//------------------------------// // Every Bear That Ever There Was // Story: If You Go Down In The Woods Today // by SilverNotes //------------------------------// It was hard to get a lock on the sound to follow it. It didn't seem to be coming from any one direction, simply existing all around them, and they ended up trotting in a few circles, ears turning left and right, before Fluttershy suddenly felt she had the right direction and nudged Zecora for her to follow her. The deeper they moved into the forest, something about the trees started to change. They were taller, wider, and started to give off a sense of age that Fluttershy could feel down to her soul. Even as she followed the bear-like sounds, she found herself looking at the titanic trees, picking out patterns in the bark. Sometimes, the shapes she saw almost looked like... faces... Some of the tree-faces looked angry. Some looked more sorrowful. Others seemed like they were afraid, or in pain. But most of them just looked peaceful, dark lines in the bark suggesting closed eyes and little smiles. Picking them out almost turned into a game, like trying to find shapes in clouds floating overhead, shapes that hadn't been deliberately sculpted by pegasi. Fluttershy found herself humming a tune under her breath, but she'd forgotten where she'd first heard the song. Eventually, the trees parted, and she spotted a familiar shaggy back. "Oh!" She raced forward, any of the tiredness she'd felt from all the walking, running, and flying today vanishing in her joy. "Harry, there you are. We've been--" The bear rose onto their hind legs, and turned. There was a green cloak in their claws, and a deft toss had it settling around their shoulders as they looked at her. The eyes were bright with an intelligence that Harry had never had--bears were smart animals, incredibly so, often coming right up to the line of true sapience, but this was beyond that, eyes with a light to them much like a pony, dragon or zebra may have--and while they held recognition, it wasn't the fond kind of her old, fuzzy friend. No, the look in the bear's eyes was more of the calm way a host would look to an expected guest, before welcoming them in. "Oh, my mistake," Fluttershy said softly, taking a step back. "I'm sorry, we were just looking for our friend. He's a bear... just... like..." Claws on both forepaws lit up blue-green, and all four hooves froze to the spot. The bear no longer sounded like a bear, the sounds taking on a complexity similar to the speech of the circle of not-deer, and as the words flowed, the magic floated and twisted in the air, motes of light twisting and turn in figure-eights along the hulking, furry body. Suddenly, Fluttershy understood. The not-bird was an intruder, a violator, a thing that should not be. It would destroy all it touched if not contained. And the forest could contain it, and could protect against it. The not-deer had been feeding the forest, giving it the strength it needed to keep protecting, to keep the rot from seeping out to realms beyond. The forest just wanted to protect her. All she needed to do was join it, and she would be safe. Bark crept up the bear's body, replacing fur, hind legs shifting into twisting roots that sank into the life-giving earth. The magic around its claws shone brighter, beckoning, and Fluttershy found herself walking forward, letting the warmth of the light wash over her fur. All the fearful tension melted from her body as she approached the transforming bear, the light reflecting in her own eyes. home the trees were calling me home i'd always wanted to be-- "Fluttershy!" She didn't recognize the voice at first, and didn't know what hit her. The force sent her tumbling through the underbrush, sticks and thorns digging into fur, skin, and feathers as she rolled to a stop. Her head rung and vision took time to focus, her head rising from the dirt with the sluggishness of somepony waking from a deep dream. She watched the bear be consumed by the magic, forelimbs extending into branches and a few leaves sprouting from the new sapling that had taken root among the old trees. And Fluttershy saw the blue-green light swirling around an equine slightly taller than she was, black and white starting to be consumed by green. no not her please don't take her "Zecora!" Her hooves dug deep furrows in the dirt as she scrambled to stand, and she fought to spread wings that had been tangled in the plant life. She leaped into the air, diving toward the transforming zebra and punching through the consuming light as she reached out with both front hooves. They rolled through the dirt together, and when they stopped, Fluttershy's muzzle was buried in Zecora's dual-coloured mane. A few heavy, frantic breathes of smoke, earth, and rare spices, and she pulled herself up and off of the other mare, looking her over. Zecora was laying in the earth, her chest heaving with her own panicked breaths. Her front hooves were frantically tearing at the dirt, trying to pull herself up, and Fluttershy carefully reached out a wing to help her right herself. Her head, front legs, and barrel looked normal, even if her coat was smeared with dirt and she still showed signs of bruising, but her hindquarters were covered in pale bark, her tail having turned to a budding branch. Fluttershy, in the horror of clarity, asked in barely more than a whisper, "Can you walk?" Zecora looked back at herself, and Fluttershy longed to be able to read what she was feeling. She slowly lifted each back leg, the wood moving like flesh, and the bottom of each hoof had rings on it like a cut-down tree. "For now. Somehow." "I... I'm so sorry," she started, "I don't know what--" Zecora leaned in, and Fluttershy stiffened at the unexpected nuzzle against the side of her face. "This place, it is attacking the mind. I am only happy that I acted in time." Tears burned in Fluttershy's eyes as she nuzzled back. "We'll get back home, and we'll fix this. I promise." As they parted, Zecora gave her a sad, yet gentle, smile. In the final moments of this waking nightmare, Fluttershy would remember that smile.