//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 : WHY IS THIS FOREST TROLLING ME?! // Story: Changeling Quest Book 1: Enemy Found // by LoveEspeon //------------------------------// Twilight and Flash walked flank-to-flank into the forest. It looked boring so far. Everything was grey. Twilight gave an exasperated sigh. "I can't get over the fact that literally everything here is grey!" she snapped. Flash put a wing around her. As they continued exploring the forest, Twilight felt her adrenaline rise. She had got attacked by...what....a big..ugly....stupid changeling dragon....a DRAGON!! That thing made Tirek combined with Discord and King Sombra look like a mere goat. Twilight shuddered. She could feel Flash grow tense as the short grass suddenly sprouted out to long blades of messy grey. At least they had more cover. Then again, they couldn't see their enemy stalking through the grass; if there was one. "This place gives me the chills. At least the adrenaline rush is comforting," joked Flash as he plucked out a tall blade of grass covering his face. Twilight gave a nervous laugh. Then the floor gave way. Flash and Twilight screamed as they tumbled into the darkness. Twilight covered her head with her left wing. Crash. Twilight fell on top of Flash. She was choking from the dust and the impact. "Holy cheese," wheezed Flash, pushing Twilight off and standing up on his feet...erm...well....hooves. Twilight choked her agreement and managed to kneel on the ground, her left hoof refusing to help prop herself up. Flash heaved her up onto her hooves. "Quite the fall there," Twilight managed to choke out, waving the dust away. Flash glanced up at the hole. "Forget about that, how do we get out?!" Twilight pawed at the wall hopelessly. She couldn't fly out. Her right wing was still recovering. Flapping it would risk breaking it even more. Flash flapped up. Twilight groaned. Then she lit up her horn. Seconds later she teleported beside Flash. He screamed and fell backwards. Twilight burst out laughing. "Sorry Flash. I had no other choice," she laughed. Flash pretended to be cross, folding his hooves somehow. Then he got up. Grinning, he pointed to the trail with a hoof. "Let's keep going." Twilight nodded and rapidly limped after him. Back at camp, Umbra looked into the sunset. What the heck is taking them so long?? he thought desperately. Applejack came up behind him. "Whatcha worrying 'bout Sugarcube??" Umbra looked startled. "What is taking Twilight and Flash so long?" said Umbra in his animatronic-like voice. Applejack squinted into the forest. "I hope their ok. But then again, Twilight's a princess and Flash is a mighty good guard." Umbra nodded. I hope your alright guys he thought. In the forest, Twilight looked at the sun setting in worry. She stopped. Flash couldn't hear her steps anymore and looked back. "Why the holdup?" Twilight was about to say something when a vine dropped on top of her head. Flash was about to wrench it off when another one dropped onto his face. Then the vines started to wrap around them and tangle up. "WHAT IN EQUESTRIA?!" yelled Twilight as the vines wrapped around her hooves. She lost her footing and fell down, Flash crashing beside her. "What is it-" Twilight choked as the vine squeezed around her chest. "It's trying to-hurggh-strangle...us..." wheezed Flash. Twilight lit up her horn, only to find that she couldn't use her magic. "Ugh! Whats going on?!" Twilight desperately tried to kick the vine, but it twisted out of reach and strangled her even more. Flash bit into the vine. It loosened a bit. He looked to his right to see that Twilight was nearly covered in the vine. He bit the vine even harder and stretched open his wings. It instantly broke the vine's grip on him. He ripped it apart with his teeth. Then he ran over to Twilight. The plant nearly covered her horn. He destroyed it using the same technique. The vine broke to pieces. Twilight didn't move. He poked her in the ribs. She coughed. "Huh?!" then her head shot up. She coughed violently. Flash slapped her back. "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" she protested. "To get your lungs up and running again," joked Flash. Twilight sighed. Seriously, this forest was trolling them.