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// What Defines Time? 
// Story: The Everfree Monster 
// by Iridescence T Wind 
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	What defines time? The process of the world aging, or is it, perhaps all just an illusion we create in order to measure significant events? So much depends on how we perceive it. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, four weeks a month, and twelve months a year. Basic measurements for those who die within a short period. Though for those who live forever, each second could be an eternity, yet the same amount of time paradoxically could flash in the blink of an eye. Luckily there are few who will live until the end of this measurement known as time, fewer still who remember the start of it. Though not everything is recorded, and time has a way of washing knowledge of even the deadliest secrets away. 


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Green, one of the two colors that defines him, his forest, and all that lives. As the sun rose and threw a blinding light into my eyes I could see nothing but that color. A constant reminder of what he was. As he rose from his den, the borough of a large tree deep within his territory, he sighed. It wasn't easy to live life as sole caretaker of an entire forest, Especially by ones own. Mentally he reviewed the going on's through his tree's, the same trees whom gave him life as well as bound him there. The weather was only partly cloudy, something he would need to fix later for the various flowers and trees which dwelled in his forest.

The life of the Caretaker was a lonely one, as he trotted down the same path he always did, giving his body a workout. His body of Redwood seamlessly changing shape as though it was flesh, his cool green eyes simply eyeing the path ahead of him while the vines that made up his hair swayed in the self generated wind. As the Caretaker took the jog throughout his forest his mind wandered, there was so much to do, yet so little that could satisfy. If he had wished, he would simply just have sat down inside of a tree and let his mind do all the work, but it was not something to do. But rather something he lacked the ability to not do. The Caretaker couldn't help but move and do several tasks manually while his connection with the forest did the rest for him.

He needed something to do with his ever expanding time. But there was nothing capable of real sentient speech in these woods that would deign talk to him or an idle joy inside which he could partake. He was the master of the most dangerous and creepy forest of the world after all, The Everfree Forest. So deep was the social stigma of Timber Wolves, Ursa Majors, even the occasional Manticore. That not a lot of ponies dared to venture within a mile deep inside his forest, let alone to the center of it. Lately, though he didn't know how long it had been since he last checked, the city in the far distance had grown a pink bubble around itself. Strange, but then again he wasn't to complain if a nation went a bit cuckoo in the head and decided to cover their city in a magic bubble. It wasn't affecting the forest at all, in fact, the lack of activity from the castle was helping the forest expand a bit by the lack of lumberjacks who were unable to leave to go chop wood from his forest for their industrial needs.

Loneliness, it sure was something he felt even now. When was the last time he had interacted with someone? When was the last time somepony even used his name? What was his name? He sighed, and the forest reflected it, clouds slowly growing more thicker and the trees providing a bit more shade than normal. Maybe another trip to the hut that had been claimed by a zebra mare, not an interaction in mind, but rather to watch her navigate his various dangerous plants and creatures to collect the rewards of helpful herbs that were stocked behind them.  It was rather amusing when she stepped into poison joke the first day and had to spend a week to fix the rainbow that had occurred. But no, certain things are best savored rather then indulged. Maybe he would check on her in a year or two, not like time mattered much anyway. 

His jog ended in a clearing atop a hill. Despite the trip he showed no signs of exertion, for its caretaker. The birds were still all taking care of their eggs, the small woodland creatures were collecting the food his trees gave them, and the weather had settled for a refreshing drizzle with a small snow filled cloud heading over to the Zebra's house. A gift, of a season that had passed only a short while ago. He set sat down to view the distant city, far out of his forest's reach. There was a reason he had been growing his forest towards it, though that was as far away as his name. 

He raised an eyebrow as the distant city's shield broke and large downward flares of green energy began to descend upon the once protected stonework. As he watched, the light show die down he wondered idly what was going on over in the distant city on the mountain side.


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Everything was coming along just perfect, there was no other way to describe this. She who was Queen of the Changelings, Chrysalis. had fooled all but one. As she turned her attention away from the subdued city she smiled to herself. Her drones had captured Twilight and her friends, and even still did the ignorant Alicorn who she had pretended to be was yammering on with how Twilight would save the city. A quiet glee filled her as the doors opened revealing the six bearers of the elements of harmony all captured by the masses of changelings that attended to their attempts to stop invasion. Their leader, a white Alicorn by the name of Celestia who matched herself in size, had been defeated. Luna drugged, and asleep in her quarters, and best of all. The unicorn who had been keeping the shield up, was completely drained and under her control. She smiled to herself though a few words caught her attention, it was from the stallion she had been using as food, Shining armor, "Is... the wedding over?"

She leapt up from the ground and landed in front of the group of colorful ponies, grinning triumphantly at them, "It's all over."

The purple one, Twilight, tried to whisper though it was audible to near everypony in the room, "your spell, perform your spell!"

Chrysalis laughed, a shield spell? Really she mused before speaking, "What good would that do? My changelings already roam free!"

She drew their attention to the window where her army of carefully bred warriors were invading the town. They had waited months for the perfect opportunity to attack and now it was time to replenish the stores they were so desperately needed. Such an invasion was perfect. An entire town would feed their energy beyond anything in comparison, and once Canterlot fell, then it would be the rest of this cursed nation's turn. It was perfect spiral to global domination. Who said a girl can't really get it all, Shining Armor tried to conjure another shield to repel the changelings but it was already far too late, she had drained just about every last drop of energy the stallion could spare. The pitiful dot of energy he conjured was proof of it at least, "My power is useless now... I... don't have the strength to repel them..."

His head lowered in shame and sorrow but he wasn't left to weep alone, Cadence, the pony she had oh so recently put up as idle sentiment, moved to nuzzle the rather unfortunate stallion who had finally broken free of Chrysalis's mind control, "Then my love will give you strength."

Chrysalis chuckled at the words, rolling her eyes, "What a lovely but ridiculous sentiment."

She turned her back to them, looking back out as her drones were about to capture the remaining townsfolk as well as the guards. She had little to fear; princess Luna was drugged for this operation and already her changelings were about to reach the princess of the night's quarters and cocoon her as they had did Celestia, the elements of harmony was out of play as they were stuck in their case. Even if Twilight had reached the chamber successfully the task was a futile one without Celestia to unlock the door with her horn. However, she regretted turning her back as a bright light began to silhouette her shadow to the window in front of her, she barely had time to turn to look upon the two ponies, embraced in a magical flux of energy, before the massive wave of the most ironic type of energy rammed her full in the face. Love. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Her scream resounded throughout the town as it impacted with every single changeling in canterlot. The effect was destructive. Immediately she could feel any of her soldiers who were stuck inside a building perish being crushed into a pancake against a stone wall. In mere moments the force had knocked them miles away and had left no trace of their existence there except for a few flattened shells. She could still see it, and her anger grew, it had been so perfect yet they failed none the less. Now they had a new problem: the rapidly growing forest.

With an urge she and several of her higher ranked officers collected the remains of their energy, as they each formed a magical spearhead in front of them, a blunt trama helmet, usually reserved for self propelled missiles and rapid troop deployment. Now it would serve as a shield.Her entire swarm was scattered, and she dreaded what was about to happen next. Several of her troops had expended a bit too much in their eagerness to capture their long awaited prize, and now, that eagerness would prove their downfall. Now, most of her forces' shields were weaker than standard, and this impact would deal far greater damage than the standard shield could withstand." 


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Moments Earlier....
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The caretaker looked on with a curious glance as the explosion rocked the city, it was spectacular to say the least, though it seemed to do no damage to anything at all, nor did it look particularly original, considering it was the dome expanding in a rapid size before dispersing again. He rolled his eyes, wondering if someone had been trying to make their mind on whether to keep the dome before he noticed something. Several black and green dots... That were rapidly growing closer. The largest of them heading directly at him... It looked like the backside of a mare, though it was cloaked in a shield of energy, with curious bug like wings... Now it was more easily identifiable though he still had no clue what it was, then he realized the trajectory of the incoming bug-pony. 

Magic coated flank met his face as an explosion of green caused a large crater both through him and into the environment. Similarly several other explosions began to rock as though the entire place was under siege, no fires at least but still it took out tree after tree as each of the creatures hit the ground with enough force to kill a Manticore pack. A few cushioned their falls with shields though the vast majority started to become paste as they met hard old wood. He pitied the few that landed in the thorn brambles of the inner parameter of his forest as those unlucky few were caught and shredded  as they were rammed into the tight ropes of thorn covered vines. As his body reformed out of a nearby tree, oak this time, winced, several trees had been uprooted, snapped, or otherwise killed from the impacts alone. He gazed down into the crater of the thing that had hit him, and looked over it. 

"Just what are you?" he remarked coldly, staring at the twitching thing that had impacted him not a minute before in it's crater left from the force of impact, "Is this a new breed of bug?"

He slid down the deep crater, moving over her for a better look as various creatures of his forest did elsewhere, she was still conscious, albeit bleeding a green liquid from several cracks, cuts, bruises, and injuries no doubt from the impact, his curious expression diving into a confused one as the creature took one pain dazed look at him, his form hidden from her dazed view as he stared down at her, "Help... us..." 

The bug like pony seemed to fall into unconsciousness after that. Leaving the caretaker's curiosity renewed, now he knew that it was sentient. Though the thoughts that had been running through his wooden head had simply been, "Finally... something to do."