When a Tree Blooms

Chapters

Chapter 2: Confessions
Chapter 3: The Beginning
Chapter 4: Making Love
Chapter 5: Agape
Chapter 1: The Arrival

Chapter 2: Confessions

I stood there with the white unicorn at my left, in the darkened clearing deep inside that forest. I looked at the heavens and couldn’t help but notice that branches were now overlapping the entire area overhead and I could no longer really see the sky anymore…

Sweetie Belle says, “Well uh, guess we shouldn’t have trusted Zed then?”

I lower my gaze and turn my neck left to face her as I say in an agitated voice, “You think, Sweetie Belle?”

She widens her eyes, “I suppose now’s a bad time to ask for sex?”

I narrow my eyes at the unicorn, “Seriously, Sweetie Belle?”

She corrects her pupils, “No! Not seriously! Was trying to lighten the mood!” she frowns, “Uh, I guess I didn’t succeed?”

I frown and squint back, “You think?”

Suddenly, we both hear a rustling in the brush behind us both beyond the clearing and I turn my head to look over my left shoulder towards it and call out, “Anypony out there?”

Suddenly, we both witness a blue pegasus pony with a distinct rainbow mane appear amidst the trees beyond the darkened clearing and she looks at me and says, “Hiya!”

I widen my eyes, “Oh, gosh! Rainbow Dash! What are you doing here?”

She smiles and widens her eyes, “Well, I died! Duh!”

I frown, “How did a pony as tough as you die?”

Her mouth straightens and eyes normalize, “It was a flying accident! Look! I can see the forest and how it moves from the sky and guide you two out of here! You trust me, right?”

I widen my eyes, “Well, of course! Why wouldn’t we trust you, Rainbow Dash?”

She looks off to the right nervously, “Well uh,” she looks back at Apple Bloom. “Of course! Um, hang on!” she points at the forest to my right, “You need to head that way! I know the exit is that way, but you’ll have trouble finding it unless I guide you!” She spreads her wings. “You two start trotting that way and listen for when I shout instructions down to you about which way to go! After you escape, we can talk outside the forest! Alright?”

I nod towards the pegasus, “Sounds good, Rainbow!” I turn to Sweetie at my front. “Come on, SB! Let’s get out of here!”

She turns her neck to me and smiles, “That’s the spirit! Let’s go!”

We both turn to take off down the trail to my right and we also hear the distinct woosh noise of Rainbow taking off with her powerful wings as well as the clip clop of two sets of hooves, now hammering away at the dirt as we both take off with velocity.

We’re approaching a two way fork in the trail and I hear a familiar raspy voice from above me yell, “Take the right path! That’ll lead you to another clearing!”

I move my head down as I force a determined gallop from all four of my legs and veer right down the gloomy trail to reach another clearing that looks oddly familiar…

I hear Rainbow again from overhead, “Turn left and hurry, before the forest shifts again to mirror itself and trap you!”

I try to muster as much speed as my legs can handle because I can’t help but see sunlight peeking out from just beyond this clearing, even if the rest of it seems identical to the area we just left!

We make it past the treeline into the clouded plains beyond the Forest of the Lost, and we both start coming to a skidding halt when we witness the same rainbow maned pegasus landing in front of us with a resounding thud as all four of her hooves hit the hard dirt of the grassy field…

She smiles as I say, “Thanks a lot Rainbow Dash!”

Suddenly, Rainbow’s eyes flicker a green color and both me and Sweetie on my forward left are now encased in a blue glow and we both begin levitating off the ground!

I try to scream, but blue energy soon covers my mouth and all I can do is stare at Rainbow Dash with my eyes as my ears raise in alarm!

She smiles and soon, her body is enveloped by white energy coming from the earth and it dissipates to reveal a familiar large black changeling there with a gnarly holy horn on her head and holes all throughout her black legs as she brings her insectoid wings inward and smiles at both of us, presently encased in force fields.

My eyes widen in alarm as I recognize that changeling as Queen Chrysalis!

She says in her distinct vocoder voice, “Yes, I am Queen Chrysalis and yes, I will take your love, but, what you need to understand is that I’m still your friend… I’m only taking some of your love simply because I need it to survive and to use my magic, but please believe me when I say that I want to help you!” She raises her snout and opens her mouth to begin drawing ethereal blue energy from the two of us, and I can feel some of my energy being drained as she feeds off of us…

I widen my eyes in quiet shock when I feel that she didn’t really take everything! She still left me a considerable amount of energy!

She raises her neck and brings her face to the sky as she purrs with delight from the new love energy within her… Then she lowers her gaze to the two of us and smiles before saying, “Thank you so much! in her strange voice… She sighs and adjusts her gaze to the two of us, still trapped within the blue energy with azure energy bands around our mouths… She narrows her eyes and lowers her gaze before saying, “I’m going to remove your gags now… You may speak, but please be calm, okay? I assure you that I mean you no harm!”

My gag disappears and I gaze down at this familiar changeling and begin screaming! “AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

Suddenly, another blue energy gag goes over my mouth!

Sweetie Belle can only glare at the creature with wide open green eyes as her now open snout quivers in fear.

A small smirk forms on the changeling’s mouth, “If you’d known who I was, would you have allowed me to help you?”

Sweetie Belle keeps her eyes wide at the sight as all I can do is stare on with my own enlarged pupils before she simply stammers, “Well, truthfully, n-no! No we wouldn’t have!”

Chrysalis sighs and nods her head, “Exactly! I still wanted to help you, but what choice did I have but to use subterfuge? You wouldn’t have believed me, otherwise!”

Sweetie blinks before turning her head to me at her right, still with the magical gag in place over my mouth and says in her feminine sing-song voice, “I hate to admit it, but Chrysalis has a point! If we had known earlier, we wouldn’t have done what we did!”

We suddenly both hear the changeling’s voice reverberate over us, “HEAR ME FOALS!”

We both adjust our gaze to the changeling before us…

She sighs and widens her eyes as she calmly says in a lower tone, “Being trapped in stone gives you a lot of time to think… I thought about what I did… I thought about the way I used to live… I thought about how I had used, not only you, but practically everypony and changeling I had ever met… I thought about my veneer… I thought about the many facades that I had put up… And I thought about what I had told everyone…” she blinks before clearing her throat. “I’ve decided that I don’t want to be that way anymore… Please let me be your friend?” before blinking with all the sincerity she can muster in her slitted green eyes.

Sweetie frowns and says, “Well, sure! Why not? You’re only gonna hold us hostage until we agree to it! I mean, we have all kinds of options right now!” with her voice now dripping with sarcasm.

Chrysalis squints her eyes, “If you had known my identity, would you have stayed to talk with me or ran the other direction?”

Sweetie lowers her head to give an exasperated sigh, before adjusting her gaze back up to the changeling, “Okay! You make a point! And I guess, if Apple Bloom here agrees to it,” she glances momentarily in my direction, “we can try being your friend, or whatever…” she blinks. “But I just have one condition!”

Chrysalis raises her left eyebrow, “Oh?”

Sweetie lowers her neck a bit to shout, “Stop making so much sense!!!!!”

<*****>

And so, I, Apple Bloom the earth mare, have been trotting with Sweetie Belle, the lesbian unicorn mare and Chrysalis, the changeling for hours now… We think this direction is north, but with the cloudy sky overhead, it’s impossible to see the sun or even get a feel for what time it was!

I gazed up at the heavens and briefly wondered how long it had been that way when Sweetie Belle says to me, “Oh, gosh! This is SO FAR! How big do you think this grassy plain is, Apple Bloom?”

I adjust my gaze to Sweetie at my right as we both hear Chrysalis clopping behind us, “How would I know?”

She sighs, “Ugh! Uh, who do you suppose Zed was?”

I frown, “I don’t know? An evil spirit, I guess?”

She wistfully looks at her left, “Yeah! Was probably a lawyer or politician or something in life, you think?”

I grin, “Well, he’s obviously somepony who has no problems screwing other ponies over!”

She smiles back at me, “Yeah!” she gulps. “So, anyway, I first realized that I was a lesbian in my early 30’s when it occurred to me that I didn’t really like any of the stallions that I had been with...”*

I widen my own eyes as I can’t help but notice that the other mare is slightly closer to me at this point. With my snout just 6 to 8 inches from Sweetie’s, I reply, “Well, that’s fine that you’re a lesbian Sweetie Belle! I respect that and love you anyway!”

She blinks and raises her gaze slightly, “Yeah, I love you too, Apple Bloom!”

I take note that we’re now maybe just 5 or 6 inches apart and say, “Yeah and even if you do just happen to like other mares, that’s fine too!”

She continues grinning as she gets within 4 inches of me, “I’m glad you think it’s okay for me to like other mares, Apple!”

I frown, “Well, why wouldn’t I?”

She gets maybe 2 inches from me now and I can suddenly feel the radiant heat from her nostrils as she smiles and says, “Well, I’ve been toying with my prey for a bit now, and there were just a couple of things I needed to make sure of…”

“Uh, make sure of?”

I feel her nose nuzzle mine as she leans closer to press her lips upon mine and we both abruptly stop trotting…

Suddenly, we both see a bright light flashing behind us!

… And so, that’s how my first lesbian kiss reformed a changeling...

(To be continued...)

Author's Note

*This is how I seem to feel about all of the men that I’ve been with in the past… I just don’t think I really care for them? But still, it's very hard to tell at this time...

Chapter 3: The Beginning

I stare deep into her green eyes as I stand there before her on the grassy trail and she just simply smiles back at me… I finally ask her, “How long have you felt this way?”

We both hear a familiar vocoder-like voice from behind us clear its throat, “Ahem!”

She frowns, “Well, more or less my whole life! But you got turned into a tree before I realized everything I was feeling and um…” she sighs. “By the time I knew, it was too late!”

“Um, ahem!”

I blink, “I uh, don’t know what to say?”

She smiles and moves her right forehoof over my face and lightly caresses my left cheek and looks into my eyes, “Don’t say anything, Apple Bloom… I bet this is kinda sudden and you don’t know what to think, right?”

The changeling clears her throat a third time, “AHEM!”

I finally stare back at her over my left shoulder and ask her, “What?”

I behold a mauve creature standing there on four bluish-violet legs and hooves staring back at me with large blue insectoid eyes and a single curved horn jutting roughly 7 inches out of it’s forehead with a light blue mane over everything and fly-like insect wings at its sides, “Um, I just got reformed!”

I sigh, “One moment at a time, Chrysalis! We gotta deal with our first kiss and then we can get to you!”

She blinks, “I had been evil for centuries and caused a lot of pain and misery over the course of my life…” she raises her gaze. “But by all means, please continue your lesbian romantic adventure!”

I smile and nod, “Well, right! After hundreds of years, is a few minutes really gonna matter?”

I see Sweetie gazing at her as well over the opposite shoulder in my periphery before she finally asks in her sing-song voice, “Um, well, is there anything you wanna say?”

Chrysalis shakes her head and frowns as she lowers her gaze slightly and says, “I uh, don’t know? I mean, when I witnessed Cadance kissing Shining Armor all that time ago, that didn’t reform me!” she raises her neck. “And yet, somehow, this did?”

I adjust my gaze right to Sweetie, “You think it’s because it’s a gay kiss this time?”

She looks back at me, “Um, nah! Love is love! I think it has more to do with the fact that she actually wanted to be reformed this time?”

I raise my left eyebrow, “Oh?”

She nods, “Well, yeah! Remember what she said about not wanting to be that way anymore? Well, what if she was telling the truth?”

Chrysalis frowns and angrily shouts, “I never once lied to you fillies!”

Sweetie gazes back right towards Chrysalis, “Hush, Chrysalis! We’re talking about you now!” before looking back at me.

I gulp, “Well, I guess she wasn’t lying? I mean, she did get reformed, right? But um,“ I blink. “Why was it when we kissed and not before?”

Sweetie raises her gaze, “What do you mean?”

I nod, “I mean, she said what she said, earlier, and even though she was apparently sincere, that wasn’t enough to reform her… And yet, you kissing me did the job?”

Sweetie smiles, “Because I love you, Apple Bloom!”

I squint my eyes and grimace back at the white unicorn, “You’re a jerk, you know that?”

“I love you!” Sweetie repeats before moving her face towards mine and nuzzling my snout lightly as her eyes close slightly and she has a big dumb grin on her face…

I frown and withdraw my head, “Hey! I still don’t know how comfortable I am with this!”

She moves her neck back and widens her eyes, “W-what?” before her mouth goes agape in shock and disappointment.

Now, in that split second, I honestly thought about it… I witnessed Sweetie’s genuinely dashed hopes as her eyes and mouth both sunk… And at that point, I somehow just knew I needed to make this okay again as I raise my vision and say, “Well, w-what I mean is, this is new, okay?” I smile. “I mean, I wouldn’t be totally opposed to the idea, but we need to take this slow, okay?”

Chrysalis clears her throat.

I turn my head back left towards her, “I’m sorry! Is this boring?”

She frowns while looking on with her new shimmering solid blue eyes, “Uh, after all that nothing for seventy years or so, I must say that the drama is refreshing! Although I truly wish I had popcorn and a soda!”

I frown and turn my head back to Sweetie, although I’m not sure if Chrysalis was being sarcastic or not? “Well, what do you think?”

She smiles broadly and simply replies, “I think I’m grateful?”

I widen my eyes while leaning towards her, “What do you mean?”

She lowers her gaze slightly, “I mean, when you went away, there was a new hole in my heart…” before sighing and glaring wistfully to the left, “At first, I thought it was just because you were my friend, but then when I finally figured myself out as a lesbian seven years later, it suddenly made a lot more sense…” she corrects her gaze to me and smiles wider, “I never thought I would ever get this chance, Apple Bloom…” she raises her gaze to meet my eyes as she scrunches her brow in determination. “And you’re not gonna get away from me this time...”

I widen my eyes back to her, “Y-you’re serious?”

She frowns, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I uh,” I shake my head, “it’s just all so sudden, you know? I mean, I just uh, never really thought about you like that! And yet, here you are, kissing and nuzzling me and being all affectionate-like towards me and trying to make me feel good and such…” I blink.” I mean, out of nowhere, too!”

She smiles lightly as she lowers her gaze slyly and says, “Oh, I can make you feel a lot better than that, baby!”

I furrow my brow and lean towards her slightly, “Sweetie Belle, this is serious!”

“I’m being serious, Apple Bloom! I would like to have sex with you!”

I can’t help but hear a faint snickering coming from behind us as I keep my gaze left at this other pony and reply, “Is that all this was about, Sweetie Belle?”

She visibly gulps before frowning and saying, “Well, no! Uh, that’s certainly not all of it… “ she blinks.”If you want me to be honest though, yes I would very much like to sleep with you one day, Apple Bloom…” she smiles slightly as she stares up at me with those same pretty green eyes of hers, “But I understand that you probably need more time?” her shoulders loosen and she relaxes while staring at me with a half-dreamy glazed look in her eyes. “I mean, I’ve waited this long, right? What difference is a few more days gonna make?”

I eyeball this unicorn very carefully… I see a sincere look in those familiar cerulean eyes, but I can’t help but notice a different sort of glow deep within them now… Something new that I never noticed before… I turn my body left to her and take a step towards the white unicorn with her adorable two-toned mane and lovely smile that can light up a room underneath those pretty green eyes of hers…

“What are you doing?” Sweetie asks as her eyes widen and mouth straightens as she’s now a mere foot away from me... Just two mares standing there in the wide-open empty field with the reformed changeling on one side of us…

I frown as I lean forward for a cautious and timid nuzzle and reply, “I-I have to know now…”

She frowns and timidly replies, “What?”

I lean ahead just a little bit further and tilt my head to the right as I place a soft kiss upon her lips and I witness her green eyes beginning to close just above the front of my snout as I feel my heart fluttering in my chest and there’s definitely some sort of spark there, that I don’t recognize…

I release her from my lips and draw my head back a few inches as I stare into her eyes and ask her, “Is that what you wanted?”

She can only stammer out, “Um, y-yeah! Yes! Yes it is! I uh…” before moving her face towards mine to plant a reciprocating loving kiss upon my lips.

I immediately feel that same fluttering sensation in my heart as before, but I still can’t help but think about how new this is and a smile slowly creeps up on my lips, still locked with the unicorn’s, when I realize that this poor lesbian mare is at a loss for words and has no idea how to respond to me! I have no response either… All but one… I wrap my forehooves around Sweetie Belle for a tender embrace… Reformed changeling or no, this was our moment!

<*****>

We both trot across the grassy plains with the reformed changeling behind us… She finally asks, “Is there a destination to this journey, or are we all traveling together, just for the sake of traveling?”

I reply with my country twang, “Well, Chrysalis, we don’t really have any defined purpose, if that’s what you mean! Truth is, we’re just heading out there to see what’s out there!”

Sweetie interjects from my left, “Um, isn’t that kinda dangerous?”

I turn my gaze right to the unicorn, “Well, yeah! But what choice do we have?”

“Well, we could just stay where we are?”

“And do what, Sweetie Belle?”

She frowns back at me, “Uh, good point!”

Suddenly, we both hear the changeling behind us scream, “What is that?”

I gaze back to see her pointing at the sky in front of her, and so I crane my neck to where she’s pointing, just in time to see a large red bird-like creature swooping down at me with its massive orange talons! “AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” I scream as I bolt to the right and take off as fast as my hooves can carry me!

I see Sweetie in my periphery taking off the opposite direction, but I have no idea what happened to Chrysalis until I turn my body around to behold a large blue carapace covered insect where she once was, with large clear wings and big green eyes and ferocious looking mandibles on its face.

The new creature yells in a familiar changeling voice, “Leave my friends alone!!!!” before flapping its wings at near supersonic speeds to raise its body into the sky and fly towards the avian threat, who was now circling back towards us in a counterclockwise direction…

The insect crashes into the bird, who squawks aggressively and attempts to fend it off in midair with its talons…

The insect doesn’t relent and the bird is pushed further back! Finally, it turns and gives a surrendering SQUAWK in the air before turning its body around and proceeding to fly away!

The insect stops flying with its wings flapping at hypersonic speeds before turning towards us and flashing brightly pale blue before that flashing shape takes the form of a familiar recently reformed changeling, when it stops shining brightly and becomes back to Chrysalis’s form as she descends. She lands and says, “That was a roc! Are you two okay?”

I look at her direction to my right from Sweetie Belle, “Roc? That doesn’t look like any stone I’ve ever seen?”

Sweetie looks at me and says, “No, a roc! It’s a type of bird-of-prey that stalks larger animals. Like ponies!”

I adjust my gaze to the unicorn at my front, “Oh, okay!” and then back to Chrysalis at my right. “And yeah, we’re fine Chrysalis! Thanks for protecting us! You really have changed, huh?”

She turns her head left towards me, “I don’t understand! I had so much more power than before, and yet, I didn’t really feed off of you two that much! I,“ she shakes her head. “only took what I deemed was necessary to gain my strength back.” She leans forward and widens her eyes. “I really didn’t think I could so easily dispatch my foe!”

Sweetie turns her gaze left to the changeling and leans forward interestedly, “Well, I guess you’re like the other reformed changelings in Equestria, then?”

Chrysalis turns her head to the unicorn, “What do you mean?”

Sweetie nods, “I mean, they didn’t need to feed either! They just shared love instead and they had plenty! Kinda like you do, right now! And that’s just from two friends!”

Chrysalis raises her gaze, “Interesting! So you might say that friendship is power, then, yes? Perhaps Cozy was right?”

Visions of a certain demented pink pegasus filly fill my head as Sweetie widens her eyes, “That’s not what I meant!”

Chrysalis can no longer contain herself as giggles slightly begin to escape her smiling visage and her new opal blue eyes begin to narrow in delight!

Sweetie turns her head right towards me and frowns, “It’s almost like she’s trying to mess with us, here?”

I turn left to the unicorn, “Yeah, like she’s our friend or something?”

Chrysalis raises her gaze, “What? A changeling actually becoming friends with two annoying lesbian ponies? Impossible!”

I widen my eyes and say in my Southern Equestrian drawl, “Wait! I’m a lesbian, now?”

The unicorn widens her eyes, “Well, let’s see now! Are you going to be with me now, Apple Bloom?”

I frown, “Are you asking me to make a choice?”

Sweetie gulps as that visibly off-put her before frowning, “N-no! Well, that’s not what I meant!”

I raise my gaze, “What did you mean, Sweetie Belle?”

She blinks and lowers her gaze, “What I mean is, do you want to try being with me? I mean, I already said I love you and stated my case… What do you say to that, Apple Bloom?” before gulping and eyeing me back nervously…

At that point, I couldn’t help but smile slightly as I witnessed sincere anxiety and apprehension in her sparkling green eyes and I calmly reply, “Well, yes Sweetie Belle… We can try this if you really want to…”

She frowns, “You act like you don’t want to, though?”

“I…” I blink, “I never said that… I…” I gaze into her eyes once more… I realize that I need to reassure this mare before suddenly wondering exactly why that is? I give her the biggest and most genuine smile I can muster, “The truth is Sweetie Belle, I never really considered it until just now… But now, after that, and what you said and did, I…” I blink. “I’ll be with you, Sweetie Belle… As best I can…”

She grins again and leans forward to chance another nuzzle on my snout and I see those shining eyes grow half closed again as she soaks up my love from my moving snout against hers… She brings her face back a few inches to continue smiling at me and says, “That’s really all I can ask for…”

Suddenly, we here the same insect creature coughing from our side and I grin as she quickly yelps, “Lesbian!” before coughing again!

(To be continued...)

Chapter 4: Making Love

I stood there on all fours, underneath the dark gray gloomy overcast sky there in the wide open grasslands… The dirt path leads back to my left where we came from and further to the right towards the forest we were trying to reach… I stared at the worn out white unicorn in front of me and said, “All that trotting sure takes it out of you!”

She smiles back at me, “Yeah, it sure does! Good thing Chrysalis was going to fly out and scout ahead, but any idea what she might find out?”

I frown, “How would I know? I’ve never been dead before!”

Her mouth normalizes, “Well, neither have I! Hey! Since we have this time alone, I’d kinda like to uh, you know?”

My eyes widen, “You’d like to what, Sweetie Belle?”

She blinks and smiles dimly, “Well, you were a tree all that time and haven’t felt much, right? You wanna snuggle?”

My eyes grow as big as they’ll go, “That’ll lead to sex, won’t it?”

Her green eyes grow, “What? No! I really just wanted to feel you near me! It’s not like that! Geez! You’re really thinking about that a lot, aren’t you?”

“NO!” I quickly blurt out!

Her eyes narrow as she smiles, “It’s been sixty years, but you’re still a terrible liar!”

My own eyes narrow, “I’ll have you know, I’m a great liar! The best!”

“Yup!” She nods. “Horrible!”

I sigh and notice she’s now trotting towards me from 5 feet away as she smiles widely and stares at me with those beautiful green eyes of hers and I begin to wonder when I started thinking of them like that as she stands there before me, “Uh, w-what are you doing, Sweetie Belle?”

“Loving you!” She says before leaning forward with her head tilted right to plant a big kiss on my lips!

My eyes widen at the sudden affection and electricity I feel in my body that isn’t at all unwelcome as I move my snout into hers to kiss her more passionately…

She draws her head back and trots over to my right side before moving her snout to my ear and I giggle slightly as I feel her lips tickling me and she whispers, “Get down on all fours, baby!”

My eyes widen and I gulp and I bend my knees to bring my equine body to a prone position…

I see her just to my right out of the corner of my eye and I feel her bend down to get prone right next to me, as I feel the soft warmth of her pony body near mine… I keep my face forward with wide-open eyes as I feel her snout nuzzle my right cheek… “Aren’t you gonna face me?”

I say mechanically, “Nope! I’m good!”

“Oh, no! You’re not getting away, this time!” I hear her say as she nuzzles my cheek closer and more affectionately this time and I see her sweet, precious mouth in a solid grin and I still wonder when Sweetie became like this in my mind…

I feel my knees starting to buckle as new sensations begin to form within my chest and I hear her giggling as she softly whispers, “I’ve always loved you, Apple Bloom!”

My eyes are super wide as I mechanically reply, “Well, that’s your mistake!”

She chuckles and nuzzles me slightly before saying incredulously, “Well, gosh, Apple Bloom! Aren’t you gonna look at me?”

At that point, I begin to think of what I told her I was gonna do and suddenly realize that I'm, in fact, obligated… I slowly and timidly turn my neck right to see the smiling visage of a green eyed white unicorn there…

“Hiya, Apple Bloom!”

I feel her warmth scooting closer to my side as I stutter back, “Uh, h-hi Sweetie Belle! Sure is uh, regular weather round these parts, right?” and grin dumbly.

She wastes no time and moves her snout back to mine for another fervent kiss on the lips!

… I soon feel her tongue boldly pressing its way into my mouth and while I don’t know what I’m doing, I feel like I should still open it so she can come inside… And before long, I’m licking her tongue inside my own snout as it explores my mouth…

I feel this strange burning in my heart at this point and I don’t know how long I can ignore it, when suddenly, we both hear the familiar machine voice of a mauve changeling, now standing before us, “Uh, perhaps this is a bad time? There was something I wanted to look into, anyway! I’ll be back in several hours!”

I break my kiss with Sweetie Belle and stare forward at the violet changeling as Sweetie Belle says, “Oh, that’s fine! Me and Apple Bloom were just having another moment…”

Chrysalis smiles while staring at us with those crystalline and emotionless blue oval eyes of hers, “Oh, but of course!”

I widen my eyes, “Wait! What did you want to check out? Where are you going?”

Chrysalis shakes her head and breaks my heart when she says back, “Oh, I’ll show you later! You two love birds have fun!”

She turns left to fly back towards the mountains when I raise my neck, “Hey! Wait! Chrysalis!”

She pretends to not hear me as I see her insect-like body bend down on its violet legs and she then begins flapping her clear wings to impossibly high speeds to launch her body and she takes off in that direction!

I gulp as I hear Sweetie Belle say, “Not gonna get away that easy!” and I feel the sudden warmth of her muzzle against my cheek once more and I stare on blankly in silent dread at what’s coming next…My eyes continue to be wide as saucers as she whispers to me. “Now face me, baby!”

I apprehensively turn my neck to the right to see her smiling face there, cheerful with those same pretty eyes of hers… I finally simply say to her, “You sure have gorgeous eyes, Sweetie Belle!”

She beams wider, “You have a cute smile! You know? When you actually do bother to smile!” before moving her snout closer to mine to nuzzle me…

I can’t help but grin at the affection as I half-close my eyes and reciprocate to feel her cold pony nose on my own…

She moves her head back so I can once again see her beautiful smiling face, “There it is!” before planting another loving tender kiss on my lips…

I realize at this point that I’m starting to get used to those funky butterfly feelings in my chest as I bring my face in as close to hers as it will get and feel the passion and love between me and this other mare…

She draws her head back and says, “I always wanted to say that I really like that cute pink bow you always wear on the back of your head… You never stopped wearing that, even when we grew up later!”

“No I didn’t…” I smile broadly. “And I always thought that two-toned mane of yours was adorable!”

She grins dumbly, “No U!”

I chuckle, “You don’t know what to say, do you?”

Her eyes begin to dart around, “Uh, that is to say, well, I uh…” before she stares at me blankly before moving her face to mine for another kiss!

I smile and chuckle with this other mare’s lips on mine...

She brings her head back and keeps it close so I can feel the warmth of her breath as she softly says in her sing-song feminine voice, “See? Now isn’t this nice?”

My eyes widen as I continue to smile dumbfounded, “No! It’s awful! Just the worst!”

She giggles as her snout moves to mine for another nuzzle and she gently whispers, “Well, you’re gonna hate this then!” before kissing me once again on the lips…

That same spark courses through me! I don’t even know what that is, but it’s always there now, since I got with her?

She draws back, “How about now? Gonna admit how wonderful this is?”

My eyes widen again, “NEVER!”

“We’ll see about that!” She says before moving her snout to mine for a fourth kiss…

I can’t help but half-close my eyes again as I stare deep into hers and I can’t help but see something there, now… I don’t know what it is, yet…

She draws her head back, “So, tell me Apple Bloom! Do you like this, yet?”

“What? No! Now why would I like this?”

“Because you like being with me?”

At this point, I can tell it’s the moment of truth and I swear, here and now that I was as honest as my big sister when I said, “Y-yeah…” I smile again in silent defeat. “I kinda do…”

She nods, “See? Now was that so hard to admit?”

“Yeah, it was! It was awful! Terrible!”

She begins snickering again.

“I had to crawl through brambles and there was fire and acid pits!” I nod. “Yeah, there were acid pits and spike traps and I got chased by this big bear and…”

She doesn’t let me continue rambling as she plants another smooch on my lips and I feel the sensation of her with me now as it suddenly occurs to me that we’re making love right now! We were making love and I noticed a burning sensation between my hind flanks that I was really trying not to think about as Sweetie’s lips were locked with mine…

She brings her head back, “You’re cute when you lie!”

I enlarge my eyes, “I wasn’t lying! There was fire and stuff! Honest!”

She chances another nuzzle and I can’t help but nuzzle back as something makes me form another grin on my snout... She brings her head back, “I love you!”

“I I-I…” I stammer to get the words out and blink before continuing, “I l-love you too!”and I blink again, “Sweetie Belle…” and look into her cerulean eyes to see sincere affection deep within them and finish with. “I love you…”

“Fire and stuff, right?”

I nod, “And acid traps!”

Her eyes widen as she grins more, “And that big bear!”

My mouth straightens as I nod again, “Yeah, Sweetie Belle! It was BAD!”

“Really bad, huh?”

“Oh, the worst!”

“Terrible!”

“Awful!” She replies before nuzzling me again and I notice how her eyelashes accentuate that sparkling face of hers, there under the gloomy sky…

I finally muster the courage to whisper, “You’re very pretty Sweetie Belle!”

“No U!” She says before kissing me softly…

I open my mouth to invite her tongue as it probes my mouth and begins to dance with mine in my snout.

I feel that same fluttering in my chest while her lips are locked with mine and she brings her face back and nuzzles me before planting another loving kiss on my face…

I move my face closer to hers to feel all the Sweetie Belle I can at this point…

I feel her tongue on my lips again, but I decide to playfully intercept it with mine this time before letting it slide into my mouth again…

I notice she’s smiling and I can feel myself doing the same as sparks ignite deep within my yellow pony body…

I finally bring my face back out of the kiss and playfully nuzzle her as I softly whisper, “Alright, now it’s my turn!” and then, bring my face to hers for yet another loving kiss… Only this time, I press my own tongue into her lips… They’re firm at first, but she soon loosens them so my tongue enters her mouth and I feel her own slimy appendage licking mine in there…

Her eyes are half-closed once again as we maintain this loving embrace and I scoot closer to her so I can feel more…

I can’t explain it, but feeling Sweetie Belle near me just feels good!

She brings her neck back again, “Since you love me, you’re ready to admit how nice this is, aren’t you?”

I smile, “Oh, I might need some more convincing?”

“We’ll just see about that!” And she brings her face to mine for another loving kiss!

She brings her head back and I smile stupidly and say in a whimsical sing-song voice, “I’m making out and playing kissy face with my unicorn friend! Yeah!”

She smiles and chuckles, “Stop it, Apple Bloom!”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“I’m gonna do this!” She says before planting another kiss on my lips!

I feel that same electric spark going through my body as I suddenly feel very close to this unicorn… This insane lesbian unicorn who used to be my friend… Because at that point, I could already tell that she’s definitely more than that by now…

(To be continued...)

Chapter 5: Agape

I looked forward to the wide-open tract as the wind blew the grass further to my right… Sweetie Belle stood next to me and frowned as we both stood there on the road… I looked to her and say, “So, we’re heading beyond the mountains, why again?”

She looks back at me, “Well, what else are we gonna do?”

I widen my eyes, “I uh… I don’t know, okay? I just feel like I need a purpose or some reason for being here, but I can’t really think of what that is?”

Her eyes widen, “You know, life is a lot like that too? I mean, why are any of us really here? Is it a cosmic accident of birth or was there a specific reason you’re where you are now?”

“Well, I’m dead and in a lesbian relationship with my friend!”

She nods, “That’s true!”

Suddenly, I see a gray pony head appear over the hill on our left… I gaze at the head as it rises with the body of said gray pony slowly trotting towards me…

We both stare at it as Sweetie says, “So, Chrysalis was telling us those were ‘hollows?’”

I nod, “Right! Lights are on, but nopony’s home!”

Suddenly, we both see a multi-colored streak come out of the sky from the left of the gray pony and it collides with his body to send his head flying far the same direction it’s traveling as it flies across the sky! The decapitated gray corpse soon collapses below the hill where we can no longer see it.

I nod again, “Well, there went another one!”

Sweetie stares on and frowns, “She says hurting them takes out aggression and makes her feel better about things? Well, better them than us!”

“You said it, Sweetie!” I say before nodding again.

Suddenly, a mauve changeling with her deep purple body lands in front of us lightning fast from seemingly nowhere and she stares at both of us with those same unnerving insectoid eyes of hers, “I killed all the hollows in the next area!” She stretches out her wings to her sides. “I must say, spending a long time in stone makes you pen up a lot of aggression!”

I smile, “You love killing those things, don’t you Chrysalis?”

She smiles back, “Well, yeah!”

My mouth straightens, “Where do you think they go after you dispose of them?”

Her mouth flattens too, “I don’t know? I mean, they’re not going to Fillydelphia! I suppose they’ll get rejoined with the ALL and reformed later?”

My eyes widen when I realized I didn’t understand any of that. I simply smile and nod as I say, “Right!”

Sweetie motions her neck towards the two mountains still somewhat in the distance, “You say there was a cave up there, Chrysalis? Any idea what’s inside?”

She turns her head left to the unicorn and frowns, “No idea! Since I have friends now, I felt it wise to wait until you were near before investigating further…”

Sweetie’s cerulean eyes widen, “Well, that makes sense! Lead on!”

Chrysalis smiles broadly, “Right this way!”

<*****>

“Ugh!” I grunt as I put my right forehoof up onto the ledge and prepare to pull myself up one last time! Climbing sure takes it out of you! I make it up to the ledge above on the gray stone mountain, Chrysalis said we should climb, although I’m still not sure what I’m doing or why I’m doing it? I bring my yellow body onto the embankment and lay there prone as I breathe…

Chrysalis is already standing there and she cranes her neck down to where I lay and says, “I often forget that my wings make altitudes a bit easier for me! Are you okay?”

I raise my neck and gaze at this strange multi-colored creature and think for a few seconds that it’s so odd that this same person once wanted to kill me… And now, she wants to know if I’m okay? I smile, “Yeah, I-I’m fine Chrysalis! Just give me a minute to rest and I’ll be right with you!”

“Urgh!” I see a white forehoof reach up over the side of the ledge and push further into the pavement to raise the body of a white unicorn, who soon falls onto the ledge on her side and she begins to pant heavily. She manages to stammer out, “You two... are in much better shape than me! I’m not... as fit as you!” before breathing heavily as she barely stands halfway on four shaky hooves…

I look at her further to my right, “Lay down, Sweetie! You’re tired and need to gain your strength back!”

“Um, okay!” Sweetie says before lowering her body to the ground and slowing her breathing a bit…

Chrysalis frowns, “We’re taking a break here, I take it?”

I turn my head back left to her and nod, “Looks like it! We’ll just take a breather here and then, head on in and see what we can find!”

Sweetie suddenly speaks up, “I can’t really tell for sure, but I think we’ve been traveling for days now and never slept?”

I turn my head back right to Sweetie, “Yeah! That is odd!”

“We haven’t really eaten anything, either!”

I nod again, “That’s also true!”

She raises her green eyes to the overcast sky, “And the sky hasn’t changed at all!” she moves her eyes back to me. “It’s almost like this place never changes?”

Chrysalis says, “And now, we’re discussing the intricacies of the land we all find ourselves in?”

I look back left towards her and nod, “Sure looks that way!” and then, right to Sweetie. “It’s almost like we’re being kept here before something else?”

Sweetie frowns, “But we’re dead, right? I mean, who could be doing such a thing?”

I widen my eyes, “Beats me!”

Chrysalis speaks again, “You realize this is all speculation, of course? For all we know, this could all be part of some natural process.”

I turn my head to Chrysalis, “But how can we tell?”

Her eyes narrow, “Do you have any reason to believe that anything is off or awry?”

I frown, “Well, I can’t really tell that either?”

She nods, “Exactly! Now, we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions here!”

I remain silent before finally saying, “You really are my friend, aren’t you?” and frowning.

Her left eyebrow raises, “Have I not made that abundantly clear?”

I sigh from my mouth and stare up at her with all the sincerity I can muster, “Well, you spend your fillyhood knowing there’s an evil queen out there who wants to kill you! And she later becomes your friend! I guess it just takes some getting used to?”

Sweetie stares at Chrysalis and nods, “Well, right! I mean, I thought you hated us and now, we’re all working together!”

I add, “Towards a common goal!”

Sweetie says, “A unified purpose!”

I say, “A joint cause!”

Chrysalis asks, “Which is?”

I say, “I have no idea!”

Sweetie stares into the entryway to the cave. The chasm is about 12 feet wide and 10 feet tall or so, and grows very dark inside. “So uh, who’s going first?”

I say, “I think it should be one of you horn-heads! I uh, don’t have a light!”

Sweetie says, “AB makes a point! Who’s it gonna be, Chrysalis? Me or you?”

Chrysalis sighs, “Well, while I must say Sweetie, that your physical prowess is impressive, I think I am the logical choice!”

Sweetie frowns, “I think that was sarcastic?” She stares at me. “Was that sarcastic?”

I grin and smile back at her, “Not at all, Sweetie Belle!”

Her eyes narrow as she begins to grimace, “Okay, now I know that’s sarcastic!”

Chrysalis turns around and trots inside the cave, and we soon see a faint eerie green glow coming from inside as we both hear her yell, “It’s safe in the first chasm!”

I look at Sweetie and smile, “Lead the way, oh great horny one!”

She smiles back at me, “Not yet!” before making her way to the cave entrance…

I frown, “Me and my big mouth!” I follow her inside and she lights her horn with a blue light, which makes a peculiar shade of bluish-green on the cave walls, already illuminated by Chrysalis…

Sweetie says, “It looks like a cave entryway, but I don’t know how far this thing goes?”

I frown while staring down into the darkened chasm, “Yeah, me neither! I mean, should we explore or just stay up here, where it’s safe?”

Sweetie smiles at me, “Given an infinite amount of time, we would eventually explore this cave anyway…”

I stare over at her, “So, you’re saying we should just do it now?”

She nods, “I think it’s something to do, it’ll be a neat adventure, and we’ll be doing it together…”

I blink, “You like spending time with me?”

She frowns, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“I-I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle… I mean, you’re gone for so long and now, you’re my lover!”

She smiles and leans her neck towards me for a nuzzle, “I’ve always loved you!”

I smile back at her, “I know, snuggle buddy!”

She giggles and chances a small peck on my lips…

I quickly realize that this just isn’t enough and so I lean into her to plant a big loving kiss on her lips!

I feel electricity going through my lips as they remain planted on this white unicorn’s… I draw my head back and stare deep into her eyes, “I love you!” I whisper…

She giggles slightly while continuing to grin back at me, “I love you too, Apple Bloom!”

“You ready?” I ask.

“Sure thing!” She says while smiling and nodding at me…

And we both enter the cave together…

<*****>

The next time I can focus, I see a blurry white unicorn with a two-toned mane looking at me as we’re both inside the cave and saying, “Apple Bloom! You gotta come quick! Scootaloo feels bad about how you died!”

I frown at this noise, “Uh, why? What did she have to do with the way I died?”

Sweetie shakes her head and then moves her eyes to me, “I don’t know, but you really need to talk to her…”

I nod, “Alright! Lets do it!” before trotting further into the cave as Sweetie turns and joins me at my side…

Suddenly, my vision refocuses and I’m standing in a large stone antechamber of sorts… I see all sorts of strange masks and hieroglyphics on the walls… But none of this is quite as interesting as the lone burnt orange pegasus standing before me… She is wearing a chicken costume! Her front two forelimbs were out and free, while her hind hooves were contained in yellow fabric, obviously meant to resemble chicken legs… She had weird red comb going over the left side of her face and a beak over her snout, over a frowning mouth… Honestly, the white chicken-pegasus looked pretty silly and ridiculous!

I ask her the only thing I really can at that point, after well, everything, “Why are you in a chicken costume?”

Sweetie turns her head left towards me, “She said she’s being punished for not being there for you when you got turned into a tree!”

I widen my eyes, “WHAT?” I adjust my eyes at this insane pegasus! “Scootaloo! I don’t want you to remember me like that!”

Scootaloo widens her eyes to me, “W-what?”

I smile at this silly bird horse, “I know my death was horrible… I can’t imagine what you felt while it was going on, but I know this much…” I then furrow my brow with all the gravity I can muster. “I’d rather you weren’t there, after all…”

I can tell she’s shaken because I see her mouth frown underneath her beak-nose, “What do you mean?”

I sigh, “My death was messy, Scootaloo… You know this… I’d much rather die by myself with dignity than to cause my best friend to go through that hardship…” I shake my head. “I care about you Scootaloo and I want you to remember the good times, instead!”

“Uh, so you forgive me?”

I finally smile as much as I can, “There’s nothing to forgive, you silly bird brain!”

She takes a deep breath from underneath the beak on her nose and says, “This whole time, I felt that it was somehow my fault… That I caused your death, Apple Bloom…”

At this point, I can’t hold it in anymore, “Scootaloo! Why in Equestria would you believe such a thing?”

She closes her eyes and shudders before saying in her raspy voice, “I-I don’t know, okay? I just felt like there was something I should’ve said or done?” before shaking her head and continuing with a shaky voice. “Like, I could’ve saved you?”

Sweetie finally just stares at this deranged foul and says, “Scootaloo, that’s silly talk! Apple Bloom was terminal and going to die! There’s nothing you could do!”

I see Scootaloo sigh before she moves her right forehoof over the covering on her head… She sweeps it back over her head and I finally see her familiar Mohawk style violet mane and she lets out a big sigh, before lowering her hoof and saying. “I...haven’t done that in over two thousand years…” She moves her forehoof to the right side of her face to undo and remove the synthetic beak and chunking it on the floor… She smiles at me, “Hang on! I’ll get the rest of the costume off now!” before slowly slipping out of the torso piece and taking her hind hooves out of the strange yellow coverings…

Scootaloo now stands naked before me and Sweetie Belle, “So, it wasn’t my fault and there’s nothing I could’ve done?”

My love frowns at the pegasus, “Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you Scootaloo? Honestly, if you weren’t such a chicken and just talked to one of us!”

I suppress a giggle, “You might even say you were laying eggs over the whole incident!”

Sweetie smiles too, “Well, she didn’t do a lot of squawking? At least, not as much as most chickens I’ve met…” she adjusts her gaze. “Silence for two thousand years, Scootaloo?”

She closes her eyes, “I was scared, okay? I uh…” she shakes her head and opens her eyes, “I didn’t want to face you… Either one of you…” before taking a deep breath with her mouth, in and out… “Not after what happened…”

I widen my eyes again, “Well, all I know is, I just went for a really long time without one of my best friends!”

Sweetie adds, “Yeah, me too!”

Scootaloo says, “Alright! I’ll join you two soon! But first, I gotta talk to my new friends for a minute! Before turning around and vanishing…

I soon feel some sort of longing love wash over me… It’s a very strange sensation!

<*****>

Now, my next view is really hazy, but I can see a bright light overhead and a small white unicorn foal in my blurry vision, crying as it thrashes about and a yellow earth mare wearing a white uniform holds her… I suddenly realize that I’m being held as well and look up to my head to realize there’s a new extremity there… I have a yellow horn now! I stare in awe at my new appendage, now jutting out from my mussed up red mane… I then lower my eyes to stare at the small room and see many ponies all wearing white uniforms…

I widen my eyes and make the only noise I really can… I cry…

As my consciousness gets submerged with the new emerging consciousness, I couldn’t help but feel that this was appropriate and right…

Sweetie wanted to be my partner and now she will be for a lifetime… As my beautiful sister….

<*****>

I widen my eyes at what I just saw… Two lesbian ponies walked into the cave and suddenly vanished, right before my eyes… I curse, “DAMMIT! I wasn’t alone after all this time, and now, the only two friends I have are gone!” I say out loud… It doesn’t really matter… I’ve long since realized that nobody will ever hear me…

I bring my insectoid wings to my body and stare forward at the cave…

I say to myself, “Well, there’s no other choice, it would seem?”

I trot forward into the cave…

<*****>

I see myself again, but this time, my body is very different… It’s white and slimy as I sit there inside this strange liquid cocoon…

I look around the room and see that I’m in a very colorful and vibrant cocoon… I frown as I think to myself that this isn’t like any changeling hatchery I’ve ever been in? This one is full of life and color, where what I remember was just black and dim…

I gaze at all of the other bubble-like cocoons inside the room and see them filled with other larvae… Not the dull gray larvae of my hatchery, but larvae of all sorts of different colors! I see blue, red, yellow, and green!

I blink in the cocoon held me when I suddenly realize what had happened… I had been given another chance at life… A new beginning… Only this time, I wasn’t an evil queen inside a nefarious changeling hive… I was now, just another changeling inside this new kingdom…

I have been reborn… And as my mind sank into the depths, I could only realize that it was the Magic of Friendship that had gotten me this far… After all, I never would’ve explored without meeting those two wonderful ponies…

(The end...)

Author's Note

Thank you so much for reading my story! The truth is, almost everything here is a metaphor. I'm transgender and I feel like "that other me" is dead now and just a ghost. That ghost however, carried a lot of guilt and shame from the horrible way my mother passed away... Many of these stories I write are about that, but this one was about exploring a new life and existence, and how everything changes...

Chapter 1: The Arrival

NOTHING! It was all I felt for a very long time… I saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing, and was alone in darkness… It’s so strange, but the darkness never really bothered me? I guess that’s because peacefulness is kinda hard to be threatening? I don’t know, but I do know that’s all I knew for a very long time after that… Only peace and tranquility… Eventually, my thoughts learned to subside to peaceful bliss deep within my mind as I stayed there and never moved… While I never knew exactly where there was, that didn’t matter… Nothing really did matter anymore… There was only peace and quiet in my sightless, soundless, touchless world…

And then, I saw fuzz… Lots of fuzz and shimmering shapes when I suddenly found myself in my old pony body, standing in a field… There was a gray earth pony standing in front of me underneath a cloudy dim sunless sky… He had a curly purple mane that caressed his shoulders as he stood there and frowned at me while gazing with his distinctly green eyes…

And suddenly, I started talking again, “All I can remember is a lot of pain! I can’t recall much after… After that,” I blink, “other than blackness and void. I remember seeing Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle earlier, but I can’t remember what they were saying? Everything went black and I felt like I was floating… Then, I woke up and I was here! Uh, what is this place?” before nodding.

The ethereal pony looked at me with his long wavy mane and pale body as he frowned back, “This is the Land of the Dead and I am one of many shades that’s forced to aimlessly wander here!”

I frown at the specter as the dark cloudy sky lightly boiled overhead as we stood there in the wide-open grassland. “So wait! Does this mean I’ll be forced to wander here too?”

The phantom widens his gray eyes, “I cannot say!”

I lean towards the other pony in the darkened field and I can feel the big pink bow on the back of my head caressing the top of my neck, “So, can you tell me more about this place? I mean, what do I need to know about it?”

The ghost simply blinks at me as he stares onward, blankly…

“What’s your name?”

The ghost widens his eyes, “I-I don’t know…”

“Where are you from?”

“I don’t know that either… I must be going now…” The phantasm says before he turns his body and begins to trot away from me…

“Hey! I wasn’t done talking to you!” I yell at the ghost while leaning forward as he moves further away… I gulp and look over the wide open field… I can see mountains in the distance and when I look behind me, I see a forest, but at the same time, my mind is unable to focus on much else… I take a deep breath and wonder out loud, “Well, gosh! What am I gonna do now?”

Suddenly, I hear screaming in the distance! “AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”

My eyes widen as I exclaim, “What was that?” before looking left and right, when I suddenly spot a vaguely familiar white unicorn shape in the distance on my slight left! I widen my eyes as I begin to gallop that direction as fast as my hooves will carry me and I behold the white unicorn with her head tilted upward and her wisteria purple and lavender mane, split in the center, right to left, falls down around her shoulders from the horn on her forehead and her cerulean eyes stay poised at the heavily clouded and overcast sky overhead!

I stop running by skidding a foot forward in the dirt, leaving behind a little trail with my forelegs and shout, “Sweetie Belle!” before my body lurches forward so I stand aright.

The unicorn lowers her head back to me and keeps her green eyes wide as she leans forward slightly and exclaims, “Apple Bloom!”

I widen my eyes, “Sweetie Belle!”

The unicorn blinks, “Uh, Apple Bloom!”

“Sweetie Belle!” I retort!

Sweetie frowns and stands motionless before finally asking, “Uh, how long are we gonna keep doing this?”

I nod as a whimsical feeling overtakes my stressed mind for a moment and I grin and say, “As long as it takes! Now you go! It’s your turn!”

Sweetie frowns and squeaks an inquiry, “Uh, how long have you been here, anyway, AB? I just got here!”

I frown back as I reply while laying thick on my Southern Equestrian drawl, “I uh, I’m actually not sure? All I can remember is a lot of pain earlier and then, you and Scoots were in my room, but I can’t remember what y’all were saying?”

Sweetie blinks and leans forward, “You mean, back when we were in your hospital room? Uh, Apple Bloom! That was about sixty years ago!” *

Apple widens her eyes, “S-sixty years?” I open her mouth in shock. “You mean to tell me that I’ve been wandering this field for sixty years now?”

Sweetie enlarges her pupils, “Well, not exactly? I mean, you were a tree for a while too, right? Uh, can you remember that at all?”

I frown, “Well, after all the pain, I was at peace… Yeah, I wasn’t thinking about it earlier, but now that you mention it, I remember just sitting there for a long period of time… Nothing happened and it was just so peaceful…”

Sweetie frowns again, “You were just sitting there? Where is there, exactly?”

Apple blinks, “I uh, I don’t know! I couldn’t see anything and nothing ever made a sound…”

Sweetie tilts her head to the right as life as a tree suddenly must have her interest, “Did you ever feel anything?”

I lower her gaze while suppressing a sigh from my muzzle, “Uh, not really, no… It just felt like I was floating and just sitting there the whole time… Nothing bothered me and I was at peace the whole time…”

Sweetie breaths in and out through her nose, “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad? But uh, I can’t tell for sure! I mean, this must be a dream, right?”

I frown again, “I don’t think so? I just met some kind of ghost pony and he told me we’re in the Land of the Dead now!”

Sweetie widens her eyes, “Land of the Dead? W-what? All I did was go to sleep!”

I raise her view, “I guess you died in your sleep?”

Sweetie stares back blankly as she stammers out slowly in her girly voice, “Well uh, I was eighty-six years old? I guess I just finally died?”*

I widen my eyes and frown as I can only stammer, “I guess so?”

Sweetie looks down at her body and says, “But wait! This body is like the one I had in my twenties! Uh,” she begins to trot in place for a few seconds before stopping. “wow! I’m fit and able to gallop again!”

I smile, “Awesome! And hey! My body is like the one I had before, too!”

Sweetie looks up at the yellow mare and smiles, “Yeah! You can actually move again! Uh, trees can’t do that!”

I grin back and giggle as being able to move like this again after all that stillness sure feels great! “Y-yeah! So uh, being dead doesn’t seem so bad, so far? I mean, at least I got you now and we’re both fit again!”

Sweetie’s smile lowers as she stares wistfully to her right, “Yeah, too bad Scootaloo isn’t also here!”

I widen my eyes to the unicorn again, “Uh, yeah! Hey, do you remember what happened to her?”

Sweetie takes a big sigh, in and out of her snout and stares at me with sincerity in her eyes, “Uh, not really! After you went away, she started drinking a lot of vodka and just shut down! I mean, she wouldn’t talk to anypony! Not me, not her family, or any of her other friends! She just became a ghost...” she blinks her pale green eyes, “Last I heard, she moved to Fillydelphia! I don’t know what happened to her after that?”

Apple Bloom frowns, “Oh, gosh! Um, was my death why she did that?”

Sweetie sighs and nods, “Yup! Fraid so! And she wasn’t the only one, either! A lot of ponies changed when you died earlier…”

I open my mouth in shock as it never really occurred to me that I’m that important and loved? “I uh, didn’t mean to cause such a fuss!”

Sweetie frowns, “Well, it’s not like you got any say in it? I mean, you were turned into a tree! You had no control over that!”

I breath out of my muzzle and frown again, “Well, right! I mean, I never chose how I died!”

Sweetie widens her eyes again, “Most ponies don’t!”

I stare to my right in a dazed contemplation as I suddenly realize there’s a new problem, “Uh, yeah…” before adjusting my gaze back to the unicorn. “So uh, what do we do now?”

Sweetie frowns even deeper and just shrugs, “How should I know? I just got here!”

I scrunch my mouth in silent frustration as my eyes widen, “Well, this is a valley, right? There’s the mountains behind you and a forested area behind me…”

Sweetie scrunches her mouth, “I vote for the forest! That seems like less effort!”

My friend’s logic brings a grin to my face, “Yeah, mountain climbing is a lot of work!”

Sweetie chuckles and grins back, “Yeah! And since as far as we know, one is as good as the other…”

“Take the easier path!” I nod.

Sweetie nods, “Exactly!”

<*****>

We both trot down the dirt trail in a forest of gnarled dead looking brown trees with barely a few twisted branches left underneath the heavily overcast ultra-cloudy sky, dimly lit by what I’m guessing is sunlight above it… I look over at my friend trotting on my left, “So uh, was the rest of your life that great? I mean, what did you do? How did you live?”

Sweetie turns her head towards me and smiles, “Oh, yes! Two years after you turned, I got a record deal and ended up becoming a big name music producer in Manehatten!”

I frown, “Well, that’s good! Uh, any idea what happened to Scootaloo?”

She frowns back, “I already told you, I don’t know what happened to her after she moved to Fillydelphia!”

I adjust my eyes down, “Oh uh, right!”

Suddenly, she stops trotting and I reciprocate before turning my head right to see what she’s staring at, when I notice a familiar looking burnt orange pegasus with a purple Mohawk mane-style and little wings at her side, who stares at me with her violet eyes and asks in an unfamiliar masculine voice, “Greetings!”

Sweetie asks from my left, “Scootaloo! What are you doing here? And why does your voice sound so weird?”

Scootaloo frowns, “Scootaloo? Is that the name of who I am to you?”

I ask in my accent, “Who you are to us? What does that mean?”

She smiles, “Well, you’re in the Forest of the Lost! There is no substance here! Only reflections! You must have this Scootaloo pony on your mind, otherwise I wouldn’t appear to you as her!”

I widen my eyes as I’m still somewhat perplexed and ask, “Okay uh, reflections, you’re saying?”

She nods, “Yes! There is no escape, aside from the path leading to the south behind me. You should follow me to leave now! Trust me, this is no place for wandering ponies!”

Sweetie keeps her eyes wide in shock, “Oh, wow! So uh, you’ll guide us out then?”

She nods again, “Well, that was the plan! You see, my soul is trapped here! I spent too long stumbling and lost inside the woods and so, now I’m forbidden to leave… I help alleviate my sentence and boredom by helping to guide aimless wanderers and new souls to The Collective when they arrive, so they won’t meet the same fate I did…

Sweetie frowns and widens her eyes, “Okay uh, what should we call you?”

She normalizes her mouth and blinks, “I don’t remember my name?”

Sweetie’s eyes recede slightly, “Okay uh, your new name is Zed!”

She blinks again, “Zed? Very well then! While here with me, you may refer to me as Zed!”

I glance at my friend on the left and ask, “Zed?”

She turns her head back to me, “As good a name as any?” she blinks, “I mean, I didn’t wanna just keep calling him nameless pony, you know? So we’re gonna call him Zed, now!”

I blink, “Yeah but uh, “ I shake my head, “never mind!” I turn my head back right to Zed, “Lead on, Zed!”

<*****>

I trot behind Zed with Sweetie still trotting on my left, we reach a fork in the road with three different paths. Zed stops in his body, which still looks like Scootaloo, sniffs the ground, and looks towards the center path and smiles, “We need to go this way! Come!” before he turns his body in that direction and begins trotting…

I follow and hear Sweetie on my left reciprocating as she perks her head up and asks, “So uh, we have to take a specific path through these woods, or we’ll get lost?”

Zed sighs, “Yes! The forest is treacherous, but I learned of her ways and I know how to tell which paths to take!”

Sweetie frowns, “Interesting…” she blinks, “You say you look like Scootaloo because you’re a reflection and that’s what was on our minds?”

Zed nods as he continues to trot through the dead forest down the worn looking trail, “Yes! I am of the forest, now and so, I mimic her ways, including the mirror aspect…”

Sweetie, narrows her eyes in thought as we trot before I notice Zed beginning to glow a bright pastel blue as the glowing ethereal form he turned into changes shape and I see what appears to be Misses Cake there! Only I can’t help but think that her flanks are a bit larger than how I remember them?

I ask Sweetie, “Why Misses Cake?”

Sweetie turns her head to me and says, “Well, I was just thinking about you and remembering all the good times we had back at Sugarcube Corner!”

I gulp as I’m almost afraid to ask this, “Aren’t her flanks kinda big?”

Sweetie smiles and blushes slightly, “Yeah I kinda uh, always thought she was sexy! I mean,“ she blinks at me, “I know she was taken by Mister Cake and I certainly wouldn’t wreck their home, but those massive thunder buns!”

I widen my eyes and blink in shock, “Sweetie! I didn’t know you were a lesbian!”

She smiles ironically, “Yeah! Neither did I until I was thirty-three!”

I frown and narrow my eyes at the unicorn as we continue to trot, slowly and cautiously through the gnarled dead woods, “So uh, seven years after my death!”

She nods, “Yup!”

I widen my eyes, “And you got a thing for big flanks, I take it?”

She blushes slightly and shirks, “Um, yeah…”

I can only blink as I stammer out, “I die, and eventually come here, only to find out that my best friend is a rug munching, chubby chaser!”

She giggles, “Well, I like fit bodies too, sometimes!”

I widen my eyes, “Fit, like mine?”

She frowns and enlarges her pupils, “Well, I didn’t say THAT! But uh, you are kinda cute, now that you mention it!”

Zed stops trotting and we reciprocate before he lowers his snout to the trail at the two-pronged fork we just stopped at and looks up at the wide open sky, brightly open with the lack of branches overhead before back down the right trail and saying, “We should go this way!”

I look forward, eager to change the subject as I exclaim, “Yes, Zed! Lead on!”

He smiles, “Of course! Although you two really should get a room!” before he begins trotting down the road and we both begin to follow him…

I look back left at Sweetie, “Great! Now Zed thinks I’m a lesbian, too!”

She glances over, “Well, most mares in Equestria are bisexual?” she blinks. “Why? Were you suddenly thinking about it?”

I widen my eyes again, “What? No! I would never sleep with YOU, Sweetie Belle! I love you and all, but there are boundaries!”

She smiles at me, “You know, forever is a long time…”

I nod as we continue trotting and a dead branch I didn’t notice before suddenly cracks underneath my right forehoof, “This is true!”

“And the truth is, if you ever can or could sleep with me, you will! Because forever gives that an infinite number of times to come true!” She frowns and blinks her green eyes before widening them with a frown. “You’re gonna sleep with me, sooner or later Apple Bloom! It’s just the Law of Averages!”

I scrunch my mouth while keeping my eyes wide, “No, I’m not! I’m completely straight!”

She raises her left eyebrow, “You sure? You always gave off this bi-curious vibe?”

I open my mouth aghast! “What? Bi-curious vibe? What does that mean?”

She giggles slightly, “Oh, you know? You just seemed like that type of mare, you know? You weren’t sure yet, back when I knew you!”

I sigh, “Oh, Sweetie Belle! I never even once considered sleeping with another mare!”

She frowns and stares back at me, “Even that time when we were teenagers and got all drunk and made out while cuddling under the sheets?”

I blink, “That doesn’t count, Sweetie! We were both intoxicated!”

She blinks back, “I think it says a lot more about you than you wanna admit!”

I frown, “No, it doesn’t!”

She smiles again, “I remember one time, we were playing Hoofball, back when we were teenagers and you crashed into me when trying to catch the ball! Remember that time, Apple Bloom?”

I blink, “That was a very long time ago…”

She nods, “I still remembered what you smelled like down there, even after all this time… You’re intoxicating, you know that?”

My eyes are as big as they can get when I yell back, “Shut up, Sweetie Belle! I’m NOT sleeping with you!”

She giggles, “Well you say that now!”

I grimace when I realize that she’s just messing with me before I stop trotting when I notice that Zed is no longer with us and I turn my head in that direction. “Uh, where did Zed go?”

Suddenly, I hear his distinctly masculine voice resonating around the dimly lit gnarled trees around me underneath the bright overcast sky, “Welcome to your new home, lesbians! Welcome to the Forest of the Lost!”

(To be continued...)

Author's Note

*Yes, I understand real-life ponies only live to be about 25 to 30 years old, but keep in mind, we’re talking about sentient magical cartoon horses here and not the real deal!