Hey there everypony! Yeah, it's been forever. School and drama! D: But I has returned! You see, for certain reasons I have not been able to get on fanfiction. So, I am having my friend IRL, NeonRacoon on deviantart doing it for me! I still can't access it, so for a while this is how it's going to be. Thanks Neon! Anywho, the long anticiapted chapter. Indeed my friends, this is the chapter! This is Neon radioing in in italics! So slanty! So as Rarity just mentioned, I will be posting these on fanfiction for a while. They will also be on deviantart if it's more convenient there. I will proceed to shut my face and let you read now. Enjoy!
"So, why are you here? How did you come this far?" Fluttershy pushed curiously to Tipo Duro. The brown unicorn turned to Colten and murmured his gibberish, while Colten returned with more.
"He says that he was hiking the forest, attempting to lay down a map. Of course though, he lost his way. He has been wandering for two weeks!"
"Woah!" She gasped, eyes widening.
"Also, Fluttershy, before I forget, when was the last time you've eaten?"
"Uh... Maybe a week ago?"
"A week ago? Come we need to find you some sustenance before the cold kills you! You know you need to eat A LOT out here to live!"
She just shrugged her shoulders. Honestly she didn't care wether she lived or died. She knew she most likely wouldn't be returning home, so what did it matter? Why put herself through such suffering if she was only to die in the end?
"Come now, let me take you both to the herbivore place. Sure, in the start of winter the grass is dry and brittle, but you can live off of it. In this side of the woodland there is nothing, not even the bark! ..."
And the three trotted off. Colten went on and on about the plant life, and what things could and could not be eaten. Fluttershy used whatever energy she could muster to listen to him. It seems as if she had no choice but to live! But it was difficult because she hasn't eaten since the little birdie died... A week and two days ago. Her hooves hurt below and her muscles burned from the effort, and the bitter cold was only adding to her torture. Oh the bitter cold! It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. The icy chill went right down to your soul, shaking her to her core. It was like having a knife in her side 24/7, oh how she wished to be curled up in a nice, warm, cozy bed with a cup of hot chocolate, snuggling with Angel. They would watch the snow fall as they used to back when he was just a little baby, and would fall asleep to the peaceful rhythm of nature. As the day dragged on all of her daydreaming only added to her pain.
"And those trees we sheltered under? Those are the Jagged Red Oaks. They are in no way safe! They are trees with a powerful poison running through its body and it's vines. It has no leaves. Back thousands and thousands of years ago, they use to have leaves because it was warmer. But as the cold set in they had to adjust to the environment and they lost there leaves. However they are not all evil! The venom that is dangerous if consumed is actually great for healing really bad infection!"
Fluttershy couldn't help but to smile as she pushed through the mounds of snow at his ramblings. Colten reminded her very strongly of Twilight Sparkle. How he would go on endlessly on nothing, his smile... everything! It made her both feel sad and like laughing. She looked over to Tipo Duro. He was so strong and elegant heaving through the snow, and his muscles rippled as he trudged on. His hair blew in the wind, his completion perfect. Her heart fluttered just a little bit every time she glanced at him. But why?
"Halt!" Shouted Colten, placing his mighty paw in front of her, interrupting her thoughts,"That's ice. I can smell it. Don't go to close, because the ice is thin and it will break. The last thing we need is you getting wet in this weather!"
"Yeah... Ok..." She whispered weakly. She was so tired! They had trudged through miles of snow without rest, when she haven't even eaten anything. It was a chore just keeping her eyes open! Her seemed to read her mind.
"Oh my! I completely forgot, you are really tired and haven't eaten, and you really shouldn't be working this hard! Climb on my back!" Said the young, teenage Bull Horned Lion.
Without question Fluttershy hauled herself onto his back, and buried herself in whatever fur she could find, which wasn't much considering how young he was. But she let her muscles relax and fell into a peaceful slumber.
-
Twilight searched frantically through the book. Zecora just may have given the key to Fluttershy's survival! But she needed to know...
Would their trip be worth it?
Almost nopony survived the harsh Everfree Forest. And those who lived to tell the tale were never the same! For all she knew her kind friend could be dead. She knew a spell that would tell her for sure, but she was scared to find out.
She sighed.
"Anypony have anything that Fluttershy associated with recently on them?" She asked.
The ponies searched through their bags, till Rarity screeched.
"I DO!" She shrieked excitedly, causing some snow to fall from the tree, onto Rainbow. Applejack broke into laughter, and Rainbow scowled, brushing her mane off.
"Girls! This is no time to laugh! Rarity, what do you have?"
"I have with me a scarf that dearest Fluttershy wove for me a few days back..." She said with a hint of sadness in her icy blue gaze. She Hugged the scarf fast before passing it to Twilight.
"She said it was a thank you gift for being a great friend! She and I are rather close, as I assume you all know. I was making for her a dress, not that matters now."
Sensing her friend's unease, she flashed Rarity a sympathetic gaze.
"Thank you Rarity! Without this I could not preform the spell!"
Leaving it at that, she turned away from the group and into the book.
So you have come on an unfortunate situation, and need to find if the one you love is alive. Please find and object or something that may have the aura of your loved one on it, and raise it as high into the air as you can. If possible, climb to a higher spot, on your ceiling or in a tree. Focus your energy on that object..."
She climbed the tall tree next to her, and raised the object. She focused all if her energy onto it. She felt every ounce of magic from her hooves, to every strand of hair flow into the scarf, making it glow. The gloomy, snowy forest lit up. All birds went silent, and even the wind seemed to stop and listen in anticipation.
"Now think. Think about your loved one. Think long and hard about him/her. Then, twist the object to find your answer."
She did as was said, and all was black.
