Using Voodoo for Good
Fluttershy and Mage Meadowbrook sat in the Royal Canterlot garden, feeding a family of wood ducks. The ducklings were more bold than their parents, and they waddled forward to eat berries from the mares' hooves.
Meadowbrook sighed.
“Um, is something bothering you, Mage Meadowbrook?” Fluttershy brushed her long mane out of her eyes so she could look at the Pillar beside her.
Meadowbrook kept her head in a neutral position, falling into stoic silence, which was an easy feat to accomplish while wearing a plague mask.
“You know, you don't have to wear the mask around me. We're friends, aren't we?”
The healer lifted her mask so that it rested atop her frizzy mane. The corners of her mouth drooped downward.
“Sure we are, Fluttershy, dear.”
Coaxingly, Fluttershy reached over and rested her front hoof on top of Meadowbrook's.
The earth pony took a deep breath. “Well now, when my companions and I opened the portal to Limbo, I knew I'd never see my family again. My mama, my husband and my daughter, they all begged me not to go. But I was convinced that I had to in order to protect our country. I didn't know there was another way.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I never imagined I'd come back to a world without them in it.” Tears spilled out and dripped down her cheeks. “I just wish I could hold them in my arms.”
Fluttershy wrapped both of her forelegs around her and offered her new friend a shoulder to cry on. Meadowbrook refrained from returning the hug, but she instead leaned against her as a sob burst out of her throat.
It was beyond Fluttershy's expertise. She'd lost several of her animal friends over the years, and she'd comforted other ponies who'd lost pets. But losing a parent, child or spouse was a whole different level that Fluttershy had no personal experience with. All she could do was fall back on her memories of comforting grieving ponies.
“There, there,” she murmured. “Just let it all out.”
For a minute or two, Meadowbrook did just that, her shoulders shaking. Fluttershy glanced down and saw the wood ducks gathering around their hooves. One of the ducklings nuzzled Meadowbrook's fetlock. Sniffling, the earth pony looked at the duckling. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
“You know what the worst part is?” Although the mage's face was composed, her voice was thick and trembling with emotion. “It's that all this could've easily been prevented. If we'd just taken the time to listen to him instead of rushin' to judgment, none of this would've happened. I could've been there for my little filly and watched her grow up.”
“What was her name?” Fluttershy asked gently.
“Melaleuca.” Her voice grow more steady as she described her daughter. “She was smart as a whip, if you'll pardon the expression. These are more civilized times.”
“Oh, that's okay,” Fluttershy said quickly. She'd heard older ponies use the expression, but she'd never wondered about its origins until that moment. However, she didn't want to get sidetracked by asking Meadowbrook why it wasn't “civilized.”
“Tell me more about Melaleuca.” Fluttershy truly was curious about Mystical Mask's daughter, but more importantly, she thought it would make the healer feel better to remember the positive things about the filly who was lost to time.
“She was on her way to becomin' a formidable mage in her own right,” continued Meadowbrook, staring somewhere in the distance beyond Fluttershy's head. “She started makin' sympathetic magic charms when she was only six.” Then she glanced at Fluttershy's face and saw her confused expression. “They were more commonly known as voodoo dolls,” she explained.
The younger mare's eyes grew wide in alarm. “V-voodoo?”
“Voodoo gets a bad rap, but it was designed to help ponies. It's a big responsibility, so I taught my daughter to use her powers only for good. One particularly hot summer day, Melaleuca was helpin' her papa fix our family's boat, and they were both sweatin' buckets. Melaleuca excused herself and left to make a doll of my husband. She took it up to a cool stream comin' down from the mountains. She placed it in the stream and performed a ritual over it to keep it from harm. When she came back down from the stream, she was still hot and sticky, but her papa was cool as a mountain stream. Since the doll worked so well for him, Melaleuca made dolls of everypony she knew and placed them all in the stream. And from that day forward everypony in our village stayed cool and comfortable no matter how hard the sun beat down.” Meadowbrook smiled at the memory.
“Oh, what a sweet story!” Fluttershy also thought that it was a little strange, but she kept that part to herself. Besides, as Discord's best friend, she was hardly in any position to call anypony strange.
Then another thought came to Fluttershy, which she gave voice to. “Is that why you didn't use voodoo – I mean, the magic charms against Stygian?”
Meadowbrook nodded. “I would never use sympathetic magic to harm anypony, not even the Pony of Shadows. To do so would be an abuse of power.”
“I see. It's like the promise I made to Discord not to use my Element against him. At least not a second time,” Fluttershy amended.
“The Discord of legend?” Meadowbrook's pupils shrank. “He's real?”
“As real as you and I. You should meet him sometime. I really think you two would hit it off.”
“And you would not use your Element against the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony?” asked Meadowbrook, almost sounding like she was testing Fluttershy.
“No. I did once, with the other Elements. You see, Discord had been turned into stone, but the chaos in the world weakened the spell over time and freed him. At least, I think it did. I'm not an expert in magic.” She rubbed her mane between her hooves, a nervous habit she still held onto. “Anyway, he stole the Elements with his magic and forced my friends and I to play a rigged game to find them. Worst of all, he used mind magic on my friends and me to make us act against our Elements and forget all about why we became friends in the first place. He waited until we were so divided that we couldn't use the Elements, and then he let us have them back. It's horrible to look back on it, but at the time, it gave me satisfaction to say cruel things to my friends and get a rise out of them. I said things that I regretted after the spell was broken. Things that still haunt me sometimes.”
Meadowbrook put a comforting hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. “I'm sorry you had to go through that, cher. It sounds similar to the effect the sirens had on ponies, except that the sirens did it to feed on the negative emotions. Discord just did it for his own amusement, if the legends about him are true. But if it was like the siren's magic, you aren't responsible for what he made you say to your friends.”
“I know.” Fluttershy rubbed her foreleg. “To make a long story short, Twilight broke the spell when she read the letters she'd written about our friendship, and she went to each of us and used some sort of counter spell to help us remember, too. We used the Elements to turn Discord back into stone, but a few moons later, Celestia told us that she thought he could be reformed. And she thought I should be the one to teach him about friendship. So we used the Elements to free him again, and I decided that the best thing to do was to treat him with kindness. I knew that if I gave him the benefit of the doubt, he'd understand what true friendship is. I let him cause just a little chaos, as long as he didn't hurt anypony. But when he flooded Applejack's farm, that crossed the line. So I made a deal with him that I would never use my Element against him if he fixed the flood. As soon as I made the deal, he froze the flood and started ice skating on it.”
“So then you were free to use the Element after he broke his end of the deal, right?” Meadowbrook leaned forward with interest. “You can hardly be expected to honor a deal that somepony else broke first.”
“No.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I understand why some ponies see it that way, but I made a promise, and I had to stick to it, no matter what Discord did. But I couldn't be his friend after he broke my trust like that. When he saw that he was losing my friendship, he realized how much it meant to him. So he turned the farm back to normal, and we stayed good friends after that. He's very helpful now,” she finished with a smile.
“I'm glad everythin' worked out so well.” Meadowbrook's smile was small, but genuine. “Hearin' what you've just told me makes me proud that you bear the Element that came from the Pillar of Healing. You healed Discord just as surely as I healed the sick and injured ponies back in my day.”
Fluttershy's face grew warm at the praise. “You know, based on what you and the other Pillars said, it sounds like you only planted the Seed of Harmony because you decided to send yourselves to Limbo, and you wanted to leave behind something to protect Equestria. I don't know if this will help you feel better about what happened to you and your family, but a lot of good came from your decisions. The Elements helped save Equestria from Nightmare Moon, twice. They protected Equestria from Discord's chaos and Tirek stealing the magic from all the ponies. They brought many ponies together. They even helped reform Discord, in a roundabout way. It was the broken deal that made Discord realize how much he needed friendship. So you see, Meadowbrook, you created a lasting legacy that helped us long after you were gone.”
The mage's blue eyes sparkled. “Thank you, dear Fluttershy. And you are part of my legacy as well.” She placed her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. “You said you don't know much about magic, but you have more untapped potential than you realize. Nopony could replace Melaleuca, but I was wonderin' . . . I reckon it would make me start to feel better if I could teach another filly like my daughter.”
Fluttershy let out a soft gasp. “Are you asking me to be your pupil?”
Meadowbrook nodded.
“Goodness! I'm flattered, but . . . I just don't know. It's not something I've ever considered. Magic just always came to me when I needed it, like intuition. Besides, would I even be able to use magic the same way you do, since we're different tribes?”
“Not in all the same ways, but I reckon ponies of different tribes can apply their energies to achieve many of the same results. We just have to use methods that are uniquely suited to our innate traits.” The earth mare's gaze grew distant again. “When my dear mama was a little filly, the tribes didn't get along with each other very well. The pegasi and unicorns tended to think that earth ponies were only good for farmin' and hard labor. Us earth ponies weren't innocent of bigotry either. Some of us used to say that unicorns were stuck-up and lazy, and pegasi . . .” Her mouth scrunched. “I don't even like to repeat to you, dear, it was so ignorant and wrong. Anyhow, my mother began to experiment with crystals, potions, and charms to accomplish magic that was supposed to be impossible for earth ponies. Transformation reversals, unseen teleportation, slight weather modifications, and even temporary immunity to unicorn magic.” She paused and rubbed her front hooves together. “Like I said, tribal relations were more strained back in the day.”
“Um, actually, that sounds pretty useful,” admitted Fluttershy, remembering some of the things Starlight had done to her and her friends in the past. “I can think of at least one unicorn who would agree with me.”
“Now that you mention it, Stygian would too. He shared many of the same beliefs my mama taught me,” added Meadowbrook. “Although his own magic wasn't very strong, he understood the magic of other tribes and species. He believed we should strive to find commonalities in our magic, instead of focusing on what separates us.” She picked up a few berries and tossed them to the ducks. “I wish I had listened to him more.”
“There's still time to listen to him now,” said Fluttershy with a grin. “And you know, you have Cattail too, and maybe other descendants. You could teach them what you know. They had your journals all those years, but now they have you.”
Meadowbrook lifted her head to gaze at Fluttershy. “It will feel strange, but I would like to see how my family has grown. But I would also love to be your teacher. Would you take one lesson with me, just to see if you like it?”
“If it'll make you happy, then yes, I'd love to.”
The mage smiled, her eyes misting over. “Thank you, Fluttershy.”
“When should we start, Mage Meadowbrook?”
“Well . . .” Meadowbrook stuck her hoof under her scarf and withdrew a tiny cloth figure that resembled a Hearths Warming doll. “I can start by givin' you my daughter's sympathetic magic charm.”
“Oh, I couldn't!” Fluttershy pushed out her hoof in front of her, warding off the doll. “That's a family heirloom! It should belong to Cattail. You really should meet him. I think you'd understand then.”
“In that case, just borrow it for now, so I can show you how to use it. Then you can work your way up to makin' your own.”
Fluttershy took it carefully, as if cradling a baby bird. “All right. Show me what to do first.”
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Wait until Meadowbrook finds out about all the epidemics that could have been prevented over the millenniums if she never sent Stygian into Limbo and taking the knowledge of her cures with her. Like a certain tree-making disease....
Now that I think on it the Pillars shouldn't know Discord, or at least not know he was real or ever ruled Equestria, as the Tree of Harmony was grown before he took over but after the pillars when to limbo. So Pony Unification, The Princesses Fillyhood, the Pillars Vanish, then Discord takes over.
I'm pretty sure that Cattail is Meadowbrook's distant descendent (although at least 30 generations must have passed). However, yes: This is a new world with many different rules that the Pillars are going to have to learn and that won't be easy.
8519691
My fanfics are coming true!
. . .
Don't ruin this for me.
Nice fanfic about bonding and characters’ interactions. I look forward for more.
Unseen teleportation, eh? I know how Pinkie operates in your work, but that does sound awfully familiar...
In any case, I for one welcome the Archdruid of Ponyville.
(Sorry, Applejack, you're more of a ranger.)
8519650
It's quite possible that the Pillars vanishing was what allowed Discord come in and take over, because without them there was no pony that could stop him.
Well, that was worth my time. I gotta read more of your stuff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Vow_to_Thee,_My_Country#Lyrics
derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/1/22/1235__safe_artist-colon-shutterflye_applejack_derpy+hooves_princess+celestia_rainbow+dash_twilight+sparkle_earth+pony_equestrian+flag_female_flag_iwo+j.jpg
8519650
I was thinking that as well, plus Starswirl commenting on Celestia's height making it seem she was not fully grown when the Pillars vanished, but she and Luna were when they turned Discord into stone.
8520359
Yep. Saw a bit of one of the comics where we saw "teen" Celestia and Luna with Starswril. Celestia was as tall as Cadance, and had mostly pink hair.
8519650
Lets not forget Sombra.
8519612
Imagine how Stygian is going to feel about it. This all started with his theft and turning to evil forces for revenge. Even if the Pillars lament not listening to him more, it's not like he made the slightest effort to explain himself.
8520732
I expect Sombra's rise was after Discord.
Nicely done.
8519612
Meadowbrook still has a lot of heartache ahead of her.
8519650
That's my ordering of the timeline as well. The only piece that doesn't fit is Clover the Clever, who mentioned studying under Star Swirl in "Hearths Warming Eve." Maybe the tribes were united under the two princesses, but then the princesses were deposed or taken out of commission for Reasons, so the ponies appointed leaders from each tribe and became divided along those lines until they were forced to rejoin. The princesses returned sometime later.
Of course, a much simpler explanation is that it's all allegorical and there never was a Clover the Clever or the other founders, as Starlight implied in "Hearths Warming Tale," but I've become attached to the idea that the story from Season 1 was historical.
8519883
In EPAOP, Pinkie can teleport because she's an almost-ascended alicorn. But as I was writing this scene, I figured that Pinkie teleports in an earth pony style - subtle and unobtrusive compared to unicorns, with (somewhat) plausible deniability to observers. And I reasoned that if any earth pony besides a Pie could teleport, it would for sure be Meadowbrook.
Also, I'm reminded that I need to get caught up on Friendship is Dragons after I've exhausted my writing frenzy.
8520025
That's just plausible enough to provide fodder for another chapter!
8519720
Thanks!
Fluttershy's third magic item: The Pendant of Stare.
Love this chapter. Coming back into the world when all of your friends and family are long gone would be horrible. Really shows Meadowbrook's heartbreak...
This is really good so far. I've been hoping for a good story about the Pillars after Shadow Play, and this is exactly what I was looking for. It's so good, I'm even reading it out loud to myself, WITH VOICES. It takes a good story to get me to do voices for the characters. Bravo so far, and I can't wait to see what the rest of this story has in store. Literally, I can't wait; it's 11 pm and I'm moving on to the next chapter.
Also, this fic is only increasing my desire to see more of the Pillars in season 8 or 9. Fingers crossed!
8709412
Thank you! Glad you like it so much! I'm pretty sure this is the longest fanfic that focuses on the Pillars, too, so there's that. I hope to see more of the these characters next season, too.
8523094
> The only piece that doesn't fit is Clover the Clever, who mentioned studying under Star Swirl in "Hearths Warming Eve."
How doesn't it fit? He could have studied under Star Swirl before Unification.
> I've become attached to the idea that the story from Season 1 was historical.
Season 2, but yes.
8844775
That's true. It's clear that Star Swirl was around for a long time, probably by magical means of some kind.
This is a very nice chapter.
8845433
I watched a theory video saying he used an aging spell on himself. I mean if he can travel thru time, he could most likely extended his life time.
Just a little digging I did. In comic issue 58, it was confirmed that Meadowbrook never had children, and Cattail is the descendent of her sister.
11103188
Yeah, I read that comic after I wrote this. It does make sense that the series writers didn't want to deal with the implied trauma of Meadowbrook (or any of the other Pillars) leaving her child behind.
I LIKE THIS SO FAR !!!!