The Flower of the Forest CH4

>With Princess Celestia gone, you turn to Anonymous.

“So, what did you think of the princess?”

>”She seems nice... But what’s a princess?” she asks as she adjusts the bandages on her head.

>And that’s when you realize just how little Anonymous knows about Equestria.

>Princess Celestia said that John and his daughter came from a place far away from here, but how far do you have to be to not know what a princess is?

>Spike, perhaps sensing the long explanation ahead, leaves the room.

>You take this opportunity to teach Anonymous about the princesses and the land they rule over.

>She seems to take the information nicely enough, but about halfway through, you’re interrupted by a peculiar pink pony practically punting down your door.

>You panic, knowing that Pinkie Pie is one of the most dangerous ponies for Anonymous to meet with right now.

>There’s no time to act, though, because Pinkie’s already in the room and staring at Anonymous with a look of wonder.

>”OhmygoshIhadatwitchearlierandIjustknewtherehadtobesomeponyIhaven’tmetyetandRaritysaidyouhadsomeponystayingwithyouandshewasright!” she blurts out at an amazing speed, bouncing up and down the whole time.

>Anonymous whimpers, and if the flower was anywhere near her, you’re sure it would be yellow by now.

>She looks around frantically, probably searching for a place to hide.

>Finding nothing, she whimpers again.

>”My name’s Pinkie Pie. What’s yours?” Pinkie asks, still bouncing slightly.

>Anonymous looks to you—or, so you think, what with the bandages and all.

>That’ll take a while to get used to.

>You give her an apologetic smile and nod.

>She mutters something inaudible.

>”What was that? I didn’t hear you,” Pinkie smiles.

>”Anonymous...”

>”That’s a weird name! Oh well, hello Anonymous! Can I call you Nonny? You’re a lot like Fluttershy, you know! Where are you from? Do they have parties there?”

“Oh no,” you mutter, knowing exactly where this is headed.

>”Um... What’s a party?”

>Pinkie’s loud gasp confirms your suspicions.

>Anonymous jumps back a little as Pinkie runs straight for the door, muttering something about a party.

>”What... was that?” she asks after a few seconds of staring at the door in complete silence.

“Pinkie Pie,” you flatly state.

--

>The way Twilight says that makes you think that this happens often.

>If so, you should probably find somewhere to hide for the rest of the day...

>”I’ll be right back,” Twilight says, walking back to her room.

>She returns with a white flower. It’s just like the flowers that were around you when you woke up in the forest.

>She holds it up and you can’t help but feel some sort of connection with it.

>Without thinking, you reach out and take it into your hands.

>As soon as your hands touch it, it starts to glow and you nearly drop it.

>Both you and Twilight look at it with surprise.

>When the door opens, you actually do drop it. It hits the ground and loses its glow.

>You quickly run into another room, hoping you weren’t seen.

>”Yeah, I just came by to drop off a book. Why was Pinkie running outta here like that?” a new, unfamiliar voice asks.

>You sacrifice a look into the other room and instantly make eye contact with a different... pony?

>That’s what Twilight called herself, at least.

>This one has a weird mane, though. It’s sectioned off and each part looks different.

>Wait.

>Could it be...?

>A real rainbow?

>Your dad always told you about rainbows. About tasting them when he was little, if that made any sense.

>He would talk about the colors, both bright and dark. All the shades and the hues.

>Ever since he mentioned it, you wanted ever so much to see one. The ones you read about in the books he gave you seemed so vivid and hopeful.

>And here this pony is, with a mane that you’ve wanted to dream about ever since colors were explained to you.

>It’s... amazing.

>Both of you just stare at each other, but probably for different reasons.

>“Rainbow Dash, meet Anonymous. Anonymous, meet Rainbow Dash,” Twilight speaks up. “Spike, come here!” she adds.

>Spike arrives a few seconds later. When he sees Rainbow Dash, he smiles.

>”I’m returning a book. It’s in the saddlebag,” Rainbow announces.

>She turns, revealing a bag strapped to her side.

>Spike nods and reaches into the bag, pulling out a book which he then takes into another room.

>”You can come in, Anonymous. Rainbow won’t hurt you,” Twilight says.

>You hesitate a moment before walking in.

>Rainbow gives you an even weirder look as you enter.

>”When did you get a mostly shaved monkey for a pet? And why is it wearing clothes?” she asks.

“Um... your mane is really pretty,“ you mutter.

>”Woah, it can talk!”

>”Yes, SHE can talk,” Twilight interjects, before adding, “and are you just going to ignore that compliment?”

>”Oh, uh...” Rainbow Dash pauses, laughing nervously. “Sorry. Just never seen anything like you before.”

“It’s okay...”

>”I’m Rainbow Dash, best flier in all of Equestria!” she exclaims proudly, extending wings from her back.

“Flier...?” you repeat back.

>She smiles and nods. “Yup!”

>The smile quickly goes away for some reason. “Wait, how can you see with that thing over your eyes?”

>Oh, this again.

>Twilight gasps slightly. “Rainbow!”

>”What? I was just curious!”

>Twilight sighs.

>You’re not really sure how you can still see with your eyes covered.

>But then again, you’re not sure how you’re seeing at all.

>Spike enters the room not much later.

>“Just letting you know, we’re almost out of quills.”

>“Alright,” Twilight says, before gasping. “That reminds me! Hey, Rainbow?”

>”Huh?” Rainbow asks.

>”Can you watch Anonymous for me?”

>”Me? Why?”

>”If she’s going to be staying here I’ll need a few things from town, and I don’t want to bring her out until she’s ready.”

>Rainbow turns and looks you over for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “How long will it take?”

>”An hour at the most.”

>”Yeah, I guess I can do that.”

>”Great! Thanks!” Twilight exclaims. “Anonymous, is that okay?”

“Y-yes.”

>”Okay. I won’t be long, so don’t worry,” she assures before leaving the room.

>She returns a moment later with two bags strapped to her back.

>”Spike, I want you to watch them. If anything goes wrong, come get me, alright?” At his nod, she continues. “I’ll be back soon.”

>She leaves, and that leaves just you, Rainbow Dash, and Spike.

>”So...” Rainbow says.

>Silence.

>At least, until Rainbow Dash speaks up again. “Hey, Anon.”

“Y-yes?”

>”Ever been flying?” she asks with a smile.

>You shake your head and her smile gets wider. “Ever wanted to?”

>It takes you a moment to realize what she’s saying.

“I... I’d...”

>You can’t think of how to respond, but the smile on your face probably gives the answer away.

>Spike jumps in. “Rainbow, you can’t—”

>”Yes I can. Let’s go, Anon.”

“Uh... Twilight said she didn’t want to take me out until I was ready.”

>”Why wouldn’t you be ready to go flying?”

>Good point. You’re only going flying, and you doubt you’ll meet anyone, so you guess it’s okay.

>After thinking it over a little, you nod and follow Rainbow out of Twilight’s home.

>As you walk, a few of the ponies walking about stop to look at you. It’s a little uncomfortable, but you’ll live.

>After a few minutes of walking, Rainbow looks around for a moment before coming to a stop.

>”Great, no unexpected clouds. Hop on,” she says, kneeling down a little.

>You climb onto her back without much hesitation.

>”Alright, hold on tight. I’m a fast flier.”

>It isn’t until Rainbow says this that you realize this might be a bad idea.

>She seems to notice. “Don’t worry, I won’t go that fast.”

>You wrap your arms around her neck.

>Wow, she’s soft.

>There isn’t much time to think about this, because with a fierce kick, she takes off.

>You gasp at the unexpected feeling.

>Pretty soon, you’re higher than the top of Twilight’s home, and still going higher.

>As soon as you notice that, you can feel her wings beat down harder and you move forward.

>The view is... unlike anything you could’ve ever imagined.

>This place is really, really bright.

>You can see a few other ponies around as you fly over.

“Wow...” is all you can say.

>”Don’t get too excited back there! You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

>As soon as she says that, she speeds up. Without realizing it, you tighten your grip on her neck.

>She takes that as a sign to speed up even more.

>The wind blowing against your face and hair, the amazing view of your surroundings passing by you...

>It’s the greatest feeling you’ve ever had.

“This is amazing!” you yell over the wind.

>”Oh yeah? You ready for somethin’ better?” she yells back.

>You don’t have time to answer as she instantly turns upward.

>She starts going straight up, higher than you thought possible.

>The ground below is getting further and further away, until you can see the whole area around you and the large forest you came out of.

>Suddenly, her wings stop flapping and you’re completely still in the air.

>Everything’s calm and quiet.

>You take this chance to look around.

>Your eyes widen under the bandages and your jaw drops at the view.

>Twilight’s house, the buildings... They’re all so small!

>”Better hold on,” Rainbow comments, breaking you from your trance.

>You wonder why for a few seconds, before you begin to fall.

>Oh, that’s why.

>Wait, that’s why!

>You tighten your grip as much as you can.

>The wind in your face you loved so much earlier...

>Well, you’re going to get a lot of it now, that’s for sure.

>The ground gets closer and closer and the wind picks up much more than it did before.

>It almost hurts, but you can’t help but laugh at the sensation.

>Your laughter is interrupted by the feeling of your bandages slowly coming loose.

>If you reach up to fix them again, you’ll probably fall off. There’s nothing you can do about it.

>The ground is still getting closer.

>Actually, it’s getting too close.

>You would try to say something to her but there’s no way she could hear it with this wind.

>You close your eyes, preparing for the impact.

>It doesn’t come.

>Instead, Rainbow makes a jarring turn that knocks your bandages the rest of the way off.

>You open your eyes to see that you’re now going straight, instead of down.

>She glides for a while at a speed similar to when you were falling, until you reach the area where you took off.

>Your grip loosens as she slows down and gets closer to the ground, about to land.

>”Uh oh,” Rainbow lets out.

“W-what’s wrong?”

>”Twilight alert.”

>Sure enough, when you look towards the ground, you see Twilight.

>She looks different, though. Her mane is a little messed up and she’s making a weird face.

>”RAINBOW DASH!” she yells, her voice full of anger.

>”NOPE!” Rainbow yells back before going a little higher, trying to avoid Twilight.

>It doesn’t do much, though. Rainbow is surrounded in a purple glow and she stops in her tracks.

>She struggles, trying to break free, but instead slowly starts moving towards Twilight.

>Now that you look at it, Twilight’s horn has the same glow around it.

“How is she doing that...?” you say to nobody in particular.

>”Magic,” Rainbow says flatly.

>Huh.

>Eventually, Rainbow is brought back to the ground and you find yourself being lifted off of her.

>Rainbow gives a nervous laugh. “Uh, hi Twilight. Did you get what you needed in town?”

>”No, because a certain SOMEPONY did exactly what I DIDN’T want her to do!”

>”Come on, I just took her flying!”

>”And what would you do if she fell?! She was probably scared to death!”

>That’s when you come in.

>You turn to Rainbow and give her the biggest hug you can manage.

>Since she has four legs, you just wrap your arms around her neck instead.

>It certainly feels... different. Dad’s hugs were never this soft.

“That was the best thing I’ve ever done. Thank you, Rainbow.”

>You pull away to see a weird look on Rainbow’s face, but you ignore it and turn to Twilight.

>Twilight has the same look on her face, but before you can ask, Rainbow asks an unexpected question.

>”Anon, where are your bandages?”

>...Oh yeah, that. You guess that explains the look.

>When Twilight unwrapped your old bandages for the first time, when you unwrapped them in the bathroom with Spike...

>Everyone that sees what’s under your bandages gives you the same look.

>It makes you sad.

>That’s the reason why you put the bandages back on in the first place.

>But why? What was under these bandages that was so bad?

>You instinctively cover your face with your hands.

“They fell off,” you whisper.

>”Oh, uh... Sorry.”

>”Let’s just... go back to the library,” Twilight speaks up.

>The three of you make your way back in silence.

>You’re still covering your face.

>You really should’ve tightened that bandage earlier.

>When you got to the library, everything was fine.

>As soon as you were all in and the door shut, though, it all went downhill.

>You’re not sure what scared you more—the fact that twenty or so ponies jumped up out of nowhere, or the fact that they all yelled “SURPRISE!” at the same time.

>Either way, here you are now, screaming at the top of your lungs and running for your life away from the library.

>”Wait, come back!” an unfortunately familiar, high-pitched voice calls out to you.

>You look back and sure enough, Pinkie Pie’s running after you through the trail of...

>Flowers?

>Those are the flowers from the forest! But they’re a different color.

>How did you not see these before?

>You’re brought back to reality as Pinkie makes a mad dash toward you.

>Your obvious response is to run even faster, even though your legs are starting to hurt.

>Whatever was going on in the library, you want no part of it, so you keep running.

>That is, until you trip.

>Your hands break your fall, but it still hurts.

>When you finally get up, Pinkie’s right in your face with a wide smile.

>“Why were you running? Is this a game?”

>You scream and jump back, falling onto your butt.

>Even though you try your best to crawl away from her, she somehow gets even closer.

“G-get away!” you manage to get out.

>A frown flashes across her face, but it’s quickly replaced by a different expression.

>...Confusion?

>She stays completely still, like she’s frozen.

>You use this chance to look around, and you’re surprised at what you see.

>All around you and Pinkie are the flowers from earlier, but these look slightly different.

>The ones around Pinkie are glowing, and a powder’s rising from them that covers her completely.

>As you stare in wonder, the powder comes to you.

>Numbness spreads across your body, and you find yourself unable to move.

>Just like in the forest.

>What exactly are these flowers?

>Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike make their presence known.

>”What’s up with them?” Spike asks, pointing to you and Pinkie.

>”Paralyzed,” Twilight says, like nothing happened.

>Her horn glows.

>The numbness washes away and you regain control of your body.

>Pinkie giggles. “That felt funny! My body was all tingly...”

>“What was that all about?” Rainbow asks.

“I... I got scared.... And ran.”

>Rainbow laughs at that. It lasts several seconds, until Spike hits her.

>”Sorry, it was just really funny!”

“Why were there so many people in there...?”

>Pinkie’s voice cuts in, startling you. “People? What are those? If you mean the ponies, they were there for the party!”

“Party...? Why did they all scream?”

>”It was a surprise party!”

>That still doesn’t explain what a party is, but if it’s anything like what happened...

>Well, you’re glad you got out of the library when you did.

>”Let’s go back, they’re all waiting for you!” Pinkie cheerily says.

>That’s exactly what you didn’t want to hear.

>You look to Twilight for help, but she’s too wrapped up in staring at the flowers.

>Spike and Rainbow both give you weak smiles.

“J-just tell them not to scare me like that again.”

>”Sure!” Pinkie says, bouncing again.

>You try to get up, but your legs instantly give out and you fall back down.

>All of that running took a lot more out of you than you thought.

>You’re surrounded in a purple glow and you feel yourself being lifted up.

>A quick look and you see several flowers being lifted up, too.

>This magic stuff will take a while to get used to.

>Twilight places you on her back and starts following Pinkie, who already started walking back to the library.

>The walk there is silent, and you can tell Twilight’s still upset that you left.

“Um... I think I can walk now.”

>”You sure?”

“Yes.”

>She stops walking and carefully lifts you off her back and to your feet.

>It’s a little shaky at first, but you’ll manage.

“Sorry...” you mutter.

>“Huh?”

“I’m sorry... that I left,” you say, a little louder.

>She starts walking again. “Apology accepted.”

>You can tell she wants to say more, but you’re already at the library.

>Pinkie’s standing at the door, waiting for you with a big smile.

>She opens the door and you all walk in.

>And so begins your first party.