The thickness of the trees and other plants reminded me very much of the Everfree Forest; however, as I ran through the dark zone, it didn't give me so much of a sense of dread here. It was... tranquil. Calm, peaceful. It actually felt good to run through the trees. The place made me feel content, and I couldn't help but enjoy myself, smiling silently.

When I looked closely at the vegetation around, it was bright and colorful; all sorts of greens, blues, and purples, flowers here and there, vines, bushes, you name it! I was busy enjoying the scenery when my rabbit companion knocked on my horn to get my attention. Both my front hooves struck a log in the way, sending me flying through the air. I landed on my back after some air time, skidding along the grass, Angel clinging to my horn to hang on. At least the grass was soft, too...

I stopped suddenly when my rear end hit a tree. Ouch... I got up and nursed my back with a hoof, and then I heard some rustling in the bushes nearby. Both Angel and I zipped our heads to the side to see what it was, but it seemed to be just a harmless old mare.

"Hello? Are you okay, dearie?" Green coat, white and gray mane, and a daisy chain around her neck, along with some rather large glasses. I could tell she was squinting at me, her vision must not have been too great. She sounded like a nice earth pony, at least. I smiled and started to walk towards her.

"Hello! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and... I think I'm lost." I could feel my face flush as I chuckled nervously. "Could you tell me where I am, ma'am?" I felt so embarrassed; I never get lost. I'm always prepared and have tools with me, and I felt a little frustrated at the random occurrence that happened.

"Heheh, of course you're lost, missy, you're way out in the middle of nowhere!" She gave a haggard chuckle and started a slow trot in a direction. I followed her automatically. "I live out here alone, with nature. Guess you could call me a hermit!" Another hearty laugh from her, with a little coughing. I felt sorry for her aging conditions. "Why don't you come and relax with me a bit? You sound like a right nice filly." I smiled at the compliment, and Angel crossed his arms, watching the old mare carefully. He didn't trust her.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." I trotted closer to her, walking alongside in the grass. I felt lucky that somepony friendly was here; it was good to see a friendly face in this unknown place.

"So, lil' missy, where'd ya say you were from?" Striking conversation, the old grandma looked to me, still squinting. Even this close? I wonder how she survives...

"Oh, I'm from Ponyville. It's... Well, I don't know where it is from here. I don't even know where here is." I hung my head sadly, looking at my hooves as I walked.

"I'm sorry, I never heard of such a place. Wish I could help, dearie." Oh well. I should ask if she has any maps or something similar. I looked to her again.

"Ma'am, do you have any maps or charts that I could look at?" I felt hopeful, since she seemed like she at least knew the area, being a hermit and all.

"'Fraid not, dearie. I've got no use for 'em, after all. But, I could show ya where the castle is from here." Castle? Does she mean Canterlot Castle? How fortunate!

"Oh, thank you! That'd be a great help! I should be able to get home if I get some help there." My gait was a little bit more springy. I finally knew where I was! Now I could get back and tell my friends, especially Fluttershy, that I'm alright.

"Ehh!? I meant to use it as a landmark, not to actually go there! Are ya crazy, filly?" She stopped and stared at me, and I looked back at her with a confused face.

"Why not? If I go, I should be able to get a ride back to Ponyville from the princess." I smiled and put a hoof to my chest proudly. "I'm her faithful student, after all." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Horseradish! Don't be fibbin' to me, lil' filly! Now quit spoutin' nonsense, I'm already helpin' ya, no need for any of that, now!" She scoffed and turned away from me, starting to walk again. I guess I offended her a little... Is it really hard to believe that I'd be a student of the princess? Well, she is pretty old, and probably been away from anypony else for a long time... She clearly holds the princess in high regard, as anypony should. I nodded to myself and went to follow her once more.

It took a while, but we reached her little shack. It looked like a simple country house, rather small. Very clear it was built by an earth pony. I'll bet she built it herself! There was a covered patio with a rocking chair on it, with a small stand next to that for what I assume would be someplace to set food or a drink; and there was already some celery there. She went to go sit in the rocking chair, which had audible creaking as she did.

"Be a dear and get the guest chair for me, will ya?" She smiled at me, and I nodded, happily obliging for my elder, walking towards the open doorway. "It's on the left-hoof side." As I walked in, I noticed it smelled a little... Dirty. I suppose it's to be expected...

The entire house consisted of one room, the one I was in. Lit dimly by a single candle on a table up against the wall next to me, I looked around, curious. Angel hopped off my head and onto the aforementioned table, looking around himself, but also seeming a bit bored. He curled up and laid down to rest next to the warmth of the candle, which I thought was pretty cute. I could see a comfortable-looking but old recliner, a simple bed, and a worn-out desk with a few ragged books on it. This house wasn't of luxury; but I could tell it was homey, smiling to myself with its simplicity.

I looked over to the left and saw a small stool. It looked as old and ragged as everything else, but it'll have to do. I moved it out from the side of the wall and scooted it outside with my head to the patio, plopping down on it with a tired sigh.

"You're lucky ya found me, lil' one. A lot of ponies just end up lost forever in the Everfree Forest." Everfree Forest? This was it? But I didn't recognize any part of the forest here... I must be on the far other side from Ponyville! By how she mentioned the castle earlier, Canterlot must be closer to here than anywhere else. At least it gave me a place to start. "Ah, and here, have a bite." She shifted her eyes to the celery stalks, and I did the same. I was pretty hungry...

"Yes, that's true. It can be a dangerous forest. Thank you for your hospitality, miss..." I trailed off, waiting politely for her to respond with her name. Meanwhile, I stepped to the stand and took a stalk of the vegetable with my mouth, crunching into a bite, and holding the rest with a hoof, going back to my seat.

"Don't worry 'bout my name, I haven't needed one in forever... But, you said you were... Ah, the old noggin ain't great to me anymore." I giggled nervously, squirming in my seat to find a comfortable position.

"Oh, I'm--" Crack! One of the stool legs gave way, making me topple over and hit the ground with a thud, dropping my little snack. I sat up, rubbing my pained chin. "Oooh..."

"Oooh? Never heard of ya!" She chuckled a bit, the awful joke having cheered me up a little. "Really, dearie, are ya alright? I can fix it up later, don't worry 'bout it." The old mare continued rocking slowly in the chair.

"Oh, I can do it for you. Just a second..." I turned around and looked down at the broken stool and the leg that snapped off, and focused on it. My horn started to glow, and so did the wooden object. The leg was drawn back to its original spot as if it was pulled back there by a string, and the crack was perfectly sealed, as if nothing had happened to it. "There, all fixed." I looked down happily at my well-done work, then turned around to see if she liked it.

"I-I..." She was shaking, looking like she'd seen a ghost! "I-I'm sorry, milady, p-please forgive me for not realizing...!" The old mare got off the chair and bowed to me in fright. "I-I apologize for keeping you so long, and you got hurt and I'm unable to help...! S-spare me..." I was taken aback for a moment. What was she talking about?

"What-" I tried to speak, but she merely cowered down more.

"P-please! I'll tell you where Trottenheim Castle is, I-I'm just a humble old hermit... I-if you go that-a-way, you'll find a hill, you should be able to see it from there..." She still shivered in fear as she pointed in a direction where I could see mountains over the horizon.

As I looked that way, she quickly went inside her home, and not a moment later shoved Angel out the door before slamming it. He scoffed at the rude act, and then hopped my way to get on my back, but not before snatching what was left of my celery. If I could see my face, I wouldn't doubt I would have the biggest look of flabbergastedness on it. Why was she so scared? It was right after I used magic to fix her stool. I looked over at it sadly. Was there something wrong with me using magic? Doubt there was anything I could do... She did show me the way, and was pretty nice. I didn't want to bother her anymore. The hermit must just be afraid of unicorns for some reason...

I hopped off the patio and looked in the direction she showed me. I've heard of Trottenheim... But it was in a really old history book, and only seemed like a ridiculous highly-revered location that never really existed. There's no way it could actually exist, could it? I have a feeling the old mare was telling me the truth, though, by the way she acted towards me. Not really having anywhere else to go, I started a gallop in that direction, straight back into the thick forest. I'll find out for myself.

"Phew..." I was running for quite a while when I decided to slow my pace to a light canter. Angel was relaxing on my back, watching the trees whisk by. All this time, I could only wonder what he was thinking about, and it made me feel guilty. It's really unfortunate for him to get caught up in all this with me... He could be home right now, safe and sound with Fluttershy. I felt really bad that I caused him the trouble... We should try and find something to eat, when we can. Don't know how long we'll be going without some...

Just then, I managed to see an opening in the trees. Ah, finally! This humongous forest was really starting to get to me. I hoped I was still going in the right direction, and when I came out, I could see the same mountains I saw before. Good. Looking ahead, it seemed like I ended up near a cliffside. It should provide a nice view of everything; that way I could see where to go next, and how to get there, at least.

Trotting over to the cliff edge, I could see something come into view... Something gray. Building block gray. As I got closer and closer to the edge, the object came into view; it was a humongous castle. The castle and the walls were bigger than Canterlot! Stepping to the very end of the cliff, I took a sweeping glance at what was ahead of me.

"Wow..." Rolling hills with endless amounts of trees, and the aforementioned mountains... A moat around the castle, utilizing a river... Dirt road that passed nearby that passes over the river, going to the castle entrance... I stopped a moment to take it all in, as my rabbit friend climbed up my mane to take a look, himself. It really was a beautiful sight, up here.

After enjoying said beautiful sight, I decided to use my binocular spell again, and focused on the castle entrance. I could see some guards, but they didn't wear the same kind of armor as Canterlot's. It must be... Trottenheim? Impossible. It's probably just another castle, but there really aren't too many in Equestria... But speaking of the guards, there were quite a lot of them, and they were all unicorns. Usually, the princess preferred pegasus ponies, as I recall her telling me once.

I zoomed in as much as I could, trying to get a view. I was leaning forward a bit, too, to get as much vision as possible. There was an earth pony family that were in a pony-drawn carriage, hopping out to greet the guards. Two of them got on one side of it and rammed it, tipping the vehicle onto its side! All their belongings spilled onto the ground... Were they looking for something? Wait... They just left it after inspecting it without even turning it back upright!? They're just a bunch of bullies... I could see them chuckling to themselves as they left the earth pony family to pick up the mess on their own.

"There's a bunch of bully guards down there, Angel. We'll have to be careful." I'll have to figure out how to get past them, at this rate. I doubt this is Canterlot, so they probably don't know me, and I don't want to make a big fuss like with the old hermit again... We'll see how it goes when I get down there. My eyes trailed down the winding road that led from the entrance, over the river's bridge, and next to more of the Everfree Forest. A corner of the road passed near where I was, at the base of the cliff to the left. There wasn't any easy way down... Guess I have to just slide. The angle wasn't too steep, but I should prepare an 'armor coat' spell just in case I trip.

After the quick conjuration, I felt all the hairs on my body flatten out. That should do it... I tapped on my cheek with a hoof, and it was hard as a celery stalk. Er... Thinking of food. I hope I can find something to eat, soon.

"I'm going to slide down the cliff, Angel; hang on tight!" He held onto my horn as such, and I hopped off the edge from where I was standing, spreading out and extending my hooves.

I kicked up a lot of dust as I slid, and I made sure to dodge rocks that were jutting out to keep me from losing my momentum and tumbling dangerously down the cliff. The thought made me a little nervous for a second, but I shook it off and continued. It took about a minute, but I managed to get all the way down without much hassle.

"Phew... That went well." I cancelled the spell affecting my coat of fur and looked around again. Only trees in front of me, and I was on a thin strip of grass that ran along the side of the cliff, separating it from the greenery. To my left was the closest way to the road; I started walking that way. Should get easier to travel once I get to someplace where ponies actually come and go. Then I could find out exactly where I am! I made an aggravated sigh, but also with a hint of relief. I hated being lost, but at least I was out of the worst of it.

I made it to the wide road within minutes. There were many earth ponies about, walking or riding on simple wooden carriages. Just about all of them were dressed up; or at least I think they were. A lot of their clothing was patchwork or shoddy, but some of them looked genuinely practical. They must be trying to make themselves look good for the upper crust. I never really liked how ponies did all that stuff... I walked onto the road and began walking down it, myself.

Ponies that were passing me seemed to stare. And I mean, all of them seemed to. It was really strange... They made me feel out of place. I would ask, but I didn't want to intrude...

"'Scuse me, milady..." I looked over to my left where a carriage was rolling alongside my pace. The director was a tired-looking tan mare with an orange straight mane and in a black dress. She was looking at me, so I assumed she was the one that called for me in a sweet tone.

"Yes?" I responded politely.

"You shouldn't be in the dirt... Please, allow me to take you to the castle." How nice of her to offer! It was a fair walk to the castle.

"Oh, thank you! This will save me a lot of time, I appreciate it." I stepped back to the opening in the side of the carriage, hopping up to the stair and climbing in. As I sat down, I couldn't help but notice in the corner of my eye that the lady in front was looking at me in surprise. I pretended not to notice, though.

There were several boxes at my feet and on the opposite of where I was sitting; she seemed to be using the carriage for cargo carrying rather than for taking ponies. Must be a hard job on the ones dragging all this. Looking around, it was easier to notice everypony. Many of the stares had stopped; was it because I wasn't walking? I saw occasional fancy types that were sitting in carriages of a much higher quality than the one I was on. Very regal and high-quality clothing they wore, the type that I knew would attract Rarity. Ah, Rarity... I'm starting to miss my friends. I sulked for a few minutes as we started to pass some trees on either side of the road.

I could see a bridge up ahead as we slowed down when traffic increased. There were some guards; no doubt this was a toll bridge. I remember seeing a few around the outside of Canterlot; it's a couple bits every time, but it raises funds for them fairly well. Standing up and looking closely ahead, I could see some ponies weren't charged. Then, I realized it was all of the fancy types. They must all be in fairly high status. I sat down again, trying to enjoy the scenery, which I was starting to get tired of.

"Well, Angel, we're all set for going to the castle... Whatever it's called." I looked behind me, and he was sitting on my back. He looked at me in return with a rather bored look in his face.

"I'm sure it'll be much better than running around in the middle of nowhere, right?" I gave a little chuckle to try and lighten his mood, and he smiled and nodded. Trying to get comfortable in this shaky vehicle, I wriggled and squirmed a bit as I awaited the toll bridge.

Soon, we did; a guard in the same armor design as the ones at the castle gate came to attend us, walking to the side of the carriage as we slowed down. He seemed to be looking us over, and when he caught a glimpse of me he had a look of surprise for a moment and gave a light bow.

"Enjoy your stay, milady." He nodded to the carriage director and the stallions pulling it, all who seemed happy, starting to walk again. Hey, wait a minute... I stepped over to the end of the carriage closest to the other rider, and spoke up.

"Why didn't they charge us the toll?" I asked inquisitively. She jumped when she heard my voice, and looked back at me with surprise.

"I-it's, um... You're a unicorn, milady." Her continual look of confusion only added to my own. That's true, I was a unicorn. Hmm... I had a bad feeling about this. Going back to my seat, I contemplated what it could all mean. That old hermit was afraid of me because of my magic, becoming obsequious right as she realized I could. That's true, her vision was poor, so that means she probably couldn't see I was a unicorn... And then I see all the unicorn guards being bullies to earth ponies and treating the unicorns... This wasn't good at all. Wherever this place was, it wasn't in harmony... I looked down at the floor of the carriage sadly.

"It looks like unicorns have a higher status than earth ponies here, Angel..." He had moved to the seat next to me. I looked over at him and sighed with a grim expression, and he returned a curious one. "I feel sorry for them... I should help them while I'm here, when I can." He shrugged and laid back in the seat.

It might be important to get back home, but... As Princess Celestia's faithful student, I feel it's my duty to spread friendship and harmony wherever and whenever I can. If I find the opportunity, that takes priority over me going home.