Quest for the Silver Crown

Chapters

Out of the Ordinary
Gather Your Party
Friends and Foes
Snake in the Grass
Wisdom of the Ancients
Nightmares

Out of the Ordinary

QUEST FOR THE SILVER CROWN
Chapter 1: Out of the Ordinary

It seemed like this Tuesday morning was just like any other morning in Ponyville. The sun was rising and shining, the birds were starting to sing, and the various residents were waking up and beginning their usual morning routines. Ponies were eating breakfast, opening their shops, getting ready to go out for the day, and otherwise going about their typical daily business.

On the outskirts of town, things seemed to be no different at Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple clan had just finished a nice breakfast together, just like they did every morning, and Applejack was getting ready to start on the day’s work.

“Alright, lets see here…” the orange pony muttered to herself, casually trotting towards the front door. “Hat? Check. Got Applebloom ready fer school? Check. Ate breakfast? Check. Brushed mah teeth? Check,” she said, idly running through a verbal checklist of her morning routine.

“Winona? Che-” Applejack paused as she stepped through the doorway.

Winona was not waiting for her on the doorstep.

Every morning, the little farm dog would greet Applejack at the front door, and they would set off together to do the day’s chores and tasks. It was their routine; it was the way things worked. And yet, Applejack was standing in the doorway, and there was no Winona. Something was amiss.

“Er, Winona?” Applejack asked aloud, looking from side to side, expecting to see Winona rolling in the grass or chasing/traumatizing a squirrel. However, the front yard held no signs of the dog.

“Winonaaaaaa?“ she called out. Craning her neck, Applejack saw no sign of her beloved pet in the orchard, either. Confusion flickered across the straw-haired pony’s face. She couldn’t remember a time when Winona hadn’t been waiting for her, or was at least in the immediate vicinity when she stepped out to start her day. “Huh. Guess she’s still sleepin’ in. Ah better go wake her up…” she mused, before trotting around the house to check Winona’s dog house.

As Applejack approached the cliché little red doghouse, she noticed something off. Winona’s food bowl was still mostly full - she hadn’t eaten breakfast. “Winona?” she called out, a hint of concern creeping into her voice. And when Applejack peeked in through the entrance of the dog house, she couldn’t restrain the gasp she let out.

“Winona!”

“Oh Angel, it looks amazing!” Fluttershy gleefully proclaimed, surveying the meal in front of her with delight. The yellow pegasus’ kitchen table was covered in various plates and bowls of food, creating an almost picturesque example of breakfast. There were pancakes, grits, hash browns, stacks of toast, and various jars of jellies and jams.

“Everything looks so delicious! You’ve really outdone yourself this time!” she observed to the little white rabbit perched on a chair in front of her. The bunny responded by adjusting its tiny chef’s hat, crossing its arms, and smiling in the most smug manner imaginable on a rabbit. “Thank you very much, Angel,” Fluttershy beamed, before turning and asking: “Would anyone else like to thank Angel for making us breakfast?”

A chorus of chirps, squawks, yips, and other noises erupted from the various critters scattered around the pegasus’ kitchen. Squirrels, birds, raccoons, mice, rabbits, and various other animals all thanked the bunny in their own language. And Angel showed no signs of humility, judging from the rabbit’s smirk as it bowed to their applause.

“Now, who’s ready to eat?” Fluttershy asked, rhetorically of course. “Angel, you get to go first, since you-”

A sudden knocking at the door interrupted the timid mare, causing her to let out a small “eep” as she froze mid-sentence. To his credit, Angel did not dive headfirst into the pancakes as he so desperately desired, but instead turned to survey Fluttershy and the front door with a suspicious eye. Several more knocks suddenly followed, accompanied by a familiar, accented voice. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy, open up! Ah need yer help!”

“Applejack?” Fluttershy recoiled slightly in surprise, before quickly galloping across the house as she realized her friend was in some sort of trouble. Throwing the door open, the shy pegasus didn’t even have a chance to ask what was wrong before Applejack barreled through her and charged into the room. The pink-haired pony was left spinning in place for a moment, before finally coming to a (somewhat dizzy) stop. “Applejack, what’s wrong?” she asked, eyes still spinning.

“It’s Winona!” Applejack responded, her voice full of worried anguish. It was then that Fluttershy noticed the brown canine cradled in Applejack’s right foreleg. “There’s something’ wrong with her!”

“Oh, let me see her…” Fluttershy said, her voice filled with concern. Trotting over to look at Winona, Fluttershy’s trained eyes immediately recognized that things were amiss. The normally happy and active dog was lying almost motionless in her owner’s cradling hooves, her normally bright eyes dull and half-lidded, her normally wagging tail sitting still. The occasional whimper could be heard. “This isn’t like her at all,” Fluttershy said, before factually asking: “What other symptoms has she shown? Any uncharacteristic behaviors? How long has she been like this?”

“Uh, lemme see…” Applejack looked down at the sick dog. “She’s sluggish, hasn’t eatin’ since last night Ah don’t think, uh…” her voice trailed off as she tried to think. Applejack then looked back up at Fluttershy… and blinked a few times.

Somehow, in the last few seconds, Fluttershy had donned a doctor’s coat and a surgical mask. “I see…” the de facto veterinarian mused aloud, continuing to survey the sick dog. “Looks like she’s got some spots on her skin. Yes, I think I know what she has. Its-” she proceeded to say some crazy-sounding disease’s scientific name, which Applejack knew she had no hope of ever pronouncing or remembering.

“There‘s only one effective cure: the silver crown flower,” the pegasus explained. “It has fascinating restorative properties on canines, but its not very common, especially in its medicinal form. Thankfully, I should still have some. Angel? Please get me the powdered silver crown seed concentrate, if it isn’t too much trouble, please.”

Angel sighed. It was hard to say no when she was asking so nicely, or when another animal was actually in trouble. Snapping off a quick salute, the white rabbit proceeded to go bounding across the room and up the stairs, his tiny chef’s hat flying in the wind. After a brief moment, the bunny returned, surfing down the banister rail with a plastic bottle tucked between its ears. It leapt off the railing, did a flip, and managed to land a foot or so to the left of Fluttershy.

A trio of rabbits in the kitchen held up score cards, rating his performance.

“Ah, thank you, Angel!” Fluttershy beamed. When she picked up the medicine container and surveyed its contents, though, her smile disappeared. “Oh no…” she squeaked.

“Wha’s wrong? Ain’t got enough?” Applejack asked, worry rising in her voice.

“Worse,” Fluttershy whimpered. “I’m out! I forgot to restock after Mr. Fox caught the flu last week. I haven’t had any opportunities to resupply, and-” the pony suddenly gave her head a shake, causing her pink mane to whip about. “Wait, I think… Yes! Zecora!” she exclaimed with a smile.

“Yer right! Zecora always has random extracts an’ concentrates an’ other funny things fer alechmy... elchamy... Allekazam?” Applejack muttered, trying to find the right word.

“Alchemy.”

“Yeah, that. Anyway, lets git on over there,” Applejack said, heading for the door with a smile. “She’ll have what we need.”

“What do ya mean ya ain’t got what we need?” Applejack howled.

“Sadly, I do not have the things you seek. If only you had come to me last week,” Zecora said with a sad shake of her head.

It hadn’t taken long for Fluttershy and Applejack to get to the zebra’s hut, but unfortunately Zecora had recently run out of the medicine Winona needed, much like Fluttershy. Not only that, but she was also currently lacking the proper ingredients needed for any sort of alchemical treatment or potion. Nevertheless, Zecora was still looking through shelves and cabinets, sifting through jars and bottles of various things in hopes that she could find something even remotely useful. Her search was proving fruitless thus far.

“Do you know where we can find some silver crown flowers, or anything else that might help?” Fluttershy asked, trying to ignore all the scary masks hanging on the walls and from the ceiling. Instead, she kept her gaze on either Applejack, Zecora, or Winona, who was resting in a more peaceful corner of the hut, wrapped up in a warm blanket.

“Ah, now that is where of help I can be!” Zecora replied with a smile. “They are found in the depths of Everfree.”

“The Everfree Forest? Depths? As in very, very deep?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Tell me where,” Applejack stated flatly. “Ah’ll get ‘em, even if it kills me.”

“Oh, you cannot trek alone, no no no. Only with friends are you going to go!” Zecora warned sternly, shaking her head and hooves at the stubborn earth pony.

“Alright, then Ah’ll find somepony or someponies to go with me. But Ah ain’t sittin’ around and doin’ nothing while Winona suffers, ‘specially if she starts to get worse!” Applejack stomped. Her eyes were burning with determination, but also with worry. Her best friend was sick, and she was nearly powerless to stop it. But if going into certain danger was the only way to help Winona, then it was obvious what she had to do.

“I can keep her from getting worse,” Fluttershy spoke up. “I know I’ve at least got medicines for that. So while I can’t get her to improve, there‘s no chance of her getting any sicker, at least,” she said, flashing Applejack as comforting a smile as she could muster. And considering that it was Fluttershy, the comforting effect would have been devastating to most living creatures.

Applejack, though, was able to withstand the near-fatal levels of cuteness. With a sigh, she said “Alright, that‘s a pretty big relief. Still, Ah need to help her! Ah can’t just sit back and do nothin’ while she suffers…”

“Allow me, then, an idea to offer. What if we leave Winona here with her,” Zecora suggested, waving a hoof at Fluttershy. “While I and you embark upon a quest, to retrieve the plant which will her help best.”

“And you know to find the flowers, or whatever it is we need?” Applejack asked. Rising hope was audible in her voice and visible on her expression.

Zecora nodded. “Indeed, as a matter of fact I do. Though, more than me should accompany you. Do you know where your friends currently? Your fellow Elements of Harmony?”

Applejack rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Twilight’s in the library, Ah’m pretty durn sure. Rainbow Dash is prolly workin’ on the weather. And Rarity and Pinkie are in Canterlot for a fashion show.”

Zecora blinked. “Okay, Rarity I can comprehend. But… Pinkie is not one for fashion trends.”

“Oh no, she’s not there for the fashion,” Fluttershy informed her with a bemused smile. “She’s catering. Princess Celestia wanted her to help provide refreshments and whatnot for the event, and she was nice enough to invite Rarity along too. She also asked me, but I didn‘t feel like going. Fashion… doesn‘t really interest me…” she said, her gaze drifting to the nearest convenient wall. Okay, that was a lie. But now was not the time nor the place to explain her discomfort with the prospect of bumping into Photo Finish or some other big name in the fashion world.

Zecora continued to blink, clearly still confused. Applejack coughed. “Personally, Ah think the Princess wanted to see what would happen if Pinkie had anything’ to do with all them stuck up, snooty fashion ponies and their fancy doins. Heh heh heh…” she snickered. “Anyhoo, reckon we ought to go see if Twi and Dash want to tag along? They‘d both prove mighty useful, Ah reckon.”

“Yes, seeking their assistance would be wise. Lets start with the bookworm, then she who flies,” Zecora suggested in her typical sagely manner, donning her traveling cloak as she spoke.

“Sounds like a plan,” Applejack nodded.

“I’ll take Winona on back to my cottage, and get her as comfy and cozy as possible,” Fluttershy said, trotting over to pick up the blanket-shrouded canine. Gently cradling Winona in her hooves, she hovered over to Applejack, and smiled. “Don’t worry, Applejack. She’ll be okay.”

Applejack smiled meekly. “Thanks, Fluttershy. Ah really appreciate yer help. You too Zecora. Now, lets get a move on…”

And so the trio of ponies left the hut and headed back towards Ponyville. As they neared the town, Fluttershy flew off towards her cottage with Winona, while Applejack and Zecora went on into town to find their friends.

So much for a normal Tuesday…

Gather Your Party

Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but let out a contented sigh after taking a sip of coffee. Telekinetically setting the steaming mug on the table in front of her, she smiled as she surveyed the rest of the materials laid out before her. Several dusty old tomes, some tattered scrolls, some fresh parchment, some new quills and ink pots, and a few other battered books for reference had all been prepared and perfectly arranged. Finally, an opportunity to do some real research!

The last few days had been busy for the knowledge-hungry unicorn. It wasn't that she hadn't had the time to study. She'd just been studying other subjects, like griffin folks tales, the life cycle of the parasprite, and the fall of the diamond dog empire. They had absolutely nothing common; she'd just found herself constantly being side-tracked by one interesting topic after another, spending hours researching one subject before chasing after another random alluring fact or passing reference.

But now it was time to focus and get some real research work done. There was a scholarly conference on the history of magic scheduled to be hosted in Canterlot next month. Twilight's intentions were to not only attend, but to actually submit a research paper on Starswirl the Bearded and his contributions to Equestria, both in his own lifetime and in modern times. It was going to be a lot of work, but she was determined to avoid driving herself insane by getting an early start and making sure it got done as soon as possible.

And she intended to let nothing get in her way. So when she heard knocking at the front door of the library downstairs, she simply pawned it off on Spike. "Spike, can you get the door, please? I'm kinda busy."

The baby dragon in the corner looked up from the book he was reading, and closed it with a sigh. "Alright, alright..." he said, hopping up from his seat and starting to walk towards the stairs. He took his dear sweet time, though, and by the time he actually made it downstairs, there had been several more knocks at the door, each one louder and more forceful than the last.

Just as Spike neared the door, the pony on the other side finally lost their patience. "Twilight!" Applejack proclaimed as she threw the door wide open and barged on into the room. "Twilight, Ah need yer h-"

She didn't notice Spike until she tripped over him. "AH!!" the pony and dragon both yelped as they slammed to the floor and rolled across the room, before finally coming to rest as an entangled mass of limbs, fur, and scales.

"What in tarnation? Oh! Spike!" Applejack yelped in horror as she realized what, or rather who, she was laying on top of. "Ah'm so sorry! Ah didn't see ya there!"

Crawling out from under the Southern-accented mare, Spike groaned. "Oh, its okay. Sorry I didn't get to the door sooner..." he replied in a slightly-dazed tone, rubbing his forehead. "You alright?"

"Yes. Ah mean, no. Ah mean..." Applejack shook her head, worry appearing in her eyes. "Ah just need to see Twilight. Ah need her help, and its important."

"Well, she's upstairs, but I think she's busy. Ow..." Spike groaned, staggering to his feet.

"Applejack, go upstairs and see your friend," Zecora said as she stepped through the doorway. "I will ensure Spike has no wounds to mend."

"Alrighty, see ya in a sec," Applejack nodded, before quickly trotting upstairs.

Twilight was hovering two scrolls and a large book in front of her face when Applejack trotted up the stairs. The unicorn didn't even notice her presence until the earth pony was right beside her. "Twilight, Ah need yer help," Applejack blurted out as she reached her friend.

"Yah!" Twilight yelped, her telekinesis failing for a moment. Thankfully, she managed to magically catch the fragile scrolls and book before they hit the ground, and gently set them down on the table with a relieved sigh. "That was close..." she muttered, before turning to look at her friend. Arching an eyebrow, she asked, "Applejack? Where'd you come from? What's wrong?"

Applejack fixed Twilight with a quizzical stare. "Y'all didn't hear me knockin' or trippin' over...? Ah, nevermind. Look Twi, Ah need your expert assistance. Winona is sick, and Ah need someponies to help me go through the Everfree Forest to find the cure," the blonde pony sighed, lowering her head.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Twilight replied sincerely. She placed a comforting hoof on Applejack's shoulder, before looking over her own shoulder at the table covered in research material.

Twilight was conflicted. On one hoof, this project was very important to her, and if she didn't get started soon, it would probably become a nightmare further down the line. There was no telling how long a trip like this could take, or when she'd get another perfect chance to start on the project. On the other hoof... Applejack, one of her best friends, needed her help, and with something highly important.

There was no question about what she had to do. Looking back at her friend, Twilight smiled. "Alright, I'll help you. I can leave Spike here to watch the library while we're gone. Let me just grab a few books and maps, and we-" she was cut off by Applejack grabbing her in a bear-hug.

"Oh, thank ya Twilight!" Applejack exclaimed. "Ah knew Ah could count on ya!"

"Erk, ribs. They are breaking..." Twilight squeaked.

"Oops, sorry," Applejack blushed, releasing her friend from the hug of doom. "Anyhoo, Rarity and Pinkie Pie are out of town, and Fluttershy's takin' care of Winona. Zecora is taggin' along, too. That just leaves Rainbow Dash."

"I don't think she'll be too hard to convince," Twilight smirked.

"Sure!" Rainbow Dash replied with an excited grin.

"Well that was even easier than I expected," Twilight arched an eyebrow.

Rainbow Dash laughed happily, idly hovering in circles just above Twilight, Applejack, and Zecora in the center of Ponyville. "Oh come on Twilight! How could I say no? Seriously... One, I'm the embodiment of Loyalty, remember? There's no way I could even think of saying no to helping Applack! Two, I have nothing else to do. Three-"

"Y'all wanna be just like Daring Do," Applejack smirked.

"Heh, exactly!" Rainbow proclaimed. "Seriously, we're going on an adventure! A real life quest for a rare item hidden in a dangerous location, just like Daring Do! How is that not awesome!?" she asked excitedly, flailing her forehooves in vehement gesticulation.

"Methinks those books have caused her confusion," Zecora observed, her tone wary. "Does she know our danger is no fiction?"

"Pffft, danger smanger," Rainbow Dash gave a dismissive wave of her hooves. "We're some of the smartest, strongest, fastest ponies in Equestria. We know how stay out of danger, and deal with it when it does show up. I'm sure we'll be fine!"

"Beware of overconfidence, my friend. Quite easily can it lead to your end," Zecora warned darkly.

"Its not overconfidence if its the tru-uuuuuth..." Dash sing-songed with a playful smirked.

"Y'all both have good points," Applejack interrupted. "Zecora is right; this'll be dangerous, and we need to be careful. No being reckless, nobody plays hero. Dash is also right, though. We're all pretty capable ponies... er, and zebra... and if we work together and be smart 'bout this, we shouldn't run inta much trouble. And if we do, we should be able to figure out a way out of it, so long as we work together," she explained.

"Sounds like a plan!" Twilight smiled. Zecora and Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

"Alrighty then! Next stop..." Applejack grinned, before turning to look at the dense, dark wilderness in the distance. "The Everfree Forest..."

"Y'know..." Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke up, "I always forget about just how creepy this place actually is." The four equines had just entered the Everfree Forest, and hadn't taken more than a few hoof-steps in before darkness began to fall. It was as though the wilderness fed on light, trying to devour illumination and leave nothing but darkness and fear in its stead. Thankfully, there was still enough diffused sunlight to see, though nothing direct except for the occasional shaft of light piercing down through the foliage. Some ambient lighting was also available, in the form of the occasional plant or fungi which naturally glowed with eerie bioluminescence.

"This is my home you speak of, recall please," Zecora shot her a look of slight annoyance.

"Hey, I said the place was creepy, not the Zebra living in it. Seriously, how can you find the atmosphere here not creepy?" Dash asked in response.

Zecora smiled. "It is nothing more than forest and trees."

Something howled in the distance. Zecora blinked a few times, before smiling sheepishly. "Perhaps there is a point to what you say. Oh, I have an idea - lets go this way!" she suddenly exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction of where the howl came from.

"Why, because that's where the flowers will be, or because the creepy howlin' thing ain't thatta way?" Applejack asked with a knowing smile.

Zecora looked at her with a stern, serious expression. Her eyes looked as though they held the wisdom of the ancients. It seemed that whatever she was about to say was the deepest, most enlightening statement any of the ponies present would ever hear. Instead... "Both," the zebra stated, before flashing a playful smile.

"I don't know what you're all so scared of," Twilight said with a smile. She was levitating a compass to her left, and a small guidebook to her right. She was also wearing an explorer's pith helmet, and had a pair of bulky, canvas saddle-bags strapped to her flanks... no doubt full of books and adventuring gear. The hovering guidebook, which appeared to be a reference text for local flora and fauna, was open to a section about animal calls. "Its just a fox."

Another howl, slightly different in pitch and harshness, suddenly echoed in the distance, near where the original howl came from.

Twilight looked closer at the guidebook, and flipped a page with her telekinesis. Her eyes darted back and forth across the page for a moment, before they suddenly widened in shock. "Uh... Oh, hey, look at the time! We should really be moving on. Lets go that way-" she pointed in the opposite direction of where the howls had come from, "Just like Zecora said!"

Rainbow Dash hopped up, flapped her wings a few times, and hovered over to Twilight. "Mind sharing what that second howl was, Miss Zoology?" she asked, craning her neck to sneak a peek at the guidebook.

"Nope, time is of the essence. Lets get moving!" Twilight grinned nervously, before trotting off through the foliage. With a shrug, Dash flew off after her, followed by Zecora. Applejack brought up the rear, looking slightly concerned.

"Well, tha's ominous..." she muttered, before disappearing into the bushes after her friends.

Friends and Foes

The trio of ponies and their zebra companion had not been journeying for long before they came across their first real obstacle. After they had traipsed through the foliage for about an hour, they soon found their path blocked, or rather, their path non-existent. The ground in front of them disappeared into a large sinkhole, about twenty feet wide and an unknowable depth. The forest to the left and right was too thick for them to go around it – the trees were densely packed, and vines hung from nearly every surface like verdant spider webs. They either had to find a way over the chasm or back up quite some distance in order to find another path around.

“Well this is gonna slow us down…” Applejack grumbled.

“I can just teleport over,” Twilight shrugged. “It shouldn’t cost us too much time.”

“And I can fly!” Rainbow proclaimed proudly.

“Yeah, I know that, but what about Zecora an’ me?” the orange earth pony asked.

Applejack nearly lost her hat as a grey blur streaked past her, leaving her hair flowing in the sudden breeze. The three ponies turned just in time to see Zecora run towards the edge of the sinkhole, a long stick grasped in her mouth. The zebra leapt up before reaching the edge, and jabbed the tip of the stick down into the dirt right on the ledge.

To everypony’s stunned amazement, Zecora proceeded to pole-vault over the sinkhole.

Once she had catapulted herself into the air, she spat the stick out of her mouth to reduce her weight, and sailed towards the other side. Just before touching down, the zebra alchemist tucked her legs in and cut a flip, then finally touched down in a low crouch.

“Whoa…” the three ponies said in unison, staring.

“Zecora, that was amazing!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed. “I didn’t know you could do that!”

Zecora smirked, casually rising to assume a more relaxed stance. “There is much about me you do not know.”

“We really need ta hang out with her a lot more…” Applejack muttered.

“Agreed,” Rainbow and Twilight both chimed.

“Alright, well that takes care of Zecora…” Applejack shrugged. She looked across the sinkhole for a moment, before turning to look back at Twilight and Rainbow Dash. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it upon seeing Rainbow.

The pegasus had a long length of vine grasped between her teeth, and her expression was one of cheerful delight.

Applejack stared, her expression growing dubious. “Er, Rainbow, whatcha got that there vine for?”

“Ptoo!” Rainbow spat out the green vine and grinned. “I have an idea! Check it out!” She then gripped the vine in her teeth again, and trotted over to the sinkhole. With a flick of her head, the vine lashed out, and the end of it snapped tightly around an overhanging branch with the sound of a whipcrack. “Ta-daaaa!” the blue pony exclaimed, her voice muffled by the vine still in her mouth. “Oo ‘an ‘ing acro’ wi’ ‘is!”

Applejack stared doubtfully for a moment, before simply turning to Twilight and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Le’s just teleport.”

Twilight gave a shrug. Her horn began to glow, and in a brilliant flash of light, she and the earth pony both disappeared. A split second later, they magically blinked into existence on the other side, a few feet from a slightly startled Zecora.

“C’mon Dash, git on over here,” Applejack waved across at the pegasus.

Rainbow sat there for a moment, seeming to be contemplating something. After a moment, she grinned, reached up and grabbed a firm grip on the vine with her hooves, and took a few steps back.

“She ain’t gonna…” Applejack blinked.

“Yeah, she’s gonna…” Twilight sighed.

Zecora shook her head. “To just what depths will her obsession grow?”

The answer came a few seconds later, when Rainbow Dash got a running start and leapt into the air. “Yahooooo!” she howled, releasing her grip on the vine with her teeth while still holding taught with her hooves. The vine swung her all the way across… and then all the way back.

Dash was grinning quite gleefully as she rocked back and forth on the vine, swinging like a blue pendulum. It seemed she was quite enjoying herself. At least, until Applejack coughed and snapped her out of her revelry. “Er, Dash? Ya know ya can fly, right?”

Dash sighed. “Just let me have my moment, please,” she deadpanned. When Applejack just rolled her eyes, the pegasus regained her grin. After two more swings, she released her grip on the vine, flapped her wings, and casually flew across.

“Well, that took us a bit longer than it shoulda…” Applejack grumbled as Dash landed with the group.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” the blue pony smiled sheepishly. “Besides, it was only like ten seconds…”

Applejack glared. “Yeah, but it was ten seconds we coulda used to be helpin’ Winona!”

Rainbow Dash recoiled slightly, her ears falling back. After a moment, she looked down at the dirt. “Yeah… You’re right. I’m sorry…”

Applejack continued to glare for another second or two, before her gaze softened. A faint smile appeared on her face. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have been so snappy. Besides… watchin’ you swing around like that was kinda funny, ya silly pony…”

“Oh whatever,” Rainbow smirked. “Like you could do any better.”

“Matter o’ fact, Ah can. Ah’m perty durn good with my lasso, and swingin’ round like Darin’ Do would prolly be easy as pie,” the orange mare bragged, tilting her hat as she turned to walk away.

“Oh, well why don’t you put your bits where your mouth is?” Rainbow quipped with a grin, trotting after her friend. “After this is over, we’ll have a rope-swinging contest.”

“Fine, lasso versus vine,” Applejack replied with a smirk.

Twilight and Zecora remained standing still, watching their friends playfully banter as they trotted off. “Do you agree with the observation,” Zecora whispered to Twilight, “That they and married couples are akin?”

“Pretty much,” Twilight shook her head with a smiled. “But that’s to be expected from best friends. Bitter rivals one moment, sharing smiles and laughs the next... Anyway, we’d better catch up,” she said, trotting after her friends. Zecora nodded, and quickly raced to catch up.

“So then we had ta call fer Fluttershy ta come make sure nobody was hurt too bad…” Applejack said as she stepped over a fallen branch amongst the tall grass. The group of friends had been walking now for about thirty minutes, and they were telling jokes and stories to pass the time while they blazed a path through the Everfree Forest. “Thankfully, nobody had more than a few bruises. Still, that put an end ta their ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders Gator Wrangler’ plans.”

“I can’t believe your sister and her friends tried to wrestle Gummy…” Twilight said, trying to suppress a giggle.

“I can! Hah hah!” Dash exclaimed as she flew overhead, not even trying to hold in her laughter. As she ducked under a heavy tree limb, she added: “Though, I can’t believe Gummy actually won!”

“Fun fact: ‘gators’ can come in many styles,” Zecora observed. “In my homeland, we call them crocodiles!” she said, her voice taking on a jokingly mysterious tone. She then smiled playfully, and said: “And here you can find, without looking far, a creature called an alligator gar.”

Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow. “Alligator gar? What’s that?”

“It’s a carnivorous fish,” Twilight answered factually. “They have scales like armor, and long tooth-filled mouths, just like an alligator.”

“Yup, Ah been told them ‘gator gar are some pretty nasty critters,” Applejack added. “Ah’ve even heard stuff about ‘em being able ta breathe out of water, though Ah dunno if tha’s true or not.”

“That fish sounds awesome!” Dash proclaimed.

“You may think that ‘gator gar are awesome now…” Zecora looked up to Dash, her expression and tone dark, “But if one manages to bite you? Ow.”

“Pffft,” Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “What are the chances of us stumbling upon some alligator gar while looking for a flower?”

Rainbow Dash kept her hooves over her face, unwilling to look at her friends as she idly hovered a few feet off the ground. “Nopony. Say. A word.”

“A word about what should none of us say?” Zecora asked with a smile. “Do you mean this swamp that now blocks our way?”

Sure enough, the group of friends had been trotting along, only for the wilderness to suddenly transform from a dense forest to a boggy bayou. The solid ground gave way to brackish water which stretched out for quite some distance, though random trees, rocks, and patches of dry land were scattered all around the mire. Vines and moss hung forlornly from the mangrove trees, though since the trees were more spread out due to the water, the bayou was much better lit than the normal forest. The opposite shoreline was a few hundred feet across, where the water gave way to tall grass and twisted trees.

Splash, snap, splash!

A large insect had flown too close the water’s surface, only for a pair of large, crocodilian jaws to suddenly burst forth from mire, snap shut over the bug, and then splash back into the dark water.

“Oh great. Gator gar,” Applejack deadpanned flippantly.

Dash groaned and shook her head. “I told you not to say anything…”

Meanwhile, Twilight had her guidebook hovering near her face, and was observing the swamp from near the water’s edge. “I wish we weren’t in such a hurry. This place would be fascinating to study!” she said. She then let out a small sigh, and asked: “At any rate, how are we all going to get across?”

“Carefully,” Zecora smiled. Twilight slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Lookie there,” Applejack pointed at a large rock in the water near Twilight. She then gestured at another rock a few feet from it. “There’s enough rocks an’ stumps an’ patches of dirt scattered around that me an’ Zecora should be able ta hop, skip, an’ jump our way across. It’ll take awhile, but we should be able ta get across eventually. Meanwhile, Dash can just fly on over, and you can teleport.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Right, uh, I can’t teleport over. With all that tall grass, I can’t see where I’m going, and I’d rather not warp myself into a tree or rock.”

Applejack winced. “Yeah, that’d be pretty bad. Guess you’re hoppin’, skippin’, and jumpin’ with us.”

Zecora trotted closer to the water’s edge. “Just be careful while you jump, hop, and skip. Trust me, you do not want to take a dip,” she said with a smile, despite the grave nature of her warning.

“Right. Welp, might as well get this on over with…” Applejack sighed. After a few deep breaths, she galloped over to the edge, hopped into the air… and landed safely on the nearest rock. She then jumped to the next rock, and then an old log. “Ah, shoot. This is nothin’ to be worried about. Y’all come on ahead.”

Zecora followed after the blonde earth pony, skipping straight to the water’s edge. Her movements were slightly different from Applejack and the other pony’s; even with her cloak on, it was noticeable that she moved with controlled precision, yet relaxed fluidity. The zebra’s movements could almost be described as organized chaos, making her seem even more strange and exotic.

Easily she hopped onto the nearest rock, and landed in a relaxed position. To land a jump like that and make it look so easy, though, had to take amazing muscle control and physical training. Twilight, ever observant, took notice of this. Her own hopping, skipping, and jumping was delayed as she watched her zebra friend progress across the swamp.

“Psst, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash suddenly hissed over the unicorn’s head. Twilight looked up to see a slightly confused blue pegasus looking at her from a few feet in the air. “Shouldn’t you be going too?”

Twilight nodded. “Sorry, got distracted. Well, here goes nothing!” she said. As she trotted towards the edge, she used her telekinesis to pick wrap her saddle bags in purple energy, essentially making them weightless. While it did take up some of her concentration, it also made hopping, skipping, and jumping a whole lot easier.

The quartet of equines found traversing the treacherous swamp to be relatively easier. Rainbow Dash idly flew overhead, ready to catch somebody if they slipped. The other three just kept hopping, skipping, and jumping along, using rocks, stumps, fallen trees, and other objects to avoid the water. Things seemed to be going rather well.

At least, until the gator gar attacked.

Without warning, one of the carnivorous fish suddenly burst forth out of the water. True to its name, it looked almost like the head of a crocodilian creature melded with the long, silver-scaled body of a fish. Jaws wide open and eyes burning with murderous intent, it flew straight at Zecora’s throat.

The zebra became a blur of motion and flowing fabric. In the blink of an eye, Zecora leapt up, spun around, and bucked the wicked fish with enough force to send it sailing several yards through the air before it forcefully hit the water.

The three ponies all just stared. “What?” Zecora asked, once she had regained her balance and noticed their shocked gazes. “Why do you all look upon me so?”

“Dadgum, girl, you could prolly teach me a thing or two ‘bout buckin’…” Applejack observed in awe.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “You gotta show me how to-“

The conversation was interrupted by the gator gar bursting out the water again, ready for round two. And this time, be brought friends.

Three gar leapt forth, intent to make a meal of the ponies. Zecora and Applejack both managed to buck their attackers in the teeth, although Zecora certainly did so with more style. Twilight, though, lacked the physical prowess or strength to fight back, so instead she tried to duck. And in the process, she lost her concentration, and as a result the telekinetic grip on her equipment broke. Suddenly weighed down much more than before, the purple unicorn let out a scream of panic as she lost her balance and fell towards the water.

Rainbow Dash, true to her nature, immediately flew in to try and save her friend. But before she could get to Twilight, the unicorn disappeared in a flash of light just inches from the water’s surface. “Uh oh, where’d she go?!” Dash exclaimed, skidding to a halt in mid-air.

“We’ll find her in a minute! We kinda have other problems right now!” Applejack yelled, bucking another alligator gar in its face as it tried to chomp on her flank. The water around them was now swarming with the carnivorous fish; hopping, skipping, and jumping across was about to become much harder.

“Where am I?” Twilight asked nopony in particular. She was standing in a patch of muddy marsh, surrounded by tall grass and a few trees. “Huh. I guess I must have freaked out and teleported without thinking about. Smart move, Miss Sparkle!” she chided herself. Frowning, she around at her surroundings to try and ascertain her location. “Well, I can’t have gone too far. Maybe I can-”

Twilight finally heard the serpentine hiss coming from right behind her.

Snake in the Grass

Twilight involuntarily tensed when she heard the hissing. "Sn-sna-sn-sna-sn-s-s-sna..." she began to stutter, shivering with fear. She was extremely terrified of snakes. In fact, she was too scared to look behind her, but too paralyzed with fear to run. "Sn-sn-sna-"

"Sssssserpent," a crisp and high-class-sounding voice suddenly stated from behind her. "I would prefer to be called a sssserpent. Sssssnake is too... mundane."

Twilight's terror was almost overridden by confusion and curiosity. Almost. But her fear-paralysis was broken by the sudden distraction, at least. "Huh? What? Oh, I'm sorry!" she yelped, whirling around to apologize to whoever, or whatever, was correcting her language.

Her pupils promptly shrank to the size of pinpricks as she found herself staring eye-to-eye with a massive snake coiled up amongst the tall grass, only yards of space between them. Once again, fear-paralysis kicked in.

"Apology acccccccepted," she snake said, idly waving its tail in a flippant gesture, probably the snake equivalent of a shrug. The serpent was easily twenty feet long, and was a mottled green color with various darker and lighter patterns running up and down the length of its back. "What bringsssss you to my little ssssswamp?"

"Anaconda..." Twilight weekly whimpered, oblivious to what the snake was saying.

The verdant reptile narrowed its eyes in annoyance. "Reticulated python," it corrected her. "You really ssssshould read more."

Oh. Oh no it did not just say that.

"Hey!" Twilight suddenly barked. Now it was her turn to be annoyed. "I do plenty of reading, thank you very much!"

"Right..." the snake rolled its eyes dismissively. "And yet you can't tell the differenccccce between a Python reticulatusssssss and membersssss of the Genusssss Eunectussssss. Sssssimpleton."

"I am not a simpleton!" Twilight stomped her hooves defensively. "I am Princess Celestia's prize pupil! I've probably spent more of my life reading and studying than sleeping! I know quite well you're not a Eunectus murinus, but it is hard to be scientific when you're terrified out of your mind!" she growled.

The snake's mouth seemed to curl into a smirk. "Oho, it actually knowssssss what itsssss talking about."

"I'm not an it," Twilight frowned. "I'm a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle." The purple pony then arched an eyebrow. "Hey wait, how are you so smart? I figured a sn- serpent in the middle of a swamp would be far from chatty, let alone highly educated.."

The snake gave another flippant tail wave. "I'll forgive your ignorancccccce in thissss regard. Many would no doubt be sssssurpirssssssed to know that I actually went to college."

"College?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Yesssss, college," the snake replied with a smirk. "I even got a degree."

Twilight smiled. "Oh really? What did you get?"

"Bachelorsssss of Sssssscienccccce in Psssssssychology," the snake answered.

"Psychology?" Twilight asked. "Why psychology?"

"The anssssswer, my little pony," the snake hissed factually, "Isssss quite ssssssimple."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Mind games."

Twilight's blood froze. She suddenly realized that she'd been unintentionally staring into the snake's eyes for most of the conversation.

And the distance between them had shrank, without her knowledge, from several yards to only a few inches.

Twilight opened her mouth to scream, pure terror overwhelming her. The snake opened its mouth to strike, its jaw unhinging widely.

And out of nowhere, Applejack suddenly drop-kicked the serpent right in the face.

"Y'ALL LEAVE MAH FRIEND ALONE, YA VARMINT!!" the rugged earth pony roared as she bucked the python away from Twilight.

"Applejack?!" Twilight asked incredulously.

"Well it ain't Nightmare Moon!" Applejack smirked as she landed next to her friend.

The snake recoiled, its eyes spinning. It shook its head, then spat out a few teeth. "Ouch! Who are you sssssupposed to be?" the snake glared harshly, coiling up aggressively.

"Like she said, mah name's Applejack," the orange mare replied with a smug smirk and a tilt of her hat. She then pointed up. "An' tha's Rainbow Dash."

The snake looked up just in time to come face-to-hoof with Rainbow Dash's hind legs. "That's for trying to eat my friend!" the blue pegasus yelled as she bucked the serpent, sending the python flailing backwards a bit.

"Ow... Ow... Ow..." the snake muttered, shaking its head and working its jaw back and forth. "You dissssslocated my jaw. Not that it really matterssssss..." it muttered. "But if you think I'm going to let you get away with thisssss, you-"

"An' tha's Zecora..." Applejack nodded off to the side.

The snake looked over to where she had gestured, and was rewarded with the sight of a dark-cloaked zebra suddenly flipping out of the tall grass, spinning through the air, and landing in a fighting stance with a long staff clutched in its mouth. The snake stared for a second, and then shook its head. "Nope. Nope. Forget thisssss. I'm out of here..." it stated as it turned to slither away hastily. "I'd rather try my luck with the alligator gar..."

And with that, the massive python slithered into the tall grass, and disappeared.

Dead silence followed. Eventually it was broken, not by a voice, but by a hug.

Twilight hurled herself at Applejac, and tightly hugged her friend. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" the purple unicorn exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. "You saved my life! I was so scared, and it tricked me by talking about reading and science, and-"

Applejack placed a hoof over Twilight's mouth, shutting her up before she got hysteric. "Its alright now, Sugarcube," the orange pony smiled. "Think nothin' of it."

Twilight shook her face away from Applejack's hoof. "Nothing of it? You saved my life! And you too!" she looked up at Rainbow Dash, and then over to Zecora. "You all rescued me!"

"Well, what else were we gonna do, let you get eaten?" Dash smirked, fluttering in a circle over Twilight's head.

"Why would we all do nothing and sit back, when our friend is about to be a snack?" Zecora asked with a smile.

"Exactly. Of course we saved yer life. What else are friends for?" Applejack smirked, before returning Twilight's hug.

"Thank you..." Twilight whimpered, wiping tears from her eyes. She sniffed a few times, then smiled weakly. "Okay, I think I'm alright now."

"Coolness!" Dash grinned. "Now we can tell you about how we awesomely fought our way through waves of bloodthirsty gator gar on our way to rescue you!"

"You did what now?" Twilight blinked.

Before long, the group of friends was on the move again. Twilight had recovered her nerves, and Rainbow Dash had bragged and boasted about her she, Zecora, and Applejack had made their way across the swamp, fighting off hungry alligator gar, and even a couple of actual alligators. Zecora and Applejack had hopped, skipped, and jumped from object to object in the water, while ducking attacks and occasionally bucking their attackers. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had flown interference, swooping in to buck or distract the attackers when Zecora or Applejack were leaping around or otherwise distracted.

Eventually, the trio had made it to the other side of the swamp. And once on dry land, they heard Twilight's voice somewhere nearby amongst the tall grass. It had sounded like she was arguing with somebody, and by some miracle, they'd found her just as the snake was about to strike.

"Thanks again..." Twilight muttered at the conclusion of the tale, trotting along between Zecora and Applejack.

"You need not mention it again, Twilight," Zecora smiled. "We have already said that it's alright."

"Beatin' the tar outta that snake ain't that big a deal," Applejack said with a smirk. "He had it comin' to him."

"And how many ponies can say they beat up an anaconda?" Dash grinned, hovering overhead.

"Reticulated python," Twilight corrected her with a wistful smile.

Rainbow Dash shrugged and idly waved a hoof. "Eh, whatever."

"I believe that we should prepare camp soon," Zecora observed, looking up at the sky through the trees above them. Now that they'd left the swampy areas, the trees and foliage had become dense again, and only the occasional glimpse of the sky could be seen through the thick branches. What little sky was visible was beginning to darken in color, though the difference down in the light-deprived woods was not too noticeable yet. "The sun is trading places with the moon."

"Yeah, we don't need to travel when its dark," Twilight observed. "The Everfree Forest is dangerous enough during the day..."

"Sounds good to me," Rainbow Dash said as she landed next to Twilight and flexed her wings. "My wings are killing me."

"Walking is a viable mode o' transportation too, ya know," Applejack deadpanned. "Y'all should try it some times."

"Eh," Dash shrugged. "Why walk when you can fly?"

Applejack and Zecora both shared a look of mutual annoyance. Twilight didn't have the right to say anything - she knew how to teleport.

"So where should we set up camp?" Applejack asked, changing topics before a playful argument or something ensued. "Y'all see any good places?"

"Let me scout around a bit. I'll see if I can find a clearing or something," Rainbow Dash said. She proceeded to fly off before any of her friends could say anything.

For a moment the three remaining equines stood in silence, before Zecora finally asked: "Would either one of you like to wager, how long it will take her to find danger?"

A minute or so later, Rainbow Dash suddenly zipped out of the branches overhead and skidded to a halt in the air above her friends. "I'm back!" she proclaimed with a triumphant grin. "I found a couple of clearings. And a giant turtle."

"Excellent!" Twilight proclaimed with a smile, before her face suddenly went blank. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, a giant turtle," Dash shrugged in the air. "He was just chillin' in one of the clearings. I don't think he saw me, though. Dude looked ancient."

"An aged and weathered tortoise is nearby?" Zecora asked, her eyes lighting up. "I wonder if he would converse with I."

"You... wanna talk to a giant turtle?" Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes!" Zecora nodded enthusiastically, eyes closed with delight. "Such ancient knowledge he must hold! Creatures like him can live to be quite old. No telling is there to what he may know. Arcane lore, legends, tricks to make crops grow..."

"I must admit, I'm quite curious to hear what he has to say, too..." Twilight observed.

"Alrighty, how 'bout me and Dash go start settin' up camp, and y'all go chat up the old turtle?" Applejack shrugged.

"Sounds good to me," Twilight nodded, before telekinetically loosening the straps on her heavily-packed saddle-bags. "All the gear we need should be in here."

"Got it!" Dash proclaimed with a smirk, swooping in to lift up the saddle-bags. As soon as she picked them up, though, Twilight released her magically hold on them, which had been keeping them from weighing too much. As a result, Dash let out a surprised yelp as she was instantly dragged to the earth, where she wound up in a tangled mass of feathers and camping supplies. "Okay, maybe I don't got it..."

Wisdom of the Ancients

Just as Dash said, the turtle turned out to be quite ancient. His dark green shell was massive, easily five times the size of a large stallion, and covered in countless marks, scratches, and other signs of weathering. The turtle itself had dark grey-green skin, which was wrinkled and loose with age. His arms, leg, and head were all extended from within his shell, though he didn't seem to actually be doing anything when Twilight and Zecora entered the clearing. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice them.

Cautiously, the pony and zebra approached the elderly reptile. His eyes were shut, and as they closed the distance, the two equines realized that he was actually snoring.

"I believe he is asleep," Zecora whispered.

"Let me see if I can wake him up without scaring him..." Twilight softly replied back. She took a few more steps closer, then coughed to clear her throat. "Ahem. Excuse me?"

"Hrr? Hum?" the old turtle jumped slightly. It blinked its small, black eyes a few times, before squinting at Twilight. "Oh, another one of you young whipper snappers..." he rasped. "Askin' about them durn lollipops again..."

Twilight blinked twice. "Huh?"

"I already told you folks that I ain't ever been able to eat one without biting down..." the turtle rasped, a hint of irritation in its old, shaky voice. "Why d'you think I got no teeth?"

"Do turtles even have teeth?" Twilight asked, even though she already new the answer in the back of her mind.

"That's not the point. Ask the durn owl about your fancy-shmancy candies!" the turtle spat.

Twilight took a step forward. "But I'm not asking about-"

"YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!!" the old turtle suddenly exclaimed.

Twilight sighed. "This isn't going quite as planned..." she muttered.

"Durn it Twilight, why'd ya have to pack all these dadburn technological doohickeys?!" Applejack snarled as she dug through Twilight's camping supplies. "Ah've found a hatchet, some fishing line, some water purification tablets, a GPS system, a portable generator that shouldn't even FIT in here... but Ah STILL can't find the galdurn instructions for the tent!"

Sure enough, Twilight had packed several modern, advanced-model tents. Rather than old fashion canvas, rope, and wood stake kits, these were made of nylon, plastic, carbon fiber, and other fancy things. Long plastic tubes had to be connected, inserted into the nylon tent, bent and positioned, properly reenforced... and if done right, you would end up with what was basically a big bubble.

Applejack preferred tents that didn't need instructions. A good old lean-to and/or sleeping bag was just fine and dandy for her. Unfortunately, the guidelines for these tents had gone missing among all the other gear. Her patience was starting to wear thin.

"Just wing it," Rainbow Dash flippantly advised with a shrug. She was kneeling over a pile of firewood and kindling, smacking a flint stone and a small piece of metal together, in hopes of creating a spark and starting a fire. "I mean, it's a tent. Seriously. Just a tent. How hard can it be?"

Applejack sighed. "Ah guess you're right. But if this goes badly, I'm blamin' you..."

No less than five minutes later, Applejack was rolling around on the ground, tangled up in the nylon tent fabric, which had several plastic rods stuck in it - some had punctured through the fabric itself. The stubborn earth pony had apparently bitten off more than she could chew, and her rolling around was only making things worse. "Dadburn consarn galdurn rasafrassin dedgum..." she growled under her breath. Rainbow Dash's cackling was only making things worse. With a sigh, Applejack stopped rolling and asked: "Ya think things are goin' any better for Twi and Zecora?"

"And that's how Equestria was made!" the turtle proudly proclaimed.

Twilight blinked a few times, snapping out of her stupor. Zecora was asleep on the ground beside her, sprawled out in the grass and drooling slightly. Twilight gave her a soft nudge, and the Zebra quickly leaped back to her hooves, wide awake. Suppressing a yawn, Twilight smiled awkwardly and said: "Thank you very much for telling us that story. And the five that came before it. But I think it's time me and my friend got going. We're looking for some Silver Crown flowers, and-"

The turtle gasped. "You seek the Silver Crown? Dark and dangerous is the path before you! Do you even know where you're going?!"

Zecora smiled. "Do not worry yourself, my reptile friend. I know the path to find our journey's end."

"Oh," the turtle replied. "Well, how do you intend to get past the Crabomancer?"

Twilight and Zecora stared. "Crabomancer?"

"Yes, the Crabomancer. The dark crustacean sorcerer who wields blasphemous powers and controls an army of crawfish! He rules the swamp with an iron claw, and-"

"We already went through the swamp," Twilight shrugged. "There wasn't a Crabomancer. Just alligator gar and a big snake."

The turtle stared for a moment. Then he flashed an embarrassed grin. "Ooooooh riiiiiiight. The gators got him at the turn of the last century. Silly me, gettin' mah dates and times all mixed up... heh heh heh..."

Twilight laughed nervously. "Right. Well, I guess we'll be going then."

Zecora nodded. "Indeed. Thank you for sharing your stories. We also quite enjoyed your company."

"Thanks, y'all come back anytime," the ancient reptile smiled. It then roared: "NOW GET OFF MY LAWN!!"

Night had finally fallen when Twilight and Zecora returned to the campsite. And they arrived just in the nick of time.

Applejack had finally wormed her way free, and had bundled together the tangled mess that had probably once dreamed of becoming a tent. She was now standing on her hind legs, the camping gear abomination raised up over her head, with a demented grin adorning her face as she prepared to throw the tent into the roaring fire Rainbow Dash had eventually managed to create.

Naturally, she froze in place and smiled awkwardly at Twilight upon seeing her. "Oh. Uh. Hi there Twi," she said, before grinning nervously. "Ah was... uh... Ah was just-"

"She was about to burninate the tent," Rainbow Dash deadpanned. "It was too 'dead-gum' complicated for her to figure out."

"Stool pigeon," Applejack glared at her friend.

Twilight sighed. Her horn began to glow, and the tent was lifted out of Applejack's hooves by a soft aura of purple light. "I'll fix the tent and put it together. I'll handle the other ones, too. You gals can take care of dinner."

Applejack grinned. Dinner she could handle. "No problem! Ah'll get right on it!"

As Twilight began to telekinetically put the tents together and Applejack began to sort through the cooking supplies, Rainbow Dash turned to Zecora. "So what'd Old Man Tortoise have to say?" she asked.

Zecora rolled her eyes. "He regaled us with his ancient wisdom. I was quite quickly subdued by boredom."

"Not what you were looking forward to, huh?"

With a neutral expression, Zecora factually replied: "Nope."

"So he didn't have anything useful to share?"

"Yes, if this were a century prior," Zecora sighed. "When Crabomancers ruled this swamp empire."

"Crabowhat?" Dash tilted her head, clearly confused.

Zecora smiled and shook her head. "Do not worry about it, Rainbow Dash. Those days have come, gone, and are long since past."

Dash shrugged. "If you say so. Hey, AJ, how's the food comin' along?"

"Ah'm 'bout done fixin' up the flapjack mix," Applejack replied factually. She was stirring a large bowl of batter, and she'd already set a cast iron skillet on a metal rack over the fire. "Shouldn't take me too long ta make 'em. Then we can have s'mores afterwards."

"Oh yay! I love pancakes," Rainbow Dash grinned.

"Flapjacks," Applejack replied with an exasperated glare.

"Whatever," the cyan pegasus shrugged. "They're still awesome."

"Can't... move..." Twilight muttered. She was sprawled out on the grass in front of the warm camp fire. An empty plate lay forsaken beside her. "Too... much... food..."

"I have... no... regrets..." Rainbow Dash grumbled from nearby. She'd been sitting on a log, but now she'd somehow wound up on her back, with her legs still strewn over the fallen tree. "Except... not being... able... to eat more... of the... delicious... awesomeness..."

Zecora was sitting on a rock near the campfire; between the warmth of the flames and the cloak she was wreathed in, she was quite comfortable. And unlike Dash and Twilight, she hadn't eaten enough to make herself sick. With a cheerful smile, she quipped: "It seems you've learned an important lesson, about eating things in moderation."

Applejack, meanwhile, simply munched on the last s'more. "Well, nice to know y'all like mah cookin'," she mused with a hint of smugness.

"All hail Applejack, queen of campfire cuisine..." Twilight mumbled.

"Hooraaaaay..." Dash weakly cheered. She gave a haphazard wave of her hooves for emphasis.

"I must agree with their observations," Zecora stated. "Your cooking deserves its exaltations."

"Thank ya, thank ya," Applejack grinned playfully, taking a few mock bows.

Twilight weakly sat up. "Okay. It's getting late. I think it may be time for bed," she said. A yawn followed, driving home her point. The unicorn shakily got to her feet, and began to walk towards her tent.

Twilight had easily been able to repair and set up the tent that Applejack had mangled, as well as three others. All four of the tents also included a sleeping bag and a small electric lantern. They were decent little shelters, well-insulted against the weather and elements, and roomy enough for two in a pinch.

"Yeah, it is getting pretty late..." Dash agreed, flapping her wings a few times so she could get airborne and land back on her hooves.

Zecora nodded. "The sooner we all get a good night's rest, the sooner we can continue our quest." The zebra hopped up off of the rock she'd been sitting on, and idly trotted over to her tent.

"Eeyup," Applejack observed. Before going to her tent, she turned her attention to the campfire. Putting it out wasn't an option, since they needed it to keep the timber wolves and who-knows-what-else away. So she kicked a few of the rocks that circled the campire, making sure they were properly set up to form a wall around the fire pit. While they were in a clearing and there was no chance of a forest fire starting or anything, she knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

"You sound a lot like your brother when you say that," Twilight observed.

"Eeyup," Applejack repeated herself with a smirk. Her three friends giggled in response.

As Rainbow Dash got to her tent, she paused and turned to look back at her friends. Sticking her lower lip out in a pouting gesture, the pegasus lamented: "Oh, woe is me. I have nopony to share my tent with. These cold wilderness nights can get so lonely." She then looked directly at Applejack, and a playful smirk flashed across her face. "How 'bout it Applejack?" she purred. "Wanna share a tent?"

Of course, it was obvious she was just messing with Applejack. Trying to get an amusing response out of her, as best friends often do. Zecora chuckled softly, already anticipating a funny reaction from the orange pony. Twilight simply shook her head, smirking at the silliness.

However, none of them expected for Applejack to start slowly trotting over to Rainbow Dash with a sly grin on her face. "Alright, Sugarcube, I'll take you up on that offer."

Rainbow Dash's smirk disappeared, and a slight blush tinted her blue cheeks. "Huh?"

Zecora was began to giggle. Twilight had to put a hoof over her mouth to keep herself from laughing at the ensuing awkwardness. Watching the tables get turned on Rainbow was too amusing.

"Though the question is, do we need two sleeping bags, or one?" Applejack asked. She then leaned her face in close to Dash's, and smirked coyly. "Cuz Ah don't mind sharin'." She then waggled her eyebrows.

Dash blushed furiously. "I... uh... You... Um..." she stammered, at a loss for words. Her joke had backfired miserably, and now she was the one being put on the spot. Not cool!

Twilight could no longer hold back her giggles. Zecora wasn't even trying to restrain herself; she was nearly doubled over, laughing heartily at the azure pegasus' misery.

"Single bag it is then. Don't tarry too long, ya here?" the earth pony winked, before sauntering into the tent. As she disappeared into the shelter, she whipped her tail and gave Dash a playful, flirty smack in the face.

Dash's expression of horror and confusion was priceless. 'Help me...' she silently mouthed to Twilight and Zecora, terror etched on her features. The zebra and unicorn, however, offered her no aid. They were both too busy rolling around the ground laughing hysterically.

A few seconds later, Applejack stuck her head out of the tent. "Y'all do realize Ah'm jokin' with ya, right?" she asked flatly, raising an eyebrow. Zecora and Twilight immediately stopped laughing - they wanted to see what happened next.

"Oh yeah! Totally!" Dash exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically, rolling her eyes for extra emphasis. Her attempt to look cool and relaxed was not very convincing. "I was just, y'know, playing along. Didn't want to spoil your fun and stuff."

"Uh huh," the orange earth pony expressed dubiously. "Y'know for all your confidence and 'coolness,' y'all are remarkably easy to fluster."

"Psssshaw," Dash gave a dismissive wave of her wing. "Whatever. I'm not that easy to fluster."

Applejack gave her another playful smack in the face with the tip of her tail. She then started to trot away, while Zecora and Twilight resumed their giggling.

"H-hey!" the blue pony sputtered. "What was that for?"

Applejack shrugged. "Just provin' a point. And 'cuz I felt like it," she replied with a bemused smirk, before slinking into her own tent.

Nightmares

"MWUAHAHAHAHAH!!!" the evil Dr. Von Serpentface cackled wickedly. The giant reticulated python, wearing a black cape and top hat while sporting a handlebar mustache, had managed to tie Twilight Sparkle up in heavy rope and strap her to some railroad tracks. Judging from the air desert landscape and the baking sun overhead, they were out near Appaloosa.

"You'll never get away with this!" Twilight proclaimed defiantly.

"Ooooooh, but I already haaaaave," the wicked green reptile crooned. Coiled up menacingly beside the restrained unicorn, he began to twirl his mustache with the tip of his tail in a rather cliche fashion. "Mwuahahahah..."

"STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!!" a booming voice echoed.

"Le gasp!" Dr. Von Serpentface looked up at the sky. "Oh no, not you! Anyone but you!"

"Who?" Twilight looked up.

She found herself face-to-face with Owlicious. "Who?" the owl hooted.

"Blue," Pinkie Pie cheered from nearby, somehow clad in a blue cheerleading outfit. "B-L-U-E! It's the best color for me!" she exclaimed, shaking some blue pompoms in the air.

"But Pinkie," Twilight frowned, "You're pink."

"And you're a velociraptor!" Pinkie replied with a grin.

Twilight looked down at herself. Pinkie was right. Somehow she'd turned into a dinosaur. Weird.

And then the nuns attacked...

Twilight opened her eyes. Darkness. All she could see was darkness. She blinked her eyes a few times, before gingerly trying to focus her magic. She'd just woken up, and in her groggy state, she had to be very careful with her arcane abilities. All she needed right now was an impromptu flashlight - if her sleep-addled mind wasn't careful, she could instead create the effects of a flamethrower.

Thankfully, despite her grogginess, Twilight possessed enough magical control and prowess to create a faint purple aura around her horn, and nothing more. The soft indigo glow revealed that she was sitting in her tent, alone. Judging from the stark darkness and the ambient chirping of crickets and nocturnal birds, Twilight assumed that it was still very early in the morning, well before dawn.

She furrowed her brow. What had woken her up? It hadn't been the dream. Fighting nuns as a velociraptor while Discord played the fiddle for dramatic musical effect was.... well, a nightmare, by most standards. But it wasn't a bad enough nightmare for her to be jolted awake. No, some outside source had awoken her. But what was it?

Somepony nearby let out a sob.

Twilight's ears immediately perked up. What was that? Was somebody crying? She sat in her tent for a long moment, not moving, not making a sound. Had it been her imagination? Perhaps she'd just imagined it.

There was another sob. Twilight heard it clearly this time. And she knew exactly who it was.

Applejack.

Without hesitation, Twilight began to scramble out of her sleeping bag. She telekinetically unzipped the opening of her tent, and half-ran, half-staggered out into the cold night air. She shivered involuntarily; it was much colder and much darker outside her tent than she expected. She turned towards the campfire - and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Good evening Twilight..." the cloaked form of Zecora whispered. She was hunched over the small remnants of the campfire, idle poking at a pot of boiling water resting just on the edges of the flames. She then looked up at the stars for a moment, then stated: "No, morning. That's right."

"Zecora?" Twilight whispered back. "What are you doing?"

Another sob came from Applejack's tent. Zecora turned towards it for a moment, before returning her attention to the boiler. "Preparing a brew to help our friend rest. To help her relax, some tea would be best," the zebra rhymed softly. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. She then looked back over at Twilight, locking eyes with the mare from across the flickering firelight. She seemed to be studying Twilight. Examining her. Almost judging her...

After a moment, Zecora lowered her gaze back into the flames. She quietly whispered: "You are hesitant... Afraid to intrude. I assure you, she would not find it rude. She... is quite lucky to have such a friend. Friendship, comfort, care..." the zebra looked back up at Twilight. The glow of the flickering flames on her features revealing a soft, almost melancholy smile. "They do well to mend."

Twilight said nothing. She simply returned Zecora's smile with a wan smile of her own, before cautiously creeping over to Applejack's tent. She paused in front of it. She could hear soft whimpering and sniffling coming from inside the shelter. She wasn't sure what to do. What should she say? Should she just open the zipper? Whisper to her? Knock? Knocking on a tent was difficult, but not impossible...

Finally, the unicorn decided to just play it safe, and make her presence known. "Applejack?" she softly whispered.

The faint sobbing immediately ceased. After a few sniffs, Twilight heard Applejack whisper a response. "Twi...? That you?"

"Yeah..." the purple mare replied quietly. "Mind if I come in?"

Silence. A very long, heavy silence. Finally, another sniff, followed by: "Sure. C'mon in."

Twilight's telekinesis gently tugged at the zipper, opening the entrance of the tent. Carefully, she slipped inside, keeping a soft aura of magic around her horn to serve as a flashlight of sorts like she'd done in her own tent.

The tent was spacious enough for one pony to have a decent amount of room. Two ponies could fit and still be comfortable, somewhat. Theoretically, you could fit three ponies in the tent, if they didn't have issues with personal space and flexibility...

The soft violet glow of Twilight's magic revealed that Applejack was curled up in her sleeping bag, nestled against the far side of the tent. Most of face was buried in her pillow, and her hat was resting at a crooked angle atop her head. Only one small patch of the right side of her face - her cheek and eye, framed by loose blonde hair - was clearly visible Her eye, still rimmed with fresh tears, was locked on Twilight. "Ah woke ya up... didn't I?" the earth pony whispered. Even when speaking quietly and trying to hide it, her voice was audibly raspy from crying.

Twilight crouched down, and inched a bit closer. "Nah," she quietly answered with a soft smile and a shake of her head.

Applejack shook her head slightly, causing her hat to fall down completely over her face. "No, Ah know tha's a yes. Sorry..." she whispered. Her tone was apologetic. Guilty. Almost ashamed.

"No, really, I was having a nightmare," the purple unicorn half-lied.

"Heh. Small world..." Applejack muttered softly.

A silence fell over the two friends. Applejack sniffed a few times.

Twilight's smile faded. "Most ponies would ask 'are you okay' at a time like this... But..." her voice quietly trailed off.

"But yer smarter than that," her orange friend replied quietly. There was a mix of bemusement and sadness in her voice. "An 'egghead,' as Dash would put it. And yer guessin' right. Ah... Ah'm not okay..." Applejack whimpered.

Twilight crawled a little bit closer, and laid down on the floor next to her friend. "Do you.... want to talk?"

Applejack shrugged. "There ain't much to talk 'bout. Had a nightmare. 'Bout Winona. Ah... Ah'm..." she began to choke up.

"You're worried," Twilight softly observed. "She's more than just your pet. She's part of your family."

"Yeah..." Applejack whimpered. "Ah... Ah'm just so worried. So scared. What if...?"

"No what ifs," Twilight whispered factually. "We will find the flower, we will cure Winona, and everyone will be happy. That's how these things work."

"This... this ain't a story in one of them old books..." Applejack muttered. Her voice was strained; she was trying not to break down. "And if it is... what if it's a tragedy? The... endings ain't always happy in real life, y'know?"

Twlight raised a hoof, and gently rubbed Applejack's shoulder. Or the part of the sleeping bag she assumed was over her shoulder. "I know. But this ending will be happy. I promise..." she whispered.

Other than a few sniffs from Applejack, there was only silence for several moments. Finally, Applejack whispered: "This happy ending ain't got a Prince Charmin', does it? Cuz I remember that Bloodblood feller from the Gala, and... er... yeah..."

The two friends managed to keep straight faces for about two seconds, before both of them began to snicker softly. "Alright, fine, no Prince Charming in your happy ending," Twilight whispered. "We'll give him to Rainbow Dash."

As if on cue, Rainbow Dash stuck her head through the tent's entrance flap. "You're giving me who to do what with now?" the cyan pegasus whispered curiously.

"Aw shucks, did Ah wake ya up too?" Applejack grumbled. "Ah'm sorry, Dash..."

"Element of Loyalty," Dash smirked. "I can't just ignore a friend in need, can I? So what's up? I thought I heard crying and by the time I get done talking to Zecora and get over here, you gals are... giggling. And talking about giving me things. Soooo... spill?"

Twilight arched an eyebrow. "About the crying, or the giving you things?"

Dash shrugged. "Either, or."

Applejack sighed. "Ah had a nightmare 'bout Winona. And we're giving you mah Prince Charmin', since apparently our adventure is gonna have one of them cliche storybook endings..." she grumbled.

"Oh. I see," Dash nodded thoughtfully. "Kay, for that first part, I'm really sorry to hear that. I would come in there and try to comfort you with a hug or something, but I don't think I'd fit... at least not without making things awkward for everypony," she shook her head, smiling at the silliness. "As for that second part... ummmmm... no," she stated flatly. "Princes and aristocrats and all that jazz just aren't my thing. Too fancy and stuck up and yuck. If I gotta get stuck with somebody important... can it be a Wonderbolt?"

Applejack wiggled a hoof out of her sleeping bag, just so she could smack it against her forehead under her hat. "Y'know, I knew she'd say that..." Twilight whispered with a smirk.

"Though, isn't Twilight's brother technically a Prince now?" Dash asked with a mischievous grin.

Twilight's eyes went wide. "Hey! Leave my brother out of this!" she whispered frantically. Applejack began to chuckle softly.

"Hey, you said you were gonna give me a Prince. You never said which one, or that I couldn't pick him," the pegasus smirked wickedly.

"But... but..." Twilight gaped in horror. Applejack was now chuckling quite loudly and heartily.

Zecora suddenly stuck her head through the tent flap, her face appearing right under Dash's. The blue pony jumped slightly in surprise. "Ahem," the zebra coughed to get the other ponies' attention. "I have prepared some tea to help you rest. As far as sleep aids go, it would be best."

"Darn it. Ah woke ya up, and ya made me tea?" Applejack grumbled, squirming uncomfortably. "Sorry Zecora... Sorry everypony... Though, Ah do gotta say... Ah really appreciate y'all tryin' ta help me out. Thanks..." she whispered.

"Do not mention it!" Zecora cheerfully replied. "Though, tell me something... We're all awake - why are we whispering?"

One by one, all four friends slowly broke down into laughter as they realized the silliness of the situation. Afterwards, they all shared a few cups of tea, exchanged hugs, and attempted to go back to sleep. And thankfully, there were no more nightmares that night, for anypony.