My Little Adventure

Episode Nine: The Everfree Problem Part Two

The hot air balloon landed gently on the balcony of The Castle. The tears that wet the fur on my face were starting to dry and crystallize. I stood still, waiting for what was to come next.

The aeronaut tied up their balloon, and helped me out of the basket. Q flew herself out. "So, do you know why we're here?" Q asked, there was a discomfort thick in her breath. The aeronaut shook their head, "I'm sorry, I really don't know." They said this and began tending to their balloon again.

"I can tell you why." I looked up from my hooves to see a familiar face.

"Star!" I ran to her side, "Why are you still here? Why are we here?"

I stood back as her face fell from the welcoming smile she just held. "I couldn't say anything by note, but now that you're here... There's something wrong with the magic in the Everfree. The plants have stopped growing, and all the magical creatures have fallen asleep. Even Sir Spike the Brave and Glorious is cast under this strange phenomenon." Star pauses. "I brought you here, because you've been studying magical plants for as long as I can remember. I need your help in this."

I look around, unsure. Q is looking at me, but looks away before our eyes meet. I glance back to my sister, "Are you sure I'm the best pony for this?" I question. "Everything I know, it comes from books and field study. There isn't someone more qualified? I mean... I just run my clinic, Star. You know I'm not that talented."

"You're the most studious and hard working; open minded pony I've ever known, Leaf. Please trust in yourself, I think you are the best pony for this. Or else... I wouldn't have let you see the horrors that you did on your way here." Star looks over to Q. "I am really sorry you had to be subject to that as well. I didn't expect Leaf would bring some pony else along."

Q stays silent and Star looks back to me. I should be saying I'm sorry to Q, but I don't know how to begin. I look to my hooves and Star begins again.

"Please help me with this. We all need you Leaf." Her eyes sparkled at me and in the late light of the moon, I agreed.

Starflower led Q and I inside the castle, the large doorway opened up to a cluttered observatory. Books and papers filled with long paragraphs and botanical studies were scattered around the work desks. Spreadsheets were pinned to the walls and there was a chaotic clutter of data written on chalk boards that lined the room. "As you can see we have been very busy trying to solve this." Star says and leads us up to some of the pinned spreadsheets. "This," She gestures to a linear graph; "is the rate at which magic seems to be declining in the flora."

"That's a drastic reduction, how are the plants affected by it?" I ask. Star brings out a few photos from a nearby desk. "These should show you." She gave me the photos and I gasped. The plants that use magic to live have turned grey and limp, still not quite withered. "They look sick. Almost like a parasite did this." I said and Star nodded. "Thats what I thought, but upon dissecting the specimens we found no sign of parasitic presence. No leavings, No shell casings, No eggs, and No feed marks."
My eyes darted the room as my mind searched for solutions, "And you've tested the soils." She lowered her head in disappointment, "We checked that first."

I let out a breath, "What about the weather, has the weather been affected?" Star nods again, "Yes, as far as we know it hasn't rained in the Forest for as long as the Vines have been here." I used my magic to hold my mane up in stress.

"Okay, what do we know so far about the Vines?" My eyes catch on Q sitting in one of the desk chairs using her wings to spin lightly.
"So far," Star began; "not a lot."  She used her magic to bring out more photos, "The outer membrane is very difficult to puncture or cut through. This is what we had grabbed from one of the younger, weaker vines." The photos showed a long string of vine vertically bisected. The outer membrane of the vine was thick and the fraying of the cut edge looked cracked and dry, with a fibrous net underneath holding it all together.From what the picture showed, the inside was hollow. "How did you get this piece?"