Chapter 1
It looked ridiculous.
The Tree of Harmony - the foundation of the Equestrian nation and literal fruit-bearer of the values that had made the ponies great - had a treehouse in it. An overly elaborate, pointlessly shiny treehouse.
It was unfathomably stupid and yet so very, very pony.
Gilda actually smiled a little at the idiocy of it.
Any other creature would likely have felt afraid. The Everfree at night was literally a thing of nightmares and spooky stories told over campfires. Listing the things that wouldn't kill you (or worse) was significantly shorter than trying to list the things that would. And yet - it felt safe. Something about the Tree radiated security, and Gilda felt little beyond her own anticipation and a growing knot of nervousness.
Her journey hadn't been hard - at least not in any way that she wasn't obligated to complain about - but it had been long. Not physically, but in terms of time. Gilda had gotten ready to head out a dozen times over the last year before finally swallowing her pride, doing what needed to be done and setting out into the baleful, unforgiving wilderness of central Equestria. (Granted, part of that was the Everfree Forest but most of the journey had been through the harrowing clutches of the Equestrian Rail System. Never again.)
The important thing - direly important - was that she had arrived at the Tree.
Perhaps just as important was that she was alone. It saved time on stupid questions and embarrassing answers that way. It gave the slim hope that Gilda might preserve a tiny fragment of her pride.
But that was a long shot.
She was okay with it, though. Pride was just another sort of coin, after all. Gilda had come expecting to pay.
Approaching, the white-headed hen sat by the Tree's base - far enough back to see the whole treehouse - and waited. Crickets chirped. There was the distant squeak of a bat seeking dinner overhead. Bushes shuffled beyond the well-worn perimeter of the old ruins as a night creature skirted past. Overhead, the stars glimmered and the moon sat fat and lazy.
Gilda shifted uneasily. It had been three minutes.
"Maybe I gotta do some sorta ritual?"
"I would begin by saying hello."
Gilda was on her paws before the strange voice finished the sentence. It wasn't clear when the speaker had appeared, but Gilda was at least slightly prepared for it. Not that she'd entirely believed Gallus when the Bluebird of Sappiness claimed that the Tree spoke through a translucent, sparkling image of Twilight Sparkle - but seeing as that's exactly what was in front of her on the treehouse's steps, belief didn't really matter anymore.
The phantasmal Twilight tilted her head curiously. "That was an earnest suggestion," it said in a way that seemed like much more of a command.
Immediately, taunts sprang to Gilda's beak. Dweeb, dork, egghead and crueler came eagerly. She clamped down on them and instead doled out the first coin of her purse.
Gilda bowed. And not half-heartedly - she fully prostrated herself, claws spread wide, wings flat and beak in the packed dirt.
"Tree of Harmony, honored spirit. I name myself to you as Gilda Grimfeather, chick of Griffonstone and supplicant of Boreas. I beg for you to please hear my plea."
Every word walked the plank out of her mouth with the vigor of a doomed sailor.
The image of the Tree tilted its head in the other direction and watched her with wide eyes that managed to be unfathomably wise and totally naive at the same time. "Why are you speaking like that?"
Hesitantly, Gilda lifted her head up. "I, uh." She motioned vaguely towards the Tree with a claw. "How else am I supposed to talk to a god?"
"I am not a god." The spirit stared at her - through her - and it was at this moment Gilda realized the image had yet to blink. "I had expected you to say hello. The creatures who come here think that is polite."
Injured pride mixed with confusion, coming together into a snap of anger. "Yeah well I'm not those creatures!"
With complete earnestness, the spirit nodded. "Yes. You are a different creature. Does that mean that saying hello is not polite?"
Gilda's brain jumped the rails. She froze. And then very slowly raised herself up and waved. "Uh. Hello."
"Hello," replied the spirit matter-of-factly as it waved back.
Silence hung between them - awkward on one side, patient on the other.
"You're, uh. You're a lot more pony than I was expecting," Gilda awkwardly admitted as she shifted her weight from one side to the other.
"Thank you. I have put effort into adopting an avatar that is sufficiently pleasing and allows for easier interactions with the creatures that visit me. It is positive that you have found it to be so." The spirit smiled broadly, expressing only with its mouth in a way that no living creature would interpret as anything but uncanny or insane.
Eyes flicking between the phantasmal alicorn and the crystalline plant, Gilda cautiously ventured a question. "You are the Tree of Harmony, right? Just to make sure."
The illusion nodded. "I am the Tree of Harmony. I understand using the image of Twilight Sparkle as my avatar may be confusing but I am a tree."
Several more insulting statements sprang to Gilda's mind and were forced back down before she could mutter them. "Then…" She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Harmony, I have come to bargain."
Treelight Sparkle stared at her without visible emotion. "I do not understand."
"Equestria is strong," Gilda declared firmly. "Its borders stretch wider than any other nation's. Its ponies are safe, well-fed and happy. While it has been challenged, Equestria has been victorious every time - even when the threat is something world-ending. Everything about Equestria is strong, despite how…" She grimaced. "Fluffy all of you are."
The spirit gave a very slight nod. "Yes. I have played my part in this, but I am not the cause."
"But you're part of it," Gilda reiterated. "A big part of why Equestria is strong. And everything that Griffonstone isn't." A knife's edge of panic crept into her voice. "We're poor. We're weak. Half the time I'm not sure how we survive until the next day, let alone the rest of the week. Griffons, we don't… we barely talk to each other, let alone help our neighbors. There's nothing to unify us like Equestria has. Heck," she snorted, "The only leader we've got is Grandpa Gruff, and he's no immortal alicorn." Gilda's voice faded to a hoarse murmur. "Barely a leader and definitely not immortal."
Treelight held completely still, expression pleasantly blank and unchanged. "I am unaware of such circumstances. My senses only reach a fraction of the distance to Griffonstone." If it hadn't been for the spirit's passive face, Gilda might have convinced herself there was a hint of regret in its voice.
The griffon soldiered on grumpily. "Yeah, well, it's how it is. And that's why I'm here." Sitting down on the stone, Gilda pulled out a heavy sack. "Griffonstone is doomed. Right now, a lot of loud squakers who think they're leaders are saying we should go to Equestria and beg for aid. That might push things back a few months, but it doesn't solve the actual problems. Everygriff would just steal what they could get their claws on and barely leave a scrap for the rest of us. Most of them are just pretending to lead so they can get first dibs on the loot. It won't save us. But you can. So I ignored them and came to you." Slowly she pulled coins from the sack - gold in a dozen varieties from Equestrian bits to centuries-old coins from dead civilizations. Each placed with reverence and regret in a pile before her as she talked. "There's a great tree in Griffonstone. Long ago, it was the center of our kingdom and the palace sat in the highest branches. Now it's in ruins, and so are we." The gold gave way to gems - glittering stones of every color, shape and quality. They too went on the pile. "Even though I'm lousy with plants, one thing I do know is that they grow from seeds."
Gilda paused, her sack empty.
"I want one of your seeds."
Now the spirit finally blinked. In confusion. "I do not understand."
Gilda waved at the pile on the ground before her. "This is everything I have. Every possession liquidated, every favor called in, every penny pinched to fill my bag. I want to trade everything I have in this world for just one seed from the Tree of Harmony."
"To do what?"
The sheer indifference of the spirit's words made Gilda flinch. "To plant it. To make it grow at the center of a new Griffonstone. One where griffons can find ideals like Equestrians have that will save us and make us strong, too. So my people will be safe, well-fed and happy."
For some reason, that drove the spirit of the Tree to silence. Not a neutral, passive silence as it seemed to default to, but the silence of a being trying to think and understand an alien concept.
A tense minute later, Treelight asked a heart-shattering question. "Why?"
Gilda gawked - and then exploded. "I-- why? Why would I want to not see my home in ruins? Why wouldn't I want to see another idiot like Gallus who has to travel to Equestria just so he can eat on the regular? Grandpa Gruff may be an old buzzard but at least he gives half a damn about anygriff besides himself! After he's gone, we've got nothing left!" Panting as the burst of anger subsided, Gilda shot an angry glare at the glittering illusion. "Is it so hard to believe I don't want to see my people die out because we're too stubborn and stupid?"
Another stretch of silence passed between them. Tense, thick and heavy silence. Then the Tree ruined it. "Past experience suggests that you currently need a hug. Unfortunately, my avatar does not have physicality so I am unable to provide one."
Grumbling, Gilda crossed her claws over her chest. "Just… take the gold and give me the seed."
Which Treelight dismissed with a shake of her head. "I have no use for gold."
An edge of desperation snuck into Gilda's voice. "Well the gems then, and I'll use the gold to get you more. You're made of crystal, right? So gems are good."
Again, the spirit shook its head. "I have no use for gemstones."
"Fertilizer? More sunlight? A new set of random youth to live in that ugly treehouse?" Gilda grasped wildly for a solution as she watched her opportunity slip away.
But the Tree was unmoved and shook its head again. "The only thing I need is your heart."
Gilda froze.
The spirit didn't move - it simply stood there, looking at her with that same passive smile that seemed to be its default expression.
Lifting up a claw, Gilda looked at the razor-sharp tips of her talons. They were trembling - shaking uncontrollably.
Gilda took a long, deep breath and held it in. "Fine." Closing her eyes, she put the tip of her trembling talon to her white-feathered breast, near the base of her throat.
"What are you doing?" Only the Tree could have managed so innocent and gormless a tone.
Gilda cracked open an eye, voice taut and ready to snap. "You asked for my heart."
The spirit paused in confusion - then its eyes widened with understanding. "Oh. I did not mean like that."
The talon moved away and Gilda nearly collapsed in relief.
With a soft smile - almost close enough to mistake for a real pony's - Treelight tried to clarify herself. "I had meant your spiritual heart. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Please do not harm yourself."
Now it was Gilda's turn to be silent as she shook, adrenaline still coursing through her veins.
Tilting its head to the side, the spirit seemed to listen to something - a distant unheard voice. "A wise creature told me," it related, "That it is easier to convince a griffon to open up their chest than their wallet."
Hoarsely, Gilda laughed as she regained herself and forced herself to sit up straight again. "Some ancient pony wisdom?"
"My friend Gallus." The spirit corrected with an actual trace of cheer. It took a few steps forward, coming illusory muzzle-to-beak with Gilda. "You have offered to do both, Gilda Grimfeather. But as importantly, you came here seeking aid for your people no matter how much it cost you. You have chosen a path of Generosity, Kindness and Loyalty. I will reward that."
Behind the alicorn projection, one of the Tree's lower branches sagged under newfound weight. A crystal nut - thin and shimmering blue, not unlike a sharp almond - grew in a matter of seconds.
"Take this." Treelight motioned to the nut with a glowing hoof. "Embed it in the tree that you say is at the center of Griffonstone. If it is cared for properly, it will grow inside what is there, replacing the rot and dead wood with what you desire."
Gilda's eyes flicked - first to the nut and then to the spirit again. "How do I care for it?"
The placid smile returned again. "Do as you have done today," the spirit explained. "Surround it with the virtues it represents to make it strong. Create a community that will imbue it with what you seek. Let Generosity be its water, Loyalty its sunlight and Kindness be the soil into which it sends its roots."
That answer made Gilda glower. "But that can't be done. The whole problem's that griffons aren't like that! How am I supposed to pull that off?"
The spirit's expression didn't visibly change, but Gilda could swear it turned insufferably smug. "By being the leader your people need. And who you have shown yourself to be."
Gilda's beak pulled to a thin line. "...I'm no alicorn to unify the griffons."
"Ponykind was saved by three normal ponies who chose a new path. The alicorns came later," was the frustratingly neutral rebuttal.
With a snort, Gilda let the Tree's words pass without further argument. She stood, walking around the spirit to the crystal nut hanging there. Just a slight touch of her claw, and it dropped eagerly into her grasp. She said nothing at first, simply feeling the warmth of it - warmth that went deep into her. "Well," she admitted, "I was ready to give up a lot more to get this. I guess a few years to help it grow ain't so bad."
Turning back around, Gilda found the projection of Twilight gone and herself alone. For a moment she was confused - then looked back to the great crystal Tree and smiled. "Thank you. I swear I'll do my best." She paused. "All of us will do our best."
Then, nut clutched tightly in her claws, Gilda took to wing and began the journey home.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- TCC56 · 47k words · 273 5 · 2.1k views
- LysanderasD · 4.5k words · 214 2 · 3.6k views
- The Sleepless Beholder · 1.7k words · 203 6 · 1.7k views
- AmorphousFurrySnakeThing · 3.9k words · 24 10 · 468 views
- R5h · 4.4k words · 73 1 · 556 views
- Bicyclette · 2.5k words · 232 13 · 3.2k views
- TCC56 · 4.2k words · 110 1 · 1.5k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.207 seconds
Total duration
1,008 users online
2,033,394 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Nice little story, I enjoyed it
Well done! This is a wonderful little character piece. Hopefully, Gilda will have the strenth to do what needs to be done...
Ah, this begs of a continuation or an epilogue of sorts; but I can understand that sometimes is better to leave the ending open.
Wonderful.
This scene is basically what this story is in a goddamn nutshell
VERY NICE
Good dialogue exchanges, I can feel how desperate Gilda is, Tree is sufficiently alien
Thank you for this
The real magic is in the bonds we foster between eachother. Solidarity!
Nicely done!
Too bad this idea wasn't incorporated into a canon episode--animating the expression on Gilda's face about "giving her heart" would've been priceless!
Nicely done!
Tugged at the heart strings. Well done!
nice i just got off work this will be a nice thing to think about before going to sleep.
such a nice read all the best for gilda and her race!
10944275
dude i was also thinking that! the comedic scenario of it while TOH has this poker face like gouging out your own heart is normal like kano from mortal kombat!
Marvelous little story. I loved every word of it. There's just one little problem:
In "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone," Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are sent on a Friendship Mission to Griffonstone. Given the connection between Namepending Castle and the Tree of Harmony, I see no reason not to believe that Harmony's awareness extends beyond the Celestial Sea to the Dragonlands and Griffonstone, regardless of the extent of its roots.
10944367
That is a good point and it hadn't directly occurred to me to look at it this way. Hm. Well, have to remember that for next time, I suppose!
This line was unfathomably obnoxious and yet so very, very Gilda.
10944374
Perhaps this one could be explained as the tree using the connection to the bearers and their own relationships to feel out problems that may exist far past the physical boundaries and limits of the tree itself. If friendship is magic, then there's a magic in any relationship, strained as it was when they were sent to gryphonstone. Relationships are the net by which harmony acts.
Fantastic story, is this a prequel to another story where gilda takes over gryphonstone? I feel like I've seen it before but hadn't gotten around to reading it yet.
Well done, very wholesome.
Oi!
How do you do it?
Pulled first one way, then the other...
"Bluebird of Sappiness"...
Then, Gilda is about to claw over her heart like Alita...
WELL DONE, SON!! VERY WELL DONE!!!
I swear...we need awards for our outstanding authors.
And yes...I want to read about Gilda saving Griffonstone...
10944551
Not one of mine, but there's a fair few that do that. And really, of named characters we've got? She's the most logical.
All I can say is that I am getting Doctor Strange flashbacks.
And my brain just went-
Wait is this a crackfic where the tree kills Gilda over and over again-
*reads the story*
Yeah, no, it's deeper than that.
The only flaw I see is this is a one shot. This deserves far more. Have a like. Tis all i can give.
10944367
Many authors, (including me) refer to the great ley lines beneath the ground. The solid structures of crystal that webs the entire planet, capturing the Magic and storing it throughout itself and the nodes where lines come together...
The Tree is the evolution of the ley lines brought to life by the Pillars...and even though it might not have roots that are that far away, the resonance of Magic is perceived by the Tree...who now has its first Agent outside of Equestria proper...
Bluebird of Sappiness is a mind-blowingly good description of Gallus from a Griffon point of view.
This was definitely a great 1 shot and like others I think it could (but doesn't NEED to) have more.
Wow this was a pretty good story so it looks like Gilda was visiting to the everfree forest to meet with the tree of Harmony to ask her for help her to bring Harmony into Griffinstone and it was cool that glida really want to help her Homeland even the tree of Harmony can see that in her and this was a pretty nice conversation between these two and I'm sure Gilda will do everything she can and it's very interesting for the tree of Harmony to be a character since she made her appearances at least being sentient this was a very awesome story keep up the good work
Edit: did I say something wrong
10944374
Could argue that it worked because Dash was one end of the problem there, so there was an anchor.
I see Eroraf has already addressed the sensor range issue. In any case, Gruff would be proud of Gilda's decision here (not that he'd ever admit it.) I do have to love how her own expectations created the test of character more than the Tree. Poor thing is still trying to figure out socialization with meat creatures that exist in linear time.
Also, interesting detail: I don't think Gilda actually took back her money. After all, she found something much more valuable.
Lovely stuff. I do love seeing people work with Treelight. Thank you for it.
You know, this makes me wonder if "Enlightened self-Interest" would work out for griffons.
10944912
Yeah, this was one of the fun parts of this story. There's two entirely separate conversations going on - Gilda desperately appealing to a nigh-divine figure to save her people, and the Tree going "HI NEW FRIEND I AM SOCIAL GOODER."
How has it taken me this long to find out there’s such an awesome name for this character?!
As has been said, I do love seeing people write about BIG FRIEND trying to understand these linear time creatures. And it’s great to see Gilda advance as a character to what some of us always thought she could be. Great stuff!
This was a really cool idea and very nicely written. Great work
10944912
"
"
"
"
"
"
10944964
Treelight: "You are of
BajorEquestria. You are my Emissary.Gilda: "I haven't a clue of how to do that!
Treelight: "First you are reborn. Then we send your mother to meet your father. Then you die. Then you go to war with the changelings. Then you go through puberty. Then you command a city. Then you are born. Then you go to school---
Benjamin Sisco: "Oh, good God! You're doing it all wrong again! How many times do I have to tell you!? I bought you a Timex! USE the DAMNED THING!!
Treelight: "Do not listen to the Cisco. The Cisco is still stuck in linear time.
Gilda: "He sounds like he's making a hell of a lot more sense than you do!
You got a visible reaction from the Tree of Harmony. That is no mean feat.
We really need to teach the tree some social skills.
10945208
This is why, the Q, for all their...antics are still more relatable as non-linear beings, because they are non-linear, they can at least remember what it is to be linear. That's the thing about the Prophets, they suck because they refuse to come down to our level to talk to us, but Q, Q, and q are perfectly willing to shoot the shit with the mortals. I mean, Q's a bit of a dick about it, and don't even get me started on q, but at least Q was a nice person...sometimes.
That's one way to replicate the success of Equestria, and a smart one at that.
...i'll be honest, i'm intrigued and would like to see more of this.
This was a lovely little story and a fascinating little character piece -- and the scene where Gilda was ready to carve out her own heart and the Tree went "oh, no, not like that" was priceless.
It's interesting how she seemed to have cause and effect mixed up, as it were -- she wanted to grow a Tree to fix Griffonstone, but the Tree itself was quite clear about how needed to fix Griffonstone to grow a new Tree.
Also, it occurs to me now that despite its, uh, visual prominence, you don't really see people doing a lot with Griffonstone's tree specifically in stories.
Good story! Strong dialogue, effective characterisation of Gilda and showing her frustration and just how tired she is with the way Griffonstone is.
There's extra irony in her wanting to grow another Tree in Griffonstone, because in outlines and early scripts for Season 5 episodes relating to the Map, Map Quest episodes ended with the camera lingering in a Tree of Harmony-like stem sprouting out of the ground in the place the two chosen Mane 6 members had been to. This was, of course, scrapped in the end (we would have also seen the return of the Rainbow Power forms - the Mane 6 would have briefly assumed them when called by the Map and when the mission was finished, rather then their cutie marks simply flashing).
10945074
I borrowed an idea from IDW--the whole Celestia has an Amulet with Changeling Magic that allowed her to disguise herself to walk among the citizens. That was sufficiently Shakespeare enough to extrapolate that when Celestia abdicated, she left the Amulet to Twilight...who then gave it to the Tree's avatar, to allow it to walk amongst the populace and learn...
Twilight has got to be discomfited by a Tree, Harmony or not, impersonating her; and would find a way to change that...
And so...Harmony came to be...a white Pegasus with goldenrod and conflower blue mane and tail...
She's actually a pretty good looking character...
Oddly both more and less frustrating to deal with than Dormammu.
I wouldn't mind seeing a few more chapters
And yet we love those little technicolor quadruplets.
It's actually less despite and more because.
Gilda: "Close enough."
Good story!
I enjoyed reading it.
10945449
Quite true.
10945265
We're lucky it can say more than "I am Gr- harmony."
10945449 We Q do indeed like to toy with you mortals.
In ways you still haven't grasped... what with you being so linear and all.
Very good stuff here. Really nice character piece for Gilda. Also really liked the gryphon misunderstanding and being ready to sacrifice herself for her people.
As others have said, great job capturing the Tree's struggles with communicating with beings that aren't physical embodiments of abstract concepts. One note, though:
In both "What Lies Beneath" and "Uprooted," the Tree takes the form of alicorn Twilight Sparkle. Unless the Tree has adopted a new avatar?
(That makes me wonder. As Twilight gains height in her role as princess of Equestria, would the Tree of Harmony change its projection accordingly? How do you make a sparkly mane even sparklier?)
10947551
Sonofa...
I swear I checked that in advance. Argh, of all the little details to muck up... Right, fixing that.
Wouldn't it be 'the tree'? I'm kind of nitpicking, but the tree isn't really a tree-tree, is it?
'Coin purse' might be more accurate, but now I'm really nitpicking.
Also, you need to work on Gilda's 'voice.' A lot of her dialogue doesn't sound like her at all. I'll grant you, she's definitely one of the harder characters to write - trust me, I know.
I could maybe be persuaded to help in that department.
Ah, but Gilda...it's not the tree that has made Equestria great...it's what it represents.
To it's credit, the Tree understands this. Hence the seed--the seed alone will not solve the problems of the griffons, but it can serve as a tool to help the griffons to learn what will solve their problems by trying to nurture it.
There's a greater lesson being taught to Gilda here with that seed, and I appreciate the heck out of it.
(You know, in a bit of a roundabout way, I could see this same sort of scenario applying to G5--at the very least, the same lessons can stand to be taught to the G5 ponies)
Wow, that was really well written. I really enjoyed it! Great job.
This is a really good read equipped with a rather deep background and plot. I really want to see the Mane6 go and see this Griffonstone's version of the Tree of Harmony. Imagine Applejack give lecture on how to tend a tree to griffons should be amusing.