There was something about journeying through the Everfree Forest which sent a jolt through Sweetie Belle’s spine. She’d be lying to herself if she said getting to trot through the forest wasn’t exciting. Even she appreciated riskier quests at times. However, she’d also be lying to herself if she claimed to not be nervous. This was the Everfree Forest, after all. The memory of meandering to where a cockatrice resided returned to the top of her mind. While she knew a repeat of such an encounter was unlikely, spotting one was still possible. Her throat dried up as her mind formulated the possibilities.
It was also one of those instances where Sweetie Belle wished she had Rarity or Fluttershy traveling alongside her. She could count on them to brush away the tingling sensations within her chest.
Bringing up the rear of the group, Sweetie Belle followed her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders as well as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Leaves littered the ground beneath her hooves, crunching whenever they were stepped on. The world was covered in a thick blanket of dark green wherever she twisted her head. However, there was the occasional brown tree trunk standing exposed and the small openings in the canopy where the sun's light peeked from above. Tranquil tunes left the beaks of chirping birds as they fluttered in the sky above, but something about it all felt ominous for reasons alien to Sweetie Belle. It was as though something lurked within the shadows and watched her every move.
Sweetie Belle’s leg muscles constricted and the air around her felt thin. Gazing at the fillies in front of her with wide open eyes, she found herself galloping toward them should they get too far ahead. Such a process repeated every other minute without fail. The Rainbow Flower had to be somewhere around here as far as she knew, but there was no prism of colors anywhere. There was just green. At least there was the undisturbed music of nature, though Sweetie Belle knew it wouldn't last long. She and her friends had a penchant for finding trouble.
"I'm bored," Diamond Tiara whined as she rolled her eyes. "The Rainbow Flower has to be somewhere around here, right?"
Sweetie Belle shrugged. At least I’m not the only one thinking that. However, as much as she yearned to speak up, her lips were sealed.
"It better be," Apple Bloom replied with a taut visage. She lifted her foreleg up and shook it a few times. Planting it back on the ground, orange and brown leaves sprang up in the air around Apple Bloom. "My hooves hurt, so if we don't find this flower thing of yours, we're going to head back home."
Sweetie Belle nodded, but one word filled her mind.
Home.
She never knew what homesickness was like. After all, Sweetie Belle always found herself being stuck in Carousel Boutique whenever she wasn’t crusading with her friends. It did get rather tedious at times.
But this time, homesickness clung onto her like a parasite. It tugged her heart deeper into the abyss. She wished she could turn around and gallop home, the tightness within her body intensifying. However, she knew she couldn't abandon her friends and let them wander deeper into the Everfree. Looking back at the world behind her, she gulped a second later All she spotted was a sea of green.
Gazing back to where her friends were, she noticed Apple Bloom's lips moving. Nothing seemed to escape her mouth, though Apple Bloom was even smaller than usual from where she stood. Diamond Tiara then said something of her own, scowling at Apple Bloom with glowing eyes. Even the sounds of nature from before had disappeared. Sweetie Belle soon found herself drifting toward unconsciousness as everything spiraled around her. Wincing, she pressed her hooves into the soft soil, trying to anchor herself upright.
"Blank," a voice murmured.
Sweetie Belle trotted forward at a snail's pace, her heart pounding faster and her steps heavier than ever.
"Sweetie," the voice said again.
Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. Everything around her became a blur.
"Sweetie Belle, are you okay?" the voice asked.
Jumping up in surprise, Sweetie Belle's vision became clear once more. Twisting to her right, she spotted none other than Silver Spoon standing beside her. Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but gawk at Silver Spoon’s drooping brow and pursed lips. Such a facial expression coming from Silver Spoon was inconceivable to her. After all, ponies she considered heartless couldn't just grow hearts. Her head pounded as though a jackhammer attacked her just by thinking about the idea.
"W-where did you come from?" Sweetie Belle asked, her pupils dilated.
"I've been here this entire time," Silver Spoon answered in a blunt tone. “We joined you on this adventure, remember?”
Sweetie Belle paused for a moment. Donning a blank expression, all she could muster was meekly saying, “Yes. I remember.”
"Are you okay?" Silver Spoon asked.
"Um, yeah," Sweetie Belle replied. With a deep breath, she regained some of her composure and straightened her posture. "I'm okay, but why do you ask? Is this setting up a prank?"
"I'm not setting up a prank. I just don't want anypony to get hurt.” Silver Spoon's lips curled into a slight smile. There was a slight warmness to her expression as well, earning a raised brow from Sweetie Belle. "Anyway, I think we might have to turn back if we don't find anything. We’ve been trotting about for some time and—" Silver Spoon took a deep breath “—and I’m exhausted.”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been doing this for some time.” She rubbed her mane, beads of sweat sticking to it cooling her hoof a tad. Cringing, she then pressed her hoof on the ground once more.
A sharp sensation poked the back of Sweetie Belle’s mind. Was Silver Spoon, of all ponies, being nice to her? There was the thought of asking why Silver Spoon was behaving in such a manner, though the inkling of making the situation tenser prodded Sweetie Belle's nerves. She twitched. Any sort of conflict, no matter how minor, was the last thing she needed.
Maybe it’s all just a crazy dream and I’m just snoozing in Cheerilee’s classroom. Wouldn’t have been the first time I’ve done so.
Lifting her hoof and closing her eyes, Sweetie Belle smacked herself across the face. A harsh popping sound echoed in the air.
"Okay, when I open my eyes, I'll be tucked in my bed or sitting in the classroom," Sweetie Belle told herself as she forced a smile. "Here I go!"
Sweetie Belle opened her eyes, her surroundings a blur of watercolors. A second later, the world around her became clear once more. Standing before her was Silver Spoon, her head cocked to the left. Behind her were tree trunks and a thick covering of leaves.
This wasn’t a dream.
Biting her lip, Sweetie Belle then swiveled away from the group. However, at the exact moment her hoof made contact with the soil below, a gray foreleg appeared in front of her.
"Sweetie Belle, we need to stick together," Silver Spoon said. “I know we're far from friends, but we can’t just leave each other behind.”
"You're just trying to trick me," Sweetie Belle muttered in a squeaky, but melancholic tone. Her eyes shimmered and her vision twisted into a haze. Warm teardrops cascaded from her eyes and tickled her cheeks.
"I'm not. I don't care if we don't get along, but we need to work together whether you like it or not." Silver Spoon planted her hooves on Sweetie Belle's shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Are you with us or not?"
"I-I don't know."
"Sweetie Belle, as much as I hate to say this, I have to admit that Silver Spoon is right," Apple Bloom added off in the distance. "We're not getting anywhere if we don't stick together." Sweetie Belle shifted her head toward where Apple Bloom was. She alongside Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara sat atop a cut down tree stump. The former two stared at Diamond with furrowed eyebrows, while Diamond reclined against a tall trunk wearing a blank expression.
Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "You were listening?"
Apple Bloom nodded and winked at Sweetie Belle. "I couldn't leave a friend behind. You also speak kind of loud." Giggling, Apple Bloom then covered her lips with the tip her hoof. She did have a point, as Miss Cheerilee always heard Sweetie Belle whenever she tried to whisper a secret. "Now then, are you with us?"
Sweetie Belle paused for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, but if anything happens, I'm leaving."
Scootaloo hopped down from the stump. A radiant grin adorned her face. "I knew you could do it, Sweetie Belle!"
"You had better stay with us," Diamond said. She raised her head a little and swished her tail. "I mean, what are the odds of something weird happening?"
The moment Diamond finished her sentence, a faint shuffling of leaves filled the air. The cacophony intensified with each passing second. Sweetie Belle shut her eyes and whimpered, but everything fell silent ten seconds later.
Opening her eyes, Sweetie Belle glanced behind her shoulder. With her head hung low, everything felt light to her once more. Sweetie Belle was certain she stood on the ground, but her eyes then caught something which made her feel as though she’d float into the sky.
One of the bushes was moving as though it were alive.
Gulping, Sweetie Belle flung her hoof toward the bush in question. Her brow shot up as her chest tightened further. "Something is inside there!" she shrieked.
On cue, a pony-shaped figure leaped out of the bushes. A ragged, brown cloak covered its body, leaving no square inch exposed. Its four hooves plopped on one of the tree branches, the figure rocketing away from where she was a split second later. Leaves dodged the figure as if they feared for their lives.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo donned blank expressions and gaping mouths, the rest of their bodies not budging an inch. Diamond's face was colorless as if all the blood was siphoned out of her. She then blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. Sweetie Belle glanced over to Silver Spoon. The latter’s pupils dilated as she leaned over to where she appeared inches away from fainting.
"Who was that?" Scootaloo asked out of breath. "Whoever that was, he or she must be so awesome!" She gawked up to where the figure was, then following the trail of fluttering leaves. "I have an idea."
"Scootaloo, don't you dare suggest what I think you're going to suggest," Diamond hissed. Squinting, she then clenched her teeth. "Don't you say it!"
Silver Spoon glanced over at Diamond and giggled. "C'mon, Di," she teased. "Are you trying to tempt her to do something you don't want?"
Diamond tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What did you say?"
"Forget that I said anything, Di." With a widened smile, Silver Spoon chuckled again.
"Silver Spoon, are you poking fun at me?"
"I'm just playing with you, Di. I just couldn't resist."
Diamond peered over to where Silver Spoon stood. "Nice to hear your voice again, Silvy." She rubbed her muzzle for a moment. "Say, why have you been so quiet today? It's not like you?"
Silver Spoon stretched her forelegs. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"Get some rest, when we're done. Either that or you just don't want to spend time with the blank flanks, which makes a lot of sense." Diamond then shifted focus toward Scootaloo, the former’s expression changing from a warm smile to a fierce scowl in the blink of an eye. "Now then, tell me what you were going to say, blank flank."
"We're following that figure!" Scootaloo orated. Her eyebrows bobbed up and down. She then waved to the other four fillies and galloped ahead, careening off of the set trail of leaves. "Come on, let's go!"
Diamond's face scrunched up, her cheeks a hot pink. She growled like a puppy and pursed Scootaloo deeper into the Everfree Forest. "You'd better not do anything too stupid!"
"Wait up!" Apple Bloom shouted. Kicking her forelegs in the air, she then gave chase to Diamond and Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon donned blank expressions, watching the light cloud of dust rise up. They then swiveled their heads towards each other and shrugged.
"Um, are you ready, blank flank?" Silver Spoon asked.
Sweetie Belle nodded. "I am. Let's hope they don't get into too much trouble." The pair trotted in the direction Scootaloo and the others went, indicated by the twigs and leaves knocked off of nearby trees. The three fillies were still visible from where they were, which prompted Sweetie Belle to smile and breathe a sigh of relief. But something else tickled her brain, yearning to be fed information about Silver Spoon.
"Silver Spoon, I have a question." Sweetie Belle said.
Silver Spoon nodded. "What is it?" she asked in return with a look of bemusement.
"Why do you bully other ponies?"
Silver Spoon hung her head low. She took a deep breath and turned back to Sweetie Belle. “First off, we don't always bully other ponies. Diamond Tiara seems to like it, but I do wish that we could do something else for once. It gets so boring at times." Silver Spoon froze for a moment and then resumed trotting a second later. "To answer your question, it's what Di does, so I just go along with what she says most of the time. I'm not that smart."
"Don't lie to me like that." Sweetie Belle's eyebrows furrowed as she gazed at Silver Spoon. "You got straight As in Miss Cheerilee's class, right?"
"I did." Silver Spoon sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I guess what I'm saying is that I'm better at book smarts than street smarts. Is that reasonable?"
Raising an eyebrow, Sweetie Belle nodded. "It is, but that's not the point. Seriously, why do you hang out with Diamond Tiara if you're almost always bullying others? If it’s not fun, maybe she isn’t the best pony to hang out with."
"It’s because she's a friend." Silver Spoon placed her hoof onto her chest for a moment. A warm smile formed on her face. "She's the only filly that ever wanted to be my friend as far as I could tell. She's not bad at all once you really get to know her. I don't know how to phrase this, but try not to let our bullying hurt you too much. We'll try to tone it down—a little."
Sweetie Belle's face scrunched up, struggling to form a smile. She tended to be the one who bawled during Diamond and Silver Spoon’s harsher bullying moments, though she did have a point. Perhaps a thicker coat would make such instances rarer. "It's a start, but it better end with you stopping your bullying with Diamond."
"I'll try, but I promise you that Diamond and I aren't always this—well—blunt. She's not a bad pony and she can be such a caring filly if you give her a chance."
Diamond screamed off in the distance, leaping up in surprise a second later. "Scootaloo, I will punch your teeth out if you do that again!" she shouted.
Scootaloo let out a long, hearty laugh. "I totally got you there," she replied.
"Well, she does have a bit of a temper," Silver Spoon added, her cheeks blushing and her smile widening. "Anyway, as I was saying, she became my friend because she was the only filly I knew that wanted to do so."
Sweetie Belle rubbed the top of her head. "Huh?” She shrugged. “Well—um—why didn't anypony else want to be your friend? Isn't friendship supposed to be magic or something like that?"
Silver Spoon let out another sigh. She sulked. "Well, it didn't have to do with me being a bully. Forget it, I'd rather not dwell too much on this."
Sweetie Belle’s mind clicked once more, the thought of what Silver Spoon’s past was consuming her brain. Silver Spoon didn't secretly dislike Diamond Tiara. There was no doubt in her mind.
However, her shimmering eyes and slight frown told her everything she needed to know about her relationship with Diamond. She wanted more. Exactly what she wanted wasn't certain, but there had to be something there. Sweetie Belle wished she could ask her what she wanted, but the words were lodged into her constricted throat. Asking Silver Spoon right away wouldn't work.
I need to ease into it.
"What was it if it wasn't bullying?" Sweetie Belle questioned. She cocked her head. "I need to know."
"Look!" Apple Bloom shouted, her foreleg stretched toward Sweetie Belle. "Come quick!"
Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon galloped toward the three fillies up ahead, Scootaloo peeking into a parted bush. Apple Bloom waved her forelegs as though she was trying to swat a fly. Diamond stood still and rolled her eyes. She rubbed the soil with the tip of her hoof on occasion, though nothing left her mouth as she glanced away from the bush.
Both Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon slowed down upon reaching the three. The pair then slid across the dirt, some specks flying into Diamond’s mane. She then flailed about trying to clean it, Sweetie Belle giggling alongside her friends at the sight. Even Silver Spoon joined in the laughter, the lightened mood loosening Sweetie Belle’s muscles.
However, the discovery still filled much of her brain.
"I think we all needed a laugh,” Apple Bloom said as a matter of fact.
“At my expense?” Diamond scoffed. She gnashed her teeth. “You’d say that even if we were only in Miss Cheerilee’s classroom!”
Apple Bloom’s cheeks flushed. Crossing her forelegs for a moment, she then gently kicked the air. “Maybe I would.” She straightened her posture and then pointed her hoof at the parted bush. “Anyway, check this out.”
Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon trotted alongside each other. The two peered through the bush, their jaws dropping at the colossus before them. Just gawking at it for a second took Sweetie Belle’s breath away.
A massive structure surrounded by archaic statues rested atop a plateau. The statues were either complete or missing a few limbs. The whole complex was a dark gray with the occasional dark green vine growing alongside it. Visible scars in the walls ran along its walls, the occasional vine climbing up its face. A tall tower pierced the sky, the tip of it glistening under the sunlight. Whatever it was, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but admire the craftsmareship which went into the building. While she may not be an expert in architecture, Sweetie Belle always felt she had an eye for the beautiful. Living with Rarity may have been the cause.
However, Sweetie Belle bit her lip as she glanced at what was before the castle. A simple bridge swung back and forth in front of it, the planks of wood pale and the rope connecting each part clinging on for dear life. The rigidity was to the point where a small bird couldn’t walk across it without breaking the bridge.
"What is this place?" Sweetie Belle asked. “I hope we don’t have to cross that bridge.” She shivered. “I’d rather serve detention than cross that.” And according to everypony Sweetie Belle knew, detention was the worst possible thing. At least from what Scootaloo and others told her.
"I think I've read about this before," Silver Spoon replied. She rubbed her muzzle, then making eye contact with Sweetie Belle. "This might be the ancient castle that the Princesses Celestia and Luna used to live in before Nightmare Moon's banishment." Silver Spoon glanced back at the structure. She froze in place as if time stopped around her. After eight seconds, she nodded with a bright grin covering her visage. "The descriptions I've read match the castle perfectly. This has to be it."
"What?" all of the other fillies shouted in unison.
"This is the old castle?" Diamond asked with widened eyes. She shook her body, her mouth agape. "Do you think that thing from before was going there?"
Scootaloo nodded. "I bet it was. Let's go check it out!"
Diamond jumped up in the air, her face becoming paler by the second. While such an idea from Scootaloo was what Sweetie Belle expected, she could understand Diamond’s shock somewhat. "Are you crazy?" Diamond shuffled her hooves toward Scootaloo with dilated pupils. "What if something bad is in there?"
"We're on an adventure, right?” Everypony bobbed their heads together, their eyes all focused on Scootaloo. “And old places like this just have to be filled with treasure. Imagine finding something stunning like a cool sword or a crown!” Scootaloo clamped her hooves together, her eyes sparkling like stars. “C’mon, Diamond. There has to be some awesome jewels or something. Are you in?"
Diamond swished her tail around and her lips curled into a wide smirk. "You’re speaking my language at last, blank flank. I can't resist some rare, valuable treasures. I'm in!"
"That was easy." Rubbing the back of her neck, Scootaloo let out a soft chuckle. "Great! Let's—"
Sweetie Belle stretched her hoof toward the sky. "Wait a second," she interrupted. Gulping, her chest tightened. It felt as though gravity was crushing her bones and she would sink into the earth. She knew where this was going. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I'll come along, but what if Diamond Tiara is right and there's something bad there?"
"Nothing is going to happen." Scootaloo winked at Sweetie Belle, the latter releasing a nervous chuckle in response. "I promise. I totally promise nothing bad would happen.” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. “Now then, raise your hoof if you're going." Less than a second passed once Apple Bloom and Diamond raised their hooves. Silver Spoon froze for a second. She glanced over to Diamond and exhaled. After a second, she joined the other fillies in raising a hoof. "Looks like the four of us are up for it. Are you in, Sweetie Belle?"
Nodding at a slow rate, Sweetie Belle face tautened. "I am," she said. "I hope nothing bad happens."
Scootaloo pumped her hoof into the air. "Yes! Come on, gang! Let's get exploring!"
Climbing through the bush, Scootaloo then trotted down towards the old bridge leading to the castle with the other four fillies close behind. Sweetie Belle wiggled through the opening, leaves scratching her coat for a moment. However, she managed to make her way across without trouble. Her heart raced faster the closer she got to the bridge and the castle itself. She hoped Scootaloo was right.
The problem, however, was how Scootaloo tended to tempt fate or miss the mark. Whenever they went crusading, she’d always assure everypony something was an excellent plan for acquiring cutie marks. Juggling, zip lining, jumping through a burning hoop, and other ideas reached the tip of her tongue during those days. Those ideas tended to conclude with bruises or a fresh coat of tree sap if they were lucky, a scolding from Applejack or Rarity if they weren’t. But Sweetie Belle wondered if today would be different. As Twilight Sparkle once told her in a conversation about idioms, a broken clock was right twice a day. She wondered why the conversation was idioms, but it was Twilight Sparkle. At least half of the conversations she had with her were just out there, but they did captivate her mind on more than one occasion.
The trek was effortless for the most part. Aside from a few steep hills at the beginning, nothing of note approached her or even reached her ears. It was just the awe-inspiring plateau nearby, the roaring waterfall, and the singing wildlife. But as Sweetie Belle glanced at a nearby tree, she noticed the same figure from before perched atop a tree like a hawk.
It just so happened to be studying the castle, Sweetie Belle’s throat tightening in response.
"This had better be over soon without any trouble," Sweetie Belle told herself.