Chapter 6 - Of Flora and Fauna
Chapter 6
Of Flora and Fauna
The trail back to Willow Springs would transition slowly; through the dense cluster of buildings at the center of the village that most outsiders just pointed to as Mareyland, through the scattering of small farms and rural homes of ponies on the village's outskirts, into the dense forest that lined the sides of the river leading back to the Apple farm.
Behind Melissa, hitched to the wagon carrying it, was Lobo's package picked up from the village's post-office. Alone on the journey save for the presence of Apple Turnover, the journey back to the Apple farm offered them time to continue their conversation started just as they left; on what they should do to remedy the situation that they had found themselves in.
'I don't suppose you know of any powerful unicorns we could actually contact... It'd be more likely that you'd know than me.' Melissa questioned to Turnover continuing their internal conversation.
“Ah must admit, Ah don't know any myself... Ah could only guess that, the princesses would be the best magic users, but Ah'd reckon they're all too busy. That's why I suggested the School of Friendship before! If what the stories Cousin Applejack had told is right, there's some might-fine magic users there!”
Explaining how the School of Friendship could be a valid plan, a suggestion that Melissa had dismissed out of hand previously, a twang of guilt mixed with sorrow hit Melissa.
However, Melissa continued through that feeling. 'And what about your cousin, Applejack? You and your family are saying she's a hero and all, and a member of... what was it... the Council of Friendship? Do you think they could help?' Melissa suggested, wanting to make sure she had crossed every idea that she had dismissed beforehand in her own way of repentance.
“Well, Ah'd reckon, from what the stories say, that only Princess Twilight was a great magic user. There's Rarity, and while she may be a Unicorn... she ain't no mage like Twilight is... The rest, well Applejack's a normal earth-pony, like us Apples are, there's another earth-pony, and the other two are pegasi. Myself? Ah think the School is the best direction, frankly” Turnover responded.
A short lull in the conversation followed, before it was picked back up again by Turnover. “Am Ah right in guessin'... you might'en not know much about these six ponies? Suppose if you weren't a dragon in the crowd with ponies, you might'en not know them.” Turnover reckoned to Melissa, suddenly realizing the disadvantage Melissa might be in with their discussions on the Elements of Harmory. “Ah think...” Turnover mulled over the thought he was forming for a moment before continuing “...Yeah! Ah got their friendship journal when they released it! Reckon the family wanted an upper-hoof on those Ponyville Apples since we ain't that much special. Ah hear it got some right juicy stories!” The statement having a hint of chiding with a familial pride to it, followed with a chuckle and humouring their situation by saying “Suppose now we're in this situation, we finally got that upper-hoof Ah'd say!”
Melissa giggled along with that statement, before chiming in to Turnover's proposal of learning more about his hero-cousin's friends. 'Now hold up there, must I remind you that this situation won't be forever? As for that friendship journal you say... That doesn't sound like too bad an idea. I might just take you up on that! If this farm-work today you've got me doing doesn't leave me too tired, I may just start on it tonight.'
Turnover was right on why she needed to read the friendship journal, she was none the wiser to the supposed heroic exploits of the Apple's cousin, including what it was they exactly did to get themselves, and their friends, the titles of heroes. Plus, any book that would add to the growing stockpile of knowledge that she held of this new world would be something she'd want anyway.
Soon after finishing this conversation, the duo turned the penultimate corner of their journey leaving the stream that paralleled the path behind them, out of the dense forests, and onto the path bordered to one side by the ploughed fields that was Madam Beets' property. The sound of running water returning as they made their way up the road indicated to Melissa that they had finally arrived at the Apple family's property at Willow Springs.
Pulling up through the threshold of the property, off of the trail and towards the family's farmhouse, the farm stood otherwise quiet compared to the argument-laden chaos that they left among that morning. Melissa figured that Champlain, the patriarch of the family, was busy out doing work in the orchards or maybe inside the farmhouse in an unseen office that Melissa may have missed seeing on her brief stay within the house. Carnation's presence was also missing, and Melissa presumed the same; either that the matriarch was tending to her gardens or inside her own offices inside the ill-fitting posh looking addition to the otherwise quaint farmhouse.
However passing by the front of the house towards Lobo's kennels, and unsighted by Melissa, the front door of the house creeped open and Carnation stepped out behind the arriving cart of Melissa and Turnover.
Arriving to the kennels, Melissa looked out across the chicken-wire fence that divided the lot off from the rest of the farmstead, and locked eyes with Lobo who was still surrounded by pups, giving varying amounts of comfort from cuddling up next to her, leaping up at her demanding her attention, or just paying her no heed as they played among themselves in her vicinity. Melissa couldn't help but to d'aww at the sight that her comparatively human sense of cuteness comprehended as an absolute overload of cute! A cute creature being surrounded by yet more cute creatures was a sight that would fill the sugar-needs of any human for a whole month, and could only be found on the cheesiest of greetings cards.
And the playtime seemed to be working to return the mood of Lobo from it's doldrums this morning post-argument, as when she locked her eyes with Melissa's, a bright smile plastered her muzzle, met in return with the bright smile on Turnover's face from Melissa's enjoyment at the sight. However, that bright smile quickly faded as Lobo's eyes drifted from Melissa and locked on instead to the approaching figure of Carnation from behind the cart.
Melissa had only time to get out “Hey big sis', Ah'm back from the post office with tha...” before the loud announcement of Carnation's presence cut off that remark with a commanding “Lobo Apple! You did not get another thing for this abomination of an enclosure did you?”
Lobo's energy instantly went more defensive, as she scooped up two of the puppies that were leaping up at her and held them close to her torso. “An' what of it? If Ah asked your permission, Ah'd knew you'd been against it from the get go!”
“Lobo Apple, this was your last straw. If you won't listen to me telling you to move your... dogs... then I am left with no choice...” it was somewhat obvious that whatever word that Carnation wanted to use for Lobo's pups, was not the word she used, as she tried to at least contain her bubbling-over anger.
“I want you out of here by the week's end. Get your own place, where you can do all... this...” Carnation began, swinging one of her fore-hoofs in a wide arch to signify the entirety of the kennels, before continuing “Or you get rid of them... all of them.” Ultimatum completed, Melissa swung between looking at Carnation and Lobo; Carnation's face stern and confident, while Lobo's face portrayed a look of shock, mixed with a blend of worry and anger.
Internally, those emotions were copied by Turnover, who mutters to himself “Dear Celestia, Ma' what are you doing?” and at this point, the wave of emotions that Melissa could feel that Turnover was experiencing, she couldn't be entirely sure if Turnover meant that to be heard by her.
But before another word could be spoken, by any of the parties present, the sound of sniffles broke the tension, and as Melissa pivoted her attention back towards Lobo, she witnessed before her what was formerly a pony who had in her first impressions seemed strong and tenacious had been reduced to a pony who was holding a fore-hoof across the front of her muzzle and hiding herself away as the sniffles continued, evolving into the sound of sobs.
The short, stocky red pony then shot up from her position, pups scattering from their position to give her space, before she whipped her head from it's concealed pose and responded to the ultimatum given to her, shouting out towards her mother “Fine! If'n y'all wanna see me gone so badly, then Ah'll just go!” Lobo breaking into a sprint rapidly as she vaulted the chicken-wire fencing and darted past Melissa and Carnation, past the cart, past the house, and out of sight into the dense woods that held Carnation's gardens.
“Melissa, Ah'm so truly sorry you ended up here... with all this... but you're gonna need to let me dictate for a moment.” And with a deep breath to collect herself for whatever it was Turnover wanted to scald his mother with, she began, hoping she could play the best performance of her life with the energy and emotion that Turnover was dictating to her.
“Ma'! What did you do? What have you done Ma'?! How did you expect, in any way, that this would go? Hmm?” The emotions and tone in Turnover's angry rebuttal to his mother impossible for Melissa to transcribe with a put-on impression of Turnover she usually had.
“I... I didn't kn... I thought she...” Carnation stuttered between Turnover's many questions shot at her, her face; from where it was post-ultimatum as a confident face of someone who thought she had won a conflict, instead turned into a dower face that portrayed a cross of shock and regret.
“Ma', you need to go speak with Pa'. Before either Lobo or I run into him... Ma! What did you think was going to happen?! We've told you, and told you, and told you... guh!” Turnover had concluded, a guttural grunt of annoyance before an informed Melissa steered the body of Turnover in the direction of Carnation's gardens. “I'm going after my big sister. I won't be back until she's ready to come back. Go an' find Pa'.” And with that, Melissa made a slow trot towards the entrance to the gardens.
“Ah' can't believe that Ma' did that... just... that nerve...” Turnover's presence ranted to Melissa, and this wasn't due to the overflowing of Turnover's emotions, although what he held would have been audible to Melissa if Turnover attempted to ramble to himself. Instead, Melissa had invited Turnover to speak his mind to her as they began to pass through the far side of Willow Springs farm, into Carnation's flower patch.
The area wasn't completely forested, opposed to how it looked from the outside from the farm-stead. Thick trees scattered in loose clumps creating canopies that frequently broke open into clearings. And among all of these, flowers of different shapes and colours and groupings flooded the forest floor as a winding spiders-web of paths shattered the otherwise continuous presence of flowers. The canopy above made the forest darker, but somehow friendly, somehow comfy, as the gloomy dark nature of the forest was penetrated by many rays of sunlight as they broke through gaps in the canopy. Off to the side, and feeding the garden with many small branches was the same stream that had taken them from Willow Springs to the village center earlier that day. Beyond the far bank of the stream was where the manicured nature of the gardens ended, as wild bushes and a thicker density of trees blocked the view of the forest behind the bank from view.
Melissa would want to enjoy this scene more, if not for the situation at hand, and the fact that Turnover had made it very clear that this was Carnation's patch of land, and she had disallowed either of her children access. If not for Turnover disregarding this rule as the well-being of his dear big sister took priority, then Melissa may have never been able to be present in this setting, but she hadn't the time to take everything in as her eyes scanned everywhere as they made a slow crawl through the garden, both Melissa and Turnover observing for any sign of Turnover's sister on their journey through the gardens.
With a heavy and resigned sigh, Turnover brought Melissa to awareness as she had her entire focus on scanning the gardens for Lobo. “Ah think she ain't in the garden Melissa... There's only one other place she could go, and Ah don't much like the idea of her being there any.” Turnover confessed, before continuing to inform Melissa with the next stage of their search for Lobo. “Deeper into this here garden, there's a cave. None too deep... but me and sis' use to like how comfy and secret it felt. Just follow up the stream.”
Melissa did just that, and followed the flow of the stream up, back towards it's source which sounded like it may be this cave they were looking for. Continuing to keep two sets of eyes, or visions at least, on the surroundings on the look out for Lobo, they had eventually arrived at the entrance to the cave with still no signs of Lobo on the way there.
Before them stood the mouth of the cave. It wasn't the most cavernous looking cave to begin with, as big as a room of a house, but it's depth stretched on as it dug into the side of a hill. Flowing from it's mouth was the stream that permeated the gardens and lead down to the village previously. From the very entrance to the cave, stalagmites and stalactites decorated the cave and offered the creepy sound-track of dripping water from within.
From within their shared mind space, Melissa could sense the increase in worry streaming from Turnover, before he spoke out saying “If sis' came here, then it must be bad... We ain't been here since we were foals...”
'If it use to be where you felt you could get away, why did you stop going Turnover?' Melissa questioned as she piloted the body of Turnover through the wide open mouth of the cave.
“Use to be comforting... that there cave use to be deeper, but one day when we were in there...” The story being regaled froze as Turnover had to fight through the unpleasant memory “...Deeper into the cave, there was a collapse. Thankfully, sis' and Ah weren't on the side that collapsed, but it scared us something nasty... haven't come back since.”
'Are... are you okay with me doing this Turnover?' Melissa asked in shocked trepidation, realizing that she was unknowingly forcing Turnover into an uncomfortable place for him.
“No, no, it's all fine Melissa... gotta be strong for Lobo, ain't Ah?” Reassurance given, they both continued their way into the cave.
Deeper in, not too deep as that the entrance to the cave that sat behind them was out of view, they began to hear the familiar sounds of sniffles and crying, and as Lobo came into view, they found her curled up against the wall of the cave on her side.
“Hey big sis'... Came to give you some company... So... Ah'm coming to sit with you now...” Melissa parroted from Turnover, providing an authentic tone of comforting as she agreed with the whole sentiment of taking care of this pony in her time of pain. As such, she proceeded with sitting herself down, awkwardly on her haunches for the first time as a pony, trying to copy the position she had seen other ponies place themselves in.
For a small moment, they sat together, Melissa and Turnover just keeping the older sister company. This stayed the same until Turnover suggested Melissa give his sister a comforting hoof, to which she complied with slowly placing her closest hoof on the side of Lobo's curled-up torso completed with another comforting statement of “Ah can stay here as much as you want me.”
This garnered a response from Lobo, who while not moving from her position, still spoke out. “Thank you lil' bro...” pausing for a moment of hesitation before letting out another sniffle. “She's taking everything from me... Why... Why can't she see that?”
Lobo then shot her head up into an elevated position, swinging her head to face the body of Turnover. They could both clearly notice the tear-stained, flat strips of fur where her tears had fallen, and the red strain of exhausted eyes. “She's destroyed the house! She's taken where Ah had the kennels, all for her stupid garden! Now she's wantin' to take the kennels an' all! She's taken everything from us that ma' had...” her tirade against her mother stopped short as her mood took a noticeable dive as her elevated head began to hang down, eyes closed hiding away those strained eyes, as more tears began to fall from the pony's eyes. “She's taken ma' from us... taken ma' from me.”
Hearing the pony before them bearing all her emotions out, broke Melissa and Turnover's combined heart, Turnover more so to see how whatever developments had happened before Melissa's arrival had gotten into the horrid state it was now in. “Ah get where my sis' is coming from...” Turnover began espousing to Melissa internally. “When Carnation first came into the family... Well we thought that enough time had past and we were all ready to move on. But the more that Carnation changed things! The more everything hurt to see... Ah' need to speak to Lobo, Melissa, if you don't mind any...”
“Ah know how you feel 'sis, you ain't alone in bein' hurt and all... Ah miss ma' as well, and what Carnation is doing is not right, one bit. Ah'm hopin' least from this that she's learnt her lesson. Can't say Ah didn't see some regret before we came after you... But, as much as she has done, how much she's ignored us all, it's not 'cause she wants to remove everything that ma' was to us! Ah can tell you that.” Turnover explained to her sister through Melissa's copying of the sentiments.
'I wish I had more to say Turnover. I'm so sorry for her, and for you, and this whole situation... I just haven't been here before... I'm sorry I can't do more on your behalf.' Melissa lamented internally to Turnover, before arriving at an idea that to her felt risky, but she had an idea of what she could do on her own volition and was a possible way that Melissa could come to better empathize with Lobo. 'Turnover... you trust your sister with complete confidence, yes? Like, childhood secrets kept until now types of trust?'
“Ah do, wholly... What are you plannin' Melissa?” replied Turnover, a tone of uncertainty and cautious questioning in his voice.
'I want to tell your sister about us... Our situation specifically. I feel like from what I can see, your sister is going through a massive change in her life that she's not adapting well to... well one that isn't her fault. But you understand... we're kind of in the same situation? A massive change in our lives, life-changing in every sense, that neither of us are at fault for. Maybe together, all three of us can work through all our problems together?'
Turnover stayed silent, the occasional hum to himself as he considered Melissa's proposal for Lobo to be the first pony that they share their situation to. While Melissa continued applying comforting strokes to the distraught pony beside her. Before long, Turnover provided his response to the idea “Ah'm not too sure you know Melissa... sis' has so much goin' on as is. How would she even be able to help in this situation? But if you feel like both of us together can tackle this together... would be worth a shot. And if there's anypony that I can trust with this, there's nobody more than Lobo.”
Melissa took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for first introductions. This being the first time that they'd need to tell another about this situation, they prepared between each other the best that they could; Melissa being given complete rein to talk as herself for the first time since she arrived into this world, with Turnover ready to jump in and have Melissa dictate answers to questions that only Turnover would be able to answer. With procedure sorted internally, Melissa looked over towards the pony, who had returned to being fully curled up with her head nestled on her belly, and placed a hoof on the pony's torso again getting her attention with a quick “Hey... Lobo... I have something I need to tell you... about yesterday, what happened to me.”
Lobo opened an eye, still in position and unmoving, but looking towards her brother, a muffled “What d'ya mean bro'?” coming from her buried muzzle.
“Remember that explosion yesterday? That you came down to help us with? Well...” Melissa gave another deep exhale and closed her eyes as the precipice was reached. If she wanted to pull-out of this idea of hers, this was the last opportunity, but with Turnover's confidence behind her, she continued onward. “We weren't telling the whole truth about that... to anyone. This is going to sound super weird, like we're making this up, but your brother Turnover, wasn't the only creature present. That explosion, somehow, ended up merging your brother's being with another being... Hi, my name is Melissa, and honestly... I am terrified right now...”
This all resulted with Lobo shocking herself from her curled up position with a jolt, looking at her brother with an incredulous look of disbelief, before stifling a laugh before being barely able to say “Good one bro'... This has gotta be the worst joke you've ever pulled!”
Melissa gave Lobo a soft smile back, at least glad that the pure absurdity of the situation had given them a little levity from the doldrums they were in. “Okay yeah, I get this is hard to believe...” Only then could Melissa see a huge gaping flaw in any plan her and Turnover made to reveal Melissa's presence. This is still Turnover's voice, and Turnover's body. There was no way they could think of proving Melissa's presence. Melissa continued with Lobo, reflecting on this revelation “Can't say I know how I'd prove it to you... But I'm going to stay convicted on this! Either way, we decided to tell you this because... well what happened to your brother and I, it's a big change for us, one that wasn't the fault of either of us... feels a lot like you and Carnation, right? And the minimum we can all do for each other is to give each other comfort, right?”
“This is weird... even for you lil' bro'... you sure you didn't hit your head from that explosion? You making no sense right now!” Lobo rebutted, head tilted to the side in confusion at whatever game her little brother was trying to play.
Melissa let out a deep sigh and tilted Turnover's head back to rest against the side of the cave wall, eyes closed as she became frustrated in not being able to think of a way to prove to Lobo the situation they were in. Maybe it was for the best, but at least it did raise Lobo's spirits somewhat, so she allowed herself to crack a slight smile none-the-less.
Melissa decided that at least at this moment, Lobo was at least feeling better, so she fell back on trying to push the matter of her presence any further, and slipped back into impersonating her little brother. “You know big sis'... you might'en be right about that. I've not been feeling best since yesterday... So what do you wanna do? Want me to stay with you here, or you gonna come back to the house with me?”
Lobo raised herself from sitting on her haunches, and trotted past Turnover towards the cave's entrance. “Suppose Ah' better come back to house with ya. Who else gone look after ya but your big' sis'! 'Least ya right about us giving each other comfort.” And with that, Melissa raised Turnover's body in response and trotted herself beside Lobo ready to make the journey back to the Apple's home.
From inside, Turnover could be heard chuckling softly at Melissa's efforts to enact her plan, before jesting “Well, least ya tried ma'am! Blue ribbon for efforts! If you're serious about telling Lobo, or anybody else... maybe we should plan better?... don't want our future plans to be screwed up by thinking we're screwy!”
'Oh shush you!' Melissa chided back to her mind-space room-mate, as she pushed forward in the walk back 'But yeah... this is going to be a problem to prove'.
Alone in a setting surrounded by darkness, a cloud was swirled into existence by a set of clawed hands and stretched to cover a wide, platter sized space in thin air. Glowing within the swirling clouds were veins of green lightning that swirled within, before they began to spiral into the center of the swirling mass of cloud, connecting and producing a bright green glow which gave way to an aerial view. Shown below in this aerial view within the cloud was a patchy section of forest with hints of river breaking through the canopy and snaking through clearings that were smeared in different colours like a painter's palette. The perfect top down view of the flower-patches of Willow Springs.
Looking at this scene through the summoned cloud, a figure hummed to itself, watching the two ponies below pass through the flowers. It considered it's actions, both already done, and to do in the close future. It was disappointed that the actions it had already done had come to nothing, it's plan an abject failure on it's first attempt. But they already had ideas as to what could be done to remedy this, as instantly as the figure could. If it wanted it's plans to result in the outcomes they wanted, they'd have to target some other different ponies.
It had seemed, from what the figure inferred from the two ponies' interactions on their walk back, that the smaller female had been experiencing a great moment of fragility... perfect. The figure did not need to look far after all. It watched on, considering the pony, and had a fantastic idea for bitter irony creating a second swirling cloud of green veins to open a new view to elsewhere. They were going to be successful if it meant trying over and over again.
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Hmmm
I sense this presense is WAAAAY bigger than anything the legion did
...i sense its older and Worse than discord
Someone is playing with power, I think only Discord can feel such magic, who knows.