//------------------------------// // Dreaming of trees // Story: Fluttershy's new Pen Pal // by Billy G Gruff //------------------------------// Tree Hugger was calm. Water poured over her body from above in torrents as she balanced upon the same rock she had traveled to for the past month. Her body did not shake as it was held up by one single fore-hoof, holding a resolute pose against the cascading water that crashed against her far down to the rocks below her -- where the water frothed upon impact. She looked like a little speck of green and red against the large cliff face, barely visible at all amidst the violent deluge of water that thundered down by gravity's will. The waterfall had made her stronger, and had made her meditation sessions that much more meaningful for her. She could look down below her at the rushing river and smoothed out rocks without feeling any sense of vertigo anymore. Water that once threatened her perch upon this vicarious position every second of her session and roared angrily in her ears now was the gentle massages and rumblings of an old friend. She barely required any of her own magic to maintain her position on there anymore, she had made peace with its turbulent nature and maintained her hoofstand as resolute as a tree with it's roots deep in the earth. Even as she shifted to the other side it caused no fear of loosing her perch. To her this place was like a second home, a place to commune her soul with the world at large, even as her crimson dreads were tossed about by the endless pounding of water from above. Her sense of awareness had been gradually growing out as her trance increased in intensity. She could feel that Fluttershy's newest letter was on route to the society. They had been sharing stories with each other over the past few weeks. She was an utterly fascinating pony for Tree Hugger, and had been ever since she had felt her souls desperate pleas for friendship all those moons ago. She had wanted to act immediately, she wanted to rush up to the spirit of this mare and take her into a hug at that very second. However another, much larger spirit had stayed her hoof in that regard. The great branches of the tree of Harmony had appeared in her mind the moment she had thought of going to her. Its overwhelming spirit washed over the earth pony and told her in her heart that the paths of friendship had already been laid for the mare, and that she was to be of the utmost importance to it in the coming months. It was a vision like nothing she had ever felt. The physical presence of the tree may of been relatively small, but its soul was so great that it took up her entire vision when she reached to it. Its plans had came into being, and Fluttershy had been made into its element of harmony, its element of kindness. She had seen the weeds of doubt and insecurity start to ever so slowly peel away from this soul that resonated with her own so well until that very first letter had finally made it to her society. Tree Hugger had to keep herself from tearing up all over it when she had read it, feeling those familiar energies permeating the shaking penmanship that scrawled its message. Another sense started filling her mind at this moment however, as her brow scrunched under the deluge of the waterfall. The local earth pony village was in an uproar. She focused into that area, her sopping wet ears twitching as her mind painted the image of what was happening. She could see the hydra. It was frustrated and angry. Its soul cried out for solitude and the frightened ponies feared its presence as readily as any prey fears its predators. It was time to go to work it seemed. bunching her fore-leg she bounded off the rock she was perched on, arching into the air as she let out a warbling note from her throat. The vibrations of her voice reacted with the magic within her body, gently guiding the water that had clung onto her bare form and mane to drift back to the rushing waters from where they came. She used her magic to become light and buoyant as she gently touched the tops of trees with her hooves to propel herself forward. She could not fly like a pegasi, but especially gifted earth ponies could float and glide with the greatest of ease when they learned how. It did not take terribly long bounding through the forest, barely disturbing a leaf, before she made it to the angry and frightened village below her. Several ponies in straw hats and drawling accents were chucking rocks at a steadily advancing hydra, trying to aggressively steer off the massive multi headed beast as ineffectively as every other time they had tried it. They paused and glared up into the sky as Tree Hugger descended upon them and touched the ground so lightly the ground didn't even seem to register her presence at first. "GET OUTA HERE YA FLOWER FILLY, WE GOT BUSINESS WITH THIS CREATURE ENCROACHING ON OUR NEW FARM LAND!" snarled the elder of their village, pointing aggressively at her. "Peace Buck Weed, Peace. You know Hydra are an endangered species..." "ENDANGERED MY FLANK! LOOK AT THING, IT COULD EAT US ALL UP IN ONE GO WITH ALL THEM HEADS..." A young stallion showed up behind the elder and tried to calm him down. "Come on dad, please stop yelling at her, she's only trying to help...." The elderly stallion growled through his grey beard "Ah don't want to hear that flower talk coming out of my grandson, ya hear me! This is our land, and that land down there is our land down there is our land too! No pony gobblin monster is going to keep my family from makin a living." The hydra was getting closer, it looked slightly hurt from all the punishment it had been getting and looked ready to fight for its territory. "A REAL livin mind you, not like these pansy flower ponies talkin friendly with buckin monsters like they are yer damn pet dog. Back in mah grand pappy's day damn near thousand years back we woulda strung up these buckin witches by their ears for their nonsense...." He spat at Tree hugger's hooves before lumbering off into the house. The younger stallion looked at her apologetically. "I'm really sorry about that, we are trying to keep the elders from trying to farm in that direction, we really are, but they are set in their ways about how things should be done. I'll make sure to deposit some bits with the society for your services and give you extra for the harassment my grand dad gave you." Tree Hugger waved a hoof and smiled at him kindly. She was used to such things by now."Peace Lumber, its not your fault. I'll calm the Hydra for you." Lumber called out to the ponies and told them to get inside and to stop hitting the monster, and they all reluctantly put down their stones and pitchforks before turning back. The snarling and roaring hydra continued its advance, nearly entering the village as she turned around. Taking a deep breath she let out a strong note that filled the air. The hydra's heads all perked at once at the sound. She changed the pitch and waved her hoof, causing their eyes to start to droop a little and their necks to sag under the calming notes filling their ears. Slowly Tree Hugger walked forward, using her notes and her magic to gently turn the lumbering beast around and back to the boggy swamp he had came from. It wasn't even worthy of farm land, but the elders of this village wanted it off of their land and didn't care if it could only live in a select few places in all of Equestria. The younger members were learning, but it would take time. She followed it back all the way to its home, watching it sway to the rhythm of her voice as it moved in its placated trance. At the entrance of the bog two smaller hydra, barely a quarter of its size rushed out to cling onto it as they listened to the notes of Tree Hugger as well. It was a mother, which was fantastic news. It also meant that the elders are probably even more afraid that they would come and gobble them all in the night. Calmly the Hydra drifted back into the murky water with its children, not turning around even as the emerald mare's notes died down and she turned to walk to the society. The Letter had arrived from what she could tell, and she was anxious to read its contents. She couldn't help but feel like it had something to do with poison joke...