//------------------------------// // The Observer // Story: Heart of the White Tail Woods // by Vinn //------------------------------// Never before had Applejack slept a full night outside amongst the trees. Several nights, as a filly, she had demanded vociferously to be allowed to stay out in the orchards on warm summer evenings. Something drew her to the rustle of the leaves in the familiar apple trees and the earth which was gradually releasing the heat of the daytime sun. These were symbols of constancy amid the fluidity of the universe above. It was beautiful, and so too was it comforting. She hadn't learnt about the planets, the galaxies, the moons or the stars. She hadn't learnt about the vastness of open space, the glory of the rich cosmos or the uniqueness of Earth. But she loved what she saw, albeit only from the safety of her bedroom window. It is often a fear of the unknown that leads some in this life to become aggressive, protective, delusional, and even to shy away from others who mean no harm. It leads us to be scared of the dark, to worry about the future, to become anxious about how others perceive us. It is something psychologically ingrained in us; that which is not understood is potentially harmful. Seeing an unexplained expanse of stars from her window, Applejack did not find fear or anxiety in the unknown. Rather, she saw beauty. A world where everything was analysed and categorised, scrutinised and dissected, where everything around her followed a clockwork system of laws, was a world that felt claustrophobic and cramped. To think that the universe could be described in a sentence, a set of words on a white page, a set of numbers and calculations... it did not feel right. To her, a fear of the unknown led those that had the capabilities to follow science, and those without such means to invent and self-deceive. She chose neither path. The universe and the meaning of life itself was best described to her in terms of the subjective experience of each individual. Although there was reason and observation, so too was there the understanding of life was transmitted solely through the senses. She could not put this into words. She had once sat out at night with Twilight Sparkle and watched a meteor shower. For two hours, the unicorn had explained to her the constellations, the most current astrophysics and cosmology and the precise reasons behind the shooting stars that streaked by overhead. A star's luminosity was determined by the amount of power it had to emit in order to counterbalance the gravitational forces due to its mass and radius. The planet's atmosphere would burn up most incoming objects, leading to a brief display of white light as they turned to dust. In several billion years, long after life can no longer be sustained, the planet will be engulfed by a greatly expanded sun. And so on and so forth. Applejack knew that science was the most objective and most accurate way of describing the universe, but it just felt incomplete. As she sat there listening and nodding politely, she felt a slight sense of disappointment. The beauty of the unknown was being taken away from her. She had reached the age where she understood that it had to be science that held the dominant descriptions of the physical world, for other explanations led to conflict and discord. But she couldn't help noticing the desire to be oblivious and ignorant that still lingered. She felt that forcing objectivity on her worldview suppressed the other, equally important aspects of the experience of life. She wanted to wonder and imagine, to allow her mind to explore and piece together the puzzle of the unknown for itself. She felt naive in this sense. She was honest but tactful, so she kept her views to herself. Applejack woke up in the White Tail Woods alone. Already, the events of the previous day felt like little more than a dream. There was no denying, however, that she was lost somewhere in the forest. It was the arrival of the sunlight through the chaotic patterns of the twigs and branches of the canopy that had called her back into consciousness. The environment she found herself in now evoked a different feeling to that which she had experienced yesterday. It felt less clearly defined and more transient. Glancing back in the direction in which she had come, she wasn't even sure if walking that way would lead her out again. Overhead, she caught sight of the daylight moon hanging in the clear sky. She would previously have just mistaken it for a faint wisp of cloud, but it had more presence now. It seemed to be a bit more crisp. It often appeared only as a faintly penciled sketch on a two-dimensional plane, but now it was whole. Unlike Everfree, the White Tail Woods were home not only to an abundance of fairly harmless creatures, but also a significant collection of edible berries. This, combined with the occasional streams that ran through a ditch in the forest floor, was sufficient to sustain Applejack. She was somewhat disgruntled by her memory of the vague smell of Baked Apples from the previous day, but was content still to be alive after her disastrous navigational errors. Now, she could identify little more than the smells of nature, although she was also aware of what smelt like toast (probably a long way away). This fascinated her. Perhaps she was closer to civilisation than she had assumed. Still in a slightly dizzy state from having her sleep cycle shattered, she ambled in the direction of the scent, having attempted to wake herself up with water from the stream (and failed). Her only previous experience of the woods was in the Running of the Leaves, and her complete focus on getting to the front of the race meant she had never really taken the time to observe the forest itself. Now, however, she was engulfed by it. The landscape seemed incredibly repetitive and disorientating. There was also something about it that was not quite right. Guided only by the strange smell, she picked up her pace a little, hoping to find something other than the sea of trees she was currently submerged in. After 30 minutes, what she encountered was worse. The woods were ablaze. Thick smoke was pouring through the gaps in the trees and the sound of burning could be heard. Warm air was blasted towards her. What in the hay is goin' on here?! There's no reason for a wildfire...dry weather maybe? Shoot, there's nopony around... From her vantage point on a slightly elevated area she could already make out the flames spreading fast through the dry grass. She edged closer to see if anything was in danger. The woods were eerily empty. At this point, she felt like the only living creature for miles around, and the lack of noise except the crackle of the fire confirmed this. Something darted past in her periphery. Turning her head in reaction to this, what she saw was that she had come much closer to the wildfire than she had anticipated. Her eyes widened with horror as she spun around to see she had become totally encircled by the raging embers which danced around her like in a ritualistic ceremony. The fire was spreading at an unimaginable pace. Somepony will surely see the smoke risin' from the woods...this can't be happenin'! "HELP!" she bellowed out, knowing the smoke would soon affect her ability to shout. The word was almost lost in the growing noise of burning wood and falling branches. In a sort of clearing, the fire was not currently approaching her, but any ways out were rapidly becoming blocked by flames and it was becoming more and more difficult to see due to the thickening smog. She glanced up at a treetop. If she tried to get up there she would no doubt be at risk of asphyxiation, but the future looked no brighter on the ground. A wind had picked up and sparks were whirling through the air. As though the fire were spitting furiously at the lone earth pony, they flew for a second and disappeared or were lost in a cloud of smoke. This smoke was now unavoidable, and Applejack got down low in a futile attempt to avoid it entering her lungs. Fiery branches were being blown near where she was, and these gave rise to yet more patches of flames in the yellow-green grass. She felt crushed by the gases and the unbearable heat, was almost blinded and was beginning to get dizzy. Now was her last chance to do something. Anything. Choking and spluttering, she found her way to a tree trunk which didn't have flames clinging to it. There was a loud crash as an enormous branch struck the ground near her. She desperately hoped it didn't mean the fire was somehow above her. If it was, she would be climbing to her doom. Smokin' Tartarus, I can't climb trees! I can't climb trees! I can't die! Applejack got one front hoof over a low branch, and then the other. She couldn't even see what she was doing, but she pulled up with all her remaining strength, which was dwindling. She cut herself on the rough bark. "Argh!" The mild wound stung worse than it should have. Hauling herself up, she managed to get herself completely off the ground. For the rest of the ascent, she would have to somehow cling to the main trunk. She heard a crack beneath her, and flailed her front legs above herself to try to grab on to something. Hitting another branch, she grabbed onto it and heaved. Feeling a sudden shooting pain in one of the muscles of her legs, she managed to catch the branch in her teeth, and was soon hanging on with nothing more than her powerful jaws. To relieve the tension on her mouth, she managed to get up and balance on one of the short stumps protruding from the trunk. Despite the pain in her one of her front legs from a muscle injury, she forced herself to pull up completely onto the branch she had held onto with her teeth. Here, she tried to rest, but found that losing concentration and a tight grip on the tree would cause her to wobble and risk falling. Then, trying to see through the fumes, she spotted an orange glow at her level. The upper branches had caught fire. Terrified, she peered up. The leaves of the tree she was in were ablaze, and she didn't even have the strength to get up any further. In addition, as suspected, the rising smoke was getting so dense she was likely to pass out at any moment. She didn't know how far she was off the ground and didn't know whether the tears in her eyes were due to the smog or because she was going to die. She shuffled along her branch to the end, trying to cover her mouth with one hoof. She could just about make out what seemed like another thick (and hopefully stable) branch roughly a yard away, which belonged to another tree. It was slightly lower than hers. Something huge struck the ground nearby and the tree which her life currently depended on shook violently. She could hardly keep her eyes open as they stung horribly, but she tried to stay focused on the other branch. She looked behind her, and could see the main trunk already engulfed by fire. Then, she fixed her sight upon her target. She got one back hoof onto her own branch. She tried to crouch. She held her breath. She thought of home. And then Applejack jumped. An awful crash could be heard. She was in the air for no more than a split second before she felt something slam into her. She cried out as she felt herself plummeting towards the ground. But she wasn't falling. Completely shaken by the impact, she had no idea what was going on. She felt no pain and could see nothing, as she had her eyes tightly shut and simply could not open them. The ground (or branch) below her seemed to be shifting about and she could feel a gust of powerful wind against her fur. She could not move. This wind seemed to engulf all her senses, and several memories rushed through her head as it evoked a familiar sensation of the freedom of the open air. Even the smoke seemed to be dissipating in the air, blown away in the cleansing breeze. In addition, the pain was leaving her and her lungs seemed to clear. As the heat of the flames faded, she felt as though she was losing touch with the real world. Perhaps she was unconscious. Then, Applejack realized she was flying. She managed to open her eyes. They were still filled with tears and so all she saw was a blur of shifting colours, dominated by the milky blue of the sky. She was on something which was a vivid ruby red. As she ascended away above the treetops, the wind became louder and louder, and more powerful, soon bringing her back from her dizzy state. She seemed to be balanced in a fairly stable fashion atop some vast creature. "I fear your entry to this...neck of the woods has come at quite an inconvenient time." The words were clearly spoken, even above the whistling wind. Needless to say, a deep and slow voice articulated each syllable in a relaxed but slightly sorrowful manner. "Ya wha..." Applejack replied, using a vocabulary which had become severely limited by the shock of what she was experiencing. "It would have been a nightmare to lose you like that. I had envisioned something more welcoming than a deadly forest fire," added the voice. It's a dragon. Hohooo. A dragon. If there's somethin' worse than been burnt alive, it may well be gettin' burnt alive and then eaten by a dragon. This cannot be real... "PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Applejack yelled with newly found energy, having realized the gravity of her situation. "I rather expected you to be a tad startled," continued the dragon. "I'd suggest clinging on for the time being though, because the speed you'd meet the ground at if you didn't would not really go very well with your state as an organic lifeform. It's not that you hit the ground too hard; it's that the ground hits you rather hard as well. Think of it as a sort of retaliation." "I DON'T WANT NO FANCY TALK! KINDLY LAND AND LET ME DOWN!" "Goodness me. There's no need to shout. My ears are right here you know." They seemed to be losing height already. Perhaps she had succeeded in intimidating the predator. Within seconds they were below the line of the canopy and the scents of the forest had begun to return. Applejack glanced behind her to see a tower of smoke rising several miles away. Before she knew it, they had hit the ground. She sprung into action, getting ready to dart off into the trees. In an instant though, the claws of the dragon had picked her up and she was being lifted up. Soon, what she came face to face with was the head of an ancient-looking beast. Its fangs were visible but seemed more blunt than they should have been. The eyes stared at her inquisitively. They were a deep crimson, large enough for Applejack to even make out small tinges of purple. Just like a complex gemstone. "Rather small, close up," it mumbled. "I never thought I'd be sayin' this," said Applejack in the most calm tone she could muster, "but I taste about as nice as a mouthful of dirt." Thinking fast, she added "which is why I'm called an earth pony." The dragon paused for a moment, continuing its stare. "What an odd way to introduce yourself. I was certain the normal convention was to say your name!" said the puzzled dragon. "But, then again, I already know you're Applejack." "Uhh, what now? How the hay do you know my name?!" "It is my business to know," replied the creature in a somewhat snide tone. It grinned and exposed its arsenal of irregular-looking teeth. ... "No, that didn't work very well, did it?" it continued. "I'm not very good with ponies, you know. Never actually met one before. In any case, let me introduce myself. I am...actually that's going to be terribly hard for you to pronounce. I am The Observer. My role in these woods consists of little more than to sit here and watch the lives of others and see how intelligent life interacts with the natural world. Oh, and I do try to keep things in order and what have you. Hence, the fire." "Y-you started that?" asked Applejack. "Yes, and it's all for the best, you know. Preserving the delicate balance of nature and all that sort of thing. But anyway, I've watched Ponyville grow and flourish alongside the Canterlot Mountain, as you call it. Yours has been quite a heartwarming tale! I suppose you might consider your family as one of the earliest settlers." "You're huge! How has nopony seen you before? I ain't heard of you..." she said, her tone becoming suspicious. "You are no longer really in the normal world, I'm afraid," said the dragon. "Dangit! I knew I was dead!" "Dead?! Oh goodness, no. Why, you're not even dreaming! Or...well, it's rather complicated. You are in the heart of the White Tail Woods. How you got here is rather a mystery to me, but I knew you were coming. You have passed through the outer rim of the Heart and are now in the middle-grounds." "But what's so special about this so-called "heart of the White Tail woods, then? How come it ain't in the normal world?" said Applejack. "You see," said the dragon, seeming as though it was collecting its thoughts, "these woods have always been a slightly...lonely place. Whereas the rest of Equestria is brimming with life, this is a haven of solitude, of which there are three layers. In the outer rim, the solitude is one associated with a certain proximity to civilisation and society. It is a solitude of outcasts and bitterness, where the soul seeks a return to the real world. Here, in the middle-grounds, it is the solitude of the detached observer that has accepted their separation. This is a happy place of oneness and peace, where self-knowledge is found and wisdom flourishes. I can still observe the real world but I can never go there, and it can never see me." Applejack listened, confused but curious. "Beyond this can be found the Central Heart. Do not go there. It is a place where solitude is so profoundly all-consuming that nothing outside of the self even exists. Once there, you cannot leave." "...So...I'm in some sort of weird realm," said Applejack. "I still can't understand what the fire was for, though." She was surprised at how accepting she had been of the bizarre explanations of the dragon. The certain something that was not quite right in the forest had perhaps begun to rub off on her. Or perhaps her hunger for mystery was beginning to come back into bloom inside her. In any case, she felt a small tinge of excitement. "Both the natural world and the world of civilisation operate in cycles, Applejack. For your world, it is the immortal alicorns of the sun and the moon that keep the cycles flowing. Here, in these woods, it is the Heart. Our sun is a different sun and our moon is a different moon. Nevertheless, we are governed by their movement and their energy. I aid the sun and the moon to keep the world of nature in balance by destroying that which must be lost such that the things that must grow can do so." The dragon had lowered her down to the ground now, but Applejack just sat there, looking around as it spoke. "I do not know how you came here, but you will need to leave as soon as you can. Sometimes creatures of the physical world are drawn in by the glow of understanding, a small dim light in the darkness, but you must leave. That mountain over there overlooks Ponyville." Sitting on a clearing of high ground, it was able to point towards its snowy peak. "Return there. I have told you everything I can." The dragon's tone had suddenly become slightly fearful and agitated. At this point, a feeling of exhaustion returned to the earth pony. She said nothing. Her eyes were fixed upon the mountain that the dragon had pointed at. Soon, however, her eyelids became heavier. As they did so, she caught a glimpse of the same daylight moon from earlier, sitting in the sky just above where she was looking. It didn't feel like she had slept, for no time seemed to pass. And yet, when she opened her eyes the sky was a dark purple. Several thick clouds had gathered overhead and the rays of the sun, now leaving the horizon, flowed through them and gilded them with fiery red. Little sound could be heard. The dragon was gone. She could barely remember any of the words it had communicated to her, but she knew she was supposed to be heading towards a mountain in the distance. Then, she turned her head and gazed into an archway of trees behind her. It was pure darkness. After a minute, something appeared in the darkness. It was a floating light, as if from some invisible lamp. As she stared at it, more began to appear around it. They lit up the unreal-looking leaves of the surrounding oaks. As each light bobbed up and down slightly, the shadows cast danced and swayed hypnotically. Patches of black would momentarily be illuminated and then fade away once more. She got to her hooves and turned back towards the mountain. Then, she looked back into the forest once more. The lights were still there. And so she began to pick her way through various bushes and branches towards them.