What Shy Did on Her Summer Vacation

Chapters

Twilight Sparkle
Sunset Shimmer
Rarity
Rainbow
Zephyr
An Intruder
A Human
...
Fluttershy

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight bounced on her heels, words tumbling from lips that she couldn't stop from smiling. She wondered if this was how Pinkie Pie felt all the time. "I hypothesized that as far as magic's concerned clothing is actually a part of the human body which is Pinkie-level bizarre but it explains so much like how Sunset and my counterpart came through the portal already wearing something and also you know how animals—"

"Twilight."

"Yes, Rarity?" The interruption was barely a hiccup for Twilight's train of thought. "I was planning on breaking for questions in a few minutes but if you have something urgent—"

"When I said 'What have you done?', I was being rhetorical." Rarity sounded far less enraptured by the possibilities before them than Twilight had expected. Her sour expression matched the anomaly.

"Oh." Twilight took a moment to take stock of her mental state. "Oh! Sorry, I think I'm experiencing some kind of magic-induced euphoric state going after channeling that much energy through something so close my brain and with relatively little experience so—"

"So sorry to keep interrupting, dear, but I was being rhetorical because what you did is self-evident. Namely, you turned Fluttershy into a tree!" Rarity thrust a finger at said tree, which gave off a gentle crackle of residual magic. Much of the trunk was birch-white, but it shaded to mossy green at the exposed roots and an odd yellow hue along the branches. Angel Bunny glanced down from among those branches, baffled but unharmed.

"Well..." Twilight bit her lip, her motor mouth finally running out of gas. "Yes. I suppose I did." The first bell rang, as if to punctuate the confirmation.

"And now we are late for class," said Rarity. "I don't suppose you can reverse this before anyone comes out to investigate?"

"Uh... probably?"

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "How probably?"

Twilight gave an anxious chuckle. Well, good news, she was teaching her friends in exchange for how much they were teaching her. Bad news, she was teaching them how to work around her usual evasions. "Definitely a nonzero probability." She took a deep breath and considered the tree. "The problem is that I may have been experimenting with relatively uncontrolled arcane expressions at the same time."

"Meaning?"

Twilight gulped. Rarity should've been about her height. How was she looming over her like that? "Well, those entail a number of undocumented variables, making reproducible results a problematic venture—"

Rarity folded her arms. "Twilight, you're hiding behind terminology."

"To put it simply, I... kind of just threw magic at Fluttershy to see what happened."

Rarity facepalmed. "For Harmony's sake." She perked up and hummed to herself. "Though I suppose Sunset could turn her back to normal if all else fails."

Twilight looked away. "Well... yes. But I'd really rather she not find out about this."

"Because it was a very foolish and horrifyingly unsafe experiment that even Mr. Discord would consider a bad idea?"

"That's a rather harsh way of putting it, Sunset, but—" Twilight froze. She turned at a snail's pace. Intellectually, she knew the end result would be the same no matter how quickly she went. That didn't make it any less terrifying.

Sunset just frowned at her, arms crossed. "Throwing wild magic around? What were you thinking? Were you thinking?"

"Of course I was! The experiment—"

"Could've waited until after school, in the NAHTI, where we have recording devices with millithaum accuracy. This?" Sunset gestured at Fluttershy, who now had several birds hovering about her, possibly considering her branches as nesting sites. "This was just you playing with something that is not a toy."

Twilight wilted. "You're right." She ducked her head. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Sunset hugged her. "But this is how our little partnership works. You keep me from thinking I'm a god."

Twilight managed a small smile. "You keep me from showing those fools at the institute."

"Girls," said Rarity, "this is all very sweet, but the fact remains that Fluttershy is still a tree. Feel free to fix that at any time."

Sunset laid a hand on the tree's trunk. Her headgem and palm shone, but nothing else seemed to happen. She nodded to herself and doused the glow.

"Sunset?" Rarity gulped. "You, er, can undo this, can you not?"

"Oh, definitely." Sunset patted Fluttershy's trunk. "I was just making sure that Fluttershy's okay with staying like this until lunch."

"Why?"

"To teach Twilight a lesson about responsible magic use."

Rarity's jaw dropped. "At Fluttershy's expense?"

Sunset shrugged. "Between the two of us, Twilight and I share all of her morning classes. We'll take notes." She gave Twilight a sidelong glance. "Though Twilight's going to be the one who will have to explain why Fluttershy will be missing those classes to the principals."

"But she's a tree!" cried Rarity.

"And she's okay with that." Sunset smirked. "She's actually enjoying herself, if you can believe it. Besides, this is what my magic teacher would do. If this were some massive hazard like, I don't know, an overpowered compulsion spell that affected anyone on sight, I'd have already dispelled it. But this? This is small-scope and relatively harmless. Come lunch time, Twilight can try to undo it."

Twilight blinked and looked around to see if any extradimensional analogues had entered the schoolyard without her noticing. "Me?"

Sunset nodded. "It's your mess. You should fix it if you can."

Twilight wrung her hands. "What if I can't?"

"Then I'll take care of it. But you shouldn't rely on me as a crutch." Sunset smiled as she put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Besides, if anyone can figure out how to fix this, it's you."

"So." Principal Celestia rubbed her temples. "You turned your friend into a tree."

Twilight nodded, gaze focused on her own lap. "Yes, ma'am."

"Which is why she'll be absent for today."

"Until after lunch."

"Of course." Celestia took a deep breath. "Twilight, I like to encourage my students to be true to themselves, to discover what makes them the greatest they can be. But please, in the future, wait until after school for this sort of thing. Better yet, wait a month. You'll have the whole summer to turn your friends into whatever you want."

Twilight winced. "I don't exactly plan on making a habit of it."

"Good."

By some miracle—or possibly social wizardry on Rarity's part that Twilight might never even comprehend, much less match—her other friends didn't hear about the transformation until lunch.

"What are you waiting for? Fix her already!" In Rainbow Dash's case, that just meant her indignation had to make up for lost time.

"Cool yer jets," said Applejack, one hand gripping Dash's collar. "She's gotta concentrate."

"Yeah! Just don't think about how you could—" Sunset covered Pinkie's mouth before Twilight heard what not to think about. That just meant her imagination was free to fill the gap.

Twilight shook her head. Her experiments had shown that mental state definitely had an impact on spellcasting. If she believed she'd mess it up, that would drastically raise the odds that she did. She shut her eyes, laid her hands on Fluttershy's trunk, and thought. She'd found it easy to think of magic in numerical terms, mostly through made-up measurements in invented units, but that wasn't how she'd done this one. Sunset was right; this had been wild magic. Uncontrolled magic. Chaotic magic, left to the whims of probability, too many different dispersal patterns to get a sense of how it might execute its incomplete instructions.

I'm sorry, Fluttershy.

You don't need to apologize, Twilight. I enjoyed this.

Twilight clamped down on her surprise, willing herself to stay calm. I'm glad to hear it. But now we need to change you back.

Okay.

"Fluttershy!" The shouted chorus made Twilight's eyes snap open. At some point, she'd gone from palms flat on a trunk to holding hands with Fluttershy. Her friends gathered around, fighting to be heard over one another.

"Are you okay?"

"Can you stand?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Give her some air, darn it!" Rainbow Dash cried, hauling people back a ways. "Seriously, Shy, you okay?"

Fluttershy blinked, slowly looking back and forth. She looked at her hands, slowly releasing Twilight's and bringing hers up to her eyes, flexing her fingers in a daze.

Dash cleared her throat. "Uh, Fluttershy?"

"Sorry, it's just..." Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm not really sure how to describe it. I don't think there are words for it."

"I understand," said Sunset. "It was weird enough going from pony to human the first time. I can only imagine what you went through."

"Well, it wasn't exactly bad."

"Not bad?" said Rarity. "Fluttershy, you turned into a tree!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You're never letting that go, are you?"

Rarity turned her nose up. "I think my reaction is entirely merited."

"It's okay, Rarity. It was... nice." Fluttershy smiled. "Do you think you can do that again, Twilight?"

Twilight's mouth moved silently as she thought. "Um, hypothetically? I mean, I'm not sure how it happened, but I could try to replicate the same conditions. Still, magic has a mind of its own—I would know—and there's no guarantee the energy would... well, twist in the right way, for lack of a better term."

Fluttershy wilted, the first hints of tears in her eyes. "Oh."

Sunset sighed. "I'm pretty sure I could do something similar without cutting off all your senses."

Fluttershy lit back up, the sun after a cloud had passed over it. "Could you?"

Sunset shrugged. "Sure. I don't see the harm in it."

Author's Note

This chapter is based on content originally written by Tophe in the Group Precipitation story "Mana Points."

Sunset Shimmer

Sunset was happy to follow Fluttershy through the park. After all of the time and effort she'd spent trying to get power, it was nice to let someone else take charge for once now that she actually had it. Still, the circumstances could've been better. "You're really sure about this?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I'd never felt more relaxed in my whole life. Nothing seems as urgent when you're a tree."

Sunset frowned. "Yeah, that's why I stay human." She looked up at the sun. Seeing it had always led to mixed feelings since her falling out with Princess Celestia. Lately, those had only intensified.

Fluttershy's voice brought Sunset's thoughts back to Earth. "Um, Sunset?"

She looked back down. Fluttershy had come to a halt. So had Sunset, without realizing it. "Yeah?"

"You were kind of staring directly into the sun again."

Sunset sighed. "Sorry. It's a personal thing. Knowing that I could pull the same 'passive observer' crap as the Tree of Harmony, that part of me wants to..." She shook her head and started moving again. "Like I said, personal thing. I'm surprised you didn't want anyone else to come with us."

Fluttershy started walking just a pace ahead of Sunset. "I didn't want to make a spectacle of it." She gave a quiet giggle. "Well, not any more than Pinkie already has."

"Yeah." Sunset's smile wilted. "You're sure you want to do this?"

"You did say that it was safe."

"For a few hours, yes, but you aren't the only one who's been thinking about it since." Sunset rubbed her headgem. Part of her still expected the tactile response of a horn instead of just a vague sense of pressure. "I don't know if there are any long-term side effects we weren't able to see. I've never even heard of this kind of cross-kingdom transmutation before. Even Princess Twilight has only done it by accident. We're going into totally untested, undocumented areas here."

Fluttershy looked back and smiled. "Shouldn't I be the one worried about this?"

"It's just..." Sunset bit her lip. "You girls are my anchor. Twilight's incredible, but you were the only ones who were there for me after the Fall Formal. I don't know what I would've done without you all. I..." She shook her head. "Let's not go there right now. Your family does know about this, right? I don't want to have to answer someone's panicked prayers in a few days."

Fluttershy nodded. "Father is still in Stirrope on business, but he seemed positive when we talked about it last night. Zephyr Breeze was actually enthusiastic about the idea. And Mother..." She trailed off.

After a moment, Sunset said, "Yes?"

"Well, she's still adapting to how the world's changed. She's afraid to fly because she thinks her wings emit the same dangerous radiation as cell phones."

Sunset considered this. "You're not related to any members of the Gardening Club, are you?"

Fluttershy just giggled. "I'll be fine, Sunset. And the minute I'm not, I'll let you know. If you don't mind."

Sunset smiled. "I know it's not praying when you girls do it, just using the available channels. How much longer?"

"We're here, actually."

"We are?" Sunset looked around. At some point in her worry, they'd moved to an isolated corner of the park, a little clearing ringed by trees three times thicker than her waist. There was no sign of anything manmade from where she stood. If she ignored the occasional scrap of conversation or childish laughter, she could imagine this was the forest that had been here long before the city of Canterlot. "Wow. How'd you find this place?"

"I used to explore the park before I was old enough to volunteer at the animal shelter." Fluttershy sighed. "I'll miss everyone at the shelter, but this will be my last chance to really appreciate the summer before I need to start thinking about colleges. And, well, I know it's selfish, but I've never wanted something as much as I want this."

Sunset felt her gut squirm with the admission. "Okay. If you're sure. Take off your shoes, hold still and shut your eyes." Once Fluttershy was ready, Sunset's headgem shone with almost blinding intensity. She felt her hair begin to dance, both from the air currents building around her and a phase transition to something that wasn't quite plasma.

Fluttershy's eyes were closed, but Sunset needed hers open to monitor the spell. It was too new to trust it solely to sensing the magic flow. That meant she had to watch her friend's feet twist, gnarl, and bury themselves into the ground. She watched Fluttershy's skirt lengthen, darken, and roughen, tightly encasing her legs as it became bark. She watched the other girl's skin shift to light tan and her hair to near-grey.

It took a minute. Sunset knew it would stick with her for years. "How do you feel?"

Fluttershy opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and took in the changes. "It's certainly different from last time," she said as she tested her range of motion. It looked like she could still move everything above her waist.

"I figured weeks of sensory deprivation probably wouldn't be good for your mental health, so I split the difference." Sunset forced a grin, hoping her stomach would settle soon. "It's actually sort of funny. When I first tried to find what magic this world had, I studied a lot of mythology, and so much of it matches something that exists in Equestria. But dryads? Beautiful tree spirits? We don't have anything like that. And now I've made one."

Fluttershy beamed. "It's perfect, Sunset. Thank you."

Sunset nodded, her smile feeling more genuine. "You know me, always happy to help. Although..." She channeled more magic. Something like a heat haze played against the edges of her vision, and the sounds from elsewhere in the park faded to near-inaudibility.

Fluttershy looked around. "What did you do?"

"Think of it as a privacy screen. Anyone who doesn't know you're here will tend to overlook the place. It'd be a pretty big spectacle otherwise." Sunset winked. "And don't worry, it only works on humans. Every other species is free to come and go."

"I can't thank you enough, Sunset."

"I'll let you get situated." Sunset turned, but looked back. "And don't hesitate to call me if something comes up."

"Don't worry," said Fluttershy. "Everything will be fine."

Sunset nodded and left the grove, a dozen other worries taking priority.

Rarity

Rarity appreciated the natural beauty of the grove, but she'd have appreciated it more on the other side of a frame or a screen. The undeniable sylvan charm did nothing to help against the omnipresent mud, sap, chlorophyll, and the rest of Mother Nature's cosmetics, all of which clashed horribly with Rarity's complexion.

Still, she had to admit, they made Fluttershy look... well, not good but certainly better than if Rarity would have looked after so long without so much as bathing. Alas, the same couldn't be said for Fluttershy's top, which was in desperate need of a washing machine, a needle and thread, and possibly a flamethrower.

It occurred to Rarity that she'd been standing there taking in the scene for far longer than she'd meant to. "Er, good afternoon, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy just maintained her placid smile. "Hello, Rarity." One corner of her mouth tilted up a bit more, giving her a puckish air. "I'm sorry I missed our last spa date."

"Quite alright, darling. Extenuating circumstances and all. I, for one, am sorry it took me so long to find a spare moment to see you. Sunset was rather vague about where to find you, and it's swimsuit season besides. You know how I dislike working with synthetics, but I can hardly be expected to figure out how to magically waterproof my preferred fabrics overnight and..." Rarity flushed. "Oh dear. I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"A bit." To her credit, Fluttershy didn't seem to mind. Though given the distant look in her eyes, she seemed about as engaged as Applejack when discussing thread count.

"Yes. Well. To the point then. Er..." Rarity mentally stumbled once she went off social autopilot. She cleared her throat. "I can understand that you're comfortable with altering your body. And that you have a love of nature. And... and I'm glad that you're getting more confident."

"You're uncomfortable."

"Well..." Rarity squirmed a bit, trying to find a nice way of putting it. Finally, she said, "Yes. I mean, there were always plenty of... well, nature girl jokes behind your back—"

Fluttershy nodded. "Understandable. The need to categorize is almost as fundamental to humans as the need to explore."

"Fluttershy, I was able to tear myself away from my work because I couldn't focus anymore. I was too busy worrying about you. You've been out here for two weeks now. You're half-naked, half-tree, and I fear half-mad."

"I don't think I'm crazy."

"Darling, there are literal bird's nests in your hair!" Rarity's shout made the residents flutter their wings in shock, but they didn't take off. If anything, she got the impression that they were giving her dirty looks. She cleared her throat. "I really don't want to come across as condescending, and I suppose I'm partially motivated by missing you, but don't you think you're taking this a little too far?"

After a long, uncomfortable stare, Fluttershy said, "Two weeks? Already?"

"Yes. Two weeks."

After another stretch of silence, Fluttershy bowed her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I thought, it was summer vacation, and... well, I guess I just..."

Rarity took a deep breath. "Just tell me your brother knows where you are."

"He does. He's visited me a few times already."

"Alright. I... Well, I suppose there's no way I can stop you, but if anything goes wrong, let him know."

Fluttershy nodded. "Him and Sunset. That's the plan."

"Very well then." Rarity looked around. Then she looked at the soles of her shoes and immediately wished she hadn't. "You're... really happy here?"

Fluttershy smiled again, a more familiar one than the strange, somewhat condescending expression she'd been wearing before. "Think of it as a sort of deep-immersion spa therapy."

Rarity smirked. "All those jokes Applejack makes about mud masques come to mind."

"All-natural mud available on demand."

That got a few laughs out of Rarity despite herself. "How luxurious." Her smile didn't last long. "How long do you plan on being out here, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. For as long as I want to, I suppose."

"Or the end of the summer."

The silence went on for just a beat too long before Fluttershy nodded. "Or that. Whichever comes first."

"Do tell me should you ever have a date in mind. We'll have so much to catch up on." Rarity forced a grin on her face. "Although I'll be happy to come by at any time. To this... lovely little copse. Full of all sorts of delightful little creatures. One need only look down to see," her stomach lurched, "signs of their having been here."

"You don't have to come if you're uncomfortable."

Rarity scoffed. "Darling, you're my friend. And besides, I've been thinking of getting a cat. I'm going to have to get comfortable with... leavings if that's the case."

"I'll be fine, Rarity, really."

"You're still my friend. I would be horribly remiss if I were to abandon you merely because of a little squeamishness."

A bit of the earlier indulgence crept back into Fluttershy's smile. "All right. But I don't want to disturb your work schedule. It is swimsuit season, after all."

"Yes, and with so many people finding icons on their hips, making the lines work is proving a most invigorating challenge." Rarity looked around again, seeing the grove in a new light. "In fact..."

"Yes?"

"I dare say the scenic little retreat of yours has just given me the most magnificent idea!" Rarity's wide grin only lasted for a few moments. "Oh dear. And here I am with nary a scrap of paper. I'll have to write it down on my phone before I forget. I'll have to get to work before I forget! So terribly sorry to cut this short, darling, but inspiration has firmly struck." Rarity rushed to Fluttershy and gave her a hug, and to Tartarus with the dung. "I'll see you shortly, I assure you."

Fluttershy returned the hug. Her arms were cool and rough where they brushed against Rarity's own forearms. "Take your time. Enjoy the creative process."

"I always do. Ta ta!"

Author's Note

This chapter is based on content originally written by Masterweaver in the Group Precipitation story "Hanging Out to Dryad."

Rainbow

Dash entered the grove warily. It wasn't that she was afraid. No, she was totally okay with how the limbs overhead blocked out most of the sky while still leaving enough overcast grey visible to remind her that it was out of reach every time she looked up. Or the way roots were clearly going out of their way to trip her up as she was forced to walk through the tunnel of branches that led to Fluttershy's grove. Or the funny look that squirrel was giving her. Not a problem at all. It was just that she didn't really do plants. Closest she ever came was the grass on a soccer field, or Dad declaring the space between two trees here in the park a goal.

Yeah, that was it. Plants were linked with soccer in Dash's mind. Some part of her was just concerned that she wasn't wearing her cleats.

Yeah.

Dash snarled at the uppity squirrel. "What? You wanna go?" She leapt up to its eye level and stayed there. "Let's go! Bring it!"

Judging by how the squirrel just sat in its tree, it did not want to go, nor would it be bringing it. Though it was still looking at Dash funny.

She still counted it as a win, giving the pest a sharp nod. "That's what I thought."

"Rainbow? Why are you yelling at Grace?"

Dash most definitely wasn't blushing. Her face was heating up because of how mad she'd gotten. At a squirrel. She sighed and landed before Fluttershy. "Sorry, I'm kinda..." Dash shook her head. "Could we just start over and agree to never mention this for the rest of our lives?" She looked back at the squirrel. "That goes for you too, Grace."

The squirrel rolling its eyes was probably just Dash's imagination.

"I'm not sure if we ever really started, but okay," said Fluttershy. She was smiling when Dash faced her again. "Hello, Rainbow Dash. Good to see you."

"You too, Shy." Dash bit her lip. "So, uh, you're a tree."

"Yes."

Silence stretched out for a good long while. "Soooo, how's that working out for you?"

"Quite nicely, thank you."

"Uh, good. Great! Yeah." Dash rubbed the back of her neck. "It's just—" She bit her lip, but she couldn't catch the words before they slipped out.

Fluttershy tilted her head. "Just what?"

Dash looked away. "It's nothing. Never mind."

"Are you sure?"

"It's..." Dash took a deep breath. "I guess I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"The whole, you know..." Dash waved her hands. Even she wasn't sure what she was trying to get across.

Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't."

Dash gave a heavy sigh. "The tree thing. I mean, you have wings now. You can fly whenever you want. And you've actually asked Sunset to pin you to the ground. Now you can't even move."

"Yes. And I'm happier than I've ever been."

Dash felt a pit form in her gut. "Ever?"

The silence went on for way too long. "Well, happier than I've ever been on my own."

"Oh. Yeah." Obviously what Fluttershy had meant the whole time. Dash frowned. "But aren't you lonely?"

"Oh, not at all." What must have been half of the wildlife in the park came out of nowhere and gathered around them: birds, squirrels, little furry things that might have been chipmunks or woodchucks or something, other creatures Dash didn't have a hope of identifying. And in the middle of them, Fluttershy smiled. "I have lots of company."

The back of Dash's neck itched as she looked around. "Uh... huh." The last time she'd seen this kind of devotion, it had been her schoolmates watching the Dazzlings perform. "Guess you aren't really on your own then, huh?"

Fluttershy grinned in a way Dash wasn't sure how to read. "I'm certainly not lonely. And you don't have to stay if you're that uncomfortable."

"Huh? No, Shy, I'm always happy to hang out with you!"

"That's very sweet of you to say, Rainbow, but I can tell how uneasy you are right now."

"What?" Dash gave a laugh. It sounded completely natural and not at all forced. "Nah, it's fine, really. Just wasn't expecting you to go all Whinny princess on me. If I'd known we'd be singing something, I'd have brought your tambourine."

"Rainbow." Fluttershy didn't frown. Heck, she was actually smirking a little. But her half-lidded look made it clear that she knew exactly how creeped out Dash was. So much so that Dash couldn't really deny it to herself either.

She gritted her teeth. "Okay, fine, maybe between grounding yourself and being boxed in and your fluffy little army, maybe I'm feeling a little weirded out. But you're still my friend. You know I'm gonna stick by you no matter what, right?"

"Of course. But I don't want you to force yourself to do so."

"It's not a matter of forcing myself, Shy. It's..." Dash trailed off.

"It's what?"

"Hang on a sec, okay? I'm trying to talk about my feelings here. Not exactly where I'm best."

"Oh. Okay."

The silence went on for way too long. Again. Dash shifted from side to side as she tried to shove her feelings into words. "I guess it's... You're one of my oldest friends. We've known each other since, what, first grade?"

Fluttershy nodded. "That sounds about right."

"Right. And when we weren't really, you know, talking to each other because of Sunset, I felt like crap. I shouldn't have left you hanging like I did, but when you and Pinkie were arguing, I couldn't pick a side. How could I? And then I thought Applejack had jerked me around with the date of her bake sale after I'd gotten the whole softball team on board, and..." Dash's gut twisted as she thought back to those days. "I felt like sticking with the jocks was... safer."

"Sunset had us all fooled, Rainbow. You shouldn't feel ashamed of that."

"It's not that. It's just... When Twilight, the other Twilight, when she got us back together, getting to reconnect with you, that was a great feeling. And when the two of us were the only ones who grew wings—you know, other than Twilight—it was like we had this special bond, you know? Even after the world changed and a whole bunch of other people can fly, we could do it first. But now, with the tree thing, with you giving up your wings, I feel like... Like we're..." Dash shut her eyes. She couldn't say it. If she said it, it would be real.

"Like we're drifting apart again? Oh, Rainbow."

"I know, it's stu..." Dash trailed off and opened her eyes. Fluttershy's critter army had curled around her, covering her ankles in fuzz. "...pid?"

"It's not. Feeling a certain way is never stupid. You can't reason away anxiety. I know that all too well."

Dash couldn't help but smile. "I guess you would."

"We've always had different interests. I'm just exploring one a little more deeply than usual."

"I'll say." Dash sighed, feeling the knot her guts loosen. "Thanks, Shy."

"Of course. You can stay as long as you want if it makes you feel better." Fluttershy put a finger to her lips as she looked off to the side. "Now that I think about it, Zephyr Breeze should be visiting me today. If you stay for a bit longer, you should be able to see him."

Dash chuckled. "Yeaaah, no. No offense, I'd stick by you all day otherwise, but Zeph's where I draw the line. Maybe when he gets over that crush of his, you know?"

"I understand."

"See you later!"

Fluttershy smiled. "Until then."

Zephyr

Zephyr breezed into Fluttershy's little corner of the park, looking around with an artist's eye. Sure, it was a nice place. Dappled sunlight shining through branches, little critters hopping around, wildflowers blooming, all very cute in a Whinny princess sort of way. But it hadn't changed much over the last month.

Flutters herself wasn't much better. Once Zeph was used to the whole "her being a tree" thing, the situation had quickly and undeniably grown less interesting from there. It had gotten to the point where watching the bark creep up her body was the most interesting thing about her. Shame it hadn't been Rainbows who'd gotten this treatment...

Zeph shook himself and waved. "Heya, big sister." Seemed like he had to get her attention even when he was standing in front of her these days.

Sure enough, her head might have been pointed at him, but the way the lights came on when he said something made it clear that she hadn't been looking at him. She smiled and said, "Hello, Zephyr. Has it been another week already?"

"Sure has. Time flies when you're havin' fun, huh?"

Fluttershy just giggled and nodded.

"But honestly?" Zeph hissed through his teeth, running a finger along the start of what was sure to be a proper artist's beard one day, even if it was only a few hairs now. "I don't think I'll be coming by next week."

"Why's that?" said Shy. She looked more curious than upset, definitely a good sign.

"Well, at first, this was really cool, you know? Not just you going all dryad, but also the lighting, the color, the scenery!" Zeph threw his arms out wide to take in the glade. "Real inspirational. I knew photography was where my muse was at, and this little slice of nature proved it. But, well, you know..." He shrugged.

"I'm afraid I don't."

"You see, I gotta mix it up a little. Can't let myself get pigeonholed as 'the guy who takes pictures of his sister the tree.' First of all, that's kind of creepy. Secondly, you gotta understand, Flutter Butter, I have almost a hundred followers on AberrantArt." Zeph smirked and polished his knuckles on his chest. "Not to brag, but I'm kind of a big deal. And that means I have a commitment to my audience. I can't let my art grow stale hanging around here when there's a whole world just waiting for Zephyr Breeze to capture it, you dig?"

"Dig?" Oh boy. There went the big sisterly eyebrow.

Zeph knew he was navigating a minefield now, but didn't let her see him sweat. "Part of the whole 'Neo-Bohemian' vibe I'm tryin' to cultivate. Beret's in the mail. Trust me, when it catches on, it'll be huge."

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm sure it will, given how your star is rising. I will miss you, but you should follow your inspiration."

"Yeah," Zeph muttered, "and not just because those Team Honor punks keep taking the gym at my favorite café."

"Hmm?"

He flashed a winning grin. "Nothing to worry about. You'll be fine on your own, right?"

Fluttershy gave a slightly creaky nod. "Of course. Thank you for keeping me company for this long, Zephyr."

"Anything for you, big sis. Be sure to tell me all about what I missed when you're through."

"Hmm." Zeph wasn't sure what to make of the sound. Before he could ask, Fluttershy's gaze took on the same distance it had when he'd first come in.

He shrugged and left. She'd be fine. This was Fluttershy, after all, his incredible older sister, the girl so awesome she got superpowers from playing a tambourine. What could possibly happen to her?

An Intruder

Pinkie skipped her way to Fluttershy. She wasn't sure how it felt for people who weren't earth ponies in the pony world, but the place made her even happier than usual. It was so full of life that she could actually hear it sing on the edge of her hearing. She hummed along with it. She'd have joined in, but choir pieces weren't her favorites, and even if they were, she didn't speak Equin.

"Hi, Fluttershy!" she cried as she tromped into the grove. Critters of all descriptions scattered, squeaking and squawking.

"Who— Pinkie?" Fluttershy's face flickered through several emotions. Confusion, shock, even a moment of anger.

"Yup!" Pinkie's expression fell. She knew why that last one was there. "Sorry for disturbing your animal friends. And that I took so long to come to see you. I trusted Zephyr to visit regularly but... Well, I don't want to say that he flaked out on you, but that's kind of exactly what happened."

Fluttershy had calmed down by this point. She shrugged. "He has to find his own path."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Well, right now that path led him to asking your parents to buy him Lure Modules." She sighed and wilted. "Still, it's not like we were any better."

"I don't mind being alone, Pinkie. You know that."

"Yeah, but you're still our friend! It's just that this whole summer has been downright cuh-ray-zee! Every time me and the girls try to get together and plan out some time to see you, someone remembers something she just can't put off! Rainbow Dash has swim practice, Applejack has something to harvest, Rarity has a rush order..." Pinkie gave a wry smirk. "It's been nuts, and that's me saying that. You'd think between me and Twilight we'd be able to coordinate schedules, but nothing doing! Isn't that weird?"

This got a noncommittal grunt. "I suppose."

"Plus, I've been putting in as much time as I can with the Cakes. I need the money, because magic has opened up so many party possibilities!" Pinkie grinned with twice the force as before. "You have not hit a piñata until you and it are both in midair, locked in a piñata dogfight! I can't do it myself because, you know, no wings, but everyone who's tried it has told me that it's the most fun they've ever had blindly swinging a stick! And believe me, that is a high bar to clear." She hummed as her brain hit a snag. "Though, since they can fly, I guess the idiom doesn't work very well."

"Pinkie."

"Oh gosh! I'm totally hogging the conversation, aren't I? Here I am, blabbing away while you can't get a word in edgewise. Well, that's going to stop here and now." Pinkie plopped down in front of Fluttershy. "The two of us are going to have the biggest, bestest, longest catch-up session in the history of my friends turning into trees, with completely equal speaking time." With that, Pinkie shut her mouth.

After a few seconds, Fluttershy said, "So, what made you decide to come now?"

"Well, one day I said to myself, 'Pinkie, you've got to stop talking to yourself or other people are going to think you're crazy!' But then it hit me: What about Fluttershy? You don't have anyone else to talk to most of the time! No one to keep you from going off the deep end. Though there's no pool in the park, which is why I didn't bring a swimsuit. And really, the best we could do for you would be a bikini top, and that's before trying to get you into the pool. No, the logistics were just not working out there. So, if we couldn't have a pool party, we'd just have to have a regular party instead!"

"I don't really want a party."

Pinkie shrugged. "It doesn't have to be a big ol' streamers-and-balloons party. It can just be a friends-sitting-and-talking party. You know I can be flexible."

"Are you sure you aren't somehow... uncomfortable around me?" Fluttershy shook her head. Her hair barely moved, waving more like thin tangled branches than anything human.

"Are you kidding? I think this is the most incredible thing since chocolate fountains!"

"So you don't feel awkward or confused or anything like that?"

Pinkie tilted her head. "Why would I? Just because you're in a firsuit?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm a willow."

"Either way, I say let your freak foliage fly!"

Fluttershy just stared at Pinkie with the befuddled expression that many people seemed to develop around her.

"Really, the most confusing thing is what to call you. I mean, you're part dryad, part druid. I'm not sure if that makes you a druad or a dryid." Pinkie shrugged. "Either way, you're clearly having fun, but you know what would make it even more fun?"

"Enjoying the tranquility of nature?"

"Sure." Pinkie leapt to her feet and cried, "An enjoying-the-tranquility-of-nature party!" The few creatures that had come back to the glade went scattering again.

Fluttershy watched them go, then turned back to Pinkie, scowling and Staring. "Earthen one."

Pinkie stiffened to attention. "Yes'm."

"You disturb this place with your raucous ape noises. Begone."

"Yes'm." She turned in place and marched out.

Author's Note

Tomorrow: Truth and consequences.

A Human

Pinkie opened the door. "I'm home."

Cloudy Quartz poked her head out of the kitchen. "Just in time. We're having salad."

"Okay." Pinkie moved calmly and evenly to the table and began eating with mechanical regularity. The rest of the Pies watched in horrified fascination. Maud's eyes widened by almost a millimeter.

After what felt like an eternity compared to Pinkie's usual rate of consumption, she emptied her bowl and rose from the table. "Thank you. I'm going to bed now." Five sets of eyes tracked her as she left.

"I don't think I've ever been more profoundly disturbed in my life," said Maud, her voice almost audibly louder than normal. "Pardon my outburst."

"I'm getting to the bottom of this," snarled Limestone, home from business school for the summer. She whipped out her phone. "Whatever messes with my little sisters has to deal with me."

"Who are you calling?" said Maud.

"Who do you think? Good thing Pinkie gave me her number." Limestone held up a finger. "You have some explaining to do, Shimmer! Pinkie just came in here like she was tranquilized, and I demand to know what happened to her! And you'd better hope you're really immortal, because if you say you don't know, we're going to find out for sure!" She hung up. "Got her voice mail."

"Wrath is a vice most unbecoming in a young lady, Limestone," said Igneous Rock.

"Yeah, but it's all I've got going for me."

The next morning, Pinkie was back to normal, or at least back to Pinkie. She arranged a meeting with her friends by Fluttershy's grove. The group's schedules and sleep patterns being what they were, only Applejack and Sunset could come.

There was an obvious edge to the grove now. On one side was the park, same carefully cultivated lushness as always. On the other side was primeval forest, thick, moss-covered trunks hedged by thigh-high undergrowth flourishing in the morning sun.

Applejack nudged a shrub with a boot. "That definitely ain't natural."

"What happened, Pinkie? All I know is that your sister's going to try to tear out my spleen."

"Yeah, she does that." Pinkie frowned and tapped a finger against her chin. "Still, most of yesterday is pretty fuzzy. I was hoping that being near where it happened might jog my brain a little, but all I can really remember is something about raucous ape noises and Fluttershy ordering me to leave."

"Ordering you?" said Sunset.

Pinkie nodded. "Definitely an order. And my body left without my brain getting involved." She shuddered. "It's actually really freaky now that I think about it."

"That sort of magic is rarely used for anything pleasant. But Fluttershy shouldn't be capable of anything like that. Not unless..." Sunset's gaze grew distant for a few moments before she gasped. "Oh no."

"What is it?"

"I can't see Fluttershy."

Pinkie tilted her head. "You mean you can't see Fluttershy because of all of the trees in the way, or you can't see her in amazing Sun-O-Vision?"

"The latter." Sunset started pacing back and forth. "When I try to look at her, all I get is a hole in my awareness. I think it's the privacy spell I put into place for her. Maybe being physically connected to the area let her feed her own magic into the spell, or maybe ambient energies, or..." Sunset shook her head. "I don't know! And it doesn't matter. The point is, she's turned my magic against me. I can't look in there, and I doubt I can summon her out of there either." Her spellgem glowed for a moment, but all she got was sparks. She sighed. "It's like trying to catch water in a net."

This called for the worst profanity Applejack could think of. "How the pear-flavored fuck did you not notice this?"

Sunset gave her a flat look. "Applejack, I'm going to tell you what I've been trying to tell the entire world for the past few months: I. Am not. A god. Yes, I have access to more magic and knowledge than most people. Yes, I am responsible for the continued integrity of the universe. But I am neither omnipotent nor omniscient, nor have I ever been so. I kept an eye on Fluttershy for a week. After no sign of adverse effects, I focused on other, seemingly more pressing matters."

"Like what?"

"Making my 'what not to do with magic' vlog, stymieing the radicalization of my church, keeping the sun's helium-4i levels below the point where they'd generate a system-wide magical shockwave, that sort of thing." Sunset sighed. "I thought she'd be fine."

Applejack scowled. "Well, ya thought wrong."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can see that."

"Then let's go fix it!"

"I don't think I can let myself go in there," Sunset said with a shake of her head.

Applejack groaned. "This ain't no time fer a guilt trip!"

Sunset shook her head. "You don't understand." She reached out towards the overgrown area, only for her hand to come against a glowing green barrier. She looked back at Applejack, her headgem shining the same color. "I literally can't let myself go in there. My own magic is stopping me."

Pinkie gawked at this. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. At least I know why. You both remember how the Fall Formal crown was a magical artifact I stole from Equestria." Sunset waited for them to nod before continuing. "It was an Element of Harmony, sort of a fruit of the Tree of Harmony. You're each connected to an Element; even if you weren't during the Formal, you definitely were when we changed the world. It's possible that you even are my Elements of Harmony. Whatever the case, Fluttershy's using that connection to turn my power against me. She might even be why we've never been able to meet up long enough to all see her at once."

"How can she even do that?" said Applejack.

Sunset blinked. "I just—"

"Spouted a lot o' magic malarkey that went so far over mah head, it dinged a satellite. Plain Wranglish, Sunset, what's she doin'?"

Sunset bit her lip. "Well, when I tried to go in just now, she... asked nicely."

"She asked nicely."

"Very nicely. I literally couldn't say no. It's a request so polite that it's basically a geas." Sunset held up a hand. "An irresistible magical command, not a bird."

Applejack sighed. "Pinkie, I'm guessin' you ain't keen on meetin' up with Fluttershy again."

Pinkie shook her head. "Not while she's still hopped up on crazy fruit magic."

Applejack cracked her neck. "Welp. Guess I'll be back soon." She strode off.

"Um, Applejack?" said Pinkie. "Fluttershy's that way." She pointed at the small patch of ancient woodland.

"I know that, Pinkie. I'm gettin' mah work duds first."

Applejack grumbled as she fought her way through the overgrowth. The forest was doing a decent impression of a jungle, plant life trying to fill every available scrap of space. That meant ducking under vines, muscling through shrubs, and sweating like a hog thanks to the long-sleeved shirt, thick overalls, and sturdy boots that were keeping her safe from anything thorny. Not there was anything thorny, of course. Applejack kept her gratitude for that fact to herself. The last thing she wanted was to give Fluttershy ideas. Speaking of...

"Fluttershy!" Applejack cried for what felt like the fiftieth time. "I know yer in here somewhere! And don't go thinkin' you can put some kinda whammy on me just 'cause I got fingernails bigger'n a prize-winnin' pumpkin. My family's been tendin' orchards fer generations. I ain't takin' no guff from no tree, even if that tree is one o' my best friends." After a moment, Applejack shook her head and muttered, "Don't know which one's goin' crazier, me or the rest o' the world."

She hauled herself over a fallen tree and took a deep breath. She had to remember that this was Fluttershy she was dealing with. A different sort of Fluttershy than she was used to, but Fluttershy all the same. "We ain't mad, sugar, we're just worried. After Pinkie told us what ya did to 'er, Sunset tried t' get in touch with ya. Said she couldn't." Applejack shrugged. "I didn't follow why too well, but all I needed t' know is that it meant I had t' go see you the old-fashioned way.

"An' you really need th' help, Fluttershy. This place needs weedin' with an axe an' a shovel." Applejack came to a halt before a massive thicket of roses that she swore hadn't been there a second ago. She scowled, pulled a pair of work gloves out of her back pocket, and started clambering over it. "An' maybe a flamethrower while we're at it."

Applejack wasn't sure how she tripped. There should've been enough thorns hooked into her clothes to make any kind of movement a hassle. But somehow, trip she did, landing on her rear. She looked back and saw several scraps of cloth still attached to the bush. That explained why her back felt better ventilated. She turned forward and saw a clearing, or at least an area clear of any plants larger than grass, excepting Fluttershy herself. Applejack had somehow managed to get here behind her. However, what the space lacked in plant life, it more than made up for with a carpet of fuzzy, fluffy life.

"'Scuse me." Applejack kept her feet low, moving them slowly to nudge the critters out of the way. They made room for her, but turning back showed her how they filled the gaps as soon as she left them. She fought back a shudder and focused on Fluttershy. "I suppose it's late t' say it, but I'm sorry I never touched base; been real busy on the farm lately."

Fluttershy said nothing.

"Uh, Fluttershy? You ain't sore at me or nothin', are ya?" Applejack worked her way around her friend so that she could face her.

All she saw was a living sculpture, eyes shut, arms folded across the chest like a Anugyptian sarcophagus, incredibly detailed but totally immobile.

"Fluttershy!" Applejack thought back to that first time back at CHS. All it had seemed to take was Twilight touching Fluttershy. Twilight, whose magical abilities were second only to Sunset's. Applejack snarled. "I ain't givin' up that easy." She put her hands on Fluttershy's shoulders and shut her eyes. "C'mon, Shy, I know yer in there somewhere."

There was a sensation. A feeling in Applejack's mind that didn't come from it. Awareness. Recognition. Fondness.

"That's right, sugar. It's me. Come on back to us now."

Refusal, polite but insistent. And even that felt fainter than the impressions before it.

"Fluttershy? Fluttershy!"

Nothing. Applejack was just holding a hunk of wood.

She shook her head. "No. You ain't dead yet. I'm gettin' you outta here. Just wait an' see."

A chorus of squeaks, squawks, and hisses sounded from all around her. None of them sounded happy.

Applejack swept a glare across the clearing. "Let me make one thing clear, varmints. I got boots and I ain't afraid t' use 'em." Applejack stomped a foot, driving it an inch into the soil. She pulled it out of the loamy crater with no sign of effort. "Now I suggest y'all let me by. Do that and I ain't ever comin' back this way. Deal?"

The birds took wing. The other creatures arranged themselves to create a narrow path towards a gap in the foliage that Applejack knew hadn't been there before.

She tipped her hat. "Much obliged." She strode out without haste, her way unimpeded by anything.

Pinkie pounced on Applejack almost before she emerged. "Well? How is she? What did she say?"

Applejack didn't say anything, instead moving away from the copse. The others followed. "What is it?" said Sunset.

"That place has ears." Even several paces from the area, Applejack kept her voice low. "Shy ain't doin' well, but I got a plan."

...

Footsteps approached the clearing, moving in time with a hummed tune. No growth impeded the approaching figure. No creature molested her beyond a bluebird roosting atop her bandana. She looked up at it fondly without dropping a beat. She only let the music stop when she was a few steps away from the center of the grove.

Tree Hugger did not see the grove the way others did. Ever since Sunset Shimmer began a truly new age, Tree had found her vision changing. The auras of life and emotion that she had barely glimpsed before became more and more prominent, slowly overtaking the physical world. And here, those auras had taken a turn for the truly surreal. It had been a good thing Applejack had asked her to come now. It had been easy to the coax the pale purple off of the red-green lattices of the plants and rebalance the simple auras of the park's residents, but given more time, Fluttershy's skill might have improved beyond Tree's limited experience.

Tree considered Fluttershy's material shell, a small tree whose trunk curved in a way that suggested it had been carved in the shape of a young woman some time before. The face made it clear that it hadn't simply grown that way, still retaining most of its features, though these too had lost some of the fine detail. Its aura was... worrying. Stretches of it had decentralized into a red, vegetative state, especially along the roots and higher branches. Thin veins of that unhealthy looking purple branched out of the main body, some creeping back out to brush against the other auras in the area even as Tree Hugger watched. The rest was diffuse, a pale, ochre cloud only vaguely connected to the head region.

Taken all together, Fluttershy's chakras were... unraveling. There still was a Fluttershy, at least for now, but she was losing herself to the physicality of her current state. Worse, she was enjoying the sensation of that loss far too much to stop.

"This," said Tree Hugger, "will be an interesting journey for the both of us." She put a hand on a suggestion of a shoulder, trying to spool Fluttershy's essence back into her form. It was slow going. Not only did Tree have to work against Fluttershy's wishes, there was only so much she could do without some kind of foundation to brace against, for lack of a better phrase. Applejack would've helped, but she'd promised not to come back, and her integrity was too fundamental to her self for Tree to ask her to betray it.

After Tree Hugger has rewound as much of the girl as she could, she said, "Fluttershy? You there?"

A rustling sound made Tree Hugger pull back in time to see Fluttershy's eyelids finish opening, revealing eyes far greener than normal. Fluttershy gave a creaky smile, flecks of bark falling off of her face. "Tree Hugger," she said dreamily, pink splotches blooming across her aura. "How lovely to see you. What brings you here?"

"I was asked here by an emissary of the Maiden-Goddess."

Fluttershy took a moment to reply. "Maiden-Goddess?"

"She'll probably become a Mother-Goddess at some point, but she's still a little young for that, you know? Point is, she asked me to come here because none of your other friends can reach you. You're in too deep."

"Too deep into what?" The pink reddened and spread.

"Your magic comes from a twist in your throat chakra, Fluttershy, not your root. Your soul is tied to the air. It's cool that you want to get in tune with other life, but right now you're suffocating yourself. You gotta let yourself breathe, you know?"

"I'm sorry, but I just don't understand what you're talking about." Fluttershy yawned. A crack spread from the right edge of her mouth to the base of her ear. "I have everything I could need here. Sun and soil and..." She gave a sleepy little giggle, her orange flaring. "Hummingbirds."

"Your friends are worried about you, Flutters, and that includes me. Your aura is barely tethered to your material form. Your journey shouldn't end here."

When Tree Hugger had first seen Fluttershy after the grand change, she'd thought she'd needed to refine her understanding of her aura vision.

Fluttershy blinked, not a speck of understanding in any part of her. "Where else would I go?" She shut her eyes. "Please, just let me go back to sleep. I was so comfortable."

There had been something there that had made no sense.

Tree Hugger took a deep breath. "If you do not know, then I will show you the way." She turned her body, pointing her left shoulder at Fluttershy and planting her right foot behind herself. It sank into the soil. Grass reached out and wrapped around it, holding it in place.

A strange depth to her aura, as though there were more to her than most people.

"Tree Hugger?" Fluttershy's eyes fluttered back open. "What are you doing?"

When Tree Hugger saw Applejack and Sunset Shimmer, she finally understood.

"Haaammm..." Tree let her left foot sink into the ground as well.

Between the orange-purple farmer and the humanoid constellation, there had been a link.

"I... I can tell you're doing something."

And with it, many other links flowing through the emotional energy-space that connected all life, including some leading into this very grove.

"Haaammm..." Other voices seemed to join hers in the mantra.

Seven girls. Seven chakras.

"Please, tell me wha—"

A single superconsciousness. A single place where Tree Hugger could stand as she drew Fluttershy back into herself.

Tree Hugger swung her body, driving her right hand into the bark around Fluttershy's throat.

"Grkl."

The mantra went unspoken. Nature itself thrummed with power instead. The muscles in Tree Hugger's arm, shoulder, and back bulged. Wood strained, then splintered. The emotional spectrum briefly went kaleidoscopic. With an almighty heave, Tree pulled Fluttershy out of her wooden cocoon and, with gentleness in sharp contrast to that heave, onto the loam.

"Wha... wha..." Fluttershy's aura spiked red, her eyes darting about, her body thrashing like a fish on land.

Tree Hugger held her until she went still, passed out from hyperventilation. Once Tree made sure Fluttershy was stable, she turned back to the tree that had held her. "Sorry for the rough treatment. I know it wasn't your fault." A careful arrangement of its life pathways ensured it would survive the extraction.

That done, Tree wrapped Fluttershy in the bathrobe she'd brought with her and carried her out.

Author's Note

Thanks go to Masterweaver, both for giving the world the gift that is Aura Vision Tree Hugger and for acting as my chakra consultant for this chapter. Here's a link to the links he sent me.

Fluttershy

Something's wrong.

Where are my leaves? Where are my roots? What are these strange feelings?

The last thing I remember is... Is Tree Hugger. Doing something. Changing how I thought. Reaching out. Grabbing my trunk. Holding tight and...

Oh.

I remember how to see and hear a few moments later. It takes longer to make sense of what I'm seeing and hearing, but the unnaturally straight lines and angles soon resolve themselves as my bedroom. I recognize the moving shapes as my friends. After a bit longer, I register that their faces have worried expressions, that their grunts and hoots carry meaning.

I try to respond in kind. "Whuh guggle brrf."

I'm not seeing any smiles. I don't think that went very well.

Rainbow Dash says something to Sunset. The words are still hazy, but it sounds angry. Sunset puts her hands up. The others start joining in. It's all enough to make me want to pull the covers over my head, but when I try to move my arms, I can't get them to do more than twitch.

Rarity speaks up, and it's the first full sentence I understand since waking up.

"Girls, she's crying."

Everyone looks at me. Apologies ring out. Rarity dabs a tissue at my eyes.

I smile. I can do that much. Words are coming back to me, and I manage a "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" says Rainbow, and everything after that goes by too fast to parse.

"I..." I shake my head. "Slower. Please."

Sunset shuffles forward. I realize how little room there must be with seven people in here. My family has a spacious apartment, but it still must be a tight fit. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy," says Sunset. "I should have never done this to you."

"My idea," I say. "I... I insisted. What happened?"

"The seven of us are connected in a way I never anticipated. Because of that, it was like I never stopped casting the spell. It fed off of that connection and never stopped turning you into a tree. That combined with..." She stops for a moment. "Well, there's a lot of technical stuff, but basically, form defines function, including brain function. The more you turned into a tree, the more you thought like one. The more you wanted to be one."

"That never really changed." I sit up in bed. Talking about what happened seems to help me remember how to be human. "It was like..." I let myself trail off rather than voice my first thought. Hopefully, the others will just think I'm trying to think of an appropriate comparison. "Like a warm bath. I just wanted to sink in and never get out."

"From what Tree Hugger told me, it was more like a drug." Sunset scowls and looks away from me. "One I administered. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if Applejack hadn't thought to contact her."

"It's okay, Sunset. Really."

"It's not. I—"

I reach forward. My muscles all groan in protest. Almost everything hurts. I don't care. Sunset needs a hug, and I give her one. Twilight and Rarity join me, and the others work their way in as best they can. "You made a mistake. I forgive you. It's time to forgive yourself."

I feel her tears on my shoulder. I hear her give a laugh through the suppressed sobs. "I thought we were supposed to be worried about you right now."

"I know I'll be okay. Now we need to make sure you will be too."

She returns the hug. "Thanks, Fluttershy."

I manage to lever my hand enough to pat her back. It's not easy, given how buried we are under the others. "Any time."

Once we break up and Sunset wipes at her eyes, she sighs and says. "Well, seeing as you're alright, we're going to have to go."

"You are?"

"Well," says Rarity, "we're hardly the only ones who want to see how you're doing." She gestures towards the door and the person standing there.

Oh. Oh dear. "Mom, I'm so—"

Mom wraps me up in an even tighter hug. I'm not entirely sure how she made it around my friends so quickly. "As long as you're alright, dear."

I decide it doesn't matter how she did. I return the hug. "I am. But still—"

"Don't worry, Fluttershy. I'm not mad at you. Goodness knows I made a poor decision or two at your age." She releases me, and her expression takes an eerie calm. "Your brother, on the other hand..."

The memory comes back. "Oh. Right."

"I wasn't worried about you because I didn't know I should have been worried about you. According to Zephyr, you were fine the whole time." Her eyes have taken on a rather glassy sheen. "He's grounded now. I'm not sure when that will change. I may consider it when he turns thirty."

I feel I should say something in his defense. On the other hand, I haven't seen Mom put her foot down like this... well, ever. It might be good for him. "It wasn't entirely his fault."

"Maybe when he turns twenty-five, then."

Sunset clears her throat. "Sorry to intrude, but there's someone else who wants to talk to you, if you're feeling up to it."

I tilt my head. Mom seems calmer now, but also uncomfortable, judging by how she's wringing her hands. "Who?"

"Hello." I look back at the doorway. The figure in it is dressed in khaki explorer gear, looking like a Daring Do cosplayer or a young Missing Link about to start her first foray among the chimpanzees. She even has a pith helmet in her hands. However, the complexion, hair color, and icon sewn onto her breast pocket make it clear who she is.

Still, it's so disconcerting that I have to ask. "Fluttershy?"

She nods. "Nice to meet you, Fluttershy."

I look back and forth between her and Sunset. "Why...?" I'm not sure how to phrase the question.

Both seem to understand what I mean. Sunset answers. "When I wrote to Princess Twilight about this whole debacle, she had a very good idea about how to help you along the road to recovery."

"We should probably leave you be," says Rarity.

Rainbow Dash nods. "Yeah, I'm not sure how Pinkie's kept quiet this whole time."

"Planning the best 'Congratulations on Not Being a Tree Anymore' party in the history of ever."

"I'm pretty sure it will be the first such party in history," says Twilight.

Pinkie nods. "Which means I need to make it one to remember."

I can't help but smile at that. Neither can Sunset, who then says, "We'll be on our way. The expanded space should return to normal when we do."

"Thank you again for your understanding, Mrs. Shy," says Rarity.

Mom nods. "Of course."

My friends vanish in a flash of light. My vision swims for a moment as the room does... something. It's comforting to see Mom and the other Fluttershy shake their heads as well. At least this time, I was supposed to be disoriented.

Mom moves towards the door. "I'll let you two talk. Can I get you anything, dear?"

"No thank you," we both say at once. I flush. The other Fluttershy just smiles. Once Mom leaves, she almost shuts the door, leaving it open only a crack.

It's so strange. She seems so graceful, so confident. The way I felt, comfortable with myself, at one with everything around me, it feels hollow compared to the way she carries herself. How much do I resemble her? How much will I? "What did Princess Twilight have in mind?"

She smiles. "To remind you that humans are fascinating."

"We are?"

"Oh my goodness, yes!" She almost lunges towards me and takes my hands in hers, words spilling forth like a Pinkie Pie monologue. "Where do I even begin? I heard stories from Twilight, but it's something else entirely to get to be a completely different species. I mean, I turned into a breezie once—they're the most precious little butterfly-winged ponies you've ever seen—but it was nothing like this! Oh, you're so lucky to live in this world, Fluttershy, you have no idea!"

And so we talked long into the night. And the regret that I hadn't even noticed before slowly faded away, like leaves in autumn.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading. The afterword can be found here.