//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Roots of a Heart // by adcoon //------------------------------// The world had changed. She had felt a little dizzy, and then it had all changed so suddenly. She could no longer quite hear the ponies gathering around her, their voices now like a distant whisper. She looked up and saw Derpy through a haze, now far off. The gray pegasus was saying something, her lips were moving, but there was barely a whisper heard. “I … don't feel so well,” Fluttershy whispered sadly. It was strange, so relaxed she felt. The visions, the sounds, they were drifting away from her, nearly gone now. “I'm sorry,” she cried. And she knew, this was the end. “Miss Fluttershy, pegasus of Ponyville, daughter of Sky Skimmer and Sunburst, Element of Kindness,” a solemn but somehow comforting voice broke through the silence. The haze parted behind her and she looked up into the eyes of a tall, black stallion. He was dressed in a suit and his silver mane billowed out under a wide hat. He reminded her of a tree, strong and tall, giving shade and protection to all beneath his shade. “Do not be afraid.” He reached out a hoof to her. “I am here to see you home.” “H-home?” She had felt very weak as she fell, but now she stood up with ease as she took his hoof. “All ponies return home, one day,” the black stallion said slowly. “Will I see my friends again?” “They too will one day find their way home,” he nodded once. “All living things do. Some travel alone, some get lost along the way, but all find their way across the sea eventually. I am here to show you the way.” “You don't show everypony the way?” He shook his head heavily. “It is only my duty to ensure they reach the sea. Most must find their own way across from there, just like they must find their own way through life.” “W-why me?” The black stallion's gaze seemed to grow distant for a moment. Up close Fluttershy noticed that his coat, which had seemed black at first, had a metallic sheen and wasn't truly black. “Out of kindness,” he said after a moment of silence. He turned and began walking slowly. Fluttershy hesitated. The world she had known was nearly gone now. Merely a memory. She thought she saw a glimpse of princess Luna, her face unreadable as she looked down at what Fluttershy realized had to be her body. For a second she thought she saw a stallion by the side of the princess, tall and eerily familiar. She couldn't see anypony else anymore. She turned and looked at the stallion waiting for her in the misty haze. “W-who are you?” “Here I am prince, up there … I am forgotten,” he said. “You may call me Terra.” She looked back at the fading image of her life, then slowly turned and followed. “P-prince?” The haze parted like a veil, and Fluttershy stepped out onto a wide beach. The sand and water stretched out into the dark, infinite horizon with the gentle red glow of the sunset leaving behind a dark, starless sky. Terra gestured out across the sea. “This, and all that lies beyond these waters, is my kingdom … and can be yours too.” Fluttershy stared. “M-mine?” The prince nodded. “If I am not being too forward or speaking too soon,” he said and unfolded his wings. He held out a hoof to her. “Allow me to show you, at least, and your heart may decide in its own time.” She took the hoof, and together they set out across the great ocean. *** Derpy cradled the lifeless body of Fluttershy, oblivious to everything around her. Ponies were gathering and exchanging worried questions in hushed voices all around, but all this meant nothing to Derpy who had her attention on the flowers. She was trying desperately to find the place where it had gone wrong. Blearily she saw the bright red petals and recalled the mysterious black stallion. She looked at Fluttershy, reluctant to let go of the body, but she had to do something, and there was only one thing she could do. Derpy kissed Fluttershy on the cheek and lay her down gently. She turned and bumped into Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus had been staring at the scene but now her eyes turned to focus upon Derpy. “W-what have you done?” She said, her eyes growing angry. “You killed her!” “I-I never meant to!” Derpy pleaded, but Rainbow Dash was upon her in a flash. “Let me go!” she cried and struggled, but the other pegasus was too strong. “I have to help her!” Rainbow Dash wrestled Derpy to the floor and stood rose above her like a dark cloud, looking like she was struggling with herself to not do worse. “You've helped enough!” she cried. “WHAT is going on here?” Luna's voice cut through the noise and made Rainbow Dash look up as the crowds parted for the princess. “S-she killed Fluttershy, princess! She killed my friend!” Rainbow Dash was clearly holding back tears. “I didn't know!” Derpy protested through her own tears. “Let me go!” “No!” Rainbow Dash's voice broke. “I should—” “Enough!” Luna lifted her hoof to silence them. “Everypony clear out, the royal guard will handle this matter!” The crowds began to dissolve all around as guests wandered or were led off. Derpy glanced between Rainbow Dash, still standing above her, reluctant to let go, and the exit to the garden where she had met the black stallion. She saw her chance and kicked. Her hooves connected and sent Rainbow to the ground in a heap. Derpy leaped to her hooves and raced madly for the exit, paying no heed to the chaos erupting behind her. She had to make it all good again! Derpy galloped through the garden and out through the gate to the forest where she had met the stallion. Her eyes searched the place but found nothing but trees and growing shadows. No black stallion and no hoof marks in the soft cover of the forest. Above her she could hear the beating of wings and calling of voices. They were looking for her, and would find her if she didn't run. She set off again, into the forest, hoping it was the right direction for the river valley where she had found the flowers. She could hear the calls behind her growing fainter and more distant as she ran and leaped over old roots and under low branches that tore and beat at her dress and skin. A treacherous root caught her hoof and sent her flying. She hit the ground and rolled several feet before coming to a stop. She sat up, crying, and looked around. She could no longer hear the calls or the sound of wings behind her, or see the path. Any path. The trees loomed over her, ancient and gloomy. A distant bird screeched as she got up and limped through the dense thicket, pushing aside thorny branches. She felt lost and all alone in the world, and all she wanted was to find a way to get Fluttershy back and make everything right, to fix her mistake. After a while she left the ground and flew up into the branches. Maybe if she could get a view of the forest she would know where to go. The trees were dense and the canopy almost impenetrable. Derpy pushed and crawled her way through the dark, leaf-covered clouds towards the open sky. She wasn't sure how close she was when she became aware of eyes all around her, staring at her from the darkness. Small, red eyes that glared at her without blinking. Derpy paused and stood still, holding her breath and feeling the sweat run down her face. A small branch snapped under her hoof and a cacophony of screeches cut through the stillness. A swarm of black wings and beaks burst out from the trees and swooped down upon her. Derpy cried as she slipped on the branch and fell, hitting the ground. The birds were upon her, pecking and screeching, before she could recover. She screamed for help and waved her hooves frantically at the black birds, but there were too many and she was all alone, lost in the forest … A bright light shone through the forest. The birds screeched and flapped their wings in anger at the blinding glow. It lit up the whole place until it was impossible to see, glittering and dancing like sunlight in a diamond. So this is it, Derpy thought as she held a bloody hoof up to her eyes. The light at the end … she had heard about it. She didn't think it would be so beautiful. “You leave my mom alone you … you little meanies!” A familiar voice broke through. Derpy was confused. She heard wings flutter and birds screech, little hooves galloping, and then the noise faded and she felt somepony by her side. “Mom! A-are you alright?” As the light faded, Derpy looked up at her young daughter's worried face. “D-Dinky?” she stammered. The unicorn lit up when she heard Derpy speak, and hugged her as she sat up. “Mom! What happened? What are you doing out here?” Derpy wasn't sure if she shouldn't ask the same question. Last she knew, Dinky had been left in Ponyville with Carrot Top. She was too thankful and confused to think that far. “F-Fluttershy, she's … I k-killed her!” Derpy cried. She told Dinky of her meeting with the black stallion, of the flower and what had happened after. “And … I-I need to help her!” Dinky helped her mother up and brushed the worst of the branches and leaves out of her mane and the torn remains of her dress. “Come, let's get you to Zecora. It's not far, I passed by on the way. She can look at your wounds, and she knows all about plants. Maybe she can help.” Derpy sniffed sadly and nodded as she followed Dinky. “Why are you not in Ponyville?” She asked weakly after a while. Dinky looked a little ashamed. “I missed you,” she said in a low tone. “I'm glad you found me …” Derpy said and nuzzled her daughter. *** Zecora's hut lay nestled in a small hollow of trees within the forest. Derpy had never been there, but she had often seen the zebra when she came to Ponyville and knew that she was a friend of Fluttershy's. The crooked old tree which made up the outside of the home made Derpy shiver a little as Dinky led the way to the small door and knocked. There was a moment of silence as they waited, then the door opened and Zecora looked out at them from within. “Ponies outside my door, that I have not seen before,” she looked at Dinky, then gave Derpy a concerned glance. “What bad luck befell your friend? Tell me and her wounds I shall attend,” she said and lead them inside the cozy little home, closing the door behind them. “She was attacked by birds. Big black birds with evil little red eyes.” Dinky explained how she had found her mother, while Derpy sat down heavily in the middle of the room next to the big cauldron. Zecora rummaged around a bit among her shelves and came back with a small pot of dark, fragrant salve. She took a little on her hoof and began smearing it on Derpy's wounds. “You should act with greater care. What errand brought you to their lair?” Derpy sat and whimpered as the salve burned in her wounds and scratches. After the initial burning the salve soothed and her wounds magically began to heal. Meanwhile Dinky told Zecora what Derpy had told her of Fluttershy and the flower. The zebra shook her head sadly. “Blood of the Heart, a lover's soul depart. A grave mistake you made, poor Fluttershy I can not aid.” She put the little pot of salve down and looked hard at Derpy. “Should have only given her the root, or his warnings gave you not a hoot?” “I-I didn't know …” Derpy sniffed. Dinky hugged her mother. “Please, miss Zecora, she didn't mean to. Can't you help us at all? Maybe the stallion who told us about the flower can help, do you know where we can find him?” Zecora turned and looked out the window at the forest outside. “They have gone beyond the endless sea, to find them is beyond both you and me.” She seemed to hesitate before turning around slowly, looking carefully at the two ponies. “You said, miss Fluttershy you tried to woo, tell me if your love for her is true?” Derpy looked up and nodded vigorously. “I love her true. I-I would … I would travel to the end of the world for her, I would!” Zecora looked at her for a time, then trotted up the the big cauldron in the middle of the room and looked into its bubbling depths. “There is one …” she began slowly, looking back up at them. “A mare, but of her you must beware.” She turned and looked at Dinky seriously, as if to make sure she listened. ”Through the great swamp you have to go, and listen not to voices that glow. There you will find a mare by a lake, approaching her would be a grave mistake. She can show you the secret way, to the lands between night and day, but do not let her come near, if your lives you still hold dear.” Dinky nodded solemnly. “Through the great swamp, do not listen to any voices, find the mare by the lake and don't let her come near,” she repeated, then looked a little uncertain. “How can she help us if we can't come near her?” “Like all she bows to the great Shepherd, they who wield the staff she can not hurt. Keep a stick between you and her, but drop it and be her fodder.” *** They said goodbye to Zecora and ventured out along the path the zebra had described. Dinky led the way, lighting up the path ahead of them as the forest grew darker again. She glanced back at her mother who had been silent for a while. Derpy was walking with her head hanging near the ground. Dinky backed up a little. “Don't give up, mom. Zecora knows all about the forest, if she says this mare can help us then we just have to find her.” Derpy heaved a long, hopeless sigh. “Miss Zecora is right … it's all my fault. I always m-mess things up.” Dinky rubbed against her softly. “You are a bit forgetful, mom, but you know we love you no matter what. We'll find a way to save Fluttershy, if we have to walk to the end of the world, remember? The end of the world? And beyond if we have to.” “What if I make another accident?” Derpy asked miserably. “And cause the end of the world?” “You won't,” Dinky said and patted Derpy on the mane. “Not as long as we stick together.” The young unicorn looked around and found a long, straight branch. She ran over and pulled it up, shaking it about in front of her with her magic. “I'll be your squire and follow you, to keep the bad accidents away from my mommy knight. If any of them get too close I'll beat them silly with this mighty staff! Just like Zecora said!” “I'm glad you're with me,” Derpy said and sniffed, smiling sadly. Dinky lowered the branch and smiled. “I will follow you to the end of the world and beyond, if it comes to that. You can always count on me. Now, we have a fair mare to save!” Derpy straightened herself up. “Yeah! I'll not let Fluttershy down.” She looked around, a momentary look of confusion on her face. “I-I forgot which way.” Dinky smiled and pointed the stick. “This way, mom.” Derpy brightened up and followed Dinky as they headed down a low slope into a slowly deepening valley. The forest grew damp and icky, small rivers and ponds of brackish water dotting the landscape, forcing the two ponies to walk around them. Dinky kept her stick in front of her as she glanced around at the still, lifeless swamps. No animals seemed to live here, and the only sound was that of their hooves sinking into the soft ground, sending bubbles of decay and mud to the surface. Dinky shivered in the misty stillness, glancing back frequently to make sure Derpy was still with her. As she glanced back, her hoof struck something hard. Dinky stopped and looked down, taking a few steps back and holding a hoof to her mouth as a grinning face looked back at her from the shallow water. The skull looked old, green and covered in the mud of ages, but there was no mistaking the general shape or the horn extending from the forehead. She looked at her mom and steeled herself. “We s-should be careful. Remember Zecora's warning.” They continued, a little slower than before as Dinky searched the ground before them with the stick to make sure it was safe. More bones lay scattered in the mud and water, sticking up here and there. Ponies and other creatures, all of the same fate. Dinky wondered how many, and what their stories were. Had they sought the same as Derpy and her, here in this dark and gloomy land? She looked up at the sky where the moon still peeked out from behind a cloud, soon to disappear entirely. She heard a little fascinated sound from Derpy and looked around to find her mother already bounding off in the wrong direction. A flickering light moved through the misty darkness somewhere, drawing Dinky's eyes to it. A sense of fascination took on a life of its own and pulled her legs out of the mud. Derpy was already just a ghost in the fog ahead of her as Dinky found herself following, trudging blindly through the swamp towards the light. The light flickered and danced between crooked trees and hanging leaves, a warm glow pulsating with visions of rest and soft pleasures, an escape from worries and concerns that had plagued them on their journey. There were whispers in the air, soft voices lulling Dinky into a walking sleep. She trotted as in a dream, hazy thoughts bubbling through to the surface. One repeated itself. “Listen not to voices that glow,” it warned. Her hoof struck something hard and she caught sight of a bit of white in the water. “Listen not to voices that glow.” Dinky's head felt heavy. She forced it away from the light and stopped. Her mind cleared. Terrified she realized that she could no longer see her mother. A light sprung up in the distance, reflected in the brackish water beneath her. Dinky turned, struggling to not look again. “Mommy!” she called, her voice dampened and weak in the vast, empty swamp. She felt alone, lost, abandoned. Many lights flickered around her now, hungry, vengeful. Dinky cried and shut her eyes. “Go away,” she cried and her horn began to glow, a bright, warm light burning away the darkness and blinding out the cold, flickering lights in the mist. “Leave my mom alone!” Her legs shook, she didn't dare to open her eyes. The voices hissed and receded, fading away into the deeper swamp. She stood in the middle of the swamp, cold and crying while her horn burned, until she heard wings and felt Derpy's hooves around her. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,” Derpy whispered and held her close. They sat in the light together for a time, until everything was silent again but for the beatings of their hearts. *** The lake was hard to distinguish from the rest of the swamp, but there was a house along its shore. House was perhaps too much said, as all that remained was a ruined foundation and a few walls held up only by the plants growing thick around it, clinging to the ancient stones. The rest had long since fallen to the ravages of time and the highly chaotic weather of the Everfree. Derpy glanced out across the dark, mirror-like surface of the shallow lake. Here and there she could see dark plants moving under the surface, like fields in a gentle wind. Dinky walked close beside her, holding the stick guardedly in front of them both and looking around as if expecting something to jump out any second. Her horn was still glowing, the strain of keeping it up for so long evident on her face, but Dinky had refused to let go. Derpy stopped at the edge of the lake, as best she could determine it, and peered into the water at her feet. “Zecora said there would be …” Derpy searched her memory. “A mare? I don't think anypony lives here, not in a long time,” she said and looked up again. A little off there was a small boat resting calmly upon the water. Derpy walked through the water towards it, followed closely by her daughter silently keeping both stick and light going. The boat bopped up and down lightly in the ripples of their hooves as they approached. It didn't seem to be tied or anchored to anything. As they approached there was a sound of something breaking the surface, dripping of water. A face emerged over the edge, peeking at them from behind the boat. Derpy yelped and stepped back while Dinky nearly dropped the stick in a hurried effort to point it at the face. “My my,” the other pony said, smiling sweetly, “guests, and ponies no less.” Her skin was like dark green glass, smooth and glittering with drops of water, while her mane was black and sleek with water weeds in it. She rested her hooves on the edge of the boat, considering Dinky and the stick with her dark eyes glinting seductively. “You don't need that stick, young squire. Why don't you put it down?” “N-No!” Dinky said and edged closer to Derpy, holding the stick protectively between them and the water horse. “I won't harm you, I know why you have come,” she said without moving, her eyes following Dinky closely. “I can help you.” “I don't trust you,” the two ponies said as one. Dinky waved the stick a little, her magic tiring her now. “We know you, you're wicked! Zecora told us, and she's nice.” “You look tired, little one,” she said, smiling still. “Put down the stick and we can talk. It will be so much easier.” “No!” Dinky repeated, waving the stick again. One eye moved slightly, fixing Derpy in a calculating glance. “I know where He took your beloved Fluttershy. I know how you can find her, and win her back. If you truly love her, tell your daughter to put down the stick and I will tell you all I know.” “Y-you won't hurt us if we put down the stick?” Derpy asked uncertainly, as she glanced at Dinky. “Mom, no! She's trying to trick us!” Dinky tried desperately to persuade her mom. “You have so foalishly walked right into my lake,” she said, her gaze still not leaving Dinky. It had a hungry look shining through now. “If I wanted to hurt you I would have simply snuck up from behind,” she licked her lips, “and snatched the little one away, stick or no stick.” “Wh-what if I say no!?” Derpy asked defiantly. “Yeah!” Dinky added. “We know you can't hurt us, you're lying!” The mare ignored Dinky. “Then I won't tell you a thing, and you will go home in shame and never see your beloved again.” Derpy looked at Dinky. Dinky looked at Derpy. “Think about it,” the mare said, her voice luring them. “You can't make me speak. But I will tell you freely if you let down the stick.” Dinky gnawed her lip and looked at her mom. After a while she reluctantly lowered the stick. It touched the water and floated for a second, then disappeared suddenly like a fly snatched by a fish. “Hey!” Dinky yelped in surprise. The mare grinned wickedly, holding up the stick in her long, dripping tail. “Thank you, and your hooves are very nice, by the way,” she winked at Dinky. “You wouldn't miss just one, would you? It wouldn't hurt … for long.” Derpy scooped up Dinky and let her climb onto her back, sitting between her wings. “You tell us how to save Fluttershy now!” “Of course, of course,” the mare said, sliding around the boat towards them. The two ponies backed away as she disappeared below the surface and emerged in front of them. “He has taken her beyond the endless sea, where all ponies go eventually. He wants her as his bride you see, so he led her to his castle.” “H-he?” the two echoed each other. “Mmm, yes. Prince Terra, the Forgotten Prince, he who once ruled these lands and all things that live or grow. We have not seen him in a long time, that is why the forest is not quite as it used to be.” “Prince?” Dinky said, while Derpy backed away further as the mare edged closer to her. “There's no prince, never was.” She laughed, a bubbling, joyful laughter. “That's because he's forgotten, silly filly, or don't you pay attention? Once all ponies knew his name and paid him respect. He kept the forests and the wild places, and when a pony grew old and their bodies crumbled he showed them the way back home to the eternal fields beyond the sea. But then there was that sad business with his sister, Princess Luna and the eternal night. He and Celestia imprisoned her in the moon, you know. Grieving for what he had to do to his beloved little sister, he then went into exile, swearing to share her pain. Such a silly romantic,” she said derisively. “And now he has taken your beloved friend away, too soon, too soon, and denied her her proper fate.” “Her proper fate?” Dinky wished she had her stick now. The mare kept circling her like a hungry animal. “That's between him and me, I'm afraid I can't divulge such information. But you can still save her, and help me in the process, yes, help me.” Her tail brushed against Dinky. It was cold and sticky to the touch. “This boat,” she gestured at the dingy old vessel, “will take you down the river and across the ocean to where you need to go. All you have to do is climb aboard, it knows the way. But I must warn you,” she said, her voice turning grave for a second. “Never, for any reason, must you leave the boat before you reach the other shore beyond the endless sea. Once you get in this boat, you must not leave it, in return it will take you to Prince Terra's land safe and sound. From there you will be on your own to find his castle, and your lost love.” Dinky looked at the boat. “How can we trust you're telling the truth?” “You can't,” she smiled. “But would you rather stay for dinner?” The two ponies looked at the boat uncertainly. It looked ready to fall apart. Dinky sighed. “I guess we don't have a choice.” Together they climbed aboard. The boat rocked and magically came loose of whatever had kept it by the shore. It drifted slowly out onto the shallow lake. The mare dived and swam along with them. “Remember, don't leave the boat until you reach the other shore,” she said, and with that she disappeared among the weeds of the lake.