Welcome to Gaia! ::

There was something about the forest that intrigued Candy Dandy. The tall trees, all the pretty green leaves and the flowers made such a beautiful picture...

Until the pink filly got inside the first stand of trees. The green light became an eerie gloom that hid low hanging branches and root snags from her eyesight. Candy shivered, feeling her way through the greenery. She shouldn't have come in here alone! If only Boho or Sweet Surrender was in here with her!

There was a brush against her flank and she shouted, taking off running in the opposite direction. Branches, leaves and other things Candy couldn't discern flew by as she ran through the forest, finally realizing the trees were thinning out and she could see light again. Popping through the final stand of trees, Candy sprinted until her little heart might burst. Only when she couldn't possibly run anymore did she begin to slow, and upon stopping, began to take deep revitalizing breaths.

She felt a terrible stinging in her back leg. She lifted her back leg into view and felt a sob choke her throat. A gash ran down half her leg, and it was starting to swell around the cut area. There was a small trickle of blood starting to form.

Candy sat down, and let her heart rate return to normal before starting to cry.

Candy sniffed and stiffened when she heard a voice. It had come from a phony...at least the thought it was a phony. This one was little, and had funny little antenna poking out above its eyes. And those wings...they looked like butterfly wings, or maybe a moths. Candy was stunned into silence for a moment, tears forgotten and replaced with intrigue.

She sniffed again, the pain in her leg flaring up and she said "I t-think a tree branch got me when..when I was running." she wiped her eyes with a hoof and smiled a little.

"I can walk. I suppose I just got a little carried away with my imagination when I was in there." She rose to her feet and tested her leg, finding it easy to walk.

"So are you a doctor? And what kind of pegasus are you anyway?"

"I think I forgot about the don't panic part." she said, laughing at herself. She was being rather silly back there. How scary was the forest really? One look back, and she decided that she still wouldn't go in there without company.

The earth phony and....flutter? Like a butterfly? The two phonies walked slowly back to Tiger Balm's place, and Candy asked "A herbalist? Like, you make medicines? That's so neat!" She had heard about the profession of herbology only once in a book that she had read when she was in bed with the phony flu.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Candy Dandy!" her smile wavered for just a second when pain went through her leg, but she held the grin, hoping that it didn't show too much. She didn't want to make Tiger Balm worry.

Candy thought, leaning against the flutter foal. "Well, you already know my name." she said, eyes rolling upward toward the sky as she thought. "Uhmm, I have a sister Boho, though her real name is Bohemian Raspberry. I call her Boho though because it's much shorter. I also have a sister named TART, and two brothers Sweet Surrender and Sweet Prestige." As she said each sibling's name, their faces flashed in her mind, making her smile.d She really did love her siblings.

"I like candy and sweets and things that I can make into treats." she added.

"What about you? What do you like to do?"

As they approached the house, Tiger Balm began to talk, and Candy listened. Being a herbalist was all well and fun, but she didn't really have any other hobbies, or interests? Or family? How sad! Then she must live all alone, a thought confirmed when the pink filly entered the flutter's home and onto a cushion.

She glanced about the home, noting the various bottles, jars and drawers stuffed full of things. "You really have a lot of ingredients!" she exclaimed, leaning sideways to look at a jar filled with something blue.

"What kind of things do you use in your poultices?" She stumbled over the last word a bit. Strange words were hard for her. "Like flowers? Or berries?"

"It sounds like making this stuff, or at least finding the ingredients is your special talent!" Candy knew next to nothing about special talents, only that everyphony had one and it was up to them to find it. Maybe this was hers!

She listened to what each plant did, and was amazed. She knew lavender smelled amazing, but she had no idea it could help her if she was hurt! She processed this new information, and finally came up with "I like to eat papaya, i'ts really sweet. And it's firm, so I can carve shapes out of it." Candy had used papaya multiple times when it was in season.

Candy looked away as Tiger tended to her leg. She didn't want to seem TOO nosey, and the sight of her leg all torn up made her stomach hurt. "Thank you! I hope my mom doesn't ask too many questions." she giggled, knowing her mother would ask questions, and she could sing the praises of Tiger Balm and her magic poultices.

"You are really nice and helpful! I bet everyone will want to come to you when they find out!"

"wooooooow." Candy breathed, watching Tiger Balm flit and flutter this way and that. She already knew what her special talent was? How exciting! Candy had a thought, more of an inkling, as to what her talent might be, but she wasn't completely sure.

"It must be nice, knowing what you are really good at." she added, mildly envious of the flutter pony.

The pink haired filly got to her feet, making sure to put a little less weight on the leg that was bandaged. She offered a wide smiled, saying "Thank you so much! And I would love to go into the forest with you. Maybe I'll find something sweet to eat!" She certainly was going to get home as fast as her hooves could carry her and tell everyone she met along the way about how she was helped by a wonderful new friend. Then Tiger Balm's business would be booming!