"Leaf Light! Come on!"
"Coming!"
Few seconds later, a yellow mare with a leafy green mane appeared in front of the door. Her mane was neat, unlike Blue Hoof's mane, messy and tangled.
"What took you so long?" Blue Hoof sighed.
"Well, I may have taken a while," Leaf Light admitted. "But look at my mane, and look at yours," She pointed out.
Blue Hoof glanced at her friend's mane, and switched her gaze onto her own mane.
"Whatever. Let's just go," She gave Leaf Light a scowl before turning and leading the way.
Suddenly, Leaf Light stopped dead.
"Wait, Blue Hoof. Where exactly are we going?" She asked, hating the way her voice shook.
"To the Everfree Forest," Her friend answered coolly. "We agreed on it yesterday, remember?" Blue Hoof added when she saw Leaf Light's terrified and confused expression.
"O-oh, r-right," Leaf Light stammered.
"Don't tell me you're scared of the Everfree Forest!" Blue Hoof sneered.
"What? N-no!" Leaf Light retorted, giving her friend a sharp look.
"Then let's go, before somepony catches us!" Blue Hoof hissed, but it was too late. Rose Petal had noticed them.
"Hey, guys," The hot pink mare greeted them. "Where are you off to?"
"We were just-" Blue Hoof began, only to be interrupted by Leaf Light.
"Taking a walk around," Leaf Light lied.
"Well, okay," Rose Petal nodded, but she was clearly not convinced.
Leaf Light and Blue Hoof waited until Rose Petal was out of earshot, then started trotting in the direction of the Everfree Forest.
"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Leaf Light muttered under her breath.
Blue Hoof watched her friend with a mocking smile on her face. "It's better than the Rainbow Factory," She tried her best to sound spooky.
"You actually believe those stories?"
"Hey, at least we're not pegasi, right?" Blue Hoof lifted a hoof and pointed to her unicorn horn.
Leaf Light hung her head.
...
They stopped in front of Zecora's house.
"Should we go say hello?" Blue Hoof suggested.
"No, Zecora creeps me out sometimes," Leaf Light shuddered.
"I don't get what's so creepy about that pony," Blue Hoof sat down.
"Fine," Leaf Light muttered crossly, then took a step towards the house that lay in the middle of the Everfree Forest.
"How can anypony want to live here?" She asked herself.
Blue Hoof lifted a hoof and knocked on the door gently.
A few seconds later, the door swung open and there stood Zecora.
"Hello," The striped pony nodded her head in greeting.
"Hi, Zecora," Leaf Light returned her greeting politely, but not enthusiastically.
"Hi, Zecora!" Blue Hoof greeted, more warmly.
"I was just mixing something," Zecora dropped a few items into her cauldron.
"What are you making?" Blue Hoof trotted up to the mare.
"Experimenting," Zecora replied, not looking up. "I found a new ingredient that might help me make something incredible." She picked up a long, furry object, and dropped it in the cauldron as well.
"What is that?" Leaf Light questioned, brightening.
"I don't know what it's called," Zecora admitted. "But it looks like it could be useful, so I decided to try it out."
"Are you actually going to drink that?" Blue Hoof looked down into the cauldron, her eyes gleaming.
Leaf Light just gave her friend a look that said, "Are you crazy?"
Zecora shook her head. "I'm not sure it's safe," She replied. "But I know how to test it out."
Blue Hoof nodded and sat beside Zecora.
"What are you two youngsters doing out here in the Everfree Forest anyway?" She asked, looking up at Blue Hoof and Leaf Light.
"We thought we'd explore," Leaf Light explained, fed up of telling lies. "To be honest, it was Blue Hoof's idea."
Zecora flicked her gaze to Blue Hoof and chuckled. "Mischievous young ponies," She smiled. "Always finding a way to get into trouble."
"We aren't looking for trouble!" Blue Hoof looked taken aback.
"I was only joking," Zecora dropped another item into the cauldron. "Anyway, you two should get back," She told them. "There are Timberwolves out there, and you don't want to get your parents worried!"
Leaf Light nodded. "Alright. Bye, Zecora."
...
"See? That wasn't so bad!" Blue Hoof nudged her friend playfully.
Leaf Light gave her a stern look.
"At least Zecora was-"
Blue Hoof was interrupted by a low, growling sound.
"What was that?!" Leaf Light exclaimed, looking around wildly.
"I don't know, but we're definitely in danger!" Blue Hoof crouched down low, ready to leap and flee if anything suddenly jumped at them.
