Water Lily's Story

Lily grinned. She had just finished tying the new branches to the tree. She put gentle pressure on each one with her hoof; they seemed sturdy.

She could hear the repetitive sound of Cattail trying to tune his instruments nearby. It made Lily grit her teeth. According to Cattail, the smoke in the hut had caused them to go drastically out of tune. Right now he was plucking angrily at his favorite guitar, which he had made out of wood and cattail plants.

Lily looked over at her favorite spot. The little pond that was usually so clear and pretty was littered with mud and splinters of wood from the violent wind and rain of the storm. Most of the lily pads were uprooted or mangled, too. She got to work clearing the debris out of the pond. She knew if she could clear it away the lily pads would be healthy again soon.

Lily awoke to dim yellow sunlight streaming through the small round windows of Zecora's hut. She sat up and looked outside. It was a brighter day than usual in the dark Everfree Forest. "I have something for you to see; come outside with me," She heard Zecora's calm voice behind her. Puzzled, Lily got out of her bed and went outside.

She wondered what could be new at their home; the last few days she had seen no improvement in the wellness of her pond lilies, or the scar on the roof of the hut. Out of habit, she flew up to the top of the tree to see how sturdy the branches were. The new grafted branches had at last become a part of the tree. She untied the twine that once held them in place and let it fall to the ground. Lily flew down and landed next to Zecora.  Lily gazed over at her special pond. Her gaze lightened as she noticed the lily pads had turned a healthy shade of green again and were beginning to grow beautiful pale lavender lilies. Lily smiled. She felt happier than she had in a long time.

"Do you not know you have a way with things that grow?" Zecora asked, a small smile forming on her face. The thought hadn't occurred to Lily that she was talented at growing plants and gardening. She gasped. A bright flash appeared on her flank. Lily was frightened and wondered what could possibly be happening to her. She looked to Zecora for help, but the zebra only smiled knowingly back. The light vanished and left a small picture where it had been. It was a picture of a round green lily pad with a beautiful purple lily one it.

"My cutie mark!" She exclaimed. "Cattail, come see!"