A young mare stumbles upon a mystical glade hidden deep within the forest, and discovers its lonely inhabitant.
Berry Snowdrift lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of a wintery forest. Living away from the village has its ups and downs but when Berry goes into the forest one day to gather firewood, she comes across a very strange and mystical glade. And in it's center is a humble tower bearing a strange and otherworldly Guardian with a stranger story to tell.
This story is a what if kind of story. It's a take on what happened to Merlin after his supposed defeat in the old legends. I hope you guys like fey, magic and the teasing of two very royal sisters cuz there will be that abound in this.
Wow Featured the day of approval (6/17/2022). Lol that's a first for me. Im pretty aware of the temporary feature function as I've seen multiple fics of mine appear on the featured list temporarily. but this fic has been on it for hours now, so Im inclined to believe that its actually an enjoyable story so much thanks and I hope the rest lives up to the hype lol.
Softly, little shadows made their way across the wall of Berry Snowdrifts bedroom. She was laying across her bed with her head in her hooves as she stared out her window, watching the silvery glow of moonlight as it pierced the snow dusted canopies of the forest that her cottage was situated near. The storm the weather team had brought in was now in full swing and it was officially her favorite time of year.
With a happy sigh, she sipped from the steaming mug she was holding in her magic. There was nothing she loved more than hot chocolate while watching the snow. As the moon rose higher however, she knew that she needed to get her night started. She hopped off her bed, now empty mug in tow as she made her way into her living room. This was a rather modest place if she had to say so, and she did say so any time she had guests over.
She had a nice loveseat that was in front of her cobblestone fireplace and the glow from the already burning fire filled the room with much needed warmth. She had a few candles burning and with a smile went around with one and lit a few more. Her living room table held a few and was situated between the loveseat and the window to its right. She took another look outside as she passed and smiled at the brief aurora she saw in the sky.
She didn't live incredibly far north like ponies in the Crystal Empire, but she did live very well away from others. It wasn't necessarily her fault. Ponies in her old village just didn't trust that a unicorn could live peaceably with them. Yeah, that might sound weird to most ponies, but not to Berry. Her old village was pretty old fashioned and they considered themselves out of the jurisdiction of the crown due to being in the north.
As far as they were concerned they were a village for earth ponies only. She shook her head at the thought and began sliding her boots and scarf on. She knew that wasn't the only problem, she sighed and looked up at the little mirror she had hanging near the front door. She originally got it so she could check how she looked before going out, but she really didn't get out much anymore so it didn't see much use outside of looking at her ears.
They each gave a little flick, the little tufts of fur on top moving as they did. Although it hadn't been very long that she'd been out here, she was pretty much use to it and chuckled at her reflection. Pretty silly joke for the universe to allow the birth of a batpony but give her a horn instead of wings. Still she was content and she gave herself her patented award winning smile before she grabbed her harness.
She made her way outside and into the quiet cold as she hummed a little tune to herself, swishing her tail back and forth as she got herself hitched up to her cart. One last trip for firewood is all she'd need as far as she could tell. It was only her second winter in the cottage and her first was a little more brutal than she would have liked. Especially considering she had to go out in the dead of winter to find more wood.
Now though she had a veritable stockpile and if she was being honest she really didn't need the extra load of wood. But she learned her lesson, it's better to have too much than to have too little. She pulled and checked the tightness of her straps and once satisfied she made her way to the edge of the forest and the well worn trail she had made over the past summer. It actually took her some of spring going into summer but she wouldn't complain.
The end result allowed her ease of access with her cart and made carrying wood a cinch. Sometimes while walking the trail she would let her mind wander too. Often times daydreaming of what deigned to flitter through her mind, and what did was not very exciting to be frank. No, she usually thought of what her family was probably doing in the village. Unlike the rest, her Mom and Dad still visited her often and made a lot of effort to bring her supplies and goods that she needed to survive out here.
She was proud of them and that they were able to still help the village without completely forsaking their daughter. She couldn't wish for better parents and it was a thought she enjoyed. One of many she used throughout each of her nights to bring a smile to her face when the quiet of the snow presses in from all angles.
After all nothing is quieter than the gentle snowfall in the forest. Nothing could be heard with exception of her cart and her hoofsteps, crunching in the snow. Or at least that's what she thought until she stopped and cocked an ear. Something else was drifting almost imperceptibly through the almost still night air. Ahead of her she could hear what almost sounded like someone singing. She raised an eyebrow at this, because who in their right mind goes out singing in the forest in the middle of the night? It's unthinkable!
She snickered at that and thought curiously about what she was hearing. She wasn't one to shy away so she kept on ahead and followed the sound rather than her trail. Normally this would be very bad and could easily allow a pony to get lost. But she had been all through these woods and she highly doubted that it would happen. She carefully unstrapped herself from the cart and pulled it off to the side of the trail path. Once it was secured she turned toward the voice and followed it into the snow covered brush and trees.
As she got closer and closer, it rose in volume and she began to make out words, somepony was singing of time lost. Of those who came before and of years of history gone by. It was a melody that seemed to strike a chord deep within her chest and with every note, her heart beat in rhythm to it. It was unlike anything she had ever heard and as it got steadily louder, she emerged into a clearing.
Her eye's widened at what was before her, as it should not have been possible. But here in front of her was a beautiful moonlit, lush and growing Glade. The trees within its embrace were full and greener than any she had ever laid eye's on. The grass and flowers that bloomed seemed to wave in a nonexistent breeze that gave the whole area an almost ethereal aspect to it. Little white and yellow lights seemed to float in innocuous patterns as they lit up the area around them.
And there in the middle of this heavenly place was a short yet humble tower. It had a few bits that seemed to be crumbling away but otherwise it seemed whole. Vivid spiderwebbing vines climbed its surface and sought to cover it from the world and in a single window she could see a flickering of light. With a quiet gasp she realized that this place was lived in by somepony or something. If this were any other moment she'd be terrified but for some reason she only felt a sense of calm and appreciation for her surroundings.
It was as if this place took all her nerves and negative feelings and washed them away beneath a stream of warm water. That was another thing she noticed upon stepping into the Glade. It was pleasantly warm compared to the cold of winter that gripped the rest of the land. She she inched closer to try and get a view of who might be inside, she saw a shadow move across the window. She quickly darted into the shrubs near the tower and hid. She heard the door open and somepony step out, but it sounded strange. Their steps seemed off, as if they were walking on two hooves instead of four.
With a hesitant peak out, she came face to face with a very strange creature indeed. It was tall yet thin and had a long white mane and beard that seemed to almost touch the ground. The creature was wearing what looked to be dark green robes and it knelt down, bringing itself face to face with her.
"Hello my little pony. Would you like to come inside for some tea?" he asked in an unmistakably male voice. He seemed very genuine about it as he gestured to the open front door where the smells of tea and baking bread came wafting out. She looked at him and back at the door before looking back at him and nodding. She followed him inside and as she did she closed the door behind her.
"Feel free to take a seat in front of the fire if you would like, though I imagine it probably wouldn't do much good. Damn clearing keeps everything at an almost perfect temperature." He said with a chuckle as he grabbed the teakettle from the fire and began filling two cups. As he did he stayed quiet and focused on what he was doing. He placed the warm cup of tea in front of her and then made his way over to what Berry recognized as a bread oven, but it too looked different than what she was use to. It looked almost ancient.
He carefully removed a steaming loaf of bread and placed it on the table between them where he set about cutting it into slices. Berry watched with fascination as he used what looked to her like claws to hold and grasp things. With a smile she picked the knife up and cut herself a slice, looking at him with a cheeky grin as she had done it with her magic. He smiled back and snapped his fingers, causing the knife to vanish from her magic and reappear in front of him. It was now floating in midair without the aid of any magic.
Berry stared with her mouth hanging open as he gave her a wink and whisked the knife away to a sink in the corner. She continued to stare for a moment more before taking a sip of her tea and looking once again in shock. It was her favorite mint rose tea. She looked up at him in question and he smiled before taking a sip of his own.
"If you're wondering how I knew it's your favorite, I could feel it. Just like I can feel the fact that you are mute and cannot speak." He said, his eyes gaining an almost sad look to them. Berry for the third time tonight was shocked and now it was beyond what she could comprehend. This strange thing already knew this much about her? She had never met him before and yet he knew without asking that she couldn't talk. He looked at her with kindness before he spoke again.
"Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you or anything, If I was I wouldn't have offered you tea. No, Instead I think I'd like to have a talk if you don't mind." He explained, taking another sip from his tea and a few bites of bread before continuing.
"I've been alive for a very long time, and as sad as this may seem, I've had very few visitors over the long years. In fact I think you're the first to have found me in well over five thousand years. I think the last one was this adorable bookworm of a princess who just happened to stumble upon me while I was originally erecting this tower." He explained as he gestured to the tower around them. "She was a mare with a lot of questions, I can tell ya that much."
He laughed and drank the rest of his tea in one final sip before eating the last of his slice of bread. Once he was finished he cleaned up and brought the kettle back over the fire where he took a seat next to her.
"So, you don't mind hearing my story right?" He asked, looking at her questioningly. She didn't mind and she smiled at him, lighting her horn she spell wrote for him in the air.
'Please I'd love to listen'
He grinned and nodded, "That's a neat trick, believe it or not I knew the mare responsible for it's invention. Id get comfy though because this is a long story. Ah before we begin I don't think I got your name?"
She giggled and spell wrote for him again.
'I'm Berry Snowdrift, Pleased to meet you'
"Haha, it's my pleasure to meet you as well Berry. My name...is Merlin."
You know when I think back on some of the moments I encountered when I first came to Equestria, I never thought that a hilarious blue flower would be how I was introduced. Ah, you look confused. That's pretty normal and I can understand why, so how about I explain it like this.
See for a long time in my own world I was seen as a seer. At least I was seen as such by the people and for a long time I was fine with that. The place I came from was a world of strife and warfare and a lot of bad things happened. Now this story isn't really about that so let me just say that once I helped a boy become a king, suddenly my name was far more famous than I had ever planned on it being.
And then I made a mistake that cost a lot of us many things. You may not know this but I went about a painstaking way of faking my death. At the time it seemed to be the right thing to do and thinking back on it, I think I was only running from the problems I caused and the memories of my own mistakes. It didn't mean that I didn't want to fix them more than anything though.
What I did would be pretty normal for what in my world were called the Fey. Curious creatures and people the Fey, they live within a world of magic and mystery and were known quite often for their trickery and deception. As cunning as the most intelligent creatures and mix that with magic? Yeah, you get the picture right?
So as I was saying, the Fey. I was born part human and part Fey, that's why I was able to use magic where other humans couldn't. When everything fell apart I left that world behind and sought to enter the world of the Fey and through it a mystical garden known as Avalon.
I don't know if it was a mistake on my part with the magic I cast or if maybe the very nature of Fey magic caused a divergence, but I never made it to the garden. Instead I awoke in a very strange world that was filled with the most pure and good magic that I had ever felt. The very air itself was practically saturated with it and as soon as I entered the world I landed in a patch of a peculiar and funny little flower.
I’m sure you've heard plenty these days about Poison Joke right? Haha, I thought so and you're right to laugh. My first experience was an enlightening one because it transformed me. In hindsight I can laugh and think of it as a fond memory, but when it happened I was confused and just didn't understand what was happening.
There's actually another name for the Fey folk that humans often called them by. They used to call us fairies or the fairy folk. I know it's rather silly isn't it? Still, It just so happens that the Poison Joke thought it would be hilarious to turn me into a literal depiction of what humans considered fairies to be. It shrunk me down to the size of a candle and slapped little dragonfly wings to my back.
And that's how I spent the better half of my first week. I discovered that due to my own personal brand of nature magic, the flowers effects would wear off after a time. My problem was that I was fascinated by them at this point and I just couldn't stay away. You see I love nature to a degree that many could not understand, which is why despite human people being omnivorous I chose to be a vegetarian.
Ah I see why you would be concerned but rest assured humans did not partake of equine flesh. To humans equines were nothing more than unthinking creatures that were used as beasts of burden. I was actually quite gifted at conversing with them and you'd be surprised the personalities they had. I met an old Percheron stallion once who spent the better part of a day telling me about how he and his old master had gone into battle and vanquished many a foe. Fiercely loyal, those Percherons.
Sorry got a little off topic, as I was saying I was fascinated by these little flowers that seemed to ignore any of my spells and changed me on what seemed to be a whim of their own. I couldn't make heads or tails of it but it did give me quite a laugh on the day I met her. Remember when I spoke of an adorable bookworm Princess? Haha yes you're correct, she found me a week after my arrival and seemed shocked to see a human messing around in a patch of what she called Poison Joke.
Now this was my first time meeting what anyone from my world would call a sentient pony. And anybody else would be shocked or surprised to at least some degree, but remember I'd spent years by this point conversing with the creatures of my world. As far as I was concerned all of them were sentient and had personalities all there own. So I simply waved to her.
"Hello there, these flowers are beautiful aren't they?" That's the first thing I said to her and she stopped and looked at me as I cradled a bloom and once again was shrunk to small size. At that point I flew up to her and booped her on the snout. What's wrong with booping a Princess on the snout? It's not like I knew she was a Princess, plus as far as I'm concerned it was funny. Watch.
See? Hilarious how your pony faces scrunch up when I do that. Now where was I? Ah yes, the Princess seemed a little huffy after my joke but that changed pretty fast when right in front of her the effects of the flower wore off. She seemed at a loss for words and then out of nowhere she just kind of exploded with questions. Who explodes with questions on someone they just met? It's rather rude if you think about it, but alas it was something I was use to from home so I did try to answer her as best as I could.
As a matter of fact, would you like to see how it played out? What do you mean how? I have magic, I can cast a spell that will let you experience it from my point of view. As a matter of fact I think I might tell my whole story like this. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. What do you say, want to give it a try?
Wonderful, well then lets see what we can do here.
"How did you do that?!?!" The purple horned and winged mare asked. Her wings flared out as she bounced around, looking over him and trying as she might to puzzle it out. He laughed and responded with a carefree nature. "How did I do what?"
The mare stopped and just looked at him, her left eye twitching slightly as she went completely still. Merlin laughed again and booped her snout, once again causing her face to scrunch up and her to adopt an annoyed expression. "Stop doing that, it's weird." She replied, using her hoof to rub the spot on her nose that he had tapped. Merlin's hand reached out and this time he ruffled her mane causing her to pull back and huff in annoyance.
"Look can you please be serious, how did you negate the effects of the Poison Joke?" she asked as she brought a flower to them in her magic. That stopped Merlin in his tracks and he watched it float there in a lavender aura. He could feel waves of magic coming off it and it felt divine. He smiled and snapped his fingers, and instantly the flower disappeared from her magic and reappeared floating in front of him.
This was a simple form of magic he enjoyed using that combined science and magic. His experiments with memories from a future version of himself from an alternate timeline was immensely helpful in that. And he smiled as he flexed and altered the molecules of air around the flower, making it float around her head as she stared at him in wonder.
"I don't understand, how are you doing that? You're not using any magic, I would have been able to tell!" She yelled as a few strands of hair popped out of place. Her eye was twitching a bit more now and he was beginning to find it endlessly hilarious.
"Who says I'm not using magic? I'd say it's a matter of perspective wouldn't you?" He replied with a grin as he sent the flower back to the plant it had been plucked from and in another feat of magic that the mare couldn't wrap her head around, he reaffixed it to its stem. It was as though it had never been plucked in the first place. With a gentle smile he turned and strode to the edge of the clearing and looked out into the trees.
"I could teach you a bit about it but I'd like some questions answered first if I may." He said as he closed his eyes and allowed the voices of the trees to fill his mind. Their melodious cacophony used no words but spoke volumes to the joy the trees in this world felt at simply being alive. It was a truly wonderful feeling and he allowed himself to revel in it while he waited for her response.
She stood just behind him as she watched him warily. He knew because he could feel her eye's on him and he could feel how nervous she was around him and his strange magic. He cleared his mind and gave a soft laugh before he spoke again. "The magic I use is a form of nature magic mixed with science if you were wondering. I'm not sure how advanced your kind is yet so you'll have to forgive me if I use terms that might seem strange." He explained.
He looked around and caressed a leaf that was hanging low from a tree branch. "All things in the world have a will and energy that they possess. For some of us it is a simple matter of feeling the energy that is put off by the world. While many can feel it, very few can actively manipulate it." He said, moving from the leaf to a branch that had fallen. "Take this branch for example, though it has fallen from the tree and is no longer living, that does not mean that it doesn't still have the energy that connected it to the tree. In this altered state its energy has simply changed."
He picked it up and allowing it to float reaffixed it to the tree. "This process is the act of isolating that previous energy and manipulating it so that the branch no longer has a difference in its output. That allows it to be placed seamlessly with it's previous counterpart and breathes new and yet old life back into it."
He turned to the now stunned mare who looked as though it was something that had never occurred to her before. He was so fascinated by her magic before because what she was doing almost by instinct was the same thing he did. The only difference was that hers bore color whereas his did not. "It is the same principal with my levitation. I am simply altering the ambient energy in the air and using it to essentially carry an object. If I felt so inclined I could in fact alter the energy of the given object to simply make it lighter than air. I and many others call this act of altering or changing energy, spellcasting."
And at that, she broke. Multiple more strands of her mane popped out and her eye hit maximum levels of twitching. With a laugh Merlin poked her cheek and with a confused and terrified shriek she jumped into the air and vanished in a flash of lavender light. Merlin stood there with a smile and looked toward the direction of her particular magical energy as it made incredible waves across the world.
"Poison Joke huh? Ah what a wonderful joke indeed." He laughed as he fell backwards into the flower patch before rolling around in joy. This world was a wonder to behold and with the revelation of flowers that played pranks, he felt giddy at the prospect of what could possibly lay in store for him out there.
Merlin stood before a rather interesting tree. This particular tree puzzled him greatly for it seemed to hurl nothing but obscenities at him. The rest of the trees in the area seemed to avoid it with their roots as if to say they wanted nothing to do with such vulgarity. Merlin simply found it hilarious as he sat and listened to the old tree go on and on about the horrible state of the world and the fact that saplings just weren't the same anymore.
Plants see things a bit differently than people did, at least back home they did. He met a two hundred year old oak tree that behaved like a child. What was long for most was but a blink in their lifetime. It was endlessly fascinating to find that the flora and fauna here were much the same. He looked up and held out his arm as he simply waited. He was not waiting in vain however, as within minutes he felt the silent presence of a tawny owl swoop in and land upon his arm.
It gave a few hoots as it nuzzled and nipped at his ear and hair. He laughed and scratched the front of his beak. Something this particular owl loved. Merlin had found him flying around the forest several days prior and he had been hooting up a storm. It turned out that his nest had been vandalized by a raven that had flown through the area. It wasn't until he helped rebuild the nest that the owl began giving him its attention.
It started off at a distance and watched him, asking it's silent questions and wondering just what he was. Merlin was patient and intelligent however and after years of talking with the owls of his world, he was rather adept at speaking their language. He knew their wing language, tail feather positions and headfeather positions as well. More often than not, they spoke with body language rather than their minds as many other creatures did.
That did not mean that they weren't intelligent. Owls were incredible hunters and his friend proved this as it left his arm and arched over some flowers and into a tree. As it did so, it disturbed almost no petals. It was as if he was able to slice through the air without disturbing anything around it with needless energy or sound. To Merlin it was a beautiful sight to see and he watched as his new friend took off to his nest.
With having said hello and wishing him a good morning he turned and headed back to the clearing of Poison Joke that he had been staying in. Suspended between two trees in the far left corner was his new hammock. It was made from vines and leaves that he had woven together in a living patchwork. It was strong and sturdy and bore his weight easily when it came time to sleep.
Just away from the trees was his bread oven. It had taken a day or two for his magic to sift out and procure the metals he needed to make it, but this forest was a wealth of resources and it didn't take a genius to make use of them. It also was rather fortuitous that he was able to source seeds for wheat and other grains. Twilight Sparkle had been to visit a few times now to learn from him and had in turn provided both knowledge of the world he now lived in, and many tools and tidbits he needed.
It was no surprise then that his little home away from home as it were was finally beginning to show signs of actually being a home. As he sat in his hammock and nibbled at a slice of bread that he had smeared some berries onto, he watched the clouds above drift by. According to Twilight this place that he was currently living was known as the Everfree forest. A curious place to be sure, as according to her most of their kind controlled the weather and general temperatures of Equestria.
As surprising as this was, it was not as surprising as finding out that the Everfree forest was a place of wild magic, wild weather and wild plants and animals. It was a place that many ponies feared and rightfully stayed away from. He smiled and finished his meal as he watched a manticore lumber about in the distance. They often came by to laze about in the sun of the clearing and he was more than happy to let them. After all, as long as he meant them no harm and showed that he was not to be a source of food, they generally left him alone.
He didn't really have anything planned today and he hadn't really left the clearing much since he had arrived, other than exploring the closer parts of the forest of course. But he knew it was high time he left the confines of his leafy fortress and looked out into the world. First on his list would be this crystal tree castle he had been told about. It sounded like a rather interesting specimen and he was quite curious to lay eyes on it.
With that in mind he walked over and placed his hand on a rather wide tree that was quite short in stature. With a gentle smile he asked it if it would be willing to put him through to the crystal tree. Many don't understand to what degree trees are connected throughout the world. While most remain only connected to their main forest at large, a tree at any given location could use a network of roots that spans just about every plant across the planet. It acted as a message system and if one was capable enough in nature magic then they could use this same system as a doorway through which they can bridge large spans of distance.
It was a rather ingenious idea that had been given to him by an old friend from the past, and it served him well even now as the tree gave its permission in its usual slow and measured pace. With gift of some water pulled from the air, he gave the tree some energy and he watched as the wood and bark morphed and crawled. It did so until it soon resembled an archway that led into what looked like quite the library. He stepped through and closed the doorway behind him, which on this side was just a rather intricate archway made of flowing crystal.
It shimmered and flowed closed like a waterfall and when it was finished there was only a wall of crystal that arched up into a vaulted ceiling. Around him were shelves and shelves of books that rose higher than he stood tall, and a soft lavender carpet rolled out through each of the walkways added a blend of nice but soft color to the place. He grabbed a book out of curiosity and sat down to flip through the pages. The fact that this society possessed a form of writing was astonishing but to find that it was remarkably similar to anglo-saxon with a few differences was mind blowing.
Merlin was able to pick up quite quickly on their text and language after the first book Twilight had brought him. It was a thick tome that contained a comprehensive history of Equestria, from it's creation to now. It was a lovely read and the look on Twilight's face when he had finished it in mere moments was humorous to say the least. Speaking of Twilight, he wondered if she was around and putting the book back where he found it, he stepped out and into a hallway. He could feel the living will of the tree and it seemed rather pleased to have him there.
Judging by the faint light that shimmered through the walls, it seemed to be guiding him somewhere. With a gentle grin and a shrug he followed it, after all it's not like it meant him any harm and if it did, well he knew many different ways to explain to trees why they shouldn't attack people. The light took him past quite a few rooms that all seemed empty and unused, a bit of a common sight with some castles after they are first built. The castle at Camelot had the same issue and they really hadn't used all of the rooms for at least the first two years that it was in use.
Finally after a moment of this delightful little chase, it led him to a large door that opened into a circular throne room. In it's center was a table with a large map on it and six thrones surrounding it. Each showed the cutie mark of the bearer that was suppose to sit there. He smiled as he recalled this from his reading, this was what Twilight came to eventually call the Hall of Harmony. What seemed to shake him from his admiration though was the floating cutie mark that hovered above a castle that was situated on the side of a mountain.
With this being Canterlot, and that being Twilight's cutie mark, he could only surmise that that is where she would be. After all she was the Princess of this land and she more than likely had a lot of duties to take care of. Another curious fact about the map though was the mark that floated over the crystal tree. It looked a lot like a staff with magic coming from it. As far as he knew he was the only one in the castle right now, which meant the mark belonged to him.
When it flashed and vanished, it reappeared next to Twilights and grew a bit brighter than before. It didn't take a genius for him to realize the map wanted him to go to Canterlot. Why it wanted that was beyond him, but after years of dealing with magic, he learned some very important lessons. One of which is that you don't question all power magical artifacts unless you wish to spend half a century arguing.
Doing as he did with the tree in his clearing, he asked the castle for permission to use it as a gateway to Canterlot and faster than he would have thought possible, it opened up a gateway the led through to the gardens. He gave his thanks and stepped through, allowing it to close behind him. He looked around and found a few rows of statues, one of which was quite menacing. It contained three of Equestria's vanquished foes, frozen in their last moments. He had read all about the things they had done, and while not nearly as atrocious as some of the things humans have done, it still made his skin crawl.
And it started crawling even more as he felt the energy of the world ripple suddenly from nearby. Ripples this intense meant only one thing. Twilight was frustrated. He chuckled and followed the source through some empty hallways and past guards that seemed surprised to see him. He didn't really make a point of visiting the castle and they didn't really know him all that wall, despite having been briefed on who he was and what he looked like.
What he found at the end of this little labyrinth was a very frustrated purple Princess who at this point was trying to glare a hole through a ball that sat in front of her. Merlin laughed and snapped his fingers, causing the ball to start bouncing in place before bouncing over to him and landing in his palm. Twilight followed it with a look of surprise before her eyes landed on him and her scowl got worse.
"You're the last creature I wanna see right now." She said in a sour tone as her wings drooped. She was obviously not happy.
"And what is it that stumps you today Princess? I thought you'd have this down by now." He chuckled, tossing the ball around a few times before tossing it back at her. She wasn't paying much attention as it almost smacked her right in the face, but before it did so it exploded into little lavender butterflies that made a break for the window.
"Ha ha, very funny. You owe me a new ball now." She said with a grumpy tone.
"Providing you with a new focus would be simple. But first I need to ask, what is it truly that has you so thoroughly perplexed?" He asked as he snapped his fingers again causing a single one of the butterflies that had been lounging on the windowsill to come forward and morph into a new yet smaller ball.
"I've been trying what you told me, about reaching out and feeling the energy of the world but all I keep feeling is my own magic. I don't understand what im doing wrong." She explained in a huff as she blew a strand of her mane from her face. Merlin gave her a soft smile and using his hands he brushed her mane back into place.
"Then allow me to explain in a better way. When you reach out and feel your magic, what is it that you feel?" He asked, allowing her to look up at him as he gave her a soft smile.
"I feel a bit of warmth, and almost the sensation of something vibrating." She replied. Merlin nodded and held up the ball and focused on it, feeling out it's vibration as he explained this to her.
"Precisely. That vibration you are feeling is the waves of energy that are produced when the molecules of the world are altered or moved. They move against each other and give off these signature waves." He said, as he turned the ball into a fine rubber mist. He rearranged the mist to show a representation of what molecules would look like. In this case they resembled round lavender droplets.
"Take these for example. What I have done is I have used these to represent the molecules of your magic. When you use your magic, you are forcing these molecules to interact in a specific way that allows you to alter the world at large. This is what you call magic."
He collapsed the molecules and rearranged them into larger more unstable forms. "This is what the molecules of the ambient energy of the world look like. They are unstable and stable at the same time, in this they have found a balance or equilibrium. They give off their own unique waves and energy based on the way they naturally interact."
He showed this as he forced them together, sending off waves that seemed lighter, not nearly as large as the waves sent off by her magic. "The waves differ in frequency and due to that difference is how you isolate that energy and thus can manipulate it. Provided that you have the gift to manipulate it and as I can tell, most unicorns seem to have the aptitude."
Twilight stared at his little display as the gears in her mind began turning. With having it explained on such a deep level, it allowed her mind to make jumps and connections it never would have made before. She gasped out loud and smiled as she looked at what remained of the ball. With a blink it began to regain its form and after a few second it had congealed once more into a ball. With a yell of triumph she began hopping around the room with a chorus of "Yes! Yes! Yes!" before she ran up and hugged him.
"Thank you. I hope you don't mind continuing to teach me though. I still have a lot to learn about this nature magic." She said, stepping back with a wide grin on her face. Merlin smiled back and said, "You did perfectly, now it's just a matter of having control over your own will and what you want to do with the energy of the world."
He winked at her and snapped his fingers as the ball morphed one final time. Twilight watched in fascination as it became a grape that he popped into his mouth. He hummed in delight and said with chuckle, "Hmmm, tastes a bit off, but it'll bounce back Im sure."
Twilight stared at him with a dead-pan look and swatted him with a wing as she shooed him out of the room and into the hall. He laughed and moved with her as they made their way to the Grand Dining Room. Twilight was struggling not to laugh at his awful use of puns on the way but their laughter cut short when she opened the door and found two other alicorns sitting there.
"Ah, hello Princess Twilight, who's your friend?" Celestia asked as she brought a fork full of cake to her mouth. Twilight sat there looking flabbergasted with her jaw on the floor as Merlin stepped forward. Celestia and Luna actually already knew of him, they hadn't met him in person yet, and they were every bit as beautiful as the books had said.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Merlin." He said with a flourish and a bow. Twilight had already explained that they had retired and were no longer considered Princesses, but that didn't mean that a gentleman did not bow when in front of beautiful ladies, or in this case mares.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Merlin, I'm Celestia and this is my sister Luna." She said as she motioned to the darker alicorn who at the moment was attempting to lick a bit of whip cream off her nose. With no warning, Merlin stepped forward and with a single finger he swiped the dollop of cream from her nose and ate it. Leaving three shocked alicorns now staring at him.
"So, what's for the royal breakfast today?" he asked as he acted oblivious to their stares.
"I'm thinking Waffles with marshmallow and blueberries...and maybe some lavender syrup."
Merlin sat at the large table, happily chewing on a bite of waffles while the three alicorns in the room watched him. Their food had already been delivered by the castle chefs and each dish looked exquisite. Celestia had ordered a garden salad topped with daisies and daffodils and dressed with a boysenberry vinaigrette. Luna had lily and rose sandwich and a glass of apple juice and Twilight had something simliar, thought it looked more like a standard grilled cheese.
Despite having such delicious looking food, none of them had touched it. They still hadn't gotten over his rather brazen act of swiping whipped cream from Luna's nose only a while prior. He swallowed his food and chuckled before wiping his mouth clean. "You know I think your expressions were rather funny. My compliments to the chef by the way. The waffles were perfect and fluffy inside with a perfect outside crisp."
Twilights eye by now was twitching again. It wasn't long though until the silence was broken by the sounds of somepony trying desperately to contain their laughter. They all turned to the noises and found Celestia trying with all her might to keep a straight face. To almost anypony else she would have looked fine but to those in the room who knew her and who were capable of better perception than most, well they would be able to tell right away.
With everypony looking at her, her composure broke and she launched into a laughing fit. Merlin grinned as she allowed herself to be swept away. Who would have thought that the former Princess would have such a sense of humor! With the others sufficiently distracted, Merlin snapped his fingers and a single left over berry from his own meal vanished from the plate. It reappeared an the end of Luna's horn where it was content to sit for now, after all this was a rather comfortable spot for a berry and in all honesty it had been worse places by this point.
Celestia upon seeing this launched into a deeper laughing fit as tears streamed from her eyes. The cause of this was lost on the other two as they attempted to get her attention so they could figure out just what was so funny. Merlin looked around and upon noticing Celestia's salad and the few croutons that lay atop it he smiled again and made direct eye contact with her. Another snap of his fingers and a crouton had found a new home with a wonderful view of the room from atop Twilights horn. Premium real-estate when it came to the upper crust of horn housing.
Celestia was beyond saving now as he clutched her stomach, which by now had to have been aching something fierce. Luna turned to Twilight to see if she had figured anything out and stopped cold when she saw the object that had taken roost on the lavender mare's horn. Twilight upon seeing Luna stop turned and found a similar sight and the two locked eyes before they too were lost to laughter.
"Merlin, forgive me but didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with food?" Celestia chuckled, her clean plate having been removed by castle staff was now replaced by a little flower that Merlin had enchanted to dance and twirl.
"She did indeed, she also taught me that if I wasn't having some fun with life I'd live a boring one." He replied as he made the flower dance over to Luna for a bow.
"She sound's like a wise mare. Twilight has told us a bit about you and how you came to be here. But I find myself curious as to what you have in mind while staying here." Luna said, smiling as she gave her own little bow to the flower who then continued it's little impromptu dance across the table. It wandered off to Twilight where it joined its two sisters in a synchronized number that almost seemed random.
"In all honesty I don't really have a goal. In my old world I mostly kept to myself and helped those who sought my counsel. But alas I have done that for far too long and I yearn to get out and explore this new world." Merlin explained as he fashioned a few leaves and blades of grass into a little canoe, complete with benches and oars. With a smile and a light breath he sent it on it's way, it's little oars propelling it through the air as though it were gliding across the glassy surface of a lake in the middle of a warm summers day.
"I think that's a pretty good goal to have. In fact I now a place you can start if you'd like!" Twilight exclaimed enthusiastically, her wings snapping out as she hopped up and toppled the dancing flowers. The trio of blooms right themselves and seemed to almost look at her indignantly as she blushed and apologized for interrupting their dance. The flowers looked unimpressed and moved to continue their dance in front of Celestia, whom they deemed a safer audience.
"Sorry, I got a little excited, but you could go to Ponyville! I have friends that live there and I bet they'd love to show you around." She said happily as Merlin mulled it over. He had already seen Ponyville from the confines of his forest home and it did seem to be a rather quaint place that even from a distance reminded him a bit of home.
"I don't see why not. I didn't really have anything planned as of today. I believe it's the same town as the crystal tree right?" He replied as he snapped his fingers and the dancing flowers who had finished their show gave a bow before hopping back to the floral arrangement that adorned the center of the table.
"That sound's like a wonderful Idea, why don't Lulu and I join you! We haven't seen our friends in a bit and it could be fun!" Celestia exclaimed, her tail swishing happily despite the fact that it seemed to wave about as it pleased.
"Indeed, it does sound like fun sister. Though I have to wonder what you might have planned?" Luna asked as she raised an eyebrow towards her sister who simply shrugged it off.
"Who says I have to be planning something to enjoy myself? I do think we should hit up the spa while we're there. They do let us in for free and it would be a shame to ignore such hospitality." Celestia chuckled as she stood from the table. "Shall I get us tickets?"
Merlin stood with her and placed a hand on her withers to stop her. "No need for tickets today I'm afraid. You see It just so happens that I may or may not have a faster way for us to get back." He explained as he lead them from the Grand Dining Room out into the gardens. It didn't take very long for them to find the largest tree and Merlin walked up to it, placing his hand on its trunk as he closed his eyes.
Once again he asked the tree for permission to use as a gate for travel. However unlike before this tree was quite stubborn and it just didn't really see what was to be gained. Merlin offered it water and extra sunlight in compensation but it merely scoffed at the idea that he would provide it what it got every day for free. As far as this particular tree was concerned, he could go elsewhere. And so with a huff he dropped his hand from it's trunk and turned to his somewhat confused entourage.
"It's stubborn and doesn't want to help so we'll need to find another tree." He said sheepishly. After all it's not like he could force it against it's will, that would be rude. With a still somewhat confused nod they followed after him.
"Sir Merlin, If I may, What did you mean the tree was stubborn? It is but a tree correct?" Luna asked as she walked up next to the mage.
"Ah, I can forgive you for thinking so as you have probably not taken the chance to get to know them. Every tree, plant and living thing has it's own personality and way of thinking. Sometimes it depends on how they were brought up, more so if they are brought up wild. Wild trees tend to think in abstract thoughts and sounds." He explained as they passed a vine covered archway. "Take these vines for instance, they love there home and are quite comfortable where they are at. While most vines in a lot of settings may cause structural damage, these particular vines like this arch for its shape and artistic design and have wrapped themselves in such a way as to preserve it."
Luna and the others looked closer at the webbing patterns of the vines as they crept along crevices and across cracks, almost as though the vines were pulling pieces of stonework together. It really was keeping it structurally sound. They followed after Merlin as he continued his explanation down the winding halls.
"That particular tree back there had a somewhat sour attitude and did not wish to help. I will not force it to do so against it's will as that would be both rude and an abuse of my power. However one does have to wonder where it picked up such a way of thinking in a city filled with nobles no less." He said with a grin and a wink as they exited the castle. They were no longer alone and were now flanked by four palace guards. Where they had come from, Merlin was unsure but that was a good thing. It meant they were doing their jobs and were more often than not, hidden in plain sight.
They checked through trees on the main palace grounds until they came across a very large and very old oak. When they came near it's leave rustled in the slight breeze and the shade it offered was nice and cool. Merlin smiled and placed a hand on it's trunk and asked nicely if it would be willing to aid them in their travel plans. The tree was slow to wake and responded slowly in kind that it had no issues with this so long as they brought one of it's acorns with them to plant at their destination. Merlin gave his agreement and as soon as he did, a single large acorn dropped from a branch and landed in his palm. He placed it away in a satchel and thanked the tree for it's help as he opened the gate.
Through it they could see the Hall of Harmony and as a group they stepped through. Twilight turned to her guards and sent one off to notify the rest of the palace staff that she would be gone for the remainder of the day and to have a mare named Raven reschedule her meetings for later in the week. Once her business was taken care of she too stepped through and the gate closed behind her. The three mares marveled at where the gate had been and the expedience of that form of travel.
"It is indeed a rather useful form of travel and since I'm teaching you nature magic Princess, I could also factor that into our lessons." He explained as Twilight brightened at the prospect of knew knowledge. Celestia giggled at her former student's candor and made her way out of the hall.
"I don't know about you two but I believe I will make my way to the spa. Merlin would you be willing to join me?" Celestia asked as she batted her eyes at him from over her shoulder. Merlin chuckled at her display and bowed.
"It would be a pleasure Celestia. Thought I wonder if your sister might prefer my attention more hmm?" He replied with a wink. Celestia blushed at the fact that he caught on to her joke so quickly and at how quickly in turn he managed to turn it on her. Her sister wasn't any better off as she was now blushing up a storm as well. Merlin simply chuckled at his own humor and turned to Twilight to ask if she was coming, but as he did so he found her borderline catatonic. Apparently hearing her former mentor speak in such a way had a certain impact on her fragile mind.
"Well, I guess she'll catch up. Shall we ladies?" He said as he followed a still blushing Celestia and Luna out of the Castle.
Twilight did in fact catch up with them later and was teased mercilessly during their spa trip. Now that they were all clean and quite well relaxed, Twilight decided that it was time to introduce Merlin to some of her friends. She explained as they walked that a friend of hers by the name of Applejack was usually selling apples in the market to make money for the farm. According to Twilight she was the current proprietress of Sweet Apple Acres after it was passed to her and her brother by their grandmother who ran it before them.
The market was bustling with activity and Merlin took every moment he could to take in the sights and sounds whenever they would stop to talk to a vendor or when ponies would stop to talk to their Princess. Pegasi were flying about, moving clouds and other goods throughout the town, some stopping to converse or ask directions as they went. There were earth ponies and unicorns milling about as they went about their day, some going from stall to stall as they took care of their usual shopping and some who simply came out to enjoy the sunny day.
Birds flew past as they chased each other to and fro, following invisible currents as a soft summer breeze blew through the town. It truly was beautiful here and Merlin was loving it. Soon they came upon a stall filled to almost overflowing with bright, shining, delicious looking red and green apples. The mare at the stall wore a rather interesting hat that Merlin had not laid eyes on before, as well as sporting an orange coat with a blonde mane and tail that had been tied back in a simple ponytail. Her cutie mark showed three apples and she was currently leaning against the side of her stall with a piece of hay sticking out of her mouth.
"Well howdy there Twilight, What can I do for ya?" She asked as the group joined her at the stall.
"Hi Applejack, it looks like you have quite a haul today. I was hoping to introduce you to somepony." Twilight replied as she made way for Merlin to step forward. "This is Merlin, he's a guest to Equestria and he wanted to get out and see a some of our kingdom so I figured I'd show him around. Celestia and Luna wanted to join us for a day out and to catch up with you guys."
Applejack grinned and reached out to grab Merlin's hand as she shook it veraciously. "Howdy partner, name's Applejack. As you can tell Ponyville's a nice enough town when it's not being attacked my weird creatures and otherworldly nonsense. You don't seem too bad right as I can tell."
Merlin grinned as he retrieved his now thoroughly shaken hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Applejack. Does this town really get attacked that often? Seems like you would want some kind of walls around the town wouldn't you?" He asked as he looked around at just how open the town really was.
"Well shucks, Ya can't rightly look around at the scenery if it's all blocked up by walls now can ya? Now since you're not from around these parts, I can imagine ya ain't had a Sweet Apple Acres apple before?" Applejack replied as she tossed an apple from the cart to Merlin, who caught it rather deftly.
"No I can't say I have." He said as he took a bite. It was crisp and made a nice crunch as his teeth sunk into it. It was juicy and sweet and left him smiling in delight as he chewed. He swallowed his bite and finished off the rest before turning the core into an apple themed butterfly that wandered off on a breeze. "Miss Applejack that was without a doubt one of the best apples I've had in a very long time. Thank you."
Applejack watched the butterfly fly away as she looked back to the strange man and nodded. "Sound's about right as far as Sweet Apple Acres apples are concerned. That there was a pretty neat trick if you don't mind me sayin."
Merlin gave a slight laugh and snapped his fingers again. One of the apples on the cart became a pear and suddenly everything went silent. You could have heard a pin drop as Applejack looked between it and the mage who had now earned her ire.
"Y'all better change it back before we have words you ain't gonna like sugarcube."
Merlin chuckled and changed it back before doubling over in more laughter as the rest of the girls joined in. This was a nice town, and he definitely liked it here. And if Applejack was anything to go by, he was going to enjoy meeting the rest of Twilight's friends.
That made him wonder, just what kind of mischief he could get up to in a small town like this.
When the group of four left the market they were in rather high spirits and Merlin was certainly enjoying himself. This town while certainly having a village feeling to it was definitely larger than he gave them credit for. It even managed to encompass a wildlife preserve that was owned and managed by one of Twilight's friends, a mare by the name of Fluttershy. However they would be saving their meeting with her last as she was would be pretty busy near this later half of the day.
Instead Twilight decided to bring us to another friend of hers. Her name was Pinkie Pie and the way that Twilight, Luna and Celestia all agreed to not try to hard to understand her or how she does things left Merlin wondering what this mare could possibly do that would have such powerful equines on guard. She could be most fearsome indeed, and with a grin he entered quite possibly the strangest themed establishment he'd ever laid eyes upon.
It resembled a large, pink, frosted gingerbread house and hanging just above the entrance was a hoof carved wood sign that read Sugarcube Corner. As the name and themed outside design seemed to give away it was a bakery, and Merlin came alive with the smells of so many different kinds of bread and pastries. After all he was quite a bread artisan himself and if he was being honest, he was quite partial to honey cakes.
When they stepped inside the smells became so much stronger and it took almost all of Merlin's restraint to keep from losing himself amongst the many pastries while other ponies were about. There were only a few who seemed curious as to who he was, but the rest seemed far more interested in their food. That was always a good sign, and Merlin was eager to try some of the baked goods here. Behind the front counter was a pink blur that made him stop as he watched with fascination. She moved at an unworldly speed toward the ovens and went about her baking work with a fluid finesse that could only come with years of practice.
Merlin had to admire her skill, but what really caught his attention were the waves of energy that seemed to exude in rapid ripples from around her. Phenomena like that only occurred when a certain form of Nature Magic was in use, namely increasing ones speed. This would also explain why in the span of the three minutes he had been standing there watching, she had managed to shovel down almost a whole tray of cupcakes to herself. The intake of sugar made sense considering the amount of energy she was burning through at such a rapid rate.
As she worked, Merlin began explaining this to Twilight and the two sisters, who collectively widened their eyes in surprise. They all had wondered at one time or another what it was that allowed Pinkie to be as fast as she was with many things she did. That still didn't explain her ability to just appear from nowhere, which Twilight was keen to point out.
"Ah, that's simple. You remember the gate that I used to get us here? That would be a form of spacial magic. Much like what I've seen of your teleportation, only in this instance it uses Nature Magic. It would seem that if this Pinkie Pie is this adept at using speed magic, then I would assume she would also be able to learn spacial magic as well." He grinned and looked back to the counter, but now there was nopony there. He looked around and strangely enough felt a light pressure on top of his head.
He looked up with his eyes and found a poof mane and two blue eyes looking back. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I heard my name so I thought I'd come over and say Hi!" She said proudly before hopping off his head with a frontflip. She landed on her back hooves with her forehooves outstretched and a wide smile on her face.
"Well hello Pinkie Pie. I'm Merlin it's a pleasure to meet you. I must say your bakery smells incredible and I would love to try some of your creations if I may. I also happen to now a few recipe's I could share." Merlin replied with a light bow and a smile. At the mention of new recipes Pinkie's mane poofed out further and she got an almost manic twinkle in her eye.
"Oh my gosh! I'd love too! I have just the thing for you to try!" She exclaimed as she shot off back into the kitchen before zooming back out with a tray on her back. There in the middle of the tray was the most perfect, golden, delicious looking honey cake that Merlin had ever laid eyes on. It was practically a work of art and before he could finish admiring it, Pinkie took it in hoof and shoved the whole thing into his mouth. While this would probably choke anypony else, Merlin was skilled enough that he was able to hold his breath for quite a while.
So he did just that and chewed his delectable treat, enjoying each bit before he finished and lamented it's early but tasty departure from this world. "Pinkie, If you don't mind I believe I'll be coming here for breakfast from now on. You've put my own honey cakes to shame. Bravo." He said with a bow of respect from one baker to another.
Pinkie got a serious look on her face that immediately made Twilight and company nervous as she too took a bow. "Your words bring much pride to a humble baking mare. I look forward to hosting you my friend, but I believe you owe me something?" She replied as she raised back up and stared him down. Merlin gave a wide smile and with a snap of his fingers, a parchment flew from one of his sleeves and unraveled itself in front of her. It contained one of his oldest bread recipes, one that required the utmost skill to perfect. Pinkie's eye's widened as she read it over and held it close, almost as though it were a cherished child.
She stuck it in her mane and almost like nothing happened she sprung from where she was standing to behind the counter once more. "So what else can I get ya? Oh! Oh! Wait lemme guess!" She yelled before she scrunched up her face in thought. Then almost as if a lightbulb ding could be heard going off she gasped and ducked behind the counter before coming back up with a single cookie.
"This is an experimental cookie I made with a friend last week. He and I worked hard on it so I hope you like it!" She said happily as Merlin took it and looked it over. In all seriousness it looked just like a cookie. But there was something just...different about it that he couldn't quite put a finger on. However he was not one to shirk from a mere pastry and took a bite. It tasted like a chocolate chip cookie but as he chewed again its flavor changed to oatmeal raisin. He grinned widely and chewed again. This time it was blueberry muffin and next was buttery croissant.
It was without a doubt the best cookie he had ever had and by the time he had finished eating it he was doubled over with laughter and a sense of joy that was profound. Pinkie too had joined him in his laughter and for no reason it seemed other than it was fun to laugh. That was exactly the kind of outlook on life that he enjoyed so much. Merlin could definitely see himself becoming fast friends with this mare.
"I have to wonder with a strange yet wonderful treat like that, would this friend of yours be a certain Lord of Chaos?" Merlin said with a grin and a raised brow.
"Yepperoni, he came over with our friend Fluttershy to help with baking and he and I came up with what we call the Chaookie! It's a pretty big hit too!" She replied with her unending smile. Upon mentioning his name, the spoken of draconequus appeared in a flash wearing a shower cap. He was covered in suds and was holding a scrub brush in his claw as he scrubbed his back and whistled a jaunty tune.
He turned and opened his eyes and upon seeing everypony else staring at him he snapped his fingers and everything vanished. He now stood clean and presentable and seemed to be eyeing up Merlin. He circled him a few times as Merlin watched with a knowing smile.
"Well I must say it's been years hasn't it." Discord said as Merlin nodded in return.
"It has indeed. That little war you helped cause between the Saxons and Britons was pretty chaotic for a while." He said as he turned to noticed that with exception of Pinkie, everypony else's jaws had dropped.
"Oh please Princess, did you really think that I the Lord of Chaos wouldn't be mucking about in a few other worlds too? As much fun as Equestria is, I do like to blow off steam." Discord said as he blew through Twilights left ear, causing steam to come out of her right. She shook her head and waved him away with a hoof as he laughed.
"I never knew he was from Equestria but I did know him as Discord. He was the source of pretty much our whole world. I say this because the world I came from seemed to revolve around chaos itself." Merlin explained as he snapped his fingers, causing a muffin to hop up and in honor of the muffin samurai code, it hopped into Pinkie's mouth. It was the most honorable death a muffin could ask for and it did it's forefathers proud.
Twilight however latched on to that bit of info and noticed that at the same time Merlin snapped the muffin to life, Discord had snapped a banana to dance the salsa on Celestia's head. Something she found amusing judging by her repressed laughter.
"I was wondering, if you snap to use your Nature Magic, and Discord snaps to use his Chaos magic, does that mean Chaos magic is a form of Nature Magic? Or are they in the same family but completely separate entities based on their own intrinsic nature?" Twilight asked as Merlin turned his attention to her.
He was quite fond of those with that ever inquisitive nature of those that wished to learn. "Actually as interesting as that would be, they are no more similar than water is to dirt. I snap for most of my smaller feats of magic simply because I find it to be a good focus or catalyst for it. I imagine it is rather the same for Discord. It is easier to snap you fingers than resort to archaic incantations that with one slip of a syllable could backfire catastrophically." He explained as Discord nodded along before making the banana peel itself and jump into a blender he had conjured from thin air.
While Discord went about making a sentient smoothie, Merlin sat with his new friends and had smoothies of their own to enjoy, though Merlin was using his to wash down the treats he'd already eaten. It felt pretty nice to sit and enjoy food with some friends and the little pranks that Pinkie and Discord played on each other were hilarious. What made them all laugh the hardest though was Merlin changing Celestia and Luna's coat and mane colors for the day. Their cutie marks stayed the same but it now seemed as if Luna had grown larger and Celestia had shrunk.
Discord, Pinkie, Twilight and Merlin were doubled over and attempting to control their breathing as things died down. The two sisters continued to glare at him as they took sips from their drinks. Pinkie got up upon finishing hers and told them that she had to get back to work, but it was great being able to spend time with them. She had also explained to Merlin that she wanted him to come by Sugarcube Corner tomorrow around the same time.
With thanks for the treats and thanks in return for recipes, the group headed out now followed by Discord who was rather curious to see what other little tidbits of chaos that Merlin was sure to cause. Today was turning out to be a really fun day and Merlin was curious to see who they would be meeting next.
What he didn't expect was to be plowed into by a rainbow maned blur as the wind left his lungs. Merlin laid there on the ground, wheezing and trying to catch his breath all he heard was Twilight yelling.
Merlin's vision swam as he tried to get his bearings straight. It had been a very long time since anyone had been able to knock him off his feet, and to do so would require an extraordinary amount of force. When his vision came to, he found it to be filled with the colors of a rainbow and upon closer inspection it appeared to be a mane attached to a sky blue pegasus.
She stood up and brushed herself off while continuing to ignore the lecture Twilight was currently giving. Merlin sat up and looked her over and proceeded to check himself for any injuries. Nothing was broken, of that he was sure. The rainbow mare that Twilight had twice now referred to as Rainbow Dash was now looking him over. She had a look of curiosity and walked around him in a circle before stopping in front of him.
"Sorry about running into you like that, but I gotta be honest. You're pretty tough if you can take a hit from me like that and not end up with at least a few scrapes and cuts. And from the looks of it you're completely unharmed! What gives?!" She said as she huffed in exasperation. Merlin chuckled and stood to dust himself off as well. Rainbow hadn't been expecting his height and staggered back a step.
"I believe it would take a lot more than that to harm me. Though I must say you're pretty fast if you can hit me with that much force." Merlin replied as Twilight huffed in annoyance at the fact that nopony was currently listening to anything she was saying. Celestia and Luna sat there giggling away the whole time, as if it was something that was a common occurrence around here.
Before Rainbow could reply another pegasus came rocketing out of the blue and landed next to her. Based on figure alone, this was also a mare. Her coat was yellow and she had a fiery tail and mane that was swept back. She also had on a pair of goggles that she was currently sliding up to her forehead.
"Sup Dash. Enjoying your day off I see." She said with a laugh as Rainbow's ears flicked back in annoyance.
"Yeah yeah. It was going great until you showed up." Rainbow replied as she bumped shoulders with her. "That reminds me, What's your name big guy?"
Merlin smiled and gave a flourishing bow and said, "My name is Merlin. It's a pleasure to meet you Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow smiled and turned to her friend. "This here is Spitfire. She used to be the Captain of the Wonderbolts until I took over for her last year." Spitfire gave her own little bow and when she came back up she shot a wink at Rainbow. Rainbow wasn't sure what was going on, and look of confusion on her face was evidence of that. Spitfire didn't mind though and shook her head.
"I couldn't help but notice you guys all standing around over here, so I figured I'd drop by and give Dash some grief." She explained as she wrapped a wing around Rainbow and pulled her close. She blushed slightly and tried to pull away, but Spitfire was having none of that and pulled her even closer.
"Aw come on! You promised you'd stop with the mushy stuff!" Rainbow complained with a huff as she resigned herself to her cuddly fate. It wasn't necessarily a secret that Rainbow and Spitfire were together, at least to most ponies. Merlin however found this development not only hilarious but informative.
"I don't think she's got the message quite yet. Maybe she needs some loving motivation." Merlin said, keeping his face of his mirth and choosing instead to adopt a pensive expression. Spitfire grinned fiendishly as she wrapped a hoof around Rainbow and pulled her face to the side where she succinctly placed her lips on her cheek. Rainbow's face erupted with a fiery blush that almost matched Spitfire's mane in it's intensity.
As embarrassed as she was, Merlin could tell she was pretty happy about it and at the end of any day, that is what mattered. He laughed and they continued to poke fun at each other for a bit longer before Spitfire mentioned that both her and Rainbow had someplace to be. Something about a Wonderbolts meet and greet, so with that they said their farewells and went on their way.
"I think your friends are rather fun." Merlin said as Twilight led them to the edge of town. She smiled at that and spoke more on the things that her and her friends would get up to when not saving Equestria from evil. A lot of it was silly shenanigans but it was enjoyable to listen to and he certainly didn't mind.
He chose to remain silent and listen to her talk as he watched the scenery around them. They had entered a rather wooded area and there seemed to be farm more an abundance of animals here than anywhere else he had seen. Just ahead rested a small cottage that was surrounded by honeysuckle and many other nectar producing flowers. They were arranged in a wide array of colors and were currently being frequented by a few humming birds.
They flitted to and fro as they went about their meal while small creatures roamed about beneath them. Merlin felt an almost pure joy upon seeing this place and the harmony in which the animals lived. Squirrels playfully chased a few rabbits while a raccoon proceeded to a stream nearby so it could wash some seeds it had found. So enraptured by this that he failed to noticed his entourage meeting with the owner of this place.
He knelt down in the middle of the garden out front and watched in wonder as the creatures in this area went about their lives. Some seemed curious about him and would come close to give him a sniff or two. Without warning, he began to speak in a strange language and almost all sound seemed to stop. Even Twilight, Celestia and Luna went quiet as he spoke. There was a quiet gasp from behind him but he paid it no heed as he continued his speech.
He spoke in the old Fey tongues, and he did so because all creatures of the animal kingdom would be able to understand him. For the language of the Fey was the language of nature and magic. All the animals in the garden had stopped what they were doing and listened intently as he told them that he wished them no harm and of how he wished to befriend each of them. He spoke of spring and the smell of fresh roses as he sought to bring a certain air of comfort to this area.
It wasn't as if it didn't already feel cozy but now it felt almost magical. The animals and other creatures scattered around began to gather where Merlin sat and then he finished. It now felt quiet but it was peaceful and enjoyable in its serenity. One by one the animals came up and began swarming around and over the now happily laughing man. Squirrels, birds and lizards happily climbed all over him and a big bear that made itself known as Harry, curled around him.
He could hear their cacophony of voices as they all connected with him. They spoke in much the same way trees did, in that they used a lot of emotion and feeling to convey their thoughts. What he felt now was a cloud of joy and it made him smile wider than he had all day. His enjoyment was broken slightly however by a butter yellow pegasus that was now standing in front of him with a look of wonder. She seemed shy and apprehensive but the animals around him would have none of that.
He felt a sudden outpouring of feeling towards the mare and the general sense of it was that they were telling her it was ok and that he wouldn't do anything mean. What surprised him though was that she nodded in reply to them and looked back at him through a part in her long pink mane. Celestia and Luna were quite beautiful but this mare here held his gaze like no other. She had a subtle yet all encompassing beauty to her that didn't need to be stated for it to be known. She had a soft gaze and with a few deep breaths she came out from her hair and spoke in one of the softest voices Merlin had the privilege of hearing.
"Um, I don't mean to interrupt such a wonderful moment but I was wondering what language that was? If you don't mind that is." She asked bashfully. It was almost enough to melt Merlin's heart in an instant.
"I'd be happy to explain but first allow me to introduce myself. I'm Merlin, it is a pleasure to meet you." He replied with a soft smile. By now he had adopted a completely unmoving posture so as not to disturb his new animal companions.
"Oh, that's a lovely name. I'm Fluttershy." She said quietly as a few of his new friends went from his lap to hug Fluttershy's hooves.
"What I spoke was the language of the Fey, which are my people. They are a people of magic and nature and they exist in balance with nature itself. That language is what I use to communicate with the trees and almost any living thing. I take it despite recognizing it as a different language you all understood it still?" He explained as he looked toward the others who had taken up spots next to their shy and quiet friend. They nodded as he continued.
"That is why I used it. If there is any language that the animals of the world would understand it's that one. It seems it's rather universal in the sense that it works in this world too. Not to mention the fact the creatures of this world seem to have far different personalities than what I'm use to from my world." He said, picking up a twig as he tried to move as lightly as possible. With a careful swish, some blades of grass severed themselves from the ground and grew legs and arms. They proceeded to fight each other in front of them.
"Your animal friends seem to have a great care for you. They truly love you dearly." He explained as he once again looked toward Fluttershy, who was now smiling happily as her animal friends swarmed from him to her. Now that he was free of their warm embrace, he stretched a little and began conducting the little blades of grass in a large mock offensive that was being led by one Major Acorn. Many a brave blade would fall that day.
Fluttershy was not only happy, but also intrigued by Merlin. She watched as he played with grass and he could feel a sense of awe and wonderment from her. It had started as a trickle and was starting to pick up pace as he explained more about his people and their love of nature. Of how that love of nature impacted his own and why he much preferred the creatures of the forests rather than actual people. He spoke of the difference this world made and the fact that for once he didn't mind being out and about.
This world was so absolutely peaceful that he was comfortable here. There weren't any villages being massacred by their own people, or kingdoms falling due to the mistakes of foolish kings. It was a world worth living in and to him that was worth more than anything. But despite his love of nature he had never found kinship of his own. Something that despite his gentle and happy demeanor, was still drifting around inside him. After all, all creatures both big and small hear the call of nature.
Which is why despite carrying on their conversation, a small part of him found itself entranced by Fluttershy. A mare whom nature trusts. And in one small infinitesimal moment the world seemed to tilt and change. To anypony else it would have been unnoticeable. But to Merlin it was everything. In that one moment many things seemed to fall into place at once, like puzzle pieces being slotted together.
Merlin, despite having just met Fluttershy today, he now had a crush. And he had no Idea what to do about it.
I Complimented My Crush and Discussed Self-Introspection Over Cupcakes
Merlin sat quietly on Fluttershy's couch and sipped his tea as he watched the butter yellow mare go on about how much she loved taking care of the animals and how much they enjoyed living around her cottage. He wore a soft smile as he listened. To hear another speak of nature with the same love and adoration he held for it left him with a sense of kinship. He never really spent too much time around his own kind back home. They were known to lose themselves to their wanton desires.
This was something Merlin preferred not to take part in, not because he did not want to. He was a living creature like any other, but he much preferred that should he decide to engage in such frivolity, it would be with one whom he shared his heart. As he and his entourage sipped their tea and munched on baked treats, he thought about how fleeting their lives more than likely were. He himself could live endless so long as he wished to. He had already lived for many years and he knew that in a world as beautiful and rich in life as this one, he would more than likely never want to leave it.
"-and that's when I found my precious Angel-bunny struggling in the arms of a female bunny. It was so adorable!" Fluttershy finished as her pet bunny blushed and with an embarrassed glare he took off out a little hole in the front door. Fluttershy gave a light giggle at his reaction and Merlin felt himself light up again at the sound of it.
"That does indeed sound rather funny." Luna said, a small giggle escaping her as well. "Sister, didn't you have a pet rabbit once?"
Celestia stroked her chin with a hoof as she thought back, "I think so. I believe it was back when the first griffin ambassadors came to visit. It was stressful, they wanted to eat her." She laughed and stuffed a cookie into her mouth. She chewed with a profound sense of joy that came off her in waves. It was infectious and Merlin, Twilight, Luna and Fluttershy all were now sporting grins as they too dug into the cookies.
"Fluttershy, you are a wonderful baker." Merlin said, taking a bite out of an oatmeal raisin cookie. They were his favorite after all. Fluttershy blushed heavily at this compliment and hid a bit in her mane as she too took a cookie. A cookie that just so happened to be from the oatmeal raisin pile.
Merlin narrowed his eye's and snapped his fingers, causing Fluttershy's mane to tie itself back in a ponytail, leaving her face open to view. Her and Twilight looked at him in shock as he finished off his cookie. Celestia and Luna could be seen fighting back giggles and chose instead to stuff their mouths with more treats so as to watch the event unfolding before them.
"Are you not going to eat?" Merlin asked, a slight smirk adorning his face as he gestured to the cookie that was still in Fluttershy's hoof. She blinked a few times and blushed redder than he had ever seen. She almost looked like a strawberry, and the image of that made him chuckle.
"I apologize if that seemed surprising, I just happen to think that you have beautiful eyes. You shouldn't hide them." He explained before taking up a snickerdoodle and taking a modest bite. He liked all the snacks she had laid out, but he would gladly defend to the death the nation of oatmeal raisin. Maybe it could seek diplomacy with the snickerdoodle nation. They could create the most powerful oatmealdoodle nation in the world. All would fear their deliciousness.
As he went about watching an oatmeal raisin cookie rise onto legs and head to the snickerdoodles, he failed to noticed the now even more shocked look on Twilight's face, and the fact that poor Fluttershy had gone nearly catatonic at this point. As Merlin watched diplomacy fall apart, he began to feel something off about the room. Looking up he now saw that not only was Twilight shocked beyond reason, but Celestia and Luna had stopped their snack binge to stare at him.
He looked to Fluttershy and noticed that her blush had escalated out of all proportion and upon seeing this he became worried. Had he upset her? Did she not like his compliment? He wasn't able to tell. Unlike with animals, whom he could pick up emotions from, the equines of Equestria seemed immune to it in much the same way as humans were. He decided then that the silence had gone on too long and it was time for him to speak up again.
"I'm sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean to cause any problems." He said, watching her expression and looking for any change that would tell him what she was thinking. Unfortunately she simply sat there and didn't move. Twilight smacked her forehead with her hoof and walked over to her friend.
"Fluttershy? Are you alright?" She asked, waving a hoof in front of her face. She got no response and with a sigh, he lit her horn and Fluttershy vanished from sight. Merlin couldn't feel her emotions, but he could feel her presence, Twilight had moved her from the cozy living room to another room upstairs. If he were to hazard a guess, he would say it was her bedroom.
"Sorry about that Merlin, that hasn't happened to her in a long time. Me and all my friends have told her before that she has really pretty eyes. The first few times we said it, she would lock up like that," She explained as she she lowered her eyes, "But after a while, she kind of got over it so I figured it was a done deal."
Merlin nodded in understanding as he looked back toward the object of his new affection. With a wistful sigh he stood along with the group and they made their way to the door. "It's unfortunate, but I'm glad I met her. I've had a wonderful time today, so I believe I may just turn in for the night."
"Of course! After we still have a lesson tomorrow! You have to get a good night's rest so you can teach!" Twilight exclaimed excitedly. Whenever she did this, Merlin couldn't help but see a little girl, so eager and promising that wished to learn his ways. He at one point had an apprentice that too wanted to learn the ways. She was the one that betrayed him before he came to this world. Something he preferred not to think of.
Celestia and Luna said their goodbyes, as did Twilight and then Merlin made his way to a tree, placed his hand on it, and stepped through the doorway.
A light wind blew through the tree's today, and Merlin closed his eye's as it made it's way through his long grey hair. Yesterday he had the chance of meeting the most beautiful mare he had ever laid eye's on. And for once in his life, he felt a bit self conscious of how he allowed himself to look. It was no great secret that Merlin could look however he pleased, whether it was young or old.
He frowned and snapped his fingers, causing small grains of sand to crawl across the ground. They came together at his feet and made a small pile before long. With another snap, the sand became almost fluid as it formed together to create a piece of glass. He stared at it in thought before giving a light snap. The ground shimmered for a second before becoming almost silvery. He had pulled as much aluminum and silver from the earth as he could and then he placed the piece of glass over the fluid, shifting mass of metal.
Once this was done, the mass shifted and seemed to fold in on itself as it's size grew smaller, wrapping snuggly around the glass that sat in it's middle. A few seconds later, and Merlin had a very nice looking mirror. It was a bit plain and had no carvings in it, but he would take care of that later. For now he studied his own reflection. He tugged at his unruly hair, stroked his beard and then gave a sigh as he noticed the number of wrinkles and bags he had given himself in pursuit of his ideal wizened image.
He snapped and his face began to shift. This was at one point a very uncomfortable experience the first time he had done it. But that was years ago and he was rather adept at it by now. He watched himself literally get younger. His beard and hair shortening to be younger and healthier. If he wanted, he could change the color too, but Merlin was fond of the off white color he had worn for so long.
His eye's remained the same however, as they always have. Merlin could change much about his appearance, but his eyes he left alone as he had gotten them from his mother. They were the same rich honey gold, and it was something he could never bare to part with. Satisfied, he placed the mirror away for another time.
He stood with a stretch and looked down at his robes. Another thing that would probably have to change. He thumbed his chin in thought as he tried to come up with a decent outfit to wear. He wasn't exactly one for fashion of any kind really. After all, how many times had Arthur tried to get him to wear something for court?
Too many is the answer to that.
But for once, he felt rejuvenated. A new world that was alive and healthy. A world full of magic and wonder. Merlin felt a new sense of drive and purpose in this place. The trees and creatures of this forest loved him and in the time he had been here, it had calmed down considerably. At least according to Twilight. She explained that at one point the Everfree forest was one of the most dangerous and scary forests in Equestria.
But now it was about as docile as the Western Wood. Ponies stopped disappearing here, and the weather got quite nice. There was still the threat of storm every now and again, but they were a lot less magical now. All in all, everypony and tree seemed a lot happier. Which was why he was currently sending his mind out to each tree in the vicinity of his clearing so that he could wish them a good morning.
He obviously could not do this for every tree in the forest, no matter how much he wanted to. He would be here all day if he did. So instead the trees passed the message along to all the rest. In fact he developed an idea as he went about his morning chores. He was suppose to teach Twilight another lesson today, and he had an interesting idea as to what he could do. But that would be in a little while, for now he finished his work and then took a seat on the side of his hammock. Grabbing a rice cake, he laid back and allowed a single leg to swing freely.
Nothing was more relaxing than looking up at the sky or a canopy of treetops while snacking on tightly compacted rice. If he was lazy he probably would have taken a nap but there was no need for that today. Instead he waited for Twilight to arrive so that they could start on her learning to speak to trees. After all, if she could speak to the trees like he could, then it would stand to reason that if she were to find a particularly amicable tree, she'd be able to use it to relay messages to him. Like wood mail.
He chuckled at his own joke and was surprised out of his humor by a burst of lavender light. Twilight was now standing in the clearing and she ran over to him with a big smile. "So what are we learning today!" She exclaimed. Merlin chuckled at her enthusiasm as he guided her to the forest.
After a few hours, Merlin and Twilight left the forest and came out near ponyville. After so long trying to reach out to trees, Twilight's stomach was making such a ruckus, you would think it was staging a coup. She blushed in embarrassment as she lead the way to Sugarcube Corner. When they entered, they noticed it wasn't Pinkie at the counter today. Instead it was a blue mare with what looked like frosting for a mane. It was such a peculiar but fitting sight that it made Merlin want to laugh.
"Oh Twilight! Hello dear. What can I getcha today?" she asked before looking over to the man standing next to her. "And this must be the new friend Pinkie was talking about. I'm Mrs. Cake and I own this shop with my husband."
Twilight lit up with a grin as she made her way over to the display window. There were quite a few new selections of confections that they could choose. But one stood out to him.
"It's lovely to meet you. If I may, I'll have the oatmeal raisin cupcake." Merlin said, his mouth already watering in anticipation of the splendid treat to come.
Mrs. Cake nodded and got his ready as Twilight began listing off a dozen different cupcakes. She looked at him sheepishly as their food was prepared. Merlin chuckled and made his way to a table where Twilight took a seat opposite him.
"You seem embarrassed with how much you eat. May I ask why?" Merlin said, bringing his head to rest on his hands as he gave her a soft smile. Twilight blushed again and gave what could possibly be the most adorable glare on a pony ever.
"It's rude to bring up how much a mare is eating you know." She said, "But yes, I am a little embarrassed by it. Ever since I became an alicorn, it's like my metabolism got stronger."
Merlin nodded and happily accepted his cupcake from Mrs. Cake as she came by their table with their goods. He motioned for her to continue as he nibbled. Twilight giggled and dove into her own cupcakes. When she had finished half of her haul, she looked up and brushed any crumbs from her muzzle.
"Sorry, anyway, I'm guessing you want me to be less embarrassed about being myself right?" she said, her smile turning into a light smirk. Merlin chuckled and placed his cupcake wrapper with the rest of Twilight's before he made them sort themselves into a wrapper quilt.
"Yes. Moreso I want you to bring those parts of yourself more to the forefront. Take this little quilt I've made, each individual piece is important in it's own right and has it's own use. But when stitched together, you get something new and this new creation has entirely new and different uses. You can look at yourself the same way." He explained, gesturing to the wrappers as he did.
"When you try to hide parts of yourself, whether it's from embarrassment or shame or any other reason, it obscures the bigger picture. It hide's who you truly are. What I want you to do after today is to look at yourself and identify things in the way you are, the way you act, and the way you feel. Try to bring them to the forefront and fit them into the quilt that is you."
He smiled and took another wrapper from a muffin as Twilight ate it. He seamlessly stitched it in with the others. "When you have a mastery over yourself, then nothing can unseat you from a calm state of mind. You seem easily frazzled and I believe this may very well help with that."
Twilight nodded and finished her muffins as she teleported a piece of parchment in with her quill. She continued to take notes down and almost immediately she seemed to begin her self-introspection. As she did so, Merlin looked out the window and watched as a few butterfly's flew by, Reminding him of a beautiful butter yellow pegasus.
Merlin opened his eyes as the light of the morning sun filtered through the leafy canopy above him. He stretched out his arms and yawned as his joints popped. Swinging his feet over the edge, he stood and began stretching as he bent forward and touched his fingers to his toes. To Merlin nothing felt better in the morning than a good stretch and there was evidence of that as he groaned. He could feel each muscle and tendon stretching as he went through his routine, each form more strenuous than the last.
After all despite his age, he had a younger body now and would need to keep it fit and healthy. What he didn't notice, or at least pretended he didn't notice, was a pair of aqua colored eyes from behind a veil of pink hair that had been watching him for the past fifteen minutes. He was glad she came again, as she had the past few mornings. Fluttershy seemed to have developed an interest in him as well after their meeting with her and her animal's. It had been a week since then and she would often patiently wait for him to finish his stretching before coming to talk.
The reason why she would wait and why she was sneaking blushing looks here and there was his own fault. In order to mitigate overheating when stretching or working out, Merlin would have his robe off and would be only in his drawers. Needless to say this was quite a shock for poor Fluttershy when she came to see him that first morning and Merlin had spent quite a bit trying to convince Angel that he hadn't made her faint on purpose. It had been a rather funny day.
With a smile he stood back up and snapped his fingers, causing a warm breeze to swirl about him. This was a nifty trick he had come up with once upon a time to keep himself clean. The warmed air would carry with it moisture that would wash away any grime, sweat or filth that stuck to his skin. With that done, he donned his robe and walked over to where Fluttershy was waiting for him.
"O-Oh, um good morning Merlin." She said with a light blush as he nodded and responded in kind.
"Good morning Fluttershy, are you coming with me into the forest today?" He asked as she began walking with him toward the darker part of the forest. Under normal circumstances she would be absolutely terrified of going in there. But ever since Merlin arrived, the forest had become a lot less threatening. Supposedly ponies had stopped disappearing in it and it was getting easier for Ponyville to source wood when needed from the outer edge now without issue.
She looked up at him and smiled. With how strong he was and how much of a connection to nature he had, none of the dangerous creatures wanted anything to do with the area. Especially after he had gone through the trouble of essentially creating a barrier using poison joke. Fluttershy still wasn't quite sure how it worked, and Twilight had spent the better part of the last week studying herself in her castle. That's why Fluttershy was with Merlin today, he had told her that if she wanted to learn magic like he had, she would have to come with him to meet someone special.
"Oh, um...yes. I want to be able to learn from you like Twilight does. I know I can't learn the kind of magic unicorns use but if I can learn nature magic and use it to help my friends then I'll do what I can." She replied, a slight nervousness in her voice as she stayed close by his side. The dark trees towered over them now in a dense cloister all around. They seemed like tall specters waiting for their moment to strike. Merlin ignored this however, he could feel out several miles in each direction via the roots of the trees he was in connection with. He would know if they were in danger.
"A noble sentiment, one that I think fits you rather well in fact." He said with a youthful grin as he stepped over near a tree and motioned her over. "I know you once found this place scary, in fact I believe many of Ponyville saw this forest as terrifying." He continued as he knelt down and took her hoof in his hand as he had her sit by him.
"To see that you face this place that once rooted you to the spot shows me that you have a brave heart, one that might possibly be able to call out to her." He explained as Fluttershy looked from him to the tree they were in front of. Aside from it's enormous trunk, it looked the same as all the other trees. However in the short time she knew Merlin she had learned that tree's have voices too.
"Close your eyes and place your hoof on her trunk or a root." Merlin said as Fluttershy nodded, closing her eyes. Her world was enveloped in darkness as she extended her right hoof, placing it flat against the bark. There were plenty of times where Fluttershy had felt a tree's trunk before, hanging out with friends in Applejack's orchard, or near her home. This one felt different, it was cool to the touch but something about it seemed warm. Almost as if it were more alive than a standard tree.
"This particular tree is home to a beautiful creature known as a Dryad. They are known as forest spirits and typically will tend to their wood with a vengeance. It seems this one went to sleep a very long time ago, and that is why this forest has become so wild." Merlin said as he placed his hand over her hoof, the warmth of it and the closeness causing Fluttershy to blush again. That stopped though when she felt a warmer heat flowing from him, through her hoof and into the tree. In her world of darkness she suddenly saw a prickle of light.
She watched curiously as it drew close, moving to the left and right of her vision almost as though it were appraising her. It circled around, and she felt her wings suddenly lift and then drop. She got a sense of amusement from it as it came back around to her front. It seemed satisfied and without warning it flew through her chest and into her body. As it did she felt a wave of that heat spread across her body, rejuvenating every cell it touched.
With a startled gasp she opened her eyes and stared at the tree, it's bark began to change from it's darker mottled brown to a brighter prettier brown. She watched this wave of color spread outward as it completely enveloped the tree, down to every last root and leaf. When it finished the bark began to shift and morph and Fluttershy stepped back with Merlin as they watched. As if from a pool of water, a pony that was made of the same wood as the tree stepped out and looked at them with glowing green eyes and a slight smile.
'Greetings, I am Sequoia. It is a pleasure to meet you after such a long nap' she said with a voice inside Fluttershy's head. She looked up at Merlin who was now looking back at her as he urged her forward. Fluttershy nodded and turned toward the beautiful Dryad. Her mane was made from the same leaves as the tree and they shook as a breeze came through and shook the tree.
"It's an honor to meet you Sequoia. You have a such beautiful leaves." Fluttershy said as she got closer. Sequoia nodded happily at the compliment and began circling her in the same way the light had done. Coming back around to face her, Sequoia surprised her with a hug.
'Oh your so cute!!! You look just like Florescent Blossom!' Sequoia said happily as she pulled back and locked eyes with her. At that even Merlin was curious.
"Florescent Blossom? Is this someone you knew in the past?" Merlin asked as Sequoia turned her gaze to him and cocked her head to the side.
'Yes, she was. I knew her before I took my nap. Who are you? I've never seen a creature like you before.' She said as she looked him up and down. With a gentlemanly grin and a bow he introduced himself, "My name is Merlin. I am a man with fairy parentage. I came here from another world."
Sequoia's eyes widened as she circled him too. 'Incredible, your bipedal instead of quadrupedal. It would be interesting to talk to you in depth some time.' she said before standing in front of Fluttershy. 'I think there's a reason why you could wake me you know' she giggled.
Fluttershy sat and blinked at her, "A reason?"
Sequoia laughed like a breeze flowing softly through leaves. 'Yes, nopony but Florescent could have awoken me from my sleep. After all she's the druidic priestess that put me to sleep in the first place so I could heal.' Sequoia said as she closed her eyes. 'Would you like to see what she was like?'
Fluttershy looked at Merlin and he nodded as she turned back to Sequoia. She gave a quiet yes and closed her eyes as Sequoia placed her hoof on her head, and faster than the eye could blink it was like she had opened her eyes. It was different though. The forest was more of a grove and it was bright and sunny. There weren't a whole lot of trees around, but there was one tree that she did recognize in front of her and that was Sequoia's tree.
It was smaller now than it was in their time, and she could see Sequoia standing there talking to a pony that made her jaw drop. It was like looking in a mirror. There stood a butter yellow pegasus in armor with long pink hair that had been braided back. Fluttershy got closer and listened as they talked.
"Sequoia I could really use your help. Commander Hurricane is gone now so they all want to put me in charge. I know I got the moniker Pansy during our campaigns for some of my more cowardly moments but they should know I can't lead. I can't do this." Florescent said as she looked with worry at Sequoia. She simply smiled.
'Worry not my dear child. You are a war priestess of the trees are you not? Did you not convince my sisters and I to work together to create this Sacred Grove for the Pegasi?' Sequoia said, her smile becoming a slight smirk. 'I know for a fact that I taught you better than that. Go dear Florescent Blossom. Show them who you truly are and that you will not fall before any who would seek to destroy this new country you and your friends have made.'
Florescent nodded with tears in here eyes. "Do I really have to put you and your sisters to sleep? You could join us you know." She said as Sequoia shook her head. 'We cannot. Helping you and your friends secure your country was a very large drain on our energy. We will need to sleep for quite some time to get it back. But should a descendant of yours ever come across us, I myself and more than likely my sisters too would be happy to aid her as we have aided you.'
With that it ended and Sequoia removed her hoof from Fluttershy's forehead. She opened her eye's and looked at Sequoia in awe. "I-I'm a direct descendant of P-Private Pansy?" Fluttershy asked. Sequoia laughed again as she replied, 'You are, and she really hated that nickname.' Before Fluttershy could ask another question however, she was suddenly surrounded by a wind that was lifting her up, it swept up leaves of the forest in its wake as they to swirled around her. She looked at Sequoia again and she nodded and lowered her head in a slight bow as there was a burst of light.
Merlin grinned as what was left in place was now Fluttershy but wearing a dress that seemed to be made of the forest itself. Thin straps that resembled twigs and branches held it on as the rest became what looked like a gorgeous trunk down to an almost black trim that looked to be soil. On her head now rested a tiara of flowers and each of her eyes resembled leaves of the deepest and clearest green.
That day would forever be remembered by the trees, as the Rebirth of the Druids.
