A Wish Granted

Fluttershy slowly woke up, her eyes still closed. She could faintly hear the morning birds and  could somewhat feel a light breeze float in through her still open window. Despite these normal morning things, something felt wrong. Her whole body felt heavy from head to hoof. She could still breathe fine, but besides that she couldn’t really move. She opened her eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight.

From what she could see, she was in her room laying on her bed. Barely had opened her eyes when a bushy tail covered her view. She tried blowing it out of the way and eventually the owner of the appendage moved . Straining, she lifted her head a little and looked down. Her whole body shook as she began laughing, relief going through her as she saw what the problem was. It seemed every animal she took care of was sleeping on top of her. Birds, ferrets, mice, cats, squirrels, chickens, even the pig! All of them were surrounding her, curling up in her mane or snuggling close to her face; taking up every bit of space on the bed. It wasn’t unusual for a few of them to spend the night with her. Usually Angel stayed with her, but this went beyond what she had ever seen before. She wondered if there had been a thunderstorm last night or something.

It took quiite a bit of effort, but she managed to pull her hooves free, waking up some of the critters, who chittered their displeasure at being disturbed. “Sorry, sorry,” Fluttershy said with another laugh, before yawning. “I wonder what got you all spooked, but you’re welcome to share my bed anytime.” They all chittered happily and scurried downstairs like an animal parade.

Getting up she hopped off the bed onto the floor, rubbing her eyes trying to wake herself up. She noticed they felt...a little rough, but put it out of her mind as she headed to the bathroom to wash up.

She pushed the handle on the sink, putting her hooves under the cold water, shivering a little as she threw it on her face. Feeling a little more awake her head tilted as she looked at herself in the mirror. “What’s going on with my mane? I guess that’s because of all my critters sleeping on me.” They looked almost as if she had slept in a willow tree. An eyebrow went up as she turned her head a little, looking at her ear. There were points coming out of the sides of her ear. To top it off the whole top of her ear was green. “What is going on?”

She went to put a hoof to her ear, but stopped and let out a gasp as she saw her hoof. Staring open-mouthed, horror in her eyes, as she saw it looked like a tree branch. Lifting up her other hoof she saw it was the same.Shakily sitting down she went to look at her back legs and gulped as she saw most of her body was encased in the same material.

She began to shake. She fluttered her wings, wanting to get a better look at herself, but she couldn’t get off the ground no matter how hard she flapped. Now she was panic stricken. She ran from the room, grabbing a box to stand on. When she stood on it and saw her body she stopped breathing for a few seconds and began to gasp for it back a few more seconds later; Her whole body began shaking.

“W-w-wha-wha-WHAT? No! What, I, um, huh, wha-” She was so flustered she could barely talk. Her heart was racing and her mind felt like a computer that had crashed.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!” she screamed out, feeling faint as she fell off the crate.

She put her hooves to her head, trembling like crazy. “What’s happening to me? I-I’m transforming into a tree.W-Why? Why? WHY?”

Suddenly she felt...something. Something inside her. It calmed her panicked heart and she felt a pulsing sensation that seemed to be coming from her very being, wiping away her fear and sadness. An invsible path seemed to be forming, directing her somewhere. Without really thinking about it she followed its direction, going outside.

The sky still had a lingering pink cloud stretched across the horizen. A slight breeze rustled the tree branches as they swayed in her direction. odly enough, she almost felt as if they were saying good morning to her.

A vine that was wrapped around her neck that she never really took noticed of before, now  began to unravel, heading striaght into the ground. She “eeped” but never moved a muscle in order to stop it. It almost froze her on impact, but like summer breeze, she felt that the piece of her that was missing  felt...connected. It felt good. She wasn’t frightned and despite her wanting to panic mind, her heart told her it was going to be ok.

Almost immediately Fluttershy felt a vast presence touching her mind, like a cold wave splashing agaisnt her. It seemed familiar somehow. She heard a voice, dear and melodic, speaking to her in what seeemed her mind. “Good morning, Fluttershy. Did you sleep well?”

“W-who are you?” Fluttershy asked, worridly looking around for the source of it.

“Have you forgotten already, my daughter?”

“Daughter?” Fluttershy said questioningly.

“It is I, the Concord Tree.”

“Concord… OH!” Like an explosion the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her: being led to the middle of the Whitetail woods, the tree’s plea for aid, her transformation into a pony-tree hybrid, and finally being used as the medium for transferring energy to the Concord Tree. “I remember now!”

“Very good, my child.”

“Are you...well?” Fluttershy asked.

“Right as rain, my dear. I am brimming with power. This should do nicely until next month. I want to apologize, though. I had to plant a desire inside you to act as I wished. Even if it was necessary I don’t like the thought of forcing you to do what I want.”

“What do you mean?”

“That seed I placed inside of you to aid in your transformation is still inside you. It’s a tiny piece of my power, which guarantees that no matter how far away from me you are I will always know when you’re doing good and when you’re in need of assistance. I could feel a great fear inside of you, but without a direct connection to nature, like the one we have now, I could only give you a compulsion to come outside. I couldn’t actually talk to you until you were here and that vine connected you to me.”

“How did I get home?” Fluttershy asked. “I think that was why I was so confused. The last thing I remember I fell asleep in the forest.” Something came to her then. “Hey!” she said, a bit of annoyance in her voice. “What was with taking more of my energy and knocking me out after everything was done? That wasn’t very nice.”

“Again, I apologize if I frightened you, but after everything I put you through I only wished for you to leave the real world behind for a bit and rest peacefully. Your body should be more adapted to nature energy now, now that you’ve had a good night’s rest.

“As for your question I simply called forth the creatures of the land to bring you home. They normally stay away from ponies, but as you now contain the essence of one of us your nature energy will draw other beings in harmony with nature to you.”

Fluttershy giggled as she remmbered that morning. “You’re not kidding!” Without really thinking hard about it, her mind she sent her waking memory to the Concord Tree.

The tree laughed as well as it saw Fluttershy surrounded by so many animals. “You’re a good child of the forest Fluttershy. It pleases me to see that you house so many creatures of nature. You’re definitely the right choice.

The tree asked in a mortherly tone. “So now, how are YOU feeling?”

Fluttershy closed her eyes, taking stock of her body and feelings. “I… I don’t know. It sure was a shock seeing how much I’ve changed on the outside, but I still feel like the same pony on the inside.

“I’m gonna need some more time to get used to this. I just woke up, after all.” Fluttershy got a thoughtful look on her face. “Hmm… so what are these new abilities you said I’d gain? You said something like I’d get the knowledge of trees or something.”

“All in good time, dear. I’ll always be with you so long as you contain that magic seed inside you, so my knowledge will always be available to you when you need it. Most trees and the animals of lesser intelligence, though of no less worth, act on instinct, not conscious thought. That is the opposite of the sentient races, who put a focus on learning and planning and what not. We of nature usually already know what needs to be done, which allows us to survive without the thought capacities of ponies and griffon’s and the like. When a problem arises that stumps you for a solution than do as we do and try to stop your thought and let instinct take over. You’ll know what to do when the time comes.

“For now, though, I’d suggest you stay inside and rest today, if you think your body still needs more time to adjust to the changes. If you feel you’re up to it than go where you will. You should walk without fear. You are my most precious child, so in return for protecting us through your actions I shall always protect you so long as you’re around nature.”

Fluttershy bowed her head gratefully, despite the fact that the tree probably couldn’t see her. “Thank you.” She moved her head left and right a few times. “I-I kinda feel funny. Its a good funny, but wierd...” She could feel the gentle pulse of the seed inside her.

Taking a deep breath she sent a piece of her essence into the ground, and her eyes went wide as she felt the land around her. “What a magnificent feeling. My whole body feels alive!”

She heard chirping and chittering from behind her, seeing her critters coming out, gathering around her. She gave them a warm smile. “Hello there, everyone. You must be hungry.”

“You’re already beginning to get a feel for your power. As I said before the entirety of nature is grounded in instinct and togetherness. Explaining everything to you in words is difficult, as we are used to simply reacting. We naturally just know what to do to survive.  Just let things come as they may until your power becomes second nature. You’ll find your power is up to the task. If your strength alone is not enough you may always borrow some of mine. Never forget: we are all one. You are a daughter and a sister to all of us, my child, and we are all rooting for you.

“I am content that you are more at peace with your transformation today. After what happened yesterday I was scared you would despise me.”

“Well, it WAS a big experience, but…,” she smiled as she drank in the life force of the land, “…I have no regrets today. I feel so full of energy I might just burst.”

She felt fear coming from the Concord Tree. “WHAT? That shouldn’t be! Hurry to the forest so I can drain off the excess energy.”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but find her mothers lack of pony expressions funny and began cracking up. “It’s just an expression! I’m fine. I mean it. Maybe you need to get out more,” she said teasingly.

Now relief seeped into her. “Thank goodness. I don’t want to lose you. It’s always a shame to lose one of my babies.”

Fluttershy felt really at peace, a carefree smile on her face. “I love this. I really do. I think I should go visit my friends and let them know.” Her expression slowly faded. “Gee, I wonder what they’re going to think of me now.” She let out a small whimper. “Maybe I will stay home today.” Her head drooped as some tears came down her eyes. “What if they don’t like me anymore because of the way I look?”

“Fluttershy, dear, perk up. It saddens me to see you becoming so blue. Your friends will stay by you. You’re still Fluttershy, after all, a pony that they love. Ponyville, after all, is a place where ponies of all different races are welcomed and encouraged. Altering your appearance won’t change how they feel about you. Be more confident! You’re a hero. Do not forget that.”

She wasn’t entirely convinced, but she wasn’t as scared as she was before. “I guess you’re right. I just… I feel so different from everyone now. There’s never been a tree-pony before.”

“And what’s wrong with that? There are only a few alicorns in your world, are there not, and aren’t they your beloved leaders?  Do you look down on Princess Celestia because she’s such a rare pony? Far from it. You adore her. Why do you think your friends would act any differently? If they are truly your friends they will embrace your differences. After all, no two ponies are exactly the same. As we discussed yesterday, stop focusing so much on the differences between you all. Find harmony and peace in the things that join you together, both as ponies and as friends.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath, the tree’s words settling her fears. “Yes. Yes! You’re right! They are my friends, and they’ll love no matter how I look.”

She got the feeling that the Concord Tree would be smiling warmly at her if it had a mouth. “There we are. That’s better. Don’t let petty fears disrupt your harmony.”

“I have to go now. I need to go feed all my critters.”

“Okay, my daughter. Just know I am never far away if you need me.”

As the tree began to withdraw from her Fluttershy said sincerely, “Thank you.”

Fluttershy looked down at the vine still in the ground. Before the Concord Tree had pushed her to follow an instinct, but if the vine was a part of her she should be able to control it just like her legs and eyes.

Feeling a little silly she strained her mind, trying to make the vine come out. It stayed where it was. “Hmmm.” She began sucking on her cheek. She knew she could just pull it out and be done with it, but she would have to learn to deal with the changes in her body on her own eventually. Better to do it now in the privacy of her own yard than in public, where everyone might see her and judge her.

She jumped a little as a bird landed on her mane. A squirrel climbed up her body. A bunny sat in front of her.

“I’m sorry, everyone. I’ll be right in to feed you. Just be a little patient.”

With a grunt she tightened up her body and focused as hard as she could, but still the vine stayed immobile. She let out a small huff, wondering what she was doing wrong. What was she doing different now than when she had first come outside? Was it only because the tree had been influencing her?

She looked around at all the animals, patiently waiting for her, and the answer suddenly came to her. The Concord Tree had told her that nature was about instinct rather than thought. She was fighting too hard, acting like a pony. If the vine was her connection to nature she couldn’t treat it the same way she did everything else. Like before she was thinking about things too much, in contrast to the natural rhythm of nature. Just like when she was going through the ordeal of being the medium for the energy transfer the solution was to take a step back and surrender rather

than fight.

She closed her eyes, simply taking measured breaths to settle herself down, trying to stop her thoughts and just go by what she felt. When she opened her eyes she stopped thinking about the “how” of getting the vine to move. She wanted it to move, and so it would. She knew she had the capacity, and that was all that mattered.

Before her eyes the vine shook a bit before pulling out of the ground, slowly wrapping itself back around her neck. She got a content smile on her face. “I did it!” she said happily. She put a hoof to the vine. “Thank you, little friend, for helping me out.”

Turning to her animals she said, “Thank you for being patient. Let’s go feed you now.”

Heading back to her cottage she went into the cupboard and grabbed the bowls and bags of food, pouring them out all over as the animals began digging in. Looking up at the bird houses she gave a gentle hop, flapping her wings… and fell flat on her face.

“Oooww,” she said, rubbing her chin. She looked behind her, flapping her leafy branch wings gently. “Oh… yeah. I can’t fly anymore. This is going to take some time to get used to.”

Angel hopped over to her, a rare bit of concern on his face, asking if she was okay.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He rubbed her chin a few times before giving it a little peck, and then his usual bratty attitude resurfaced as he dismissively told her to be more careful and hopped back to his bowl.

Fluttershy got back up, once more looking at the bird houses. She was so used to flying around that she didn’t have a ladder. She supposed she could just call the birds down and let them eat on the floor like all the other animals, but she knew they preferred to be up higher when they ate.

She scratched the back of her head. “I guess I could just make a ladder out of some boxes and furniture.” The problem with that was she’d have to move it around constantly to get to each one. There had to be a faster solution.

A flitter of movement caught her attention, and she saw the vine around her neck moving ever so slightly. “Oh. Aha!” Easing away from herself a little she willed the vine toward the bag of food, then up to the feeders. The vine seemed to be able to stretch past it’s natural length. She thought she would have to at least stand on something to get it to reach, but it had no problem getting there. It was if it was growing from inside of her.

Once all the bowls were full Fluttershy returned to her bedroom, needing to just think for a little bit. She sat down on the bed, her head on her hooves. “So I guess THIS is the new power the Concord Tree was talking about. I can control nature, or maybe it’s only this vine. She was right in that I lost my ability to fly. I don’t mind it that much. I prefer to stay near the ground anyway.”

She hopped off the bed, returning to the bathroom. Stepping on the box again she took in her appearance, from head to hoof. She put a hoof to her mane, gently bobbing at the willow-like strands of hair. She touched the rough texture of her body, stiff like a tree. She moved her tail a little, in the same sort of style as her mane. She flapped her wings, hearing them rustle as the leaves brushed up against each other.

“I… am… still Fluttershy, right?” She just stared at herself for a while, feeling uncertain. “I look different on the outside, but I’m still the same pony on the inside, aren’t I? I’m a little different now, but my friends will be able to look past that, won’t they? They won’t be so hung up on the old me that they’ll throw me away.” Under her breath she said, “I hope so.”

The Concord Tree had brought up a good point. Princess Celestia was greatly loved by all of pony kind. She was an alicorn, with both horn and wings. She was their leader, and no one looked down on her or spurned her for being different. Quite the opposite. However, her unique features were only a combination of the unique features of two other races combined.

She, Fluttershy, was something else entirely, though. The Concord Tree said nothing like this had ever been done for another pony. She truly was unique, a pony with tree-like qualities. There was no other pony that remotely resembled her now, and she didn’t like being singled out. She

preferred just blending in with the crowd. Now no one could overlook her, being a pony-tree hybrid.

Doubt began to assault her again. She wanted her friends to still like her. Even if everyone else turned against her she felt she could still make it through if they stood by her. She let out a heavy breath. “Maybe I should become more comfortable with this myself before asking them to. After all, the Concord Tree said this is permanent, so it’s not like I can just become a pegasus again any time I want.”

With another deep breath she continued just looking at herself, getting used to the changes in her body. “I wonder,” she mused to herself, “Can I “feed” like a tree now? Do I need to eat regular pony food, or can I, like, conduct photosynthesis? I wonder how much this transformation has changed me.”

She changed her position several times, trying to look at herself from every angle. She felt that there were no more outward changes that she had missed, but there were still many unknown things on the opposite spectrum of mental and physical abilities. She had already seen that throwing away conscious thought and working purely on instinct let her tap into her ability to control the vine. What else could she do? Could she create more vines? Could she further alter her appearance? What knowledge had she gained?

After a while she returned to the living room. She saw all the bowls were empty, the animals contentedly rubbing their tummies and laying down. When she entered the room they all perked up, asking what had happened to her, so she explained the change in her appearance.

She told them that she was leaving for a little while, and she had to get a little insistent because they kept following after her as she tried to go.

She barely got a few more feet before a bird landed on her back, one that didn’t live with her, and began pecking at her. She winced a little. “H-hey!” she complained. “Cut it out.”

The bird seemed a bit confused, before apologizing and taking off.

Fluttershy sighed. “I guess that’s one downside of this. Some animals can’t distinguish between me and an actual tree.”

She had only gotten a few hundred feet when her hooves began hesitating. A curious thought came to her. She looked at the vine around her neck and began to wonder. Tapping into her powers she sent it back swirling into the ground. She closed her eyes, trying to “see” like she had with the Concord Tree.

The ground was like a bright light, full of energy. She connected to a random tree, asking it about her friends. She could feel the request transfer from tree to tree to tree, as she let her mind become one with all. Information traveled at a rapid speed, every tree searching until a vision came back to her.

She recieved an image of her five friends all by Twilight’s library.

Returning to herself she let out a big breath. “Whew. That was simple. Now I see how the other trees were able to find me so easy.

She heard the voice of the Concord Tree. “You’re beginning to really realize your abilities now, aren’t you? You didn’t need me to tell you what you already knew.”

“Well, I saw you doing it. If I have powers like yours than I should be able to do it too. Keep an eye on my friends for me. I’d rather not be seen by anyone until I see them first.”

“I understand.”

Wrapping the vine around her neck she continued walking toward Ponyville. Her heart was hammering slightly in her chest. She was wondering

what everyone would think of her. That same fear was coursing through her. She really hoped her friends would accept her for who she was. They loved her as a pony, but would they think she was a mutant freak because she was now part three?

Something up ahead disturbed her negative thoughts. The ground was rippling right in the direction she was walking. Up out of the ground popped out a small blue flower, exactly like the ones around the Concord Tree.

Fluttershy got the message. She had to believe in her friends. “How about a little help?” she said to the flower.

A shot of  blue pollen came out of the flower toward her, releasing the calming, intoxicating aroma of the concord tree, settling her nerves.

As she continued walking she kept getting impulses guiding her to change direction, which she assumed was the Concord Tree helping her to avoid detection. It worked, if that was the case, as she didn’t see any other ponies before spotting her friends, laughing and chatting outside the library on a blanket.

Rainbow Dash was talking about her latest exploit. “So then I raced down, fast as I could, and caught the little sucker before he hit the ground. The ponies watching went WILD! His mother offered me free cupcakes for a month. How could I say no? I think I deserve that much after saving her son. She can recognize real talent when she sees it.”

“You know, Rainbow, you should really watch your ego,” said Rarity. “Do we really need to hear about your every good deed?”

Rainbow laughed. “I’M the one with an ego? Last I checked I don’t have a fainting couch.”

Applejack laughed now. “She’s got you there.”

“Hmph! Just because I don’t want to faint on the grass and get dirt in my mane does NOT make me an egomaniac, thank you. I am a lady of class, after all.”

Fluttershy smiled, seeing her friends up to their usual antics. They hadn’t changed a bit.

“Rarity does have a point,” said Twilight. “Maybe you should take a page out of Fluttershy’s book and learn to be calmer. She’s always pretty

easygoing and relaxed.”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy responded softly. “Maybe I save ponies in secret all the time.”

Rainbow Dash heard the familiar voice of her friend. “Yeah, I’m sure you do, Flutter… Flu…Flu-” Her head tilted as she took in Fluttershy’s appearance. Her mouth hung open, her eyebrow going up.”

“What’s wrong, Rainbow?” asked Twilight, and as she turned to look her expression almost mirrored Rainbow’s.

It wasn’t long until all of them were giving her strange looks.

Fluttershy felt her heart racing. It was the moment of truth.

The tension suddenly broke as Rainbow Dash began laughing hysterically. “I get it! “I’d like to be a tree.”” She slapped her side. “Good one, Fluttershy.”

The others began laughing along. Even Rarity, who had mostly been annoyed by their conversation on the train

Fluttershy took a deep breath, walking fairly shakey to the blanket. “Hello, everyone.”

“Hoo-hoo, Fluttershy,” said Applejack, looking her over. That’s some costume.”

“Agreed,” said Twilight. “If I didn’t know better I’d think it was real.”

“But it IS real,” Fluttershy responded, fear and dissapointment shwoign in her eyes.

Pinkie giggled as Rarity rolled her eyes. “Are you loco in the coco?” Pinkie asked lightheartedly. “Anyone can tell that it’s a costume. There aren’t any tree-ponies.”

“Come on, guys, I’m serious. You see-”

Twilight interrupted her. “You’re really determined to keep this joke going, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “but it makes for a good prank.”

Fluttershy felt stymied. She had been so worried about them not accepting her new look. She didn’t account for the fact that they just wouldn’t believe she had changed. “Look, I’m really not joking around. This is important.”

The looks of amusement on their faces only grew wider. Rainbow Dash, stifling a laugh, said, “Let me guess. You found the forest queen. She was getting on in years and was looking for her successor, but couldn’t find any among her subjects, so she chose a pony to lead the trees in the years to come.”

“Listen to me!” said Fluttershy sternly, and the looks of amusement faded from her change in attitude. “Yesterday, I-”

“Fluttershy dear, the jokes been fun but don’t try to take it to far. Why don’t we change the subject? I heard some talk around ponyville that because there hasn’t been a scheduled rain for a while that random fires were starting all around ponyville.” Twilight said.

“I heard that too,” said Rarity, “Did you hear about brr punch? I heard that…”

The two began to chat, completely ignoring Fluttershy.Before she could say anything else she felt a strange feeling from the seed inside her, as well as screaming coming from somewhere in the distance.

As one their heads turned in the direction of the commotion, Twilight hopping up. “Let’s go, girls!”

“Right!” they replied immediately.

Fluttershy ran right along with them, knowing her story could wait.

After about a minute Rarity said, “Look! Up in the sky.”

There was a plume of smoke rising on the horizon.

“There must be a fire!” said Rainbow Dash. “I’m gonna go on ahead and start preparing some rain clouds.”

“Okay!” said Twilight. “We’ll do what we can to slow it down and get other ponies to safety.”

Rainbow Dash raced off into the sky as the others continued their run.

After another minute they could see the orange-red flames rising up the side of a house, slowly engulfing the grass and flowers around it.

A small crowd of ponies was watching. A few unicorns were trying to pump water into buckets and throw it on the flames, but it was barely a deterrent.

As the group reached the crowd Twilight asked, “Is anybody inside?”

“No,” responded a stallion. “The house is emptied already.”

“If we can’t stop the fire from spreading it might engulf all of Ponyville.” She glanced up at the sky, biting her hoof. “Come on, Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey, Twilight!” said Applejack.

“What is it?”

“Ya remember what ya did with the Ursa Minor?”

Twilight looked over at Applejack. “Yes, but what does that have to do with-” Her eyes opened wide as she followed Applejack’s pointing hoof. “Ah! I get it!”

Twilight’s horn began to glow brightly as she levitated the water tower, turning it upside down to keep the water inside. She lifted it over the area, soaking the ground and putting out the fire around the perimeter of the house, soaking the ground so it would be contained to the house.

A short while later the sky began to darken as Rainbow Dash and a group of pegasi brought a slew of rain clouds over the area, dousing the house.

Twilight used the water tower to gather up as much moisture as she could, throwing it into the house where the fires still burned.

All said, it took a few more minutes before the last embers faded.

Roseluck, an earth pony with a red mane and a rose cutie mark, walked up to them, a glum look on her face. “Thank you,” she said in a tired voice.

“Was that your house?” asked Rarity.

She nodded. “I left the stove on while I went to answer the door. Something must have blew right onto the burner.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Pinkie Pie said, giving her a hug. “Don’t worry. We can all work together to spruce it up. Right, girls?”

“Right!” they replied.

Rose pulled away, turning from them. “I’m not that worried about the house. I can always stay with a friend. I’m saddest about losing my most precious things.”

She walked over to a patch of land, reaching and picking up a shriveled and burnt leaf. It crumpled in her hooves before the wind blew it away. She sat down, putting her hooves to her face. “I lost all my flowers. I spent so much time and care making them beautiful, and now they’re all gone! It’ll take months before this area is ripe for gardening again, and even longer before they grow.”

“Well, um,” started Twilight, “can’t you just buy some flowers and plant them in the ground on the other side of the house?”

Rose gave Twilight a dirty look. “Of course I can!” she said as she swung her hoof like she was swatting a fly. “That’s not the point. I like to make my OWN works of art. I don’t want to just buy some flowers.”

Her anger faded as she looked down at the ground, tears dripping down her eyes. “It’s the act of gardening that I love, seeing them go from tiny seeds to large and ready to take on the world. They’re like my babies, and now they’re… gone.” She gently sobbed into her hooves.

Fluttershy looked around at the devastation with a heavy heart. With her new appreciation for nature this felt like a terrible punishment for a simple accident. A good portion of the grass around Roseluck house was brown and black, burnt to nothingness.

She wished there was something she could do. Rose she picked up the remains of a flower, feeling herself on the verge of tears for the loss.

She closed her eyes, thinking of the Concord Tree. She had felt the reaction just before the scream had drawn their attention. She knew it had to be mourning the loss of some of its children as well.

‘Isn’t there anything I can do?’ she asked in her head. A sudden recognition made her open her eyes. It was so simple.

She could feel the pulse of energy coming from the seed inside her. She wasn’t the same pony she was yesterday. It was time already for her to use her new unique abilities.

A smile pulled at her lips, a feeling of power thrumming through her being.

It was time.

************

Some have not been reading the authors note. poeple, please read it. IT IS IMPORTANT!!!!!

thank you