PROMPT – Difficult Greenery




The last time that Trixie and I were in the Everfree Forest, we had little difficulty going from one end of the forest to the other. At worst, we encountered hazardous terrain, to include hostile wildlife, an impromptu raft ride, and a frankly obscene amount of what I will respectfully call “bumpy roads.” Still, we had two things going well for us: A wagon to protect us from the elements, and each other.

This time, unfortunately, we were lugging around nothing but our saddlebags, filled with only the bare necessities for a three-day trip. I doubted that the trip would last three days, but Twilight was insistent on making sure we were completely stocked up on food, hygiene, and two over-sized tents that I was certain wouldn’t be necessary.

Actually, there was a third thing we had on that last trip, that we are sorely lacking in now: our magic. Just this morning, everypony in Ponyville had woken up without the ability to use magic. Unicorns couldn’t cast spells, Pegasi couldn’t fly, and Earth ponies couldn’t tend to their crops. Some pegasi woke up from a nap on the clouds, only to find themselves hurtling rapidly towards the cold, hard ground.

The cause was attributed to a sophisticated spell cast on the town, coating the residents with some kind of “anti-magic.” At least, that’s what I figured from Twilight’s frantic ramblings about the ramifications of the spell, or the potential perpetrator of this problem. At the very least, the spell seemed to only affect Ponyville, as we hadn’t yet heard news from the rest of Equestria about the unexplained affliction.

I asked Twilight why she couldn’t have done it herself. She scoffed, and complained that she had to deal with the panicked public, who was at the very moment, forming a veritable mob outside of the castle, demanding an explanation for what had happened.

That brings us to now. Two over-prepared mares wandering the Everfree Forest, aided by a map and compass, to the Castle of the Two Sisters. According to Twilight, there is a spellbook in the castle’s library that contains a magic-draining spell that fits the modus operandi of what’s happening in Ponyville. If she had the spellbook, she could figure out how to reverse the spell—or, that’s the theory, at least.

I stopped before a bush. Maybe it was just deja vu, but I swore I had seen that bush before.
“Trixie, are we going in circles?”
She scoffed at my worried inquiry. “Fear not, Starlight! The Great and Directionally Astute Trixie would never get lost in the Everfree Forest!”
“Alright, then,” I said, trying to call her bluff. “Where are we?”
With a grand flourish, she rolled the map out in front of her. “Why, we’re right…” She waved her hoof around at the map, hunting for where they might be, to no avail.

Face, meet hoof.

“Why don’t I take the map for now?” I offered. However, that wasn’t a question; regardless of what Trixie said, I would have taken the map for myself.
“Fine, then! Wander aimlessly without the guidance of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

The first step was the hardest part: getting our bearings after Trixie had sent us on that wild goose chase. One wrong step, and the two of us would end up as the next delicious meal of whatever foul monsters roam this part of the Everfree.

Carefully, I trotted along the open path, ushering Trixie to stay closely behind me. Despite not seeing anything in the area, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching us, with hungry eyes.

Suddenly, I heard a yelp from behind me. I quickly spun around. Trixie wasn’t standing behind me, but when I looked up, I saw her tangled in a mess of writhing vines, holding her in place. She cried for help, but the only response she received was the familiar, terrifying, low growl of a manticore.

My heart sank, and I dropped to the floor.
“Trixie!” I whisper-yelled. “Stop screaming!” It seemed she also heard the manticore, as her eyes were wide as dinner plates, and her voice died in her throat.

Fearing for my own life, I leapt into a nearby bush. I was greeted by the prickling of rose thorns, cutting deep into my sides. Seething with searing pain, I bit my tongue to keep quiet.

I held in place as I heard the pawsteps of the manticore approaching. Its face was slowly revealed in the sunlight, teeth bared and saliva dripping from its maw. It prowled around the clearing, its slit eyes turning each direction, looking for the source of the sound it had heard. It started to approach the two of us. My heart beat rapidly, and my breathing grew so laborious, I was almost certain that it heard me hyperventilating.

But, suddenly, its attention was diverted by a rustle in a bush nearby. It had spotted a new quarry: a doe, quivering in fear just as I was. It crouched low, and pounced on the bush. The doe escaped its clutches, but it soon gave chase.

Circle of life, I suppose. Though I had only barely escaped with my life in-tact, I still shuddered at what might happen to the poor doe.

Trixie still remained trapped in the vines. In time, they had practically completely encased her, leaving only her head visible. She visibly struggled against the plants, her teeth grit with a mixture of terror and determination.

Without magic, I wasn’t sure I would be able to save her, but that didn’t stop me from trying.

There were a few vines hanging off of a nearby tree. Quickly, I tied the vines together in a makeshift rope, which I then held onto. My sedentary lifestyle had reared its ugly head, however, as I struggled to lift myself up from the rope. Straining with effort, I managed to climb up to nearly the same level that Trixie was at. By now, the vines had fully encased her.

The muffled screaming from within fueled my determination. I leapt from the vines, head-first into the wriggling mass. My horn pierced into it, spraying a sticky, bubbling liquid from the punctured plants. I fell off from my hoofhold onto the ground, injuring my right forehoof. But, my efforts were enough for the plants to retreat, dropping Trixie onto the ground next to me. Dizzy, she readjusted her saddlebags and stretched out a sore leg.

“That plant was trying to eat me!” She wiped the substance off of her muzzle with an annoyed flick. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT plant food!”
When she said that, I thought she was exaggerating, until I saw a puddle of the plant juices completely dissolve a patch of grass. My worry only grew from there.
“Are you alright?” I tended to her like a mother hen, looking over her for any traces of injury.
My concern was only met with the usual confident bravado. “Hmph, it’ll take more than a few plants to vanquish the Grrrreat and Powerful Trrixie!”
Though I knew it was only a facade, and that she was even more shaken than I was, I couldn’t help but smile at her overwhelming chutzpah. “Good. We’re nearly at the castle. You can almost see it in the distance.” I pointed a hoof into the clearing, where a tall, black spire of crumbling stone could be vaguely seen behind the canopies on the other side.

With the end nearly in sight, the both of us were able to muster the courage and energy to reach our destination. Crossing the clearing, the deeper forest, and finally the castle’s bridge over the great chasm, we were finally at the doorstep of the castle.

I gently opened the door. Inside, it was awfully silent. I half-expected whatever rogue spellcaster to have staked their claim inside the castle, and that we would have to face them to get the spellbook. This was for the better, fortunately, as it meant that the only difficulty was to comb through the entire library for a single book.

My work was certainly cut out for me.

As I entered the library, however, my plans were shattered by a familiar plant having taken ahold of the entire place. Vines stretched out like veins across the library, holding books and other priceless pieces of history in the air with a cold sense of disdain. I winced as it dropped a dusty-looking vase onto the floor uncaringly.

“What even are these things?” Trixie asked, stepping away from a vine that had slowly been approaching her.
“How should I know?” I replied sarcastically. Though, my curiosity would later lead me to ask Twilight what they were, and why a plant would be so keen on holding a random castle hostage.

As I thought of what to do, I saw a familiar-looking book held in the air by the vines. It was the very same, dusty old spellbook that we needed. Almost all of the vines stopped simultaneously as soon as it found the book. The ones holding onto it shuddered with subtle anger. It began trying to tear at the leather binding it, scratching the sides and attempting to coat it with its digestive fluids.

My body reacted before my mind did. Using the opportunity of the stopped vines, I ran forward, leaping in to snatch the book from the vines.

However, the vines were quicker than I was. As soon as I had caught the book, they had caught me by the back leg and suspended me in the air. I dropped the book onto the ground, where more vines held onto it. A feeling of defeat overwhelmed me.

Suddenly, the vines holding onto the book erupted in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, the book was already gone. I craned my head to look behind me, and saw Trixie posing with the book in her hoof. Whatever black magic legerdemain she managed to use to get that book in that moment, I’ll never know. A magician never reveals her secrets, after all.

“Never fear! The Great and Powerful Trixie already has the book!”

The vines diverted their attention from me, dropping me carelessly onto the floor as they all converged to chase her down. She unflinchingly leapt out of the way, tossing a smoke bomb in her wake.

I followed her at a distance, as she managed to reach the exit of the castle, finally escaping the reach of the vines. I slammed the door behind me, hitting a vine in the process.

We caught our breath outside, laying on the grass in utter exhaustion. After we had done so, we looked at each other, and laughed.

Whatever plans those plants had, neither of us will ever know. But, thankfully, we got what we needed.

Now, we only have to get back...