A Rose By Any Other Name

by FlufferNutters

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Zecora, Alternate Universe, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1176

A lone pegasi learns that there is more to the Everfree Forest than meets the eye

Things long forgotten can appear as mysteries. For one mare, she will discover one of these mysteries and find out there is more to one place than meets the eye.

Published 2016-11-22 05:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-11-22 05:00:02 UTC

A Mystic Rose

The light of the moon shines over the Everfree forest as a soft breeze blows through it while a grey pegasi mare with a violet mane and tail walks through the dark forest. She looks around as she walks since there is no trail.

"I'm too late to get out of here now, it's already night and I'm lost, just great." She says as she walks through the woods.

She walks through the woods for about an hour before there is a dim hot pink glow in the distance. The mare turns her head towards the glow and walks towards it. The glow gets brighter as she gets closer to the source. She sees a small stone shrine wrapped in vines as the source of the glow is coming from a crystal on top of a carved pedestal with carvings of swirls and odd symbols. The mare's eyes go wide as she softly steps closer to the crystal. The glow itself pulsates around the crystal, as she gets closer the pulsating picks up in pace. After a couple more steps what was a soft glow turns into a blinding light engulfing the mare in a white light. Just as the flash appeared it vanished as the mare lays on the ground.

The mare wakes up on a small bed of hay and slowly looks around and sees her surrounding have changed from a dark forest to a home filled with tribal wood carvings and a shelf lined with flasks of various sizes and a cauldron in the middle of the room. She gets up from the bed of hay and walks towards the cauldron and looks over it.

She sees her reflection in the liquid and sees green swirls on her left ear and jumps back.

"My eye!" She shouts.

Just then a zebra walks in and sees the mare. She smiles slightly.

"I see you have awaken, a great fall you must have taken." The zebra says.

"Who are you?"

"As you can see I am a zebra, but they call me Zecora."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Violet Rose, what happened to me?"

"You were found on a cliff floor, I was certain that you were done for."

"So what happened to my eye?"

"This is the everfree, so it has its own mystery."

"I was walking home and then I saw this crystal and then there was a flash of light and I woke up here."

Zacora rubs the top of her hoof under her chin.

"A crystal I have heard not, it must be a relic that time forgot."

"Well, I thank you for saving me, but I must go home."

"Stay safe Violet Rose, maybe someone else knows."

"Thank you."

Violet Rose leaves Zecora's home and heads towards Ponyville on a path not far from Zecora's home.

As she walks down the path she looks around to see vines and roots move slowly. Twisting as they move with a low moaning like sound. She runs towards the exit as the vines and roots quickly follow. Before she could reach the exit the vines block the way out. She hits the vines as she breathes faster.

"No, no, no, no!" She shouts as she pounds on the wall on vines and roots.

"You cannot leave this place now." Someone says.

Violet Rose turns around and looks swiftly trying to find a source to the voice. She turns back towards the wall and hits at it.

"The guardian stone chose you to protect the Everfree and all within it." They say again.

Violet turns around to see a mare with a cloak around her right next to Violet.

"Who are you?"

"I am Stary Glow, I live in this forest along side my tribe."

"You called it a guardian stone, what is it?"

"It helps guard the forest from harm and any outside threats."

"So I can't go back?"

"No, but my tribe and I can go outside of the forest to get your belongings in secret, my tribe's village isn't far from here, come."

Violet follows Stary Glow as the vines and roots lower away from the entrance.

After an hour of walking in silence they reach a clearing in the forest. Violet sees a small village within stone walls. The walls are covered with vines and bushes except for the gate while the town looks clean and natural with the houses being built with stone and wood from the forest looking as if they didn't do anything with the wood other than cut it. Violet and Stary walk into the village as the inhabitants are a mixture of different species. From unicorns, pegisi, earth ponies, griffons, and bat ponies.

"So many different ponies here." Violet says.

"It wasn't always like this, but we are a rest stop for travelers mostly."

"That makes sense."

"The answers you seek are with our elder."

"Okay."

They walk for a few more minutes on the main street before reaching a house with many trinkets and hanging around the windows and door. They get to the front door and Stary knocks on the old wooden door.

"Elder Gazer, I brought the pony that made contact with the guardian stone." She says.

A few seconds later the door opens to reveal an elderly bat pony with a light blue mane and a dark blue coat. Her eyes widen when she sees the hot pink eye of Violet Rose.

"Our new forest guardian has arrived, come in, come in." Gazer invites as she opens the door to let them in.

"Thank you." Violet says.

They enter the living room of the house at it too is covered in hanging trinkets with antiques lining the wall and shelves. They sit down on the couch while Gazer sits in her old wooden chair across from them.

"So you came in touch with the guardian stone, is that correct?" Gazer acts.

"Yes ma'am, what exactly is it?"

"The guardian stone is a relic of the Everfree that is older than Equestria itself, it helps guard the forest from harm."

"But why me?"

"The stone chooses its host, after it does, they gain a magic eye and abilities as well."

"But why can't I leave?"

"Because where you want to go is outside the forest, if the forest isn't there, you can't be there either."

"So I can't go home?"

"Unless the forest consumes Ponyville, I'm afraid not, however, you are welcome to stay in this village and make it your home."

"But what about my things?"

"The other villagers can get those for you and put them in your new home."

"That, would be good."

"Good, I will arrange everything."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, on behalf of our little village, we welcome you to our village."

"Thank you, it will take time to adjust, but I am honored to be here."

Just then Violet Rose's eye glows the hot pink color it is as flowers bloom around her. After a few seconds of silence, they all giggle.