Magic of Love: A Twidance Prompt Collab

by ArguingPizza

Fangirls by Fuzzyfurvert

by Fuzzyfurvert
~~~

My Little Dynamite: Book One
Part 16

The early morning air above the Everfree forest canopy was warm in the full light of day. The sky was clear for the moment as they hugged close to the tree tops. Small clearings, here and there, offered them a quick glance at the forest floor and a sluggish moving river peeked out as it wove its way under them. Bird sailed along side them as they flew, and it was peaceful enough that it could be mistaken for any regular forest on the face of the planet.

Cadance grinned and flapped her wings to rise along with the land below her. White and grey birds chirped at her sides as they followed her in temporary flock formation. The greenery zipped passed under her hooves, swishing in the light breeze that was propelling them forward. She had never seen the forest before, but her time at the castle in Canterlot had been filled with stories of the Everfree, often times told to her by Twily as the unicorn read yet another book on the fabled fallen civilization. It certainly didn’t look wild and dangerous for a distance.

Four days at Zecora’s hut had shown the truth of those tales, however. The weather was unpredictable and changed without warning or reason. The animals took care of themselves, but they were odd. They stared too long and had more than a little malice in their eyes. When she had gone out the first time with Spike to collect some lichen Zecora needed, she had seen a rabbit. She had been about to call out to it when she noticed it’s teeth looked considerably larger and sharper than they should. It might have been her imagination, but it looked like the rabbit had red staining around its mouth too.

The plants were no better. Creeper vines had grabbed at her hooves, flowers had snapped at her, even the trees seemed to be wild and almost violent. On top of that, there were the ruins. None that they had encountered so far had come alive to harm her, but when she noticed them, it was like being watched. They were easy to miss in the overgrowth. Plinths and spars of stone with lines a bit too straight for nature. They sat and brooded, as if they were waiting on something and had long ago grown weary of the world.

Cadance flared her wings to catch a thermal and lifted herself while slowing her forward momentum. She started flapping as she slowed to a stationary hover and whistled softly. The sea of green broke up ahead of her into the largest clearing she’d seen yet. Down among the now intermittent copse of trees, a city lay choked with roots and leaves and detritus. Paved roads still ran between the walls of buildings that had long since collapsed. From the air it looked quiet and untouched, but she knew anything involved with the Everfree was more than it seemed.

“Wow...Twily is going to love this!”

---

“Like w’at you see?”

Twilight blinked as the voice called her back to reality. She turned in the saddle and looked back at Zecora. “Huh?”

The zebra smirked and nodded toward Cadance as she flew ahead of Spike. “You watc’ ‘er fly and move, lost in you own world. S’e you Princess to t’e bones.”

“Uh…” Twilight flushed and brushed her mane from her eyes, “I guess? Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, but you protect. Keep you eyes open, Twilig’t Sparkle. T’e Everfree be dangerous and C’rysalis is a powerful t’ing.” Zecora reached forward and patted Twilight on the back. “Love also powerful. Make sure you don’t ever lose it.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks. I’ll try, Zecora. Cadance is the most important thing in the world to me.”

“Hey!”

Twilight and Zecora squealed as their ride bucked under them. Spike turned his head slightly to look back at the ponies on him. “What am I, chopped liver?”

Twilight shot her brother a look. “You know what I mean!”

They made landfall a few minutes later in a large area where Spike could make a safe landing. Cadance did a few circles above them before landing next to Zecora and Twilight. The three ponies and one dragon took in the ruins around them before looking at Zecora.

“Ok, so what are we looking for?” Twilight unclipped her staff from its holster at her side and looked around the ruins. A few animals had moved away when they set down, but the place was otherwise deserted as best she could tell. “Last time I was here, I just went into the castle at the top of the hill.”

“We look for a way in first.” Zecora pointed a hoof at a large building that was mostly still standing. Pillared walls held the roof up and weathered reliefs lined them near the top, showing the sun and ponies, dragons, diamond dogs and other races bowing in reverence to it. “Inside I t’ink we find more about the C’angeling and a type a fungus I need for me potions. We pair up and look. Call if we find way in.”

Zecora looked up at Spike and smiled. “You come wit me. We look on t’e back side for t’e door.”

“Twilight and I will look around the far side then.” Cadance grinned and stepped up next to Twilight and draped a wing across her back as she gestured at the ruins with the other. “Isn’t this amazing? You told me stories of this place, but I never thought I’d see it! Maybe we can find some souvenirs?”

Twilight rocked as Cadance leaned into her and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. It is amazing. I’m still shocked that there was religion based on sun worship. It makes a weird sort of sense, considering Princess Celestia potentially being there, but she doesn’t seem like someone that would lead one…”

Twilight whistled and smirked playfully. “Wanna go look at it up close?”

“You bet!”

Spike groaned and yelled as the two mares galloped off. “Remember this is a crazy magical place! Be careful and look out for a way inside!”

Zecora laughed quietly and patted the drake on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, t’e surface is safe. Well, safe for t’ose two. Follow me.”

Spike groaned and flexed. The magic inside him that connected his body to the world and powered the huge furnace that was his body, changed flow and he collapsed in on himself. His wings pulled into her back, his spines along his head and tail shrank, he got smaller and more compact. The shift in his mass burned off as excessive light and once it had faded, he stood before the old Zebra on just two legs.

“Ok, let’s find a way in. If it won’t bring the ceiling down on us, I could just bust the wall down.”

“No need for t’at.” Zecora waved him over as she carefully picked her steps over the uneven and piled stones that used to be an alleyway. “T’e door rig’t over ‘ere”

“What? Then why did you have us spli...oh.” Spike raised an eye ridge at Zecora. “Sage, Potion Maker and now Matchmaker too?”

“In me land, elder wear many ‘ats. Do a little bit of all.”

Spike shook his head and hurried to catch up. “You crafty ol’ bird…”

---

Twilight craned her head back to look up at the carvings and bas relief artwork that lined the upper reaches of the tall stone walls that made up the temple. “Wow...those are a lot bigger than I thought they were. Up close, even from down here, you can see they’re really detailed.”

Cadance nodded and shielded her eyes with a wing against the sun. “What do you suppose their religion was like? It looks like they had all types of people bowing to the sun. Was it the literal sun, or was it someone that represented it? Zecora says Aunt Celestia used to be some sort of priestess.”

“Yeah...not sure what I make of that.” Twilight stepped closer to the wall and kneeled down to peer at the section near the ground. It was far more weathered there, and faint traces of carved runes or lettering remained. “I never read anything about a sun worshipping cult or anything in the Everfree legends, but here we are...hmmm, Cady do you feel that low level hum coming from these carvings here? This enchantment is still active.”

Cadance shook her head. “No, but it might explain the feeling I keep having of being watched. I feel it whenever we get close to any of the ruins.”

Twilight hummed tunelessly to herself as she brushed away the weeds and overgrowth against the side of the building. “They go all the way down. Probably all the way into the foundation. Oh hey,” Twilight’s horn flashed as she pulled away a thick vine and then lifted a corroded bit-sized piece of metal. “Cady, just think of all the relics we could find here. Enough to fill a whole museum, I bet! I wonder if this was a coin?”

Cadance shrugged. “Maybe.” She turned slowly and walked a few paces away.

“Stay close!” Twilight slipped the rusted piece of metal into her holster pouches and followed Cadance. “I am still supposed to be guarding you, remember, Princess?”

The pink mare stuck out her tongue. “Yes, I recall that, Battle Mage. Whatcha gonna do, slap a shield around me all the time like your little brother, Shining, would? I’m a big mare, I can take care of myself.”

To prove her point, Cadance pranced gracefully away from Twilight. “We’re all alone out here, what’s going to happen?”

“Stop tempting fate!” Twilight groaned. She sped up and jumped over a tangle of roots and rubble to land on the other side of Cadance. The alicorn gasped and Twilight took her chance to catch her and press Cadance up against the building wall.

She planted both of her hooves on either side of Cadance’s head and leaned in close. “Battle mages don’t do shields. I do fire. Ice and lightning and force are my tools. Anything tries to lay it’s hooves, claws or pincers on you and I’ll blow it to kingdom come.” Twilight grinned. “Besides, Shining’s way too uptight to do this…”

Twilight leaned in and kissed Cadance lightly on the lips. She held her Princess there for a moment before breaking the contact and she looked into Cadance’s eyes. “When we’re done with this...about what you said last night…I want to try that.”

Cadance nodded slowly, her eyes locked on Twilight’s. She reached out and put her arms around Twily, and pulled the unicorn closer. “I would like that.”

Twilight chuckled quietly and let her chest rest against Cadance’s. The Princess opened her mouth to say something else, but Twilight silenced her with her lips and then tongue.

---

Creamy Goodness wiped her brow with a hoof and smiled to herself as she looked over her creation. It was just what the Princess had ordered, a full platter of protein-rich sushi with a side of miso soup. She’d used traditional ingredients and hoof rolled each piece. Then she had arranged the pieces by color until the platter looked like a wavy rainbow that matched Celestia’s mane. She had finished just in time too, as the door that lead out into the main kitchens opened and a tan colored stallion in server’s clothes and a push cart rolled up to the table where she was working.

“Hey, Creamy, I’m here for the Princess’ lunch.” The earth stallion whistled as she gently lifted the sushi and miso onto the cart. “Wow, you really outdid yourself this time.”

“It’s all the practice.” Creamy smirked. “Plus, the Princess deserves our best, right?”

“I suppose so.” The stallion grabbed a clamshell lid from the cart’s lower shelf and covered the food. “Hey, Creamy...you doing anything tonight?”

She looked up in honest surprise and gave the server her attention. He was young, new and not yet familiar with the kitchen staff. His name was Batter Dip, if she remembered correctly. “Um...actually, I am. My special somepony wants me to take care of a few things.”

“Oh.” Batter Dip scratched his head awkwardly.

Now that she was looking at him, Creamy could concede that he was a handsome colt. When did Tia start hiring so young? He looks like he just got out of school.

“You know...Batter, if you’re looking for somepony to hang with, have you asked Meringue Slice? Green mare like me, with curly hair. Kinda short, works in the desserts department?”

Batter Dip blushed and backed up his server cart. “Um, thanks. I’ll ask. What are you taking care of for your special somepony? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, not much.” Creamy Goodness grinned wider than a pony had a right too. “Just gotta go out and get a couple of things that were lost in the woods. It wouldn’t do if something else found them first, now would it?”

Author's Note:

The complete chapter list for the My Little Dynamite series can be found here.