//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Rescue // Story: Selene of the Shifting Dreams // by Lord King Cocoon //------------------------------// It was a perfect day. Clear blue skies, birds singing, a gentle breeze in the air, and even the scent of freshly baked apple pie being carried from Sweet Apple Acres. And for Ocellus, this was the perfect day for sitting under the perfect tree and reading the perfect book. Lounging in the perfect branches of this perfect tree was Smolder. After all, it can’t be the perfect tree if it doesn’t have perfect branches to lounge on. Branches that perfectly conform to the shape of her body. The Perfect tree was set on top of the perfect hill. The hill was not only perfectly shaped to allow for anycreature who wants to lean against the perfect tree trunk to do so comfortably, which Ocellus was doing, but it also casts the perfect shadow. Lounging on the side of the perfect hill in the perfect shade were Sandbar and Yona snuggling up next to each other. Next to the perfect tree was the perfect lake to go swimming in. Silverstream couldn't pass this chance up of course. Crystal clear waters, happy colorful little fish swimming about, a beautiful field of perfect seaweed that’s the perfect height and will tickle the belly of any swimmer if they swim just at the top of the seaweed. In the sky nearby, Gallus was laying sprawled out on the perfect cloud. He was basking in the warmth of the perfect sun’s perfect rays. It was a perfect day. “Hello? Is anycreature out there?” Everycreature poked their heads up at the sound. It was strange. The voice they heard sounded like it was far away. And yet, it sounded clear enough to have been right next to them. Even Silverstream, who was underwater where the sound should be muffled, heard it. “Did any of you hear that?” Silverstream asked as she poked her head out of the water. “Yeah,” Gallus said, flying down from his perfect cloud in his Royal Guard armor… wait, was he always wearing that armor? “Something wasn’t right about how it sounded.” “It sounds like somecreature is lost and needs help,” Ocellus said, putting her book away… what book was she reading again? “Yona no like it,” Yona said as she and Sandbar head towards the lake… weren’t they on the other side of the hill? “Yeah. It’s like the voice was far away and right next to us at the same time,” Sandbar said as he and Yona help Silverstream out of the water… how were they on the water in the middle of the pond? “And what direction did it come from?” Smolder said as she walked over to them… when did she get down from the tree? “Hello?” The voice called again. But none of the six could determine a direction. It was like the Everfree Forest was transmitting the sound from all around them… when did they enter the forest? Suddenly, there was a shimmer. Then the image of Twilight Sparkle appeared in front of them. No, it wasn’t Twilight Sparkle. It was too… sparkly. And it didn’t look like Twilight as she is now, but rather from years ago. This was the spirit of the Tree of Harmony. “She needs your help,” the spirit of the Tree of Harmony said in her usual calm and gentle and, for lack of a better term, emotionally disconnected tone. “Harmony, is that you?” Silverstream said. Though they haven’t had to interact with the spirit of the Tree of Harmony that much, the six had gotten into the habit of simply calling the spirit ‘Harmony’, because ‘spirit of the Tree of Harmony’ was just too much of a mouthful, “Wait, is this a dream? Is that why I don’t remember turning from sea pony to hippogriff?” Harmony simply nods. “Who?” Ocellus asked, trying to get back on track, “Who needs our help?” “A lost soul,” Harmony said mysteriously. “AHHHH!!!” Harmony responds to the scream, vanishing from sight. The others were worried. That was a scream of fear. The type of fear when somecreature is afraid for their life. “AHHHH!!!” That scream wasn’t of fear, it was of pain! And fear! “Somecreature’s in trouble!” Ocellus exclaimed, worry evident on her face, “We need to help them!” “And how exactly are we gonna do that?” Gallus asked matter-of-factly, “This is a dream, remember? If we’re going to help anycreature, it’s going to be after we wake up. We’re basically useless if we’re still asleep.” A blush of embarrassment appears on Ocellus’s cheeks, “You’re right. Sorry.” Gallus sighed, remembering that despite his royal guard duties, which shouldn’t even apply in a dream, he is still Ocellus’s friend first, “It’s okay. You’re worried. We all are,” Gallus said, motioning to the others, who all had varying looks of worry, “But even after we wake up, we still need the answer to where this creature is.” “I think it’s safe to assume that they’re somewhere in the Everfree Forest,” Smolder said, “Why else would Harmony have taken us here?” “Help… me…” The sound of those words gripped their hearts. That wasn’t just fear, but the sound of somecreature’s life fading away. Harmony then reappears. “You must hurry. She needs help,” it was odd how Harmony could convey so much emotion while showing none. “But where do we find her?” Sandbar asked. That’s when something caught Ocellus’s attention. She looked to her left and saw a blue and pink crystalline form, “The treehouse!” Ocellus exclaimed. “The treehouse!” Ocellus exclaimed as she shot upright in her bed. She took a moment to examine her surroundings, allowing her mind to grasp at the fact that it was a dream and she was now in her room in Ponyville. Then something occurred to her. Did the others hear her before they woke up? But another thought came to mind, “Somecreature needs help!” Ocellus jumped out of her bed and ran up the stairs and through the door. She ran through the room and out the door. She ran right into Smolder… literally. “I assume you also had a dream of Harmony contacting us,” Smolder said as she rubbed her belly, a bruise forming from where Ocellus’s horn jabbed her. The impact knocked each other down. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?!” Ocellus apologized. “Don’t worry. I’ve had worse,” the dragon said as she got back up. “Hey, Ocellus!” Sandbar called out as he and Yona ran towards them, “What was it you said before we woke up?” “You all had that dream too?” Silverstream asked as she flew towards the group. There was a bright flash before Gallus arrived with Princess Twilight. “Why Gallus bring Princess?” Yona asked. “Because without magic, he can’t teleport on his own,” Princess Twilight said calmly, “And when he woke me up and informed me that the spirit of the tree of Harmony contacted you all in a dream, I felt that swiftness was the best course of action.” “So, what was it you were trying to say before we woke up?” Gallus asked, directing his attention towards Ocellus. “I think she said ‘beehive’? No, it was ‘bee nut’! No, ‘tree nut’!” Silverstream said excitedly, “We need to find a tree nut! But from what tree?” Ocellus sighed in exasperation, “The treehouse,” the changeling corrected. “The treehouse has tree nuts now?!” Silverstream exclaimed, completely missing the correction, “What other new things will we learn about the treehouse?!” Gallus face-clawed at that comment, “What she said in the dream was ‘treehouse’.” Ocellus was becoming frantic, “We need to get to the treehouse NOW!” she exclaims, her wings buzzing in anticipation, “She needs help!” “Who needs help?” Princess Twilight asked. “Whoever it is Harmony contacted us about,” Solder said. “I see,” Twilight said calmly, “Then allow me.” The Princess’s horn began to glow before there was a flash of light. When the light faded, the seven of them were standing in front of the Treehouse of Harmony. Ocellus didn’t waste any time running inside, followed by the others, with Twilight waiting outside. They were surprised to see all of the branches that now littered the halls of the treehouse. Ocellus however didn’t give them a second thought and just continued forward. It wasn’t long before Ocellus spotted something. It was a changeling nymph. But not just any nymph, an unreformed changeling. But there was something off about it. Changelings don’t have manes that flow in an ethereal breeze like that. In fact, her mane strongly resembles Luna’s. Then there were the wings. Four wings, like that of a dragonfly. But what truly caught Ocellus’s attention wasn’t the apparent mutations, but rather the green liquid seeping out of several puncture wounds, some of which accompanied by thorns and slivers of wood. It then clicked in her head what the piles of sticks were. Ocellus gently lifted the nymph onto her back with her magic, wincing as she felt just how much blood she felt. “She must’ve been attacked by timberwolves!” Ocellus exclaims, “The treehouse must’ve saved her, but she’s bleeding to death! She needs medical attention!” “You wait here! I’ll get the princess!” Gallus instructed before leaving the treehouse. A moment later, there was a flash of light. When the light faded, Princess Twilight and Gallus were in front of the group… again. There was a moment when the princess seemed to scrutinize the changeling nymph. But it lasted less than a second. She lit her horn and, in a flash, all eight of them were back in Ponyville where they started. Her horn lit again and she was gone along with Gallus, Ocellus, and the nymph. Smolder looked around at the group, “So, does this mean we can go back to bed?” Meanwhile, up in Canterlot Castle, there was a flash of light followed by the sudden appearance of the Princess and her passengers. “Gallus, please contact the Night staff medical team and tell them to meet me in the infirmary,” Princess Twilight instructed. “Yes, your majesty,” Gallus said with a salute before heading down the hall. Ocellus opened her mouth to ask a question before there was another flash of light. They reappeared in another room, one that was clearly the infirmary with how sterile it felt. Ocellus was about to open her mouth to speak. “Ocellus, you don’t mind helping me get the young changeling onto the examination table, do you?” the Princess asked, “She’s injured after all, and we need to be careful.” “I don’t mind, Princess,” Ocellus agreed. She used her magic to carefully separate their bodies, the nymph’s blood becoming dry and sticky. She then gently placed her down on the table just as Gallus came running in with three thestrals. Once the medical team was on the case, Ocellus opened her mouth to speak again. “To answer the question that I am sure is on your mind, I brought you here because when the nymph wakes up, I’m sure she’ll be scared and confused,” Princess Twilight said, answering Ocellus’s unasked question, the said changeling closing her mouth, “I apologize for not informing you of this decision sooner. But the nymph’s safety came first. If you wish, I will send you back home if you do not want to be here when she wakes up.” ‘Wow! How’d she know what I was gonna ask before I asked it?’ Ocellus thought to herself. “It’s alright. I’ll stay,” Ocellus said. The Princess smiled at that response, but was cut off as one of the thestrals addressed them, “I apologize, your majesty. But I must request that you leave,” the thestral requested, “The fewer distractions and more space we have, the better.” “Of course, Silver Heart,” the princess said with a nod of her head, “Gallus, Ocellus, let’s give the medical team their space to work.” The three of them leave the medics to do their work. “Sorry I haven’t visited much,” Gallus said, “But you know how it is. Royal Guard duties and all that.” Gallus and Ocellus were getting reacquainted. Ever since Gallus has become a royal guard, he’s been taking that role seriously. He specifically wanted to make a good example, seeing as he was the first-ever griffon royal guard. “Gallus, you know that you can always request time off to be with friends,” Princess Twilight said, “Most members of the royal guard actually take advantage of that fact when they can.” “I know, Princess,” Gallus said, “But I’m the first-ever griffon royal guard. I want to make a good impression.” “Even my brother took more time off than you have,” Princess Twilight said, a smirk on her face, “You’ve accumulated twelve weeks' worth of vacation time.” “Well, we’ve all been busy,” Ocellus said, sympathizing with her friend, “Yona and Sandbar have been managing Carousel Boutique. Smolder has her cartography. Silverstream… well, she’s Silverstream. And I’ve had my library duties.” “It’s hard for me to believe how you six grew up,” Princess Twilight said, “It only seems like yesterday when you six were worrying about passing your next tests in my School of Friendship.” “Yeah, well, it’s not like we could be kids forever,” Gallus said with a grin, giving the changeling a slap on the back. He then peeled his claw off of her still sticky back, “Uh… maybe it might be a good idea to get cleaned up.” Ocellus’s only response was a sheepish grin and a blush. “I’m sure that the baths here in the palace should be adequate,” Princess Twilight said. “If you don’t mind taking a bath in a pool,” Gallus snarked playfully. “Well, I’m not as small as I used to be,” Twilight commented, “I need extra space when taking a bath.” The three of them laugh at that before Twilight led Ocellus to get washed up. “Odd. This youngling’s biology isn’t normal for a changeling,” one of the doctors said, “Even for an unreformed changeling.” “Well, it does seem like she has the biology of a Queen,” the second doctor said. “That would explain some of the oddities,” Silver Heart said, “But that doesn’t explain all of the mutations. Two pairs of wings wouldn’t be explained by a Queen’s biology. And her mane and tail are clearly not that of a changeling.” “So what do we do?” the first doctor asked. “We do as we were instructed to,” Silver Heart said, “We’ll tend to her wounds.” The three medics did as they were told and tended to the youngling. The more they treated the changeling’s injuries, the more they were able to study her, and the less she seemed to actually appear to be a changeling. “Perhaps she’s some sort of hybrid,” Silver Heart suggested as they removed a few wood shards, “The youngling lost a lot of blood. But it’s not as bad as previously implied.” As Silver Heart cleaned the wounds, preparing the youngling to be bandaged up, she noticed the presence of another substance acting as a clotting agent.