Hidden Lily

by Level Dasher

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Slice of Life, Zebra
Length: 5549

Crimson Star is introduced to a new pony when he gets lost in the Everfree Forest one day. What kind of stories does this new friend have to share?

Crimson Star is wandering through the Everfree Forest with his friends one day when they accidentally get lost. In the process of finding their way home, they unintentionally get separated. While his friends' locations remain a mystery, Crimson finds himself at the hooves of a new friend who is willing to help. What does this new friend have to share?

A thank-you story for my friend, Ayemel, who drew me the awesome picture that I used for the cover, this is also a side story for Through Crimson Eyes, taking place sometime between the end of Act I and the Entr'acte (If you intend to read TCE, I highly suggest reading that first. There are BIG spoilers here. Wait until you've finished Act I, at the very least).

Edited by Shahrazad, with input from Ayemel to properly portray her character (as well as cover art credit, obviously).

An official side story in the The Crimson-Verse that takes place during the beginning of the Entr'acte in Through Crimson Eyes, the main story.

Published 2016-03-30 00:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-03-30 00:00:01 UTC

Hiding In Plain Sight

“How did we manage to get lost? We’ve walked that path like, a million times!”

The young mare and stallions walked down the worn, sun-dappled path in the Everfree Forest, looming trees on either side of them. While not daunting to the three teenage ponies, this particular pattern of foliage looked unfamiliar, which did not encourage them.

“Well, wait a second… didn’t we take a left at that second fork this time instead of a right?”

“…We did what now?” The sky-blue unicorn mare smacked her face with a hoof as she glanced at the two stallions walking beside her. Wiping a smudge from under her copper-colored eye with the violet edge of her tail, she sighed, “Who’s in charge of the even forks?”

The crimson red pegasus pointed a hoof at the dark blue earth pony. “Starry is!”

“What? No I’m not! Crimson is! Tess, didn’t we go over this last time?”

Tesla sighed. “Yes. And I thought we had made it pretty clear. Crimson, you keep track of the even forks, Starry keeps track of the odd forks, and I keep track of the three-way forks. Why do you always seem to be the one getting us lost? Does all that time in the hospital mess up your brain or something? How’re you one of the smarter ones in class?”

“Hey!” Crimson cried. “You can’t use my hospital card against me!”

Starry chuckled, “Looks like your fillyfriend just did, bucko.”

“You bet I did. I’m tired of him pulling it on me all the time, so whenever I get a chance to play it on him, I do!” Tesla let out a short laugh.

Crimson dropped to his haunches with a pout, blowing a raspberry at the two of them. “Great, blame me for getting us lost. I obviously can’t play my hospital card this time, so I guess I hafta try and get us out of here, huh?” Starry and Tesla nodded at him in unison, both smirking at him. Crimson let out a sharp sigh. “Fine. Let’s backtrack— that usually works. What was the last fork we passed?”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter if we messed up at the second fork, Crimmy. We’re way off track by now,” Tesla exclaimed. Starry chuckled for a moment before Tesla turned on him and said, “Come on, seriously? Are you gonna get all giggly whenever I use a pet name?”

Crimson sighed, “Well, that is kind of a private thing, Tess. Besides, you totally stole that one from Inkwell.”

“So what? I think it sounds cute! From the mouths of foals, right? Well, he’s not really a foal anymore.”

“ANYWAY,” Crimson interrupted, “they may not be the same turns, but we can still try and backtrack. So, was the last fork even or odd? I know it wasn’t a triple.”

“Pretty sure it was odd,” Starry replied, “so that one’s mine. I’m 90-percent sure we made a right, so we gotta go left when we get there. Let’s go.”

Tesla let out a breath. “Finally, some progress.”

“How did we end up here?” Starry cried as he stood in a puddle of mud, doing his best to keep his black tail from turning brown. “I thought Froggy Bottom Bogg was on the other side of the forest!”

Tesla shook her head. “I honestly don’t even know anymore. I think all of us made a mistake somewhere. Remember, we weren’t on our usual path. One wrong turn could have brought us here eventually, but three or more probably led us through a shortcut to the wrong place.” She dropped to her haunches, then leaned on a rock that sat beside her. Taking her tail in her forehooves, she picked out twigs and fiddled with the copper coil wrapped around its base.

Crimson pounded the ground. “Shoot! It isn’t dark enough for me to check the stars yet, and the trees in the bog are too thick for me to fly out of them safely. Why didn’t I just do that before?!” Crimson shouted, smacking himself in the forehead repeatedly with a hoof.

Starry called to him from across the muddy waters, “You know, hitting yourself in the head is probably why you keep forgetting to track the even forks, Crimson.”

Crimson stopped smacking himself, looked at his hoof, dropped to his own haunches, and hung his head. He then glared over at Starry and simply said, “Shut up…” Then he shook a hoof in Starry’s direction and added, “…unless you want one of those teal eyes to match your mane.”

Despite the predicament they were in, Tesla and Starry couldn’t help but laugh. Tesla said, “Oh chill, Crimson. We all know you wouldn’t do it. Besides, he does have a point— you tend to hit yourself whenever you screw something up. I wouldn’t be—” In the middle of her joking, Tesla felt a tremor underneath her. “…What was that?”

Starry looked around them for a moment. “Well, we are in the bog…” Tess could almost see the cogs in his head turning; his eyes went wide as dinner plates. “We’ve been making quite a bit of noise, and there’s only one other thing I know of that tends to be around here…”

Tesla’s and Crimson’s pupils dilated before they looked at each other and shouted, “The Hydra!”

No sooner had they said its name than the four-headed beast rose out of the deep muck, all of its heads roaring at the three intruders. Only one thought stood out in the ponies’ minds as a hydra head reached for each of them— a thought they quickly shared with one another.

“RUN!”

“Huh… huh… huh…”

His wings laying limply against his side, and his legs quivering with each labored hoof-fall, Crimson slowly trotted into a small clearing. Cuts and bruises of all shapes and sizes covered his body, a side effect of slamming into trees in an attempt at escape. Now beyond the border of the Hydra’s territory, Crimson allowed himself to walk at his own pace.

“…Starry… Tess… are you guys…?” He glanced around, huffing in air. “Where…?

He detected no sign of either of them. He only hoped that the Hydra had merely caused the three of them to run off in different directions. They had to find their way back to each other somehow, but Crimson had no idea where he was, let alone Starry or Tesla. As he slumped to the ground, Crimson saw a small pond in front of him and little else. For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of blue, but before he knew it, his eyes had shut from exhaustion.

“Ah yes, this pegasus is known to me. Thank you for bringing me here, Lily.”

The unique, rhythmic speaking catching his ear, Crimson slowly opened his eyes to find a zebra and a mint-green earth pony standing before him. The wavy, blue mane of the earth pony seemed familiar. He attempted to stand, but his legs quivered before they gave out once again.

“Ugh… Zecora… thank Luna, a familiar face.” Crimson turned to the earth pony mare beside her. “And uh, hi. I think I need to thank you, too.”

The young mare leaned down and stared at Crimson with her large, violet eyes, then gave him a small wave. “Um, hi. Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

Crimson took a deep breath, then sighed. “Yeah… I was just doing a lot of fast flying… and running… and…” He decided not to say ‘screaming.’ Taking the minty-green hoof offered to him, Crimson dragged himself to his own hooves, finally getting a good look at the new face. “I feel like I’ve… seen you before. Where did you—”

Zecora cut him off. “Crimson, this is Lilydrop. She has been living in my shop. She came to us from very far. Lily, this is Crimson Star.”

“Hi, nice to meet you,” Lilydrop said enthusiastically. “I think I’ve seen you around the forest a few times, but I’m usually too entrenched in herbs to say hello. I love looking at the plants around here. You wouldn’t believe the kinds of stuff you can make with just a few forest flowers!”

Crimson rubbed the back of his head. “Nah, I can believe it. Zecora’s mixed me up a few remedies over the years. So wait, how long have you been here?”

Lilydrop scratched her chin with a hoof, then replied, “I think it’s been about five years now. I tend to be out and about, but—”

“Five years‽” Crimson cried. “How have I not met you face-to-face sooner? I’ve been through the forest a bunch of times over the past few years. Zecora, I know I haven’t stopped by as often as I used to with Starry and Tess, but we’ve still come to visit more than once! Why didn’t you introduce us?”

Zecora closed her eyes and wagged a hoof. “Something taught to me by my grandmother late, was not to mention a pony’s state, if they were not present to hear their mention, unless of course, they required attention.”

Crimson complained, “What do you mean? Another pony’s been living with you in the forest for five years and we didn’t know! You’re telling me that for five years our paths just happened to not cross?”

Lilydrop piped up, “That’s probably my fault. I’m not really at Zecora’s house during the day. I’m usually out in the forest collecting herbs and studying flowers and stuff. I don’t really go back to Zecora’s until later in the evening. Unless you were there after dinner time, you probably wouldn’t have seen me.

“Like Zecora said, she doesn’t usually talk about anypony unless they’re actually there in front of her, and since I’m not always with her, I guess she doesn’t talk about me. I spend most of my time studying the flowers and plants around here because I want to be an herbologist. Maybe one day I’ll be as good as Zecora!”

Zecora smiled. “Lilydrop certainly shows promise. As of late, I have taken her as my apprentice. What she neglected to say in her little rant, was that I had sent her looking for a special plant— one that could help improve one’s hearing, but it is only found inside this clearing. Luck would have it that you should fall on this ground— otherwise you may not have been found. In quite the state you seem to be…” Zecora paused and looked around for a moment. “…but where are the other two from your trinity? Tesla and Starry I do not perceive, and the three of you are thick as thieves! I cannot imagine you apart, especially since you won over Tesla’s heart.” Zecora leaned forward and gave Crimson a small wink, and he couldn’t help but smirk a little.

Crimson sighed. “I don’t know. We got lost walking our usual path, and we somehow ended up in Froggy Bottom Bogg. We made too much noise and the Hydra came after us. It must have scared Starry and Tess off in other directions.” He took a deep breath, then furrowed his brows. “I need to go find them! It’s my fault we got lost in the first place. I need to make sure they’re alright.”

As he slowly turned to leave, Zecora’s hoof stopped him. “Right now, for your friends you cannot seek; you are, for certain, much too weak. Come back with us to my abode. Your energy you must reload. Lily here will help you heal, while for your friends I will search with zeal!”

Crimson protested, “But Zecora, they could be anywhere by now! And they might be hurt worse than me! Thank you for the offer, but I have to look for them now, I insist!”

Zecora forced a hoof into Crimson’s face, inches from his muzzle. “This offer you must not resist! I understand your great concern, but this important lesson you must learn: if you go to search with your life on the brink, what will happen, do you think?”

The stallion looked Zecora square in the eyes. After a moment, his eyes fell and he let out a deep sigh. “I’d probably fall over and die, wouldn’t I?”

The zebra’s eyes widened. “You say it in a manner most terse, but it is likely your condition would become much worse. This is why you must come with Lily and me— death would not be an impossibility.”

Crimson sighed before responding, “I guess you’re right. I need to be at full strength if I’m gonna go searching for Tesla and Starry, huh?”

Zecora smiled. “That is much better, now do not stall. We must reach home before nightfall!”

With that, Crimson followed Zecora and Lilydrop back to the zebra’s home in the Everfree, his determination to heal quickly the only thing preventing him from tripping over his own hooves.

While Crimson lay on a small couch, breathing deeply, Lilydrop and Zecora stood in front of a large row of shelves, which contained all sorts of plants and herbs.

“So Lilydrop, as you can see, Crimson has depleted his energy.” Zecora gestured a hoof in Crimson’s direction. “If he’s to join me in the search for his friends, his state of exhaustion must quickly end. Though minor wounds he has also earned, these should not be your main concern. A remedy does indeed lie on my shelves…” Zecora smiled and pointed to a bottle sitting a few shelves over from where they stood. It contained a combination of herbs that Lilydrop recognized; after all, she’d made that remedy herself. “…but these bruises and cuts will heal by themselves.”

Lilydrop raised a brow. “But Zecora, like you said, we have the remedy for cuts that I made. Wouldn’t it help Crimson heal faster if we just gave it to him?”

“Ah, child, you cannot just use herbs and plants on a whim. Our main focus for Crimson is his vitality. The remedy I shall show you might have counteractivity.” Zecora selected various bottles from the rows of shelves, while Lilydrop combed through the ingredients, trying to discern their purposes.

With the ingredients for the exhaustion remedy all laid out before her, Lilydrop took a good look at them. One bottle in particular caught her eye; she hadn’t seen Zecora pick it from the shelves. When Lilydrop saw the label, she put a hoof to her mouth. “This is part of the remedy?”

Zecora nodded. “When picking the right plants for a certain concoction, we must keep history in mind as a precaution. Crimson has had a transplanted heart—” Lilydrop gasped. “—so our herbs cannot give it too much of a start.”

Lilydrop’s eyes grew wide, then she looked at the bottle for a moment and shook her head before placing it back down with the other ingredients. “Woah…”

Crimson glanced up from the couch and asked, “Hm? What’s ‘woah’?”

Lilydrop looked toward Crimson and shook her head again. “Zecora was right— one of the ingredients in this remedy would have had a counteractive effect with the remedy for cuts I made the other day. Normally, it can cause a temporary irregular heartbeat, but with your history, if I had given both of them to you…”

When Lilydrop didn’t continue, Crimson asked, “What? What would’ve happened?”

The earth pony sighed. “There’s a possibility you could have gone into cardiac arrest.”

Crimson’s eyes widened for only a second before he let out a small laugh. “Oh fun, a heart attack. Woulda followed in my pops’ hoofsteps.” Crimson turned around and stared at his flank for a moment. “No wonder the doctors are so unwilling to give alternative medicine a try, Zecora.”

Zecora sighed as she quickly ordered the jars on a table in front of her cauldron. “I must admit, it concerns me, Crimson, that today’s doctors still practice only ‘modern’ medicine. While I will not claim to have all the answers, I’ve recently found things that can assist with some cancers. I certainly won’t say that I’ve found any cures, but I recently discovered something that might have helped with yours.”

Crimson shrugged and said, “I’ll definitely have to keep that in mind. Thanks for letting me know.” With that, he sank back into the couch and shut his eyes.

Zecora grabbed Lilydrop and gave her a quick explanation of the process required to create the remedy she intended to give Crimson. Lilydrop listened intently, then watched as Zecora dashed to the door and grabbed her cloak. “Now Lily, create the remedy and allow Crimson to rest. I am off to search, and I shall do my best!” With that, she bolted into the forest.

“Hey.”

Crimson opened his eyes when he felt a slight poke on his muzzle. He found a pair of violet eyes completely filling his field of vision and flinched. Leaning back, he found himself once again face-to-face with Lilydrop.

“Good, you’re up! The remedy is finished.”

Crimson smiled, but he still felt weak. “Great, thanks. Is there anything I need to—”

“Hold on a second,” Lilydrop interrupted. “I wanted to ask you something first.”

Crimson raised a brow. “What’s up? There something wrong?”

Lilydrop shook her head. “No, but I wanted to see if you were willing to try something. I looked through the ingredients for the remedy, and there’s another herb that I think I could add to boost your energy a little bit more. I checked a few of Zecora’s books to see if it would counteract anything that’s already in the brew, and I can’t find anything, even with your medical history. You up for a little experiment?” She tilted her head at Crimson and raised her eyebrows.

Crimson thought for a moment. It didn’t seem like a bad idea, but he knew his limits. He trusted Zecora’s judgement— if she didn’t have this herb in the set of ingredients for the remedy in the first place, there was probably a reason…

Crimson looked up at Lilydrop and asked her, “Have you tried it before?”

Lilydrop shook her head and said, “No, I haven’t. That’s why I wanted to ask you before I just went ahead and did it. I didn’t think about it until after Zecora left, and I probably would have asked her about it first.”

Crimson sighed and shook his head. “It sounds like a good idea, but I think I’m gonna pass this time, Lilydrop. Not that I don’t trust you, but I’d kinda rather ask Zecora herself, too, if you don’t mind. I’ve been through way too many ‘experiments’ in my lifetime.”

Lilydrop shrugged her shoulders and put the bottle back on the shelf. “Okay. I’m not surprised. Honestly, I probably would have said no, too. And by the way, you can just call me ‘Lily’ if you want.” She smiled and went back to the remedy pot, stirred it a few times, then dipped in a bowl to collect some of the mixture.

Crimson sighed in relief. He hoped he wouldn’t insult Lily by turning down her offer, especially since it sounded like a good idea. But he had learned over the years that there certainly could be too much of a good thing at times. Sure, he wanted his energy back, but he didn’t want to risk a heart attack by trying something else that she hadn’t attempted before, even if she had done some research.

Lily approached the couch, bowl in hoof. “Here we go. Now, don’t expect to get an instant energy boost. Zecora said, ‘His energy will come back gradually, so do not let him rush off instantly.’ I guess you have to wait a little bit to let it take effect.”

Crimson gave a short huff. “Oh well, I’m used to waiting. At least I’ve got some company.” Lily smiled as he took the bowl in his hooves and sniffed it. He poured the mixture down his throat and smacked his lips. “Hm. Not bad. Bit of a sting going down, but it didn’t last long.”

Lily giggled. “I haven’t quite gotten to adding herbs for flavor— only for the effects. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a chef… yet,” she added with a smirk.

Crimson chuckled. “That’s not really difficult. I started learning from my grandmother a few years ago. Aside from the ingredients, it just takes the right kind of touch. Did you learn any cooking tips from your parents or grandparents before you got here?”

Lily frowned, then sat on her haunches. “I… I don’t really know much about my grandparents. And I haven’t really spent any time with my par—well, my dad and stepmom—for a long time. They live up in Cloudsdale. I actually thought they were… gone… for a few years.”

Crimson’s eyes widened. Feeling a little strength back in his legs, he gathered his hooves under himself and rested on all four on the couch. “Huh? Why? How?”

“It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll try to give you a short version. I used to live on a small island off the mainland. One day when I was younger I went out sailing on my own, but I got caught in a huge storm. My boat got wrecked and I was marooned here. Zecora found me and took me in temporarily, but she later told me that she heard my island got destroyed in the storm, so I just stayed here with her, believing my family was dead.” Crimson gasped, but Lily continued, “I know, I was upset then, too. A couple years later, though, Zecora and I got a bit of a shock.

“Apparently, my family was alive, and they had moved to Cloudsdale. When they came to the mainland after the storm, they found my wrecked boat and thought I hadn’t survived it. My step-sister later told me she had a vision of Princess Luna telling her that I was okay and where to find me—” Crimson smirked. He knew what that was like. “—so she came down here with my dad and stepmom and found me here with Zecora. That was quite a reunion.” Lily smiled and gave a deep sigh. “I was so glad to find out they were alive.

“Despite reuniting with my family, though, I realized I had been learning a lot here, so I decided to stay with Zecora. My step-sister moved down to Ponyville so we could have some contact. I don’t see her much, though. My parents know I’m here, I know they’re in Cloudsdale, my stepsis comes to see me every now and again, and I’m still learning a lot from Zecora, so I guess everything’s alright. I don’t see much of my dad or stepmom, though, so…” After a pause, Lily sighed again.

Crimson shifted his wings for a moment. “Wait, your sister lives in Ponyville? Who is she?”

“Oh, my stepsister works in the café. Her name’s Bellavina— she’s a white pegasus. You’d know her if you saw her.” Lilydrop smirked. “Her triple-colored mane and tail give her away.”

Crimson furrowed his brow. “Hold on a sec— if your stepsister is a pegasus, and your dad and stepmom live in Cloudsdale, I’m guessing they’re all pegasi, right?” Lily nodded. “So your mom must be an Earth pony, huh?”

Lily frowned and looked at the floor. “She was, yeah… She died when I was really little.”

Crimson sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry or anything. But, well, I kinda know that feeling. My dad died a couple years ago. Right when I was sick, too.”

Lily waved her hoof as if brushing her cares away. “It’s okay. I really like my stepmother. She was a good mom when we all lived together. And yeah, I think you mentioned your dad before. Sorry to hear that. Heart attack, right? When I told you about the counteraction between the two remedies, you said something about following in your dad’s hoofsteps. I’m glad Zecora caught me first.”

Crimson shrugged. “You can always count on Zecora.”

Lily smiled. “Aside from the things Zecora’s taught me about herbs over the years, one of the things I learned is that family isn’t defined by blood. Zecora was my family for a while before I found out my dad, stepmom, and stepsister were still alive. I did lose a parent, but you don’t ever really lose your family. They stay with you in here.” Lily pointed at her chest with a hoof.

Crimson stretched his neck for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I learned that, too. I was really upset when my dad died. I was in the middle of fighting cancer; you might have heard Zecora mention that before.”

Lily let a small frown slip. “I did. I wasn’t totally sure that was what she was saying, so I didn’t want to ask you about it. That’s a biggie. A heart transplant is a lot to deal with as it is. How do you take it so lightly?”

Crimson waved a hoof. “Eh, you learn to live with it. I’ve dealt with so much medical stuff over the years that even cancer wasn’t as big a hurdle to jump as I expected. You just have to get used to it. I’m alright now, though. I’m not exactly cured, but I seem to be in a pretty good spot for now. The docs just check up on me every now and then.”

Lily shook her head. “Wow, you’re pretty incredible. I have to give you that.”

Crimson shrugged. “Yeah, a lot of ponies say that, but I just do what I have to to keep going… even if I have to lose family along the way…” He let out a deep sigh.

Lily nodded. “Yeah, I get that. But sometimes when you lose family, you can gain it, too. I mean, I got my stepmom and Vivi, and then I got Zecora. Zecora’s not officially a mother, but she takes care of me like one when she’s not playing teacher.”

“Yeah, I gotcha,” Crimson responded. “Actually, when my dad passed away, I got a lot of comfort from my friends. They’re as close to me as family, that’s why I need to go out and find them.”

Lily giggled, “Sounds like one of them might actually be family for real sometime in the future, if I heard Zecora correctly earlier.”

Despite Crimson’s coat being the same color as his name, Lily could see a deep blush forming on his cheeks as he brushed the back of his striped mane with a hoof. “Well… maybe. Tesla and I have kinda been an item for a while now, but I don’t think we’ve really thought that far ahead yet. We have college to think about first.”

Lily nodded. “That’s true. So, what about your other friend? What was his name?”

“Oh, Starry? Well, he kinda keeps Tess and me in check. The three of us have been really good friends since we were little, so we’ve always been together. Even after Tess and I—well, you know—we still stuck together as a trio. Starry felt weird about it at first— said he felt like a third wheel, but we told him not to worry about it. Like Zecora said earlier, the three of us are thick as thieves,” Crimson chuckled. “We’ve got some other crazy history, too, but it’s complicated. It just makes us even more like family…” He turned and looked at his flank again, then out the window. “…and my family is lost out in the forest, possibly hurt. All because I got us lost.” He let out a deep sigh.

Lilydrop put a hoof on Crimson’s shoulder. “We all make mistakes; we’re only ponies. Don’t let it bug you. As soon as your strength comes back, we’ll go out and find them, if Zecora hasn’t already.”

Crimson sighed again. “Yeah, you’re right. Something an old friend of mine told me: never give up hope. Even if it doesn’t look like it’s going to work out in the end, you can never give up hope.”

Lily smiled and nodded. “Yep. No matter what happens, those you love always come back to you somehow, family—”

“—and friends,” Crimson finished, looking at Lily and returning the smile.

At that moment, Crimson felt a shock shoot down his spine from his head to his tail, causing him to shiver briefly. He sat up on his haunches and shook his head. “Woah.” He got off the couch and stood up. Shaking out his legs, and flaring his wings for good measure, Crimson felt his full strength return, from his fetlocks to his wingtips. “Well, that wasn’t exactly the cue I was expecting, but I guess it works.” He looked over at Lilydrop and shrugged.

Lily trotted up to him with a smile and asked, “I’m guessing that means you’ve got your energy back? You certainly look like it.”

“Yep. Definitely feels like it, too.”

Lily gave him a once-over. “It looks like you’ve got a couple bruises here and there, but Zecora’s right— those’ll heal pretty quickly.”

Crimson looked over himself and spotted a few places that looked a little off-color. “Yeah, I’m not that worried about those. I’ve had worse.” He then looked back at Lilydrop with a soft smile and said, “Hey, thanks a lot for sitting and chatting with me while I had to wait. It really helped the time go by, and it’s nice to know somepony around who can relate to the whole ‘lost a parent’… thing. I don’t talk about it that much.”

Lily nodded. “Of course! Honestly, I don’t talk about it that much, either. I guess we’ve both got a conversation partner now if the need ever arises. Now that you know I’m here, if you feel the need to talk about it, come on over, okay? I usually tell Zecora my intended whereabouts during the day, so she can tell you where to find me if need be.”

Crimson nodded. “Sounds good.”

Lily smiled back at Crimson and beckoned him with a hoof. “C’mere. One more thing I can give you to help you feel better that I don’t need to check the books for.” Confused, Crimson approached her, and when he was close enough, Lilydrop pulled him into a hug. “Something else Zecora told me over the years: ‘A bit of love goes into every one of my potions, but a single hug can also express the notion.’ Since I haven’t mastered potions yet, I resort to hugs when I need to. A good hug can heal just about anything. No weird side effects, either,” she chuckled. “It just makes you feel better.” Keeping her hooves on Crimson’s shoulders, she leaned back and found Crimson with a much wider smile on his face. “See? Told you it works.”

Crimson let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess so. Gonna have to use that more often.”

Lily then nodded towards the door. “Well, I think I’ve done all I can do. What do you say we head out and join Zecora on the search?”

Crimson furrowed his brows and smirked. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The two of them got up and headed out the door, stepping into the wild brush that was the Everfree Forest. The moment they stepped outside, they heard rustling, and a voice coming from around the other side of Zecora’s hut.

“Yes, Crimson now should be nicely mending, but the two of you could also use some tending. Tesla, I have something for that cut on your leg you can rub, but it seems to me, Starry— all you need is a tub…”

Author's Note

This story takes place in the timeline of Through Crimson Eyes, which is a fair amount of time in the future of the show. While Zecora is indeed named, the Zecora in this story is the granddaughter of the Zecora from the show (introduced in The Right Place and the Right Rhyme, which is a prequel to this side story), so she is technically an OC as well.

This puppy was sitting in my queue waiting to be published for over a year; I had to wait to publish it until Through Crimson Eyes was finished because of spoilers. Now that that story's fully published, I can finally let this one out, too!

As a heads-up, like I said in the description, any comments that give away any spoilers for Through Crimson Eyes that don't use the Spoiler tag will be deleted. I hate deleting comments, so please just take the extra second to click that button. I'd hope that those of you reading this have already read TCE, as per my suggestion in the description, but since it's a long prerequisite, I can't assume that will always be the case, so PLEASE, no easily visible spoilers!
If you're here without having read TCE and aren't sure if your comment contains a spoiler, use the Spoiler tag for the whole comment, just to be safe. Even things that might seem minor may have played major roles in the main story. Thanks!

Want to learn more about Lilydrop? Go ask her creator, Ayemel!