat to Ponyville with haste?"

Sky made an arrogant grin of his own. He answered, "I didn't expect everything to be easy, and I do love the excitement. If you could teach me how to make healing potions, I'd like to go find Cobalt."

He spent three more days here, learning the nuance of making and steeping a proper healing potion, and the various mixtures which could be used for the purpose. He also took the time to look through the books in his saddlebags. The ones which belonged to the library were left with Zecora.

Zecora bid him a fond farewell with a rolled-up scroll of useful alchemy notes and a parcel of hay in case he couldn't find anything to eat.

Sky fluttered to the roof of Zecora's cabin, stretched his wings and legs, tightened the straps of his bags, and shot off into the blue. The cabin shrunk beneath him, the shady understory gave way to treetops full of patchy sunlight and grasping vines, and then he burst through a canopy of leaves into bright daylight.

Continuing to gain elevation until he was right below the cloud level, he paused to look at the world. His breath puffed in the cold, frosty, thin air. There was nothing but a clear expanse of sky to all sides, he could fly as long as he wanted and rest on a cloud if he desired, and it was exhilarating.

Dangerous though his world was, it was also a wholesome and pleasant place to live.

Zecora had done well to give him a bitter dose of reality. As Sky plopped down on a soft and fluffy cloud, he drooped over the edge to look down at the forest far below, foggy with distance. Somewhere down there, that crazy zebra would continue living her ideal life, crafting magic potions and evading monsters.

Sky rolled over onto his back and looked at the setting sun. It would be awfully cold to attempt sleeping up here on these high clouds. With the pegasi weather control magic, Cloudsdale and the cloud formations in many areas were kept lower where it was warmer. Not here, not over Everfree Forest. These clouds couldn't be controlled, only used as an aerial resting place.

He shook off some misty condensation which stuck to his side, and launched off to the east. He flew until sunset, and then looked for a place to rest. In the pure and clear moonlight, a lake glittered somewhere far, far below.

With graceful spirals, he lost altitude and speed until he was approaching the water at a leisurely pace. Rows of lights indicated a couple of streets. He used these lights as his own makeshift runway, landing on the street a little harder than he meant to and tripping onto his side. No one saw that, thankfully.

Whatever little village this was, it was asleep and at peace. He walked to the edge of the lake, and knelt to drink some water. There was a tiny island in the middle. On flying over to it, he found it to be tree-lined and full of soft clover to sleep in. This island was his bed for the night. Morning, he'd chat with the locals and see what village he had found.

Author's Notes:

This story uses the official map as a reference guide, but assumes the map is not strictly to scale and that it only notes named locations seen in canon thus far. It would be logical that there would be other towns and locations the mane six have not yet visited, and since this story considers an alternate version of Equestria, it may not all strictly be the same either.