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// What Defines Ownership? 
// Story: The Everfree Monster 
// by Iridescence T Wind 
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	Just what does it mean to own something? Is it a deed or warrant of property? Is it to simply hold it in your possession and not allow others to touch it? Or is it a lie based on long term exploitations of psyche. I believe to own something is to keep it with you forever. Thus where the impossibility begins, from the simple fact that we, however much we desire it, do not last forever. When we pass on do our 'possessions' pass on with us? The answer is no, instead ponies dictate a will, or in absence, the government decides what to do with what used to be your personal items, and passing 'ownership' onto the next individual. 

In an object is stolen, is it still yours? Or is it the thief's? Such a relationship is impossible, for to own something, is to make it yours in all ways. This of course affects to myself as well. For if every being is to die, we cannot own something, I cannot own my forest. If I were to pass on, somepony else would eventually take control. Be it the society of ponies who dwell near my edge, or the forest itself claiming the true freedom it so long desired. 

The only thing capable of ownership is the thing that has no start and no end. In this case, not even time owns the universe. For time is an illusion of perception. A way to judge when we all return to nothing once again.


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The Caretaker, the Queen, and her most healthy officer, a heavily bruised changeling of moderate stature named 'Hard Head' were gathered together on the outskirt of the makeshift camp. It was the middle of the night and the Caretaker was explaining why he needed the officer, "My own populace may be large, and any of them can run an earth pony to the ground. But even they have limits." when Chrysalis pushed further for the reason he replied calmly, "My wolves of wood, Timberwolves, I believe they are called now a days, have a limit to how far they can wander from the territory of the forest. Each tree has an internal radius of about an average house's distance before the wolves can't progress any further."

Chrysalis noted that, asking further, "What count's as part of the forest?" 

"Any tree within reach of another of the forest is converted into an Everfree tree. Once the tree is converted, the effective radius of maintaining that bond is usually double that of the conversion radius, securing a better bond with the forest."

She saw the pause, but then asked, "And the location of the place of which you are going to send my subject?"

The Caretaker replied in turn, "Back in my time it had no name, it was a plains. But long ago a thief came to my forest, seeking out food for her family. I showed her by kindness a rare crop of mine, enough to feed her family, but instead of taking what she had needed, she instead took the entire tree's harvest, taking several other residents who lived here at the time share of it. The lack of even one of my rainbow colored apples caused the species to die out of my reach when the thief escaped my forest's protectors and started her farm." he commented after a moment, "They call it 'Apple Acres' now. and I think it's about time my thief paid a bit of her debt back. I merely want your citizen to fetch a few of the fruits and vegetables they grow for planation back into the forest to feed your race."

There was one flaw, Chrysalis noted, then pointed out, "Wouldn't it take too long to wait for them to grow?"

The Caretaker oddly chuckled, "Leave that bit to me. If there are no other objections, we will be off." 

Both Queen and drone nodded, and the Caretaker extended a hoof towards the drone, the drone in turn extending his to touch the wooden pony. Then a tree erupted up and engulfed them both, causing all the present Changelings to gasp.

It sunk into the ground, the long jagged edges of the trunks mouth descending similar to that of a spider in reverse, the ground sinking back into a smooth brown patch of dirt as it buried itself. They could still feel Hard Head's connection to the Hive, but from his view everything was covered in a muted black, only the slight hints of a pair of light green orbs in the same shape as the Caretaker's eyes. After a few moments the connection began to rapidly stretch as they found their hive member speeding along underneath the forest as the strange plant moved him across the lands, faster than any of them had dared to fly, let alone dig through. 

Yet Hardhead didn't experience the momentum or change, the inside of the pod seemed near motionless, up until the rough deposit onto the edge of the forest. In which he was spat out by the plant like creature head over heels. He landed in a jumbled mess, the creatures own eyes, rudimentary of that of a moles stared briefly at the creature it had given a ride to before it wrested its way back into the bowels of the earth, leaving not but a small stump behind. A sign of where to head back to when the job was finished. 

Hard Head looked around, gauging the rest of his surroundings, noting that he had been deposited within the tree line at the bottom of a hill. The hill which lead to a large sturdy gate which separated the forest from the farming by a wide gravel path that separated the two. Not even weeds grew between the two, a process which another changeling had shared called 'Salting the Earth' far more than evident in the lifeless ground between the two. Another note for the hive. 

The Changeling began to sneak up the hill, crouched low to the ground and sneaking up the side of the well worn trail to Apple Acres. 


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He wasn't the most talkative of ponies, or the best at mathematics or science, but he wasn't dumb by any means. In quite he was quite smart on the contrary of popular belief, as well as trusting. He put down his younger sisters letter, it was rather surprising that such events had transpired and caused hi sister to end up delayed by the wedding after the so called attack on Canterlot. He knew not what a 'Changeling' and from anypony else he might not believe it, but having the element of Honesty for a sister made him more inclined to believe her over this attack. Though this also meant that He and Granny Smith would have their hooves full until Applejack and Applebloom returned from the delayed wedding. 

He sighed inwardly, some fresh air would do wonders to the mind. He quietly unlocked the front door and slipped out, locking the door behind him with the key under the welcome matt. He took a deep breathe of the night air as he took a stroll towards the western edge of the forest. He contemplated how he was going to deal with the first few days. Some buddies of his down by the local watering hole owed him some favors, perhaps they would be willing to help, then he noticed the soft light coming from his barn. Strange, Granny smith was in bed, and the rest of his immediate family was in Canterlot. Thieves? 

He frowned, pulling at a piece of wheat and sticking it into his mouth as he approached the barn. The door swung open, the lock having been picked open and he entered. Only be awarded with the sight of a small candle burning by itself on a crate near the seed section. He scanned the room, looking for anything out of place. Only a few barrels which were stacked up high enough to hide somepony. He approached before whipping around the barrels suddenly with surprising vigor to the other side.

Nothing. Nopony was there, he shrugged, perhaps he had simply forgot to lock the door. Though the candle bugged him. He hadn't lit any of those tonight. Most of the work was usually done in the day, he blew it out and left, locking the door behind him. Not noticing the bug-pony who was desperately clutching to a rafter of the ceiling. Who fell to the ground shortly after the big red stallion had left. Way too close. Way, way, way too close. 


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Without further interference Hard Head managed to fill a saddles worth of various seeds of vegetables and fruits. Luckily not enough to make a noticeable dent but he also grabbed half a dozen apples from the nearby trees on the way out, adding it next to the strangest seed he had encountered yet, a small rainbow colored seed which was shaped like a Lightning bolt. Even the Hive members who had impersonated farmers drew a blank to it. Never having seen the seed before either. 

The way back consisted of sneaking through the western field while picking up half a dozen apples along the way, leaving Hard head with a final excited sprint as he hopped over Apple Acres fence and glided down the hill to the stump that had taken him there. The Caretaker was waiting for him, and without a word they touched hooves again and off they went, the first step to solving a food shortage completed. Now it was the Caretakers turn.