Lost forest friends · 4:24am Oct 7th, 2020
Within weeks of the Battle of Ponyville
Fluttershy had important work to do, many of her forest friends had been missing since the battle. Far longer than if they had just been scared off. She couldn't stand the thought that so many animals could be missing, scared or lost because of the battle.
She looked to the forest, she found it's eerie silence unnerving. She could do this alone, but she'd rather not if possible.
“Thank you so much for helping me, Twilight.”
“I'm just glad to get out of the castle right now.” Twilight said, happily examining the clipboard she brought with her. “I think the last animal census was shortly after I moved to Ponyville.”
Fluttershy looked back to Twilight, she'd been distracted about who she should talk to first. “Oh, right. I'm just worried about some of my furry friends. That's all.”
“Well, we should still do one while we're here. It'll be fun! I think if we start with the squirrels we'll have this done in no time.”
The two walked around the forest, Twilight engrossed in her work as Fluttershy asked more pointed questions.
One story became horrifyingly familiar as they continued. A story Twilight couldn't understand.
Telling of the greater horrors of the battle, the families ripped apart by monstrous creatures known as Lesser Demons. Stories of pain and loss, and the nightmare the animals had seen that the ponies weren't privy too. The legion of Lesser Demons hadn't been brought to the forest by Xellos, they had been born in the forest. And they hadn't scared off the animals, they were the animals.
Twisted and demented by the dark magic of another world, transforming happy, loving creatures into hulking, mindless, violent brutes.
She had helped destroy these creatures.
She had helped destroy these families.
