The Forgotten Flower

Chapters

Prologue: A sorrowful memory...
Chapter one: The seeds of torment
Chapter three: Escape from the concrete woods
Chapter four: The disappearence
Chapter two: An unusual encounter

Prologue: A sorrowful memory...

Every now and then, there is somepony in this cruel, heartless world that finds themselves especially hard done by. Somepony who, although they had the same circumstances of birth as everypony else, soon finds that their life is seemingly unfairly blighted by tragedy, by fear, by simple bad luck. For many of these unfortunate souls, it simply becomes too much to bear…

In many ways, Germanica was one such pony. Who is Germanica, you ask yourself? Well, she was a young unicorn. Her coat was as white as the snows of the arctic north, her eyes a deep, dark brown, revealing a hidden wisdom that she has gathered throughout the years. Her mane was long and thick, with a beautiful blending of light grey and silver flowing through its locks. The same was true of her tail. And her cutie mark? That is the most interesting detail. The thing is, she didn't have one. Ever. Even today, she lives as a fully-fledged blank flank.

From this, one would assume her life would serve no useful purpose, as surely, if one has no cutie mark, then they have no known talent. But this was not the case. The lack of cutie mark was just one thing that caused Germanica torment, but would not stop her from fulfilling the one thing that all ponies have in common: their duty to fulfill their destinies…

This is why she never gave up on life. She was just forced out of normal society.

Forced out, for many reasons.

Sometimes, the fate of the world finds itself hanging on the shoulders of the most unlikely soul. And when this happens, that soul must persevere over the odds for the good of everything that they love and hold dear.

This is who Germanica is, and this is her story…

Deep inside the Everfree Forest…

We find Germanica walking, alone, through this mystical place. She often walked through its vast expanses of dense woodland, its reputation keeping many a pony away from it. This suited Germanica, as she was not one for seeking the attention of others. There were so many legends and myths that haunted this wood and Germanica had heard them all before. The word of terrifying monsters and the ponies that had entered it, never to be seen again. This was not enough to put Germanica off the place. She was eighteen years old: she had spent at least half of her life here since she was six, and so far she had never come close to experiencing any harm here. In fact, she spent so much time in the forest that it had become a home for her. But then, she had many homes. Some might say she only had one; the world. This is because since she was six, she had lived a totally nomadic life, seldom ever travelling near or inside the cities, towns and villages that dotted the landscape of Equestria.

As she was walking through this ancient place, she saw something that stood out from the ancient wood of an old Oak’s trunk. “Writing?” she whispered to herself. “But, that’s impossible! Nopony else ever comes this deep into the woods here.” An overpowering curiosity took over the white unicorn, and she edged closer to the carved scripture in the bark. Memories flooded her mind. “How… How could I have forgotten? I carved this! Yes, all those years ago when I was just a young filly. When I still had…” A sudden choke cut short her sentence. A tear rolled down her face. “When I still had, my mother!” she exclaimed. “Mother…” This was somepony she hadn't thought about for many years. “Let me read that again. “My special sitting spot. Germanica” Yes, I… certainly carved that.” With this realization, an unbearable sadness took over her body. Her limbs became weak, so weak, she collapsed. “Mother…” More tears seeped from her eyes. Germanica started to lose her awareness of the world, and her mind gradually went deeper and deeper into the backlogs of this poor mares memories. “I’m so sorry…”

The same location, fourteen years prior to Germanica’s discovery of the carving…

“Look, dear. That large tree over there would be great to have a picnic under!” The voice that uttered these words was soft and loving in nature. It clearly belonged to a pony that had something to live, to fight, for. That thing was a four year old Germanica. Yes, this was the voice of her mother. “It’s so shady there, Germanica, why don’t you find a comfortable spot under it to lay out our blanket?” Germanica, so full of life at this time, galloped off to the tree, and trotted several times around the huge trunk before she finally settled down. “This spot’s nice, mummy. Look at all the flowers and butterflies here, it’s so pretty!” A huge smile crossed the young foals face, cheek to cheek. Her mother’s heart melted like ice cream left in the sun when she saw how happy her daughter was. “Come dear, you need to move aside while I lay out our lunch. It will only take five minutes. How about you go and look at the plants while I do that?” Germanica gave no answer, but with her youthful excitement she ran a few yards to a patch of bluebells. This was answer enough for her mother. “It’s ready darling!” Germanica was back almost as soon as her mother finished this sentence. “Did you bring our favorite apples from Sweet Apple Acres? They’re so crunchy and yummy and…” Her words were cut short by her mother saying “Yes.” So, they got down to their meal.

“Mummy, do you think that I’ll be as pretty as you one day? As pretty as your white coat, your brown mane, your brown eyes?” Her mother’s eyes went soft, and she put one of her fore hooves onto Germanica’s shoulder, telling her “Sweetie, you’re already prettier than I am.” This led to another inquiry by the curious filly. “But I don’t have a cutie mark. You do. Tell me again how you found it, please?” Her mother sighed. “OK, but remember, how I found mine will not be how you find yours. Anyway, as you know, your grandmother named me Calla Lily. This is because when I was born, there were some of these flowers in the room at the time. The only flowers, actually. As our family has been archiving the different plants of Equestria for three generations now, we started a tradition of naming ourselves after various plants.” Germanica interrupted Calla Lily here. “But I have never heard of a plant called a Germanica before. Why is that?” Calla Lily let out a brief chuckle. “Because dear, your name is from a scientific title. Sometimes, the plant that suits somepony has a common name that would not work as the name for said pony. You do know the plant; there are some in your room in a vase.” “My… Chiltern Gentians?” Germanica asked, unsure if sure was correct. A slight smile appeared on Calla Lily’s face. “You’re learning! Yes, well I thought they suited you perfectly. But their common name, no. So I took the word Germanica out of their scientific name, and there you are. Germanica” “I see.” Germanica said with much wonder. “Will you go back to your cutie mark now, mum?” “Of course dear” Calla Lily said lovingly.

“I was walking in the countryside that surrounds Ponyville. I was about 6 years old. While here, I came across somepony looking for some flowers to pick. I had to stop them when I saw them, however, as I realized they were about to take some that were poisonous to the touch. Not terribly bad, but enough to cause a pony to become bed-ridden for a few weeks. I was able to redirect him to some safe plants. It was then that I realized that I would love to carry on the work of our family, archiving the plants of Equestria and knowing what’s what, and so, out of nowhere, a picture of my namesake, a Calla Lily, appeared on my flank.”

“That is amazing.” Germanica said, with an air of inspiration in her voice. Mother and daughter finished their meal together, and played a few games afterwards. Soon though, the young filly was asking Calla Lily “Can we go home now? I’m so tired.” Calla Lily told Germanica “OK dear. But first, you should make this spot ours. Why don’t you carve something into the bark of this tree?” “OK mum!” With this, Germanica floated a sharp rock, with some assistance from Calla Lily, and carved the words “My special sitting spot. Germanica” into the trunk. Tired, Germanica fell asleep on Calla Lily’s back for the journey home. “That’s my girl.” Calla Lily whispered to her slumbering foal. “We’ll be home soon.” It had been a long, exciting, interesting day. No wonder Calla Lily found herself carrying her precious, only daughter home. Her only love in the world...

Soon enough, they arrived at their cottage, which was located on the edge of Ponyville. Ever so gently, Calla Lily whispered to her daughter: “Germanica? Germanica? Wake up darling; you need to have a bath before you go to bed. C’mon, wake up.” Two brown eyes appeared from behind that silver-grey curtain of hair, as it was pulled apart by two small hooves. “Bath? OK…” The small white unicorn was floated off onto the ground by Calla Lily, who used a simple levitation spell to stand her daughter on the ground.

The two went inside.

None could foresee just how precious this memory could be. Alas. None could foresee how painful it would be as well…

Chapter one: The seeds of torment

Inside the home of Germanica and Calla Lily, fourteen years prior to Germanica’s discovery of the carving…

The two unicorns arrived inside their home, welcomed by the warmth of some coal that Calla Lily had burnt before the two had left earlier that day for their excursion to the Everfree Forest. “Always plan ahead, Germanica. The coal may not smell the best, but with the cold nights of Equestria being what they are; it’s always a good idea to leave some warmth in your home if you are going to be out for the day.” Just one of the things Germanica learnt from her mother: preparation. They went upstairs, and Germanica had her bath.

“Mummy. Will you read me a bedtime story tonight?” Calla Lily looked at her daughter, and was only able to disappoint. “Sorry, Germanica. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I have some work to do.” A slightly sour look, though not one of hate, struck Germanica’s face. “You always have work to do! It’s a miracle we were able to have that picnic today!” Calla Lily’s smile, which had remained all day, suddenly drooped into a frown. With a sigh, she told the young unicorn “I know it can be annoying. But if it wasn’t for our families work, There would be so many plants that ponykind wouldn’t know of. And if that were the case, there would be so many plants with medicinal properties that we wouldn’t know of.” Suddenly, an important fact rushed through Germanica’s mind. “You mean… Because of the plants our family has discovered, we… save lives?” With a smile spread across her face, Calla Lily exclaimed “Yes, exactly! Now dear, get some shut eye. I have to get my work done. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.” Calla Lily gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek, and tucked her into a snug blanket. “Goodnight, mum.” With this, Germanica closed her eyes, dreaming of the adventures she and Calla Lily would have the next day.

A few hours later that night…

The young foal was sleeping soundly when she was woken by the sound of a loud thud on the front door of her home. A visitor? At this time of night? Strange… She decided to stay awake, listening to what was going on downstairs. She could hear her mother telling the mysterious visitor to wait a few moments. Who is it, I wonder? The young filly quietly left her bed and ever so slightly opened her door to let herself hear things better. She heard her mother answer the door. An angelic voice began to speak. “You are Calla Lily, I understand?” Her mother didn’t reply for a few minutes. “Yes… yes, I am, Princess Celestia. I wasn’t expecting you to visit personally. Had I known…” The alicorn stopped her here, explaining to Calla Lily “My dear, it was necessary. Had anypony known I was coming, Equestria's security could have been greatly jeopardised.” Calla Lily replied, saying “I understand you must have had your reasons. But you still haven’t told me this. Why was I to wait for a… your arrival, tonight, your highness?” The princess sighed. Germanica's mind at this point was both full of excitement and fears. Excitement because a real life alicorn princess was in her home, fears because surely such a noble soul wouldn’t come to such a humble place without there being a dire need in question.

Germanica went back to listening to the conversation going on downstairs. She missed a large portion of it when she took a moment to come to terms with who had visited. She wasn’t able to believe it. “Calla Lily, do I have your understanding on what is at stake here? I’m sorry, but a prophecy is a prophecy.” The words of Celestia that Germanica heard upon returning to her eavesdropping of this conversation. “What’s a prophecy?” The young foal asked herself.

Calla Lily spoke. “Yes… yes, you have my understanding. And my trust, your highness. Just one thing, may I ask?” Celestia said nothing, but Calla Lily went on to ask the alicorn anyway “Why?” This was met by another sigh from the noble princess. “I don’t know, Calla Lily. I just don’t know. The poor thing. So much in store, I ask myself the same question. Believe me, Calla Lily, if I could do anything about it, then by all means, I would.” Calla Lily broke in. “I know you would. That is why you are so important to this land. It’s just this. It just makes me so sad.”

What are they talking about? Germanica had a shiver shoot up her spine. Who are they talking about? Germanica pondered through her thoughts, but to no avail. She was too young, too inexperienced. She did not know enough about the world to figure out what her mother and the princess were talking about, or why Calla Lily sounded so upset. If only I knew. But perhaps… perhaps as mummy hasn't come here to get me yet, I don’t need to worry about it. With this thought, the young filly returned to bed, but any chance of sleep was now gone.

A half hour later…

“Calla Lily, please, would you listen to what I have to say. No matter what happens, I will make sure somepony is there. I promise.” Celestia was starting to sound desperate now. She seemed determined to let Calla Lily know everything would end up fine, whatever the two were talking about. It was then that Germanica heard one of the royal guards burst into the room, shouting with fear, “Celestia! One of them has showed up! We have to go now! Get the VIP!” Calla Lily asked, at the same time as Germanica asked herself, “Them?” Celestia barked at Calla Lily, telling her “There’s no time! Get your daughter, quickly! Guard, go with her and make sure they’re safe. Fly with them on your back if you have to!” With these orders, a horrific scream of pain could suddenly be heard. It must have travelled for miles. “We have a stallion down! Brothers, let’s finish this thing, we must avenge our fallen!” The shout of another guard outside the house. When he said this, orders and screams and the clash of metal erupted out of the blue. Germanica was frightened, very frightened. She froze.

“Mummy, mummy? Are you there? Where are you?” The young filly asked herself, confusion clouding her mind. Calla Lily galloped into the room. She went straight to Germanica, hugging her, she reassured her foal. “I’m here, dear. C’mon, this nice guard is going to take us somewhere quiet.” Despite the violence, despite the death, Calla Lily was still able to speak to her daughter in such a calm manner. Such was the strength of her love for her. A tear of relief dropped out of Germanica’s eye. The guard that had followed Calla Lily turned to the little family, telling them, “Ladies, I’m sorry to rush you, but we really must…” A powerful bolt of light, seemingly without an origin, cut short the guards sentence. He dropped onto the ground, motionless, and the essence of his life flowed from his eyes. Germanica, slow to realise what she had just saw, eventually let out a piercing scream, and the tears that flowed from her eyes could have flooded the room. Startled, sobbing, screaming, she asked her mother, “Please, make it stop. MAKE IT STOP! I DON’T LIKE THIS! WHY IS IT HAPPENING?” Calla Lily, too, was obviously in a state of absolute fear. “Germanica, I want you to be very quiet. You see that cupboard? Go inside it, and open it for nopony.” So she did. The next five minutes would feel like an eternity.

The young unicorn waited. After two minutes, she heard something that would change her forever. Calla Lily was downstairs, speaking to Celestia, who had stayed to assist in the crisis. Suddenly, a scream of terror was heard. The voice of a mysterious, threatening stranger could be heard. “Where is the filly? If you don’t tell me, you will never see this mare again! I’m sure you know what’s at stake here, Celestia. You know the prophecy and that filly…” He was silenced by a kick from Calla Lily. Silenced, but not weakened. “Let go of me! Celestia, help!” Calla Lily begged. “I’m trying, Calla Lily! But this stallion, for some reason, my magic is not affecting him!” Confused, Celestia asked “It can’t be, can it?” The stallion laughed hysterically, stating, “Yes, it can be, Celestia! The time of reckoning is coming!” With this, Germanica heard a strange howling sound, not too different to that made by the wind, and then silence. The violence was over.

What… just happened? Germanica thought to herself, while her face was drenched with her tears. Why me? She was only able to reflect on what just happened for but a few short moments before somepony entered her room. Germanica choked. So much had already happened, hearing the hoof-steps of somepony that she couldn't identify was the last thing she needed.

“Germanica?” This voice was not Calla Lily’s. But by no means was it one Germanica didn’t trust. “Germanica, my name is Princess Celestia. I mean you no harm. All I want to do is take you somewhere safe. Somewhere quiet.” Germanica, confident that she could trust this voice, opened the cupboard door. “This better be the princess” She whispered to herself as she put hoof to door. “Celestia! Thank the stars, it is you!” A smile marked the princess’s face. However, it soon turned upside down when Germanica asked “Where’s mummy? Is she OK?” Celestia’s heart was twisted in agony upon hearing those words. The wise alicorn was, for a rare moment, left unable to speak. Eventually, she managed to tell the foal only this: “Dear, we need to leave for Canterlot now. Please, get on my back, I’ll fly you there myself.” Germanica was left only with more questions, but out of exhaustion from the terrifying events that night, she obliged. Celestia levitated Germanica onto her shoulders, and blasted a hole in the roof of the cottage. Flying out of it, the two saw little of the devastation left behind.

Germanica at the age of eighteen, upon her discovery of the carving…

What… what just happened? A rather dazed unicorn got up from her feet. It was dark, with only a bright moon providing any visibility. Did I pass out? Germanica reflected for a while. Was that a flashback? Ugh, it was horrible! Why did that just happen? I haven’t thought about that day for years. The time that had passed by dawned upon her. Oh dear… how long has it been? I really need to start moving again. I mustn't let that bad nightmare cause me any delay.

So she headed off, not knowing where she was going. The only thing she did know was this: It will be what fate intended. But while not knowing where she was going, she did know exactly where she had been. Somewhere she’d rather forget. Alas. When she moved away from that tree, she looked back. For a moment, she had a tear in her eye, staring at that carving. A thought popped in her head. Surely… no, don’t be silly Germanica. That was a terrifying day. But it happened years ago. It’s the past. It’s over.

Chapter three: Escape from the concrete woods

Later that day, outside Fluttershy’s cottage…

Germanica and Fluttershy had said nothing on their way to the cottage. Things were no different once they had arrived, either. Fluttershy could only look at her guest in wonder. How did she do it? That wind, it must have been what pushed that bush aside. But how did she do it? The weather wasn’t changed in any way.

With Fluttershy opening the door, the two ponies walked inside the cottage. Germanica was quick to take a seat near the door. “Please, Fluttershy, leave the door open.” She insisted. Germanica wasn’t entirely comfortable with where she found herself; it had been years since she last went inside a building. She felt an open door meant she wouldn’t be cut off from the outside.

Fluttershy was concerned by Germanica’s quietness. Despite the fact they had been in each other’s company for a good hour or so now, she had no idea of where Germanica might be from. All she knew was that Germanica spent much of the last few years in the Everfree Forest, and that she claimed to have some sort of “connection” to the place. She couldn’t have been born there. That would be ridiculous. But she says she was there since she was only six. I have to wonder what happened to her parents.

Fluttershy went to offer her guest some food. Upon this gesture she asked “Where are you from? I don’t mean the Everfree Forest, but before that.” Germanica did not reply to this, rather she just stared straight through Fluttershy’s eyes, as if there was nopony in front of her at all. “Germanica?” The unicorn still replied with nothing more than a blank face. Fluttershy took a moment to think about how she could encourage her guest to talk more openly. Perhaps I should tell her why I live down here and not in Cloudsdale. Perhaps this will let her know I’m not just being nosy.

“Germanica, if I tell you about how I found myself here rather than Cloudsdale, would you talk about yourself then? I just don’t want to sound nosy, that’s all.” Germanica pulled a slight smile at this, and finally began to speak about the topic at hoof. “Fluttershy, you mean to say that you will let a total stranger all about yourself just to make them feel comfortable?” Fluttershy nodded her head. “Well then, I guess you already have proven yourself to be a half-decent soul. I was starting to think you were a little different anyway. Not once have you yet mentioned my blank flank.” Upon these words, Fluttershy saw the empty space on her flank for the first time. “I… I didn’t notice.” She said nervously, hoping Germanica wouldn’t be disappointed by the fact that it had caused no reaction from her at all. The unicorn looked into the turquoise eyes of her pegasus host with a softness that spoke only of relief, not disappointment. “You mean, when we first met a while ago you didn’t look for a cutie mark to see what I might be like?” Germanica said, a gentle smile forming between some cheeks. Despite this though, tears started rolling from those brown eyes of hers.

“Germanica, why are you crying? I didn’t upset you, did I?” Germanica sobbed a few tears away before telling Fluttershy “No. No, you didn’t upset me. Somepony else did. Years ago. Heck, I don’t even know why I still get upset by it. Most would think it was harmless.” Fluttershy tried to comfort her guest. “Who upset you? How did they?” The unicorn sighed. “When I was four, I found myself in Manehatten, living in an orphanage. I had just lost my mother. I was told I would be fine. That’s what the carers said. But I wasn’t. All I ever wanted was to get back home, where I could gallop freely in the plants. Instead I was stuck with just a vase of some flowers so badly cared for they died within weeks of me arriving.”

Fluttershy was shocked and confused. How does she get from a Manehatten orphanage to the Everfree Forest at such a young age? Surely if she left the campus it wouldn’t take long for its staff to find and return her again. And what does her blank flank have to do with this that it reminds her of that time? “Germanica, I had no idea. I’m sorry to have put your memories through this. If I could have known…” Germanica silenced her host with a touch of the hoof to Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Don’t apologize. You are not at fault. How could you be? You’ve lived here most of your life after all, that much I can tell from the trees. And you certainly haven’t been to Manehatten at a time I was there, that’s for sure.”

“Anyway, when I arrived there I was met by an assortment of young fillies and colts. They all must have had some sort of misfortune befall them, but they seemed happy. I hoped I might feel the same eventually.” Fluttershy was desperate to ask many things in one go, but out of her kindness restricted herself to one question. “Hoped? You mean you were never happy there?” Germanica couldn’t reply to this, but her silence was answer enough.

“I’d rather not talk about my time there, Fluttershy.” The unicorn let out a long sigh. “But I suppose you are wondering how I got from here to Everfree. If you don’t mind, I’ll jump forwards to that part.” Fluttershy agreed. “Well, I had been living at the orphanage for a couple of years. It happened on my sixth birthday. The day I ran, never to stop.” Fluttershy interrupted her guest to ask “What do you mean you never stopped running?” Germanica chuckled. “Well, you found me living the nomadic life, didn’t you? That means I don’t stop travelling, period.”

Fluttershy had yet another question she felt the need to ask. “So if you ran away, how did you learn about your magic?” Germanica was pushed into a silence by this. It took a few moments before she could only reply with “We’ll talk about that another time perhaps.” The unicorn returned to her previous topic, escaping the orphanage. “Fluttershy, please, no more questions for now. I’d like to tell how it became possible for you to find me where you did.”

“I was supposed to meet all the foals in the lounge for a celebration. We did that for everyponies birthday. I really didn’t want to though. Some of those foals… No, that doesn’t matter. Basically, I saw an opportunity. Everypony was in the lounge. That meant the rest of the building was empty. Simply put, I legged it while there was nopony to get in my way.” Fluttershy broke in here to ask Germanica “I’m sorry; I know you didn’t want any more questions. But I must ask why did you do that? Surely you would want to be somewhere safe. Let’s face it, that orphanage would have been one of the safest places in the city.” Germanica smiled. “Exactly, it was safe. The problem I have with that kind of environment is that it always means that its residents are cut off from nature. As I do now, I only wanted to be surrounded by plants and wilderness at that age. The city of Manehatten couldn’t provide that. It was woodland, but an artificial one. I needed the real thing.”

“So that’s why you like the Everfree Forest so much, because it’s the biggest untamed wilderness in Equestria?” Fluttershy questioned. “Yes. It suited me. I only wanted to be able to live like any animal, without a care in the world. That’s how the creatures in that forest want to live, so that’s how I know how to stay safe around them. I left them alone to their own business. When you here of somepony getting hurt by one of them, it’s only because they ignored the signs and strayed too far into their territory.”

Fluttershy took a moment to reflect her experiences with some of the bigger creatures she had along with her friends. Perhaps if we had looked out for signs when we travelled through the forest we would have met less scary monsters. “That makes sense. Please though Germanica; tell me how you, as a six year old foal, made it through the city and into the wilderness.” Germanica took a moment to refresh herself. She wasn’t used to speaking for such extended periods as this. “Well I didn’t know how to navigate the place very well. There was too much structure for my liking. I’ve always been attracted to things which have no pattern. I decided to simply roam the streets, hoping I might find the edge of that place and a way out with it. While doing this, I was shocked by the way this apparent civilized society lived. I saw so many arguments there. I saw families being evicted from their homes. I saw ponies in utter desperation for work just so they could eat that night. I could only ask myself how all this was possible. This misery was something that would never happen in the wilderness.”

Fluttershy grew concerned for her guest. This mare has seen so much in such a short life. I wonder how she knew the forest and wilderness was better for her before she lived there, but I won’t ask that now. I wouldn’t want to put her through any more bad memories. Fluttershy went to give Germanica a comforting hug, but was gently pushed aside by a spell cast the unicorn. “You don’t have to feel sorry for me Fluttershy. I’m fine now.” Fluttershy went on to apologize for asking about Germanica’s backstory, insisting she had no intention to cause any upset. “It’s OK, Fluttershy. You weren’t to know. You still don’t know the half of it anyway.”

“So what did you do after a while in the streets of the city?” Germanica sighed again. “Well, after seeing all the conflict, all the misery, I just couldn’t bear to be around anypony for much longer. Not after seeing what our kind can do to each other. I eventually found a road out of the city when it had gotten dark. I simply walked out of that place. Since then, I’ve seldom being to any permanent settlements bigger than a single house; I’ve certainly never visited a major city again. I just lived in the wild areas of Equestria, roaming here, there and everywhere.”

Fluttershy stopped the conversation here, insisting that Germanica now ate something to replenish her strength. It was then that something started knocking a wall outside the house, out of sight of the open door and the windows. “Who could that be?” Fluttershy said. The pegasus went outside the house, calling for the mysterious visitor to appear. Feeling uneasy about meeting another stranger, Germanica put herself below a window, putting just enough of one of her eyes to be able to catch a glimpse of what Fluttershy was up to. It was then that she saw a dark cloaked figure in the shape of a rather tall pony appear from around the corner of the cottage. Fluttershy soon enough greeted the strange visitor with a single word.

“Zecora.”

Chapter four: The disappearence

Fluttershy’s cottage, in the garden…

“Why have you come for a visit Zecora?” Fluttershy looked puzzled. She knew there had to be some kind of matter at hoof. Zecora just doesn’t show up unless she has reason, big or small. Zecora, not one for keeping a friend in questioning, explained herself. “I come here to ask you about the whereabouts of somepony, Fluttershy. Somepony who has caught the attention of Princess Celestia’s eye.” Fluttershy looked at her friend in bewilderment. “That’s odd. I have a guest who came out of the blue in here right now. She does seem a little shy though. Perhaps you could tell me more of what you’ve heard from Celestia first?”

“Well my friend, the guard who told me to come here said he could not say much about his orders yet. Only to come here and ask if you had seen somepony you did not know of whom you may have met.” Zecora explained, frown on her face. “That’s all I was told. I too have seen confusion take hold.” Fluttershy had to make to make an awkward choice. She had promised Germanica that she would make sure her visit to the cottage would only be a few hours. However, she was intrigued by the nature of Zecora’s visit, a visit that had the potential to greatly extend Germanica’s stay. I hate to try and keep her here longer than she expected, but I think Zecora’s visit might be Celestia attempting to show Germanica some gentle kindness, of sorts. I don’t know why she would even know who Germanica is, but then she is the wisest pony in Equestria. What if this is really important and Germanica has something to do with it? Fluttershy was decided. “OK Zecora, you can come inside. But I must warn you, my guest was a little hostile when we first encountered each other today. I think the fact that she scared me a little was the only reason she calmed down enough for us to start talking. So when you meet her, let her act first. She hasn’t even had that much contact with other ponies anyway.” Zecora agreed, only asking what the mare’s name was. “Germanica. Her name is Germanica, Zecora.”

The two went inside, but were met by something neither had foreseen. Germanica was no longer in the room. Fluttershy darted everywhere, looking behind the chairs and under the tables to find her. Everywhere she looked she found nothing. It was as if Germanica was never there at all. “I’m sorry Zecora, but I just don’t know where she could have gone.” The two carried on searching the house for some time. After a while, Zecora told Fluttershy “We need to go outside, as perhaps she heard me and was scared. We must show her that we are friends in which she can confide.” With this suggestion Fluttershy felt stupid. “How could I forget already? She said she had lived most of her life alone, mainly in the Everfree Forest.” Zecora was shocked by this. “I’ve lived there for years, Fluttershy. If she had been there, then past my hut she surely would have passed by.”

“I know it seems ridiculous Zecora, but she seems to have a way with plants. When I met her, she did something rather odd with her magic. She seemed to be able to create some kind of… Oh, I don’t know! Whatever she did, it looked powerful, too powerful for anypony to do alone. If there were a number of unicorns working together, then it might make sense. But she was alone. I don’t know much about magic, but the only thing that I think she could draw energy from was the surrounding foliage.” Zecora took a moment to ponder how a pony could live in the Everfree Forest without her noticing. “For what reason did she do this thing? You talk of it as if it was disturbing.” Pointing out Angel to Zecora, Fluttershy said “I was looking for him on the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was then Germanica turned up. After a while she just sat down, eyes closed. She did whatever she did to the plants, and some of them actually moved to reveal where angel was hiding. However, she didn’t look for him. It’s as if something was telling her what she needed to know, as if something else provided her with knowledge.”

Zecora couldn’t really make sense of what Fluttershy was trying to say about Germanica. This only fuelled her desire to find the missing unicorn. “Fluttershy, we cannot stay. Our loitering will only let Germanica get further away.” Fluttershy agreed, so the two left the cottage to search the wider area. Fluttershy had a good idea of where Germanica might have gone to, what with all she had managed to learn of her in their earlier conversation. “I think she must surely be somewhere in the Everfree Forest. It only seems logical. The question is, where?”

Zecora thought long and hard about this. She is a full grown mare. How could I not have spotted her in there? The two then proceeded towards the Everfree Forest hoping to find Germanica, not sure where in that massive place where they might find her. When they got to the edge of the woodland, Fluttershy was hesitant to enter. “Wh… what if we get attacked in there?” Zecora put on a light comforting smile for her timid friend to try to comfort her. “Now, now. If she did go into this forest, then to lose her is something we cannot allow.” Fluttershy would not listen to reason, however. “But what if we do get attacked? Then nopony might know where Germanica has gone. If Princess Celestia has really got reason to find her, then perhaps we would have seen guards out here to look for her. The last time I checked that’s what they do!” Fluttershy started to sound angry when she said this. Perhaps she was scared of the prospect of going into a fearful place, and was just desperate to avoid it. But Zecora was having none of it. She wanted to find Germanica, to find out why she was called upon by the highest authority to seek out an unknown pony on such short notice. “Fluttershy! You act so fearful I can only ask why. You’ve entered this forest many times before! Just because your friends aren’t here doesn’t mean this a matter you can choose to ignore!” Stressed, Zecora’s argument seemed to have an effect on her pegasus companion. Though the most timid of souls, Fluttershy bucked up the courage to enter the forest without having the likes of Twilight or Applejack or Rainbow Dash to hide behind. She finally realised that perhaps Celestia was on to something, that perhaps the rather odd nature of Germanica had some significance after all. Perhaps, she thought, she had unwittingly become an integral part of something unexpected and big for most of society, including herself.

The two companions looked around the woods, trying to stick to the pathways that had been worn into the ground thanks to the movement of its residents over the centuries. They needed to find a clue, some crucial evidence that would indicate a recent presence. Some broken branches, disturbed leaves, anything. Anything could be a potential lead to Germanica’s whereabouts. “Ugh, I can’t find anything! Where the heck could she have gone Zecora? C’mon, you know these woods like the back of your hoof. Surely you must have some idea?” Unfortunately for Fluttershy, Zecora couldn’t find anything either. Not as quickly as the pegasus would have liked. “Look Zecora, if we can’t find any sign of her here, then perhaps we should just let the guard know that we think she’s in the forest. I know it’s important that she’s found, really I do realise that. But the guard, this is what they’re trained to do. I’m sure they can do a much better job than us.” Zecora stopped what she was doing when she heard this, turning to Fluttershy with disgust spread across her face. “Fluttershy, how dare you try to work your way out of this! Do not give up just because of her elusiveness.” Fluttershy submitted to Zecora’s order, though not out of respect, but of light fear. It was the way Zecora barked at her, she was acting strangely, when compared to her usual kind self. Fluttershy could only wonder. I wonder why she’s being so… aggressive. I haven’t done anything wrong. She knows I don’t like this place, so why would she now seem so intent I help her find Germanica. I mean, she hasn’t even ever met Germanica before.

The two went ever deeper into the woodland, desperate to find a lead to Germanica, albeit desperate for different reasons. The two didn’t talk after Zecora’s loss of temper with Fluttershy, but their silence was broken by a sound. In fact, it was not just a sound, but words. However, they were not the softly spoken words of Germanica; instead they were rather more masculine in accent. The two didn’t speak. Zecora stopped Fluttershy from uttering a noise by placing her hoof on her friend’s mouth, and she quickly pulled her into a large bush. It seemed Zecora wanted to eavesdrop on the conservation they could hear. Certainly, she was curious to know why two ponies were in the forest like this. Looking through the foliage, she saw a unicorn and an earthpony talking with each other.

“So mate, had any luck finding that bloody weed the boss wants?” The earthpony said. “No, when he said it’s rare, he clearly meant it! Still, might as well that we keep looking. One thousand bits just for finding a bloody flower! We’ll be rich for nothing mate. Oh, by the way, you’ve also remembered to keep looking around for any signs of pony activity as well right?” The unicorn replied. “Well of course! The reward the boss promised, well, how could I not? But I have forgotten one thing, what did he say the little mare should look like?” The unicorn sighed in response. “You really can be dumb sometimes, you know that? But right, she’s supposed to be white, with some kind of silver mane. He never mentioned eye colour, but then, what does that matter? We’re looking for an adult blank flank after all!” He said this with a chuckle.

Fluttershy gasped at this. But that’s… that’s Germanica! What do they want with her? Zecora looked at Fluttershy when she gasped with a questioning look about her eyes. However she daren’t allow any speech from her or herself until the two stallions had moved on. The two continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“Right, so where do you think we should head next?” the earthpony asked his friend. “Ah, let’s see. Hmm, there’s a rather tall tree in the distance over there, to the east of us. How about we walk over there, but head a little to the left of the tree before turning true to its location?” The unicorn suggested. “Don’t see why not. This job’s worth the walk after all!” the unicorn replied to his companion with “It’s all about the money, my friend. All about the money!” The two stallions then walked off towards the tree.

Zecora forced Fluttershy to stay hidden in the bush until she was certain that the two stallions were out of sight. She seemed to prefer to avoid the risk of being seeing by them. Once the coast was clear, she swiftly pulled Fluttershy out of the bush, and told her to follow closely as she galloped. As they kept moving Zecora asked Fluttershy “Why did you gasp in there? Is there some information you would care to share?” Fluttershy struggled to speak clearly as she galloped, but she managed to piece together an answer. “It was the description they gave of the mare they were asked to try and find. Zecora, they described Germanica! Her coat is white, her mane and tail silver. Most importantly, she’s a blank flank!” Zecora shouted back, urgency in her voice “Why didn’t you tell me this before? We must find her now then, that’s for sure!” Fluttershy wanted to ask Zecora what she was going on about, but she didn’t want to lose her breath and end up falling away from her friend, so she put all her energy into keeping up with the swift zebra, even resorting to flying for a change.

It seemed an eternity to Fluttershy before they finally made it to the Oak. Needless to say, she was exhausted. She wasn’t used to such extended periods of fast travel. However, the sprint was worth it. There, sitting in front of the huge Oak’s trunk, was a white unicorn, surrounded by flowers, tears streaming from her eyes. It was Germanica. They found her.

Fluttershy called out to her. “Germanica! Are you alright? Everything’s fine, Zecora’s fine. She doesn’t want to hurt you. C’mon, come back with us.” The unicorn turned her head towards the pegasus and the zebra. Her eyes were soaked, yet through her tears, the two could see real anger. Despite this though, Zecora couldn’t help but put on a smile upon seeing Germanica’s face.

Germanica stood up, staring intensely at Zecora in particular. She shouted with anger fuelling her words, “Zebra, what do you want?! I’ve had enough of meeting new ponies for one lifetime! What right do you think to just waltz back in on my life?!” Zecora looked shocked by this. “Germanica, do you not remember? I am the zebra your mother was good friends with, the one who would always be there for you, whatever the weather.”

This statement from Zecora caused Germanica a huge amount of grief. Screaming at the zebra, she said, “Always be there for me and her, you say? Then where the heck were you fourteen years ago, hmm? Were the heck were you?! Now do me a favour, leave this place forever, liar!”

Fluttershy was, naturally, quite confused. Do these two know each other?

Chapter two: An unusual encounter

The day after Germanica’s flashback, in the plains outside the Everfree Forest…

Germanica had been walking in the plains for a few hours, and had her eyes on the mountain range further in the distance. “I don’t think I’ve been there before. It sure looks quiet.” Germanica paused for a moment. She needed to think about whether these mountains were where she really wanted to go. It was part of her lifestyle; as if she wanted to make sure she avoided contact with the rest of ponykind, she needed to be sure her destinations didn’t play host to any settlements. Staring intensely at the mountains, Germanica cast a vision-focus spell, which while active, sharpened her eyesight dramatically, almost to the point where she might as well have been looking through a telescope. “I can’t see any buildings there. Rocks, trees, snow. But no buildings. Good, I can head there. It looks interesting, and it is big. I think I could spend a few days there.” Smiling and confident, Germanica trotted off towards the mountains. The journey was going to be long, the plains were huge. By the time she made it, she thought, it would be long past sundown.

A few minutes after deciding the mountains were uninhabited, Germanica saw an opportunity to gather some apples from one of the trees in this plain. “They look nice. Delicious and…” She sighed. Not again. She cast a spell on some big, round fruits, using her energy to pull off the apples near the top of the tree. She wanted to leave the ones nearer the ground for others without magic, so they could still reach some food if they needed it.

While doing this, she heard something rather… unexpected. A loud rustling could be heard in the bushes. Then, a mysterious voice began to speak. “Psst… psst… wh… where are y… you?” The voice that spoke this was rather quiet, clearly female, stuttering with no confidence. Germanica, shocked at the prospect of being so potentially close to what she believed could only be a pony, was left speechless. Speechless, but not thoughtless. Surely… no, it can’t be? Not out here, in such a remote place. She’s not talking to me, is she? The voice spoke again, with the same lack of confidence, “Wh… where are you? Angel?” Germanica was only able to think in astonishment. Why? Why would anypony else be out here? There’s nothing for them. Besides, how could they get out here? That would require passing through Everfree. Unless they live in Ponyville, I guess. I thought everypony else feared the place with all their hearts. And who’s this Angel?

As Germanica was listening to this voice and the rustling, she had remained completely frozen and silent. She had yet to see the source of this voice, and, she presumed, the voice was yet to see her. After another couple of minutes, Germanica, fear and uncertainty flowing through her veins, barked at the voice with a stern order. “Show yourself! Who are you? Where are you?”

At first, nothing much happened, except for a small whimper. The voice did not even reply with more words. But then, it asked Germanica “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?” Germanica, not really familiar with proper manners when talking, said “Only if you show yourself now! I don’t like this; I want to see your face now!” She was about to use her magic to throw a rock at the bushes when a patch of soft pink and yellow that didn’t match the foliage rose from inside a bush near the base of the apple tree. A sudden jolt moved through Germanica’s body, sending her backwards several paces. A… anoth… another pony?

Germanica’s shock quickly turned to fear, and fear into defence. It had been so long, so many years since she last had a close encounter with another of her kind like this, she simply didn’t know how to approach the mysterious character. Certainly though, she did not speak for a while in this first visual encounter. The reality of being in such close contact with another of her kind was too much for this unicorn to comprehend after so many years alone. What does she want? I was just here to pick some apples. Why can’t she mind her own business! A scowl took over Germanica’s face, along with a light purple glow engulfing her horn, aiming to strike fear into the heart of the mysterious mare. It certainly worked. The mare jolted backwards, unfurling her wings with fear. Interestingly, she didn’t go so far as to take flight. A pegasus! Germanica looked in awe at those feathered limbs shoot out from this mares’ body. Well, this day just gets weirder and weirder. Of all the races in Equestria, why would a pegasus be out here on her own? Surely she should be up in the clouds, doing whatever it is that they do. The pegasus, clearly frightened by the threatening behaviour Germanica was displaying, started to wail and cry.

Germanica asked herself many things. What does this pegasus want? All I was doing was minding my own business! Is it too much to ask of the world to let me live a secluded and isolated life? Suddenly, the yellow pegasus began to speak, with much hesitation behind her voice. “I… I was… was looking for my pet, Angel. And my…” The mare’s explanation of her presence was cut short by a sudden comment by Germanica. The mention of an animal in need seemed to give the unicorn a boost of confidence. “Looking for a pet? What does it look like? What kind of animal is it? Why are you keeping yourself so quiet?” The pegasus replied, this time being given a chance to explain herself without interruption. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, I had to keep myself quiet, so I didn’t scare Angel. He’s only a poor little bunny rabbit, you see. You want to know my name? It’s Fluttershy. My name is Fluttershy. I have been looking for Angel for a few hours now. He hopped away from my home, and I’ve been ever so worried about his safety. I mean, if he went deep into the Everfree Forest…”

Germanica looked at Fluttershy. Her eyes started to lose some of the tension they had built up when Fluttershy first appeared, though they never lost contact with the pegasus. That scowl started to dissipate. Upon hearing the words Everfree Forest, she even managed a slight smile. “The Everfree Forest, you say?” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Well, I have been living in that forest for the past few days. In fact, since I was about six, I have been living there for at least half my life. You speak of worry about entering that woodland. I can tell you that you have no reason to fear for your pet. I know that place like the back of my hoof, and I know when something enters it. Or at least, I know when I need to. I seem to have some kind of connection to that place.” The two fell silent for a few minutes. Fluttershy looked shocked. A pony that has spent half of her life in the Everfree Forest? Surely that’s impossible! That forest is a place that is segregated from the activities of ponykind. A place where terrifying monsters live, monsters that would surely kill anypony that was unfortunate enough to stray in their paths! And if it is segregated, how does a pony have a connection to that place?

“Since you were only six? How? How did you survive?” Fluttershy asked Germanica, puzzled at the notion of a lone, socially awkward, seemingly even more so than herself, pony living so long without any contact from the rest of her kind. “Because I am one with that mighty forest. But that’s not important now. What’s important is that we find your rabbit.” Fluttershy looked stumped. Connection? One with the forest? What is this unicorn talking about?

“Fluttershy, I will tell you more. But that will have to wait. First, we must find this little rabbit. Such a small creature shouldn’t be running around alone out here.” Germanica was finally able to put down her defences. Physically, anyway. Relaxed, the Unicorn sat down and relaxed herself. Despite this though, she was never at ease in her mind. The moment this pegasus starts any funny business… Germanica never once lost eye contact with Fluttershy. She was still unsure how to act, this was the first time she had talked to somepony else in a few years, after all.

Still in confusion, Fluttershy agreed with Germanica’s request that they look for Angel first. “Yes… well… I… I think he would have tried to find a quiet tree to hide near. He does that when she gets lost. I would assume it’s because we live in a cottage built out of a tree, on the very outskirts of the Everfree Forest.” Germanica was now the puzzled one, and couldn't help but ask “A tree? You live in a tree?” Fluttershy managed to smile at this, and with a light chuckle said “Oh yes. It’s quite nice and warm inside. Anyway, shouldn’t we be looking for Angel now?” Suddenly, Germanica went quiet again, not saying a word to this Fluttershy had just spoken. She just nodded in agreement.

“Why don’t we…” Fluttershy was interrupted by seeing what Germanica was doing. The unicorn had sat down on the ground, eyes shut, and another purple glow had appeared around her horn. Out of nowhere, a light wind started to blow through the trees, through the bushes, through the flowers. This wind did not feel entirely natural, however. The clouds in the sky hadn't changed in movement and the air was still warm. Looking at the strange activity this odd unicorn was doing, Fluttershy could only think in wonder. Is she making that wind blow the way it is? How is that possible? Fluttershy then noticed Germanica’s left hoof, which had moved outwards, like she was trying to point something out. The pegasus turned to face the same direction as Germanica’s hoof and saw something that left her in absolute awe. There, at the base of a tree trunk, the bushes surrounding it had their foliage pushed to one side, almost as if some invisible being was holding them in that way. Behind this foliage, a small white rabbit was revealed. “How… did you do that? How did you know Angel was there?” Fluttershy asked in astonishment as she went to pick up Angel. Germanica opened her eyes, and looking at Fluttershy, merely said “How I did it? With love. As for knowing where Angel was, well I didn’t.”

“Love?” Fluttershy asked. “What exactly do you mean by love?” Germanica sighed, but didn’t answer this. This is why I try so hard to avoid the rest of ponykind. They just don’t understand. Not even one who clearly loves nature almost as much as me. Despite these thoughts, it was slowly becoming clear to Germanica that in many ways, Fluttershy held many similar traits to herself. They were both quite quiet. They both loved nature. They both spent a lot of time in the Everfree Forest or near it at least. Perhaps that was why Germanica was able to talk to Fluttershy. But the unicorn wasn’t so sure about talking to anypony else. I’m sure the fact that this Fluttershy is somewhat similar to me in some ways is mere coincidence. A coincidence that does let me talk to her, perhaps, but she must be the only pony this quiet, aside from myself.

“Right now, you wouldn’t understand. It’s complicated.” Germanica explained to Fluttershy. Fluttershy then decided it might be worth trying to keep Germanica around for a little longer. “Germanica. May I ask you something?” Germanica nodded. “Could I interest you in coming to my home for a while? I have some food there. I suppose it might be worth it just get some fuel for wherever it is you might be going.” Of course, Fluttershy had an ulterior motive for asking Germanica this. Her mind was filled with many thoughts as a result of this encounter, but none were more prominent than this; I want to know more about her magic. How did she do that to the wind and the plants?

After a small moment of thought, Germanica said “OK. But only for a couple of hours. I really must set off after that.” Fluttershy sighed. It wasn’t often that she was able to meet somepony just as shy as she was, so understandably she was disappointed at the prospect of only having a few hours to find out more about this mysterious, quiet stranger. “Will you have dinner with me?” Fluttershy asked. In agreement, Germanica had some conditions to be sure off. “I shall, as long as it doesn’t take long to prepare. I will have to go onwards in a few hours. Those mountains will become dangerous to climb at night, so I want to get there while there is still some daylight.” Fluttershy let out another sigh. Why would anypony want to go to the mountains? There’s nothing there to interest ponykind. She looked at Germanica, telling her that “It won’t take long at all. C’mon, it’s not far from here.”

So the two set off for Fluttershy’s cottage, with Germanica making sure there was always a bit of distance between the two. Along their walk there though, Fluttershy was not able to stop thinking about that magic she witnessed Germanica perform. I doubt even Twilight would be able to communicate with the elements like this pony just did.