Everfree and the Poisoned Flower
Girls! What are you doing up? I thought you were asleep. Wasn’t the cockatrice enough excitement for one night?
I see. Put it away, please. It will still be there tomorrow. Now, why don’t I get you a nice, warm glass of milk?
There, that’s better. You look so sleepy, all snug in your bed. Would you like to hear a bedtime story?
Yes, it does have cutie marks in it.
Okay, then, girls. Settle down…
Once upon a time, there were two sisters who lived with their mother in a cabin in the woods. They loved each other very much. Nopony else lived in the forest, you see, and so they didn’t have any friends except for each other.
Girls, quiet, please! One at a time.
Yes, they did have names. The younger sister was called Everfree. That’s right, just like the forest. The older sister was named Oleander. Does anypony know what oleander is? No? Oh, well, it’s a type of flower. It’s very beautiful, and Oleander was a beautiful little filly, but oleanders are poisonous, and you mustn't eat them. Okay. Who was next?
No, they didn’t have their cutie marks yet. Everfree was much too young. Oleander was old enough that she was hoping to get her cutie mark any day. She wanted her cutie mark so much.
Oh, my. She must have been just about your age.
There was one other question, right?
No, I don’t know where their father was. Bad things happened to ponies in those woods, sometimes.
Anyway, Oleander and Everfree liked to go out and play together. The woods were deep and dark, but it was their home and they weren’t scared. The forest was dangerous sometimes, but it wasn’t so dangerous near their house. Their mother let them go play, although she told Oleander to watch her sister very closely, because Everfree was just a little pony and she couldn’t take care of herself.
The two of them played their favorite game. They were trying to find Oleander’s cutie mark. They tried everything: dancing, racing, somersaulting, painting, and more. Nothing worked. Everfree was having fun. It was just a game to her, you know. Oleander started to get frustrated, though. After a while, when they were in the middle of weaving necklaces out of bluebells, it became too much for her. She couldn’t make her necklace stay together no matter how hard she tried. Oleander started to cry.
Everfree saw. She took her own necklace and hung it around Oleander’s neck. It was a very pretty necklace, much better than the one Oleander had made. Oleander hugged her sister, but then she left to be alone for a little while. Not too alone, though. Her mother had told her to watch Everfree, and so Oleander found a clearing close enough that she could hear her sister playing. She wiped her eyes and tried to stop sniffling.
“Excuse me,” said a voice. “It looks like you’re having some trouble. Maybe I can help you.”
Out of the thick, thorny bushes stepped Coyote. He was one of the biggest, scariest predators in the forest, and Oleander’s mother had told her how dangerous he was. Still, his voice sounded so nice, she couldn’t help but listen. Anything with a voice like that couldn’t be all bad.
Yes, she was being pretty silly. Hush, now.
“Why would you help me?” said Oleander. “My mother says you’re just a hungry monster.”
“Your mother is a wise pony,” said Coyote. “I am very hungry. If I help you, then you have to promise to find something for me to eat. Now, what is the problem? I know many secrets, and perhaps one of them can fix your trouble.”
“I can’t find my cutie mark,” said Oleander. “I tried and I tried and I tried, but I can’t.”
Coyote nodded slowly. “I see,” he said. “You are in luck. I know secrets about cutie marks. What have you tried so far?”
“I tried all the things I could think of,” Oleander said, and she told him about the weaving and the racing and all the rest.
Coyote laughed, but it wasn’t a mean laugh. “You are doing this the wrong way, my little pony,” he said. “You can’t find a cutie mark by trying everything at once. No, you need to find the thing that’s most precious to you. That is how you find a cutie mark.”
“But I don’t know what that is,” Oleander said with a pout.
“Sometimes a name is a clue,” said Coyote. “What is your name?”
“Oleander,” she told him.
“Ah!” Coyote clapped his paws together. “Perfect! I have the answer! But I won’t tell you unless you promise to find me something to eat.”
Oleander promised.
“Very good,” said Coyote. “To earn your cutie mark, you must find the most beautiful flower in the world. I know where it is, but I have not seen it, because getting there is very hard. The flower is in a deep thicket on top of a tall hill across a wide river. Be careful, though. I know that ponies eat flowers, but you must not eat this one, for it is deadly poisonous.”
“I won’t,” said Oleander.
“Then I will draw a map to take you there.”
“Thank you!” said Oleander. “I’ll get Everfree and we’ll go right away.”
“Your little sister?” Coyote shook his head. “Oh, no no no. She is too young. She cannot make the journey. You must leave her here.”
“But Mother said I have to watch her,” said Oleander. “Everfree is too young to take care of herself.”
“Don’t worry,” said Coyote. “I will watch her for you. Only remember, when you come back, you will find me something to eat, because I am very hungry.”
Oleander agreed. She found her sister and told her to stay with Coyote. Everfree was scared at first, just like Oleander had been, but Coyote was friendly and soon they were laughing together. Coyote drew the map, just like he said, and Oleander set off to find the flower.
Well, it was a very hard journey, but Oleander wanted her cutie mark so much. She swam across the river and climbed over the hill and plunged through the thicket. She found the flower, and it really was the most beautiful flower in the world. It had a stalk like emeralds and petals like pieces of a sunset. It was hard to believe that something so lovely could be poisoned. Oleander stood and watched it for a long time, but then she remembered about her sister and she went back.
When Oleander returned, she found Coyote taking a nap. She woke him up. “I found the flower,” she said. “It was very pretty, but I didn’t get my cutie mark.”
“Strange,” said Coyote. “Maybe you did something wrong. Did you bring the flower back?”
“No,” said Oleander. “You said it was poison.”
“If you don’t have the thing that’s most precious to you,” said Coyote, “then of course you don’t have your cutie mark.”
“Where is my sister?” said Oleander.
“Oh, dear,” said Coyote. “I seem to have lost her. I’m terribly sorry.”
Oleander stomped her hoof. “Help me find her!” she said.
“She’s your sister, not mine,” he said. “You find her.”
Oleander pouted. “I’m not going to find you something to eat,” she said.
Coyote stood up and stretched. “That’s okay,” he said. “I’m not hungry anymore.” He walked away into the woods, humming as he went.
Oleander looked for her sister, and she looked, and she looked, but she couldn’t find Everfree anywhere. Finally, the sun went down, and she had to give up and go back home.
“Where’s your sister?” her mother asked when Oleander got back. “I told you to watch her.”
“I don’t know,” said Oleander, trying not to cry. “She got lost.”
“You can’t leave her out there all alone,” said her mother. “Go find her. I don’t want to see you back here until you do.”
What else could she do? Oleander went back out to look for Everfree. She looked until the sun came up, and she kept looking until the sun went down again. She never gave up, though. She’s still looking today. Sometimes you can still hear her calling her sister’s name. That’s why they call it the Everfree Forest, you know. Sometimes Oleander catches a little filly who reminds her of her sister, and then… well, maybe I’ll tell you when you’re older.
Goodnight, girls. Sleep tight. Be careful around the forest, okay?
What? Oh, no, of course she didn’t find her cutie mark. She’s still looking for the thing that’s most precious to her, isn’t she?
