• Published 5th May 2013
  • 5,187 Views, 132 Comments

An It Harm None - DuncanR



To save Ponyville, Twilight and her friends must explore the everfree forest and deal with a being out of legend.

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"Well that just ain't natural."

Applejack awoke an hour later at the sound of a familiar voice: Twilight had just come in from the storm, wearing one of their fluorescent-orange rain cloaks.

“Applejack! Are you all right?”

“Just fine thanks to you. It’s gettin’ right cozy in here!” She flinched as a distant thunderbolt cracked and rumbled. “Apart from the obvious, that is.”

Twilight set her book bag next to the rest of the supplies. “Wasn’t it amazing? I can hardly believe it worked! I mean, of course it worked… the scientific theory is completely sound. But now we have proof! This could change everything we know about naturally occurring weather!”

Applejack watched her pace. “Not that I want to rain on your parade but you said we’d be safe, but the balloon took a direct hit. We’re lucky to be alive!”

“Oh, no-no-no… we were completely safe.”

Applejack opened her mouth to speak but stopped to look at herself. “Hey, yeah. We are okay. How is that possible?”

“The Balloon was protected by a specialized ‘Friesienday Cage’ of my own construction. It’s a network of copper cables designed to conduct electricity away from what’s inside.” She hopped in place. “And it worked! The lightning struck the top of the balloon, flowed down through the cables, and continued on to strike the ground. We were completely unharmed!”

“So the balloon is okay?”

Twilight shook her head, still smiling. “It exploded. But everything inside the basket was fine! Isn’t that exciting? This could be proof that naturally occurring lightning can behave just like an electrical charge in a laboratory… they might even be the exact same thing!”

Applejack slumped. “You’re gonna wanna write a book about this, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes! I can’t wait!”

“Well for that to happen we need to get back home. Why don’t we do this one step at a time?”

“Right. Of course.” Twilight took a soggy booklet from her saddle bag. “Our first step is to find shelter. Check. Step two is to be as noticeable as possible… as soon as the rain lessens, I can tie one of our orange cloaks to the top of the tree. Also, the balloon landed nearby and it should be visible for kilometres. After that, all we have to do is to hug a tree.”

“Well, that sounds…” Applejack quirked an eyebrow. “Wait. Hug a what now?”

“Hug a tree!” Twilight held up the booklet. There was a cartoon illustration of a very young filly in a spooky forest, hugging a tall tree. The tree had a smiling face and its branches were sheltering the filly in return. “That means we have to stay in one place as long as possible. That makes it easier for search parties to find us.”

“Is this a childrens book?”

“Cheerilee asked me to publish a student booklet on forest and wilderness safety, and I still have a stack or two at the library to give away for free. We had a really famous artist do the illustrations, too… she’s made a lot of famous children’s stories. She makes hoof-stitched dolls, too.”

Applejack tapped the booklet. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, I reckon.’ And we know Rainbow Dash is still out there, too! I’m sure she’ll find us in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

“I just know she will.” Twilight looked out of the cave and watched the rainfall. “As soon as this storm lets up, we’ll all be together again. And the most important thing is to stick together.”



They spent the rest of the day in the burrow. Even with half their food stores lost, there was enough to last two weeks. When night fell, the forest went from dark to pitch black. They huddled together, each wrapped in a cocoon of thick quilts.

Twilight spent the next day drying out her books and renovating the shelter. Her telekinesis excavated more space, and a ‘heavy-pressure’ spell turned the loose soil into smooth, hard-packed dirt. By chance she uncovered a clay deposit and went on to fashion a kiln and chimney for light and warmth.

Applejack, ever rugged, searched the surrounding forest for jettisoned crates. The balloon had come apart over a lake and the gondola had washed ashore completely empty. Not even Applejack would dare swim to the bottom of a strange lake during a storm. She searched further afield and managed to recover a keg of coal and a smattering of uncut gems. There wasn’t much else to find.

She returned to the shelter and busied herself with some carpentry: she took apart one of the empty crates and turned it into a proper cellar door. Crude, but enough to keep the rain out and the warmth in. When that was done, she used some of the leftover clay to fashion a set of plates and bowls.

After that, there was nothing to do but wait.


Twilight sat at a makeshift table, looking at a scroll densely packed with symbols and diagrams. She squinted at the lines, searching for the slightest error. Inscribing a hardcopy of a magic spell was easier than most ponies realized... the difficult part was always the spell-checking.

She flinched as the door opened wide. Applejack looked in, smiling. “Twilight! Come see!”

Twilight set her reading glasses aside and followed Applejack out. The forest was still dripping wet and there was white mist clinging to the ground, but the sky was clear and blue.

“When did this happen?”

“Half an hour ago. One minute it was stormin’ like crazy, and then... this! You must have had your nose to the grindstone, in there.”

Twilight watched a flock of songbirds take to the air. “It’s so beautiful...”

“After what we went through, I think we deserve a break.” Applejack went inside and came back with an orange cloak. “Come on, now. Let’s hoist the flag while we still can.”

Twilight took the cloak but paused to look around. “Do you think we should look around first?”

“Don’t you remember step two of your plan? We’ve got to be as noticeable as possible.”

Twilight’s frown faded. Her horn glowed and the cloak levitated to the highest branch of the tree. It slithered around in the air and pulled tight, forming a perfect bow.

Applejack nodded up. “Now that’s a pretty sight if I do say so m’self. Ready to put your map-maker’s kit to good use?”

“Definitely.” Twilight went in to pack her saddlebags. “I just hope Dash finds our flag before... well...”

Applejack perked an eyebrow. “Now what’s that all about?”

“This is the Everfree forest, after all. What if something else sees it first?”

“Don’t be silly. A critter won’t know what it means. I guess a bunch of birds might tug at it.”

“Right... of course.” Twilight followed after her.



They returned to the lake where the balloon had originally crashed.

“Where’s the gondola?” said Twilight. “Didn’t you say it was here before?”

“The storm could’a dragged it back into the water and sank it to the bottom.” Applejack went to the bank and ran her hoof over the rough sand. “No way to know for sure. The downpour woulda washed the marks away.”

Twilight sprinkled some beach sand onto her scroll and blew it off. “I’m not exactly sure where we are, but there should be a mountain range to the east of here.”

Applejack looked to the eastward sky. “I’d rather not go too far with this map-making business. Dash can scout a hundred times better than we can.”

“You’re right, but I think we should at least search our immediate surroundings. It would be good to find a place to forage for food.”

Applejack smiled. “You don’t need a map to do that, Twi. You can forage anywhere if you know how to look.”

“Really?” Twilight rolled up the scroll. “Then why haven’t we found anything yet?”

“We weren’t looking, is all. Nature’s bounty is all around us!”

“Really?” Twilight said. “Can you see anything now?”

“Well, there’s...” Applejack looked around. “There’s always wildflowers. And all kinds of nuts and berries.”

Twilight glanced around, eagerly. “Which ones?”

“Well all right, you got me there. I don’t see anything right here... but I’ll keep my eyes open as we walk. We’ll have a whole basket of food by the time we’re home. You’ll see!”



They left the lake in a northwesterly direction, circling around their home tree. The trees here were tall and straight, and their black bark was stained with patches of lichen. Applejack darted back and forth, searching. Twilight focused on her scroll as she walked.

The mountain range must be connected to the storms, somehow. The change in air pressure must be causing some sort of turbulence. But why now? What could have changed? She tickled her nose with the end of her quill. Mountains dont change shape that quickly. Maybe its the wind? Maybe its blowing in a different direction, now?

“Twilight! Come look at this!” Applejack ran over and showed her a small basket. “Didn’t I tell ya? We’ll have trail mix and mushroom stew in no time.”

Twilight peered into the basket. Her horn glowed, and an aura of sparkles lifted up a red-spotted mushroom. “These are Phycacia Pyronomia. I’m pretty sure they’re poisonous.”

“Well, there’s still these nuts. There was a whole walnut tree over yonder.” Applejack took a walnut in her mouth and cracked it open. When she set it down, the inside was musty and black.

“Aw, nuts.”

“Here, let me take a look.” Twilight Sparkle leaned close. She frowned in concentration, and her horn glimmered. “I’m not detecting any poison or decay. They should be safe to eat. I don’t know how nutritious they are, though.”

“Well, you know what they say. When the going gets tough...!”

Applejack ate the broken walnut and spit out the empty shells. The longer her jw worked, the more her face contorted. It sounded like she was eating a mouthful of sand. She finally stopped chewing and just stood there, cheeks full.

Twilight watched her friend for a moment. “So, are they... nutritious?”

Applejack swallowed—very, very slowly—and gasped for breath.

“I remember when I first taught Applebloom how to run the windmill. She mixed up which bag was which and put the chaff in the pantry instead of the wheat. She accidentally baked a cake out of it.”

Twilight glanced at the basket of almonds. “...That bad?”

“Worse.”

“Well don’t let it get you down. We’ll just keep looking.”

Applejack nodded. They resumed walking.

“You know, it was just a silly mistake,” she said. “It could've happened to anypony. Applebloom’s baking has gotten a whole lot better since.”

Twilight smiled. “You don’t have to tell me that. Remember those little apple-cinnamon muffins she made?”

Applejack smiled, but her ears drooped. Both their bellies rumbled.



As they walked, the forest thickened. Treetops blotted out the sky, and the earth was spongy and wet. Clouds of tiny mayflies buzzed back and forth. Twilight stopped to make a few notes. Applejack dug at the ground and took a close look.

“I don’t understand it. A place like this should be teeming with wild plants and animals. Even the soil looks... well, I’m not sure what to make of it.”

Twilight didn’t look up from her scroll. “I know it looks bad, but swampy soil is actually very rich in nutrients. It can be extremely fertile if you can drain the water.”

“Trust me, Twilight, I know when land is good for growing.” She looked at the trees around them, festooned with vines and moss. “I’m not sure what this land is good for.”

“Actually, I’ve noticed a couple of interesting plants already.” Twilight pointed at a strange mushroom: a series of horizontal shelves growing from the side of a tree. “I remember seeing these in one of Zecora’s alchemical formularies. They’re good for making medicine.”

Applejack’s ears perked up. “You mean we can eat ‘em?”

“Oh, no. They’re poisonous when raw. You have to reduce them to a special powder and mix them with something else.”

Applejack sighed, and looked at the curious fungus. After a moment, something behind the tree caught her eye. “Hey, Twilight? What’s that over there?”

Twilight looked up from her scroll. “Over where?”

Applejack squinted. “I could swear I saw something sparkle. Like a piece of glass or something.”

Twilight came over and watched the forest. “Where was it?”

“Not sure... it was quick.” Applejack walked ahead, searching the trees. “There... there it is!”

They ran to a black, gnarled tree and looked up at a tiny object hanging from a branch: A figure made of twigs and bound with string. It was made up of triangular shapes and there was something small and sparkly tied to the middle of it.

Twilight pointed up. “Look, there’s more of them... hanging from the other branches.”

Applejack walked around the tree and went to a branch that was low to the ground, peering at the nearest figure. “It doesn’t look anything like a pony, that’s for sure.”

Twilight peered closer. “Hm. Two arms, two legs, and one head.”

“Well that just ain’t natural.”

“Spike has two arms and two legs, and he’s perfectly friendly. And remember those diamond dogs that kidnapped Rarity?”

“I guess so. But they werent so friendly.” Applejack leaned closer. “Is that some kinda jewel?”

“It’s been cut like a gemstone, but it’s just quartz. Not even semi-precious.”

“Why would anypony do that?”

Twilight shook her head. “No idea. Quartz crystals have only a few practical applications. None of them are particularly useful, and none of them involve twigs and twine.”

“Well is it... magical? Or something?”

“This one? Definitely not. I would have noticed right away.”

“Somepony must have made it, right? And put it here?”

Twilight frowned. “I suppose so.”

“Maybe they’re for good luck,” Aplejack said, “or maybe somepony is trying to decorate the forest. Pretty it up with some ornaments.”

They looked at the curious little craft. A breeze whistled through the branches, causing the stick figures to bounce back and forth.

“Say, Twilight? What time is it?”

Twilight looked at the sun, filtered by the leaves above. “Afternoon. We should probably head back soon, before night falls.”

“Yeah.” Applejack looked down. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find anything to eat, Twi.”

“It’s all right. Our map is only half finished, and we have enough food to last awhile longer.” Twilight turned towards their home camp, but paused to look back. “You know, maybe there’s something to these little figures.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Not sure.” Twilight watched the gnarled, black tree. “Maybe I should take one home with us... learn more about it.”

Applejack gently bit her lip. “What good would that do us?”

“If it was put here on purpose there must have been a reason. If we can learn that reason, we might learn something about the creatures who put it here.”

“There’s got to be other ways to learn about ’em, right? I mean, this would be kind of like... stealing.”

“I doubt they’ll miss just one.” Twilight’s horn glowed, and an aura of sparkles gripped one of the figures.

“Twilight, please stop!”

Twilight stopped and turned to her friend, who was prancing in place and glancing left and right. “Applejack? What’s wrong?”

“I... it’s just...” Applejack stopped pacing. “Can we please just leave it alone? It’s all so...”

Twilight arched an eyebrow. “...Spooky?”

“Well, yeah. That too. But it’s something we don’t understand. You shouldn’t always poke things you don’t understand.”

“It’s just a stick figure. Not exactly a big deal.”

“If it’s not important,” she said, “then why do you want one so much? I’d love to learn more about it—Really, I would—but we’re havin’ a bit of an emergency here. Maybe once we’re all together again...?”

“You’re right, of course.” Twilight said, and the glow of her magic faded away. She looked up at the rich orange sky, faintly visible through the tree cover. “We should probably hurry home before it gets any darker.”

“There you go. We’ll be warm and cozy before you know it!”

Applejack followed her friend back the way they’d came. She paused only once to look back, but in the growing darkness the gnarled black tree was harder to make out. The figures were floating in the breeze, dancing back and forth.