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// 12 - Trees Are Friends, Trees Are Enemies 
// Story: Gazing to the Ocean of the Sky 
// by David Silver 
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Soaring on determined wings, Rainbow consumed the distance between herself and Fluttershy's cottage in a rush of wind and fury that would be dizzying for other ponies. Stopping was harder than the quick flight there and she skidded to a stop, nose tapping the door as she came to a halt. She looked left and right without spying her friend so she raised a hoof to knock firmly on the door. "Yo, Flutters! There's something serious going on and I need your help!"

The corner of her friend's head, pink mane visible, peeked up around the corner of her window a moment before ducking away. "How do I know you're safe?"

"Safe? Rainbow Dash is never safe." She spread her wings. "But really, what's that question for? Come on!"

"Why are you here?" came the timid question, trembling with fear.

"To... learn about sirens? Look, the entire town's gone a bit nutso and we ha--"

The door suddenly swung inwards. "Oh thank goodness!" Fluttershy hugged Rainbow tightly. "I was afraid you were like the others."

"What? Me? Pfft, as if." She patted Fluttershy gently on the back. "Now come on and pull yourself together. We have a siren to bust."

"You know about it?" Fluttershy released her friend and sat on her haunches, tilting her head at Rainbow.

"How could I not know about it? They wouldn't shut up about it. Oh no, the siren's controlling Twilight! We'd better catch it!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Whatever. If the siren was so powerful, why wouldn't it just control the whole mob of them?"

"That's exactly what happened." Fluttershy tapped her hooves softly together, looking nervous. "What siren are they looking for?"

"Come again?" Rainbow squinted a little. "They said Twilight had a siren with her that got away."

"The seapony?" Fluttershy let out a sudden breath. "I'm glad she's okay. I always wanted to meet one of those. They're very rare, and not sirens!"

Rainbow rolled a hoof at her friend. "So if she's not the siren, why does everypony think she is?"

Fluttershy pointed past her friend towards the town. "Because they are being controlled, by a real siren! I heard her singing before, but she was too far away to put me under her spell. Rainbow, where were you earlier today?"

Rainbow considered that a moment, tapping her chin. "I was visiting Cloudsdale. I came back and went to say hi to Twi when everything was totally crazy."

"See? You didn't fall under its magic either."

Rainbow clopped her hooves together. "We have to break our friends free! I thought they were all crazy, but they're just being messed with, and nopony gets away with that with Rainbow Danger Dash on the case!"





Cherry carefully stepped up onto a log. Though this had been far from the way she would have chosen to do it, she was getting used to navigating on hooves and making quicker adjustments, she even had an idea... "Starlight?"

"Hmm?" Starlight turned back to Cherry, Spike on her back and light from her horn shining over Cherry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, but I have an idea." Cherry thrust a hoof back to point at her belt. "This thing keeps my fins pinned all day, what if the fins did the turning instead of my wrench?"

Spike raised a brow. "Can they do that?"

"Not right now." Cherry rolled suddenly onto her side. "But I think I could make it work..."

Starlight glanced around nervously. "Are you sure this is the best time to do that? Who-knows-what could jump out and try to eat us at any moment."

Cherry frowned a little. "No, no it isn't, but we need every advantage we can get." She pulled free her screwdriver even as she wriggled free of her belt. "Cover me and I'll try to get this done quickly."

Spike saluted, but Starlight seemed less certain. She began to slowly circle, casting her light out into the gloomy forest, scanning for threats to their well-being.

Cherry pried off a panel in the side of the belt she had only realized was there after seeing the grandfather clock's hatch popped open. It wasn't a part of the structure, but made to come loose. She could see where it attached internally to the pieces she tweaked with the wrench and her mouth moved silently as she traced each with her eyes, trying to figure out the best place to put where she wanted.

Spike suddenly pointed. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Starlight frowned apprehensively, turning to face where Spike had indicated. The forest as a whole was oppressive and dark enough, but she didn't see anything rushing, slithering, charging, or otherwise moving towards them.

Spike's yelp echoed as he was lifted right off of Starlight's back. "Let go of me!"

Starlight looked up with a gasp, seeing that a tree was moving and grabbing Spike quite well with a thick branch. After a moment of surprise, she directed her horn at the branch after where it had Spike. With a bright blast of magic, Spike fell to the ground with a thump.

He scrambled to his feet just in time to dive out of the way of another oncoming branch. The first one regrew the missing part Starlight had blasted off and reached for the unicorn. It was thwarted for a moment by a suddenly summoned shield. "Spike, cook it!"

Spike ducked under another grasping branch and exhaled a rush of green flames. The branch curled and withered on contact and didn't immediately heal. "Ha ha! I have this ha--" The other branch suddenly swung in and caught him in the chest, knocking him down and the breath right out of him.

Starlight  blasted the branch as it reached to grab Spike. "Don't worry, I have you covered. I'll take care of... this?" She felt something slithering along a leg and tensed. Slowly turning, she could see a wild mass of roots were growing up along her leg and flank, literally rooting her in place as she trembled with fear. "This forest is crazy!"

While all this happened, Cherry was focused on her job, carefully wedging in little bits and bending others with care. "Almost have it..." So focused was she on her task that she didn't even register the battle raging close by.

Spike fought his way upright, panting and wheezing with lost breath. As a branch swung for him, he tried to scorch it, only for a tiny little speck of green to emerge. He dove to the side, rolling out of the way of the angry wood just in time to avoid another painful blow.

The roots continued their ceaseless spread over Starlight, but she frowned, almost a sneer. "Stupid plant! You think you can win that easily?" She flashed brightly, energy pouring from her in all directions in a sudden explosion that sent the roots scattering and freeing her. She staggered away, heaving for breath after the dramatic display. "Take... that..."

Cherry slipped back into her belt and worked her fins into the new openings she had fashioned for them. She wriggled her left fin just for the  internal gears to turn right over it. She squealed with pain but managed to get the gear reversed swiftly. There was more work to be done.

Spike made a sudden charge and hopped up onto Starlight. "We can handle this."

Starlight gave a determined nod. "Your flames recharged? It's time to cut down this rebellious ivy." She gave a scowl at the tree as her chest rose and fell. "Let's do this."

Together they charged, with Starlight providing the speed as she dodged and wove around a worryingly increasing number of branches on her way to the trunk of the tree. Spike drew in a deep breath as they got closer. Just as the branches converged on them, he let loose, scorching the branches between them and the trunk before the whole thing seemed to catch ablaze for a brilliant moment. It burned all too quickly, reduced to ash and leaving a shaft of light pouring in from above where the canopy had been compromised with the missing tree.

Spike let out a triumphant whoop. "We did it!"

Starlight offered a hoof that Spike met with a balled fist, both relieved that their foe had been defeated.

Cherry gave her own satisfied cheer as she rolled upright and began moving forward and backwards without holding a wrench. "See?" She looked up at her winded friends and tilted her head. "What have you two been up to?" She approached them with a satisfied smile on her face. "I got it working right, so we can keep going now."

Starlight nodded at Cherry. "Very nice job, but I think Spike and I need... just a moment." She sank to the ground, panting softly. "We'll get moving after that. That reminds me, how are you doing? I mean, this is pretty dry for you, isn't it?"

Cherry winced faintly at being reminded how long it'd been since she felt the cool embrace of water. "I'm alright, I think. I'd rather be swimming, but I don't think I'm dying or anything." She waved it off. "I'll be alright."

Spike gave a thumbs up as he caught up from all the excitement. "Good to hear. I think we have a lot more walking ahead of us. This is bothering me though."

Starlight perked an ear at him. "What is? This forest? I'm with you there."

"Not that, I mean, not just that. Twilight should have calmed the crowd and come to get us by now, but she hasn't. Do you think something went wrong?"

Cherry reached for his shoulder. "I wouldn't worry, Spike. Twilight's a very clever pony and the ponies obviously respect her. They wouldn't hurt her."

Starlight nodded in quick agreement. "She's safer than we are right now, the way I see it." 

Spike looked around the forest slowly. "I wish we knew which way was Zecora's..."

Cherry blinked. "What's a Z-core?"

Spike snorted softly with a smile. "Zecora, a zebra that lives in these woods. She's nice, and she knows lots of stuff. I bet she could help us get this straightened out."

Starlight hiked a brow. "She lives in this forest? Why would anypony do that willingly?"

Cherry shrugged a little. "As scary as it is, everywhere has scary things. The ocean's full of things that'll make a snack out of you. You get used to it. I'm just not used to, uh, forest sharks just yet.

Rested and ready, they drew themselves upright and resumed their hike, hoping that grabby trees would be the worst thing they'd find.

But what were the odds of that?