Chapters Outside, the western valley was dark, Luna’s moon rising over the rocky slopes. Barely any of the cacti were visible in the dim light and not a sound was heard except that of the train, the Friendship Express. The stallions were tired, but never stopped for a break. They kept pulling the train down the rusty track. The train whistle bellowed, disturbing the few crows that were settling down for the night. It might have appeared to be a quiet, undisturbed cargo train at first, had it not been for the warm lights and laughter leaking through the last car’s window.
Inside the train car, the one beside the caboose, a lot of chatting was going on. Despite the late hour four mares were wide awake. Cots were on each side of the car. On the right top bunk sat Fluttershy. Her pale pink mane was neatly brushed back, falling over her clear, blue eyes. She sat with her wings open, her hooves folded over in a comfortable position. As her name suggested she was normally shy. However, she felt quite comfortable around her friends.
Looking over to Rainbow Dash she saw her talking with Twilight, who was beneath her. They were talking about some Daring Do book. She rolled her eyes playfully as Pinkie Pie tried to join in the conversation. However, it was rather hard since Pinkie didn’t read that genre. Still, it didn't matter to her as she kept on chatting.
She, of course, knew almost nothing of Daring Do. She only knew what her friends said about her. She only read books such as “Beauty Bell and the Beast” or “Animal Keeping Tips.” Adventure books such as those did not interest her. She already had enough adventures in real life to deal with. Finding the conversation not to her taste she stretched her neck to see if Rarity was available to talk.
All she saw was a very tired unicorn, lying on her side away from the group, her mane in curlers. Before Fluttershy could invite her to chat, Rarity covered her ears to block out the other ponies chatting, indicating her wish to be left alone. Scooting back into a comfy position, she sat back and watched the other mares.
“Hey, Spike, I need your help,” said Rainbow Dash to the sleepy Dragon beneath Rarity.
He looked up groggily at her.” What is it?” Spike said, annoyed.
“There was a popcorn kernel here that didn’t get popped.” She pointed to a little kernel on top of the batch. She ducked in time to avoid getting burned by the fiery breath of the baby dragon. Rainbow Dash looked, and saw the buttery batch had been burned to ashes. Suddenly, the kernel popped and hit Rainbow right in the eye.
“There. Now leave me alone.” Turning over he let out a sigh.
The mares looked at each other, a bit stunned.
“Um,.perhaps it’s time for bed,” said Twilight hesitantly, before blowing out the lamp.
Fluttershy started to close her eyes and all was silent for a moment, maybe two, before she heard Rainbow whisper, “Pinkie Pie, are you asleep yet?” A small light appeared, and Fluttershy could see Rainbow out of the corner of her eye.
“No. Are you?” Pinkie replied, and appeared in front of rainbow.
Rainbow let out a huff, responding sarcastically, “If I was sleeping how could I have asked you if you were asleep?”
“Oh, yeah,” Pinkie responded with a giggle.
“I was just wondering...when we get to Appleloosa, do you think we’ll have to carry that heavy tree all the way from the train to the orchard?”
“What tree? You mean Bloomberg?” replied Pinkie, sincerely confused.
Rainbow sarcastically said, “No… Fluttershy.”
This peaked Fluttershy’s interest very much. She knew that RD was being sarcastic, but found herself bemused at the thought of being a tree.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Twilight asking “What’s going on?”
“Rainbow Dash thinks Fluttershy is a tree!” explained Pinkie.
“I do not think she’s a tree! I was just-” Rainbow tried to say, before getting cut off by Twilight.
“Did you say she was a tree?”
“No! Well, yes. But not exactly-”
Twilight intervened again “Ya…know she’s not a tree, right?”
“She’s not a tree, Dashie!” Pinkie added. Here, Fluttershy decided it was time to add her point of view. After all, if they were going to argue about her they ought to hear her own take on the matter.
So Fluttershy stated “I’d like to be a tree.” Inwardly she thought, “How bad could it be? I would be able to house my critter friends and get to be in the beauty of nature all day. It would be nice.”
Suddenly, a now awake and angry Spike shouted “Oh, for Pete’s sake!” He jumped off the cot and stomped over to the door. With a loud bang that made everypony cringe Spike left to the next car, the one that housed Bloomberg.
It was silent for a moment, before Fluttershy heard Twilight say, “Well, that was kinda huffy.”
“Huffy the magic dragon,” teased Fluttershy.
They all giggled at the statement, for “Huffy the Magic Dragon” had been a bedtime story that they had all read before. The thought of Spike being “Huffy” was amusing.
“Would you all be quiet NOW!” screamed what seemed to be Rarity, except this horrid beast was covered in beauty products and mane curlers.
The girls scattered to their cots as Rainbow Dash blew out the light. Fluttershy settled in her bed, breathing heavily. Once her heart rate was normal, she gave a small chuckle and snuggled under the forest green blanket. Tucking her wings over the covers and laying her head down, she sat there for a moment, maybe two. Her eyelids blinking slower and slower until they stopped. Her breathing slowed and a serene peacefulness passed over her face, as she drifted off to sleep.
***
Fluttershy’s eyes opened. She blinked a few times and then stretched and yawned as she began to wake up. The sun was shining hotly through her window and two robins sweetly sang by her windowsill. A small smile appeared on her face as she thought over the previous day's events.
“What an adventure that was,” she mused to herself as she thought of the big conflict between the settler ponies and the buffalo that they had had to resolve.
She giggled. “Or made it worse.” She shook her head as she thought of Pinkie Pie, and how her singing had driven the wedge further between them.
“Oh, well. At least Bloomberg is safe, planted in his new home.”
Getting out of bed she walked over to the window, opening it and letting in a soft, autumn breeze. Everything appeared to be normal, but appearances could be deceiving. The sky was a bright hue, and even the trees of gold and red swayed gracefully with serene peace. Clearly there was nothing to be worried or afraid about. Still, she felt a little unnerved for some reason. She pushed the thought away, deciding to feed her critter friends.
After making the bed she flew down the stairs and was greeted by Angel Bunny.
“Hello, Angel. Are you hungry?” she asked.
He nodded his furry head yes and ran to get the cookbook. She followed him into the kitchen and found him pointing at an entry called “The Simply Simple Salad.” Only, it didn’t look too simple. She tried to suggest some other things, but Angel would not take anything else.
“At least Angel Bunny is acting normal. Maybe I am overreacting?” she wondered as she got the ingredients for his meal.
Fortunately she had everything for the recipe, and it only took ten minutes to fix it. The little rascal ate it greedily, so Fluttershy went outside to feed the rest of her animal friends. She was greeted by warm streams of sunlight pouring onto her face. Sunlight always put her in a good mood and she went humming to the food bin. She greeted each furry friend with a smile and a sweet word.
She went into the pantry and grabbed a bag of sunflower seeds. Going back outside, she sat down on a bench on the south side of her cottage and started to munch on a few. She took a deep breath and let her body relax, taking in the breathtaking scene. She began to drift into a content daydream when she spotted a blue speck in the distance.
It came closer at an alarming speed, and Fluttershy snapped out of her dream state and lifted her head with a concerned look. At three yards away the speck could be identified as her friend, Rainbow Dash. She stopped and hovered over Fluttershy, panting from her speedy flight.
Fluttershy could see she was distressed and looked up perplexed and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Rainbow Dash never stopped flying but replied hastily, “Oh, Fluttershy, am I glad to find you. Something is the matter in the White Tail Woods. I heard something crying out in pain!”
“Oh, wow! Um, are you sure you heard a scream?” Fluttershy said hesitantly.
“Well, I am pretty sure and it’s good enough for me, so are you coming or not?”
“I, uh, um… why me? I am not very well equipped in these situations,” she faltered.
“I choose you, because it sounded like an ANIMAL CRY!” Rainbow Dash said urgently.
The mention of a critter in trouble caused Fluttershy to spring up on her hooves. “AN ANIMAL! Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” She flew up to Rainbow Dash right before the airborne Pegasus flew off toward the woods.
“R-Rainbow! Wait for ME!” she yelled as she followed Rainbow Dash towards the west side of Ponyville.
“ So,” Fluttershy panted as she finally closed the distance, “where did you hear the cry?” Fluttershy panted as she finally caught up to Rainbow.
They had been flying for over ten minutes now on the way to the forest. While the scenic view was spectacular she didn’t stop for a moment. The thought of a helpless animal injured, all alone and maybe dying a little bit more each second, caused fear and gave speed to her flying. Still, it was not enough to keep up with her athletic friend ahead, until Rainbow braked. That only happened as they came to the edge of the destined place. Rainbow Dash slowed a bit until Fluttershy was by her side, and then she zoomed off again into the heavily dense trees. Sighing, Fluttershy tried to keep up and also flew into the White Tailed Woods.
The woods were beautiful this time of year. The medium brown bark added a lovely touch to the golden, red, yellow, and orange foliage. The sun, as it got lower, gave out dandelion rays of light that seemed to float and sing of the joy of fall. The feeling of happiness was not with Fluttershy at the moment. She was just barely able to keep up; it took all her strength just to keep off the ground.
This forest, unlike the Everfree, was a normal forest, so it was odd to hear of a pony or critter being endangered there.
It was just west of Ponyville and though it was not as big as the Everfree it was still large for a forest. Of course it got its name from the main types of trees that grow there: white tailed trees. Though it had been known to have an oak or beech here or there. The forest was in its peak in the fall, so when the “Running of the Leaves” event came it was such a dazzling run. Fluttershy had been near its edge often enough to gather acorns for a pie or two, but she had never gone in. She didn’t even know what its center was like. She secretly hoped if they were going to go in it than perhaps she might get a glance at the heart of the forest. The mother tree; where it all started, and it was often the most beautiful sight ever of all the trees.
Fluttershy’s mind was not on the scenery though, or even the “helpless creature.” She was too busy thinking of catching up. Since they had entered the forest it seemed more trees kept getting in her way. Each time she tried to fly faster a branch or trunk got in her way that wasn’t there before.
“Or, it seems like it wasn’t there,” she told herself. “I’m probably just imagining it, so stop being such a worry wart!” She maneuvered around a large branch in time to see Rainbow Dash up ahead, but only her body was visible.
“Rainbow Dash! Wait up!” Fluttershy called despairingly. She received no answer. She had to land to catch her breath. She couldn’t fly any faster.
She stood there, panting, hoping Rainbow would come back for her soon.
Spending a minute to pluck out the leaves and twigs from her mane and wings she looked around her. It was a bit darker for the leaves were blocking out a bit of sunlight. Still, she could see it looked safe. No dangerous animals. “Or injured animals for that matter,” she said to herself. If there was an animal being hurt she thought she should be able to hear it squealing.
There was nothing. Not a whisper. Not a sound. Not another living soul, unless you counted the trees.
She was alone in a creepy forest. That did not please her too much. She lowered her head as if something was creeping over her.
“RAINBOW DASH!” she yelled. “COME BACK!”
All the fears and doubts from earlier came back in a flood of emotions. Many questions formed, some logical, most panicky, but the main thought was just staying safe.
Sitting down, she took a deep breath. It calmed her a little bit and cleared her head for some logical thinking. “It seems to me,” she reasoned, “that there is no possible way to find Rainbow Dash now. Seeing as my help isn’t worth waiting for, I will head back the way I came and get out of this forest. Maybe we flew past the poor dear and on my way out I might see it!"
Slowly, she got up on all fours and looked around, noticing every detail. The light was getting dimmer and dimmer, slowly but surely, it was as if the trees were determined to block a way to fly out.
“Well, that’s an unnerving thought. Focus now,” she said quietly to herself. Even the whisper made a slight echo in the stillness. The trees seem to rustle back in response.
“Enough talking. Time to move!”
She moved her right foreleg forward. Nothing. She moved the other foreleg. Still nothing.
A moment later she moved both her hindlegs. Nothing happened. She began to walk, one hoof at a time. Her head was moving in all directions sharply and cautiously. She walked four yards and nothing stirred. She passed a tree. It didn’t move. She kept watching, hoping and praying to get out of this alive. She passed another tree. It was still.
It had been one minute, but it felt like an eternity. It felt like she had walked a mile, but it was only fifteen feet. She felt uneasy and calm at the same time. The suspense was high, but since nothing was happening she began to feel as if she was overreacting.
She looked around the trees and peered into the distance. She saw no fur and heard no sound. Still, she called out several times in a loud but sqeaky voice, "Here critter critter! Where are you? Are you hurt? Call if you can here me."
She walked another ten feet. Still, nothing happened. Well, nothing besides the fact that the light was still waning.
She sighed at not finding the hurt animal; hoping it was alright. Looking around, she got up the courage to look at the tree tops. She was curious. After a few seconds she hit something, losing her balance. Fluttershy found herself face down on the ground. Her muzzle was a bit bruised, but not too bad. She turned her head to see what she tripped on. She was surprised to find a green vine wrapping itself around her hind leg. Jerking her body to where she was lying on her back, she tried to scrape it off with her other hoof. Instead, it raveled itself around that leg. With both her legs trapped in an ascending vine, she panicked and began to struggle and move forward using her two free legs. She broke free of the vines and began to gallop.
However she did not get far.
More vines came toward her. She let out a squeak and began running full-out. “HELP!” she yelled. “SOMEONE!”
Almost as if on cue she heard a cry up above, and as she turned to look behind her saw her friend crash down into the vines, now unmoving on the ground.
Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness,” she said as she slowed her panicked run.
Rainbow Dash walked toward her, Fluttershy quickly closing the distance. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. Everything is going to be alright now.”
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy said in a rush. “Thank you thank you thank you!”
As she went to give her a friend a hug Rainbow hopped up and away from her a small distance. “Yeah, I’m not in a very huggy mood.”
Fluttershy pouted, but she knew that was the way Rainbow was. “Alright. Did you find the injured critter?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. It’s fine. It just got caught in a spider web and was panicking.”
Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh. “Phew! That’s good.
“In that case can we get out of here, Rainbow? This forest is starting to give me the creeps.”
“But you can’t leave yet, Fluttershy. You’re the guest of honor.”
Fluttershy cocked her head, an eyebrow going up. “What does THAT mean?”
“Don’t be afraid, Fluttershy. There’s nothing to fear. Don’t be afraid.” The tone of Rainbows voice...seemed a little off.
Before she knew what was happening, she was suddenly gently, but firmly, jerked from the ground by a mess of vines. She was so focused on her conversation with her airborne friend she didn’t notice the vines making a second attempt at capturing her. She struggled to be released as it carried her higher into the tree tops.
“Help me!” Fluttershy screamed. “Rainbow Dash!” She put her hoof out, but Rainbow Dash stayed right where she was, a calm expression on her face.
The vines had all four of her legs. It covered her middle section in seconds and her wings were trapped in the forming cage. She was now unable to fly away. They grew downward, swirling and wrapping around her legs. She tried to break free, but she couldn’t move her legs, much less feel them. They were giving off a magical aurora which was putting her legs to sleep. In fact, her entire lower body was numb.
“R-R-Rainbow! W-why are you just sitting there?”
“Don’t be afraid, Fluttershy,” the pegasus responded. “Soon you will understand.” Then, she seemed to turn into dust, blowing away in microscopic pieces and scattering like a breeze.
She began to form tears of fear and despair, having no clue what was going on, but she never stopped trying to get away. She moved her hooves wildly as if trying to hit an unseen villain. It didn’t seem to help at all, for they just kept getting closer and closer. Winding themselves on her shoulders, they took a detour to the hooves first. They began to move slower as the magic worked and tightened. All but her head was covered by this leafy, green cocoon. She had no chance. She was defeated.
As the vines began to encase her pretty pink head she tried one more useless, fruitless effort of rescue.
“Help…,” she cried out in a tiny voice. But no one was there to hear her cry.
"If you could...would you?"
In the darkening forest Fluttershy was covered head to hoof in vines, unable to be seen at all. They pulled her deeper and deeper into the woods, each tree passing her from one to the next, the pegasus out like a light from the magic.
***
“Wha-what’s going on?” said Fluttershy, blinking in the bright sunlight. After wiping her eyes she was surprised to find the sun shining right in her face. It was high noon? Averting her eyes she flipped over onto her stomach, standing up. “When did I get here,” she thought, “and where did all these ponies come from?” Confused thoughts ran through her mind. Looking around she saw she was in the middle of a crowd. Her first instinct was to cringe in fear and shyness. Lowering her head she was about to close her eyes until it was over, but stopped.
Taking a second look she noticed that she was in the far back, and that no pony was paying any attention to her. She let curiosity conquer her fear and looked around.It appeared that she was in the middle of an orchard. An apple orchard, to be exact. The sun, as she thought, was at the top of the sky, shining clear and bright. There were ten rows on each side of the chosen spot, wherever that was. It was filled to the brim with hard working farm ponies.
Fluttershy and the rest of her friends were seated at the back row on the right side. Everypony was listening to the one and only Applejack give a speech on a stage near a grassy hill. She listened just in time to hear Applejack say in her southern accent, “…and so, with the planting of this here tree, it can help to bring all us apple farmers across Equestria closer together. Let this be a sign that no matter what comes, if we all grow strong and tall together, we can accomplish ANYTHING….”
Fluttershy cocked her head. That had not been helpful at all! “What is she talking about?” she pondered. She still felt confused about what was
going on. This seemed very familiar, like this had happened before. At the corner of her mind she felt like something bad had just happened to her, but surrounded by other ponies, unharmed, on a bright sunny day the thought seemed ridiculous.
Turning to her left, she saw Rarity listening intently. Fluttershy nudged her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Um, Rarity... what’s going on?” Rarity never moved her eyes away from the stadium; she appeared not to hear her. Fluttershy tried again, a bit louder. “Rarity, can you please tell me what's going on?”
This time Rarity heard her, but never removed her gaze. Instead she said rather sharply, “Quiet, dear! They are just about to plant... him.”
“Who?”
“Shhh! Watch.”
She looked, but could not see much for all the ponies getting up and cheering. So she flew up and hovered just over their heads. Two stallions stood just on the top of the hill behind the stage. Both looked burly and husky, with a shovel in each left hoof. An apple tree was lying right beside the chestnut one.
“That tree looks familiar,” she thought. “Why... it’s Bloomberg!”
She watched as the two dug a hole, placed the tree upright in it, and shoved the excess dirt back in. Before everypony could cheer, AJ made one last statement. “Here’s yer moment to shine, Bloomberg. May yer fruit never fall in vain. YEEHAW!”
“YEEHAW!” responded the crowed as everypony, besides Fluttershy, cheered and applauded.
There was a sudden stampede of ponies as they all, even her friends, galloped away to the town square. Fluttershy, unaware of what exactly happened, hovered a few more moments before landing on the ground. Glancing around, she saw no pony of whom to ask how she got there.
“They just replanted Bloomberg,” Fluttershy said to herself. “I’ve definitely seen that before... haven’t I? If that’s the case I have to be in Appleoosa… but wasn’t I just in Ponyville?” She pulled at her mane, a little frustrated. “AGH! None of this makes any sense at all!” Deciding to ask Applejack for an explanation she trotted to the town square as well.
When she arrived there, she was stunned at the sight. Pinkie had really outdone herself. Or at least she assumed it was Pinkie, as she saw a party cannon hiding behind a table. Tables were covered with delicious foods like salads, beans, roasted vegetables, heaping piles of sandwiches, and...APPLE PIE! Fluttershy licked her lips at the thought of tasting it. She heard country music playing and couples were dancing together. Every inch of the streets and buildings were decorated with lights and streamers. Most of it was apple themed, but some of it was... butterflies? It was odd for Pinkie to use the very creature that was on her flank for a party decor. She would have to ask her later. In the meantime, she needed to find Applejack. She approached the crowd but, oddly enough, she didn’t feel scared or nervous or shy or... anything! She was perfectly calm.
“Wow, Rainbow Dash’s assertive lessons must really be kicking in,” she thought. Still, she flew cautiously into the crowd. It was hard to spot the orange colored pony among so many other orange or orange-related coated ponies. She did her best to maneuver around them, and made it to the stage where the band was playing. Sitting down for a breath she saw Twilight only five pony couples away! She was dancing in her own funky style to the music.
“Twilight! Twilight, it’s me! Over here!” Fluttershy called, waving her hoof above the crowd.
Twilight never looked in her direction and kept on dancing. Fluttershy floated over the mares and stallions dancing, and landed beside the unicorn.
“TWIILLIGHT!” she yelled in her loudest voice.
The mare never stopped dancing, but looked at her friend and simply said, “Oh! Hello, Fluttershy. Come join the fun. It can wait until later.”
Fluttershy stared a moment, considering what her friend had said. It didn’t make much sense; she never even got to ask her question! Still, she wasn’t feeling shy or uncomfortable in this crowd, which was something that didn’t happen often. She guessed it could wait until later. It wasn’t like she was going to die if she didn’t get an answer. Her curiosity wasn’t that strong. Perhaps she could dance just for a little bit. Just a few minutes couldn’t hurt. Besides, it looked as if Twilight wasn’t going to stop any time soon.
For some reason her question stopped feeling important at all. She looked around at all of the happy ponies dancing away, wanting to join in with them. She wasn’t much of a dancer. She didn’t even really like to dance, as she was afraid of other ponies judging her. However, in this strange situation the thought of being embarrassed or judged just didn’t feel like a reality.
She broke out of her thoughtful trance and began to dance. It felt wonderful! The music, the lights, her friends! She didn’t understand what was going on, but it could definitely wait until later. For now she was having fun. This was one of the few times she actually could enjoy a social event.
Back, forth, right leg, hind leg up, a twirl here and there and then spin! Smile, giggle, fall down, get up, and keep dancing. Repeat. That was Fluttershy’s main dancing style for most of the time and she never stopped.
The clock ticked on endlessly.
She never stopped for a moment and never wanted to. She felt as if she could never get tired and food sure wasn’t on her mind. It felt as if there was magic to the music that gave off a certain happiness that kept her going. The song seemed to go on for an eternity, and it didn’t bug her a bit. If the music were to stop then the happiness would be gone and she would feel tired. In a sense this was true. There was no unicorn magic making her happy and energized. That didn’t mean there wasn’t magic. It just wasn’t the type you can see or perform. It was a type of magic you can only feel, deep inside your heart and soul.
However, when the pony couples had enough dancing for the night and began to disperse to their own home the music did stop eventually.
Fluttershy DID get sleepy all of a sudden. Everything was getting dimmer. Her vision began to go black, the sun seeming to vanish.
Her strength vanished, and she fell to the ground, Spike’s tail the last thing she saw before all was black.
***.
The yellow mare was curled up in a ball, fast asleep. Her wings were spread around her small body like a blanket. Soft hooves lay under her outstretched neck. A stray ray of sunlight drifted across her eyes, causing them to flutter open.
With a start she raised her head and looked around, frightened. “Wha-what happened?” she thought. “Where am I?” Flashes of her dream filled her mind as she scratched her head. “Oh, wow. I was dancing up a storm.” A slight shudder went through her body as she gulped. “In front of all those… ponies.”
Her head felt a bit strange, but she wasn’t in any pain. “Okay. I was dreaming. But before that I… what was I doing?” She scratched her head. She felt like there was something she was forgetting.
She saw something moving out of the corner of her eye, and she quickly turned to look. Her heart rate increased rapidly as she saw vines approaching her. It all came back to her then. The vines capturing her, knocking her out for… for whatever reason. She tried to be absolutely still, but she couldn’t help trembling in fear. She hoped they weren’t going to attack her again.
Three vines came together right near her, but didn’t touch her. They seemed to make an arrow shape, pointing in a certain direction. Fluttershy was reluctant to take her eyes off of them. After all, that was how they had captured her the last time. However, she knew it was pointless to resist. She could tell she was deep in the depths of the forest, with no clue how to get out. Her wings wouldn’t move because she was too scared, so her only means of escape was running, and that hadn’t helped the last time.
Hesitantly, she turned her body in the direction they were pointing. Looking around she gasped, not believing what she was seeing. The sun had just reached the edge of the grassy hills beyond, casting golden rays everywhere. It adorned the trees that encircled her. Tall willows and beeches surrounded her. Looking around herself she found it rather odd and beautiful.
Just as she was getting distracted by the beauty of the trees she felt something touch her tail. She let out a frightened squeal as she saw the vines behind her, but they didn’t tie her up. They only gave her a few nudges, clearly intending for her to head forward. Still a little nervous she began to walk, wondering what was about to happen. She went up a small incline.
She was on a small island at the top of a hill, about four feet high, which sat in the middle of a circular trench. Looking closer she saw a groove several feet wide and long going down both sides of the hill. From what she could see it seemed there used to be a river or stream passing through there, but it had dried up for some reason.
Blue, star-shaped flowers grew along the edge, giving off a peculiar scent.
As she began to walk again a vine encircled the edges of the pond, blocking her way, so she sat down, assuming this was the final stop. As she sat there she began to get an odd feeling, like the area she was in was full of a strong force beyond her understanding. Something like magic or life or perhaps something else entirely. All she knew at that moment was that she stopped feeling afraid that the vines were trying to harm her. They had brought her here for a reason. She wasn’t sure what that was, exactly, but she didn’t believe they had malevolent intentions.
Once she sat down the vine once again pointed. Having been nervous before she had mainly just been looking at the ground as she walked. Now
she glanced upward, following the vine’s directions, and saw another tree..
She gasped out loud, marveling at its beauty. “The mother tree,” she said in wonder.
It was massive. It was at least four times the size of the Golden Oaks Library. Long, thick roots clawed at the ground, uprooting the turf and some stones. Little blue flowers grew around the base. The bark looked like it could be an oak, but it had a much richer brown color that wound up around the trunk and sprouted into the large limbs above. It had many branches and each were at least six feet long. The leaves were unlike anything Fluttershy had ever seen. The bottom leaves were ripe as if from spring, but as she looked upward it turned into a deeper green and eventually blended into shining golds, oranges and reds. It was hard to see the top, but she could guess it had lost most of the leaves and only bare branches were visible. A tree of all four seasons.
For all its unique characteristics the most noticeable aspect was the interesting image grown into the middle of the trunk. Some of the bark was a light blue, making a picture. It looked like a five-branched tree, with a colored stone in the top of each limb and in the middle was a fuchsia, star-shaped gemstone. Oddly, the entire picture seemed to be glowing, not reflecting light.
Like the area around her the large tree also had a circular trench around it that was empty, the hill she was on looking like it would empty into the one below her had there been water in it.
Fluttershy inhaled sharply. “Oh, my. It’s... it’s beautiful. No, breathtaking!” She stared at it in wonder, taking in every detail of it that she could see. She had never seen another tree like it in her life.
After her initial amazement passed she started to ponder something. “It is a pretty tree,” she admitted, “but why would I be dragged all the way out her for some pretty scenery?” Looking around the area again she said, “Well, this was fun. Can I go home now?” Scratching her head she said,
“I wish I knew where I was. Am I still in the same forest, or a different one? What happened while I was out cold?”
“You, my dear, are in the heart of the Forest Accord, normally known as the Whitetail Woods,” a voice said.
Fluttershy felt a chill crawl up her spine. That voice... it was unlike anything she had ever heard. It felt like it came from everywhere, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin. It seemed to be feminine, but it was hard to tell. Its pitch was like echoes; echoes of knowledge, of joy, of peace, and of sorrow. Soft and sweet, it seemed to resound off of unseen walls. It had a melodic overtone to it.
Fluttershy jerked her head around and was in an upright position in seconds. Her head looked sharply for the one that had spoken. She found no pony. It was only her. Just her and the... trees.
Trees!
“I was foalnapped by vines, just like the ones coming from that big tree. Were you the tree that foalnapped me here?"
“No, my mare. I only brought you here with the gentlest care.” The voice seemed to come from everywhere, making it impossible to Its center was glowing, lighting up whenever it spoke. Fluttershy was now on full alert, ready to answer the call of instinct and fly away. A sentient tree was more than she was willing to contend with. She tried to force her wings to open, hoping she could escape if she flew straight up, but they were uncooperative.
She began to pant heavily, blind terror going through her. She wanted out!
Facing the oak she asked in a voice barely above a whisper, “Wha-what do-do-do-do-do y-you want wi-with m-me?”
“My dear, you look so scared. There is nothing to be frightened of. Let me assist you.”
Fluttershy cowered, looking rapidly around, expecting to be captured by vines and knocked out again until she was more cooperative. “P-please don’t hurt me!”
“Look over towards the blue flowers.”
Reluctantly she did as she was told. The tree center glowed bright, and the flowers appeared to respond to it. They puffed up a little bit, pollen spraying out of them.
Almost instantly the area was suffused with a flowery scent. It washed over her, into her very being, filling her with warmth and comfort as if she had her friends next to her, holding her tight. She closed her eyes, taking in breath after breath of the intoxicating aroma, her shivering stopping and her fear eroding.She felt half-asleep, that kind of just waking up feeling where you’re not quite awake and real life takes on an almost dreamlike quality.
“There now,” said the tree. “Are you feeling calmer?”
She nodded, a giddy smile on her face. It faded slightly when the flowers stopped spraying pollen. The smell began to dissipate, though its effect largely remained. With a clearer sense of mind she realized why the tree’s voice seemed to come from everywhere: it was speaking directly to her brain.
“Now then… Fluttershy, is it? I am Concord, the queen of this blessed Forest Accord. I know this must be a bit unsettling for you, but hear our story and our plea before you leave.” She paused and waited for a reply from the shy mare.
“Leave?” Fluttershy said hopefully, perking up.
“I’d like to ask you for a favor. If it is not to your liking than I will have to let you be, but I don’t think you’ll mind the terms.”
“A favor? From me? Why not anyone else?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Um, what could a tree possibly want from me? I mean, if you need more water I could tell my pegasus friends to schedule a storm for you, I guess.” She felt a little sheepish. “I, um, well, don’t like flying very much. I don’t participate in the weather patrol.”
The tree let out a scratchy noise that sounded like laughter. “It has nothing to do with weather, although you’re on the right track. You see, my life is in grave danger. That’s why I brought you to me.”
Fluttershy backed up a step, falling to the ground and covering her face as she began trembling again. “B-b-but I’m no fighter! I can’t do anything!”
“Calm yourself, young mare. There is no battle to be fought. I only require a little of your assistance.”
“I… I don’t believe you! You knocked me out and brought me here, and you did something to Rainbow Dash! Where is she? You made her explode!”
“Don’t be silly. That pony you saw was only a replica, an illusion with a more solid form.” With a bright glow the flowers puffed up, releasing something that looked different than the pollen from before. Billions upon billions of microscopic pieces began to come together, growing larger and larger until what looked like an exact copy of Rainbow Dash appeared in front of her.
“What’s up there, Fluttershy?” it said, giving her a sly grin. “The tree means you no harm. It knew that you wouldn’t come to the center of the woods quietly, so it had to knock you out. But don’t be too upset. She made sure to fill your mind with pleasant dreams so you’d sleep soundly until you got here and awoke again.”
It closed its eyes, and with a breath it dissipated, just like before. Another wave of the pleasant scent from before washed over the area.
“You see, Fluttershy,” said the Concord Tree. “Your friend is fine. I only used a form you trusted because you became so scared I feared you would escape before I could talk with you properly.
“Will you hear my tale?”
The knowledge that Rainbow Dash hadn’t been killed, combined with the flowery scent still wafting around her, made her feel relaxed again.
“Well, I could give her a few moments to talk. It might even clear things up,” thought Fluttershy. Out loud she replied, “Um… yes. I will listen.”
“Very good,” replied the tree, “but first, let me introduce to you the members of the Council of Fellowship.” She pointed with one of her branches to various trees. “This is Will-be willow, Ask-me aspen, Mark-it maple, Elective Elm…” She went on to call out the names of numerous trees. When she came to an apple tree she said, “And this is Apple Bringer. He informed us of you.”
“Whaaat? Me?” asked Fluttershy, surprised.
“Yes, he got the information from his cousin News Bringer, and his cousin News Bloom, and his cousin Bloomberg....”
“Bl-bloomberg!” Fluttershy called out. “Applejacks tree?”
“Yes. He was with you, wasn’t he? He was the one that gave us your whereabouts initially. Once we knew what you looked like, all I had to do was pass the information along to the rest of our kind.
You see, my dear, I may be the only tree who can talk, but many can hear. He was only a short distance away when he heard you say it.”
“Say what?” she asked hesitantly.
“Why, that you wished to become a tree, of course.”
Fluttershy was stunned for a few seconds, sure that she had misheard. “You… want to turn me into a tree?” she said in a bit of a flat voice.
“Yes,” the tree said. “Now the time has come for me to give you our plea. I am not an ordinary tree and neither are those with me. I come from the Tree of Harmony.”
“The tree of what?”
“The Tree of Harmony. It is the most powerful tree known to ponydom. It is majestic, bold, beautiful, wonderful, and much more powerful than me... but back to the point. I do happen to have power, but not much. I was gifted with true sentience, and the ability to communicate with those nearby me. When I was planted here my purpose was to keep all good trees healthy and in check; to bring harmony and light to every pony that rests beneath our boughs. I have been doing this for a long time and for two hundred years my power has had a steady flow from the Tree of Harmony through an enchantment placed upon the water. However, as you can clearly see, the water is not there anymore."
“Two months ago a filly came here and played with rocks near the edge of the forest. Accidentally, she caused a small avalanche, blocking the flow of the river. She left in a panic. I wasn’t able to catch her in time. The reason I had to bring you all the here to me is that it is only those that stand where you are now that I have the power to communicate with other lifeforms besides trees. So, without anypony to unblock the flow, it dried up and filled with dirt and rocks. As the water dwindled I had a greater than normal need for it, only worsening the problem.
We looked for another source of magic, for without it I would wither like any other tree. Thank Celestia, on her throne, we found a small, magical tree named Unity. It was one of a kind and we never found another one. We used it as my supply source for strength and it worked. Until, that is, it died. My need for energy caused me to drain it to nothing, and it wilted.”
She paused a moment as all the trees began to sway in an unbroken silence of mourning. Sighing, she continued.
“He was a good friend to all of us. It was a tearful scene when he... when he passed. We all miss him, but his death is not the only reason we have such sorrow. Without another source of magic I will die as well. Feasting on other trees was only a temporary measure. So we sent a message through Be-it Beech to the Tree of Harmony about the dilemma. The reply was a… peculiar one. One that could be accomplished, but had never been tried…”
Concord paused to let all she had said sink in before the big news. Fluttershy no longer looked scared, but concerned and perhaps confused. She never said a word, but kept listening for the part when she would come into the picture. It came as a lightning bolt mixed with the fear of a thousand crowds.
“Ponies contain a large amount of magic in their bodies. If they possessed the proper qualities it’s possible a pony could become the new source of magic.”
“No way!” Fluttershy cried out. “I… I don’t want to die too! I don’t want you draining me to nothing!” She began to tremble again.
“Of course you won’t die. The area where you are is special. When the water was still here it got its power from the moon. The Tree of Harmony cast the initial enchantment, and the power of the full moon renewed it every month as it shines upon the area you sit upon.
“As I said before I am no ordinary tree. I need water in my roots like any other tree, but more than that I need magic. A tremendous amount of magic.
“S-s-so just let me leave. I’ll get my friends Applejack and Twilight. Twilight’s a super powerful unicorn and Applejack is a strong earth pony. The two of them shouldn’t have any trouble unblocking the stream. Once the water comes back than the problem would be solved, right?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“W-why not?”
“Because the enchantment was renewed by the full moon every month. With the water completely drained the spell is broken. Even if you filled this place with water right now it would simply be regular water, even if the moon shone upon it.
“I’m not even a unicorn. I don’t have any magic!”
“Incorrect, dear. All ponies possess magic. Unicorns are simply the most obvious. It is what allows for flight and cloud walking in pegasi, and the
strong connection with the earth and the best capacity to cultivate the land in earth ponies.”
“B-b-but this doesn’t make any sense! What makes me different? If a tree can take in magic why do you need me at all? Can’t YOU just take in the magic?”
“Again, no. There needs to be a vessel. I produce no magic of my own. My magic is fueled by outside sources, the same way that you ponies cannot make energy without eating food. I cannot simply take in the power myself. It needs to be contained inside something for me to funnel it out of. The river was my source of magic, giving me the energy to care for trees in many places. Without a new source of magic I cannot do anything.”
It was silent for a minute before Fluttershy said something. “W-w-well... what,” she gulped, “qualities” are you talking about?”
Hmm? Oh! Yes. It must be a mare since most stallions have a harder time with magic. She must be one with nature, or something related like weather or animals A preference would be that it is an earth pony, but as long as the mare is willing to undergo the transformation, it doesn’t matter. An important factor is that she must be willing.”
“Tran- transformation?” Fluttershy asked with anxiety.
“Yes. Transformation, my dear, The mare cannot be a magical source for trees and still be a pony. It’s not possible. Let me explain it in a way you’ll understand. What would happen if a unicorn or an earth pony attempted to walk on a cloud?”
“W-well, they’d fall right through. Only pegasi can walk on clouds.”
“Exactly. Right now your magic is pegasi magic. That is why it’s incompatible with the magic we need right now. The same way your non-pegasi friends can’t walk on a cloud, you cannot process nature magic as you are now.
Fluttershy said nothing. She only stared. When she finally spoke, she said in a feeble tone. “And… and you want me to be... th-that pony?”
“We needed a pony to become the candidate, so I sent out some messengers to look for one. Bloomberg happened to be on his way to Appleloosa to find one there. Imagine his surprise when he heard you say that. He couldn’t notify me right away. He needed to wait until his connection with the earth was restored. Upon his replanting he informed me of your words.”
It was quiet again for a short time. “Why do you hesitate, young pegasus? Was it not your wish to become a tree? Did you not speak those words?”
“I… I did, but…” She looked at the ground, then back at the tree. “I was kinda joking when I said it. I knew that I wouldn’t actually ever become a tree, so I didn’t really mean it.”
The branches of the Concord Tree drooped. “I know that this is a lot to ask of you, young one, but you’re the only one I can rely on now. My magic connects me to trees and the animals who live in them and depend on them across large parts of Equestria. Once I go the protection I provide them will vanish, and they will begin to wither as well. Although I cannot properly read your memories I can still see flashes of your life. You have a great love for animals. This would keep a lot of animals safe.”
Still Fluttershy looked at the ground. In a quiet voice she said, “Is it not possible to renew the spell? Have someone cast it again?”
“As you can probably guess the energy it takes to take care of trees miles and miles away from me is considerable. The kind of energy it would
take to recast the spell is prenominal. Not even the power of two alicorns would be enough.”
Fluttershy guessed that was the case. It was her last futile hope. “So I have only two choices: To let myself stay a pony…or let you die and suffer
for my decision?” The ground in front of her began to grow moist as tears began to flow down upon it. “How… how can I say no, and cause damage everywhere? How can I say yes, and leave behind everything I’ve ever known?”
She fell to the ground, gently sobbing as she put her hooves over her face. “It’s up to me. I’m the only one who can do it! B-b-but I don’t WANT to do it. I don’t want to leave all my friends behind. I don’t want to lose Angel and all my critters. Too many others need me.”
She felt an odd sensation from the tree. Something like curiosity. “Fluttershy, is it only the thought of leaving your loved ones behind that is making you hesitate?”
Peeking out of her hooves she said strongly, “It’s not that easy! I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in this forest, only being used as a fuel source for you!”
“That wasn’t an accusation, dear. It’s a question.” In a meaningful tone it asked again, “s it only the thought of having to leave those you love that is making you reluctant?”
“W-well… I guess so. Yes.”
Relief went through the tree. “Wonderful. Than we can proceed.”
A few vines surrounded her. Fluttershy squeaked. “H-h-hey! Y-y-y-you said it had to be done willingly!”
“It seems I was a bit remiss in mentioning something earlier. You shall not become a complete tree.”
“W-well, what does that mean?”
“Let me put it this way.” The blue flowers released spores that combined into the images of Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack. “Tell me. What is the most obvious difference between your three friends?”
Still feeling frightened she said, “T-they’re all different colors?”
“Well, yes, but I’m talking about something bigger than that. The biggest difference of all.”
“They’re all different races of pony?”
“Correct. Now, then. Let’s ask the reverse of that. No matter what things in life they go through what will always be the same about all three of them? The most obvious thing of all.”
“They’re… all… ponies?”
“Exactly.”
“And… what does that have to do with anything?”
“All three races of your kind are still ponies. Whether unicorn, earth, or pegasus they are all types of ponies. If I were to turn you into a unicorn would you stop being a pony?”
“No….”
Ponies are made up of two things: their pony bodies, and their magical essence. No matter the race all three of them have pony bodies, but each
of them have a different magic suited to their race, as we discussed earlier. Thus, when you go through the transformation your MAGIC will change, but your pony BODY will stay the same. Thus, you will become a pony-tree hybrid, not a complete tree. Of course, just like how each race has their unique characteristics there’s no doubt your body will go through some changes, but you will still have freedom of movement.
“As for the second thing you were afraid of, there is no need for concern there either. You will get to return to your normal pony life. You won’t be forced to stay here. The only request I have is that you return here every month on the full moon to renew my spell.”
“B-b-but what if I forget? What if I miss the full moon?” she asked in a panic.
“There is no need to fret, my dear. Being one with nature is being one with me. I will remind you when the time comes. Because you aren’t a natural born tree I can’t communicate with you as completely as I do other trees but you will feel a strong compulsion pulling you in my direction on the night of the full moon every month.”
Fluttershy finally looked up at the Concord tree, her mind going in many directions at once. “So… what’s the catch?”
“Catch?”
“It kinda sounds too good to be true that I can just come and go as I please. There has to be a downside to this.”
“Well… in a way you could say there is. However, given your own words I doubt you’ll see it that way.”
“What’s that?”
“As I said earlier your magical essence is being changed from pegasi magic to nature magic. Your body contains the extra bones inherit in pegasi for their wings, so you may still have something that resembles wings when the transformation is over. However, without pegasi magic you will completely lose the capacity for flight and cloud walking. Those abilities will be lost for good.”
In a thoughtful voice she said, “I won’t be able to fly anymore, huh?” Warmth passed through her body from the Concord Tree as it laughed, giving Fluttershy an image of a kindly grandmother.
“True, but when one thing is lost another is gained. Even without being able to read your mind I can already see you have a deep connection with nature and animals, even stronger than most earth ponies. This will strengthen your connection immeasurably. As someone who appreciates the beauty of nature you are perfect for this job.
“Here. Let me give you just a sample of the power you’ll gain in exchange for giving up your pegasus magic.”
A vine came up to her, poking her on the forehead. She went a little crosseyed looking at it. “What are you doing?”
“Just relax, my dear, and close your eyes. Relax your very consciousness, and I will show you a world beyond your wildest dreams.
Fluttershy closed her eyes as instructed. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but she was curious. She felt an odd sensation. It was like something was tugging at her, but not at her physical body. It was pulling at something deeper, seeking to pull away her very identity. At first she resisted, but then took some deep breaths and stopped fighting.
After a few more seconds she felt something spark within her, and suddenly she was no longer Fluttershy. She was simply another aspect of the spirit of the Concord Tree. She felt such awe-inspiring beauty, the tremendous life force of the forest and all that it encompassed. She could “see” everything around its borders. She could “see” the myriad of tree’s growing everywhere, the bugs crawling around foraging for food or shelter, the birds chirping and trilling contentedly as they fed their young, the moles asleep in their dens, the rainbow of colors of the flowers; she could “see” it all.
The merger of spirits only lasted about ten seconds, but when she returned to herself she was so moved by what she had felt that it brought her to tears.
“Wow,” said Fluttershy. It felt like such an inadequate term to describe things, but it was all she could think of at the moment.
The Concord Tree let her be for a few minutes before saying, “Once you become one of us you will be able to touch upon this power as well. You’re not nearly as big or powerful as I am, so you will not be able to feel as far and wide as I do, but you will have this power to commune with nature on a deeper lever. When you become a tree-pony I will look after you the same way I look after all of my other children. I won’t discriminate because you’re not a natural born tree.”
Fluttershy sniffed, her mind still on the sensations she just had. They were so beautiful she just couldn’t put to words how she felt. She wanted those feelings again. She realized she could have them again, and all it would take is doing what the tree already wanted her to do anyway. She felt she couldn’t care less whether she ever flew again if it meant she could help so many other trees and animals out.
Smiling up at the Concord tree she said, “I’ll accept the transformation. I’m ready!”
“Thank you, Fluttershy. We are eternally thankful,” the Concord Tree said thankfully.
"Your sacrifice triumphed my fear"
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.
“Awaken, my daughter.”
Fluttershy heard something at the edge of her consciousness, trying to rouse her from sleep, but she fought it.
“Awaken, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy cracked an eye open, and a momentary fear went through her. She was in the middle of a forest in the dead of night.
“Calm your heart, my child. It is almost time for your big performance.”
The voice of the Concord Tree was echoing through her mind, and she remembered where she was and why. Following her change she had felt too tired to stay awake and had fell asleep. Even though a few hours had passed it felt like only minutes. She didn’t feel rested at all.
“Stand, my daughter, and embrace the power that is your new birthright. The full moon will reach its peak soon, and then my power will once again be at its pinnacle.”
Straining, she forced herself up. Her legs were wobbly, and a few vines wrapped themselves underneath her stomach to brace her.
She looked up into the sky, seeing the moon was almost at the top of the sky. The shadows were very small, almost nonexistent.
“How much longer?” she asked.
“A few minutes, I think. Do not fear, Fluttershy. Once this is done you will have my eternal gratitude. Let your instincts guide you, and learn how to
use the new powers inside you. Unlike me you have a renewable energy source inside you, so you can use my powers as well to help improve nature.”
As she waited for the critical moment she decided to just talk for a little bit. “I’ve always had an unnaturally strong connection with animals since I was a filly. I can understand them and their language as well as I understand my own. I didn’t think that my connection could get stronger, but it will be interesting to see how these changes will help me to understand them better.”
“That is one of the reasons I chose you as the one who could help me. When you declared that you wanted to become a tree my fellow children kept a watch on you, and they could feel that you were different. Our instincts didn’t steer us wrong. You ARE the chosen one.”
Fluttershy blushed, "I don’t think there’s anything all that special about me.”
“Nonsense, child. Don’t belittle yourself so. You said yourself you’re one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Not just any pony can use them. That just shows you have an exceptional connection to them. I can tell without even asking that you possess the Element of Kindness.”
Fluttershy let out a little gasp. “How did you know that?”
The Concord Tree let out a little laugh, its branches rustling. “My dear, it’s obvious simply in the way you carry yourself. You are humble, and go out of your way to help others. You see all lives as important, not just those of your fellow ponies. You see the squirrels and badgers and bunnies and all other creatures as just as valuable as those of ponies. The truest hallmark of a loving heart is those that value all, not just those closest to them. A heart that bestows generosity upon all, regardless of circumstance.”
“Well, Rarity has the Element of Generosity.”
“Just as all of your friends are different but similar, so too do many of the Elements interconnect. As I said earlier the truest demonstration of nature is harmony with all things, and the Elements of Harmony are simply another example of that. Despite their differences in name and what they represent, only when all of them are united together does true harmony resonate. To be loyal to a friend may require you to be honest about something you’d rather not say. To be kind may require you to be generous. And to be able to laugh together is one of the keys of the magic that is friendship. Where true harmony lies is seeing past the differences between them. Rather, we should look for the ways we are all similar, and thus increase our bonds with each other, everyone becoming stronger together.”
Fluttershy felt a little awed at the tree’s logic. She nodded her head. “ I see it now.”
“There are hundreds upon hundreds of tree’s across Equestria that I watch after, and though they all have their slight differences they are still a part of nature. Bushes, shrubs, young trees, old trees; what we all have in common is we are one with nature, giving homes and food to those who need it. We all grow together as one, and it is the only way we wish to live. Despite being a pony you are the closest I’ve seen to the spirit of nature, the one most worthy of sharing my power with. I know I can trust you with this power, and you will not abuse it.”
“Abuse it? All I can do now is “see” nature more deeply, right?”
“It’s a little more than that, child. All will become clearer once my power is restored. When I’m back to full strength your connection with me will grow exponentially, and our ancestral memories will begin to flow inside of you, giving you knowledge that has never been shared with the sentient races before.”
Fluttershy stared up in wonder at the Concord Tree, then sat down and lifted her hooves, looking them over, wondering what this new power was that she was going to obtain.
She became distracted by a shift in the light. The area she was standing on appeared to be glowing brighter, while the forest at the edge of her vision was growing darker. She looked up at the moon, but there were no clouds around to disrupt the light.
“I see you’ve noticed,” said the Concord Tree.
“W-what’s going on?” asked Fluttershy.
“The moon is starting to contract its light to this specific area of the forest. The concentrated moonlight will spark the spell that restores my power every month.”
It was an odd thing. Despite the ever increasing brightness of the hill and the Concord Tree the rest of the forest only grew darker and darker, until all she could see was indistinct shapes in the distance.
" So....when does this -AAHH!”
Fluttershy let out a yelp as she felt an odd sensation going through her. Her entire body was glowing, and she could no longer see. She had to shut her eyes, but it didn’t stop her from being able to feel.
Her sluggishness and lethargy vanished as her whole being from head to hoof pulsated with energy. Her power and energy rose higher and higher with every passing second. It blazed so strongly within her she thought her body was going to explode from the sheer amount.
Just as she began to feel afraid more vines wrapped themselves around her body, leeching the energy off of her like a parasite, at an even greater rate than the energy entering her body. Now she felt a different kind of fear. She felt scared it was going to drain her dry just like it did that other tree it talked about.
As usual, just as the thought occurred to her the consumption lessened. The voice of the Concord Tree rang through her mind. “I told you before not to be afraid, my daughter. I would never let harm come to you for my own selfish benefit. I just wanted to take the extra energy inside of you before your own body broke down from the strain of trying to contain it all.”
The Concord Tree adjusted its energy absorption until it was more or less equivalent to the energy entering her body. Her body felt tingly and strange from the twofold energy manipulation going on through her body. Going in and coming out. Going in and coming out. Over and over and over.
“H-how long is this going to last?” asked Fluttershy, hoping it wasn’t going to last too much longer.
“Only about thirty minutes.”
Fluttershy groaned. She felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin. It was just like when the Concord Tree first put the magic seed in her, but even worse. If it wasn’t holding her she would be running around and scratching like crazy, hoping to make it stop.
“W-why am I feeling this way?” she asked in her mind.
“The nature energy inside you is resonating with the nature energy flowing into this spot from the light of the full moon. The stream is a natural part of nature, and feels nothing. However, because your nature energy is still new it still hasn’t properly adapted to it, hence why you’re having trouble taking it in. I had to turn you into part-tree to make your body compatible with nature energy, but like in our conversation before we established that you’re still part pony, and thus you’re not a true part of nature. The magic is trying to “fix” that by completing your transformation into a tree. I’m holding it back so you still maintain your pony body, but that is the source of the constant jittery feeling inside you.”
She groaned again. She was going to have to this every month? She just hoped that it would be easier the next time when she was more used to her new body and abilities, whatever they were going to be.
Her body spasmed. She just wanted it to end. The give and take was driving her crazy.
Each second felt like an eternity. With the constant energy fluctuations going through her she couldn’t even concentrate on trying to communicate with the other trees, but she could feel the Concord Tree’s pity for her distress.
She was the one who had chosen this. She would just have to deal with it.
She took deep breaths, hating the feeling of her body being covered all over with ants, crawling all over her.
Time passed by, and she wondered how long it had been since she started.
“Please, let it end!” she begged in her mind. “Let it end. Let it end.” She chanted endlessly, feeling trapped within her own body.
The vines wrapped around her body suddenly left her, blocking out the moonlight above her.
The sudden ceasing of the energy streaming in and out of her took her by surprise, and she stumbled for a second, nearly falling on her face. Her body felt almost normal again. Without the distraction of her own discomfort a great sadness entered into her from the Concord Tree.
“Is… is it over?” she asked. It didn’t seem like the case. The light was still almost blinding, only concentrated around the area where she was.
“No, dear. It’s only been about ten minutes. I just… I just couldn’t bear to see you suffering anymore. You were pleading for it to end, and with another twenty minutes to go I didn’t want to just watch anymore. I didn’t think you would be able to endure another twenty minutes. All this has been too much for you. I only brought you here to fulfill your wish and get some help from myself. Instead, I’ve only scared you and brought you pain and distress.”
The depth of its sadness weighed heavily upon her, and she was certain it would be crying if it had the capacity to.
“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy. I never wished to trouble you so. I’m grateful for all that you’ve done. You did your best, but it’s clear you’re at your limit. Please go now. You’ve done enough.” The tree's voice rang with emotion that touched Fluttershy deeply
“B-but what about you?”
“Never you mind. I told you before that I seek harmony between all things. Sitting back and doing nothing while you’re suffering because of my request doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t wish to see you this way.
The other trees began to talk as well. “Thank you, Fluttershy, but our mother is right. You’ve done enough.”
“It’s too much for you, so you should go home.”
“Thank you for trying.”
“None of us want to see you suffering anymore. We love our mother dearly, but to keep her at the cost of making you go through so much pain…”
“Go on, our sister.”
“Go.”
“Go!”
“GO!”
Fluttershy looked around, feeling all the trees around her. All of them were so concerned and worried for her well-being. Like before it brought her to tears.
She took a deep breath. Because of the unexpected sensations she had all but forgotten what she was really doing all this for. She was a weak pony. She knew that very well. There were plenty of times she held her friends back, but still they always supported her, hoping for her to improve. But even though she felt pathetic, feeble, and frail, she felt invincible when her friends were in danger.
The Concord Tree considered her like a daughter, even though it had only met her today. Similarly, the other trees considered her a sister. All of them considered her like family, even though she only had tree characteristics because of their own magic.And now… those same beings were in trouble. They needed her now. Only she could help them now. No one else could come to their rescue. There was no one else with the power to help. For her friends… for her family… there was nothing she wouldn’t go through to keep them safe.
Fluttershy shook her head. “No. I won’t leave. You need me. Please. Let’s continue.”
“Fluttershy, you’ve done enough,” the Concord Tree repeated.
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I want to help you, so let’s keep going. Please. Let me do this. All of you consider me like family now, so I have to respond in kind. I don’t want to see all of you suffering and dying when I could have prevented it. Just like when my friends were hurt by a dragon I don’t feel afraid anymore. Just like I managed to tame it by being firm your plight has awakened the little bit of courage inside of me.
“I want to do this, no matter the cost. It’s my own choice, so you can’t blame yourself.”
The Concord Tree considered her for a short while, clearly reluctant. After about thirty seconds it finally said, “Very well.”
Wrapping her up in vines once more it let the moonlight shine upon her again. Immediately Fluttershy felt energy flowing into her at a rapid rate.
She gritted her teeth, determined to bear it until the end, no matter what it cost her.
“It’s for my friends!” she said loudly in her mind. “For my friends! And for my family!”
Billions of pinpricks went through her body, like tiny bees constantly stinging her. Her body began shaking again. “I… can… take… this!”
She thought of her friends, her animals, and all the trees around her who considered her like family. A lot was at stake here, and she didn’t want to let anyone down, but after just a few minutes the feeling started to become overwhelming again, no matter how much she told herself she could do it and all her drive to help out those she loved.
A thought came to Fluttershy through her discomfort. “The Concord Tree said the truest facet of nature is a connection and harmony with all things. This feeling is because I’m still part pony and my nature magic is still new. Maybe, instead of fighting this feeling, I need to work on being one with nature more.” It was her only hope. She could feel the Concord Tree on the brink of halting the process again.
She put her trust in the tree that it would care for her body and simply surrendered to her predicament. Thinking of how the tree took her spirit out of her body before she extended her mind outward, touching upon all the trees she could. She worked on feeling all the animals and plants and other living things around her, leaving herself behind, melding her consciousness with anything else but herself.
She became a distant memory from herself, simply joining in on the chorus of the voices of the forest. The sensations from her body felt muted, sounds melted away, and she stopped being Fluttershy for the time being. She was the forest, and the forest was her. All of them were one and the same. She could feel herself now as if from a great distance, her own bodily sensations just a tiny part of everything. Her discomfort, overpowering to her when she was alone, was miniscule in the grand scheme of the whole forest. She was just a single ant trying to get the attention of a giant, as her feelings were just one tiny little spot in the whole of the forest. She felt a complete lack of fear, even though she had no idea if she’d be able to return to her body when it was all over.
The power of nature was truly a magnificent thing. That she got to touch just a tiny part of its greatness was a marvel and a wonder. So lost was she in her musings that she barely noticed when the moonlight began to dissipate and dispersed back over the land.
She heard the voice of the Concord Tree, like the gentlest touch of a mother. “Fluttershy, it’s time to return.”
She didn’t want to go. She liked the feeling of connecting with everything on such an intimate level. There were no barriers. Nothing to stop them from being one with one another. One together, for all eternity. One together, forever. Being a part of it all. Who was she? Was she the Concord Tree? A bush? A shrub? A tree? A pony? She was all of them and none of them at once, and she was fine with that.
“Fluttershy!” it said again, but much shaper this time. “If you don’t return to your body soon your essence may be lost into the heart of the forest.
Didn’t you say the reason you were reluctant to go through the transformation and wished to have freedom was so you didn’t have to leave your friends and animals you loved? You need to return to your body NOW before it’s too late!!”
Fluttershy ignored the voice, so enamored with the experience that she didn’t want to listen. Slowly, the words wormed their way into her consciousness, and she realized how distant she felt from her own body. It almost looked like a stranger’s body from where she was. The idea of a single, unique mind with its own thoughts and ideas seemed abnormal. The realization that it was happening to her scared her. As her friends flashed through her mind she gathered up her strength, trying to hold onto herself but finding it difficult. “Help me!” Fluttershy cried out to the Concord Tree.
The tree summoned up its considerable power, grabbing the pieces of her spirit scattered throughout the heart of the forest, directing them back towards her body.
As the last bit of her essence returned to her body she began gasping, panting for breath, tremors going through her body. She put a hoof to her head, terror going through her as she realized how close she had come to losing herself completely.
“You’ve been through a lot tonight, daughter of nature,” said the Concord Tree. “I thank you deeply for preserving my life. You are my child for life, and I shall always look out for you. You have a piece of me inside you now, so just direct a root into the earth if you need my assistance.”
Fluttershy’s body felt weak. She sat down and hugged herself, glad to still be Fluttershy and not just another part of the forest.
The tree spoke softly, “Nature magic can be quite powerful, alluring to the unprepared mind. You attempted to use your powers without adequate adaptation. While it allowed you to endure the process of the energy transference it almost cost you everything. And, yet, even had you known that you would have done it regardless. As I was willing to sacrifice myself for you so too were you willing to sacrifice all for us. Do not think I shall forget your noble deed. For now, though, it is time for you to rest. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, both mentally and physically. I hope when the morning comes you can look upon this night with favor.”
A vine wrapped itself upon her, and Fluttershy felt her energy draining. She was to weak to fight and so gave in, a tired, weak smile on her face.
“Rest now, my daughter.” Flowers blew their intoxicating scent into the air, pollen surrounding the hill.
Fluttershy couldn’t keep her eyes open. Her thought slowed, and she collapsed onto her side. A soft "Goodnight" escaped her lips as the vine let her down gently on the ground. The others acted as a makeshift blanket for the sleeping pony.
“Good night, Fluttershy. Goodnight, my daughter, my little forest princess.”
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
"Its feels good to be alive"
Fluttershy walked to the center of the burned patch of land, a tear coming down her eye as she saw the destruction. She walked into the center, he heart aching. “I can’t just leave things as they are. I’ve been gifted with a new power, so that I could use it for others. Why not these poor creatures?”
Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, Fluttershy?”
“Roseluck,” she said to the earth pony softly, “do you still have flower seeds?”
Roseluck wiped her eyes. “I don’t know. Some of them may have survived the fire, but what does that matter now? It’ll take a few months for them to grow enough to sell them.”
“Go get them for me. I’ll do something special, just for you.’
Roseluck gave her an odd look, seemingly about to protest, but when she saw fluttershy's smile, her hope, she gave a shrug and went back to her house. A minute she came back with a few different bags of seeds and a shovel. “Be my guest.”
Fluttershy began to dig up the dirt, throwing away the burnt portions to the side. The top layered was burnt to a crisp and was still fairly hot.
Digging a little more she came to a layer that was fresh and rich for planting the seeds. She then covered them up with a lite layer.
Rainbow Dash just watched the spectacle with an impatient look on her face. “Okay, you planted some seeds. Big whoop. Like Rose said it’s going to take a long time for them to regrow.”
“Not true, Rainbow Dash.” She stepped out of the burnt area. “Just watch.”
Twilight had a skeptical look on her face. Seeds didn’t just grow willy-nilly. Even she knew that. They required time and patience and care. She wondered how could Fluttershy help them and even more importantly, why would fluttershy want to help them. She she loved everything, but she took care of animals, not plants. Why such the sudden concern?
Fluttershy closed her eyes and focused, shutting out the protests of her friends. She reached deep inside herself until she felt that nub inside herself, the seed of power the Mother Tree had instilled in her. She took a deep breath. In and out, in and out, in a steady rhythm, feeling her body start to fill with that same indescribable POWER, that feeling where she was everything and nothing all at once.
Rarity gave her a disapproving look. “Fluttershy, dear, this is so unlike you. Isn’t it enough that Rose lost her flowers and part of her house? Why are you trying to torment her?”
Fluttershy ignored her knowing they would see soon enough.
Rainbow cocked her head. The area around Fluttershy seemed to be blurring, her fur rippling like a mirage in the summer heat. Her wings open and the leaves on them rustling.
“What in tarnation!?” Applejack said, as Fluttershy’s mane and tail began to change color, from pink to green, thickening like foliage on a bush. It began to flow as if blown by some invisible breeze.
Fluttershy opened her eyes, and they all gasped as she saw her friend’s eyes were glowing a light blue aurora.
Fluttershy put her front hooves right next to each other and held them close to her chest, concentrating on the energy inside her, light being dragged to the area like a small vortex, a glowing orb forming between them. It whistled like a breeze across a tree. She grinned as she looked down at the magical seed, the same kind as the one the tree had given to her.
The vine around her neck unwrapped itself from around her, taking the seed and sinking it into the ground.
With each breath Fluttershy concentrated energy into the ground, willing the earth to heal. She moved he hoof up and down in a come hither motion over and over. “Come on, little friends,” Fluttershy said with the gentlest singsong voice that seemed to echo that of a breeze. “Come on out. You don’t have to be scared. Up you get. Its time to grow.”
By now all of the ponies around her were watching with rapt attention, confusion etched on their faces.
Rose gasped in delight and awe as she saw the buds of flowers sprouting. They opened up as they grew, showing off their beautiful colors of red and yellow.
“WHAT?” Rainbow said in disbelief.
“Tha-tha-tha-that’s impossible!” Twilight stuttered out. Fluttershy had done an age spell, and she wasn’t even a unicorn. How could she cast spells at all?
Fluttershy sent out a request for aid to the Concord Tree as she put her hooves around her body like she was hugging herself. Energy ran through her body, even greater than before, and she thrust her hooves out in a circle around her, and the brown and black areas around her were suddenly turning green, as if someone were painting over a picture. soft Grass grew out, a few inches into the air, and the ground now looked like nothing had happened at all.
Fluttershy looked around at her work, joy and pride going through her to see the its natural beauty returned to the area. This was how it should be. She could feel contentment and admiration coming from the Concord Tree. She pulled the vine out of the ground, and she let out a long, slow breath. As the nature energy faded her mane and tail returned to normal.
She could feel all the eyes on her. Looking around she could see all her friends and the onlookers staring at her in open-mouthed shock. Her first instinct was to feel afraid and to run away. She remembered she couldn’t fly anymore, and then she felt her fear ebbing. After what she’d gone through, sharing the heart of nature, the scariness of being the center of attention felt small. In her discussion with the Concord Tree it had told her that she should look for the ways she was like others instead of how they were different, the same way that the Elements of Harmony were all interrelated in some way.
Lifting her head high she smiled and walked over to Roseluck, who was staring at the flowers she had helped to bloom. “How was that?” she said contentedly. “Not bad? I can’t fix up your house, but I can at least help your little friends.”
A new thought suddenly occurred to her. Rose was like her in a lot of ways. They both had an appreciation for nature, and with her transformation she was more like an earth pony, the same race as Rose. By searching for the similarities she could feel the barriers between them vanishing, becoming just like the mare. And if all ponies were one then Rose was her and she was Rose. She wasn’t afraid of herself, so why should she be afraid of Rose?
Roseluck looked away from her flowers, still uncomprehending of how it had happened, but at that moment it didn’t matter. She had her babies back, and that was all that was important to her. Tears came to her eyes as she suddenly hugged Fluttershy, saying, “Thank you, Fluttershy! Thank you so much!”
Fluttershy returned the favor. “No problem, Rose. It was my honor.”
The hug they shared helped to break the onlookers out of their reverie. The show became less important than the joy of the good deed she performed. They began to cheer and stomp their hooves, whistling and whooping.
Fluttershy looked around at the crowd, and she felt oddly alright with the world. They didn’t all think she was just a freak. They still loved her for who she was, the kind mare who did good deeds for others. This new power was certainly a blessing, not a curse. She just hoped her friends could see that.
She watched with anticipation as Rainbow Dash came up to her and slapping her hoof on her back, said. “Man, Fluttershy. I guess you really aren’t joking. You really do have some new power.”
Twilight was next. “How did you do that? Only unicorns can do magic.”
Fluttershy turned away from them, saying coldly, “Oh, NOW you want to know? You didn’t want to listen to me before, so why now.”
As they tried to apologize she turned back at them with a big grin and said, “Gotcha! You guys are so gullible.” She began to laugh, and the others couldn’t help joining in. Normally she wasn’t one to tease, but not, she felt the ability to do it with ease.
Applejack shook her head. “I got no idea whatcha been up ta, Fluttershy, but yer actin’ like Pinkie Pie today.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” she responded. “It’s such a great day to be alive.” She looked up at the clouds and the sun, enjoying the feeling of the sunlight. She sighed happily, turned to them, and said, “You guys want to know? I’ll tell you all about it over at my place.”
Mr.Cake looked over to the booth on the west side of the shop. Six mares that he knew quite well, were chatting away and enjoy the treats they had ordered. One of the mares in particular seemed to be dressed up like a...tree. Granted, it was weird, but when wasn’t something weird happening in ponyville? These mares especially were always doing something weird; one just had to come to accept it and ask no questions.
He shook his head, bring him out of his thoughts. Looking down at the paper that he held in his hoof, he sighed. As much as he didn’t like to interrupt customer's conversations, he knew it needed to be done soon or later and it was just better to get it over with. So, taking a deep breath, he trotted over to the boothe.
“Um, excuse. Who should I give the ticket to?” he said hesitantly.
The mares stopped talking and just...stared at him. Thankfully Pinkie spoke up, “Oh, don’t worry Mr.Cake. I’m the one treating all my friends today so put it on my bill!”
“Pinkie, you don’t have to do that darling. We can all pay for our own meal,” said Rarity.
Rainbow rubbed her neck with her hoof and sheepishly chuckled. “Well...I...may or may not be broke…”
Rarity frowned, but Pinkie just smiled and said, “That’s okay Dashie, and Rarity I WANT to pay. Its no biggie.”
“So...you’re paying” Mrs. Cake asked Pinkie.
“Yes,” she said before the others could object.
“Alright then, you know the drill,” he handed her the paper and a pen. Quickly her name was signed in pretty little squiggles. Picking up the paper and pen, he quickly disappeared into the kitchen while the mares finished up their drinks.
Fluttershy raised her glass to eye level, tilting it for a better view in side. Pulling out the straw, she place the glass to her lips and guzzled down the last remains of her chocolate milkshake. “Ah…” she said, slamming down her now empty drink on table. Without warning, a sudden burping noise escaped Fluttershy and, instead of sheepishly hiding behind her pale-pink bang, she simply giggled with a light “Excuse me!”
“Boy Fluttershy, that story sure was something,” said Apple jack while the pegasus licked the chocolate stains off her muzzle. “It’s almost impossible to believe ya.”
Apple jack raised her hoof before the mare could protest. “But, don’t ya worry bout nothin. I reckon I can’ a tell when a pony’s being honest and believe yer tellin the truth.” She winked reassuringly at her, and strikes a relaxed position on the bench she was sitting on.
“I quite agree with Apple jack, Fluttershy. And, though this may not be that important, it’s a known fact that you’re a horrific lair. No offense darling,” said Rarity.
“I can vouch for that,” mumbled Rainbow Dash.
Twilight stared annoyedly at Rainbow before turning to Fluttershy. “But it doesn’t matter how bad at lying you are, we all know you tell the truth and that’s what matters here. We all believe your story Fluttershy, don’t we girls”
All of them nod their heads vigorously and Rainbow added with passion, “Who couldn’t after that AWESOME performance you just did out there! That has got be the coolest thing EVER. Well, besides me of course,” she smirked.
Rarity snorted. “Even in giving compliments you ego still screams for attention.”
“Don’t even go there Rarity,” she said before leaning closer to the diva’s scrunched-up face, “I know where you live.”
“I know where EVERYPONY in ALL of Ponyville lives!” Pinkie offered, giggling.
“I don’t doubt it Pinkie, but...aren’t we getting a little off topic?” Twilight interjected, pointing her hoof in the direction of the pony-tree hybrid.
Pinkie said, “oh right! Silly me I almost forgot!” After taking a long sip of her banana smoothie, she said, “So Fluttershy, when do you want your “I’m-a-super-cool-pony-tree-hybrid-now- with-awesome-cool-nature-power-and-”
“-and I think that title may be too long for me to remember. But I get the point; you want plan a super cool party for me,” interjected Fluttershy smiling.
“Well, yeah! You know me, always one for a great get together,” she said grinning. Her expression suddenly changed to a more serious one as she said, “So..what i'll be the date?”
Fluttershy tapped her chin with her hoof, thinking of her agenda for the week. “ How about….you go get your party planner and we can decide what date will be best for both of us!?”
“Great idea Fluttershy! I’ll go get it right away,” she said, and before you could say “snickerdoodle” you could already hear her thumping hoofsteps on the second floor of sugarcube corner.
Looking at the direction where pinkie disappeared to, Rainbow said, “that girl sure is fast. I wouldn’t be surprised is she was related to the flash.”
“I'm pretty sure Pinkie Pie ain’t kin to one of yer super heros from yer comic book collection,”said Apple jack.
Fluttershy laughed. “Even so, I can see them being second cousins or something like that.”
Rarity stared at her for a moment. “You know darling, I think this transformation has not only affected your physical state, but your personality as well. I don’t ever remember you being this...well...lively . You seem much more confident and outgoing. For example, you are like a subtle combination of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie pie’s personalities, “she observed.
Fluttershy nodded. “You are right Rarity, I DO feel different. Not only do I feel much more confident in myself and my abilities, but I feel the same way around others. And I don’t mean all of you, I mean our ponyville friends. It’s as if all my fear, insecurity and shyness has just melted all away!
When I was out there, performing my magic on Rose’s flowers, it felt….right….that I should be doing that. That I was in harmony with everything. Like I had found my place in the world; that I finally fit in. That feeling of belonging didn’t die away after my spell. My old self had the urge to cower, but I couldn’t and more importantly, I didn’t want to. I wasn’t shy of the others stares and I wasn’t scared either.
Instead of ponies silently judging me, they were..something else. They were other ponies, like me, who have a love of nature and harmony. For nature IS harmony, all of it in concord with everything and anything. And if I was in harmony with nature, why shouldn’t I be in harmony with my fellow ponies? And if I am in harmony with them, then there was no need to cower, to shy away.
What you just said, about the transformation affecting not only my body but my mind or personality, I think you’re right. And I have never been happier! To no longer be scared of what will happen or to worry what might happen, it's...indescribable. Imagine all your inner obstacles have just disappeared! That’s what it's like for me. My shy nature has always cut me off from connecting with others.But now, with the flow of harmony within me, I can now be free to be the real Fluttershy.”
No one said anything, their eyes wide with awe and there mouths hanging. Rarity even had a few tears running down her cheeks. A few moments passed in silence before Twilight said slowly, “Fluttershy….we...I...had no idea you ever felt this way! We all accepted your shy nature as a part of you, and assumed you did as well. I didn’t know you thought it was a hindrance towards others.”
Fluttershy laid a hoof on Twilight’s slumped shoulders. “Its all right Twilight, “she said reassuringly, “ it wasn’t that bad. Yes, it did make it very hard to reach out to others who might be potential friends, but that was just a fact of life that I too made myself accept. And it wasn’t like I couldn’t make new friends. I could, it was just harder for me than others like Rarity and Pinkie pie.
For instance, when you came to town, I was very shy if you can remember. I didn’t know you at all and though it was YOU who approached me first, I still had a hard time responding or even audibly saying my name.”
Twilight cocked her head, “but...Spike. You had no problem talking when you saw him? Why would I have been any different?”
“That’s a different situation. Think of it like this. A mother is introducing her child to...her aunt. And the child had never met her aunt and was really shy about saying hello. Then, the aunt pulls out a one-of-a-kind candy that the child had always wanted to try. She takes the candy and opens up a bit more because her aunt made her feel more comfortable with the candy.
You are the aunt and the candy represented Spike. I had never met a baby dragon and love exoitic animals. When I saw him, it was like the foal seeing that piece of candy. He was a species I had never met before and he wasn’t a pony either. Both put me more at ease and I opened up a bit more.
However, if you remember I still wasn’t exactly opened up to you. After our whole Night mare moon escapade, the girls and my animal friends had to help me to get the courage in order to ask you to my cottage for lunch.”
“Its true and it took almost an HOUR to get her to agree to do it,” said Rainbow.
“Yes,” she blushed, “but that didn’t mean I didn’t want her over. I did. After the adventure I knew you would make a great friend and was excited in getting to know you better. However, I was still very shy as I didn’t know you that well and was a bit afraid of how things would go. My shyness, though I overcame it in the end, still made it hard for me to ask you over.”
“But now,” She lifted her head in pride, “Now the problem is gone and I can start living at ease with everypony, whether I know them well or not.”
WIth a sound like thunder, Pinkie came bounding down the stairs with the planner sticking out of her mane. “Did I miss anything?” she said, leaping into her chair with a single bound.
“Well, Fluttershy,” she said before anyone could reply to her sudden question, “I have the planner. Sorry I took so long, it took me forever to find it! I didn’t put in the usual drawer and had to search throughout my whole room. Guess where I finally found it?”
“In your party cannon?” asked Rarity.
Rainbow shrugged, “Bathroom sink?”
“Under yer bed?” suggested Apple jack.
“Nope, nope and nope. I found it on top of gummy’s head! hahah!” she giggled.
The girls just smiled, used to Pinkie’s randomness. “Hey, AJ,” Pinkie said turning to her, “Could you switch seats with “Fluttertree” here so she and I can work out a day together?”
As AJ did as she was asked, Rarity chuckled and said, “Fluttertree? Deary, you should be more careful what you call people, she may take offense at that.”
“OH! You’re right! I’m sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to be mean!” Pinkie apologised as the pegasus sat down next to her.
“Don’t be sorry, in fact, you should be honored to have been the one to choose my new name!” she said smiling.
“New name?” The all sid in shocked unison.
She giggled. “Yeah, I figured, that if this is a new change for me, with a new personality and life. I thought I ought to change my name as well to go along with my new identity! I could not of thought of anything better than “Fluttertree”. I hope you don’t mind calling me that from now on?”
“Well...it's new, but a very lovely name dear,” said Rarity.
AJ shrugged, “Ah new name ain’t gonna change that Fluttershy we all know, so I'm fine with it.”
“Its cool,” Rainbow said.
Twilight smiled. “It’s a great name, Fluttertree.”
“Thank you all, “Fluttertree beamed, “Thank you all so much for accepting the new me. You don’t know how scared I was that you wouldn’t accept me anymore. To know you still all love me, changed or not….I am just so grateful.” A small tear ran down her cheek
“Alright, no tears now, we still have a party to plan Fluttertree.”
Opening up the planner to month of June, both pair of eyes scanned for an opening in her schedule.
As the two mares went over the dates, Twilight looked over a Rainbow Dash. The blue mare seemed deep in thought, as if planning to do something. She wanted to ask, but something stopped her. She figured that, if Rainbow wanted to share, she would when ready. So instead, she sat back and took another bite of her strawberry sunday.
“Alright. I think the only day this month that neither of us have something going on is June 29th. That’s about...four weeks from now. Are you okay with that Fluttershy-Fluttertree?”
“Fine with me,” said Fluttertree.
No sooner had she said that then Rainbow Dash snapped out of her trance and said enthusiastically, “Great! Now Twilight….” She stopped and waved her hoof, signaling her to come closer.
Twilight leaned forward and Rainbow even closer towards her ear. She cupped her hoof to block any sound from escaping as she whispered something quietly to the unicorn. A few moments passed before she stopped and sat back, waiting for her reaction. Twilight blinked a few seconds, obviously confused.
She turned and said, “What?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and repeated her message again. This time Twilight seemed to understand and in thought. Finally she shrugged and said, “Well, I guess I could. It will be tough, but I can do it. But will you tell me why you want me to do this”
She waved her hoof in annoyance. “You’ll see when we get their, just...do your thing alright?”
“Fine,”she sighed, “ Okay girls, brace your selves.” They watched as her horn magic aura grew bigger and bigger. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light that disappeared as soon as it came.
Mr. Cake walked out of the kitchen to see what the flash was for, but all he saw was what wasn’t there, six mares. Shaking his head, he walked over and began cleaning the table while mumbling to himself, “Ponies these days. Always in a hurry.”
****************
The afternoon sun shone high over the park, casting cool shadows under the trees.However, despite the wonderful weather, not a pony was in site and all was quiet. That is, until a bright flash of light and the arrival of six ponies disturbed it.
“Maybe ya could give us more of a warning next time?” said Apple Jack.
Twilight shook her head, trying to get rid of the aftermath of the teleportation spell. “Sorry...but Rainbow asked for me to get us all here pronto. Care to explain Rainb- Rainbow! Where are you going?”
She yelled as the blue speedster took off into the sky without a word. They waited rather annoyingly, but it wasn’t long before the mare came swooping back to earth, a large, fluffy cloud trailing behind her. She looked around for a clear spot with no trees and soon found one on a hill nearby. She dragged the cloud over to the top of the hill and positioned it squarely in the middle.
Once it met her satisfaction, she motioned for the girls to join her. Once they all reached the top, Rarity asked, “Rainbow, please explain what's going on and why we have to stand out here in this dry, summer heat?”
“You’ll see,” she smirked, “Now where’s Fluttersh- I mean, Fluttertree?”
“Here!” said a voice from behind.
“Great,” she said before instantly swooping up her changed friend under the arms and flying straight up in the air. Fluttershy didn’t even try to struggle and was more surprised than scared.
Once they had reached forty to fifty or so, Rainbow stopped and turned her friend around so they were face to face. Looking her squarely in the eyes, she said “Fluttertree...do you trust me?”
“What?” she asked confused.
“I said, do you trust me!?” she almost yelled.
Blinking, Fluttertree said slowly, “Yes...I..do.”
“Good.” said Rainbow, before dropping her friend and watched as she began to fall to the ground.
Fluttertree could hear the frightened cries and gasps of her friends below, but paid little attention, as she was too confused as to why Rainbow dropped her. Rainbow’s voice snapped her out of shock. “Flap your wings! Fly!” she yelled.
She looked up to see her quickly becoming a little blue dot in the sky. “But I can’t, I told you that already,” she said, surprised at the steadiness of her own voice.
Rainbow swooped down until she was equally paced with her fall and said frustrated, “ Of course I know. I know what you said, I just want YOU to prove it.”
“Fine, just watch,”the yellow mare said. Up and down her leafy wings moved, in the steady rhythm need for flight. Yet she continued on the same course gravity had planned for her. “S-see, I told you. I CAN’T fly anymore,” she said breathlessly.
Rainbow huffed, “Fine. I believe you. See you at the bottom.” With that she dived head first for the ground and landed safely, looking up at her still falling friend.
Fluttertree stared down, the ground and possible injury more imminent the faster and father she fell. However, this didn’t bother her the in the slightest. Normally she would be screaming in fright, or it least worried about what might happen at impact. Even with the cloud under her, gravity’s push may be great enough to send her right through it!
Still, despite this fact she wasn’t scared. She wasn’t frightened or worried or even concerned! All she felt and could feel was a calm sense that it would all be fine; a feeling she had never experienced before. Even as she fell faster and faster, the feeling never stopped and she didn’t want it to.
Suddenly, something stirred in her. The pegasus pony could feel the magic of nature ebbing and flowing within her. Not only could she feel it in her, but also outside of her being. It was there, all in the park tree and plants. In its grass and shrubs. The magic of pure harmony.
She closed her eyes and almost as if it were instinct, she focused on the energy out side her and attempted to reach out to it. Once the connection was established, the rest was fairly easy. Locating the perfect spot, she called out to the ground below. Very faintly she could hear gasps of awe from her friends, but she was more focused on what they were “aweing” at.
Large, thick vines were sprouting from the ground, a faint green aurora around the them as they grew higher. Fluttershy suddenly felt her decent almost stop in mid air as the vines wrapped themselves around her legs. She breathed deeply in and out as the green helpers began to bend towards earth, gently descending with their precious cargo.
It was a matter of seconds before she felt the soft, comforting touch of a cloud. Once she was settled, she sent the vines back into the earth from whence they came. She opened her eyes, feeling the magic fade away. Looking at the girls, it was hard not to chuckle at their gaping faces.
Rainbow dash was the first to speak. “That...was...AWESOME!” she yelled excitedly.
Twilight’s eye twitched. “ A-awesome? You think that was awesome?”
“Well, yeah, I mean did you-ack” Rainbow started before being grabbed and shook roughly by a the mad unicorn.
“Awesome!? She could have died !” she screamed.
“B-but...she...di-didn’t,” said Rainbow, struggling to escape the mare’s grip.
“Its alright Twilight,” said a voice from behind.
She let go of the pegasus and turned around the face the second one. “What do you mean, “it's alright”? She nearly killed you!” she said angrily, but in a softer tone.
Fluttertree shook her head. “No she didn’t. She was very careful in taking precautions. If I could fly, I would be alright, and if I couldn’t then here was the cloud acting as a landing pad. I was safe either way and wasn’t the least bit scared. In fact...I rather enjoyed it! The feeling of falling, it can be a scary one, but it can also be a grand experience! Especially if you know you’ll be safe at the bottom. I’d actually would like to do that again!”
“Oh oh! but me first, you already had your turn. Dashie drop me next!” said Pinkie jumping up and down.
Before Twilight could protest, the rainbow maned pegasus had already taken off with her friend. Fluttertree quickly scooted off the cloud as the pink mare came hollering down! With a loud “poof” Pinkie bounced up and down on the could screaming, “That was sooo much fun! You guys should try it!”
Twilight looked at Pinkie, then Fluttertree, and last Rainbow; uncertainty on her face. Finally she sighed, “Fine. I...guess its safe.”
“You bet it is! Now who’s next?” Rainbow said.
“Ah recken A’ll go next,” said AJ as the pegasus dived for her and took to the sky.
It went like this for about an hour. The mares would get in line as as Rainbow would fly them up to the distance the requested and dropped them down towards the plush cloud. Though Twilight was nervous at first, she eventually was having a blast with the others. Soon however, their fun came to an end.
Rainbow, as she finished giving Pinkie pie her 50th trip on the cloud drop, suddenly stopped flying and free fell to the cloud herself. Landing, she layed back for a minute before sitting up panting. Drops of sweat fell from her face as she said,” I..I think I’m pretty….tired...guys. Can...we...stop now?”
“Of course Rainbow Dash, I have some things to do at the boutique any way,” said Rarity.
“Ah have some chores at the farm that ain’t gonna get themselves done. I reckon I’d better be headin off. See ya’ll!” she said, waving by and walking off down the park path.
“And I have some cookies to bake! See you guys later. Oh! And congratulations on the new look and life Fluttertree! See you at the party!” she said all in one breath before dashing away in a pinkie streak.
I have to “Dash” away as well,” Rainbow snickered, “G-get it. “Dash” away.”
“hilariously ,” said Rarity sarcastically. “Anyway, I have to go as well. It was nice seeing you Fluttertree and I can’t wait for our next tea time. Bye!” she waved as both ponies suddenly left the slowly disappearing group.
Now it was just Twilight and Fluttertree standing in the park. “So..do you need anything?” asked Twilight.
“No, I should be fine.Before I go home though, I’m planning on buying a Diary before heading back home,” she said.
Twilight cocked her head, “a diary?”
The mare nodded, “I want to keep track of my thoughts as I begin my new life. I figured I could just buy one now since I’m kinda close to the market square.”
“Alright. Well, if you need me I’ll be at the Golden Oak library,” said Twilight.
Before the mare could set off on her way, Fluttertree said hesitantly, “ Actually...I do have a tensy favor to ask.”
“Yes?” Twilight asked.
“Could I...borrow a few bits? For the diary? I forgot to bring some money with me,” she said, her cheeks getting hot.
Twilight chuckled. “Of course I’ll lend you some! Here,” she said handing her a small pouch.
“These are my small emergencies money bags for last minute things. I don’t mind giving you one!”
“Thank you so much Twilight! I’ll make sure to pay you every cent back that I spend,” she said, taking the bag.
“Don’t. In fact, keep whatever you don’t spend! It’s not like I can’t spare a bag or two once in a while,” she smiled.
“Well thank you Twilight, I appreciate it,” she waved
“Of course Fluttertree. See you later!”she said as they went their separate ways.
******************
“There are just too many to chose from!” Fluttertree thought as she sorted through a box of newly imported diaries from Canterlot. There were so many patterns and colors to chose from she couldn’t decide which was best! After looking at the ones on the top and still not coming to a decision, she set the ones aside and dug for the ones one the bottom, hoping to find the one she would like best.
As she continues her search, she could subconsciously feel the other ponies who were shopping, staring and silently judging her look. This however didn’t bother her, and she loved it. For once in her life she could go to a public store and not even worry about other’s glares, especially since she looked so out of place. All she did was continently smile and observer each diary carefully.
On the very bottom, on the top right corner of the box, she found it. The one that she felt spoke to her and her new personality. It was of medium build, not too small or too large. The inside was a neat print with plenty of evenly spaced lines and she loved the smell of freshly printed pages. They were empty and ready for a story, the story of changed mare.
Despite all these lovely aspects, she found the cover her to be her favorite. The main color was hot pink, but it had lighter pink hues to it as well. This to her, symbolized her new and more bold attitude. The gracefully curving swirls of gold and blue showed her calm and sweet nature that she still inhabited. In the top left side, sat a beautiful bird on a curving line.
She was gorgeous and her very wings seemed to sparkle like diamonds when they hit the light. But her the best part of the bird was her attitude. She was singing. Her beak open wide and her chest seemed to be filling with air as she began to sing another chorus of her song. So free, so bold, and her song as delicate as a flower. This was who she was now, she was the bird on the line. Under the bird, in purple letters, was a phrase that said, “ Sing your song for the world to hear.”
“I will, I promise I will.” she thought inwardly. Turning the book over she looked at the price tag. Thankfully she had the amount of money to buy it and maybe even more left over! Clutching the book to her chest, she walked over to the counter.
Getting in line, she stood there for about five minutes until it was her turn to buy. The cashier looked like a rather friendly mare. Her pink mane was cut into short bangs that curled at the end with a white strip going through it.
She wore a wide smile as did her violet eyes, and freckles dabbed her chubby cheeks. Her coat was a deep lavender, but most of it was hidden by her murky green clerk apron. It had one pocket were a pen was sticking out and on the right shoulder was her name tag. It said, “Hello, my name is: Pepper Flakes
“How can I help you today ma'am?” she said in a squeaky voice.
Fluttertree laid the book on the counter. “I’d like to buy this today please.”
“Well...since you said please, I suppose I could let you buy it,” she winked teasingly.
The pegasus gave a small giggle which seems to satisfy the mare. “So, is this all?” she asked.
Fluttertree nodded and the earth pony picked up the diary and looked at the price tag. She disappeared behind the counter and returned with a large, and heavy looking book.
“Do you need help with that?” she asked.
“No thanks,” she panted as she struggled to get the book on the counter. Slamming it down she said, “I need the exercise anyway.”
Taking the pen out of her pocket, she began to scribble down some letters and numbers. As she was writing, she took a few quick glances at odd mare who seemed lost in thought. “So...you new here in Ponyville?” she asked, closing the book.
“What?” Fluttertree asked surprised.
“Well,” she said setting the book back behind the counter, “I haven’t see you around town and I’m positive never in here.” She stood back up and laid both hooves on the counter in a laid-back matter way. “So, I was just curious if you’ve EVER been to ponyville before now?” she shrugged.
“What does she mean “have I ever been to ponyville before”? Of course I have, I’ve helped save it after all. Why doesn't she recognize me? Don’t I look like Fluttershy-.....I don’t….Ugh! I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I expect this type of thing? No pony would recognize me for all the new changes. Well...maybe this is a good thing. To her I’m a new pony and since, in a sense, I am this is good publicity for me,” she thought inwardly.
To the mare she said,” No, not really.”
The mare nodded. “Figures. I have pretty good memory and I don’t ever remember meeting you.”
“Well….I’ve never actually been to ponyville, but I do live close to it,” she said, rubbing her foreleg sheepishly.
“Oh! that’s nice! Well, I hope you’ll be visiting our nice little town often! Exciting things happen here, like for instance something happened this very afternoon!” she said matter-of-factly .
“Oh, what could that something be?” she asked wondering what she has missed.
“Well, first ya should know we’ve had a pretty scorching week, and I mean SORCHING! Anyway, because it was so hot some customers said that a mares house had caught on fire!”, she said. her eyes going wide.
“What! another fire?” she thought, but said out loud, “Goodness! that’s terrible.”
The mare nodded her head, “I know right!?”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“Well, no. But her house was almost burnt to the ground and her garden was completely burned up! All the plants and hard work were burned up. Poof!” she said, using her hooves to
“That’s so sad,” she said. “Could she possibly be talking about Rose’s house?” she thought.
“I know right? Well, then something really interesting happened,” she said excitedly.
“What?”
The mare looked around the shop for any eavesdroppers before leaning forward, signing for her to do the same. In a rather hushed tone she said,” Well, some of the customers happened to be there when it happened. Now, know I’m just telling you what they said, but...they said that a really strange mare did something..”
“What?” Fluttertree whispered the question, though she had a feeling she knew the answer.
“...They said she took the seeds from the mare that she had left over..and right then and there, she made them grow!” she almost squeaked with excitement. “Ahem. Anyway, they said it was a form of nature magic or something. Kinda hard to believe right? But they said she stuck..a vine I think they said? She stuck it into the ground and they just shot up within minutes!”
Fluttertree faked a gasp, “really?!”
“Yes!” Pepper said enthusiastically, “But get this. You know I said she used nature magic? Well, she wasn’t even a UNICORN! Weird right?”
“Amazing,” she said, pretending to be surprised, but inwardly giggling at the mares awe and excitement.
“I know right! I wish I had been there. She sounds SO cool. Maybe I might pass her if she’s still in town today. I’d love to ask her how she did it,” she wistfully.
The mare could hardly contain her laughter, much less keep from smiling she asked, “well..what di-did she look like?”
The mare tapped her chin with her hoof. “Well, they said she had long, waving pink hair that turned green when she used her magic...kinda like yours. Then she had glowing blue eyes, kind of your hue, and a yellow coat that’s right around the hue that you have. Oh! and she had leafy wings instead of feathers, kinda like….y-yours.” She stopped, her expression was a bit blank, but grew to be one of confusion as she looked the mare over.
“Y-you...don’t...couldn’t be….could you?” she stuttered. Fluttershy had to muster all her self control, not to laugh and simply grinned. The mare's eyes went wide with realization. “No way, YOU are the mare everyone has been talking about!?”
Fluttershy nodded, giggling. The mare did as well, but much more boisterous. “T-this is incredible! So you grew plants with no horn? That’s so cool. How did you do it?” she asked.
Fluttertree shrugged, “it’s a long story.”
“Well I’d love to hear it sometime. Maybe you could teach me your trick?” she said, elbowing her on the shoulder.
Before Fluttertree could respond, a loud and gruff voice from behind shouted, “Hey, cut the chit chat I have books to buy!”
Pepper looked over Fluttertree’s shoulder and said with disinterest, “Alright, alright. Keep yer yapper shut I’m hurrying.”
“Yeah? Well, not fast enough,” the stallion grumbled.
“Sheesh,” the mare mumbled before turning to the pegasus. “That’s Mr. Book Worm. He comes here every day to buy books. He’s a little…” she stopped and waved her hoof in a circle on one side of her head, “...if you know what I mean.”
Fluttertree just giggled at the gesture. “Well, that’ll be twenty bits,” said pepper, holding out her hoof. Fluttertree reached into the bag and pulled out the need amount of coins. In return, Pepper handed her the dairy.
“Alright, I guess I’ll be seeing you…..I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“Fluttertree,” she answered.
“That’s a nice name! Fitting to. Well, have a good day Fluttertree. I hope we can see each other again someday,” she smiled.
“Thanks, and it was nice meeting you too Pepper. Maybe someday we will meet,” Fluttertree said.
Pepper waved as the mare headed for the shop door and said, “By!”
“By!” She responded before exiting the building.
As the door closed behind her, she stood still. “What should I do with this extra money? I want to put it to a good cause...” She thought and looked around. Suddenly, she spotted a filly not two shops away with a pail and a sign that read “Please help animal shelter.”
“Perfect!” she thought and trotted over to the filly. As she dropped the rest of her coins into the bucket, she heard a shout from behind.
“There she is!” said the voice.
Turning around, she saw two mares she recognised as Daisy and Lilly, and a third mare that she had never seen before coming straight for her.
She had the feeling of wanting to cower, but it was quickly pushed aside and she stood ready to greet them with a smile.
“Hello, can I help you?” she said once the mares were in more than two feet away.
“That’s her, the mare we were talking telling you about,” said lilly turning to the mare Fluttertree didn’t recognise.
“Hm..I see,” said the mare. She seemed rather old as lines of age were visible. Her blue many was curled up in to small bun with frills. A dark blue as her coat was, they were nothing compared to the almost black eyes that were looking over Fluttertree with an air.
The inspection complete, she held out her hoof with politeness and said, “Hello, I am Mrs. Flora Petal, but you may call me Mrs. Flora. And you are?”
“Um, Fluttertree. Nice to meet you Mrs. Flora,” she said, shaking hooves. “Is there something you want?”
“Yes actually,” she said shoving her glass up her muzzle, “Lilly and Daisy here tell me you have a certain...gift with nature.”
“It was amazing!” added Lilly enthusiastically turning to Fluttertree, “ That was just awesome what you did out there, helping Rose. Daisy and I saw you do it, didn’t we Daisy?”
The mare nodded, excited as her friend and said,“ Oh yes. it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Just amazing!”
“Alright girls, that’s enough,” she said a bit sternly, raising her hoof and immediately the girls stopped.
“Now, to business. Since it seems you have a great talent with nature I, as chairmen of the Nature Society, would like to cordially invite you to our next meeting tomorrow. Maybe you could show all of us garden loving ponies a thing or two?” she said seriously.
Normally, she was too shy to going any organization much less participate in it, but then again, she wasn’t normal. Here was a chance to do something different , meet someone new, be something different. And by Celestia’s name she was going to do it.
Holding her head up high she said proudly, “I’d be honored to be there. What time?”
“Precisely at two o'clock sharp,” she said.
“Alright, I’ll be there.”
She nodded slightly “Very well. Until tomorrow,” Mrs. Flora said before walking away, Daisy and Lilly trying to keep up and still steal glances at Fluttertree.
Fluttershy smiled. “I’ll be there.”
