//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: GSB voI1: A second chance. // by RandomFics271197 //------------------------------// Later on that day... Butterschotch was surrounded by his friends while they kept their elements on their necks. It seemed that they were fighting a large creature since he was hidden in the shadows they couldn't tell what creature was. He heard large steps coming towards them, he and the others started by channeling their magic when a large blast stopped them. They jumped aside and became vulnerable at any attempt of attack by the creature. Without notice everything became black and he appeared in a... what it looked like and what he could tell, was some kind of a garden. Looking around him he saw HER, she was now standing beside Solaris and was carrying something in her paws. When she got near him, he saw it. A... a little thing that he couldn't figure out what was it. He raised his head and saw her, standing on top of a rock. When he looked at himself he noticed his element looking back at her and around him he saw that their Elements were shining. "OH NO. NO. NO.NO," he yelled, "STOP IT. SHE HAD CHANG---" He was about to finish his complaint when a large beam that his Element shot made him lose track of the words. He knew what that's going to do. He knew and he couldn't watch it. He closed his eyes and hope that would end soon. 'I will always ...' a small familiar voice was heard in his head that made him open his eyes. When he ended stroking his eyes he saw it. Everything that he fought for was now back in its place. He looked up and saw that Eris was turned back to stone. He dropped the small object and ran towards her, but it appeared that for how much he tried, she just got further and further away from him. Looking around he saw his friends walking towards him, he immediately asked. "Why have you done this? She changed, how dare you?" Dusk Shine and the Prince raised their eyebrows and answered. "Don't blame us it was you that wanted to turn her back to stone in the first place," they said while keep pointing towards him. "It was you. She tried to convince you that she had changed but, no you denied her chances, and now you want to blame us for what you did?" He trembled in fear and trotted backward. Until he hit something big that made him trip. It was her, she was back. He smiled and jumped to try to embrace her but was stopped by her magic. He felt her magic gripping around his neck when it started to make pressure. He squirmed and kicked his hooves, in an attempt to free himself. "Eris, what are you doing? It's me," he asked. He heard a large maniacal laugh coming from her as she kept making pressure around his neck. "You did this to me, don't you remember?" she asked. Feeling the pressure becoming more resilient he started coughing and used his muzzle to bite her paw but without success. "I'm sorry. I was scared alright. I was scared of what they might do to me if I opposed myself to their decision. That's why I reacted like that. Please... forgive me just this once." He felt the pressure becoming softer and after a few seconds, he was back on the ground. He coughed ferociously to get the air back into his lungs. Then he heard a snap of fingers that made everything around him turn black and he appeared back on his house. He raised from his place and headed outside. He ran and ran until a bright light made him raise his hoof towards his eyes. Noticing that the light had disappeared he lowered his hoof and saw her again. She was there smiling and playing with some objects that appeared to have life. He stepped slowly towards her until she noticed his presence, she turned herself around and said. "Hi, dear. I was here today spending time near this lake." Looking around him he saw a small lake surrounded by some trees, around him small apples and rocks ran by and some flowers started to dance. "Isn't this beautiful?" she asked. When he was about to answer her, he heard a small sneeze and then a small cry. Hearing this Eris turned herself around and grabbed a little flower basket and gave it a little peek. "Was I asking too much for you to be peaceful for a moment?" she asked while she kept touching something that was inside the basket. Turning herself towards him she slowly gave him the basket. Intrigued by this he peeked inside a saw... "A foal," he yelled. She raised an eyebrow. "Well, duh. Don't you remember what happened to us last month?" she asked. She put the basket on the ground and lifted the foal from it using her magic. She nuzzled it and smiled at it. "It was probably the best thing that happened to us since we met, don't you think?" she asked. He nodded nervously. Looking back at him she offered it to him. "Here, you can hold her," she said. "I don't think so... she'll probably be better with you. I will hold her next time ok," he said. She gave him a scary look, noticing this he smiled and quickly grabbed the foal. With the foal hold on his hooves, he started by slowly brushing his hoof on her head. "See is not that hard," she said. He smiled and looked back at her. "I guess you're right," he said. As he kept brushing her head, she sneezed that made him raise his hoof and look back at Eris. "Don't worry, it's normal for her to do that," she said. He looked back at the foal and smiled. Raising her on the air he saw something but before asking Eris what was it, she raised her paw and place it on his foreleg. "Now listen up, I need you to take care of her for me, Butterscotch. Will you do that for me?" she asked He raised an eyebrow and asked. "Why? We can take care of her toge..." Before he could finish his speech, he noticed that something was wrong with her. "Eris what is happening to your arm?" he asked, raising the free hoof he touched her arm and noticed something, "It's stone?" He raised his muzzle and saw that half of her body was stone. He gasped and try to touch her but she just kept getting further and further away from his hoof. He tried to move but he noticed that he was stuck on the ground. "Eris, you're turning into stone," he said. She smiled and immediately replied. "Just take care of her, will you?" He tried to free himself from the ground, he tried squirming and pushing his forelegs back and forward. "Eris. She needs you, fight it." "Just take care of her," she said. He finally freed himself from the ground, rushing towards her he raised his hoof and touched her muzzle. "You can't leave us, you can't leave me. Eris. ERIS. COME ON. ANSWER ME. NNNNNNN......." ".........OOOOOOOOOO," Butterscotch screamed out of his lungs. He looked around and noticed that he was on his bed. Gasping and coughing for air he slowly got out of the bed and sat on the chair beside the bedside table. He raised both of his hooves and placed it on his head. "Just a dream. Just a dream," he said while he kept brushing his hooves on his head. He raised his head and got up from the chair, heading towards the kitchen he picked a glass of water and sat on the couch beside the dining table. 'Spare your tears... I don't want you beside me right now, go away... She used a trick for sure...', these words kept coming towards his head. Raising his hooves he pounded his head. "You... you... How can you be so rude to her?" he asked, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO RUDE TO..." he raised his hoof and pound the wall near the couch, "...HER?". Due to the impact, he made a hole in the wall. Lowering his hoof back to the couch, he looked back at his hoof and back to the wall and back to his hoof. Due to this, Angelica bunny came rushing towards him and jumped around him. Noticing this he grabbed the bunny and squeezed it against his chest. Hearing the bunny complaint of his squeezes he said. "It's... it's... me..." he said, "I was rude with her". A squeak was emitted by the bunny. "Eris," he answered. "She is..." He didn't finish his speech because a frame feels down from the wall and hit him on the head. "OW." he complained. Dropping the bunny on the couch, he raised his hoof and brushed the spot the frame had hit. Looking back to the floor he saw a frame, lowering his hoof he quickly grabbed it and turned it around. He sighed when he saw the picture that was held inside of the frame. He pushed his hoof to the frame and brushed it gently. Small tears were now falling into the frame. "It was on this same day that she... she..." The picture was taken by one of Eris's creation. Eris and Butterscotch were laying on the grass, happy. "She had..." --Flashback.-- Eris and Butterscotch were spending their evening in the middle of the lake that was surrounded by trees, they're sitting on the grass while looking and having fun with her creations. "Smile." one of the creatures said. She grabbed him and made a little smile and he did the same. A flash was emitted by the creature and a picture was shot by it. Eris got up and headed towards the picture, she grabbed and snapped her fingers that made it disappear and came back inside of a frame. She threw it back to him, he quickly raised his hoof and grabbed the frame. He looked at the picture and smiled. He raised it and said while pointing towards the picture. "It's perfect." He lowered it and placed it down. Looking back at her, he noticed something different on her. "Is everything alright, Eris?" he asked while waving a hoof at her, "Hmm, Eris." Noticing that she looking around her nervously he said. "You're scaring me," He looked around him and saw nothing that could be threatful to them. Noticing that he was distracted, she leaped forward and grabbed him, tangling herself around him she flew right up. "GAh. Don't scare me like that," he said. Noticing that they were far from the safe ground he trembled and asked. "Could you get me back down?" he asked, "You know that I hate heights." She smiled and booped his nose. "You've to ask you something before I get you back down." she smiled while she kept giggling. "Fine. What do you want?" he asked. She raised her paw and touched his nose. "I love you," she said. "Do you love me?" His cheeks flushed in red and he answered. "Just get me back down." "That's not an answer." she said, "Say Yes or No." "Just get me back down." he said, "Please." She grunted and flew down. She dropped him back on the ground and flew towards a tree. She sat and then curled herself. 'Of course not he won't. How can I get loved back if all I can give is chaos?' She heard steps coming towards her, noticing that he was coming closer she squeaked and try to fly away but was stopped when he stood in front of her. "You can't tell somepony that you love him and then ran away, can you?" he asked. She folded her wings back and sat back on the grass. She tried to hide her face but was impossible since he was jumping side to side in an attempt to meet her eyes. "Stop doing that," she said. "Why?" he asked. "I don't know. It's just stupid," she answered. "Then stop doing that with your eyes. Are you afraid of me or something?" he asked. She laughed and answered. "Afraid of you. Don't make me laugh, hahahahha... Yes, I am." He smiled and then jumped towards her, nuzzling his head on hers he raised his head and... "May I know why?" he asked. "Because you are scary," she answered. He giggled and said. "No, not that. The other thing." She raised her paw and put it under her muzzle. She tried to figure out what he was talking about but couldn't catch it. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. Hearing him grunting she smiled and continued. "Maybe you're talking about cooking lessons or Friendship lessons or how should I..." She lost her track of words when soft lips pressed against hers. Her eyes widen and she wanted to scream but instead, she closed her eyes and let the embrace take over her. After a few seconds their lips parted away, she opened her eyes and looked back at him. She wanted to scream to grab him and flew right up again. 'YES. YES. FINALLY.' She grabbed him and tangled herself around him, laying down on the grass she snapped her fingers and the dragon tongues were dancing around them. She looked back at him and smiled "So, that's your answer?" she asked. He giggled and answered while he crossed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "To what?" She grunted and booped his nose. "You know what I'm talking about." He shrugged his shoulders again and said. "I don't know what you're talking about." She snapped her fingers and feathers appeared near her paw, grabbing them she pushed them towards him. Noticing that she will attack him with tickles he said. "Don't you dare. I'll bite you if you do something like that." She grinned and pressed the feathers against his belly and started shacking them around it. He tried to squirm out of her grasp while he kept giggling at her recent tickle attack. "Say it. Was that your answer?" she asked. He kept giggling and giggling until tears started to come out from his eyes. "Alright, alright. I give up." he said "I'll tell you. Just stop, please." She snapped her fingers and the feathers disappeared. She patted her feet on the ground waiting for an answer. "Come on. I'm waiting," she said. "Or I need to get them back to make you talk." "No, no. No need for that I will talk," he said. "Yes, that's my answer to your question. And yes. I love you." She squeaked and flew right up while she kept holding him. Reaching a certain high she spun around herself and flew back down, laying back on the grass she untangled herself from him. He trotted to her side and laid beside her. "Took you so long," he said. She nodded. "May I know why me and not anypony else?" he asked, "I mean you've other friends besides me after all." She looked back at him and started explaining why she felt that for him. "So all began when,..." --End Flashback-- "...declared herself to me," he said. He placed the frame on the dining table and headed back to the couch. He placed his hoofs back on the head and said. "And now, she probably hates me for the way I behaved today," he said. He sighed and started crying but... "The dragon tongue," he said while looking back at the frame, "She loves them. If I get one of those maybe she will forgive me. But they only grow in... *gulp*...the Everfree Forest. And it's too dangerous to go into the Everfree Forest at this time of night," he said while looking back at the clock, "No. She faced her fears to declare herself to me, it's only fair if I face my fears of Everfree. That's it I will go now and bring her some of those flowers." He headed towards his bedroom got his bag and headed towards the door. "Angelica, I will go to Everfree Forest getting something to Eris. I will be back soon." The bunny raised his forelegs and shook them up and down in panic. "I know, I know. It's dangerous but I need to do this. I will be back soon I promise." He rushed towards the door and headed towards the forest. The bunny sighed and laid on the couch. In Everfree Forest... He gulped and stepped inside. "It's a really bad idea to come here at this time of night but I need to get those flowers," he said. He trotted towards the spot they usually grow. He kept searching and searching for them until he found them a large sprout to be precise. He rushed towards them and got his knife from his bag, cutting them he placed them back on his bag. "Good, now, all I need is to get out of here..." A sudden roar made him look back, seeing a trio of hydras he sighed and said. "...alive". The hydras ran towards him, he squeaked and ran away from that spot. 'Good. Very good idea, good sir. Now, look where you got yourself into. Just hope those things won't kill because if she knows that I sacrifice myself for just flowers she will finish their job.' He kept running and running, hearing large steps behind him he looked over his should and saw them closing distance. He squeaked and made a tight turn that made the hydras fall. "Haha. Losers." He used this as an opportunity and rushed further away from them. At the same moment... Eris knocked at the Butterscotch door and waited for an answer. Nothing. She knocked again. "Look, Butterscotch, I know that you don't want to see me right now but I need to talk with you. And I know it's a bad hour but could you at least open the door," she said Nothing. She sighed. 'I will come back tomorrow and hope he would open this door.' Angelica hearing the knock on the door headed outside and saw Eris leaving the place, squeaking and shaking her tiny forelegs up and down tried to get her attention. But nothing. She grunted and grabbed a book, heading outside she threw it at Eris. "OW," she said. Noticing that she was hit by something, she looked back and saw the small bunny shaking her forelegs in panic. She leaped towards her and noticed that she was trying to say something. "Wow, wow. Slow down I can't understand you." She shook her forelegs slowly to show her what she was trying to explain. "Everfree...Forest... Butterscotch." she said, "Everfree Forest Butterscotch, that makes nonsense." She grunted and headed back outside to come back with a picture frame of Butterscotch. Eris looked carefully at what she was trying to explain. "Everfree... Butterscotch... headed... towards..." she said. "I don't know what you're trying to..." She gasped at what she had finally realized what she was trying to say. "Butterscotch headed towards Everfree," she said. The bunny clapped her paws. She gasped. "At this time of night. What did you get on your mind?" "Don't worry little one I will get him back, stay here," she said while pointing towards the house. The bunny shrugged her shoulders. "Oh right. You got nowhere to go," she said. She flew up and headed towards Everfree Forest. The bunny headed back inside the house closing the door behind her. 'I probably know what he's after. He's after those Dragon Tongue. I told him to not ever going after them, everypony knows that they grow in hydra territory.' she said, "Worry not I'm coming to help you." She speeded up until she saw the Everfree. 'Wait for me.' He kept hearing the large steps coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and notice that the hydras were chasing him. 'How did they catch me so fast?' he asked. He kept running and running until... he found a large stone wall. He tried to get back but the hydras catch up with him. 'Just my luck. Cornered like a rat.' he said. 'Oh well, they will find me eventually if they don't eat me of course. I could use my stare but they're so terrifying.' One of the hydras stepped closer until it was close enough to low its head and face him. It roared and opened his mouth. He closed his eyes and hope for the worst. Then he heard hissings, a hydra cry, and a large thud, that made him open his eyes. He looked up and saw HER. She was covering his body with hers. "Eris, how did you find me?" he asked. "Your bunny told me," she answered. He gasped and said. "You figure it out!!!" She nodded. "Fantastic," he said. "What are you doing here at this time of night?" she asked. "I was catching some air and I remembered that I needed some herbs for my animals so I got here to get them," he answered. "At this time of night!!" she said "I couldn't sleep." Their conversation was interrupted by an enraged hydra that headed towards them. Eris tried to snap her fingers to get them out of there but a sudden tail whip made her jump and push Butterscotch aside. Due to this, she was hit by the other hydra that had raised back up. She tried to get back up but was held down by one of the hydras. Butterscotch shook his head to the sides to snap him back to the world. When he saw that the Hydra was raising one of his paws and that Eris was held down by one of the hydras. He rushed towards her and leaped forward. He unfolded his wings in an attempt to earn velocity. "Stay away from her," he said. SLASH. The hydra paw had hit him on his right wing that made him cry in pain and lose control of his flight until he crashed on the ground making a small dirt smoke. Eris squirm and roared while her magic started to levitate the two hydras. She threw the two hydras away and headed towards Butterscotch. Grabbing his body she noticed some cuts around his belly as well along his wing and a large scratch near his neck. The blood kept spilling out from his body. She used her magic and sealed the open wound that was near his neck, dropping him gently on the ground she looked back at the hydras. The hydras roared and rushed towards her, she roared back and used her magic to hold the hydras in place. "Look at what have you done," she said. She shook the hydras and dropped them back on the ground. "You shouldn't have done that. Now... face my wrath." She felt the hate building up inside of her, she started by becoming bigger as big as the hydras. "Come on. We're at the same size now." The hydras roared and rushed towards her. She hissed and used her magic to create a shield around her. One of the hydras jumped forward and used fire to break her shield, the other one used its head to tackle her and finally the last one jumped and pinned her down. The three hydras roared in unison. One of them headed towards her while the other one headed towards Butterscotch. Noticing that the hydra was heading towards him she snapped her fingers and the hydra was pushed backward. It tried to break through her magic barrier but without success. While she kept pinned down by one of them the other one raised its paws and slashed her body, hissing in pain she squirmed as an attempt to free herself from their grasp. The hydra raised its claw again and slashed her across her belly, hissing in pain she lowered her head and said. "No. Not there." Noticing that the hydra saw how she react, it raised its claw again and readied itself to strike her again but was stopped by her magic. "Do that again. And I will kill all of you." The hydra that was pinning her started jumping on her, crying in pain she used her magic and choked the hydra to death. Throwing its body away, she focused on the next hydra that was being held by her magic. Doing the same she choked it to death. "I've told you that I would kill you." The last hydra noticing that she was distracted, ran towards her and tackled her. She laid on the ground and slowly closed her eyes. "No, don't sleep. Not now." Butterscotch snapped out from his unconsciousness and looked around him, seeing that the hydra was heading towards Eris he unfolded his wings and flew towards her. The hydra pinned her down and placed its mouth near her throat, but a small pegasus was now standing on her throat. Starring ferociously at him was a large hydra but he couldn't fear it. The hydra kept hissing and roaring at him, he stood there watching, staring at its eyes. The hydra tried to move around him but it couldn't. Butterscotch kept moving forward and the hydra backward, until a point where the hydra fell down the hill. Looking down he saw that the hydra got back up, hissing back at him it ran away. Heading back to Eris he saw that she was now at his normal form. Noticing that she had cuts and scratches around her body he tried to get under her and bring her back to his house. With great difficulties, he got Eris on his back and rushed towards his house.