Aurora, ever since Blythe had left that morning, had been wandering around the forest aimlessly for what seemed like hours to the white mare "Gah...If I were a magical Zebra, I wouldn't live this far into woods as creepy as this- Ahh! What was that?!" Aurora turned to see a small vine gently swaying against her white coat. She had left the minute Blythe did and now she regretted it, the dark, menacing forest creeping up and seeming to watch her every move, even if the light illuminating fro her horn was the brightest it could be.
Just as she was about turn around and run for her life, she tripped on a tree root and fell head first, the light gone. She rolled for a while, getting hit and covered just in about everything imaginable "Neehhhhh..." She whimpered as she stopped "I'm going to have multiple baths when I'm done...All I can say is she better be close..." Aurora was on her back in the mud surrounded by darkness. the tiniest rays of light came from the sun which peaked through the leaves of the trees, barely enough to see anything. She stood up, rethinking this whole situation "Maybe we can start later...I can't think right now...not when I'm dirty and...and..." She became fully aware of her surroundings, cringing a bit "...I don't know where I am..." Cautiously, she sniffed the air and stood up, letting the glow on her horn return so she could see where she was going at least.
Clearing, she could see, was not too far away from where she was and she slowly walked towards it, wondering if that's what she's been looking for this entire time "I hope this is it. I don't want to walk another few miles just to get lost or eaten..." she stumbled through the under growth and landed against a huge tree, a door and windows peeking through it "Wait...this is it? I though it would've been hidden..." she turned to observe the scene, glaring at the trail that lead towards the clearing "Great...now I know why they made that". It was somewhat sunnier there. She could see clearly and make out the shapes that lead into the darkness of the forest "I wonder why she lives all the way out here...its kind of scary and unsettling but I'm not one to judge" she heard a door open and then close, prompting her to run away and hide.
There was Zecora with a bag leaving her house down to the trail. She seemed in a hurry too "I wonder if she's going to the celebration too...probably..." After the female Zebra left, she used her horn to cast a spell "Darkness of the night, hidden secrets in the trees, let this wall separate, keeping this Zebra from roaming free!" As soon as she said those words, what seemed like an invisible force traveled around a section of where the tree was situated and then ran towards the trail. It covered the entire thing, making a huge part of the Everfree forest inaccessible to the Zecora.
She smirked to herself and ran down the trail back to Ponyville "Now all I have to do is catch the next train home and then me and Blythe will start to figure things out! Perfect!" She barely caught the train to Canterlot and boy was it packed. She found a seat way in the back, sitting down as even more ponies got on at each stop just to see Twilight Sparkle "They're wasting their time"
When she got home, she walked into her house, seeing Blythe relaxing from a hard day's work by eating a snack and reading a book "Hey Aurora! you took longer than me to finish. We already uncovered a huge room! There were a few notes here and there as well as the remnants of where the servants once stayed. They seem like journal entri-! Oh my Celestia! What happened to you!?" She noticed the looked on her friend's face, making her look down and gasped. She was completely covered in grass, dirt, and dust "Ah...Umm...yeah...I fell down and its a long story" The brown mare stood up and ushered her friend to the bathroom "I should say! You need a bath now! Just because you're going to train doesn't mean you should get dirty" Aurora shook her head and chuckled "I'll be fine. You go finish the baking. I can take care of myself for now. By the ay, Zecora can't interfere with my training now even if she wanted to. She can't go into some parts of the woods. Anyways, I'll go take a shower now!" Aurora was happier than ever, skipping towards the bathroom.
As she soaked herself in the warm water, she couldn't help but think about what things she would do. She had to figure out spells that would counter Twilight's Alicorn magic and most importantly, make sure they were strong enough to defeat her. The more thoughts that flooded into her mind, the more worried she got about actually failing 'Everyone will stop talking to me...they'll probably laugh at me and then banish me...I can't help but worry...That's why i must try my best at this to make everything go as smoothly as possible...' She dunked her head underwater, letting her mane wash out as it pooled around her, light pink eyes peering out 'I'll be fine. I have to faith in myself more than anyone else has to, even Blythe...' she snapped out of it when she heard a gentle tapping on the door "Aurora, the baking is done...and, well, I know everyone might not agree with what you're planning, but you have my support. Besties for life remember? I have faith in you" Aurora smiled to herself and stood up, ready to take on the challenge before her