Something's wrong.
Where are my leaves? Where are my roots? What are these strange feelings?
The last thing I remember is... Is Tree Hugger. Doing something. Changing how I thought. Reaching out. Grabbing my trunk. Holding tight and...
Oh.
I remember how to see and hear a few moments later. It takes longer to make sense of what I'm seeing and hearing, but the unnaturally straight lines and angles soon resolve themselves as my bedroom. I recognize the moving shapes as my friends. After a bit longer, I register that their faces have worried expressions, that their grunts and hoots carry meaning.
I try to respond in kind. "Whuh guggle brrf."
I'm not seeing any smiles. I don't think that went very well.
Rainbow Dash says something to Sunset. The words are still hazy, but it sounds angry. Sunset puts her hands up. The others start joining in. It's all enough to make me want to pull the covers over my head, but when I try to move my arms, I can't get them to do more than twitch.
Rarity speaks up, and it's the first full sentence I understand since waking up.
"Girls, she's crying."
Everyone looks at me. Apologies ring out. Rarity dabs a tissue at my eyes.
I smile. I can do that much. Words are coming back to me, and I manage a "Thanks."
"Are you okay?" says Rainbow, and everything after that goes by too fast to parse.
"I..." I shake my head. "Slower. Please."
Sunset shuffles forward. I realize how little room there must be with seven people in here. My family has a spacious apartment, but it still must be a tight fit. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy," says Sunset. "I should have never done this to you."
"My idea," I say. "I... I insisted. What happened?"
"The seven of us are connected in a way I never anticipated. Because of that, it was like I never stopped casting the spell. It fed off of that connection and never stopped turning you into a tree. That combined with..." She stops for a moment. "Well, there's a lot of technical stuff, but basically, form defines function, including brain function. The more you turned into a tree, the more you thought like one. The more you wanted to be one."
"That never really changed." I sit up in bed. Talking about what happened seems to help me remember how to be human. "It was like..." I let myself trail off rather than voice my first thought. Hopefully, the others will just think I'm trying to think of an appropriate comparison. "Like a warm bath. I just wanted to sink in and never get out."
"From what Tree Hugger told me, it was more like a drug." Sunset scowls and looks away from me. "One I administered. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if Applejack hadn't thought to contact her."
"It's okay, Sunset. Really."
"It's not. I—"
I reach forward. My muscles all groan in protest. Almost everything hurts. I don't care. Sunset needs a hug, and I give her one. Twilight and Rarity join me, and the others work their way in as best they can. "You made a mistake. I forgive you. It's time to forgive yourself."
I feel her tears on my shoulder. I hear her give a laugh through the suppressed sobs. "I thought we were supposed to be worried about you right now."
"I know I'll be okay. Now we need to make sure you will be too."
She returns the hug. "Thanks, Fluttershy."
I manage to lever my hand enough to pat her back. It's not easy, given how buried we are under the others. "Any time."
Once we break up and Sunset wipes at her eyes, she sighs and says. "Well, seeing as you're alright, we're going to have to go."
"You are?"
"Well," says Rarity, "we're hardly the only ones who want to see how you're doing." She gestures towards the door and the person standing there.
Oh. Oh dear. "Mom, I'm so—"
Mom wraps me up in an even tighter hug. I'm not entirely sure how she made it around my friends so quickly. "As long as you're alright, dear."
I decide it doesn't matter how she did. I return the hug. "I am. But still—"
"Don't worry, Fluttershy. I'm not mad at you. Goodness knows I made a poor decision or two at your age." She releases me, and her expression takes an eerie calm. "Your brother, on the other hand..."
The memory comes back. "Oh. Right."
"I wasn't worried about you because I didn't know I should have been worried about you. According to Zephyr, you were fine the whole time." Her eyes have taken on a rather glassy sheen. "He's grounded now. I'm not sure when that will change. I may consider it when he turns thirty."
I feel I should say something in his defense. On the other hand, I haven't seen Mom put her foot down like this... well, ever. It might be good for him. "It wasn't entirely his fault."
"Maybe when he turns twenty-five, then."
Sunset clears her throat. "Sorry to intrude, but there's someone else who wants to talk to you, if you're feeling up to it."
I tilt my head. Mom seems calmer now, but also uncomfortable, judging by how she's wringing her hands. "Who?"
"Hello." I look back at the doorway. The figure in it is dressed in khaki explorer gear, looking like a Daring Do cosplayer or a young Missing Link about to start her first foray among the chimpanzees. She even has a pith helmet in her hands. However, the complexion, hair color, and icon sewn onto her breast pocket make it clear who she is.
Still, it's so disconcerting that I have to ask. "Fluttershy?"
She nods. "Nice to meet you, Fluttershy."
I look back and forth between her and Sunset. "Why...?" I'm not sure how to phrase the question.
Both seem to understand what I mean. Sunset answers. "When I wrote to Princess Twilight about this whole debacle, she had a very good idea about how to help you along the road to recovery."
"We should probably leave you be," says Rarity.
Rainbow Dash nods. "Yeah, I'm not sure how Pinkie's kept quiet this whole time."
"Planning the best 'Congratulations on Not Being a Tree Anymore' party in the history of ever."
"I'm pretty sure it will be the first such party in history," says Twilight.
Pinkie nods. "Which means I need to make it one to remember."
I can't help but smile at that. Neither can Sunset, who then says, "We'll be on our way. The expanded space should return to normal when we do."
"Thank you again for your understanding, Mrs. Shy," says Rarity.
Mom nods. "Of course."
My friends vanish in a flash of light. My vision swims for a moment as the room does... something. It's comforting to see Mom and the other Fluttershy shake their heads as well. At least this time, I was supposed to be disoriented.
Mom moves towards the door. "I'll let you two talk. Can I get you anything, dear?"
"No thank you," we both say at once. I flush. The other Fluttershy just smiles. Once Mom leaves, she almost shuts the door, leaving it open only a crack.
It's so strange. She seems so graceful, so confident. The way I felt, comfortable with myself, at one with everything around me, it feels hollow compared to the way she carries herself. How much do I resemble her? How much will I? "What did Princess Twilight have in mind?"
She smiles. "To remind you that humans are fascinating."
"We are?"
"Oh my goodness, yes!" She almost lunges towards me and takes my hands in hers, words spilling forth like a Pinkie Pie monologue. "Where do I even begin? I heard stories from Twilight, but it's something else entirely to get to be a completely different species. I mean, I turned into a breezie once—they're the most precious little butterfly-winged ponies you've ever seen—but it was nothing like this! Oh, you're so lucky to live in this world, Fluttershy, you have no idea!"
And so we talked long into the night. And the regret that I hadn't even noticed before slowly faded away, like leaves in autumn.