His coat was a dark green color, and mane seemed to be messy at first glance, a lighter shade of green and white mix. The mane seem to cover his left eye, which were both red, and somewhat had a snake like feel to them. Scary, but he had a shy smile on his silly face. Much like his untamed hair, his tail seemed to be the same messy way, as he fully removed the cloak itself. His mark was two vines that were entangled, as Pinkie examined it, rather too close.
"Um…ehehe...what’s wrong back there?" He asked, nervously laughing.
"Just wondering about your cutie mark...it's unique, to say the least...and what's up with your eyes?" She asked, without much hesitation in her voice.
"My eyes were always like this...they help me see in the dark" He explained as his eyes were glowing slightly. "But I mostly use them for intimidation against larger beasts...works wonders, really."
"You look handsome either way.." Fluttershy said, rubbing her hooves together in embarrassment for saying such a thing.
"Thank you.." Wild Vine blushed a bit.
"Now you just hafta come to town with us this evening!" Apple Bloom jumped with joy.
"Yeah! We gotta prove your existence!" Scootaloo boasted.
"Maybe we'll get out cutie marks!" Sweetie Belle added as they all joined together for a victory squeal of joy.
"You three sure are determined... but still I…don't think I'd fit in...I've never left the Everfree Forest before…I can't imagine how the world outside from here is."
"It's tons of fun! Parties, plenty of cake, a lot of nice ponies! Oh, you hafta meet my friends…well, other than the ones you already met, but still!" Pinkie hopped around him, eager for him to say yes.
Zecora giggled, "Come now everypony, its his to decision to make. It’s only best to let him choose what’s best for his sake."
The pressure from these ponies, wanting him to see the world of Equestria seemed a bit... frightening. Wild Vine knew for a fact he wouldn't be accepted so easily, even if he won over the affections of these ponies, he still had his doubts. Then again, he didn't want to ruin there good spirits, after all they did take a chance and actually tried to prove his existence.
"I can't really say no, can I?" He laughed slightly.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay~" Cheered the three little ponies.
"But I would wait until next morning....I'm sure Ponyville is still in bed right now." Fluttershy mentioned as their cheerful 'yays' where silenced and replaced by 'aws'.
"Don't worry.. I'll be here at Zecora's first thing in the morning tomorrow." Wild Vine assured.
"Pinkie promise!" randomly shouted Pinkie in his ear.
"Wha...?"
"Make a pinkie promise! Like this!" Pinkie stood on her back hooves as she did her little motions, crossing her heart, flapping her hooves, then poking herself in the eye while saying, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
Wild Vine, at first, just had a blank expression on his face. He looked around at the others who seem anxious for him to do the little dance and chant himself. "Um...Ok?...cross my heart and.. hope to fly... stick a cupcake in my...eye?- Ow!" He mimicked the movements slowly as well as the chant, nearly taking his eye out in the process.
"Yay! Now you'll pretty much hafta come back here the next morning!" Pinkie giggled hopping around.
"Come along little ones; let's get you all safe to home. When morning arrives you'll see Wild Vine again soon, so handsome.." Zecora said almost in a dreamy like tone.
"Is it me or is her rhyming lacking some.." Pinkie asked herself.
Everyone said their goodbyes for now, as Wild Vine picked up his cloaked, putting it back on with his vines. Zecora led the group out of the forest down the path, Apple Bloom lagging behind to say her goodbyes once again, waving her little hoof as Wild Vine waved his vine.
The fog soon engulfed them from sight as Wild Vine trotted off to his tree home, deep in the forest. He seemed troubled from the promise he made, would he really want to go through with it? He learned all he knew from the trees of Everfree, his talents allowed him to speak to the trees, as they taught him the history and such of Equestria. But most of them couldn’t give him a straight answer on the shadows of the forest itself.
He returned to his tree, he sat in its hollow part, no furniture to speak of other than a bed of flowers. He layed in his bed, staring at the sky itself, hearing the forest as it spoke in an ancient language only he knew. He had a nagging suspicion that someone lurked the shadows the trees spoke of, he felt scared at first but always found comfort in his bed, letting his mind wander.
"Gonna be one heck of morning ahead of me. Better keep the promise...that Pinkie looks like the kind of pony who doesn't take rejection well." He joked. "Come tomorrow I'll be in a new place…for the time being anyway…still can't help but feel the shadows of this place would follow. Still…it is a good idea to see this world." With a long yawn, he snuggled into his bed, resting for the day ahead.
-----
The day had gone uneventful as the next night drifted into morning. Outside of Fluttershys cottage, on a fence, one of her animal friends, a rooster, crowed while the sun was slowly raised into the sky. A few pegasi were flying in the sky, early working on making it a clear and sunny day, moving the clouds and often making a few disappear in a poof. The town itself seem to be waking up as well, the citizens all walking out of their homes, opening shops, going to school or just to meet up with friends. Today, however, Pinkie Pie was planning on a party, a big one at that, as she was talking with the Mayor of the town, trying to get the town square for her little party today.
"What’s...a ‘wild vine’?" she asked, the mayor seemed confused. “Are we celebrating...weeds?"
"No! For the hundredth time, we’re celebrating a new pony that’s coming to town! How do you not know of the legendary pony?" Pinkie pouted.
"I'm sorry, Pinkie…I'm just too busy to really get into…such silly stories and fairy tales.." She laughed nervously.
"Well are we going to have the party today or not? I mean, once I bring the pony into town, you'll know this wasn't a bad idea!"
The mayor sighed but nodded, "The Square is yours then, Pinkie."
Pinkie grinned with excitement, "You won't be disappointed!"
She rushed off to gather her supplies, buy things she may not have in stock for such a big party. She ran passed her friends Twilight and Spike, who were walking back from a day of shopping for quills and scrolls. They ran out, again, as often as that happened.
"Whoa, Pinkie, where are you off too?" Twilight tried to ask.
"Can't talk, busy! Big party for Wild Vine!" She yelled and kept running.
"Wild vine? Are we celebrating grass today?" Spike asked, confused.
"It's Pinkie Pie so...it's something to get used to, isn't it?" Twilight asked, giggling, "Still, an odd party idea to celebrate...grass.."
"I dunno, the name sounds familiar...and can we hurry? All these quills and scrolls aren't really light, ya know."
"Oh, of course. Sorry"
Twilight and Spike went along there merry way, back to Twilight's tree home, which was also her study. She hadn't a lot to write to the princess about friendship and lately things were fine to, say the least, however the last time things were fine, Twilight, lets say, had a little episode that her friends remembered all to well. Still she kept her calm as she had Spike unload the pile of supplies on the floor as she used her magic to levitate the supplies and place them to there respected homes on the shelves.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy was out in her garden near her cottage. Remembering that Wild Vine had promised to wait near Zecoras hut, she often glanced over at the forest entrance, to see if she would go find him herself. But she wasn't the bravest of her friends, so the thought of her going alone into the forest was left as just that, an idea. So she waited, tending to her garden and animal friends.
Though, her concentration on her work was soon interrupted by another one of her friends, Applejack, who was walking up to her cottage, dragging with her a wagon of her delicious apples.
"Hey, sugar lamb, got your order here~" She called out.
"Oh, Applejack, thank you...I was running short as it is." Fluttershy flew over to greet her. "So, did Pinkie talk to you about today?"
"Huh? I reckon I haven't seen her yet. Why? Somethin' goin' on today?" She asked her.
"Oh, um…today we're celebrating."
"Oh, really now? What's the occasion? Did Twilight get an award from the princess? Did my sister finally get her cutie mark?"
"No and... no. It's a new friend we met in the Everfree Forest the other night."
"I find that hard to believe, hun. Only pony in that there forest is Zecora, and I already got the same thing from Apple Bloom when she arrived early last morning, some talk of a magic earth pony. All just fairy tale talk if ya ask me."
"W-well, it's not a fairy tale… honest.." Fluttershy assured her.
"Whatever yall say Fluttershy, still having a hard time believing Apple Bloom…but in all honesty, I really don't believe in such a pony." Applejack said as she noticed that Fluttershy was about to cry. "Ehehe… but that dun mean we can't still party, right? I'll see yall then, eh?"
With that said, Applejack went on her merry way back to her job on her farm. A lot of apples needed to be picked for tonight's party, and a lot of apple pies will be needed. Fluttershy sighed and went back to her chores, giving out apples to her woodland friends.
Back in town, Pinkie's talent of putting a party together shined brightly, as the town square was already looking festive with the help of her friend Rarity and her eye for detail.
"Um Pinkie…this seems a bit much to be celebrating a…weed.." Rarity pointed out as she finished the banner, the cutie mark of Wild Vine seem to be the center focus of the sash as she hung it up.
"Why do everyone assume that?!" Pinkie complained, since Rarity is pretty much repeating what every pony she met at the party said.
"Well, excuse me for asking sweetie. I was only curious..." Rarity huffed as she finished decorating. "There, everything is as fabulous as it should be."
"Great! I'll go tell Apple Bloom to get our guest of honor~ be right back."
Pinkie bounced and hopped her way towards Sweet Apple Acres, as she eventually ran into Apple Bloom and her friends, playing around with a few apples, tossing them around into nearby baskets.
"Hey everypony, the party is about to start, mind getting Wildy?" Pinkie asked, giving Wild Vine a nickname.
"Wildy? Well sure.." The trio giggled as Apple Bloom lead the Crusaders to Everfree as fast as possible, forgetting she was supposed to be grounded, but Applejack was to busy to notice them leaving.
Fluttershy soon saw the three scampering by her house, eager to go to Zecoras cottage to get the guest of honor. She decided to join the trio, now that she wasn't going alone at least. Set on there destination, they wasted no time, rushing into the forest, taking the path directly leading to Zecora's place.
Wild was sitting out on her lawn, waiting while Zecora was getting pretty for the party at hand, though that was a lie she said to him as she was at her window, gawking at him like a school mare quietly watching her secret love stallion from across the room. Though, her glance was broken somewhat when Apple Bloom and her group arrived.
"Hey, you really did keep your promise!" Sweetie Belle announced with glee.
"That I did." Wild responded not as excited as they thought.
"Ready to go? And why are you wearing that cloak again?" Scootaloo asked.
"Oh, just shy about the idea, is all…don't worry, it'll come off once were in town.."
"Zecora, are you coming?" Fluttershy noticed her at the window as she tapped on the glass.
She nodded in response and walked out of her hut, joining the group of ponies walking down the path at a slower pace than before. Wild seemed to lag behind the group instead of taking the lead, growing more and more nervous, looking behind him as the fog of the forest seem to engulf the hut. They walked for quite a while at the pace they were going when eventually a clearing was in their view. Zecora and the others stepped out into the bright sunny meadows, but noticed that Wild Vine wasn't moving from the shadows of the trees that seem to cast a border line between the forest he lived in and the rest of the world.
"Something wrong, Wild?" Fluttershy flew up to him, giving him a nudge.
"Oh…uh…no, sorry, I spaced out..." He responded looking down at the bordering shadow.
"Cmon, take a few more steps to see the rest of Equestria!" The little ponies seem to egg him on, as he could only smirk at there efforts.
He took in a deep breath, as he started to walk out to the sunlight.