Chapter 3
Into the Dark Forest
As far as the team of girls from Canterlot City could see at the moment, the Dark Forest was a region of almost pure wilderness. Along the dirt path, all they could see around them were countless large trees that seemed to go on forever, and the canopy above was so think that it was difficult to tell where the sun was. The only sounds to be heard were the rustling of leaves in the cool breeze and the occasional chirping of songbirds.
After a few minutes, Rainbow Dash decided to speak up. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she asked.
“Not really,” admitted Sunset Shimmer. “But I am sure that we arrived somewhere close to where we need to go. If it’s not this way, we’ll just turn around and try the other way.”
“What if it’s not somewhere along the trail?” asked Fluttershy.
“Then we’ll just have to search through the woods,” replied Sunset. “Either way, it shouldn’t take too long for us to find Gloriosa and Timber.”
Some rustling in the nearby bushes caused everyone to suddenly stop and glance around. “Not unless somethin’ finds us, first,” cautioned Applejack.
Everyone continued to look around to try and find the source of that noise. Since none of them had any idea of what else could be lurking in this dense forest, they were all tense and on high alert.
Eventually, right behind the group of friends, someone jumped out of the bushes and gave a hearty laughter of, “Ha-ha!”
Everyone flinched and spun around at the sudden unexpected arrival. Spike was so startled that he actually yelped and leaped right into Fluttershy’s arms.
“Oh! Goodness…” mumbled Fluttershy as she caught Spike in her arms.
It didn’t take much more than a second for Spike to realized what he had just done, so he turned to Fluttershy as he chuckled nervously and muttered, “Uh, s-sorry about that.”
“It’s, um… it’s okay…” Fluttershy quietly acknowledged as she gently let Spike down out her arms.
That brief encounter did not escape Rarity’s attention. Once the shy girl and the young boy parted, Rarity looked away with an irritable expression on her face.
The team looked to the stranger and saw that he had a brown torso with a black belt around the waist and another over the right shoulder, green legs, a green forestman’s hat on his head with a red feather in it, had black facial hair in the shape of a goatee with a curled mustache, and had the standard yellow skin of most minifigs. The stranger simply gave another hearty laugh and said, “My apologies for startling the lot of thee. We do not get many visitors here. I welcome thee to the Dark Forest! I am Rob N. Hood!” He removed his hat and held it up as he introduced himself.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and asked, “Robin Hood?”
Rob gave another hearty laugh as he put his hat back on his head and replied, “No, no, that is my father’s name. I am Rob N. Hood!”
“Sounds kinda the same to me,” Applejack pointed out in confusion.
“No, I am Rob N. Hood,” stated Rob. “First name Rob, middle initial N, last name Hood.”
Pinkie Pie smiled and remarked, “Ohhhhh, Rob N. Hood. I get it!”
“Hey, I remember that name,” remarked Twilight. “You’re one of the most prominent residents of the Dark Forest.”
“True that!” acknowledged Rob proudly with his hand on his hips. “Spent my entire life in these here woods and have memorized every rock and tree to the point where I can safely navigate the land in even the darkest of nights!”
“Maybe you can help us,” Sunset spoke up. “We’re members of the LEGO Team sent here on an important mission, and we were told that we could find fellow team members Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce nearby to help us out. Do you think you could take us to them?”
“I most certainly can!” answered Rob cheerfully. “They have been encamped along with many of my fellow Forestmen at the old hemlock outpost not far from here. Follow me and I shall take thee right to thy companions!” Rob then quickly headed back through the bushes into the forest.
Sunset turned back to her friends and shrugged as she said with a smile, “Well, you heard him. Let’s go after him.” She then pushed her way through the bushes after Rob.
Rainbow Dash quickly followed after Sunset, followed by Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Twilight hesitated for a brief moment, but soon also followed through the bushes, with Spike and Fluttershy right behind her. Rarity was highly unsure about whether it was really necessary to take such a rugged direction as going right through those bushes, but once she suddenly found herself all alone, she sighed and reluctantly followed after everyone else.
After making it through the bushes, the team continued to follow Rob between the large trees of a relatively dense part of the forest. Within a few minutes, they soon arrived at a small clearing in the woods. Within this clearing were a few tree-like structures built out of brown and green Lego bricks, some of which appeared to have a door at the base of the trunk and a few small windows higher up along the trunk.
“Huh… brick-built trees,” noted Sunset. “How interesting.”
“Not so surprising, when you consider that this region was established about twenty years ago,” explained Twilight. “Back then, there weren’t as many multi-purpose specialized parts as we have today, so builders in those days had to create whatever they could with a rather limited range of simple bricks and pieces. And since this region stopped receiving public support after only a year, it has remained virtually unchanged since those days, almost like a time capsule.”
As the team entered the clearing, the door at the base of one of the brick-built trees opened and out stepped a minifig with pink skin, yellow on her torso and shoulders, a green band across the top and middle of the torso, light blue on her upper legs, brown around her feet, and a face and hair piece that the team immediately recognized from the portrait they had recently seen of Gloriosa Daisy. She also had a small piece around her neck joint in the shape of a necklace with five tiny gemstones that were colored, from left to right, yellow, white, orange, blue, and pink.
As Gloriosa walked out of the brick-built tree, she quickly noticed the team and her pleasant smile turned to a confused frown. “What’s going on here?” she asked.
“Greetings, Miss Daisy,” said Rob as he walked over to Gloriosa. “These fair ladies claim to be members of the LEGO Team, sent to this very region on a mission of great importance. They are in need of assistance from thou and thy brother, so I have brought them here.”
Gloriosa turned to the team and asked, “You girls are from the LEGO Team? What branch are you part of?”
“Canterlot City,” answered Rarity.
“Canterlot City?” muttered Gloriosa. She then immediately smiled and remarked, “Oh, you must be the team that saved the Lego World on three separate occasions!”
“Yup! That would be us!” boasted Rainbow Dash.
“Well, I must say, it’s a real pleasure to meet you girls,” said Gloriosa. “I’m Gloriosa Daisy, director of Camp Everfree just outside of Cantrlot City, and a trusted fellow member of the LEGO Team.”
“Nice to meet ya too, Gloriosa,” greeted Applejack as she shook Gloriosa’s hand. “Ah remember goin’ to Camp Everfree when Ah was a kid. Good times.”
“I remember going to Camp Everfree, too,” added Fluttershy. “I just loved going on all those wonderful nature walks.”
“I went to Camp Everfree when I was a kid, too!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie excitedly. “Best summer ever!”
Sunset turned to her teammates and asked, “Wait, are you saying some of you actually met her before?”
“Probably not,” admitted Gloriosa. “I became camp director only a few years ago, so I’m sure it was my late parents who had welcomed them to Camp Everfree back then.”
“Yeah, they were awesome,” remarked Rainbow Dash. “It was really cool how they let us do whatever activities we wanted to do.”
“Though I still can’t believe they wouldn’t let me do a fashion show for ‘impracticality’ reasons,” grumbled Rarity. “I mean, how difficult can it really be to acquire rolls of fabric, sewing machines, mannequins, and a customized runway?”
The four other girls who had once been to Camp Everfree just frowned and silently shook their heads.
Twilight sighed and mumbled, “I wish I could’ve been there. I certainly would’ve loved it much more than staying in the Castle Region.”
Sunset had heard Twilight, but chose to ignore that comment for now as she turned to Gloriosa and remarked, “I’m actually impressed that you can handle both running a summer camp and going on missions for the LEGO Team.”
“To be honest, I didn’t really plan on things turning out like this,” admitted Gloriosa. “My brother and I both joined the LEGO Team to gain some experience that we could later pass on to future campers, but it was only a few weeks later that I suddenly found myself in charge of our family’s camp. It’s been quite a struggle at times, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Like I always say, I’ve got this.”
“Speaking of your brother, where’s Timber Spruce?” asked Twilight.
“He’s out gathering firewood right now,” answered Gloriosa, “but I’m sure he’ll be back any minute.”
“In that case, I guess we’ll wait for him to come back before we explain why we’ve been sent here,” said Sunset.
“Or maybe we won’t have to wait at all,” said Pinkie as she pointed to the other side of the clearing. “Look!”
Everyone turned to where Pinkie was pointing and they saw a small wagon loaded with chopped logs being hauled into the encampment by a minifig with medium nougat skin, red on his torso and shoulders, olive green on his upper legs, brown on his feet and in a band around his wrists, a symbol printed on the front of his torso of a mountain and a lake under a sunny sky, and a face and hair piece that the team immediately recognized from the portrait they had recently seen of Timber Spruce.
Timber brought the wagon over to another one of the brick-built trees, then grabbed the ax he had stuck onto a clamp on the side of the wagon and made his way towards the middle of the encampment. As soon as he noticed his sister and the team of girls nearby, he stopped walking and turned to them. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Uh… what’s going on, Gloriosa? I thought we were supposed to be the only ones on this goodwill mission.”
“Well, it looks like something else has come up recently,” replied Gloriosa. She turned to Sunset and asked, “Care to explain?”
Sunset nodded and explained, “Just over an hour ago, Celestia informed us that the evil sorceress, the Great and Powerful Trixie, is once again on the move, along with her army of skeleton warriors. She was last seen heading towards this part of the Castle Region, claiming that she’s after some new kind of powerful magic. We don’t know what she’s really after, nor are we absolutely sure that she’s actually targeting the Dark Forest or just passing through, but we do know that we need to stop her here before she gets any further.”
“Oh my,” muttered Gloriosa as she held her hand near her mouth in shock. “That does sound like some serious trouble.”
“And Celestia Playwell thinks we can help you?” asked Timber.
“You happen to be in the area right now,” replied Sunset. “And since you’re here on a goodwill mission, we figured that you could convince the locals to help us, too.”
Rob N. Hood — who was still with the gathered group — gave another hearty laugh and proclaimed, “Say no more, fair lady. I shall spread the word to my fellow Forestmen and we shall scout these woods for any sign of the evil sorceress and her army.”
Applejack simply shrugged and remarked, “Works for me.”
“Yeah,” agreed Rainbow Dash. “With your help, we’ll catch that arrogant brat in no time!”
“But first,” Gloriosa spoke up, “perhaps you could ask the Forestmen to help build some shelters for our new guests here. It’ll be getting dark soon, and I would hate for these girls to be forced to sleep outside.”
“What do you mean it’ll be dark soon?” asked Rarity in confusion. “I’m fairly sure that it is still rather early in the afternoon.”
“The Castle Region lies a few time zones ahead of the City Regions,” explained Twilight. “Due to our instantaneous travel via the Jump-Gate, we see from our perspective that we’ve jumped ahead a few hours so that it’s now almost evening.”
“Jump-Gate?” asked Timber. “What’s a Jump-Gate?”
Twilight replied, “It’s a means of literally instantaneous travel, once used exclusively by Shadowbolt agents, and now being adopted for use by the LEGO Team. To sum it up in a single simple sentence, it’s basically an instant doorway to anywhere you wanna go.”
“Sounds pretty neat,” remarked Timber. “Any idea where I can get one?”
Twilight folded her arms and smugly smiled as she replied, “Well, it just so happens that you’re speaking with the inventor of the Jump-Gate.”
“Oh, so you’re an inventor?” noted Timber. “That’s pretty cool. I wonder what else you’ve invented.”
“Oh, much more than I can recall off the top of my head, that’s for sure,” remarked Twilight. “You should see my personal laboratory. I often have more than one project going on at a time.”
Sunset cleared her throat and spoke up, “Uh, as much as I’m sure you two would love to talk about random stuff, we should probably get to work on building those shelters.”
“Consider it done!” declared Rob. He then turned to the surrounding trees and cupped his hands around his mouth as he called out, “Fellow Forestmen!”
Within seconds, numerous minifigs began to pop out of their hiding places from either behind trees, within bushes, and even up in the treetops. These minifigs all wore woodland uniforms in various arrangements of green and brown, with some also having bits of red, yellow, or blue. They wore on their heads either a brown hood or a green Forestman’s hat with a feather in it, and some of them even had a quiver on their back, attached around the neck joint. The Forestmen quickly emerged from their various hideouts and gathered around Rob.
“Forestmen,” began Rob, “we are in need of more shelters to house our new guests here. The way I see things here, I’m afraid we may not have enough parts to construct one for each of them, but if we presume they shall not mind sharing, I believe four tent-like shelters should suffice.” He turned back to the team and asked, “Shall that be acceptable to thee?”
“I think we’re good with that,” replied Sunset.
“Very well, then.” Rob turned back to the gathered Forestmen and declared, “Forestmen, let’s get building!”
The gathered Forestmen all nodded and quickly leaped into action, gathering around two of the brick-built trees. Some of the Forestmen climbed up to the top of those two trees, then started taking them apart, piece by piece, and passing each part down to the Forestmen on the ground below. Those on the ground divided themselves into two distinct groups. The first group stayed at the base of the trees and caught the parts as they fell, then passed them on to the other group, who then began assembling those parts into something new. With everyone moving like clockwork, it didn’t take long before four brick-built tent-like structures began to take shape.
“Wow, these guys are good,” remarked Pinkie Pie.
“Behold,” Timber proudly said, “building with Lego bricks, old school style.”
“It’s almost like going back in time,” muttered Spike in awe.
Despite moving at a pace that would be considered relatively average, the fact that the Forestmen all worked together allowed them to make surprisingly quick progress. And as the tents continued to take shape, it was clear they all possessed some amazing creative talent, especially considering the rather limited range of parts they had to work with. They may not have been Master Builders, but they certainly didn’t need any instructions.
After only a matter of minutes, the four brick-built tents were completed. They were built mostly out of brown bricks, with a few special green parts atop the roof. Instead of an actual door, they had a small wall section on hinges. And with no transparent parts, all the small windows in the tents were simply gaps in the walls. Most importantly, all four structures seemed large enough to each house two minifigs, just as the team was promised.
“Not bad,” remarked Applejack with a smile. “Not bad at all.”
“Yes, I suppose these shelters should suffice, given the surrounding environment,” acknowledged Rarity with her arms folded.
“Job well done, fellow Forestmen!” declared Rob. “Now that the matter of shelter for our guests has been settled, we now have a new task at hand. It is rumored that the evil sorceress, the Great and Powerful Trixie, is on her way into this very forest as we speak. Therefore, we must establish patrols to be on the lookout for any sign of Trixie or her army of skeleton warriors. Should any of us discover Trixie’s presence in these woods, we are to swiftly alert the LEGO Team encamped here, so that they may take action to deal with the threat. So let us not waste another moment, lads. Grab thy swords, ready thy bows, and may the Dark Forest protect thee!”
All of the gathered Forestmen nodded in acknowledgement and began to quickly spread out through the surrounding woodland.
“So, um… what now?” asked Fluttershy.
“With Rob and the Forestmen on the lookout for Trixie, I guess all we can do now is wait until they find her,” replied Sunset with a shrug.
“Agreed,” stated Twilight. “Until we know for sure where Trixie is, we won’t be able to devise an effective strategy on how we can possibly deal with her.”
“In the meantime,” said Gloriosa with a smile, “you girls should relax here and enjoy the peace for however long it’ll last.”
“Are you sure we won’t be too much of a burden for you and your brother, Miss Daisy?” asked Rarity.
Gloriosa simply giggled and replied, “Oh, don’t worry about me. If I can handle running Camp Everfree for half the year and going on goodwill missions for the other half, I can definitely handle a mash-up of the two. I’ve got this!” She then turned around and walked back into the brick-built tree she had been residing in.
Timber rested his ax over his shoulder as he said, “While you girls figure out who’s gonna sleep in which tent, I’ll go get the campfire started.” He then turned around and headed back to his wagon full of firewood.
Sunset turned to her teammates and said, “Well, you heard him. Since we’re all gonna have to share a tent with someone, we should decide who we would be most comfortable with.”
Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack and simply asked, “Roommate?”
Applejack nodded and simply replied, “Roommate.” She and Rainbow then headed towards one of the brick-built tents.
“Boy, that was an easy choice,” quipped Spike.
“Hey, Spike?” asked Sunset. “Is it okay with you if I share a tent with Twilight?”
Spike shrugged and replied, “Eh, fine by me. I know you care about her as much as I do, so I’m okay with it.”
“What about you, Twilight?” asked Sunset. “Is that okay with you?”
“Uh, sure, I guess,” replied Twilight with a shrug. “I mean, Spike’s right. I do trust you a lot, Sunset Shimmer, so I’m actually kinda glad you’d want to share one of these tents with me.”
“I suppose I know who will be volunteering to stay with me,” remarked Rarity. She turned to Spike and asked, “Care to assist me with my luggage?”
Spike hesitantly glanced away as he replied, “Actually, I was thinking of staying with Fluttershy.” He glanced at Rarity and quickly added, “No hard feelings, right?”
Before Rarity had a chance to respond, Spike quickly turned away and walked over to one of the brick-built tents. Fluttershy didn’t say anything and simply shrugged with a frown before following after Spike.
Rarity let out a sigh of disappointment.
Pinkie Pie immediately wrapped her arms around Rarity and gave her a big hug as she remarked, “Looks like that just leaves me and you. Yay! We get to be tent buddies!”
Straining against the tight hug, Rarity turned to Sunset and Twilight and quietly whimpered, “Please help me.”
Both Sunset and Twilight couldn’t resist giggling at Rarity’s misfortune.
Later that evening, after the sun had set and darkness fell over the Dark Forest, the Canterlot City LEGO Team, along with Timber Spruce, had gathered around a campfire in the middle of the clearing. All nine minifigs were sitting on three simple benches, each built out of a few 2x2 bricks and a 2x12 plate. Timber sat in the middle of one bench with Twilight to his left and Applejack to his right. On the bench next to Twilight, Fluttershy sat in the middle with Sunset Shimmer to the right and Spike to the left. And on the bench next to Applejack, Pinkie Pie sat in the middle with Rarity to the right and Rainbow Dash to the left.
As everyone stared into the campfire, Rarity sighed and asked, “How long do you suppose we will be encamped in this area?”
“As long as it takes for Rob and the Forestmen to find Trixie,” answered Sunset. “Once we know where she is, then we can begin our mission to stop her, and only when we’re finished with that will be when we can return home.”
“I really hope we can do that as soon as possible,” muttered Fluttershy. “Even after the last two times we’ve met Trixie, she still scares me.”
“I’m sure she can’t be that terrifying,” remarked Timber. “I’ve heard of a lot of other scary things that lurk in forests like this one.”
“Really?” asked Applejack as she raised an eyebrow. “Well if you’ve got a scary story for us, Ah’d be happy to hear it.”
“Are you girls really sure you wanna hear this story?” asked Timber.
“After everything we’ve been through, I’m sure we can handle an old campfire story,” replied Rainbow Dash dismissively.
“Alright, if you insist,” said Timber. He then leaned forward and began his story. “Everyone, gather close and listen, as I tell you about the legend… of Gaia Everfree.
“Many years ago, back when Ole Playwell himself oversaw the establishment of the Lego World, my great-grandparents were among the first generation of minifigures. While most people at the time were content with founding all the Town Regions that would later become cities, my great-grandparents were more interested in exploring new lands and sharing their discoveries others. When they reached the area that would later be known as the Castle Region, they knew that this was a special place, and began surveying the land to aid any future explorers and settlers who would almost certainly follow.
“But when they reached the Dark Forest, strange things started to happen. It began with small things, like their surveying equipment falling over on its own, or the campfire suddenly going out. But as they went deeper into the Dark Forest, they began to see incidents caused by roots and vines suddenly sprouting out of the ground and entangling themselves around anything they could grasp.
“Finally, one dark and windy night, my great-grandparents heard a loud crash, so they rushed out of their tent, just before a massive tree toppled over and fell right on top of it! Before they even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief from that narrow escape, they turned around and saw a large creature rising from the earth. She had wild hair like the roots of a tree, her mouth had jagged rock teeth, and her eyes were pools of black tar, but her aura shimmered like diamonds. Anywhere she went, she left a trail of gem dust in her wake.
“Trembling in fear, my great-grandparents asked who she was and what she wanted. In a deep and hollow voice, she told them that her name was Gaia Everfree, an ancient spirit who held domain over the forests of the world, and that they were trespassing on one of her favorite lands. My great-grandparents got down on their knees and begged her to let them leave unharmed, promising that they would do whatever they could to persuade others to not bring harm to this land. Gaia Everfree finally agreed, but warned them that should their promise ever be broken, she would return to wreak havoc on those who would dare to disturb her domain.
“When my great-grandparents later returned to the town of Canterlot, they bought all the land of the forest not far from town to ensure that no one else would be allowed to try and develop that land for any selfish reason. They named it the Everfree Forest, as a reminder of the promise they made, and built a summer camp there so that others would be able to see for themselves the beautiful land they were trying to preserve.
“To this day, my family continues to hold that promise my great-grandparents made all those years ago. But although we warn everyone we can, we know that won’t guarantee that these forests remain undisturbed. So if any of you ever see a trail of gem dust, you’ll know that it’s a warning from… Gaia Everfree!”
As soon as Timber finished his story, a dark figure suddenly appeared behind him and approached the gathered group, causing most of them to scream in terror. Spike also leaped into Fluttershy’s arms.
The figure stepped forward and the light from the campfire revealed it to be Gloriosa Daisy. “Hey, everyone!” she greeted with a smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Where were you, anyway?” asked Sunset.
Gloriosa hesitated for a second as she replied, “I was… speaking with Rob about the ongoing search for Trixie. No sign of her yet, but the Forestmen will keep looking.”
The teammates glanced at one another with unsure looks.
Gloriosa ignored the looks of uncertainty and said, “Well, it’s getting pretty late now, so you girls better start getting ready for bed. See you in the morning!” With a smile and a wave, she then turned around and returned to the brick-built tree where she was staying in the encampment.
After watching his sister leave, Timber turned back to the others and asked, “Are you sure you won’t have too much trouble getting some sleep tonight? You did say you skipped over a few time zones to get here.”
“We actually woke up pretty early today so we could make it to the LEGO News Show on time,” explained Sunset. “I’m sure we’ll adjust soon enough.”
Timber nodded and said, “In that case, I’m gonna hit the sack. I’ll leave the fire going for the night watch.” He then got up off the bench and began walking over to another one of the brick-built trees.
Timber’s mention of the night watch made Twilight glance around at the surrounding forest. She couldn’t see them, but she knew that some of the friendly Forestmen had volunteered to keep watch throughout the night. With the threat of Trixie out there and not a clue as to where she and her army might be, they were not taking any chances.
“Um, Spike?” Fluttershy quietly spoke up. “You can let go now.”
Spike suddenly realized that he had leaped into Fluttershy’s arms and held his arms around her neck. With a nervous chuckle, he let go of her and stepped back onto the ground.
Rarity said nothing as she narrowed her eyes at that display, which did not go unnoticed by Pinkie Pie.
“Don’t be so nervous, Spike,” assured Applejack. “Ah’m sure that story can’t be real.”
“I don’t know…” said Rainbow Dash uneasily. “Gaia Everfree could be some creature that got booted from Equestria and ended up in this world. That’s what happened with the sirens.”
“True that,” admitted Applejack. “But for now, let’s try not to worry ‘bout that too much. We’ve got enough on our plate with Trixie on the loose. The last thing we need is Equestrian magic to further complicate things.”
“Yes, I suppose that would be a legitimate concern,” noted Rarity. “After dealing with three incidents involving powerful magic from Equestia, I am most certainly not looking forward to the possibility of yet another one.” When she noticed Twilight’s downcast expression, Rarity nervously chuckled and added, “Uh, no offense, darling.”
Twilight refused to say anything as she got up from her bench and began walking over to her tent.
Sunset Shimmer sighed as she got up from her seat on the bench and said to her teammates, “We should probably be more careful about what we say around Twilight. She’s obviously still going through a lot.” She then followed Twilight back to their tent.
Everyone else silently agreed with Sunset as they all got up from the benches and walked over to their respective tents for the night.
Sunset entered her brick-built tent and pulled the hinged wall segment closed behind her. She glanced over at Twilight’s side of the tent and saw her friend already laying out the sheets on the makeshift bed she would be sleeping on. As Sunset unpacked her bedsheets and began laying them out on the other bed, she glanced back at Twilight and asked, “Hey, uh, are you okay? You seem to have been a little out of sorts all day.”
Twilight finished setting up her bed as she irritably responded, “I’m fine.” Surprised by her sharp tone, she quickly turned around and smiled and she sat down on her bed and added, “I mean, what do I have to complain about? Ever since I joined the LEGO Team, everyone has been so nice and accepting.” She then frowned and turned her gaze downward as she mumbled, “Especially considering that Midnight Sparkle incident…”
Sunset had just finished setting up her bed, so she turned back to Twilight and said, “That wasn’t your fault.” She glanced aside and uneasily muttered, “Well, not entirely, at least.” She sat down next to Twilight and continued, “Look, Twilight, I know you made some mistakes in the past — believe me, I know what that’s like — but that’s only because you didn’t have anyone to show you the right path. Abacus Cinch gave you the idea of unleashing that stolen magic, and then forced you into a situation where you thought that magic would be your only escape. You weren’t ready to handle that kind of power, but it’s over now, and if there’s any group that’s gonna forgive you for something that happened in the past, trust me, it’s this one.”
Twilight turned to Sunset and smiled. Sunset returned the smile, then got up and began to walk over to her bed, only to suddenly trip over Twilight’s backpack and spill some of its contents across the floor. Sunset stumbled a little and cursed under her breath.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” assured Twilight as she stood up and began to reach for one of her items on the floor. But just before she was about to grab her water flask, the object suddenly became surrounded in a purple glow and began to levitate off the floor. Twilight immediately froze, then glanced over to some of the other items on the floor and saw the same thing starting to happen to them as well, followed by the backpacks and then even the beds. Both Twilight and Sunset stared silently as practically every loose object inside the tent was now hovering in the air.
Sunset slowly turned to Twilight and asked, “Did you…? How is this possible?”
“I can’t believe this, it’s…” muttered Twilight. She paused for a second, then finished her thought right at the exact same time as Sunset made her own conclusion to that thought.
“Amazing!” exclaimed Sunset.
“Terrible!” exclaimed Twilight simultaneously.
As soon as those words were spoken, the purple glow surrounding all the floating objects suddenly vanished, and all the objects quickly dropped back to the floor.
Sunset smiled at Twilight and cheerfully exclaimed, “Are you kidding? This is great! I mean, we’ve all ponied up before, gotten the whole ears and wings and tail thing, shot magical rainbow lasers, but nothing like this has ever happened! How did you do it?”
“I don’t know!” exclaimed Twilight, almost on the verge of panic. She turned away and mumbled, “Maybe I didn’t… Maybe it’s her…”
“Her who?” asked Sunset, having overheard Twilight.
“Nothing! Never mind!” Twilight quickly replied nervously. “Can we just not talk about it? And could you please not bring this whole levitating thing up to the others?”
“Why not?” asked Sunset in confusion.
“You heard Applejack,” replied Twilight as she climbed into her bed. “It’s bad enough that we’re here to deal with Trixie the evil sorceress. I don’t want everyone worrying about me bringing some crazy new kind of magic into the picture.”
Sunset sat down on her bed and said, “If you really don’t want me to, I won’t say anything.”
Twilight removed her glasses and pulled her bedsheets over herself before she mumbled, “I really don’t.”
“Okay, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” insisted Sunset.
Twilight lightly growled in response and rolled over in her bed so that she was facing away from Sunset.
At a loss for words, Sunset glanced down at the objects still scattered across the floor. As her eyes fell on Twilight’s water flask, she couldn’t help but think, I wonder if I could do the same… As a former unicorn from Equestria, the temptation was too great to pass up. She held her hand out and grunted as she tried to will the flask to rise. She sighed when nothing happened. She tried again with as much mental power as she could, but still got the same result.
“Just pick it all up,” grumbled Twilight. “I’d do it myself, but… well, you saw what happened.”
Sunset moaned in disappointment, then stood up and began gathering all of the loose items and putting them all back into Twilight’s backpack. Once the floor of the tent was cleared, she then returned to her bed and pulled the sheets over herself. With a sad frown, she glanced over at Twilight, then switched off the nearby lantern and lied down in her bed.