The Forgotten Kind

by HollyB

5. Greenish Leaves

I felt the brush of leaves on my face and the sweet smell of mint fill the air. The leaves were clouding my vision, so I brushed them away. As they fell to the ground, I gasped.

The rain forest was green and inviting. The trees swung gently in the unseen breeze. A waterfall splashed happily in the distance. Small drops of water from the trees fell and plopped onto the ground next to me. Looking up, I saw a bird take flight from the tree. It's fronds swung awkwardly.

Getting up, I realised that I was neither horse nor human. I was a mix of both, with both bodies and souls of both creatures. Mist flew around my feet. I was floating on nothing and everything.

Looking up, I saw a beautiful woman standing before me. She was silent, her hair blowing in the breeze, giving off a soft green aura. She looked so powerful, but so gentle with her eyes sparkling, as green as new soft, green shoots and her misty, flowering robes flowing. She walked forward toward me.

"Cassie Quattor... my child, you have come." she whispered, her voice like the smoothness of the flowers. Her soft, pale hand reached out and touched my forehead, and I sighed softly.

"Who are you?" I asked her.
She stepped back a little and sighed.
"I am Gaia. Also known as Mother Earth." she said. "And I have been waiting for you."

"What? Why... why have you been waiting for me?" I said awkwardly.

"There are dark forces at work, Cassie." she smiled sadly. "Matters are out of our hands. The elements have had no choice but to flee."

"Flee from what? What, Mother Gaia?"

"You will find out for yourself. I cannot tell you now... you must find it out. But Cassie..." she winced a little bit and all of a sudden, her features started to melt. Leaves whirled around her, burying her in a storm. I shied back, a pony again. My hooves clattered on the rock I was standing on.

The leaves died down and she stepped out of the storm as a pony. She was even more beautiful, her long misty green mane and tail dotted with pink flowers, her tan fur long and silky, without wings. Vines twirled around her legs.

She winced and sank down into the ground. I rushed over and sat down next to her.

"Cassie... I am dying. We are all dying. Our time is over, and we were too vulnerable. Too vulnerable, so they got us." she sighed and shifted a little. "My child, you are one of the most important souls in all the universes right now. You are so special..." she whispered quietly, placing her hoof on my cheek. "You are the only one that can save the universe.
Equestria. Earth. Everywhere."

"But how.. why are you... what do I do?"

"You will know child."

"But please Mother...."

"You are the Savior. Find the Elements of Friendship, the Princesses and the One Who Seeks. Then find the rest of my elements. You must do this."

"But how.. who are they?" I asked, as she ran a hoof through my mane. She silently picked out a clump of hair and showed it to me. A dull green highlight. I then watched, astounded, as the green sprang to life, and leaves sprouted up out of the thick hair, then disappeared suddenly. The green was now bright as a forest. Plucking a pink flower out of her mane, Gaia placed it in mine. The sweet smell enveloped me.

I looked at the pony, who then reached out her hoof to touch my amulet.

"Go now, my Flower Child" she whispered, and placed the hoof on the white gem.

And she disappeared as everything exploded into a tornado of green leaves.

***

The smell of antiseptic burnt my nostrils, and I sluggishly sniffed.

It reminded me of the smell of a hospital, like the one that I went to after I broke my arm when I fell off the monkey bars. I heard beeping, and a rustling near me. I slowly opened my eyes.

I looked around the room. I was in a hospital. The pillow behind me made a crinkly sound and the sheet was too warm. I kicked it with my hooves awkwardly, but it wouldn't budge, and my arms and legs flopped everywhere.

Am... am I drugged? I asked myself, my brain foggy. Where am I... am I out of the forest?
I felt a sharp pain reach through me as I tried to move. Memories flooded back through me and I looked down at my chest. Sure enough, there were stitches all the way along
the wolf wound. I grimaced. The amulet lay limply on my chest.

I heard hoofsteps and looked up.

A pretty pale yellow pony walked in, with a small cap and apron with a little red cross on it. She had neither a horn or wings. Her blue and pink tail bobbed perkily.
"You're up!" she said happily upon seeing me staring at her with my eyes only half open. My vision was hazy as well, and I felt sleepy. She trotted over, wrote something on a small clipboard at the foot of my bed (how she gripped that pen, I will never know) and smiled at me.

"Are you feeling better? None of us really know what happened to you, but that was a pretty nasty gash." she said, looking at the stitches. "But it's looking alot better now, especially since Nurse Redheart sewed that up herself, and she is one of the best nurses here."

She watched me for a moment, then said, "Would you like anything?"

"Ughbey washna?" was all I could say. Frowning, I tried again, but my lips just would not work. They seemed to flap uselessly over my face. I looked up at her and gave her a confused 'sorry' look.

"Oh, yes!" she said suddenly. "Sorry. We had to give you painkillers. They will wear off in a while though. But you might feel a little bit sluggish and tired for a while Miss ....?"
"Cathsy... Casty... Cassie. Cassie." I stuttered out.

"Okay then Cassie. You should probably have a rest for now, you really need it, okay?"

"O..thay. Kay." I frowned. This was annoying, but was starting to wear off. The nurse started to walk out of the room. "Wait!"
She turned around. "Yes?"

"Watther?"

"Water?" she smiled.

"Yesh. Uhh... tank you Nurse...?" I stuttered, not knowing her name.

"Bon Bon." she said, and slipped out of the room.

***

I felt much better later. Although the wound still hurt like anything, I was relieved that I could (sort of) talk again. Bon Bon sat there with me for the rest of the day as it wore off. She was an amazingly optimistic pony, and she talked about everything. At least she didn't ask any questions.
After the awkwardness before, I was happy to keep my muzzle shut. She seemed to understand, and kept talking, stopping to get me lunch from the kitchen and occasionally a glass of water. Thankfully, she placed it on the bedside table where I sucked it up with a straw. I definitely would never be able to pick up anything with my hooves.

Finally, after about three hours of her talking, I asked her something.

"Uhhhmmm... how did I get here exactly?"

She looked up, startled to see me speak something that wasn't in gibberish.
"You were found unconscious in the Everfree." she replied. "Rainbow Dash, one of our lead weather ponies found you while flying over it and saw that you needed some medical attention pretty fast. She bought you over here as soon as. Half dead you were too..." she grimaced. "But why didn't you fly over the Everfree? Were you hit or something?"

"I... um.."

Bon Bon looked worried for a second. "Cassie, you can tell me anything, you know."

I looked at her and sighed. I looked at the ceiling, trying not to meet her eyes.

"I... I can't fly..." I whispered, before breaking into tears, for no reason. It was embarrassing, I know. I cried like a baby.

Bon Bon said nothing as she gathered me into her neck, my large wings hugging her back, where I violently sobbed for minutes. She smoothed my mane softly. Eventually, embarrassed, I drew back.

I heard a gasp.
I looked up and saw her staring at me with her mouth wide open. She looked down at my leg. Puzzled, I did as well.
A beautiful tattoo of a green vine stretched up from my hoof to my flank, where it ended with a large pink flower, maybe a rose. The vine spiraled up and around my left back leg, with leaves and flower buds attached to it. The tattoo was so bright I could have sworn it was real.

"That is amazing. Is that your cutie mark?" asked an astounded Nurse Bon Bon.

"It... is." I replied shakily. I was certain, even though I hadn't even seen it before.

But wasn't it supposed to do with my destiny or something? I thought, thinking back to Tempera Glow's words.

Tempera! I had completely forgotten about her!

"It's so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it..."

She went quiet, then stared at hers, three sweets, then back at mine, a little envious.

I wanted to touch the rose with a hoof, to make sure it was real.

And all of a sudden, as I touched it, I knew was that Gaia, the Element of Earth, was dead.

Author's Note:

Sorry guys, this too AGES to write... and I had too much homework, which didn't help at all!! Grrr...
There is'nt much progress i this chapter so if you were expecting more sorry....
And heres an artwork by me, with cassie! If you were wondering what she looked like... this is her first night on the beach.
But some people have guessed right! Cassie now has the power of the element of earth.... although she doesn't realise it just yet. The others are soon to come later, when she finally ventures off.
A MASSIVE TRUTH ABOUT TEMP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! STAY TUNED!!

Comments

[Cyber V]

Other than the fact you blew the cover on the story plot to soon, you're getting better, but there needs emotion and length in the chapters to make this a great story. The story needs to gradually build up or it's going to be over like a super fast rollercoaster that just crashed and burned.

[DrakeRenar1]

And this took an unexpected turn that I do say that I like a lot! Keep going I think this is great!

Though with Gaia dead someone is going to burn in hell once I get my hands on them unleash every single superweapon magical and sci-fi on them and cue Two Steps from Hell music cause there's going to be some epic battles!

[HollyB]

5230303
Thanks for the tip....

[HollyB]

5231843
*fight fight fight*

[DrakeRenar1]

5234840
I'm thinking that Lord of the Rings style would be an epic battle!

[HollyB]

5236377
Oh my god... yes...

[DrakeRenar1]

5239009
Yes it would be!

[HollyB]

5239268
Lol