From Mythos to Logos

"My dear friend, are you alright? You crashed down so suddenly, it gave me a fright!"

Amethyst was dizzily helped to her hooves, and she winced in pain from the various scratches she and acquired. "I'm good... enough. Thanks, Zecora."

The zebra pulled out a twig that had gotten caught in Amethyst hair. "My mere presence shouldn't be what you thank, but instead your impressive ability to tank. Sparkler, were you practicing magic once again? For you know it is best to only do so now and then."

"No, I fell." She looked down at the ground. "And launched off a sunbeam."

"You say that as if you should be ashamed, yet it only seems as if your powers must be tamed."

"You know I'm not strong." Amethyst's jaw tightened. "I'll never be as strong as Twilight."

Zecora placed her hoof on her shoulder. "To compare yourself to another does not say who you are. There is a barrier that keeps on moving, you can go very far." Her grip tightened. "But you keep holding on as if it were a scar..."

She shoved Zecora's hoof away. "Because it is!" She roughly wiped away tears that had started to pour down. "I can never, ever let that go! It's my fault!" Her voice cracked at the end. "And there's nothing I can ever do to make up for it!"

The two were silent for a moment, while Amethyst turned her back on Zecora, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "I have plenty of potions that can heal you up." Zecora didn't touch her shoulder this time. "Would you like me to pour you a cup?"

"My friends will be worried if I don't come back out soon." She wiped at her tears even harder, and winced at rubbing the scratches. "I should go." A pause. "I shouldn't get mad at you. I know you're only trying to help." You lie to protect what you hide. The voice of the Honesty Element echoed in her mind.

"Remember to do what you think is best." Zecora plucked a nearby blossom off one of the trees, and gently tucked in behind Amethyst's ear. "It is up to you to fufill the rest."

She nodded, and walked off towards Ponyville, twirling the flower around with her breeze charm.

Zecora sighed, and spoke softly. "And please remember, life is not a test."

Fleetfoot furiously beat her wings in a struggle to get her back hoof free from Limestone's iron grip, while the others paced around nervously.

"Limesstone, let go!" Fleetfoot flailed her forehooves. "I won't take that long to find her!"

"If I let go now, you'll crash headlong into a tree." Limestone pressed her back hooves deeper into the ground. "She didn't fall that far in. Sparkler isn't a fool, she'll be out any second now."

"And Zecora's in there!" added Flitter. "She's probably helping out Amy right no-"

A loud roar echoed out from the forest, followed by a bright burst of light. Fleetfoot's wingbeats slowed, only for Limestone to release her hooves and give her a sharp push.

"No time to stare in shock!" snapped Limestone, sprinting into the forest. "Let's move!"

The six ponies bolted after her, with Twirly holding onto Flitter's bow. Despite it being the middle of the day, the forest was still quite dark. Saffron's horn lit up dark purple to provide light, and Twirly's antennae glowed softly. Though Limestone had ran in first, it was Lotus who was directing them as Fleetfoot flew beside her. Nopony questioned why. It wasn't important at the moment.

The sounds of magic hissing and sparking became louder, until the glow of Amethyst's horn finally came into sight. Another roar, from the same creature as before, shrieked in their ears, followed by another flash of light.

"Stay DOWN!" yelled a distorted voice in fury. "I don't know what charm you're casting, but you'd better STOP IT!"

"Clearly," Amethyst was breathing heavily, "You don't know how magic works in the Everfree Forest." Fleetfoot and Lotus looked at each other, both nodded, and split to the sides. "It makes no sense."

Limestone finally got sight of Amethyst, and gritted her teeth tightly. Her friend was being forcibly held down on the ground by another pony, easily identified as a unicorn by a silver glow coming off their horn. They had on an evergreen cloak and matching coverings on their legs. Their horn, the color difficult to identify with it glowing, was pressed up against Amethyst's, the two auras sparking from the contact.

It took a moment for her to notice the massive manticore standing near the two unicorns, frozen in an attacking position. The entire of the manticore appeared to be tinged with a silver color, implying that the mystery unicorn had cast some sort of spell on it. Not even its eyes were moving, making it almost seem as if it were a statue.

"Hey!" yelled Limestone angrily. "You leave her alone!"

Amethyst visibly relaxed at hearing her voice, and quickly acted as the mystery unicorn looked up in surprise. She didn't even bother with any kind of spell, and just landed a solid kick that pushed them away. Fleetfoot zipped in and punched the the mystery unicorn's horn midair, forcing their aura to snap. Lotus, with a flower between her teeth, quietly slipped over to the manticore. Saffron quickly pulled Amethyst to her hooves, with Flitter and Limestone standing as shields between her and the mystery unicorn.

"You're a real pest, Starshine," spat out the unicorn. "The one time you wander off somewhere alone, you have other ponies helping you out in mere seconds!"

Amethyst's eyes narrowed. "You're with Thunderwing, aren't you?" The name she had given to the pegasus that had the orchicalcum knife.

"Interesting name choice." They pulled out a ring of orchicalcum. "Though I suppose it means that I don't need to hide this anymore."

Limestone took a threatening step forward. "And what do you expect to do? It's seven on one."

They gave a snort. "Stupid little Earth pony. There's only six of you." Their horn lit up dangerously. "And if you think you have some special 'Earth pony magic' that will do anything then-" Their aura suddenly flickered, rapidly changing from silver to orange. "Hey!"

Twirly slipped out from the corner of the mystery unicorn's cloak, holding something silver in her hooves. "Hah! You're so oblivious!"

Limestone reared up on her back hooves, having been waiting for Twirly, and slammed her forehooves firmly into the ground. A crack spiked through the ground, stopping right beneath the mystery unicorn and causing the entire area they were standing on to cave in. They whinnied and jumped back, before sprinting away deeper into the forest.

Limestone scowled at the retreating figure, as Twirly presented the silver object to Amethyst. She took in carefully in her hoof, and her eyes widened. "It's an apple."

Saffron frowned. "Wasn't a Silver Apple on the list of magical artifacts?"

She nodded. "But... We're the only ones who have looked at the list. And Twilight was the one who sent me the book that it was in..." There was the sudden thump of a tree branch falling to the ground, and Amethyst's horn lit up as she turned and used her signature. "It's the unicorn!" She quickly sprinted after them. "Come on! They're heading towards Ponyville!"

"I vote that we call them Forestglow!" added Flitter, before quickly following after her friend.