My little pony:Adventure of Seresia

Even the warmest daylight could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere brought on by the triple guard presence in the Canterlot Royal Gardens. Ever since the discovery of Chrysalis's escape, the gardens had been sealed off, with no pony allowed in or out. When Twilight arrived at the scene and saw the missing statue, "shocked" could not begin to describe her feelings. While relieved that Tirek and Cozy Glow were still in place, she couldn’t understand how Chrysalis had escaped on her own. Could she have been rescued? But who could have rescued her right under the noses of the Royal Guard without triggering any alarms? A barrage of questions overwhelmed Twilight’s thoughts, leaving her breathless, as though the sky itself were collapsing.

"Princess Twilight... Princess Twilight??" Spike nudged her a few times, snapping her out of her chaotic thoughts. Annoyed, she asked,

"What is it? I’m trying to make sense of things here!" Following Spike's gaze, she saw two neatly dressed guards standing nearby, having been there for who knows how long. The badge on one of their chests indicated he was the captain.

"Sorry, Captain! I... got a bit distracted. Please don’t mind. Did you find any useful clues at the scene?" The captain saluted again and then used his magic to levitate a paper report in front of her. "We’re glad you could take the time to come, Princess Twilight. Around the statue’s base, we discovered a magical formation unlike anything we’ve seen before. Although the magic had mostly dissipated, we managed to restore the pattern."

Taking the diagram and examining it closely, Twilight’s mind raced, trying to recall even the slightest memory of anything resembling the symbol. But her thoughts were entirely consumed by terrifying visions of Chrysalis’s return and the potential havoc she could wreak upon Equestria. The mental strain left her unable to focus, and she rubbed her forehead in distress.

"In addition to the magical formation, we found a few severely withered leaves near the formation and scattered throughout the garden. At first, we didn’t think much of it, but the gardener informed us that these leaves don’t belong to any plant in the gardens and that he doesn’t recognize the species. The way the leaves have withered is also... unusual." After a brief silence, the captain, seeing that Twilight remained quiet, retrieved a glass container from his bag and gave it to her.

"Hmm, looks like we’ll need to consult an expert. Maybe we should ask Zecora—she’s always been good with things like this." Spike came over, examining the container of withered leaves alongside Twilight. Noticing her worried expression, he quickly came up with an idea.

"Good idea! I hope Zecora’s home right now." Twilight’s face lit up as she passed the container to Spike and looked back at the captain. "Anything else to report, Captain?"

"Nothing else, Princess, but we’ll update you immediately if we discover anything new." Twilight nodded and added, "Thank you for your hard work. These are dangerous times. Please ensure that the statues are closely guarded! Just one of Chrysalis is enough to turn Equestria upside down. We can’t risk the other two escaping!"

"Rest assured, Princess, we’ll do everything we can to protect the remaining statues!" Although still uneasy, Twilight had more urgent matters to attend to. After giving a few more instructions, she and Spike vanished in a flash of magic.

"Whoa! Does Princess Twilight always teleport like that?" The young soldier beside the captain seemed excited, witnessing Twilight’s magic firsthand for the first time. Curious, he looked to the captain for an answer. The captain, however, glared at him. "Didn’t you hear what Princess Twilight just said?! Get back to your post, now! Not even a butterfly is getting in here!"

"Y-yes, Captain!" The young soldier scrambled back to his position. Meanwhile, Twilight had arrived at Zecora’s hut.

"Zecora? Zecora?" She knocked, her voice echoing through the empty house, but none pony answered. As Twilight had expected, Zecora wasn’t home. Pacing anxiously, she prayed that Zecora would return soon. "I knew it! Nothing ever goes smoothly when something this big happens..."

"Twilight?" A familiar but muffled voice sounded behind her. It was Zecora, returning home with a bag full of plants on her back and a basket brimming with unknown materials in her mouth. Twilight, overjoyed to see her, rushed over and gave her a big hug, sending the basket flying and scattering its contents everywhere.

"Oops... sorry! I got too excited... You have no idea how desperate I was to see you!" Seeing the mess, Zecora gave Twilight a frustrated look. Twilight, embarrassed, quickly used her magic to gather up the materials and put them back in the basket under Zecora’s watchful gaze.

"Calm yourself, come inside, and tell your tale." Following Zecora inside, Twilight explained the situation as she watched Zecora put away her supplies. Realizing the gravity of the matter, Zecora immediately set aside her work and took the container from Twilight, carefully examining its contents.

"I have a way to mend this thing, but time I shall need, Princess. Leave it here with me if you don’t mind."

"How much time, Zecora? You know this is urgent. The sooner we can figure out what these leaves are, the sooner we can find out how Chrysalis was rescued and by whom."

"Few hours, perhaps days, depending on the way. Only one sample do I possess, I must tread carefully, for none can I harm. But more samples might yield great success."

"You mean you need more samples?" Seeing Zecora nod, Twilight said, "Got it! I’ll go get more right now!" With that, Twilight vanished again, leaving Spike behind. The dragon and zebra exchanged awkward glances.

"Uh... hi, Zecora! How’s everything been?"

Meanwhile, Twilight teleported back to the Royal Gardens, startling the young soldier she had encountered earlier. He almost raised his magic to attack before recognizing her.

"Pr-Princess Twilight!"

"Sorry, soldier! I didn’t mean to startle you. Where’s your captain? I need to speak with him immediately." Helping the soldier up, Twilight asked. He quickly saluted, replying, "The captain is patrolling other sections, Princess. I’m in charge of this area."

"Ok then... do you still have the container the captain gave me earlier, the one with the withered leaves?"

"Yes, Princess, we have a few more samples ready to be sent to the storage facility."

"Bring them here. I need to take those for analysis to identify the plant species."

"At once, Princess!" The soldier hurried away, leaving Twilight to anxiously wait. A few minutes later, he returned, pulling a small cart. Twilight inspected the cart; though the samples were few, it was better than having just one.

"Thank you for your help, soldier. I’ll take it from here. Spike, grab these—" She stopped mid-sentence, realizing there was no response. After spinning around, she saw no sign of Spike. "Spike?? We don’t have time for hide-and-seek!"

"Princess...? Are you looking for the dragon that was with you? You teleported here alone."

"Oh no... I can’t believe I left him at Zecora’s..." Twilight grumbled but quickly resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to carry the containers back herself.

"Um... Princess? There’s something else I feel I should report." Watching Twilight struggle to balance the containers between her wings, the young soldier decided to offer help. He began placing the samples into a single container, reasoning that there was no harm since they were all just withered leaves.

"Hmm? Have you found any new clues?"

"Not exactly, Your Highness. It’s... something strange that happened a few nights ago."

"What is it?" Twilight asked curiously.

"There was a heavy rain in the gardens, but... afterward, there was no sign that it had rained at all."