The plants circled around Twilight causing Starlight to reach out for her. The tree suddenly smacked his hoof with a branch and waved a twig like a mother scolding a child. The bush grew bigger into a topiary in the shape of a pony. The tree glowed and grew to the size of a full grown apple tree.
Applejack gasped at the size the apples were, big as a cow. Twilight couldn't move from her spot because even the two plant-ponies were growing larger and they flew around her faster. When suddenly the tree engulfed her in its leaves.
Starlight and Fang darted around the thing trying to find their queen, Fang spotted her tail and pulled. The plants stopped moving and settle on the floor. Fang and Starlight, now joined by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, kept tugging on the tail, but could not make it budge.
"Sprout, stop kissing the magic leader! She might turn you to stone!"
The voice was so loud that the pegasi and zaldias toppled over from its sudden appearance. A light brown mare with a grass green mane was staring angrily at the tree. Twilight was dropped to the ground, a dark brown pegasus with a forest green mane followed, landing softer than the alicorn.
"Fern, you know I haven't seen another mare besides you in our sleep! I'm a little flirty right now. Hello, who is that pink maned beauty?"
Fluttershy ducked behind Fang while Starlight helped Twilight up. Then he took a branch from the tree and snapped it off.
"Hey! Are you crazy! That's my tree you hurt you...you...what in Infernus is he?" (Sprout)
"That's a zaldia bat, royal guards to Blue Moon and her daughter. Remember, Lulu, little filly, always tugging your tail." (Fern)
"Excuse me, but I would like an explanation for your behavior towards the queen." (Fang)
Sprout turned to the captain who was barring her fangs and posed ready to attack the pegasus. Celestia trotted up the tree-pony and smiled.
"Sprout, Fern, it is good to see you again." (Celestia)
"Tia, my how you've grown! Look at your mane, no longer a pink curl. Lulu, you look gorgeous. Just look at your beautiful face, full of life!" (Fern)
"Tis good to see you Fern. Sprout I hope you are not going to try that again on Queen Twilight Sparkle, the magic leader." (Luna)
"Lulu, with the way you look, I'd say that you and I need to get out tonight for a nice little-" (Sprout)
"SPROUT! That is Princess Luna you are speaking to! Would you like to have Blue Moon come down on you and send you to Tartarus!" (Fern)
Luna sighed. She pulled Fern close to herself, her eyes saddened from memories.
"Fern, old friend, mother is no longer here." (Luna)
"Oh Lulu. She was a great mare." (Fern)
"Full of spunk and life. And what about your mother Tia?" (Sprout)
"Gone as well." (Celestia)
"Ah, Goldy. You were the best mare I was ever with." (Sprout)
Fang glared and the tree stallion. Twilight moved away from Starlight despite his pulling and levitated a apple from the tree. She examined it for a moment then turned to Sprout.
"Celestia said you had knowledge of Nocturne." (Twilight)
"Indeed. They caused our queens much pain and sorrow." (Fern)
"Can you come with me? I would like to know more." (Twilight)
The plant ponies stared at each other then nodded. The young alicorn tried hard not to squee in excitement of new knowledge. Twilight and Starlight, with Fern and Sprout in tow, trotted off to the Noctis Wing. The group of friends were left with exploring the city or the castle.
In the Noctis library, Twilight was writing furiously in a notebook as faster than the two plant ponies could talk. Sprout was out of breathe by the time they were done.
"Now.....that you.....know how.........the pony tribes were....*cough*" (Sprout)
"Now that you know the pony tribes were placed, thrived and got along, would you like to hear about Nocturne?" (Fern)
Twilight looked up from her book clearly lost in the words. Starlight sighed and turned his head to them seeing nothing interesting outside.
"Sorry, I just had to ask." (Twilight)
"Now where to begin? Oh yes. Around the time the Crystal Empire disappeared, the two Queens returned home after failing to stop its disappearance." (Fern)
"Celestia and Luna were fillies during the time, running around, causing mayhem. But they had pure hearts and always did what was right. It was from them that Blue Moon and Golden Apple heard the rumors of a cult named Nocturne forming." (Sprout)
"I remember Luna running up to Bluey about strange unicorns outside the castle claiming to be her children. After we went outside to see them, they started chanting and Luna was held in a sphere of stars. Blue commanded them to release her daughter, but they said she was impure, not her true child.
Blue had no choice but to hurt them. She fought against the unicorns' black magic for hours until she collapsed onto the ground. I stood over her as a shield until Goldy showed up and sent them to Tartarus." (Fern)
"Blue was in bandages for weeks with five zaldias by her side at all times. It was later on we learned those unicorns were not the only members, when one tried to take Luna's life." (Sprout)
Sprout got to his hooves and trotted to a nearby pillow and dropped his head into it. Fern turned to Twilight after watching her companion.
"He was looking after Princess Luna when they knocked him out to get to her. Bluey managed to rid the cultist before he could use his knife on her." (Fern)
Twilight nodded and looked back at the pegasus, he was sniffling into the plush pillow. Starlight got up and placed a wing over him. It was always upsetting to know you couldn't do anything to help.