ROOTS

by SkeIePone

Chapter III: Notes on the Everfree

450 YEARS AGO

“Resin, I don’t want you to follow me.”

The tall, elegant dryad female stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest, facing Ponyville. The long crabgrasses that composed her mane and tail flowed in a wind that wasn’t there. Flowers adorned her chest and neck, creeping up into her mane like ornaments.

Her sibling, a sapling male with a gaze that could pierce stone, stood adamant by her side.

“But you can’t go alone.” The young dryad hissed. “You can’t leave me here, Hyphae!”

Hyphae smiled down at her brother.

Dryad eyes could not produce tears; but if they could, Resin’s eyes would be full of them.

“I must, little brother.” The elder cooed. “Here. I have an idea.”

A viney tendril extended from Hyphae’s back to grasp a bulb hanging under her belly. She plucked it, wincing as it disconnected from her body. A blue smoke of sorts appeared from Hyphae’s core, and it surrounded the bulb, being absorbed by it. Giving life to it.

“Plant this,” Hypha said to her brother, handing it to him, “it will grow into a sapling, much like yourself. And you won’t be alone. And you have Xylem to keep you company as well.”

“B-But,” young Resin stammered, breaking his stony demeanor into something softer, “Xylem is MEAN! She doesn’t like me!”

“Of course she does, she’s our grandmother. She has to like us. She’s obligated to. Now I’m leaving Resin. Don’t follow me. I want you to stay here while I talk to the mayor.”

Resin watched with horror as his sister, his only sibling, stepped out into the sunlight and walked towards the buildings of Ponyville.

She was gone.

He knew even then that Hyphae would never return to the Everfree. It would be weeks before a hoard of hooded ponies dumped her crumbling remains at the very edge of the woods. Xylem had called her foolish. Her demise was her own fault. But Resin couldn’t help but feel guilt.

She was dead the moment she left the safety of the forest.

* * * * *

---

* * * * *

TODAY

Resin spent a lot of time thinking as he sunned himself.

And he didn't think happy thoughts. He recalled all the dryads he had lost; to ponies, to disease, to just to the circle of life that controlled everything a dryad did. Dryads may be spirits, but they weren’t immortal. Everything had to succumb to death at some point.

Resin thought about his grandmother, Xylem. She had lived a good many thousand years. But the elder dryad had finally died when a pony lumberjack mistook her for brush. The poor thing didn’t even know it was coming; though luckily she hadn’t survived the first initial whack.

After Xylem, Alga and he had met a fully grown dryad by the name of Sage. He had been a great help, and performed most of the responsibilities as guardian of the forest while Resin raised his niece. Sage had succumbed to a strain of illness called the blight, something that he had caught from a grove of oak trees. Sage’s roots weakened first, leaving him dehydrated and fragile. Then his leaves began to slowly fall out; then he slowly starved to death, having no way to absorb sunlight. Resin had buried him beneath a willow tree.

In dryad culture, burial was regarded with contempt, because it prevented the flora and fauna of the surface from recycling the remains into nature. But Sage’s remains could still infect others, and so Resin had been forced to disgrace the elder’s body by pulling it underneath the willow.

Cypress. Buckeye. Juniper. Magnolia. There were countless others. All of them gone, taken by all the various dangers that dryads were vulnerable to.

Resin felt that emptiness once more.

Alga was just another name to add to the long list of those he had lost. Beyond the one all dryads knew as Cernunnos, no other dryads remained. Resin was alone in this world, and that blow was crushing. As a male, he couldn’t produce bulbs. The dryad race would die with him.

Resin’s semi-conscious mind drifted once more towards Cernunnos. Legends told of a king, the first and only king of the dryads. A being so powerful and so vast that it took many moons for him to sun himself. Cernunnos had many abilities that dryads and ponies alike could only dream about. The king of dryads could control the entirety of the Forest, his strength rivalled even that of the dragons. The stories said that Cernunnos even held power over life itself. Giving and taking as he pleased.

It had been Alga’s favorite bedtime story.

Resin couldn't help but wish he was as powerful as Cernunnos. That way, he could just will Hyphae, Alga, even Xylem back to life. Instead of avenging their deaths.

Resin looked out towards the pony village from his sunning spot.

A direct assault wouldn’t do. He was clearly outnumbered. And the ponies had magic spells specially for combat, whereas dryads only performed caregiving spells. He could rule up some animals and plants to storm the town with him, but he didn't want any of his wards to be hurt. Or killed. Resin realized how stupid his original plan had sounded, just full on attacking the village with a small army.

No, he’d have to be sneaky.

Dryads had plenty of practice in stealth magic. It was how they remained undetected so often, by hiding in plain sight using an array of spells that hindered ponies’ attention spans and camouflaged them into the surrounding environment.

He was going to the village upon nightfall. When the ponies slept. If Alga was still alive, he’d rescue her. Then he would demand the ponies extinguish their fire. And if they didn't accept his terms?

He’d destroy them.

Resin smiled.

In the distance, the forest fire continued to burn, sending up clouds of greenish grey smoke. He could barely hear the monstrous roar as the flames ate at the Everfree.

* * * * *

---

* * * * *

Zecora and Twilight were lounging in the vast library of the later’s castle.

Towers of books surrounded the cozy sofas set up in the center of the enormous room. Lazing upon these sofas were a pair of mares; one Alicorn, and one zebra. They faced each other, though the two were performing two very different evening rituals.

Zecora was performing a headstand, her forelegs crossed and her hind legs splayed out, helping her balance. Her meditation was expected by Twilight, which explained why the lavender mare took no notice in this strange act. Every so often the zebra would let out a sigh of relaxation and Twilight would smile slightly and glance up at her friend. Twilight Sparkle was reading a book, as per usual. She didn't quite know what book it was, she had been reading so many that the titles had all jumbled together.

She was looking for a paragraph, a letter, anything that had to do with dryads and their behavior. Something that could help her understand that curious vine that Zecora had been so upset about.

But there was nothing.

“Zecora?”

“Hm?”

“Why exactly do you think a dryad made that plant act strangely? And even if it was a dryad, what does it matter? The plant wasn’t hurting anypony.” Twilight put down her book and allowed the question to linger in the air. Zecora did not move from her position on her respective sofa.

“Spirits of nature they may be, but capable of mischief as you can see. Dryads can be cruel and hateful as they please, as evident by peculiar plants such as these.”

“So… You’re saying that you simply don’t like dryads?”

Zecora said nothing, but now her tail swished angrily. Twilight decided to return to reading her book before she aggravated Zecora to the point to where the zebra might slip something into her next meal.

Opening the book to a random page, Twilight was surprised to see that the first thing she saw was a few sentences about a ‘tree spirit’. Twilight didn’t know about any other tree spirits then dryads, so she assumed that this was something that had escaped her attention.

“Interesting…” Twilight whispered, and she began to read.

“Princess, since questions are rife, how is your quest to recreate life?”

“Oh, Starlight’s pet project? She’s in the dungeons working on it now. Seems she's been getting a little TOO obsessed with it, if you know what I mean.” Twilight sighed as she thought of her toiling pupil. “So far, we’ve… Rather, she has only made rudimentary golems. And even those fell apart after a few minutes. Maybe we’re doing it wrong, I don’t know.”
0
Twilight paused for a minute to read a few more lines of her book.

“I mean, we’ve even tried NECROMANCY, Zecora. NECROMANCY! That's illegal, by Celestia’s mane! I had to read the most awful book… ‘Shudderbones’ Compendium of Cursed Magick’. Ugh. And it has PICTURES, too…” Twilight gagged. Zecora just hummed quietly.

Twilight finally put down her book. The cover was dusty, and it hid the title. Twilight blew away the dust and read the title aloud.

“Notes on the Everfree, by Starswirl the Bearded. Huh. This could be useful.”

* * * * *

---

* * * * *

Resin opened his eyes.

The sun had long gone down, and he was ready. He pulled himself up to his full height and realized with mild irritation that every animal he had willed to his aid had fallen asleep.

It would be a good idea to go looking for Alga anyways, before he wiped that miserable pony settlement from the ground. Best not get her caught in the crossfire, in the rare chance that she had somehow survived more than an hour with the ponies.

Resin silently stalked past a colossal sleeping Ursa Major and a pair of snoozing Timberwolves. A Grizzly sat up groggily, blinked at the dryad, and immediately collapsed back into sleep. Resin rolled his eyes and resumed his walk out of the woods.

Resin halted once he reached the edge of the Everfree. He thought of Hypha. She had stepped out, and walked into the very village he was heading into himself. She had been killed almost instantly. What if the same happened to him? Then he remembered that it could possibly have happened to Alga as well.

Now fueled by anger, he boldly stalked out from the cover of the trees and headed towards the low-lying buildings of stone and wood. The various colorful paints on the different houses were dimmed slightly by the night but streetlights kept the dirt roads and occupied homes lit enough for Resin to see clearly without glowing. He made his way for the tallest building; one decorated with bright flags and high arches. It stood in the middle of a plaza as if it were a beacon. And Resin approached it as if he were a moth.

“Alga?” He whispered, keeping an eye out for unwanted adversaries. “Alga, are you there?”

Resin frowned.

If he had to go door to door looking for his niece, it was going to take forever. He would have to find an authority. Resin quickly made a plan: find the pony leader, get Alga, destroy Ponyville, go back to the forest, and then live happily ever after. Easy enough.

Resin looked around for any signs or anything to direct him to the authorities. Of course, there was nothing. This kind of incompetence was to be expected in ponies. Then again, he also couldn’t read. But that didn’t mean that ponies weren’t incompetent!

He’d have to go to another tall building. From what Resin understood, the bigger the building, the more important it had to be.

Resin peered into the night, and smiled as he saw a very tall and very tree-like formation in the distance. Although it was no mere tree; it appeared to be made of crystal. The dryad couldn’t help but feel happy looking at the castle, one of the only things in Ponyville not made out of wood. He could feel some degree of respect towards whomever resided in that estate. The key to finding Alga was going to be there of all places. Resin could feel it in his fibers.

He snuck along, creeping amongst the shadows. Even though the village was dark, some residents were still very much awake.

One building was still brightly lit, with some sort of magical fluorescent entrance with words that Resin did not understand. Inside, Resin could hear singing and laughter, and the stench of sweat, musk, and alcohol filled the air. Outside of the building was a single pony. She was asleep apparently, and upon further inspection, Resin found a bottle containing some mystery substance that reeked of poison. Why would ponies go out of their way to poison themselves?

The dryad left the unconscious mare as he continued on his way, peering through the windows of various houses. Inside, Resin could see the sleeping forms of foals and mares and stallions. The sights of these families made his insides stir, but he tried his best to ignore those feelings.

After a long, silent walk across an uninhabited meadow, he finally came to the castle’s doorstep.

Now here was the hard part.

How exactly does a dryad call upon a pony? Resin had never exactly communicated with a pony before. What if ponies were aggressive without sleep? What if ponies…

No.

Resin shook off these anxious thoughts. He was powerful compared to these weak creatures of flesh; magicwise and in brute strength. Whatever black magic ponies held would surely be negated by his own pure nature magic. Right?

And there he was again. Worrying about the uncertain consequences.

Scowling, Resin willed the bushy tendrils on his back to grow. Within seconds they were thick, twisting branches that were slowly making their way to the thick crystal doors. Then those branches, six branches the size of trees, began to wedge themselves in between the doors. There was an intense cracking sound and the door shattered with a rumbling crash.

He was in.

* * * * *

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* * * * *

Spike the Dragon cherished sleep.

He would sleep about eighteen to twenty hours a day on average, a fact he was very proud of. Without at least eighteen hours, Spike would go into an irritable state that would last all day. Or night. Or week.

And when the resonating crash came from downstairs, Spike jolted up not only in surprise, but in anger as well. Who dared wake the fearsome and mighty drake from his slumber? Spike took a deep whiff of the air.

“Huh?” He whispered to himself.

Whatever it was that woke him up smelled… filthy. Like someone took animal droppings, dirt, and mold and balled it all up to make a big old pile of yuck. Spike tried his best to not gag; instead of doing so, he just plugged his nose with a pair of claws. The baby dragon figured that Starlight must be doing some sort of late-night science with her super-secret project that he wasn’t allowed to look at.

Or maybe she was gardening, by the smell of it.

Spike stretched his way out of bed and plopped down onto the floor. Not really feeling up to it, Spike staggered out the door, into the hall, and down the stairs.

“Starlight? Is that you?” He called with a yawn. “Twilight? Either of you ‘Lights?”

What his sleep-deprived eyes saw was not a crazy unicorn busy making some sort of concoction in the entrance hall, but rather a wide-open door and a trail of dirt leading in from outside. From the door came a beam of moonlight. Other than that, the room was pitch-black.

Spike realized with some shock that some of that which was scattered on the ground wasn’t dirt, but rather large chunks of the shattered front door. That sure woke Spike up. Something had forcefully bashed in the castle’s crystal doors. Those doors had to be almost as thick as he was long!

What had done this? And why?

A creaking sound alerted Spike to the presence of somepony or something else with him. Something had broken into the castle! He had to warn Twilight, Starlight, and Zecora!

Spike whirled around and was about to run back upstairs when he tripped on something. Spike crashed to the ground with a thud. Angrily, he looked to see that he had fallen over a… Tree root? Spike clambered back up to his feet in a daze.

What was going on here?! First the door is smashed in and now there’s a tree growing in the castle? Was that even possible? Spike considered the fact that he might just be dreaming.

He angrily reached down to pick up the root when it suddenly lunged for him, wrapping itself around him like a snake around its struggling prey. Spike tried to scream, call for help, something. But the root had wrapped itself around his mouth before he could so much as peep.

“Stay silent.” A harsh voice ordered. The voice was grainy, like whoever it belonged to had a sore throat. “I never expected there to be a dragon hatchling here. But ponies are as unpredictable as they are careless.”

A blue light suddenly glowed in the darkness. It was dimmed by something around it; a cage of sorts. Two more lights blinked into existence, almost like eyes. Spike found himself mesmerized by them.

There was a small voice in the back of his head that told him not to look into those eyes, but an even bigger voice told him not to listen to the smaller voice. The bigger voice told him to calm down and do everything this creature says. Sure enough, the smaller voice vanished altogether.

The root peeled away from Spike’s mouth, and he just kept staring into the creature’s eyes.

The creature stepped into the moonlight. Something that resembled a short tree, but was distinctly pony-shaped. Spike could see various waving vines on its back, and one was thicker and longer than the others. The one that had been previously holding the dragon captive. Spike watched as the thick branch retracted back into the monster’s body in a way that kind of made him want to gag.

“Ah, at least I can still charm dragons.” The creature creaked, observing Spike with mild interest. Spike recalled seeing Applejack inspecting one of her orchard’s trees in this way. “You are very young, poor thing. I wonder how you became enslaved by these ponies. But have no fear, I shall free you from this imprisonment.”

Spike could do nothing but look into the creature’s glowing eyes.

“Now.”

Uh oh. Spike didn’t like the way that the monster said that.

“Take me to your leader.”

Comments

[WhisperingDreams]

Damnt I expected more of a freak out from twi ;n;

[NekroPony]

I am sad that this story appears dead, but I read it knowing that... I think that the dryads are an intresting and compelling race. You did a good job.