“You mean to say that the portal was unstable on this end and that its position likely shifted rapidly?” Wind Whistler said.
“I think so,” Fizzy said. “That sounds like what Pinkie Pie said.”
“That would be consistent with our inability to locate Gusty within the confines of the settlement,” Wind Whistler said. “I believe that our best course of action is to convene with this Starlight.”
“Very well,” Rarity said. “I shall lead the way.” She trotted off, and Wind Whistler and Fizzy followed. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had left to take care of some animals and whatever the “Wonderbolts” were. The walk gave Wind Whistler a moment to appreciate the town. Ponies trotted about everywhere, chatting and even occasionally singing. This town was much bigger than Paradise Estates, and it gave off a peaceful, friendly aura. By comparison, Paradise Estates felt like a little haven in a world of chaos, always on the brink of being invaded or destroyed.
While Wind Whistler was watching in wonder, Rarity opened a conversation with Fizzy. “Darling, where was it that you said you were from?” she asked. “I’ve never met a pony quite like you.”
“Oh, I’m from Paradise Estates,” Fizzy said.
“Paradise Estates?” Rarity said. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s in Dream Valley,” Fizzy said.
“Dream… Valley?”
“In Ponyland.”
Rarity chuckled. “Maybe Pinkie was on to something with that space-time whatever talk,” she said. “I’ve never heard of any of these places, and I’ve been around more than you might have guessed. Tell me, are there other ponies with eyes like yours where you’re from?”
“Yep, there’s probably about fifteen of us,” Fizzy said.
“I’d be so very interested in learning how you ended up with eyes like those,” Rarity said. “Is there any possibility I can have them too?”
“Ooh, I don’t think you’d want them,” Fizzy said. “The story of how we got them is a doozy!”
“Please, don’t feel obliged to share anything that makes you uncomfortable,” Rarity said.
“It’s no problem,” Fizzy said. “It all started…”
* * *
Gusty took off at a full gallop. Something was definitely chasing her. She heard howls, and the air smelled like rotting flesh. It was hard to run through this forest, with all the fallen logs and roots in the way. Whatever was on her tail was gaining.
Gusty snapped her head back and launched a blast of wind out of her horn. It kicked up hundreds of leaves on the ground, obscuring the view of her hunter. She got a glimpse of glowing eyes before the leaves blocked everything. She leapt behind a log and held absolutely still, hiding. Hopefully whatever was after her had lost track of her. She could still hear it prowling around and sniffing. The foul smell was getting stronger. The creature was coming closer. It would find her, and she couldn’t outrun it in this thick forest. Gusty started psyching herself up for an epic battle.
CRUNCH! There was the sound of dozens of branches and twigs snapping, then silence. The smell dissipated. Gusty dared to peak over the log. A pink earth pony was standing over a pile of sticks. “Shady?” Gusty said. “Boy, am I glad to see you.”
“Hey, Gusty,” Shady said.
“What happened?” Gusty said. “Where did the monster go?”
“I jumped on its head,” Shady said. “Turns out it was just made of sticks.”
“Where did you jump from?” Gusty said.
“Over there,” Shady said, pointing to a short cliff a few pony lengths away.
“Wow, that’s quite a jump,” Gusty said. “You really earned that earth pony jumping title. But how did you find me?”
“I’ve been following that creature for a while now,” Shady said. “I figured it might lead me to a path or something else useful.”
“You were following it, and it didn’t notice you?” Gusty said.
“My flank symbol isn’t sunglasses for no reason, you know,” Shady said. “When I was a filly, I would hide from everyone because I was so shy. I don’t hide from ponies anymore, but I’m still good at sneaking around.”
“Good job, Shady,” Gusty said. “You really got me out of a tight spot, there. Say, where are Fizzy and Wind Whistler?”
“Oh,” Shady said, lowering her head—which she had held high after beating that monster. “We were going to go through that portal together, but I froze in fear when the other two crossed. When I finally got the nerves to come through, they were nowhere to be seen. I messed up. You once told me to never doubt myself, and that’s exactly what I did.”
“Shady, you just hoofed it to a monster that had me running and hiding,” Gusty said. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone messes up sometimes, but you gotta keep trying.”
“You’re always brave,” Shady said. “I could never be like you.”
It was sad, watching Shady’s mood turn so depressed after she had done something so heroic. There had to be something Gusty could do to make her feel better. “Oh, come on, I’m not perfect,” Gusty said. “I mean, for example…” She hadn’t really thought about this before. “There was the time I…” Could she really not think of any flaws she had? “Tell you what, Shady? While we look for a way out of this forest, you help me think of something I need to improve on. Then you can help me with that and I can help you with your confidence. We’ll be like… personal progress buddies.”
“Okay, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” Shady said.
“Nothing can hurt my feelings,” Gusty said. “Now come on. Let’s find the others and get out of here.”
* * *
“WHAAAT??” Rarity shrieked. “I can’t believe it. It’s too horrible!” She fainted onto a couch. Wind Whistler looked around, confused. She hadn’t noticed that couch earlier. Where did it come from, and what was it doing in the middle of the street?
“That’s really what happened,” Fizzy said. “I never did get that pony’s name. And she left before I finished adjusting my gem eyes, so I didn’t get a good look at her either. But I saw her coat color, at least, and I’m sure she smelled like apples.”
“It is certainly a traumatizing account,” Wind Whistler said. “However, I must stress to you the urgency of our current situation. We must promptly discover whether our friend has been transported to a perilous locale.”
“Of course, you’re right,” Rarity said, standing up. “Let us say that I am no longer interested in getting eyes like yours, Fizzy.” She left the couch behind. So, it wasn’t hers? Soon, they arrived at a large, imperious building. It was built into the foothill of a mountain. A stream from the mountain ran into the building, coming out as a waterfall that spilled into a pool at the front of the building. A stone pathway crossed the pool to the impressive double doors.
“Here we are,” Rarity said. Their hooves clacked against the stone walkway as they crossed the pool. Rarity opened the door with magic, and they entered. There was a courtyard in the middle of the building, but they turned down a hallway. The hallways were mostly empty, but there were a few ponies wandering around. Most of them were young, perhaps students.
“Hey, Rarity,” an adult earth pony said. She had a deep voice and an accent. “Are these new students?”
Fizzy gasped. “It’s you!” She rushed forward and hugged the earth pony.
“Oh, hey, uh… What’s going on, Rarity?” the earth pony said, looking over Fizzy’s shoulder.
“I’m not quite sure, Applejack,” Rarity said. “These two are looking for a friend they’ve lost track of. However, I don’t know why Fizzy has decided to hug you.”
“It is you!” Fizzy said, still hugging her. “You smell like apples, just like I remember.”
“I had some for lunch,” Applejack said. “But what are you talking about?”
“Oh,” Rarity said, her eyes going wide. “She’s mistaken you for somepony from her past. Unless… did you buck a wizard into a crevasse without telling me?”
Before Applejack could respond, Fizzy grabbed Applejack’s hoof and shook it. “My name is Fizzy. It’s such an honor to meet you again. All us twinkle-eyed ponies are so grateful.”
“Twinkle-eyed—whoa!” Applejack jerked back, startled. “Y’all got something… on your face, there, partner.”
“Do you like ‘em?” Fizzy said. She gasped. “Would you help us look for our friend, Gusty? She’s a white unicorn.”
“Uh… sure thing,” Applejack said.
“Pinkie Pie said that Starlight might be able to find her using magic,” Rarity said. “Do you know where she is?”
“Ah, y’all missed her,” Applejack said. “She and Trixie headed out for a tour.”
“I thought she usually stayed a few hours after the school closed on Friday to wrap things up,” Rarity said.
“She used to, but I think her and Trixie had a talk about balancing friendships and work,” Applejack said. “She asked me to stick around and clean up in here.”
“Ah, but we need Starlight’s magical aptitude,” Rarity said.
“Whatever y’all need, I’ll be an apple in a barrel if Twilight can’t do it, too,” Applejack said. “We do have the Friendship Council tomorrow.”
“Our situation is time-sensitive,” Wind Whistler said. “Our friend could be in danger.”
“I’m afraid this magic will be beyond the abilities of anypony else,” Rarity said.
“Then we shall continue to search for our friend by conventional methods until tomorrow,” Wind Whistler said.
“If y’all can’t find her before dark, y’all are welcome to stay at Sweet Apple Acres overnight,” Applejack said. “Y’all can take the train with us to Canterlot to talk with Twilight tomorrow morning. If’n y’all still haven’t found yer friend.”
“We would love to stay with you,” Fizzy said, eyes sparkling.
“Listen, partner,” Applejack said. “I don’t know who y’all think I am, but I ain’t. I ain’t met nopony like y’all before, and I didn’t buck no wizard down a crevasse or whatever.”
“Oh, really?” Fizzy said, sounding a little down. “But I was so sure. You look just like her, and you even have the apple smell.”
“Sorry,” Applejack said. This struck Wind Whistler as significant. Another case of a pony from one side of the portal being reminiscent of a pony from the other side. It was statistically improbable. “I have a map of Ponyville and the surroundings in my classroom. Let me fetch that for y’all.”
“I do wish I could be of further assistance,” Rarity said. “But I must get back to Carousel Boutique. Good luck.”
“You’ve been remarkably generous with your time,” Wind Whistler said. “You have our gratitude.”
Applejack brought them the map and pointed out various features to them. “I’ll keep an eye out around Sweet Apple Acres after I’m done at the school, so consider that area covered,” Applejack said. “The real trouble will be the Everfree Forest. There’s a bushel and a half of dangerous creatures and plants out there. I wouldn’t go in without a guide. And flyin’ over the treetops, I reckon all ya’d see is leaves.”
“If our friend is in there, it is imperative that we find her,” Wind Whistler said. “None of these other locations seem inherently dangerous, so we could wait until tomorrow to reunite with Gusty. Logically, we should search the Everfree Forest first to minimize the danger to her.”
“Hoo boy,” Applejack said, taking off her hat. “I get bein’ loyal to yer friends. But I can’t go with y’all; I have to finish cleanin’ up here. If y’all are willing to take the risk, follow this here path to that little hut on the map. A zebra named Zecora lives there. She can help y’all stay safe in the Everfree Forest. Don’t leave the path until y’all meet Zecora, not even to look for yer friend. And for pony’s sake, don’t touch any blue flowers. There’s poison joke out there.”
“Thank you for the warning,” Wind Whistler said.
* * *
Soon, Wind Whistler and Fizzy had followed the map to the edge of Everfree Forest. The sun was already low in the sky. The whole forest was in shadow. Gnarled trees bent over the path, draped in moss. “It’s a good thing unicorns are good luck,” Fizzy said. “Because it seems like a lot of bad things could happen in there.”
Wind Whistler didn’t dare express her worries and dampen Fizzy’s mood. Unicorn luck was just a superstition, and Wind Whistler predicted a high probability of navigational error or worse. Even if they didn’t get lost or hurt, the odds of finding Gusty were low. And even if they did, Wind Whistler had no idea how they would get back to Dream Valley. Although the ponies they had met so far were certainly pleasant, Wind Whistler sincerely wished that they had never come here.