Softly rising, gently falling. She was melting, melding with the ground. Whisper enter, murmur return. Air stirred pollen and soil and fur, almost imperceptibly. Inhale combine, exhale excess. Fire powered her core, and it coursed through her veins by water.
She felt the elements working together in her to create and sustain life. Fury met with tranquility in her heart. She was serene. She was a leaf moving with the little waves around her. A tear sprang from each eye and she felt what she was looking for. A spark.
The sounds of the forest rushed into her ears. She was seized with a sudden storm of sensation. Every tremor on her skin was movement possibly miles away. She let the forest wash over and inside her; howl and splash, roar and quake moved in her and gradually settled.
When all was still, she opened her eyes. Each tree appeared in sharp clarity despite the near-darkness of twilight. She heard groans and flutters from the giants. They seemed talkative today. She slowly stood and brushed against a gnarled trunk on the way inside.
She pushed the door open, inhaling the familiar sweet scent of plants, brews, and exotic wood. She plucked earthy flowers from the basket where they hung, drying.
An ear pricked, head tilted. Feel and listen. A nod of understanding, then she scattered the petals onto a wooden counter. "This brew I make is not to heal, but for truths hidden to reveal," she murmured as she crushed the brittle flowers with a rolling pin.
She scooped up the purple crumbles and brought them to the low-burning fire at the center of her home. A large cauldron held bubbling water. Gently, she sprinkled the crushed flowers over the pot. They crackled and floated into the water.
She returned to her shelves to gather the right ingredients for the potion. She knew the recipe well. Birch bark and a dash of nightshade were added to the cauldron. She replaced iris with sprinkled nutmeg, as she was guided.
Steam rose from her drink, making cloudy shapes in the cool air. They gathered into more solid forms. A message for their maker. She leaned forward, trying to make out any of the images. The smoke showed the shrouded silhouette of an indistinct creature. It reared up, a pair of wings spreading from its shoulders. The creature sank to all fours, and the wings retracted and faded. Hundreds of blurred forms appeared, in all shapes. They flanked the first, leaning forward as they seemed to wait for...
The ground shook her into reality. Every part of her home vibrated, rattling jars and bottles. The smoky shapes spun together into a pillar. The pillar broke apart, glowing white. It came into bright focus, a familiar shape. A wide, towering tree stood in the air. Six purple-tinged branches invited her into its embrace. There the giant hovered, expectant.
She pulled back and puzzled. None of these images made sense. Usually a vision told her who needed her brews. Was the recipient of the potion supposed to be this tree?
The earth shook again. The smoky tree broke up, writhing and splayed in pain. The waves of agony that rolled off the vision wrapped around her and settled under her fur. This pain had to be very real. A sense of urgency gripped her. Something was wrong-she had to get to the Tree!
Heart pounding, she tore out of the cottage. A hoofbeaten path stretched before her and she raced over it. She knew the bumps and curves of the path well enough to go top speed, even in the dark. She reached her other senses into the depths of the forest. Every sound and smell told her she was safe, but the trees were rigid and silent. She pushed faster.
Thick ferns fanned ahead. She jumped through them, emerging in a clearing. The air grew at once chilling and heavy, increasing as she crept deeper into the clearing. At the center stood the Tree of Harmony. It appeared normal at first glance; soft purple branches were tipped by the glowing Elements of Harmony. But its immediate surroundings sent her heart beating even faster.
The tree was wreathed in inky shadow. Liquid black seemed ready to pounce and suffocate the tree, to cut it off from all vision. Only a small blob of white light broke up the shadows. A violet pod grew at the roots of Harmony. The curious pod pulsed white. Then the light retreated, leaving the tree in darkness.
A thick vine erupted from the opening. It snaked up the trunk of the tree, splitting into several smaller vines. Each one curled along one of Harmony's five branches. As they reached the Elements, long green thorns erupted from every part of the vine... But they did not hurt the tree. They formed protective cages around the jewels, one by one. Last, the thick vine on the trunk shaped itself to curl around the sun, moon and the Element of Magic. Spiny teeth grew around the star. Once the vine stopped growing, it emitted a soft green glow.
Shadows retreated in the face of the new guardian. They hissed like a cold wind. They circled Harmony, as if looking for an opening. The thorns hardened, letting their glow extend further. They did not banish the shadow, but they kept it at bay.
A chill ran down her spine, and her senses returned to their normal state. She found herself staring, slack-jawed, at the tree. It stood alone, neither vines nor shadows surrounding it. The pod was gone, too. There was no sign the Tree of Harmony had ever been in danger. But the cold air remained.
Danger was coming. Something unseen threatened to crush the peace and harmony in Equestria. But the vision had shown her hope. A guardian to stave off the darkness. There must be hope for protection. It was her role to guide this protector, but she must find them first.
She closed her eyes. Opened herself to ground and sky. Waited. Finally, the wind answered. Words came to her, and she whispered, in a voice not entirely her own:
Each Element in danger lies
One born of Magic now must rise
The master of the Six to be
A Guardian of Harmony