The dark expanse of the Everfree stretched out before the group. Slowly curling vines wreathed the path, stretching their tendrils towards Ponyville. Behind her, Twilight heard Fluttershy gulp. She reached one hoof up to touch the Element of Magic on her head, just to make sure it was still there. “Alright,” she said, as much to herself as anypony else. “Let’s do this.”

“I’m still not sure this is such a good idea,” Applejack muttered. “We don’t know how deep we’re going, or what we might find on the way.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Twilight said, trying to project confidence. “We’ve been in here before, and we have the Elements. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, quit worrying, AJ,” Rainbow piped up. “We swoop in, blast the bad guy, save the day, and Pinkie throws a party. No sweat.” She put her hooves up and gave the air a few quick jabs, ending with a vicious uppercut as she defeated her imaginary foe.

“I hope it’s that easy,” Fluttershy whispered, sticking close behind Applejack. Her gaze darted in every direction, watching the trees and vines around them.

“We’ll be fine,” Rarity said confidently, her gaze fixed on Twilight. “With Twilight’s leadership, so long as we stick together there’s nothing in here that can hurt us.”

Applejack nodded, but she didn’t seem convinced. “I hope you’re right.”

The group continued to walk deeper into the forest, conversation dwindling as the trees grew darker around them. Occasionally Twilight would stop, examine the strange vines curling through the underbrush, and change direction. It wasn’t long before that turned them off the path, and they were pushing their way through thick foliage, unable to see more than a few feet in front of them.

Their progress was halted by a very unladylike shriek. Rarity stumbled into Pinkie Pie, who turned out to not be very stable at all, and both of them fell over. “Something grabbed my leg!” Rarity yelped, looking around wildly. The trees around them rustled, and a plant rose up from the darkness, a thick vine attached to a flytrap mouth shaped like a vice, but as wide as a pony. It opened wide above the fallen forms of Pinkie and Rarity, letting out a faint hissing sound.

A lasso sailed out, tightening around the thing’s jaws and forcing them shut with a snap. A quick tug brought it to the ground, and Applejack stepped on the vine, pinning it. “What in tarnation is this?” she muttered.

She didn’t get an answer, because a half dozen more vines followed the first, lunging forward towards the group of ponies. “Look out!” Twilight shouted, before her horn lit and she sent a blast of magic at the nearest one, driving it back. Another slunk towards her, releasing a blast of gas from its maw, and Twilight shrank back, coughing. Her wings spread, and she tried to fly away, but her panicked flapping only landed her on her rear.

Before the plant could descend upon her, Rainbow swooped down with a flying kick, knocking it away. Another took its place, keeping her engulfed in the choking fog that made her eyes water and her mind fuzzy. Then suddenly Rarity was by her side, a piece of fabric held over her muzzle as she sent rapid blasts of magic at the plants nearby, keeping them at bay. As she pushed them back, Applejack produced more rope, tying the vines up and pinning them together. Slowly, Twilight’s head cleared.

Then there was a scream that suddenly became muffled. Twilight turned, and found a plant at the edge of the fray with a wriggling, pony-shaped bulge in its grasp. A torso and a pair of frantically kicking yellow hooves were all that remained outside.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight called out, and pulled away from Rarity before flicking her head in a fast arc. A crescent-shaped wave of purple energy slashed outward, slicing cleanly through the vine without even slowing down. The flytrap dropped to the ground and Fluttershy pulled herself out of it, mane coated with slime.

The other plants got the message. Those that weren’t already struggling against Applejack’s expert ropework retreated back into the trees, vanishing without a trace.

“Fluttershy, are you okay?” Rainbow asked, dropping to the ground to help the other pegasus up. “I shoulda seen that one but I was distracted and it never shoulda been anywhere near you—”

Fluttershy pressed up against her, her breathing heavy and her eyes wild. Rainbow shut up, and wrapped her wings around the other pegasus instead.

“That was too close,” Applejack muttered. “Is everypony alright?”

“I’m great!” Pinkie exclaimed. “That was exciting! Rarity was all vrrm and Twilight was all hack hack blegh but then Rainbow was like wham pow bam and then—”

“Yes, Pinkie, we were there,” Applejack drawled. She frowned. “Those things almost ate Fluttershy. Twilight, too, for that matter. I thought...” She cut herself off and coughed. “I’m just worried we’re in over our heads, is all.”

Twilight glared. “What do you mean, you thought? Just because I’m not used to my wings yet—”

“That ain’t it at all!” Applejack protested. “I just thought… you’ve got all that fancy magic and you’ve got wings now too, and anything that could give you trouble is gonna get somepony hurt. We got lucky, and we still don’t really know what’s going on or what to do about it.”

“Are you saying I don’t know what I’m doing?” Twilight growled, her gaze darkening.

“Now now, let’s not fight,” Rarity stepped between them, one hoof trying to placate each of them. “It’s been a very stressful day, I know, and we’re all just a little tense.”

“No! I’m saying this is dangerous!” Applejack pleaded, ignoring Rarity. “And… look, Equestria can’t afford to lose another Princess. I’m worried about you, and about what happens if things go sideways. Until we find Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, we can’t risk losing you.”

“Oh, but we can risk losing Fluttershy?” Twilight hissed. “She was almost eaten a moment ago. A fate which I saved her from, I might add. You’d rather I was home safe so something bad could happen to her? Don’t you care?”

“Of course I care! I’d never let anything happen to Fluttershy either. But Equestria—”

“BUCK Equestria!” Twilight screamed, and the forest around them went still and silent. “I didn’t ask to be in charge! I didn’t ask to be any more important than anypony else, and I certainly didn’t ask for these useless wings and for everypony to treat me differently! I hate it! I hate the looks, and the whispers, and ponies that never talked to me before suddenly wanting my opinion on things, and everypony treating me like I’m something special! I’m not, and I refuse to let you do it too!”

Stillness settled around them like a shroud, even the forest seeming to hold its breath in the wake of Twilight’s outburst. For a long moment, the only sound was Twilight’s harsh breathing, and a slight rustle of Rainbow’s wing around Fluttershy. Twilight glared at Applejack, trying to ignore how dizzy she felt. Her lungs still didn’t feel like they had enough air after being gassed, but she couldn’t show weakness, not now.

It was Rarity who finally broke the silence. “No one wants to treat you differently,” she said meekly, cautiously touching Twilight like the alicorn might burn her. “Right?”

It took a moment, but Applejack gave a tiny nod. “Right. Didn’t mean to imply nothin’.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Twilight snapped, but when Applejack just looked at the ground instead of responding, she sagged. She opened her mouth to apologize, and a wave of exhaustion suddenly passed over her. Instead, all she said was a terse, “Let’s just keep going.”

She continued deeper into the forest, and after a moment she heard the rest of the group following her. She was so focused on the trail of strange vines that she didn’t realize Rarity had come up next to her until a soft white hoof touched her shoulder, and she jumped.

“Are you alright, darling?” Rarity whispered, making sure her voice didn’t carry. “I feel like I’ve been asking that an awful lot lately.”

Twilight sighed, and briefly closed her eyes, trying to clear her head. “No,” she finally murmured back. “I just… I feel like I’m falling apart. I thought I could just… be me, but everything is different now. And I don’t know how to make it go back to how it was.”

Rarity nodded. “I don’t think you can, I’m afraid.” She looked away for a moment, glancing back at the others behind them. “Things have changed, but that doesn’t mean they have to be worse. You just have to… give everypony a little time to adjust. I’m sure they’ll understand, once they get used to it.”

“Just let them get used to it,” Twilight repeated bitterly. “Used to the new me, and the new Equestria, and the new Princess. What if I don’t like the new me?”

Rarity nudged her. “I like the new you,” she said softly. “Applejack shouldn’t have suggested we treat you differently, and the new you is assertive enough to tell her so. There’s nothing wrong with that. And besides,” she added with a smile, “No matter what, you’ll still be you. Don’t ever forget that.”

Twilight leaned against Rarity’s side, and took a moment to just breathe. Her head was beginning to clear, and Rarity’s presence was comforting, safe. “I’ll try,” she whispered.

They fell silent, and Rarity didn’t pull away. Twilight could feel Rarity’s coat against her wing, and she didn’t want that sensation to stop. She could hear the others murmuring behind her, trying to keep their own conversation private, but she tuned them out. Whatever they were saying about her, she didn’t want to hear it.

No further threats materialized as they traveled, and their journey came to an abrupt end as the trees ended at a sheer cliff. Twilight stepped up to the edge, already dreading the idea of trying to fly down or walk around, and was relieved to discover a set of narrow stone steps leading down. A cave mouth lay at the bottom of the stairs, those strange vines spreading outward from within.

“That must be it,” Twilight muttered. “The source of all this.”

Fluttershy eeped softly as she reached the edge of the cliff and peered over, even as Rainbow swooped out over the edge. “About time,” she called out. “I’ve been itching to kick something’s flank all day.”

“Be careful, Rainbow,” Twilight cautioned. “We don’t know what we’ll find in there.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow replied, but she refrained from diving straight down into the cave as the rest of the group slowly made their way down the stairs. It took several long minutes, but with the goal in sight, Twilight was hopeful that this would soon be over. With any luck, the threat would soon be dealt with, Celestia and Luna would be found, and she could go back to bed and pretend she was just Twilight, Ponyville librarian with no real responsibilities.

As the group assembled in front of the cave entrance, Twilight lit her horn and let the light shine into the depths. “Stay close,” she said softly. “Be ready for anything.”

The clack of hooves echoed off the walls as they stepped into the cave. The tunnel was narrow and twisting, the slowly moving vines coating the walls ignoring their presence. Soon enough, a glow from ahead overpowered Twilight’s hornlight, and they stepped out into a larger chamber.

A massive tree stood before them, trunk and branches covered in thick, choking vines. At the ends of its branches, familiar symbols were inset into the wood, one for each of the Elements of Harmony.

“Err… Twilight, what are we lookin’ at?” Applejack broke the silence.

“I’m not sure,” Twilight muttered. “But this has to be the source. This tree… it’s connected to the Elements. Can’t you feel it?”

There was a murmuring of uncertainty, before Rainbow spoke up with a shrug. “I dunno, Twilight, I just blast things. It looks like a tree to me.”

“Well, I think it’s in trouble,” Twilight replied. “These vines… they’re the problem here. Whatever is causing them, that’s what we’re here to stop.”

“We’re just stopping a mean plant?” Fluttershy murmured. “I was sure there’d be a pony, or maybe some forest critter behind all this. Plants don’t just attack things for no reason.”

“Fluttershy, they tried to eat you,” Rainbow countered.

“Well, they were hungry,” Fluttershy noted mildly. “That’s a reason. It doesn’t look like they’re eating the tree.”

Twilight waved a hoof. “It doesn’t matter,” she interjected, frustrated. “Even if it’s just a plant, the Elements can deal with it. This is the center, so this is where we use them. Come on, let’s fix this.”

She got a series of nods from her friends, and they stepped up beside her. Twilight closed her eyes, and felt the magic flowing through her Element, connecting her to all the others. Heat filled her body as that power spread through her. She was weightless, invincible, and all she had to do was direct the Elements at the problem that needed correcting. Twilight took that power, and sent it outward at the vines choking the life out of the tree. She channeled all of her frustrations into the blast. Everything that had been thrust upon her, every unwanted change, every new expectation.

For a moment, everything seemed to work. The familiar rush of the Elements making things right suffused her, and she could feel the emotions of each of her friends, from Rainbow’s brash confidence to Fluttershy’s nervous hope to Rarity’s unshakable faith in her. But then, in an instant, it all became somehow wrong.

Pain lanced through her head as the magic arced and sparked and crackled, and her vision went white as it overwhelmed her. She felt like she was splitting apart from the horn down, but then there was a shattering crash from all around her, and the magic winked out and was gone. Twilight fell to the ground, clutching her head, and her hooves brushed against shards of crystal scattered on the ground before her.

“What happened?” Applejack muttered.

“A whoosh! And a vrrm, and… a crash,” Pinkie responded. She was more subdued than usual. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw, right in front of her, were the shards of the Element of Magic that had been on her head only moments ago. “No…” she whispered. “No no no no this can’t be happening.” Lifting her gaze further, it fell on the tree. The vines were gone, vanished as if they’d never been. And crumpled on the ground nearby, where they had moments ago been hidden from sight, were two familiar figures. “Celestia! Luna!” Twilight called, her voice hitching in relief. “Oh please be okay…”

“They’re breathing,” Fluttershy murmured, already at the tree and kneeling next to the two alicorns. She pressed her ear against Celestia’s chest, and then pulled back. “They seem fine. Just… drained, maybe.”

“What happened to the Elements?” Rarity wailed. “Everything was fine, and now look at them! They’re ruined! How did this happen?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “I don’t know what happened. I should have… I should have…” She searched about for an answer, but couldn’t find one. She tried to stand, but instead stumbled, her head woozy. A ringing was slowly growing louder between her ears, and she shook her head to try to clear it. She quickly realized that was a bad idea.

Rarity was by her side in an instant as she sank back to the ground in pain. “Twilight, are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

Twilight groaned. “Is… Celestia okay?”

“Oh, ah… Fluttershy seems to think so—”

“That’s... good. She’s in charge now.”

“Twilight? Twilight!”

Rarity’s shouting followed her down into the dark.

---

The world swam around Twilight as she floated in a dark void. Her horn lit up only a small slice of the murky darkness, but as she cast it about, it revealed faceless ponies surrounding her. “Princess Twilight!” they called, shouting over each other as they were illuminated. “Help us, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight tried to respond, but nothing left her mouth save a trail of bubbles. Her voice was just a burble of formless noise, useless to the crowd of supplicants. Soon, their voices changed, becoming harsh and angry. “Why won’t you help us, Princess? Why don’t you love us? What will we do?”

Twilight felt them close in on her, and she backed away. But her back was to the wall, and the faceless ponies closed in, reaching out for her, their hooves growing claws. She tried to speak, tried to beg them to leave her alone, but she couldn’t. Her mouth was full of molasses, and her motions were sluggish. She cowered as the creatures swarmed her, claws raking against her fur. Pain lanced through her head and tears fell down her cheeks.

She screamed, a wordless, silent cry, and a wave of power blasted out from her core. It blinded her as it lit up the darkness, and the crowd was swept away by the force of it, some turning to withered husks and others dissolving away entirely. When Twilight’s vision finally cleared, the field around her was scorched clean and littered with twisted, ruined bodies. Her body shook, but still she couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe.

“Twilight? Can you hear me?”

She opened her eyes, gasping.

Rarity was standing over her, looking concerned. Twilight groaned, and looked around blearily. She was in her bed, and the afternoon sun was shining through the window, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. She breathed a soft sigh of relief and sank back into the pillow. Already the dream was splintering into pieces and fading away, and she could no longer remember why it had rattled her.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Rarity said, her voice full of relief. “I was so worried.”

“Where is everypony? What happened?”

Rarity bit her lip. “The others are helping the Princesses restore order, telling everypony that the threat is over and there’s no need to panic. I… thought you probably would want to stay away from all that, at least for a little while, so I volunteered to take you home and keep an eye on you.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Rarity.” She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thank Celestia that everything’s alright. Now maybe things can all go back to normal.”

“Well… not everything—”

Twilight sat bolt upright. “Oh no! The Summer Sun Celebration! I was going to— eurgh—” The world spun around her, and she nearly fell out of the bed. “Unnh... my head.”

“Twilight! Don’t do that, you silly thing. You are to stay in bed and rest, by order of Princess Celestia herself. And here.” Rarity thrust a bowl in her direction, forcing her back towards the headboard. “Eat something. You are not to worry about the Summer Sun Celebration until you have recovered.”

“But—”

“Eat.”

Twilight took the bowl meekly, and took a sip. It was some kind of potato soup, cold but still tasty. Her belly rumbled, suddenly reminding her that this was the first food she’d had all day, and she gulped it down greedily. Rarity watched, a frown on her face that said she would object strenuously if Twilight didn’t finish.

Silence fell over the two of them as Twilight finished the soup. When she lowered the empty bowl, she found Rarity looking at her, her expression changed from stern caretaker to something more melancholy. But she quickly looked away as she realized Twilight was watching.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Twilight whispered, when it felt like the silence was going to last forever.

Rarity quickly shook her head. “There’s no need to be sorry, Twilight. It’s not your fault.”

“It feels like it is,” Twilight said softly. “I was the one who decided to go into the forest without figuring out what was going on first. I was so worried about being in charge of… well, everything, that I put all of you at risk. And in the process, I broke the Elements. I wouldn’t be surprised if nopony wants to deal with me anymore.”

“Twilight, I will not let you blame yourself for this,” Rarity said sharply. “We all agreed to come with you, and you couldn’t have known what would happen. You did the best that you could, dear, and if anypony wants to blame you for that they will have to get through me.”

Twilight smiled wryly, before letting out a soft laugh. “Thanks, Rarity.” She looked away after a moment, and her laughter died. “You shouldn’t have to be looking out for me like this.”

For a moment, there was no response, and then Twilight felt Rarity’s hoof on her chin, pulling her back until their eyes met. Rarity was sitting next to her on the bed now, and her gaze was soft. “Twilight, I want to be looking out for you. I… I care about you deeply, and what you’re going through, nopony should have to go through alone. I know I’m just… I don’t want to do anything you’re not happy with, so if you really don’t want me to—if you just want things like they were, I would—”

Twilight kissed her. She didn’t think about doing it, she just did. Rarity’s eyes widened, and then they closed, and she was kissing back. She pressed against Twilight, burying her hoof in Twilight’s mane like she might never get another chance.

For one scant moment, Twilight wondered if she should be analyzing why she had done that, but it took no time at all for all thought to leave her. There was only Rarity, and her lips and her fur and her breath and they were all wonderful. But all too quickly she had to come up for air, and her brain reasserted itself. “I—um, I’m sorry, I should have asked—”

“Twilight Sparkle, do not dare apologize to me for that,” Rarity interrupted, her voice dangerous. “That was wonderful, and the only thing you should be apologizing for is beating me to it.”

“Oh,” Twilight said in a tiny voice, blushing. “Does… does that mean you want to do it again?”

Rarity didn’t answer with words, instead pressing her lips hungrily against Twilight’s once more.

Behind her, the door opened. “Hey Rarity, is Twilight up—” Spike began, before looking up.

With a squeak, Twilight pulled away from Rarity. “Spike!” she exclaimed. “Oh, um, you’re back! I’m fine, I mean, I’m better, I mean, from earlier, not because of anything that may or may not have been happening and you saw that didn’t you?”

Spike didn’t respond immediately. A dozen expressions passed across his face in an instant, from shock to confusion to anger to finally settling on hurt, which after a moment he did his best to hide. “You and Rarity,” he said, disbelief in his voice. “That’s why…” he trailed off, his gaze dark. “Glad to see you’re feeling better,” he finally decided on, voice curt, before he turned around and shut the door behind him.

“Oh dear,” Rarity said. “I hadn’t considered Spike’s little crush. I may have to make that up to him somehow.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, you knew about Spike’s crush?”

“Well, of course, Twilight, I’m not blind. It just didn’t seem wise to indulge it. Most of the time.” Rarity waved a hoof. “He’ll get over it as he gets older.”

Twilight pulled back. “We shouldn’t have been doing… that… in the first place. I don’t know what came over me. I’m just all over the place lately, and I’m stressed, and—”

“Twilight, are you trying to say that after kissing me like that you do not intend to court me?”

“I, uh, um, ah…”

Rarity put a hoof to Twilight’s lips. “Dear, you are correct that you have been under a lot of stress. Perhaps you should sleep on it, and you will have a better idea in the morning.”

Twilight looked relieved. “So, uh, you’re… okay with that? Because I don’t want to mess up our friendship, or upset Spike, and there are so many variables to consider—”

Rarity smirked. “Oh, absolutely not. You are a catch, Twilight, and I have no intention of letting you slip away from me without a fight. But we can discuss it in the morning. You still need rest, after all.”

“Wait—”

“Ta-ta!” Rarity called, as she practically pranced out of the room.

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