“So, what, they’re like spirits?” The question was spoken through bits of hay and a glass of milk, the words garbling until they were only barely intelligible. Twilight had to sigh before she answered the question.

“Not exactly,” she specified. “Spirits are usually intangible, or existing on a level higher than us. Think… think of the Windigos. They’re real, but we can only just see them, and that’s when they want to be seen.” Dash nodded in understanding, chewing on the massive pile of food in her mouth. She swallowed her mouthful, greedily leaning down for another.

“Kay, kay, then… they’re supposed to be just some random alien species?” The pegasus took another large bit of her hay sandwich, earning a slightly disgruntled look from Twilight.

“No again,” the unicorn shook her head with her answer. “There really isn’t anything random about them. They are supposed to be the one species of intelligible life in early Equestria. We, as a species, are still grasping at the depths of magic and how to use it. The Fae were so intuned with it that they could transform themselves with hardly any effort, using strength only the most well trained of ponies can accomplish.”

“Twi,” Rainbow spoke the unicorn’s name with an air of dryness. “Calm down. You’re getting a bit too into this again.” The lavender mare blinked at her friend, noting the pegasus’s flat look and serious tone. A blush soon grew on her cheeks.

“O-Oh, sorry.” She timidly apologized. Dash dismissed it with a wave of her hoof and her signature grin.

“Don’t worry about it. I get the same way when we’re talking about flying tricks.” Twilight felt herself giggle before she knew it. The same for the words she said next.

“Yeah, as soon as the word speed is mentioned, I can’t get you to think about anything else.”  Dash swallowed the mouthful of hay before giving Twilight an evil eye.

“Are you saying I can’t focus Twilight?” The unicorn chuckled away the accusation given to her

“Well, you aren’t exactly known for thinking things through,” Twilight supplied with a raise of her hoof. “I can’t name the number of times you charged into a situation without waiting for a plan, or even an idea of what to do.”

“That’s not a lack of focus Twilight, that’s a lack of preparation.” Dash’s voice, to Twilight’s growing concern, had yet to lighten. “Sure, I may not think too far ahead, but that doesn’t mean I’m unfocused.” Twilight’s ears began to drop. Dash was being far too serious.

“Alright,” Twilight spoke in defeat. “It was my mistake. I’m sorry that I misspoke.”

“No, it’s not alright.” Dash retorted. It caused the lavender mare’s ears to downturn. “I’m sick of ponies talking about me like I’m stupid or easily distracted. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pull of the tricks I do? I’ll give you a hint, it’s impossible without a bit of focus.” The pegasus advanced on the unicorn as she spoke, lips slowly turning into a snarl. Twilight, shocked and confused, simply backed away with every word her friend spoke.

“R-Rainbow…” the unicorn spoke warily, unsure of what to say.

“And one more thing.” Twilight felt her knees begin to quake at the pegasus’s onslaught. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Clenching her eyes to hide, the unicorn braced herself for the worst.

“You’re one gullible pony.” Twilight’s eyes shot open.

She looked, shocked, at the grinning face of Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was stifling a chuckle that would have doubtlessly sent her to the floor. Twilight grit her teeth.

“You… You tricked me!” She yelled the accusation at the smirking pegasus. Dash shook her head, shaking her mane as she did so.

“Yup,” she admitted with a small rumble of laughter. “Played ya like a harp. Wasn’t too bad, if I do say so myself.” Twilight puckered her lips in a pout, glowering at Rainbow as the pegasus continued to flaunt her success. “I mean, do ya really think I’d just go off on ya like that for no reason? Seriously Twilight, I like ya and all, but don’t you think you take things a bit too seriously sometimes?”

Twilight’s nose lifted in annoyance. By now, Rainbow’s jeers were nothing new to her ears. However, hearing them in relation to her worry over upsetting her friend was something new. Of the many accomplishments Dash had the right to be proud of, tricking the unicorn into thinking she had threatened their friendship was not one of them. Twilight, however could play that game with the pegasus.

“Hey, what’s with the smirk?” Rainbow noted with a motion of her hoofs. “I’m proud of ya Twi, being a good sport and all. The rest of the girls would probab- GAH!” Dash yelled out as she felt her tail being pulled.

Her wings beat frantically as her hoof scrapped against the floor, her balance completely thrown by the pull. She fell to the floor with a rough thump, eyes wide as saucers as they looked up at Twilight. Her horn was glowing on her forehead, casting her smile in a very proud smirk. Dash recognized that look instantly. It was her look.

“What gives Twi?!” The pegasus asked with a yell, still fruitlessly attempting to beat her way free. But the unicorn’s magic trumped her trained strength. Twilight knew it too, or so her confident strut told the captured pegasus.

“Just a little payback,” The unicorn spoke proudly as she kept herself a safe distance from the pegasus. “Doing the one thing to you that I know you can’t stand.” Dash didn’t know if she should have been afraid, confused, or humored.

“Yeah, and what’s that?” The shadow of a smile cast by her magic didn’t bode well for the pegasus, and her wings sunk to prove her point. Leaning in close to the pegasus, Twilight whispered the few words Rainbow never wanted to hear.

“I’m keeping you grounded.” Dash felt a pit in her stomach grow.

“You wouldn’t dare.” The pegasus snarled upwards. Twilight’s coy smile remained unchanged.

“What can I say?” The unicorn asked rhetorically. “We both have a lot of focus. I just have better plans.”

“That’s just low Twilgiht, really low.” The pegasus tried to counter. “I mean, you’re not even supposed to even be good at pranks.”

“Oh Dash, this isn’t a prank.” The unicorn spoke with the air of confidence, walking around the pegasus she kept trapped by her tail. “Think of this like a time out. You did something you shouldn’t have, now I’m teaching you that it was wrong of you to do.”

“What, do you expect me to cave?” Rainbow asked up to her friend, furrowing her brow in a poor attempt to truly convey the anger she felt. Twilight, either ignorant or apathetic towards the display, answered with a tone full of confidence and amateurish poise.

“No Dash,” she spoke with the pegasus’s signature smirk. “I expect you to talk.” Rainbow’s brows unfurled into raised positions.

“Talk?” She questioned, honestly confused. “About what?” The unicorn slowly approached her, making sure with every step that she was just out of the pegasus’s reach. It was driving on Dash’s last nerve. Her hooves may not have been sharp, but grooves were being put into the ground regardless.

“I want you,” Twilight began, stopping daintily with a wry smile. “To say that…” The unicorn’s eyes averted themselves as her mind worked, doubtlessly to think of the perfect thing to demand of Dash. When a flash came from her eyes, matching the lavender aura of her horn, it was more than clear she had it.

“Say that I am cooler than you.” Dash’s eyes nearly fell from their sockets.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she spoke to Twilight, her voice low and dangerous. Twilight’s look matched Dash’s tone.

She leaned in close the pegasus, watching as her friend clawed her way fruitlessly across the wooden floor. Keeping her muzzle just out of hoof’s reach, Twilight opened her mouth to speak to her captured friend.

“Heya girls!”

Twilight and Dash both turned to see a pony walking into the library, Stetson hat adorned and  grin fresh on her face. “Sorry fer bargin’ in. Ah figured it wouldn’t pay ya’ll much mind. Didn’t care to wait in that fog n’ all.” The two stared at her, completely thrown from their situation. The farm pony took notice almost immediately. “Am I interrupting somethin’?”

“Applejack!” Twilight spoke cheerfully, releasing Dash with a small pop of her magic. The pegasus fell forward without grace. Applejack winced at the impact. “It’s good to see you. It’s great to see you! I’m glad to see you!” The two took a quick embrace before separating, the farm pony a bit hesitant to embrace her unicorn friend.

“Yeah, it’s good to see you,” Rainbow Dash spoke as she righted herself from the floor, quickly shaking her coat and mane. “Actually AJ, I didn’t expect to see you today, like at all. Is everything cool?” The earth pony took on a sheepish look at the question. The action did not go unnoticed by the unicorn.

“Is everything alright Applejack? You’re usually much more… upfront I guess is a good word.” A small chuckle came from the farmer at the words.

“Didn’t take long ta see through it, huh? Always was a bad liar.” She righted her hat before addressing her two friends. “It’s mah sister. I’m just… worried about her is all.”

“Ya think something happened to AB?” Rainbow questioned with a flap of her wings, taking to floating in Twilight’s library. “Why, is she lost or something? I did warn you about that fog.”

“And Ah heard ya loud n’ clear,” The farmer shot back to her friend. “And Ah ain’t got nothin’ ta say that mah sis is in any kind ‘er trouble. Just… call it a feelin’ is all. Mah family lives off of feelings like this.”

“Wait, what are you feeling?” Twilight immediately began to question. “Is it like a sense similar to a disruption in casting magic, or is it more closely related to turbulence in the air?” The questions caught Applejack off guard, causing her to back pedal from the inquisitive unicorn.

“A-Ah…” the earth pony droned, unsure of what to say. “I-It ain’t nothin’ like that. Just… just a feelin’, a gut feelin’.” Twilight seemed unconvinced by the words. “Ah don’t know why, but Ah got the feelin’ that somethin’ bad is going to happen, and Ah’m worried for my sis.”

“You think she got lost or something?” Rainbow Dash asked from her spot in the air, looking down on her two friends as she spoke. “You did warn her about the fog, right?” Applejack was more than happy to shoot a look of rising anger at the cyan pegasus.

“Course Ah did,” she spat at Dash. “Ah just told ya that not but a spittin’ second ago.” She snorted as she turned her head, presumably to calm herself down. The long sigh that left her lips was further evidence of the action. “Look, Ah’m sorry Dash but… this churnin’ in mah belly is darn near tearin’ me up.”

“It’s cool, I get it.” Dash dismissed with a hoof. “So, do you wanna go check on her or something?” The pegasus bore a questioning look down on her friend, who was giving a look that seemed caught between pleading and unsure. Lips bitten, but turned downwards, eyes squinted, yet gaze averting.

“Ah don’t know, yeah and no.” Twilight was only further perplexed.

“Why wouldn’t you want to check on her? Did something happen?” The theory was quickly discredited at the earth pony’s shaking gaze.

“Nah, nothin’ bad at all. It’s just… this was supposed ta be her first big step ta being an mare, ya know?” Her hoof motioned out the door, presumably to the Everfree Forest if Twilight had to gamble. Good thing she hated gambling. “If Ah go after her like somethin’s wrong, and nothing is, she’ll be mighty disappointed in me.”

Twilight licked her lips. On the surface, Applejack’s logic made sense. For most foals, a breach in trust is usually taken as a sign of not having faith in them. It was no different than reading a diary or doing their work for them. It was a natural instinct to both be defensive of such facts, but also to shy away from committing them.

However, Applejack wasn’t worried for her sister not getting a job done, but for her safety in the Everfree forest, debatably the most dangerous territory in all of Equestria. It made perfect sense that she would want to take care of her family. And, speaking as a member of the royal family, it was better to be cautious and sorry than ignorant and wrong. Opening her mouth, she was about to say just that.

Rainbow Dash beat the unicorn to it, fast as her name.

“Nah, that’s a load of hayseed.” Twilight thought her friend could have used a bit more tact, but the pegasus wasn’t done yet. “You’re worried for your sis, and it makes a lot more sense to check up on her cause you’re worried than not. Heck, I’d do the same thing for you girls.”

“Yer talkin’ like it’s a simple thing Dash,” Applejack criticized her friend. For a moment, the unicorn between them thought the words did nothing to her friend. However, a knowing smile over the orange coat made it only too clear that she understood. “But when ya got a point, ya sure know how ta say it.”

“So, you are going to check on Apple Bloom?” Twilight questioned. The farm pony nodded in response.

“Yup, Ah’ll bear the burden of shame if Ah’m wrong.” Applejack spoke the words with a smile. “But Ah ain’t gonna risk her safety fer a bit of shame.”

“Thatta girl!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “Let’s go pay her and Zecora a visit!” Her words caused a visible stir in the earth pony.

“Hold on a minute,” she raised her hoof as she spoke. “Yer comin’ too?” Rainbow Dash nodded her head vigorously, matcing the beating of her wings.

“Course I am! You’re like one of my best friends! I’m not gonna let you wander into the Everfree forest alone. Besides, I haven’t seen Old Z for a while.” Twilight twisted her head at the name, thinking hard on what it could mean. It took her just shy of a moment to realize she was speaking of Zecora. The unicorn could only hope her friend wouldn’t call the zebra that name to her face. “And you’re coming too, right Twi?” The question caught the mare completely off guard.

“W-What?” She asked with a shake of her head, honestly confused.

“I said, you’re coming with us, right?” Dash hovered closer to the unicorn, putting their muzzles just breaths apart from one another. The lavender mare lent back to put some room between them.

“Y-Yes, of course.” She spoke with a growing smile. “Sorry, just got a little lost in my head.”

“Yeah, that happens a lot.” Twilight, wisely, ignored Rainbow’s small poke at her. Instead, she faced Applejack as she answered the mare.

“I’d love to go with you. In the very least, I could ask Zecora about a few potion recipes I’ve been researching.” The farm pony nodded.

“Ah hear ya, not wantin’ ta waste a trip.” With small nod of her head and adjustment of her hat, Applejack turned from the two, facing the door out of the library. “Well, Ah’m ready ta head out whenever. Ya girls need anything?”

“I’m all set,” Dash spoke up. “Twi?”

“Well, I could bring some books with me,” the unicorn began to list with small glances around the room. “It would probably be a benefit to bring a writing utensil or two as well. Maybe a pictorial guide for dangerous flora around the forest, in case we get lost due to the fog…”

“She’s good to go,” Rainbow Dash spoke to Applejack, voice bordering on annoyance but falling into monotone. With a small chuckle of understanding, the farm pony nodded her head.

“Alright, and thanks again girls.” Dash nodded at her friend, smirking as her pride was stroked. The pegasus set herself down on the floor, turning to face Twilight as she did so. The unicorn looked at her for a moment, staring into the pink eyes of Rainbow with her own lavender irises. She let out a defeated sigh as she hung her head.

“I guess if it’s a short trip I won’t need anything…” Rainbow, once more, smirked proudly.

“Thatta girl,” she complimented as easily. “Now, chin up! We gotta go pay Zecora and AB a visit!” The pegasus threw her leg around the unicorn’s neck, directing them out of the library as she did so. Applejack was already outside the door, waiting for the pair to join her. “But I’ll tell you what, why don’t you fill AJ in on what we were talking about. Keep her mind off of her sis, you know?” The idea made Twilight’s ears perk. Applejack’s did as well, though the reason was completely different than her unicorn friend’s.

“Wait, what are ya’ll talkin’ about?” The question did wonders for Twilight.

“Rainbow and I were actually discussing the mythological history of an ancient race,” she spoke cheerily with a broad smile on her face. She quickly trotted up next to the farm pony as she spoke. Applejack watched her with curious green eyes. “They were called the Fae, and they were supposedly capable of magical abilities that would take us years to master, but were capable of it with only seconds of practice.”

Their conversation carried as the three began the brisk trot to the Everfree Forest. The fog was still present, but the path was clear in their mind.

“This is all yers?” Apple Bloom spoke the words with no false awe in her voice.

Her youthful eyes scanned the vast canopy of the forest, appreciating its magnitude and size. To the horizon and beyond the trees stretched, leaving her squinting in the hopes of seeing the edge of the forest. She could not.

“Yes.” Aisling spoke in return, nodding with appreciation. “Always has been. Always will be.” Her toothy grin, in the filly’s honest opinion, was the sign of well-deserved pride. “It’s a lot to have, but it talks to me all the time.”

“Wait, it talks to ya?” The filly raised a brow at the white haired creature. Her little hooves were still wrapped around the branch with a rather vicious strength. “Like, as in words ‘n all?”

“No silly,” the creature’s white hair swayed slightly with her head, the wind billowing it far more than her simply turns ever could. “I listen to them.” The words only caused Apple Bloom’s brow to furrow further.

“But… but how can ya talk without words?” Before the foal heard words, she saw the white haired creature smile at her with the same fanged teeth as before.

“Simple,” Aisling spoke. She walked nimbly across the branch the two stood on, though Apple Bloom more lay than stood.

“It’s my forest.”

Apple Bloom’s ears matted against her head while a screwed look took over her eyes. She heard the words Aisling spoke, but the meaning went right over her head. And, while she was lying on the branch of one of the tallest trees in the Everfree Forest, that was saying something.

“Ah really don’t get it,” the filly admitted with a slow shake of her head. “Ah mean, Ah own lots of things, but that doesn’t mean Ah can hear ‘em.”

The long-haired creature puckered her lips, hiding them behind one of the digits of her hand. Here vibrant green eyes stared at Apple Bloom in thought. The filly, to her part, had no idea what to do but wait. It certainly was a better option than trying to climb her way back down. Then, with a small spark in her eyes, Aisling spoke again.

“You have friends, yes?” Apple Bloom nodded at her. “Good friends?” Her head nodded a bit more vigorously. “Your best friends?” shaking the branch they were on. Her hooves gripped the bark a bit tighter. Aisling, for her confidence or apathy, didn’t even shrug at the swaying motion.

“Yeah, mah friends are some of the best friends in all of Equestria.” Apple Bloom confirmed with her words, now far too wary to move again. “So what?”

“Do you know your friends?” The earth pony looked at the white haired creature with a look of confusion. This time, it wasn’t because of the way Aisling was acting. Her words were plenty enough this time.

“’Course Ah do,” the filly spoke confidently. “Ah know mah friends better than just about any other pony out there.”

As she finished her words, the white haired nymph held up her hand to the pony’s muzzle.

One of her fingers was extended, pointing at the small patch of fur between Apple Bloom’s eyes. Aisling did this while leaning over towards the filly, smiling brightly with her large green eyes and captivating fanged smile. Then, with a soft touch, she tapped Apple Bloom on the head.

“That,” she began. “Is how I hear my forest.”

And Apple Bloom understood, sort of.

“Do you want to get down now?”

And Apple Bloom was terrified, without question.

“D-Down?” She stuttered with a shivering jaw. “Like, all the way down?” Aisling giggled lightly at her words.

“Of course silly,” she spoke easily and with a bit of cheer in her voice. “I can’t show you the way to your friend’s home from up here.” Her hand reached outwards again. This time, it sat in midair in front of Apple Bloom, outstretched and with her fingers extended. A warm smile and confident gaze were behind that simple thing. All the while, her hair continued to billow in the wind, stretching outwards in its strong currents.

Apple Bloom peered at the hand, fully knowing what was coming next. The way up was difficult, impossible if not for Aisling’s help. The way down would be much the same. Except the way down and falling down both went in the same direction. One just had a much more terrifying end than the other.

“You’ll be safe.” The creature spoke again, her high voice easily grabbing Apple Bloom’s attention. “I promise.”

She did promise.

Hesitantly, Apple Bloom extended one of her forelegs, uncurling it from the tree as she did so. Aisling, smiling as she did before, lightly grasped the hoof in her hand. It was a tight grip, stronger than the filly thought those thin fingers could have accomplished. Just as slowly, she released the branch with her other hoof, lightly pushing herself upwards. The creature with the billowing hair pulled her up as she did so, helping to secure the filly.

When Apple Bloom was standing on the branch with three hooves, she felt her chest slowly tighten.

“It’s alright,” Aisling spoke in her dialect, filled with rising and falling letters. Apple Bloom licked her lips. “I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.” She did seem rather sure of herself. There wasn’t any fear, doubt, or worry as far as the filly could see. Then again, the filly herself was absolutely filled with all those things combined. Nevertheless, Aisling did promise her, and Apple Bloom did trust her.

She reached up with her other forehoof, holding it out for the creature to grasp. Aisling took it with the same strong grip as Apple Bloom’s other hoof. It felt like she was being held in place by magic. Odd as it sounded, it felt safe.

“Good,” Aisling spoke again. Without ceremony or warning, the creature turned and crouched lower the branch, presenting her back to the filly. Apple Bloom bit her lip. She knew what she had to do, but it was still frightening, only due to the height she was balancing on. But Aisling was holding her, and that was as safe as she could be. This was her forest.

The filly took very slow steps forwards, inching her way towards the creature. Her hooves slowly snaked around Aisling’s thin neck, locking into place and holding her tight against the thin brown material that hung over her body. It was coarse and hard, like bark, but it felt light as the leaves on an apple. Apple Bloom would have been more curious if her mind hadn’t been preoccupied with the shear drop just beneath them. Aisling giggled though and that helped.

BEGIN

“Al-right,” she spoke to the filly on her back, emphasizing the beginning and end of the word. “Now, hold on!” What Apple Bloom was expecting, and half hoping, was for the white haired creature to jump to a lower branch in the tree, jumping from large limb to another until they finally reached the ground far beneath them.

What she got instead was Aisling jumping as far outwards as she could from the tree branch, only twigs beneath them.

Apple Bloom would have screamed if there was any air in her lungs to do so. They fell through the canopy faster than the filly’s eyes could follow, losing track of the thick green blanket and soon receiving only the sight of the ground far below. That’s when she shut her eyes.

The wind ran past her mane, pulling it upwards as she clasped herself as hard as she could to Aisling’s back. It felt like her insides were coming loose, her stomach getting read to lose all of its contents and lungs unable to take a breath of air. Her legs felt light and her body weightless. The only thing the filly could care to feel was her grip around Aisling’s neck. It was tighter than an apple tree’s hold to the ground.

She felt their momentum stop, coming to a sudden halt that jerked her bones. It felt like her lungs had been forced into her gut, making the breath she took deep. But before she dared to open her eyes, she felt Aisling jump again, forcing the pair to fall some more. Before, Apple Bloom couldn’t scream because of her lack of air. Now, she was holding her body too hard against the creature’s back to let out even a peep.

They stopped again, and Apple Bloom heard the crunching of leaves from beneath her, the grass rustling as Aisling moved. The filly refused to release her grasp.

“It’s alright.” The white haired nymph spoke matter-of-factly. “We’re on the ground again.” The words didn’t convince the filly of much.

“A-Ah don’t think I like heights any more.” Apple Bloom shivered as she spoke, fore hooves still gripped firmly around Aisling’s neck. Her perked ears heard the nymph giggle.

“We’re not done yet.” Apple Bloom felt a shiver run down her coat.

“W-We’re not?” Another high chorus of laughter came from Aisling. It did little to help the jittery nerves of the filly.

“No silly, we have to find your friend now.” Moments before, she wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but Apple Bloom’s grip on the nymph’s neck became a bit tighter as the words reached her perked ears. “But you can open your eyes. You still haven’t seen all of my forest.”

There was far more than a bit of hesitance when Apple Bloom attempted her eyes. Her lids flickered and fought for decision, unsure if they wanted to trust the white haired creature again, or simply stay closed and hope they would appear at Zecora’s soon. Aisling either saw or felt her hesitance. Apple Bloom couldn’t be sure which one it was.

“It’s alright. I won’t let you fall.” The words, as carefree in tone and high in pitch as they were, didn’t calm the wary thoughts in Apple Bloom’s mind. “You are my friend.” Those words, however, won the filly over.

Apple Bloom opened her eyes. Once more, she was greeted to the sight of an oasis in the woods. When she was standing at the top of the tree, it was hard to remember just how breathtaking it was beneath the monoliths of the forest.

The colors of rainbows mixed within the flower petals, the moving pictures across the leaves of the trees, and the serenity she felt by staring at the waterfalls that flowed from rocks high to low were never to be forgotten.

So blinded by the sights, Apple Bloom didn’t notice Aisling was running until the wind began to deafen her.

She gasped as she tightened her grip around the nymph’s neck, eyes wider than they had ever been in her young life. Stagnant and still, the forest took her breath away. Moving with the life of the woods, being carried by the declared owner of the enchanted forest, made the filly believe she was in a waking dream.

The rainbow of colors that belonged to the flowers flowed like a river. It carried the life of the forest, a thing that Apple Bloom never believed she had seen before. Birds flew and chirped around them, flying down to their level before gaining air beneath their wings and taking back to the branches high above.

Then, from behind the trees, bucks and does jumped and leapt over the flowing river, prancing with a grace Apple Bloom had never seen a pony show. Pairs would bound around together, keeping close to one another in a way that showed their ties even as they ran.

Slowly, almost noticeably, the colors of the forest began to fade. The cheery bright whites and greens fading into dark and shadowy browns and blacks. The canopy lowered with every forceless bound Aisling took, the light becoming scarcer to the filly’s eyes.

Yet Apple Bloom never felt anything but safe as she clung to the creature’s back, feeling only in the smallest of ways the motions of her arms and legs. She jumped, grabbed, pulled, and ran with a tempo and pace that neither robbed the creature of air nor the filly of the forest’s sights. It was as if she had been making such runs and routes for more lives than Apple Bloom knew how to count.

Then, it was done.

Apple Bloom recognized the familiar sculptures and statutes outside of her friend’s hut, hanging from vines and strings or sitting in the loosened soil of her tree. The carved wood and harsh bark of the surrounded forest was not a memorized detail in the filly’s mind, but it was recognizable to any pony who had made their way to the mysterious zebra.

Gingerly, the creature’s slender fingers wrapped around the foal’s hooves, pulling them off with a force Apple Bloom was surprised to feel. When her hooves were back on the ground, she looked up to see Aisling still smiling at her, fanged teeth peeking out from behind her pale lips.

“And now we’re here.” The words were like the key to a magic spell.

The filly’s lips curled into a wide smile, marveling at the white haired creature that had helped her so much. Not a thing about her was normal, or even familiar to the pony youth, but she was nothing short of amazing.

“That was… amazing! It was… fast a-and colorful a-and… everything!” Apple Bloom spoke breathlessly, though she had done little more than hold onto Aisling’s back, the wind taken out of the filly far more than the creature of the woods. The complement did not go unappreciated from Aisling.

“Like I said, I’m the fastest.” She crossed her arms and nodded towards the filly as she spoke.

Her green eyes looked to the hut to her left, staring at it like she was seeing it for the first time. The wood it was made out of did not burn, the leaves did not fall, and the ground did not crack. But Aisling’s eyes continued to stare and peer towards it, as if attempting to see what the filly could not.

An idea was born in the foal’s mind.

“Do you wanna met her?” To Apple Bloom’s immense surprise, Aisling herself looked shocked to hear the question.

END

“Meet her?” The creature replied, as if unsure of what the filly meant. Apple Bloom herself, however, thought the question was rather clear.

“Yeah, ya know, meet Zecora,” the filly motioned towards the charmed hut as she spoke. “Kinda like how you and Ah met, jus’ without them wolves ‘n all.” Aisling’s gaze was focused on the hut. Her large emerald eyes stared at the carved wood with an unblinking stare.

A cold silence was held in the air between them. Apple Bloom waiting for Aisling to speak and Aisling, most likely, waiting for something to happen. The filly could hear the fire crackle from the hut, the only indication she had that time continued to pass as the two waited in the woods.

“I don’t need to meet her.” The white haired creature finally spoke, though her words still confused the filly earth pony to no end. Aisling, however, was already a step ahead. “She’s not trying to hurt my forest, nor is she trying to hurt anyone else.”

“That’s why ya don’t want ta meet her?” Apple Bloom asked in return, her confusion clear by her words. “Just because ya don’t have ta, ya don’t want to?” Undaunted, Aisling nodded in return.

“Yes,” her voice spoke, a small hiss following her response, as if she was thinking as she spoke. “I like the way my forest is now, and she is not changing that. I don’t want my forest to change.” The filly, however, was no more persuaded than before.

“That ain’t no reason ta turn down meetin’ a pony.” She spoke in return. “Zecora’s a zebra that has lived here fer sometime, and Ah’m sure she’d love ta meet ya!” Apple Bloom made sure she was wearing a broad smile as she spoke, hoping to turn the creature’s mind.

“But why would I have to?” Aisling questioned, twisting her head as she spoke. “Nothing has to be changed, so why would I want it to?”

“Then…” The filly shook her head. “Do you not want things ta change?” Now it was Aisling’s turn to shake her head.

“Things change when they have to change.” The white haired creature began. Before Apple Bloom could voice her question, Aisling jumped. Her long white hair spun with her body as she pounced over the smaller filly, landing deftly and easily beside a tall gnarled tree. She rested her pale hand on the harsh bark, green eyes staring Apple Bloom as she spoke on.

“This tree is old, and has seen many winters.” Her hand rubbed over the hard wood as she spoke, careless or uninterested in the harshness. “Soon, the forest will take it back. The tree will fall, and the wood will rot. When it rots, new plants will grow, and as the new plants grow, new life will begin.” The filly did not miss the subtle smile upon the creature’s lips, small fangs poking out from between her pale skin. “That is change, and all things must change.”

“But… if things have to change… why don’t ya want ta meet Zecora?” The filly was caught between confusion and disbelief.

“Because nothing has to change.” The nymph spoke easily again. “So I don’t want it to change.” Her hand fell from the gnarled tree, her arms crossing over her chest again. Her green eyes looked forwards.

“Well… then… why’d ya help me?” Apple Bloom was almost afraid of the answer she would receive. Her legs didn’t quake and neither did her eyes, but an undeniably deep pit was forming in her belly. No pony, foal or mare, liked that feeling.

“You aren’t a part of my forest,” the words were spoken simply. Apple Bloom opened her mouth to speak, but once more, before she could, Aisling was on the move.

The white hair of the creature flew over the ground, following the lithe figure’s near viper-like crawl across the forest floor. To Apple Bloom, it sounded like mist, felt like wind, and looked like something that could only be described as mystic. It was hard for her to speak while she watched Aisling move. It only became harder when the fanged figure stood next to her, unthreatening as she was.

“I don’t know your friend, but I know she hasn’t done anything to my forest. Why would I want to change that?” There was as secret in those words that Apple Bloom saw. For once, she was glad her friend Sweetie Belle was a regular dictionary. It made seeing between the lines a bit easier.

“Well, nothing has ta change,” the filly spoke with a growing smile. Aisling’s head twisted at the words, one eye squinting in confusion. The foal spoke on. “Zecora’s a great friend of me and mah sister. She’s not too big on changin’ much of anything either.”

“She is not?” The white haired creature asked curiously. Apple Bloom felt it working.

“Ah can prove it to ya! Follow me!” Without waiting for a response the filly was off in a gallop towards the hut.

It hardly took longer than a moment for the filly to reach the home of her zebra friend. Her hoof started to knock on the hardwood of the hut, eager for the meeting to start as quick as possible. The sound of moving instruments came from within, complete with hooves clopping towards the door. The filly felt her hooves shaking with excitement, the bow in her hair doubtlessly close to falling off.

The smile that broke over her face when the door opened was blinding.

“Zecora!” Apple Bloom spoke the zebra’s name cheerfully, taking the few steps necessary to wrap the mare’s torso in a small hug. The Everfree resident returned the embrace with one of her hooves, leaning down to lightly nuzzle the filly’s back.

“It is to my joy to see you well,” Zecora spoke with the dialect the filly knew no other mare possessed. “When you were late, I feared some misfortune may have fell.” Apple Bloom took small steps out of the mare’s embrace at the words. Her stomach tingled and hooves felt light. She always loved the feeling of telling something amazing to some pony.

“Well, somethin’ bad did happen.” The zebra’s ears perked immediately, her cheerful smile and gaze falling into one of worry and concern. Apple Bloom, however, spoke on. “But Ah’m alright, honest. It’s all thanks to mah friend that I…” The filly turned around, motion behind her with one hoof as she spoke.

It swept over open air.

Her smile fell as her eyes widened, shocked and unable to think. She knew Aisling was just behind her, all the way to knocking on Zecora’s door. But now, Aisling wasn’t there. No sound, no sign, nothing.

“Apple Bloom, I am confused,” Zecora spoke behind her. “What friend kept you from being consumed?” The filly turned back to the zebra, a pleading look in her eyes. It bemused the Everfree resident to no end.

“B-But, Ah…” Apple Bloom stuttered and spat out her words, searching for what to say as she said it. “She… she was just right here. Ah know it.”

Zecora looked down on the foal, wondering if the forest had performed its magic on her still developing mind. It would not be the first time the woods had had their ways with the imaginations of the young. A smile grew over her lips as she knelt down to match the filly’s height.

“There is nothing to fret,” she spoke in her distinctive accent. “Your mind left you, it happens to the best.”

“But Ah know she was here!” Apple Bloom whined, taking a pose that looked defiant. “Sh-She… she rescued me from a pack of wolves, and… a-and then made the mist move and took me through a meadow. She made these flowers bloom and colors, and things Ah’ve never seen before!”

“Apple Bloom,” Zecora spoke deeply, but soothingly, to the younger pony, placing a hoof on the foal’s shoulder as she spoke. “These woods are deep and enchanted, carrying magic many take for granted. It is not the impossible you have seen, but merely creative imaginings.” The filly shook her head as Zecora spoke on.

“No!” She spoke at a volume reaching towards a shout. “Her name was Aisling, Ash-ling.” The filly pounded her hooves on the ground as she spoke. “Her mane was longer than she was, and white like a cloud. And… and these are her woods! She kept tellin’ me that!”

“Please child, I do not doubt what you claimed to have seen,” Zecora spoke the filly patiently, smile unfading and calm demeanor unshaken. “I simply believe that what you have seen has not always been.”

“Yeah, but… wha?” The filly’s ears twisted with her eyes, unsure of what the zebra meant. Zecora chuckled deeply, closing her eyes as she enjoyed her own musings, before she answered.

“This forest is far older than us combined,” the zebra spoke in with her rhymes. “To no one thing is this forest entwined. These woods, Apple Bloom, are not yours nor mine. By themselves, alone, they are harmonious and fine.”

“But it is my forest.”

A voice whispered above the pair. Their eyes looked up into leaves of Zecora’s hut. Between the tan colors of the bark and green of the leaves, it was almost impossible to see anything else.

Except for a pale face and emerald green eyes.

“May I come in?”

Zecora, for one of the few moments in her life, was unable to speak. Next Chapter: Aid From The Unseen Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 44 Minutes