The two sides stared each other down for what felt like an eternity, only broken when one of the warrior nymphs whispered something to Elder Lichen. I couldn’t hear what had been said, but when the aging nymph glanced at the ground next to the dragon’s hind claws I got an idea of what he was being told. Resting in the soil barely three hooves from the dragon’s hind left paw, was Evergreen’s tree. Now I wasn’t certain what was so important about the tree, but it had to be very close to each of the nymphs if they cared so much about the plants.

Lichen looked up at the dragon once again, an expression of frustration overcoming his face as he indicated the path leading to the grove behind us, “The clearing containing the bounty you seek is just this way. If you give your word that you will leave us in peace once you have collected what you desire, then we shall not stand in your way.”

A deep rumble escaped the drake’s jaws as the flames died down, “Very well, but know this. I care not for your grove or the lives it holds dear. Stand in my way and I will turn your entire coven into ash without a second thought.”

Lichen growled in the back of his throat but did not retort, instead turning to face Evergreen, Willow and myself as he began walking towards the second clearing, “Stay back and do not engage with the drake. I fear this may take a turn for the worst once the dragon gets what he came for.”

We nodded, moving out of the way as the elders led the dragon back the way we had come, the huge beast casting a glance over me and Willow before turning his attention back to the nymphs before him. We stayed perfectly still as they disappeared into the brush, and I felt my tail shaking as I let out a quaking breath.

“Well that was terrifying.” Willow muttered as she and I followed Evergreen back towards her tree, “I’d rather that old lizard left us alone, but it looks like those moss-covered idiots want to play nice with a walking forest fire.” She shivered as we formed a small circle next to Evergreen’s tree, our ears all turned towards the direction the dragon had gone, “Do you really think that walking disaster will leave this grove alone once he gets the fruit?”

“We can only hope.” Evergreen replied, sounding unsure of herself as she glanced down at the ground between her forehooves, “I know Elder Lichen has led our coven for decades after my mother died, but I truly don’t know how we can force such a creature to leave with the threat he represents. Our best hope is to give in to his demands and try not to provoke him into attacking our home.”

I was just about to add in my own thoughts when a thunderous roar echoed through the forest, forcing all three of us to fold our ears in pain as the sound pierced our minds like needles. An explosion quickly followed the roar and the bright red light of fire ripped through the grove as the sounds of battle reached our deadened hearing through the brush. Evergreen didn’t hesitate and charged back towards the orchard, leaving Willow and I to follow as best as we could as the light ahead of us swiftly grew brighter.

We came back into the clearing to find the fruit destroyed, every plant reduced to cinders as the great dragon ripped through the plants around him like a boar on a rampage. Nymph warriors tried to hold him down with vines and other plant life by wrapping them around his limbs, but the titanic lizard’s strength proved too much and any slowing effect only seemed to stoke his anger. His front claws we filled with stolen fruit, and a stream of flames erupted from his maw before impacting one of the trees at the edge of the grove. The bark splintered as the scalding heat ripped the tree apart in a matter of seconds and one of the warriors on the other side of the clearing cried out as the tree lost its color and fell to the forest floor. The nymph’s body withered and fell apart as his dying screams faded into nothing, the remains of his body being carried away by the powerful updrafts of the flames around us.

Willow and I stared in horror as the other nymphs tried to stop the fires from spreading around the grove, but between the flames already licking at the foliage and the explosive breath of the dragon, it was a rapidly losing battle. Evergreen stood in abject terror as she watched her home burn, her eyes filled with tears as more warriors succumbed to the flames and fell to the forest floor, their dying screams rendered mute by the roar of the fire that was expanding into the rest of the coven’s home.

Then, from the midst of the battle, Elder Lichen charged out of the clearing and grabbed Evergreen around the shoulders, dragging the much younger nymph away as Willow and I turned to follow once again. The battle behind us was momentarily forgotten as Lichen pulled Evergreen into the clearing her tree resided in, placing one of the fruits from the orchard in her hooves as he turned to me.

“I hate to ask this of you after only knowing you for a day,” he spoke rapidly as he pointed towards Evergreen’s tree, “but if our grove is to have any chances of surviving then I must ask you to take Evergreen with you and escape. Pull her tree from the ground and run as fast as you can. I will lead the rest of our coven to cover your escape.”

“NO!” Evergreen cried as she latched her hooves onto the older nymph’s forelegs and held them to her chest, “I will not abandon my home! I can’t leave you and the others to fight when I can stop this from going further. I can stop the fire, I can fight off the dragon. I’m stronger than the entire warrior caste put together! Let me save our home!”

Lichen shook his head, “It is already too late for that. The flames spread faster than even you can put them out, and your tree is the only one that is young enough to be taken from our grove.” He placed a hoof against Evergreen’s cheek as the young mare began weeping, “Take heart in your companions, and use the gifts of your birthright to build our coven anew wherever it is you go. Now go, before it is too late.”

Evergreen tried to speak but couldn’t force it past her trembling lips, simply shaking her head in denial as she placed the fruit at her hooves. She was just turning around to charge into the approaching flames when Lichen spun her around and breathed a cloud of purple mist into her face.

Evergreen’s eyes widened in shock before they rolled up into her head, her body falling to the ground as Lichen shook his head in sorrow, “I am sorry, my child, but I cannot allow you to sacrifice yourself when you are our only hope.” He bowed his head to the unconscious mare, “Forgive me this one last selfish act, I hope you can forgive me for this once you find a new home.” He lifted his gaze and leveled their blazing glory with mine, “Now, before it is too late. Rip her tree from the ground and carry them out of here. It’s the only chance she has of surviving.”

Given the gravity of the situation, I chose not to argue with the nymph and slithered past him, curling the end of my tail around the base of Evergreen’s tree before jerking upward with all of my strength. The ground buckled and strained against me for a few seconds, but eventually the dirt and roots gave out, tearing from the ground in a shower of dirt clods and rocks as Evergreen whimpered in her sleep behind me.

Lichen walked up and placed his hoof on my tail as I pulled the tree closer, “You have until the final flower falls from the branches to plant her tree somewhere safe. If you do not, then the tree will die and Evergreen shall do the same moments after. The tree and Evergreen are one. One cannot survive without the other. Care for her as you travel, for she will be weak while her other half is separated from the ground. Soak the roots in water if you can to help keep them alive, but to not delay. Every moment the tree spends out of the ground is one less our Princess has to live.” He jerked his head towards the battle as the flames finally began to encroach on the clearing we were in, “Our time is up.”

He pushed me towards Willow and Evergreen as he lifted the unconscious mare onto my back while my tail held her tree in a tight grip, “Travel safely, my friends, and I pray to the ancestors that your journey is a swift one.”

Willow picked up the fruit in her mouth from where Evergreen had dropped it, falling in at my side as I looked down at the aged nymph, “We won’t let you down, sir. You have my word we will make sure Evergreen survives until we can find a new place to plant her tree.”

Lichen nodded, turning back to face the flames as the head of the dragon rose above them like a nightmare from the darkest corners of my mind, “I shall hold him here. Take care, and good luck.”

Nodding my thanks, I turned and lead Willow out of the grove, the sounds of Lichen battling with the dragon fading into the background as we raced to outrun the flames as they spread through the brush behind us. I don’t know how long we kept moving away from Evergreen’s home, but it was nearing sunset by the time we managed to find somewhere to rest. The wind had picked up and had been blowing the flames away as the shifting air pushed against our faces, providing much-needed respite from the heat and smoke as we finally came across something to distance ourselves from the forest fire raging behind us.

Rushing by with a few large rocks to break the surface, was a wide and relatively calm river. The banks had to be at least six of my lengths from one side to the other, making it easily wide enough to prevent the sparks from reaching the other side. Glancing down at Willow, she nodded her agreement around the fruit in her mouth, charging ahead of me as she began paddling across the river. Making sure I had a tight grip on both Evergreen and her tree, I followed Willow as my coils shivered in the freezing water. Remembering Lichen’s words, I allowed the roots of Evergreen’s tree to slip into the water as I swam to the other side, hoping it would at least let the plant absorb some moisture before we had to continue on our journey.

Once we reached the other side we continued to put distance between us and the ablaze forest, a sinking feeling in my heart as the flames caused the sky to glow blood red behind us as a black cloud of smoke rose from the raging inferno. We continued on through the rest of the night, Evergreen sleeping fitfully on my back as we ventured further and further into the unknown. The only direction we had was my Mating Bond as it continued to pull me in a roughly western direction, my hopes of finding a mate currently overshadowed by my worries for Evergreen. I could only imagine the pain she would go through once she woke up, and I vowed I would do anything I could to help her and to cope with the loss of her coven. I glanced down at Willow as she raced along beside me, and I wondered if the little timberpony would be helpful in aiding Evergreen, given her own experiences with loss concerning her pack. I made a mental note for later and pressed on, my coils slipping over the roots and rock with ease as the morning sunlight began to shine over the forest.

We stopped to take a break in yet another clearing, this one littered with nuts and seed pods from the oak and pine surrounding the edge, the ground sloping into a rough incline as we neared a small cluster of hills. The hills rested at the southern edge of a long mountain range, providing a slightly easier path than having to climb up and over the range to continue on our way.

Willow had gone out to hunt for some more food, stating that even with the fruit we had eaten, the race to escape the forest fire had taken all of her energy and then some. I was still covered concerning food, given the deer in my stomach on top of the fruit I had packed in beside it. Needless to say, I wouldn’t need to eat for another few weeks at best, so I focused on making Evergreen comfortable while Willow was away.

The young mare was still out like a light, and I formed my tail into a makeshift bed for her to rest on while I set her tree against the bark of a larger oak at the edge of the clearing. Already the leaves on her tree and in her mane were starting to turn brown at the edges, her eyes closing tight in discomfort as she shifted on top of my coils. I kept my attention on our surroundings in case something else decided to come looking for trouble, but all I heard was Willow as she moved through the bushes to enter the clearing once again. Her mouth was occupied by a large bird, likely a pheasant given its coloration, her fruit cargo forgotten at my side as she placed her catch on the ground and began digging into her prey. The crunch of small bones and the happy murmurs of a content hunter reached my ears as Willow ate, although my attention was quickly snatched away as I felt Evergreen shifting on top of my tail.

Her lips curled downward into a frown as she shifted her legs about, her wing blades folding tight against her sides as her eyes fluttered open. For a moment it seemed she didn’t recognize where she was or what had happened, but then I saw the recognition in her gaze as her eyes flew wide open. A gasp escaped her lips as she jumped to her hooves, flaring her wings in preparation for battle before she suddenly lurched to one side. I caught her with one of my coils as she slumped onto her stomach, her eyes flickering around our clearing before locking onto me.

“Where,” she swallowed as her voice broke, “where are we?”

My head hung as I glanced to the side, unable to look at her as I spoke, “Elder Lichen knocked you out and told us to run. He gave me instructions to take you and your tree as far as we could and to find someplace safe for you to start a new grove.” I looked up and saw Evergreen cover her mouth with her hooves, tears running down her face as she slowly shook her head from side to side, “I’m sorry, Princess, but Lichen stayed behind to give us time to escape. Your grove was burning to the ground as the dragon battled with the last of your warriors.” I finally had to break my line of sight from the now openly weeping mare as I finished my improvised speech, Evergreen burying her head in her forelegs as she sobbed into my tail, “I’m so sorry. I wish I could have done more to help, but I don’t know what else I could have done given what we were up against.”

“You should have let me die with them.” Evergreen forced out as she lifted her gaze to look at me, her eyes burning with pain and anger as her voice rose in a scream, “You should have left me with the rest of my family! How can I ever be the leader they want me to be if all of my friends and family are gone?!” She stomped along my tail, making me wince with every step as she marched up and pressed her muzzle against my own, “Take me back. I won’t go another step if there’s even a chance they are still alive. I need to go back and make things right.”

“And what exactly are you going to do?” Willow spoke up as she swallowed a chunk of the pheasant’s innards, “Are you going to take on a dragon alone in order to avenge your coven, or are you going to honor their memory by doing as your elder commanded and start over somewhere new?”

Evergreen rounded on the other mare, her wing blades flaring wide as she growled at the hybrid before her, “What would you know about losing those you love? You don’t even look like you should exist in this world. What are you anyway, some kind of mixed-up combination of plant and animal?”

Willow growled in the back of her throat, taking a threatening step towards the nymph, “Say that again and you’ll see what kind of creature I am.”

Just as it looked like the two of them were going to attack each other, I moved my upper body between them and held up my hooves to press against their chests, “Stop it, both of you.” I glared them down before speaking, trying to hold back my frustration as I turned my attention to Evergreen. “Look, I know it’s hard to leave behind those you love. I had to leave my clan in search of my mate and I don’t know when, if ever, I will see them again. Willow was cast out of her pack at the threat of being eaten by her own father, after her mother left her alone to die at the edge of the forest as an infant. So yes, we don’t know what it’s like to lose everyone we care about, but we do understand the pain of being separated from those we love, and we have to do what we can with the path life has given us.” I lowered my hooves slowly as Willow and Evergreen relaxed their postures, “That’s better. Now, I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but Elder Lichen entrusted your safety to us. We can help you find a place to start over, maybe we’ll even find my mate while we’re looking. The most important thing right now is that we stick together, because we are all we have to rely on in this forest.”

I gently placed my hoof on Evergreen’s shoulder, and to my relief she didn’t pull away, although she did avert her gaze as her eyes threatened to spill over with tears again, “Can we count on you to be strong and to carry on for your coven, now that we’ve calmed down enough to think about where we stand? I gave my word that I would protect you, and I will stand by those words until we can find a new place to plant your tree. Will you allow Willow and I to help you, and will you promise to help us in return?”

A single tear ran down Evergreen’s cheek before she looked back up at me. She wiped it away with a hoof as her eyes hardened with determination, “If you would go so far as to trust a creature you only met for a day, then I cannot see any reason why I can’t do the same. I will do my best to help you and your companion for as long as I am able,” she glanced over at her tree with a sorrowful gaze, “at least as long as my other half allows for me to continue onward.” She looked up at me again and a light of fear filled her rosy orbs, “You do know what will happen if my tree dies, don’t you?”

I nodded, Willow filling in for me as she finished off the last of her meal, “Yeah, Elder Lichen told us all about it after he knocked you out. Something about getting it planted before the last flower dies or something like that.”

Evergreen nodded, “Knowing what I do about my other half, we have about a week before I am too weak to continue on my own power, and three days beyond that before the two of us return to the earth from whence we came.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she turned her attention back to me, “Please carry my other half with care as we continue on. I would like to prevent as much pain as possible for both me and my tree so that we can hopefully find a safe place to plant her.” Her eyes roamed over the small tree’s branches for a moment before she climbed off of my tail and began walking towards Willow, “Come along then. We have little time to waste and I fear we will need every moment in order to get where we are going.”

With that lovely thought, Willow and I fell in behind Evergreen as we ventured out of the clearing and into the foliage beyond, Evergreen correcting our course once I spoke with her about my Mating Bond and which direction it was taking me. We followed the trails through the forest and over the hills before the sun began to set, our progress slowed by the darkness but not halted, our fear for Evergreen’s safety pushing us onward even as the moon shined down on us from above.

For the first three days we managed to make good time. Willow hunted as needed while Evergreen carried the last of her coven’s fruit against her chest, her wings folded around it protectively as her eyes remained locked on the ground in front of her. I was worried that she would once again lose herself to despair, but for the moment she seemed to be holding on. The bulge in my gut slowly shrank as the deer and fruit digested, and as the rest of the week passed us by, I began to feel the need to hunt once again. Evergreen was finally losing strength, the flowers on her tree’s branches falling off more and more frequently as the leaves on both the branches and her mane curled and turned brown. It was with a heavy heart that I had to resort to carrying Evergreen on the seventh day, her protests rendered moot as she stumbled over her hooves attempting to walk on her own. Willow and I shared a look, knowing time was running short, as there were only four flowers left on the tree’s branches. So far one had been falling off per day, meaning we had less than four days to find a place to plant Evergreen, or else the nymph would die along with her tree.

With new purpose in our stride, or Willow’s as the case may be, we pressed on as the forest around us began to shift once again. Gone were the powerful oak and towering spruce, changing into twisted things that I couldn’t identify as the normally calm and bright plants became dark and foreboding. I held tight to Evergreen as she rested against my chest, my hooves supporting her around her middle as her weak breaths ruffled my fur. She hadn’t opened her eyes in the last two days, the only sign of life being her breathing and fluttering heartbeat as we carried on. We stayed silent for the most part, feeling the presence of many dangerous and powerful creatures around us as we moved along the trails.

Then, like a beacon of hope, sunlight began to poke through the branches above us. The trees looked slightly less dark and haunting as we neared what could only have been the edge of the forest, my fear for Evergreen overriding my excitement of leaving the Great Forest for the first time in my life. Willow seemed to sense it too, her steps picking up speed as we pushed just a little bit harder to break free of the dark and threatening trees that surrounded us.

Just as our bodies broke free of the brush, I heard Evergreen cough several times, her breathing rattling in her chest as she struggled to breathe. I looked behind me and saw to my utter horror that her tree looked little better than kindling, the leaves having fallen off of almost all the branches and the last flower hanging on by a thin and withered stem. Throwing caution to the wind, Willow and I raced into the open plain beyond the forest’s boundary, our eyes locked onto the collection of strange structures in the distance as colorful figures moved about between them at a casual pace.

My tail propelling me as fast as I could go, I looked down at Evergreen as the nymph clung to the last threads of life, “Hang on Evergreen. We’ll save you if it’s the last thing I do. I swear it.”

Evergreen was silent safe for her ragged breathing, my heart in my throat as we passed the first structure and entered what looked like a collection of wide, interlocking trails that wound between the strange structures.

“Someone!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, my eyes travelling over the strange creatures as they all turned to look at me, “Please, my friend needs help. We need to get this tree planted right away or else she’s going to die!”

For a moment time stood still, and then the first of the creatures, somehow my mind came up with the term ponies given the resemblance to my upper half, screamed at the top of her lungs. Chaos descended on the area as ponies ran in every direction as screams of terror filled the air, and I was helpless to do anything as they all looked at me and my companions with fear. I glanced down at Evergreen and made a decision. I knew we didn’t have time for this, so I ignored the panicking ponies around me and slithered along the very wide trail, seeking someplace to plant Evergreen’s tree where it could be protected until it could recover.

As my eyes snapped from left to right, trying to find someplace to plant the tree, I could hear the sound of many hooves behind us as something came towards us. I refused to look away from my path as I followed yet another wide trail out the other side of the structures, seeing a large collection of fruit trees on the hills before me.

Pushing my body to its absolute limit, I surged ahead, leaving Willow behind as I climbed up and over the cut wood wall that blocked my way, stopping just inside the boundary of the fruit trees as I placed Evergreen gently on the ground. Placing her tree on the ground next to her body, I used my hooves and tail to dig a large hole before inserting her tree’s roots into the soil. I slowed down just enough not to damage the dying plant as I packed in the dirt around the roots, praying to whatever deity I could think of for Evergreen’s safety. I prayed to the forest goddess of my own people, I prayed to the god of the moon that the eastern clans believed in. I even prayed to the wrathful death goddess of the southern Bloodscale Clan, all as I watched the final flower hang onto its branch with the last of its strength.

I heard hooves come up behind me as Willow fell in at my side, the fur on her shoulders raised in a threatening way as she bared her teeth at our pursuers. I turned around and spotted a collection of six pony mares, each a vibrant set of colors that flashed in my eyes for a moment as they stood in a line against us. I could tell by their body language that they were looking for a fight, but with Evergreen’s life on the line I threw caution to the wind in the hopes they might help us.

I gently placed a hoof on Willow’s shoulder, the timberpony looking up at me with surprise as I shook my head. I turned my body to face the ponies as carefully as I could, hoping that they wouldn’t attack if I didn’t make myself seem like a threat. All six of them stood on four legs like Willow, although they lacked the plant parts her Timberwolf half granted her, leaving their bodies and manes as simple fur, although there were a number of other distinguishing features to capture my attention.

The first one on the left was a soft yellow with a bright pink mane and tail, her face covered with most of her mane while a pair of feathered wings held tight to her flanks. Directly next to her was a regular pony with a bright gold mane and tail, her orange face spotted with small white spots around her eyes as she glared at me from under some kind of hat. The two mares in the middle of the formation had small horns sticking out of their heads, the white one’s horn glowing with a soft blue light while the lavender one’s lit up with a vibrant magenta. At the other end of the line was a normal pony that was pink from ears to tail, save for the bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle as she bounced in place with a large grin on her muzzle. The final member of the group was hovering above the purple one’s head, her own rosy eyes narrowed at us as her multicolored mane flapped in the wind of her wings. Her bright blue body almost blended in with the sky around her, although she was still easy to spot given her rather striking coloration elsewhere.

I bowed as low as I could while still keeping my upper body upright, speaking in a soft tone in the hopes that they wouldn’t harm Evergreen. I was pretty sure Willow and I could fight them off, but I couldn’t risk Evergreen’s health with her in such a delicate state, “Please, my friend is dying. We need to get water for her tree or she won’t make it another hour.” Deciding to put my faith in these ponies, against my better judgement, I pressed my belly to the ground and lowered my face to my forehooves, submitting completely to their mercy as I finished, “Do what you will with me, but save Evergreen, I beg you.”

For a moment there was nothing but silence, and I felt my heart clench as Willow continued to growl behind me. My breath stuttered in my chest as I imagined all of the things they might do, but it seemed my gamble had paid off as I heard one of them speak in a commanding tone, “Applejack, go get some buckets of water. Rarity, help her carry them back here while the rest of us guard these creatures.”

I lifted my head as the orange and white ones ran off to our right, headed towards a collection of large red structures that I hadn’t seen until just now. The purple one looked up at the blue flying mare and jerked her head towards the collection of structures we had just passed through, “Rainbow, get back to the library and tell Spike to send a letter to Princess Celestia. I’m certain she will want to hear about this as soon as possible.”

The blue mare sent me a glare before turning around on the spot, “I’ll be back in ten seconds flat.” Her eyes locked onto me once again as they smoldered with her threat, “Don’t try anything funny or I’ll pound you into paste.”

Her threat might not have meant much to me, but the fire in the purple one’s eyes made me pause as she stepped forward a few paces, her horn still lit up as she bore into my eyes with her own, “Don’t move from this spot until we sort this out, or I will do everything in my power to make sure you get sent right back to the Everfree in the most painful way I can think of. Is that understood?”

I placed a hoof in front of Willow as she snarled and took a step forward, her threat dying in her throat as I shook my head, “Evergreen needs our help right now, and like it or not we can’t do any more other than to protect her. Stand next to her tree while I tend to her body. Let the ponies help when they return with the water, but make sure they don’t cause any harm to Evergreen’s tree.”

Willow nodded but remained silent as she walked back to sit down next to Evergreen’s tree, her gaze locked on the ponies as they sat down to wait as well. I moved over and curled up my tail into a cushion so Evergreen could rest on something a bit softer than the ground, taking care to move her gently as the two ponies returned with what looked like containers made of some sort of thin grey stone. Water sloshed about inside them and I nodded to Willow as they stepped up to Evergreen’s tree. The white one lowered the container that had been following her at head level, the blue glow around it fading as her horn did the same. The orange mare simply lifted the container off of her back with her mouth before stepping up to the base of the tree.

Willow bared her teeth and folded her ears in a threat, although the blatant fear in her eyes must have been obvious to more then just me, given the orange mare paid it little mind other than a passing glance as she slowly poured the water around the base of Evergreen’s tree. Immediately, the color began to return to the trunk of the sapling, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Evergreen’s ragged breaths slowly smoothed out. The leaves on the branches fell off but were soon replaced by new buds as the last flower rapidly regained its color. The orange mare’s eyes widened in what I could only call surprise as she slowly picked up the second container, adding the second round of water to the soil as the branches began to reach upwards once more while the leaves unfurled along their lengths. A few minutes passed as Evergreen’s breathing grew stronger and smoother, her tree finally creating several more flowers as their soft blue petals opened into the brilliant diamond shape I had come to love. I glanced down at Evergreen and saw that her mane and tail had done the same as her tree’s branches, her old leaves falling out as new buds sprouted from her head and hindquarters. While the new life was far shorter than the long flowing length we were familiar with, I had to admit she looked rather good with a short mane and tail, her eyes fluttering open as a quintet of flowers bloomed along the edge of her mane like a crown.

She smiled up at me as she hugged my body with her hooves, her strength returning as she let a few tears run down her face to wet my chest fur, “Thank you, Sapphire.”

“Don’t thank just me,” I said softly as I turned us to face the ponies as the blue winged one returned with a small purple and green dragon on her back, “these two got the water your tree needed to survive. I just put it in the ground.”

“Well Ah recon ya’ll have to have a pretty good reason ta come barging onto mah property and planting a tree without permission.” The orange mare was looking at me and Evergreen with a guarded stance as her eyes flickered to Evergreen’s tree once or twice, “What does this here tree even do anyway, and why is it so important to ya’ll?”

I glanced down at the nymph in my hooves, unsure if we should share that particular information with strangers. However, as she nodded her accent, I realized that we had already trusted her life to them. The least we could do was explain ourselves.

“Evergreen and the tree are linked,” I stated slowly as I lowered the nymph to her hooves, supporting her with my tail as she wobbled for a moment before turning my gaze back to the ponies, “I was told by one of the elders of her coven that if one of them dies, the other does as well.” I indicated Evergreen with a hoof as the ponies’ eyes widened in shock, “Evergreen’s home was attacked by a dragon and we were the only ones to escape. The rest of her grove had trees that were too big to move, so Elder Lichen told me and Swift Willow to take Evergreen and her tree to safety. We hoped to find someplace safe to plant her tree before it died, but as you can see, we nearly didn’t make it.” I bowed to them once more, placing my muzzle against the dirt as I folded my hooves against my chest, “Thank you for saving her, even though we are strangers in your land and it seems we have caused some distress to the others of your kind. Please, don’t blame Evergreen for our actions. It was only in our efforts to save her that we did what we had too.”

I had heard a popping sound behind me during my speech, but I had ignored it as my imagination, although when I heard a soft and motherly voice coming from behind me, I jerked in surprise before rising from my bow and spinning around. My jaw dropped in awe as I beheld the being behind me and Evergreen, and I noticed that every one of the ponies, save for the purple one, had dropped into a bow as the brilliantly white mare stepped towards me.

“It would seem that Rainbow Dash’s letter wasn’t exaggerating when she said that a snake pony, plant pony and Timberwolf-like pony had come racing through the middle of Ponyville and planted a strange tree in Applejack’s orchard.” My jaw worked but I was unable to speak as the mare walked up to me, her huge wings spread wide and her long horn towering over me as her soft rose eyes locked with mine. She had to be almost twice as tall as the other mares, making her a good two hooves taller than me if I stood up straight, not counting her horn, although the most striking thing about her were the shifting colors of her mane and tail as they shifted in a nonexistent breeze. My eyes were drawn to their rippling colors almost like she was using her own form of hypnosis, and I had to jerk my gaze back to hers after a few moments of staring.

Evergreen was cowering behind my back as Willow stood at my side, her hackles raised as she snarled at the huge mare, although I could tell she lacked conviction against someone that seemed to almost shine like the sun above us.

The small frown that had curled the massive mare’s lips slowly faded as she seemed to take in our shocked states, her wings folding against her flanks as she lowered her head to my level, “If I may be so bold, what are your names?”

Closing my jaw with a click, I managed to stutter out, “M-My name is Sapphire Scales, of the Shimmerscale Clan. This here is Princess Evergreen,” I indicated the quivering nymph with one hoof as she hid behind the midsection of my tail, “the last survivor of the Redwood Nymph Coven, and this is Swift Willow,” I pointed to my growling companion, although she fell silent as the large mare turned her gaze upon the hybrid, “daughter of the union between a pony and a Timberwolf alpha.”

At the mention of Willow’s lineage the other ponies gasped, their eyes widening in horror as they stared at Willow like she was diseased. The eyes of the larger mare narrowed for a moment, although they softened as I curled my tail around Willow and Evergreen in a protective manner, “You seem to be a long way from home, Sapphire Scales of the Shimmerscale Clan. If I may ask, what brings you to the land of ponies and outside of the Everfree Forest?”

I tilted my head in slight confusion as I processed the name she had just used, “Everfree Forest? My kind have always called it the Great Forest, although I guess different species might call it different names.” I shook my head to clear it before replying, “To answer your question, we’re on a journey to find something, or rather, someone. We lamia have a magical sense that we call the Mating Bond that tells us where our destined mate is. We only get it once in our lives, and it comes about as soon as we come of age. I felt my Mating Bond roughly two and a half weeks ago, directing me outside of my clan’s hunting grounds and into the unknown. I found Willow here not long after I left,” I glanced down at my friend for a moment, sharing a smile before returning my attention to the white mare, “she had been instructed by her pack to bring back enough food to feed them, or else she would become their next kill.”

I winced as even the large mare gasped in horror, the looks of suspicion that had once been leveled at Willow now changing to that of sympathy. Willow seemed to wilt under their gaze, and I ran my tail over her back in a soothing manner for a few seconds before continuing, “We traveled together for a while after that, coming across Evergreen’s coven a little under a week into our journey.” My face fell as I pulled the shivering nymph out from behind me and hugged her against my chest, allowing her to hide her face in my fur as I spoke, “We were only there for a few hours before a dragon came looking for the magical fruit that the coven grew. At first it looked like he would simply get what he wanted and leave, but we soon found out we were wrong.”

Evergreen began sobbing again as the memories began to run through our minds, and I could see the stances of the ponies softening as their eyes widened, “Evergreen’s tree was the only one that was small enough to move, and even then, we barely escaped with our lives. The rest of the grove stayed behind to cover our escape, succumbing to the dragon’s breath as their trees burned to the ground around them.”

I held Evergreen tighter as she sobbed in my embrace, a single tear running down my face as I looked up at the white mare, “She is the only survivor, and if it weren’t for your help today, she would have certainly died just like the rest of her coven.”

The white mare nodded slowly, her eyes traveling over our little trio before turning to the purple mare, “Twilight, I am placing these beings under your care. See to it they can rest and recover from their ordeal while I see to the townsfolk.” Her wings spread wide as she turned once again to Evergreen, Willow and I, “I am placing a measure of faith in you three, but I warn you. If any harm comes to my little ponies because of you, there will be no place you can hide where I cannot find you.”

I swallowed thickly as her powerful gaze bore into me, nodding my head quickly as she stepped back and took to the air, flying over our heads before coming down in the middle of the structures behind us. I turned my attention to the purple mare, or Twilight, I guess she was called, as she walked up to us and sat down with a stern light in her eyes.

“We can stay here for now while Princess Evergreen recovers,” she stated bluntly, the other ponies taking up positions around us while the small purple dragon stood next to her, “we’ll figure out what to do with you once Princess Celestia comes back. For now, get some rest and we’ll make sure none of the townsfolk do anything to harm you or the tree you planted.”

Taking a moment to stare into her magenta eyes, I found nothing more than a rock-solid light of determination, although there was a slight flicker of fear that she tried to hide as she met my gaze. I nodded as I turned to Willow, curling my tail around the timberpony as I set her down next to Evergreen on my curled-up tail, “Go ahead and get some sleep, girls. We’ve been going for several days straight and Evergreen still needs to recover after what she went through. I’ll keep watch so don’t worry about anything happening.” I leveled my gaze on the ponies around us in a blatant threat, “No one is going to hurt you while I’m around.”

The rainbow-maned mare scoffed, but I ignored her as Willow and Evergreen rested their heads on their forehooves, closing their eyes as they curled up together on my tail. I leaned my back against one of the nearby trees so I could keep my eyes on all of the ponies at once. Yet as I did my best to keep my eyes from drooping, the low amount of food in my stomach and the rush of our mad dash wearing off threatened to send me to sleep.

Just as I was making progress with keeping my eyes open, I felt a hoof run through my mane in a very soothing manner, a soft voice speaking into my ear as a pair of bright teal eyes hovered in front of me.

“It’s okay now,” her voice was tender and caring as my eyes drooped once more, my brain barely able to make out her long pink mane and her yellow fur as she hovered in front of my muzzle with her wings softly beating the air, “you’re safe. We won’t hurt you or your friends, I promise. Get some sleep and you’ll feel a lot better once you wake up.”

It was a battle I was destined to lose. Between the lack of food in my system and the soft touch of the mare before me, my eyes were closing faster than I could open them, and I felt my mind slipping away as my body slumped against the bark of the tree behind me. The last thing I was aware of was the soft touch of what I thought was lips against my forehead, although it was so soft it could have easily been my imagination. The warmth of Evergreen and Willow’s bodies against my tail soothed my aching muscles, and I passed out completely before I could do anything further to stop it.

Author's Note

Yay, another chapter, and only five minutes late for my schedule!! Anyways, hope you all are enjoying the book so far, I'm hoping to have a few more chapters written by the end of my 2nd Anniversary Chapter Marathon, although I'll probably be posting the next one in another book before I get back to this story. Anyways, leave a like, follow if you so desire, and leave plenty of comments in the towel section below. I always enjoy hearing what you guys think of my work.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.