"...And that's the last thing I remember," Ocean finished. The coals had long since died down, leaving the three friends enjoying the cool springtime air. Packing away the remains of their meals, they sat in a circle, listening carefully as the ocean blue mare recounted her story.
"Wow," breathed Rose, "Sounds like you've led a tough life. Well, now we have to make sure that nopony else has to have that kind of misfortune."
"We're certainly not gonna do that sitting here," Ocean said. Looking over, she notice a pensive frown on Treble's face, "What's wrong, Treble?"
"That Scythe Weasel thing is bothering me," he replied, "Your description, it sounds like something I've seen before, but I can't place it. Something is definitely not right here. I don't like not knowing."
"Regardless, the Guard is probably looking for us. We can't stay here, we have to move. The question is where."
"How about the Everfree Forest. They wouldn't look for us in a place like that, it's too dangerous."
"Is that so? Where do you plan on going when you get in there?"
"The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."
"Oh, no no no," Ocean said quickly, "That's the one place we shouldn't go."
"And why not," asked Treble confusedly, "It's near by, right?"
"That's not the point. I've heard that the place is haunted by the embodiment of nightmares, Nightmare Moon. She's an evil being that wanders the halls, and those that enter the ruins of the castle never come out. Ever. We'd be better taking our chances with the monsters."
"Where would you suggest? That's the only place I'm sure is still here after all these years."
"There are rumors," Ocean answered, "That there is a witch that helps those that wander into the forest, as long as they're not members of the Chaos Guard. Because the forest is so dangerous, the Guardponies have not been able to move in force to take her out. Now, usually, I don't take stock in rumors, but I personally know somepony who was helped by this witch. I met her when I investigated the incident site. I don't quite remember her name, though, we haven't been in contact for some years. The witch lives on the northeast corner of the forest. It's quite a walk, but if we're careful, we shouldn't be attacked."
"Sounds interesting," Treble said, lost in thought, "But, don't want to take the risk of such a long journey for a rumor, whether or not you have a semi-viable source."
"Could I say something?" Rose asked, causing the other ponies to turn to her, "I agree with Treble. It'd be better to go directly through to the castle. Like you said, Ocean, we shouldn't take stock in rumors. However, I also agree with Ocean. We should seek out this witch, whether or not she exists. We don't know if her existence is true, but it'd be good to check it out. I propose, then, that we should use the castle as a base of operations in the forest. Then, we're just that much closer to the witch. Do you both agree?"
"Sure," Treble responded, satisfied.
"Yup," Ocean also said.
The three friends packed their things, and exited the train cabin. The forest loomed above them, menacingly. Taking deep breaths, the trio took the plunge.
The interior of the Everfree Forest was dark. The thick canopy blocked out the late afternoon's rays. The going was hard and the foliage simply got in the way. The three companions traversed the undergrowth slowly, sending only small glances to one another to make sure that no one was left behind. In the corners of their eyes, they could see the denizens of the forest lurking almost out of sight in the gloom. The uneasy silence made the tension in the air so thick, one could cut it with a knife. Finally, Treble's voice broke the stillness.
"So, how far do you think it is?" he asked inquisitively.
"We should reach a clearing soon, I believe," Ocean replied, "They say that if you follow the path from there, you'll eventually reach the castle."
"Can we rest when we reach this clearing?" Rose asked hopefully, "We've been walking for hours, my hooves are tired, and we should probably get our bearings."
As if to answer, a loud rustling noise caught the group's attention. There was something on the move. Something big. Hunkering down, the three travelers made themselves as still and quiet as possible. Out of the bushes, directly in front, the huge form of a manticore stuck it's nose in the air. After sniffing around a bit, the beast began moving again. Luckily, it ignored the helpless ponies, even after it had looked straight at Treble. The animal must have been blind, as it would have been impossible for it to have not noticed them otherwise. After it disappeared form earshot, the trio rose from their positions. Taking a look around, they noticed that the creatures that had been following them had disappeared.
"Whew," Ocean exclaimed, "That's why we can't stay in one place for too long. That thing is probably the master of the forest, seeing as all the other creatures ran off when it arrived."
"Fine," Rose sighed.
Silence resumed as they fell back into line. Not too much later, they came to the clearing. The small open space looked to have been much larger in times past. However, due to the lack of travelers, it had become overgrown, blocking out most of the once wide area.
"Here we are," Ocean said, "Now, we just follow that path," she pointed to a thin trail hidden in the brambles, "And we'll eventually reach our destination. It shouldn't be too much farther now."
The threesome wandered down the almost non-existent path. Gradually, the dim forest became dark enough that it was almost impossible for any of the ponies to see their hooves in front of their faces. Stumbling blindly, they continued their march forward, sometimes bumping into each other, sometimes into trees. Eventually, they passed through this and came out on the other side, only to be faced with a river blocking their way. Lying in the water, though, was the corpse of a huge river dragon. The once quite handsome creature now lay shriveled and old in front of them. They could see huge bite marks on its face, indicating an immensely large and powerful beast, much larger in size than the blind manticore they saw a while back. The marks closely resembled a bear, but many times larger. The three friends decided that, whatever the thing that brought down the large creature was, they didn't want to meet it.
Luckily for them, the dragon's body lay stretched out across the river, making fording a breeze. Once on the other side, they continued their sojourn. Following the path once more, they finally reached their last obstacle, a wide ravine. Across the gorge a bridge extended. The aging ropes still appeared strong enough to hold one pony at a time. Flying across, Treble motioned for the girls to follow him. Cautiously, Ocean made her way forward. The bridge wobbled a bit, but did not break. Once across, she let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding. Finally, Rose crept across, careful not to even disturb the structure, lest the ropes snap or a board fall out of place. Eventually, she reached the opposite side.
With the castle in sight, they rushed to the relative safety of its walls. Collapsing in a heap, they all let out tired sighs. Finally, after a long afternoon of travel, they found their rest at last. Thanking their lucky stars, none of them noticed they were being watched from the shadows. Like the wind, a breathy voice called out to them.
"Leave this place..."
"Did either of you say something?" Treble inquired. Both mares shook their heads.
"Leave this place if you want to live," the voice said again.
"I heard it that time," Ocean said, "That wasn't one of us."
"D-didn't you say this place is...h-haunted," Rose gulped.
The three companions rose as quickly as they had sat down, tensed and ready to leave in case they ran into something dangerous. Out of the shadows loomed a large, horse-like form. It's frame dwarfed anything they had ever seen. The whole thing was enveloped with a blue light that seemed to come from its stomach.
"Oh. My. God," breathed Ocean, "What the hell is that?"
"I have no idea," Rose said, clinging to the other mare like cellophane, "Whatever it is, it's angry. We should leave."
As the two girls shrunk back, Treble crept closer. He was moving his head around, as though searching for something.
"Smell that?" he asked unexpectedly.
"Smell what?" Rose asked, bewildered, "Don't you think you have something better to do then smell things? Like running?"
"It smells like rotten eggs. It's sulfur, and it's coming from this thing."
"Leave me alone!" the voice shouted. However, the visitors could tell that the sound didn't come from the thing, but from behind it.
Reaching out, Treble grabbed something made out of cloth. Yanking it off, he revealed a contraption made of wood, vines, and a jar with a bright flame burning inside.
"See," he said, "Nothing to worry about."
"Except that," Ocean said, pointing behind the machine. Standing on a balcony was a shadowy creature. Realizing it had been spotted, the shape darted down the corridor behind it.
"I'll chase it down stairs, you two cut it off. We'll surround it on all sides so it can't escape! Quickly!" Treble darted down the hallway, hot on the heels of whatever was living in the castle.
Rose and Ocean galloped down one of the lower level hallways. Turning corners as fast as they could, they surrounded the only staircase they could find. After a few seconds, the same figure from before came barreling down the stairs like a runaway train. It slammed into the wall, losing its balance and falling over. Just behind it, Treble swooped downward, landing in a tangle of legs with their target.
"All right," he said, extricating himself from the mystery pony, "Now, who are you?"
Reaching down, he pulled off the veil, revealing the very familiar unconscious form of a dark blue alicorn mare with a mane like the starry sky.
"Princess Luna?" the three ponies said in unison, all taking a step back.
"Princess, what are you doing here?" Treble inquired.
The group had carried the unconscious princess from the hall into the entrance hallway. It had taken a while, but eventually she awoke, finding three concerned ponies gathered around her. Since then, the question that the pegasus had asked had hung in the air.
"Don't call me that," said Luna, rather sharply, "I have no right to be called a princess. I abandoned my little ponies to Discord's rule. I failed in my duties to protect the kingdom and all it's inhabitants, for the second time now...I am ashamed of myself and the position I put my subjects through. I am a coward."
"What happened?" Rose asked, curious.
"I don't really want to relive that experience," she answered, "It was thirty years ago. Celestia had an emergency, and left with Discord. I am nocturnal, so naturally I was too weary to stay awake for very long. When I awoke to the sound of insane laughter, I looked out the window to find that the city was under attack by the very being my sister and I had believed to be reformed. He was making important figures disappear into nothingness. If they weren't a threat to him, he either put them under some sort of mind-control spell, or made them also disappear. Unfortunately, that was in the middle of the day, when my powers are at their weakest, and all the turmoil he caused had increased his power tenfold. Eventually, he came for me. He laughed in my face, told me that he had eliminated Celestia, and that I was next. What had surprised me was that he gave me an ultimatum. Either be 'eliminated' like my sister, or abandon my duties and never show my face in Equestria again. I took the easy way out. I ran. I ran like my life depended on it. In my flight, I found myself drawn here, where I first became Nightmare Moon, and where that nightmare had eventually reached it's conclusion."
"It's not cowardice to retreat when you don't have any other options," Ocean reassured, "At least when Discord falls, the ponies of Equestria will have somepony with the capacity to lead them. It may not seem like it now, but that decision may have saved the country from mourning the loss of its other ruler. Trust me, I've been through the same thing. Now look at me, I'm helping restore peace with these two and their friends."
"You've been through the same thing? You have no idea of the pain I've endured. Discord holds the throne and I am powerless to stop him. My subjects live their lives in fear of each and every day. Discord's rule a thousand years ago was nothing compared to what it is now. He's dropped all pretense of his childish enjoyment in chaos and become something much more dangerous. I fear that the longer he is holds the throne, the closer he comes to absolute power. He's waiting for something, but I don't know what it is. That scares me."
"I'm sorry, Luna," Rose said solemnly, "I wish there was something more we could do. You're right, we have no idea about how you feel, but we do know that what we're doing will set things right."
Once more, a pregnant silence fell over the room. All the gathered ponies stared at the ground, letting Luna's words sink in. Finally, Luna broke the unease in the air.
"That's enough about our problems. Come, you must be hungry. It's almost dinnertime, after all. Tonight, I'm going to give you all a treat as I lower the sun and raise the moon, much like my sister."
The trio followed Luna down the long hallway Rose and Ocean had run down earlier. After passing many branching corridors, they entered the throne room. Still moving farther down, the group reached what appeared to be a roundtable. Sequestered in the corner was what appeared to be the portal to the kitchen area. Motioning for the friends to sit down, Luna made her way into the kitchens. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, she returned to the room carrying several dishes. Placing them around the table, she set out plates and fine silverware.
"There you go," she said with a kindness that the others had heard only a few times, "These are special dishes that my mother used to make for me and Tia. Please, enjoy."
Digging into the food, the group found themselves surrounded by a long-awaited amiable silence, save for the tinkling of salad forks and soup spoons. After finishing the delicious meal, Luna led them out and into the throne room. At the end stood two majestic thrones, each with a tapestry depicting the symbols of the rightful heirs to the kingdom. One had a depiction of a beautiful night sky, with a small planet surrounded by rings just above some hills. The other was looked like a bright day, accompanied by golden clouds and tall yellow mountains. The thrones themselves were a midnight blue and a golden yellow. Looking up, they could see the late afternoon sky through several large holes in the ceiling.
"All right, it looks like it's time," Luna stated. Suddenly, her horn light up with a sparkly blue aura. Slowly, the sun began to set, with Luna panting heavily. The strain that it put on her looked to be enormous, and she began to show droplets of sweat on her forehead. With a huge sigh, she released her hold on the sun. A minute passed as the exiled princess let her magic restore itself and for her to catch her breath. Finally relaxed again, she once more began using her magic. Much more quickly than the setting sun, the moon rose, huge and white in the darker night sky. When this was said and done, there was a bright flash and the sky lit up with more stars than the others had seen since they had arrived. "This, my little ponies, is your gift. I have one more thing planned that I think you'll all like. Just give me a few minutes rest."
While Luna went to her throne to rest, the three friends sat down to discuss what had happened thus far. Soon, the former co-ruler of Equestria approached the trio, looking rested and ready for whatever she was about to show them. Smiling, she lit her horn up, shooting a beam of magic into the sky. After disappearing into the air, the night sky was once again illuminated by brilliant light streaking into the thick foliage. The meteor shower slowly became more intense as time went on. The incredible light show made the air crackle with electric energy, the source unknown. The group watched in awe at the magnificence of what they had just witnessed. As the breathtaking event drew to its conclusion, the meteors began to explode like fireworks, spreading booms and fiery debris of many different colors throughout the sky. In the finale, large groups of meteors exploded all at once before dying out completely. Stunned silence filled the air, before being broken by laughter and merriment. The meteor shower gave the three friends and one princess much to talk about. One by one, the conversation stopped as the present company drifted off into a happy, dream filled sleep, with the exception of Luna, who retained a constant vigil over the sleeping forms of her new friends.
Bright morning sunlight washed over the sleeping forms, bathing them in a blanket of golden yellow. Slowly, there began to be signs of movement from the pile of bodies. Among the first to awaken to the new day was the cream and red Roseluck. Glancing about, she noticed the distinct absence of Luna. Standing up, she stepped over Treble's splayed body, moving towards the dining room they had dinner at the night before. Entering quietly, so as not to awaken the others, she could hear the sounds of breakfast being made in the kitchen. As she moved towards the door, she could hear the occupant humming a solemn song. Rose couldn't recognize the sweet music by name, but she felt like she had heard it before. Pushing the old wooden door open, she crept inside. Luna stood just beyond the threshold, completely unaware that she had company. In front of her, eggs and hash browns sizzled on the old wood-fire stove top. On the counter beside the large structure stood a magnificent salad of ingredients that Rose had never seen before. Standing silently, Rose waited for Luna to turn to her. Behind her, the door closed shut with a quiet thump. Turning around, Luna smiled as she beheld Rose within the small kitchen.
"Good morning, Rose," Luna said cheerfully, "I trust you've had a good sleep?"
"Yes, I did, thank you," Rose answered. Looking around at the cramped space, she inquired, "I thought a castle kitchen would be much bigger? Why is this one so tiny?"
Still smiling, Luna responded, "Oh, this is just the auxiliary kitchen. This is where extra food would have been made if there was supposed to be a large feast, or where food would be made if the castle had no need for the larger one. I am usually the only one here, so this is really all I need. With you three, I still don't need anything larger than this. Besides, I keep all the ingredients in this room, so it's really more convenient. That round table outside is for war meetings or as an extra dining space." Behind her, a ding sounded, signalling that the food was completed. Turning once more, Luna asked, "Could you go tell the others? Breakfast is ready."
Nodding, Rose retraced her steps into the main hallway. She found her two friends awake and chatting. After informing them about the morning meal, the three of them returned to the dining room. As they all sat down to eat, Luna called their attention, "Now that you're all here, I would like to first thank you for what you plan to do. However, I would like to put forward the fact that it is going to be very dangerous. Discord and his subordinates are going to be armed, well trained, and cautious. I fear that all of you are going in way over your heads. Therefore, I would like to give you equipment from the armory to give you protection. When we're done here, I would like you to follow me. That is all."
Half an hour passed as the group ate in companionable silence. When each of them was finished, they all stood up. Silently, they followed Luna back through the throne room and down a descending hallway. Eventually, the floor leveled out, leading into a hall full of pony statues wearing armor. Passing this, they entered a large corridor. At one end was an enormous pipe organ, while at the other stood two large iron doors. The ancient alicorn slid open the doors with a loud creak, revealing a huge chamber filled with armor and weapons. The gallery was so extensive, one could not see the back wall. Leading the trio into the vault, Luna smiled, turning around and motioning to the rest of the room.
"Here is the armory," she said, "This is where we keep the armor and weapons that ponies would wear during times of conflict, back when Equestria was in its infancy. We were besieged by many dangers, and persevered through it all. Much of what you see dates all the way back to the time of Commander Hurricane and Princess Platinum. It is all enchanted to last forever without signs of wear and tear. For all of you, I believe that I have the perfect equipment. Since you are planning on traveling far, I would suggest manticore-leather armor. The process used to make it makes the hide stronger than dragon scales while being half as heavy. It is distinguishable by its yellowish color. Along with the armor, I'll give you your choice of weapon, for all the good it will do for somepony not trained to use it."
After Luna had finished her expository speech, the visitors glanced around in awe at the array of different styles of armor and weapons available to them. After wandering through the vast space for a while, each of them found suitable armor for themselves. The leather was a tough material, yet it bent and moved with its wearer. Despite being positively ancient, the armor felt soft and supple, in stark contrast to the rough look to the material.
Once they had their body armor, it was time for them to find weapons that suited the individual pony best. While Rose and Treble were having a hard time finding something, Ocean was able to choose quickly. She immediately went up to a bow and arrows, due to having had to live on her own for a while, she had learned how to use the weapon to catch fish and fend off dangerous animals.
Eventually, Treble was able to locate what seemed like a sword for a pegasus' wings. The whole weapon looked like a wing of blades, with each blade being a sharpened plate. The metal apparatus was hollow in the middle, allowing the wing to be inserted and prevent damage to the feathery, finger-like extensions of the wing. The weapon was strongly built, yet lightweight enough not to hinder in flying. When he placed the wing blade against his body, he noticed that each of the plates prevented him from damaging his body, allowing him to safely tuck his wing away without hurting himself.
Rose, on the other hand, was having the most difficult time of finding something suitable. She was unsure of what to choose as she didn't know the first thing about fighting. When she was younger, she had abhorred violence of any kind, and never watched anything about weaponry, as Treble had in his youth. Feeling disappointed, she approached the former Princess Luna for advice. Luna, in turn, suggested that she try using daggers, as Rose had had experience using knives. She explained that the two bladed items were similar in that both were used to cut things, yet that one was meant to be used on vegetables, while the other was meant for combat.
Finally armed and protected, the three now combat ready ponies gathered in front of the vault doors. Luna was the last to exit, closing the doors behind her. Leading them back to the surface, she allowed them to adjust to the bright sunlight, with the sun rising steadily. It was time for the trio to head out for adventure again, but not before a final good-bye.
"Looks like you're all set here," Luna stated, "I trust you can find your way out, right? Do you know where you're going?"
"Well," Ocean spoke up, "We were hoping to use the castle as a base of operations, but, now that we're ready to go, we may not be back this way again. We were actually going to go see the witch that supposedly lives in this forest. By the way, I would like to know, do you know her?"
"I do, indeed. She's lived in this forest for a lot longer than I have. She's one of the few creatures that still remembers the days before Discord. She used to live much closer to Ponyville, but, unfortunately, she was driven away from her home by the Chaos Guard. These days, she lives by herself on the northernmost reaches of the forest. I would suggest following the second branch of the path. It should lead you straight to her cave."
"One more thing, what is she like?"
"Well," Luna said thoughtfully, "She is a kind soul to those who are kind to her. Suffice it to say, I respect her greatly. She's also very good company, though her speech pattern can be quite frustrating at times. Heh, I guess that's one thing we have in common."
"What do you mean?" Ocean asked, "You speak perfectly well."
"I do now," Luna replied with a laugh, "But you should have seen me on my first Nightmare Night. I scared all the ponies that interacted with me, although that was just an act. With the help of one of the Elements of Harmony, I was able to break through my social awkwardness and finally make some friends."
"Well, thank you for your hospitality."
"Yeah," Treble added, "You've certainly done more for us than we expected you to."
"I agree completely," Rose put in.
"It's great to know the fate of the world is in your hooves," Luna responded with pride, "Take this with you," Luna's magic glowed, bringing out a small flute-like item, "This is a very special whistle. It is specifically tied to my magic signature. If you blow on the end, you can call me from anywhere at any time, as long as you're not within a chaos bubble, which will disrupt the signal and instead alert Discord. Use it only in an emergency. Farewell, friends, and safe travels."
With that, the former Princess of the Night disappeared into the depths of the castle. Giving one last glance toward the large structure, the three friends marched straight back into the forest.
Rose, Ocean and Treble found it to be much easier to return the way they came. Not even the darkest part of the forest was so hard to navigate as it was the first time. As they got farther and farther away from the old castle, they noticed for the first time how beautiful the Everfree looked. The sun that Luna had made so bright illuminated the wood so much that they were able to discern the animals that called the place home. In addition to the fauna, the flora took on a brighter green hue, as opposed to the darker bluish color that had occurred from the waning light. Eventually, the group found themselves back in the narrow clearing. Upon closer inspection of the area, it became apparent that there was more than one path branching off. This time, the trail led off into the northern area, just as Luna had promised.
After entering the hoofpath, the wanderers found that the space widened considerably, revealing that the path was well-worn in comparison to the castle branch, or even in the direction of what was presumably Ponyville. The extra space allowed for the companions to spread out a little more, as it allowed them to walk side by side. It was still obvious that they were within the forest limits, and in fact moving deeper into it because the foliage on the sides of the trail had thickened to the point that they couldn't see more than a few feet into the underbrush. Through the canopy, the sky was still visible, except that the huge wall of a mountain was coming into view. It was only a matter of time until they reached the witch's cave, where they would learn a little more of how they were going to get away from the Chaos Guard.
Without warning, a loud roar sounded behind the intrepid explorers. The sheer volume of the sound made the ground shake and the friends' ears ring. Slowly, the three ponies turned to face the huge form of the blind manticore they had seen the other day. The hulking brute towered over the cowering forms of the trio, sniffing the air and staring straight at them with the sightless, milky-white orbs that were its eyes. As the group backed away from the beast, it started to paw at the ground. Turning around, Treble breathed a single word: "run." Making a 180 degree turn as quickly as they could, the three terrorized ponies galloped away, with the creature breathing down their necks. Thinking fast, Treble stretched out his bladed wing, neatly cleaving a tree in twain. The massive trunk began to tilt wildly into the path, coming down with a crash in front of the monster manticore, though it did little to slow the beast down. Turning a corner, they scrambled wildly, trying to lose their pursuer. Suddenly, Ocean skidded to a halt, causing the other two to crash into her.
"Ocean," cried Rose, "Keep moving!"
"I can't," came Ocean's reply, "Do you know what's in front of us? It's poison joke!"
In the middle of the path lay a patch large blue flowers. The field filled the trail completely, making it impassable. Meanwhile, the huge manticore was close on their tails, making the three ponies panic. Despite the danger of running into the strange plants, Ocean and Rose were forced to venture into the weeds, while Treble stayed in the air, avoiding the toxic flowers.
"Hey, guys," Treble said, "I have an idea. We may be able to take advantage of the manticore."
"How do we do that?" Ocean asked.
"Just leave it to me. Hey! Why don't you come and get us? Afraid of a little flower, huh? Come on, scaredy cat, come and get us!"
Sufficiently provoked to forgo the danger posed by the plants, the manticore let its instinctual urge to feed overpower its fear of the poison joke. With one final roar, the beast leaped into the air, flapping its wings to keep it above the flowers. However, with one quick swoop towards the behemoth, Treble managed to tear one of its wings, bringing the creature down with a crash. Slowly, the massive form rose from where it had landed, once more striking terror into its prey, before the manticore vanished completely, leaving in its wake a small white kitten. After extricating themselves from the poison joke, the group heaved a sigh of relief.
"For us," Ocean said, "The poison joke probably won't affect us unless we give it a reason to pull a fast one on us. Either that, or it will wait until tomorrow morning."
"Well, that's a relief," said Rose, still panting from the adrenaline rush from earlier.
The three friends shared a laugh before standing up.
"Only a little farther to go," Treble reminded them, "Then we can finally meet this witch."
"If it's the witch you're looking for," came a voice from farther down the path, "Then, may you look no more."
Seemingly appearing from nowhere, a cloaked form strode forth. Pulling down the hood revealed an old zebra, adorned with golden rings around her neck and front left leg, and two large golden hoop earrings. Her deep cyan eyes sparkled with a sagely brilliance, and her mouth was pulled in a large smile. The black in her striped coat had faded to grey, yet they retained their definition.
"Zecora is my name," said the zebra, "I'm a shaman, that's my game. I'm not a witch, that was made up, by a once lost little pup. You came a long way, I trust, off to my home, or bust. Please, would you follow me? I'll help you, for free."
The three traveling companions looked around between themselves. The one they were looking for just ended up appearing right in front of them, and all of a sudden, she was inviting them to her home without expecting anything from them. It was really rather strange for her to even bring up that her services were 'free'. As Zecora was walking away, the ponies had decided that is was in their best interests to see where this zebra was leading them. After all, Luna had brought up the fact that the two of them were, in fact, friends, so it was probably safe for them to follow in her footsteps. After the shaman glanced behind her, she continued down the pathway past the poison joke patch. Peering about, they noticed that the animals of the forest had stopped following them altogether.
As they neared the now huge wall of a mountain, they passed through a line in the path. When crossing, they noticed that there was an invisible bubble of magical energy. It felt as though they passed through an electrical field. After their coats had stopped feeling like they were standing on end, they approached a large cave entrance. So large, in fact, that they had a hard time trying to find where the ends of the cave stood. Within this cavern was a fully-furnished living area, complete with tables, chairs, a bed, and even a large pot boiling in the center. It was quite clear that they had reached their destination.
"Welcome to my abode," Zecora said, "Feel free to lighten your load."
Placing their saddlebags down, the group gathered around the cauldron full of boiling green liquid. The shaman walked up to the pot with small pink crystals. Pouring the brew into three wooden cups, she brought the vessels to the gathered ponies.
"Drink this brew," she said calmly, "It'll heal you. It will stop the plant's prank, 'cause the joke is quite rank. So, who are you three, whom I see before me?"
"Well," Treble said, "I'm Treble Clef, this is Ocean Breeze, and this is Roseluck. We're just passing through, trying to avoid the Chaos Guard. We figured, if anyone can guide us out of here unnoticed, it would be you."
"Hmm, your assumption is correct, but the route is not direct. There is a path in the back, but there may be an attack. The tunnels are filled with diamond dogs, they are harder to get through than bogs. Why don't you rest a bit, 'till you feel travel fit. What's mine is yours."
"That...didn't have a rhyme," pointed out Ocean.
"Well, being alone has its bores."
"That didn't make any sense."
"It wouldn't hurt to stay here," said Rose, "It seems like we simply move from place to place without taking a moment to breathe. I know we don't have a lot of time, and I'm sure that the others are having the same problem, but everything moves so fast."
"I'm with Rose on this one," Treble said, "How about you, Ocean?"
"Yeah, I guess," Ocean answered, "I know what my friend said, and I know what Luna said, but I think that this Zecora is a little suspicious. She arrives out of nowhere and immediately decides to trust us. I don't buy it."
"Let me tell you, Ocean Breeze," the zebra in question said, "I know you are good ponies. From Luna, I got a letter, and now you can trust me better. I just want to assuage your fears, just know that you can trust your ears. I can even show you the paper, so you can let your anger taper. Here is the parchment that you seek, and now my word is not as weak."
Zecora brought out a small piece of paper from a small drawer in the corner of the cave. Unfurling it, she gave the roll to Ocean, who inspected it. With a relenting sigh, she settled in. As she relaxed, she noticed how comfortable the large space actually was. Even as wide as it was, the heat from the fire in the center spread throughout. The sides glowed a rainbow of colors, as the walls were wet. However, the floor was dry, as was the ceiling. It truly was a cozy space, and it was well hidden from the rest of the forest by the forest itself.
As the day wore on, the group fell into a relaxed state. They had lunch, conversed, and rested. The safety and quiet they experienced was refreshing. Even when they were with Luna, they felt as though they had to stay alert. After all, the field they had passed through was, according to Zecora, protecting them from the denizens of the forest. They had learned that the cave was once home to an Ursa Major and her cub, but that they had since left the cavern in search of food. The river dragon the three friends had passed was, in fact, a victim of these huge creatures and their voracious appetites. The ponies felt shivers running down their spines, glad that they had not run into the grizzly creatures.
As the day wore on, they realized that they had to get a move on. Thanking the zebra for kindly letting them rest, they retrieved their bags and secured provisions supplied to them by the generous shaman.
"A list of remedies, I have here," Zecora said, "To heal those you hold dear. I also have many a cure, for any situation you'll endure," she gave Rose the book and several bottles, "Remember, I care about your safety, and I don't want you to be hasty. Good luck, don't get stuck. If you are in trouble, just buck."
After the words of encouragement, the team set out once more. Within the depths of the cave, a door stood, leading to Luna-knows-where. With one last thank you, and a heartfelt hug from Ocean, they resumed their journey into the deepest reaches of the mountain, unaware they were being followed from the get-go.