Evergreen Heart

Chapter 8
Let sleeping dragons lie.

I dreamed for the first time since my rebirth that night. I wish it had been a nice dream, but no. I found myself back where it all began in the darkness of the Everfree. Back in my frail human body. Then came the wolves and the running. Their baying howls chasing me until I was surrounded by teeth and thorns. Pain, despair and panic. My flesh torn and bloodied. Something vile waiting in the darkness, laughing at me. Finally, rainbow light washing over me and everything fading to black.

I awoke with a start and if I still had a heart, it would have been pounding its way out of my chest. It seems my body had responded to my subconsciousness distress. The area around me looked like it was ripped straight out of a cheap horror movie - dark thorny vines covered the entirety of the ground, the natural undergrowth around me was now armored with thick briar patches, all wrapped up in at least three different types of poison oak. Hungry fly trap maws whipped this way and that, apparently looking out for something to spray with the viscous fluid they constantly dribbled. I looked scary as fuck. Like some murderous halloween horror tree.

It took me a moment to calm down and center myself so I could regain conscious control. That's when I finally noticed it was raining. The sky overhead was covered in miserable looking gray clouds that let out a constant drizzle.

“How fitting.” I muttered. “A miserable day to match my miserable mood.”

Yeah, that dream didn't exactly leave me in high spirits. I lived through it once, I certainly didn't want to relive it again and again in my dreams. But how did I suddenly regain my ability to dream? Was it because of the tree of harmony? Or was my mind simply beginning to adjust to this body? Whatever brought about the change, I wasn't sure I welcomed it. Even as a human my dreams had often made little sense to me, and I certainly didn't relish the idea of waking up to nightmares every time I was forced to hibernate. And if this miniature death forest I unconsciously sprouted was my reaction to said nightmares, it would be extremely dangerous for anyone to be near me when resting.

“Best to take care of this before moving on.”

I concentrated on my magic and let it flow outward. Using my powers in this way still felt strange to me. Imagine suddenly growing another pair of arms, for example. Now you had to pick which arm to use. It used to be a simple choice of right or left, but now you had to pick left one or left two. See how that suddenly gets a bit complex? Now imagine not having two pairs of arms, but hundreds. Thats pretty much how controlling magic felt like. Having to pick just the right arm to flex... but I digress. With a focused effort I managed to shed the added defenses and undo the changes I had wrought to the surrounding plant life.

I let out a deep mental sigh, wondering what to do next. I had no real plans for the day. My meeting with the crusaders wasn't until tomorrow. I just didn't know what to do. Back home I would often spend my free time reading. I guess Twilight would like that at least. That wasn't really an option here. I mean, it wasn't impossible to get my hand on some books. Heck, Zecora had a pretty nice, if small, collection. But although these ponies were speaking 'English' or Equestrian, whichever you preferred, their written language seemed to have more in common with Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was utterly unreadable to me.

Ugh, I was getting tired of the rain already. It tasted kinda funny too. Probably because everything in the Everfree was saturated with magic to some degree. I guess that’s how the Everfree functioned without interference from the ponies. But I still didn't understand where that magic came from. I mean yes, it came from the curse that Grogar put on the place. But where is the source? I guess the finer workings of the Everfree will remain a mystery for now. I wish I had time to explore the deeper parts of the woods. If I did that now I would never make it back in time for my meeting with the crusaders tomorrow. This place wasn't exactly small. Leave it to cartoon logic to make a journey of a few hours seem only several minutes long. What did they call it again? The length of the journey is relative to the demands of the plot, or something along those lines.

“Well, better get back to Zecora's place. No sense staying out here in this depressing drizzle.”

Little did I know things wouldn't exactly go as planned.

********

Outside the everfree it was just another bright sunny day, and three little fillies were sitting around the wooden picnic table just outside the barn at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Does anyone have any other ideas on how we can earn our cutie marks?” Asked Sweetie Belle as she looked over the list they were compiling.

“How about roller skating?” Said Scootaloo.

“Tried that. Didn't work out.” Apple Bloom replied.

They were interrupted by Applejack who came out of the barn dragging a bale of hay.

“Apple Bloom, did y'all finish yer mornin' chores?”

“Eeyup, done and done,” the little filly replied. “Finished em a few minutes ago.”

Applejack looked at her approvingly. “Well alrighty then. Why don't y'all skedaddle along then so ya won't be underhoof here.”

“Aww, but Applejack, we still need ta make plans for our Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse.”

The other two fillies nodded their heads enthusiastically.

Applejack gave the trio a slightly confused glance. “The what now?”

“It will be a place where we can hold meetings,” said Sweetie Belle

“And come up with awesome ideas on how to earn our cutie marks,” Scootaloo piped in.

“And, and... what they said,” Apple Bloom finished.

Applejack put a hoof to her chin as she mulled the idea over.

“You young'uns are in luck. Ah may have just the thang.”

A chorus of huh's greeted her in response.

“Just follow me.” Applejack grinned and set off at a brisk trot.

Shrugging, the crusaders moved after her. They trotted across the orchard for several minutes, moving past the zap apple crops and down into the westernmost fields. The further they got, the more unkempt the orchard became, with bushes and other plants growing amidst the apple trees. The Apple family no longer tended this part of the orchard since large sections of it had become home to fruit bats, and so it had become overgrown with other plant life in time. They left the fruit bats alone for the most part so long as they didn't migrate to the other trees. The bats for their part seemed more than content to stay in the western orchard and were easy to get along with.

“Where’re you takin' us?” Apple Bloom finally asked.

“We're almost there, young'uns.”

“I've never been out here before,” said Sweetie Belle as they pushed their way through some bushes.

“Ouch!” cried Scootaloo as one of the branches from a nearby bush whipped her in the face.

“Oops, sorry,” Apple Bloom said sheepishly shuffling away from the leering pegasus.

“Are we there yet?” Scootaloo muttered as she wiped a hoof across her muzzle to rub away the sting.

“There? Where? What? I don't even know what we're doing,” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“Well young'uns, were here.” said Applejack, a hint of pride in her voice.

They came to a small clearing dominated by one extra large apple tree. In its crown, the fillies could make out the darkened planks of some structure.

“Applejack, what's this?” Apple Bloom asked.

“This 'ere used ta be my clubhouse when I was but a little filly.”

“Back in the pony stone age by the looks of this dump,” Scootaloo whispered to Sweetie Belle, who gave the Pegasus filly a disapproving stare, giggling nonetheless.

“It's a bit of a fixer upper, but with a little hoof work this 'ere place could be yer own personal clubhouse in no time.”

Apple Bloom looked at the clubhouse while holding up her hooves as if she were framing a picture. She stuck out her tongue and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

“Eeyup, ah think ah can fix this up right sweetly.”

“You do?” Sweetie belle and Scootaloo asked, surprise written all over their faces.

“Well sure, it can't be all that different from fixin' stuff on da farm. Ah do that stuff plenty when doin' mah chores. We'll just need some supplies an' the big toolbox from the barn.”

“Well I'll just leave y'all to it then,” Applejack said as she walked off. “Gotta git back ta work. Y'all have fun now.”

The girls waved goodbye to Applejack before trotting up the ramp to inspect the clubhouse in detail.

It was indeed very worn and in disrepair, but nothing a little hard work couldn't fix.

“This is great,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

Scootaloo leaned on the window sill, which promptly collapsed. “I dunno, are you sure you can fix this dump Apple Bloom?”

“Just leave it ta me. An' this will be perfect for meetin' our new friend.”

“What friend?”

“Oh right, I forgot to tell y'all.”

She quickly peered outside to make sure her big sister was well and truly gone.

“Remember when ah told y'all Zecora came ta town? An' how she had a strange stallion with her?”

The other two nodded their heads.

“Well, ah went up and spoke to em.”

There was a collective gasp.

“Are you nuts? What if she hexed you!” Scootaloo shouted.

“Calm down, jeez, ya sound like mah sister. Zecora ain't a bad pony. She was actually real nice.”

The other two fillies looked skeptical but took her at her word.

“So is she the new friend you mentioned?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Apple bloom shook her head. “No, ahm not talkin' about her. Remember the creature that appeared when we got jumped by them timber wolves two weeks ago?”

“Don't remind me, I still have nightmares.” Sweetie squeaked.

“Well, turns out he wasn't no monster at all.”

“Are you kidding me?” Scootaloo shouted. “It probably took out those timber wolves so it could eat us all by itself.”

“No it didn't!” Apple Bloom yelled back. “He wasn't trying ta eat us. He was tryin' ta save us.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Because he told me so himself. He was the stallion that came ta town with Zecora.”

“You mean the Everfree monster disguised itself as a pony!” Sweetie shrieked.

“Ugh, he’s not a monster Sweetie Belle.”

“I heard he was Zecora's personal slave,” Scootaloo said in a conspiratorial voice.

“I heard Zecora turned some poor stallion into a zombie plant pony using some evil brew she concocted at her home in the Everfree,” Sweetie Belle added in a stage whisper.

“Who in da hay is spreadin' all that hogwash?”

“Well I heard it from Twist, who said she heard it from her mom who heard it from Rose, Lily and Daisy at the flower shop.”

“Oh my gosh, those three? No offense Sweetie Belle, but they all are even bigger drama queens than your sister,” Apple bloom scoffed.

Sweetie Belle had the decency to blush. She looked down sheepishly.

“I guess those rumors are a bit ridiculous, considering the source.”

“So what exactly happened?” Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom

“Well I didn't get the full story, seein' as we were at the edge of the Everfree and they didn't want me followin' any further, but he apologized for scarin' us. Seems like he wasn't able to speak or somethin' when we first met. But he was actually kinda nice and when ah asked him if he would come an' meet with us he agreed.”

“And you just agreed? What if he's planning to foalnap us?”

“Don't start that again. He did say ah should ask Applejack if it were okay, but she wouldn't listen. As soon as ah mentioned Zecora she got all suspicious an' crazy like da rest o' da town ponies. But it’s like Twilight said, we can't go round actin' un-neighborly to folks just cuz they look different. So ahm gonna give em a chance, and ah would like it if you two would give em a chance too.”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, unsure what to do. Finally Scootaloo spoke up.

“If you think they're okay, then I'm willing to give it a try. Plus I admit I'm kinda curious now.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, “So when will he come and meet with us?”

“He agreed to come round tomorrow. So ah figure we should wait near the border of da Everfree.”

“So if we're gonna meet him we should at least clean this place up a bit. Wouldn't want him to think we're poor hosts, right?” Sweetie said as she looked around the dusty, cobweb filled interior of the club house.

“She's right. We should get started.” Apple Bloom replied.

“Lets do this Crusaders!” Scootaloo shouted.

They all hoof bumped. “Yeah!”

********

I couldn’t freaking believe this. I was lost, AGAIN! Curse this stupid forest and all that's in it! Oh wait... never mind. That would’ve been redundant. I just wished this rain would let up. I never liked rain. Back when I was human I used to wear glasses, and those two never mixed. Plus I just plain dislike getting rain in my face.

I was trudging along the base of a small mountain, one of several spread throughout the everfree. I was looking for a path up so I could look around and find a way back to Zecora's when I came across a large cave entrance. Even though I wasn't feeling the least bit tired, I decided to rest a while anyway just to get out of the rain for a bit. In hindsight, I should just have kept moving.

After standing at the entrance for some time I got bored and decided to explore the cave. Hopefully the rain would let up in the meantime. The darkness of the cave's interior proved no problem for my altered vision. After about a minute of walking the tunnel opened up to a large cavern, filled with gemstones; there were emeralds and sapphires, rubies as big as my fist, and diamonds so large they would be worth a king's ransom back on earth. There was more wealth here than I could’ve spent during a lifetime back home. A sinking feeling came over me though as I looked at the small mountain of gems before me. Ah crap, this was a dragon’s hoard, wasn’t it? It was time to make a quiet exit.

I inched back to the cave opening, but from behind the enormous pile of gemstones rose a large scaly head. Its bright yellow snake like eyes glared at me with cold hatred. This dragon was blue, so it wasn't the one spike encountered. Just how many damn dragons made their home in this forest?

“What are you doing in my lair, you filthy little creature? Come to take my precious gems, have you?”

“No, I'm not here for your gems. I was just getting out of the rain and decided to have a look around. I've got no beef with you, so I'll just leave.”

“Yes you will, and if you ever set foot in here again, I will burn you to cinders, you maggot.”

“Alright alright, no need to get your scales in a twist.”

“Damn scaly assed lizard bastard,” I muttered under my breath as I started to walk away

“What did you call me?” the dragon growled, its voice icy and deadly. I clearly underestimated the dragon’s hearing.

If I had blood, it would have frozen in my veins. Hell, I think some of the sap in my branches froze. The dragon stomped over its pile of gemstones towards me, its eyes alight with fury.

“I'm going to enjoy tearing you into little chunks, you miserable worm.”

I ran. I ran as fast as I could down the tunnel and almost made it to the exit when there was a dull roar behind me and I was engulfed by a torrent of flames. I was blasted out the tunnel exit in a ball of fire, landing in an undignified heap several yards away. To my good fortune it was still raining. I rolled along the wet ground to douse the flames licking at my form. Burning to a crisp was NOT the way I wanted to go. Note to self - next time you are faced with a dragon, just shut your mouth. The beast in question came stomping out of the cave and roared in anger.

“l-look, I'm sorry alright!” I tried, but all it got me was a swipe of its claws.

I found myself airborne again, this time crashing down amongst the trees. Parts of my body flew off in chunks and my left arm hung broken and useless from a few thin vines.

“I'm gonna enjoy killing you,” the dragon crowed sadistically as he loomed over me.

A claw descended and gripped me like a vice, holding me down to the ground and slowly crushing the life out of me. I could feel my outer shell begin to splinter and crack under the pressure. So this is how I die a second time, huh. Crushed and burned by a cantankerous old lizard. And this time there wouldn't even be a body to bury. Just a pile of charred wood.

I didn't want to die. Not like this. Not again. Please! I didn't want to die! I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have just walked away. But.... fuck him. Fuck him and all the rest of his scaly ass family. I wasn't looking for trouble, so why did he have to go and insult me and be a jerk? Why do all dragons except spike have to be utter assholes? I didn't wanna get killed by some asshat of a dragon who thinks he's the fucking king of the forest.

I felt my anger boil over into unbridled rage. Rage against the unfairness of it all. Rage about what happened to me. Rage against fate. I never asked for this. I never wanted it. I just wanted to live my life in peace. And I’ll be fucked sideways in hell before I let some scaled wanker with a hardon for gemstones end my existence now.

I let it all flow through me. All the pain, hate, fear and fury I had somehow kept bottled up these past few weeks. I let my emotions swallow me whole, and my magic surged to the fore. But something else did too. Something dark that had been lurking at the back of my mind where I could not sense it.

“Any last words before I snap you in two, little forest creature?” the dragon said mockingly.

“Just two,” I snarled. “FUCK! YOU!”

Roots shot out and burrowed deep into the earth, drawing power from it directly to bolster my own magical reserves. I unleashed my vines to lash out like whips. My first efforts were in vain. They did nothing against the dragon’s hard scales, so instead I wrapped them around the wrist of the claw holding me and began to thicken and tighten them. If I could put on enough pressure the beast's grip would loosen. The dragon tried to pull back but I burrowed my roots in deeper and wider still, holding him in place.

“What do you think you're doing?” the beast snarled.

I said nothing, instead I began to grow flytraps. I poured in as much magic as I could suck out of the ground. Bigger, they needed to be much bigger and potent. Those were my directives as I set my powers to work. I was done showing restraint, I let the energy flow freely and the flytraps grew big enough to swallow a cow in a single gulp. The dragon seemed surprised at this new development, its eyes widening a fraction. Perfect! The flytraps bulged and let loose a high pressured stream of milky looking acids directly in the dragon's face.

I will never forget the thing’s ungodly shriek of agony for as long as I live. They must have heard it all the way back in Canterlot. Instantly, the crushing pressure on my body ceased as the dragon yanked back its claws, the vines holding it snapping like string. The dragon tried and wipe the corrosive liquids out of its face and eyes. Semi solid chunks of flesh dribbled through its fingers as it clawed at its own face, only to yank its claws back as the acid began to eat at the flesh of its fingers too. Its eyeballs burst and part of its skull was open to the air as the flesh ran off it like hot wax. It stomped around blind, its tail thrashing every which way.

I stood up off the ground, my broken form re-knitting slowly as I drew yet more power from the earth. The dark presence I felt earlier bayed for blood, and in my current state of mind I was only too happy to oblige. The dragon was blindly trying to find its way back to the cave, the fight well and truly taken out of him. But I wasn't about to let this son of a bitch off the hook. I was through being fate's whipping boy. This asshole was going to kill me because of one small insult, and seemed to be enjoying himself while doing it. I knew his kind, I've been bullied by them all through my youth. The biggest, baddest guy on the block. If you didn't do as he said, he punched your teeth in while smiling. Well, I was going to make an example out of this tough guy.

“Where do you think you're going?” I said as I directed more and more vines to grasp and bind its hind legs, causing it to stumble and fall.

“You think you can just try to kill me and walk away? Nuh uh. Let me tell you a little bit about my species, son.”

The dragon let out a blast of fire, but his aim was off since he only had his ears to try and locate me now, torching a few trees instead. I directed more vines to entangle its neck and finally to clamp its maw shut. Several of them snapped as the dragon struggled to free itself, but for every one that gave out I added two more.

“You see, my species started off as simple little monkeys living in the jungle. But eventually we evolved and became the dominant species on our planet. There are many theories about how and why that happened. Some believe it's because we were the smartest of all the creatures. Others because we were the meanest ones. But no, that's not it either. We came to rule the earth not because we were the smartest, or even the meanest. But because we have always been the craziest, most murderous motherfuckers in the jungle. And you! Don't! FUCK WITH US!"

With one mighty burst of magic I constricted every vine around the dragon's neck, until with a series of sickening cracks it snapped in three places. Its body went into brief spasms, until finally it lay still, blood leaking out of its maw in a steady little stream.

I wasn't done, not by a long shot. In my rage, I had let loose the beast and it was hungry. I let out a roar of my own as I tore into the carcass, my vines ripping and tearing. What they couldn't wrench apart I sprayed with acids until it gave way. I drank deeply of its blood and liquefied flesh. Its essence ran through me, filled me with power. I was drunk on it. I needed more. My form shifted again. My face morphed into a snout filled with spike like teeth. I sank them into the exposed organs, tearing bloody chunks from them and wolfing them down to be broken into nutrients. My mass grew and grew as more and more vines and fly traps burst from my form to aid in the task of devouring the corpse. The forest ran red with all the blood. It would feed the trees around for days.

I felt my control slipping, the beast taking the reins. Bones were cracked open and their marrow sucked dry. Everything that could be melted down was rendered into slurry to sate my seemingly endless hunger. My bark hardened until it was like steel, needle like thorns with razor sharp tips adorned my vines. The dragon's essence brought forth a storm of evolution as I took its flesh and its magic into myself. I lost all semblance of form, becoming nothing but a writhing mass of roots, vines and carnivorous flowers. My only desire to rend and tear flesh, to eat and eat and eat and eat......