Hole in the Heart

Twilight walked up to the hill where she and her friends would meet for a group hangout every now and then. The sun was high in the sky, signaling a little after noon. The grass was a healthy, light green that was accentuated by the cyan sky. A slight breeze carried the songs of birds, although they might be singing due to the presence of a yellow Pegasus walking up the small hill.

"Hello, Twilight. Where are the others?" Fluttershy quietly inquires. She walks over to the large, checkered picnic blanket and lays down.

"I know Rarity has some business with a client, she told me yesterday. Applejack must be finishing up market day and cleaning up her stall. I have no idea where Pinkie Pie is, and Rainbow Dash is probably on a cloud somewhere. I'm glad you could make it here, I wanted to talk to you in private," Twilight replied at length.

"Oh? What about?"

"Well, you see, being new to having wings, it is very difficult using them. I thought it might help to learn more about how to use them properly. I have already read some basic books on technique, but I thought it would be better to learn from a Pegasus, and who better than you?" Twilight stood up and attempted to hover in the air. Instead of gracefully staying airborne, she flailed her limbs about and fell on her face.

"Well, what about Rainbow Dash? She is really good at flying and I rarely fly once a week. Why do you want me to teach you?" Fluttershy was taken aback.

Rubbing her horn and getting off the ground, Twilight responded "I thought that you would be better for teaching me basic flying, and later Rainbow Dash can teach me more advanced maneuvers." She shook the twigs and grass from her mane as she spoke.

"Oh well... If you really want me to, I guess I could show you a little bit," Fluttershy whispered out from behind her mane.

"Oh thankyou thankyou thankyou! It is annoying trying to sleep with these wings too. Maybe you could show me... I mean like how to relax! I didn't mean that I wanted you to... well I meant that... Ugh," Twilight blushed as she got flustered from her failure to speak properly.

"Twilight, it's okay. I know what you meant," Fluttershy smiled as she comforted Twilight.

"Hehe, thanks. Sorry I just got flustered from earlier today. I couldn't find my list and then I..." the lavender mare stopped herself before she started to ramble again. "Nevermind. So, anything new with you?"

"Well, I saw-"

"Hey everypony! Rainbow Dash has arrived!" Rainbow Dash somehow boasted about arriving. A slightly stronger gust followed in her wake.

"Well, ah wonder who that could be?" Aj joked while coming around the treeline. She had a smile on her muzzle and a spring in her step.

"Sell a lot today, Aj? Or are you trying to reach my height?" the cyan Pegasus quipped as she was floating a few feet off the ground.

"Actually, ah did! Although I had a problem with a customer today..." Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash, who was slowly floating back down to the ground.

"Hehe, who could have caused that? Must've been somepony brilliant to pull off angering Dr. Whooves-" Rainbow Dash stopped short realizing her slip up. She immediately burst into laughter.

"How many times do ah have to tell you not to mess with my business?!" Applejack's previous happy demeanor disappeared faster than when Rainbow Dash crashes into somepony. "Ah can't have you ruining my customer relations. Ah mean, with that last prank regarding Carrot Top was just mean. She is a fellow merchant and friend of mine. Ah can't believe you would just... fill her carrots with apple sauce! Everypony within three feet of that vendor was spitting." She stared at Rainbow, who was looking more upset than when she recalled the Equestria Games incident from her fillyhood.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I won't mess with your business," Rainbow's ears bent back as she apologized. Suddenly, her demeanor improved. "Now when you talk about business-"

"Me or my family buying or selling anything to anyone," Aj gruffly finished.

"Oh, alright. Now check out this trick I came up with. I start upside down, spin, and develop a straighter flight path when going down! It's so awesome!" Rainbow launched herself in the air and started to perform for her friends. It ended up being like a small entertainment show while the three mares talked amongst themselves. Not long after, Pinkie Pie and Rarity showed up and walked along the grass towards them. Rather, Pinkie Pie bounced up the hill while Rarity cantered towards the group.

"Now that everypony is here, we can eat. I'm starving, probably because using more muscles and having wings to supply as well as my magic makes me-" Twilight stopped short of her impromptu lecture. The looks of her friends, Rainbow Dash included as she stopped performing at the hint of food, told her enough. "Never mind. Let's eat!"

As sandwiches, tea, and small cookies courtesy of Pinkie Pie began to float out of the basket, quiet conversation started up.

"And then I said, 'Oatmeal-"

"I can NOT believe that would just-"

"Now ah told him-"

"And then I looped the loop-"

"Umm... he's alright. Poor thing-"

"Well, you see, the physics of flight entail-"

While six mares enjoyed each others company, across town, a stallion was walking towards the Everfree Forest with intent written on his muzzle.

                                                                                           *

"I need to find Blooming Health, Green Savior, Love's Might, Bright Shield, Foxglove, Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, and Forest Pepper," Green listed off to himself as he trotted up to the forest. It does feel twisted, but that's probably just my overactive imagination. After all I read that series, *My Little Human. Man if only that was real. Okay focus. I'm doing this for my garden-to-be, have to get those plants. After all, native plants are better than if I just bought the seeds at that Fillydelphia market.*

The snap of a twig startled the stallion, causing him to jump slightly and turn towards his left. Shaking his head, he continued into the foliage, which slowly blocked out most light. Soon, it appeared to be nighttime, even though it couldn't be past two. Walking along the slightly raised incline, the stallion looked about him at the receding light.

"That's some crazy shading action," Green continued on, stepping over a large root. He found the Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, and Forest Pepper easier than he would have thought. After some thickets poked into his skin, he found a small amount of foxglove surrounded by thorns that were creeping up on the plant. Ha, seems like what almost happened with me...

The Blooming Health was next to a small river that was pouring over some rocks. The budding lime green flower shared some characteristics with Green's cutie mark. The light streaming through the leaves of the trees gave enough visibility to allow Green to estimate that only an hour had passed.

Green Savior was found, strangely enough, near Bright Shield overlooking a cliff face. The same river poured off the edge, misting the ground below. The dark green vine was providing enough of a hoofhold for Green to navigate safely. After precariously picking the plant, Green took the broad white leaf and deposited it in his saddlebags. Each time he took a plant, he did so carefully, allowing enough to plant some at his garden and still let the native flora regrow.

"Whew, this forest is awesome! Usually this would take me a whole day to find," Green smiled as he bragged to nopony in particular. "Now, where could Love's Might be?" he questioned fate as he scanned around him. He recalled that the light red plant preferred water and fertile soil. Unfortunately, there was little above ground water and the soil near the river was too rock-strewn. Only a place that has erosion would work for this crappy soil... Oh duh! The bottom of the cliff where the water falls! Idiot.

Proceeding down the slope along the cliff was treacherous, but possible thanks to the Green Savior. A few times, Green thought he heard whispers above him, but whenever his gaze would pass where he heard them from, there would be nothing there. The last time it occurred, he saw a flicker of dull red eyes. Shivering, he thought, never would expect that.

Reaching the bottom of the cliff allowed Green to admire nature as he loved to. The walls slightly circled around to form a poorly rounded hole in the ground. The diameter was about twenty meters and the height of the walls about 100 meters. The water formed a shallow pool before emptying into an underground river that ran underneath the cliff face from which Green came. The ground foliage was sparse, but pleasing to the eye. Along the bed of the water was a light red, almost pink double bladed bud. The leaves bent around on each other, giving the plant its name.

Slowly trotting over to it, he realized that he had to take both or risk killing each leaf. It was like some sick twist of fate to hurt one part while leaving the other to slowly die alone. Green Herb slowly bent down to pick the plant. He did so and safely deposited it within the recesses of his saddlebags. However, the whispers escalated and looking up, he saw the rocks start to shift uneasily as the same dull eyes pulled away. Slowly but surely, the large rocks shifted... and began to fall.

                                                                                           *

The six mares began to clean up the basket and picnic. The day had reached about half past three judging by Celestia's sky clock. Conversation slowed until Applejack remembered a promise from earlier.

"Sorry girls, ah wish ah could stay longer, but ah got a stallion to meet at my farm," Applejack apologized.

"Oooo, Aj's got a coltfriend!" Rainbow Dash teased.

"No! Nothing like that. He just wants help with some housing materials and foundation building. Like when my family helped Colgate move here from Canterlot," Applejack defended.

"Really? What did he look like?" Rarity inquired conversationally.

"Well, he was green, coat and mane, and he had some purple in his tail and mane too. His hooves were coarser, like Big Mac's. He seemed genuinely happy most of the time, although it seems like he was hiding something from me. Why?" Applejack cocked her head to one side as she replied.

"Why indeed! That is the same stallion that came into my boutique for insulation and coarse fabrics. He even gave me an aquamarine gem for that client I told Twilight about. Sapphire's cousin, Aquamarine Angy. Very nice, indeed," Rarity replied.

"That sounds like the same one that came to the library for some advanced books and housing manuals. Seemed more intelligent than most. He even offered any help because I'm a princess now," Twilight shared. "He said he was Green."

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Yeah, no kidding."

"Well his full name is Green Herb. You don't want to forget one's entire name if the occasion occurs where one needs it. That would be horrible!" Rarity pointed out. Rainbow Dash was still laughing at her pun.

"Wait, that was the same stallion who came to ask me to not rain on his lot. He seemed a bit too touchy about getting roughed up," Rainbow realized.

"Well, you are pretty rough with ponies, Rainbow," Applejack said. "So let me get this straight. We all met this same stallion today and didn't even know it? That's weird."

"Ummm... I didn't exactly meet him..." Fluttershy squeaked out.

"What do you mean? Then how do you know who we're talking about?" Twilight looked genuinely confused. The others were just baffled.

"Well... I just saw him from my cottage window out front... I wake up early due to my birds and while I was checking on them and feeding them, I saw him pull up to the lot and then leave," the yellow mare responded quietly.

"So that's the lot he was talking about. Ah'm surprised he wanted to-"

"WAIT!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she just heard the conversation's topic. She was previously playing with Gummy who was currently hanging from her poofy mane. "There is a new pony in town, AND NOPONY TOLD ME?! Oh, I need to meet him, make friends with him, and make sure he has a good stay here. WAIT! I need to throw a welcome party!"

Everyone looked at Pinkie then realized exactly who they were looking at. The other five decided to agree with Pinkie, giving the stallion the proper welcome to Ponyville. Most had no traitorous thoughts otherwise.

Ah wonder what he wasn't telling me...

Why was he so generous to me?

How come he freaked out about his chest?

Could that reflective object be harmful?

Okay, some had harmless thoughts.

I hope he likes his gift. But that means I have to meet him... *Squeak*

And theeeeeen I'll have Vinyl come and play some of her-  *gasp* my thoughts sound funny... Echo! Weeeeeeee! -music! Then he will absolutely love Ponyville and have to be friends with us! ... Weeeeee!

The mares split up to prepare for the party, while Applejack went back to her farm to prepare some of the materials for Green.

                                                                                           *

Pulling out of his shock seconds before it hit him, Green jumped to the side, the rock shattering next to him, mere inches away. However, shrapnel from the impact of the rock stung his coat and embedded itself into his back.

Screaming in pain, Green ran to the edge of the slope only to find it blocked by some of the rocks that fell. The rumbling growing intense and shaking his vision, he started to panic. Looking around, he found the pool of water emptied into a tiny recess that was impossible to see in his bliss before. While galloping towards it, another falling chunk of dirt skinned his right hindleg. Grunting in pain, he slid into the cave. Expecting another impact, he shielded his eyes with his left foreleg.

After seemingly hours passed, he was surprised at the stillness hanging in the dust filled air. He expected more and more rocks to fall, yet none came. Slowly poking his head to look up, he saw two pony shapes descend the slope. Obscured by the dust, Green could not make out any identifying features, except... they seemed... bony? The little light that made it through the particulate air shimmered slightly. Unnatural bumps and ridges were across certain points of each pony.

What are those things? Green thought, unnerved. He pushed himself back into the shadows, briefly noticing the water at his hooves.

The figures began to speak in raspy voices, however Green was too far away to hear properly and he didn't want to be seen.

"...should have been crushed..."

"...will be pissed..."

"...well, maybe we ... him later..."

"... deeper in ... forest..."

"... fled ... to the wilderness..."

With that last guttural grunt, the figures began to turn and ascend again. Unfortunately, one of the creatures chanced a glance to where Green was, right when the dust parted. Screeching loud enough to disorient him, Green saw the creature begin to warn his other.

"There he is!" one of the figures began galloping towards Green.

Thinking of no other escape and not wanting to be in the hooves of those things, he pushed his saddle bags into the river that ran underground. After seeing the water run smoothly and clearly, he was certain he could fit, just barely. He tucked his forehooves against his body while keeping his hindlegs straight but slightly bent. If he collided with something solid at the end, he would not want his knees smashing through his thighs. Shuddering at the thought he slipped into the river.

Before he left he heard "... report back to..."

The eternal darkness creeping into his eyes found its way into his brain, forcing him to scream in panic. WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING?! STUMBLING STALLION, YOU'RE AN IDIOT! he mentally screamed as he was sucked along the vortex of underground water.

He collided with the ceiling numerous times, scratched by the rocks under the shallow water, suggesting the river was new, and slammed into the sides repeatedly. With aching bones and worried thoughts, he hit one rock to the head too hard, causing him to see stars.

After the roller-coaster ended, he found himself in the same rivulet that ran by his house-to-be. Sliding slowly, he saw his saddlebags still intact, with only minor scrapes on it. Easy to repair... Thank... the reinforced leather... the green stallion thought as he finally stopped between his lot and the cottage.

Looking up at the sky he thought Well time for bed.... With that, he blacked out.