//------------------------------// // The Tree [Slice of Life] // Story: Short Stories Collection, vol. I // by fallen starr //------------------------------// Orange, yellow, and brown leaves swirled around the six mares. A picnic blanket was laid out, though most of the food was gone. Instead, the mares were lying on the ground, in what could be called a barely be called a circle. A white unicorn was busy telling the other five the various pros and cons of making clothing for the three pony types. A soft yellow pegasus listened intently, seeming truly interested. Lying on their stomachs, slightly farther left than the rest of the group, a blue pegasus and orange earth mare were locked in an intense gaze, the unicorns words going unnoticed as they fought to not blink. A little to the right, a purple unicorn and pink earth pony laid on their backs, pointing and whispering about the various shaped found in the clouds above. The pink one giggled suddenly, causing the white unicorn to look over with a glare. Her grin a bit sheepish, Pinkie shrugged. “Sorry, Rarity. I was just looking at the clouds, and I saw one that looked a bit like you…minus the horn, of course.” The orange pony laughed at that, her eyes closing for less than a second. “Darn it, Pinkie. Ya made me lose. Though, the thought of Rarity being an Earth pony…” Applejack trailed off, chuckling. “Please, it wouldn’t be so hard. Earth ponies are the easiest ponies to be.” “Or flying,” the blue pegasus added. Applejack’s expression turned incredulous. "That’s a bunch a ponyfeathers, an’ y'all know it.” “Yeah, being earth ponies doesn’t make us easy!” Pinkie exclaimed. The other ponies paused for a moment, glancing at her. “I mean, there is a reason Celestia and Luna and all the other alicorns have all three of our powers, instead of just unicorns and pegasi.” The purple one perked up. “That is true. The Princess taught me all about the different magics each pony race has. Flying and weather manipulation for the pegasi, magic for the unicorns, and a more arcane magic for the earth ponies. That one is grounded in a deeper relationship with—” “Yeah, yeah, egghead. We don’t need a lecture. Not every moment is a learning moment.” Rainbow Dash grinned. She jumped into the air with a powerful beat of her blue wings and flipped upside down, looking at her friends through her rainbow mane. “Besides, everypony knows pegasi are the best. I mean, we make it rain. Literally!” The yellow pegasus let out a small meep. “I don’t know about that. Maybe we shouldn’t be fighting over which race is the best. We are even, and if we all take our races side, then there is no winner,” she said softly. “Exactly. Ah ain’t saying earth ponies are the best. Dang, Twi there could probably list all kinds of good and bad things about all of us. Ah’m just saying that earth ponies aren’t an…” she paused, looking for the right word. “Y'all ain’t got it any harder just ‘cause you’ve got wings or horns.” Rarity stood with a huff. “I never said you weren’t a good race, Applejack. I said it was easier because you don’t have the extra skill to master.” “Skill?” Applejack looked over a Pinkie, who looked back to her. “Alright, we’ll give you skill. Do you know what earth pony magic entails? Any of y'all?” At Twilight’s raised hoof, she sighed. “Anyone not the genius in our group?” No other hands raised. "Earth ponies have a special connection to the land, to the plants and the rocks and the dirt. It’s hard ta explain properly, but when your hoof hits soil, you know what crops you can grow in it. An earth pony can sense where the best rock is; what might hold the most coal or metal or gems. It’s somethin’ special. We don’t talk about it much, it ain’t something you can see.“ A small grin spread across Applejacks face. "Really, though, there is one thing we can do that none of y'all could if ya tried.” “What’s that?” Pinkie said, mesmerized. After another round of everypony looking at her, Applejack shook her head. “Pinkie, wanna uproot a tree?” “Oh, but I have a stash of mushtashes in that oak,” Pinkie said. “We can’t knock that one down.” “Why…ya know what, nevermind. How about that sycamore, then?” As the group approached the tree, Dash flew to the front. “Wait a minute. Maybe it’s just that two ponies can knock this tree over.” Pinkie giggled. “Of couse not, silly. The roots are too firm in the ground to just knock it over. I mean, it they all aren’t like the little curly one in the center.” Placing her hoof on the tree for a moment, she nodded. “It’s going to split right around here,” she said, her hoof drawing a line around the trunk of the tree. “I mean, you guys could totally try it. Oh, it can be a competition. And then we can all go back to Sugar Cube Corner for ice cream!” Pinkie grinned. -time- Rainbow Dash snorted. “Whatever. Come on Fluttershy, let’s try this.” Fluttershy hid her face behind her main. “Umm…no. I don’t want to hurt the tree.” Dragging Fluttershy within bucking distance of the tree, Dash sighed. “Please, Fluttershy. Please? On the count of three, okay? One…Two…Three!” With a mighty roar, Dash kicked out with her back legs as hard as she could. A loud thump was heard, but nothing more. Fluttershy’s blow landed less than a second later, with a tap so light it made no sound. After taking a second to make sure the tree wasn’t going to fall, Fluttershy rushed to it. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Dash dragged her way with a expressionless look. The other four ponies look at Twilight and Rarity. “Oh, I guess it’s our turn. We’re just supposed to buck it?” “Do whatever ya want, Twi. But it has to come down with a buck, yeah.” Twilight’s horn glowed, revealing every part of the tree in a deep purple shimmer. “Wow, it’s roots are deep. That’s at least fifteen or twenty feet. That’s amazing, Pinkie. There’s that curley root you were talking about.” “Well, duh. Of course it’s there. Why else would the tree’s name be Curley?” Ignoring the comment, Twilight glanced over at Rarity with an unsure smile. “This is most unlady like, I assure you. But since this seems to be proving a point, I will participate.” After examining the tree with her magic, Twilight put Rarity in a spot and told her where to kick, then lined herself up with a spot three paces away. After a nod from Twilight, the mares kicked out at the same time. A loud crack sounded, and the unicorns turned around quickly, only to see some bark fall away. “Maybe we cracked it?” Rarity suggested. Lighting the tree up again, Tight sighed. “No, it was only the bark.” “Ready, Pinkie?” Applejack asked. Pinkie grinned and hopped over to the tree and turned. “Oh my gosh, I haven’t done this in forever. Like…since we were helping with applebuck season. Oh, are we going now?” She looked over at Applejack, who nodded. “Okay then.” As one, they lifted their back hooves and kicked out. The sound of splintering wood sounded through the park as the tree fell over. “Oh, my, the poor tree.” Fluttershy looked down. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. This was Curley’s last summer. He wasn’t going to bloom anymore anyway. This way, he didn’t have to go through winter.” “How did…but…we softened it for you!” Dash exclaimed. “Actually, you saw the examination of the tree. It was fine,” Twilight replied. “And look, I knew it was going to crack there! I totally knew it.” Grinning, Pinkie looked at her friends. “Now, I say we go get ice cream.” Without looking back at her friends, she bounced along the path that would take them to Sugar Cube Corner. With a shrug, Twilight caught up with Pinkie. “Wanna race?” Dash asked Applejack. “I dunno…do you really want dust in your mouth when you’re eating your ice cream?” With a smirk, Applejack took off, Dash just behind her. “I must say, that was all ever so useless. Though I didn’t know earth pony magics extended that far.” As the group came back together at Sugar Cube Corner and into their favorite booth, Twilight looked at Pinkie. “So, does being an earth pony make you better cooks?”