It had been too long since I’d felt the comfort of the Secret Grove and though I could not determine its pull on my heart as of late, it had brought me from the broken walls of the Edge with ease. However, now that it was upon me, there was a strange feeling of nostalgia that began to pervade my quiet bones. Night had fallen over the land shortly after my descent from my home in the mists and the eerie feeling of being watched trailed me along my route to the Grove. I wasn’t sure what it was that put me on edge, but my skin prickled slightly as I forced my way as gracefully as I could toward the shimmering lake that I knew waited at the Grove’s core. After a good chunk of time troubling myself with the barren bones of the once-thick underbrush, I finally skirted the lake I’d been adamant to find. However, as it baske still and lifeless before me, I noticed that I was not the only one seeking its healing visage. Many faceless creatures mulled around the body of water, all casting curious gazes toward a queer tree rooted directly in the center of the unmoving lake.

Before I could come to an understanding or at least a pretend understanding of the trunk looming large before us all, I caught an unusual scent that caused me to salivate heavily- The supernatural sapling had produced a surplus of multicolored fruit within its leaden boughs. It was then that I recognized the thick, unruly roots of the massive tree as they stretched up from the water to create makeshift bridges to the tree at their heart. I imagined it would have taken years and years for such a thing to come into existence and yet here it was, standing tall beneath the moon’s glorious gaze while equine, pegasus, and unicorn alike shifted to and fro across the bridges. The aroma of sickly sweet fruit wafted across the clear waters and it was only then that I realized why so many lost souls had been drawn here to the Grove, myself included.

I wasn’t sure if I trusted the tall limbs adorned in shimmering silver leaves, but I could not resist the temptation of the fruit and the fragrance that I knew would taste even better upon the tongue. With a growing hesitancy, I drew closer to one of the outlandish bridges and set a single, wide hoof upon it as if testing its durability. However, I did not feel anxious as I placed another swollen foot upon the bridge and finally, tender footfall brought me to the thick trunk. The lower branches bore luminescent fruit that peered through the thick foliage of its careful mother, but before I was tempted enough to reach for one, I tried to consider why such a thing would bloom so late in the year.

But I was overtaken by the sweet scent of the fruit and the thick saliva that formed at my lips. It was like trying to resist food after weeks of famine and I could not… I would not say no. Slowly I reach forward, with my lips pulled back, in order to grasp a deep navy seed that reflected the stardust from above. It shimmered before me like an incandescent child and when I was able to tear it from the limb from which it hung, I held it tenderly within my jowls before finally sinking my teeth into the sweet texture of an unknown heaven. The juices flowed freely from my chin as I devoured the fruit minutely before wondering if I could get away with taking another. However, a sense of selfishness overwhelmed me and I decided against it before moving away from the tree and its mysterious fruit.