//------------------------------// // One // Story: Lethe // by LunasCaptain //------------------------------// "A Changeling attack on your brother's wedding day? Forgive me, Twilight, I don't know what to say." "It all turned out alright in the end," Twilight replied, raising a bowl of tea to her lips and sipping. "You are here, so it must be true. And I have heard it from others, too," Zecora acknowledged. "Rainbow Dash came by to tell of a battle straight from hell." "Well, it wasn't that bad..." "That is what Pinkie said," she answered, "despite the bandage 'round her head." "Oh. That was from something else." Twilight laughed. "None of us were seriously hurt in the attack, and I guess we should be thankful for that. A lot of ponies weren't so lucky." It had been almost two months since the incident in Canterlot. For Twilight Sparkle and her friends, life had finally returned to some semblance of normality. No rogue Changelings had popped up wanting revenge, everypony had stopped wanting to hear the story again and again, and Cadance and Shining Armor had settled nicely into married life. Twilight had made the trek out to Zecora's home to get some books for independent study (the zebra's library, though meager, was full of exotic books), but had learned that she had never actually heard the entire Changeling story. So what should have been a quick trip had turned into a lengthy social visit. Not that Twilight minded. Zecora made some truly fantastic tea. "From what I heard, you were on the front lines," Zecora said, getting to her hooves to stir the contents of the small cauldron hanging over the fire. "A spirit of luck must be on your side. To not be hurt in such a fierce war--I've never heard of this before." "I wouldn't call it a war, the real battle didn't even last an hour," Twilight pointed out. She ignited her horn and raised her bowl to her muzzle again. "Ah, yes, but it was Changelings you fought," Zecora countered. "And you fired more than a single shot. You were strong and brave and true; in my land, we'd make a warrior out of you." Twilight blushed and looked away. "Well--" "You should not fear praise, my dear Twilight," Zecora said gently. "But this discussion must end, for it shall soon be night." "What? Oh!" Twilight glanced out the window, then leaped to her hooves, nearly knocking her bowl of tea over in the process. It looked like Celestia was lowering the sun. The sight of it sinking below the false horizon created by the trees unnerved her greatly--she didn't want to have to find her way out of the Everfree in the dark. She slung her empty saddlebags onto her back, completely forgetting why she'd come. She had to get home in time to write the outline for this week's letter to the princess, and Spike had to be given a bath (which was an ordeal inof itself), and-- "Twilight! Twilight, wait!" Taking her hoof off of the door, Twilight turned around to see Zecora trotting toward her with a stack of books on her back. "Aren't you forgetting why you came?" She smiled sheepishly. "Oh...right. Thanks, Zecora." "I'm always happy to lend to you." The zebra turned so that Twilight could see the titles of the books before dumping them into her saddlebags. "These are the books you wanted, true?" "Yeah--they are, How did you know?" "There are some secrets I must keep." Zecora winked. "You'd best get home and get to sleep. There's something about the forest tonight--something I'm not sure I like." The sudden transition from joking to warning sent a chill up Twilight's spine. She hid it with a bright smile. "Well, thanks for the tea, Zecora--and the books. I'll bring them back when I'm done." The zebra shooed her out the door, murmuring goodbyes and other pleasantries. She watched Twilight trot off through the darkening Everfree. The sun had vanished completely by the time Twilight reached Ponyville. The moon wasn't up yet, though--Luna was still painting her sky, the first stars bright enough to promise a masterpiece. Most denizens of the town had already gone inside for the night. Golden light spilled out of their windows, illuminating the few ponies still up and about. There was Derpy, delivering the last few letters of the day. Rose was watering the flowers in front of the shop that she tended with Daisy and Lily. Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon, her housemate (Twilight assumed--she didn't know them well enough to judge their relationship), were chatting quietly on a bench. She smiled at them as she passed. Predictably, the library was lit up like a birthday cake for Princess Celestia, and Spike was waiting with Owloysius. She mentally sighed. "I'm sorry, Spike, the time got away from me..." Twilight apologized, levitating her heavy saddlebags off of her back. "Twilight, you said that you'd be home three hours ago," Spike said, following her after she had dumped the bags on the floor. Owloysius, satisfied that she was home safe, hooted and flew up to his perch. "I know, Spike, but Zecora and I just got...carried away." She twitched her withers in an approximation of a shrug. "But ti's not like--" "The mayor came by and wanted to see you." "Really?" Twilight stopped and turned around. "What did she want?" "The legal stuff for the land surrounding Ponyville," Spike replied. "Well...I think that most of it belongs to the Apple family." She tapped her chin with one forehoof, sitting down and stifling a yawn. "But why did the mayor want to know?" "I don't know. Something about somepony moving into that old castle in the Everfree?" "What?" Instinctively, Twilight shot a look in the direction of the ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, though her view was blocked by the walls of the library. "That's where you guys fought Nightmare Moon, right?" Spike asked, heading up the stairs. He seemed to have forgotten about being mad at her for being so late. "Yeah." Twilight stood and followed him. "I can't imagine anypony wanting to live there. The place is practically falling down, and besides, it's creepy." "Maybe, but look!" Spike clambered up onto her bed and pointed out the window, glancing back to make sure she had heard him. Hopping up to crouch beside him, she peered through the thin glass. A light was shining somewhere in the Everfree. It was a dark red--had to be unicorn magic. "D'you think that whoever it was already moved into the castle?" Spike asked, glancing at her. Twilight frowned. "No...the light's a little too far to the right. Maybe they're camping near it until they can move in?" His eyes narrowed, but his expression quickly cleared when he yawned. "Well, I'd better get to bed." "Alright." As Spike hopped down into his own bed, Twilight's horn glowed briefly. All the candles in the library snuffed out at once. Before crawling under her astronomy-print comforter, she looked at the light in the forest for a little while longer. She'd never seen magic that color before. A/N: Just a quick request--would it kill you to tell me why you want to click the thumbs-down button? I don't mind being thumbed down, but I'd really like to know the reason so I can improve. Thank you.