Raven awoke to the sounds of murmuring.
"Can you be sure?"
"I'm telling you, she was just here!"
"Now Spike, I ain't callin you a liar, but I don't see Twi."
"She was being attacked by the plundervines, I, I saw." Whoever this Spike was, he sounded like he was near tears.
"Spike, darling, take a deep breath and tell us exactly what happened after we left Twlight at Ponyville." Ponyville? that seemed like a strange name for a city. Then Raven glanced down. She gasped, loudly, she was a lavender colored pony! Her trademark blue cloak was still there, but she didn't have wings the last time she checked. It was only when the face of a bright pink pony with unruly hair burst through the bushes that she realized she had been spotted.
"Found her!" The Pink pony yelled loud enough to make Raven's hears ring.
A white unicorn with a curled violet mane that wasn't too far from the shade of Raven's hair walked over to them. "Twilight! We were so worried! Are you okay?"
Raven blinked in confusion. They think I'm Twilight, she realized. Best to play along until she found her way out of this forest and back to Jump City. "I'm fine just confused."
The unicorn looked Raven over with a confused expression. "Where on Equestria did you get that cloak?" Raven swalowed nerviously and was prepared to make up some crazy excuse when a cyan pegasus with a mane of many hues inturupted.
"Rarity, can you focus less on Twilight's new accsessory and more on her health?"
The unicorn who must be Rarity looked flustured, " I was simply curious Rainbow Dash! After all, I've never seen fabric like this before and, Agh!" Rarity suddenly exclaimed. "Twilight you're cutie mark, it's missing!" What on earth was a cutie mark? Raven wondered as she surveyed all the ponies, realizing each one of them had a unique (tattoo maybe?) design on their flank. All of them but her.
"Let's not focus on that!" Raven said nervously. "Instead let's thank Spike for getting me help!" She gazed at their faces, waiting for them to call her bluff any second now. But they didn't instead they seemed to buy it completely.
The yellow pegasus with the pastel mane walked over to the smug looking dragon and said very quietly,"Thanks for bringing us here Spike."
Spike waved off the compliment like it was nothing. "It's just what us heroic dragons do Fluttershy."
"Ah hate ta break up Spike's gloating, but the tree of harmony's still in danger," the orange pony wearing a cowboy hat said.
Then almost in unison the ponies (and dragon) all ran (galloped?) to a set of stone stairs. At the bottom was a tree that didn't look natural choked by vines that also didn't look natural. Raven closed her eyes and couldd feel a powerful source of white magic somewhere inside the tree. But it's light was being covered by black magic that had an aura of red around it.
"I know that magic," Raven murmered. Then she turned to face the ponies. "The tree is under attack by powerful black magic. The only way to save it is to provide the tree with more power in order to streangthen it."
"We have to give up the elements of harmony," said Rarity sadly.
"But what about our friendship?" The cowboy pony said.
"Friendships aren't held together by matching necklaces, they're held together by experience. If a piece of jewelery is what friendships mean to you, they're not important or strong." Raven said hopeing that sounded like what Twilight would say.
"She's right!" The energetic pink pony yelled. How do these ponies stand her? Raven wondered. Then she focused and lifted the gems out of the necklaces. She eased them closer to the tree when suddenly the lifeless vines around the tree snatched up the other ponies and Spike. Yet they didn't even try to touch her, rather they slid underneath her and lifted her up to make it easier to place the elements. Why is this so easy? Raven thought as she placed the gemstones in the tree.
"Twilight!" Spike yelled as the vines engulfed him. "You forgot your element!" At these words he held up a gold crown with a magenta six point star in the center.
"Throw it Spike!" She yelled. If I fail at this, they'll know I'm not Twilight.
The little dragon threw the crown as hard as he could and Raven let it fall, but at the very last second she used her magic to pull the gem out of the crown. The second the gem was in her magical grasp, the vines attacked. "Come on Raven," she muttered. "You've moved whole trucks before, a tiny little gem is nothing." With a last burst of effort she pressed the gem into the center of the tree. The vines disappered and she could hear the ponies cheering behind her. The two clumps of vines at the base of the tree became two unicorns with wings, no wait the term was alicorn.
"Well done...Twilight?"The white alicorn looked at her confusedly. She took a deep breath murmuring, "I've seen stranger." Then louder, "We must prepare for the summer sun celebration."
Raven swallowed nervously, "I'm sorry but after being attacked by the plundervines, I'm not feeling at my best."
The alicorns appeared upset, "Very well if you must."
"Um, Spike?" Raven asked, turning towards the purple dragon. " I can't remember the way out."
Spike patted her side, "I'll show you the way home Twilight."