Submission (#5940) Approved

After a few weeks of brilliant flashing auras and solar flares painting the skies all sorts of colors, Cotton didn't think they could be surprised by any other strange natural occurrences. But the strangest things were yet to come. Storms were passing through more frequently, and they kept having dreams of a large lumbering creature wandering through the night. They could swear that even when they wake up, they could still feel the rumbling in the ground from footsteps… Whatever it was, real or imaginary, it was far enough away that they were mostly able to banish any worries out of their mind.
Cotton’s concerns are currently laid within their work. The lucious plant nursery that they had nurtured for years had a strange new species taking over. After all the recent meteorological activity, they expected some strange effects on the local flora. They had felt as much through the sprout in their visor, which seemed to vibrate with a curious energy when the solar flares would beam on it for too long. But they didn't expect a reaction to this degree.These new plants were totally new to them, seemingly sprouting out of nowhere over night. They had seen plenty of carnivorous mouthed plants before, but nothing like these. They were far larger than any other species, and much more aggressive. Fending them off out of their gardens became a top priority. They tried to prune the nearby wilderness as much as they could, but it soon became unmanageable. There had to be another way to deal with this issue, and Cotton was going to figure it out.
Though it was their personal last pick for managing these plants, Cotton began to consider pesticides. None of their local friends were able to figure out a better option. They'd chew through potting, rip down trellises, grow exponentially when pruned, fight back and somehow reappear when relocated. All the pacifist options rendered impossible. So they got to work on concocting a poison just for these plants.
Experimentation was slow. The Terra was able to contain one of the plants in a special metal pot they were able to commission from a local blacksmith. A practical solution, but far too expensive and straining on resources to implement on a wide scale. The plant was very resistant to all general pesticides, practically gobbling them up with a spiteful attitude. It was a very stressful process, and after a particularly long night of experimentation, Cotton accidentally spilled a sack of plant food in the pot. The plant ate it up immediately with an excited and joyful demeanor. It seemed almost friendly. Cotton had an idea. They poured a bit of the plant food in their paw and gingerly offered it to the plant. It considered the snack suspiciously at first, but then gently accepted. After a few more of these exchanges, the plant gently nuzzled against Cotton’s outstretched paw. Perhaps there could be a peaceful solution after all.