Enchantè

                                                   A Royal Meeting and a Talent Revealed

At a café the following bright morning, Zecora joined him for breakfast and together they discussed their plans for research. During their discussions about some of the more exotic creatures residing in the untamed forest, Pawise also discovered quite a bit about Zecora. Apparently she herself had only been in Ponyville a few years, and until Princess Celestia had sent the now Princess Sparkle to live there Zecora had been something of an outcast. The way her status had changed had also been an adventure in itself, one had that started with the usual misunderstandings, but ended with some comic interactions.

In her telling, he also learned a lot more about Fluttershy and the other five mares about whom he had only the briefest descriptions. He had not yet met Rarity, Rainbow Dash or Princess Sparkle, but he was surprised to learn he had already met the same Applejack and Pinkie Pie mentioned in the few records. He was also surprised to learn Zecora not only knew them, but was now considered fast friends with them all. It was somewhat intimidating, for these six were the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. Not for the first time since he’d come to Ponyville he wondered why unicorns like his Dad did not have a better opinion of this little hamlet and its occupants. Then he had to admit to himself he probably would feel the same way if he hadn’t come here.

To lighten his mood, he told Zecora about his meeting with Pinkie Pie and Applejack the other day, which she found quite funny. He also shared with her his concern about inadvertently meeting Fluttershy at the party being planned for him, but she told him not to worry. She let him know he had already gone a long way towards earning her trust by not revealing his interest when asked directly, an act that had shown maturity, patience and honesty. Pawise blushed. Coming from somepony he had come to so respect in the short time he’d known her, this was high praise.

Even so, he still had doubts about his own worthiness. Fluttershy was a pony who had with her friends held the fate of Equestria in her hooves. How could he ever hope to impress such a one? His head was now in total war with his heart: he couldn’t deny his feelings, but somepony like her was obviously so far above him she may as well have been one of the stars in the sky.

These were the thoughts that occupied his mind as they got up from breakfast to make their way into the Forest. So preoccupied was he that he did not see the pony in front of him until he had bumped into her and made her drop the book she had been reading as she walked.

“I’m sorry! Here, let me get that for you!”

“That’s quite alright,” the pony said. “I wasn’t watching where I was going either!”

As both their horns lit to lift the tome, Pawise got his first good look at the pony he’d almost knocked over. He couldn’t believe his eyes. An Alicorn!

“W...Wait…” he stammered, “you have to be…Princess Sparkle?”

She smiled at him and said, “Yes, but I really prefer to be called Twilight.”

Pawise quickly knelt. “Your Highness!”

Twilight frowned, and said, “Please don’t do that.”

“Your Highness?”

“Please don’t kneel. I’m not on official business, and I never like ponies to treat me different.”

Pawise awkwardly stood, but had trouble meeting her eyes. He had only met Princess Celestia the one time at his graduation, and he had been in such awe of her he did not meet her eyes either. When he did force himself to look at Princess Sparkle he saw kindness, but also a bit of sadness.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I did not mean to offend.”

“Please call me Twilight, and I’m not offended. What is your name?”

“I’m called Pawise, if it pleases you, Your High…I mean…Twilight.”

Twilight smiled a bit at that. Residents of Ponyville had for the most part gotten used to her, having known her before she’d become an Alicorn, so it was rare for her to meet somepony behaving in this way. Still, she was very uncomfortable being treated as a princess, but she knew it wasn’t his fault.

“I see you’ve met Zecora.” Here she and the zebra embraced like the friends they were, an act that further left Pawise in awe. It’s not as if he had not believed Zecora when she had told him of her relationship with the Princess, but this was the first time he’d seen the evidence of it with his own eyes. This was all going to take some getting used to.

"This Forest has creatures both dark and fey, it's best to come here only at day," Zecora said as they entered the Everfree.

"So the really dangerous ones come out at night?" Pawise shuddered. "Is that the only thing I should know?"

She shook her head. "Mighty storms can soon appear, no pegasi controls the weather here." She reached into one of her pouches, and removed two hooded camouflage cloaks. She gave one to Pawise and said, "These garments will hide us and mask our scent, if rains should come we won't be as wet."

Pawise gratefully donned his, and asked, "So we're safe now?"

Again she shook her head and said, "It's never safe in the Everfree, for now please stay quite close to me."

Heeding her warning, Pawise followed her closely and tried to see everywhere at once as they walked along the path.

It wasn’t long before they met their first challenge: the crackle of leaves under foot some distance ahead of them. Quickly, under Zecora’s direction, they left the path and hunkered safely down behind some large rocks, upwind and out of sight.

After a few tense minutes, a pack of Timberwolves, five in number, came into view. Pawise was too fascinated to be scared. He had never seen such creatures before, having only read about them. If only Mrs. Ironwing, his Mythology professor, had been here. This had been one of the subjects she and he had “debated” for she had maintained such creatures existed only in obscure history.

As he shifted his weight to get a better view, he accidently stepped on a twig that broke with a loud POP! Instantly, all five of the creatures’ heads snapped up in their direction. Growling low in their throats, the group split into three and two, and came cautiously up the hill towards their hiding place.

“We have to go now, young Pawise, to stay here now would not be wise.”

Pushing him behind her with one back hoof, she reached into one of her pouches and withdrew a strange powder, and blew it at the group of three that was approaching on their right. The powder coalesced into white tendrils that drifted down the hill and enveloped the three in its substance. Immediately, they began to cough and sneeze, then turned and fled back the way they’d come. Three down.

Just as she was about to blow the remaining powder at the last two, Pawise stood and lit his horn. Instantly, the remaining two wolves’ expressions changed from anger and confusion to joy, and they began to wag the twig parts of them that passed for tails. Concentrating fiercely, Pawise lifted a small rock and made it bounce playfully in front of them. Once he had their attention on the rock, he made it sail clear out of sight, and the two remaining wolves bounded happily after it. As soon as they were out of view, he collapsed panting.

“That’s all I can do,” he wheezed, “thank Celestia it wasn’t all five of them!”

“Follow me, my hut is near, there we shall be safe from fear.”

Getting to his feet, he heavily replied, “Lead the way.”

Once they were safe in Zecora’s hut, she began to make them some herbal tea. She asked him how he had made the wolves change their demeanor, and he replied, “It’s something I’ve been able to do since I was a foal. I made them see me as a friend, but before today I’ve never tried it on anything larger than a dog, and even then it was only the one. It’s how I got my Cutie Mark, and why my parents named me Pawise, I guess because I’m “paw-wise.” They both laughed.

Then Zecora became thoughtful.

“Sweet Fluttershy loves creatures too, this is a trait she shares with you.”

“Really? I knew she was an animal caretaker, but I didn’t know why she did it.”

“Her Cutie Mark is butterflies three, with creatures she prefers to be.”

So she loves animals! He couldn’t believe they actually had such a thing in common, for he’d never heard of a pegasus that had long interest in anything below the clouds. For that matter, most unicorns didn’t have much use for animals either, besides the odd pet. So she and he were both considered unique. Maybe he had a chance after all.