Starlight Over the Forest

by DwarvishPony

1. Starlight and the Stranger

"Oh, I'm never going to get this friendship thing down." Starlight moped in her room of Twilight's castle. She buried her face in her pillow, groaning in frustration as she did.

"It's not all bad. Sure, Twilight had you try and make friends with Trixie of all ponies, but she means well." Spike stood nearby, trying to comfort the mare.

"I know, Spike. I just... I worry. I feel like one wrong move and Twilight will give up on me or something. Like she'll realize I'm not cut out to be her student." Starlight turned her head to the wall, hiding the tears of frustration.

"Nah. Twilight wouldn't do that. Unless you tried messing with the past again." Spike waved a claw in dismissal before wincing. "Sorry."

"Its fine. I know what I did was wrong, and I can't ever repay Twilight and her friends for forgiving me, but I feel like I'm walking on eggshells here." The mare rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "What if I never make friends outside of you and Twilight and the others?"

"Come on, you've made friends already. You reconnected with Sunburst, you made friends with Cadence, Shining Armor, um..." Spike counted the short list on his claws, trying to think of more ponies to add to the list. "Well you made three more friends than you're giving yourself credit for. That's progress." He smiled toothily, as if it would somehow quell all of Starlight's doubts.

"Yeah... Yeah. I guess you're right Spike." Starlight sat up. "Thank you. You're a good friend." She smiled at the baby dragon who had quickly become one of her closest friends.

"Aw, shucks. It was nothing." Spike blushed slightly, grateful for the praise. "If you ask me though, Twilight should give you some time to meet the ponies around town. I'm sure you'll have something in common with a lot of them." He offered. "Maybe you should just go out and meet somepony on your own terms."

"You know what, Spike? I think you're right." Starlight Glimmer stood confidently. "I think I'll go for a walk and try meeting other ponies."

"Great! I'll let Twilight know."

"No!" Starlight cried before she could catch herself. "I mean, no. Please don't. I always feel like there's more pressure when Twilight is involved. Can we just keep this a secret between us?"

"I get what you're saying. I have a tough time talking to Rar- other ponies when Twilight is around. I won't tell her unless you want me to." Spike promised.

"Thanks Spike." Starlight embraced her friend, holding him tightly.

---

Having spent years either avoiding, manipulating, or lying to other ponies, Starlight Glimmer had developed a bit of a complex since her reformation. More specifically, whenever she tried being around other ponies (including her new friends) she felt guilty. This guilt manifested in such a way that made her nervous in public.

It was this nervousness that made her tongue feel too big for her mouth when she tried saying hello to anypony she came across. It was the reason she found herself staring at the ground rather than straight ahead. This unintentionally caused her to collide with Ponyville's most eligible bachelor, Big McIntosh.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! Are you all right?" Starlight was practically tripping over herself in embarrassment.

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied. "You?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry." Starlight Glimmer unintentionally gave her best Fluttershy impression. "Excuse me." Stralight brushed past the large stallion.

"You sure you're all right?" Big Mac questioned, causing the mare to spin back around.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Just needed to think about stuff." Starlight slowly backed away as she talked. "I have to go." She ran off before Big Mac could press the issue.

---

Everywhere she went ponies stared. Whispered. They were talking about her. The strange mare who managed to become Twilight Sparkle's student. The one who had no friends. Staring. Whispering.

Starlight ran as fast as she could she needed to be away from this. Away from everypony! She was suffocating in Ponyville. So she ran to the one place where she could be alone: the Everfree Forest.

The Everfree Forest was a thing of rumor and fairy tale among the residents of Ponyville. Plants grew wild and unchecked. Many of the animals that called the place home were dangerous, and more than a few ponies had disappeared into the forest to never be seen again. It was a place of solitude for Starlight Glimmer.

This was not the first time she'd retreated to the forest for the isolation part of her craved. Starlight Glimmer had retreated into the woods multiple times to avoid the scrutiny of other ponies. Being around them for any real length of time made Starlight's skin crawl. Like the gazes of other ponies were dissecting her, tearing her apart so that they could better know the monster disguised as a pony in their midst. She hated it. All of it.

There were nights where Starlight Glimmer would lay awake and contemplate disappearing altogether. But she didn't have the courage to betray Twilight like that.

So she stayed. A prisoner in her own skin.

These trips to the forest were becoming more and more frequent. The wildlife seemed to accept her presence. As of yet, Starlight had never seen another creature in the forest. It was almost enough to make her believe that the stories of creatures in the forest were just that. Stories.

But the sounds of the forest were proof of otherwise. Growls and animal cries could be heard in the distance. Closer, the foliage rustled every so often. The occasional sound of a twig snapping would reach the ears of the mare as she continued her walk. As she continued, the noises of Ponyville were quickly swallowed up by the canopy of the Everfree.

These were the rare moments when the weight of everything melted away. Stress peeled back, revealing the radiant mare that was Starlight Glimmer. She could breathe deeply, inhaling the mossy aroma of the earth around her. A smile crept back onto Starlight's features.

"So relaxing..."

Starlight tensed. She hadn't said anything. But she had definitely heard somepony speaking. She looked about wildly, having expected somepony from Ponyville to have followed her.

But who would follow Starlight Glimmer into the Everfree Forest? Fluttershy was too scared to go alone unless there was good reason. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were probably busy with work. Twilight was probably muzzle deep in a book. Rainbow Dash maybe? But why would she bother taking the time to follow Starlight Glimmer into the Everfree without stopping her to ask why?

A rhythmic humming began to reach Starlight's ears. Judging from the voice, it certainly wasn't Rainbow Dash. Curiosity took hold as Starlight began to follow the sound to it's source.

She didn't have to go far. A small game trail lead to a breathtaking clearing.

A multitude of flowers bloomed brightly in the meadow as small woodland creatures frolicked about. A gentle breeze whispered past, causing the flora to sway. Pillars of light forced their way through the thick canopy of the forest. And in the middle of the forest oasis, sitting cross-legged in one of the shafts of sunlight, was a green earth pony, her orange curled mane tied back by a yellow bandana.

Starlight crouched low behind a bush, curious as to what anypony else would be doing out here.

The mare in the clearing was the one making the noises Starlight had heard earlier. She continued her rhythmic chanting, breathing in deeply before letting another chant out. Her expression was one of utter relaxation. The green mare's eyes were shut, the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. A few of the critters playing in the field had made their ways close to the stranger, either unaware of her or uncaring that she was there.

Starlight shifted closer, only to break the picturesque moment with the crackle of a stick under hoof.

The critters bolted from sight immediately, fearing predators. The mare, however, merely opened her eyes slowly.

"Welcome." She said aloud, as if she had already known of Starlight's presence. "Join me for some blissful meditation."

Starlight's ears flattened against her head as she considered running. It wouldn't be hard to escape this situation. Starlight doubted she'd be followed at all. But when her hooves moved they brought her forward, not away.

"Blessings. I'm Tree Hugger." The mare introduced herself as Starlight came into view.

"S-Starlight Glimmer." She replied hesitantly, wondering why she hadn't just run away.

"I'm sensing a lot of tension in your aura. You could really use some relaxation." Tree Hugger had a very distinct manner of speaking, as if the mare didn't have a negative bone in her body. She patted the grass next to her.

"I was just cleansing my chakras. Would you like to join me?"

Starlight made to shake her head no, excuse herself, and leave. Instead she found her head bobbing up and down slightly and hesitantly stepping forward.

Tree Hugger didn't seem to have any expectations of Starlight. Merely simple acceptance at her being there. She showed Starlight how to sit to "best open the harmonic pathways of the body" and began to lightly chant again when Starlight was ready.

Starlight did her best to follow along, but found herself distracted. A few of the critters from before had tentatively started to return to the area, though they kept their distance. Starlight opened an eye and peeked at Tree Hugger, who seemed to sense her discomfort.

"Relax. Nopony here will judge you. Just clear your mind and... Ohhhhm." She began her chanting again, her serene expression from before settling back onto her features.

Starlight took a deep breath and tried to follow suit. Much to her surprise, she quickly found herself falling into the same rhythm as Tree Hugger. Worries seemed to peel away bit by bit. For the first time in weeks, Starlight felt herself relax in both body and mind.

This continued for far longer than it felt like to Starlight Glimmer. As dusk settled upon the forest, the world seemed a bit brighter to Starlight. She imagined that this must be how Rarity felt after her weekly visit to the spa with Fluttershy. She opened her eyes and looked to the strange mare who'd helped her.

"Thank you. I didn't realize how much I needed this." She spoke softly, afraid that if whe were too loud the serenity she felt would be broken.

"No problem. Your aura is much cleaner than when you first showed up, too." Tree Hugger replied dreamily. "We should totally chill like this again while I'm in Ponyville."

"I..." Starlight Glimmer felt her words get stuck in her throat for the slightest fraction of a second. "I'd like that, actually."

"Righteous. I'm staying with my friend Fluttershy for a few days. I'm sure she'd be totally cool with you stopping by."

"I actually know Fluttershy too." Starlight blinked, taken aback that somepony this... open would be friends with somepony as timid as Fluttershy.

"Right on. We live in such a small and beautiful world." Tree Hugger replied.

"I should get going. My friends are probably worried about me by now." Starlight said hesitantly, wishing she didn't have to return to the world of stares and whispers so soon.

"Peace and love until next time, Starlight Glimmer." Tree Hugger replied. "Whoa, your name is sooo magical." She added, as if she'd just realized what Starlight's name was.

Starlight set off for home, feeling surprisingly refreshed after her meditations.

Comments

[KingJoltik]

Hmmm...I like this. Nice beginning...I'll upvote and track this for now.

[OmniFox]

I'm drug-free.

[Setokaiva]

I like this. Gonna follow it. You just crafted my permanent headcanon of Treehugger's character.

[Vertigo22]

"Its not all bad.

I feel that should be "It's".

"If you ask me though, Twilight should give you some time to meet the ponies around town. I'm sure you'll have something in common with a lot of them." He offered.

I want to say there should be a comma to end thay instead of a period. I'm not 100% sure to be honest, but I still felt like pointing it out to make sure.

Starlight Glimmer stood confidently."I think I'll go for a walk and try meeting other ponies."

Missing a space there.

Aside from those three, I didn't see any other errors. If there are anymore, I missed them. Shame on me.

[DwarvishPony]

7785282
Fixed. Thanks for pointing those out.

[Sollace]

Woahoah, righteous, dood.

Some punctuation errors, but otherwise quite enjoyable.

[DwarvishPony]

7937851
I'm aware of the errors, unfortunately. After I finish the story I plan on getting an editor to find the mistakes I can't.