//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: A Once Long Dead Tree 
// Story: Slender Mane 
// by 2tailedpony 
//------------------------------//

The letter for Celestia arrived early one morning, before she had even started raising the sun. The captain of her royal guards had hastily entered her room, carrying it in his mouth.
"What is the cause for such an early visit into my private quarters Captain Grey?" she had asked blearily, still waking up.
"A message your highness," he had replied, quickly and unceremoniously spitting it onto the nearest surface and wiping a handkerchief across his tongue. The letter was torn and dirtied. Celestia noticed with some worry that there were several dark red stains covering its surface.
"The message arrived just a few moments ago via pegasus," he continued, "given the strange and... alarming circumstances of its arrival, I thought it necessary to make sure you received it immediately.
Putting down her hair brush, Celestia gingerly plucked the note from the table. It had the royal seal of Canterlot on its surface. Breaking the seal, she unrolled the scroll and read the hastily scrawled message. It was written by a shaking hoof and the words were often curved oddly or smashed into each other, as if it had been written in the dark. It wasn't very long, but as she reached the last line, her face had gone pale, a grimace of fear breaking her normally calm countenance. This is what it said:
Dear Princess Celestia,
I'm scared. I've never been so scared in my life. I don't know who to trust. I don't know if this note will reach you. I hope with every ounce of hope I have left that it does. You're my last chance. If you get this letter then know that I never meant to do the things I did. I don't know why I did. I'm not sure what my friends will tell you, but please, for all the years that we've known each other please, forgive me. I'm in the Everfree Forest. I'm being followed. I'm begging you, come get me.
Twilight Sparkle
"Where is the carrier of this letter Captain Grey?" she asked urgently, "I must speak to them at once."
"She was taken to the hospital in the center of Canterlot shortly after her arrival," he replied. The urge to look away from the princess was strong as he said his next words, but he resisted and continued, "She has been identified as a resident of Ponyville named Fluttershy. I believe you've met her before, though you would have trouble recognizing her now. Her injuries are... severe. I'm not sure she's going to make it."
"Take me to her," said Celestia, not even bothering to put on her crown before heading for the door.
"Of course your majesty," replied Captain Grey as he quickly followed after her.
All was silent, save the echo of their hooves on the cold stone floor as they made their way out of the palace. A sound oddly reminiscent of the last few beats of a dying heart.

Chapter 1: A Once Long Dead Tree

Twilight Sparkle was jolted awake in the middle of the night by a loud knock on her door. She had just barely fallen asleep after staying up late reading, so the intrusion wasn't welcome. She rolled over, covering her head with a pillow, hoping that whoever it was would simply go away. No such luck. A few seconds later the knock came again, then a few seconds after that. Letting out an angry sigh, Twilight got up from her warm bed and climbed down the long row of stairs to the first floor of the library to answer the door. She was surprised, to say the least, when she discovered who it was.
"Fluttershy?! What are you doing here?" Fluttershy was never one to stay up late. She was never one to bother ponies when they were sleeping. She wasn't even one to knock on somepony's door loud enough to be heard, let alone multiple times!
"Oh Twilight, I'm so sorry, but... something terrible has happened."
"Well can it wait until morning?"
"No! No. This needs to be taken care of right away, before it... spreads." Fluttershy muttered. Her eyes were darting around as if she expected something to jump out at her any second, and she was tapping her hooves on the ground nervously. Twilight was still grumpy, but whatever had happened had obviously given her friend quite a scare.
"Ugh, fine. Come in."
"I'm sorry Twilight. I can't. I need to get back home as quickly as possible. The animals need me. I don't even understand it myself. I've just come back from the Everfree Forest and Zecora-"
"Wait wait wait!" interrupted Twilight, "what were you doing in the Everfree Forest at this hour?"
"It's a long story, and there's really no time to explain. I need to get back home, and you need to go and see Zecora right away!"
"Well, it will have to wait until morning," replied Twilight, beginning to close the door.
"No Twilight wait!" squeaked Fluttershy, "you don't understand!"
"No I don't!" yelled Twilight in frustration as she swung the door open again, causing her friend to hop backwards a few feet, "I have no idea what's going on, and you're acting really weird! You shouldn't have been in the forest at this hour. Something has obviously just spooked you, and now you're overreacting. I'll head over to Zecora's first thing in the morning, but for now I need to get some sleep! Goodnight Fluttershy."
As Twilight slowly closed the door, Fluttershy didn't respond. Her head was low to the ground and she was hiding her face behind her mane. Twilight grumbled to herself as she began to feel guilty.
"First thing. I promise," she said, as she closed the door the rest of the way. Fluttershy only squeaked.
Now it was morning, and Twilight was trudging through the Everfree Forest alone. She had stopped by Fluttershy's cottage along the way to see if she wanted to come along, but there was no answer. In all honestly Fluttershy was probably still tucked away in her own warm bed; dreams of happy little animals filling her head. Twilight felt a slight amount of animosity toward her for robbing her of the same experience, but a promise was a promise, and she would make sure to keep her word.
Twilight had never been in the Everfree Forest at this hour. For some reason the blue morning light filtering through the trees was more disturbing than just plain darkness. The light only made the dark places seem darker, and she felt like anything could be lurking in the deep shadows. As her hair began to bristle, either from cold, or from the unpleasant feeling of being watched, she quickened her pace.
It wasn't long before she was able to make out the familiar twisted tree in the distance that she recognized as Zecora's house. In a few short minutes she has reached it and eagerly knocked on the door. The sooner she could see a friendly face the better. She waited for what seemed like hours. Twilight jumped and let out a yelp as a small rustling noise manifested from the dark somewhere, then rolled her eyes at her own foalishness. It was probably just a little animal of some sort scampering away. She wasn't awake enough to be doing this. Trying to get a hold of herself, she knocked again.
As she continued to wait, the feeling of being watched sent a shiver down her spine again. She nervously peeked through the window to see if Zecora was home. It was dark except for a few glowing embers in the cooking pit located in the center of her house. Twilight noticed that the back door was open.
"Zecora?" she called. There was no response. Twilight was about to turn away when she saw something move past the window near Zecora's bed.
"Zecora? Is that you?" she called again, feeling uneasy. Twilight began to make her way around the tree, her muscles tensing with anticipation. Whatever it was that she saw was at least as big as she was. If it was Zecora then why wouldn't she answer? It if wasn't Zecora then what was it? And why didn't she hear it move? Soon Twilight had reached the back of the tree.
Twilight looked around carefully, but there was nothing there. Just a decoration of some sort adorning the yard, which she assumed came from whatever far off land Zecora was from. Perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her. Twilight walked over and began to inspect it in order to give herself something to do.
As she got closer, she realized that the decoration was a totem pole. Several ponies were carved into its surface, intricate patterns twirling and twisting around them in a way that reminded Twilight of the roots of a tree. Each one was different in design. Some had long manes, some had short manes, others had... wait, was that Applejack? Twilight leaned closer. The picture she was looking at depicted a pony wearing the same type of hat Applejack wore. That alone wouldn't have convinced her, but as she leaned closer still, she noticed more minute details. Etched into the pony's flank, almost too lightly to see, were three small apples.
Twilight quickly moved her attention to the top of the totem pole. The pony with the long mane. Three butterflies were etched into this one. The next down had a short mane and a jagged lightning bolt. The next down was Applejack, and after that Rarity, then Pinkie Pie. On the bottom of the totem pole was a pony that looked very familiar. A small star was carved into its flank.
As she leaned in even closer, something else caught her attention. The twisting patterns that were carved around the other ponies continued down the totem pole and into the ground. Twilight pushed back on the totem pole, trying to get a better look, and saw the patterns come to an end at another pony. She pushed it back even more. It easily gave way in the soft, dew soaked dirt. This pony seemed rather crude. For one thing it was carved upside down. It had no mane or tail at all. Its legs were disproportionate to its body. Almost twice as long as they needed to be, and its cutie mark was nothing more than a circle. It seemed that whoever carved it must not have liked it much, because the mark had been haphazardly crossed out.
"Why would Zecora have something like this?" Twilight though out loud.
"It is a hobby of mine."
Twilight screamed and jumped back at the response. She had been so focused on the totem pole that she hadn't noticed Zecora approach, "Ah! Wha-where did you come from?" she stammered, trying to stand the totem pole up straight again.
"I was off collecting herbs for tea. Have you been waiting long for me?" Zecora responded, raising an eyebrow at Twilight.
"Me? No. Not long at all! I was just... I heard that you wanted to talk to me about something. I came as quickly as I could, but when you weren't here I decided to- well I thought I saw movement on the side of the tree and followed it back here, but I guess it was nothing, then I saw this and I...." Twilight's voice trailed off. Her heart was still pounding from the surprise, and no matter what she did the totem pole kept tilting to one side. She eventually let it go, cringing as it fell over completely with a soft thud. Zecora continued to stare at her suspiciously until she broke the silence again, "So... you carved this? It's lovely."
"Yes," Zecora replied, "I often practice hobbies from my native land when I have time to spare. This one was nearly finished."
"I'm so sorry," said Twilight, trying to stand it up again and failing, "It must have taken you so long to do. Here just let me-" a purple light began to emanate from Twilight's horn as she used magic to pick up the totem pole and shove it back into the ground. It seemed she had been a bit too forceful though, as it sunk almost half way into the soft dirt before stopping. She smiled awkwardly at Zecora as the magic faded away.
"Thank you," said Zecora flatly, turning away from Twilight and walking toward the back door of her tree, "please follow me."
Twilight followed Zecora inside, her ears turning red with embarrassment. Within a few minutes she was sipping a cup of Zecora's special tea however, and the feeling had faded. As she sat next to the cooking pit on a small pillow, her mind returned to the reason she had come out here in the first place.
"So, Fluttershy said that something had happened? Something bad?"
"What she said is very true," responded Zecora as she poured herself a glass of tea, "although I'm not sure why she came to you."
"What do you mean?"
Zecora walked over and sat down next to Twilight, "A few days past, I was traveling through the forest, when I beheld an unexpected sight. A tree I once had thought long dead; it gave me quite a fright."
"The tree scared you?" asked Twilight incredulously, "Why would a tree scare you?"
"In my homeland this tree was known to be cursed with a terrible taint. Its fruit, known as scari berry, was used by witch doctors to make vile potions, said to be able to prolong one's life unnaturally. Its wood was said to be corrupted by the spirits of demons. I had heard that Fluttershy was knowledgeable about the fauna and flora of these lands, and asked her for assistance in removing it. I'm afraid her connection to the land may be too strong however. As soon as she layed her eyes upon it she sensed the evil within and fled."
"Oh that Fluttershy," said Twilight, "everything scares her. Don't worry Zecora. I'll help you get rid of this tree, and I promise not to run away, no matter how spooky it is."
"Thank you for your help Twilight. It's well accepted in this plight."
Twilight finished off her tea and stood up, stretching out her legs, "so, when do we begin?"
Zecora looked out the window. The sun was up now, the blue rays of light now bright white, "If we begin work right away, we may be done by sundown."
"Alright then!" said Twilight enthusiastically, "lead the way."

~~~~~~~~~~

"So, why just tell Fluttershy?" asked Twilight, readjusting her saddlebags as she carefully stepped over a thick root protruding from the ground and running to Zecora's side. She had lead Twilight into a part of the Everfree Forest that she had never been before, and she didn't want to get separated.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
"I mean, why not tell all of us? If it's just one tree then I'm sure we could have taken care of it even faster if there were more ponies to help."
Zecora paused a moment before responding.
"To safely dispose of this tree, it must be handled carefully. The earth must be salted, the trunk and roots burned so that nothing remains, but first of all and most importantly, we must make sure to remove every single scari berry."
"That seems like a lot of extra work," said Twilight, "I mean, if we're burning the whole thing, couldn't we just... I don't know, burn the berries too?
"Within each scari berry there is a seed. If even one were to take root, all our efforts would be for nothing."
"Hmmm. I see," said Twilight, "so once we remove all the scari berries what do we do with them?"
"Do not worry Twilight Sparkle. I will dispose of them safely, but I warn you, beware the juice of the berry."
"Why, is it dangerous?"
"Yes. Very."
Suddenly Zecora came to a halt. Twilight stopped as well, only now realizing that they had reached a large clearing in the forest. Well not a clearing per se, but the trees thinned out quite a bit, making the area seem open in comparison. In the middle of the clearing was the tree that Zecora was talking about. It didn't seem nearly as threatening as Twilight had imagined it would be. It was short and stubby. Barely half the height of the surrounding trees. With its pitch black, oily bark and pale yellow fruit, it looked more sickly than anything.
"Do not let the juice touch your skin Twilight," said Zecora, handing her a pair of gloves.
"What are these for?" Twilight asked as she set her saddlebags down.
"For picking the berries of course."
"You mean we're going to do it all by hoof?!"
"Yes," Zecora replied simply, before walking over and carefully plucking a berry from the tree. Twilight watched despondently as Zecora placed it into her saddlebag and carefully reached for another.
"This is going to take longer than I thought," Twilight mumbled under her breath before joining Zecora in her arduous task.
It turned out to be a good thing that Zecora had given her the gloves. As Twilight plucked her first berry from the tree it abruptly popped. Luckily the juice had exploded away from her, but it had earned her an angry glare from Zecora.
"Gently!" she had said, grabbing a berry and twisting it slightly, causing it to break away from the branch smoothly. Twilight tossed her smashed berry into her bag and followed Zecora's example with the next one. She let out a sigh of relief when it easily separated from the tree.
It had been several hours since then, and the two of them had worked in silence without any further accidents. Unfortunately they hadn't made much progress either. Over half the berries were still on the tree, and Twilight was running out of patience.
"I have an idea!" she suddenly exclaimed, causing Zecora to jump at the sudden noise, "why don't I just magic the berries off the tree?"
"Don't be silly," Zecora replied dismissively before getting back to work.
"No really! I can do it! I've done it before with apple trees. And that was more than one tree mind you. This would be easy."
Carefully letting go of the berry she was holding on to, Zecora turned toward Twilight, "Although it would save us much time, the risk involved is far too high."
"Oh there's no risk involved," Twilight laughed, "here, let me show you," Twilight's horn began to glow as she focused on a single scari berry. She easily popped it off the branch and floated it over to her bag, "see?" she said, smiling confidently, "easy."
Zecora looked over at the tree, then up at the sky. The sun was past mid way already, "Fine," she finally said, "but please be careful. Start out small. Take one or two, and not them all."
"I'll be careful," Twilight promised, her horn already beginning to glow again. Soon two more scari berries removed themselves from the tree and floated into her bag, then four, then eight. After only a few minutes the tree was berry-less. Twilight magically shut the saddlebags and tightened the latches, feeling very proud of herself.
"There!" she said happily, "on to step two." Zecora nodded, satisfied with her work, and produced a small jar and another device that Twilight didn't recognize from the outside pocket of her saddlebag.
"What are those?" asked Twilight.
"This is tinder oil," she replied, holding up the jar, "and this," she said as she raised the other device. A small tube with a rod that fit snugly inside it, "is a fire piston. Please stand a safe distance away."
Twilight took a few steps back as Zecora undid the lid of the container and poured the thick black liquid around the base of the tree, not sure what to expect. Once she was done with that she removed the rod from the tube and placed a single drop of the liquid into it as well. She quickly replaced the rod, and in one quick movement slammed it to the bottom of the tube. Twilight wasn't sure what that was supposed to have done, but to her surprise, when Zecora removed the rod and turned the tube over, a red hot ember fell out.
"Wait, how did that-" she was interrupted as the ember landed on the circle of tinder oil. There was a sudden flash and a blast of hot air as it ignited in an impressive display of orange flames.
"Under compression, if the tube is sealed tight," said Zecora, walking over to Twilight, "then the heat is enough to make the tinder ignite."
"That's genius!" admired Twilight, now understanding the workings of the fire piston.
"Such devices have existed in my home for hundreds of years," Zecora replied as she and Twilight watched the trunk of the tree begin to ignite, "Please try not to be alarmed."
"Well, I wouldn't call it alarming as much as interesting. You would have thought that-"
Twilight was once again interrupted as an ear splitting shriek shattered the air around them. She looked around frantically for whoever it was that was making such a horrifying sound, but she didn't see anypony. As the screaming continued she looked over at Zecora, who simply continued to stand there with a calm expression on her face.
"What's going on?" Twilight asked in alarm, "who's making that sound?" Zecora motioned toward the tree.
"The tree is screaming?!"
"As the thick sap inside the tree begins to boil, pressure builds, and the thick bark cracks. The sound you hear is nothing more than steam erupting from its core. It has been said though, by the superstitious, that each tree sounds different, depending on what evil spirit resides within it."
"What a horrible thing to think," mused Twilight, a shiver running down her spine as the screaming of the tree increased in intensity.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight always considered herself a logical pony, but by the time the tree had finished burning down to nothing more than an ashen husk, she was visibly shaken. It simply sounded too lifelike. Sometimes it sounded exactly like her friends. A few times she could have sworn that she even heard words among the constant agonizing screams. Even now, in the silence of the late afternoon, the voice still lingered in the back of her mind. Still lost in her own thoughts, Twilight jumped when Zecora placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"Come. The roots will continue to smolder for some time, but it is safe for us to begin salting."
Twilight nodded, feeling just a little queasy, and untied two pouches from the side of her saddlebag. She handed one to Zecora and kept the other for herself. Pulling open the pouch, Twilight reached in and scooped out a hooffull of crude salt. For the next hour they spread the salt around the clearing, making sure to stamp it into the soil to prevent it from blowing away.
Twilight was relieved when her bag of salt was finally gone, but Zecora informed her that it wasn't enough, and they needed to go get more. By the time they had walked all the way back to her house, refilled the pouches, and walked back, it was getting dark. As they approached the clearing again Twilight gasped in surprise. Without the bright sunlight, the dim red glow of the smoldering roots, at least those near the surface, could be clearly seen. They spread out from the tree in all directions much farther than twilight would have thought possible, like long, gnarled fingers digging through the dirt.
"How big is this thing?" she asked as the two of them once again began to spread salt over the area.
"Its roots run far and wide, and deep. To other trees they try to creep."
"But, why?"
"It is a pestilent plant. If they get hold then those trees too must be removed, or they will eventually be turned. I once witnessed such a thing occur. An entire forest, burned to the ground in a single night."
Twilight shivered as she imagined what an entire forest of these things would sound like burning down. It would be like burning an entire village full of ponies. She tried to force the images away as she threw another scoop of salt in a wide arc in front of her.
"So," she said, trying to change the subject, "what exactly do these scari berries do?"
"It is best not to speak of such things."
"Is it really that bad?" asked Twilight skeptically.
"...I would not want to frighten you," was Zecora's reply. Now Twilight's curiosity was piqued. This whole experience was already disturbing enough. What could the berries possibly do that was worse?
"I- I won't get scared," said Twilight unconfidently. Zecora let out an agitated bray, but began to tell her anyway.
"There are tales of zebras, driven insane. Found muttering the cursed name...Slender Mane."
"Who's Slender Mane?" asked Twilight.
Zecora took a deep breath, "It is a long story."
"That's alright," said Twilight, "I'm listening."

To be continued….