A Wish Granted

The Concord Tree thrummed with energy, the tree mark glowing brighter than ever. “We will begin right away. “

All the trees around her began to sway back and forth, creating a strange melody. It sounded almost like a song, but the words were so alien to her mind that she couldn’t understand any of them.

Copious amounts of vines congregated on a single point in front of her, only a few inches apart from each other. The tips of all of them began to glow brighter and brighter, and Fluttershy had to avert her eyes slightly. A glowing ball began to form at the spots where they all intersected.

As the glow faded in intensity Fluttershy looked back up, seeing what looked like a pulsating insubstantial seed. The swaying trees and the music grew louder and louder, and the air in the clearing appeared to be swirling like a miniature hurricane, leaves blowing in circles around her.

Vines quickly wrapped themselves tightly around her four legs. Znother wrapped around her body, holding her still. Only her head was left uncovered.

“H-hey!” Fluttershy said, more annoyed than scared. “I already said I’d do it.”

“I know, child, but I don’t know how you’re going to react to the transformation. I don’t want you to harm yourself by accident.”

One of the vines grabbed the seed, pushing it towards her. Fluttershy’s initial instinct was to back up a step, feeling a little bit scared, but she couldn’t move.. Once more the thick, blissful aroma of flowers suffused the area, dispelling her worries. The vine pushed the seed into her forehead.

Just like when she got to see through the “eyes” of the tree she found it difficult to think of adequate words to describe the feelings going through her. The seed, being incorporeal, moved through her head to her brain. It felt like a strong tickle, but not the kind where you start laughing. It was like there were a million bugs inside her, crawling in her body. Her body began to spasm violently, and if it hadn’t been for the vines holding her tight she probably would have freaked out and violently began scratching everywhere to try to get it to stop.

Her conscious thoughts stopped. All she kept thinking about was wanting it to end, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t pull away from the grip of the vines.

As the magic seed reached the center of her brain the billion pinpricks going through her body tapered off slightly, making it more bearable. For a few seconds all she did was pant heavily.

“Is… is it over?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.

“Not yet, my dear. Once the seed sprouts your transformation will begin. Look towards the sun, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy turned her gaze to the horizon. The sun was almost gone. It would only be a matter of seconds before dusk arrived.

The purest, rich golden ray, the last ray of sunlight hit Fluttershy square in the eyes and she squinted, but not before that ray traveled behind her eyes, through her head and shone upon the seed.

She gasped as she felt a reaction from the seed inside her.

She felt a strong tingle from her head, than she gasped in pain as the surface of her head burned like fire for a few seconds. She looked in horror as all the hair in her mane fell out at the roots. She wasn’t overall obsessed with her mane, but it still hurt to see that she was going to be hairless. She wondered if she was going to lose all her fur.

Almost as soon as she began to think that she felt the surface of her head getting heavy, just like her tail. Her mane began to regrow, still the same pink color, but now it was a little different. No longer was it neat and ordered. It was a bit wavy, more vine like, sorta like the leaves of a willow tree. It reminded her of when Rarity was affected by poison joke.

She let out a sigh of relief. She could deal with a different style of mane. She didn’t think she’d be able to stand it if she completely lost her mane.

She felt an odd sensation from her ears, feeling them changing, getting pointier. The tip of her ear sprouted extra points, turning green, resembling a maple leaf.

The magic seed continued down her body Soil from the ground began to rise, covering the majority of her body, trickling down into the tiny gaps between the vines still holding her.

Once more she lost the ability to form coherent thoughts as she felt like something was squeezing her, getting harder and heavier around her body.  Looking down as best she was able she could see what looked like wood covering the little part of her chest that she could see.

Continuing on its way the magic got to her wings. Just like before she felt a momentary disheartening sensation as her feathers fell one by one to the ground around her until her wings felt like nothing more than bones with a little fur on them. She jerked in pain as she felt that heavy sensation again. Her wing muscles got increasingly stiff. When she turned to look she saw they now looked like nothing more than tree branches. She almost broke down and began crying, not sure how she felt about this anymore.

Just like before, almost as soon as those thoughts passed through her mind they were partly rectified by the continuation of the transformation; Losing something, and then gaining another. Something began to grow out of her branch wings, and after about thirty seconds she could see a thick leafy assortment coming out of them, looking just like wings, but she knew they wouldn’t be able to get her off the ground.

She could feel the magic continuing down her body. With a hurt look she gazed up at the tree, wondering if it had lied to her. Unicorns and pegasi only had a horn and wings, looking largely the same as each other except for those one unique qualities of their respective races. It had told her she would still be a pony after this, but it looked like she was going to become more tree than pony.

A rampant fear went through her. She didn’t WANT to become a whole tree. She began pulling at the vines again, struggling in every direction to try to escape. She could see the flowers letting out their calming pollen, but it only made her hold her breath and keep struggling. She could hear the tree’s thoughts, so she expected it could hear hers as well.

“Stop it!” she yelled in her mind. “Stop! I don’t want anymore! I don’t your forced flower pollen thing. Let me go!”

She was starting to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen when the vines surrounding her body suddenly released her. As soon as she was free she leaped from the hill, running away a few hundred feet before gasping in clean oxygen.

The seed inside her had stopped whatever it was doing, and she was relieved. She looked down at her body, no longer obstructed by the vines, and she could see that the half of her legs appeared to be small tree trunks. It looked like tree bark,  the same with the front half of her body and her wing muscles.

She felt like she was losing a piece of her identity. This was too much. It was much more than the tree had made it out to be. She buried her face in her new hooves and began to cry, sobbing gently into the darkness.

She didn’t know how long she stayed there just bawling her eyes out, when she felt something. It was like a gust of wind against her mind. It felt like something was calling out to her, but she couldn’t make out the voice. It didn’t feel like a pony, but more like a force.

She waited, but the sensation wasn’t repeated.

Chittering animals gathered around her. Birds perched on her new wings, and a few crawled up onto her back.

Her little friends surrounding her helped to damped her negative feelings a bit, and her mind cleared a little.

Once more she got the feeling that something was trying to talk to her, and this time she could hear a very faint voice on the edge of her consciousness. “Fluttershy.

“Please, Fluttershy. Return.”

Fluttershy immediately looked at the Concord Tree. It had told her earlier that it could only communicate with ponies through that special enchanted spot, but she had to guess it was able to talk to her at this distance either because of the magical nature seed inside her, or because her transformation into a tree pony was underway.

“We need to talk. Return.”

Fluttershy just continued staring at it, wanting for all the world to turn in the other direction and leave it to rot. This wasn’t what she was promised. She felt an odd sense of anger. She rarely ever got mad, but she could feel it clearly now.

Slowly she got up, walking back to the hill. When she returned to the middle she didn’t even bother to give the tree a chance to talk. She was so hurt and upset she didn’t even care what it had to say. “You lied to me!” she yelled. “You told me that there would only be a few changes.” She lifted up her leg. “Look at my hooves! Look at my body! It’s changing everything! AND it’s not even done yet!  I didn’t ask for this! You didn’t tell me things would BE like this. You lied. You lied!”

Her eyes filling up with tears again she let out another small, pitiful “You lied” before she fell back down to the ground and began to sob anew.

A vine touched her, running down her body like it was petting her. Through her connection with the tree she felt a sense of sorrow independent from her own.

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” said the Concord Tree, profound sadness in its voice. “I never meant to cause you such distress.”

Fluttershy didn’t respond. She didn’t want to respond.

“I didn’t lie to you, Fluttershy. I only told you what I was told. This was the first time such a transformation was attempted, so truly I could not have known how deep the changes would go. I’m truly sorry that I hurt you. I didn’t wish this for you.

“Although, being perfectly honest, there is one thing I lied about.”

Fluttershy glanced up slightly, her head still on her hooves.

“What I said before about the transformation needing to be done willingly. That wasn’t the truth. Having a willing participant is not a requirement of the transformation.”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide, and her misery was immediately replaced with fear. Her entire body began to tremble. “W-w-what?” she said, terror filling her voice. She wanted to run, but her whole body was frozen.

“The requirement is my own. My personal requirement.  I wanted a willing volunteer. I called you here because I thought I was giving you what you already wanted. When I heard that you wanted to become a tree it felt like a sign that you were the perfect pony for the job. The day right before the full moon, to hear such a thing, it surely was fate. However, it seems that wasn’t the case.

“If you wish to leave than you may go. Clearly, the changes are too much to bear. I’ll see what I can do to reverse the changes, though even if I remove the seed it will likely be some time before your body completely returns to normal.”

The blinding fear that had been going through the pegasus was fading, replaced with curiosity. “But then… won’t you die?”

“Even if I go there is a chance that things won’t turn out as horrible as I feared. I provide protection and nourishment for trees across a large area of Equestria, but it’s possible that the pegasi and earth ponies can provide for my children after I’m gone. If they work harder I can see it all working out, hopefully.”

“B-but… aren’t you scared of dying?”

“My dear, I am but an enchanted tree. I have no concern over myself. The only thing I care about is the safety and survival and happiness of all my children.”

A vine went under her chin, pushing and rubbing slightly against it. Fluttershy got a mental image of a grandmotherly figure, looking down encouragingly at her.

“And you’re one of them now. I told you earlier I wouldn’t discriminate against you just because you’re not a natural born tree. Even partway through the transformation you’re still a piece of me, one of my dear children and I only want what’s best for you.”

More and more confusion went through Fluttershy. She didn’t even feel afraid anymore it was so prevalent. “You’d risk all the trees in Equestria dying… just to keep me happy?”

A vine patted her on the head. “I value all of my children, my dear. If I go there is a good possibility that my trees can still be saved by the work of the other pony races. However, continuing on when you’re not interested will only leave you in a life of misery. The power of nature is the power of harmony with everything. To permanently disrupt your harmony is cruel. Better to die honest and true than to live at the cost of destroying another’s life.”

Fluttershy felt a lump in her throat, and she sniffed as tears began to come down her eyes. She could hear it in the tree’s voice that it was really serious. It was willing to die and leave everything to chance, simply so it wouldn’t hurt her. The fact that it had no problems with sacrificing itself so as not to force what it wanted upon her touched her deep inside, and she couldn’t stop crying. That it considered her one of its kids, despite that she wanted to leave, reached even deeper into her heart.

She bowed her head, saying in a small voice, “Thank you.”

Two vines gently wrapped themselves over her, almost like a hug. “You’re welcome, my child.” Releasing her one of the vines touched her on the forehead. “Do you wish me to remove the seed from you? As the transformation is only partly complete the pegasi magic contained within your body will reject the nature magic already inside you, and your own natural magic will force it out. Within a month or so your mane, your body, and your wings should gradually return to normal.

“The choice is up to you, but do not think I will spurn you your decision. Even if you decide to remove the seed and leave now I will still consider you one of my beautiful children, and I’ll wish you the best as you walk your path in life. I’m just sorry that I brought this pain upon you.”

Fluttershy felt an outpouring of love and affection for her through her connection with the tree, once more leaving no doubt that it was serious. It brought her to tears again.

Even though the nature magic within her was still budding she could feel the other tree’s besides the Concord Tree, though not to the same extent. She could feel how much they were holding themselves back, how they wanted to beg and plead with her not to let their mother die. Though the Concord Tree itself didn’t consider its existence important all the trees around her didn’t want to lose her, but they were keeping quiet because they respected their mother’s assertion that she should have the free will to choose whether or not she underwent the transformation.

Fluttershy felt the level of admiration and dedication to the Concord Tree from the other trees was as great as Ponyville’s and Canterlot’s for Princess Celestia. It reminded her of the way she cared for her animals, and how they almost looked at her as a mother figure.

She could feel the seed inside of her, gently pulsing, and though much smaller in scale than when she had temporarily bonded her essence with the Concord Tree, she could feel the bountiful life force of the forest around her.

That she wasn’t being pressured into it gave her a sense of calm as she let herself become one with nature, even though her power had yet to fully develop.

With a serene smile she said to the Concord Tree, “Okay, you can begin again. I’m ready.”

“Are you absolutely certain, Fluttershy?” asked the Concord Tree. “Once the transformation is complete you will lose your pegasi magic completely. There will be no going back.”

Her smile only became bigger. “I understand that. I just… I just can’t bear the thought of the sorrow of all your children. Even more than about just saving Equestria, I can feel that they don’t want to lose you.

“You said earlier that the truest essence of nature is harmony with all things. I understand that very well. I am one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, along with my other friends. One is a super fast and competitive pegasus, one is a farm worker, one is a bookworm, one is a fashion designer, and the last one is a party planner with boundless energy. Despite all the differences between our lives and our views on life we always come together to help each other and Equestria when we’re needed.

The thought of losing my friends when I first came here weighed upon me so heavily that I couldn’t stand it. I love all of them so much. Even though I’m weak they won’t leave me behind. They’ll wait for me, even when I’m slowing them down.”

“I wouldn’t want to lose any of them. They make me feel complete. I don’t want to lose you, either. I don’t want your children to suffer. And you called me your child. You were willing to die for me. I don’t know how I’m going to look at the end of this, but I want to help you. This is my own personal choice, and no one else’s.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ve made up my mind.”

She could feel the relief of the trees around her. The Concord Tree simply said, “Thank you.” It’s center began to glow powerfully again, and Fluttershy felt the seed in her mind reacting to it.

Power seeped into her, continuing where it left off halfway down her body. The back half of her body got that hardening feeling like before, like someone was slowly gripping her harder and harder. She took in a sharp intake of breath as her tail began to hurt. Just like with her mane all the hair on her tail fell off of her, before regrowing into the same willow vines as her mane.It seeped down into her back legs, and she could see them changing and hardening just like her front hooves.

The seed within seemed to burn brightly inside, blurring her vision for a few seconds before burning out as the transformation completed.

Fluttershy felt weak kneed. Her body trembled for a few seconds before she collapsed to the ground. She could hear the Concord Tree in her mind. “Are you alright, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy slowly panted. She couldn’t get her voice to work, so she just thought her response. “I don’t feel so good.”

Leaves fell around her, covering the area in it. Looking up she saw they came from the Concord Tree. “Your body will need some time to adapt to

the change. Your natural body expects pegasi magic, not nature magic.

“With your metamorphosis complete you now have a deep connection with me. Creating that seed to facilitate your change used up a lot of energy. I can feel my life force fading, hence why you likely are doubly affected.”

“H-hey,” she thought, “you better not die now after I went through all that.”

“Never you worry, my dear. I’m going to have to sever my connection with some of my babies for now to save energy, but I will endure. It’s only a few more hours. Sleep for now, little one, and I will waken you when the time comes. Have no fear. We will protect you, daughter of nature.”

Copious amounts of vines surrounded her, making a sphere around her. Fluttershy didn’t have the strength to complain. She closed her eyes gratefully, too tired to stay awake.