Tree Hugger had arrived in Ponyville to visit Fluttershy’s Animal Sanctuary. She was meandering around observing the unusual species occupying the property.
“Pretty gnarly creatures here,” she mused. “Kinda primitive. Evolution totally gave these guys a skip. So basic and…”
“Tree Hugger,” Spike interrupted, “those are Princess Twilight’s castle guards.”
Tree Hugger blinked at Starswirl and Stygeon.
“Oh, I was wondering what was with that armour they were wearing,” she chuckled.
“Yeah, Fluttershy’s Animal Sanctuary’s that way,” Spike pointed to the other end of town.
“Sweet. See ya,” said Tree Hugger, leaving the front steps of Twilight’s Castle.
Starswirl the Bearded looked to Stygeon. “Surely the pony genome hasn’t changed that much since our time?”
*****
Tree Hugger eventually found her way to the sanctuary. Fluttershy was pleased to see her.
“I want you to meet Tirry,” she said.
Tree Hugger blinked. “Whoa, trippy. Did your buddy Discord mix a goat, a lion, and a snake into one or something?”
“Tirry’s a chimera,” said Fluttershy.
“Far out,” grinned Tree Hugger, reaching out a hoof to shake the chimera’s paw.
The lion’s head didn’t seem to notice Tree Hugger extending her hoof, and neither did the snake that formed the creature’s tail. The goat head protruding from the creature’s back however clearly did spot her, and gave a small bow.
“How’s it hanging, dude?” Tree Hugger smiled.
The goat head said nothing. Neither did the lion’s head. The snake-head tail tilted over a bit, as if to say “Not much.”
“So how long have you…?”
The lion’s head interrupted Tree Hugger. “So when’s that pony from the Equestrian Society For The Protection Of Rare Creatures coming?”
“Tirry,” Fluttershy explained, “is blind and deaf in one head, blind and mute in another head, and deaf and mute in the third head.”
*****
“So does he, like, live here permanently?” asked Tree Hugger.
The snake head frowned.
“He wants to, but he also wants to find a way to make himself useful,” said Fluttershy. “He knows he can’t survive in the wild…”
She saw Tirry’s goat head look behind the two ponies, and turned to find a giraffe walking sluggishly towards them. She could see from the look in his eyes that he was unwell.
“Giraffe’s always were high-maintenance,” sighed Fluttershy sympathetically. “I wonder what’s wrong now.”
As the giraffe approached, Tirry’s snake head showed concern in the face. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger knew why. The rumbling sound coming from the giraffe told them he had upset stomach.
“I hope it’s not a bad batch of food,” said Fluttershy. “We get donations, and most ponies are very generous, but sometimes, unscrupulous ponies just want to unload expired food on us.”
“Well, there ya go,” smiled Tree Hugger. “That’s how Tirry can earn his keep.”
“What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy.
“He can inspect the food parcels,” said Tree Hugger. “The goat head can look for sell-by dates and mould, the snake can shake tins and bags to hear for defects, and the lion head can report any bad batches they find to you.”
The snake head smiled, and began tapping the goat’s forehead. After several beats, the goat looked at the ponies with a smile and a nod. The snake head reached over to the lion head and tapped on his head as well.
“Ooh, I’d love to help look over the food donations!” the lion head exclaimed with a smile.
“Then it’s settled,” smiled Fluttershy.
*****
It only took a few days to determine what a good idea this was. Tirry didn’t move about much, but he was now quite content to sit around sifting through food parcels ponies had donated, spotting problems, and sorting which food parcels would go to which animals.
“Pretty sweet animal pad you got here, Flutters,” said Tree Hugger as she was about to take her leave.
“Thank you for coming,” Fluttershy said. “You’re so bright and perceptive when it comes to animals.”
Tree Hugger brushed this compliment off. “It’s what I’m best at, man… even if my cutie mark's like ‘Nahhh.”
Suddenly, the red tree on Tree Hugger’s flank began to glow.
“Whoa… it knows I’m talking about it,” she said.
Fluttershy’s mouth fell open in surprise. “The Cutie Map is calling Tree Hugger? I’d never have guessed that would happen.”
No sooner had she spoken when Tree Hugger’s cutie mark split and began to drift away.
“Run! Run, cutie mark! You’re free!” shouted Tree Hugger.
“Come on, Tree Hugger,” said Fluttershy. “You’re needed at Twilight’s Castle.”
*****
Stygeon frowned. “Not you again.”
“Tree Hugger’s here on official business,” Fluttershy told Stygeon and Starswirl. “She’s being summoned by the Cutie Map.”
“Then why is her cutie mark bypassing the Castle?” asked Starswirl.
Fluttershy, Stygeon, and Tree Hugger looked up. Starswirl the Bearded was right. The split cutie mark was heading north.
“Wait a minute... it’s not Twilight’s Map that’s calling you, Tree Hugger,” said Fluttershy with a jolt of interest and excitement.
“What a relief,” sighed Stygeon.
“It’s Sweetie Belle’s Grid,” Fluttershy went on.
“Do you reckon?” asked Starswirl.
“So I’m not the only one seeing this, right?” asked Tree Hugger. “My cutie mark is flying away, isn’t it?”
“It is,” said Fluttershy. “It’s leading you to Starlight’s old Village. Go follow it, Tree Hugger. Catch the next train north.”
*****
Tree Hugger made a beeline for the train station. There was a passenger train at the platform. Tree Hugger jumped into the cab of the locomotive, and flashed her Equestrian Society For The Protection Of Rare Creatures badge at the driver.
“Follow that cutie mark!” she said to the Driver.
The Driver pointed her to the Station booking office.
*****
Tree Hugger spent most of her train journey north looking out of her coach window, monitoring her cutie mark’s progress as it streaked across the sky. Eventually, she saw her cutie mark veer to the east. The train was carrying on northbound. Tree Hugger pulled the communication cord.
“Turn this train right!” she called.
The emergency brake was applied. Most of Tree Hugger’s fellow passengers began to grumble. The Guard walked up.
“Trains don’t steer themselves, miss,” she said. “They follow the rails. Get off at the next junction and you can board the next eastbound train from there.”
“Righteous,” Tree Hugger grinned contently.
The passengers continued to grumble about the delay as the Guard made her way back to the brake coach.
“Don’t be mad,” one said. “That pony’s just having an existential crisis. Look out the window.”
Some passengers looked out and were surprised to see a little red tree that looked exactly like Tree Hugger’s cutie mark floating away from the train towards the mountains.
“So she really was following her cutie mark,” said another passenger. “I thought she was just hallucinating.”
*****
Before long, Tree Hugger made her way to the Village Halt. She detrained and could see her cutie mark floating in the direction of Starlight’s Village.
“I’m gonna getcha!” she called, following it.
Tree Hugger barely registered the cliff faces, the bridge, and the Village itself as she chased her cutie mark. She watched it intently as it finally reached the Cave. She entered. The Cave seemed dark from the outside, but as Tree Hugger entered, a warm glow seemed to illuminate it. At the end of the Cave, she could see a large stone Grid. She watched, stunned, as her cutie mark entered the Grid, and began to criss-cross along the Maze, joining another cutie mark; the purple sun of Evensong Glisten’s.
“Cool,” said Tree Hugger, standing mesmerised at the two cutie marks chasing each other through the Maze, but avoiding the large star in the center of the Grid.
*****
“I told you!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
She, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo entered the Cave. They’re cutie marks were glowing like Tree Hugger’s had, but as soon as they’d reached the Grid and saw Tree Hugger had come, their marks stopped glowing.
“It really is a Reverse Cutie Map!” Apple Bloom burst with excitement.
“And we have our first client!” bubbled Scootaloo.
“Second, technically,” said Sweetie Belle. “Don’t forget, Evensong ran off…”
“I mean,” Scootaloo interrupted, “our first client from outside the Village. Oh, I can’t wait to write home!”
“Me too! They’re bound to let us stay in the Village now!” Sweetie Belle squeaked excitedly.
“Wait, wait. We still have a duty, remember,” said Apple Bloom, trying to compose herself but still plainly as happy as her fellow CMCs were. “Let’s solve the problem the Cutie Mark Grid called us for. Evensong might be avoiding our help, but Tree Hugger here seems keen to find her calling.”
Tree Hugger certainly was staring intently at her cutie mark negotiating its way through the Maze. In fact, the Crusaders weren’t sure she’d even noticed they’d entered the Cave.
*****
Eventually, they managed to snap Tree Hugger out of her trance.
“Oh yeah, I remember you three,” she said. “Fluttershy told me at the Grand Galloping Gala that you live in a treehouse in Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Well, not quite,” Sweetie Belle corrected her. “That treehouse was just our base of operations.”
“Yeah, we don’t actually live there,” said Scootaloo.
“We don’t really do anything with it anymore,” said Apple Bloom.
“I think I saw a tree in the Village on my way here,” Tree Hugger said. “It was blocking the road.”
“No, it’s just at the end of the road,” Scootaloo told her.
“Oh, well it looked like it could support a clubhouse,” Tree Hugger went on. “If your treehouse in the orchard is too small for you three now, why not build a bigger one here in the Village?”
The excitement rushed back into the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
*****
There was a town meeting the next morning, but instead of being held at the end of the road, the Villagers gathered in the Cave (as many as could fit, anyway). The ones that stood outside could still make out the Cutie Mark Grid’s brightness, and could still hear the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they made their speech about they’re new calling.
“So, as we have such important business in your Village,” Apple Bloom concluded, “we would like to set up a base of operations. Would anypony object if we built a clubhouse in the tree at the end of the road?”
The Villagers looked around at each other.
“Or is that tree important to you all?” asked Scootaloo.
Again, the Villagers glanced from side to side, as though waiting for somepony to speak up.
“Uh, who planted that tree in the first place?” asked Sweetie Belle.
After more glances and head-turns, some of the Villagers shrugged.
“I don’t remember seeing anypony plant that tree after we’d torn down Starlight’s cottage,” said Double Diamond.
“Me neither,” said Feather Bangs.
“Anypony at the back know who planted that tree?!” Night Glider called to the outside of the Cave.
There were faint murmurs, but nopony spoke up.
“I guess,” said Sugar Belle, “since we don’t really know how that tree got there in the first place, nopony will mind if there’s a clubhouse in it.”
The Crusaders’ faces brightened like the Grid as murmurs of agreement filled the Cave.
*****
It only took a few days for the Treehouse to be built. Apple Bloom spearheaded the plans and construction, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle assisted her all throughout the process, and Villagers volunteered their services, measuring, sawing, hammering, and painting.
“You know,” Apple Bloom said to her fellow CMCs as the project was nearing completion, “I remember Limestone asking me if we were gonna build a treehouse in this Village. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now that…”
“Wait,” Sweetie Belle interrupted, “where’s Tree Hugger.
“Still in the Cave, I’ll bet,” smirked Scootaloo.
*****
Sure enough, when the Crusaders took a construction break and went to the Cave, there was Tree Hugger, still watching hers and Evensong’s cutie marks chasing each other around the Maze.
“Tree Hugger?!” called Scootaloo.
Tree Hugger turned. “What’s good, guys?”
“Sorry we left you here,” said Apple Bloom, a little red in the face. “We just… got a little excited when you said we should build a treehouse in the Village.”
“Thank you, by the way,” put in Scootaloo. “You’ve been a big help to us. Now we’re going to do our duty and help you find out why you have a tree for a cutie mark when your unique talent is for caring for animals. So…”
“So that’s what my cutie mark means,” Tree Hugger interrupted.
The Crusaders watched as Tree Hugger’s cutie mark slid into the center square of the Grid, flashed like a firework, and slowly vanished.
“What I’m best at is finding the right place for the right creatures,” Tree Hugger went on, not seeming to notice that her mark on her flank was glowing, or that her mark in the Grid had found the Star.
The Crusaders weren’t sure whether or not to be upset at being called creatures.
“I found the right home for Tirry, and I found the right base of operations for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Far out!”
As she’d realised that her cutie mark denoted her talent for matching creatures to ideal living conditions, the CMCs avoided mentioning to Tree Hugger that Limestone had had the same idea she gave them.