1.6

Rhyme and Rhythm arrived at the edge of the forest. The dark mossy smell filled their lungs and the farther they stared into the tangle, the more wicked and twisted it became. They had supplied in Ponyville and readied themselves for the trek ahead. They talked to a few young store owners who had told them rumors of a dark pony who stalked the town every few weeks. Despite their superstitious protests, they pointed them in the general direction of the enchantress. Rhyme thanked them and purchased a few baked wares.

Rhyme was nervous because the Everfree Forest was fabled to hold terrifying creatures in its thicket and she was not a rough pony. She spent most of her life in either Trottingham or Canterlot, pampered as a royal cabinet member. She certainly didn’t spend time in the wilderness hunting enchantresses, yet there at its edge she stood in the name of her Princess.

“Ready dear?” Rhyme asked, looking to her husband.

“Ready,” replied Rhythm.

“Ready!” piped a young pony.

Shocked, Rhyme whipped her head around trying to locate the source of the voice. Much to her horror, she saw her daughter Cadance standing happily next to them.

“Hey mom!” she chimed.

Rhyme sat there in a silent moment of disbelief. Here was her daughter, a young filly, standing right next to her, hundreds of miles away from where she should be. Her daughter not only followed them some great distance completely undetected, and then even up to forest’s edge without Rhyme or Rhythm noticing, but she also escaped the Princess’s careful eye.

“Cadance?! What?! How?! Did you… what...?” Rhyme choked out, “I cannot comprehend what I just witnessed...”

Rhyme just stood there dumbfounded by the filly. Rhythm didn’t even speak. Cadance just danced around excitedly.

“So are we going to go find the enchantress yet? I am so ready for this royal mission,” she said jumping around and facing them.

Rhyme took a moment to consider what just happened. Now her daughter wants to know if she can come on a top secret assignment that only three ponies in all of Equestria know about.  In her head she tried to make sense of it but gave up anyways.

“I should probably have you watched after by those nice Cakes, but honestly, I think I’m already a terrible parent as it is, so yes… we are going to find the enchantress, I hope we don’t all die…” Rhyme said, defeated, “Just first… how did you get here?”

“I followed you! And look! I still have the Princess’s pretty crown!” she said cheerfully, brandishing the tiara and putting it on her head.

“And you still have the Princess’s tiara, of course you do…” Rhyme sighed, now completely defeated, patting her on the head.

Cadance blissfully trotted off into the forest in front of them

“…This is the greatest day of my life,” Rhyme mumbled, sarcastically, “Come on dear, don’t let Cadance get too far ahead…” she said to her husband, his mouth still agape.

They cut quickly through the thicket and made their way in the direction of the enchantress. Cadance nimbly weaved in and out of the trees, undergrowth and vines, but Rhyme and Rhythm had more trouble. Rhythm wielded a machete with mixed results.

“Aha, I think it’s this way,” Rhythm said, cutting cleanly through three vines in three motions, so fluid it appeared as one.

“Nope, it’s right there,” Cadance pointed out, motioning towards a giant sleeping manticore.

In a clearing in front of the laid a massive creature with the body of a lion, the wings of a bat and a scorpion’s tail. It rested there peacefully, undisturbed by the world. Cadance snuck towards it, hiding from bush to bush.

“NO CADANCE!” Rhyme screamed as Cadance went out to poke the manticore.

Rhyme’s scream awakened the slumbering monstrosity. It woke up groggily and began to bat at Cadance who was happily jumping around its paw, almost playing with it. Rhyme dashed forward and put herself between Cadance and the manticore. Startled by this new pony, the manticore snapped awake and assumed an aggressive position. Rhythm moved out and begun to swing the machete at the beast, keeping him at bay.

“No daddy! He’s just a big silly kitty! Cast love spell!” Cadance declared closing her eyes and focusing.

Cadance’s horn began to glow and from it a tiny heart drifted up between Rhythm and the manticore. The heart flashed and disappeared. Immediately, the two assumed a docile state of staring into the other’s eyes. Rhyme watched in complete disarray.

“Look mom! My cutie mark!” Cadance exclaimed watching a diamond blue heart with gold trim appear on her flank.

Rhyme just stared from one situation to another. It seemed like comical madness, the way events were playing out in front of her.

“Cadance... what, did you even? I don’t even know... ” she sighed, “Can someone just explain to me what the flying feather is going on…?”

“I cast a love spell!” Cadance explained still admiring her new cutie mark.

From the shadows, a hooded figure silently watched the impasse, stepped out into the open. Menacing golden eyes shone from its shadowed face. It tossed back its hood revealing a white head covered in black stripes.

“Oh what now...?” Rhyme moaned, burying her face in the ground.

The zebra walked towards Rhyme and bowed.

“The princess’s diplomat, an enchantress she searches. Come with me and I will lift her curses,” rhymed the pony.

“I found her!” Cadance squealed out.

Cadance followed the cloaked pony into the tangle. Rhyme tore Rhythm away from the manticore and dragged him along after them.

“Come on dear, I have a feeling this enchantress also talks exclusively in rhymes,” Rhyme said, quite ironically.

The three sat in a hut full of mysterious, strange objects, runes, ingredients and pots hung from the ceiling, a giant cauldron sat in the middle of the hut and old musty books cover the walls. The zebra was busy gathering reagents and books. Cadance looked in wonder at the objects around her.

“So you must be Zecora,” mentioned Rhyme.

The zebra looked around and threw a few more plants in the cauldron that was brewing and spinning and bubbling.

“Yes that is my name, but I know for sure, that is not why you embarked on this adventure,” Zecora replied.

“Yes, Princess Celestia asked us if you could tell us if Princess Luna is planning a return and if she is, if you know of a way to stop her,” Rhyme said directly.

Zecora looked at her carefully.

“The Princess’s sister is a darker pony, for this I require a ceremony,” Zecora replied, “First an item Luna once adored and then a crown Celestia wore.”

Cadance popped her head up and placed Celestia’s tiara on the table. Rhyme pulled the necklace that Celestia gave her and placed it next to the tiara. Zecora looked and examined the two with great interest. She took a bowl of the boiling stew in the caldron and slowly poured it over the two royal pieces. As the liquid touched the metals, they turned into vapor. After dumping the whole bowl out over the jewelry, the cloud of vapor spun around quickly like a storm cloud. Faster and faster it spun like a tiny hurricane. Smalls streaks of lightning randomly struck the pieces, completing the effect.

Zecora’s eyes glowed dark blue and she began to float slightly. She exhaled a great breath onto the tiny storm, momentary calming it and then inhale deeply over it. The clouds when through her nostrils and filled her lungs. She left a bit of vapour that calmly swirled. Cadance jumped onto the table and inhaled the last bit of it before her mother could stop her. Zecora had already fell under a trance.

Both of them began to float and shake slowly at first and then violently. Suddenly a bright white flash erupted between the two regalia and Cadance and Zecora were left on the ground, smoke trailing from their bodies. Zecora was the first to recover, while Cadance laid there awkwardly, twitching slightly.

“Ughhhh….” moaned Cadance.

“Little filly, your heart is wild, but remember you are just a child,” Zecora began said, rushing an herb over to her mouth.

Cadance ate the herb and passed out. Zecora assured Rhyme and Rhythm of her safety. Zecora eyes then glowed dark blue again and she rose and began, reentering her trance. The voice she spoke with was unnatural and made Rhyme unconfortable.

“I am sure you are wondering, why that storm was thundering. I have many stories of the Princess of Night, it was surely, a dangerous sight,” Zecora started.

“The princess’s sadness knew no bounds, her punishment to her, was unfound. In her mind she created a world, and a dangerous task, herself, she hurled.

“She plans to escape with the stars, there are four. The rising, falling, evening and morn.”

“Her misery ended, and her mind was freed, but her intentions and will, I cannot see.”

“The elements of harmony, still hold the power. To hold her off in the final hour.”

“However, the elements by the sun, who in the last fight won. Will not win for sol’s influence grows thin.”

“As the moon and sun meet at last to fight, place your hopes in the magic of twilight.”

Zecora fell to the floor after citing her message. Rhythm rushed to make sure she was okay, but, Rhyme furiously scribbled down the enchantress’s words. This is exactly what the Princess wanted to hear. Next Chapter: 1.7 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes