Peace Petal goes to Bridlewood Forest

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight

Chapter One

I trotted along the path, sniffing in the chilly, misty air. There was a woody scent. The forest had to be near, although I could not see it yet through the mist. It had been a long trot from Zephyr Heights to Bridlewood Forest. Pegasus flight had been restored by the royal sisters about a moon ago, but I still hadn’t found the time to test my endurance in a long-distance flight. Anyway, I had discovered at the broken bridge yesterday that I was barely able to lift my heavy saddlebags. Well, I would be free to fly wherever I wanted once I dropped all my luggage off at a hotel in Bridlewood.

The edge of the forest came into view rather suddenly. It was a stark contrast, going straight from grasslands to full-sized trees. I felt a moment of intimidation as I looked at the trees. They were larger than anything I had seen around Zephyr Heights, and their leaves were vibrant shades of pink and purple. Since the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies had reopened their borders, researchers in every field had jumped on the opportunity to study lands that had been inaccessible for hundreds of moons. I had successfully applied for funding to study botany in Bridlewood Forest. I had expected to find maybe a new species of Acer or Populus, but I wasn’t even sure what family these trees belonged to. Did they have different photosynthetic pigments, or was the forest truly enchanted as rumor had it?

As I stepped into the forest, my nose told me something was off. It took me a moment to realize what it was. There were no fallen leaves. The ground was covered in grass, as well as the occasional fern or forb. Given Bridlewood’s elevation, latitude, and inland location, I would have expected it to have cold winters. This nippy, late spring morning seemed to confirm that—I was warmly wrapped up in a black jacket and pink scarf. Were the trees here not deciduous?

I heard flapping wings and cawing crows. I fluttered my wings for a moment, wanting to see the canopy. Find a hotel first. I stopped a moment as I heard another sound. Just a pony trotting. A unicorn, almost certainly. I didn’t really believe all that unicorn phobia stuff, blaming the unicorns for random problems and characterizing them as sadistic sorcerers. Just because a unicorn could fry pony brains didn’t mean they would.

Unfortunately, I forgot all that as soon as a unicorn came around a tree into view. It was a tall, gray unicorn mare with a pink mane. My eyes went straight to the horn, and my thoughts went to momentary panic. This unicorn could read my mind, fry my brain, or even control my mind. Lots of brain stuff, which was frightening because that was the best part of me. The unicorn stepped back, eyes wide. I realized that I had unintentionally flared my wings in a defensive pose. I had reacted to this pony in the same way I would to wild animals I encountered in my studies. Blushing in embarrassment, I folded my wings against my body. “Excuse me,” I said, and I hurried along the path.

Soon I arrived at the edge of a town. The economic disparity between unicorns and pegasi—a result of the war—was evident. There were no paved roads or electric signs. The buildings appeared to be carved into massive trees, which I found to be quite charming. There were unicorns all around. Was it just me, or were they quieter than the pegasi in Zephyr Heights? A street with this many ponies was louder than a train in Zephyr Heights. Of course, none of them had their muzzles shoved into phones like everypony did in ZH. I hadn’t even brought mine; there wouldn’t be any chargers here.

Unfortunately, I did not know where a hotel would be. Many of the buildings had signs, but I hadn’t seen a hotel yet. I did see a restaurant. I was hungry; maybe I could get a hay burger and ask around for the hotel. I walked through the door, just barely fitting with my bulky bags. I walked to the counter. There was one other unicorn ordering. I waited in line. I didn’t set down my bags; I had no idea if theft was common in Bridlewood Forest. I took a moment to look around. The lighting in here was dim, and there was a musky smell. I noticed that I was short in here. I was a tall pegasus; I always noticed when somepony was taller than me. And most of the unicorns in the restaurant were taller than me.

The unicorn ahead of me paid the cashier and trotted to a table. The cashier was a green stallion with a pink mane. His eyes lingered at my sides, either looking at the wings or the bags. “Hey,” he said flatly. “What do you want?”

“I’d like a hay burger please,” I said. “And no cheese or mayonnaise. I’m v—”

“Bing bong!” the cashier said.

“Excuse me?” I said.

The cashier’s eyes seemed unfocused. He took a stiff pose, and he bounced around, almost dancing as he repeated the words “bing bong.” A few others nearby joined in. All I could do was look around in confusion.

Whatever was going on ended. The cashier looked at me and said, “You said a forbidden word. We had to ward off the jinxies.”

“A forbidden word?” I said. “Which one?”

“I’m not about to repeat it,” the cashier said, shaking his head. I thought through what I had said. Which word was forbidden? “How are you paying, pegasus?” the cashier said. “I’m not taking bits with that queen of yours on them.”

“Do you have change for a ruby?” I said, pulling a small gem out of the side pocket of one of my bags. I had brought gems for money, anticipating that pegasus bits would not be valid here.

“Let me see,” the cashier said, opening the register. “Yes, I have enough. You should probably go to the exchange house and get some real bits, though.”

“Ah, yes,” I said. “Where is the exchange house? And do you know of any hotels in the town?” The cashier gave directions to both locations, which I hurriedly wrote down. I sat down, and they brought me my hay burger shortly after. Its flavor was a little different than I expected, but I thought I liked it.

I walked out of the restaurant and navigated towards the hotel at a trot. As I moved through the town, I noticed a place called “The Crystal Tea Room.” They had a whole building dedicated to tea? I could only imagine they had exotic flavors, with all the forest flora available. I would have to visit there later. But first I wanted to drop off my stuff at a hotel, change my money, and actually get some work done today.

* * *

My work in the first day consisted mostly of realizing that the plants here weren’t as different as I initially thought. Although the leaves came in shocking shades of pink and purple, upon closer examination I recognized the leaf structure, flowers, and fruit. I did know these plants. They were different species, but I could put most of them into a genus or at least a family.

It was my goal to catalogue and classify plant life in Bridlewood Forest. I would have to collect more data before making any decisions. Was I looking at one new species of Ulmus or several? And what would I name them all? I had never imagined finding so many. I couldn’t just slap petalii or pacifica on every plant I found. I did like the idea of having my name in the scientific name of the plants I discovered, but I figured at least a few of them should be bridlewoodii or unicornia or something.

I came back to the town feeling slightly overwhelmed. Classifying the species of Bridlewood was going to be a much bigger endeavor than I had initially imagined. I went to the Crystal Tea Room at the end of the day. The sweet aroma of a dozen different tea flavors hit me. A gloomy poet was reciting on a little stage, with another pony beating drums. I really liked the poet’s hat. It was red and… floppy? I had never seen one like that before.

I sat at a table. A very large unicorn approached me, levitating a notebook next to him. There was a gray, sparkling glow around the notebook and his horn. I didn't know whether to gaze at his magic or his impossible stature. “Another pegasus in town?” he said. “What can I get for you?”

I had to be careful. I didn’t actually drink tea tea, as in Camellia sinensis; with my ADHD, even a little caffeine was not a good idea. “Do you have any floral teas?” I said.

“Sure do,” the unicorn said. “I have crystal flower, hibiscus, jasmine, heartflower, lavender, and chamomile. I also have blends of those flavors. The local favorite is liquid crystal.”

I had heard of some of those. Going off my experiences today, probably even the familiar ones were different species of a familiar genus. I’d start with one of those. “Hibiscus, please,” I said. “No sugar or honey. How much will it cost?”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” the unicorn said. He turned to the counter and said, “One hibiscus.” Some creature, a little mammal with a hard shell, scrambled in response.

“It’s on the house?” I verified.

“Sure is.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s your name, pegasus?” the unicorn said.

“Peace Petal.”

“Petal?” the unicorn said. “Like the pegasus pop star? Hey, her music’s not bad.”

“No, she’s Princess Petals,” I said. “My name is Petal. No relation.”

“My bad,” the unicorn said. “Name’s Alphabittle. This here is my joint.” The creature at the counter pushed a teacup to the near corner of the counter. Alphabittle levitated it to my table.

“Thank you,” I said. “I never would have expected to find an establishment that sold only tea. But I guess you have more options when you’re living in a forest.”

“What brings you to Bridlewood, Peace?”

I sipped the tea. It was delightful, with a nice, tart flavor and a deep, red color not too far off from the shade of my own coat. I kind of wanted to drink my tea and ponder my day, but I obliged Alphabittle, since he was kind enough to give me this cup for free. “I’m here to study the plants of Bridlewood,” I said. “I’ve already seen probably dozens of species that we don’t have catalogued in Zephyr Heights. I don’t suppose I’d be able to see some live examples of the plants you use to make tea?”

“Could be,” Alphabittle said. “Say, that’s a nice scarf you have there.”

“Thank you,” I said, sipping again.

“I figure I could show you some live plants, and even give you a bag of each kind of tea to take back to Zephyr Heights,” Alphabittle said. “I’d wager that against the scarf, if you’re up for a little game.”

“A little…” I understood what he meant. “Oh, no. It was not easy finding a scarf that matches my eyes so closely. It’s worth more to me than you.”

“And I figure a trip to the back room to see some of those plants is worth more to you than me,” Alphabittle said. Didn’t he have other customers to attend? “Come on. It’ll be easy. You see that colored cube on the shelf there? You’d just have to solve it in a limited time.”

I eyed the cube. I could solve that thing. I had beaten 3x3 colored cubes, and it was only a 2x2. But just because I could win didn’t mean I would. “No, thank you,” I said.

“Eh, suit yourself,” Alphabittle said. “Enjoy the tea.” He walked off towards the counter.

I sighed. Social interaction wasn’t really my thing, and it had seemed like Alphabittle just wouldn’t quit. I sipped my tea and turned my attention to the poet. Her poem was about the rain. I liked the rain, unlike most pegasi, who couldn’t get enough sunshine. Yes, unicorns definitely had a different way of talking and acting than pegasi. I might have an interesting cultural experience here on top of a botanical experience. I made a mental note to look for a hat shop.

Chapter Two

Sometimes I get distracted by the most random of things. That happened on the second day of work in Bridlewood. I was trotting through the forest, looking for a stream to study riparian species. It was a warmer morning than yesterday. Birds were singing and some flowers were in bloom, scenting the air. My ears perked when I heard the distant sound of running water. I trotted towards it, and the forest growth became thicker. I couldn’t see the stream past the crossing branches of this shrubby willow, but I knew it was close. I felt a tugging on my right wing. I looked over and saw that my feathers had caught on a very thorny rose shrub.

“Oh, great,” I mumbled. I stepped closer to the shrub and started detangling myself. While I worked, a bee buzzed past my face. I watched it as it landed on one of the roses. It was a showy, pink rose with a yellow interior. I watched as the bee rubbed past the stamens to get to the nectaries at the base of the flower. It struck me that I was watching pollination in action. Hundreds of millions of years of evolution had led up to this event. This was the ultimate breakthrough in plant evolution. Once insect pollination evolved, plant diversity exploded and supported ever-more diverse and complex animals as well. And it was happening a few centimeters in front of my muzzle.

That flower was perfect, both technically—Rosaceae flowers had all four whorls—and in a more general sense. Its bright pink and yellow colors popped, its fragrance was sweet, and judging by the visiting bee, it was doing its job. The fact that I understood it made it no less impressive. Some ponies thought the more they understood about science, the less they needed God. I couldn’t understand that. Science told me that this flower was merely a reproductive structure evolved to promote outcrossing with the rose plant next to it. It had no sense of aesthetics, for it had no brain, and it had certainly not evolved to please me. Yet here it was, bright as a cutie mark and elegant as Princess Petals. Knowing that evolution had not planned such a beautiful thing, I could only thank God for guiding evolution according to her plan.

The bee moved on to another flower. I had freed my feathers from the thorns, but I was still stuck on the flower. This was why I studied botany. The more I understood God’s creations, the closer I felt to her. I found that the most unassuming of things—a flower, a bee, a stream—were just as magical as pegasus flight or a unicorn’s levitation spell.

These plants had plenty of roses, so I reached forward and bit one off. With my right forehoof, I stuffed it into my thick mane. I finally moved on, watching for other roses to avoid getting caught again. I couldn’t spend all day ruminating. Somepony had spent tedious moons collecting data to figure out flower evolution. I had to do the same if I wanted to
contribute to science.

* * *

After a morning visit to the Crystal Tea Room, I was unusually drowsy. Perhaps that tea had sedative properties? I should have realized that some of these exotic flowers and leaves would have active chemicals. It crossed my mind to take samples back to Zephyr Heights for chemical analysis. But I had other work today. I stretched out my wings to take off for my study site. But my head was spinning. Shaking my head, I folded my wings away and started trotting into the forest. It was a bright, cool day. The sun filtered through the canopy of purple and pink leaves.

Water splashed up from my hoof. I looked downward and saw that I had stepped in a pool. I hadn’t watched where I was going. I shook my head again and lifted my hoof out of the water. It was a clear pool, probably a spring considering it seemed to have no inlet but there was a trickling outlet. As the ripples dissipated, I could see my reflection clearly.

I had a pink beret, which I had bought in the unicorn town at the center of Bridlewood Forest. The beret flopped to one side, and on the other was the yellow and pink rose I had found in the forest. My scarf was also pink, matching my eyes. The pink popped in contrast to my dark color scheme—black mane and tail and a deep red coat. I was thinly built and tall for a pegasus. I flared my wings, showing the long, red feathers, lighter underneath. My wings were long and thin with no slots, an ideal shape for long distance flights.

“You are the most beautiful pony of all, Peace,” I said, smiling slightly. I knelt down to look at my reflection more closely. I had straight, white teeth and a narrow, long, horsey face. My glasses faintly reflected the light of the pool. My mane was thick, messy, and long. I was truly stunning. I had never had much of a romantic life, and I had never had a sexual one. It had never seemed important to me. Maybe I was too smitten with myself to notice anypony else. Was there a word for that? Autosexual, maybe?

My lips touched the cold water. I jerked back and shook my head. What was I doing? There was definitely something in that tea, making me loopy, not just drowsy. I looked around. Nopony had seen me. Well, if the “crystal flower” tea was psychoactive, Alphabittle could have warned me when I chose it! In any case, I couldn’t continue like this. I would end up doing something embarrassing.

I trotted, stumbling a little, back to a clearing I had passed earlier. I spread my wings, scanning the sky for clouds. There was one, not too far. I carefully took off, wobbling. My flight was unsteady—I felt like I was going to pass out—but I made it to the cloud. I flopped on top of it. So soft… I almost couldn’t sleep on a bed anymore since discovering how nice clouds were. I nestled into the cloud, shaping it a little as I curled up and fell asleep.

* * *

It was Saturday, and I was taking a little break in my work. I had brought my trumpet to Bridlewood, and I had it with me in its case. But first, I had a mystery to solve. Which word that I spoke in the restaurant was forbidden? So here I was, trotting along a busy, central street, about to run another experiment. “Hay!” I called out. A few ponies looked at me, but most ignored me. I felt a little self-consciousness, but my curiosity was overriding it.

“Please!” I shouted. I looked down. This would have been less embarrassing in Zephyr Heights, where everypony was talking on their phones and such. But I needed to figure this out. I knew it wasn’t “burger;” it was on the sign of the restaurant. “Cheese!” No response, other than increasing confusion. “Mayonnaise!”

“Bing bong bing!” a pony behind me said. I smiled. That was it! Since just about everypony had heard me, they were all doing that weird ritual dance. It was actually kind of funny to watch. But I still felt ashamed. To them, I had just shouted a forbidden word and cursed them with jinxies.

“I’m sorry!” I shouted over the bings and bongs. I flared my wings and took off, puffing as I climbed and flew away. Having achieved that, I turned away from the town deeper into the forest. I had picked a clearing where I would practice my trumpet. The hotel didn’t have any sound-proof practice rooms, which I felt should be as basic a commodity as running water or electricity. Then again, the hotel didn’t have electricity either.

As I flew, my mind was still lingering on the forbidden word. Mayonnaise? Why in Equestria? My curiosity was further piqued. There had to be a story behind that, right? I would have to do some more research. I glided down into the clearing. It was far enough from the town that nopony should hear me practicing. There were other houses and villages scattered throughout the forest, but none were close to here.

I set down my trumpet and opened the case. I played in a jazz band in Zephyr Heights. I had taken a hiatus for this research trip, which honestly I wasn’t sure how long would last. But I would not let my lips get weak in the meantime. The lip muscles needed for trumpet playing were just like any other muscle; one could spend six months building them up through daily exercise, only to lose all strength after two weeks of inactivity.

I set up my music in the branches of… some shrub or another. I wasn’t really sure what this one was. Most of the plants here were just new species, but maybe there were a few new genera as well. It wasn’t a great music stand, but I hadn’t wanted to pack a real stand, even a wire one. I warmed up with some scales and started practicing the jazz standards I had brought.

I checked my pocket watch to get half an hour of practice. I would get another half-hour in at the end of the day. 24 minutes in, I was playing a funky jazz fusion piece by Pipp Petals; her pop tunes were best-known, but she actually had some good music on the side. I finished the piece, and there was a moment of quiet as I switched out my music to look at a different song.

“That was groovy!” a voice behind me said.

I jumped, turning around and yelping. The unicorn yelped in response. “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” I said. It was a pink mare with a long, thick, blue mane.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to be sneaky—I’m only medium sneaky anyway. I thought you heard me approaching, but I guess you mostly just heard your trumpet.”

“Yeah…” I said.

The unicorn looked at me, beaming. “I want to be your friend,” she said. “My name’s Izzy.”

“Uh, my name is Peace,” I said. This is weird, I thought uncomfortably.

“I love that flower in your mane,” Izzy said. “It really complements your luminescence.”

“My what now?”

“Where did you get it?”

“The… rose?” I said.

“Yeah.”

“They’re growing by the stream.”

Izzy’s eyes widened. “Could you show me?” she said. “I’m making some friendship flower crowns, and roses like that would really complete them.”

“Well, I…” I only had six minutes of practice left. Why not? “Alright. Follow me.”

“Yay!” Izzy said. I headed towards the river. Izzy started trotting alongside me, humming a little tune.

This pony is … odd, I thought. I wonder if she would be willing to answer… “I’ve heard that there are forbidden words in Bridlewood,” I said. “I accidentally said one in a restaurant, and I’m trying to figure out if there are any others I should avoid.”

“Oh, yeah,” Izzy said. “Forbidden words supposedly bring bad luck, so unicorns do rituals to ward off the jinxies when somepony says a forbidden word. ‘Magic’ used to be one, but we’ve kind of stopped counting it since everypony has magic now. Most unicorns are still doing the rituals when they hear ‘wing’ or ‘feather,’ but Sunny—oh, she’s an earth pony friend of mine—says that it would be offensive to pegasi to consider those words bad luck.”

“Yeah, that… is a little offensive,” I said. But it did give some insight into where these words came from. If magic was one, perhaps these rituals had come up as a superstition after the unicorns had lost their magic without knowing the cause? They might have blamed it on the pegasi, leading to the words wing and feather being banned. But that didn’t answer my real question…

“The only other forbidden word I know is ‘mayonnaise,’” Izzy said.

“Yeah, that’s the one I used!” I said. I was surprised to see Izzy saying all these words when the unicorn in the restaurant was unwilling to repeat them. “How in Equestria did that get forbidden?”

“Well, it’s kind of…” She stuttered a little. “The funny thing… I don’t know, actually. You should ask Woody Dust! She knows everything. She’s always in the library, so I’m sure you could find her there.”

We were getting close to the river, now. “There they are,” I said, pointing. “Do you see the roses, next to the willow?”

“Oh, yes,” Izzy said. “They’re lovely.”

“Great,” I said. “Thanks for the information. I’m going to get back to work.”

“Oh, okay,” she said. “Nice meeting you. How long are you going to be in Bridlewood?”

“I don’t know yet,” I said. “Probably at least a moon.”

“Then I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again,” Izzy said. “Thanks for your help.” She started using her magic to move branches out of the way as she walked towards the roses. I turned to head farther upstream, where I would collect more data.

She seemed nice, I thought. Very eager, but nice.

Author's Note

Don't worry, that second scene ("After a morning visit to the Crystal Tea Room, I was unusually drowsy...") is about the weirdest this story gets. Don't get discouraged; keep reading!

Chapter Three

Sunday was the warmest day since I had arrived in Bridlewood. The forest was vibrant. Insects buzzed, birds sang, warm sunlight trickled through the canopy. The unicorns of Bridlewood still seemed subdued. I knew there wouldn’t be any congregations of my church in Bridlewood, but I found a church to attend.

Given the weather, I decided to wear the one dress I had brought with me. I didn’t much like stallions’ formal attire anyway, and I was feeling pretty today. It was a black dress, pleated and made of cotton. At my breast was a brooch of my cutie mark, a dove. I wore dark gray leggings and black shoes with little pink bows. I pulled my unruly mane back into a tail. And of course, I had my pink scarf. My rule was that scarves went with everything.

The church meeting was different from meetings at my own church, but that was to be expected. I wasn’t switching religions or anything. I just didn’t want to experience spiritual regression during my time in Bridlewood—same as with the trumpet. I was reading my own church’s scriptures every day and praying consistently, but I felt the sabbath day wasn’t complete without a church meeting.

I was trotting down a street in Bridlewood Forest on my way back to the hotel after church. I was planning on writing a letter to my family, practicing my trumpet, and getting to bed for an early start tomorrow. “Hi, Peace!” a voice behind me called. I turned to see Izzy the unicorn cantering towards me. A group of other ponies was following behind her at a trot. I immediately noticed that two were pegasi—the first I had seen since arriving in Bridlewood—and two were earth ponies—the first I had seen ever.

“Hey, Izzy,” I said. She and her friends had flower crowns, and I noticed the pink roses I had showed her earlier. I had one in my mane, as well.

“Let me introduce the rest of my friends,” Izzy said. “This is Sunny Starscout,” she said, pointing to an orange earth pony mare. “I told you about her earlier. This is Hitch Trailblazer. He’s the sheriff of Maretime Bay, which is pretty nifty.” He was an earth pony stallion, and he seemed a little less than excited to be wearing a flower crown. “And you probably recognize the royal sisters of Zephyr Heights, Princesses Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals.”

My eyes went wide. I hadn’trecognized them until she said it. Now I realized that I had seen the shorter pegasus on countless advertisements and album covers. But I actually found Zipp to be the more interesting of the two princesses. Her studies in aerodynamics were neat, and I really wanted to see some performances of that “Wonderbolts” aerial team she was reforming. “Everypony, this is my newest friend, Peace,” Izzy said. “We met yesterday.”

“Charmed,” I said.

“Oh my stars, I love your ensemble!” Pipp said. I blushed. “Can I please take a selfie with you.”

“A… selfie?” I said. She already had her phone out. “How do you have that here? My hotel doesn’t even have electricity.”

“I brought a portable charger, and I’m not staying in Bridlewood for long,” Pipp said. “Selfie?”

“Sure,” I said. Pipp stepped to my side.

“Oh, you’re tall,” she said. “Would you be the selfie stick?”

“No problem,” I said, taking the phone. I flipped the camera and lined it up.

“Wow, our flowers even match!” Pipp said.

“Peace found them for me,” Izzy said.

“A little lower,” Pipp said. “There you go. ♪Smile!♪” I took the picture and gave back the phone.

“That was perfect!” Pipp said. She swiped on the touchscreen. Apparently she was posting it immediately.

“So, Peace, what are you doing in Bridlewood?” Sunny said.

“I’m studying the plants here,” I said. “They’re quite different from what we have in Zephyr Heights or anywhere else in the pegasus queendom. I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

“Is it just Peace?” Pipp said, still looking at her phone.

“Peace Petal, actually,” I said.

“No way,” Pipp said, looking up. “I wonder if we’re related.”

“I’ve done a lot of my genealogy,” I said. “I’ve never found a relationship to you. It’s probably just a coincidence.”

“Still magical,” Pipp said. “Done! Hey, you play trumpet?”

“Yes,” I said. Apparently she was on Facehoof, the one social media platform I occasionally used.

“I thinkI heard him playing one of your songs, actually,” Izzy said.

“I was, yes,” I said.

“Which one?” Hitch said.

“It’s one of her less-known ones,” I said. “‘Feelin’ Trotty.’”

“I love ‘Feelin’ Trotty,’” Hitch said. “Her voice really lends itself to jazz-funk fusion. But who am I kidding? I love all of your songs, Pipp.”

“Thank you, Hitch,” Pipp said.

“I like the more creative ones,” I said. I looked at Pipp. “Just my opinion, you should branch away from that pop style more. Every time you do something less manestream, I love it.”

“It’s good to meet a fan of those other songs,” Pipp said.

“Princess Zipp, I love the idea of bringing back the Wonderbolts,” I said. “I’ll try to catch a performance the next time I’m in ZH.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for you,” Zipp said. “Are you into flying?”

“Oh, I just fly to get around,” I said. “But I do enjoy it. Who would have guessed that clouds were so soft?”

“Ah, they’re amazing,” Pipp said.

“Well, it was nice to meet you all,” I said. “I have to go do… stuff…”

“Are you sure you don’t want to hang out with us?” Izzy said. “We’re on our way to the Crystal Tea Room.”

“No thanks,” I said. “I don’t buy on Sundays.”

“Well, suit yourself,” Hitch said. “We’ll see you around.”

“It was nice to meet you, Peace,” Sunny said. I trotted off towards the hotel. Hmm, maybe I should have stuck around with them, I thought. I didn’t have all that much to do today. I had a tendency to keep social interactions to a minimum. Which was probably why I struggled to make friends. Well, I was telling the truth; I didn’t buy on Sundays. I also didn’t like watching everypony else eat or drink something while I wasn’t. As a vegan, I had run into that situation often enough. Although I was interested in talking with those earth ponies more. They didn’t seem dumb, but I had never expected that stereotype to be true. Anyway, it was too late now. If I saw them again I’d say hi.

* * *

I glued another maple leaf to a mounting paper. I had already run out of the glue and mounting paper I had brought from Zephyr Heights, but I had found adequate substitutes at a crafting store. I had a lot of specimens to take home. I would probably need to hire a balloon to bring them back. But that was fine. I had a research grant from the queen. I could spend as much money as I needed to, as long as it was for research. Living costs were covered by a more conservative salary.

I put the mount under some books to press it. It was time for lunch. I made a cucumber and daisy sandwich and put it in a bag. And another sandwich. And one more. I was hungry, and daisies were in season, cheap, and locally grown. I didn’t like spending time in this dark, cramped hotel, so I trotted out the door. I flew up above the canopy to look at the sky. There was a single puff of cumulus cloud over the town, not too far or high. Perfect. I flapped my way up towards it.

When I got to the cloud, I was surprised to see a pony lounging on top of it, flipping through a book. “Oh, hey,” I said. “I didn’t know you were up here. I’ll find another cloud.”

“Where would you find another cloud?” the pony said. He was an older pegasus with a green coat, fading red mane, and tired eyes. “I had to sweep the sky clear to make this one. In retrospect it is too big for me alone. Have a seat or cut your own resting place from my cloud.”

“Um…” I couldn’t formulate an excuse. “Sure,” I said. I lay down on the edge of the cloud, kicking up a little puff between me and the other pegasus. I pulled out my sandwich bag. “I’m surprised to see another pegasus in Bridlewood,” I said. “Did you just arrive?”

“I’ve been in Bridlewood Forest for two weeks, arrived as soon as its location became known,” the other pegasus said. “I’ve spent most of my time in Sparkleton. It’s a quaint little town three point seven four miles east-northeast of here. What is your story for being here?”

“I’m studying plants,” I said. I took a bite of a sandwich. “They’re all different here.”

“My name’s Typhoon Tack,” he said. “What’s yours?”

“Peace Petal,” I said. “What are you doing in Bridlewood?”

“Oh, uh, I just needed to get away from Zephyr Heights,” Typhoon said. “I have spent a long time there. Maybe too long. Everypony’s muzzle always shoved in a phone, advertisements blaring from every screen on every building. I needed a change in scenery.”

“I feel that, too,” I said. “I don’t even have my phone here, and I haven’t missed it for a moment.”

“It’s good for a colt to get out and see the world,” Typhoon said. “Travelling really broadens the horizon.”

“Bridlewood is interesting,” I said. “I’ve noticed the unicorns are… gloomier? But I like it. At Zephyr Heights, I sometimes feel like I have to pretend I’m happy all the time so nopony is worried about me.” I took another bite of sandwich. “But I do feel the disparity in development. I don’t miss phones, but I do miss electric lights and the internet. My hotel is cramped. I play trumpet, and there are no practice rooms.”

“Maybe you simply have not looked hard enough?” Typhoon said. “Bridlewood Forest likes to conceal its amenities. They do have electricity. A central grid does not make sense for a city this size, so everypony has their own generator and rigged up crystals for storage. It might be possible to charge them with lightning, but that is fiddly even if one experimented with weather manipulation for a few days. I learned that lesson the fun way.” He flared his sings, and I noticed the singed tips of his feathers. He laughed. “The same goes for music. There are talented musicians in Bridlewood, but you have not heard them despite the lack of practice rooms. They can just go to the forest and practice there. Maybe practice rooms are a symptom of Zephyr Heights being too crowded. Maybe you will find the acoustics of the trees more to your liking or convince some unicorns to give the reflexive nature of practice rooms a try.”

“I suppose you could be right,” I said. I munched through another sandwich.

“How’s your plant study coming along?” Typhoon said after a while. “That sounds like an overwhelming project.”

“That’s just the word for it,” I said. “All the plants here are different species than in the mountains. I’m trying to classify them all, but I don’t know if there are multiple species, subspecies, or just high genetic variation in a single species. I might lay a foundation for future research, but I’m going to be wrong about some things.”

“You’re classifying everything from scratch?” Typhoon said. “Haven’t the unicorns named any of the species here?”

“I, uh…”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t checked.”

“You got me,” I said, feeling surprised and embarrassed. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

“The unicorns are just as curious as you,” Typhoon said. “I was impressed by how much they know about meteorology, considering they’ve never left the ground. They live in a forest under a dense tree cover, but they still investigated the weather and stars above them. I’ll bet their understanding of botany is solid.”

I felt like a fool. Why hadn’t I thought of this? I had to admit to myself that I had assumed the unicorns were too primitive for taxonomy. “I should check their records,” I said. “That’s a great idea. I just wish I had thought of it.”

“It’s not your fault,” Typhoon said. “It’s just the way you were raised. We all have to learn new lessons with age through the wrong decisions we take. You won't believe how glad I am that you don't repeat my mistakes but make your own.” Typhoon averted his gaze, looking down upon the forest. I stood up, still feeling embarrassed but also excited. Who had time to lie down on a cloud and enjoy lunch when there was learning to be done? I looked over at Typhoon, and I noticed that his book had a unicorn drawn on the cover.

“Did you get that book here?” I said. I shoved a large bite of sandwich into my mouth.

“From a bookstore in Sparkleton,” Typhoon said. “Truth be told, I’m not here just to get away. I was curious to see how the unicorns fared all these years. Maybe you should learn about the unicorns before you keep trying to do work that might already be done?”

“Thank you for the advice,” I said. “I’m going to see what I can find out at the library.” I shoved the rest of my sandwich into my mouth, leaving the last one in the bag. I put the sandwich bag in my saddlebag and flew off. I dove straight down, picking up speed rapidly before flaring my wings to stop before the canopy. Izzy had mentioned a pony named Woody Dust who supposedly knew everything. Izzy said she was always in the library. Maybe she could point me in the right direction to learn some unicorn botany.

Author's Note

Typhoon Tack is an OC created by u/Tempeljaeger on reddit.com. I've included Typhoon in my story with Tempeljaeger's permission.

Chapter Four

I trotted into the library, inhaling deeply through my nostrils. The scents of old pages, dust, and wood mixed in the air. The library was carved into a massive, ancient oak tree. Books lined the exterior wall, going up for four stories. Dim sunlight trickled through the windows, augmented by the subdued, golden light of oil lamps. I heard the dull thud of hooves walking over wood. This felt like the kind of place where a pony could lose track of time, buried in books for hours or days before finally coming out of the library, blinking in the sunlight.

There was a central desk with dozens of books piled on it, but nopony was there. I stood at the desk, tapping my hoof and looking around. Did this library have a librarian? “Are you looking for the librarian?” a voice behind me whispered. I turned around and saw Sunny, the earth pony.

“You’re still here?” I whispered. “I thought you all left Bridlewood by now.”

“Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp left,” Sunny said. “I’m staying with Izzy for a while.”

“Yes, I’m looking for the librarian.”

“She’s usually wandering the library. You should look around for her instead of waiting. She’s a unicorn with a bay coat, a gray mane, and a question mark cutie mark. Her name is Woody Dust.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Hey, have you ever heard of the Fluttershy Principle?” Sunny said quietly. “I saw it referenced in an old book about Ponyville, but Pipp and Zipp didn’t know what it was.”

I had heard of that in my biology classes. “It’s the idea that animals in captivity or rehabilitation have better health when kept in an environment similar to their natural habitat, even if it means denying them accommodations like protection from the elements or more nutritious foods.”

“Really? I think I heard Hitch say something similar to that once.”

“Does Hitch know biology?”

“He helps at the rehabilitation center for injured animals in Maretime Bay,” Sunny whispered. “Animals simply adore him.”

“He likes animals and music? We should hang out sometime.” I looked around. A few ponies were staring at us, but I wasn’t sure if that was because we were having a social conversation in a library or because pegasus and earth pony. “I’m going to try to find Woody Dust.”

“Good luck,” Sunny said. I trotted off, wandering through the library. After a few minutes, I found the pony Sunny had described on the second floor. For some reason I was expecting an old mare, but she looked to be about my age. She had a saddlebag full of books, and she was looking through a shelf, muttering to herself.

“Hello, are you Woody Dust?” I said quietly.

The unicorn looked at another book on the shelf, then put it in her bag. “Who’s asking?” she mumbled.

“Peace Petal,” I whispered. “I was told Woody Dust knows everything, and I wanted to ask her some questions.”

The unicorn looked at me and seemed to notice my wings for the first time. “What do you want to know?” she asked.

“I came here to study the plants of Bridlewood Forest,” I said quietly. “I want to know what the unicorns already know about botany. Not the basics, like flower anatomy or photosynthetic pathways. I’m studying systematics. Have the unicorns named any plant species?”

The unicorn—presumably Woody—looked around. “It’ll be a long conversation, won’t it?” she mumbled. She gestured for me to follow her. She led me up one flight of stairs, then another. This was the top floor of the library, but a set of steep, narrow stairs led to a trapdoor in the ceiling. The unicorn climbed the steps and unlocked the door, levitating the key with magic. I followed. We were in a small, dark room. I suddenly felt that something sketchy was about to go down. The unicorn lit an oil lamp, lighting the room and revealing hundreds of books and a bed. She lay on the bed.

Uh, is this bad? I thought. “Shall I write down some recommendations?” the unicorn said, levitating a pen and paper. I relaxed a bit.

“You are Woody Dust, aren’t you?” I said.

“Who calls me Woody Dust?” the unicorn asked.

“Izzy,” I said.

“Izzy who?”

“I didn’t catch a last name, if she had one.”

“Why not call me Dust?” she said. “Haven’t I told everypony to call me Dust? Anyway, are you familiar with the Pages Decimal System?”

“No.”

“Did you see the central desk on the first floor?” Dust asked. “Would a card with a reference guide help you?”

“Probably,” I said. Something about the way this unicorn talked was weird.

“Would The Field Guide to Bridlewood Forbs interest you?” Dust asked. “Do you need taxonomic relationships, or is a simple list of species and identifying traits still useful?”

“Anything is useful,” I said. “I thought I would have to start from zero.” Dust wrote a few things on the paper, which was about the size of an index card. She described a few more books and asked if I would want them. Soon we had a list of eleven books.

“Do you have time to read all of these?” Dust said. “Why do ponies check out books and never read them, letting them sit neglected until the due date? What could be worse?”

“I’ll at least skim them all for useful information,” I said. “And I’ll return them promptly. Studying is all I’m here to do, so they’ll have my full attention.”

“Is there anything else you wanted?” Dust said.

“I don’t think so,” I said. I turned to the trapdoor. “Wait, there is one thing. Izzy said you might know why… uh, mayonnaise is a forbidden word.”

Dust did no ritual at hearing the word. “Do they eat lots of mayonnaise where you’re from?” she asked.

“Some,” I said.

“Hmm,” she said. “Was it all false, then?”

“Was what false?”

“Did you know that unicorns associate pegasi and earth ponies with bad luck?” Dust said. “Where did I read that mayonnaise were long associated with earth ponies? Anyway, why would a condiment associated with earth ponies be cursed? That seems… random? Could it be because they have no wings or horns, so we had to associate their magic with an object instead? Anyway, isn’t all that stuff about the jinxies hogwash?”

That was why her speech sounded so weird! “Do you only speak in questions?” I said.

“Why not?”

“It seems… cumbersome.”

“Aren’t you a scientist?” Dust said. “Isn’t it your job to ask questions?”

“Yes, but… never mind,” I said. “Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome,” Dust said. I opened the trapdoor. Wait, that wasn’t a question! I looked at Dust, and she smirked. I decided to leave that alone and glide down from the trapdoor to the fourth floor. A unicorn nearby jumped as I landed. Yeah, maybe I should take the stairs.

I got to the first floor and looked at the central desk. There were the reference cards, which showed which shelves contained which numbers in this Pages Decimal System. After some time and trouble, I collected all the books Dust had recommended. I stepped outside, the books in my saddlebag. I flew up towards the top of the library tree and nestled on a branch. I pulled out my last sandwich, careful not to get anything on the book. I had a lot of reading to do.

* * *

Later that week, I was still reading through the same books. I was copying over some of the more useful information into my notebook. Unicorns had different names for a lot of genera and families, so putting together a whole picture in pegasus botany terms would take some time. But the fact that unicorns classified organisms into species, genera, and families told me that some of this science must have predated the pony separation. Some of their phylogenetic trees were wrong—or the pegasus biologists were wrong. After that conversation with Typhoon Tack, I had to consider the possibility that the unicorns knew as much or more than the pegasi.

All this unicorn botany changed everything. Suddenly my research project, which was initially about gathering data on plants in the field, was now confined to the library. I would have to compile everything I could learn about unicorn botany before returning to the field. Technically, this was good, since it meant I was progressing much more quickly than anticipated towards a complete understanding of the plants of Bridlewood Forest. But I did prefer field work to library research.

It was evening, and I was in the Crystal Tea Room again. Alphabittle had learned not to bother me with gambling games by now, but I kept coming back because I really liked all these exotic forest teas. I had brought a book and my notebook, but I left them in the saddlebag. I was too mentally tired to keep working. I would just go to bed early tonight to start early tomorrow. For now, I just sipped some heartflower tea and listened to the poet. My eyes wandered through the room, admiring Alphabittle’s collection of rare and odd objects.

A pony caught my eye. I noticed her immediately because she had no horn. But she also had no wings. An earth pony, but not Sunny or Hitch. She was a pink mare with a bright, yellow mane. She was talking with Alphabittle at the serving counter, which my table was next to. I overheard her saying, “…here, and I don’t really know what’s what. But I love exotic teas. Any suggestions?”

“The house special is the liquid crystal blend,” Alphabittle said. I perked up. That had the crystal flower in it, which Alphabittle never seemed to mention was psychoactive.

“Well, why not start there?” the earth pony said. “One liquid crystal, please.”

“Coming up!” Alphabittle said. He turned to start brewing.

“Do you know that has psychoactive properties?” I said quietly.

“Huh?” the earth pony said, turning.

“It contains the crystal flower, which has a psychoactive chemical called adamanine,” I said. “It’s a mild depressant.” I had learned that in one of the botany books from the library.

“Peace, I appreciate you as a regular, paying customer,” Alphabittle said, glancing over his shoulder. “But I’ll sell my own products, thanks.”

“I just think ponies ought to know what they’re getting into,” I said. “Maybe most unicorns know what crystal flower does, but I didn’t. I’m not saying it’s bad. It relaxes you and lowers your focus and inhibitions, but nothing too severe. But I didn’t know it did anything, so when I started acting weird after drinking a cup, I took a nap for fear of doing something irresponsible that I would regret. Lost half a day of work.”

“Alright, we get the idea,” Alphabittle said. “Do you want something else, Strawberry?”

“No, it’s no problem,” Strawberry said. “But thanks for letting me know… Peace, right?”

“Yep,” I said. “Peace Petal.”

“Strawberry Sunrise,” she said. She sat at one of the stools by the serving counter. I was on a cushion next to a low table. But we were right across from each other, easily within conversation distance.

“You said you’re into teas?” I said. “Do you have a favorite?”

“Oh, wow… I like a lot of teas,” Strawberry said. “It’s hard to pick a favorite. Just off the top of my head, strawberry hibiscus?” I noticed her cutie mark was a preserves jar with a strawberry label.

“I’m partial to hibiscus, as well,” I said. “I also like this heartflower tea they have here.” I took a sip from my teacup.

“I’ll have to try it,” Strawberry said. Alphabittle gave her a cup of tea, and she paid. Turning back to me, she said, “Hey, do you know plants well?”

“I know mountain plants better than the plants of Bridlewood Forest,” I said. “But I’m learning. I’m here to study Bridlewood plants.”

“Lucky me,” Strawberry said. “Do you know which berries are safe to eat or poisonous here? I’m trying to make some preserves.”

“I can’t be sure, but I can guess based off what plants they’re related to,” I said. “Or, actually… I happen to have a book on identifying edible plants in Bridlewood with me.” I reached into my saddlebag. “You can borrow it, if you’d like.”

“Really!” Strawberry said. “Wow, that’s nice of you. How soon do you need it back?”

“I’ll be in Bridlewood for quite a while,” I said. “But the book is due at the library in a moon. I’d like it back at least a few days before that.”

“I can do that,” Strawberry said. I passed the book to her. “How do I get in contact with you to give it back?”

“How long have you been in Bridlewood Forest?” I said.

“Just arrived today.”

“You like exotic teas,” I said. “I like exotic teas. We’ll probably bump into each other here.”

“That works for me,” Strawberry said. She sipped her tea. “Say, this liquid crystal stuff is pretty good.”

“I did like the flavor,” I said.

“So where are you from, Peace?” Strawberry said.

“Zephyr Heights,” I said. “You?”

“Caville,” she said. “It’s a small town west of Maretime Bay.”

“What are you doing in Bridlewood Forest?” I said.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Strawberry said. “I just think it’s so cool that earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi are getting along again. I’ll probably visit Zephyr Heights at some point. I am getting some foraging done here. I sell jams. What about you? What brings you to Bridlewood?”

“I’m… studying plants,” I said. “I’m a botanist.”

“Oh, yeah, you already said that,” Strawberry said. She seemed to be staring at something behind me. That crystal flower is taking effect, I guessed. But it took longer to have an effect when I drank it. Maybe this was just how she normally was? Or it affected me sooner than I realized that day. Was I already acting weird before I left the Crystal Tea Room?

Strawberry sipped some more tea and focused on me again. “Hey, I like that flower you have in your mane,” she said.

“Thank you,” I said. The rose had wilted. I now had a yellow willow catkin in my mane.

“Hey, I have a question, if it’s not too personal,” Strawberry said. “What kind of ponies are you attracted to? Mares, stallions, both?”

“Umm… I’m not completely sure?” I said hesitantly. “It’s not really at the front of my mind right now. Between God, plants, and trumpet, I have more than enough to think about already.”

“That’s interesting,” Strawberry said. “I’m more into mares. Some ponies thought I was weird for that. But those are the same ponies who blamed the unicorns and pegasi for everything that goes wrong. I think they’re just scared of what’s different.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “I like wearing dresses sometimes. But I rarely did it in Zephyr Heights because I’m anxious about how some ponies I know would react. It’s been nice to get away for a while.”

Strawberry drank the last of her tea. I had already finished mine. “I need to get back to my hotel,” I said. “I want to get an early start tomorrow. But it was nice meeting you.” I stood up.

“Absolutely!” Strawberry said. “You’ve been very helpful. I can’t believe they said pegasi are brutes…”

“I’ll see you around,” I said. I saddled up my bag and trotted out of the Crystal Tea Room. That was the third earth pony I had seen in Bridlewood. Were there unicorns and earth ponies trotting around Zephyr Heights when I left, and I just hadn’t noticed? Or had things changed in the last couple of weeks? Probably the latter. Things would never be the same after the royal sisters had extended the hoof of friendship to the other pony tribes.

Author's Note

Strawberry Sunrise is an OC created by u/cosmicandies on reddit.com. I've included Strawberry in my story with cosmicandies's permission.

Chapter Five

I walked into the library, sniffing in deeply. I loved that book smell. I figured books would always have their place, however much digital technology advanced. Books were palpable, they didn’t need batteries, and they smelled so nice. I walked up to the central desk, which for once Dust was actually attending. She didn’t look up from the book she was reading as I approached. “Hello,” I said.

Dust just looked at her book. She gasped softly and turned the page. “I have some books to return,” I said.

Dust mumbled something, still reading. I pulled the books out of my saddlebag and started putting them on the desk. That got her attention. “What’s up, Peace?” she said.

“Just returning these books,” I said.

Dust checked them over. “Where’s Identifying Edible Plants of the Forest?” she asked.

“I lent it to a friend,” I said. “But she’ll get it back to me before the due date.”

“Are you sure?” Dust said.

“Technically, I can’t be sure, because it’s not up to me,” I said. “But I’ll be sure to bother her if the due date is coming close. These books were super useful. I’ll probably come back to them for reference. Do you have any more recommendations for me?”

“You mean, other books like these?” Dust said. “If I had more, wouldn’t I have given them to you the first time?”

“Alright,” I said. “I don’t suppose you could get me in contact with the unicorns who wrote these books? I still want to collect more information. I’m thinking of composing a book that summarizes the botany of Bridlewood Forest in pegasus scientific terms.”

“You didn’t find anything useful in the herbarium?” Dust said.

“The. What?”

“Is that not what they call it in the pegasus lands?” Dust said.

“I know what an herbarium is,” I said. “You have one in Bridlewood?” My voice went higher as I got excited.

“I didn’t mention the herbarium before?” Dust said.

“No!” I squeaked.

“Shh. Have you seen the stairs that lead down to the basement of the library? What did you think was down there? Isn’t there a sign that says ‘herbarium’?”

“I don’t remember seeing it,” I said. Dust stood up and gestured for me to follow her.

She walked to a staircase. “No sign?” she said. “Where did it go…?” She trotted down the stairs, and I followed. She unlocked a door at the bottom. I thought maybe there were angel choirs as I stepped into the herbarium! There were rows of filing cabinets with family names labelling them. Confusing unicorn family names, but I knew most of them at this point. I opened a filing cabinet and pulled a file out. A beautiful, purple oak leaf, perfectly pressed on the mounting paper.

“Who mounted all of these?” I said. “Who takes care of the herbarium?”

“Who else but I?” Dust said. “As for the collectors, umm… aren’t they usually amateur naturalists? Where does the pony that wrote The Field Guide to Bridlewood Forbs live? Is it Sparkleton?”

“So, you don’t know any professional botanists in town?” I said. That would sure be useful.

“Didn’t I just say that?”

“Not exactly… Do you do any collecting yourself?”

“Umm… Does it look like I’ve seen the sun in the last dozen moons?” Dust said. “Who likes the sun, anyway? Can’t it burn you? Why would I ever leave my precious library?”

“Okay, not a collector then,” I said. “If you know any of the ponies who do collect, I’d like to get in contact with them.”

“Do you have a notebook?” Dust said. I pulled one out of my saddlebag, along with a pen. Dust started writing in it. She passed it back to me with magic. She wrote in very neat cursive. She had written several names, along with addresses and brief physical descriptions.

“That will be useful,” I said. “Also this.” I gestured around the herbarium. It wasn’t very large, but it was certainly more samples than I had collected so far.

“Shall I leave you to it, then?” Dust said, walking towards the exit.

“Sure,” I said. “Thank you!” Dust trotted up the stairs, closing the door behind her with magic.

* * *

The train was leaving the station as I arrived. “Oh, great,” I mumbled. In a snap decision, I ran and took off. I pumped my wings as hard as I could, rapidly picking up speed. The train accelerated more lethargically. Already breathing hard, I caught up to the back car of the train. I caught the railing next to the back door and folded my wings away. I opened the door and stepped into the train car, taking a seat.

Life in Zephyr Heights was havoc. It was always a bit of a shock, returning to the city after a long trip of field work. Even though I had been staying in a population center in Bridlewood Forest, it was still jarring to come back to ZH. With their blaring advertisements, instant messaging, and pop crazes, the ponies of Zephyr Heights were going nowhere in a hurry.

I was back for a short break, but I would soon return to Bridlewood Forest to continue my work. I had taken my samples back to the university lab and visited my family. The worst part of this “break” was hooking up to the grid again. 89 texts and 219 emails. Why? Just why?

I was on my way to see a Wonderbolts performance. I didn’t know if Zipp would recognize or remember me, but I was still interested in seeing what they could do. I was really happy to have flight back, like a lot of pegasi. What could be more irking than having wings but not being able to fly? Oh, I know, I thought. Watching as the royals flew while nopony else could! I still couldn’t wrap my head around why in Equestria the royals had sold that insulting, classist lie for so many years. It had made me resent them for years. My opinion of them actually mellowed out when I had learned that they had been lying the whole time. I still wouldn’t have forgiven them if the princesses hadn’t pressured the queen into pursuing a policy of intertribal friendship. They could say whatever they wanted about how magic was restored—it could just as easily be a lie, too—but dissolving these racist barriers was a tangible good the princesses were working towards. Overall, for now my political opinion on the princesses was neutral.

I still liked some of Pipp’s music and Zipp’s pioneering flight research, regardless of my political opinions. The train arrived at the station next to the stadium. I got through security and flew up to my seat. The arena—usually used for hoofball—was far from full. Although everypony was happy to be flying again, aerial performance was apparently still a niche interest.

The performance started with a fanfare from a band in the stands. It was a peppy tune, like the sort I played in marching band during high school. But these were royal guards, much better than a high school band. They had very clean double-tonguing, and the lead player hit an E at the end of the song. Then out of a tunnel came the Wonderbolts, in blue uniform with goggles. They flew a lap around the stadium, low to the ground. At the front of their formation was a pegasus with multicolored wings and a short mane. Wait, was that Zipp? The leader flew lowest of all, practically touching the ground. In fact, she was touching the ground, doing a passage trot as she zipped around the stadium.

After that showy opening, the leader—at this point I was pretty sure she was Princess Zipp—became more a part of the formation. They performed a series of daring stunts, coordinated patterns, and elegant maneuvers. I did notice a few formations that didn’t quite line up—all these ponies were new to flying. But there were no collisions, and the crowd was sufficiently wowed. I certainly couldn’t do anything like that. I guessed most of these ponies were already athletes when magic had been restored, ponies with the strength, coordination, and practice habits to get so good so quickly.

At the end of the performance, Zipp shot up into the air out of an aerial flower formation. She climbed straight up, quickly becoming a small speck in my vision. Then she dove. She picked up speed so quickly, it was over in a few seconds. She pulled up just before hitting the ground, barely clearing the rising bleachers of the arena. The ponies in that part of the audience first ducked in terror, then wildly cheered. I joined in, stomping my hooves on the bleachers. That stunt took some guts. If she had messed that up, at those speeds she surely would have died.

With that last stunt and another fanfare, the performance was over. I took to the air to get out of the arena. “Hey, Peace!” a voice beneath me called. I banked left to circle, looking down for who had called me. I saw a pony with a long, blue mane waving at me from an audience box. Izzy. I spiraled down towards her. I saw Sunny, Hitch, and Pipp in the box next to her. Noticing the royal guards, I landed on the bleachers outside the box. Izzy slipped past the guards to greet me.

“I didn’t know you’d be here!” she said. “I thought you were still in Bridlewood.”

“I’m just here for the weekend,” I said. “I’ll be back in Bridlewood, still for a long time. I’m surprised to see you here.”

“I’m just here to support a friend,” Izzy said. “This was Zipp’s first Wonderbolts performance, you know?”

“She must have worked hard,” I said. “In less than two moons, she went from never having flown to high-speed trots and daring dives. Flying isn’t as easy as she makes it look.”

“Seriously, though!” Pipp said. She had parted the guards. “I could never do what she does. Although wing shape matters, too. I can make tight turns easier than Zipp.”

“Her wings have more of a high-speed profile,” I said. “She was really zipping by the end of that dive. One moment she was just a dot in the sky, and the next she was already whooshing over the audiences’ heads.”

I heard wings behind me. “Thanks, Peace,” the approaching pegasus said. I turned to see Zipp land next to me. She was still in her blue Wonderbolts uniform, although she had removed the goggles. “That dive didn’t really go as planned, though.”

“Really?” I said. “I don’t know how you could have done better. That was a stunning finale.”

“I was trying to pull off a maneuver called a sonic rainboom,” Zipp said. “Have you ever heard of it?”

“No,” I said.

“There are legends of a Wonderbolt who flew so fast that she broke the sound barrier,” Zipp said.

“That’s not possible,” I said. “A pegasus doesn’t have the aerodynamics to—”

“Fly at all,” Zipp said. “We fly with magic. When she broke the sound barrier, her magic basically exploded, causing a rainbow to appear at the same time as the sonic boom.”

“Interesting,” I said.

“It’s nearly impossible to do,” Zipp said. “Hard enough that none of the other Wonderbolts ever managed it. I thought I could pull it off in a high-pressure situation. I perform well under pressure. But I wasn’t quite there.”

“You’ll get it, Zipp,” Pipp said. “Practice makes perfect.”

“Thank you all for coming to see our performance,” Zipp said.

“You always see mine, so it seemed fair,” Pipp said.

“I mean, you’re basically making history,” Sunny said. “This is the first Wonderbolts performance in hundreds of moons!”

“Well, I’m off,” I said, stretching my wings. “It’s good to see you all again. I’m going back to Bridlewood, so I’ll see you again, Izzy.”

“Great!” she said.

“And me,” Sunny added. “My home… got wrecked. So I’m staying with Izzy until they, uh, fix it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “Well, I’ll see you in Bridlewood.” I leapt into the air and flew off.

Chapter Six

Strawberry Sunrise put the book I had lent her on the table. “Thank you,” I said. We had run into each other in the Crystal Tea Room as she was coming in and I was leaving. I slid the book into my saddlebag.

“I’m sorry to get this back to you so close to the deadline,” Strawberry said. “I finished reading it a while ago, but I never saw you in town.”

“Yeah, I went back to Zephyr Heights for a little bit,” I said. “That’s my fault, not yours. But the deadline is still two days from now. I’m going to return this before I forget. It’s good to see you again.”

“You too!” Strawberry said. “Stay dry.” I trotted out of the tea room into the rain. It was a warm rain that had been going all day. I decided to fly to the library. I was on my way out to the depths of the forest today, so I wanted to get out of the town quickly. I had a rainproof jacket, but the droplets hit my glasses and wet my mane. I had a plastic bag inside my saddlebag, so the book was safe. I arrived at the library shortly, breathing a little heavy. I shook the water off me as I stepped inside. My vision was smeared by the water on my glasses, but there was no point cleaning them since I would be back out shortly. Luckily, Dust was at the front desk. I wordlessly walked up to the desk and put my book on it, which I had found to be the best way to get her attention.

“Oh, what’s that?” Dust said. “Hey, I knew you’d get it back in time.” I started and looked at her. Every hundredth sentence or so that she said was not a question, and I couldn’t figure out a pattern to it. “Is there anything you want to check out?” Dust said.

“No, not today,” I said.

“Here for the herbarium?” Dust said.

“No, just dropping this off. I’m off to the forest for a little field research.”

“Ugh, why today?” Dust said, shuddering.

“I like the rain,” I said as I turned to leave. I stood at the door of the library, listening to the soothing patter of the rain. With the sun blocked by clouds and every surface wet, the colors of the world shifted. I loved rain simply because it made the world different. An entirely different Bridlewood Forest waited out there, with entirely unfamiliar sights and sounds.

I trotted off into the forest, leaving the town. I had been back in Bridlewood for a week since my break in Zephyr Heights. I would soon shift from gathering information to drafting papers. I was thinking of writing an article for Evolution and Taxonomy to summarize my findings and get my research out there. If I could get that published, I would organize my notebook into a publishable book listing every new species I had found in detail. But before I parked my soul behind a desk for the next several months, I wanted to go through the forest for a few days to find the species I had learned from unicorn books. I couldn’t take the library’s herbarium back to Zephyr Heights, so I wanted samples.

Mud was building up at my fetlocks as I continued into the forest. The water was sliding off my feathers, but my mane and tail were getting soaked. I heard frogs croaking in the underbrush. I kept my eyes open for plants that I hadn’t collected yet as I came closer to the thickest, most diverse part of the forest.

After half an hour, I had already found three of the species that I hadn’t collected yet. The patter of rain drowned out softer sounds, so I jumped when I heard a large animal shifting a couple of meters behind me. I spun around, flaring my wings. Where did it go? I couldn’t see any movement, but I had definitely heard something. “Who’s there?” I said loudly. The foliage was thick here, so I couldn’t see much.

Something moved in the corner of my eye.

* * *

I stirred a few times before fully waking up. I smelled… lavender. It was quiet in here. In… where?

I opened my eyes. I was in a bed, in a dimly lit room. Without my glasses, I couldn’t see much more than that. I looked at the side table, but my glasses weren’t there. When I turned to look, my left wing burned in pain. It was extended at my side, bandaged. What happened? I thought. I couldn’t remember how I had gotten here.

“Hey, you’re awake,” a voice said. A pony trotted up to my bed. I couldn’t see her face clearly without my glasses, but she had a pink coat and a yellow mane.

“Where am I?” I said.

“In a hospital in Bridlewood,” the mare said. “I found you out in the forest. What happened to you?”

“That’s just what I’m wondering,” I said. But my brain was caught on something else. She had said Bridlewood. As in, Bridlewood Forest? What was I doing here? “Where are my glasses?”

“You didn’t have them when I found you,” the mare said. “I don’t know where they are.”

“You found me in the forest,” I said. I carefully moved my left wing, feeling that burning sensation again. “Was I injured?”

“Oh, yeah,” the mare said. “You were unconscious, with a burn on your wing. I carried you back to the town. You’re lighter than you look.”

“How did you find me if I was out in a forest?” I said.

“I went out looking for berries once the rain stopped,” she said. “You were right by a stream where raspberries grow.”

“It sounds like I’m lucky you found me,” I said. “Thanks. What’s your name?”

The mare paused for a moment, then leaned a little closer. “Uh, it’s me, Strawberry Sunrise,” she said. “We need to find you those glasses.” I didn’t know a “Strawberry Sunrise.” So then, something took out my short-term memory, I thought, going analytical. I tried to think further back. I remembered graduating from the Royal University with a degree in biodiversity and conservation. I remembered serving a mission for my church in Buenas Alas. I remembered getting baptized when I was eight. Long-term memory was intact.

What were my last clear memories? After graduation, I got accepted at the University of Zephyr Heights for my doctorate degree. Then… the royal family was exposed as frauds, unable to fly like the rest of the pegasi. Then pegasus flight had somehow been magically restored. Then the leaders of the three pony tribes had agreed to improve relations and open their borders. Seizing the opportunity, I had applied for funding to do botany research in Bridlewood Forest. And… that was it. Had they accepted my proposal? Apparently, since I was in Bridlewood Forest.

“Well, I’m going to let you get some rest,” Strawberry said. “And I’ll tell the nurse you’re awake.”

“Thanks for helping me, Strawberry,” I said. “I owe you one.”

“Nonsense,” Strawberry said. “You helped me with that book. Now we’re even.”

“I’m not sure it works that way,” I said. “I’ll just leave it at thank you.”

Strawberry nodded and walked past a curtain that sectioned off part of the room. I heard her hoofsteps depart, leaving me to think over what the hay had happened to me. Instead I got distracted, as usual. Where was that lavender smell coming from? It took me a while to realize that it was my own mane. They must have washed my mane with something lavender-scented. I wanted to look around the room, but I really couldn’t see anything without my glasses. Where were they? Apparently I was in Bridlewood Forest now. Had I brought a spare pair?

After a while, the nurse came in and asked me some questions. I explained to her that I had lost my short-term memory. She detailed my injuries and how long they would take to heal. I would be in the hospital for at least a week until the burn healed sufficiently that it wouldn’t get infected. I still wondered about the burn. There wasn’t a fire in the area I had been found. The nurse said it had been raining before Strawberry found me, so it might have been a lightning strike. But the likelihood of getting struck by lightning in a forest was incredible, so I didn’t believe that was it. I asked her about any magical creatures in Bridlewood that might be capable of this, but she didn’t say much.

The nurse was about to leave me with some oatmeal, but I told her I was vegan and she realized there was milk in it. Hopefully they would find something vegan for me to eat. A few minutes after the nurse’s visit, I heard approaching hoofsteps. A large, dark blue pony came through the curtains. “Peace Petal, right?” he said.

“Yes,” I said.

“I’m Officer Suitcase,” he said. “I was talking with the nurse. You don’t remember anything about the attack?”

“No,” I said. “Going by the current date, I don’t remember anything from almost the last two moons.”

“Understood,” Suitcase said. “I have news. You can decide if it’s good or bad. I think I know what happened to you.”

“Please share,” I said.

“One other pony was found out in the forest with similar injuries last week,” Suitcase said. “She had no memory of recent events either. Given the circumstances of her attack and yours, I think we have a criminal on our hooves. Or rather at least two criminals, probably. Magic is harder than you might think. Most unicorns are only good at one or two spells. So there’s probably one criminal doing fire attacks and one criminal doing memory wipes.”

“I see,” I said. “That would explain why I was found without anything on me. I usually go everywhere with my glasses, a saddlebag, and a scarf.” My eyes went wide. “My scarf! It took me so long to find a scarf that matched the shade of my eyes. And now it’s gone…”

“There’s one more thing you should know,” Suitcase said. “The other pony that was attacked… she was a pegasus, too. So this is probably racially-motivated violence, maybe a tactic to scare pegasi away now that they’ve started visiting Bridlewood more frequently. Make of that what you will, but… I’d recommend you get out of Bridlewood. Even after we’ve caught these particular criminals, the anti-pegasus sentiments that fueled their actions will remain. Staying here might put you in harm’s way again.”

My face felt hot at this unexpected news. That really… peeved me. I’d so much rather somepony attacked me just to take my stuff than because they hated me for having wings. “Thanks for letting me know,” I said.

“No problem,” Suitcase said. “If you have no more questions, I have some criminals to catch.” He turned around, heavy hoofsteps departing. I was boiling with frustration at all that I had lost: my scarf, my glasses, anything in my saddlebag—probably including my notebook and whatever notes I had inside. Also almost two moons of memories, including meeting new ponies who knew me but now I didn’t know them. My health, at least for a while. Not least of all, the innocent assumption I had made before that unicorns and pegasi would get along just fine.

Yes, that hurt as much as anything. Unicorns had attacked me just for being a pegasus? If I was here, it probably meant I had gotten funding to do research in Bridlewood Forest. If that was true, I couldn’t just leave Bridlewood. But I would be wary. Now I knew I couldn’t trust those unicorns and their brain-frying horn lasers.

Chapter Seven

I was bitterly stewing when a pair of ponies came to visit me. I had just sent a letter to Zephyr Heights to order a new pair of glasses. I still had to figure out what the hay I was doing in Bridlewood Forest. My notebook was probably stolen, but hopefully I had brought my journal, which would have something useful. If I could figure out where I was supposed to be staying. “Hey, Peace!” one of the ponies, a pink mare with a blue mane, said cheerily.

I squinted to see her better. I managed to spot the horn on her forehead. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember you,” I said. “Remind me your name?”

“The nurse explained it all,” the mare said. “But we were friends once, so I’m sure we can be friends again. My name is Izzy Moonbow.”

“And I’m Sunny Starscout,” the other pony said, a mare with an orange coat and a magenta mane.

“So how did we meet?” I said.

“You helped me find some roses for some flower crowns I was making,” Izzy said. “Later I introduced you to Sunny, who’s been my friend for a while now.”

“You and I also saw each other in the library,” Sunny said. Squinting, I didn’t see a horn on her head. At her sides… were those saddlebags? Were there wings underneath? I couldn’t tell, but she certainly wasn’t a unicorn.

“So, what did we do as friends?” I said. “Raid the library for books about flowers?”

“Well… we didn’t do a lot of ‘hanging out,’ exactly,” Izzy said. “More of just we kept bumping into each other. You were always too busy.”

“I see,” I said. Were they really friends, or more of acquaintances? “Well, I appreciate the visit, but I kind of want to be alone right now.”

“Oh,” Izzy said. She deflated a little bit.

“If it helps, I kind of know what it feels like to lose everything all at once,” Sunny said. “My home was wrecked by a childhood friend of mine in a fit of rage. Most of my memories of my dad were in there. I wanted to be left alone, at first. But being alone makes it worse. I found that doing some of your favorite activities with a friend helps.” I wordlessly gestured to my burned wing. Sunny winced. “Having somepony around to just listen as you talk out your problems helps, too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “But I still want to be left alone for now.”

“Alright,” Sunny said. “We’ll come back later, though.” She turned to leave, and she nudged Izzy, who turned to follow her.

“Oh, wait!” Izzy said, stopping. “Is there anything we can get you, Peace? A book, or a sandwich, or something?”

“Well, I’m vegan,” I said. “So the sandwich might be hard. As for books, the book I really want right now is my church’s scriptures. But I doubt they’d have them in the Bridlewood library.”

“Would you have brought a copy with you?” Izzy said.

“Undoubtedly,” I said.

“Do you know where you were staying?”

I shook my head. “My hippocampus is thoroughly fried.”

“Well, let’s see…” Izzy said. “I can ask around and find out where you were staying. I bet Alphabittle knows. Now, the crooks probably took any keys you had, but I’d gladly pay for another copy. What do those scriptures look like?”

“Hang on,” I said. “You can’t just… go through my stuff. I don’t remember what I had, so I wouldn’t know if you took anything.”

“Oh, I… see,” Izzy said, looking down. Once again it seemed she deflated, but worse this time. I winced. She came here as a friend, and I just implied that she could rob me. But I didn’t know her at all, and I didn’t know what she could do with that horn. I had lost enough already.

“If you manage to figure out where I was staying, please come back and tell me,” I said. “I do need to know. But I’ll get my own stuff from there once I’ve healed.”

“Okay,” Izzy said glumly. “Get better soon.”

“Thank you,” I said. The two ponies disappeared behind the curtains.

* * *

Later I was praying, and I felt bad for how I had reacted to Sunny and particularly Izzy. Ministering to the sick was a commandment of paramount importance, and that was exactly what they had tried to do. When I heard hooves coming towards my bed, I thought I might have the chance to apologize. But it wasn’t Sunny or Izzy. It was a pony with a bay coat and a gray mane. “Do you remember me?” she said. I didn’t recognize her voice, and I squinted to see the horn on her head. In my memory, I didn’t know any unicorns.

“No,” I said. “Sorry.”

“Why apologize?” the unicorn said. “Whose fault was it?”

“The police suspect it was unicorn criminals,” I said.

“Did you do anything wrong, then?”

“No,” I said. “Remind me your name?”

“How about you call me Dust?” she said.

“Hello, Dust,” I said. “Nice to meet you, again.”

“Do you remember what you were doing in Bridlewood?” Dust asked.

“Not at all,” I said.

“Would you like some help?”

I sat up straighter in the bed. “What do you mean?”

Dust reached into her saddlebag and started placing book after book on the side table. “Can you read without your glasses?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I’m nearsighted.”

“Could you see yourself reading any of these?” Dust said. I glanced at the title of the first one. Identifying Edible Plants of the Forest. “Would you believe you were taking notes from these to compile a book cataloguing the unique species of Bridlewood Forest in pegasus botany terms?”

“That certainly sounds like something I would do,” I said.

“And what if I said you spent a lot of time in the herbarium under the library?” Dust said. “You didn’t explain everything to me, but would this help you get started at least?”

“Absolutely!” I said, getting excited. “Thank you! Now I don’t have to start from scratch in figuring out what the hay I’m doing here. Tell me, how did we know each other? What did I do to deserve your help?”

“Deserve?” Dust said. “Doesn’t everypony who needs help deserve it?”

“I suppose you’re right,” I said.

“What’s a librarian’s job, if not to distribute knowledge?” Dust said. “You were asking important scientific questions, so how could I not help?”

“How did you even know I needed help?” I said.

“Do you know who Izzy Moonbow is?” Dust said.

“She told you?” I said. I sighed heavily.

“What’s wrong?”

“She came to visit me earlier, and I… didn’t treat her well,” I said. “I was feeling angry about what happened.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Dust said. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

“A blank spiral-bound notebook?” I said. “I might as well start… relearning what I’ve unlearned.”

“Do you mind if I come back with that tomorrow?” Dust said.

“You’re under no obligation to run my errands,” I said. “So if you bring me that tomorrow, I can be nothing but grateful.”

“Can you get a notebook yourself?” Dust said.

“Um… not really,” I said, pointing to my wrapped-up wing. “I’m not supposed to leave until the risk of infection is down.”

“So how could I not help?” Dust said. “Isn’t it a moral obligation?” Something about the way this pony talked was strange, but I couldn’t place my hoof on what. “Anyway, good luck in your research.”

“Thank you so much!” I said as Dust departed behind the curtain.

* * *

Izzy came back the next day bouncy and bubbly. Sunny was behind her. “Hey, Izzy,” I said. “Hey, Sunny.”

“So, good news,” Izzy said. “I found the hotel you were staying at and got the room number.” She placed a folded paper on the side table.

“Thank you,” I said.

“I also made… Da-da-da-nah!” She retrieved something from her saddlebag with magic. “A dove plushie! Just like your cutie mark.” With levitation, she placed the dove next to me on the bed. It was small, about the size of my hoof.

“You made this… for me?” I said. “It’s so cute. Thank you.” My earlier mistreatment of her could not go uncorrected. She was too sweet not to like. “I’m sorry for not trusting you earlier. You’re clearly a dependable friend. If you’re still willing to go through my stuff to find my scriptures, you’re welcome to do so.”

“No problem,” Izzy said. “What do they look like?”

“It’s just one, really thick book,” I said. “It’s black, and it reads ‘Holy Scriptures’ on the spine.”

“Got it,” Izzy said. “I’ll go to the hotel and find them first thing after here.”

“You are an amazing friend,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Is there anything else we can do for you?” Sunny said.

I remembered what Sunny had said about talking through your problems with somepony else. But I still kind of wanted to be left alone. Social interaction was always draining to me, and I had nothing left to drain. “No, thanks,” I said. “You’ve done plenty.”

“Alright, then,” Sunny said. “Come on, Izzy.”

“We’ll be back soon with those scriptures,” Izzy said. She trotted out of the room humming a tune. Sunny turned to follow her. No, I needed to talk to her.

“Uh, Sunny,” I said quietly. She stopped. “I could use somepony to talk to. Somepony who would just listen and understand.”

I heard Izzy’s hoofsteps stop ahead. “You go ahead, Izzy,” Sunny said. “I’ll catch up.” Sunny closed the curtain and came near my bed. “I’m listening.” Now that she was closer, I could see clearly that she did not have wings. An earth pony, then. I had never met one before, in my memory. Unless… was Strawberry Sunrise an earth pony? I didn’t remember seeing a horn or wings. Either way, I certainly didn’t expect to see an earth pony in Bridlewood of all places.

I sighed. “I’m so frustrated,” I said. “If I was found in the forest with nothing on me, I was certainly robbed. I don’t go out without my glasses, my saddlebag, my notebook, and a scarf. Those are all going to be difficult to replace, obviously the notebook in particular. Also the scarf, if I had the pink scarf that matches my eyes. I spent a lot of time looking for a scarf that was the right shade of pink. I might have had some money on me. I don’t know.”

“That’s a lot to lose,” Sunny said. “And worth more to you than them.”

“The injury is irritating, too,” I said. “Fortunately, whatever balm the hospital is putting on my skin is really working. I don’t feel the burn unless I move. But I want to move! I want to go outside. I want to visit my hotel room and see what I left there. I want to go around Bridlewood and see the places and the plants. I want to breath outdoors air! I want to fly! Instead I’m stuck here.”

“Yeah, that’s rough,” Sunny said.

“The memory wipe is worse!” I said, getting heated. “There are all these ponies who know who I am, and I don’t know them. I don’t even remember arriving in Bridlewood. Everything since I got here is gone. I don’t know what I’m doing here! I remember I was applying for funding to do plant taxonomy in Bridlewood, so I guess I must have been funded. Whatever I learned in the time I’ve been here, it’s all gone! I have a really sharp memory, so for some unicorn to prance around and just take it all with magic is painful. What was I researching? How far did I get along? What did I learn? Did I write any of it down? Was it all in the notebook that got stolen? Basically, all the time I’ve been here is probably wasted.”

“I can’t even imagine what that’s like,” Sunny said.

“At least a pony named Dust helped me out,” I said. “She told me what books I was reading and taking notes from. But without my notes, I don’t really know what I’m trying to learn from these books. My proposal that I sent for funding was centered around field work, not library research.”

“Maybe you left something useful in your hotel,” Sunny said.

“And you know, that’s not even the worst part,” I said. “Everything else makes me frustrated, but this makes me angry.” I felt my face growing hot as I spoke. “The police officer said there was one other attack like this last week, and the victim was another pegasus. Whoever did this did it just because I’m a pegasus! I didn’t choose to be born with wings! You know, when the royals started talking with unicorn leaders, I was excited and happy. I chose to come to Bridlewood. It wasn’t just because I thought there would be a lot of new plant species here—okay, maybe it was mostly that. But I wanted to visit the unicorns. I was tired of all the fear-driven nonsense ponies in Zephyr Heights say about unicorns. I wanted to show that pegasi and unicorns could learn to be friends and get along. And then some unicorn had to sling a memory spell at me and prove me wrong.”

Sunny gasped softly at that last one. “I wouldn’t say that…”

“Isn’t your job to listen while I rant?” I said.

“Well, yes, but… Please, don’t let a few unicorns’ actions define your perception of every unicorn. All you’d do by saying that pegasi and unicorns can’t get along is prove your attacker right.”

I growled in frustration. “You’re right, of course,” I said. “Izzy is a unicorn, and she’s been practically a ministering angel. Dust has helped, too. I just want somewhere to direct my anger, and I don’t even know who attacked me.”

“I know what it’s like to hold anger for somepony,” Sunny said. “The pony who demolished my house, well… I’m still trying to avoid him. I know I should go talk to him, forgive him. But it just isn’t that easy.”

“Well, nopony’s perfect,” I said. “But I should be better. I know what God has said about forgiving: ‘Of you it is required to forgive all ponies.’ I can’t keep on being angry knowing that it’s wrong to do so. The unicorns I’ve met that I actually remember have all been pretty nice. And, you know… the earth ponies I’ve met aren’t so bad either.”

“Thanks,” Sunny said.

“Thank you for listening,” I said. “You should go catch up with Izzy.”

“Alright,” Sunny said. “Izzy and I will be visiting you at least until you’re out of the hospital. So let me know if you ever want to talk again.”

“I will,” I said.

“I hope you figure out what research you were doing,” Sunny said. “Good luck.” She disappeared behind the curtain.

Chapter Eight

I finally stepped out of the hospital into the open air. It was a hot, sunny day. Light trickled through the thick canopy of Bridlewood Forest. The lighting was made more mellow by the pink and purple shades of many of the leaves. Birds sang, and unicorns went about their days quietly. All the different trees, shrubs, and forbs caught my eye, but I had something else on my mind. What had I left behind in my hotel?

Izzy had brought me my scriptures, which had been great. But I hadn’t asked her to sort through all my other books and figure out what was what. “Hello, Peace,” an elderly stallion said as I passed by. My glasses still hadn’t arrived, and I didn’t recognize the voice.

“Hey, there,” I said with a nod, trying to fake recognition. The other pony kept on trotting, and so did I. That memory wipe was going to be even more annoying now that I was out and about. I trotted towards the hotel, following the address and the map Izzy had given me. I also had the replacement key she had bought for me. Goodness, she was a sweet friend.

I arrived at the hotel, found my room, and went inside. It was dark, and I couldn’t find the light switch. I just threw open the curtains of the windows. What was here? My trumpet! Thank God that wasn’t stolen. My saddlebag… was gone. Great. So was my scarf. I did find a stash of gemstones and… strange coins. Maybe unicorn bits. No spare pair of glasses. Sorting through all my stuff was slower without them.

I found one book I recognized as my journal. There was also one book I didn’t recognize, a notebook, but not the last one I remembered owning. I opened it and started reading. This was… interesting. A little foreword at the beginning, then pages and pages of species descriptions. I didn’t recognize any of them. The foreword made it clear what this was. I had copied these species from books in Bridlewood Forest—probably the ones Dust had given me—and described them in pegasus botany terms. It looked like I intended to publish this book, although this was clearly a first draft.

Next I read through my journal, starting where my memory was intact. Okay, so I got funding. I came here, I was studying plants in the field. I realized that unicorn botany was more advanced than I had guessed, and I started transcribing their species instead. With this, the notebook, and the books Dust had given, it was clear what kind of research I was doing here. And fortunately this notebook seemed to be where I had put most of my work. Maybe the memory wipe wouldn’t be such a setback after all.

I still had to relearn everything. I was still reading through Dust’s books, and I would like to find these species in nature and practice identifying them. But thanks to Strawberry Sunrise I was alive. Thanks to Dust I had somewhere to start. And thanks to Izzy and Sunny, I wasn’t going to hold a grudge. I could bounce back from this.

* * *

Wind, rushing past my face, over and under my feathers, through my tail and mane. I flapped my long, thin wings again, almost gliding. The dark red feathers of my spread wings soaked up sunlight. The burned skin of my left wing was still tender, but it was worth a little discomfort to be up here. Having finally got a new pair of glasses in the mail, I could clearly see Bridlewood Forest below me, dark and shaded in violets, pinks, greens, and browns. I angled my wings, turning slightly just to turn. A nice, leisurely fly was such a welcome break!

I had been indoors, editing my article, all day. I had decided to write a shorter article for publication in a scientific journal. The article would describe the basics of my work and refer to the more detailed and complete book, which would be published separately. I had to write everything by pen for now. There were no computers in Bridlewood Forest, but there were no Acer lunasaltum in Zephyr Heights. I also couldn’t take the Bridlewood library with me, so I would stay here as long as possible in case I needed to reference something.

Although I was flying slowly, I was out of shape after the hospital stay and being sequestered for research. I wanted a breather. I saw a cloud nearby, just a little higher than me, and I turned towards it. I flapped up to the cloud, and coming up I saw another pony standing on it. I flared my wings and landed on the cloud. “Oh, hey,” I said. “Sorry, I just needed a quick breather. I can find another cloud.”

“You really are a shy one, aren’t you, Peace?” the pony said, smiling. He was an older pegasus with a green coat and a dull, red mane. Oh, this pony had greeted me in the street earlier.

“Um… maybe you didn’t hear,” I said. “I was mugged by a unicorn with a memory-wiping spell. So you may know me, but I don’t know you. Remind me your name?”

“Typhoon Tack,” he said. “We met on a cloud just like this.” He reached into the cloud and retrieved a blue crystalline needle from it. Frowning, he tucked it behind his ear. “You lost your memory? How are you holding up?”

“It has been unpleasant,” I said. “All these ponies know me, and I don’t know them. I didn’t even know what I was doing in Bridlewood. My last memories before the incident were in Zephyr Heights.”

“That sounds rough,” Typhoon said. “Have you been able to put together your research since the memory loss?”

“Actually, that’s gone pretty well,” I said. “Some ponies helped me figure what I was doing. I’ll finish my research article soon, then I’ll go back to Bridlewood to get it published. I’m worried how the review committee will receive it, though.”

“Why’s that?” Typhoon said.

“I don’t know how things are now, but… As I remember it, most pegasi despise unicorns. When I first drafted my research proposal, everypony was warning me not to go to Bridlewood. ‘Oh, they’ll fry your brain’ and such. My research is centered on unicorn science. Really, all I’ve done is compiled what unicorns already know about botany. I’m afraid they’re all going to dismiss it as voodoo magic or some nonsense instead of real science.”

Typhoon seemed an old, tired stallion, but something lit up in his eyes when I said that. “So that’s where your research ended up taking you?” he said. “Literature reviews are important, but it is a problem if nopony trusts your sources. I have written my fair share of research papers myself. I might have some pointers on how to get them to take you seriously. Do you have a draft I can look over?”

“I do, if you can read my writing,” I said. “It’s all in cursive.”

“I’ll be fine; you would be surprised how many hobbies one can pick up, if cooped up in Zephyr Heights long enough,” Typhoon said. “I can even read emoji.”

“The draft is in my hotel room, if you don’t mind following me back there,” I said. I wasn’t carrying anything important with me after what happened earlier.

“Let’s fly,” Typhoon said, stretching his scrawny, old wings. From the height of the cloud, I was able to glide all the way to my hotel without ever flapping. I looked behind to make sure Typhoon was keeping up. Yes, he was flying fine, even though he kept scanning the tree cover below.

I opened my hotel room, collected the draft that was spread across the desk, and pulled up a seat for Typhoon. “Thank you,” he said, sitting down and leaning over the desk. “Your penponyship is nice.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I’ll write my thoughts on a separate paper, alright?” Typhoon said.

“Yes, thank you,” I said. I just kind of shuffled awkwardly as Typhoon read my work. He mumbled to himself occasionally as he advanced through the pages. Finally, he put them down. He started writing his notes without referencing the paper. It was quite a lot of text, even moving to a second page. Some time later, Typhoon put the quill down.

“That was interesting,” Typhoon said. “I sincerely hope you succeed. These notes should help, but the basic problem of your paper—convincing pegasi that unicorn science is valid—is still unsolved. There is another way how I could help you. I’ve found that unicorn meteorology is surprisingly advanced, especially considering they can’t fly or manipulate weather. I talked with a couple of scientists in Zephyr Heights about it, just casually to retain old contacts. But if I sent them a more detailed report of unicorn meteorology and they published that, it could lower pegasus skepticism towards unicorn science in general.”

“I suppose that’s true,” I said.

“How long before you were planning on submitting this for review?” Typhoon said.

“At least a few weeks,” I said. “I want to have the species book closer to ready in case the article is accepted.”

“I can get that article through by then,” Typhoon said. “It’d be more of an ideas and perspectives article, not a full-blown book like what you’re referencing.”

“That would be fantastic!” I said. “You’re being so helpful, I don’t know how to thank you.”

“There will come a day when I will ask you for a favor,” Typhoon proclaimed gravely. “I expect you to remember then what I do for you now.” He failed to suppress a laugh. “Just kidding. Breaking into the circles of science is hard. Worse with unexpected memory loss. You will have it easier with some help, so I’m giving it to you.” Typhoon stood up. “I wrote my mailing address in Zephyr Heights, in case you ever need to contact me. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Have a good day.”

“You too,” Typhoon said. "If I hurry with that article, I might be able to play detective and get a stern talking from the police about minding my own business. That would be fun." He trotted out of the hotel and took off.

* * *

Izzy pressed a button on the side of… whatever that was. It opened like a blooming flower. The “petals” flattened out, acting as a table for a teapot and six teacups. “Boom!” Izzy said. “What do you think of that, Peace Petal.” She nudged me and chortled. “Get it?”

“It’s nice,” I said, refusing to acknowledge the pun. “Did you base it off an Iuba hexafloris flower?”

“I have no idea,” Izzy said. She levitated the teapot and took it to the kitchen.

“Thanks for having us over,” I said. When Izzy had heard that I would be leaving Bridlewood Forest, she had invited me and her other friends to a tea party at her house. Yeah, apparently she was friends with the royal sisters. Fortunately, she had already filled everypony in on my memory loss. I was getting tired of explaining that to everypony and their aunt.

“No problem,” Izzy called.

“I’m glad you were able to put your research back together,” Sunny said. “You were really down for a while there. How’s it coming along now?”

“The introductory article was accepted and published in Forest Diversity,” I said. I was so giddy about that, I had purchased a physical copy of the whole volume and brought it with me. I pulled the book out of my bag and opened to the bookmarked page where my article started. “There I am.”

“Is it in Ponish or… science lingo?” Hitch said.

“It’s pretty hard to understand if you don’t know botany,” I admitted.

“Well, I might not read it, but I’m still happy for you,” Hitch said.

“I’ve pretty much finished editing the manuscript for the book,” I said. “Now I need to go back to Zephyr Heights and type it out.”

“Then we can see each other more often,” Pipp said.

“Do you have plans for after the book?” Zipp said.

“There’s a lot to do in Bridlewood, still,” I said. “There are hundreds of species to study and compare. Unclear phylogenetic trees, unexplored ecological niches, and such. But I think the bigger opportunity is in Maretime Bay. Somepony needs to do there what I’ve done here—compile what’s already known in pegasus botany terms and publish it for the scientific community in Zephyr Heights. Maretime Bay may not have the plant diversity of Bridlewood Forest, but its climate is very different from anywhere pegasi have studied. There will be new species to catalogue.”

“You’ll love it in Maretime Bay,” Hitch said. “It’s the most charming town in Equestria.”

Sunny nudged Hitch. “You sound like a radio ad,” she said. “Did you hear that from Phyllis?”

“Tea!” Izzy said, trotting into the room with a teapot. “What kind does everypony want?”

“Black,” Hitch said.

“Do you have lavender chamomile?” Pipp said.

“I have lavender and chamomile,” Izzy said. “We can make it work!”

“Green,” Sunny said.

“I’ll take black as well,” Zipp said.

“Heartflower,” I said. “I might as well get some while I can. I’m going to miss Bridlewood.”

“You can always come visit,” Izzy said.

“I don’t really have the money to travel wherever I want whenever I want,” I said. “But I’ll certainly write you.”

“And we can visit you,” Izzy said. “The five of us live in three different cities, so we’re always bouncing around between them.”

“I’d enjoy that,” I said. “Although I don’t remember it, I’m glad I met you.” I was never really good at making friends, so my experience after the memory wipe was surprising. Strawberry Sunrise had saved me in the forest. Dust had helped me figure out my research. Izzy and Sunny had helped me pick up my spirit afterwards. Typhoon Tack had helped me get published. And now I was having tea with the princesses and the sheriff of Maretime Bay like I was part of their group.

Izzy passed me a teacup. I smelled the heartflower, a cool, sweet scent. “Everypony has been so nice to me since I got mugged,” I said. “Maybe y’all should try it sometime.” A few of them chuckled. I wanted to freeze this moment. Bridlewood was beautiful, I loved my research, things were going my way in terms of publication. These ponies and others had been so helpful and kind to me. There was a certain… magical feeling to this moment of friendship. “I’ve definitely enjoyed Bridlewood Forest, despite some setbacks,” I said. “I can’t wait to see what Maretime Bay has in store for me.”

Author's Note

Yay, that's the end! Thanks to u/Tempeljaeger on Reddit for letting me use their OC, Typhoon Tack, and for editing Typhoon's lines to make them more accurate to the character.

I've had fun with this! However, just because I implied the possibility of a follow-up story in Maretime Bay doesn't mean I promise to write said follow-up. I don't really have any ideas yet for what I would do in Maretime Bay. I already did the whole Peace-does-botany-and-overcomes-his-racist-biases thing, so I'd need a new idea that I don't currently have. Maybe when the G5 special comes out, it will give me something.