//------------------------------//
// Lily's Journey 
// Story: Into the Forest 
// by Limelight02 
//------------------------------//

I sat there, waiting. For a sound, a movement, anything. It was getting cold outside and I didn't know the way home. I finally got up and started to weave through the trees, looking for something, not sure what it was. My knees locked at the sound of my name.

"Wait up, Lily!"

It was Needles, Thumper's son. My father had taken me to meet Thumper. He had told me stories about their adventures. Like my father and Thumper, Needles and I are childhood friends.

I turned around and greeted him, "Hello, Needles."

He smirked and cocked his head, "Where ya going?"

"Nowhere in particular. You?"

"I was looking for you! I found something I want to show you."

He motioned for me to follow. We ran through the forest until we arrived at a thicket deep in the forest. Needles stopped in front of a large bush.

"Now don't freak out."

He pulled away the brush to reveal a panel of light surrounded by a metal ring.

I screamed, "What the heck is that thing!"

His voice turned to a whisper, "Keep your voice down! This is some kind of rabbit hole that leads whoever walks through it somewhere else. I'm not quite sure what it is either, but we can't let anyone else find it."

"And why not?"

"Because it could be dangerous and we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Now would we?"

His eyes stared into my soul. He knew I would crack.

I huffed, "Fine. But you better not do anything you'll regret either."

Needles held up his hand and made an x over his chest. Something rustled in the brush behind us and the barrel of a gun was pointed at my face.

"Run!" Needles shouted.

I was paralyzed by fear. I couldn't move. Needles shoved me and I fell backwards into the light panel. Needles hopped towards me. All I knew was it was dark and I was falling. Slipping away from existence.

_______________

I woke up in a lake, cold. I looked up at the stars. It had just been daytime. Had I slept? Did I black out? Did any of this really happen? I heard something I dreaded. Needles was behind me, coughing up water. He couldn't swim. I swung around, splashing as I ran. I got to him and then suddenly backed away. He looked strange. He looked less like a rabbit. He was much smaller and had much longer ears and a smaller body and legs. His blotchy coat had turned a solid hazel color. I screamed. He looked up at me startled, but still dazed. Then he screamed.

"What is it!"

"You!"

I ran over to the lake and looked at my reflection. I looked as different as Needles did. I had a lot of hair of my head and down my neck that cascaded over my shoulders and behind my ears. My eyes had curly designs around them as well. My hooves were much bigger and my legs were shorter. I still had my spots, thank goodness. My tail was entirely hair, tied up with a red bow.

"Ah!"

I jumped back and landed on my butt. I turned and looked at Needles who was still looking at me like I was a stranger.

"If you think I look strange you should see yourself."

Needles walked over to the lake and looked at himself. He tugged at him ears and played with his feet.

"Where are we?"

"Don't know," was all he could say.

I scanned the horizon, looking for anyone that could help us, but I saw something even better. A  forest was not too far from where we were and I knew we would be safe there.

"Needles, let's go!"

I dashed towards the trees, Needles on my tail. We made it to the forest and sat up against the tree. A twig snapped behind us and my first thought was that the hunter had followed us here. We both froze. Whatever it was, it was coming closer. I swung around to find a strange creature. She had a similar body shape, but her hair was striped and it stood up. She had stripes all over her body, like I had spots.

"Strange outlanders,
It must of been rough so far,
You are quite different I can tell,
Do you know where you are?"

I shook my head keeping my eyes locked on her.

"The Everfree Forest, my dear,
I'll show you around here."

She took my hoof and pulled me up. We followed a path that curved around the trees until we arrived at a giant tree with a door. I figured it was her den, or something. We walked in and sat down at a table with books strewn across it. She picked one up and started to flip through it.

"What's your name?"

"Zecora the Zebra,
I am also an outlander,
I shall get you home,
If you will, take a gander."

She gestured towards the books. I picked one up and looked at the pictures. I was unable to read, but I knew pictures as well as I knew the forest. It was a botany book with many pictures of plants, but I didn't know any of them. Zecora turned the book around and pointed to a picture.

"No, that's not it. I'm a deer. Needles over there is a rabbit. Are there any of those here?"

Zecora laughed as she nodded.

"There are no deer here,
I must tell you,
Be wary of others,
They do not know what is true."

"What is true?" I didn't understand what she meant, "Oh, like they don't know what I am? They may not believe me?"

She nodded again.

"Okay, so how do we get back?"

"The lake is full,
Of water, you see,
You must drain it,
If you long for thee."

"Drain the lake? How?"

Zecora rummaged through her shelves and pulled out a bottle filled with an orange liquid.

"This is a potion,
They are like magic,
Use it correctly,
Or the ending will be tragic."

I took the potion from her and ran to the lake, Needles close behind. We made it there in under a minute and I yanked out the cork and dumped the potion into the water. It swirled around and began to rise up, swirling around us.

"Let's go, Needles!"

Needles Is also afraid of the water, mainly because he cannot swim. I pulled him through the water and he coughed when we got to the other side. The lake had been turned into a dry pit of dirt, but at the center was another light panel like the one we had come through.

"There it is!"

Needles and I ran as fast as we could towards it. When we were a step away, the ground began to shake and all the water started to gather back in. I through Needles through the light panel before it was covered by water. I started to float back to the surface, gasping for air. I dove back down, the dark water making it hard to see. I had to surface again. The water was crashing into me. I swam back down and flew through the light panel. I'd be back into the forest before I knew it.