“Twilight get down!” Luna yelled as she leapt towards the unicorn, Twilight getting down low as the princess jumped over her. She watched as the princess slammed into a snarling wolf comprised entirely of wood. Luna swiped with her hoof, slamming one to the ground as she turned, seeing Twilight bucking one of the wolves hard causing it to recoil and move back. The two were slowly surrounded by the magical wolves, their eyes a dark and sinister red color as they continued to snarl,
“Princess what are we going to do?!” Luna crouched, looking quickly around them before looking back to Twilight,
“We charge through!” They both stomped a hoof before rushing towards one of the wolves, slamming hard against it and sent it skidding back before they began running quickly down the path, “We‘ll get away from them. Timberwolves aren‘t the fastest creatures in the forest!” Twilight simply nodded as they continued running for a while longer, slowing down to a quick trot as the snarling and howling of the wolves behind them faded,
“Princess… are we going through the entire forest before we open that book?”
“No, Twilight. We‘re almost there. The safest place I can think of in this forest is the very place you and your friends used the Elements of Harmony on me. We‘re heading to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.” The two continued down the path for a few more minutes before Twilight looked up ahead before going into a gallop, Luna blinking before hurrying after her, “Twilight why are you running?!”
“We‘re near Zecora‘s house!”
“Twilight slow down!” Luna hurried after the unicorn, panting as she’s finally able to slow down to a trot and join Twilight’s side, seeing the pony looking across at a house made from a tree, a few tribal masks around the area and various vines hanging down around the area as well, “The area… is unchanged?” Twilight nodded as she walked over to the front door and laid her hoof against the wood, a light flashed against her touch and spread across the entire tree, leaving it lightly shimmering as the unicorn pushed the door open and walked inside followed closely by Princess Luna, the two of them walking through the thin veil of magic. The inside of the tree was fairly dark, a bubbling cauldron in the center of the room, tribal masks on the walls and various jars of herbs and spices lining the shelves around them,
“Zecora! It‘s Twilight Sparkle! Are you here?”
“What is this my ears do hear?” Twilight’s eyes lit up and a bright smile appeared on her face as the Zebra walked out of the shadows smiling at the two of them, “Escapees of The Puppeteer!” Twilight ran over to her, embracing the zebra tightly as tears slid down the unicorn’s face,
“Zecora I‘m so happy you‘re safe! How did you stop Discord‘s magic from changing you to stone or… or anything else?!”
“Discord‘s power stretched so thin, I made a brew so I could win. The magic I made shielded my home, similar to an anti-chaos dome.” Twilight’s hooves set back down on the floor as she listened to Zecora’s words, “You must tell me what happened when, you and your friends fought Discord again.” Luna rolled her eyes, finding the Zebra’s rhyming a bit less than amusing, walking over to the side of the room before she sat down. Twilight looked over to her before looking back to Zecora, taking the next hour to explain to her what she had been through that day. Zecora remained silent as Twilight spoke, making them each a cup of tea and giving them each a bit of bread,
“Thank you Zecora… do you have any way of turning statues back into ponies?” Zecora paused as she thought, bringing a hoof to her chin before her hoof laid back on the floor, her head shaking slowly,
“I‘m sorry Twilight, I wish I could aid you, but I do not possess that kind of brew.” Luna closed her eyes, sipping her tea slowly before she opened them once again looking across at the zebra,
“Zecora… I pray you‘re able to come with us. Twilight has said much about you in her letters and there is no doubt in my mind that your knowledge would aid us greatly in our quest.”
“I had almost given up hope that anyone would come, together we‘ll defeat that demon, that scum. It‘s far too dangerous traveling at night, sleep now and we‘ll continue in the light.” The ponies looked at each other before nodding, deciding it would be best to stay in Zecora’s home for the night. Luna trotted over to a corner with many pillows before she silently laid down, laying down her head as she closed her eyes. Twilight looked over to Zecora as she laid down on the pillows she and Luna had been sitting on as they drank their tea,
“Zecora? Do you know of a Pegasus known as Written Dreams?” Zecora paused as she looked down, thinking for a few moments before looking back up at Twilight and nodding,
“Yes miss Twilight, I have met him twice, he has a very kind heart and is very nice.” Twilight listened closely as Zecora began recounting the tale of the time she had met the Pegasus.
Zecora looked over to her door hearing a light tapping against the wood. She tilted her head walking over to the door before opening it and smiled warmly as she saw the dark blue Pegasus standing just outside wearing saddlebags at his sides, “Welcome to my home, why is it here you have come to roam?” Written Dreams gave a light bow as he stood before Zecora, before looking back up at the zebra with a smile,
“It‘s a pleasure to meet you miss Zecora, the princess told me that you are a master of a great variety of potions.” Zecora motioned him inside, the two entering her house as Written Dreams closed the door behind them,
“The princess is wise to send you to me, a potion I‘m sure I can make for thee.” Written Dreams looked around the house slowly, standing off to the side before walking over and peering into the bubbling liquid in Zecora’s cauldron,
“My name is Written Dreams by the way.” Zecora nodded in response before trotting back over to her cauldron with a jar in her mouth, tilting her head sideways and she shook the contents into the cauldron before setting down the jar and smiling, using a wooden staff to stir the liquid,
“Written Dreams of such a dark shade, what potion is it you need to be made?” The Pegasus continued staring down into the cauldron for a few more moments before looking back up to her, inhaling a few of the fumes in the process,
“A potion that can stop magical traps I may be potentially facing on my journey. The more coverage the better. Could you make me such a potion?” Zecora hummed as the stick left her mouth and she nodded with her normal gentle smile,
“It will not be hard to make that for you, in a few hours I can make you that brew. Wait over there I don‘t require aid, I ask what you have for me as a trade?” Written Dreams trotted off to the side, sitting down on a few small pillows as he looked over at Zecora. He leaned his head down to his bag, withdrawing a small bag that jingles a bit as he drops it into his hoof,
“Would thirty bits be enough?” Zecora walks over to one of the shelves, taking a rather large vial into her mouth before walking over to a counter and sets it down,
“Far more than enough, you are the generous one, I shall include something to stun.” Zecora looked off to the side and opened a cabinet, taking out a lightly shining vial and set it on the counter, “Shattering this will make a bright flash, effective if you need to make a dash.” Written Dreams continued looking slowly around the inside of the house as he patiently waited for Zecora to finish the potion,
“Thank you very much Zecora, I‘m sure I‘ll be using it eventually. I met one of your friends yesterday, Twilight Sparkle. She was very helpful in finding a book I needed.”
“Twilight is excellent to go to for aid, her mind is of an exceptional grade.” A few hours passed, Written Dreams fell asleep on the pillows and awoke to find Zecora standing before him,
“Oh my… I apologize for falling asleep…” Written Dreams reached out with a smile as he stood up, taking a few vials and slid them into his bags one at a time, “Thank you very much Zecora, I‘m sure these will help me.” He handed her the bag of bits and trotted over to the door, opening it as Zecora walked over as he walked out turning back towards her, lifting her hoof and placing a kiss upon it, “I‘m sure we shall meet again Zecora.” The zebra let out a slight laugh, nodding with a light smile as she saw the Pegasus off, waving to him as he flew away through the trees above them,
“Farewell pony of the silver mane, I look forward to meeting you once again.”
Twilight had closed her eyes during the story and opened them again as Zecora finished, giving her a light smile, “So he came to you for anti-magic potions… that‘s a little odd. Perhaps he thought he would need them in his search for the Quill of Eternity. That is the book he borrowed from me when he came to the library that one time.” Twilight said as she recalled her own encounter with the Pegasus. She had finished her tea and watched as Zecora takes her tea cup into another room before returning, “Zecora… you mentioned meeting him twice?” Zecora walked over to the cauldron, stirring it a few times before looking back to Twilight and nodding,
“Indeed I did Twilight, but sleep now, it is almost midnight.” Twilight sighed as she laid her head down, hearing Zecora walk into another room she closed her eyes, waiting patiently in silence before she finally fell into a deep sleep,
“I wonder… if the others ever met him…?” Twilight’s breathing regulated as her sleep deepened and soon she began to dream.
Twilight blinked her eyes a few times as she awoke, looking around and seeing nothing but crushing blackness in all directions. She paused for a moment before focusing, her horn glowing brightly and illuminating the area before her. Still nothing but blackness but as she looked down she saw a path of dirt with nothing but grayness outside of the trail. She looked behind her, the illumination of her horn showing nothing but the grey earth indicating she was at the beginning of the path.
The unicorn shrugged to herself before she began walking down the trail, looking from left to right trying to see more than the dirt path under her hooves, “Where could I possibly be…?” The only sound around her was the light clopping of her own hooves as she continued walking, “It could at least be brighter-- ow!” Twilight gasped as she bumped into something cold and hard. She paused taking a step back as she shook her head and looked forward before she gasped. Before her was the petrified form of Pinkie Pie although instead of the horrified expression on her face like before, she looked incredibly sad with solidified tears in her eyes and a few tears sliding down her cheeks. She was also sitting down in a normal sitting position looking directly towards Twilight. She swallowed and let out a slow sigh before taking a step towards Pinkie’s statue, laying her hoof on the statue’s face and her ears drooped, her head hanging down as she closed her eyes and continued down the path.
The unicorn continued walking for a few minutes, occasionally passing another statue of one of her friends; Applejack next, then Rarity, Fluttershy, and then finally Rainbow Dash before she felt herself begin walking uphill but still she followed the path, feeling herself beginning to cry after having seen all of her friends with such sad and tortured expressions. Twilight suddenly stopped as the blackness around her came to an end, a thin line separating the darkness from green grass and the dirt path she’d been following. She stepped onto the illuminated path and let her horn stop glowing, since the darkness had left.
She paused and looked back behind her before she jumped back in fright. The five statues of her friends were standing directly behind her although now, instead of the sorrowful faces, they all had pleading looks, each with a hoof outstretched towards her. They were standing in a half-circle, their outstretched hooves touching one another. Twilight felt herself smile softly as she held out her hoof, touching each of their hooves at once as a tear slid down her cheek and touched the ground beneath her.
She turned after a few minutes and continued down the path before her, looking off into the distance seeing one final statue atop the hill, “Princess…?” She began galloping towards her and quickly reached the statue, looking up at her with teary eyes, “Princess! I…” She looked up at the princess, seeing a gentle smile on her face as the statue looked down at her. Twilight looked away, hanging her head and closing her eyes.
“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student…” The unicorn gasped and looked up at the princess, seeing her looking down at her as before, but more animated than before, not as solidified,
“P-Princess…?” Princess Celestia nods to her, Twilight taking a few steps back staring up at her,
“Twilight Sparkle… by saving my sister and helping to get her out of the castle you have already made progress in your quest.” Twilight gasped as she felt the princess embrace her closely to her cold body,
“Princess… I don‘t feel like I‘ve made any progress at all!”
“Are you crazy?! It‘s not like you just laid down and did nothing after what happened to us!” Twilight turned hearing Rainbow Dash’s voice and smiled seeing her friends behind her, although they were all still statues,
“RD‘s right Sugarcube. Ya‘ll kept on movin’ after that fight with that feller Discord.” Applejack said as she and the others continued smiling as they all looked towards Twilight,
“Princess… I don‘t understand why this all happened… why did you tell us to use the Elements of Harmony when we weren‘t going to be able to defeat Discord in the end?” Celestia released her and stepped back, looking towards the unicorn and her friends with a serious expression,
“I did not think that Discord would be able to so easily defeat you all and for that I feel I must apologize to you. I‘m so sorry that you have to go through all of this alone Twilight but just because you don‘t have your friends or I with you that doesn‘t mean you cannot still succeed. There are others who were able to escape Discord‘s powers and you will no doubt be able to find them on your quest. Twilight Sparkle… Discord is going to begin chasing you if he believes you to have become a threat. Right now he thinks you small and broken but he knows that you have my sister with you. Do not give him a reason to come after you because believe me, he will and if he does… then you may suffer more loss.” Twilight looks down with a sad sigh,
“Princess… everyone… I‘ve already lost all of you and then I lost Trixie so soon after I met her again… Why me princess?! Why did you save me?! Why am I so special?!” Twilight paused as she heard nothing in response and she looked up, falling silent as she looked around quickly. She was alone again on the hill, looking down and closing her eyes again as she stomps her hoof, “Don‘t go!!”
“Twilight Sparkle…” Her eyes snapped open as she looked up, gasping as she took a step back. The dark blue Pegasus stood in front of her, his mane and tail slightly shining in the sunlight around them, “There is no doubt in my mind that you are going to be able to find me as long as you keep moving forward.” The unicorn shakes her head and drops her head yelling towards the ground as her tears fall,
“I… I know that it‘s just I don‘t want to lose any more of my friends to Discord.” Twilight looks up as she feels a hoof on her shoulder and looks up seeing Written Dreams standing in front of her, feeling herself blush given how close he was, his face nothing but serious,
“Twilight listen to me. This is going to be harder than anything you have done in your life. There will be loss, there will be heartache but I need to tell you that if you manage to succeed then Discord will be defeated and everything you and Equestria has lost will be returned to how they always were. Focus on that and you cannot be beaten.” Written Dreams’ hoof laid back on the ground as he narrowed his eyes, “You have the spark, the raw magical talent that made you the element of magic and that is what I think made the princess save you instead of even herself.”
Twilight took a step back from him before nodding with a gentle smile, “Okay. I understand that I need to continue no matter what happens but… what if I‘m alone again…? Feeling that kind of pain after discovering the magic of friendship is just… it‘s crushing and dark.”
“Are you alone now though?”
“N… No I have princess Luna and Zecora with me now!” Twilight said as she shook her head. Written Dreams nodded and tilted his head as he looked upon the unicorn before him,
“Right, and as the princess told you, there will be others.” Twilight gasped and looked up to the sky as the light began slowly fading around them, looking back to the colt as she shuffled nervously,
“What‘s happening?” He let out a light chuckle and looked down shaking his head before looking back up to her,
“You‘re waking up, dear Twilight. Feel any better?” Twilight nodded with a gentle smile and both she and Written Dreams tap their hoofs together and a few moments later both he and the world around her seemed to drain away.