Morning came too early for Twilight. Since her stay in Ponyville, free from Celestia's schedule that included waking with the dawn, she had allowed herself to stay up later and later, often engrossed in some book or mapping how the stars had changed since Luna's freedom. This meant sleeping in to compensate.
This did not, in general, lead to being thrilled when woken up by somepony knocking at her door shortly. "Spiiike, can you get that?" She pulled a pillow over her head.
"Sure, sure." The young dragon - smaller even than a pony, still, colored to compliment Twilight if not for his green eyes and crest, and off-white belly - yawned as he trotted downstairs and opened the door. His claw-tipped hands had proven remarkably versatile at making use of things built for ponies. One familiar face and one unfamiliar face greeted him outside. "Oh, hey, g'morning Fluttershy. And...are you the newcomer Twilight mentioned?"
Sanguine nodded absently as her eyes wandered over the structure. While she had seen the tree library on the flight in - there were other trees around town, but this was easily the largest with any buildings nearby - seeing it up close was something else. The windows and balconies scattered about, not to mention the prominent, brick-red front door, made it obvious this was a structure for pony use. One balcony, just too high up to be convenient to jump to, almost seemed designed for pegasus entry, or perhaps for waiting for visitors. A healthy canopy of dark green confirmed this tree was at the same time alive; Sanguine wondered what sort of maintenance that entailed. Patches of lighter green formed a roof over each window, balcony, or door, suggesting transplanted foliage grafted on to the main tree. Up on top was a telescope - good condition, probably recently used, Sanguine decided from the lack of fallen leaves or detritus.
Looking inside - yes, this was a library, alright. The wood was colored pink, and shelves carved into the walls, stuffed with books. The shelves went nearly to the ceiling; a rickety-looking ladder in one corner was probably the main means of access - that, and telekinesis from the "librarian". Dominating the center was a reading table ringed around a bust of some mohawk-maned pony, the table supplemented by a couple auxiliary lecterns serving as bookstands near the walls between shelves, while the bust was supplemented by a large sun crest dominating the ceiling, suggesting this was a building with some history - if being built into a massive tree with grafted extensions had not been clue enough. A staircase with three pink hearts on the front of every other step lead somewhere out of sight. In some ways it was a library version of the boutique. Sanguine wondered if most residents of Ponyville resided in combined shop-and-home buildings, but surely there could not be enough establishments for that to be true, even if Pinkie had mentioned living in a bakery.
While Sanguine studied all this, Fluttershy spoke. "Good morning. Umm, I need a little favor, if you don't mind."
"Sure. Just so long as it doesn't involve waking Twilight." Spike had had too many unpleasant encounters with the consequences of that.
"Too late," came from upstairs, "but I'm going back to sleep if you don't need me."
"Oh! Uh! S-sorry to wake you," Fluttershy called - at least, what passed for raising her soft voice. Rainbow Dash still occasionally joked about the "yay training" incident, which Fluttershy was still a little embarrassed about. "I just wanted Spike to feed my animals at lunchtime."
"I can do that." Spike had planned on categorizing and shelving Celestia's recent letters to Twilight, which he had gotten a bit behind on, but that could wait until tomorrow. "Are you going on a trip?" He eyed Sanguine's suit, nodding to himself: that was unmistakably Rarity's work.
"We're going into Everfree Forest for the day, to look for monsters," Fluttershy replied, in the same tone one would announce a trip to the grocery store. "We'll be back by dark."
"Oh, that's ni-WHAAAAAT?!?" Spike was joined mid-way through his exclamation by Twilight teleporting to his side, wings raised and mane a prime display of bedhead.
Twilight's eyes met Fluttershy's. "Are. You. CRAZ-Sanguine what are you doing?" But only until distracted.
Sanguine bowed, her chin on the ground. "I sincerely apologize for not recognizing your status yesterday, Your Highness. With all that was going on I did not realiz-"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Get up."
Sanguine stood. "Yes your majesty."
"And don't call me that!" A fleck of genuine irritation crept into Twilight's voice.
"Yes your maje-err..." Sanguine fished for another title.
Spike stage-whispered, "Twilight's new to this whole Princess thing. Don't play it up."
Despite herself, Twilight had to smile at that. "Yes, please. It's a little embarrassing. Just call me Twilight."
Sanguine nodded. "Alright."
"Ahem. Anyway." Interruption resolved, Twilight looked at Fluttershy again. "Are. You. CRAZY?!?"
Even having been afforded time to prepare for it, Fluttershy still found herself taking a step back. "I think she needs to learn how to talk to them, and how to listen, so she won't you-know-what more than she has to."
Twilight blinked. "Fluttershy. This is the Everfree Forest we're talking about. You know better than I how dangerous it is. You live there!"
"I do. But it is the type of place she will be going a lot. And I don't want her to..." Fluttershy glanced at Spike, uncertain if Twilight had told him yet. "...you-know-what if it isn't needed."
"I get that, but I'm worried THEY will you-know-what YOU just for being there." Visions of Fluttershy and Sanguine in pieces offered themselves up to Twilight unbidden.
"Oh, w-well, it shouldn't be too bad? I mean the two of us will be together." Fluttershy knew it would be insufficient, but it was all she had to fall back on.
"She's practically still a filly. You're stronger than she is." Twilight was not entirely certain: Fluttershy was very much not known for her brawn, and it sounded like Sanguine had had some experience with rough and tumble.
"Actually, we hoof-wrestled last night to see how strong she was. It was a tie." Fluttershy did not explain how Angel had goaded her into it. Sometimes she wondered whether her bunny or herself was the true master of her cottage.
As the two argued, Spike leaned around them to ask Sanguine, "Do you know what this you-know-what is?"
"Yep." Sanguine had taken a step away from the mares, to give them space.
"Wanna share?" Spike had a suspicion, having read Celestia's letter to himself and Twilight on the subject, but it was another matter to hear it from the pony's mouth.
"Nope." Sanguine tilted her head at the sound of her own voice. Just then, she had sounded a bit like... "Say, umm, Twilight? What if we got that orange pony from yesterday? Applejack, was it? Would you be okay with it if she was protecting us?"
Twilight blinked as a strand of bedhead neared one eye. "Well..."
"Would we have your permission?" Sanguine pressed.
"..." The way Sanguine had asked that disturbed Twilight, and it took her a moment to figure out why. "Sanguine. Fluttershy is a grown pony, and I don't do that kind of royal authority unless I really have to. I am not ordering anypony to do or not to do anything. I'm just really worried for the safety of both of you, as a friend. Even with Applejack along it wouldn't be entirely safe, but I suppose it would be safer. Though she's busy running Sweet Apple Acres all day."
"If it will make you feel better, we'll go ask her," Fluttershy offered.
"Thanks." Twilight stepped back from the door as her friends turned to leave, then debated whether to comb her mane or let the coming adrenaline crash drive her back to sleep. In the end she did both, winding up with dreams of wandering amidst a sea of her own hair and through it trying to be there for everypony at the same time as they engaged in a series of increasingly dangerous ventures.