Chapter 3: Healing Takes Time
Twilight's Garden
By Wanderer D
Chapter 3: Healing Takes Time
"And that is how the spirits bless this land by sharing the wisdom and discoveries of your glorious deeds by oral tradition," the Great Shaman said.
Applejack nodded, trying to keep interest in the conversation.
"So what you're sayin' is that since this island was given to your ancestors by your goddess, their spirits have roamed the maze under it and you can hear their voices down there?"
"Correct, Yolilistlitlatlakoli, by your grace their voices remain there, echoing and reminding us of their lives and their wisdom."
"It's very interestin'," she managed to say through gritted-teeth. "Ah think Ah see my friends down there, by the bar, so Ah think I'll go greet them. Twilight looks a bit stressed and Ah sure as sugar don't want to deal with a breakdown if Ah can help it…"
"Who, the Gardener?" the Great Shaman asked, making Applejack pause.
Applejack started laughing. "Ah'm sorry? Ah think Ah misheard you."
"By 'Twilight', you mean the Yolilistli? She is performing and learning her designated task under one of our best Gardeners: Kuautemiktlan," the Great Shaman said. "Just like your other friends have taken to their roles."
"If y'all put Twilight in a garden, Ah don't think y'all know Twilight as well as Ah do…" Applejack said slowly. "That mare is a bookworm, she knows more about Earth Pony Magic theory than Ah do, and Ah do Earth Pony Magic just by existin'. The reason we're here is because of her."
"And yet, she is merely the Gardener and you are Yolilistlitlatlakoli," the Great Shaman reminded her. "You are the one that carries the soul of the goddess that created this island. That other great beings would gather around you is no mere coincidence."
Applejack shook her head, looking again towards the bar to maybe try and signal Twilight that she was on her way, but her friend had disappeared.
"As you see, the Yolilistli has gone now, most likely so she can be well rested for tomorrow's efforts."
"Ah'm not sure I like the sound of that…"
"Worry not, the Yolilistli will be fine. For now, we should celebrate, as the spirits of our ancestors look forward to speaking to you."
o.0.o
Twilight woke up covered in dirt. When she pushed up, dark, rich black earth cascaded from her body and wings, some of it sticking, but for the most part parting easily from her body with just the smallest of shakes. Yawning, she started ambling around the island with no aim in mind, simply enjoying the warmth of the sun, the coolness of the breeze and the feel of the moist earth under her hooves.
The humidity from the air had been absorbed all through the island and it almost felt like she was walking on marshmallows as she tried to get blood flowing through her system. It was a sharp contrast to the rocky surface it had been made of just a day before.
Her fit last night had evaporated not only from herself but the area too. There was a gentle calmness around her now; a deep contrast with the anger with which she had taken to destroying rocks, digging and turning earth with all the power behind her muscles and for all intents and purposes "fluffing" the island while beating the daylights out of it.
"You have outdone yourself, Yolilistli," Kuautemiktlan said happily as he approached carrying a large box. He set it down and extracted a small table and two folding chairs before heading back the way he had come after insisting she sit down.
Gingerly, still mostly asleep and terribly tired, Twilight sat down on one of the chairs, looking down at her scratched, dirty hooves. They were a sorry sight now, certainly not befitting a princess at all.
Kuautemiktlan soon came back with some food and a pitcher of water infused with fruits, which he set down for her. "Please eat, I know you didn't last night when you left the party so quickly."
The night came rushing back to Twilight and she stared angrily at the food before forcing herself to calm down.
"Thank you, Quack-mic-lan…"
"Kuautemiktlan."
"That. Thank you for the food… I'm sorry I left early I—"
Kuautemiktlan had raised his hoof. "You are not happy with your role, I understand. Out of all your friends, you were given the role that most displeases you."
Twilight sighed, but nodded, acknowledging his words as she used her magic to levitate a cup of tea up to her lips.
"All of us shaman understand, for the Yolilistli, a servant of the goddess, to not be constantly basking in the wisdom and presence of the Yolilistlitlatlakoli must be pure torture."
Twilight bit through the cup, splintering it and splashing tea everywhere.
"But, in her wisdom, the Yolilistlitlatlakoli has granted you a role," Kuautemiktlan said. "Usually since she is not here with us, her teachings and discussions are dispensed through lesser beings than her, such as yourself and the other Yolilistli. Since you are both here, your role would have been irrelevant were it not for her grace to bring you as part of her entourage."
"What about the others? Why was I chosen as the Gardener? Why not the Advisor?"
"The other mares were more fitted for the comparatively simple lives of scholarship and discourse, or entertainment and war. But you, Yolilistli, were chosen from the beginning of your existence to exalt that which makes Yolilistlitlatlakoli truly a goddess among goddesses: prepare the land for her glory to provide with bounty."
"And what…" Twilight asked, eyes narrow and teeth gritting. "... is Applejack doing today?"
"The Yolilistlitlatlakoli will be allowed into a sacred place: the Akisalistlayokan, or in your language, the Maze of Discovery, where questions regarding the magic of life far exceeding your comprehension or ours can be answered."
Twilight closed her eyes and flinched, as if she had been slapped in the face.
"In the meantime, we shall use that…" Kuautemiktlan pointed towards the north coast of the island, where several boats were filled to the brim with leftovers from the party from the night before. "To make this soft earth more worthy of the hooves of the Yolilistlitlatlakoli."
The table between them disintegrated as Twilight stood up, lavender magical flames escaping from her eyes and horn and the sheer pressure of her presence made Kuautemiktlan take several steps back.
"Enough is enough," Twilight hissed. Summoning her magic, she enveloped herself in a sphere of pure energy as she levitated off the ground and shot towards the main island.
It took just a few seconds before several warrior pegasi rose into the air to follow her, most falling behind, but soon enough she had a visitor able to keep up with her. Rainbow Dash grinned at Twilight. "Hey! That's pretty fast, Twilight! How come you never want to race me to see how fast you could make it?"
Twilight growled. "I don't have time for racing! I've had enough with this islanders and their ridiculous expectations!"
A second later she had to force herself to stop before she hit Rainbow Dash, who had shot past her to bar her way.
"Alright, you're not getting past me until you explain."
"Rainbow Dash…" When her friend simply crossed her forelegs stubbornly, Twilight sighed. "They're making me do gardening while I'm losing every chance I have to learn, which is what I came here to do!" Twilight waved a hoof at the islands below. "I'm not the Gardener! These ponies think that Applejack is their goddess reborn! They think we princesses are her servants and that the only reason I'm here is because Applejack gave me a chance!"
Rainbow Dash started laughing.
"It's not funny!" Twilight snarled, wiping the smile off of Rainbow's face. "I'm a Princess of Equestria and the only pony that came here to study! Applejack is the one that's good at field work!"
"Twilight, I think you're taking this too seriously, you told us all roles in this situation were important."
"That was before the shamans mistook Applejack for a goddess and sent me to break rocks!" Twilight huffed. "I'm heading straight to the Great Shaman to straighten this up right now."
"Uh, no you're not," Rainbow Dash said.
"What."
"Listen, I get it that you're angry, but barging in like that? That's not cool." Rainbow Dash said. "You're going to make a total mess if you do that!"
"Get out of the way, Rainbow Dash."
"No. And you're not getting past me either."
She saw red. And for just a second, Twilight considered blasting Rainbow Dash out of the sky. Only for a moment, but that was jarring enough for her to release her magic and just flap her wings, looking away in defeat.
Rainbow Dash grimaced. "Twilight, I—"
"I'm sorry."
She turned and flew away from Rainbow Dash, who thankfully didn't try to stop her.
o.0.o
Twilight flew back to the island, landing near the boats where Kuautemiktlan waited for her. The shaman gave her a wary look, but didn't comment when Twilight simply took hold of a shovel with her hooves and started mixing the compost with the loose earth and buried it under a thick layer.
She silently thanked the shaman for that small consideration. She kept guiltily reliving the anger she had felt earlier and the fact that she had actually thought about striking out against Rainbow Dash.
Her thoughts kept her mind occupied and the more she worked, the more she felt at peace with what had happened. When the first shovel broke and cut a thin line just above her fetlock, Twilight simply shrugged it off, grabbing a new one and setting off to work again.
It was several hours later that Twilight and Kuautemiktlan stood overseeing her hard work and the shaman once again spoke. "Now, Yolilistli, you must truly use your gifts from the goddess…" he trailed off when the latest shovel splintered, but cleared his throat and continued, "...and let your hooves feel the connection with the earth below it."
Twilight sighed, concentrating on her hooves. But all she felt was the soft earth below, and what she was fairly certain was a banana peel.
She also smelled the rest of the stuff they had mixed in. There was no link. No connection to the soil, the compost or anything. In fact, she was starting to feel the cuts, bruises and scrapes on her forelegs and hooves.
"I… I can't," she mumbled, turning to walk towards the beach. "I need a break. Maybe tomorrow."
She half-stumbled, half-walked away, awkwardly shifting the weight of her body with every sharp, stabbing feeling of pain that shot up her forelegs.
When she reached the edge of the beach, rather than stay in her island, Twilight teleported across the water and continued walking into the jungle, not even pausing to appreciate how much softer the sand was on this side.
"Oh my, Twilight?"
Twilight blinked, looking at her surroundings. She had walked into a small valley in the middle of the jungle, where several animals of all sorts were looking at her in consternation, while Fluttershy and the shaman training her were glancing her way in worry.
"F-fluttershy?" Twilight asked, shaking her head and looking around. "What…"
"Yolkati, would you let me speak to Twilight alone?" Fluttershy asked the shaman, who gave her a small smile before nodding.
"I shall go back to the town to resupply, Selika," Yolkati said, picking up her saddlebags and trotting off into the jungle.
Slowly, after receiving a look from Fluttershy, most of the animals around them left them alone, while Fluttershy motioned for Twilight to sit down. Once she did, Fluttershy gently took Twilight's mangled hooves in her own and started to carefully clean them and apply ointments. "I know you try to do your best, Twilight, but you shouldn't be forcing your body to the point of damaging yourself," she said.
"That shaman, what did she call you?" Twilight asked, not really wanting to acknowledge the damage she had done herself by overworking.
"Oh, Yolkati decided to call me that," Fluttershy giggled. "Selika, it means… kind one, in their language."
Twilight chuckled, "Fits you… ouch!" She hissed as Fluttershy spit out the splinter of wood she had pulled from Twilight's coat and poured some potion on it, which sizzled a little when it came in contact her blood. "Scratch that. It doesn't."
Fluttershy giggled once more, then carefully bandaged Twilight's hoof before setting it down and starting to work on the other. "You still need to promise not to do this again."
Twilight sighed, watching in silence as her friend did her best to heal her. "I almost got into a fight with Rainbow Dash today…" she shook her head when Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Nothing happened… but I didn't want to think about it."
"Is this because you're not there with the Great Shaman?" Fluttershy asked.
"I should be the one there, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy bit her lip. "Didn't you say we were all intended for a role and that all roles were important?"
Twilight snorted, getting up. "Turns out I was wrong. Turns out the only thing Yolilistli are good for ponies here is as servants without merit or value unless their goddess says otherwise."
"I'm not sure…"
"Thanks for the help, Fluttershy but it's late and… I have a really early morning."
Fluttershy looked down. "O-oh. Well, could you try flying? It's best to give your hooves time to heal, even if it's just a few hours." Twilight gave the other mare a quick hug before beating her wings and heading out back to her island.
When she arrived, it was all quiet. Kuautemiktlan was gone, and the place stank, but Twilight was too tired to care. In the distance, she heard the roll of thunder and so she headed to her small hut.
She didn't bother jumping onto the hammock. She just stretched onto the soft earth, feeling like she was sinking into it. Her coat tingled and her wings fluttered as she relaxed and let her frustration leave her. Here, in her hut... on her island... she wasn't going to be bothered.
No shaman would remind her that she was worthless as a student or as a representative of Equestria. It was just her, the island and that stupid compost that wouldn't stop stinking up the place.
End Chapter 3
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Um, Twi? It's pretty clear that this society reveres agriculturalists. Your role IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. Very in-character for Twi who tends to only value herself for her ability to learn and is uncomfortable with things outside her comfort zone.
Also, I'm looking forward to the moment she comes into her own with Earth Pony magic. Looking forward to more. Great story.
Hello, Twilight the Entitled.
You are really doing amazing job on writing Twilight and the lessons she really hates but is so much good for her. It will take time when Twilight realizes that the lessons she is being taught are Earth Magic and when she looks back she'll be really surprised on how much she learn. Learning physical work like either its farm, dance, music or anything that isn't about reading a book or writing a test takes effort each day and is totally different then sitting down all day reading a book that even though would help you learn something it won't be much effect if you don't use that in physical terms.
Like I would say in Dance... You may read a dance book and learn all these cool moves all day but it wouldn't be any effort if you don't actually physical practice them.
Hope one day Twilight sees that there is more then just books.
Maybe when AJ meets with the ancestor spirits, she will set things straight by telling them in pure honesty that she isn't understanding word ONE of all this magic stuff, and that Twilight should be learning it while she should be learning all the gardening secrets of the island.
Applejack (at the end of her rope with this nonsense): I AM A FARMER! I WORK THE LAND! I DO NOT BELONG IN SOME CAVE LEARNING ABOUT WEIRD STUFF THAT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND! NOW BRING TWILIGHT HERE TO LEARN IT AND LEAVE ME TO TENDING TO THE PLANTS!
Seriously, guys. Listen to Yolilistlitlatlakoli incarnate. Otherwise, this is just a taste of what will descend upon these islands.
I'm not saying Twilight's in the right, mind you. Her disappointment and unseen prejudice are clearly coloring her interpretation of events. But if she and the shamans keep working at cross-purposes, a millennium from now, these ponies' descendants will live in fear of the wrathful volcano goddess who cursed their once-verdant land.
Or Twilight's friends will get through to her in time for her to get over herself. Hopefully the latter
8190838 Worst case scenario they can escape into the Plane of Elemental Loyalty.
I'm actually starting to suspect that the shamans made a big mistake with Applejack and Twilight. Everyone else is in the perfect position while Applejack is getting bored with theory and Twilight is starting to become heavily depressed because she feels like a failure.
It's possible that both sides have something to learn, here. I believe that we're all in agreement regarding Twilight and her prejudices, but it's possible that the islanders may soon learn that they themselves have cultural prejudices past which they need to move.
8190879
"Mom! Dad! I need you to be really enthusiastic, really quickly."
At this point, I think Twilight's ire has less to do with her undesired role and more to do with their justifications putting her there. Or lack thereof, from her perspective.
Twilight isn't impressed by superstition, and so far, these shamans haven't really done anything to indicate that there is actual power backing up their rituals and beliefs. Granted, she could do with a little more patience to wait and see if there is any truth in their claims, but I think it's pretty understandable that she's not in a mood for that right now. Pretty much all of her questions and objections have been hand-waved aside with little more than the equivalent of "Because God said so, and God doesn't make mistakes." That's likely to tick anyone off.
We'll just have to wait and see if there really is some hidden truth and power in their traditions.
Ironic that in the meantime, Applejack is doing her best in the role she was given only because she wants to please Twilight...
8190676
But what is AJ supposed to learn?
8190655
Yet, AJ is the one considered godly.
8190909 Thats a good question... That I wish I knew an answer for that because this story is more about Twilight then AppleJack since the writer hasn't gotten much into what's she is learning about... I would assume it would be something similar to Jedi training or probably she is being taught the same way Twilight has been taught when she was a student.
Only a theory but it's what I see happening so far.
IF this keeps up, this is gonna backfire on the islanders horribly. Applejack's gonna turn on them, and Twilight's going to be depressed to a very low point. Which in turn will make the the other four turn on them.
Kuautemiktlan needs to learn TACT. Or Twilight's gonna evaporate him and not lose a wink of sleep.
I still think that everything is proceeding exactly as planned.
8190880
Maybe not. Twilight didn't see making friends as important, but discovered it to be the most important thing of all.
Maybe AJ and Twi are learning important things?
8191195
Reading the chapter again I can see that. I can't help but feel for Twilight though.
I think it would be fun if we gotto see a little more of what Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are doing in the next chapter.
Also Twilight just listen the natural elements have so much to say.
8190900
Sounds like Green Isn't Your Color.
I wonder when Applejack will go over to talk with Twilight.
AJ knows that Twi will work herself into a tizzy. Hell, Twi almost snapped already! The only reason why it didn't get ugly was because she realized what she was about to do.
Those two need to talk. Soon. Neither AJ nor Twi want the roles they have been assigned, but they're stuck with them, and they need to understand it, together.
On one hand I like the story and writing. On the other the only satisfying ending I can picture would be if Twilight ends this by obliterating the island. If nothing else I can honestly say that being blinded to the obvious by religious expectations is amazingly infuriating. I don't care how strong your belief is, if someone accidentally destroys random objects every time you mention your god and you don't start to question if they carry the faith, you deserve what is coming.
8210963 I'm not entirely sure how I'm supposed to answer your comment. This is commonly known as a story. Contains words and concepts and a plot?
I like how, whenever she's not fuming or having a snit or trying too hard, Twilight actually is communing with the earth. She's just not noticing it!
"That was when I thought I would have the most important role. Duh."
I know that Twilight later said that she changed her tune because the shaman made it clear that their goddess was the most important, but this was my first thought when I read that line.