Pony POV Series Tree Hugger 'Past lives'

by Alex Warlorn

Have A Seat My Dear

Nice to see you again Miss Tree Hugger, would you like a tarot reading, or a hoof reading today? I trust those predictions about where to invest your bits all turned out for the best?

Fraud? I'd never! I have you know my brother and I are trained mystics, trained in the magical arts in Saddle Arabia herself! Now now! I can assure you we're the real deal!

Cheap costume? We paid good money for-I mean these were passed down from a long line of pony sooth-sayers!

Here, let's give a trip down your previous lives! Free of charge! Just to show we're on the level!

Sit down, of course my brother has somewhere important to go. Stalling? Don't be so paranoid! Now now! Be comfortable!

Now look into the sparkling magic orb! Oh? Just found it in some old chest somewhere with the initials SSB.

Now I see, I see, in your previous life you were a very very generous princess, trusting of others, and loved for never jumping to conclusions about ponies who were just trying to help you. You really should-AGH!!! WHAT! WHAT IS-! ACK! IN MY HEAD! THE TRIPLE QUEEN OF THE ENDLESS ROADS! I-

If from beyond the veil of time and reality you wish to see my little pony! If you wish to see the versions of you that have been, then you shall be enlightened.

First in the age of wonders, there was a mare named Spring, named for her ancestor Spring Song. She was part of a group of ponies who loved the natural world, and sought to ensure it was not devoured by progress and the new world ponies were creating for themselves. After all, it was the only world they had, if they did not protect it, who would? The leader of this group was a mare called Bright Eyes.

But Bright Eyes met the heroes of ages past, as did her other friends, and learning of the power of magic, Bright Eyes believed she could make a new world greater and more beautiful than any before. But she left the group protecting the natural to pursue this new dream.

Spring would continue to protect the natural world. No, she did not fight with her former friend. After all, Bright Eyes still wished to protect the world.

Then the new world came that Bright Eyes sought to create, and Spring was reborn as the pony she wished to be. Her dearest wish was to be able to share her love of nature with everypony all her days.

This new pony, Autumn Skye, would play outdoors. She knew every rock, flower and tree in the town of Ponyville of that generation. She loved the natural in her own way more than ponies. And by the wishes of Bright Eyes and many of her group, there was much nature to be enjoyed, and no pollution to fear or worry about.

She lived next door to a pony named Minty. And like everypony in that world, they were close friends.

Minty and another friend named Star Swirl would go on her nature walks, which they loved, giving her a chance to share her love of what comes about not by conscious choice of mortals and their ordeals, but the whims of the natural world.

She had quite a collection of pressed flowers in her book that never filled as long as she wished it.

And she enjoyed picnic lunches at the Rainbowberry Fountain . . . I think you'll find the last surviving Rainbow Berry Bushes are being cultivated by one mare named Pinkie Pie in Ponyville.

She often had nature walks in the Breezies' garden and talked with them.

At a beautiful fair once, she was painted green once with pink and magenta hair, with flowers and butterflies painted all across her body. I believe you'd call it 'groovy.'

When the Pegasi's home of Butterfly Island was made known, she greatly enjoyed visiting there and seeing a new area of the world and all it's natural wonders.

As her world ended, Autumn Skye met the Spirit of Night, and the Spirit of Chaos.

Sadly, her happiness, her heart and soul, were too simplistic to survive in the new world that was about to be born. But she had enough uniqueness to be carried on.

So Night and Chaos introduced her to a shadow that had belonged to the daughter of a legendary hero. A mare whose mother had suffered doubts and fears all her life, but had never stopped trying. Her daughter had become out going and in many ways the opposite of her parent. Shady The Second.

The heroes had to give up their place in the world, leaving only their shadows, when the happy new world that Autumn Sky lived in had been born. But now that world too was ending. And their shadows would be used to birth ponies who could survive in the new world.

In order for her to live in the new world, Autumn Skye and the shadow of Baby Shady had to become one. Create a new pony that was a sum of both.

This new pony, was named Tree Hugger. And the world was remade, so all that had been, never was, and all that now was, had always been. This is the story of your former lives you wished to hear. Do as you will with this knowledge little pony.

Ugh! What was all that?! Here! Take your money! Take the creepy crystal ball! Take all of it! Have a good day! Have a good life! See you around! Bye-bye! Uh! Hope you enjoyed that reading! Brother come on, perhaps we should try something that won't get one of us possessed!

"Whoa...Haven't seen something that trippy since that spirit from another world visit the hut, I mean, I've never seen such a free spirit. Getting to experience a 2-D state of existence on the mural, and then getting to be one with the earth as a tree, and even getting to float around as a cotton candy cloud giving free chocolate milk to everypony . . . still don't know why he left in a huff and mumbled about erasing his own memory. Oh well, at least now I know that I've always been one with the earth in all my lives. I wonder if Princess Gaia's new news letter is out yet."

Author's Note:

Epilogue by me and Ardashir.

Flam: "We could always try ghost hunting for fools who think that rattle in the attic is old Uncle Horsecollar trying to tell them where the money is."

Flim: "Sounds good to me! I heard about a house with 'strange disappearances' then next town over. Probably just like us, whenever we vanished from an unpaid hotel room." *Picks up a copy of 'Haunted Houses Made Easy'.* "Time to make some easy bits!"

A few days later...

*Flim and Flam holding on to the doorknob for dear life as the gateway to the Umbrum Realm sucks everything in the house into it.*

Gate of Shadowy Doom: "I SHALL CONSUME YOUR SOULS AND REVEL!"

Flim: "Brother dear, the next time you get a great idea, put a horseshoe in it!"

Tree Hugger, "Like, this isn't 'Gaia Con'. Heey, Flim and Flam, spirit mediums, and the stallions who tried to sell my herd's farm to a developer . . . like, do you want help?"

Flam, "Don't be silly! We're professional!"

Gate of Shadowy Doom: "ENTER ME, ENTER YOUR DESTINY!"

Flim, "If you would be so kind!"

Tree Hugger, "Oh, okay, like, I'm picking some mega-negatory vibes here. The big thing's aura seriously needs some reharmonization here."

*Tree Hugger starts that warbling whatever she does.*

*The Umbrum Gate starts to shudder.*

Gate of Shadowy Doom: "UGGGGGH! I'VE HEARD BETTER SINGING FROM NYARLATHOTROT! STOP, I BEG YOU!"

Tree Hugger, "Like, just let it in, feel the positive vibes realign your chalkra."

Gate of Shadowy Doom: "URRGH, FORGET IT. I'M OUTTA HERE." *Vanishes, collapsing on itself.*

Flim: "Oh, Miss Tree Hugger, we owe you our lives!"

Flam: "Ask for anything so long as it isn't money, and if we can scam -- I mean honestly acquire it, it's yours!"

Tree Hugger, "We could use some extra hooves on the farm."

*A while later had Flim and Flam pulling on those farm-till-the-soil-thingies*

Flim, "We can just use telekinesis for this! This is discrimination!"

Tree-Hugger, "You'll need to save that to churn the butter."

Flam: "Brother, next time let's take our chances with the demons."

Comments

[cowbrony93]

that author's note

[Alex Warlorn]

6007963

Hope the main story was fun too.

[ShadowLDrago]

Cheap costume? We paid good money for-I mean these were passed down from a long line of pony sooth-sayers!

Bull.

Now I see, I see, in your previous life you were a very very generous princess, trusting of others, and loved for never jumping to conclusions about ponies who were just trying to help you. You really should-AGH!!! WHAT! WHAT IS-! ACK! IN MY HEAD! THE TRIPLE QUEEN OF THE ENDLESS ROADS! I-

Triple Queen of the Endless Roads, Rota Fortuna?

And she enjoyed picnic lunches at the Rainbowberry Fountain . . . I think you'll find the last surviving Rainbow Berry Bushes are being cultivated by one mare named Pinkie Pie in Ponyville.

Huh, are the berrier any good?

She often had nature walks in the Breezies' garden and talked with them.  

Indeed? Also, remove the thing at the end.

At a beautiful fair once, she was  painted green once with pink and magenta hair, with flowers and butterflies painted all across her body. I believe you'd call it 'groovy.'

&nbsp?

As her world ended, Autumn Skye met the Spirit of Night, and the Spirit of Chaos.

Luna and Discord, before he went nuts.

This new pony, was named Tree Hugger. And the world was remade, so all that had been, never was, and all that now was, had always been. This is the story of your former lives you wished to hear. Do as you will with this knowledge little pony.

Huh, interesting.

"Whoa...Haven't seen something that trippy since that spirit from another world visit the hut, I mean, I've never seen such a free spirit. Getting to experience a 2-D state of existence on the mural, and then getting to be one with the earth as a tree, and even getting to float around as a cotton candy cloud giving free chocolate milk to everypony . . . still don't know why he left in a huff and mumbled about erasing his own memory. Oh well, at least now I know that I've always been one with the earth in all my lives. I wonder if Princess Gaia's new news letter is out yet."

Ya know, I'm somehow not in the slightest bit surprised that Tree Hugger didn't react more to Discord, she looks and sounds like she's high half the time so whatever Discord does is tame compared to her hallucinations. (What? Someone had to make the joke.) Also, she knows and doesn't mind about Princess Gaia, shocker.

Gate of Shadowy Doom: "I SHALL CONSUME YOUR SOULS AND REVEL!"

You realize that they're con artists. They don't HAVE souls to consume. You'd just get indigestion.

Flim: "Brother dear, the next time you get a great idea, put a horseshoe in it!"

HAH!

Tree Hugger, "Like, this isn't 'Gaia Con'. Heey, Flim and Flam, spirit mediums, and the stallions who tried to sell my herd's farm to a developer . . . like, do you want help?"

Gaia Con. Not surprised.

Flam, "Don't be silly! We're professional!"

ProfessionalS.

Flim, "If you would be so kind!"

Thank you for being reasonable.

*Tree Hugger starts that warbling whatever she does.*
*The Umbrum Gate starts to shudder.*
Gate of Shadowy Doom: "UGGGGGH! I'VE HEARD BETTER SINGING FROM NYARLATHOTROT! STOP, I BEG YOU!"
Tree Hugger, "Like, just let it in, feel the positive vibes realign your chalkra."
Gate of Shadowy Doom: "URRGH, FORGET IT. I'M OUTTA HERE." *Vanishes, collapsing on itself.*

OK, that's funny. Also, it's chakra.

Flam: "Ask for anything so long as it isn't money, and if we can scam -- I mean honestly acquire it, it's yours!"

Nice save.

*A while later had Flim and Flam pulling on those farm-till-the-soil-thingies*

Buffy Speak is something you have mastered I see.

Flim, "We can just use telekinesis for this! This is discrimination!"
Tree-Hugger, "You'll need to save that to churn the butter."
Flam: "Brother, next time let's take our chances with the demons."

HAH!

(Well, this was shorter than expected, but entertaining. Interesting to see what you think of Tree Hugger. Looking forward to doing this with your Smooze thing, in the meantime, this is ShadowLDrago, signing off.)

[cowbrony93]

6008458 It was, that's what made the A/N so funny

[Alex Warlorn]

Thanks!
6008750

I imagined Tree Hugger as being able to take Equestria's strangeness like Maud Pie, but in a different direction from Maud Pie or Pinkie Pie.

[Ardashir]

Thanks for using my "contribution" there at the end. Poor Flim and Flam, how I love to make horrible things happen to them. Okay they deserve it but still.

[Alex Warlorn]

6011335

I consider that comedy optional canon at BEST.

Flim and Flam got flanderized in their second appearance, where they went from twisting the laws into knots to outright FRAUD.

[Ardashir]

6011453 Flim and Flam got flanderized in their second appearance, where they went from twisting the laws into knots to outright FRAUD.

I wouldn't say they were Flanderized by much. They certainly had the feel of being con artists in their first appearance, and were at the very least reckless and careless about their product provided they got paid for it AND were downright gleeful over driving the Apples off of their own home.

[Masterweaver]

So yeah, I write Tree Hugger as being technically mostly blind but having an aura vision that makes up for it... also Om is the syllable associated with the sixth chakra. The seventh chakra is supposed to be silence, but I guess horse-warbling is an instinctive sound so... sure.

[Alex Warlorn]

6018916

????

[Alex Warlorn]

6018916

What are the other five?

[Jordan179]

6011668

Flim and Flam are in many ways a cautionary tale about dishonesty. They are obsessed with the idea that they are cunning and by their own great cunning can succeed in tricking other Ponies out of wealth. The irony is that they are, in fact, highly-intelligent and could succeed in business by applying the same intelligence and effort they devote to their con games to honest production and sales. Their dishonesty is self-defeating.

As for the Apples, they seem to have a grudge against the Apples. Probably because they are very obviously black sheep of the clan, though as they don't have "Apple" in their names, the connection may be irregular. In their first episode they devoted a lot of effort to trying to trick the Apples off their land, when they could have made money marketing the technology incorporated in their mobile apple cider press.

If one takes the comics canon as even semi-valid, Granny Smith recently (within the last year or so) did them both a big favor, and this was after the second time they tried to trick her. They may have mellowed at least toward the Sweet Apple Acres Apples, in consequence. Or not -- they are obsessed with their concept of success, and the grudge may run deep. They might even consider her kindness foolish -- not realizing that it's part of the reason she's loved and respected bymost of a whole town.

[Jordan179]

6008750

My personal opinion is that Tree Hugger's life is very strange, and she's made a lot of very strange friends in its course. Among her list of friends in my fanon is Queen Hidden, the leader of Hive Hidden, a Changeling Hive buried deep in the northwest which deliberately and secretly tends a large section of wilderness for nature lovers, to feed off the positive emotions they feel for the forest. And they were doing this before the Reconciliation (after the Reconciliation, they do this more openly).

Tree Hugger rather often discovers and consorts with various mythological creatures. I think that her first reaction to Discord was a genuine desire to befriend him, and that despite the fact that she could tell rather quickly he was jealous of her friendship (and whatever else) with Fluttershy. The Smooze didn't scare her at all, because she noticed it was non-hostile. She only got frightened when Discord actually tried to expel her into another dimension, and even then, far less frightened than most other Ponies.

Whatever else she is, Tree Hugger is both brave, and kindly. I don't think she's oblivious to danger -- I doubt that she'd have survived if she were.

[ShadowLDrago]

6113610

Interesting story, but as for the mexican sock puppet thing, maybe it was because she could tell that Discord was REALLY mad and in absolutely no mood for games, plus, imagine how weird something in live action must look to a Flash animated technicolor pony that's high half the time. Don't give me that look, if the show didn't want people making jokes like that, they wouldn't have made Tree Hugger.

[Jordan179]

6113622

When did I ever say that Tree Hugger isn't high? I like her, but I don't claim her to be a creature of pure virtue. Just an admirable Pony.

[ShadowLDrago]

6113627

I was making a joke.

[Ardashir]

6113597 With Flim and Flam, they remind me of a story I was once told about a wrestling promoter that, if he had the choice between making $100 honestly and $20 dishonestly, he'd go for the $20 because that way he had the joy of proving himself superior to the person he cheated.

There's also a book, it might be hard to find (better try inter-library loan) titled Flim-Flam that goes into a lot of detail about various cons and con men. Suffice to say that most con artists thrive on acting like Flim and Flam, with a surface veneer of friendliness covering a sea trench deep pit of loathing and contempt for others. They disdain violence as a rule but delight in fleecing others. According to the author, many a con artist has been caught simply because after they'd cheated someone they simply had to contact their victim and let them know what kind of a fool they were.

[Alex Warlorn]

6113610

I recently read a VERY interesting fanfic, (which was a shipping fic, but nothing's perfect), where it was shown Tree Hugger sees the universe VERY differently from others. She sees the universe in AURAS! She says the CMC work by one take one step forward and the other two steps back, they are "too much in sync" with each other, but without each other they spin off who knows where, and one day one will break the cycle and they'll become a spiral. Celestia is as golden and radiant as she imagined her. She sees the elite as vary shades and patterns of hubris, either spouting their own tune or just following the leader. She's SURPRISED when she finds out Fluttershy is a pegasus because her senses are so much in tuned to the spiritual (and given how Fluttershy acts and her talent with animals), and she is SHOCKED to find out Discord is a single creature because he's such a random mishmash of different auras. And she tells Discord law and chaos are BOTH sides of Harmony.

[AnonYmuss90]

Script formats not allowed on FiMfiction, my big fat ass...
Pretty neat incorporating how previous-gen pones are ancestors of G4 pones. Also:

*A while later had Flim and Flam pulling on those farm-till-the-soil-thingies*

I do believe they're called plows, just saying.

[Alex Warlorn]

6447766

"Script formats not allowed on FiMfiction, my big fat ass... "

The entire thing is being told as an interview, the notes from those who are doing the 'interview.'

"Pretty neat incorporating how previous-gen pones are ancestors of G4 pones. Also:"

Thanks!

"*A while later had Flim and Flam pulling on those farm-till-the-soil-thingies*
I do believe they're called plows, just saying."

Oh I know! But would the Flim Flams?

[Alex Warlorn]

6448922

It's being told in the author's notes, so hopefully no one notices.

[Leave a Whisper]

Pfwahaha! That'll learn em! Who would a thunk the Flim Flam bros had a legit talent for being spiritual mediums? Interesting past lives take. :)

[Alex Warlorn]

7234399

This is based on a scene from a manga where a fake fortune teller is possessed by a real divine force to give the protagonist some actual cryptic advice.

[new55]

That was a good story. That was a interesting origin story Tree Hugger must be happy she was so similar in all 3 lives. Flim and Flam will never learn their lesson will they their lives would be a lot happier if they didn't try scamming everyone.

[Alex Warlorn]

11660085
They got more and more flat as the series went on. In their first appearance they didn't actually do anything actually illegal. By the end, they're out and out criminals.

Tree Hugger is like Zecora, unlike most ponies she can embrace her former selves and her loved and lost connections and move on.