Kisses and Crinkles

Another droplet of water ran down the door. It diligently clung to the rough surface of the wood, filling out the slits and gaps that had naturally appeared over the ages. The droplet continuously became smaller as its content became stuck to the rugged texture, but it didn’t care anymore, for its goal lay just ahead.

Only a moment later, the drop finally experienced salvation. It was joined together with larger droplet running down alongside it. An entire swarm of water drops made their way downward, leaving a wet streak as a mark of their passage, away from their point of origin, the door handle.

The house had always had this problem. The handle of the entrance door was forged from solid metal and connected the world with the toasty inside of the house. Whenever it got cold, the heat would dissipate rather quickly through the metal, and the handle would take on the same temperature as outside.

With a fire burning in the hearth and heating up the entire house, and some form of cooking usually going on in the kitchen, enough condensation water would collect on the door handle to form fat drops. The peculiarity was often much to the chagrin of the previous owners of the house. Not only was it quite unpleasant to grab a door handle that was running slick with water, but the moisture also signified a considerable drop in temperatures outside, which usually means loads of additional housekeeping work.

One might claim that the previous owners of the house used to wipe off the door and clean up the puddles, as compensation for their inability to do anything about the troublesome weather. Not so the current inhabitants. They don’t care at all. The water will usually just evaporate without a trace anyway. So why bother?

The droplet sprayed away as the door was kicked open by a muddy hoof.

“Lyra, are you here?” Bon Bon shrieked, bumbling inside.

There was no answer, but something moved in the huge heap of blankets that was piled up in front of the fireplace. A cup rolled away from the blankets, leaving a trail of Lyra’s stew on the stones. Bon Bon would need all those blankets for Lyra when she brought her back, and it was good that somepony had brought them down here for easy access.

That somepony turned out to be Parting Ways, who stuck her frazzled head out from under the blankets. She looked like she had been knocked out cold.

“Huh,” she said.

“Where’s Lyra?” Bon Bon said, her voice hitching from the onset of panic.

“I don’t know,” Parting said, “she said she was going into the forest, but she hasn’t returned yet. I don’t know where she went exactly … “

“What do you mean, you don’t know!?” Bon Bon roared. But before Parting could answer, Bon Bon was out the door again.

Expecting to find Lyra here by some unspeakable miracle was nothing more than an absurd fantasy. Still, Bon Bon hadn’t been able to resist the urge to check, especially since their way led past the house anyway.

It had been a mistake. The constricting feeling of desperation robbed Bon Bon of her breath. Lyra was still out there, fully exposed to this insanity that reigned all around. Bon Bon slammed the door behind her. Her hooves left brown mud on the handle.

She rejoined the others.

“And?” Rarity said. Her normally pristine white lines shone hard and erratic, illuminated from such weird angles like this.

They were able to see thanks to Twilight’s gleaming horn, but there was also an eerie sheen coming from the projected curtain, that brushed over Bon Bon’s skin without actually touching it when she stepped through.

Twilight kept maintaining a physical shield around them, a glowing hemisphere. Bon Bon couldn’t be sure whether it made the air itself flicker like a mirage, or if it consisted of myriads of tiny glittering particles, because it always moved out of the way whenever she came close to take a better look.

It was actually a marvellous piece of sorcery. The only thing the shield affected was the rain, and it was incredibly loud. It almost sounded like a constant stream of water slapping against an upturned wine glass, except that you are the wine glass. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it was sharp enough to make Bon Bon flinch. Still, it beat the alternative of no shield at all, and the opportunity was nice to give their soaked clothes a break.

“Nothing,” Bon Bon said, “Lyra’s not here. Please, we need to go. We have to find her.”

“And we will,” Rarity said, lifting a hoof in encouragement, but Bon Bon drew away.

“Right?” Rarity asked Applejack for assistance.

“You’re right we will,” Applejack said, “where do you think she went, Bon Bon?”

“She must have entered the forest down by the hills,” Bon Bon said, indicating the direction, “that’s further down the road, by the water tower. It’s the fastest way we can get into the forest proper.”

“That will be close enough,” Twilight said, “Come on, everypony, let’s go.”

They shot off together like from an unheard signal. Bon Bon had to scramble to keep up. She had already been out of breath begin with, but it was obvious that Twilight, Rarity and Applejack were much more used to running long distances than her.

And that wasn’t all. They seemed very accustomed to running together as a group. Without paying much attention to their surroundings, they kept equal distance and didn’t obstruct each other, as they gallopped down the slippery path. The three friends went as one unit. Applejack kept her eyes open at the front, Twilight was their safeguard from the rain, and Rarity made sure that Bon Bon wasn’t falling too far behind.

The thundering of hooves was a strange kind of comfort. It was instinctual, primal. Bon Bon felt sheltered in the presence of others. That must be how the three friends could run headlong into the darkness, not knowing what awaited them, without without a second’s hesitation.

It was amazing how Rarity managed to be so agile in that get up of hers anyway. Despite Twilight’s shield, Rarity was fully equipped to deal with seemingly any manner of bad weather, whether it was a light drizzle or a volcano eruption. She wore an elaborate tropical hat, adorned with swirly violet patterns no doubt of her own talented making. A high-collared heavy coat covered her up, which, despite the fact that it had ruffles and seemingly several layers of watertight fabric, was light enough to bend with her movements.

Rarity kept turning halfway back to check if Bon Bon was still keeping up, her clothing held perfectly tight. Her boots, naturally, went high up her legs and bore elegant decorations that made it look like she had stylized fiery wings on her heels. Bon Bon felt less than adequate with her bare hooves dredging through the mud.

Applejack wore heavy working boots, which emitted that dense shuffling sound with every one of her steps. She had no problem running in those boots, though that might have been because she didn’t wear much else. Apart from her hat, she carried a light jacket, with lots of pockets and buttons all over. It seemed to be stuffed with bits and tools as well, so it was likely a working vestment. Amazingly enough, it didn’t soak up any water, the jacket’s fabric glinting with many little droplets that clung to its surface. It must have been made of hemp or some other fabric that could be woven in intricate ways. Bon Bon had to ask her about it sometime.

The worst was Twilight, however. Bon Bon couldn’t even stand to look. Twilight was wearing a generic raincoat, like probably everypony had at home. It was a yellow plastic cover slung over the back and fastened with buttons, with sleeves for the forelegs and a zipper under the tail. It had a hood to cover the head and matching boots to keep the hooves, though not warm, at least dry.

It must have been identical to Lyra’s.

Lyra. Just thinking about her made Bon Bon falter. Bon Bon had failed Lyra in pretty much every responsibility that had been given to her. Lyra had taken the harder part of this venture upon her shoulders. Lyra had battled the raging weather, Lyra had overcome the nefarious presence in the forest, Lyra had set out to find a pony in a terrain so vast it was basically impossible.

And what had Bon Bon done in the meantime? Gotten lost in Ponyville, and eventually drummed up a bunch of ponies who knew about as much of the forest as herself? It was hopeless. Bon Bon’s eyes watered, and it wasn’t the rain. The constant stream of failures on her part had eaten away at Bon Bon’s resolve, the same infuriating way a ceaseless dribble of water would eat straight through a mountain, until there was nothing left but a hole.

Bon Bon could have hit herself, but then she would have fallen behind the three ponies. They had to save her from this mess. She had to keep up. She had to make up for the suffering she had caused.

Bon Bon couldn’t lose it now. Like she had lost it just before, in her own house, with Parting Ways. Why had Bon Bon screamed at her? Lyra’s disappearance certainly wasn’t Parting’s fault. Lyra could have flat out refused to help. She didn’t have to go into the forest, but she had gone anyway.

It had been Lyra’s own magnificent decision to risk her own life to help a stranger in need. If anything, Bon Bon should have praised Lyra for her valiance, and gone after her straight away without the pointless detour. But Bon Bon hadn’t been able to help it. She wanted to see Lyra again, and every glimmer of hope, no matter how desperate, was enough for her.

Bon Bon was just so very, very afraid. What would she find in the forest? Would it drive her insane? She was already going insane, wasn’t she? Bon Bon felt constricted. She panted hard, but she felt like she could barely breathe. Her chest was getting tighter by the minute. And unseen force held her back. Malicious appendages were slithering all over her form, examining and exploring with their disgusting slimy touch, probing for weaknesses, holding her back and trying to make her fall. Black tendrils.

A distraction. The water tower broke the veil of rain. The steel girders splashed water into a deep puddle spanning an entire segment of the trodden path. No problem, it was their mark to depart from the road anyway.

Twilight, Applejack and Rarity slowed down and walked along the right side of the road, scanning the adjacent shrubbery for an opening large enough. A flimsy bush that used to be there had broken off and been hurled away, the hole was good.

The three friends jumped down the embankment closely together, to stay under Twilight’s dome. They landed on an outcropping of earth in the meadow, chest deep in plants as they waited for Bon Bon to follow.

Bon Bon hadn’t been given time to prepare, but she immediately jumped anyway. Figures she’d fumble the landing and trip, painfully smashing her jaw into the mud. It hurt enough that Bon Bon needed a moment to recover. Applejack was next to her already, offering a foreleg. It was amazing how quickly Applejack had been at her side to help. Bon Bon gratefully hooked her own foreleg into Applejack’s and let herself be pulled up.

They wasted no time and promptly travelled straight away from the road. It wasn’t quite enough for a gallop, the vegetation all around was simply too dense. Still, it was progress.

Twilight’s dome interacted in fascinating ways with the meadow as they hastened through it. The force she projected outward hit the plants hard enough to bend them out of the way, and since the grasses were slick with water, it untangled them and made them spring back up in orderly rows. There was nothing shoving, pulling or tugging at Bon Bon’s hooves for a change. The walk could have almost been enjoyable under different circumstances.

Twilight and Rarity had no problems going forward either. They kept walking in Applejack’s wake, who took the very front all by her own, like a figurehead. She parted the endless vastness of grasses by her chest, unfalteringly. Right now, safe passage for her party was the most important thing to her.

Bon Bon wished she could be more like Applejack. So flexible. Applejack could adapt to anything. She adjusted to the situation, determined the best course of action, and pulled through with it. She wasn’t fazed by setbacks or when things didn’t go like planned, she just carried on. Boundless strength came from within.

And Bon Bon? Bon Bon wasn’t like that. Bon Bon needed her security. She wanted things to stay the same. She was bad at getting a hang of new stuff, she just wanted to keep doing what she did. How could she even have let herself get tagged along on this undertaking? She was so out of place, bumbling behind the heroes as it were.

More than once, Bon Bon stumbled over a knot in the ground or flinched away from an unmoving dark shadow. They had to wait up for her every time, because she was so slow. She tried to pay attention, but her thoughts were a jumble. Everything would be so much easier if it just wasn’t so stupidly hard to think. Bon Bon had to get to Lyra. She had to find the lost pony in the forest, and she had to handle the pony in her home. She had to figure out the mystery.

But she was deathly exhausted. It was just too much. It boggled her mind.

Bon Bon was no hero! She wasn’t even particularly athletic. She always placed close to last in the Running of the Leaves. And she hadn’t done more than spectate Lyra’s gymnastics course to this day. She swore she’d do more sports if they’d just get through this in one piece!

But this was no little game, this was a full blown adventure. Twilight, Applejack and Rarity - they were the heroes! They were known for routinely defusing dicey situations. They would turn things around. Bon Bon was only here to guide them where she could. She would hang back and make sure they’d reach Lyra as quickly as possible. What more could she do? She was only Bon Bon. She had no special abilities.

Lightning struck somewhere, but it was barely noticeable. What the storm lacked in noise, though, it more than made up for with rain. The water was pouring down onto them like a coherent stream. They could have as well run under a waterfall and Bon Bon wouldn’t have noticed a difference.

The darkness wasn’t a problem since they had to go straight ahead. Tall bushes grew increasingly dense around them, the rustling of leaves familiar. They bore the ruggedness that was essential for survival at the windy edge of the forest.

The long row of thicket was a natural wind barrier. It separated the forest’s harsh climate from the more cultivated environment under open sky. The four ponies wound their way through them. Unseen branches tried to snag Bon Bon’s raincoat and scratched on her skin, but she managed to surmount the small embankment in the end. She emerged into the wild plains, dotted with runaway trees, the dark mass of the forest looming in the distance.

“Alright, everypony here?” Applejack said, her chest heaving. Her gaze got stuck on Bon Bon.

Bon Bon cringed. It was true that she had continually lagged behind, but she would have preferred to keep moving anyway.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Rarity interrupted her panting to swallow, “Oh my, I had not expected it to be so difficult to cross the meadow while it is raining. I am dragging half my weight in mud with me, and I am not quite certain where we are. Wouldn’t it be a good time for a break now?”

No, they couldn’t afford a break.

“Yes, a break sounds fine,” Twilight said, indicating closeby, “let’s move under that tree. It looks big enough to keep us dry. I’ll be able to get rid of this shield, and we’ll have a chance to get our bearings.”

“Get our bearings?” Bon Bon rasped desperately, “Wait, let’s just go on. We don’t have to stop. Can’t we … just … “ But the others had already departed toward the tree. They hadn’t heard her. She should have spoken louder.

The tree was familiar. It had been standing here for a long time. A crooked thing, gnarly trunk bent at odd angles and grown into a weird shape. The entire tree must have fallen victim to some natural force from times untold. Most of the tree seemed to have been torn off, and, judging from the scarred knots near the ground, it may have been partially uprooted at some point, crippling its ability for growth considerably.

The tree was a forgotten remainder of the forest, standing solitary in the field, far away from the other stragglers. And still, amazingly enough, it had never given up. Though the trunk stood off sideways and dipped into the ground, it somehow had never lost the strength to pick itself up and grow toward the sun again.

Hovering low, and eminently skewed away from its roots, the tree sprouted a wide and flat crown, grown dense to catch all of the sunlight, or, in this case, rain, making it ideal for standing underneath for protection. Not only that, but the entire slanted tree trunk, fully exposed to water and air, had begun growing with a network of long, thin green twigs, which had eventually grown roots and leaves of their own. It was a host of exquisite plants on top of the old one.

The tree had never surrendered, no matter how weird and out of place it was, and, with time, had given rise to beauty despite its shortcomings. There was a kind of poetic grace in the story. Bon Bon wished she had more time to appreciate it.

Her adventure party was all gathered under the tree, conspicuously failing to make any progress at all. She joined them, but remained silent.

The rain couldn’t reach them here, but it was all the same to her. What could she do to make her companions get a move on? Twilight had ceased her shield and worked on providing light by horn. Applejack shook some mud off her boots, and Rarity was still busy catching her breath. What was Bon Bon to say? They seemed fairly content with the situation. Didn’t they realize the urgency?

“The Weather Team really outdid themselves this time,” Twilight said, “I don’t remember when it last rained like this. I didn’t even know Ponyville was cleared to get storms of such intensity. Maybe we should rest here for a moment? It could calm down if we wait.”

“Oh, no,” Bon Bon said, “No, it’s fine, we can go on. See? There’s no more wind! It’s warmer already. And I’m sure ponies so strong and clever as ourselves won’t be deterred by something so laughable as a little bit of rain, isn’t that right?”

“Er,” Rarity made, “Are you quite certain that you are ready to move on, Bon Bon? I don’t want to impose, but you didn’t seem to take to running the distance well. And you did have a rather nasty fall back there, on top of it.”

“What are you talking about?” Bon Bon said, “I’m fine. Look here.” She hopped in place and then reared up on her hind legs, holding out her forelegs in what she hoped was a victorious pose. “See? Perfectly healthy and fit as a twig.”

Rarity didn’t seem to know whether she should keep her mouth open or closed. It didn’t help that Bon Bon’s hooves visibly trembled from exhaustion. Curse it.

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Bon Bon said, icy water splashing from below as she dropped into a shallow puddle, “Can you just get out from under this tree and get moving?”

“I suppose we should go soon,” Applejack said cautiously, “but I’ll still need to take a look at our immediate surroundings. Mind giving me a hoof with that light of yours, Twilight?”

They turned away to look into the roiling darkness, but from the corner of her eyes, Applejack’s piercing emerald gaze never left Bon Bon.

Bon Bon let out a shuddering sigh as she hung her head. Along with the blood in her ears, reality came rushing back to her head, all the foregone conclusions that she so desperately had been trying to disregard all this time.

She was the weak link of this group. Applejack needed to keep an eye on her, because the possibility that she broke down on the spot was too real. But Bon Bon wouldn’t let it happen, of course, not as long as Lyra was still out there. How could she? Lyra was counting on her, and that made Bon Bon unbreakable until her goal was fulfilled.

Lyra was out there somewhere, lost and alone, likely suffering from cold and maybe even from injury. It must have been hours since Bon Bon had last seen her. And they hadn’t even reached the forest yet, let alone made any noteworthy progress toward saving Lyra from the fangs of the night.

Bon Bon was a colossal failure, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t matter. As long as she managed to get Lyra out of there, her purpose was realized. But how could she make the others understand? How could she explain to them this kind of relationship that could only exist between herself and Lyra?

Lyra had given her so much, made her realize so deeply what hurt her soul, when she found her alone and abandoned, countless years ago. Lyra had taught Bon Bon things she had never thought possible, had given her a purpose in life she had so desperately needed. Had given her lessons about trust and friendship, without which she would have withered and vanished into the earth instead of sprouting and blooming.

How could Bon Bon make Applejack, Twilight and Rarity understand the magnitude in all its veracity? She couldn’t. It was impossible. They couldn’t know. Only she knew. She was alone once more, like back then. Utterly, crushingly alone. This was her burden to bear, and hers only. Nothing was important. She wasn’t important. The only thing that counted was that they reached Lyra and brought her back out. Bon Bon was a means to reach the end.

When Lyra was back, Bon Bon wouldn’t be alone anymore. She’d know what to do. What to say. She would make her feel right again. Maybe she’d even forgive her. And Bon Bon’s three companions? They probably wouldn’t want anything to do with her anymore. She was but a burden on this voyage, but she needed to see this through. She only needed to get them to Lyra. Right? She was left behind, misunderstood, completely alone, but that was not important. She needed to make the impossible happen. That was all that mattered. Right?

“Bon Bon, are you crying?” Rarity said, her ivory features soft, “What ever is the matter, dear?”

“I know you mean well, Rarity,” Bon Bon said between gritted teeth, “Yet you needn’t waste your breath on me. But we have to go. Now. Lyra is out there, Celestia knows what’s happening to her right now, and we need to get her back. I don’t know what you are planning, but there is no time. Something is so wrong with this entire situation that makes me fear it’s already lost. Whatever happens, I’ll take responsibility, I don’t matter. Just, we have to go, please.”

“Now wait just a moment, Bon Bon,” Rarity said, pulling back Bon Bon’s hood too look into her eyes, “where did this come from? Don’t act as if you were any less important than anypony else That false sense of self sacrifice will get us nowhere in such serious circumstances. So, stop the nonsense. Of course you matter. If you didn’t value your own life, how could you care enough to rescue that of somepony else?”

“But, you don’t understand,” Bon Bon pleaded, “We need to do everything to get Lyra out of there. I don’t know what I’d do if we didn’t, but without Lyra, I am not. She is everything I have. I told her I would follow her with help, and I know how she is once she’s fixed her eyes on something. I can’t let anything happen to her because of my failure, I just can’t. Please, I need to make this right. Just grant me this.”

Applejack’s presence was already felt closing in from behind even before she spoke. “Alright,” she said, “I’ve had about enough of this. Bon Bon, can you stop being so angsty all the time for a moment and tell me why you’re losing your feathers like that?”

“I’m not angsty,” Bon Bon raged as she whirled to face the assailant, “I’m perfectly fine. I told you not to worry about me. Worry about Lyra instead. She’s all alone! Maybe she’s hurting! How can you tell me to stop being angsty when she could be facing danger right now? You promised me you’d retrieve her from the forest, but we’re nowhere near.”

“Which wouldn’t be an issue if we weren’t standing around arguing like frogs,” Applejack said, “What is it even that makes you think she could be in danger?”

“Well, I …” Bon Bon said, “I didn’t quite … I mean, before I came to you …” She wanted to drop the subject, but those eyes prompted her to go on. “I-I got lost, okay?” Bon Bon admitted, “I ran to the other side of Ponyville first, to the foresters’ lodge, before I realized there was nopony there. I tried to get help all over the place, but that’s easier said than done. I only came across you on the way to the constabulary. I must have wasted an hour or more.”

Applejack relaxed. “Is that all?” she said, “That’s not half bad, Bon Bon. An hour? That’s nothing. You don’t know how crafty ponies can be. It’s way more important we can do this rescue mission with a proper plan. Lyra’s a big girl, right? She can handle herself.”

Bon Bon thought she’d misheard. “You don’t believe me!?” she shrieked, “Lyra’s out there! In danger! This is my responsibility. I need to go get her, and I need you to get through. Look at this wind! Look at this dirt!” She kicked up some mud, but only sprayed it on her own chin. “Tell me she can handle herself! Tell me she stacks up against the unbridled forces of nature! Any chance she might be in danger is too much for me. We’re going! Now!”

Applejack was disappointed. Bon Bon fumed.

“I’ve had about enough of this,” Twilight said, trying to keep the light up while maintaining a safe distance from Bon Bon, “If you’re convinced we have to go, then we have to go, though I’m not too sure how well it’ll work like this. Anyway, there’s only one way to find out. I’ll need you to stand close while I cast the spell, and then hopefully it’ll lead us closer --”

“What!?” Bon Bon roared, “Lyra’s out there and you’re muddling around with your magic!? And after all, the only thing you can give me is a ‘hopefully’? I can’t believe I fell for this. That’s enough! I should --”

Applejack shoved Bon Bon in the chest. Hard.

“Hey,” Bon Bon said, “What- oof”

Applejack shoved her again, even harder.

Bon Bon recoiled. Searing pain fanned out from under her neck. She righted herself, but no words left her mouth. She couldn’t move, not while pinned down by Applejack’s piercing gaze. Those emeralds could have cut steel.

What was wrong with the mare? Had everypony completely lost their minds now? She couldn’t just waltz over and shove her. Nevermind the fact that they had much more important business to attend to. And what was up with the other two? Twilight and Rarity remained quiet and made no move to intervene. They had to help her! Bon Bon was being beaten up by a crazy pony!

Sure, Bon Bon was a little angry. It was bad to be angry, she knew that, and it didn’t solve anything. Lyra had taught her the value of friendship and cooperation, and how much could be achieved with just a little compassion. Who else could understand Bon Bon if not Lyra? It was important to listen!

Things don’t work that way. Violence solves nothing. When something goes differently than you had expected, you can’t just go feral and disregard everything else. The basic things that make sense are most important, and you have to trust that your friends know what they’re doing.

Oh.

Oh no.

She had done terribly wrong.

Bon Bon wasn’t violent.

Bon Bon was a trusting pony. Lyra had taught her how to be.

Trust. The confidence that another pony could fulfill the expectations they set for themselves. Trust was the fundamental building block of pony society. Sure, exerting control worked, and there are other ways of getting what you want. But they wouldn’t ever have gotten so far if not for the benefits of collaboration and faith.

How else could the engineer assemble a new machine that would change the lives of countless ponies for the better, if she couldn’t trust her peers to review her work and guide her efforts toward an attainable end? How else could the arcanist decompose our knowledge of the world and weave it into never seen before tools, if she couldn’t trust her instruments to show what she couldn’t see with utmost rigor and precision? How could anypony claim to be truly alive while trusting nopony else?

Trust was a foundation that carried civilizations further than imaginable. Trust empowered ponies to go way beyond what they would be capable of alone. Putting your trust in somepony just feels right, because if you truly, sincerely trust them, they will not disappoint you.

And that was what Lyra had been teaching Bon Bon all along. Lyra always trusted Bon Bon to her fullest extent. Bon Bon would never let Lyra down. But there was more. Bon Bon had to trust herself, too. She was capable. She could do things. She just had to believe it, too. Everypony else did.

Her companions wanted to trust her. Twilight and Rarity, they didn’t look down on her with disdain, but with compassion, because that was what she needed right now. And Applejack hadn’t barreled her down as retribution for her boorishness. Only concern and empathy was in her eyes. Silently, she was counting down the seconds.

The countdown crossed a threshold. “Are you alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked softly.

“Oh my gosh,” Bon Bon said, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to freak out like that! I only tried to help, but it came out all wrong. I’m so sorry for shouting at you! I didn’t want to say those terrible things.”

“We understand, Bon Bon,” Applejack said, “happens to the best of us. It can be hard to keep a clear head sometimes, especially when there’s loved ones involved.”

“It wasn’t me saying those things,” Bon Bon said. “Lyra taught me different. Lyra taught me to be kind to other ponies and to respect their opinions. Lyra always did those things! And I had come to think those as Lyra’s responsibilities instead of my own. That’s not who she wants me to be! She always says I should just relax, if I can’t do anything about it anyway. There’s no sense in trying to control something that’s impossible to control. It’ll do no good.”

“I know that Lyra can handle herself. I can too, if I just let it happen. I know that now. You have a plan of what you’re doing. How could I ever doubt you? You’re familiar with this kind of thing. If there’s anypony who can do this, it’s you. Thank you, Applejack, for knocking some sense into me.”

“We know what we are doing, darling,” Rarity corrected her, reaching out an elegant foreleg and touching it against Bon Bon’s. The sensation was akin to a small miracle. “Not only us three, but all of us. Together.”

“And there’s no need to thank me,” Applejack hollered, “hay, if I could solve all of my problems by beating somepony up, I’d be leading the easy life.”

“The power of friendship can overcome many obstacles,” Twilight said, “and it’s not just some ephemeral concept that warrants sporadic reminders. Friendship is very real and very present, nurtured and growing through our actions, every moment of every day, until we may tap into its full potential through our own devices. Friendship is there, because it lets ponies achieve more than they are capable of, even if their friends are far away. I am glad that you were able to come to this conclusion now, while surrounded by your friends who can help you make a difference, Bon Bon.”

“Wait, do you…” Bon Bon gasped, “D-do you mean we are still friends?”

“Of course we are,” Rarity said.

“Always help a friend in need,” Twilight said.

“I don’t see why not,” Applejack said.

It was unbelievable. There they were, three ponies Bon Bon hadn’t even been all too familiar with before, and they had her back, for no other reason than because she needed them to. There were no strings attached, no ifs or buts, because true friendship was unconditional. Their faces were genuine, their expressions free of second thoughts. All they wanted was for Bon Bon to be happy, and all she wanted was to accept their offer. Just stop worrying about being in control for a moment and trust in their judgement.

“I am so grateful,” Bon Bon said, “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then think of something,” Applejack said, “but do it later. We still got important stuff to do. Twilight?”

“Yes, Applejack,” Twilight said, “I believe I am ready to prepare the spell now. But, Bon Bon, I need you to trust me on this one, or else it won’t work. Can you do that for me?”

“Trust?” Bon Bon said.

“I trust Twilight,” Applejack said, “I’ve seen what she can do, and I know she’s one of the finest magicians in all of Equestria. If there’s a problem that can be solved by a spell, she’d be the first pony I’d call. I trust her with all of my being.”

“Yes! I trust her!” Bon Bon said, “I trust you, Twilight. You know how to get Lyra back. But I don’t know what I can do to help. I don’t have the first clue about magic.”

“Don’t worry, Bon Bon,” Twilight said, “You are, in fact, the centerpiece of this spell. Let me show you.”

Applejack hadn’t sold Twilight short. Twilight’s spellcasting was sublime. It didn’t look like much from the outside, she didn’t really do anything other than waving her horn around a bit, following some obscure flow of force that nopony but herself could perceive.

But the magic didn’t come from within her. She didn’t create the magic from nothing. Instead, the magic came from all around her. The wind dancing playfully through her mane, the little grasses tugging defiantly at her hooves, even the rain shuffling relentlessly the clattering leaves above their heads. And, no less importantly, themselves!

Applejack, Twilight, Rarity and Bon Bon, the amiable relationship between them was powerful and set things in motion that none of them could do alone. Magic is everywhere, and Twilight was fully a part of it, drawing from it and shaping it to her will, with the care and attention to match the finest artists. That was why it looked so easy when she did it, a mere bow of her head and the flexing of her horn. But it wasn’t easy magic, Twilight just worked with it very efficiently. Bon Bon couldn’t claim to understand even the first thing of what was happening, but there was an undeniable beauty about it that almost brought a tear to her eyes.

“This is something I haven’t tried before,” Twilight said, “Princess Cadence made me aware of this spell, though I had to look up the specifics before we left. What I’m doing is basically a navigation spell. As you might know, without some kind of target in mind, it won’t do much on its own. For this purpose, either the magnetic field or a magical focus point are commonly used, because those techniques are familiar and well researched. However, we’ll be doing something different today. It is supposed to be possible to draw magic from a strong source of love, and integrate it in the form of a focus, into the navigation spell. Needless to say, the source of love has to be strong enough to transcend large distances in space and time. The spell shouldn’t be too difficult to cast provided the love is pure enough, but we’ll need to keep the connection up constantly.”

The clearing under the tree was illuminated bright purple from Twilight’s horn. When she moved her head, a hint of ethereal wisps followed in its wake, indicating that there was indeed complex magic being worked. She moved towards Bon Bon, who didn’t dare draw away from the spectacle. Though she wasn’t being physically touched, Bon Bon immediately felt a presence all over her body, like the texture of a fine fabric being pulled over her skin, except it was another skin than the one she was used to.

“Bon Bon?” Twilight said, “Are you ready?”

“Yes, I’m ready, Twilight,” Bon Bon said, “let’s do this.”

“Alright,” Twilight said, “You will have to think of Lyra. Try to imagine what it would feel like if she was here. Do not think about her, but think of her, focus on your emotions.”

“Okay, okay,” Bon Bon said, steeling herself, “Thinking of Lyra. Think of her as if she was here. Thinking of her…” She closed her eyes. Focus now. Think of Lyra. Lyra’s face, her golden eyes, her gentle smile. Lyra’s long, slender legs, her messy and unpolished hooves. Lyra’s funny tail and her unkempt mane. Think, think, think. What if Lyra was here? That would be great. Bon Bon would love it if Lyra was here. Funny tail, slender legs.

“Anything at all?” Twilight’s voice said from closeby. Her presence was getting closer more intimate. It was looking for something but hadn’t found it yet.

“I’m trying, really,” Bon Bon said out loud, “But I’m not sure how I’m supposed to think about Lyra with all this going on.”

“Think of her, not about her,” Twilight said.

“Sorry!” Bon Bon said, “see, that’s the problem.”

“Do you love Lyra, Bon Bon?” Rarity’s voice came from the other side.

“Yes I do!” Bon Bon said, “I love her!”

“Well, then it’s easy!” Rarity said, “When was last time you two quarrelled?”

“Quarrelled?” Bon Bon said, “We don’t quarrel! Okay … maybe we do, but I don’t see how that’s relevant. As it happens, I remember the last time we quarrelled. It was because she is so stubborn! It must have been not even a few weeks ago. When it was warmer, Lyra attended a colloquium with her colleagues from the academy. They wanted to go spelunking in a cave somewhere between here and Canterlot. And Lyra, she just plain refused to wear a helmet! I told her to go buy one, but she said it wasn’t important, and it was only this one time, and we didn’t need to waste money on a helmet. But I didn’t relent, I wanted her to wear a helmet, because seriously, why take the unnecessary risk of getting injured, while doing something as silly as casual spelunking? I made her buy one and wear it. She thought I was so lame, but I just wanted her to be safe. Nothing happened of course, but Lyra can be so headstrong sometimes, even if it’s completely pointless. I swear, if I hadn’t been there … Uh …”

Bon Bon had opened her eyes to face empty darkness. The others were now standing behind her.

She had turned around during her oratory, and only become aware of it when raindrops hit her nose. She turned to the side, but promptly something felt amiss. There was an emptiness now where there had been none. Only when Bon Bon swiveled her head around and faced the same direction as before, the feeling went away and she was taken with a distant satisfaction. She was staring at the black silhouette of the forest in the distance, the maw of darkness.

“This is amazing,” Bon Bon said.

“I knew it’d work,” Rarity said satisfiedly.

“What do you feel,” Twilight said.

“I feel like we have to go in that direction,” Bon Bon said, indicating with her hoof, “Is Lyra there?”

“We can not say if she’s still there,” Twilight said, “But she certainly was there at some point recently.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Applejack said, “Everypony buckle up and let’s move out.”

While Bon Bon pulled her hood over her head again and Applejack adjusted her boots, Twilight passed the spell on to Rarity.

“It’s better if I’m free to pay attention if we’re going to venture into the unknown,” Twilight said, “Rarity? Can you take this spell from me? I configured it so it will keep itself going, you’ll just have to hold it with your horn.”

“I’m ready, Twilight,” Rarity said, “Just be careful when you— eek!”

Rarity jumped when Twilight touched their horns together. The ghastly mist clung to Rarity’s horn briefly before it vanished, but it left Rarity’s horn glowing. The illumination in the clearing changed to a colorless pure white. She’d quickly overcome her initial shock, but looked on skeptically.

“Is everything alright?” Twilight said.

“I have got it,” Rarity said, “the spell is still going. I can feel it, although I don’t think I have much control over it.”

“That’s expected,” Twilight said, “the spell will stop as soon as you relax your horn. If you keep it up for me, I can take care of the protection from the rain instead.”

“I appreciate it,” Rarity said before sidling up to Bon Bon, “Come, darling, I have a suspicion us two had better stick together.”

Rarity looked astonishing performing her magic. Her hat covered her horn from behind, the pristine glow thrown onto her mane and face. Her fur was flush in its spotless rich white while the coil of her mane bounced in deep shimmering purple. The wealth of immaculate color was a refreshing change from the dark dreariness that been the backdrop so far. Nothing was taken away from Rarity’s elegance by the fact that she kept twitching with her head and clenching her jaws. Maintaining the spell couldn’t have been as comfortable as she was trying to make it seem.

“Do you feel it too?” Bon Bon said, “It feels like we’re being drawn out there on a string. It feels amazing.”

“Not really,” Rarity said, “The only thing I feel is like I am lifting something that is slightly too heavy. It is not quite uncomfortable, but it does feel like it could slip out of my grasp any time. It is quite preoccupying.”

“You can tone it down if you want,” Bon Bon said, “There’s no sense in forcing yourself if it’s too much for you, Rarity.”

“Nonsense, darling,” Rarity said defiantly, “I agreed to go through with this and I will. Besides, I have an inkling that this is probably important, so I have no qualms with the little bit of exercise. Now hush, I think your turn is coming up. Go ahead.”

Applejack and Twilight had readied up and gotten in line behind them. Twilight raised her magical umbrella over the group again. A brief tickle ran over Bon Bon’s back before it vanished. And then they waited. For her.

“Uh,” Bon Bon said, “everypony ready?” Twilight and Rarity affirmed, Applejack nodded. They were primed, determined, ready to race off toward their destiny, but not for their own sake, but for Bon Bon’s, to support her and to help her. She couldn’t have asked for a better for a better adventure party than this. “Okay then, let’s go!”

Bon Bon moved out from under the tree in the direction she perceived as the most important, Rarity close to her side. The rain clashed against the shell of light with a deafening uproar, but the shield held impenetrable. The group pressed on, barreling against the weather’s ferocity with all their might, unyielding against its effort to push them back and hold them in place.

It was exhilarating. After everypony else had had their time in the spotlight, it was now Bon Bon’s turn to be useful. She didn’t resent the fact that she was now the center of attention, but rather she embraced it, and drew strength from it. Her thoughts had become delightfully free of distracting noise. It felt like she she could think clearly again for the first time in ages, and she would apply all her newfound abilities to lead her group to their conclusion.

But there was no need to rush it. Lyra could handle herself, wherever she was. She wasn’t stupid. That meant that Bon Bon couldn’t be stupid either. She would go slow and steady, keep her cool and make the best decisions possible. She owed that much to her friends, and to herself.

They left the crooked tree with the funny branches behind. Though it was awfully dark beyond a few strides’ distance, their immediate surroundings were now fairly well lit due to the two unicorns’ efforts working their horns. Within the roiling black sea, they were like a beacon of light, moving against the waves without faltering.

Bon Bon was the only pony not wearing shoes, and her legs chronically hurt from the cold. But at the same time, she was the only one who could actually feel how the ground beneath her hooves had become soft and muffled. The plants growing under the cover of the increasingly dense trees were soft and heavy.

Bon Bon was first to be out of breath again, her breathing hard and wet as she gasped for air, but it allowed her to get a feel for her surroundings, to taste the air filtered by cleansing water and pervasive magic. Even as the conflicting forces ripped the impurities out of atmosphere, bound tiniest particles and held them fast, Bon Bon’s senses were so trained on the impressions from the forest, the sharp freshness on her nose and the sour heartiness on her tongue.

“The forest must be coming up soon,” Bon Bon said, “I can smell it.”

She had better keep them up to date. True, she couldn't see or hear any more than them. A tree appearing right in front of them? Bon Bon warned the others though it was obvious. She sounded silly, or lame, even to herself, sometimes. But it was better to be safe than sorry. That’s what her heart told her was right, and she trusted herself.

Roots were sticking out of the ground, prompting care when stepping over them. The frequency of trees had increased considerably along the way. They were tough and flexible plants, their trunks jagged, resilient enough to withstand the relatively harsh conditions just outside the forest’s climate.

They seemed to be tethered to the ground by an increasingly packed network of crawly vines, supported by a scaffold of stringy stalks, tightly coiled around the supple trees in their hunt for purchase. The plant life seemed to prefer the company of the trees in general, likely because it was difficult to survive under the open sky for anything that was bigger than a little moss. Bon Bon could sympathize, she had come to appreciate the presence of her friends herself rather quickly.

The sky had remained almost pitch black since the lightning had stopped. Bon Bon could see her breath. The wind had calmed down, and the hazy puffs born from her body warmth merely brushed past her cheeks and vanished into the darkness. It wasn’t much, but it showed movement opposed to their own. It worked wonders in warding off the looming disorientation.

Without Bon Bon’s magnified sense of direction they would have been pretty lost. It was good that Rarity strove to keep close by. The spell became noticeably more muddled whenever they happened to part from each other, the distinct orientation in her mind becoming more of a diffuse suggestion. When it receded entirely from attention, it immediately left a burning absence in its wake.

The spell made Bon Bon feel dependent, and that wasn’t pleasant at all. But it was probably just the effects of the magic on her emotions. Bon Bon was elated whenever Rarity returned to her side and the jumble in her head was restored to focus. She would be thanking Rarity later for sticking this through with her.

“Applejack, do you feel it?” Twilight said.

“Yup,” Applejack said.

The galloping ponies slowed down to a canter in a clearing between several bulking trees and the overgrowth beneath. While Bon Bon braced herself against the ground to catch her breath, Applejack walked forward to inspect their surroundings. “I knew something was off, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it. What is it?”

“Some kind of biological magic would have been my guess,” Twilight said, her shield tugging along as she turned her head, “And the fact that you can feel it leads me to believe that it’s botanical in nature.”

“Magical plants?” Applejack said, “But there aren’t supposed to be any around here. They’re all out on the other side of Ponyville, towards Canterlot.”

“Under usual circumstances,” Twilight said, “although ecological imbalances are always a possibility. It’s not even all that unusual a plant would occupy a biotope outside its usual domain. That’s especially true concerning species with magical characteristics, since they tend to have a quick energy turnover, resulting in relatively erratic patterns of habitation and short reproductive cycles. It’s possible that there has been something proliferating in this forest.”

“What, you mean like another infestation?” Applejack said, “Every time we had an infestation, it kept trying to bite our tails off, or threatened to overwhelm our crops. I don’t see anything unusual here though.” She strained her eyes against the darkness, but there was little hope beyond the little illumination provided by two horns. “Uh, I don’t think so, at least.”

“I have to question your methods, Applejack,” Rarity said, “I do not know how you can see anything whatsoever in this darkness. No offense to Bon Bon, I’m certain your navigation skills are going to lead us somewhere eventually, but I have hardly a clue where we are right now. This spell is making me light in the head and I would appreciate it if we didn’t waste any time dawdling around puzzling over some, magic mushrooms or what ever.”

Rarity stepped toward a bunch of overgrown trees just outside the shield. Bon Bon followed immediately.

“All I have been seeing is this dreadful bristled shrubbery,” Rarity said, “I have lost count of how many patches of these we’ve passed already.”

“I’m sure there’s a sensible explanation for everything, but I don’t think this has any relevance to the task at hoof. If you agree, I’d like to get on with …” Bon Bon said.

But then she actually got a look at the bush sprouting all around the tree, away from her face by just a whisker. It looked the same as the one she had seen earlier. Eerily so. Thorny spire in the middle, stark leaves all around, clambering onto the tree. Suddenly, Bon Bon felt very thankful for the shielding bubble corralling them.

“Uh, there’s something weird about these plants,” Bon Bon said, ”I’ve been here before, and I don’t remember the trees being overgrown like this. Twilight? Could you take a look?”

“I already have a suspicion,” Twilight said darkly. She didn’t leave the growth out of her eyes. “Applejack?”

“On it,” Applejack said.

She approached the curious abnormality, her face lit up oddly as she held just a hair’s breadth from the magical dome. The water continued to smash onto the shield from above and created a webwork of streams around its rounded form. It was amazing how Twilight was able to stand her ground against these forces. The shield was veritably tethered to the movements of her head, and it stood perfectly still, to the point where Applejack could hold her nose just shy of touching the magical wall, without fear of any sudden movement knocking it into her.

The shield was focussed upward, and didn’t keep out the water already on the ground. Bon Bon had to shuffle around trying to keep her bare hooves out of the muddy cold water that kept creeping in. However, even by this small movement, Bon Bon could already sense an unusual presence in the air. There was no way Applejack had missed it.

“Yup, it’s definitely around here somewhere,” Applejack said, stepping away from the bush, “This reminds me of the one time we actually did have a proper infestation at the farm. It was years ago, before you came here, Twilight. We had cleared a new patch of land along the big hill, which now connects the south side of the farm, to plant our crops.

“But the trees wouldn’t grow. The saplings came out too quick and were all crooked, and they died off soon. It took us days before we stumbled over the caches of these glowing fungus under the earth. You saw them once, in the Everfree. Apparently they had occupied the empty land in the time it took us to plant our seeds. They told us we’re lucky we’d caught them so quickly, because these things spread fast. I’d never encountered leech seed before that, but their reputation’s accurate I’d say.”

“Leech seed,” Twilight said, “It’s a blanket term for a family of many different genus of plants, or growths that appear as plants, which have in common their impact on their surroundings. Using their varying proportions of innate magical features or semi-magical tissues, they force their way into another species’ habitat, to drain, leech or sap the local magical or physical energies. They are absorbed to further the leech seeds’ growth and speed up their reproductive cycle. Leech seed appear like an infestation by nature, and while they usually target plants due to their abundance in volume, it’s often earth ponies who are affected the most because of their intrinsic connection to nature.”

“Can you believe it?” Applejack said, “Our defenseless little saplings, and these things latched onto them like leeches and drained them dry until they withered? It’s most vile a thing I’ve ever heard. At any rate, this is just like it. I know what a forest is supposed to feel like, and this ain’t right. It feels like something is missing, and there’s a constant pull on everything to fill that hole. This place is restless. I suspect it’s got something to do with these bushes, but I’m not sure. These leaves don’t look like something that’d grow in a forest. They’re way too rugged and oily.”

“Their appearance is not pleasant in the slightest,” Rarity said, “And I sincerely hope you don’t suggest we dig around in the dirt to find the root of the problem.”

“You’re right, there’s no point,” Applejack said, “We had better move on and see where the path takes us.”

Applejack walked onward, and Twilight followed her closely, as did Rarity and Bon Bon. There was no question about the direction they had to take now. The uncanny growths towered above, looming in the darkness at both sides, effectively leaving only a swath of forest ground they could move through.

The journey would have been impossible without the illumination provided by the cunning Twilight. Time and again Bon Bon managed to just about evade conglomerations of roots and rocks, that broke through the layer of muddy brown compost to strive for their ankles.

She guided Rarity around and helped her climb over the obstacles. Rarity seemed too preoccupied to pay much attention, and Bon Bon knew how much she would have hated stumbling and falling into the dirt. Of course, Bon Bon also didn’t want to lose her spell that, combined with her own intuition, would lead her to Lyra. But she had managed to recognize and shelve her own deadlocked insecurities, and she felt the most lucid in a long time. The well-being of her friend Rarity was at least as important as Bon Bon’s own personal gain.

“These leaves look the same,” Bon Bon said, “We’ve passed the same plants earlier. And even when we entered this area, the first overgrown tree we saw. It’s always the same, the same leaves with the same shape, and the same bristles on the same vines. And look, it’s not stopping. We’ve seen nothing but these bushes so far, and there’s nothing else in front of us.”

“If what you’re saying is true,” Twilight said, “I think I’m beginning to piece together what happened here. But you’re not going to like it.”

“I need to know,” Bon Bon said, “tell me.”

“If these leaves have something to do with the leech seed infestation that appears to be going on here,” Twilight said, “well, evidently there’s a lot of them. A big lot. As we know, by the laws of arcane dynamics, any concentration of magic creates a magical tension as the difference of intensity to its surroundings, a locally chaotic system, which strives to dissipate along the direction of the largest intensity gradient. That’s the path of least energy expenditure since it’s being fed by the larger source of magic. If we consider increasing number of leaves we’ve seen so far, we can assume they may have spread across some part of the forest, which would in sum provide more than enough magically capable biomass to qualify as that large source of magic. In particular, it is probably more than a pony, or even many ponies, in weight and power alone.”

“What are you trying to say?” Bon Bon said.

“I believe what she’s saying, darling,” Rarity said, “is that there might be enough leech seed out there to start leeching from us.”

“It’s even worse than that,” Twilight said, “consider what happens when they actually do sap a pony’s power. A pony is quite a significant accumulation of magical energy. If a few plants manage to absorb even a tiny portion, it would be enough to accelerate their natural conditions several fold. It could suffice to trigger a spurt of chaotic growth, which could spontaneously block off an entire pathway previously accessible.”

“You mean that these plants could have trapped Lyra in?” Bon Bon cried.

“Now slow down there,” Applejack said, “We don’t even know what these weeds look like. If it’s just a bunch of moss, I highly doubt she wouldn’t just step onto it and go her way.”

“Even if it’s just a small plant,” Twilight said, “The spontaneity could be confusing enough to disorient a pony. I wouldn’t worry about Lyra for now, she knows this terrain. But if Parting Ways and Teak really did travel as deep into the forest as it appears, and then they got taken by surprise by the storm, it’s very possible that they simply panicked and got separated. Parting managed to find a way out, but Teak might have gone a different way or still be holding out.” She narrowed her eyes at a plant. “It might even be that we’re retracing their path right now. Hence the massive growths.”

“I don’t know,” Bon Bon said, “Parting seemed really out of it. At any rate, I hope there’s not too many of the weeds ahead, and we can find a way through.”

They couldn’t. They had barely walked a few minutes before the shrubs around had grown so close, Bon Bon couldn’t help suspecting they were trying to block them in. And that was what happened, as the group of adventurers found themselves face to face with a solid wall of brush, latched onto the trees by the vine-tentacles arising from from the center of the mass. It was insurmountably dense, the inhabiting growth surrounding them on either side. The only way out seemed to be turning around and walking back the way they came.

“And that way’s likely grown shut by now,” Applejack said.

“What?” Bon Bon said.

“Where do we have to go?” Applejack said.

“Um,” Bon Bon said, turning her head to check for any change, but her sense was still pointing in the same direction. “Right through there.” Straight ahead.

“I thought you were gonna say that,” Applejack said.

“You were right, Bon Bon,” Twilight said, “these plants do look way too similar to the ones we saw earlier. This is unlikely mere coincidence, they have to be related to the leech seed infestation. If our assumptions are correct, we can’t be too far from the forest now, given the density of the overgrowth. I don’t think we can afford to turn around and walk all the way back though. I’m not a big fan of the idea, but it seems we have to get in contact with them and see if we can find some manner of passage. Applejack? Since you’re the most suitable for the task, can you try to get the plants out of the way?”

“Way ahead of you, Twi,” Applejack said, “I’ve had a hunch something like this would happen ever since we’d first come across these things, and I’m itching to test their mettle. I’ll need you to get this shield out of the way first though.”

“Careful, everypony,” Twilight said and dropped the magical shell. Rarity quickly jumped aside to avoid the masses of rain immediately smashing down upon them, seeking whatever shelter the outcroppings of the surrounding trees’ crowns provided. Bon Bon just coolly walked to Rarity’s side. She was so dirty at this point, the cleansing rain was like a little blessing.

“Alright then,” Applejack said, her gaze locking on to the offending plant with precise intent, “let’s see what you’re made of.”

With almost frightening determination, Applejack threw herself against the problem. Her body was no mere happenstance of her daily habits, and she was well aware of it. Applejack’s body was like a rigorous tool, a sophisticated apparatus forged by a lifetime of training and hard work, where every part moved in conjunction with all the others to achieve an ultimate capability of performance, that was a triumph of the pony form.

Her skin ran slick with the rain, and under the sheen of Rarity’s silver light, it became apparent just how strong Applejack was. The muscles in her thighs bulged with concentration, her vest grew tight around her chest in preparation, and she braced her neck in resolve. Reared up on her hind legs, her body worked in unison to wind itself up like a coil, until her forehooves found purchase on stems beneath the cover of haunting leaves. Then she discharged, dealing a heavy blow to the center of the botanical mass with a violent thrust.

But the plant didn’t relent. Applejack’s strike seemed to show effect at first as it bent inward under its force, but as the power of the impact proliferated into the structure’s inner workings, the plant began to push back with almost equal force. Applejack had to steady herself not to keel over backwards, but she was left leaning against the rigid structure entirely unlike any natural plant.

She blinked.

“What the …” Applejack said.

Determination mingled with curiosity as she crouched and prepared for her next attack. She wound herself up low to the ground and launched herself forward in a calculated strike, driving her hooves into the center of the mass with force. Again, the biological structure gave by a miniscule amount, but held firm, apparently remaining just as stiff as it needed to be, to resist the blow without breaking. Applejack had chosen her angle of incidence so she would be deflected upwards and she could step away comfortably before falling to her hooves.

“This isn’t one plant,” Applejack said, “this isn’t a singular of anything at all. Look at it! The green hedge alone could have never withheld my hooves. The shrubs underneath helped it stay firm, as did the brambles back there. They’re all connected! It’s like one big coherent make.”

“Oh, this is worse than I had anticipated,” Twilight said. The fleeting nervousness in her voice made Bon Bon’s heart race. Wouldn’t they be able to get through after all?

“Well I’m not about to let this bunch of weeds make a fool of me,” Applejack said with a sneer, “stand back, everypony, I’m gonna make it regret it ever budding.”

Her movement was impeccable. With calculated steps she rapidly closed the distance until she was just optimally aligned with the wall of vegetation. If her body had been a wound spring before, it was now like a taut slingshot, a consistent unit of raw power fully drawn to unload in one massive destructive outburst. With such ferocity her hooves dug into the earth, that Bon Bon ducked away in fear of the collateral. Applejack increased her momentum by drawing her hind legs in and rearing up on her forehooves, before swinging around and concentrating the entire force carried in her limbs precisely into one point within the thicket by a tremendous kick of her hind legs.

The plants creaked and groaned as even the tethered trees bent inward under the impact. Bon Bon could swear Applejack had kicked the plant out of this plane of existence as a ripple coursed through it, but it wasn’t enough. The brush recovered and sprung upright almost like a rubber band. Applejack was knocked back and danced on her forehooves, her hind legs flailing in the air for balance.

“Whoa…” Applejack made and Bon Bon was about to jump in to help, but Applejack stabilized on her own and fell back on her hooves. She pushed her hat back in place.

“Is this some kind of cruel joke,” Applejack screamed at the plant, “I will not be beaten by the likes of you. You waltz into this peaceful forest and steal and plunder like it’s nopony’s business. You trap my friends and leech on them without mercy. And now you think you can keep me away from them with these pathetic vines of yours? I’ll show you what it means if you think you can cause havoc on my turf. Nothing stands between me and my friends, you hear? Your repulsive ways have an end.”

Applejack ran to build up distance to the weeds. Every last muscle on her body worked at its peak solely for this purpose. Her hooves kicked up the earth violently. No, her hooves were the earth and the earth was her hooves.

The irregularities in the ground served to support Applejack’s hooves in her step, the soft humus in the turf sprang up to enhance the motions of her bones, the energies of the myriads of beings that lived and ever had been alive in that patch of pioneer forest converged to augment Applejack’s essence and lifted it beyond itself, as she heeded the ethereal cry of the forest for help. Rescue us from this dark menace!

The rain no longer weighed her down, but the water flowed around her form, it embraced and cooled the blazing furnace that was her body, while the wind suffused her lungs and fanned on the flames to drive her beyond her own limits. Applejack was one with the unfathomable powers of nature, and the entire world seemed to lean in on her, subsuming her as part of itself.

The display was transcendent. Never before had Bon Bon witnessed this majestic a spectacle of earth pony magic. She would have marvelled in awe hadn’t she been so afraid of it at the same time. Applejack closed the distance, reared up and swung around. Like a divine spear of justice, she drove the radiant energies of nature into the heart of evil itself with the force of an angry god.

The earth shook as obliteration was wrought upon the unjust. A massive crack resounded as the top half of the dark structure exploded into gleaming light, and the remaining half scattered into all directions as the ground itself was upturned within the reach of the annihilating consecration. Earth and pieces of vegetation sprayed in every which way, as a storming gust followed in Applejack’s wake, the reverse exchange of energy taking place as nature’s powers returned to their origins.

The plants burned up into no more than ephemeral gleaming dust, that vanished as it was carried away by the dying wind. The trees veritably breathed in relief as they sprang up to their original forms, finally free of the dark vines’ constricting stranglehold. Nature had given and nature had received. Applejack had played her part as the conduit. The primal transaction was complete.

Applejack took a few steps on her forelegs before she dropped on all fours again. She hollered contentedly. “Whew,” she said, “see, now that’s how it’s done. I know there’s not a plant that can give me a ride for my money. Now with that out of the way, we can just …” Her ears folded as she regarded the field of battle. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Behind the vanquished cluster of weeds stood another one just like it.

“I don’t suppose you can clear out that one too?” Rarity said hopefully.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” Bon Bon said.

“This is even worse than bad,” Twilight said, “Thanks to Applejack’s efforts, we now know that no part of this structure seems to be mundane in nature after all. It’s entirely magical, and it’s safe to assume that this is the leech seed. The entire thing. If the plant is as widespread as it seems, that’s more than we’d been calculating by an order of magnitude.”

“But how do they do it?” Applejack said, “They look like regular plants for the most part, but they put up a resistance unlike anything I’d ever seen. That’s not normal plant behaviour if you ask me.”

“It’s not surprising,” Twilight said, “given how much energy you’ve been expending and the fact that the leech seed seems to be utilizing a fixed part of it, it figures you would be getting a proportional reaction to the interchange. The plant seems to apply its stored power to uphold a series of partial spells, likely quasi symbiotic in character seeing how they are localized on identical, or at least similar, physical manifestations. At least a telekinetic projection doubling as an anchor for a reflective discharge appears to be part of the polyfocal system, moulding it into a shape no doubt derived from its environment. It costs almost nothing to apply the process recursively, producing a live simulacrum of a plant that blends right into its current habitat, but grows more resistant the more force you apply to it.”

“What?” Applejack said.

“Look,” Twilight said, “it’s like this,” she flashed her horn with light, “were combined with this.” She flicked Applejack’s ear from the distance.

“Hey,” Applejack said indignantly, “okay, I get it. Doesn’t seem too complicated though, right? I mean, don’t we have bubbleshells around Ponyville that can do that too? And what about the fen creepers in the swamp?”

“You’re right,” Twilight said, “those plants essentially function by the same principle. However, as opposed to this one right here, they are relatively small and produce only crude individual shapes to perform immediate actions. Bubbleshells can become large, but their shells are actually very thin, so there’s not much effort involved. And fen creepers are tiny compared to this, moving such a light weight is almost trivial.”

“The peculiarity about these leech seed are the astonishingly complex and life-like structures they are able to produce. Not only is it a facsimile of a number of different plants, but they are actually strong enough to firmly latch onto their surroundings even before draining them of their energy. Such intricate magic can’t be worked by individual plants, but it can occur if a large enough volume of primitive magic works in conjunction. Seeing how they likely don’t have enough energy for large physical body anyway and don’t need any sunlight, the plants that are the root of this problem could be growing in massive amounts under the ground. The sheer quantity must be unfathomable. And that, I’m afraid, doesn’t bode well for the ponies lost in the forest. If being leeched from in dimensions like this, it would be enough to … well, to seriously weaken them. Maybe even knock them unconscious.”

Bon Bon’s heart fell. “Are you saying these plants have Lyra trapped in there and are draining her dry?” she exclaimed. The horror was gnawing at her.

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, Bon Bon,” Rarity said, “Lyra is hardly stupid. They are mere plants, they don’t possess any intelligence of their own. Do you think Lyra would be careless enough to be outwitted by a plant?”

“No … no she wouldn’t,” Bon Bon said meekly. Thankfully she could count on Rarity to keep her in line. “Lyra’s not stupid at all. She’s very clever. I know she would have turned around at the first sign of trouble, or at least she wouldn’t have carried on if she hadn’t been confident she could handle it. I’m not really too worried about her, she can handle herself. But I’m worried about the other pony in the forest. What about Teak? What happens if he really does fall unconscious?”

“Well, let’s just focus on finding him quickly, shall we?” Rarity said. The pause was morose. “We know these growths are all magical, right? Can’t you perform some manner of counterspell to get rid of them, Twilight?”

“I’m no trained eco engineer,” Twilight said, “so I won’t be able to influence the plants themselves. It’s also not feasible to try formulating a counterspell against their magic because I simply don’t have enough details about its characteristics, nor is there time to go and research one. However, as you have correctly said, these are just plants. Their ethereal mechanisms, though high in prevalence, are not particularly complex. They could likely just be negated if I apply a thorough basic disenchantment, as long as it’s strong enough.”

“Can you do that?” Bon Bon said, “I appreciate Applejack’s awesome strength and Rarity’s help navigating, but I think it would be our fastest way right now.”

Twilight cast the spell immediately, although, unlike the ones before, it wasn’t soundless or subtle in any way. Their surroundings were defined in hard shadows from the steelen light as the magic formulated before her with a harsh fizzle. Twilight’s horn was cast in glowing grey nebulous flows of energy that precisely followed its surface structure, achieving a trajectory focussing accurately further out. It looked like she was wielding an ephemeral cutlass on her head, with its blade and point frighteningly sharp.

The murky material kept trying to coalesce into glassy smooth shards of aether to reinsert themselves into the webwork of the ethereal plane, but were forced back into their utilitarian form by Twilight’s merciless control. It was raw energy, simply structured and precise, capable of rapidly adapting to and overshadowing any magical structure it came across, and reverting back to neutral state. Twilight projected the spell outward and fanned it broader, now more like a big cudgel she drove before her by its handle attached to her horn.

“Okay,” Twilight said, “a simple solution, and it should work pretty well. I’m going to be able to keep this up for a while. Try staying behind me. The spell … might feel a little unpleasant if it touched you. It should definitely be effective against the leech seed though.”

“Go ahead,” Applejack said, going out of the way, “I can’t say it wasn’t fun beating them up, but I hope we find a faster way of getting through these pests.”

Twilight directed the spell toward the newly revealed leech seed and closed in. It worked. Surprise.

There was a slight bit of resistance, but Twilight to pushed against it. Under contact with her projected touch, the magical construct disintegrated into its sparkling components before falling away into nothingness. Twilight was being scrupulous, making sure to catch all of it as she stepped through Applejack’s crater. Following behind her over the upturned earth, Bon Bon was unexpectedly relieved when the unnatural overgrowth released its stranglehold from the surrounding trees. It was amazing how good it felt to see a patch of regular forest unbearing of any monstrous craziness for a change.

“Look,” Applejack said. Twilight was careful not to swing her magical weapon around as she followed the indication.

Below them, just about breaking through the surface of the forest compost, were tiny dark beads, glistening like oil against the unicorns’ movements. And there were a lot of them. The ground was dotted as if with a hundred evil eyes watching out menacingly. The plants grew in irregular patterns, while some remained small and tightly clustered together, others were outliers and sprouted crooked leaves close to their muculent cores.

“Are these it?” Applejack said, “Are they the leech seed?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, “There’s no other plant like it around, and they look like they would fit our assumptions.”

“They look positively revolting,” Rarity said.

“They look scary,” Bon Bon said.

“And they’ll look flat soon,” Applejack said, contentedly stomping around on the growths in no particular array. When she lifted her heels, the small globules had fallen apart into bits, along with a small amount of a slimy substance that stuck to her boot.

“Applejack, don’t be unsavory,” Rarity said, pointedly avoiding walking in Applejack’s track.

“I’m just being cautious,” Applejack said, “never leave weeds behind if you value your crop. First thing you learn when farming.”

Neither did Twilight relent, as she carried on clearing the way, while the others dredged on after her. Her performance was much more subtle than Applejack’s. She drove the widely spread manifestation of her power in front and trotted on at a steady pace, pushing the magical overgrowth aside. In her wake remained an immaculate swath of regular flat forest ground, through which Bon Bon and Rarity could walk, and Applejack stomp, right through the ethereal excess.

The leech seed simply gave way and vanished when Twilight arrived to trim them to size. What else should happen? They were just plants. Plants can be trimmed, moved, uprooted and cut down, and they will move out of the way to settle somewhere else if given the chance.

However unnatural their appearance might be, these plants just happened to have grown well within this part of the forest, and they just needed to be removed again. This was the realization that brought Bon Bon’s diffuse sense of alleviation into reality. It drove her on with augmented resolve. They were just plants! There was no evil monster, no nefarious force, pulling the strings from the shadows, trying to catch them in a heinous trap while conquering the realm with its corrupted minions. This was no punishment for unconfessed sins, no revenge for unpaid debts, no torture from pure villainy. There was no greater purpose to it all! They were just plants!

Plants were predictable, they could be outwitted, they could be understood. Bon Bon didn’t have to be afraid of some immeasurable, incomprehensible dark that was out for her life. That is ridiculous! Nopony wanted her harm deliberately, neither the plants, who were only following their nature, nor her friends, who had helped her in her moment of weakness. Everything’s so simple! Lyra had come to the same conclusion, that much was certain. Lyra was fine. Wherever this path would lead them, Lyra would be waiting there, holding out for their arrival.

Then why was Bon Bon’s chest getting tighter by the moment? Why couldn’t she stop thinking about Lyra, alone in a dark hole somewhere at the most desolate corner of the landscape, bruised and scared, longing to go back home? It wasn’t logical, but it was still unfair. Bon Bon was in the good company of her friends, while Lyra had to wander around alone. Bon Bon knew it made no difference, they weren’t making progress any differently whether or not she felt guilty.

She was required to focus at this time. They were practically cutting a tunnel through the overgrowth as they traversed it, and the walls didn’t look particularly inviting. Any distraction could prove fatal. She shouldn’t even waste her time with such worries while they didn’t matter. Yet still, Bon Bon couldn’t escape it. Her mind was constricted by the purpose that rose above all others. She longed to see Lyra again so much. And she kept imagining that the feeling was getting stronger by the moment.

Either that, or the feeling actually was getting stronger.

“Is it just me,” Rarity said, “or is anypony else as excited as I am? Granted, our adventure has been quite exhilarating so far, but I have been practically jumping on the tips of my hooves for the longest while now. I am getting visions of shoving Twilight aside and dashing off, which, to be frank, is quite worrisome.”

“Bon Bon?” Twilight said over her shoulder.

“Um, I didn’t think it was strange,” Bon Bon said, “But I keep thinking about her. I can’t stop thinking about Lyra!”

“Then that means we’re getting close,” Twilight said, “the spell’s working normally. Look!”

Beyond the next plant, the constricting weeds finally gave way to open space. A breath of fresh air drove away the mustiness of the botanical tunnel. Before them lay a wall of huge, rough larches and spruces, but also poplars and alder trees, their boughs interspersed to form a strong, coherent arrangement of branchwood, that actually served to guard the various colorful symbiotic fungi, mosses and other growths underneath, and to regulate passage in and out. This was the forest proper, and it made the sparse tree patches they had traversed so far pale in comparison.

The forest was much denser, much more tenacious, a flexible, self-sustaining biological system. There would be no passing through here, this position was evidently grown shut by real plants, but there was no need to either, because a structure as complex as the forest by necessity contained natural pathways and passages for navigation. This was exemplified by what lay before the forest, a broad and flat furrow in the ground, just sufficiently rough that no plants could properly strike roots as it was currently being washed out by a steady trickle of water from further uphill.

“I know this path,” Bon Bon gasped, “We always go here picking mushrooms in spring. Lyra must have come through here too, she knows this is the fastest way. It connects with a trodden path deep into the forest just over there.”

Bon Bon splashed into the furrow and trudged uphill, the vegetation finally allowing for some breathing room on either side. Her friends followed close behind. It wasn’t more than a few steps before they arrived at the top, rounding a familiar brush before they stood before the looming maw of darkness.

The broad trampled path along the hill fell off on one side, leading deep into the darkness. Even with their limited illumination, they could see the nasty vines of the leech seed trying to crawl across the road, completely blocking it off not much further down. Bon Bon swallowed.

“Something’s changed,” Rarity said, “I can’t feel the spell as intensely as before. What about you?”

“I know it makes little sense,” Bon Bon said, “But I can’t help feeling disappointed that she’s not here. It’s obvious she wouldn’t be, but still, I wish she were ... Must be the spell’s effect. I think. Lyra would sensibly be anywhere but here right now.”

“I reckon she’d agree,” Applejack said. While everypony had been too busy gawking into the dire passage, Applejack’s keen senses had immediately homed in on any abnormity that might provide hints to benefit the situation. She was pointing to some upturned earth that had some bits of composted leaves trailing down the hill. In the middle, muddy depressions with a regular curved shape. Boot prints.

“Lyra!?” Bon Bon said, “Is that Lyra? That means Lyra went through here. I know it’s her! It must be! I recognize these prints. We have to go after her!”

“Whoa, easy there,” Applejack said, moving between Bon Bon and the edge of the road before she could jump off, “It’s likely her, but look where the tracks lead. She must have veered off the path to avoid the weeds and found a way through the trees. Do you know how long it would take us if we tried to retrace her path?”

“She must have had an ulterior goal in mind,” Rarity said, “or she wouldn’t have chosen to fight through all this chaos. If she was unable to traverse the road, she seemed to at least have kept close to it. Do we have any clue about where she went?”

“You still have the spell going, right?” Twilight said, “The magical differential that has accumulated here through Lyra and Bon Bon’s love must have equalized by now. My location spell should be pointing toward the nearest concentration closeby, if there is one.”

“I know she followed the road,” Bon Bon said, “I know she did. If Lyra didn’t turn around here, then she would have taken the path of smallest effort. That’s so much like her. I don’t care if it’s the spell, I know she went in this direction!”

“We should follow her then,” Applejack said, “but it’d take too long to go around the blockade. We can go through if Twilight’s up to it.”

“Twilight! Go!” Bon Bon cried.

Twilight didn’t hesitate. She swung her blazing magical flare forward and pushed into the magical weeds immediately. The arcane infestation lost its material instance as soon as it came in contact with her disenchantment and disintegrated into nothing but glowing dust that swirled away into other planes.

Twilight shoved the arcane materia aside with the bow of her magic, and pushed through the resulting ingress at a steady pace, almost as if she were shovelling huge amounts of swirling, glittering snow. The effect was very impressive.

Since the trees were spaced far apart to block the road to begin with. But when they were swept out of the way, any remaining vines receded back into their holes quickly, leaving behind a broad avenue through which the adventurers could gallop beside one another. The road went along the largest hill in the vicinity, and it was the fastest way to reach all the neighbouring parts of the forest. Progress was going well, and Bon Bon was grateful for it. She didn’t want to waste any time right now if she could avoid it. The clock was ticking.

It was a testament to how incredibly powerful Twilight actually was. The task was not easy, that much was obvious. The muddled glistening droplets running down Twilight’s plastic raincoat weren’t rain, but beads of sweat that originated from her brow. Her hood fluttered behind her head solely by the sheer force that radiated from her horn. She was panting hard and she was plainly not used to running so much while working her horn. But despite her struggle, Twilight was a radiant beacon of magic, juggling multiple spells with ease while keenly observing the magical environment and continuously integrating the group’s observations into her analysis of their situation. And all that without a moment of faltering or hesitation. This was the kind of challenge that made her flourish. She made everypony see what this world was made of. It made them understand. It was incredible.

Bon Bon needed this, she couldn’t go fast enough. She needed Twilight, and she needed Applejack and Rarity. The smallest lifesign of Lyra had sent her thoughts back into turmoil. Lyra wasn’t just an abstract concept they were chasing after anymore, but she was real! Of course, yeah, Lyra was obviously real, but neither was she lost nor had she turned around and gone elsewhere. They had found her hoofprints! Lyra was here! In this forest! And they were closer to her than ever before! Bon Bon couldn’t her much over the sound of her heartbeats, but the presence of the navigation spell filled her with renewed intensity, and it steadily pulled them further down the road.

“We have to be getting close,” Bon Bon panted, trying to keep her shaky hooves steady on the uneven earth, “I can feel it again, it’s getting stronger. How does this work anyway? The spell had been leading us to the entrance all the time, and when we arrived, it kinda went away, and then it started guiding us in a different direction. Why is it like this?”

“No spell works independently of its environment,” Twilight said, “least of all when love magic is concerned. Love does not exist in a vacuum. It’s not unidirectional. When love’s power is invoked, there always has to be a recipient. The energy created by effectuating magic using love is attuned to the analogous portion of love that is generated on the receiving end. That means that the magical tension is relaxed back to its neutral state when the associated extrema are brought sufficiently close together. The mark is gone, but we can again find the next closest one. That’s why the spell works, because love transcends the boundaries of physical distance. Love is there, even if you aren’t. We use magic to latch onto that property and identify two fixed points in the field of love by the reverse direction of their association.”

“So … ?” Bon Bon said.

“So that spell of Twilight’s leads us to Lyra,” Applejack said, “by retracing the spots where Lyra has been thinking about you.”

Just then, the endless barricade gave way to reveal a broad clearing where the outer part of the road had broken off and rolled downward. No trees had grown here in a while because the earth was too soft, and consequently there were no leech seed, as they must have moved with the other plant life onto the plateau further downhill. Except, instead of the plateau, there was what could only have been the ruins of a battlefield

“What happened here?” Rarity said as they stepped onto the upturned ground. There were hoofprints everywhere and the vegetation had been sprayed with earth and the remains of other plants. “This area looks positively ravaged. Did somepony hold combat exercises here?”

“Whoever this was, they must have come to the same conclusion as us,” Twilight said, pulling away a bunch of torn-off leaves to reveal the scattered dull husks of crushed leech seed buds.

“Bit hefty for collateral damage,” Applejack said, righting a snapped sapling only to have it fall over again, “And there are sharp cuts all over the place and even the ground. Could this have been Lyra’s doing?”

“Yes!” Bon Bon said, “Yes, Lyra brought a knife. It was her! She must have found out about the leech seed here and cut them down to clear a path. But I don’t know why she was so fierce about it. She must have gotten really angry with them and knocked them all over. I hope she’s alright and didn’t hurt or exhaust herself too much. I can even feel her power very intensely, I feel all tingly in my hooves and on my back.”

“Means she’d gotten either very excited or very scared,” Applejack said, “But even I’d probably turned around by now.”

Lyra was unbelievable. She’d lost her nerves in the middle of a forest infested with magical plants that had no other goal but to take her captive. She’d laid waste to an entire section of forest clearing armed with nothing but her hooves and her machete. She’d defied all reason and thrown herself into obscure danger just for the sake of a pony that was possibly alive and may or may not have been lost much deeper in the forest.

All that, and Lyra still had nothing better to do than to think about Bon Bon? Had she completely lost her mind? What about the small detail of her own very survival? Or how about finding a way out of this mess and letting somepony else handle it? But no, that’s Lyra we’re talking about, of course it wasn’t even a decision. She did the noble thing. Her nature didn’t even encompass the possibility that she would give up. She would attempt to rescue the estrayed’s life. It was also in Lyra’s nature to deem Bon Bon worthy. Worthy of entrusting her life and her entire being to. Without question, without hesitation. Bon Bon was there to rely on, and that was that. Just go.

Bon Bon had to swallow hard as her throat hitched. “And?” Applejack said, “Where’d she go next?”

“Similar direction,” Bon Bon said, “We can continue following the road.” She turned away before they could see the tears. Her burning hooves had carried her up to the road without effort.

“That means she did press on,” Twilight said, trying to keep up with Bon Bon, “then we shouldn’t hesitate to do the same.”