The weeks following the party were good. The three humans were hailed as heroes throughout Equestria. Ben in particular was in the spotlight. Word had spread among the ponies about how he defeated the entire Changeling horde with just three words. Three words with so much power behind them. Power enough to thrust Ben into history and end a war before it truly started. And that was just what happened after the attack. The Changeling Assault was brutal, but Ben was known for standing his ground. He was the immovable object placed between ponies and the danger presented. Ben took the fight so they didn't have to, and he was glad to do it. As for Austin and Tessla, they were becoming famous in there own ways.
Tessla was less known than the other two, but that was quickly changing. He was coming to be known as the human that really helped the ponies. The story of the Changeling assault on the camp had spread like wildfire through the cities and towns. Everypony knew it or heard in some way, some version of it. And yet one thing remained true to all variations. Tessla stayed. When both Ben and Austin left to do what they did, Tessla stayed behind with the ponies and protected them. He made sure the ponies were safe, and they knew all knew it. Austin was a different story.
Austin already had a bit of a reputation. It was one that put ponies on the fence with how they should treat him. As the story of the Changeling assault circulated around it just helped to create a divide among the ponies. One that would come to cause problems if he wasn't careful. Austin was dangerous. He was the warrior, the mage, the force of magic that none could stand against. Some ponies found him too dangerous as they worried what would happen if he turned against the ponies. Others found his actions necessary and believed him a friend to ponies. Only time would tell which side was correct.
===
Sweat ran down his face. Every muscle in his body ached as the effort he put forth strained them beyond anything he had ever been through before. Involuntary spasms shook his limbs. He grunted as he held back a wave of energy from escaping. He groaned even more as he forced back another, and another.
In a rare and fleeting moment of peace, he glanced behind him. Ponies were running, fleeing. Terror filled their hearts and drove them away. Not all of them ran. Twilight stood by herself, the single solitary pony standing her ground. But the fear still had her, as it held her in place. She stared at him with only tears filling her eyes.
“Get away from here!” He yelled, shouted over his shoulder at the immobile Princess. He was too slow to catch the next wave and it exploded outward, nearly taking Twilight with it. The blast exploded out and skimmed the edges of Twilight's mane. She was too afraid to even move. He was able to hold back the next one as he turned to face her. He struggled to get his hand up and placed it on the barrier that separated them.
“Go, Twilight,” He said almost commandingly, and yet with compassion. “Get as far away from here as you can.”
“I- I – can't,” Twilight murmured.
“You must,” He said as his eyes fell behind her. “Get her out of here.”
Silence fell over the entire area. Twilight was slowly being pulled away from him. She cried out and shouted until her voice cracked, but it all came out as silence. A deafening, silence that weighed heavy on him. He let his own tears stream down his face as he struggled to contain the power. It was coming fast and harder, now more than ever. He prayed for his apologies to be heard and that was the last thing he remembered. A blinding, pure white light erupted forth and he was . . .
“Aahhh!” Austin shot up in his bed, his body covered in a cold sweat. He wiped away the sweat from his brow. It was only then he realized how heavy he was breathing. Every breath he took felt like he had just run a marathon. He swung his legs out of bed and just sat there for a moment.
“What the hell,” He mumbled to himself, “Why do I keep having this dream?”
He sat there for a moment and massaged his eyes. Small flashes, images shot into his mind before fading away back into his subconscious. He threw on a shirt and decided to take a walk through the castle. Before he left his room he looked outside. The moon was still high in the sky. He must have only been asleep a few hours at most.
“Damn,” He cursed under his breath, “This is getting kinda ridiculous.”
Austin left his room quietly and headed for the kitchen. For some reason he was feeling extremely dehydrated and a slight bit hungry. It was time for a late night snack. He was quite glad he had finally gotten down the layout of the castle. He managed to find his way to the kitchen with no trouble whatsoever.
In the fridge he found not a lot to his liking. Mostly just milk and some juices that he wasn't in the mood for. He did some searching on the shelves and he was able to find something that did sound good to him. Cider, and not the fermented kind. Just normal, regular cider. He poured himself a glass and sat the table. He sat there in the dark for a few moments. He sipped at his cider and sat with only his own thoughts to keep him company. He tried to think about lots of things, but nothing ever stayed with him. Every time he tried to think of something else his thoughts drifted back to that light. But it was more than that. There was a feeling in that dream. Something that tugged at him. Something that he couldn't quite explain, but it kept his thoughts going.
“You look like you need to talk.”
Austin's head shot around to see Twilight standing in the doorway. He calmed down enough to take a deep breath. And then another. And then another.
“Didn't mean to startle you,” She said as she moved over to the fridge, “I didn't even think that was possible.”
“I was just. . . caught up in my own thoughts,” Austin said before taking another sip of cider.
“Oh,” Twilight said. She poured herself a glass of milk and sat down across from Austin. “What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing, Twilight,” Austin said with a fake smile. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Is it about your dreams?” She asked as she took a drink from her glass.
Austin stared at her for a moment. He pushed his own glass aside and leaned in a little bit. “How did you know about my dreams?”
Twilight smiled a sly smile. “You just told me,” She replied. “But in all seriousness I have seen you lately. Your not the same. Your constantly staring off into the distance and you look more and more tired with each passing day.”
“You really noticed all that?” Austin asked.
“Yes, I did. Frankly, I'm surprised no one else did.”
“I play it off pretty well,” Austin said as he stared at table. His eyes traced the patterns in the wood. “It started about a week ago. These dreams of mine, if that's what they are. It's always the same too.”
“What happens? In you dreams?” Twilight said. She felt kind of uneasy as she looked at the human before her. She had seen him do a lot. He had faced a lot. He had always put up a brave front and show a strong face. It was worrying her to see him so shaken up over a dream. What could possibly do this to him?
Austin looked at Twilight deeply. She had become a good friend to him in the months that he had been here. She was kind to him and treated him not like a human, but like anyone else she knew. Austin could talk to her about the magic he had, she was possibly the only one who could understand that about him. Austin could feel like he could tell her anything, and yet he lied to her in that moment.
“I don't remember much of it,” Austin said to her, as he looked into her eyes. “Just a passing dream, you know.”
“Must be passing pretty slowly if it's still affecting you now,” Twilight replied.
“I guess its more of a drifting dream than a passing one then," Austin joked.
“What are you going to do about it?” Twilight asked.
“I don't know,” Austin said. He ran his hand down his face as the drowsiness was setting in. “I was thinking about heading to Canterlot to talk with Celestia. She might know something about something that could help.”
“Celestia? Why not talk to Luna? Dreams are more her thing than Celestia's.”
“I know, Twilight, but this has been going on for a near a week. If Luna was going to help me, I have a feeling she would have by now. For some reason, I don't think these are normal dreams. It's hard to explain.”
“Alright then,” Twilight said. She finished her glass of milk and stood up. “Well then, maybe I will go with you to see her.”
“What?! No,” Austin said quickly as his head shot up. “I mean, there is no need for that.”
Twilight turned back to face him. She took the few steps it took to reach him. She put her eyes at the same level as his. For a moment she just stood there and they looked into each others eyes. And then she walked away. She moved around to his side and rest her head on his shoulder. Austin could feel her mane spilling over his chest and down his back. He felt as her wings stretched around his sides.
“You are my friend, Austin, and I care about what happens to you,” Twilight said softly. “I would like to go with you. Is that okay?”
“Well, if there's no talking you out of it,” Austin joked. He could tell that she was getting tired herself. And before he knew it he could hear her breathing softly, and rather adorably as she dozed off. Austin carefully moved his shoulder out from under her wing. He had to move slowly to not wake the sleeping princess. It took him a few moments, but he finally got free of her. A few moments more and he found himself carrying Twilight back to her own room.
“There you go,” Austin whispered as he lay Twilight down in her bed. She shivered and curled up a bit until Austin pulled the blankets up to cover her. She was nearly asleep as Austin tucked her in and left the room.
“Austin,” He heard just as he turned the handle to the doors out of her room. Not even a creak or a cricket sounded off after that. It was as if the whole world was waiting for Twilight to finish, Austin included. His breath escaped him as he stood there, heart pounding for reasons he couldn't even begin to explain.
“You really are amazing, you know that.” Twilight finished as she rolled over in her bed.
Austin didn't know what to say or do. He wasn't even sure if anything he said would even register with her. After another silent moment of his just standing there, he just left. He quickly, yet quietly opened the door and exited. His heart was still pounding, he still didn't know why.
“Oh, what is happening to me?”
===
“Where is Austin?” Tessla asked. He scanned the park quickly, but his equipment wasn't picking anything up. He put the low tech binoculars down and frowned. “I don't see him anywhere.”
“I think he's still sleeping,” Ben said. “He has been pretty tired lately. You've seen him.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Tessla said.
“Yeah. I agree,” Pinkie said, “Plus, I heard that he was up pretty late with Twilight last night.”
Both Ben and Tessla turned to look at the pink party pony that now stood with them. For some reason she had her own pair of binoculars and she was looking through them at something. Ben and Tessla shared a look between them and then they looked back at Pinkie.
“What do you mean when you say Austin and Twilight were 'up late last night', Pinkie,” Ben asked with great suspicions.
“I dunno. Heard it from Spike,” Pinkie replied, “But it would seem I have spotted my prey. By the way, check with Rares. I think Spike said something about going to see her today.” Pinkie's butt wiggled as she took a far leap into the bushes. From there she rolled over to take cover behind a tree. Ben and Tessla watched as she stealthily moved her way over to the unsuspecting pony they were sure was her intended target.
“Hey, guys,” Rainbow Dash said as she waved a hoof at them. “Wazzup?”
“Nothing much,” Tessla replied. “How 'bout you?”
“Just getting ready to practice a new trick. You wanna wat-”
“I GOTCHA NOW!”
Pinkie Pie burst forth from her hiding place. She leaped over to Rainbow Dash and pulled out from somewhere a mask. A mask so terrifyingly horrible it could scare a dog into pieces. These monstrosity of a mask was green in color, with a large, purple nose hanging from the middle. One of the eyes was bigger than the other, colored in a hypnotic pattern of black and yellow circles. The other eye was normal, but the big and oversized teeth made it hard to focus on the eyes. Pinkie slammed it down and Dash couldn't help but scream at this unforeseen turn of events.
“Ahahaha! I totally got you, Dashie,” Pinkie spilled out as she rolled along the floor.
“You know what, screw you, Pinkie Pie,” Dash retorted rather angrily.
“Ahem. Excuse me, miss.”
“What do you want?” Dash said. She looked back at the pony who was talking to her only to find that he was unusually close to her. Like, uncomfortably close. Well within her comfort zone. Nobody gets that close to her without her say so.
“Please get off me,” The stallion said. Dash was about to respond when she realized that she was indeed hanging off his neck. She had jumped up on instinct to the nearest thing. The nearest thing being this unfortunate stallion.
“Sorry,” Dash said quietly as her cheeks turned red. She gently pushed off of him and hovered in the air for a moment. “Once again, sorry.”
The stallion did not respond to her apologies. He simply turned and walked away from them all. The last thing Dash saw was him flicking up the hood to his cloak to cover up his black and white mane. And by then she was back to facing Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie Pie!”
“Now, now, Dashie. If you want to yell at me please do it on ground level.” Pinkie stated simply and calmly, like it was any other reasonable request that any pony would give.
“Fine,” Dash snorted. She flew over closer to Pinkie and folded in her wings. She landed on the ground with her usual grace, but her hooves felt awfully strange. Each of her four hooves felt like they were being soaked in jelly, or molasses. Dash knew she wasn't going to like it when she looked down, but she did it anyways.
“Really, Pinkie,” Dash grumbled. “Pie? You made me land in pies?”
“Yupperdoodles!” Pinkie said as she hopped around her very annoyed friend. “Sure did! If you take a lick of the pies you know what you'll taste? Well, let me tell ya. Revenge!” Pinkie uttered that last word with more of a whisper than the others. She put her face real close to Dash's when she said it too.
“Revenge?” Dash repeated. “Revenge for what? What did I do to you?”
“You know what you did, missy,” Pinkie said. “Now taste my sweet, delicious revenge and do not enjoy it!” And with that, Pinkie was gone. She hopped down a side street and was no longer seen by any of them.
“I have no idea what is going on with her,” Dash said as she heard some noises coming from off to the side. “And what are you to laughing at, huh? You like seeing me humiliated like this, is that it? Does this get you off or something?”
“No, Dash, sorry,” Ben said, “We're not laughing at you.”
“Besides,” Tessla said, “It could be worse, you know.”
“Oh yeah, and how exactly is that?”
“Your a Pegasus with pies on your hooves,” Tessla explained, “You could be a Pegasus with a pie in your face.”
“Uh, whatever.” Dash said as she flew up and shook the pies off her hooves. “I gotta go home and take a shower.”
Ben and Tessla watched her fly off really quickly towards her house of clouds in the sky above Ponyville. They were still smiling at what they had just witnessed. They just loved Pinkie's antics, even when they didn't make a lick of sense. And as they laughed out the last few chuckles they headed off to see Rarity at the Boutique. Hopefully Spike would still be there. They needed some answers.
===
“Ahaha! Hell yeah!”
Vinyl was practically glowing as she laid eyes on the piece of paper in front of her. She smiled so widely she wouldn't have been surprised if her face froze that way. She jumped off the bed and raced through the house until she found Octavia. She was in the kitchen, brewing herself a cup of coffee.
“Hey, Tavi, have you seen this,” She asked as she waved the paper in front of her, “It's the check. Have you seen how much money the Princesses want to give us for that party? It's freakin' awesome!”
“Yes, I have seen it,” Octavia said with a calm voice, “I opened mine earlier, dear.”
Octavia gestured to the table behind her. Vinyl spun around and saw a piece of paper laying there that was nearly an exact copy of hers. She looked back at hers and then looked back up. She then fell quiet all of the sudden. She turned back to face Octavia with her eyes so wide they were almost showing even behind her shades.
“Vinyl, are you alright?”
“Tavi, they payed us separately.”
“Yes, dear, I know that.” Octavia said. “What of it?”
“That means we are both getting the amount written on this piece of paper.” Vinyl said, still a little out of it. “I think I might pass out. This is too much.”
“Oh, please, Vinyl. It's just money.”
“No, it isn't,” Vinyl snapped back, apparently back in reality now. “Tavi, you have always had money. You come from money. Your family is money. I know you don't like to talk about it-”
“That's right, I don't,” Octavia interjected forcefully.
“But, Tavi, I have never had this much money. Nothing even came close to this. The most I ever had before meeting you was barely enough to pay rent for my crappy apartment in Manehatten and feed myself. A lot of the time I had to choose between the two.”
Octavia looked back at her marefriend. She had not been wrong. Octavia did come from a wealthy family of ponies, even though she didn't have access to the family money anymore. Old money, old beliefs. But that didn't matter. She was happy with the money she made from her job with the symphony. But as Vinyl started talking about money she realized that she never actually thought about the money she had.
“I'm sorry, Vinyl. I never that of it before,” Octavia said.
“It's okay, Tavi. Really, it is,” Vinyl replied. “I mean, that part of my life is behind me now. I met you, and we're marefriends, and we don't ever have to worry about money ever again.”
Vinyl gave Octavia a hug that she happily returned. Octavia sat down with Vinyl at the table and reexamined her own check. It was a good deal of money. It was just around the amount she had expected to get from performing at a royal party. And if they both got that amount. . .
“. . . oh, there is so much that can be done with this.” Vinyl said, nearly drooling as her mind poured over every possibility it could come up with. Most of them Octavia would not agree to.
“Vinyl, we have to spend this right. You know that,” Octavia lectured. She knew how Vinyl could be with money. She had done enough impulse buying to sink a ship. Enough that Octavia seriously considered giving her a weekly allowance at one point. But she couldn't blame her really. Like she said before, Vinyl had never had this much money. Octavia knew how to handle money because she grew up with it.
“Yes, Octavia, I know that. And the right thing to do with this would be to get some new sound equipment. Some of my stuff is getting pretty worn out.”
“Why not just get what you have repaired?” Octavia asked with a heavy sigh.
“Because, it is also getting kinda out of date,” Vinyl answered. “Come on, Tavi, you should know this, you've spent enough time around the stuff.”
“I know that I bought you a brand new piece of equipment just last year, for your birthday. How can that be out of date?” Octavia said with her tone of voice rising to match her level of annoyance. There was absolutely no possible way that she was going to let her blow a ton of money right away.
“That is not out of date, Octavia, but some of my stuff is. And this isn't the kind of stuff you can just get repaired,” Vinyl said. “Look, I'm not saying that we go out and buy all brand new stuff. Just some stuff that's at least a little better than what I got now. Okay?”
“Okay, Vinyl,” Octavia said. She was learning. “I suppose I could use a few new things as well.”
“That's the spirit, Tavi!” Vinyl said with renewed joy.
“But first and foremost, there is one thing we have to do before we do anything else.” Octavia said. “I'm pretty sure you know what I am going to say.”
“Yeah, I think I know where this is going.” Vinyl said. Her newly found joy crumbled away into nothingness as Octavia pointed out her last, and greatest blunder to date. Octavia sipped her coffee and Vinyl's head hit the table with a loud thud.
“Vinyl,” Octavia said, “We have to get the electricity back on.”
===
“What do you mean your leaving?” Spike stood there, awestruck, as Twilight gathered a few things and gently placed them in a suitcase. “Where are you going? And why? Why now?”
“It's nothing to worry about, Spike,” Twilight said. “Me and Austin are just going to go to Canterlot.”
“Oh, I see,” Spike said, his tone suggesting that he had uncovered some motive buried deep within Twilight's words. “I think I get it now. Alright, Twilight.”
“Spike, what are you talking about?”
“Oh, nothing. It's just that I think I finally understand why you're going away,” Spike said as he built up to the final stroke. “You just want to be alone with Austin.”
Twilight stopped midstep, mid sentence, mid everything. She just stopped. She had been floating a few books by her and they dropped to the floor, the echoing thud being barely audible over the sound of her fast beating heart. She stayed frozen in that way for a few seconds before talking back to Spike.
“Spike, the next time you want to say something so ridiculous can you please warn me first,” She played off her utter shock as best she could by turning away from him and towards the books she dropped. She had to hide her blushing cheeks somehow.
“Come on, Twilight. I know how you are around him,” Spike teased and prodded. “You act like a schoolfilly with a crush.”
“I do not!” Twilight quickly blurted out as she snapped around to face the young dragon.
“HA! Deny it all you want, Twi, but I can see it,” Spike said, “And if I can see it, who knows who else can.”
“Spike, where did you get such a silly idea from,” Twilight asked as she fiddled with her wingtips.
“Well, you two were up real late last night,” Spike answered, “And then I saw Austin leaving your room in a hurry. At first I didn't know what it meant, and when I asked Pinkie about it, she-”
“You told Rarity?!?!” Twilight asked vehemently as she rushed up and put her face right next to Spike's. “Please tell me you didn't tell Rarity.”
“So what?” Spike asked with a shrug of his scaly shoulders. “It's just Rarity. She's your friend.”
“Uuuugghhhh,” Twilight groaned as she melted into a puddle of embarrassment on the floors.
“I don't understand what's going on,” Spike simply stated as he left Twilight's room.
===
Zecora sat in her hut in the Everfree Forest. This was her favorite time of the day. It was the early morning, the day was just getting started. The animals that were out in the daytime were waking up from a restful nights sleep. She listened as the birds started chirping and singing their songs. The trees were creaking and stretching as their branches reached up to take in all the light of the day they could. A small breeze was rustling through the Forest. It carried with the sounds of the animals. Nocturnal beasts turning to slumber after an eventful night. Zecora took a deep breath as she sat inside her hut in the Everfree Forest.
“Today is going to be a good day, I think,” She said to herself with a happy smile, “Now, the time has come to mix my morning drink. Fortunately it shouldn't take long to mix the brew, for today there is much see and much to do.”
Zecora moved about her hut. She went from shelf to shelf collecting the ingredients. Most of them were common things she could easily find in town. A few others were more uncommon, and she had to search the Everfree for those. As she collected the last ingredient off the fourth shelf she made a mental note to reorganize her shelves. Maybe she could have Twilight help. She did love to organize things. Zecora made the note and set to making her brew. She mixed the ingredients in her cauldron and let them sit for a moment or three. After that she got a cup. And once again she sat down to listen to the sounds of nature. And drink her tea. She always had a cup of tea in the morning.
Half an hour after Zecora had her tea she set out to do her chores for the day. Her list was quite simple. She had to go deeper into the Forest to collect some special herbs and a few other ingredients. After that she was supposed to meet Rarity in town. Apparently, Rarity had suddenly become a bit obsessed with making Zecora a dress or something. Zecora didn't much care fro dresses, but she knew how much it would mean to Rarity. There was something else too, but it was escaping her thoughts at the moment.
“Hey, Zecora.”
The unexpected voice shook Zecora back to the present. Although unexpected the voice was not unwelcome. Zecora smiled as the human whose voice it was approached her hut. His long hair tied back and a smile on his face.
“Tessla, my friend. I have not seen you in quite a while,” Zecora said “You have been off giving the Changelings quite the rile.”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Tessla said, “I irritated them, Austin fought them, and Ben professed his love to Chrysalis.”
“Ah, yes. That is what the stories are saying,” Zecora exclaimed, “If I had to face all three, I too would be praying.”
“Anyway,” Tessla said, “I was wondering if we could, I don't know, hang out or something.”
“Well, I have some things that I must get done before days end,” Zecora said. “I would like the company, though. It would break a rather boring trend.”
Tessla smiled and started walking with Zecora. She lead him through the winding paths of the Everfree Forest. She took the time to tell him all about the things they came across. In just the first hour they walked, Tessla learned about nearly a dozen different flowers alone. Some of which were filled deadly poison or toxic to touch. Others were harmless or had great healing properties. Tessla like to learn all about this, especially since it was Zecora who was teaching him.
She taught him how to read the trails of the Everfree. She taught him how to find his way inside a place where it was quite easy to get lost. In a place of forgotten dangers Zecora was teaching him how to survive. All the while Tessla had a great big smile on his face, and so did she.
“Man, I need a rest,” Tessla said as the two of them stopped for lunch. The hours of the day had rolled on by faster than he could believe. “I certainly did learn a lot today, though, so it was worth it.”
“Yes. I must say, I am glad to have someone to which I can speak,” Zecora said, “Mostly, the sounds I hear in the forest are the tree's creak or the clack of a bird's beak.”
“Yeah, I guess not too many ponies come out here to see you, do they,” Tessla said, half a question and half a statement.
“In many weeks nopony has come, it is true,” Zecora said to him with a touch of sadness in her voice. She had been alone for so long that shad gotten used to the solitude, but the ponies in town weren't afraid of her anymore. On some level she had hoped that somepony might visit every once in a while, but none ever did. “Which I why this morning I was so glad to see you.”
Her tone turned from sad to happy and Tessla was glad to hear it. It made him smile even more. They sat together and ate the lunch. Originally Zecora had only packed enough for herself. However, Zecora was able to scrounge up a whole other meal from the Forest while walking with Tessla. It wasn't a bad meal either. Berries and roots. She had packed some bread which they shared. She had some tea as well, but Tessla refused that after his first sip. That got a laugh out of Zecora. She admitted that it was an acquired taste that wasn't for everybody. After they were done eating they sat there for a few more moments and enjoyed the wonders of the Forest.
“I gotta say, it is good to get out of town for a while,” Tessla said. Zecora gave him a puzzled look and he explained what he meant. “There is just a lot going on right now. With the whole Changeling situation turned upside down and the Zebra's that arrived, everythi-”
“Zebras?,” Zecora asked, with a single word.
“Yeah,” Tessla said. “They showed up at the party the Princesses threw for us a couple weeks back. Well, one Zebra showed up. Some guy named Zakir or something.”
Zecora kinda froze up when she heard the name. Her mind flashed back to a time before Equestria, a time before all of this. It was not a good time in her life. Every day was a struggle, every meal was barely enough. Every word had to be carefully considered before being said. It was a time she had thought long forgotten, until that name brought all those terrible memories back up to the surface of her mind.
“Zecora?” Tessla said, “Are you alright? You seem a little off?”
“Oh, I am just fine,” Zecora said as she shook herself free of the memories. “Just thinking about these people of mine. It is not often that Zebra's visit this land. I can't help but wonder as to where they stand.”
“'Where they stand'. What do you mean,” Tessla asked. Zecora seemed a little preoccupied as she hurriedly packed everything up and stood up on her hooves.
“It is nothing. I simply remembered there is something that I must do,” Zecora said as she moved for the path they came from. “I am afraid I have no more time to spend with you.”
“Zecora, wait,” Tessla said. He shot up fast and headed after her. He was only steps behind her when he started, but she knew the forest better than anypony. Not even the Princesses knew it like she did. And even though she was only steps ahead of him, she disappeared like a spirit vanishing into the unknown. It was almost like she was turned invisible as she worked her way through the twisting trees and gnarled branches. Tessla had to concentrate on what he had just learned from her just if there was any hope to get back.
“Zecora!” He yelled as he made his way back to trail. “Zecora, where did you go?”
No answer, and Tessla continued on. He could swear it was still early in the day, barely the afternoon, and yet it was getting darker in the Forest where he was. Maybe it was the branches closing in on him, not letting the light of the day through to shine anymore. Maybe it was the shadows of the Everfree itself, devouring the daylight as it shone down. He didn't know, and he didn't care. He just wanted to find his way to Zecora.
After a little while of half running through the Forest, Tessla came across a small clearing. He and Zecora did not pass through it before. “Zecora!” Tessla yelled out. He got no answer. “Alright. Fine. Be that way.”
Zecora stood in the shadows near her hut. She pulled her cloak tightly across her. She wanted to be as unnoticeable as she could possibly be. The Forest had become dark, and she could do nothing about it. As she stood there, in the shadows, Tessla emerged from the trees. He stumbled off the path with heavy breathing. He took a moment to curse the Forest and catch his breath. He pulled a leaf out of his hair and moved over to Zecora's hut. It was dark, and every door and window closed.
“Zecora,” Tessla said aloud, hoping she was somewhere nearby. “I don't know what is going on with you, but I want you to know you can talk to me. About anything.”
Tessla stepped back from her hut and turned. He turned around and around. He looked in every direction for her. He scanned the trees, the branches, the leaves. He searched the ground, the bushes, and the trails. He looked for her and he found nothing. Eventually he just sighed and walked away. Zecora waited for several moments. It seemed like an eternity for her, but she wanted to make sure he was out of the Forest.
“I am sorry, my friend,” She whispered as he left the Forest for good. “It would seem our story has come to its end.”
===
Ben sat in the park in Ponyville. It was a beautiful day, as most days are in Ponyville. The sun was shining down, there was a lovely breeze rolling about the sky, a few clouds drifted lazily. It was a good day and Ben was more than happy to just soak it all in. That is, until he felt eyes on him. Three sets of eyes to be specific. Ben opened his eyes to see three young fillies staring up at him.
“Uhh, hello?” Ben said awkwardly as they stared up at him still.
The fillies erupted into a giggle fit after Ben spoke to them. They all looked at each other and had an apparent conversation through just trading looks back and forth. Finally, after more looks were traded and even a few gestures were given one of the fillies stepped up.
“Um,” She said. “Hi.”
“Is there something you wanted,” Ben asked.
“Well,” The same filly that said hi was starting to turn bright red. She was shaking so much her glasses almost vibrated off her face.
“Jeez, will you just ask him already,” Said another filly behind her.
“Why don't you ask him,” Said the first filly.
“Fine then,” The second filly stepped up with a bit more attitude than the first one. Where the first filly was shy and awkward this filly had sass and the attitude to go with it. “We want to know something about you.”
“Okay. What do you want to know,” Ben asked. This was starting to be a really strange conversation.
“So, like, where is you magic?”
“What?” Ben replied quickly.
“You know, magic,” The filly said, “That Austin guy has it. He's pretty cool. And the other one with the long hair has some of Discord's power, right? So, where is your magic? Do you even have any?”
“That is a pretty darn good question,” Ben said. “I don't know if I have any. I might have some, but I don't know.”
“How can you not know if you have magic?” This filly asked, She shook her head and it was then Ben noticed that she was a Unicorn.
“Well, little one,” Ben started, “Humans don't normally have magic. We aren't born with any definite signs, such as a Unicorn horn. Austin discovered his magic because of his instinct to protect ponies. Tessla got his powers from a lab accident.”
“I don't understand you guys,” The Unicorn filly said as she walked away.
“You are not the only one,” Ben said.
The sassy Unicorn with the attitude walked away but the other two fillies stayed by Ben. Ben looked down at them and they looked away. Another moment of awkward silence fell between them. Ben wasn't sure what to do or say and they weren't talking either.
“Excuse me,” One of them finally said, “Can I ask you another question?”
It was the same, quiet, shy filly that spoke to him before. She was a lot like Fluttershy in that way. However, her mane was shorter and white in color.
“Sure,” Ben said. “What is it?”
“The other human, Austin,” She said, “What do you think of him?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, my momma says that he real dangerous and that I should stay away from him.”
“That ain't true!” The third young one finally spoke up. A young colt who was finally sounding off. “He ain't dangerous. At least, not to us. He only dangerous to his enemies.”
“What are you names?” Ben asked.
“I am Starlight Charmer,” Said the shy filly.
“Name's Strong Gunner,” Said the colt.
“Okay, Charmer and Gunner. Let me tell you something,” Ben said. “I may not have magic, but that doesn't mean I don't understand it. Austin is a good friend of mine, and he has a lot of power. That power is dangerous, but he would never use it against any pony of Ponyville. It's like I said to the other filly, Austin only found his magic because of his instinct to protect ponies.”
“HA! I knew it,” Strong Gunner exclaimed happily.
“Okay, thank you,” Starlight Charmer said. “I'll tell my momma what you said. “Bye.”
“Goodbye, little ones,” Ben said. “Well that was kinda odd.”